#And idk... I think if I were to name the movie I'd have to argue my point. Add some snippets from interviews with the director

[tomlinfonda]

Hi I know I’m a random stranger but I NEED to know what movie the Truman show reminded you of please 🙏

I'm. Not gonna say 😭 I'm really sorry, but I really don't wanna open that can of worms

What I will say is that it has almost nothing in common with The Truman Show. So if you seek a movie with similar vibes, this is not it AT ALL. The cinematography, the plot, the motifs, the actors, the location, the genre are all completely different. The thin thread that I think connects them is the framing of the film viewer as an oppressive, voyeuristic presence. But it's very possible that I'm just reading way too much into things and I don't feel like starting any sort of discourse (because this might start discourse, to be honest with you 😶)

[msookyspooky]

OMG YOU WATCHED LISA FRANKENSTIEN AND LOVED IT?! <33

I've been waiting for that especially since you've posted Gomez and Morticia (The goal of all goals) on your blog! It's an odd request but I still read and love your Set Up series so can we get a crossover with YN as Lisa Swallow's and the boys as The Creature? ( Cole Sprouse lowkey reminds me of young Skeet Ulrich which considering Riverdale it's no wonder)

Wait cause no this is such a good idea I cannot pass it up I got so much work to do but I REALLY wanna write for this! (I got so many request I'm trying to do in my inbox but uh...This is my current hyperfixation srry)

I wish I could draw better to make zombies of them fhjaafg ♡♡♡ If anyone wants to add onto this or request other characters please do (And anyone seeing this; watch Lisa Frankenstein I loved it)

🔪 Scream / Lisa Frankenstein Crossover 🧟‍♂️

Iⁿᶜˡᵘᵈᵉᵈ﹕ ʳᵃⁿᵈʸ ᵐᵉᵉᵏˢ, ˢᵗᵘ ᵐᵃᶜʰᵉʳ, ᵇⁱˡˡʸ ˡᵒᵒᵐⁱˢ, ᵐⁱᶜᵏᵉʸ ᵃˡᵗᵉʳⁱ

(Everyone is buried in this despite canon and set in the present. Fem!Reader TW: Corpse/Dead Body, Talk of Rot and Decay, Zombie BF)

🪦 Randy Meeks: Died 1998

♡ You loved his character in Stab. After you did some deep diving studying who the actual Randy was outside of the movie; you found his tombstone. (who would do this? Me and @f1nalboys Might do what Lisa did and write your name over his etched name *Meeks* on a piece of paper. Bc of course YN Meeks just has a nice ring to it)

♡ Heard you venting about life and fell in love in his restless but lucid slumber 6ft underground. Someone actually likes his character for more than comic relief? Someone understood him? They didn't think he was just the geek?

♡ After a terrible lightning storm...Guess who fumbled and broke through your window drenched in mud and decay?

♡ Is a little hurt you aren't head over heels for him in his current state. He accidentally cried even if his pride hates that he quite literally cried his own eyes out. He's used to not getting who he wants and...Well, he may not smell himself with his nostrils rotted out but considering his eye popped out; still attached to the retina and had to be pushed back in while you're covering your nose gagging; he understands even if it hurts.

♡ Takes a shower (I'd use Dawn. Bar soap or Dove ain't gonna cut it.) and wears your clothes or robe. He still smells like a dead body and has worms but he's trying. He's got a LOT of old stab wounds from dying in that van at Windsor...Holes...Things seep out so you might wanna get tape or something idk.

♡ Do not stress this undead man out if you mischaracterize a film; he cannot talk with a missing tongue to argue; it decayed decades ago.

♡ His dead, dull eyes actually have some spark of life to them when he sees streaming for the first time. So many movies he's missed out on! Give him the remote and you never gotta worry about him leaving your room while you're gone.

♡ He accidentally kills someone you definitely did not want killed after they smelled something awful in your room, went up there, screamed, Randy went to knock them out in a panic and accidentally kills them

♡ He feels awful about it and you both decide to hide the body and use their hand to replace his missing one (Fell off lol just dead things) and shock him back to circulation somehow

♡ If you do what Lisa did and let him do...Other things with a 'back massager'. He's so madly in love and yearning for you it's insane. But if you got a crush you're yearning for; he is rolling his eyes with a grunt at this being Sid and Billy or Sid and Derek allllll over again.

♡ Less corpsey he gets with each shock session; more he can't help his feelings for you. YOU have to be the one to admit your feelings to him though because what would you want with an undead geek like him? At least in his mind.

♡ Would cry his eyes out (Not literally this time) if you were killed and 100% would resurrect your body and take care of you like you did him

♡ Is as loyal as they come. Will worship you accepting him at his geekiest, dead, grossest versions of himself and you're still here

🪦 Stu Macher: Died 1996

♡ You found his tombstone as a dare to 'bring him back' like bloody mary....No duh, it didn't work. But Stu was still aware of it in a dream like state sorta way. You didn't believe in that stuff rolling your eyes at people badgering you on where you lived.

♡ A car hits a power line and the line of electricity zaps his grave and he goes home just to see...Holy shit, you own his house!

♡ He thinks he's still the playboy man slut he was in life that can get anyone he wants so he's really offended you aren't wanting him to kiss you. Why!? Cause he has worms and his lips are a little dry from sinking into rot, he's a little bit dirty with body fluid stained clothes and he smells like a dead body? Picky!

♡ Is even more offended you're gagging and covering your nose demanding he bathe. Begrudgingly takes your dumb shower and your entire tub smells like dead bird and covered in dirt.

♡ When he comes out you see his face is very scarred under all that mud he had on him. Maybe the rumor he died via a tv crashing on his head and shocking him was true?

♡ If you piss him off...Well he can't kill you cause he needs you. But he WILL hack up a worm like a hairball just to gross you out out of pure pettiness.

♡ Just steals your clothes without asking. Lounging in your best clothes that can fit while he's leaking fluids. If not, he's stealing some guys clothes in your home. Catch him lounging in your Dad/Step Dad/Brothers/Friends best fit.

♡ Tries to steal your bed till you yell at him to get in the closet before someone sees. He guards your clothes and forces you to wear the sluttiest sexiest clothes you have...What? He's helping!

♡ He is soooooooo elated they made Stab! A whole movie with him portrayed in it by a good looking actor? He is over the moon watching it on repeat.

♡ Gets lonely easily...And bored! He's sighing to himself when you're gone and thinking how Billy is dead now and all the people he once knew, knew him as a murderer and were in their 40's. In fact, don't leave him alone long; its disastrous.

♡ Not able to yap HURTS HIM. Expect a lot of hand gestures and getting him a note pad to write on because he can't handle this

♡ Kills someone after you have an issue with them not even second guessing it. What? Problem solved! AND he gets a new body part to replace the one that rotted. Win win.

♡ He is very aware and depressed his manhood rotted off decades ago and that's probably the first body part he's going for. Especially a crush/boyfriend of yours. He can handle no ear or hand or even a tongue but his dick!? No.

♡ Sits in bed painting your nails while you rant about boys. He nods at everything when it comes to guys having their mind on one thing because well...Yeah. Especially in his case

♡ HE is the one smirking if he finds any massager and even if you want a back rub that thing is going lower. Just cause he doesn't have a peen rn doesn't mean his mind isn't in the gutter still

♡ He thinks your a girlfriend of his right away so casually without even asking you so; of course any guy coming near you is dead. Of course he's resurrecting you if you die because...Well he's starting to realize you're the only girl that doesn't scream when you see him so he's gonna hang up his player towel.

♡ Even fully restored he still has scars on his face and feels indebted to you that you don't care about his murderous ways or his face now. He takes care of you if you're dead and the roles reverse...Hell, he finds it hot you need him now.

Billy Loomis: Died 1996

♡ You were a bit odd yourself and found yourself studying the murders. Feeling conflicted about Billy because yeah he was an awful incel but researching his background you felt a bit bad he felt so alone and abandoned even with people around him. You clean off vandalism on his grave and talk to him for hours.

♡ A storm occurs after you have an awful day and cry to his grave 'I wish I was with you'...You meant dead. But well...

♡ That night lightning hits the grave and you wake up in bed to the god awful smell and his dead dirty face looking down at you. You go to scream and he covers your mouth with a cold clammy hand. Going to talk to you and a centipede falls out his mouth making you scream even louder.

♡ You almost knock his head off before he points to a picture on your desk you took of his grave surrounded by newspaper articles of his death.

♡ He thinks he finally has a person that's not a 'whore, bitch, or poser' in his eyes. A bit in love with you and is bitter you don't exactly want an ex serial killer from the 90's like that...

♡ He almost wants to kill you thinking of the betrayal till he sees his reflection and is completely defeated. Sunken dead eyes, matted dirty hair missing in places, longer haggered dirty nails, skin looking ready to fall off.

♡ He sits in your bathroom and you try to comfort him till you smell what smells like...Sewage and death and embalming fluid and your trying not to throw up.

♡ He takes a shower without being told to. Disgusted by his own rot and grime. His gun shot wound in the middle of his forehead a reminder of his failure almost 3 decades ago...Might have scrambled his brain a bit.

♡ He's a manipulator and user but he's not as...Tactless and spoiled as Stu. He feels grateful you offered him to stay despite the smell and the misunderstanding even if he's not happy sleeping on the floor or closet.

♡ He feels even more defeated when you tell him his Mom died in 1998 at Windsor College trying to avenge his death. He's beside himself over it and honestly just wants to crawl back in his icky coffin and die again.

♡ He wanders your home despite being told not to. Goes through all of your things. The lack of speaking doesn't bother him. Especially when it means he can hear you spill your guts more. He wants to observe everything.

♡ Like Randy he's pleased by the movies on streaming but not as obsessed as he was. Whether that bullet was like a lobotomy or just laying in the ground so long to 'think' in the afterlife; he's not the same guy he was in 96...Not completely. Is annoyed at his portrayal in Stab. His hair never looked like that! (Yes it did)

♡ He does kill someone when they bully or mistreat you. He feels possessive of you already and he just doesn't like assholes. He's the one that decides to steal a body part while you're staring in horror.

♡ He gets shocked and you see him a little less dead and a working body part now. So it becomes a thing for you both but you tell him 'Only those that deserve it' and he shrugs. He ain't following that but okay.

♡ Is pinning over you but hides it well. Enjoying just listening to you or watching you. HATES with a passion when you talk about guys but hides it with grunts and subtle glares.

♡ Is your ride or die when he hears police are investigating you for murder after he was the one killing them. I mean...What will they do? Re-kill him? He will do anything he can especially the more 'alive' he becomes to protect you.

