#God Hugo Weaving is good

[she-of-seidhr]

I don't know if The Rings of Power S2 is going to be any good but I have waited all my life to see Círdan the Shipwright on screen and by the divine hand of God Amazon did the look right and I wasn't disappointed. I actually think this is amazing despite actor Ben Daniels being visibly older, because I pictured Círdan to still look a bit younger at least during the early Second Age (like Hugo Weaving in Fellowship age). But given the nosebleed math of Elven years, chances are he's already in his 3rd life cycle by the time the Second Age rolls around and this is really just perfecto!!!

Anyway, I hope with all my heart that S2 will be better in all aspects than S1.

In the mean time, let me cry tears of blood over this picture. Brb because I've lost the plot of my life entirely.

[meteorstricken]

I've seen it argued that Ultima lacks empathy, and that this is what hinders him from grasping how humanity connects and cares for one another, but I think the nature of this beast is a bit more sinister than that.

Some fairly significant spoilers ahead...

My conclusion is that Ultima is in reality better understood as a dark empath--that is, one who can understand feelings and what motivates people extremely well, but does not share in the experience. Instead, the dark empath will typically use their razor-sharp cognition of others' feelings to manipulate them.

Here's a reference.

This is especially evident in scenes where Ultima appears to the characters as dead loved ones whose memory tends to evoke some intense guilt, longing, grief, and passion. The scene where Clive faces "himself" and falls to his knees before the flame-engulfed figure of Joshua as he last had known him up to that point, filled to brimming with sorrow, is one example. The notorious scene with Barnabas where Ultima role-plays as Benedikta, Hugo, and Barnabas' mother is another.

Ultima's colorful language about humans bolstering one another's usually weak wills by weaving together their consciousness reveals that he understands how a good support system works, and he further spells out the exact nature of those bonds--love, trust--in the aforementioned scene with Barnabas.

(Barnabas himself seems to rely on Ultima as a surrogate social support system, which...sure is a choice, and not one I'm entirely certain he can be wholly blamed for, as the latter end of the game is awash in context clues that he was more or less groomed to that end.)

And thus, Ultima's goal in attempting to cut the threads of consciousness (bonds) supporting Clive is to produce such a profoundly overwhelming state of grief in him that he can't recover from or cope with it, and sees no more reason to keep trying. With his own personal concept of meaning so thoroughly severed--ailing under the sense that even as he breathes, his life is truly over--Clive would theoretically become much more willing to be the 'Mythos' vessel that Ultima wants him to be.

And THAT is...too much...to scheme without any kind of empathy, and because it's too much, it really just underlines the severe extent of the ice-cold contempt Ultima has for humanity. He understands them, but he has always had but one use for making them, and resents the living piss out of them for evolving in a way that throws a wrench into his plans while he was hibernating.

He understands them, but is too entrenched in his own fear, hypocrisy, megalomania, and denial for that to produce any kind of *emotional* empathy--it's 100% cognitive.

As an aside, I have to argue with Clive's late-game insistence that Ultima's never suffered. The combination of fear, control freakishness, and self-isolation Ultima is revealed to have and practice don't typically tend to arise uninspired. It's quite possibly self-inflicted--being a little "g" god who's erroneously convinced himself he's the big "G" and can therefore tell reality how to work will do that--but I do believe it's more likely than not that Ultima has, in their milennia-long life, known a great deal of suffering. All that intricate, surgical understanding of how to produce more angst and suffering from individual to individual has to come from somewhere, and "he created them" doesn't quite make the cut because humanity evolved and awoke absent his guidance.

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Bedrooms and Hallways(1998)-Watching Con O'Neill's old stuff cause it's fun. Day #?

Bedrooms and Hallways

Here we are!

Once again, consuming media I would have otherwise never watched for one guy. As always thoughts at the end.

Warnings: I can't find any official ones but- any genitals are covered by a blanket, knee, or just blurred in the background. Referenced masturbation. Post-coital/foreplay activities. Fighting. Two men making out, generally just friends encouraging their friend to get laid. Don't watch in front of the family. 90s-era comedy, biphobia might be an issue, but that might just depend on the viewer.

