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scarlettlawyer · 5 years

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Part 11 of my reaction/commentary to the Phantoms & Mirages Saga, the fanfic series by @renegadewangs

(Chasing Phantoms): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

(Haunted Specters): Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

(Vanquishing Mirages): Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Vanquishing Mirages / Lifting Spirits: Part 10

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 1

At the very least, he could rest easy knowing that his first motorcycle lesson hadn’t been a complete disaster. The future looked promising.

ANY future looks promising when it has Motorcycle Simon in it

“Here, I brought you a sandwich.” “Is it chicken?”

Blackquill: [known bird lover, intense lover of birds pouring over bird documentaries in his spare time and cherishing Taka with all his heart]

The boy who would become the phantom, the moment he is presented with a sandwich: iS IT CHICKEN?

“But… People die when they are killed.”

ASDJHSDBKJS

A+ DIALOGUE THANK YOU I LOVE IT. GOOOSH I’M. SOMEBODY needs to compile a list of things this same person has said in this series. The above line. The courtroom jokes, the irony line… the “I’m aroace” line… The other things he said to intentionally turn Bobby against him post-phantomquill kissbait, throw in a bunch of other Lex lines too. The RANGE. THE SHEER RANGE. You could just do a list like that, show it to someone and be like “Yeeeaahh so ALL of these are essentially said by the same character in different stages of his life.”

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 2

Finally, there was a knock on the door and Lang led the way into the room. He looked irritable. He’d been giving off that air since before the surgery. Lex had a suspicion on what might be causing such irritation, but kept it to himself. Lang wouldn’t take his advice on matters like that anyway.

“Matters like that” I’M FGLKFGLKNGF

OKAY ALSO

I SOMEHOW MISREMEMBERED THIS AS BEING SOMETHING HE THINKS BACK BEFORE THE SURGERY BUT EITHER WAY IT’S JUST. GOLD.

The phantom – or the former phantom – Lex just sitting there doing his best to refrain from giving out romantic advice.

Someone younger than he’d expected. This man couldn’t be older than thirty- probably hadn’t even reached that age yet. […] this guy looked rather meek. He was lean; the sort of physique that made it seem like a strong gust of wind could blow him off his feet. His black hair was smoothed back with copious amounts of gel and his face bore overly kind features. A few sheets of paper and a notebook were clutched firmly under his right arm. Coupled with his neat black suit, dark blue tie and thick-rimmed glasses, he looked more like a door-to-door salesman than a therapist.

GEEEEE MEOWZY, GEEEE, SUCH DESCRIPTION, I WONDER IF HE’S AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER OR ANYTHING sdjnksdfknl.

Okay but back when I read this 1st time I was like. Well I seriously didn’t know WHY the hell this guy needed such a strong narrative focus on what he looked like. Like. “He’s the therapist. That’s all we need to know. He’s not important! Why do we care what he looks like! Why does it matter!” askjbsdkjnedskj just felt SO excessive just annoying that the narrative felt like it Cared so much about a random therapist character DFKDFKJ GOD I WAS A FOOL

AND ALSO UHHH

Like yes this fic post-bait was still promising and as superb as ever and had thrilled me with things like the music-listening thing BUT. I need you to understand that I was still very hurt over Fake Phantomquill and therefore, REALLY not in the mood for getting to know Sudden New Characters. The intense goodwill I’d built up for this series over three fics had been largely derailed at this point. I just… didn’t really care all that much about giving new characters a chance thanks to that new apathy. That, and the fact that this series genuinely felt like it was reaching the end at this point, with all of the Major Players already introduced. So how could any important character POSSIBLY show up now? Coupled with how Done I was after the phantomquill bait. SO YKNOW. Idiot that I am, I kind of breezed over the above paragraph a little impatiently without really taking anything in, like I read it but didn’t really ABSORB it or incorporate the physical description into how I pictured the character. I was just like “yeah ok he’s the therapist moving on? What’s next?” (BENNY I’M SO SORRY I WAS VERY MEAN). So yeah, my foolish logic: “series is almost over, all the important characters are introduced, therefore no character introduced at this point could possibly be important, therefore I don’t need to care about or pay attention to anyone new.”

…Like okay, I knew the story wanted me to see this new character as someone important and therefore pay attention to them, but I couldn’t understand why and therefore intentionally failed to pay much close attention almost out of spite.

But like. God. If I had actually bothered to take in anything about that physical description I would have actually NOTICED how handsome he is right from the start. Joke’s on me!

“[…] a person who’s supposed to have no emotions is incredibly interesting.”

[…]

Such an odd point of view was another thing that took Lex by surprise. All his life, people had called him a monster. A freak. A heartless robot or a demon. A Phantom. No one had ever considered his emotional state to be interesting. No one had ever considered it an honor to be sitting across from him. Who in their right mind would?

WHY WOULD YOU CALL ME OUT LIKE THIS

HELLO. SDKJNSFKJNSDKJ. ALSO THANK YOU SOMEONE ACTUALLY AGREES HOW INTERESTING THE LACK OF EMOTIONS THING IS.

But this is so funny it’s like the fic is takign aim at the fangirls. Me, a phantom fan: Hah… Yes… Who in their right mind would consider it an honour to be sitting across from him.. sdkjsdkjdsf

(Okay, that angle didn’t occur to me on 1st readthrough but now I’m just jokingly like “I feel so attacked” HAHAAH)

Most of the focus had been on Lex’s physical health and the way he was being treated, both on a medical level and on a personal level. Emotions could affect the body and Lex had to admit that recovery from his surgery was still going at a slow pace.

OH MY GOOOOOD FUUUUUDGE TH. BENNY IS SIZING HIM UP HE’S ASKING THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS FOR A REASON. GOD DAAAMN IT BENNY… Knowing the way he is being treated medically, things like that, can make it just that little bit easier! To! Make an attempt on his life! I’M

TFW u do ur job as a therapist but also as an assassin simultaneously.

No one else stopped by his room for hours on end. Not until it was time for the guard shift to rotate and Bobby Fulbright came strolling inside. Over the past week, it’d become painfully obvious that the Phantom’s attempt to crush the man’s cheerful attitude towards him had failed. That Bobby was still as overbearing as ever, acting as if that little incident involving Simon Blackquill hadn’t happened.

Idiot spy underestimated the power and strength of just HOW MUCH Bobby cares about him.

“Hahaha, that’s just like him.” Bobby nudged the wrapper towards the bin with his foot. “And just so you know, he’s single.”

BOBBY NO. THAT IS HIS THERAPIST. THAT IS YOUR THERAPIST,

Lex made sure to shoot Bobby the most emotionless expression he could still bring his face to ease into. It was funny how the surgery had messed with even that much. “It isn’t too late for me to end your life, you know.”

SDJKSDFNKJSDFKLNSDLNKSDLKN this & him saying this is so funny SEND HELP

The mark of Shelly de Killer.

OH. OKAAAY. I’D FORGOTTEN THAT THE FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TAKES PLACE ON THE SAME DAY. BENNY WASTES NO TIME AT ALL… And it makes sense I mean. He got the info he needed to go ahead, so why wait? Oh my god..

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 3

…It’s terrible how much I kind of enjoyed Lex’s sudden downturn; what essentially was the prelude to and then became a vomit scene just because This man used to be the Unshakeable Phantom! LOOK AT HIM NOW. >:D

Plus he starts off soooo arrogant and overconfident at the beginning of the chapter as well before Lang is just like. “Lol. Looks like you didn’t actually kill Shelly and he’s after you.” Making the rapid nosedive that follows even more… It feels kinda weird to say “amusing”, but… IDK MAN THERE’S JUST INHERENT NARRATIVE APPEAL IN THIS LEVEL OF WEAKNESS AND VULNERABILITY AND WHAT HAVE YOU ON DISPLAY after a bout of confidence no less, from this character with this history specifically. Any other character and I’d be appropriately squicked out/feeling bad. I CAN BE VERY MEAN TO MY FAVE.

