#Still mad about what happened to Izzy omg

[tampire]

How it started VS How it's going

#OFMD Spoilers #Our Flag Means Death #ofmdedit #OFMD #ourflagmeansdeathedit #Our Flag Means Gay #Nathaniel Buttons #Butthands #izzy Hands #Ivan #Fang #Seagull #My Gif #Ewan Bremner #Con O'Neill #Guz Khan #David Fane #Still mad about what happened to Izzy omg #I'm bummed #LGBT #lgbtedit #revive him buttons #But yeah Izzy shouldn't have been killed off and he should have lived with Ed and Stede

[prettybard]

So I’ve watched a ton of reactions to ofmd (indulging the ones mentioned in your post) because I was really curious to see how people responded to a show like this and I’ve observed some THINGS

• People generally don’t like/aren’t sold by ep 1 (crazy to me since it’s one of my faves and I was hooked instantly but it). Even people that liked it don’t seem to get the tone just from one ep.

• People always end up having a favorite crew member. Very fun to see who they end up gravitating towards

• Most people believe Black Pete’s stories at first/think they will be proven right later

•Most people don’t pay attention to Jim’s pronouns unless they are already aware that they are nb/are told by commenter that they are nb

• A lot of the little jokes and clever moments and line deliveries kinda go over a lot of peoples heads

• Queer people love Stede, straight people have to warm up to him

• Most people credit Taika for this show/most straight people heard about it because of his connection to it

• I’ve only seen one person previously unfamiliar with the foot touch in ep 8 notice it

• Everyone loves Lucius

• Hardly anyone notices how romantic the moonlight scene in ep 5 is (and of course the ones who pick up on it are the gays)

• This show reads much better for gay people. Like of course, but it’s interesting to actually watch the differences in reaction to a lot of moments. I mostly like to watch people who aren’t familiar with the show at all and I like to keep the mix of people (straight, queer, poc, white etc.) diverse so that I can see how people with different backgrounds respond. Queer people 100% of the time are feeling those themes and narratives.

• Everyone always loses their shit when Karl dies

• No one ever talks about how fun Geraldo is and that’s wild to me. Loved his character so much.

• End of ep 3/ep 4 is what usually hooks people

• Most people, including the straights, actually do see the kiss coming but there are a few who are still shocked

• People want to fuck Blackbeard and Jim but what else is new

• A surprising amount of people “predict” that Ed isn’t going to kill Stede because they’re going to end up friends. Like…..yeah. He’s the main character. Idk. They kinda set that up for you.

• A lot of Ed’s vulnerable moments go overlooked

• Most people can’t believe Ed leaves the dock and freak the hell out when he goes back to being Blackbeard. Very fun reactions to those things.

• Not many people point out Izzy’s attraction to Blackbeard

All this information may be completely useless but it’s really fun to observe how people respond to this show. OFMD is UNDOUBTEDLY a show for the gays but I love that by the end most straight people also highly praise and recommend the show.

omg anon i love you and im gonna try to respond to most of the points bc im v happy i got this message.

it genuinely made me so sad when ppl weren't that into the first episode, its so perfect and very easily shows the found family shit thats about to happen.

ik a lot of new people dont know about jims pronouns but by fucking god does it make me uncomfortable when ppl immediately use she/her pronouns for them,, but im glad that ppl start using it when commenters tell them abt jim.

OMG YEAH SO MANY LITTLE JOKES GO OVER PPLS HEADS AND IM JUST SCREAMING AT MY SCREEN TELLING THEM TO APPRECIATE IT ASKFJS,,, the scene where stedes like "no this is it,, thats it." THE FUCJING LINE DELIVERY ON THAT IS PERFECT BUT LIKE NO ONE MENTIONED IT

stede is for the gays,, only we can fully understand that little fucker

no bc it made me so mad that not many people credited david jenkins properly,, like its his show?!?!?!

everyone should love lucius,, hes perfect in every way

GOD I WOULD GET SO SAD WHEN MOST PPL JUST SKIMMED BY THE MOONLIGHT SCENE,, AND I DON'T THINK ILL EVER FORGET "nice , theyre friends now" HUH?!??!??!?!

i think alot of straight people just dont care, like most of the youtubers ive seen react to the show, mostly just care about the comedy and if its entertaining. it kinda shocking to me seeing ppl just act normally about the show and not completely dissect it and every single theme they can find

ahhh omg yeah idk how ppl can look at the bathtub scene with ed and just go "aww thats sad" and just dismiss it?!?! that scene changed my brain chemistry and ruined me,, ed vulnerable moments were my favorite and i really wanted more people to talk about that

oh man i feel like i can go on a whole ass rant about ed becoming the kraken,, like people say it doesn't make sense but if you just think about it for 2 fucking seconds you can see that it v much makes complete sense to his character,, hes just trying to protect himself

i like pointing out izzy's atrraction for blackbeard bc its fucking hilarious how pathetic he is for a man that barely even cared abt him and doesn't even exist (hes in love with the idea of blackbeard and but not ed)

anyways this was incredibly fun to respond to, anon!! pls send me more shit if you want <33

#i hope my responses make sense bc im working on 0 hours of sleep 3 coffees and my phone #and god i hope the toxic izzy stans don't come and fucking kill me for the last point.. ive had to deal with too many of them already😭😭 #ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #edward teach #gentlebeard

[a-wrenling]

Ofmd fanfic stupid idea two because I’m feral and this one is so long omg I’m sorry

Okay so I’m still a bit tipsy and feral but here we go (there will be a pt2 here this is so long omg)

Idea 2: the age of pirates is being threatened by the crowns of Europe by employing pirate hunters (aka ex pirates who are killing others for money). Ed is unbothered until he gets wind of some of the names that have turned against them all, including Hornigold. Izzy is properly mad (aka worried) and wants to know what the plan is because of course Hornigold would go after them. Ed being Ed, gets finicky and brushes Izzy saying it’ll be fine. Stede being Stede is slightly worried but greatly over exaggerates the crews abilities and so nothing happens. Until a ship finds them. Luckily it’s not Hornigold but it is *insert pirate here*. The revenge wins (barely) and in ____ last breathes he tells them that the crown wants Ed’s head on a platter after he shitted on their act of grace deal. So, with various of the crew wounded they leave the other ship burning behind them (because of course bonnet is a feral insane man). N e way I’m thinking Izzy gets hurt protecting the crew because that’s the good shit. But also it shocks Ed out of his “we are invincible” mindset. Because they aren’t and Izzy nearly died trying to keep it that way. N e way, Izzy is forced on bed rest and bonnet helps him (because I want them to forcible deal with each other) and after a few days of panicking over Izzy, ed decides to check out the ship. While Ed is doing that stede and Izzy finally start to come to a common ground ( like they both calmed down and listened to each other where Izzy stops yelling and bonnet actually asks to learn because he WANTS to be a good pirate! And he’s trying! But murder and violence really should only be the last defense like the battle (which maybe reminds Izzy too much of smth or someone)) any way back to the ship. As expected nothing is done…which is a huge issue since they got pretty damaged in the attack. Ed goes to order them about only to find that fang, Ivan, buttons, and Oluwande are the only ones who know what he is talking about. N e ways cue Ed actually teaching them but terribly. Bad enough that something gets set on fire (because Ed is an enabler and would 100% let wee John use gun powder) which causes Stede and Izzy to rush out to check. Izzy goes to put out the fire but oh shit his foot and multiple stab wounds prevent him so he tells bonnet what to do. And since at this point I want them to have an understanding he does and it gets fixed quickly since Izzy actually does know what he’s doing. Stede, who finally gets that, thanks Izzy and scolds Ed and the crew. Turns out Ed is shit at regular sailing shit and had learned most of it from his time on hornigold’s ship with Jack rackman, Sam Bellamy, and Izzy but was soon promoted. Ed points out that Izzy’s always been the one to sort out his crew and their task so he fell out of practice. Stede, starting to see how this is not sustainable for only Izzy and a handful of the crew to know what’s going on is not good, gets huffy like he does in the show until Izzy says he will just get it done since it won’t otherwise. Mother hen bonnet won’t allow that but it does need to be done. Cue fang and/or Ivan pointing out that Izzy could just teach them without doing it all (which Ed and Stede both note how they say “doing it all”). One of the crew (like Lucius) says that learning from Izzy would be like the navy but Ivan/fang point out that he used to teach the young ship boys how to do the tasks easily. Ed laughs that Izzy would have scared the poor kids and that kids haven’t been on the ship in years. It’s revealed that that is because of Izzy not allow “more children to be brought into this hell before they could understand” and the man concedes, with complaining about how grown men and Jim are not like children. So cue Izzy teaching while sitting down with Stede watching so he doesn’t push it, Ed learning a lot about his first mate’s abilities, the crew starting to understand what NEEDS to be done since Izzy can’t do it for them, and so on. (See part two)

#ofmd #ofmd izzy hands #ofmd lucius spriggs #ofmd edward teach #ofmd stede #our flag means death #okay this one is so much more chaotic omg I’m sorry #part one #con O’Neil really put his entire pussy into Izzy hands to get out his hatred of the tories and I love that for him

[omoghouls]

ed is totally a bedwetter... probably would make for a rough time if stede ever offered to share his bed, eh?

👀👀👀 oh nonny, YES??

Omg, like, some freak incident happened where Ed normally sleeps gets ruined (like, fire or just, Button's bird just wrecks havoc to the point where Ed cant sleep there unless he wants bird flu xD)

And ofc Stede is like "!!!! Sleep over!!! We can gossip and you can tell me wild tales without Izzy butting innnn, I'll even show you some of the books i nabbed from the spanish ship" he's already bustling to his quarters to set everything up

And Ed is standing there like "..fuck. okay, maybe he has one of those pull-out beds, hell even just that rug he's got comfortable." Because he knows that his bedwetting is very unpredictable, sometimes he can go weeks, even a month dry but then, one small off set and he's waking up drenched, and not from the sea water-

But he pushes that thought aside as he goes into Stede's room and Stede is in the middle of the room like "huh, guess i gave the lads my guest bedding, ah," and he turns to Ed, then his bed and is like "I suppose this is large enough for two"

Ed is immediately like "I'll sleep on the couch-"

But somehow, from what Ed is guessing Stede's magic powers, they're sharing the bed. And by god, is this the most comfy bed Ed has ever laied on and for a while, he completely forgets about his worries as the two crack jokes and chat.

The ship practically rocks the reverend pirate and the gentleman pirate asleep. God, the last time Ed remembered sleeping in such close contact to someone was his first time aboard a ship, the last time he had seen his mother, the first time he ever really faced the great open sea and it's monsters- and his sleeping mind spirals from there

His body jolts away, the pale moonlight streaming into the window, he shudders, Ed swallows roughly, using only source of light he slowly peels the blankets back, revealing just what he was praying would not be there.

Urine pooled around his body, still soaking into the fabrics of the bedding.

He feels the body beside him stirring

"Ed?"

Oh God this cant be happening

Ed just wants to close his eyes, make this all go away. But, his eyes slowly open when he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. He keeps his head straight. "I'll clean this up." He says, trying to keep his voice/tone blunt, but the slight crack is betraying him.

Stede just pats Ed's arm, telling him that it's okay, these things happen, too much to drink eh? Happened to me a few times! Things to reassure Ed that Stede isn't mad about this- sheets can be washed.

Ed mumbles about how he will literally die if his crew were to find out (usually he's the first awake of his crew so he can quickly clear/hide evidence of his bed wetting.

Stede says that if anyone was to find out, he'll tell them it was him rather than Ed who had the accident. Before Ed can respond, Stede helps him outta bed and murmurs about how he probably has some clothing that'll fit Ed uuuu

Xicv8hogyy this is probs ooc on my end but I LOEV THE IDEA NONNY

#m #omorashi #omocute #fandomo

[vvitchering]

Pss pss, I know I always sent in asks about songs and Star Wars ships, but hear me out! "This Is Love" by Air Traffic Controller is 100% an Ed/Stede (blackbonnet?) song like pls listen to it omg

Okay, listen, you're not gonna like this answer but this is 9000% a Blackbeard/Izzy song, actually,,,,,,,,

"You're no good, you're no good You could kill me and you should"

"I'm an idiot for thinking This was anything but blood"

If this isn't Izzy's weird pain/authority kink vs Ed's deep desire for someone, anyone, to show him an ounce of genuine affection I will eat my own left shoe

"It's pathetic, I know A jealous fool who won't let go If I was sorry for my actions Would I ever stoop so low Got no reason to live and I've got nothing left to give you But my love, love, fuck it, this is love"

This entire section is just pure concentrated essence of horrible little gremlin man Israel Hands. Unapologetically intensely jealous of Ed's blossoming relationship with Stede and probably so deluded at this point in his life that he truly does see the screwed up association he has and has always** had with Ed as "love".

**I want to talk more about this because these two scream "we were normal friends at one point but something changed along the way and now we're Like This". I think Izzy used to have a much lighter, less twisted love for Ed when they were young and then something happened that tainted it, turned it into this weird need for violence and humiliation and pain.

And Ed I think only ever wanted someone to really see him. His relationship with Izzy may have started out fine (or maybe it didn't! Maybe they've always been deranged together!) but its definitely not healthy or sustainable (at least one Ed's end) anymore. Izzy's "love" is crushing Ed, because Izzy doesn't love Ed, he loves Blackbeard. It's really kind of tragic. Ed, under Stede's positive influence, has lost the ability to use Blackbeard like a protective shield. That persona is effectively gone now, leaving the emotionally broken Kracken in it's place. But it's also really backfired on Izzy because not only has HE now effectively killed Blackbeard, he might also have sealed Edward's fate altogether.