♡ Once he's...Fully equipped he actually refuses to sleep with you. Still thinking 'virgins live, sluts die' like he use to. You have to tell him 'You know Sidney is still alive, right? That rule is dumb and not true.' he may get over it and sleep with you or it might still take time.

♡ He wants to go after Sid but also what's the point now? He's not exactly in tip top shape...Don't even tell him about Sam being rumored to possibly being his daughter by mega Stab fans. His undead brain will stop working.

♡ If you die he will resurrect you not out of convenience and want like Stu or devotion like Randy but more possessive ownership. You're his. Whether that's love or to control you (Both). Not even death will seperate you from him.

♡ Once he's fully recovered he has a migraine till that bullet eventually is pushed out by that one last shock and his body starts bleeding again.

♡ More than happy to be together away from everyone just you and him.

Mickey Alteri: Died 1998

♡ Everyone knows Mickey as the freak that was so obsessed with Stab and the original killers he imitated them. But what they don't realize is he killed even before Nancy found him. He was just wired different and it made him feel alive...How ironic now.

♡ You accidentally stumbled upon his grave after trying to find a different one. And...Why is it empty? Well, you had nothing to do with his resurrection just wrong place wrong time as a corpse is lumbering towards you from behind a tombstone with bullet wounds all over him.

♡ He wanted to snap your neck just to fell something again till his own leg fell off and he face planted on the ground.

♡ You of course didn't know he was trying to kill you. You still tried to get away before you saw him just sitting there and...Sighing? It wasn't a mindless zombie after you? Even worse; he grabbed your keys when you ran.

♡ Ask for them back and like a damn child he shakes his head with grunts. You swear to God you heard 'nuh uh' in his grunt. (Keep his leg away give me the keys or I'm yeeting your leg)

♡ Takes a shower at your house and like Randy all those holes are leaking...Icky stuff. He had more muscle before he died so his body mass shockingly is thinner but not as much as it should be? You're talking to a corpse it doesn't have to make sense. All you know is he just walked around naked and you saw disgusting things on the human body you never wanna know after death. You gotta make him wear clothes!

♡ You're in this awkward situation where...The dead guy has feelings and thoughts and is urging he wants to go home with you. Whether you say yes or no he knows your car and will find you.

♡ Sew his leg back on or give him a funny replacement like a peg leg and tell him deal with it. What are you? A surgeon?

♡ Little did you know the second you came for your keys and talked to him he claimed you as his just for being different than most victims. More eager than Stu, falling even faster than Randy, more obsessive than Billy and POSSIBLY crazier than the og Ghostface's...You're having a corpse that is already planning to make you his (Might even kill you so you have to be with him when he resurrects you like he was.)

♡ Other than killing and movies you're the first thing to make him feel something and he is not letting that go.

♡ Wears your clothes, watches your tv, listens to you talk, plans to kill anyone that fucks with you, watches you when you sleep, dresses you up.

♡ The first kill is a guy interested in you. You are his now! He doesn't hesitate to take a few body parts to have you sew on him. Finds the whole process endearing. He's nuts guys idk. You just gotta drill it in his head not to kill a family member, close friend or pet or you won't forgive him because he cannot have that. He wants your affection and attention so he'll be good when it comes to that.

♡ With each shock he gets more lively and bolder. Dancing with you and ignoring the worm that you don't know where it fell out of. Trying to cuddle you even if you gotta start smearing vicks under your nose. Won't hesitate to kiss all over you once he's not as rotten and tries to think of your pleasure before his.

♡ He never hides his obsession and will let you know with a hand on your throat not to talk about guys around him before lovingly caressing your cheek afterwards as an apology.

♡ If you die, not by him, he is furious and will kill anyone in his path before resurrecting you. He'll take care of you in the most yanadere way. You're his forever now.

[laylawatermelon]

The K-Drama Of It All

Hello! My hyper fixation has (very unhealthily) latched onto this show so I'm gonna be analyzing.

First of all, I am a veteran in these spaces.

Very shy in real life I am an avid observer in all my fandoms but TRUST I know what's up at all times because of it.

This first analysis will be of the phenomenon of how they playing in my face with the classic K-Drama tropes and cinematic choices.

Let us begin.

Now we all agree that The Bear is a cinematic masterpiece right? Right.

I have been consuming media across all mediums since I was a kid.

I quite literally spent most of my life watching behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, and in between the scenes.

I'm also an aspiring filmmaker and screenwriter. As such I analyze stuff I like more.

I try to understand why they are the way they are.

Now that we got all the fluff out of the way let's get down to the nitty gritty.

*stands on soapbox*

Page 1 of 10000 ehem

In this this essay I will -!

Fr tho. Let's look at this from a K-Drama perspective.

I've spent about 10-12/13 years watching them. And luckily got into it during the golden era.

I literally watched She Was Pretty air (among others). Ex, Strong Woman, Descendants of the Sun (never watched; controversy+ bad attention span), School 2013.

So you know I'm (somewhat) of an og.

I'm those shows it's very formulaic.

This can extend to other Asian dramas but I'm going to try to stick to K-Dramas.

For example, the 10 ep rule. Must have a kiss or kiss in that episode. (Before is fine)

Now they're getting a little willy nilly and getting down in the first EP but I can argue they was down bad back then as well. Just more angsty longing looks.

(which tbf Sydcarm does all the time but it's 99% Carm though)

In KDramas there's something common in the cinematography that I'd call the halo of light. Almost all the time there are some form of beauty shots with them beautifully lit where they're together, the way they look at each other etc.

Which ironically they do with these two a lot on the show.

I know the show is gorgeous but you can't just explain away some of the choices.

I have watched and read a lot of discussions so this will be influenced by a lot of people. I will mention when I got the help from (if i can find it).

Now I just want to say I think this.

These following trope have been here since the dawn of K-Drama time.

Enjoy my infodump.

Firstly let's discuss this here:

1. The Meet Cute/Halo Effect

We've all been screaming to the void about the classic meet cute that happens with Carmy's life and him being constantly bombarded with noise and chaos.

Stylistically this wouldn't be a typical formula for K-Dramas as it leans more into Kmovie style (which valid The Bear was originally a movie) I think it's as textbook as it comes.

Now the original script (which I have read) had a story of different tone. Very Chicago and chaotic but still...

In this iteration of the script idk what the actors were on but JAW looked at the script and chemistry test and was like hmm yes.

A dramatic romcom. I see.

For her she's an ambitious woman who has (maybe a tiny crush) admiration for him cause like he's literally who she wants to be.

Young, talented and successful. He's made a name in their industry so of course she wants to work under him.

But he he's playing the male lead in an early K-Drama with the classic *she enters* and it's like the second coming out Christ being lit from behind her.

The classic 'I can't believe I never noticed how beautiful she is' in all dramas (and romcoms honestly).

You can also compare it to the corny slightly funny moments in slow motion when they miss each other/do the angsty look.

Like this.

Good old kdrama tropes.

What's interesting is that in their scene they do the opposite of what a K-Drama would usually do. They cut the music and let it become calm.

You get to breathe and relax and so does he. He feels at peace.

In K-Dramas, osts are a kind of a life line so they would most likely blare it when he has that realization.

And then at every other romantic moment after.

Another way that it could be is by using very like calm music (still the ost but still).

They do use this with having mostly romantic music in their scenes but it's usually quiet and a bit hard to hear or understand (unless you're analyzing like many of the wonderful people on this app).

Now you can argue her warm lighting in each scene from the finale and introduction represents his hope/life/good change being given back to him in the form of her (but if that's not the most romantic thing I ever heard).

Now for the flashback in the panic attack scene you could argue the blue tone he sees her in, as it usually represents some kind of sadness/distance/professionalism in this show, it can also represent his piercing blue eyes remembering her in the only shade they know how.

Good God that color grading is nuts. His eyes *ARE* the color Blue.

Now I want to talk a bit more about shot composition, color grading and color choices.

In a few interviews I've seen and read the editors, directors and others were quite serious about the shots and music they used were very much on purpose.

I mean come on.

Also Announcement from a novel/screenwriter:

EHEM

WE DON'T EVER INCLUDE NOTHING THAT CAN BE MISINTERPRETED IN SCRIPTS!

AND THE DIRECTOR WOULD DEFINITELY CUT IT IF IT WASN'T HOW HE ENVISIONED IT!

(/hj)

The most telling scenes is the beginning of omlette and the end of the episode before it.

The director had chose to show her tattoo that represents loss in a deep blue lighting which was actually in a similar lighting that Carmy and Claire were bathed in afterwards.

The quora search says it means pain, heartbreak, and emotional turmoil.

It also lines up with the rest of the shots with him preparing dinner with Claire and her being alone.

I believe this kind of represents the emotional cheating (?) going on between them as he practically abandoned her (and their child, The Bear).

(which is a wild choice for platonic coworkers)

As I've said before blue lighting is usually representative of sadness, coldness etc.

In the scene personally even without connecting it to shipping or everything the message came clear to me.

Suffocation.

He was quite literally being suffocated as in the last scene her body was on his as he stared in the distance blankly.

Honestly that shot was kind of heartbreaking because it feels like coercion in a warped way.

He feels like he should be happy, he should participate in these acts, he should be doing well.

He's fulfilling his family's wish.

So why isn't he happy?

That's my writer kicking in but that's what I got from it.

🥲 (gimme a sec i gotta cry)

But the same blue tone was used in his panic attack as the camera zoomed in.

Now the ironic part was that they used warm lighting for the scenes with Claire, but it's not that unusual.

Warm lighting has always been used to also represent a time period in the past in addition to good/warm times.

What's ironic is what's literally colored in what should represent good times isn't working.

He's remembering his family in those same tones. The past isn't helping.

But the future does.

Enter Sydney in blue.

Now blue usually represents sadness (or calm) but it's also used in futuristic scenes.

*They benefit from the cold clinical look i guess🤷🏾‍♀️*

Then he becomes calm.

I can also say that their kitchen scenes in early season 2 are blue coded but it has a calm feeling not a distant feeling. It ironically feel warm and calming despite the cool tone.

This appears in a couple other scenes in the show when he's showing her the work done in the early season.

But color wise it's usually warm tones with them as the color kind of transitions in that scene. It's half half.

His view is warm because he thinks she's good with what he did and hers is cold because he ditched her so yeah.

Now shot wise let's discuss because it's a bit obvious.

The staff head mentioned loving close ups to show the characters emotion but also to convey a sense of what's not being said.