Life Update: Just turned 21 yesterday, didn't do anything fun (I've never drank and don't really want to), but rewatched OFMD yesterday for the first time in months with the brother. I just had a good day. This movie has a guy leaving his 'fun' twenties to live his more serious adult life. Accidentally fitting :)

As always I'd love to thank everyone who reads this. The usual suspects, those who've given me notes, and the blogs I love to see who have posted about this movie<3 Y'all make my year just that bit brighter. If you haven't seen this movie, I've also got Con photos here from the movie. So there's that. :)

@mossiestpiglet @thedowneyheart @harryduboisfathog @downinthehull @dianetastesmetal @ivegotnonameidea @gydima @treesofgreen @jaysfandomcorner @joestrummen

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30? Lovely. Celebrate a bit!

"THE BOYS COME BACK" Yey! 

Oh I love this. CON!!! 

Give that man a surprise party, he's literally asking for one. 

God, Love that our protagonist has a support system. 

God where the fuck are they at, this is a giant apartment. 

I know a few recognizable faces are in this, but I will need to IMDB everyone 

Protagonist being awkward around everyone at his own suprise party is very sweet.

Yeah, they threw a party just to throw a party, but still. Try to have fun.  

Well, I'd love to see more of Con's guy. 

Bro's working on coming out a bit? Good for him. 

IS THAT HUGO WEAVING? ELROND? V? What the fuck??!?! Oh, I'm in for a good time.

Hell yeah, a suit kink is standard. OH HE FUCKS PEOPLE IN HOUSES THAT ARN'T SOLD YET?!?!? That feels illegal in a way. 

Okay, if your going to do something like this, check the upstairs before you fuck.

I'm into the editing, fun and snappy. 

Ha! The way Leo(protagonist) gossips to everyone. 

(talking to coworker)Bro, just communicate in a relationship, seriously. Why do straight men in media just assume relationships are getting complemented every once in a while.

I need straight friends like this. 

I'm concerned with the phrase men's group. 

I've gotten a few chuckles out already. 

I think they're a fun older straight couple. (Men's group.)

Oh, was the first few minutes a jump forward? Lovely. 

CON! TERRY!

God, I want his wardrobe. 

"You sat in a room with straight men and talked about your feelings?" True, I'd be surprised as well. 

Your friend is more Fem presenting and has probably been harassed most of his life. He's found a nice inner circle, don't bash him.

Does this man with a rough voice that washes over you happen to be named Terry? It's not, but what if. 

(Realtor showing a house) Babe, it's housing, it's never really positive. 

"Don't stop now I was just getting moist!" Haaahhaa

(Cut to the men's group) THE HONESTY STONE! I NEED TO DO THIS IN A FIC.

What the fuck is going on here?

"Support his head in a loving way"? 

(guy clearly lying on the ground pretending to be having an exorcism)Me too guy, this is a lot.

I….I want to be in the lady's room. I know why this character is doing this. If he makes a big show of it, he doesn't need to actually genuinely open up.

CON COVERING HIS MOUTH SO HE DOESNT LAUGH

Love that they sat for hours letting this guy go off. 

Leo's turn. "I find a member of the group attractive." (That member being Brenden) WOAH. Babe, bold. This just feels like an easy way to get beat up.

Terry, I have questions. Mainly, how are you swinging babe? I love that he's supportive of Leo coming out almost immediately, if hesitant. 

"He's alright." TERRY YOU BITCH

Call me a prude, I don't think I'd fuck in a pool. 

I love that we see how much these houses cost. 

I also love how supportive his friend is here with this crush. 

I swear if someone dies I'm going to lose my shit. 

SAUNA

OH GOOD LORD! Gender? Envy.

(Then we move on into the women's club's room for a usual meeting. The men all wearing white robes. Terry opens the scene by saying he has a big announcement.)

HELL YEAH TERRY!

IS HE ALSO QUEER?

THE HARPOON?

(Terry, hesitantly, admitting that he jacked off to a magazine filled with men) HELL YEAH TERRY!

GOOD FOR YOU TERRY! (IM ASSUMING) BISEXUAL ICON!

FUCKING YEAH! GOOD ON YOU MAN. 

As someone who also found out about themselves after someone close came out to them. Awww. It's just very sweet. 

God I love terry talking to the women's group leader "cause we've made a mess of it, us men, haven't we." ICON

The drama. Oh, Brenden is a closet case. And Terry, THE GUY WHO JUST HAD THE BALLS TO COME OUT is hitting on HIS man. 

Imagine making a men's support group that turns into a dating agency

Don't be mean to Terry, Brenden. Terry is mean enough to himself. Have you looked at him?