Anyway back to the song

"The simple love that your grandparents had This kind of love will only make you mad, honey It hurts at first but it ain't that bad You gotta wonder what it meant"

This is straight up Izzy scoffing at Ed's desire to experience love the way he does with Stede, something based in mutual affection, that "simple love". He feels threatened by that, tries to make Ed remember how many times allowing himself to be soft caused him to suffer, tries to remind him how what they have might hurt at first, but is better in the long run. Everyone else leaves. Izzy is still here.

I'm sure you didn't send that in expecting this response, I'm so sorry. I didn't even choose to have this messed up ship invade my brain, it just happened. They're awful and destructive and fascinating.

---

Now, if you want song recs that do remind me of Stede and Ed, try:

House By The Sea by Moddi

"Fill my lungs with the sweet summer air In my heart, in my mind I am already there Yeah behind everything that I do I just want to come home and lay down beside you And then I'll be who I wanted to be In my heart I belong in a house by the sea"

White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons (Ed, after Stede leaves him waiting on the dock)

"A white blank page and a swelling rage, rage You did not think when you sent me to the brink, to the brink You desired my attention But denied my affections, my affections So tell me now, where was my fault In loving you with my whole heart?"

Everything I Own by Bread

"You sheltered me from harm Kept me warm, kept me warm You gave my life to me Set me free, set me free The finest years I ever knew Were all the years I had with you"

Something About The Way You Look Tonight by Elton John

"There was a time I was everything and nothing all in one When you found me I was feeling like a cloud across the sun

I need to tell you How you light up every second of the day But in the moonlight You just shine like a beacon on the bay"

#ask #im so sorry jay this got away from me fhdsjkfhkdjs #izzy/ed #tf is the ship name for them anyway #i would like to know. for reasons. #blackbonnet #because I do talk about them at the end a little bit #our flag means death #ofmd #in which I ramble about music for way too long #there's song recs in here too!!

[ihavefiish]

Ha

Ha ha GREYS UPDATE

Okay I'm like in the middle of season seven

Alex's family is a fucking disaster its so sad, I hope they go into more detail about it.

I miss izzie

Meredith and Derek are trying to have a baby!!! I hope they do cuz it would be so cute omg.

Especially after her misscarage it would be a rainbow baby

Arizona and callie... A lot to say

They were going to Africa and I was like.. Yayy

Then they broke up, that really made me sad cuz there one ofy favorite couples (along w merder)

Then arizona flew back but callie had s*x with Mark!!!

NOW

she's pregnant and having his baby and i think callie and arizona are back together.

Im so excited but Idk if arizona is gonna stay... Idk bad feeling

Oh also lexie got mad and left

April nearly slept with Alex (baaad idea) then avery kicked the shit out of him (good idea)

I love Alex but what he did to April was harsh

Cristina is back at work, she quit and took time off became bffs with Derek. Went fishing, had a life crisis then went back into the OR like nothing happened.

Glad she's back I missed her.

Still iffy about owen and Cristina together... It's odd. Idk if there gonna last.

Teddy god married!!! Go a guy she just met!!! Why???? But also like... Yayy shes saving his life...

But I super scared cuz I'm still (STILL) emotionally damaged by denny, I miss him so much

Bailey is dating eli and I think there cute but I miss that other guy she was seeing for a bit. He was nice

Oke byebye for now <333

#greys anatomy #greys spoilers #meredith grey #cristina yang #derek shepherd #callie torres #arizona robbins #izzie stevens #denny duquette #mark sloan #owen hunt #teddy altman #richard webber #miranda bailey

[bacomon-art-blog]

I found your blog right now, and can I say how much I love your art??? Your expressions and designs are so fun and I can’t stop looking at them. Would you mind explaining more about your Camp Cretaceous and SCP AU? It’s totally fine if you don’t want to though!

I’m sorry, I’m overwhelmed with emotions since your art is so good.

Omg! Thank you so much! You can not believe how happy seeing this ask got me! As for the AUs? I would be more than happy to info dump about them, but be warned the SCP au doesn’t have as much development as the Camp Cretaceous AU.

SCP AU:

Originally, the digidestined were SCPs themselves, with their own unique abilities, and I will probably put more thought into that idea, but I decided to change it after I had issues thinking about what to do with the characters. Now, the AU has the SCP Foundation finding out about the digital world and decided to label it as SCP-9901, with the digimon and the digidestined labeled SCP-9901-02 and SCP-9901-03 respectively. This leads to digidestined across the world being kidnapped by the foundation and trying to escape. Some of the digidestined get ahold of some of SCPs to help them escape, some being ones that already exist or some that I thought up.

Camp Cretaceous Au:For this au, I will talk about each character separately, and will only mention stuff from the first two episodes.

Sora: She is 18 years old and one of the Camp Counselors at Camp Cretaceous.(Don’t worry, They had to take classes before this!) Her father got her and Tai the job. He works as a digsite researcher for Jurassic World. She and Tai were already friends before getting the job, and both taught children how to play soccer which is why her father thought they would be good for the job. Her mom didn’t think it was a good idea as she thought Sora could get her, and boy was she right! She and the other counselors will follow Roxie and Dave’s storyline where they try to find the kids. Things will go differently for them as they won’t end up on the boats like Roxie and Dave did.

Taichi: You already know that he only took the job because he had to make sure that Kari was safe. Most info for Taichi is already explained in Sora’s paragraph, but I do plan for him and Yamato to have several arguments throughout the storyline, though I plan for them to better get to know each other after they have to go search for the kids. For episode two, instead of two campers going to the Carnotaurus cage, I plan for Yamato and Taichi to go with Daisuke. Yeah, Sora wasn’t too happy about them endangering one of the campers, but hey, Daisuke had the time of his life and helped save Yamato.

Yamato: He is 18 like Taichi and Sora, which should have made working with him easier, but no. He decided to be difficult. He’s only here to make sure his brother is safe. (He had to beg a lot for his friend to get him the job.) He’s good with the kids at least. The kids also like to hear him play songs,which ends with Miyako always freaking out about how they have a famous rockstar as a counselor. He has issues getting the youngest kid to relax,but Sora seems to have got it covered.

Takeru: He is 15 and he got invited to come to Camp Cretaceous after winning a writing contest involving the Park. He met Hikari before any of the others as they arrived earlier with the Camp Counselors. He and Daisuke argue a bit, and sometimes Miyako will join in. The others usually don’t though Iori asked them to be quiet once, which led to Daisuke getting a bruise on the head, and all four parties involved apologising. Though now, they’ve all learned that Iori can kick their asses if he ever chose to. Takeru plans on writing a book about their times here with Hikari’s beautiful pictures to go along with it. Once they found out Iori drew, they dragged him into it too.

Hikari: She got invited to Camp Cretaceous after Ingen saw her photography blog. Her first day sadly didn’t lead to anything interesting, but she, Takeru, and Daisuke all snuck out to go see if she can get any cool photos of the velociraptors. They almost got killed if the counselors hadn’t shown up. The Counselors scolded them for a while, and Daisuke was barred from going to Wu’s lab, she and Takeru wouldn’t have been able to either, if their brothers weren’t their counselors. Poor Daisuke though. Atleast, she won’t have to deal with his flirting while they are at the lab.

Daisuke: Daisuke is 15 years old and his soccer team is sponsored by Ingen, and that led to him and the captain of the other soccer team sponsored by Ingen to be Invited to Camp Cretaceous. He was so happy to hear that he and Ken both got invited. After their teams got sponsored by ingen, they had to go against each other a lot. This led to a rivalry between them, and it sadly wasn’t a friendly one at first, but then Ken warmed up to him and they became quick friends. He and Ken get to play soccer with two of their counselors as they are also soccer players. Isn’t that the coolest! The other counselors and campers try to play too, sometimes. Hikari seems to know a bit about soccer from her brother, while Takeru and Iori have experience with sports, so they fared better than Miyako and Yagami. Once when Iori asked him to be quiet, he retaliated by calling him a pipsqueak and Iori threw a book at him, though he had already realized that it was uncalled for before the book was thrown.

Ken: He had never really been a fan of Ingen, his parents weren’t either, but he could never really remember why. He thinks it has something to do with Sam. So when he found out that ingen would be sponsoring his team, he was not pleased. He knew it would help his players though, so he allowed for the sponsorship. He found the captain of the other team rather annoying and overbearing, and chose to kick his ass in soccer. Though one day, he was accidentally injured by Daisuke, and Daisuke helped him get to the bench. They ended up talking some more, and became friends. When he and Davis were invited to the camp, he planned on declining, but Davis got him to agree. It took a lot of persuading for his parents to agree as well. The first day wasn’t that eventful for him, though he knew that was different for some of the others. Davis told him all about it when he woke up. Sadly, Davis wasn’t allowed to go with them to the lab, but they still had fun. One of the assistant doctors was very nice to them all, though he felt like he had seen the guy before. He couldn’t place where though.

Iori: He is the youngest of the Campers, at 13 years old, but he would say that he’s also one of the most mature out of the group. Especially since he didn’t try to get himself killed on the first night, unlike some of the other campers. He doesn’t understand why Miyako was jealous, sure they got to see velociraptors but they also almost died, yeah no thanks. Though, he’s pretty sure Miyako wasn’t as jealous once she found out Daisuke had to clean dino excrement. When he got to the lab, Miyako ran off, but he atleast got to talk to the nice doctor that was walking them around. He got to watch some ankylosaurus hatch, the doctor even let him hold and name one. He remembers the doctor mentioning it imprinted on him or something like that. Sad that he didn’t get to learn the doctor’s name.

Miyako: Miyako is 16 years old and she wasn’t even invited to the camp, but Cody wasn’t going to go unless she went, and Ingen was surprisingly easy to hack anyway. She was excited to see what Camp Cretaceous had to offer too! The first day was pretty boring, but then she found out that some campers snuck out without her! Though Daisuke ended up with a rather unfavorable job, instead of going to the lab, so that sucks for him. While she was there, she decided to snoop inside Dr.Wu’s office. She got caught though, and Dr.Wu forced them to leave. Cody was pretty unhappy with her afterwards, Hikari told her about what happened while she was snooping, and explained why he was upset. She and Cody talked though, and he wasn’t too mad anymore.

Jou: That assistant doctor that’s been mentioned, yeah that's him. He is 19 years old and he works for Dr.Wu. He thinks Dr.Wu is pretty pretentious. His parents and one of his brothers work for Ingen, too. When he’s not working at the lab, he is hanging out with his friends, Mimi and Izzy. He even got them access to check out the lab. While they were doing that, he was assisting in giving some kids a tour. They were all very nice, and the youngest one seemed to really like the baby ankylosauruses, one even imprinted on him. Jou decided to let the kid name that one. Sadly, the kids had to leave after one of them was caught in Dr.Wu’s lab. This meant his friends had to leave too.

Mimi: She is a famous 17 year old vlogger and singer. She wanted to get some good videos on the park, and it was a perfect excuse to see Jou! She dragged Izzy along for the ride too! They spent their first week there just checking things out and making silly videos, but for the second week they decided to do a deep dive, starting with the lab. They just looked around the lab in the beginning, but then they got bored and decided to check Wu’s office. They found out about some weird dinosaur before they heard someone coming and left the room.(It was only Miyako though,) What they found seemed to upset Izzy though, she doesn’t know why though.

Koushiro: He is a famous programmer that sometimes joins Mimi in her videos. He lost his parents in an accident involving the construction of Jurassic World, and he plans to find out more about what happened that day. He goes to the park with Mimi, using the excuse that he also wanted to see Jou. When Jou invited them to the lab, he knew that it would be the best chance of finding out more information. What he found was somehow worse though. Did they really think this dinosaur would be better than the last one they made? He needed to know if Jou knew about this, but he couldn’t do that if Mimi was with him. Maybe he could ask his friend Tai if he could get him in, since he’s working at the camp for the summer. (Sadly, he doesn’t get the chance though.)

God, that was so many words. If you have anything else to ask, feel free to!

#camp cretaceaus au #iori hida #mimi tachikawa #sora takenouchi #taichi yagami #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami #yamato ishida #daisuke motomiya #miyako inoue #jou kido #ken ichijouji #koushiro izumi #scp au

[need-a-new-hobby]

moo shu to go

alright, i remember parts of this episode, and i know there's a jalec conflict (and by jalec i mean purely friendship). i’ll be honest, there isn’t much to comment on except clary’s dumbassery and a jalec conflict. thus, not much to unpack either. 

right off the bat, i have a theory. so right after the whole memory demon s*itstorm that happened in the last episode, clary sees the whole vision thing. now they don't really show us what happens after so here's my theory:

so obv, clary yells for jace and gives him the rundown of what she just saw. very conveniently, alec shows up. now, it’s possible that jace yelled for him too, but the more likely and more attractive notion is that he came to apologise to clary about what happened with the memory demon (see previous episode)

after writing this, a more unpleasant theory occurred to me. so in the books, alec threatens clary to not out him to jace. however, i have pushed that unbidden and incredibly unattractive theory out.

alright, so we see the first traces of the jalec conflict emerge here. so as soon as alec hears about valentine speaking to clary through the necklace, you can kinda see him panic a l’il inside. instantly he starts interrogating her a little too aggressively. i love this bit, particularly cause you kinda start to see the shadowhunter part of him.

it’s also part of why i think moo shu to go is one of the more important episodes in the season. you start to see alec on his own, independent of jace.

and clary’s getting hyper again. this matchstick needs to calm down and think. she finally has another possible lead and they desperately need to know where valentine is. on top of that, a nuclear power plant isn’t exactly obvious, but there are identifiable traits in it. 

ugh, i need to go to my happy place. 

okay, i’m back. clary has unnecessary attitude here. sure, alec’s being abrasive, but he’s trying to help and her emotions are clouding what little she can still remember from the vision. i mean, he asks her what she saw and her only response is ‘valentine has my mother, that’s what i saw.’ like yeah, clary, we know that. anything else?

ofc she likes jace’s idea. except that it would have all fallen apart if raphael hadn’t handed simon over. plus jace’s idea to get to valentine would’ve gotten them killed. 