Also, “prayers to the porcelain god” is actually SUCH a good euphemism. Somehow… If I ever get the chance… I want to see if I can work it into saying it in real-life at least once. I don’t see any such opportunity arising anytime soon, however. :P

“Just send him in, it’s not like the day can get any worse,” Lex grumbled, clambering back onto his bed.

>:D

Benny shows up and it’s just pure dramatic irony. Re-reading is suuuuch a bonus.

What if they were endangering Benny by having him here?

OH MY G

“You’re a Snapple guy?”

I’M, I LOST IT AT THIS

Maybe he just wanted to be the one raising the questions- to be in control of the conversation. …Yeah, that was probably it. That was how the human psyche worked.

I’M?

“Of course. I don’t know how other people manage with their android phones. Snapple’s always got the upper hand,” Benny remarked, not even bothering to take his eyes off the screen.

Lex: Right. Have fun with your planned obsolescence, sucker.

IF A REAL LIFE MAN ACTUALLY SAID THIS TO MY FACE.. I GOTTA TELL YA… The sheer level of aggravating this is. XD. I DON’T KNOW IF I’D BE ABLE TO HOLD MYSELF BACK FROM SAYING SOMETHING.

Me internally if an IRL man said this to me: Oh so you’re insufferable and I probably won’t like you very much at all.

SDKJSDNKJSDNKJ

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 4

Bro. Bro I was suspicious of that coffee, man. And then when Lex drains it all, I was like “MMMM somehow… that feels like a mistake he’s going to regret.”

“Could there be any kind of poison in it that interpol could fail to detect?”

But, I didn’t suspect Benny of wrongdoing. I was suspicious of the coffee, but not Benny. I figured that if the coffee had been tampered with, Benny was completely unaware of it. But then, I forgot about it and put it out of mind after that when nothing too dramatic happened immediately after he takes the coffee.

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 5

“It’s fine.” Lex was embarrassed to hear that he’d taken on a rather squeaky tone.

Embarrassed… Embarrassed… Embarrassed…!

Yeeeees. It’s like I’ve waited 3 full fics and then some to see this man FINALLY be embarrassed. Feels good.

…Well this chapter certainly gets intense after that. :[

Now this second vomit scene is actually quite appropriately upsetting to read. OOF.

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 6

Bro just imagining that slowed-down music really IS super eerie, damn.

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 7

“Bobby Fulbright. I was under the impression that you were no longer allowed to be here.”

Gooood he STILL goes for the full titles all the time when “orienting” to the conversation, like he didn’t need to use any name at all here. I’m telling you, 1. This is his character trait, Lex and Phantom alike, and 2. It’s so Franziskan sdkjsdnkjsd.

Bobby sighed. It was like everyone around him realized his care for the Phantom was unwarranted. He himself realized it too, but that didn’t change anything. “I know. I’m just an idiot like that.” “Acknowledgment is the first step to recovery. Now take the next step and get out.” With that, Lex made to slide the headphones back over his ears.

UM rUDE xDDD

While the concept of him being aromantic had been cast into doubt ever since the surgery, he didn’t mean to dig much further into it. Unless he was somehow miraculously saved from execution, his sexuality didn’t matter. He would die just as he’d always lived; alone. The concept didn’t quite stop him from appreciating Benny’s handsome features, though. Or the way Benny kept smiling as if he wasn’t looking at a murderer.

Ohooooh my. Here we are! Precisely what connects back strongly to a lot of the stuff I discussed in my previous post but I couldn’t quite fit it in.

So like. I could very much see what was going on here. Mhm. Yes I did. We are getting implied Lex/Benny. And, confession time, but I MIGHT have stumbled across a post that heavily implied Lex/Benny back before I had ANY inkling of who Benny was… Back before Lex was Lex. So it meant absolutely nothing to me at the time, it simply DEEPLY confused me in the sense of “You’d think I’ve read far enough into the series and yet WHY can’t I make heads or tails of this post?” But, I quickly put it out of mind and temporarily forgot about it and was able to continue reading the text “blind”, but when Benny actually showed up… and Lex is Lex now… And Bobby’s all “He’s SINGLE 😉” I narrowed my eyes all like. Oh. Oh… There’s a certain way this could go. But I still thought “Hey. Maybe nothing will happen and neither of them will develop feelings, maybe it’s just like, a fun side-idea the author personally likes but didn’t put directly into the story- ohhhh and here it is hints on Lex’s side building up in the story. WELL THEN.”

It just felt like…

The author: [shipteases phantomquill, phantom/Athena (YES I KNOW THAT WAS A JOKE AND I AM INCLUDING IT ONLY AS A JOKE THAT WILL LENGTHEN THIS LIST), spyshipping, and even Freudian Phantombright (I AM ALSO INCLUDING THIS LAST ONE ONLY AS A JOKE)]

The author, after doing all of this: [whips out/ushers in their OC at the last minute to pair up with him]

Me:

DFJKSDLKSDKL

The above is a retooled version of a message I sent to my friend at the time – I hope the summary comes across as more of a comically condensed expression of frustration-at-the-time and not mean-spirited (mean-spirited is not what I want to be, I just exaggerate for comical effect is all, and I didn’t expect I’d be telling my feelings to the author directly ahhah..) But as already established? I was quite bitter over the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t phantomquill, and so I was not particularly impressed at the time as a result… xDDD

I also just love how he, of all characters, seems to be the “launcher of a thousand ships” here… LOL

But of course, Benny is not technically an OC, is he? :P You can argue he’s merely an interpretation of a canon character from Dual Destinies – the courtroom sniper. Dskjdsjknsd

At the time it might have felt “ushered in”, but in reality, Benny has that connection to a “canon” character – the courtroom sniper – the further connection to ace attorney canon through being Shelly’s son, AAAND has already been very much intertwined in this series through “off-screen” references. He really is quite heavily grounded in the fic’s lore. And in Ace Attorney lore. Very, very clever and well-done. …Of course, I didn’t know any of this until the Reveal, so I remained unimpressed until then. Now post-reveal is a different story, and I came to intensely appreciate not only Benny as a character but also just how awesome the dynamic between Benny and Lex really is.

Shipping aside, you have the aroace business… I have actually previously come across a post on your blog where you stated you kinda felt bad for not keeping Lex aroace. I feel like this can easily get pretty thorny, and I want to kind of, as I stated in a previous post, analyse the text as an independent entity here – how I would judge/react to the text without any knowledge of or contact with the author or the context it was crafted in. Indeed, at the time of reading Lifting Spirits I didn’t have a clue what you may personally be or whether you were personally aro/ace or not and couldn’t make any assumptions either way.

There’s, I guess, two main ways to look at this… the phantom was effectively aroace and there was never any evidence suggesting otherwise. But with blocked emotions removed, it turns out the man is not aroace. You can treat “the phantom” and “Lex” as two separate entities in this regard.

But the phantom didn’t completely lack emotions. If Lex is not aroace… It stands to reason that EVEN IF there never was any evidence to suggest the phantom was anything but aroace, there was still the potential for small, limited amounts of evidence that he wasn’t to occur, even if such a thing did not happen to occur when he was the phantom. Which would make the phantom technically not aroace(?) but he simply never realised that. Hmm.