An example of his uncertainty with Claire is the car scene. In most of his shots it's extremely close to her and gives off an awkward vibe.

But when you go to her perspective, she's more open and his shots show background and more of his character, also reflecting their relationship with each other,

This persists with the kitchen scene as well.

When I rewatch it it has that same quality. It's a bit more pulled out (obviously as they literally spent the night together so anyone would feel closer) but there's still an awkward/dreamlike feel like when its on her like she's not quite based in reality.

Or in Carmy's self sabotaging view, too good to be true.

In comparison to Sydney, the shots with her are almost always wide and open.

We see it with them as early in season one with the outside scene where he's staring her down and gets her to open up.

You can argue that almost all of their shots are as equals, or in the same frame with an openness that have/represents when they're communicating with each other. (I'm def writing about their communication)

Sydney's character is ironically what a male lead would be like and Carmy would be more of the female archetype.

Which I really appreciate now that I think about it.

The male lead is usually very successful/good at what they do, hesitant to share but when they do you feel it and know it's sincere. They're usually more bumbly with expressing when they're emotional but when they do its like a huge release. And when they love it's very obvious and excessive at times.

In comparison, Carmy is very expressive, sensitive and aware. He's devoted (Claire sorry but you don't quite count) to things he's passionate about, willing to communicate and has traits of sensitivity.

His eyes and body tells what he's feeling almost immediately. (Also JAW is just an incredible actor)

In Kdrama land their roles would be switched. Hell I can argue some American dramas as well.

Back on topic though.

The Halo Effect is there. Like all the time.

To my next point-

2. The She Looks Away, I Look At Her

Now you may argue this is very Disney Rapunzel, all that coded.

You will also be correct.

I am a Disney (more Nick honestly) kid.

This too applies to the K-Drama world nay I would say it originated there (it did not).

Do you know how many shows I can name where the male lead is just hopelessly in awe as he stared at the female lead because she just insulted him and he wants to tell her he loves her in every way.

Ring ring.

I heard The Bear calling. Yeah imma need you to clock out on this gaslighting.

time to fangirl

Look at the gif sets!

But honestly, it's a common way to show that the character cares and wants a person without outright saying it.

You understand the vibes almost instantly.

He likes her. He wants more.

She likes him. She wants more.

3. Matching Clothes

This one is a simple one but we all know how common it is in K-Dramas to have a matching something.

A good example of a recent show is Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and how they almost always matched even if he was in casual clothing and she was in office clothes.

You're supposed to get a telepathy feel from them. Like they're on the same wavelength.

In ships/shows they usually subconsciously brainwash you into details of a relationship by having them wear or have something that reminds you of them.

In wardrobe, clothing is meticulously planned to match characters financial situation and express their personality. The clothes tell the story.

And the story usually is we go together. Real bad.

So yeah, sure in this scene/episode they were more in tune and tandem and as time went on they became more disjointed.

Granted they do work in a place with uniforms but I digress.

And lastly my third point part II-

Same But Different

If this were a kdrama there'd be like 0.00% chance that they WOULDN'T happen.

First they're the main leads so duh, and second the way that they parallel each other is insane.

There are many edits and examples of them directly mirroring each other in certain situations.

Scrubbing the floors when feeling lonely seemingly in the exact same spot, stressing in the freezer, saying stuff at the same time and their weird telepathy and answering each other's - sandwiches (that's what I was gonna say).

(sorry)

And if any of you say work wife I will rage cause let me catch my man laying under a table like that!!!

Sparta!

But for real, yes there's intimacy and friendship and all that but I ain't everr look at my friends of either gender like that.

If did I probably had feelings and just kept em in. And did the Carmy puppy eyes (TM).

And yes we are aware Carmy is emotionally constipated like a coke bottle filled with mentos with a tight cap on and his lack of a social life coupled with his (many) different mental illnesses/difficulties.

So he probably doesn't even recognize or even want to recognize them as such and honestly as a 4 lifer

I'm really sad but I don't think he'll confess in the next season.

I'm making a post about it but I'm also uncertain about it lasting more than three seasons as thematically and the way it was intended to be a movie I feel kind of uncertain.

It can extend to 4 but it was intended and the way it's narratively been flowing its exactly like a 3 act structure just spread out (like butter).

The next season is after the dark of night aka main character loses everything.

This season was fun and games - quite literally him having amusement and such. (Training Arc!!) It ended with his demise I'd say.

Now there's no where to go but up.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, but a 4th season would likely be more aimed toward getting a star or maintaining a star etc and family ties and such.

That'd be most likely when, if any, outwardly romantic contact should happen.

But they might surprise me.

Butt honestly in KDrama land there's no way the set up isn't romantic even if it was just a chef or professional focused show.

I'd say it'd be standard honestly for ones focused on career with a dash of romance.

Ex. Miss Hammurabi (best example)

The Good Doctor (Japanese Version)

There's probably more but I exclusively watch romance so 🤷🏾‍♀️.

In Conclusion,

Yes. They are end game.

I also wanna say how odd it is that this ship is attacked by fans of the show and non fans alike because I've literally grew up in the age of Rise of The Brave Tangled Guardians.

There's nothing more random than that time period.

They all dated each other!

Like my guy there's a Tony the Tiger x Grinch fic and don't even get me started on the Onceler selfcest as different flavors of himself (/j i love stuff like this)!

My point is it's not that unusual for the two leads to be shipped. Same gender or not.

I also have years of teenage brain rot developed from eating movies for breakfast so I know more than you! (/hj) I'm obviously right!

I will be discussing some more of this in length at a later date.

But I rest my case.

I will retreat into my cave until next time.

[scalproie]

kfp4 is literally fine. idk why everyone is so mixed about it

that being said I do have some gripes with it like: the anachronistic names like steve and larry did piss me off bc it broke the immersion SO HARD for me. I dont remember it being such a problem before

Kai and Shen were distracting. Them being here with no narrative importance was obviously going to make people go "hey why dont they do more/have literally no lines?" rather than "oh look it's Kai and Shen! All the previous villains are here!", like I genuinely wouldve been fine if we just saw the chameleon transform into them or them not being here at all. It shouldve just been about kung fu masters which neither Kai nor Shen are. Genuinely only Tai Lung shouldve shown up.

Speaking of him, LOVED Tai Lung's inclusion, his scenes were great and I'm glad we got him back even for a bit. BUT. he was underutilized as hell. Like obv I wasnt expecting him to have a major role or to end up the new dragon warrior (like many people thought/hoped would happen for some reason? Guys it wouldnt have been satisfying) or even to have a scene with Shifu (like if THAT does happen, it needs a bigger focus and obv the movie was not going to be about that)... but I think he shouldve had longer scenes with Po. And unlike the other two main villains, he does have potential narrative importance: the movie is about the dragon warrior title itself again like the first movie (second was about Po himself, third was about chi as a whole/the panda village), and Tai Lung does embody the mastery of physical strength, which is what the chameleon is after. So yeah, while I dont want him to steal the spotlight more than he does anyway, I still think he couldve been used for more than just for a few snarky comments, and I'm a bit sad if this really is the last we'll see of him but also yknow, glad we got Just A Bit more. His very first and last scenes were sweet tho, him finally calling Po dragon warrior was nice (as long as I dont think too much about it tho lmao)

Anyway

The 5 not being present is such a non-issue for me. I love them sooo much DO NOT get me wrong but like genuinely, what would they have added to the story? How would you have worked them into it without breaking everything? I do not get why them not being here was such a deal-breaker for so many people bc you wanna argue they were well-utilized in kfp3? I'd rather the story focus on Po and another new character than trying to juggle the 5 into it, and besides, we got an explanation for why theyre missing (even if a little on the nose) so im not asking for more.

Anyway I'm gonna wait a few years before people calm down and realize kfp4 is literally fine, even good dare I say, because I remember how it was when kfp3 came out in 2016.

And speaking of kfp3, it has it easy bc "The Kung Fu Panda Trilogy" sounds nice and people just put it alongside the masterpieces that were kfp1 and kfp2 even tho, in my honest opinion, kfp4 is better, is funnier (the humor is on par with kfp2's even), has a similar pacing anyway, and the chameleon is a better villain than Kai byyyeee

[actualbird]

HI, I'M A BIT (very) LATE TO THE PARTY... but i just got through main story 11.1 and 11.2 WOOO!!!

and i'm not sure what is it about this case that got me so much more paranoid than the other cases, maybe it's the creepy note in the satchel, or how the culprit wasn't obvious at all (at least to me, i didn't want to doubt to sweet old lady).

which brings me to my next point: something about having the sweet old lady be the culprit is deeply unsettling to me... cause she's not like ava kendriks or like... the other culprits we've come across... (wow could someone make a recap of the whole of main story cause i'm forgetting) who you think like "oh they're kinda fucked up in the first place so it makes sense". but why it's unsettling to me is because, the thought that even a sweet looking senile old woman is capable of crime, if the right buttons are pushed... and she did it not only once, BUT TWICE. idk if you've watched bong joon-ho's "mother", but she reminded me of the mother from that movie, who is willing to do anything for her son, whether that may be good or bad, even killing someone herself when she finds out that the truth that her son was a murderer. like, if the circumstances were met, people are capable and are willing to do... wrong.

that said, THIS TRULY WAS A VYN EPISODE... IT OPENED MY MIND. I'M SORRY I'VE BEEN SLEEPING ON YOU VYN!!! like vyn during these two chapters... really intrigued me. when he shot himself with the air gun and knowingly drank the poisoned tea (GOD DOES ANYONE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD HAVE ANY SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION. MY GIRL ROSA WOULD BE STRESSED AF). but it's the way he heavily relies on himself, even to his own detriment, that really intrigues me. even when rosa was there, i feel like he isn't even able to let himself fully rely on her either, but he'd rather put himself in harms way to get the results he wants (which i can name TWO BOYS WITH THE SAME LACK OF SELF PRESERVATION, i'm looking at you luke and marius). but the difference between luke and marius' "self-sacrificial"-ness to vyn's is that, vyn fully knows the consequences and is in control of the situation. it's like he has weighed options and run the calculation in his head, and STILL goes for it even if it runs the risk of hurting himself. he's just as reckless, or even more so, than marius and luke if i may argue. and another point to add is, while luke's and marius' "self-sacrificing" nature comes from viewing themselves as "lesser" than the other (eg. luke viewing himself less than rosa, and marius viewing himself less than giann) vyn's "self-sacrificing" act comes from pride and his inability to rely on others (in other words he views himself better than others)

i've also been thinking about how vyn still choose to drank the poisoned tea. like i know it was to pin point jill meadows as the culprit, bUT SURELY, THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY OF GOING ABOUT THIS, ISN'T THERE??? VYN RICHTER, THE WAY YOUR MIND WORKS........... ahem, anyways, other than what i have mentioned before, i'd like to think that the reason why he did all that for jill meadows, letting her into his house and even drinking the tea, that i think somewhere deep inside, he still wishes to be proven wrong, he still had the tiniest bit of hope that jill was good. honestly maybe i'm reading into this bit too much, but my reasoning for this is that, as you have seen, vyn is also capable of good, even in his little tsundere ways. he doesn't want to admit it, (caUSE HE'S SHY-//HIT) but his kindness is shown in the way he treats albie(the homeless man), and how he leaves his car keys for rosa. ANYWAYS, it wouldn't be so much of a stretch to think that vyn is a believer of "second chances" considering how he wanted to escape from his family, and i think his occupation as a psychiatrist kinda solidifies that theme as well.