‘vampires. bored, decadent, self-involved vampires.’ ha! raphael would not appreciate that language (though it does explain a lot about camille)

also is she seriously comparing his hare-brained scheme to save simon from the vamps to trying to capture valentine?

‘he can’t be handled by 3 and a half shadowhunters’ i mean is he wrong though?

also jace is just casually holding a spear in the background.

this next scene just unpacks why i love izzy so much.

first off, how well she understands alec. she knows the pressures her older brother’s under but also how abrasive he can be towards others, especially to strangers. which leads into my next point

despite understanding alec’s intentions, she still decided to find clary, knowing the latter probably didn’t understand the consequences. izzy’s empathy in the show makes her so much more likeable than the way she’s characterised in the books. 

even more importantly though, she’s shown in the beginning to be this free, wild spirit who doesn’t know what the word ‘consequence’ means. but here you start to see that she does understand the implications of their unsanctioned missions. right here when she talks to clary, you can see how izzy is beautiful, wild, confident and smart but overall just a beautiful soul.

final point on izzy: she knows exactly how to cheer up clary. she knows in this moment, they have no plan, and that they’re gonna need time to figure things out. instead, she gets clary to focus on what her mom is like.

ooh, maryse’s entrance. instant badass vibes. i like it. also kinda terrified.

first of all, whoever came up with costuming and hair did a brilliant job.

second, maryse really offsets jocelyn after we hear about the whole ‘more like a friend than a mom’. 

third, the way she brushes past both of them kinda gives you an insight into how the lightwood siblings’ childhood was.

four, why is it that despite alec being the acting head of the institute, maryse instantly goes for jace? guess we’ll see...

‘shadowhunters aren’t big huggers.’ maryse proceeds to hug jace

again window into alec’s childhood with the instant life lesson; ‘You should be prepared, whether you expect me or not’.

also alec’s little ‘I am. We are.’

i feel really bad for alec and izzy right here. let’s recap:

izzy’s getting scolded for having a friend in the downworld, in other words, sleeping with meliorn to get information. clearly maryse doesn’t condone this, perhaps because of the risks or the blatant morality questions that come with this.

alec’s role as head of the institute has turned into the Fairchild babysitter, he’s getting shade for being unprepared and you start to see why alec was so uptight all season.

meanwhile jace, who has limited expectations on him considering that he’s adopted, is seen to be consistently doing well. it’s not really his fault, i presume, considering that he never really had much of the responsibility for the institute. all of jace’s decision are actually alec’s in the eyes of the clave. to them it looks like alec can’t maintain control and is instead approving unsanctioned missions

clary, for some reason, is still involved in their discussion despite this clearly being a lightwood family matter. literally anyone else would have excused themselves. reason #13 why i hate clary fairchild. everything has to be about her.

oh, what a surprise, clary fairchild being shocked by another family’s drama. first of all, personally i was always taught to respect another family’s relationship chemistry. every family is different, every parent has a different style. clearly clary’s mother was more libertarian in her parenting style, which is great for her. except she’s missing the fact where the lightwoods are a high-status family with an institute to run. alec was consistently groomed to follow the rules and take over the institute. clary’s mom was much more libertarian except when it came to clary’s safety. moving on...

‘what did you do to piss off your mom?’ ummmmm.... who’s gonna tell her? oh wait, alec does nvm

‘I'd guess, for a start all the unsanctioned missions on your behalf didn't go over that big with the Clave.’ this little quip along with izzy’s speech before really combine in this episode. hopefully she understands that she’s a part of something bigger than herself with real-time consequences on her new ‘friends’.

okay, i have to admit, i love how jace know something’s up with alec. and that his assumption is that alec threw my leather jacket in the washing machine. again, just with this one line, 

alec does laundry which for some reason is really funny

he’s thrown jace’s leather jacket in the machine before

clearly when he did it, jace must have gotten pissed off if he assumes alec’s wounded face is ‘cause of that

okay, i refuse to believe that jace is this dumb. even clary understood that the guy is gay, how is it feasible that jace hasn’t figured this out yet?

alec’s nervous smile after this little scene

i love alec and clary’s fight scene, just cause a) i get to see clary knocked on her ass and that’s just a different kind of joy and b) i feel like it’s so cathartic for alec

also if she’s saying that all a leader does is make decisions, i need to take a very deep breath. the leader is popularly misconceived as aspects of power, popularity, showmanship and wisdom. what a true leader has is vision, long-term planning skills and uses these to accomplish goals. in this setting, we have to add another criterion; protection. alec is meant to be a leader, but he’s still subordinate to the clave. and as for his decisions, clary doesn’t respect them because they don’t service her. alec’s decisions have to be made for the good of the institute, not for clary, another reason why she constantly undermines his authority. on top of that, she expects him to stand up to his mother, which would be perfectly reasonable except for the little, tiny detail in which maryse lightwood is head of the new york conclave. if he debates her decisions, if he doesn’t follow her orders, they’re all screwed. and that’s the difference between him and jace. 

that’s not to say jace doesn’t make sound decisions. the way they stormed pandemonium and the hotel dumort with just the 3/4 of them is admirable. but while jace makes sound decisions on each mission, on each battle, alec has to make decisions on the war against valentine.

okay, these next lines should reealy grind my gears but i can’t be mad. so clary essentially tells alec that he needs to find valentine and stop him. ‘i need to find valentine and help save my mother.’ and then he kicks her ass and says ‘you need to work on your defence.’

‘what’s the big thought on not thinking?’ hahaha!

omg my two babies. s1 malec is so adorable. also, ‘you seem... sympathetic.’ really? he’s been alive for centuries and the best he could come up with is sympathetic? and why does the matchstick keep disappearing? 

alec just yeeting through the institute to find clary is so funny

‘what’s the point of an invisibility rune if you don’t keep your phone on silent?’ excellent question.

also how did alec know she was at the brooklyn academy of arts? she didn’t leave anything to track so did he just, like, pay attention to who she was and guess? i mean it is canon that he has a fantastic memory for people. book!magnus mentions he loves the beach ONCE and alec remembers it for their wedding. mindblowing! (i’ve just realised how low the bar is)

‘mundanes. look at them. running around like ants.’ i can’t be mad at that. it’s actually very accurate. also, i know where this is going and my heart is palpitating.

oh ma gawd she said it. *face-palm* why would you say something like that? he already doesn’t like you. it’s like she’s trying to get him to hate her. did she actually say ‘busted, no?’ i really wanna slap her. can i slap her? just a l’il?

i mean, at least he didn’t threaten to kill her? i don’t even... i don’t even know what to say. i’ll probably rant about it after.

okay, i have to say this. valentine is smart af. picking chernobyl was genius with the only mundanes around willing to do whatever it takes to cure their cancer. i thought it was genius because noone would think to look there, but this. evil genius. i feel so bad for them.

haha. ‘world’s been ending for a thousand years. you get used to it.’ 

simon jumps up onto a ladder. ‘have you been doing parkour or something?’

‘climbing a fire escape excites mundanes. i’ll never understand these people.’ as lovely and unoffensive as that sentiment is, it’s a little clunky in my opinion but it’s alec so eh. not really out of character for him.

ooh nooo, simon. alec’s starting to get suspicious.

‘you were engaged? i’m almost certain i don’t want to hear this story’ but... simon tells it anyway.

‘She was protecting you.’ ‘Let's see how well that worked.’ ‘You're alive, aren't you?’ good point

okay, so i have to make one point about my archer boy before we go ahead. i kinda feel like alec’s reeally misunderstood by simon and clary. like the way he treats them is curt, sometimes arrogant and a l’il abrasive. but despite that he really does care about their wellbeing. you can see it in the way he pushes simon out of the way. while simon construes his behaviour as offensive and taking him for granted but i think in reality he’s protecting simon. jocelyn’s been careful enough to burn down clary’s room so there’s reason to believe that there might be booby traps or some kind of protection spell around it. he does it again when they hear something behind them. he just instinctively moves in front of them.

noo, don’t leave them alec. not good. on the other hand, archer boy!!

also they never actually sprint. it kinda feels weird that way they all run, like they’re afraid they’re gonna hit the camera or smth. idk how to explain it.

dear lord, the jalec conflict is coming and i want to curl up into a ball and cry. but also punch a wall at the same time. 

so something i wanna address is how clary doesn’t realise that her actions, though they are hers, are attributed to the people around her. she sneaks out of the institute and that action is attributed by jace to alec. in simpler terms, he blames alec for clary sneaking out of the institute which izzy picks up on. ( ‘and yet you’re blaming our dear brother? fascinating’) and alec blames himself for it too, which isn’t great either. reason #31 why i dislike clary fairchild. the consequences of her irresponsible actions fall on the people around her.

my god, jace can be savage sometimes. so something they’ve established later on in the show is that you can only track someone if they’re on land. seeing as clary and simon have been taken to the docks, technically they’re not on land. so obviously the tracking isn’t gonna work, but jace doesn’t realise this (obv, since he doesn’t know or can’t predict she’s on water). 

something else i should point out. jace is using a charred sketch to track clary when they have her bag RIGHT THERE.

first he blames alec for clary sneaking out of the institute. then he blames him for her getting kidnapped (which, i have to admit, maybe he should have stayed inside with them and then gone out as a group rather than secure the fire escape which is what he would normally do with jace and izzy). but then he says stuff i can’t forgive him for: ‘Then maybe your mother was right, and your best is just isn't good enough.’ that stings.

‘why do i keep getting kidnapped?’ that’s true. hasn’t the kid been through enough?

haha, inexpensive cocktails.

it always strikes me that these scenes happen after dusk. why? does it really take them that long to get there?

when did they teach her runes?

the way she holds the stele like it’s a wand. ridiculous. ‘you know you can’t cast spells with that thing?’ every time people say patronising stuff like this, i always start getting mad, but then i remember that none of this would’ve happened if she’d just stay put at the institute.

the way luke manhandles her is so funny. she’s like a rag doll.

poor luke. just got beat up by jace for saving clary

izzy is a queen PERIOD. ‘i’m getting seriously sick of saving your life.’ ‘i am not.’ i mean getting kidnapped would be worth it if you got to be rescued by the lightwood siblings.

do they seriously have to keep hugging each other? they’re right outside a werewolf den.

‘i didn’t screw up everything.’ technically he didn’t screw up anything. none of this would have happened if clary had just listened to him.

i also love how the lightwood siblings all instinctively touch simon to pull him back as the werewolves approach.

just the series of dialogues

alec: he’s challenging the alpha

clary: he’s helping us

simon: or cutting in line to kill us.

has clary not watched twilight? it’s like her questions get dumber every episode.

another thing i hate about jace; he says in the beginning that clary is his responsibility but then refuses to clean up her messes, telling alec and isabelle to report back to maryse who is not going to be happy.

the first time i watched the ending i was kinda disappointed. not by the luke plotline, just by the choice of song. soldier, by fleurie, is a masterpiece and i just feel like they wasted such a good song.

well, thank the lord that’s over. i hate watching jalec fight because they’re so good when they’re on the same side. ep 6 coming up

#shadowhunters #alec #alec lightwood #izzy #isabelle #isabelle lighwood #jace #jace wayland #clary #clary fray #clary fairchild #anti clary fray #anti clary fairchild #anti clary #anti jace

[geekkatsblog]

Grey's Anatomy 16x14 review

(Who hurt the writers on Grey's? Everyone is breaking up and everyone's unhappy.)

_________________________________________

Deluca

Talking about him first because he is the biggest mess on Grey's right now and that's saying something. I really hope its sleep deprivation and not anything else because the way he's heading, hes gonna either be put in the mental or fired and either way no one can say he wouldn't deserve it. He was just out of it the whole episode. He was an ass to Dr Haynes who is one of his superiors, Yelling at Meredith in front of everyone, bringing out all of their personal business and even if he didn't care that's really embarrassing for the chief of surgery to be yelled at by a resident. He broke up with Meredith and THEN YELLED AT THE PATIENT. I was just done by then and Dr Riley calling him a machine 😳😱😰, wow what is happening to sweet innocent Deluca? I miss him. I sure hope that they figure out fast and solve what the hell is wrong with him or he's gone.