If there were a blanket consistency – if the phantom had experienced an extremely limited and probably outright warped sense of attraction or something like that – or if Lex was also aroace – then there wouldn’t be any “issue”. But as it is, it’s very easy to derive Unfortunate Implications from how it is set up, wherein the Emotionless Killer is aroace, but then he gets to experience proper emotions and becomes a “real person” who basically gets redeemed as that new person and all of a sudden… Only after becoming a “real” and “proper” human being he experiences attraction. It’s all too easy to feel like perhaps the message is that attraction is an integral part of the human experience – EVERYONE’S human experience.

And the flip that happens between the phantom and Lex in this realm further drove home what I perceived to be the massive distinction being made between the two and helped fuel much of my feelings surrounding what I discussed in the previous post. About how perhaps “the phantom” was being thrown under the bus to set up Lex as the good and better alternative. By treating them as two separate people, the connection is not TOO far away to feel as if the aroace aspect is attached to the phantom as part of what gets “thrown under the bus”, inherently attached to a villain seeing as it does not get carried over, inherently attached to emotionlessness – something necessary to be “cast aside” in order to fully complete a transition into a redeemable and “complete” human being.

I do know that none of this was your intent, and I sensed at the time of reading that it was not the author’s active intent as well, but not having enough background context at the time, I couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility that perhaps it was a possible unintended predisposition bleeding through – nothing malicious in the least, mind you. But perhaps a subconscious assumption that every human being feels attraction and… idk. I wanted to believe the best of the work and the author but it was just, at the very least, an unintended implication that I could not entirely ignore. Being ace myself, it kinda stung, although I did keep that to a minimum until I could actually have more context.

I’m glad for being able to have access to additional context so that I can enjoy the work as it is to the best extent – if, for example, I did not have access to any information or additional context whatsoever about the author and the background under which the work was crafted in, I wouldn’t have been able to entirely shake the discomfort and it’s something small that would have continued to bug me long after I’d finished reading, if only for the fact that I would never have been able to know for sure if the writer was actually dismissing something like asexuality or not.

And Conflicted Thoughts/Feelings once again because, if we step back for a moment and look at this particular narrative thread as it exists in Lifting Spirits and its conclusion as a whole, I AM happy for Lex, it’s great that he gets to have a love interest, it’s a great ship, and the concept of the former phantom becoming attracted to someone and getting a crush is so so great…

What it ultimately comes down to, is that even if you can read Unfortunate Implications into the text regarding the aroace business, any such implications were not your intent. I much prefer reading a text in the most charitable way possible to enjoy it to the fullest possible extent, so that’s what I’ve ultimately done, given additional background info.

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 8

The complete role reversal of this chapter is so good… For months and months prior to ever beginning to read this series, I’d actually been working on a fanfic of my own, albeit for a different fandom. It also centres around inverted character dynamics and such as the central running theme to the extent that it’s even alluded to in the title… But this… The role reversal or transformation that Lifting Spirits centres around is so… It does it so damn well. Kind of makes me want to hold myself and my own fanfiction to a higher standard.

I had perhaps been a little bit suspicious of Benny prior to this chapter, but not much… And the end of the previous chapter had me VERY much like “OK… SOMETHING’S WRONG HERE… SOMETHING’S WRONG! WHAT IS THIS GUY’S DEAL?!” BUT omg this reveal

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 9

He’s the fourth heir to the lineage of De Killer, which means spilling blood is in his blood. It’s a shame, really, that he can’t stand the sight of it.

This chapter description is just so poetic. It’s like, the chapter description is not really separate from the fic itself – it’s just as artistically intertwined with the text. Absolutely GORGEOUS chapter description.

Oughhhhh Benny’s backstory and just. His whole character and the internal conflicts that he has and EVERYTHING is just so damn compelling WOW!

The glimpses into Benny’s past and home life are such a fascinating look into how vastly different his frame of references are… How very unique his perspective and positioning in the world is.

The Phantom… Benjamin had heard of this man, of course. An international spy. One who was so wanted that his father had been hired by at least five clients.

F-FIVE CLIENTS?! AT LEAST? LEGEND.

Okay this is quite interesting to think about too because I always figured that Shelly would only ever take on one client and have one target at a time, so that he could devote his full attention to the task at hand and uphold his end of the contract – his client has faith in him to do a job and to do a job well, so I figured a single-handed focus would be part of that. Under normal circumstances, this would present no issue. Why would it? Shelly’s very good at his job and tracking down an assigned individual target wouldn’t be too difficult. My impression is that a job would generally take maybe 2-3 weeks from the time of meeting with the client and the deed getting done, unless it’s exceptionally easy and the person in question gets taken out within the week.

But obviously the phantom presents a clear problem to that operational method. Shelly’s left with a target he has little to no leads on, no physical description, no name beyond the title, who could be anywhere and anyone. Job like that’s gonna take a little bit longer than three weeks. But Shelly is nothing if not a professional, and he’s more than happy to honour his client’s wishes if they want this guy dead, and he’s certainly not gonna give up or back down from the request…! I wonder if Shelly was in the habit of taking on multiple clients at the time or if he was forced to break from his standard method of operation, cause if he has no leads he has to wait until one turns up/keep searching indefinitely. And it kinda puts a huge damper on business to not accept any new clients for years on end. Maaaaan not being able to take the phantom out quickly & efficiently must’ve bugged the HELL out of him too. He’s made a commitment to his client, his (first) client is trusting him to take this guy out, and YEARS pass and STILL it hasn’t been done. Wonder what kind of dynamic that would have caused between Shelly and the first client.

I have no real doubt that Shelly actually had enough money to put business on hold for a few years if that’s what it meant to track down the phantom, if he wanted to. But it’s just not practical if he genuinely has 0 leads to go on for months on end, it makes more sense to be doing stuff in the meantime. PLUS, part of it would also be to ensure that the de Killer name does not fall into disuse and remains prominent in the minds of the public. To disappear for years only for calling cards to start showing up again… It just wouldn’t look particularly good for The Brand I suppose? The general public wouldn’t know the reason for the silence.

There’s not only that, but he accepts requests from multiple clients for the same target, hugely increasing his payout for a single job. I would have thought it’s possible that were someone to make a request that’s already been made, Shelly might be like “Ah, actually, you can’t select this particular individual”. And if years have passed with no success it begins to raise questions about the “ethics” of accepting further requests for the same person if part of the payment is being made in advance, which I’m sure it is. But then again – I’m sure there was no doubt in Shelly’s mind that he’d actually get him in the end. The length of time that passed didn’t matter. The job would be done, and he was never going to give up. He had multiple clients depending on him, after all.

I guess every time he got another Phantom request he’d sigh and internally be like “ADD THIS CLIENT TO THE LIST I SUPPOSE…”

Client: I want you to take out the phantom

Shelly, internally: Get in line

Dsjsdjh

Really though I’m very sure that the phantom’s difficulty to track down would have irked Shelly to no end. Not that he would necessarily let such sentiments show externally.

And while I’m speaking about this, I guess I will also address Benny being his son here as well. My reaction REALLY was “HIS FATHER??? HIS FATHER????”

I’ve never played DGS and I know there’s de Killer stuff going on in those game(s) and I don’t know if any light is shed in that series on how the lineage works – hm! It’s interesting to think about. One of the theories I’ve seen proposed is that the new de Killer establishes themselves as such by successfully taking out the previous de Killer – no familial relation. That has logistical issues of its own however but it was kind of the default idea that I’d gone with as I hadn’t really seen any others discussed.

Shelly’s unique job and his intense dedication to said job makes it very VERY hard for me to picture him not only establishing a relationship with someone but also fathering a child with someone… It’s quite hard for me to picture how it would work. How it would look in practice. And of course, in the Benny flashbacks, there is no mention of a mother. So I was a little bit like ????? on that front. And then you get the reveal practically at the VERY end of the fic that Benny is adopted, which makes plenty of sense. It is hard for me to picture Shelly as a father but I CAN see him adopting, caring for and raising an adopted child. A child that is to continue the proud de Killer heritage.