OHHH GET IT TERRY! MAKE BRENDEN JEALOUS! 

HAHAHAHAH HE READ JANE AUSTEN! Rude, but yeah, that shit can be a slog to read.

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST…wait…oh my god. Darren fucking Mr. Collins. That's how I recognize him! OH MY GOD. That was years after this!!!! WTF!?!?!?

OH MY LORD SHORT SHORTS TERRY YOU FIEND. I see the fifth-dimensional chess going on here.

You won't be hunting shit. It's a public forest in England. Order takeout.

How the fuck did they actually catch a rabbit.

Oh, Terry you pathetic little guy. Trapped in a bush.

Terry. 0. Bush 1. Awww he had to change outfits :(.

Yeah, there you go babes. Order food like men. 

Don't dance that close to the fire, also, taking his shirt off is a good move. 10/10.

Brenden, why are you like this. Crawling into his tent, I see you. 

Seriously? Terry walks into camp and thinks he sees the shadows of the two of them(Leo and Brenden) fucking? Just like Ed&Stede with the sword incident. Making Terry jealous and defensive? Great. Love it. 

God Terry's outfits are all looks, sassy bitch, I love it 

Ohh shit. Terry's jealous. 

OHH SHIT! GET HIM TERRY! GET HIS ASS.

(In the car, driving home) AWWWW Terry says he's not ready for hugs yet but in the opening, we saw him hug Leo. :) That's so fucking GOOD. AHH

Oh, we've all had that straight crush we wished was gay. 

So did they actually fuck? Or... 

Terry's fucking side-eye. He's probably happy he gets to flip the script a bit here on Leo with the whole sexuality exploration. 

This isn't going to go well for Leo. 

Obviously respect where people are at, don't force gay people to prove that they aren't just faking it but still. Weird. 

(The roommate trying to 'test' if he likes women) HAHAHHAHAA I love them. This is weird but he doesn't seem too uncomfortable with it. 

(Skipped a few scenes, but Leo and Brenden definately fuck)

Awww Leo's chasing after him to make sure you get his number is cute. AWWWW. 

They're flirting is so fun. Love banter=flirting

Oh does she think she's cheating on him with another woman?

OH HE'S TOTALLY CHEATING THAT'S FUCKED UP. 

Oh God, they know each other. Brenden is dead. Murdered. 

The way that Darren ran over to hear the gossip! HOLY SHIT!

OH SHIT, THE WAY HE'S TRYING TO COVER FOR HIM, DAMN

Okay, he's not cheating, he's actually broken up here. Good. 

No, that's totally a relationship on pause. Good on him for trying to clarify where Brenden is at before pushing it further.

Good on the married couple that runs the groups. "I love being a woman, not because of you, because of me."

Terry do you want to fuck Brennan. That's definitely a look you're giving him. 

Awww! Baby Queers unite!  "Does it hurt?" "You get used to it after a while..." Terry squeezes the pillow tighter "Excellent." Ahh! Love it. 

"*Gong* I've Got something but it's not homosexual so I don't know If you'll be interested" hmm….we'll see John. You're on a tight rope.

I love this therapist guy. Damn. If John's going to be like that, he can just leave.

Leo. Babe, bisexual. The word we're looking for is Bisexual. 

"You are a strawberry blonde. You can't go out with an ash blonde." Me looking at my blond x brunette ship list.

Handcuffs= they're going to get caught. 

(Darren gets caught getting fucked in the girlfriends house, then needs to tell Leo, cause YEAH) "If I'd done something really, really, really, bad…"Ahahahahha Callback

God, I hope everyone pairs up with someone. Especially Terry-

"Why am I always the one waiting for everyone to sort themselves out?" Me too babe

CONFRONT HIM AT WORK. GREAT IDEA. 

THROUPLE, I vote throuple. 2 people have issues communicating, but it could work. 

SHE KNEW, AND DOESN'T WANT HIM BACK. GOOD ON HER

Darren, please put down the knife. You are going to hurt yourself. 

Cut to the party back at the beginning. 

OH GOOD FUCKING GOD. Go hang out with your friends, babe. 

Terry stay away from Brenden. He's has a bad vibe. Also, Glowup! The white coat, the shirt! God. I want his gender.  

Three is a throuple and 2 members here are too irresponsible to manage it. 