_________________________________________

Meredith

Apparently had no patients or chief of general surgery duties to do, so she decided to steal Deluca's out of concern, only to be yelled at, dumped and embarrassed by her resident/boyfriend. Honestly I don't know what to say, well for starters she should have either left Deluca alone or suggested the problem to Bailey and have another Doctor take over Suzanne instead of taking over the case. She can't keep using her Chief of General status to protect him. She should have chewed him out and told him to go get some sleep like she would have done with any other resident. Was kinda disappointed she let him talk to her like that. Come on Mer great sex or not he's not worth lowering your respect at work, at least not again you already went through that as an intern.

_________________________________________

Dr Haynes/ Mc Widow

So far so good, still not at shipper level with him and Mer yet, but as a stand alone character hell yea he's awesome. I kinda like him as the peds dr as well, him trying to help Joey with his physical therapy was something that he could have pawned of to an intern but no he made it his priority to find out himself how to help Joey, you can tell he really cares for his patients. My heart melted when he discussed with Bailey on how to help Joey, and then when he tried to defend Meredith form Deluca who is currently in hulk form. He's a cool addition to the cast so far.

_________________________________________

Jo Wilson/Karev

Is definitely on the brink of breaking and who could blame her? However she needs to find another way to break besides sticking her nose in other people's business. When she was talking to Link about Amelia earlier about having a tumor and not wanting kids. She definitely did not have the whole story about that and needed to zip it then in the OR with Owen she brought up how he would feel if Amelia's baby was HIS OMG, she almost ruined everything. For a second I wanted to slap her but then when she started to cry at the phone call with Alex and I couldn't stay mad, she's definitely suffering right now. Why are they doing it this way? I can't understand. They made a reference with the bear case and rekindled old flames that made me wonder if Alex found Izzie Idk, I'll have to wait and see.

On another note though, did they really try to validate affairs on that episode last night? Wow.

_________________________________________

Owen

Giving advice on how to care for a pregnant woman to Link on the elevator..... what a cringe 😖😖. Link knew and he didn't. And then besides going to the ultrasounds was Owen really there for Teddy? the 1st third Teddy was afraid to tell him she was pregnant, the 2nd third he spent being upset with Teddy and sorting out his relationship with Amelia and the adopted kids and the 3rd third he was pissed at Teddy's relationship with Koracick so when we think about it is he really qualified to give advice??? That was all he did in the episode, give advice, even to Jo. Since when is he a reliable source at giving advice.

_________________________________________

Bailey

Nothing much to do, except give a PSA on menopause, kicking Deluca off the case, temporarily ending powered up Deluca and sharing some joy with Joey while also attempting to share some with Richard. She is definitely going to help Joey, I'm not sure about the others since they seem to be happy and settling into their new homes well. Plus 4 adoptees as well as Tuck, that might be a little too much to handle. I was happy to see her and Richard's friendship as I usually am. That is the most personal I've seen their friendship usually it's mostly work husband to work wife. She's concerned and for good reason because I've never seen him so down before, it's almost at alcoholism relapse level and she's probably the only one left to help him.

_________________________________________

Richard

Is in a deep slump. His wife left him, hes separated and work no longer seems to be doing the trick for distracting him. Hes not teaching the interns and refusing to accept the help from friends. I hope this isn't a relapse coming or a cheating scandal either. Richard you've come too far now to go backwards. Get it together and surprise Catherine by being great.

_________________________________________

Amelia/Link

They broke up........ saw it coming but yet didn't see it coming and the excuse she used. Idk it was a little weak at the end of the day anyone would be sceptical to enter a relationship with potentially another man's baby. It may however be for the best right now, she had a rough pregnancy before where her baby died and the paternity stress definitely isn't good for her and baby. She needs to focus on her and her kid for now to ensure a healthy birth. Then for sure she needs to get the test done and face the problem. Props for her though for finally realizing that Maggie is possibly one of the most supportive people ever and deserves to be supported as well.

_________________________________________

Maggie

May have finally found her person in Amelia Shepherd who after being shown how it's done to be a supportive person has seemed to try it for herself. Their moments tonight were sweet to me Amelia is more like her half sister than Mer is. They really are sweet and are developing a close bond. When Amelia called her everything at the end to Link❤❤❤. I think this is the beginning to a beautiful sister hood.

_________________________________________

Jackson

Mark Sloan's work reincarnated, then in the episode at the end, popped up out of no where outside Meredith's house to apologize for being an ass to Maggie at the end of their relationship. Basically just a filler role tonight.

_________________________________________

Nico and Levi

They were the most confusing of the night and that's saying something. At the beginning of their relationship Nico tells Levi he doesn't want a baby gay who's parents don't know that he's gay and after Levi outed himself to his parents and family and everyone else causing conflict among his family Nico then confesses that his own parents are unaware that he's gay.

Say what????????????

The funniest part to me about it is that when Levi was about to tell him how wrong it was for Nico to come at him for not telling his parents when he himself didn't even tell his own family, Nico was like I know what I said,....... excuse me what? The writers didn't even try with this one, they made him say one thing and was like well we need to throw some good old fashion conflict in these guy's relationships so let's just ignore what he said earlier and go from there. It sucks because they really were a great couple with potential.

_________________________________________

End notes/Questions

• I'm incredibly thankful that Suzanne lived so that her kids could see her again. She really is an awesome mom, and her family dynamic, with her sister reminds me of the one I have with my sister, so that case really did hit a spot.

• The foster kids reunion was so cute and how sweet is Joey, hes like the kindest teenager ever. And so are his siblings, they're all adorable.

• I need them to do something with the place they're taking Deluca down and solve it fast because I don't like the place he's heading.

• Same goes for Alex, hes ghosting Jo and now Meredith. I know they have to try to take the band aid off slowly so it won't affect Jo's character but I wished they'd do it without erasing Alex's growth.

• Will Link and Amelia get back together and who's the father Owen or Link?

• Is Richard going to have a relapse or is something going to change.

• Will Ben and Bailey adopt Joey and his siblings, just Joey or none. For some reason I can feel a Ben and Bailey conflict coming on, they haven't discussed the miscarriage and that's bad.

• What's going to happen with Livi and Nico? I'm at a lost on where it's going at this point.

• Pac north is gone, are we going to see some more new doctors at the hospital?

• And last and most importantly, can we have at least one healthy happy couple on Grey's If not I'll settle for a happy healthy person.

#grey's spoilers #greys anatomy #grey's anatomy #meredith grey #miranda bailey #jo wilson #jo karev #jackson avery #maggie pierce #richard webber #catherine avery #alex karev #amelia shepherd #atticus link #levi schmitt #episode review #review #tv fandom #tv show #tv series #owen hunt #teddy altman #shonda rhimes #shondaland #tv characters #things i love #greys abc #grey s anatomy #izzie stevens

[wetalkinboutbooks]

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Summary: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings:  

 → Geena:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 → Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: We genuinely love this book series so much that our brains recircuit talking about it... all we can do is say if you’re looking for good fantasy with amazing characters and plot... this is it!

Check out the spoiler full review below~

The Good:

→ The Worldbuilding 

Kae: Worldbuilding baybeeeeee. I LOVE IT. Reading this series was such an eye opener for me. It was so far from the usual European magic and broomsticks, that I NEEDED MORE. So I kept reading lol. The worldbuilding in this series is fantastic. There are Efrits, Jinn, magic, and more. This world is set in a Romanish Empire/Pakistani fusion of cultures. You have the Scholars are the lowest caste of people, the Tribes which is basically just a step up from ScholarS, but they are free. Then we have the Plebeians and the Martials. All of these cultures are so well written and developed that you have no trouble differentiating what culture certain characters might belong to just based on their name. Ex: Afyah, Ilyaas = Tribes; Darin, Laia, Izzy= Scholars; Markus=Pleb; Helene, Elias = Martials. All very easy to distinguish, I think. 

We also have some magical beings who are more or less immortal. The Jinn and Efrits, the Nightbringer, Shaeva, the Augurs. They’re all linked to a literal higher power. 

We also have The Waiting Place, which is basically purgatory. But it’s where the dead go to be escorted to the next life. 

Geena: I deserve no rights because I've always loved the whole roman empire history shit, it was always the most interesting shit to learn about so when I read the synopsis like roman inspired… written by a SA woman… i LOST MY SHIT!!! AND LIKE KAE DESCRIBED Sabaa does an amazing job of weaving in magical elements too, and ugh….. Her mind… BUT ALSO WHAT I LOVED IS, something a lot of fantasy authors do is fall into a hole of introducing race politics (aka RACISM) based on skin colour, but Sabaa was like… Wait Ik how to format this

Tired: Fantasy world skin-colour based racism

Wired: Fantasy world-class system based beef 

Sabaa tackles the issue of class systems and so on, and she did it all from scratch and I fucking loved it, it was gratifying to see an author who put so much effort into her worldbuilding. Also… this is v dumb… but the whole detail with sending messages using drums….. I was here for it 

→ Laia and Elias 

Kae: They’re wonderful and need a hug

Geena: Sabaa made an executive decision to write two whole cinnamon rolls and she did! COMPLEX cinnamon rolls that we love from the bottoms of our hearts. We start off with Laia’s perspective as she waits for her brother in her room, but shit hits the fan real quick and the Martial empire’s elite soldiers storm their small home searching for her brother. We learn that her brother, Darin, has got his hands on top secret info and if he doesn’t turn it over they’ll murder everyone. Darin and Laia try to make a run for it but are apprehended by a Mask (Essentially an elite soldier) and they’re forced to watch their grandparents die, Darin tells Laia to run and get out of there and our girl… our girl listens but she has mad ragrets. We follow Laia as she stumbles to the Resistance, an underground Scholar organization that has mad beef with the Martial empire. There she’s tasked with acting as a slave to hands down, the WORST person in the empire, Keris Veturia. All of this in the hopes that the Resistance will help save her brother who’s been imprisoned in the most brutal prison in the empire. 

What I love about Laia is that she’s not perfect, she’s not an amazing fighter and strategist off the bat… she’s an 18/19 year old girl from an oppressed group that has no idea what’s going on and her only skill set is that of a healer. BUT!!! Throughout the book we get to watch Laia make mistakes and learn from them, all of which makes her stronger and smarter. She’s so determined 🥺 even when Keris is carving her initials into Laia’s chest, even when she’s brought to the brink of death, Laia sticks with her goal to find Darin no matter the cost. Anyways.. We stan…. THOUGH TO BE HONEST, when I had started reading it, her first few chapters were frustrating to read because I was like “why would you do that1!!!” but then I set the book down at one moment and thought about how I’d act in the same situation and I was like….. I would’ve fucked up and been killed like 10 pages ago so Laia is doing really well LMAO… and since then I’ve been ready to fight for Laia whenever I see people shit on her.  

Kae: BOOM! So Geena summed up Laia’s character/situation perfectly. WE STAN LAIA OF SERRA. Now, we’re gonna talk about our brooding, handsome boy, Elias aka Ilyaas. Elias, is WILDLY the son of Keris. Keris had a lil boo thang back in the day and got preggers. She did everything she could to terminate the pregnancy, but nothing worked. So she was forced to give birth to him. She fucked off to the desert tribes for a while and learned how to deliver a baby, so she could deliver her own. When the time came, Keris gave birth to Elias. She cared for him for about five minutes before she was like “Yeah, I’m not with the shits. Fuck this kid.” And she left Elias in the desert near the tribes so he could be raised with them. Years later, Elias was chosen by the Martials to attend Blackcliff. Blackcliffe is a school where the Martials train to become the most elite soldiers in this world. Elias trains and trains and is ultimately the top of his class. At a certain age, the students are given silver mask that will eventually completely fuse to their face. Elias hates his mask. He takes it off every night, so it still hasn’t fused to his face like the rest of his class. Elias also hates Blackcliffe and was planning on being a deserter. He had a bag packed and was fully prepared to leave. He was sad to leave his best friend and confidant, Helene, but he was RET TA GO. That is, until he was selected to compete in the Trials that would change his world forever. These trials are to select who is to rule the Empire. He gets this news, when Laia, Keris’s slave is sent to retrieve him. When he meets Laia, he is instantly smitten. He forgets himself, is smiling, shooting the breeze, asking her names, etc. Then realizes, he could get her in trouble just for being nice to her. So they move along. 

Elias is a very sweet boy who just got caught up in a lot of shit with the trails. Every day he spends at Blackcliffe is another day he hates himself. The kid (well he’s like 20), is just straight up MISERABLE. These trials are to rest his mind, power, and strength and all the usual. The last two winners in the end will be the ruler and the Blood Shrike, aka advisor. This is almost a good thing, because Elias is competing with Helene and if they both win, they can both rule. Things are going pretty well for them. They’re winning, it’s looking good. But then, Elias has to go against Helene and they both have to lead a small armada against one another. It’s either kill or be killed. In the end, he has to go against Helene . In the end, he and Helene reluctantly battle it TF OUT. Elias wins because Helene had to forfeit because she was wearing some magical armor that couldn’t be penetrated. Elias feels HORRIBLE. His friends are dead. He ALMOST killed his best friend. He feels ashamed and like a monster. If he hadn’t hated himself before (which he totally die), he SURELY hates himself now. Laia is then sent to his chambers/rooms as his prize. He’s meant to sleep with her, but he hates himself too much and he doesn’t want to take advantage of her. So they just talk and end up sharing a little smoochy smooch. But uh, ya boy is lowkey SPRUNG cause Laia is cute and she got them CHILD BIRTHING HIPS.