THE FACT THAT SOMEONE GOT MISTAKENLY SHOT BECAUSE THEY WERE ASSUMED TO BE THE PHANTOM BUT WEREN’T… OOF. Hope Shelly didn’t prematurely celebrate on that one. He might’ve already enlisted three clients wanting the phantom gone by that point and thought that he could FINALLY collect the rest of whatever money they owed him from them – that he could FINALLY reassure them that the guy was finally flippin’ DEAD. Perhaps only for the phantom to show up AGAIN some time later. (Shelly doing refunds? Dsjksdkj). Ok but on a serious note – I know he would’ve probably known it was not the phantom either immediately after/soon after the guy was shot. There’s things like No Mask and whatnot and probably the aftermath would have made it obvious it was the wrong person without the phantom needing to show up on Shelly’s radar once again. But OOF.

In March, a man had come to see Ben ‘Benny’ Volent, seeking counseling. A man who bore the name of Bobby Fulbright.

WHEN THIS REALISATION HIT ME… OH MY GOD? OH MY GOD? BOBBY FULBRIGHT HAD BEEN UNLOADING THE TRAUMA OF WHAT HE SAW… ONTO THE SON OF THE VICTIM! I CANNOT. THAT IS… NOT GOOD. Being so close to the murder victim can compromise the therapist’s ability to assist the patient at hand, so… conflict of interest! Benny had to sit there and listen to recounts that would have deepened his OWN pain. Bro I am SO sorry. WHAT a punch this was.

Agent Lang had mentioned a move to the federal prison right in front of Benny.

NO JOKE but back when that scene originally occurred I was just like “UMM should they REALLY be discussing this while the therapist is there?” Because I had found Benny to be a LITTLE bit potentially suspicious and. Hmm!

OKAY THE FUNNIEST PART – OR RATHER – THE MOST WACK PART OF THIS ENTIRE SITUATION IS JUST HOW MANY LEVELS OF “CROSSES THE LINE TWICE” IT IS.

Like. The realisations started pouring in for me, one after the other. First it was like “um, Benny counselling Bobby considering the circumstances is a conflict of interest that can potentially compromise his ability to remain objective and properly assist Bobby’s recovery”. THEN, hilariously enough, I was like “UM, IT IS HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL FOR BENNY TO ACT AS LEX’S THERAPIST – EXTREME CONFLICT OF INTEREST SEEING AS THE PHANTOM KILLED BENNY’S FATHER AND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED PERSONAL BIASES TO GET IN THE WAY WITH HOW YOU SEE THE PATIENT”. This was coupled with how… awkward I found it earlier on for Bobby to even suggest, however jokingly, to Lex that Benny was single – how iffy it was for Lex to have developed feelings for Benny (cause if you got feelings for ur therapist that’s bad news for the therapy and Lex even seems to know this) or the possibility that perhaps it was on some level reciprocated, which would be highly unprofessional and further detrimental to the therapist-patient relationship.

BUT THEN I REALISED THIS WAS ALL MOOT AND COMPLETELY BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER ALL BY:

BENNY WAS TRYING TO KILL LEX THE WHOLE TIME ANYWAY.

So LITERALLY WHO CARES about conflict of interest or “professional conduct” here, I’M PRETTY SURE IT IS NOT IN THE LINE OF A THERAPIST’S WORK TO BE ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL YOUR PATIENT.

And all I could do was laugh. This is the kind of crosses-the-line-twice funny, there’s just SUCH a cluster of professional breaches going on that it is OFF THE CHARTS and loops back around to being hilarious. You can’t even criticise ANYTHING specific about Benny’s conduct, there’s no point, because it is so BLATANTLY and obviously out of line, professionally and legally speaking, in its ENTIRETY. And then you realise his credentials were faked to begin with too, even though he’s genuinely studied the profession and is good at what he does. He’s walking around with faked qualifications ANYWAY.

Lex and Benny’s patient-therapist dynamic was stuffed to HIGH hell, inherently, far before it ever began. It was already compromised beyond belief. THE GUY’S QUALIFICATIONS AREN’T EVEN 100% LEGIT… >failed step one. It is SO wild and subsequently funny as a result. Benny got built up as such a good therapist too, and don’t get me wrong, he does seem to actually be good at what he does as I said. But then you go ahead and reveal all of this about him and it’s sooo… omg

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 10

Simon was about to turn away when he thought he saw it. Just for a fraction of a second. Were Alexander’s lips about to quirk into a victorious smirk? …No, that was ridiculous.

OOOHH MY GOOOOOD I HAD TOTALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS I SWEAR TO GOD………… I swear to god. Acting skills WAY too strong. He’s still got it. This man is way too powerful/skilled for his own good I swear to god.

Yes, he successfully got Benny to leave and he got out of the ordeal of being held at gunpoint unscathed. But he still had been terrified when going through that. Regardless of how things turned out it makes sense for Lex to be in shock and still be working out some of that fear. Because he HAD been genuinely terrified. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he is genuinely a little in shock during this scene but oh my god.. Because it makes sense for him to still be jittery and then I just. LEX. KINDA HATE THAT I MAYBE GOT A LITTLE WORRIED BECAUSE STILL BEING SHAKEN MAKES SENSE BUT ALSO CONFUSED AT THE EXTENT. On first and second readthrough.

Can’t really say too much else about this chapter right now it’s just sooo intense and riveting gosh.

For a split second, it seemed like Fulbright was so overcome with emotion he might try to pull Alexander into a hug as well. Luckily, Lang cleared his throat in such a loud manner that it was obvious he did so on purpose.

LANG HOW COULD YOU. “LUCKILY” MY FOOT.

Lifting Spirits, Chapter 11

His license was most likely a fake. Would any report compiled by him be worth a damn? And to think, Bobby Fulbright had spoken so highly of him.

WAIT I WAS ONLY JUST SAYING THIS EARLIER SDKSDKNS

Hey. I obviously knew this Mirage scene was coming this time around and yet it managed to somehow sneak up on me anyway. When I got up to it and read through it I just outright started crying. I did not cry on the first readthrough, I was completely dry-eyed. I GOT SUPER ATTACHED TO AND MORE EMOTIONAL OVER MIRAGE ON MY SECOND READTHROUGH OF THIS SERIES FOR A REASON.

Oh, something else that struck me on first readthrough about this scene was… The phantom always EASILY felt to me the far more “bad” person compared to Mirage. When compared to the phantom, Mirage always felt… well, it was easy for me to forget that she’s also done terrible things, that she’s also a criminal. She naturally just seemed like the waay better person – with SOME amount of a moral compass. So it was odd to suddenly have her being in the same room as Lex, no longer being contrasted against the phantom, but contrasted against Lex instead… Lex seems to actually have a much more proper moral compass compared to her now. He’s actually filled with remorse and regrets.

Mirage… still chose to kill people. She’s still herself, and that self is someone who didn’t have a bone sliver preventing her from understanding how much of a powerful impact death can have. It was odd… Lex knows internally how bad killing people is now. Mirage most likely still doesn’t really know… not only that, but… he would know that she doesn’t? I don’t know how to explain what I’m getting at here, but yeah.

Also:

“Why did you ask to see me?” he found himself asking. “…Why do you care?” She giggled, the sound of it rather strained. “Because we’re friends, you idiot.” “We’re not…-”

Me:

“You’d better pray the Phantom’s retrial leads to the death penalty. I’m being released next year, but I wouldn’t mind being tossed right back in here if it means I got to strangle Metis’s killer with these two hands.”