the highlight of this chapter to me, was the confrontation between rosa and vyn, when vyn said something along the lines of "please trust me, even in this moment, please trust me," HURT ME SO BAD. (ESPECIALLY WITH THE WHOLE TEAM DISTRUSTING EACH OTHER, WHERE'S MY FOUND FAMILY HUU) it's the first for me to see vyn... this vulnerable, like how his heart is spilling out in this very moment right here. in which i also kind of find him hypocritical in this moment, but in a good way! vyn "distrustful and skeptical of others, extremely hesitant to ask for help" richter wants to be a reliable and trustworthy person. WHICH MAKES SENSE, being trusted by someone means that you hold some power against them. and trusting someone would mean that you'd have to open up and be vulnerable in front of them! so of course vyn would rather be trusted rather than trusting!!! GOD VYN RICHTER THE MAN YOU ARE.

anyways, yes this ended up being a vyn richter appreciation post. please excuse any inaccuracies in my knowledge of vyn-ology (sorry phd vyn-ology experts) your asks has just become a deposit for my rambles, I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND. I WILL NOW NINJA JUTSU MYSELF INTO THIN AIR. FWOOSH!!!!

WAHHH HI CHIKA and congrats on finishing main story 11!!!

this is such an interesting ask because i totes agree with your thoughts/feelings about the case itself. i too was HEAVILY unsettled by the case for those reasons you pointed out, but also because the victim was a child. if im remembering correctly, this is the first case we've had where it was a kid who died, our youngest casualty to the nxx cases thus far. the culprit being the old lady was also something that i didnt want to suspect. it's not that i hadnt suspected her, it was that i didnt want to entertain the fact that it couldve been her, like how you said it. in her intro scenes, i deeply felt for her and the story also makes you want to be on her side. shes sweet, shes polite, she struggles with tasks and has nobody else in this world. in a way, she was the perfect culprit because the emotional effect she has on the readers at first glance makes you not want her to be the one responsible, even when the evidence begins to point in her direction. it's been a while since i myself completed main story 11, but i couldve sworn that vyn himself said something along these lines too, that emotions can cloud one's judgement into disregarding the truth that starts to come out. while i havent watched the movie you mentioned, i totally agree like. she was such a good culprit because of how it was framed. it makes you think that overall, she wasnt a "bad" person, but one pushed to act. but at the end of the day she killed a kid, man. even if she supposedly didnt intend to and just wanted to "scare" her. just.....what a damn good case. i was really gripped by this one

now, onto your thoughts about vyn. i was FASCINATED by him in this chapter. everything im about to say onwards about vyn should be taken with a GREAT HEAP OF SALT, as the saying goes, because up til now, vyn is the nxx boy who i have the most trouble grasping which is wholly probably because ive read the least cards of him (in comparison to the amount of cards ive read for the other boys) but ksjbfljlfdsd ive pLAYED HIS PERSONAL STORIES COMPLETELY AT LEAST and you articulate well just why hes so fascinating to me in this chapter.

i like what you said "vyn's "self-sacrificing" act comes from pride and his inability to rely on others (in other words he views himself better than others)" but also i think theres another facet to it. i do think it partly comes from pride, but i also think it partly comes from fear. see, what i understand about vyn from previous stories ive read from him, particularly from his pre-anniv personal story 3 (iirc) is how he fears and hates being seen as anything other than perfect, or as someone who has flaws. it's not because he wants to be seen as better than everyone, it's that he cant handle being seen as lesser. he hates to be pitied. that being said, i ABSOLUTELY agree with your judgement of him sometimes....testing the goodness of people. something clear to me in the stories of his that ive experienced is that, if theres one thing that always surprises him, it's people's capacity to be good. it's what constantly takes him off guard with mc, it's why he didnt expect to fall in love with first sight at her. given his background and backstory (and uh, in this main story chapter in particular, given his family members lol) he just....operates under the vague notion that people will not be good. or that theyll fail it. and sometimes he tests whether or not that will happen, because one of vyn's constant questions that he asks in his actions, especially towards mc, is whether or not mc will trust him.

(sidenote: one of vyn's lines when you play old maid with him is something along the lines of "im glad to have won your trust" when you pick the card he tells you to pick and you win as a result. again, this act of testing another person's good will in his character, testing their trust. i think trust is a very key theme in vyn's character as a whole)

vyn's moments of vulnerability in this chapter was also SOOOOOOO YUMMY TO MEEEEE because if theres another thing i think about vyn, it's that he loathes being out of control. he likes being the expert strategist, he likes being able to sway the odds in his favor no matter what the situation is, in his personal story theres even an instance where he was behind the scenes orchestrating several events unbeknownst to mc. he likes being in control and so vulnerability is such a nightmare for him. personally, the highlight of this chapter to me was when vyn already got poisoned and mc was trying to help him throw up the poison, because even WHEN POISONED he was hesitant to have her see him like this. it's good whump, your honor. and also it's good writing.

anyhoo, thank you for this ask!!! i am NOT a vyn-ology expert, quite the opposite, but i do adore when he takes the front row seat in main stories because it's always a treat to see

[doomed-era]

RAMBLING ABOUT CULTS TIME!!!

HELL YES

OKAY SO! CULTS. if any of this is interesting to you and you like weird indie animation movies or comics uhh you could check out the final exit of the disciples of ascensia and joe vs. elan school nooo im not shilling things i like nooo

OKAY. LET ME MAKE A LISTICLE. though there are clear indicators of cultlike behavior, the way the word cult is used is often relative and ill-defined. as a fair warning, i'm not an expert on any of this; it's just a casual interest of mine. feel free to correct me if i get anything wrong!

ONE. i think it's generally agreed upon that there's not much of a difference between high-control groups and cults. however, i think when people think of a cult, their idea of what that is is a lot more nebulous and associated with religion. cults do not have to be religious! also, i think high-control group in general suggests that it's just controlling, and so idk cults seem more like a subset of high-control groups to me i'm not going to argue about this if someone actually told me they are synanonymous (haha gotcha) but

TWO. ANYONE CAN JOIN A CULT. anyone could be vulnerable to a cult; it doesn't matter if you're smart or cool or famous or whatever. the primary reason people join is to be part of something, for acceptance and community and joining others under a common banner. people in cults are just as human as everyone else, they are not stupid or crazy or inherently bad. oftentimes, even though they may do horrible things to others, they were preyed upon themselves.

THREE. okay so I know I was like "you should look at the BITE model" earlier but it is a flawed model </3 namely there's things about it that seem to apply more to western cultural norms and i don't know if i'd apply them to others (for example, some cultures are more communal and less individualistic. the definition for what is a healthy amount of individualist or collectivist behavior depends a lot on who you're talking to.) also though there are definitely controlling religions if a controlling religion is considered an acceptable mainstream belief generally i would not consider them cults. a lot of these things are still relative.

FOUR. cults are all about control!! this above all else is what sets them apart from any other type of gathering or organization. they will isolate you from others and attempt to control you by any means necessary. some of these are more obvious, like physical isolation, keeping you from accessing information that isn't approved by the cult (they'll usually give a reason for this), or frequent monitoring. some of them are more subtle, like sending you out to "see the outside world" for a specific task to reinforce how "bad" the outside world is. there's very much an "us vs them" mentality going on. think of cults as a bit like an abusive relationship, except on a broader scale!

FIVE. cults often have a charismatic leader and a strict hierarchy! also honestly the things cult leaders do sometimes can be just so goddamn funny like these guys will buy 27 yachts and watches and sex fifty people while the rest of their group lives in complete squalor but it's fine because Reasons!!! they frequently break their own rules it's kinda funny. people further up on the hierarchy will usually get more privileges than those at the bottom. also if the cult leader writes a book they get bonus points from me because lmao

uh i'm kinda out of things to ramble out for now unless its something specific hope u enjoy

[grishaverse-chaos]

Zoya for the ask game <3 (I'd love to hear your opinions on my favorite character)

omg tysm for the ask! (and to anon who also suggested zoya, sorry it took me so long to get round to it 😭)

why I like them: honestly she's just so fucking iconic, but I love how she's amazing and badass while not being one-dimensional! like she has flaws and she has trauma and insecurities and none of that takes away from her positive traits!!

why I don't: idk I feel like she has some ideas that I would disagree with - I haven't re-read the books in a while but I always got the vibe that she's pretty pro-military and particularly in favour of the second army. and like I get it! fun light-hearted fantasy books are not obligated to deconstruct entire social systems! but if I met her irl I think we'd argue about it lmao

favourite episode/scene: I love the scene in s2 where she agrees to ally with alina! I think it's really sweet and shows her character development

favourite season/movie: in terms of the books, I think she's best in the kos duology - as fun and iconic as she is in the s&b trilogy I think the backstory and development she gets in the later books really enhances her character

favourite line: oh this is so niche but “none of this had been fated; none of it foretold. there had been no prophecies of a demon king or a dragon queen, a one-eyed tailor, heartrender twins. they were just the people who had shown up and managed to survive. but maybe that was the trick of it: to survive, to dare to stay alive, to forge your own hope when all hope had run out. for the survivors then, zoya whispered to herself as the people before her knelt and chanted her name. and for the lost.”