Good on her for setting boundaries though. 

The whole kissing friends thing is so weird. 

HA! THE WHOLE WOMENS GROUP IS ALSO SHADES OF QUEER! AHHHH! The older straight couple just loves the gossip. 

Oh, Elrond wants to fuck. Well, at least you tried mate. Good on Darren for trying to stand up for himself, the guy wants a bit of romance. 

OHHHH SHIT! TERRY'S CHEWING HIM OUT!!!!

GET HIM TERRY! CHEW BRENDEN OUT! YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE THIS FIGHT! BUT I WANT IT! 

Oh they absolutely need to fuck, the sheer hatred emanating off of them alone. LOOK AT IT

The two Blondes unaware two idiots about to fight in the backyard. 

God, i actually like/care for all of these couples, it's sweet

1 PUNCH IS ALL IT TOOK. The nose is his weak spot. 

ONCE AGAIN HE'S SAD BLOODY AND PATHETIC

OH MY GOD. Brenden is actually using his pickup line on Terry? OH GOD. 

HAHAHA HIS LOOK TO THE HEAVENS AND QUIET 'YES!' Hopefully they can make it work. But with Brenden back to living with her, who knows. 

Well, another year. Everyone paired off. Leo is letting himself find joy where ever he can find it. Both roommates are getting laid. Good, happy, movie. 

Yeah, that 'hope it's just a phase' joke isn't great.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Bisexuality: This film goes into the whole 'are you truly a gay', thing. Overall it ends up with three characters who thought they were one way, realizing they were more fluid than they thought(Leo, Darren, and Terry). Just kind of a fun character exploration film. I'm looking at it in a modern sense. Darren(gay roomate) clings to his identity to find a community whereas Leo feels no need to define it. Both aren't inherently wrong, just different ways of living a life. Personally defining a label wasn't for me, so eh, I get both sides. It was the 90s when this came out and for the time, idk. Sexual fluidity feels revolutionary. I think the point of the movie is, to explore and live your life? I'd love to know how any bisexuals who read this feel about it.

Con: 10/10 God I fucking loved Terry. 

Seeing someone essentially having my same life experience coming out was funny (exploring the idea of being queer after a friend comes out, realizing you have a crush on that friend, but oh shit, crush has already shacked up with a friend in the group). He's such a fucking sweet asshole. Asking for genuine advice, smiling, standing up for a friend. Sure, he wanted to fuck Leo, but he's still someone Leo can trust. I want to rank all of the Con characters based on how alike they are to Izzy. Cause Terry is up there. He's so pathetic, in such a fun way. 

AND GOD HIS OUTFIT CHANGES!

I noticed it in the movie but didn't want to just briefly bring it up to a point, but god it's so good!

The way he naturally relaxes into clothing that just fits his fun personality more. THE SHORTS! After the man comes out, he realizes he wants to fuck Leo, then shows off his legs in shorts! Genius Idea. Beautiful. Then his outfit gets ruined in bushes. GOD. By the end of the movie he settles into a good mix of relaxed and macho. He wears what he's comfortable with and isn't as closed off. It's sweet. 

I am not over Con playing the jealous 3rd in a 2 person relationship. I literally rewatched OFMD yesterday for my birthday. These are very similar people. I love it so much guys. I did this thinking this would help me write Izzy, which it has, but god. I'm just so glad I did to see more queer media.

Everyone else 8/10: Darren grew on me like a leach. His version of Queerness opening up to romance, and legit trying to manage that was sweet. Branden was a 50/50 for me, I had bad vibes with him in the beginning and he never really grew on me. I actually hated Daren's main squeeze, too off putting seeing him here. Loved his other roomie, and the therapist/leader the men's group.  

Story 6-7/10: I liked the ending. This weird year wrapped up and Leo ready to look into his future. With a new, wider, weirder support system filled with more people expressing their Queerness in different ways. I liked it ignoring the 90s comedy beats, weird editing, music. This was just a fun story that ignored the real world for a bit.

Overall: 7-8/10. Personally, I recommend it with caveats. Weird 'we need to separate hetero and homo' stuff, and weird humor definitely from the 90s. I did like 90% of the characters though, and this was a long movie that kept me engaged the whole time. Which is something I can't say about some of Con's other stuff. Again, I'm heavily leaning to one side of the Kinsey scale. I can't imagine how insulting this movie could be if I was more center-leaning. Love to hear yall's thoughts down below <3 I love chatting with yall.