Geena: Kae got that *Chef’s kiss* Elias/Ilyaas summary I s2g. I loved Elias because he was honest to god such a refreshing character to read. Like he seems like the typical YA boy → Tall, dark, handsome, and brooding. BUT!!! He’s so different and in the best way possible. FIRST OFF!!! He actually has such a fulfilling childhood (no sad backstory other than learning his mom is an actual piece of shit rip…. More like sad present story). Secondly, he recognizes that what he’s doing is wrong and the way the Martials terrorize Scholar’s is garbage and he wants no part of it. THIRD, he doesn’t like to push his own trauma on those around him? IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT WELL, but like he’s such an upstanding guy that treats people well no matter what? Also… he’s lowkey a dumbass… like Kae mentioned when he first met Laia his brain hit a reset and he was essentially like “Me name potato.” We love a hot dumb jock that chugs that respecting women juice. 

Kae: OMG HE’S A TALL, THINNER ALTAIR MINUS DICK JOKES. HE’S NASIR AND ALTAIR IN ONE.  ASDFGHJKL 

Geena: YEEEEAASSSSS (check out that review here). ALSO MY final thots on Laia and Elias that as a duo they’re amazing! Laia gives Elias advice when they’re stuck in his room together 🤪 and he finally chooses that he’ll do what HE wants and not what the empire wants. Elias, in turn, vows to help find and save Darin…. I love them sm they bring the best out of each other 😭 

→ Izzy ft. Helene’s One Singular Good Person Moment

Kae: IZZY! Izzy is the epitome is sugar, spice, and everything nice. Well, minus the spice because she’s really just a sweet little sugar plum. Izzy is also Keris’ slave. She’s around the same age as Laia if not a year or two younger. She’s very quiet and tries to keep to herself. But she finds herself secretly being friends with Laia and helping her when things are the absolute worst. When Keris carved her initials into Laia’s chest, Laia got really sick. Our girl had a crazy fever and Izzy was there to help her through it. Well, she got Elias and he got some herbs and shit, BUT IZZY HELPED. Though Izzy has been a slave her entire life, she has always wanted to be free of Blackcliffe and all of its horrors. So she works with Laia, sneaking out, and sometimes stealing, to make sure that can happen for the both of them. I should also mention that Keris took Izzy’s eye as a child. So Izzy is a small, skinny, fragile, one eyed sweetie. But all of her hardship doesn’t stop her from being such a genuinely good person. 

Geena: Izzy is such a sweet character who tries her best to not be friends with Laia, but people GRAVITATE to Laia (good and bad rip) so she didn’t hold out very long. My favourite scene with them was when they sneak out to participate in some yearly festival that is ~~illegal~~ such a sweet moment I lowkey died.  Moving on to Helene though, the poster child of brainwashed, patriotic, eating-propaganda-for-breakfast, and the second best Mask after Elias. Helene is also shown to have feelings for Elias so when Laia shows up she’s not pleased at all! And Elias himself is confused about his feelings and rip when he was like “Let me try to kiss Helene and see if I like her too” LIKE BOY…. DON’T PLAY HER LIKE THAT PLS…. BUT he doesn’t bc Laia is ATTACKED thus interrupting their moment and Helene is annoyed like “OFC IT’D BE THAT BINCH!!!” like Helene the poor girl was attacked by another walking bag of shit o my god… BUT!!! Near the end of the book when Elias and Laia are escaping Helene is the first one to catch them, but she lets them go! A turning point for her character maybe? Though I know for a fact she didn’t care about Laia, but was doing it bc she still cared for Elias and didn’t want to see him slaughtered no matter how much she’s a ride-or-die for the Martials. 

The Bad :  

→ The Scholar Resistance 

Kae: Is that what they were called? Because they HIGHKEY played tf out of Laia. Alright. The Resistance. They’re mean and I HATE THEM. The Resistance is a rebel movement by a few Scholars who are fighting for the freedom and equality or their people. Laia’s parents were like, the biggest, most badass leaders who have ever lead them. But after they died, things kind of fell apart for The Resistance. Laia, stumbles into their hideout after she runs away from home, after her brother was kidnapped and her grandparents were killed. She begs for them to help her and they’re basically like “Mmmm. No. But you look familiar tho… Who ya momma nem?” and she’s like “lol yeah actually my parents used to run this shit so help me.” And they help her… Kind of… They basically send her ona  dummy mission. A SUICIDE MISSION to be the Commandant’s slave (Keris), to gather information about the Martials and their next plan. In return, they were to help free Darin. Laia was to gather info, then meet with Keenan (a boy in the Resistance) to give over said info every week. Well, they also chose not to tell Laia that she was basically on this mission for nothing. They had no real way to get Darin out of the prison he was being held at. They were really just sending her to die because they KNEW Keris was ruthless and that none of her slaves lasted more than a few months before they were killed or killed themselves. Long story short, FUCK The Resistance. They’re bitches and we HATE THEM. 

Geena: Kae’s right… the Resistance is a bunch of wrinkly ass losers that can kiss our asses. When it was revealed that the Resistance didn’t know SHIT about Darin and were just fucking with Laia…. I was ready to to go down to this place and fight them mySELF. Laia risked EVERYTHING to get them information, she survived for god knows how long under Keris and when she couldn’t come up with something substantial they’d be like “Oh well you’re fucking useless” as if she’s not the daughter of the Lioness aka the most fierce Resistance leader that they ever had. Also, Keenan (....) comes through in the end and offers her a way to break her slave cuffs and escape, but Laia decides that Izzy deserves that more than she does and that Laia would find her own way out… But also imagine the betrayal that Laia felt, the people that were supposed to keep her safe and help her were just screwing her over the whole time. But… despite everything that happens Laia is still her sweet self? Just like Ilyaas… both manage to maintain their humanity no matter the shit thrown at them. 

The Ugly:  

→ Keris’ tiny little mean ass 

Kae: Geena said that shit, baybeeee! Ugh, her MIIIIND. Alright. Now. Let’s talk about “The Bitch of Blackcliffe”. This woman. Evil, vile woman, is basically a 5’3, blonde hair demon. She has absolutely no patience. If you sneeze in the same room as her she’ll probs slit your throat and make a disgusted, disappointed face at you while doing it. She will tolerate NOTHING. You will not speak to her unless spoken to. I mean, this is a woman who wanted to look like so much of a badass that she thought being pregnant and delivering her own baby in a cave alone would make her look weak. I think that was actually pretty tough of her though because whew… I couldn’t do it.

Geena: She got back to her neanderthal roots

Kae: LMAOOO GIRL IM DEAD.But like,  in her youth, Keris went to Blackcliffe. As we heard from her father at some point, Keris was miserable there. She was taunted, picked on, and beat up (mind you she was the only girl at that school so that’s fucked up). She had absolutely no friends and had to fend for herself. So, to make up for it, Keris became ruthless. She became a heartless woman because people made her that way. I hate to be that person, but like, I get it? I can see why someone would become so coldhearted. She did not have a good life. Her mother died when she was young, her father wasn’t there, and she had no friends. I’m not surprised at all that she turned out to be such a horrible person as an adult. No, I’m not giving he an excuse. She had the option to be a good person and she didn’t choose that. But, yeah. That’s my take on her evil ass.  WHEW. OKAY DO YA THANG. 

Geena: TRUE, Kae’s right, Keris had that sad :( childhood :( but at the same time, it’s like… you didn’t have to continue being a dick like people were to you but here we are. Also, she’s genuinely such a terrible person and orchestrates the genocide of the Scholars and is a BITCH about everything. What I realize now is that…. She’s essentially Elias’s foil? Like neither had a solid father figure, both had a tough time growing up (with Elias missing his tribal home and being forced to murder, and Keris being bullied), but Elias does his best to break out of that cycle but Keris is like… *slurps up the shitty Martial mudwater*... she is the bootlicker supreme who finds joy at having her son beheaded (Helene is Bootlicker Lite because at least she let Elias live whereas Keris tried her best to get him killed) BUT JOKES ON THAT BITCH BC ELIAS LIVES!!!!  Elias would send Keris a crude drawing of himself like “I lived bitch!” 

Anyways, she’s an extremely well-written villain else we wouldn’t hate her so much lmao…

Conclusion 

Kae: In conclusion, we fuck with it. I loved this series so much, I read the first three books in one week and was heartbroken to find out that the fourth book wasn’t out yet. YA GIRL IS ATTACHED TO THESE CHARACTERS, OKAY!???? An Ember in the Ashes is a wonderful, extremely well written book. I think Sabaa is a literal genuis. This book made me fall in love with reading all over again. I think the characters are so individually different, it’s amazing. They are well distinguished and independent of each other. They are strong and sweet and funny and evil. Just all around AMAZING as well as the folklore, stories, and cultures that are presented to the audience. 

Geena: yyyeeeaaaass the care that Sabaa Tahir put into this book, ranging from how each character is written to the intricate worldbuilding got a bitch tearing up, BECAUSE ONE DAY I WISH TO WRITE THIS WELL!! An Ember in the Ashes draws you in from the first page, and I litcherally say this for every book we’ve reviewed but there’s NEVER a dull moment (I need a new phrase lmao) you are constantly stressed reading this book (in a good way) and there’s like 2 more books after… and the last book in the series on the way. BLEASE READ Ember, because Kae and I have spent our whole time talking SCREECHING about this book. THINKING ABOUT IT, WITHOUT EMBER WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS BLOG LMAOOO  

Kae: OKAY BUT LIKE. LITERALLY. WE STARTED TALKING AND BECAME REAL GOOD FRIENDS BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK. LIKE, WITHOUT EMBER, THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED. SO THANKS, SABAA. 

Geena: WE LOVE YOU, SABAA!!

Kae: And I guess that concludes today’s book rant/review! I hope you all enjoy our ramblings and more! 

#an ember in the ashes #sabaa tahir #aeita #book review #booklr #bookworms #book blog #book blogger #book blogging #bookblr #Laia of Serra #Elias Veturius #books #reading #wetalkinboutbooks

[stydiaeverafter]

THAT NIGHT.

Something interesting...

I’ve been seeing a ton of theories about Rosa, and have my own as well. The one that’s the most compelling to me, is that Alex killed Rosa and those girls.

At first when I read that, I was appalled! He’s our little sweet cinnamon roll. But then I’ve begun to look a bit deeper... the writers said he goes through the biggest change. He was a skater boy punk. Full of life. Carefree. This probably really appealed to Michael and they started a relationship, not holding back. Full force.

I’m wondering if he partied a lot with Rosa, and drank away worries because of he stress of his father breathing down his neck.

There’s that Alex, and then military-follow-the-rules-Alex. How did it come to be??

I don’t know if it was drunk driving, or he was upset and was going crazy in the car (not sure if Michael was in the car or came to the scene later), but I bet Rosa, leaving Roswell to finally get help, swerved and hit a tree, which hit those other girls as well. Domino affect.

Well, this is just horrible...obviously. I’m guessing, just because there was nothing interesting about the other girl’s deaths, that sadly they were killed right on impact.

But Rosa was still alive.

I saw on another post by @space-malex , that Michael didn’t know he couldn’t heal. I think that’s true. And unintentionally killed Rosa and blames himself. That’s how he hurts his hand as well. Carina told us, it’s not a burn... but maybe using his powers in a way he’s not supposed to, messed up his hand, and that’s why it connects to Alex as well. They were together that night.

He then wanted it to make it look like Alex was never there. Of course Alex wouldn’t go for that, unless he was drunk and started blacking out. Maybe Michael called Isobel to mind-wipe Alex. And like she said last episode, it didn’t take his feelings for Michael away, but it changed his mind frame. She might’ve told him to clean up his act. Stop being such a punk, as well as forget about this night. And Michael was the genius... maybe going off to college. She probably got protective of her ��brother”, and without Michael knowing, told Alex to leave town. I’m guessing she obviously didn’t know they were in love at that point. Thought they were friends and maybe Alex was a bad influence.

So then they leave the scene, not knowing that the handprint would show up later. Max “I was afraid of that.” Of course the government would snatch those files and hide the real story, which makes it look like the party girl was high or drunk and killed those girls. I really don’t think Alex was drunk or high, I think he was upset about something - maybe Michael told him the truth about being an alien, and said he didn’t know how it would work out between them after high school, and it freaked Alex out and made him really upset that he didn’t see the car.

Well, this shifts Alex’s mindframe so much, that he cleans up his act and enlists in the army... probably finally making his father happy. I think Michael is honestly so confused... he thought he’d just forget about that night. Maybe Max was there too that night, later with Isobel, and he inadvertently told her to send Alex away... maybe after Michael finds out the truth, and that’s why Michael is not okay with Max. Because Max forced Isobel to send Alex away and to change him so drastically. “Like you did 10 years ago.”

I wonder if before all this, Alex used to call Michael “Michael,” and after this, he calls him “Guerin.” That was the first shock to Michael. And then him maybe pushing Michael away and then leaving. That’s why Michael is so bitter about authoritative Alex, especially when in uniform. He’s so bitter but not at Alex, at the entire situation and what he’s lost. But then there’s scenes that show glimpses of who Alex probably was and longs to be still. That’s when we see Michael drop the act and fall to Alex’s knees. He’s so in love with THAT Alex. Not the mind-warped Alex who judges him constantly.