I love the theme of fate/destiny vs free will in the grishaverse and this is honestly one of my all-time favourite quotes - I'm actually considering having part of it as my yearbook quote!

favourite outfit: ooooh I love her outfit for the shu han heist in s2 (although obviously, honourable mention to the blue ribbon™ just for being iconic)

otp: see my answer is different for fanon and canon. in canon I adore zoyalina, in fanfic I love zoyalai!

brotp: zoya and genya are literally the BEST friendship duo ever (although I also low-key ship them romantically). zoya and nina are not necessarily a good friendship but I love analysing their dynamic so they get an honourable mention anyway. oh and her cousin lada, the girl liliyana adopts - we barely see them interact but I think they would have had such a cute dynamic!!

headcanon: she's a cat person. this is actually true and accurate bc I say so. she 100% owns cats post-canon

unpopular opinion: she shouldn't have become queen at the end of row. as iconic as it is, I can't help but think that it would backfire politically, it'd have negative consequences for her relationship with nikolai, and it kind of sets back both characters' development. this feels too harsh but idk 😭😭 might write a longer post about it at some point

a wish: for her and nikolai to fix the issues in their relationship. bc yes, I think in canon they have Issues™ but this is a fixable problem! she just needs to stop putting him up on a pedestal!!

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: imagine if she actually did become darkling 2.0 lmao. it'd never happen bc I think leigh bardugo would never do that, but it would be absolutely awful

5 words to best describe them: complex, iconic, motivated, forceful, lonely

my nickname for them: idk sometimes I call her z/zee in my head (and project this fact onto other characters who I think would do the same)

give me a character and I will answer...

[deiahapmoment]

I'd never played the quarry, until dawn, etc. any of those interactive games that are basically movies, until my friend called me and another friend over.

And let me tell you, it was so fun! We discussed the story, the characters and what to do as we were being given the choices. The only thing I have to say is, uh, we absolutely should not have divided the characters by who has the most playtime because certain people were never tutorialised about certain mechanics until we encountered them. NAMELY SHOOTING. Dear God, we were awful at shooting.

To begin with, our character division was the following:

P1 (host): Laura, Jacob and Max. She argued that Laura is her favourite character, that Jacob is her second favourite (it's her console, we didn't know the characters, we didn't know the game, we weren't going to argue), and that she'd also take Max because he has the least gameplay to balance out the fact that she had Laura.

P2 (me!): Ryan, Dylan and Nick (the boyz). I like games but I'm purely a pc gamer so literally anytime anything happened that required my input, both of them, thankfully, screamed that at me lol

P3: Emma, Kaitlyn, Abigail. I don't have a lot to add other than the fact that she was in a bloodthirsty and chaotic mood and that that shaped a lot of the game lol

We made it with all playable characters alive except Max (P1 had never tried making him swim across the lake so we told her to go for it) and Kaitlyn, which is where the tutorial thing comes in.

The first time anyone shot a gun (me with Nick in the shooting contest) we somehow had auto shoot on? And every other time after that that someone had to shoot like Nick with Abigail and Chris with Ryan, the target was right in front of you, you didn't have to aim. Kaitlyn was the first time that we had to aim and considering the break we took between sessions, P3, if she ever knew how to aim, didn't remember how, only how to shoot... so, uh, good for Travis, at least his nephew survived?

Actually, it was especially good for Travis because we killed the rest of his family! His awful mom? Check. His dad? Check. Both of his brothers? Well, they were collateral but still, check. And I don't think you can save Kaylee, so, RIP, I guess.

In our run we actually didn't have a lot of infections (even though we walked in saying that we were going to mess everything up lol), we had the obligatory Nick, Max and Laura, we also had Dylan at the SOS hut (P3 and I argued that cutting his hand off was stupid and definitely going to kill him through blood loss and, after we made the choice, P1 told us that he couldn't die of blood loss which is absolutely ridiculous since Ryan can from a stab wound???), Jacob (because P1 knew that'd guarantee his survival (literally cheating)) and Ryan by Laura.

Notable choices we made (or maybe not notable idk how the game is changed by my choices other than ppl dying):

Laura was nice to Travis in the prologue :)

Jacob pulled out the rotor arm

Abigail and Emma broke into the cabin

Dylan went down the trapdoor and broke one of the steps

We missed all tarot cards in chapter 1 and 2

Emma took the fireworks

Ryan kissed Dylan and Abi kissed Nick

Jacob didn't stupidly drown

Nick bit Bobby because I didn't remember how to shoot :)

P1 begged me to not shoot the bushes but I already wasn't going to because I didn't remember how to :)

We, I think, extended Emma's chase sequence as much as possible because we thought that trapping Emma in an attic of sorts, was stupid so we always did all we could to avoid the trapdoor.

Kaitlyn completely avoided Bobby

Abi avoided Bobby

Dylan got bitten but remained unamputated

P1 purposefully infected Jacob

Abi shot Nick which P3 happily did since Nick was pissing her off

Emma used the fireworks against a werewolf

Laura didn't shoot Travis in the flashback (if it was P3, she definitely would have though)

Ryan left Jacob in the cage (this is a stupid one because P1 insisted that we ignore the puzzle and leave him there since his survival was already guaranteed and she didn't understand how the puzzle worked)

Constance got her head blown off (woooo!)

Ryan avoided Bobby (Bobby isn't very good at this)

Jedediah died

Ryan stabbed Bobby and then my boy got bitten by Laura (which I'm pretty sure is what killed Bobby later)

I (Dylan) got lost in the junkyard for like 20 mins but when I finally got to the story bit Kaitlyn was fine and uninfected

Ryan shot Chris and he, Travis and Laura set off to find Silas

Max swam to shore and died :(

Kaitlyn is chased by Caleb, investigates the noise to pick up the silver shells and, well, fails to shoot Caleb :(

In the car, Laura took the wheel

Laura then shot Silas (wow I can't believe that to make the 3 of them survive, we have to kill a child of an ethnic minority???)

In the end, I don't think anyone cared much about Nick, Abigail or Travis. P1 loved Laura and Max. Ryan was cool in the beginning but as things progressed we cared less and less. Emma was our queen, Dylan was the one all of us were always excited to see since he acted like he knew he was in a horror story lol, and Kaitlyn was my dear, beloved, lawfully wedded wife

It was super fun though, and we were already lamenting that it was over until P1 said that she also had Until Dawn and we could play that too. Sooooo, guess what we're doing next? :D

[bloody-wonder]

I found this interesting books ask :

https://www.tumblr.com/dnana-2809-blog/749706502296813568/bookish-asks?source=share

Do you mind if I ask, no. 13, 14, 15, 18, and 50? Thanks...😁

thank you! i love talking about books :)

13. name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaption.

i just finished another book by celeste ng so the one that springs to mind right away is little fires everywhere. imo ng's biggest strength is that she writes about identity politics in a very accessible but nuanced way and the show adaptation just took all that nuance and threw it out of the window. my personal little nitpick is that they turned the mc who is aroace-coded in the book into a bisexual. yes, one could argue that her ruminating on how she can't help her daughter deal with romantic heartbreak bc she has never been in love herself is just a throwaway line but it's one of those lines that completely reframes the character and makes everything we learned about her make more sense in hindsight - that is, if you're open to seeing someone as aroace. if not, as a reader, you will assume she has probably had relationships which she just never mentions bc they're not relevant to the story (see: dumbledore rollerblading in every scene). as a showrunner, you will fill in those alleged gaps in her romantic and sexual life with bisexual drama which will give you more content for the show's runtime, if nothing else. so that is an interesting example of aroace erasure - it's not intentional but the fact that a person's deliberate lack of love life is something they, consciously or not, decided just not to represent speaks to a larger problem with aroace rep. if you straightwash a queercoded character people will likely notice. if you allo-wash an aroace-coded character no one will even blink.

14. name a book where the movie/tv adaption actually was better than the original.

i can't think of one that is better than the original off the top of my head but there are some adaptations i'm attached to much more than i like their source materials. the lord of the rings movies, for example. a re-read of the series i did a few years ago proved to be a slog but the movies will forever remain a special quality time i can share with my dad. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is another example. i know for a fact that the fans of the book don't like the adaptation but i'm biased bc it's one of my comfort movies and i don't get why the book is supposed to be better, despite having read it two times🤷‍♀️

15. what book changed your life?

all for the game changed my life bc by reading it and becoming part of the fandom i have discovered the aroace spectrum and realized i'm on it (on the far end of it, in fact lol). i'm pretty certain the same couldn't have happened via just learning about asexuality from some educational materials bc neil's headspace and the subsequent frustration with how he got twisted in fanon were essential for my aroace awakening🖤🩶🤍💜💚

18. which character from a book is the most like you?

lol idk. i think if i encountered a character who is a lot like me it would make me so uncomfortable i'd erase this from my memory immediately. so instead of an answer please kindly accept this meme i made for my friends and draw your own conclusions😅

50. why do you love to read?

i read for escapism. that's why entertainment and immersion are the main two factors that make or break a book for me. granted, i have weird tastes and often find entertaining the things other readers find boring and vice versa. and i like when fiction is so immersive i can feel my soul leave my body and get transported to a different world, a different life. bc of this one might think i yearn for adventure but that's not true - i love my boring life and i love the illusion of control one has as a reader compared to the lack of control one often experiences irl: if the adventure is not to my liking i can simply close the book.

bookish asks

[ddelline]

oeh, tag game post

I never do these they're fun 🥲 tagged by @karaargent ❣️

1. Are you named after anyone?

I am; my first (and last) name are from my great-grandmother (dad's side) & my middle name is from my mom's great-grandmother (yeah, that old) thx god both had timeless names, it could've gone either way w those generations, lol

2. When was the last time you cried?

uhhh, I think 2 months ago (happy tears!) I'm really not prone to crying (hashtag internalize it (this is not a brag and u should not do that, I do that, but you should .... not))

3. Do you have kids?

that's gonna be a no from me, dog

4. What sport have you played?

I did horseback riding for twelve years, figure skating for eight; apart from that I've played some tennis (alas I was 2 poor 2 continue, once my friend broke up w the tennis coach she was seeing, who at the time gave us discounted lessons lol) that's it. I've been steeped in & deeply invested in football (soccer & american), hockey & other sh*t since I was a kid, but I could never be a team sports player (bc social anxiety & a hit of that autism lol)

5. Do you use sarcasm?

it's hard not to, idk what to tell you

6. What's the first thing you notice about other people?

ugh way 2 much; mostly everything except what they're actually saying, I tend to forget that whilst cataloguing exactly everything else. which is a problem ......