(Also, if I didn't recognize anyone else famous, please yell at me)

(Ranking based on Character/Performance, not on project itself)

I've decided that I will add his mini projects/tv appearances eventually. Pie in the Sky needs to get on there For Sure. Next up, I am actually watching the first half of Real Women, S2 eps1-4.

(Fun aside. I put all of Con's characters into the Hunger games generator, including the characters I hadn't seen yet. Terry came out victorious! Killing off Angel and Mogh personally. This set expectations high, and I'm glad he met them.)

Have an amazing week yall!

[breitzbachbea]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

God, I needed this right now, because I am about to explode from how exhausting and unfair adult life is. And I love NOTHING more than talk about my own shit. Thank you so much, nonnie, I owe you my life.

Perché in Sicilia i morti dovrebbe morire I am aware that there is technically a typo in here, but I don't have the book I quoted around, so I don't know if the typo is already in the source material. Either way, do you like ghosts? Do you like folklore? Do you like places haunted by the terrible things they've seen, objects filled with the absentminded crooked intentions of their owner? Do you like childhood friends, who are the only friends to trust each other with their terrible childhoods, but it doesn't solve anything? Perché is the story you want. Herakles and Michele are sneaking around Michele's house during a power outage, talking about the recent past and ranting about the distant one, while the are some parts in between those that are unspeakable. It weaves the past of Sicily on a whole, especially Palermo's and its hinterland, together with the fate of the Vento family and clothes the terrors of Michele's own psyche into the familiar appearance of the collective Sicilian folklore. Also, if you like two mediterranean guys being way too coddly and touchy-feely, you can give this one a go as well.

Don't Touch The Artwork I like this little pwp one-shot immensely, because despite plot being thinly on the ground, it has so many little fantastic character moments. Team Liechtenstein and Team Austria both get to shine, you get to understand both team dynamics on their own and how single members act with each other across the boundary. Not to mention that it brilliantly works out Hugo's and Alois' relationship - the toxic masculinity, the fragile 'friendship', how both are at such cross purposes with their needs and desires but agree just enough on sex itself to keep coming back to play the doomed game. Next round I'll win, they think, always. They are giving it their all and then it wasn't good enough, because it's not good enough on principle. Either way, if you want to read two guys have a handjob quickie in the restroom of the KHM in Vienna, because they find the millennia of human craft and expression boring - yeah, that's the one.

Between Me and the Goddess (and You) Will you please, for the love of God, read my Imperial Rome setting AU that doesn't rely on some Victorian decadence narrative bc these mfers believed Tacitus blindly. We don't need love slave bullshit and tyrannical hedonism, we need a couple who is so concerned for each other's health that they travel miles and miles for it. We need Harry being so close with Michele that he involves him in Magic - in something that is ought to only be between the one who calls upon a divine Entity and the Entity itself. Michele, who cannot bear a night parted from his love to fix his own troubles, in case Harry's leg gives him grief all alone. Also, curse tablets are inherently funny, so please read this SicIre trip to Aquae Sulis, where Harry wishes plague upon houses for petty theft.

No Rest For The Wicked Tu non fermami se capita! Lo sai che il mare mi agita! Ti canterò di quelle notti ad orienteeee, di quella luna che danzava tra i bazaaaaar! If you are a fan of self-indulgent fanfictions, this is the most unashamedly self-indulgent thing I ever wrote.* This story has everything: The Chaos Seven (Team Sicily and Team Ireland) go on a Turkey Vacay with the Greeks and Turks. Paddy hits his head. Harry and Soph are 100% on their bullshit as if no one else is around. Argueing. Cursing. Flirting. Hera and Sadık so deeply in love in their twisted and yet so mundane way. Italian Music and Sexy Dancing. Bridal Carrying. Please go and read it, 🌀 ohhh you want to read about TurGre and SicIre and the O'Connels soooo badly. 🌀 *All my other OC fics don't count, because I avoid tagging them Hetalia as much as I can, so I don't expect anyone to read it. Even if they are tagged hetalia, no one specifically looks for my OC ships, so while I am glad for every reader, I never write with any in mind.