I think Alex leaving, made Michael hate the world... humanity. He started even harder trying to find a way home... because Alex until that point, was his home.. the only good thing in his sad life. In the meantime, he stopped giving a shit. Took a job to eat food and pay for alcohol, drank daily, got into fights, went to jail weekly, gave up any notion to college, and doesn’t get along with most people... especially Max. He knows it’s a sore subject for Isobel, but he thinks Max made her do it. And maybe she tried for his sake, to change what had been done... but Alex has already left. So maybe he forgave her.

I think this also explains why Michael is SO mad when Max heals Liz and tells her who he is. Maybe when Max found out back then that Michael didn’t want to keep his secret from Alex and he told him, that was another reason why he ordered Isobel to take Alex’s knowledge of that away. And that’s why Izzy tells Max basically if you tell Liz our secret, Michael will never forgive you. It isn’t for their sake, it’s for what he lost. It’s a constant reminder. Michael doesn’t hate Liz; he hates that Max made an exception for Liz but wouldn’t for Alex.

Michael still wants Alex to know everything. He kisses him in the middle of the reunion (probably hit so hard with nostalgia and longing), and wants Isobel to know about them. Alex still pulls away and let’s his dad get into his head. He doesn’t realize what Michael lost, truly, and that it was unintentionally his fault. I think this would all change if he could get some of his memories back from that night. He would fight for Michael and protect him. Just like Michael did for him that night.

When Malex talks outside the trailer about looking at him making him feel like it’s 17, I think that’s a glimmer of the mind warp fading slightly, and that he can’t understand why Michael looks away. It kills him. He still doesn’t really understand why he left... why he changed. When Maria said home could be a person, what if he used to tell Michael that? And Maria picked up on that (being psychic and all). I think that’s the most vulnerable we’ve seen Michael. It’s almost like he’s thinking “omg... there you are. I can finally see you again.”

The truth is, like Max loving Liz every single day that she had been gone, that’s how it was for Michael. He loves Alex more and more, but it hurts too damn much - that night and the loss of ten years, causes him actual pain. But he never looked away from Alex. Regardless of numbing hook ups and alcohol. Alex was ALWAYS on his mind. He doesn’t know if it’s a good idea to let Alex back into his life, for the truth might come out and he’ll want to tell Alex who he is again. He’s also scared once Alex finds out what happened that night, he’ll never speak to Michael again. That pain would probably kill Michael. But in that moment, staring in his lovers eyes... he couldn’t say no. Alex was all he’s ever wanted. Probably why he didn’t want him to leave his bed for days!!

It’s interesting that when Isobel tells Michael, “isn’t there anyone in the world you’d risk it all to save?” Wouldn’t she know that person would be Alex? Unless she still thinks they were just friends and not madly in love. She would probably feel wrecked if she truly knew. But I wonder if Max has figured it out, and that’s why he has patience with Michael. And does feel guilty.

I still wonder why Rosa pushed Max so angrily in that flashback. And how them seeing each other tied it all together. And her involvement with Jim Valenti.

Now that Kyle knows, the aliens think it’s just a matter of time. And Michael doesn’t want the truth coming out. He’d rather be thrown in a white room, then see the love of his life, rot in jail for the rest of his life. He’s taking the fall, for his family and for Alex.

I do think that the more they uncover the truth about that night, things are going to start coming back to Alex. It will unravel. Next week Kyle and Alex find a passage, and I think they’re going to figure out some things. I think this will slowly begin to open the door in Alex’s mind to a point where he’ll start to question everything he knows, himself and Michael.

The actors playing Malex said as the season continues, their love for each other gets deeper and tension rises. That it’s about to get really good. Alex will find out the truth, but I think they’ll fall more and more in love because of it.

Just a theory. I wonder if Liz could forgive them all for the lies, and if her relationship would ever be the same with Alex. Who knows. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a snowball affect and everyone thinks they had a part in that night, but it’s actually revealed there’s a big bad alien among them.

Anyway, long post. So many good theories out there! Go read them! This fandom is incredible. I cannot wait to see what happens with these characters, especially Malex.

#malex #jess watches roswell #michael x alex #michael guerin #alex manes #isobel evans #max evans #echo #max x liz #kyle valenti #rosa ortecho #roswell nm spoilers #roswell theories #roswell new mexico

[jbuffyangel]

Is Buffy the first show that you fell in love with ? I mean where you couldnt wait for the next episode? What is your first cliffhanger where you couldnt believe that the writers did that, it was so shocking, that you remember till today , and you had to wait for a whole week, winter/ summer break to find out what comes next ?

Ooh good question. I always loved television even as a little kid. I would watch All My Children with my mom instead of Sesame Street. lol Buffy wasn’t the first show I loved but it was the first show I fell into a deep obsession over. I cannot describe to how deep this hole was y’all. I lived and breathed that show. I’m still a little amazed I graduated high school with high honors. Probably just out of pure terror my parents would take the TV away and the access to Buffy would be cut off. It was a strong motivator.

Here’s some of my all time best television shockers: SPOILERS

Pam dies: Dallas Season 10 finale  “Fall of the House of Ewing”

This was a traumatizing moment for me as a child. I thought the actress really died and my mom had to go over real versus fiction again. I was six.

Buffy sends Angel to hell:  BTVS Season 2 finale “Becoming Part 2″

I started watching Buffy live in Season 3, but a friend told me what happened in S1 & S2 to get me to watch. So, I knew Angel would go to hell BUT it was torture waiting all summer to see how they would bring him back.

Angel leaves Buffy: BTVS Season 3 finale “Graduation”

It was hell waiting for Angel’s spin off series to premiere. I was so freaking excited y’all have no idea.

Tommy dies: Arrow Season 1 finale “Sacrifice”

Half the Glades were destroyed and Tommy died. Well... what the hell Arrow?

Did he mean it? Arrow Season 2 finale “Unthinkable”

OF COURSE HE MEANT IT. Waiting for him to tell Felicity was torture though. Of course, I joined fandom that summer and had a blast with y’all waiting.

Felicity in the tax: Felicity Season 1 finale “Felicity Was Here”

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHO DID SHE PICK? Horrible summer. And then she picked wrong. UGH. Still mad.

Elena dies:  The Vampire Diaries Season 3 finale “The Departed” 

I WAS A WRECK. Sobbing hysterically. One of the best season finales ever and I was dying (pun intended) to see Elena as a vampire. I knew Stelena would break up and she would be with Damon, but I was excited to see a darker Elena. But the real torture was STEFAN DIDN’T KNOW ELENA CHOSE HIM. We had to wait all summer and could only imagine how she would tell him. 

Denny dies: Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 finale “Losing My Religion”

I still can’t talk about it. I will love you forever Denny Duquette. It was horrible waiting to see if McDreamy dumped Addison and if Meredith was going to pick him or Hot Vet Chris O’Donnell. Also, how does Izzie get her job back? 

George dies: Grey’s Anatomy Season 5 finale “Now or Never” 

I am hard to shock. Not to toot my own horn, but I get an inkling where shows are going a lot. There were rumors for awhile that TR Knight was leaving Grey’s, so when we found out in the episode George was joining the army that’s how I thought they were handling his exit. I was not remotely prepared for what happened next and I was DESTROYED. The summer wait wasn’t particularly difficult because even though we had to wait until S6 to find out he was dead, I knew TR Knight had left the show. But damn that episode blew my mind.

Sybil dies: Downton Abbey Season 3 Episode 5

I was spoiled on Matthew dying but I didn’t know about Sybil. I wasn’t prepared at all. Holy crap was I a wreck. It hit particularly hard because I developed pre eclampsia and I nearly died in childbirth, so yeah. Hitting on all emotional cylinders.

Lucy dies: ER Season 6 “Be Still My Heart and “All In The Family”

Listen y’all. ER was mandatory viewing. There were no spoilers available. You sat your ass down and watched with your family absolutely riveted week after week. But NOTHING will ever beat Carter and Lucy stabbed at the end of “Be Still My Heart.” It gave me nightmares. We had to wait a WEEK which felt like an entire three months for “All In The Family” and it was probably one of the scariest, most emotional hours of television I’ve ever watched.

Vaughn is what now?: Alias Season 2 finale “The Telling”

Sydney was missing for two years? Uhhhh come again? WHY ARE YOU WEARING A WEDDING RING VAUGHN? End credits. Cue my screaming.

“I take thee, Rachel”: Friends “The One With Ross’s Wedding Part One”

Ross said Rachel’s name annnnnd see ya next fall! I hate you Friends.

Down comes the wall: Game of Thrones “The Dragon and The Wolf”

I am clueless when it comes to Games, but I binged all six seasons and was spoiled on a lot of the really big shockers. So, Season 7 was my first season watching it live and y’all I’m dying for 8. Jon is the heir to the iron throne. Jaime  ditches Cersei and is going to be reunited with Brienne. All surviving Starks will be reunited. OMG APRIL 2019 IS TAKING FOREVER. How did y’all do this for seven years?

I binged Breaking Bad and West Wing otherwise I would have included them on the list too. I didn’t have to wait long to find out what happened next because I could just hit play but all the well known shockers blew my mind. Josh being shot and Zoey being kidnapped for West Wing. And basically everything that happened on Breaking Bad ever. I’m also binging Lost (NO SPOILERS) and I’m done with Season 3. Charlie’s death and Walt being kidnapped were big WTF moments. But I did figure out that it was a flash forward in the Season 3 finale. Yeah me!

#arrow #buffy the vampire slayer #felicity #game of thrones #friends #ER #alias #downton abbey #grey's anatomy #the vampire diaries #dallas #asks

[livcosmos]

Lord of Shadows booktalk

I finished Lord of Shadows about 6 weeks ago but I didn't had the time to write this review but as the memory of it is still fresh in my mind and I have the time now let's get started. I think it is not necessary to mention how much I loved this book because it is obvious but I am going to say it anyway IT WAS AMAZING AND I LOVED IT. Thank you, dear Cassandra Clare, for giving us such wonderful pieces of pure gold. ( I am going to start Queen of Air and Darkness today and I am more than excited ahha I am going to see Julian again I can't wait.)