7. Eye color?

green

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

uh, depends? I'm not super into scary movies, but it's hard to come across a truly satisfying happy ending these days (imo); I enjoy both if done right, tbh

9. Any talents?

idk what counts as a talent, I'd say writing or djing, but I'd consider both of those skills more than talents? well, idk, let's go w that

10. Where were you born?

stockholm

11. Hobbies?

writing, reading, watching tv (important distinction to make; I am not a movie person at all) music digging, djing, uhhhh yeah

12. Pets?

currently no; I grew up w 2 cats and a dog, and me and my ex had 2 cats together, but none atm

13. How tall are you?

169 cm (ngl I tend 2 round up to 170)

14. Favorite subject in school?

all subjects that could be considered tied to social sciences, so languages, sociology, religion, philosophy etc; essentially anything where you got to write & argue, lol

15. Dream job?

oh god, this question. I've had 3 dream jobs - currently I want to work w something as far away from my dream job as possible; if I get paid by a corporation to do it, I don't wanna do anything dream like. I wanna work w my dreams on my own time. so idk, lol, a 9-5 that requires minimum creative input & critical thought - that I'd save for after work

tagging @ anyone & everyone who feels the urge (since I don't have many moots still lol) 💝

[geekthefreakout]

How Propaganda Endures...

So the discourse around "Oppenheimer" and the revisionist history therein made me remember a discussion I had with my grandpa back when I was in high school.

I was in AP World History, and we'd gone over the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in more detail than I'd ever experienced in school before (it's one of those things that you just get more details on every year it's in the curriculum). I learned about the casualties, saw the shadow, all that stuff. I did not learn about downwinders or anything meaningful about how the bombs were developed. I came home and over dinner I remarked that the fall-out of the atomic bombs was terrible, and that they shouldn't have been dropped.

My mother rejoined with what you'd expect-- yes, it was terrible, but no one knew how bad it would be at the time. Yes, it was terrible, but it saved lives in the long run and shortened the war. Yes, it was terrible, but sometimes hard decisions have to be made, and we are judging with the benefit of hindsight... you know, the propaganda.

Having been fed the propaganda myself, I conceded to my mother that maybe Hiroshima had been a necessary evil, but that there'd been no need to drop the second bomb on Nagasaki. I would not be moved from this point- Hiroshima was bad enough. If Truman had waited only a few days longer for Japan to catch its collective breath after that blow, surely they would have surrendered without needing to incur so many more casualties.

My grandfather, who was usually quiet about things that weren't food or temple, then spoke very angrily. "What about our loss? What about what they did to us?" He had been 8 when Pearl Harbor happened and 12 when the bombs were dropped.

I pointed out that Pearl Harbor had been a military target, and that I was unaware of massive civilian casualties. Grandpa stayed firm, angry. It had been an unprovoked attack that left so many servicemen to drown right in the dock, and had drawn America into a brutal war. The war in Europe took years to win, should we have risked another year of war? He kept coming back to what the Japanese had done to us, and he said that Hiroshima had been a military target.

Unaccustomed to arguing with my grandfather, and conceding to the worried/angry looks my mother kept shooting my way as he got more agitated (Grandpa had congestive heart failure, and between he and Grandma [who had passed 3 years earlier from heart disease] mom and I were on a first name basis with a LOT of staff at the local hospital), I backed off. Mom made a joke about my not being suited to the position of wartime president (we'd visited FDR's house in Hyde Park earlier that year, and there had been little kiosks where you could say what your decision would be when faced with certain situations FDR was faced with. My brother and I consistently Made Things Worse) and the topic changed.

I didn't do a lot of research into the matter after that, beyond what I learned naturally/at school. My focus was always on the European theater, being a Jewish child going through a morbid fixation on the Holocaust. But my opinion remained largely unchanged for a long time- that maybe, MAYBE you could excuse Hiroshima, but that Nagasaki had been a crime against humanity.

Now, a full 15 years later, I realize that neither bomb was necessary. That both were a crime against humanity. But there's a part of me, the part that was indoctrinated in the US, that whispers the excuses that my mother and grandfather offered. Because that's not just what I was taught in school, it's what my loved ones believed. It's what is shown on TV and in movies. And as long as it remains that way, the public perception of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the US will be slow to change.

Idk. I was just thinking.

[izzy-b-hands]

Tagged by @sherlockig , thank u!!! 🫂💙

15 Questions

1. Are you named after anyone?

Kinda? My new second first name that I gave myself I got from a fave character, and my new middle name I share with my aunt and maternal grandfather.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I just cried an hour or so ago actually lmaoooo.

3. Do you have kids?

Nope.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Probably too often, actually.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I don't. I'm usually busy focusing on my social scripts and doing my best to seem as Not Weird as possible to whoever I'm meeting. Otherwise the 'tism and the anxiety take over and then I just end up leaving wherever it is early.

6. What's your eye color?

This greyish blueish mix, but officially blue on my ID bc the lady at the DMV said "they're almost blue enough." Why she felt the need to say that when I had already written 'blue' on the ID form to take her desk, idk.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies for fun, making out, and lazy fucking; happy endings whenever bc I'm a sad lil fucker and I like seeing my blorbos happy.

8. Any special talents?

Idk what counts here tbh. I know how to darn socks, if that's anything.

9. Where were you born?

Oceanside, CA near Camp Pendleton (my dad is a crayon eater lmaooo.)

10. What are your hobbies?

Reading, writing, some video games, TV and movie watching, and the occasional existential crisis.

11. Do you have any pets?

Yes!!! My best girl, my cat, Nisha.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

As a kid: volleyball, badminton, tennis, softball (never on any teams or leagues tho, except for elementary school volleyball until I got bullied off of the team. But I did play them as best I could in my grandparent's backyard a lot.)

As an adult I'd love to try rugby, but we don't have any sort of club or team locally.

13. How tall are you?

Somewhere between 5'3/5'4, taller in my platforms thank fuck.

14. Favourite subject in school?

English, Lit Mag, any and all my history courses, and Criminal Law until I argued with my teacher over the many issues in prisons not being addressed by like...anyone. Then she and I kinda made each other's lives miserable, ngl.

15. Dream job?

I honestly don't know at this point. I thought I knew, but I don't think I was right.

Tagging: Any followers who would like to!

[viciousgold]

okay first off, I'm mainly putting my thoughts on live action little mermaid here bc I've seen other people here talking about it + I gotta put my thoughts somewhere lol

My overall thoughts: there were a lot more things I liked about this than issues I had, like I'd argue this is one of the better live action Disney remakes, partly due to how amazing Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, much to everyone's surprise with Melissa lol, both are, partly due to Rob Marshall, like he did Chicago, he did Nine, partly because of Lin Manuel Miranda, partly because of Alan Menken, like there's such a huge amount of talent here. like is it perfect? no, like it still has flaws, but it's pretty decent as far as live action remakes go and there were actually so many things I personally enjoyed about it

So here's the list of things I did and didn't like, starting with the much larger list of things I liked, also spoilers for the movie if you care about that

Slay:

Obviously the biggest slay was Ariel and Ursula. Halle and Melissa killed it, they were the absolute stars of this movie

I like what they did with Eric's character; he's given a lot, and most importantly, we see Ariel seeing more of who he is. We see Ariel overhearing a conversation between Eric and Grimsby that shows her that she and Eric have something major in common, both feeling trapped by their current lives and wanting more, wanting to adventure, to explore the world. We also see Ariel witness Eric risking his life to go back and save the dog. Like bruh, I'm a lesbian and despite that I was like, this man's marriage material. But they don't make Eric perfect either, we see him have a clear struggle between wanting to get to know Ariel more while still longing for this mystery girl that saved his life, feeling things for both of them, unrealized that they're the same person. He also gets a song and this song is great, this is a broadway level song.

I actually like most of the new songs they've added, except for one, but I'll get into that later. But with Ariel, I like that they give her a few more songs in the form of her inwardly singing, like how she does in the stage version of the little mermaid

Speaking of the stage version, like in the stage version and in the original film concept, Ursula is stated to be Triton's sister in this, which adds such a layer of who they are to each other and why they're enemies, and I was always upset that they decided to not add it to the final version of the original.

The actress playing Vanessa also ate

Maybe this is my lesbian bias but I really liked the inclusion of the Queen character, I think it was a nice play off King Triton, and her superstitions about the sea and ocean gods added another layer of conflict. Also her outfits were fantastic

I really like that the kingdom we're in seems to be inspired by the Caribbean, it goes well with Sebastian's accent being Jamaican and I guess this was also Disney's way of addressing the whole "there are no black people in Denmark" argument that people were making to which I'm still like bruh it's a magic fantasy movie where mermaids are real, anything can be real and anyone can exist anywhere, but I like what they do with the setting; the Carribbean was colonized by Europeans, so they use this as the reasoning behind why there are so many different ethnicities seen in the film

I also really like that we find out that Eric was actually found as a baby in a shipwreck and adopted by the Queen, idk man I think it's sweet

Another thing that I thought was really sweet, the way Eric figured out Ariel's name and Ariel guiding him to it, with him showing her constellations, one of them being Aries and she points to the Aries constellation he showed her but when he says it, she drags his lips down with her finger and keeps doing it until it sounds like he's saying Ariel and idk man it was just a super sweet moment

Also the two actors have such good chemistry, like they bounce off each other really well, they have such good interactions, I could really buy that these were two young people falling in love (Another reason I like the Queen's inclusion, it shows that he actually has a parent living with him, implying that he's actually close to Ariel's age, hopefully, I mean Eric gives off major teenage boy vibes in this, so lets hope, y'all)

This is maybe a hot take but I actually really liked this version of Under The Sea. It was really creative, bright, colorful, it couldn't just do what the animated movie did with having all the fish have tiny saxophones, so it found other creative ways to showcase how beautiful and fun the sea is and idk it did a really good job of doing it in my opinion

This is maybe a cliché at this point with the live action remakes or retellings of fairy tale stories, but like... I do like that they don't get married at the end. idk like, it doesn't read as "modern" to me, it reads as making sense for their characters; both Ariel and Eric are shown to be adventurers, they're both shown wanting to explore and be free, so it makes the most sense that neither of them would want to settle down yet. They want to explore the world together first and I think that's beautiful

I also really like the Hans Christen Anderson quote they showed at the beginning; But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more. Bruh???? hitting us with that angst right outta the gate lol

I also like that the concert with all her sisters was replaced by a seemingly very important meeting that happens like, once a year apparently, it's way more reasonable for king triton to be furious with ariel over that than missing a concert that she apparently never wanted to be part of in the first place

I really liked the voice acting for flounder, and the voice acting for sebastian slowly grew on me

I like the fact that ariel was very suspicious of ursula and even started to swim away during poor unfortunate souls, but ursula makes the valid point of her likely never getting an opportunity to be human or leave the ocean ever again and this is what changes ariel's mind in her desperation to become human

The scene where complete strangers of the kingdom took ariel in and took care of her and made sure she was washed, fed and clothed and like, genuinely seemed to care about her and worried about what kind of trauma she went through, it was just so wholesome