…N-NEXT YEAR?! BUT THAT’S… SO SOON… SOONER THAN I… THOUGHT… I FIGURED SHE HAD LIKE… MAYBE ANOTHER TWO YEARS LEFT… I DIDN’T REMEMBER HER SAYING IT’S NEXT YEAR.

[Thinks about this line and then Tracking Ghosts]

Oh my god… Can it PLEASE at least be the second half of the year I’m dying here… Like I KNEW she had to be released from prison eventually and. Yeah. I JUST THOUGHT WE HAD MORE TIME.

You know what’s funny? This line 100% didn’t faze me on first readthrough. Ahahaha. Why should it have? “You’d better pray the Phantom’s retrial leads to the death penalty” was, after all, my own train of thought at the time… HDHDFH. I was just kinda [nods] “at least someone around here’s got the right idea.” …AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

You completely missed me on the first go, but second time’s a charm. Ya got me. Ya got me with this line this time around. I am worried. :’)

#long post

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kaepop-trash · 7 years

Text

Death of The Cat Ch-2

Rated: Angst

Pairing: JaehyunxReader

Summary: Jaehyun was pretty set in his ways, living up to his frat boy stereotypes with pride and a lot of pleasure. But his fatal flaw came in the form of two things; a girl and curiosity.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

She walked into the house after a long class of a subject she didn’t enjoy. She had a short lunch break and an agenda in mind. She noticed Johnny sitting with two kids she didn’t recognise. Johnny turned around and smiled at her.

“Come here.” He said. She had other things in mind but didn’t want to say no so she went to him with a smile.

“These are the new kids, I thought I’d introduce you.” He pointed at two boys who sat awkwardly.

“You need to know who she is because she’s a very insistent house guest.” Johnny spoke and laughed when she hit his arm with her bag.

“This is Mark and Haechan.” He pointed at the boys who waved at her shyly, “They’ll live here now so you’ll see them while you sneak out.” She hit him again. Sitting on the arm of the sofa he sat in.

She stood by as he explained the dynamics of the house and shower schedules. She offered helpful input on what classes to take. After a while Johnny sat back with an epiphany, turning to her.

“He’s in his room sorry, I got carried away.” He laughed.

“How kind of you to remember.” A voice from behind made everyone turn their attention to Jaehyun at the edge of the stairs, walking towards them.

“Didn’t you have classes today?” She asked, pointing to his sweats.

“I have only morning classes today.” She nodded, remembering his schedule. He came and stood behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder almost instinctively.

“Do you want to come upstairs?” He asked naturally, drawing circles at the back of her neck with his thumb.

“Can’t. I have another class in ten minutes. Johnny here hogged up my entire lunch.” She stood up and he stood in front of her, nodding like he empathised. She looked up at him and suddenly combed her fingers through his hair, he was somewhat surprised by the gesture, his eyes fluttering shut unconsciously.

“I don’t think I can get used to you Blonde.” She said seriously, Jaehyun’s eyes shot open, letting out an incredulous sigh. Johnny held back a chuckle in the back.

“You’re just going to have to try harder.” He tugged her hand out and she giggled at his annoyed expression.

After she left and Jaehyun went back to his room, Mark hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Jaehyun’s girlfriend is nice.” He just wanted to make conversation.

“Oh they aren’t dating.” Johnny dismissed his words.

“Oh, they just looked like it.” Mark retracted, embarrassed.

“Yeah, they do it sometimes.” Johnny said casually again and Mark blushed at the personal information.

“So are they like friends with benefits or something?” Haechan asked, a little curious about the state of affairs at his new house.

“Well they aren’t exactly friends.” He looked back at the staircase, his voice showed that he was deep in thought.

“That’s kind of weird.” He wondered loudly and Mark tried to shush Haechan’s curiosity.

“Yeah, it is. I guess I never really thought about it.” His voice still sounded far away. He snapped out of it thereafter, getting up.

“You’ll get used to it really. She’s this house's unofficial resident. Even if she never stays over.” He explained before walking off to get ready for another class.

Jaehyun walked into the kitchen one morning to make some coffee. Haechan was sitting there with Doyoung eating cereal.

“Will you help me with my chemistry assignment?” Haechan asked Jaehyun, confusing him.

“I’m a Business Major.” His spoke like the flaw in his request was obvious.

“Yeah, but don’t you like remember something? It’s just a basic class anyway.” He explained to him.

“Why would I work so hard? Just ask someone else.” He spoke dismissively.

“You’re a terrible dad.” He mumbled. Jaehyun’s eyes blew out in shock and Doyoung choked on his cereal.

“I’m sorry what?” Jaehyun asked, unsure of what he was insinuating. Haechan looked at him confused, like he wasn’t the one who said something so absurd. He mumbled her name which didn’t seem to explain anything. He sighed.

“Doyoung said she’s like our mom when she left Mark and I this pasta she made and we liked a lot. I just assumed since she’s the mom, you’re the dad.” Doyoung’s milk dribbled down from his mouth.

“Yah! Don’t pull me into this. I just want to eat my cereal and go for class.” He shoved food into his mouth quicker wanting to get out of this uncomfortable situation he was thrust into by the outspoken new kid.

“She and I aren’t connected. If anything Taeyong is your dad, isn’t he the one taking care of all of us?” His words were clipped.

“I just meant that-” He started, trying to explain.

“Like I said. She and I aren’t tied together like that. I hope you understand.” He finally finished brewing his cup of coffee and went away.

“It’s very late just stay.” Jaehyun sat up on his bed one night watching her put on her clothes clumsily, “You’re very tired.” He sighed.

“I’m fine.” Was all she said. He got out of bed, combing his hand through his hair in obvious frustration. He grabbed the back of her shoulders and turned her around, halting her motions.

“It’s past midnight. You’re so tired you put both your legs into on side of your tights.” She looked down when he spoke, embarrassed that he was right, “We have the same morning class tomorrow, just stay. I never stop you but you’ll end up running into a pole, that’s if you’re lucky.” She laughed at his words. Slipping her arms around his waist and embracing him. Jaehyun didn’t expect this, neither did he expect the heat creeping into his cheeks.

“Thanks.” She whispered and he realised she was too tired to move when her weight slumped onto him. He laughed and smoothed her hair and maneuvered both their bodies to the bed.

After a while he had come to realise that she was rather affectionate when she was tired and sleepy. Unwittingly, he found himself looking for excuses to make her stay the night a lot more. One morning he woke up to find her moving around in his room in the t-shirt he was wearing the day before. He didn’t make a sound and just closed his eyes back with a smile, deciding he really liked the idea of her in his clothes.

When he walked downstairs in the morning in a new shirt she was in the kitchen with everyone who was awake sitting there.

“Taeyong looks like he’s about to cry.” His voice made everyone focus their attention on him.

“She’s using my expensive bread for breakfast.” He looked wronged and Johnny put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“Who spends that much money on bread?” Ten asked scratching his head.

“It’s artisan.” He cried.

“You’re making breakfast?” His eyes were shining.

“It’s a little sad to see all of you have cereal everyday.” She said seriously.

Haechan walked in looking like he hadn’t slept all night, walking up to the cupboard to pull out his cereal box.

“There’s warm breakfast.” Yuta turned to him looking concerned at his state.

“I don’t have time, I have to finish a chemistry assignment.” He looked on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“Sit down and have some breakfast.” Jaehyun spoke to him, “I’ll help you finish your assignment after that.” He promised and Haechan’s face lit up.

“Really? Oh thank you so much.” He looked genuinely relieved as he sat down happily.

“You’re a business major.” She turned to him confused as he walked up behind the counter and picked up a nibble of food, shrugging as he put it in his mouth.