A lot of messy heads No one ever reads this one, which is. fair. It's just a little episode from Paddy's life with the O'Connels, prompted by his girlfriend's old family pictures. I'm sure people who are open to everything and like family fluff will love this, regardless if they know the characters or not. But if you do and would like to see Daddy Paddy in full action, if you would liked to see a little, young teenage Harry in his moody phase and a carefree, energetic little brat of a Soph - please read this. Please see the children that the characters you've come to known, so baggage-laden, used to be.

[lovevalley45]

#fictober23 day twenty-three

"No, you won't understand, ever."

original fiction (power payback)

word count: 744

cw: mentions of child abuse, injury

Most times, the walk from his house to the Coello-Sterling home was nothing more than a stroll across the street. Hugo could practically do the journey blindfolded, if not for the danger of getting hit by a car. 

But now, every step felt excruciating. It was even worse going to Haley’s window, knocking on the glass. Though her parents had no problem with him coming over, climbing through the window was his typical way in. Even if it wasn’t necessarily a big window. 

He was having trouble keeping his footing as he weaved through the flower bushes, let alone thinking of climbing a window. Yet Hugo still knocked, more urgently than he would usually. 

It was a bit until she came to open the curtains, looking out at him in confusion. Her short curls were parted into messy braids, barely brushing the shoulders of her pink nightgown. She slid the window open. “Hugo?”

“Hey, yeah,” he said, trying to keep the strain out of his voice. His mind was foggy from pain and the headache starting to build being his temples. It was taking all his attention to stay upright, so he braced himself against the window ledge. “Can you unlock the door for me? I can’t really- climb through there this time.”

She furrowed her eyebrows together. “What happened?”

Hugo glanced back to his house. The windows were still dark. “We can talk inside.”

Haley looked behind him, then sighed. “Alright.”

By the time Hugo limped his way to the porch, the door was unlocked. Once he opened it and crossed the threshold, his left leg finally gave up on him. He pitched forward, crashing onto the floor and at Haley’s feet with a thud. The falling hurt, especially since he had a feeling the bruise would be sticking around for a while, but the floor was nice and cold. 

“Oh my God, Hugo!” She reached around him to close the door before she crouched down. As she did, she looked down at his leg. Though he though his leg had healed up pretty quick on the surface, he knew she saw the dried blood, the frayed hole in his jeans. “What did he do?”

“Well, you know, trying to give me a burnout,” he said. A weak laugh tumbled out of him. “He might have succeeded this time, though.”

She cupped his face. “It certainly feels like you have a fever,” she muttered. “I should call my mom, or get my dad to drive you to the hospital-”

Hugo grabbed her wrist, his mind suddenly clear. “No. No hospitals.”

“You’re obviously in rough shape, you need a doctor-”

“That’s why I came here.” He met her eyes. “Please.”

“She’ll tell you the same thing I did. And she’s right. Hugo, this isn’t something you can just sleep off, you need actual medical attention,” Haley told him. 

“You don’t understand. No, you won’t understand, ever,” Hugo said, squeezing her wrist with the strength he still had. “If my dad hears, he’ll just yank me out of the hospital anyways. I’d rather be here than have my dad try to play nurse. Why do you think I snuck the fuck out?”

“Don’t-” Haley ripped her wrist away. “I know your dad is a fucker. If he wasn’t, you wouldn’t be lying on my living room floor.”

“Please, Haley,” he said. “I can’t go back. Not right now.”

She glanced back at the rest of the house. “Fine. I’ll get you to the couch, then I’ll get my mom.”

“Thank you.”

Haley stood back up and grabbed his arms. With his uninjured leg, he pushed himself up, and threw an arm around her shoulders. 

“If you don’t go to the hospital, my mom’s gonna try to get you to stay here.”

“Good. Better here than my dad’s.”

“I meant forever.”

“Oh.”

She looked back at him. “Were you really going to go back?”

Hugo didn’t want to admit the truth - that maybe if his Talent was actually gone, his dad would be nicer to him. Maybe this burnout could be a good thing. 

Instead, he said, “I don’t know if I have a choice.”

Haley helped him get settled on the couch, propping a pillow under his left foot. As she adjusted it, she looked him in the eyes. “If I know you, I know you’ll make one.”

Hugo sank into the couch cushions. He hoped that one day she would be right about that.

[moonmothmama]

slowly finishing part two of the nevers

just got through episode 9 (fever) and. it went to the sex club??

ok i get it you're tying all this shit together but BABY ALIEN IN THE VICTORIAN RICH BASTARD SEX CLUB? IN THE POOL IN THE SEX CLUB?

this show is fucking bananas. oohhhh my god.