SPOILER ALERT

Alright so let’s start with my favorite thing, the London Institute as I said in the Lady Midnight review where I had the feeling that they were going to London, I wasn't ready it is way too much for me. I am not recovered from the Infernal Devices and beeing in London again seeing Jasmine oh God I cried so much when Jasmine was talking to Kit and when Emma was sleeping in that Carstairs room and saw the Initials on the wall and found those photos it was just too much I was crying like a baby once again. Ah and Bridget it is the same Bridget from the Infernal Devices how is that possible what does this woman eat??? Why is she still alive and not Will, Sophie or Charlotte??? Anyway so I was very emotional while they were at the London Institute but I enjoyed beeing back even if it hurt. Ah and I forgot the poetry book that Kit found with James’ Initials on them how sweet was that. I don't know everything related to the TID really gets me. But to move on let's go back to the beginning, with the Emma and Mark thing it wasn't as bad as I thought it will be. It was so incredibly sad when we got to know that after Mark said that thing with “Why just pretend?” and they kissed but Emma started to cry ah that was so sad. And I liked how their friendship developed how they have become each other's best friends and they were talking to each other into the night. And I also must say I am really glad that Christina knew the truth about them, that they aren’t really together. AH, and it was also kind of funny how Mark tried to be Emma's boyfriend in front of the others he was acting so weird. But poor Jules didn't thought it was that funny and he suffered, but I am glad that things cleared out in the end and that Emma told him the truth and that they talked about the problem that was the best thing they could to they should have done it earlier. And so the problem is now very big and very serious they CAN NOT THEY CAN ABSOLUTLEY NOT break all the Parabatai bounds they just can't it's not right. I mean Clary and Simon Jace and Alec and don't get me started about the Parabatais of all ParabataiJem and Will, what will Jem say they can not do that to him. In honor on Jem and Will, they can't do that. of course, I want Jules and Emma to be together but they can't break all the bounds. And anyway I hope that after Jules and Emma aren't Parabatai anymore... I hope Christina and Emma will become Parabatai I don't know these are all hopes I know there are not going to become reality because it will be too good to be true. But I am so glad that they talked to Magnus about their problem (and can we just talk a second about how Magnus has walked in on all, Will and Tessa, Jace and Clary, and now Julian and Emma ... there is only Jem and Tessa missing and it would be all complete, the poor guy has seen everything you could say) and I was so happy when they had the idea with Robert and the exile but we all knew that it was too good to be true it would have been too great if that would have happened. And I knew something was going to happen with Robert I knew it and ahhhahah it is so sad because I started to like Robert he was on a good way his relationship with Alec was good and after he became a grandpa I started to like him. Poor Izzy and Alec I don't even want to know how much they are suffering. Robert was Emma’s and Julian’s only hope that is now gone. And to make things worse the Inquisitor post is now free how is going to take it I have a very bad feeling about it. I just hate it when characters survive their series but die in another you just don't do that it is awful. That we started to talk about deaths, lets move on with Livvy....aaaa poor sweet Livvy I really liked her she was so cool and I shipped her with Kit even if that wasn’t a thing anymore very quickly but I was so sad when she died and I don't want to now how Julian feels, how devastated he is and how he will react and behave I am so scared. And Ty poor Ty she was his twin it is so sad and I am so afraid. Oh goodness and Jace’s and Clary’s appearance in the beginning, I loved how Jce was there for Kit and I am always happy to see him and Clary but I could take Clary’s story with her dream where she dies I just couldn't take it so I googled and I am happy that everything is going to be just fine but I must say Clary is so incredibly brave how she wanted to face death so bravely I admire her so much. And I am very interested in the Thule story and what is the thing with it. Is Thule maybe the place where Dru went when she touched Jamie’s weapon (side note I kind of liked Jamie I want to see more of him but I don't ship him with Dru), was the boy she met there maybe Sebastian’s evil son? If you ask me I think it was him, I am very curious to find out but that scene with Dru was scary I have to say. Alright so if we touched the Jamie topic lets move on with his brother Diego I was so mad at him and I loved how Emma got her revenge without touching him it was so funny but know we know better and I must say I HATE ZARA I HATE HER SO MUCH excuse me for what I am going to say but she is such a bitch, ah and her father I hope he is not going to be the Inquisitor please don’t let him be the new Inquisitor please. Ah and the Cohort are those people crazy are they out of their minds??? And what is happening with the warlocks what makes them sick this can't be good does it has something to do with the black book or that Unseelie king? The whole no runes and no seraph blades thing freaks me out anyway and now the warlocks are sick oh it's going to be bad its all going to be so so bad. I mean if Magnus were there with Annabell she would have gone crazy and Livvy and Robert would be alive now but no... And what do you mean Tessa is sick I cried again when I heard that I don't want her to be sick no just no. I know I am jumping up and down on the scenes but I write everything down as it comes into my mind. So I was happy to see John, Simon’s “friend” from the Academy but I was so so sad when he died poor Marisol I feel so sorry for her and I am sure Simon is also sad. Let’s quickly talk about Diana, I am so glad that we found out she was hiding and that it wasn't anything bad, her story was so emotional and I have to say I ship her and Gwyn I want them to be together. I also liked Gwyn, I liked that we got to see the human side of him, it was very nice. And Catherina omg she is so so kind, this woman not only helpt that lost Herondale she also helped Diana and she took care of Simon while he was at the Academie, she is such a kind and loving person I love her. Now it is time to talk about the trip to faerie land ah so for the beginning if I didn't mention it before, I love Christina she is awesome and the power of her necklace is so cool I definitely want to know more about the Rosales family and their relationship with the faeries. But why on earth didn't they stay together in faerie land I mean I thought the necklace workes if you stay near her why were they all running around by themself there, Julian, Emma, and Christina then went with Mark to that Faerie party like have you all lost you. minds? How those the faerie time thing wor anyway? And Christina and Mark danced at that party and I almost lost my mind like you don't dance at faerie parties it is too dangerous because you could dance till you die and another thing that everyone knows DONT DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING from a faerie because you will be stuck there in faerie land and what does Christina, of course, she drinks something I would have never thought that she would do something like this because Christina isn’t like that but anyway I am glad nothing too bad happened and I am glad for the kiss between Christina and Mark because I ship them. So and Kieran I don't know what to say about him because now I am not sure anymore of what I should think of him because as you r=might remember I hated him because of what he has done to Emma and Jules but now in this book he was kind of nice, I don't know we will see what is going to happen. To move on, we can talk about Emma and Julian now so first of all when they were there at the gate to faerie land and that faerie wanted a special object from all of them and Emma had to give him her Stele, the Stele that Jace gave her I was screaming I dint want her to loose that Stele it was so important for her and you don't give up a gift from Jace but anyway there is no going back it is very unlikely to get that Stele back. Alright but one of my favorite parts where when there were all sleeping there on the grass and Emma and Julian fell asleep with a lot of distance between them but when they woke up they were holding hands, that is so sweet I cried when iI read that I don't know why it was so emotional. Ah and another acne that I loved was the scene on the train with Jules and Emma where Emma was like “Draw me like one of you frech girls” and Julian was like “you know I hate that movie” and she said “ the first time you saw Titanic you cried”, that scene was so adorable and funny, I loved it.Oh my God, that scene where the Seelie Queen wanted to see Julian come one that woman is so shady you can’t trust her and I was screaming at Julian not to listen to what she was saying I was begging him to go away from her but he wouldn’t listen. I hate her even more than Zara she freaks me out so much. And with her glass bowl thing hjsadhaskjh she is so manipulative. That glass bowl freaks me out so much she must be watching them all the time with that thing. And please they can't give her the black book Imean yes they don’t have a choice but it’s not going to bee good if they give it to her yes the Cold Peace will end but she could start a war. YOU CAN NEVER TRUST A FAERIE ESPACIALL NOT THEIR EVIL QUEEN. And when Emma was batteling with that faerie and saw that it “was her dad” what was her problem she knew they were on faerie land and that everything there is shady and ahahaha she knew it wasn’t him but still she couldn’t fight. Ah, and Arthur lets talk about how underrated he is I felt so sorry for him dying it was so sad I mean he has no fault for his mind and he died so brutally. And that Annabel I hate her too, I mean I can understand why she was so angry with Malcolm and why she killed him and I can also understand why she freaked out at the consul meeting but there is no justification for her actions. And anyway what is the deal with her and the Unseelie king and she still has the black book and the Unseelie king took her so that means the king has the book now and that means no good oh God that also means that the Seelie Queen will be very angry oh godness I think things are going to be very bad.Now I am asking is there some sort of deal between the King and Annabell what is happening? And the Mortal Sword is now gone, Cortana broke it does that mean that the Clave will take Cortana away from Emma to use it as the mortal Sword because Cortana absorbs power? Is Cortana the new Mortal Sword? Cortana is very powerful and if it gets `in the wrong hands then there is going to be more trouble than it is going to be anyway. And I almost forgot to say something about that anonymous green warlock who helped Ty, Kit, and Livvy at the Shadow Market, I am pretty sure that that warlock is Ragnor Fell and I am not sure what to think of it.

So all in all as I said this book was amazing I loved it and I am excited for the next one. But I must say that I liked Lady Midnight bit more, of course, it was great but Lady Midnight felt a 100% right and Lord of shadows only 99%. Alright that's it for this review than’s for reading! Bye

#the dark artifices #lord of shadows #lady midnight #the infernal devices #the mortal instruments #tda #tid #tmi #JULIAN BLACKTHORN #emma carstairs #jem carstairs #will herondale #tessa gray #clary fairchild #Jace Herondale #in love

[magiquemalec]

3x21+3x22 reaction I guess

and so it begins..rip me in advance I guess you're a snowflake, jonathan, congrats THIS IS THE HUNT (oh god this is the last time aonkg don't make me cry I'm getting emotional)

Alec has a wedding to plan he doesn't have time for angst THE RING :(( alec bby take care of yourself, eat something pls (and then get your man back) YES YOU DO PLAN THAT WEDDING magnus on that throne fuck the way he's looking at his ring DOUBLE FUCK "your word" his face lkansgmsgd god I love him OOF YES MAGNUS GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE oh right jordan deaded F I guess am I suppossed to be sad about this? is this how they're sending her off then? aw man :/ good for her though he's going to be a shadowhunter again? I mean, it was kinda in the trailer but still? Maia sendoff - check Sizzy - check Izzy???? WHAT THE FUCK SHE'S ON FIRE (my brain: THIS GIRL IS ON FIIIIIIIREEEEE) klsdmg I've already seen this like 10 times but it's still funny "Something happened" yeah y'know she just randomly caught on fire no biggie rip Sizzy that didn't last long LMAO ALEC Izzy stop lying ALEC WHAT THE FUCK I mean I get it he just wants to get to Magnus but they better not turn him into a vampire jonathan's going through it alliance rune time woop lbr Alec's on board with pretty much anything at this point boy was ready to get turned into a vampire for Magnus ew ok lady beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder I suppose oh we don't even get to see him turn back I think I liked him better as a lizard alec has no chill today don't test him Lorenzo LMAO are you sure about that Clary? are you reaaaaally sure zoom zoom WHAT THE FUCK THEY PAIRED ALEC WITH LORENZO WHAT THE FUCK THEY BETTER FIX THIS LATER ON (alec with magic is dope though) oh great now they're all separated just shut up lorenzo pls uhhhhhh Alec? oh shit HE USED THE RING TO CALM HIMSELF DOWN I'M EMO wow, that's great, yeah that's awesome lorenzo jfc he's unbelievable I love it HAHA HE CAN'T LIE OMG I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT is this foreshadowing it's foreshadowing isn't it oof yikes she's so pretty sorry his hair is white now that means he's super evil (is it white or just blond? I can't tell with the lighting and coloring) Meliorn skjdnbggk   what happens to a demon when it dies in edom IZZY freeform? favorite network? what drugs are these people on I don't know how I feel about this fuck off Scott (is that his name? I don't remember) AJABSFJADGJK MALEC I'M CRYING HE'S WILLING TO STAY IN EDOM I BISCUIT izzy's like what the fuck is going on with you you're being too nice is Izzy going to die? it feels like it's headed that way no meliorn :((( he better not die also what kind of plan was that ohh that was kinda cool how the fuck does Alec's bow work it just randomly morphs into the 5 arrow bow when needed they can do that? idk if any of this makes sense but you know what I don't even care oh boy well that's one way to fix that problem I guess OH SHIT RIGHT INTO 3x22 ok

bit of a weird transition but WE HAVE MALEC SO WHO GIVES A SHIT OIAKNKGLSGNKDKGSNKDSOGLNN THAT'S THE SOFTEST FUCKING THING I'VE EVER SEEN FUCK OFF YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED  JNKSDG JKSDKGK IT'S HAPPENING ALEC AJHBSGJ ALEC TRULY IS THE ONE ?????? what is this seelie queen/jonathan madness what show am I watching well, rip he's so happy I'm emo 3b Jace is the best Jace I actually kinda like him now wow where was he all this time Clary's so nervous aw this is sweet are THEY FINALLY GONNA TELL US UNDERHILL'S FIRST NAME I NEED TO KNOW still don't know how I feel about sh!luke, but he seems happy so good for him I guess oh good she's hallucinating that's great wat is it really tho? told ya she's going to make an immortality rune I'm calling it O H M Y G O D lorenzo and his fucking paintings sjkbgdkk is this...character growth I'm seeing? incredible magnus got her a dress that's so sweet robert who ksgk sorry but the actor for max has aged like three years when in the show like 3 months have passed like..this timeline man ok but why? I'm so confused oh ok he's just on a killing spree jonathan's finally gonna be a real threat, for all of like..10 minutes I feel like they constantly change how portals work but there's only like 45 minutes left so w/e I guess will the power of love save the day? probably not oh damn why does she have wings what the fuck is going on well that was easy MORE TIME FOR THE MALEC WEDDING I GUESS I mean you knew that was going to happen Clary so...does that mean no immortality rune? I can't even write anything I'm too busy sobbing fucl MY STREAM SKIPPED AJKBDJKBJKGLÖJBKD my stream skipped and I missed part of their vows but that was still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen oh god they're so- perfect I'm crying does no one notice that her angelic rune is gone? Clary :( fuck me that was emotional heline! ANDREW HIS NAME HIS ANDREW WE FINALLY KNOW everyone already knew lmao I mean to be fair they really weren't subtle this music choice is...odd- scratch that, it's bad. I'm sorry, but- yeah no, it's bad. ??? clary ??? I'm sorry but this song choice is actually horrible oh shit she's losing the sight damn they really did that it's almost over I don't know how to feel I've been through so many emotions over the last two hours I'm not ready for it to end oohhh time skip ok WHAT THE WHAT EXCUSE ME INQUISITOR???? WHATR THEY MOVED TO ALICANTE?? JKSNDG HE JUST THREW THAT SHIT I LOVE MAGNUS BANE TO US AND THE DRINKS I LOVE PARALLELS was Taki's a book thing? aaaand my stream broke...that's cool...................................... that's it it's over I don't know how to feel I think...I'm gonna go cry now ok bye

#it's actually just hitting me now #that it's over #like....it took about 30 seconds after it ended to sink in #and now #yea #time t o c r y #sh spoilers #3x21 #3x22

[ketzwrites]

Rewatch 106: Of Men and Angels

Not a lot of action in this episode aside from the blue flashbacks, but it is still a good one. The focus is on the family dynamics and I dig it. 

Teaser

lol Magnus asks what happened to Luke and neither Simon nor Clary gives him the right answer. Luke challenged the alpha. He wasn’t “attacked” and we can see that he needs a warlock’s healing magic. Good thing Magnus arrives at the right conclusion on his own.

I don’t understand if Luke’s hallucination is a figment of his imagination or if it is a magical link to Jocelyn. All I got was that they are dressed as their younger Circle Member selves.

Act One

Sure, the Seelies want to be on the winning side, but this argument doesn’t work when the “winning side” wants them all dead. Also, Maryse was such a bitch.

Clary feeling guilty for doubting Luke is a great moment. So is Magnus hijacking Luke’s healing process to ask for Alec to come and see him. Smooth.

Alec thinks Maryse is on edge, Izzy thinks she’s acting as she usually does. We know Maryse is worried because the Lightwoods might lose the Institute. Supposedly, Alec is right but it’s interesting that Izzy doesn’t perceive a difference in treatment: it speaks a lot to her relationship with Maryse. Same thing with how Robert is affectionate with Izzy but goes straight to business with Alec. These parents clearly have favorites.

This suit and shirt make Max look like the rich kid that thinks he’s better than the other kids at the playground. I know kid-actors aren’t usually great, but this is the wrong fit for Max even physically speaking. Emeraude and Matthew look like siblings and they look like they could’ve been Nicola and Paulino’s children. Blonde, round-faced Jack Fulton? Not so much.  

Jace changing “virgin” to “powerful” is hilarious to me.