Jaehyun walked into the living room one evening to find her sitting on the sofa with Taeyong leaning on her shoulder, pouting.

“Is there something the both of you want to tell me?” He looked thoroughly amused when she looked up confused.

“He’s been like that ever since I arrived. I assume he wants to complain about something, I didn’t care enough to ask.” Her flippant response made Jaehyun laugh. Taeyong sat up, his pout more prominent than before. Jaehyun excused himself to get himself a bottle of water.

“I just wanted to tell you that some girl came hitting on your Jaehyun today.” He crossed his arms on his chest. She didn’t even look up from her phone.

“He’s not my Jaehyun.” There was a sense of hesitation before she turned to Taeyong, “What did he do?” She looked awkward and Taeyong sat back, uncrossing his arms, not expecting her reaction. Jaehyun walked back into the room and Taeyong got up.

“Since you don’t care I won’t tell you.” He stuck out his tongue and went away.

“What was he talking about?” Jaehyun asked as he sat down beside her, placing his hand on her knee and drawing circles.

“I have no idea.” She laughed.

She was sitting in a café with the honourable intention of finishing an assignment an hour before class started. Half an hour later she was still blank on the matter at hand, reaching a point of hair pulling frustration, her mind went back to Taeyong’s words. She sighed and sat back, she was curious to the point of screaming, what did Jaehyun say? She knew who he was and where his reputation stood. She wasn’t stupid enough to get jealous, but she was not beyond being possessive.

No sooner had she written a sentence than an entire glass of iced coffee came crashing onto her table. She looked up in stunned disbelief to see a boy she vaguely recognized mirroring her look of shock coupled with panic.

“Are you okay?” He snapped out of it quickly, apologising profusely while trying to clean her soaked hair with a meager tissue.

“What is wrong with you?” She snapped at him, the sudden situation coupled with the stress of a looming assignment and untrodden matters of the heart making her more angry than he deserved for an accident. He looked up with panicked eyes at her fury, fumbling even more.

“I’m so sorry. I tripped on your bag.” He tried to better the situation.

“So are you saying this is my fault?” She was still gasping because of the ice cold drink that dripped down her neck. His eyes grew wider and he shook his head more urgently.

“No! No It’s my fault I am so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He clarified quickly.

“Stop it, you aren’t getting anything out with that soaking tissue.” She snapped again, looking down at the table with misery.

“Hey, at least it wasn’t hot coffee.” He tried to joke with a ridiculous laugh that caused her to look back up at him with anger fueled disbelief. He stood back up looking anywhere but at her face.

“You ruined my notebook.” She glared at him before looking at her notebook with distress.

“I’m sorry, I wish I could do something.” He sounded genuinely sorry but she was too preoccupied with her grievances. She looked up at him than at an object he was holding close to his chest protectively.

“Give me your notebook.” She pointed at the object, he held it closer to his chest.

“I-I can’t.” He hesitated.

“You want to make it up to me right? I need to take a notebook to class. This is the only class I have today so I don’t have another.” He looked distressed at the choice.

“Okay, Here.” He smiled sadly handing it to her and walking away before she could even thank him.

She realised after a few minutes of sitting back that she didn’t even ask his name, shooting up in her seat. She opened the notebook, her eyes filling with realisation when she read a name in the corner.

“Mingyu.” She whispered.

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lesbianakaashi-archived · 7 years

Note

any haikyuu ship of ur choice 👀👀👀

NANO YOU SENT ME THIS LIKE…AGES AGO BUT I FUCKIN LOST THE FILE I WAS WRITING THIS IN ON MY LAPTOP SO I HAD TO DIG FOR IT AND FINISH IT. i hope you still enjoy some pure and wholesome kuroyaku. (it was a tie between this, tensemi, and kinkuni. rip)

How did they they meet?:

my hc is that they lived in the same neighbourhood, and saw eachother often, going to the same schools and all, but they never really met until high school. and we all know how that went

Who developed romantic feelings first?

fuckign…kuroo, definitely. theyre like “yaku is incredibly annoying and distracting with his nice face and sparkling brown eyes and nice lips and– wait fuck i like him don’t i”

Who is their biggest “shipper?”

KAI. theyre both so painfully obvious and he was quietly betting on them getting together. kenma’s a close second, but he regrets it after hearing how much kuroo talks about yaku. “disgustening,” says kenma

When did they have their first kiss and under what circumstances?

THEY ACTUALLY KISSED BEFORE THEY WERE REALLY DATING. they were arguing after practice, bc like, that was their thing, they argued. kuroo eventually blurted out something like “if you werent so hot and distracting we wouldn’t be having this problem! its not my fault i think about kissing you all the time!” (rip kuroo) and they both went kind of quiet for a minute. yaku eventually broke the silence by saying “you could’ve just told me” and stood up on his tiptoes to kiss kuroo really softly.

and then they didn’t talk about their feelings for like a month because they avoided eachother

Who confessed their feelings first?

kuroo!

What was their first official date?

they just took a walk together through the park, and hung out under the trees talking about everything and nothing. (and holding hands the whole time, even if they had to let go when people walked by)

How do they feel about double dates/group dates?

kuroo’s not fond of them; they like showing yaku affection on dates, and feels awkward doing so with other people around. yaku’s neutral on them.

putting the rest under the cut bc like…its a long post

What do they do in their down time?

ok if they’re alone and have nothing to do, they basically just cuddle all day and watch movies or dumb youtube videos. they just enjoy eachothers presence, ya feel? (sometimes kuroo makes yaku model for pictures. why? idk its just fun for them)

What was the first meeting of parents as an official couple like?

yaku’s dad didn’t take the news his son is dating another guy well at all. he didn’t lash out, but he did tell the two of them that he didn’t approve and they would never really be together in his eyes.

my hc is that kuroo’s parents were generally terrible and he no longer lives with them, instead he lives with an aunt who adores him. said aunt loves yaku, thinks hes perfect for kuroo, etc.

What was their first fight over and how did they get past it?

they dont exactly fight alot. sure, they argue, but its pretty much always dumb shit. their first real fight only started bc kuroo was having a panic attack over something that yaku didnt understand and got mad about. kuroo kicked yaku out and told him to leave them alone. (they made up a week later. there was a lot of kissing and explanations and comforting going on)

Which one is more easily made jealous?

probably yaku tbh. girls flirt w kuroo a lot and it pisses him off bc, hello, thats HIS datemate you jerks.

What is their favourite thing to get to eat?

honestly, anything they don’t have to cook is great.

Who’s the cuddly one? What their favourite cuddling position?

kuROO IS DEFINITELY THE CUDDLER. yaku is ok w it as long as kuroo doesnt hold him down to snuggle with him. spooning is always the fav. (kuroo is the big spoon 8 nights out of 10, but if they’re feeling particularly insecure they’ll want yaku to hold them. he never disagrees.)

Are they hand holders?

yes!! kuroo likes holding yaku’s hands bc they’re small compared to theirs and they have a bunch of little calluses and small scars and freckles on the backs of them.

How long do they wait before sleeping together for the first time? What’s the circumstances?

they don’t wait long at all bc…horny teenagers. as for circumstances, kuroo’s aunt left town for a week in the summer. they were home alone for a week. they did what any couple would do.

Who tops?

usually kuroo (bottoming is honestly too stressful for them. bad past stuff yo) but yaku is actually way more dominant.

What’s the worst first they’ve ever gotten into?

the first time they tried to cook together, they got distracted making out and set dinner on fire. thats one of the reasons kuroos banned from the kitchen

Who does the shopping and the cooking?

they shop together, but yaku cooks ‘cause kuroo is banned from the kitchen. they’re usually allowed to sit on the counter and read/do homework while he cooks. they can’t touch anything in fear of ruining it. (they can bake, tho, something yaku fails epically at.)