I love that they got around the whole "ariel could just write to eric, she clearly wrote when she signed ursula's contract" thing by instead not having ariel be able to write and also having ariel *do a blood contract* with ursula, what a creatively dark solution to this plot hole

love the sad heartbroken reprise of part of your world after finding out eric's shacking up with vanessa

Not Slay:

how dare they change vanessa's song to just having her hum, that song is not long and the lyrics aren't problematic, so idk what reason they had for cutting it, let her sing her bitchy little song about ruling the ocean like

What a lovely little bride I'll make My dear, I'll look divine Things are working out according to my ultimate design Soon I'll have that little mermaid And the ocean will be mine

that could've been kept in, how dare they just reduce it to humming (however I did like the effect they did with the singing coming from the necklace and then coming from her as she puts on the necklace)

the scuttle song, it was entirely out of place, so different in tone from all the other songs in the movie, it was jarring y'all lol when that song came up I wished I had a fast forward button for the theatre screen. it was painful. it's so clearly to me like, them trying to put in a hamilton esque song in there but like??? no. stop. one of these things is not like the other. one of these things just doesn't belong.

the "ursula saying pathetic out loud in front of ariel" thing doesn't personally bother me, mainly because we've already seen it happen in the stage version and no one complained about that, and that was ursula loudly belting "pathetic". what bothers me is other people complaining about it as this huge thing that ruins the whole song, y'all it's really not that big of a deal lol like ariel does find it suspicious that ursula is being shady and she does try to leave but then ursula makes a good point and she goes back. this is not the big gotcha that some people think it is.

I do like that they made scuttle a gannet bird that can dive underwater, I think that's neat; however, gannets can dive underwater but they can't breathe underwater. They just dive underwater for fish. There's no way ariel would be able to have a full underwater conversation with scuttle. now this is a magical mermaid movie where magic is real so you could say that the bird can breathe underwater, fine, but I think it was really special that ariel had this one friend she could only talk to by going to the surface

javier bardem's acting as triton lol. listen. I'm sure he's a great actor in other things. in this though, his face remained the same for almost all of his scenes, his tone of voice also almost always kept the same tone. he did not bring the energy or emotion to this role that we needed to see.

the amnesia plot was unnecessary lol. it was such a selective amnesia too like, "lol I'll have ariel just forget that she needs to kiss eric" but bro, sebastian and flounder still heard that ariel needs to kiss eric and they still do the exact same shit in order to make kiss the girl happen and ariel still has the same energy with eric and she still has literally all of her other memories, so like, what was the point of this addition? it added nothing to the story lol

but yeah these are my literal only complaints. I didn't really mind the realistic animals, idk man it's a live action movie, sebastian looks like a normal crab, flounder looks like a normal fish??? like it's not that deep lol flounder doesn't look like the "horrific abomination" people have been calling him online like bro he just looks like a normal ass fish, that's what fish look like

[multishipper-baby]

Ok so I made this silly AU but cringe culture is DEAD and I’m spiteful so:

Monster High x Danganronpa. I’m imagining two scenarios:

Either the group that experimented on Izuru also experimented on the other students (some against their will I presume) in the name of despair,

Or that they were all just born like monsters. I’m preferring the first version though, since it actually adds drama and conflict, though this second idea is also good considering how wildly their backstories could change.

So far all I’ve come up with is that:

Monokuma and the other kubz +monomi/usami became/are human. And still being assholes (with the exception of the latter)

Everyone else is a monster. Whether that’s because they were simply born that way or transformed into monsters by the group stated before (I’ll call them Lovers Of Despair for times sake) is up to the people who wanna divulge into this AU. Speaking of, they also have to hide their monsterous identities from the public, because Jim is afraid of the public response (and apparently rightly so considering that one of the movies involved humans getting freaked TF out and policemen + civilians trying to kill the monsters). Some students disagreed with him, especially Kyoko, but they listened to him anyway because it was the safest option.

^^^

Adding onto that— I decided that Makoto is a Frankenstein, Kyoko is a vampire, Byakuya is a werewolf, Toko/Jill are mummies, Aoi is a zombie, and Yasuhiro is a Sea Monster. (For the last two I considered reversing them cause it’d make more sense but I thought it’d be funnier if Yasuhiro got the sea monster attributes and Hina always argues with him about “I SHOULD’VE BEEN THE SEA MONSTER THIS ISNT FAIR” in groaning form of course lol)

I might do sprite edits later actually…

Anyway yea that’s it lol, I did my best

Ohhhh I haven't seen Monster High on forever but I do remember some stuff from it (mostly just the petty school stuff lol). And honestly I could see the students being turned into monsters more by Hope's Peak Academy than by Monokuma... We all know their instance on human experimentation cofcofIzuru.

Mostly I love the idea of werewolf Byakuya, because he's always so uptight and fancy so how would he deal with suddenly being covered by fur and having urges to do wild shit? It would be hilarious. Especially since now he and Kyoko can continue the long standing rivalry between vampires and werewolves. Also I feel really bad for Aoi, being a very active zombie sounds like it would really suck.

Also, you only included the survivors in this AU, but I think this could be expanded to the whole class (maybe as part of the Killing Game? Idk) tho I'd have to think of a lot more monsters for that. My thoughts about that are: Gorgon Celestia- I know she has vampire aesthetic, but she'd look drop dead gorgeous with eastern indigo snakes in her hair <3

[lollytea]

Hi! I love you Shageera fic! The fandom is so small and your fic is so good, I can't thank you enough! And I wanted to ask you, do you have any headcanon about their relationship outside of Talespin? In the original Jungle Book "canon" or some other AU? I'd love to hear them if you do have them, your takes are gold!

Hi! Thank you so much!!

Hmmm. All the versions of shagheera in my head follows the same basic story structure of “friends as kids, grow apart as they get older, reconnect as adults” EXCEPT for the jungle book/canon universe, where the first two DO apply to them (thank you jungle cubs for making that canon, idk where I’d be without jungle cubs canon.) but they continue to keep their distance from each other once they’re grown. I mean Khan tried to kill Bagheera’s kid AND his bear husband. I don’t think they ever can bounce back from that one. They got bad blood and they probably always will.

Unless….just kidding…..unless….

I think about the plot of this cancelled third jungle book movie very often. Yeah it would’ve been bad but….but….but adult Khan and Bagheera might have interacted. Also I wanna know how the fuck a shere khan redemption arc is written. Not very well probably but I still wanna see it. I think Disney should send me the script to this film. As a gift. I think I deserve it. It’s not like they want it. Hand it over, lads.

ANYWAY

Besides the talespin universe, I’ve got like two shagheera AUs

Treasure Planet AU — Bagheera is a scholar and astronomer who comes aboard Captain Shere Khan’s ship. The two know recognize each other as the childhood friend they used to play pirates with. So, rather ironic circumstances they’ve found themselves in. Neither know how to react to reuniting so they’re pretty awkward about it and refuse to acknowledge that they were ever close. They mostly interact with the distant politeness of people who barely know each other and strictly refer to the other Captain/Doctor (unless circumstances are dire) But they’re gonna be stuck on this ship together for the next few weeks so they better figure out what the fuck their relationship is.

Bagheera is deeply out of his element. He’s intimidated by the crew and he doesn’t know how to handle a weapon so he considers himself rather useless on this expedition. He’s never even held a pistol before and now he’s expected to know how to shoot one. He’s so frazzled that he nearly (accidentally) shoots Khan dead at one point. But he wouldn’t be Bagheera if he wasn’t stubbornly insisting that he knows what he’s doing, especially when the captain shoots some sardonic comment his way. The two get into more squabbles than he cane keep track of.

Shere Khan is exasperated with the doctor, with the boy he brought aboard, with the entire idiot crew he hired, but especially with the doctor. He attempts to keep himself composed but he keeps stooping to the most childish arguments and he feels like the presence of Bagheera is forcibly dragging him back 25 years every time they interact. Shere Khan does not know how to feel about that.

Shere Khan finds himself having to acknowledge that Bagheera is brilliant. Due to the doctor’s calculations, the ship avoided the waves of impact during a difficult path through a black hole and he’s the reason they got out alive. He never felt all that much admiration for the little brainiac when they were children but now he is absolutely blowing him away.

Bagheera starts spending more time in Shere Khan’s office because it’s the only place he feels comfortable. (The crew really creeps him out.) and they do everything from argue to discuss alternate routes to pour over the map. This evolves to Shere Khan teaching Bagheera what he knows about wielding a sword and they have many homoerotic sparring sessions. Sometimes they’ll lay out in the escape boats and Bagheera will teach Khan the names of all his favourite constellations. They have many homoerotic star gazing sessions. BASICALLY they have a gay space pirate love story but it’s behind the scenes stuff cuz Kit is the protagonist of this au and he doesn’t give a fuck what Shere Khan and Bagheera are doing.

They are forced to acknowledge that they care about each other when the stakes get more dangerous and both have their near death experiences, rattling the other considerably. At the very least they start calling each other by their first names again ❤️

Fairytale/ Dragon Princess AU — OKAY i don’t think I’ve ever publicly posted about this au so I won’t unpack all of it cuz I know y’all aren’t familiar with it. It’s mostly focused on Baloo/Rebecca and the bear family as a whole but Shagheera is involved too so I’ll focus on that part for now.

So basically Shere Khan was a kid prince and Bagheera was the son of a servant so, as the only two children in the castle, they’ve been playmates since before they could walk.

The only other children they interacted with were Bagheera’s friends (Baloo, Louie etc.) and Shere Khan’s wife-to-be, Princess Rebecca. Their parents arranged the engagement and neither Khan or Rebecca were thrilled about it. As they grow older, Bagheera leaves the palace to make his own way and he and Khan don’t keep in touch.

By the time they were young adults, mysterious circumstances paused Shere Khan and Rebecca’s upcoming marriage when word spread around that the princess had been horribly cursed and locked away in a tower. Details were sparse, even to her fiancé. All that was known was that she had last been seen talking with a man who had a reputation for being a dark mage and it can be deduced that he was the one behind the curse.

But before she disappeared, Rebecca sent Khan a letter begging him to please not retrieve her from the tower, warning him that whoever ventured out to save her would not make it back alive. Khan obliged of course, both because he respected her wishes and if she returned, he would have to marry her.

As a king, Shere Khan had excellent publicity. He was charming and charismatic in public, masking the fact that he was an absolute bitch in private. He was also obliged to act like he cared about his fiancée being returned to his side so every now and then he allowed whatever arrogant glory seeking fool who offered, to go “save” her. None of them lived.