The issue between Alec and Jace is quite interesting. On one hand, Jace is arguably breaking the rules to do the right thing: he’s helping Clary to get her mother back, he’s interfering in Downworlder business to save Luke’s life. However, Jace has and is able to get away with rogue behavior: in a few episodes we will see Maryse saying that Jace’s methods might be unconventional, but he gets things done. Alec is in a different position. He doesn’t get a pass; in fact, his superiors (who are also his parents) expect and order him to follow the rules. And it is only because Alec follows the rules and bears that responsibility that Jace (and Izzy) get to be the wild younger children. Jace deciding to go rogue is one thing, Alec deciding to go rogue is another.

I really like the uncle/niece dynamic between Magnus and Clary. He praises her a little too much, as previously discussed, but I guess Clary is one of the few people Magnus watched grow up. I’ll resign myself to him doting on her a little.

This macho-dispute between Jace and Simon is making me roll my eyes. You both fancy Clary, get over it. Luke is literally dying, so if you care about her, hurry up and help save Clary’s father-figure.

Simon pseudo-defends Alec while arguing with Jace and that makes me wonder how a friendship between Simon and Alec could’ve been had they bonded even a little in the last episode. That said, Jace freaks out again when Simons rubs salt on the wound: Jace and Alec’s friendship is strained and Jace loses it.

Act Two

I still love this scene between Alec and Maryse so much.

Honestly, the whole dynamic between Magnus and Clary is great. But the still “Bring it, Warlock” ruins it. Clary is about to learn how her beloved mother was a founding member of a blood supremacy group that preyed on warlocks like Magnus. Had Clary realize how racist she sounded and apologized by the end of the explanation, it would’ve been one thing. As is, the line is as tone-deaf as they come.

Kat looks nothing like the actress playing young Jocelyn. That’s a casting mistake because people literally take Clary for Jocelyn when they first see her. They should’ve chosen an actress that resembled Kat or let Kat herself play the part.

And now we get a parallel scene with Izzy and Robert. I dig the Lightwood family so freaking much.

The Clave is doubting the Lightwood command of the New York Institute because of the unauthorized missions Alec sanctioned. Which started after the Clave’s orders to keep Clary in the Institute back in 102. Let’s count those rogue missions, shall we? 1. searching for Dot at Pandemonium; 2. going to the City of Bones; 3. attacking the DuMort; 4. (arguably) meeting with Magnus Bane; 5. searching for J.C.’s box at the Fray’s loft. That’s about five missions (the Magnus Bane one might have been authorized since Hodge knew about it) that Alec sanctioned without the Clave’s approval in the span of about four days. No wonder the Lightwoods are losing the command of the Institute.

Act Three

Okay, Magnus. Sure, if it wasn’t for Jocelyn and Luke, Valentine would’ve taken the Mortal Cup. But if it wasn’t for them, the Circle wouldn’t exist either. One thing doesn’t cancel the other. They have Downworlder blood in their hands and Clary is right to be upset.

Alec’s motivation to go and help Magnus is reaching his breaking point. He’s about to lose the last thing he had, his private life. At this point, he doesn’t care anymore what the consequences of his disobedience will be. He already lost it all.

OMG JACE AND SIMON STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE STUFF MAGNUS NEEDS. IT’S BEEN HALF AN EPISODE. THIS IS PISSING ME OFF.

Act Four

Sorry for the outburst. Anyway, how convenient are Simon’s hallucinations? Always when he’s alone.

Gay Love saved Luke.

It’s interesting how medieval the Shadowhunter culture is. More interesting still is how Izzy didn’t seem to understand that until now. She behaved like the wild child her whole life without realizing there would be consequences? Unfair consequences, but still. I guess Izzy is smart, but not wise.

Some Alec and Clary bonding. Noice. Another superficial making up for the Parabatais. Not so noice. I wonder why Alec doesn’t tell Jace about his impending marriage. Still, Jace is so emotionally dysfunctional he can’t even bring himself to articulate an apology to Simon for putting a blade to his neck, so the young men in this show aren’t exactly great communicators among themselves.

Maryse is so close to telling Izzy about her past in the Circle. Well, of course, she won’t, but she does tell Izzy about how she was wrong for thinking that she could “change the world by breaking the rules.” Only, Maryse’s rule-breaking meant killing innocents. Izzy’s rule-breaking means self-expression and sexual autonomy. There is an important distinction to be made there.

Wait. Is Luke implying that experimenting with Downworlder blood is what turned Valentine into a monster?

Act Five

Oh, yes. It’s the blood injections that made Valentine mad. Not his ideologies, not his jealousy, not his twisted principles. The Downworlder blood. This is bullshit.

I want to point out that Luke (and presumably Jocelyn) were still going on rogue missions to kill Downworlders with Valentine up until when Valentine set Luke up and left him to die. It’s important to me to point this out.

Act Six

While Izzy represses herself into the box her mother wants her in, Alec has that drink he postponed with Magnus. I dig this parallel a lot.

At the risk of losing my Malec card: Magnus’ iconic “you’ve unlocked something in me” line comes out of nowhere. He saw Alec twice: one time for a second or two, and another when they exchanged a few sentences and then Magnus proceeded to hit on Alec hard to little-to-none reaction from Alec. Then they talked on the phone. At this point, Magnus could, at most, feel attracted to Alec. Saying that Alec’s mere presence made Magnus think he’s ready for a serious relationship again is a little hard to believe. I prefer the “breakfast” 218 scene where both Alec and Magnus trust each other against their “better” judgment but also don’t want anyone to know they were nice to a shadowhunter/downworlder. There, I said it. Please don’t kick me out of the fandom. I still love them.

Luke is a little bit exalted, isn’t he? Kind of yelling. That’s a weird direction for the character.

Clary’s power of turning things into drawings was inherited from Jocelyn; they are not due to her pure angel blood. I need to remember that.

#ketz rewatches shadowhunters #sh 106 #sh meta

[books-on-books-on-books-on-books]

An Ember In The Ashes By Sabaa Tahir

Synopsis- LAIA IS A SLAVE. ELIAS IS A SOLDIER. NEITHER IS FREE.     Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.     It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.     But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.     There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.            

THIS INCLUDES SPOILERS                                                             

My review: Okay, where to start...so I was recommended this book by an aunt of mine and it was on my shelf for probably a year or so before I picked it up and I was most pleasantly surprised. First of all, the writing was FANTASTIC. You don’t find a lot of YA books with this quality of writing very often. Tahir really blew me away with the intense description throughout the book. I’m also not usually a fan of the whole doubled narrator thing but I think it was essential in this particular book. Using this really helped me to understand the characters better, especially Elias. I would’ve assumed he was just another mask and should not be trusted. But instead I was able to feel his frustration when Laia felt that way. Second, am I the only one that was just totally freaked out by the mask thing. Like these pieces of metal are just mended to your face for life. Even to the point of possibly taking your skin off if you tried to remove it. Oh, propaganda? Is that you? Honestly just the entire Blackcliff Academy training and teaching method is appalling but I guess that’s what the author intended. But like, dropping them in the middle of the desert to survive with no help at like 8 years old? That’s a little extreme. They’re raised to be killers from the moment they turn 6 and that’s awful. Something I would like from the author in the next book is to see more of the history of the scholars and the empire and whatever else. I know we were offered a little bit of this but I would like to go a little more in depth in the second book because it is a tiny bit confusing. Okay now let’s talk about the characters. Now I love every single one of these characters(except for you Mazen, and you Marcus, oh I didn’t forget about you Commandant) but they are REALLY FRICKIN STUPID SOMETIMES.                                                                     Laia- Ok, girl needs to get her stuff figured out. I mean throughout the book she has only one goal in mind. Save Darin. But then she has all that stuff going on with Keenan and Elias. And then she’s trying to decide whether to  trust the resistance or trust Spiro Teluman. And it’s all very confusing. What I do really like is that Laia is not a leader or very outspoken from the begging and that she kind of has to train herself to be brave and use her fear as fuel. I think that makes her character so much more realistic and relatable. However, I don’t like the reason she has for wanting to save Darin. She always says that he’s all she has left which is absolute bull. She has Izzy, and Elias, and Keenan, etc. But I think she should want to save him for him not for herself. But otherwise I really like Laia as a character. Also we see towards the end that she might have some weird power. What?! Side note: I would love to know more about some people having special powers like Helene.                                                      

Elias- He is my favorite character. I just love how throughout the entire book he talks about how he is such a horrible person for everything he's done but in reality only good people would care about what they did wrong. I think he puts the blame for everything on himself just because of how he was separately raised(meaning how he was raised by a tribe in his earlier years and he's grandfather in his later years). He's also the only person in the school that doesn't treat the slaves like crap; especially Laia. One thing I don’t really like is that his attraction for Laia was really inconsistent. Like, at some points it talks about how he thinks about Laia all the time but then other chapters he just really doesn't care. I just kind of get the feeling that he's helping her so he can feel better about himself. Regardless, I still love them. Now his friendship with Helene is really complicated. For example,  there were multiple instances where he wanted to kiss her but didn't. I almost wish he had just so we could kind of  get a glimpse at what that could be like.

Helene- Ah Helene. I know some people are going to attack me but I honestly am not a huge fan of Helene. Like she's fine but I just really hate her blind devotion to the Empire and Blackcliff. Like how can you not see that their philosophy is incredibly corrupt. That being said, I do like how loyal she is to Elias and their friendship. For example, when Laia was basically on the verge of death and Helene was all jealous like “she's just a slave blah blah blah why do you even care” I was seriously going to punch her(even though she is a fictional character lol) but then Elias hit her with that “you're a horrible person blah blah” and she went to save Laia. I mean I do wish she was a good enough person to do it on her own but still. And i've got to cut her some slack because she's going through a lot of crap with the trials, and the augurs, and Marcus. Also can we please talk about how she made a deal with the augurs to keep Elias safe. Aww how cuteeee!!!

Keenan: So sorry for all you Kennia/Kiai(I have no clue what their ship name is) shippers but i'm definitely on team Elias. Now don't get me wrong, i like Keenan i just don't like him with Laia. Again, I think his attraction for Laia is more for himself because he's only interested in her because they both lost their family. Also i'm kind of concerned because he says he usually agrees with Mazen and Mazen is like basically evil so what are Keenans beliefs? However, I do like the parts where we kind of get to see his vulnerable side but its only around Laia. We can kind of get a glimpse of who he is outside of the resistance. I'm also really curious to see how he’ll react to Izzi. Will he be mad? Will he still help her? Possible romance? Only time will tell.

Izzi: I'm going to keep this really brief but I absolutely love Izzi. I think Laia coming to the academy really changed Izzi’s life. It helped her become an actual person and escape as well. Laia really loosened her up and taught her how to live. That scene at the moon festival is sooo cute. I really hope we see more of her in book 2.

Now let's get to my main points:

-First and foremost, what the heck even happened in trial 3. I was honestly expecting it to all be some simulation and all of those characters were still alive and well but apparently NOT! And then Elias was about to kill Helene but then the augurs were like jk she has body armor on. (Side note: They said because she was wearing her body armor thing she was disqualified but then she still competed in trial 4? I am confusion.)

-Oh and Elias’s creepy field of dead people. Is he going to kill Laia? I mean he actually did end up killing the other people so who’s to say he wont kill Helene and Laia.

-So I was thinking maybe there is some kind of correlation with the augurs and the magic stuff. Because Helene was healed by agurs all of a sudden she has powers. Laia was saved by an augur and now she has powers? I don't know. Just a theory.

-Um Marcus as emperor… NO FREAKING THANKS. And are we just gonna leave Helene with him. He's a super creepy pervert and were just gonna leave HER with HIM.

-What the heck is going on with Cook. All I know is that she likes Laias father but not her mother. And i'm thinking she might be the traitor who ratted out Laias parent because she was talking about how you never know what you would say during torture until you've been there. Or maybe she had some kind of affair with Laias father and that's why her parents were fighting so much? Who knows?

-The moon festival part was definitely one of my favorite parts. Because we get to see both of our main characters when they're in a environment where they have the ability to be loose and carefree without having to look over their shoulder 24/7. And we get that really sweet scene with Laia and Izzi eating the foods. And the part where Laia and Elias dance together and he whispers in her ear and it's just so adorable eee!!!

-Ohh and the part where they come back from the moon festival and Elias has to pretend like he's drunk. SO GOOD. that was priceless and I loved it. I was doubled over laughing, seriously.

-I’m super curious to know why the augurs are helping Laia and Elias. If you think about it the only reason they got away with it was because of them. If that one augur hadn’t talked to Elias he would have escaped. Then he wouldn’t have been there to meet Laia. So Laia probably would have died and so on and so forth.

-I love at the end where Elias is all chained up and he's supposed to be executed, he's found peace. He's proud of himself because at least he didn't kill her. At least he still has a soul. And then Marcus comes in and Elias almost kills him. He's like I don't actually want to kill him i just want him to know that i could so sit down ya little cocky ass. SO GOOD.

-Ahhh the ending omg. I love how they they had Cook with her explosions and then Helene was there like “This is the last time i'm covering for you Veturius.” And then he asks Helene to come with him and Laia’s like umm I don't remember agreeing to this.

-I’m kinda pissed none of the antagonists died but so many good characters did. Why would you do this to me, Sabaa? Whyyyy?!

Anyhow, that's pretty much it. Let me know what you guys thought of the book. :)

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