Which one is more organized and prone to tidiness?

yaku is more traditionally ‘organized’; his room is usually totally pristine, his notes are organized neatly, his closet is seperated by type of clothing, etc. kuroo is organized in their own way; their notes are set up in a way only they and maybe kenma understand and their room is clean and things look put away but they’re really just…crammed whereever. yaku is appalled.

Who proposes?

yaku! they move in together for uni and when they’re laying in bed one of the first days they’re there he asks, in this very small, unyakulike voice, “hey…do you wanna get married?” kuroo thought they imagined it, but still blurts out “yes! yes! yes i do!” and turns over to kiss yaku. they both cry bc sappy nerds.

Do they have joined Bachelor/Bacheloette parties or separate?

they actually have neither; they have the most low-key affair. no parties.

Who is the best man/maid of honour? Any other groomsmen or bridesmaids?

they really only invited their closest friends, cause kuroo was so nervous about it anyway. yaku’s best man is kai, and kuroo’s is bokuto. they task kenma with being the flower girl jokingly. he throws a bouqet of roses at both of them

Big Ceremony or Small?

small. very low-key. whats the need?

Do they have a honeymoon? If so, where?

yaku’s family has a beachhouse, and he takes kuroo there for their honeymoon. its pretty much the best.

Do they have children? How many?

they have two kids! a little girl with kuroo’s wild hair and yaku’s sharp eyes, and a little boy with yaku’s hair and face shape but kuroo’s eyes. they’re both spoiled rotten and loved to pieces by their parents and their parent’s friends

#yaku morisuke #kuroo tetsurou #kuroyaku #dont hate m nano #im so embarrassed this took me so long #cozmics #love letters

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keepyourpantsongohan · 7 years

Text

Ayesha Liveblogs Magi: Labyrinth of Magic

[Karen Smith voice] If your name is Alibaba why are you Japanese?

“Throwing me out like that is pretty mean,” he said, to someone whose house he had broken into in the night

“Do you like money, mister?” “Yeah, I mean, since I need money” me too Alibaba

Ten minutes into this series and they’ve already introduced the concept of slavery in their society guess they’re not fucking around

Alibaba are you seriously taking a baby to a brothel

You know the girl in chains is a protagonist because of her Anime Hair

Is this some kind of Venus Wine Trap

Omg was Aladdin just waiting for Alibaba to exercise correct moral judgement before stepping in, those people were being digested

“All I ever did was lie, and not do anything” same my guy

Now that he mentions it I would wonder why they didn’t bring any supplies to this Tower of Death

You know, I really thought Aladdin would be the one to bite the insect first

I hope that Alibaba continues to use that dagger no matter how magical his fights get like ‘guess u just brought magic to a knife fight’

“So I guess I better let him know why I entered this dungeon” I thought it was for gold and prostitutes

“Labour is the duty of mankind” okay Lord Bourgeoisie

This situation has really escalated we went from declarations of friendship to kidnapping and stabbing in like thirty seconds flat

This guy only has two reactions to people helping him which is tipping or stabbing Alibaba is truly living the customer service life

“Where’s Alibaba?” it appears that he has burst into flames

Can you really fault Morgiana for not responding to ‘Slave Lady’ immediately after you learned her name?

Morgiana: [Beautiful description of homeland delivered in monotone]

“But how?” “I’m immortal that’s how” Last episode you were being digested by a plant????

Morgiana displays the benefits of not skipping Leg Day

I guess if you’re immortal you’ve got endless time to master swordplay

Lord Jamil’s really got some issues what’s with this endless “kill him” chant

Divine Right seems like a very poor way to choose your leaders

“I even messed up really bad one time” this is some kind of Reverse Foreshadowing it’s like Backshadowing

‘My Sinbad Dream’ sounds like the title of a bad fanfic

Where’s he gonna put all that gold does this ancient Arabian city have banks

Update from ep. 11: Yes they do and they are corrupt

Amazing Alibaba used his treasure to abolish slavery truly the only honourable boy in this society

“The same blood runs through our veins” Baba implying they’re all inbred

“You’re Baba’s child now” should not be a comforting statement from someone you just met

Sure, when babies drink milk directly from the teat it’s healthy and a bonding experience but when Aladdin does it’s inappropriate

“Don’t worry Toya, I’ll protect you no matter what” Dude’s gonna die ain’t he

I don’t imagine that they’re going to get a peaceful submission to foreign rule from an independent and inbred nation

I knew Ryosai would be a dick from the moment he opened his mouth

“Until I see the faces of my children’s great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, I’ve got to make absolutely sure I live on with everyone” WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK

Princess Hakuei is such a good leader even if she is an imperialist

What kinda Sailor Moon-esque transformations are these and when do I get to see Alibaba’s

“I’ll keep you in those chains for the rest of your life” Poor Morgiana that Jamil really fucked her up

“You have a sense of justice and value your friends” “I’m telling you that’s not true” lmao what an objection Leila

I’d call this guy Lipstick Kakashi but I feel that’d be insulting to Kakashi

“Don’t lump me in with those ridiculous bandits,” said the slave trader

Yikes @ Morgiana explaining the concept of slavery to this tiny girl but I guess it doesn’t help to sugar coat it

YAS MORGIANA KICK THE ASS OF ALL THINGS END HIM

This is a sidenote but I’ve gotta imagine that if Goltass was one of the Plainspeople they should’ve noticed him because he’s massive??

I’m guessing this handsome sleeping man is Sinbad

“My name is Sin” not only was I correct but also he calls himself Sin pls

What kind of a fucking outfit is Sinbad walking around in my goodness

Lmao at Sinbad this is the equivalent of telling your two Indian friends ‘hey maybe you guys know each other’

I thought the guy with the black hair was Jafar? Did I hallucinate or is this a plot point

“I’m gonna fight with you” “Yes ma’am” is it wrong 2 hope they get married

What an honourable ruler he wants everyone to have autonomy

Sinbad just wants to cuddle with Masrur

“He’s only wealthy from your taxes. If you don’t believe it’s worth paying, take back as much as you want. But, don’t take any lives.” I! Love! Him!

This has got to be an Alibaba and the forty thieves reference

Oh no Alibaba and Aladdin look so sad I don’t care for this

“We can’t let them end up like Mariam” the Backshadowing continues!!

Fsfjhdskjhfksdhgl I want men to look at me like they look at Morgiana and by that I mean terrified

SHE JUST PICKED UP A GROWN MAN I LOVE MORGIANA

Aladdin sure knows how to diffuse tension in a room

“She was a prostitute of the slums” this childhood memory got dark real quick

It’s weird that brown people exist in this universe but none of the people with Arabic names are brown

!!!! Alibaba is the rightful ruler of Balbaad omg

Oh shit I guess all of Alibaba’s skills aren’t just down to immortality

“They’ve been driven out by the state... something about re-development” this magical society is a little too real

Things are about to go terribly awry I know it Cassim is about to ruin everything

WHY ARE YOU STILL HANGING OUT WITH THIS GUY ALIBABA HE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL YOUR SUFFERING???

Dfsdkfdsjfhksdjhfsdglfg Sinbad “eavesdropping is in such bad taste” ur right Jafar

I mean I get Cassim’s plight but I also don’t trust him

“Cassim and I had a special bond, he was my family and friend” he is responsible for your dad succumbing to illness??

I want Alibaba to rule Balbaad but that would really not fit into this narrative arc of travelling

“It’s Cassim” who could’ve predicted that Cassim would ruin everything

Sinbad joining the Fog Troupe is simultaneously exactly what I expected and not at all what I expected?