Years later, Khan drops into an ancient, desolate library on the outskirts of town, hoping to find a particular book on plants. It’s after midnight, so he doesn’t have to deal with the scandal of the king being out and about. And who does he find between the shelves, bathed in the dim glow of oil lamps, but Bagheera, snoring on the floor in a pile of open books.

This begins a tentative acquaintanceship in which Khan escapes to the library every now and again for a change of scenery and to meet with Bagheera, who lives on the floor above.

It doesn’t take long for Shere Khan to learn Bagheera’s reputation. As it turns out, the passionate yet introverted scholar with books on the brain, is allegedly the “dark mage” that put a curse on Rebecca all those years ago. This would explain why his library is always empty. Everyone in town is petrified of him.

Rather than turn to anger or fear, Shere Khan can only feel disbelief and intrigue because whatever rumors are going around are clearly fabricated. He challenges Bagheera to perform some evil little spell for him, summon hellbeasts if he must. But Bagheera falters and it is revealed that underneath that reputation is a bit of a sham. Bagheera has been trying for years to become an adept mage but he just can’t get the hang of it. His spell-work is terrible. Always has been.

“Well surely you can’t have cursed the princess then?” Shere Khan reasons. But that’s not exactly true. Yes, Bagheera was not behind the original curse but when Rebecca came to him for help, he accidentally made it so so much worse. Bagheera is the reason shes been forced to hide herself away in a tower and he’s been spending all these years attempting to improve his magic so he can finally undo what he’s done.

And so Fairytale/Dragon Princess AU is a fantasy love story where Shere Khan attempts to help Bagheera effectively channel his magic. The fun part about it is magic is intricately tied to a persons emotional state so when you’re having homoerotic little scenes with your childhood buddy and he touches your forearm, you nearly set the whole goddamn library ablaze. Real gay shit.

I have run out of steam and cannot ramble anymore. Hope I have pleased you.

[thirsty-pixie]

Richie x Reader. Part 5

Part 1, part 2, part 3, Part 4

Part 6

I got home and checked the mail seeing a bright blue envelope with my moms name on it, I grabbed it and sat on the couch while the boys raided my kitchen for snacks. I opened the letter not recognizing the name on the return address, it came from California where my mom said she lived as a little girl.

Dear Teresa,

I know it's been 20 years since we last spoke but your father is sick and would like to make amenities and we are willing to send you a plane ticket to fly to California. We miss you dearly and hope you can forgive us for everything. We hope you will consider coming home you can hall us at 530-838-2356 (idk if it's a real number I kinda made it up lol)

Love, mom and dad.

I stood up and looked at Richie who was drinking a soda and leaning against the kitchen entryway watching the guys. "I just got a letter from my moms parents" he turned and looked at me "I thought she told you they died...?" He looked at the letter then back at me. "She did.... should I call" I scrunched my eyes as I read the number again. He shrugged and looked at the phone, "it wouldn't hurt to try..." I nodded and walked to the phone hanging on the wall.

The phone rang twice before a womans voice answered, "um hi uh...." I didnt know what to say "Hi may I ask whose calling?" I swallowed the lump in my throat before answering in a shakey voice."Yeah you sent a letter for Teresa Brooks.." the woman gasped "Is this Teresa?" She asked excited, I cleared my throat and sigh "no I'm sorry you have to find out like this but she passed 2 years ago.. but I an her daughter Y/n" the woman was silent for a few moments before I heard a muffled cry. "I'm really sorry I wish you could have found out differently." I played with the cord waiting for her to respond.

After a few moments of silence the woman sniffled "you said you are her daughter.." i cleared my throat again and nodded "yes ma'am" she was quiet for a second "well Y/n do you want to fly to California to meet some of your moms family?" I smiled and said yes. I hung the phone back up and turned around, Richie was standing behind me "well?" He asked curious about how the call went. "I'm going to California to meet my moms family" I said excitedly smiling at him.

~~~Time Skip a week after graduation~~~

I was waiting at the bus stop looking for Richie, he was supposed to meet me here to say goodbye. My bus was supposed to be here in 10 minutes, the rest of the losers club had come to say goodbye which ended up making me cry. "You'll be back though right" Mike asked as he hugged me, "yeah in a year or so." I wiped my eyes looking around one last time for any sign of Richie. But he wasn't around, and here came my bus.

I grabbed my bag and handed it to the bus driver to put in the storage area under the bus, I gave the guys one last hug before I turned to get on the bus. "Y/N" I stopped hearing someone yell my name, I looked down the road seeing Richie running towards me. I smiled and looked back at the driver "just give me a minute please" he nodded and got on the bus. Richie ran up to me pulling me into a tight hug, I hugged him back and my eyes began to water.

"I'm gonna miss you Trash Mouth" I pulled back and he wiped my tears before kissing me. "I'm gonna miss you too but you're gonna be back in no time." I smiled and hugged him again. They all waved as the bus drove off leaving Derry and all of my friends behind.

~~~time skip 2 years later reader is 20 losers club is 18~~

I sat on the bus staring out the window as we drove passed the welcome to Derry sign. It had been 2 years since I had left to meet my family and I was more than happy to be back in my hometown. Richie and I would talk every day while I was gone for the first year but by the second year we would only send a few letters a month. I walked off the bus and grabbed my bag from the driver throwing it over my shoulder, while I was gone I rented out my house to an elderly couple who just move out last week. I had called a moving company to move all of my furniture from storage back into the house so it would be ready when I got home.

The walk to my house from the bis stop was about 20 minutes so I stopped at the drug store to get a soda. As I was leaving I seen Richie and Eddie walking down the road, "hey losers" I said as I walked up to them. It took them a few moments to realize who I was, Richie hugged me like he was trying to squeeze the life out of me. "Oh my god how long have you been back" I pushed him off and smiled "maybe 5 minutes" Eddie hugged me briefly before telling Richie and I he'll let us have some alone time.

Richie walked me home and we talked about everything that had happened since I left. When we got to the house I invited him in and we sat on the couch awkwardly, "so are we still uh....." I wasnt sure how to as if him and I were still dating. "Still a thing?" He said finishing my question I looked at him and nodded. "Do you want to be?" He added looking at me smiling "I do if you still want to" as soon as i finish my sentence he leaned forward kissing me. It felt like the first time all over again, within a few minutes we were giggling and making our way up to my room.

I stood infront of my bed as he shut my door and walked up to me, he shoved me back and I fell onto my bed with a sight bounce. He pulled his shirt off tossing it aside and climbed on top of me he began kissing my neck and down to my collarbone. He both groaned when we heard a loud banging on my front door followed by the sound of Ben, Eddie, Stan, Mike and Bill Singing Don't you by Simple Minds. I laughed and pushed Richie off and stood up handing him his shirt, "as much as I'd like to finish this they wont be leaving any time soon." He rolled his eyes and put his shirt on.

I opened the door and seen the group of boys I had come to think of as my brothers, "Y/n! " the all came into my house talking loudly. Richie stood at the top of the stairs watching us all hug and say our hellos, "you gonna stand up there all day?" I asked looking up at at him. He nodded walking down the stairs wrapping his arm around me, Eddie and Richie looked at each other's like they were nonverbally communicating.

"So how was California?" Stan asked leaning on the back of my couch, "it was good my moms parents are crazy rich it was weird. My mom had like 4 brothers and 6 sisters. They took me to Hawaii to visit my moms oldest brother who was in the Army" I looked at my shoes then back at Stan. Eddie came back into the room from the kitchen "Wow how was the beach?" I looked at him and shrugged "it was fine not really my scene" the guys started talking amongst each other loudly, I leaned against Richie and sighed.

"What's wrong" Richie asked resting his chin on the top of my head "nothing.... its just happy to be home." I smiled as Eddie and Stan started arguing while Mike and Bill tried to break it up. I turned wrapping my arms around Richies waist resting my head on his chest "I missed you so much" he hugged me back"i missed you too Y/n" I kissed him and turned to look at the guys. "Hey losers let go down to the quarry like old times" they all agreed and we left the house walking down the road to th drug store because I wanted to get some snacks.

Eddie went in with me to fill his inhaler, Gretta was at the pharmacy counter when we went in and she smiled at me. "Wow Y/n you finally go out of this shit town but you came back." I fake smiled and looked down the snack aisle. "Good thing you and Richie were on a break while you were gone right?" She popped her gum as she spoke and I walked up to the counter. Eddie stepped back from the counter and watched nervously as I slammed my hands on the counter. "What are you talking about... we were never on a break" if looks could kill Gretta would gone, "oh well according to him you were" she smirked and looked put the window at Richie.

"What are you trying to say Gretta" I said through clenched teeth. "Oh was it not obvious? I'm saying I fucked your boyfriend. Multiple times." I stormed put of the drugstore and shoved Richie. "What the fuck Richie" he looked at me confused, "what's wrong with you" he rubbed his chest where I shove him.

"You fucked Gretta?!" He looked down immediately when I said this "so its true... " he looked ath me and nodded "you were gone for two years Y/n what did you expect" his words were like a slap in the face. "That shouldn't have mattered! I didn't sleep with anyone I thought you loved me as much as I loved you but clearly I was wrong." I felt a burning in my eyes as tears made their way down my cheeks. "I don't know what you want me to say. You left." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock that was sitting on the sidewalk.

"I just found out I had family and I wasnt alone anymore. I wanted to meet them and get to know them." Richie glared at me. "Not alone anymore? Really you were never alone! You had Bill, Mike, Stan,Ben and Eddie..... you had me. Were we not enough for you?!" I stepped towards him and he stepped back. "You expected me to wait for you like some stupid romance movie. Well news flash Y/n this is the real world! Nobody knew you were coming back I wasn't going to wait forever. I do love you and I want to be with you but honestly look at the bigger picture" wasn't sure if I was angry crying or sad crying but all I knew was I felt betrayed.

"Dont play that you didn't know if I was coming home shit because I told you I would he back" he rolled his eyes and turned his head away as I talked. "You're a real asshole Richie" I wiped the tears away and he just looked at me and shrugged. I wait for him to say something anything "that's it?" He nodded "like I said I dont know what you want me to say you were the one that left" he shrugged and raised his eyebrows "you're right and I shouldn't have come back either...." I turned and started to walk away but he grabbed my arm. "Stop Richie.....I'm done I don't want this anymore" I pulled my arm away and left Derry i sold my house and moved to California with my family. That was the last time seen or talked to any of the guys.

Part 1, part 2, part 3, Part 4

Part 6