“What kind of a hardened and callous man are you?” poor Jafar lmao

“I choose not to interfere with domestic issues” he said, after asking two contenders for the throne to speak in a public forum

“You aren’t even fit to be king dammit” them’s treasonous words my friend

What a creepy old man my goodness

Oh it’s Judar not Jafar that explains it I guess???

Poor screamy Alibaba trying to protect his nation’s people

Damn Sinbad’s so charismatic he gives other people a complex just by standing next to him

The Humble King trope is my favourite Alibaba pleading for his people’s lives or in Naruto when he pleads for Sasuke’s life like that’s some Good Shit™

Judar: Hi I don’t want anything I’m just here to be an asshole

It’s ironic that a character who shares a VA with Natsu is proficient in ice magic

“Why are you doing these things?” Because he’s a dick that’s why

There are only like 3 known magical people here so I’m guessing it’s someone we haven’t met yet

“I’ll remain and finish off this little child” why is Sinbad the only moral adult in this universe

All these poor Balbaadans must be like ‘I didn’t sign up for this shit I just wanted to know how the negotiations went’

I can’t believe that Sinbad defeated them through the Power of Handsome

Sinbad: Capitalism is an obvious trap how could you fall for it

Every single one of Alibaba’s reactions to being thrust into leadership roles are me

Amazing all Matthew Mercer characters get drunk and trash talk their homies

“It was Alibaba who saved me” Lmao @ Morgiana’s shoujo reimagining of her being freed

Sinbad captured Judar’s dungeon and I’m sure there’s a sex joke in there somewhere

Uh-oh Alibaba’s about to get an inspirational lecture

“Why do you think I should go back to where Sinbad is?” why do you have such issues with Sinbad, Cassim

I kind of love this trope reversal from “there are some things worth dying for” to “there is nothing worth human lives”

“He’s still my friend” Alibaba’s still protecting Cassim when he’s basically done nothing good ever in his life what kind of fuck ass loyalty

I love battle training!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

“I have a feeling that she’s a woman who’d lend me an ear” Sinbad’s gonna fuck her into changing her mind

Even though I’ve been questioning the logistics of Alibaba becoming king, Sinbad’s a king and he’s not in his kingdom so who am I to judge

“Could this be a case of the marriage blues?” Something old, something new

My boy and his new sword I’m so proud of him

“I may not look like it but I’m a very powerful girl” “I know” actually I hope these two get married just so I can watch her toss him around forever

Lmao @ Morgiana partially destroying every building she comes into contact with

Real talk we know who got all the looks in the family like who was Ahbmad and Sahbmad’s mother yikes

Alibaba threw his brother’s sword away and then slapped him I love him

Props to Princess Kogyoku for taking the revelation that her fiance is gross in stride

“As of this moment, the country of Balbaad will be ending its monarchy!” OH MY GOD ALIBABA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alibaba’s doing the nationwide equivalent of declaring bankruptcy

“Are we saved?” A legit question, royal guardsmen

I’m so in love with Alibaba creating a democracy in a world of empires my baby

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s all a big scam?” Why is Cassim like this he’s the worst

I’m gonna guess that Ugo belonged to Aladdin’s dad

For someone who doesn’t want to be king Alibaba sure is good at leading

“Sounds to me like all you wanted was to be king yourself?” that’s about the size of it

Why. Are. You. Like. This. Cassim???? Chill the fuck out

“Is that thing Cassim?” He’s literally a demon beast now killing all the citizens of your country I don’t think you have to feel bad about fighting it

Sinbad is just constantly joining in the fray to he’s like the older brother Alibaba needed instead of the two dinky ones he had

“Later I plan on making you mine too” gay but rude

“It’s because you’re you, Alibaba” <3333333333333333333333 Baby boy and his baby bro ah!!!

“Halharl infigare” sounds like something you’d say when you could no longer form words

“You never lost that radiance did you?” so what ur saying is that u hated Alibaba bc you had a little gay crush on him

Alibaba refuses to let Cassim get away with being a dick just because his father was one

SHIT THE MONTAGES OF DIFFERENT PATHS ALWAYS GET TO ME

I weep for Alibaba who weeps for his lost friend

Thought the villains would be like 4 or 5 people but it turns out it’s a whole cult

What a beautiful turn of events I’m upset in a good way I’m tearing up a bit

Sinbad @ Alibaba: I’m kidnapping you out of love

These people look so happy to see a giant sea monster bless them

“His lunacy might rub off on you” I’m not sure if I want to see Alibaba become a high-impulse swordsman but tbh his impulse control isn’t that good anyway

Oh my god Morgiana and Alibaba are so cute and bashful

“I’ve already got family, each and every person who lives in this country” that is adorable but that’s also what Ashoka said and look how the Mauryan empire turned out

I love Morgiana’s commitment to saving people from oppression

“You should do whatever you feel like doing, now and forever” ALIBABA AND ALADDIN JUST INSPIRED HER SO MUCH SHE BROKE INTO DANCE

I thought the Djinn transfer would be much more complicated but there you have it I guess

The entire royal guard is about to slut-shame Sinbad

Fdgkldgjlkdfgjldkfgj I know that Sinbad didn’t actually do anything but this is still so funny

“By the way, I’m the culprit” Ka Kaboun is such a mess lmao

“You’re an upstanding person Ka Kaboun” she said, after he tried to frame a man for a sexual assau/t

So this is a scarred man with designs against his own family’s empire who will probably team up with the happy-go-lucky protagonist I’m not saying that this is Arabian Zuko but he’s Arabian Zuko

Those long chains seem a little impractical for battle and walking around

I love that Alibaba is so incorruptible that even with a literal demon inside him he refused to hurt Hakuryu

Kind of harsh of Alibaba not to help the little girl but I guess he is poisoned and Hakuryu stepped up right away anyway

Well at least this time they tried to bring supplies

My three children are so beautifully in-sync with their battle maneuvers

I really thought when they split up that Hakuryu and Alibaba would be a team

“It kind of seems like he’s always trying to take on everything by himself and it kind of irritates me I guess” Pot kettle Alibaba

“I’m doing the very best I can, you know?” ME TOO HAKURYU

I LOVE HAKURYU AND HIS CRYING FIT HE’S ADORABLE

“I’m counting on you to be right there” Brotp: Crybaby Princes

I love Sinbad worrying about his teenage homies A+ adulting

What happened to these people that they are psychologically scarred at any mention of war

WHAT THE FUCK WHY IS MORGIANA HURT WHY WOULD U DO THAT

I guess even King’s Candidates aren’t immune to PTSD

Everything is escalating so quickly I’m very worried about Sinbad and Alibaba

“If you’re the enemy then act like it!” oh no this is sad

“Why does everyone do such things as if it were perfectly normal?” THAT’S MY QUESTION ALIBABA

NO THIS ISN’T WHAT I WANT AT ALL MY BOY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU

I knew Zagan belonged to Hakuryu!!!! He wouldn’t have abandoned Morgiana if he hadn’t already healed her

“You’re nothing more than a magician” “Sorry, you see I’m also a genius” I love Yam

“You’re Alibaba whom I love so much” I love grammatically correct declarations of friendship my nerd baby boys holding hands ah!!!!!

There’s so much I love about this episode Sinbad’s half-fallen reveal, the friendship between Alibaba and Aladdin, Hakuryu’s new power, Princess Kogyoku’s joining the Sindrians, everything is 10/10

“Just like Alma Toran, eh?” I guess we’re about to learn why everyone is so averse to war

If Alibaba truly doesn’t want to be a nobleman he’s gotta stop acquiring so much money

“I’m looking forward to crossing swords with him” why does every challenge to Sinbad’s authority sound so homoerotic

#ayesha liveblogs magi #ayesha talks anime #liveblogging

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