Hugo is out here getting himself painted gold for an Olympian themed orgy while his abusive father dies. Lord Massen's Touched daughter is secretly alive locked in the basement but he might try to kill her. and all the shit with the Bidlow siblings. there's all this weird symmetry and it's like barely coherent. what the hell is this show. why am i so invested in this. it's so good but at the same time it's a train wreck. i would say it's gone totally off the rails but was it ever on them?

the actors are so good. it's beautifully acted. and the characters are interesting. but the plot has run away with itself. it's bonkers. there's so much- too much- going on. it's excessive to the point of being almost baffling. there are too many tangled threads. imho this story could be really good if it a) was stretched out over at least three seasons, thereby giving time to weave plotlines together and develop more than a handful of characters* b) was, shall we say, tidied up a bit, and some Questionable Decisions revised.

*- oh look! they remembered that Harriet, Primrose, and Desirée exist!

that said, i mean, here i am watching it, so. idfk man.

and just by the fucking way, is that the dead widow somehow reasserting herself???? whaaaaaat the fuuuuuuuuuck is going on here

there's three more episodes and i can't decide if i'd rather binge it or stretch it out for the next few days. which is worse? also, as usual, goddammit Frank

the scene with him and Lucy was genuinely very good

note: Nick Frost is fuckin chilling in this show. i hope he gets more roles like this one. but if that knife he gave the hateful bigoted teenage girl ends up hurting Myrtle i'm gonna burn something down.

no one spoiler me please in the extremely off chance that anyone in this fandom (what is it like half a dozen ppl) even sees this post within the next few days <3

ps- not shedding any tears for the colonel but neither am i cheering for the piece of shit doctor

[abnerkrill]

I posted 13,798 times in 2022

That's 5,929 more posts than 2021!

451 posts created (3%)

13,347 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@salzundhonig

@plangentia

@britomart

@geislieb

@walkerskieren

I tagged 8,136 of my posts in 2022

Only 41% of my posts had no tags

#trop - 1,215 posts

#stranger things - 422 posts

#lotr - 364 posts

#abner krill - 304 posts

#the old guard - 227 posts

#dc - 174 posts

#marvel - 172 posts

#the suicide squad - 166 posts

#nope movie - 126 posts

#star wars - 123 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#i don’t really take advantage of the whole emoji library it’s just too much lol. but i do love all the fruits dearly 🍎🍓🍇🍐🍋🥭🍑🥝🥥

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

the sound i just made

120 notes - Posted June 10, 2022

#4

spoiled rotten by in the flesh giving me zombie protagonist boy with such a good kind heart he mostly just doesn't want to harm anyone anymore + angsty zombie cult leader gay love interest who throws aside everything he's ever believed in because of LOVE!!!! no one's doing it like them :(

131 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#3

me about elrond in episode 1: why does he look like peter pan? not my type. where is hugo weaving

me about elrond now: sunshine child. most beautiful person alive. i am writing 20,000 words about him in 2 weeks to express my depth of love. best guy in middle-earth. the beauty of lúthien tinúviel herself radiates from his face. he is sweet and kind as summer. babygirl material.

134 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#2

y'all were right about angel torres. now THAT'S babygirl material!!

269 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

wake up girls hozier collab with bear mccreary for god of war soundtrack dropped

891 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wolveria]

I'm ashamed to admit that I, too, have a thing for Leahy ✋️😔

AHAHAH oh thank god I'm not the only one. I blame the person who said they imagine Hugo Weaving as Leahy. In the words of my good friend Ann, "Hugo Weaving?? You can't de-sexify that."

Me: *creates the worst person she can think of as her antagonist*

Also me: *remembers she's a villain-fucker*

At least that'll be two of us reading my Leahy one shot

[starbeambully]

I’m watching the Matrix trilogy for the first time and I am losing my mind. I don’t think Matrix was a good movie but it was fun and I love how unhinged Hugo Weaving was. The second one was too much smooching and all the plot was dumped by some guy??? And the third one. Holy shit, I am losing my mind I am having such a bad time. They are telling and not showing like plot?? I swear to god I just watched an hour long fight scene involving people we were never introduced to like I thought Neo and Trinity would have been the main focus because… it’s Neo and he’s got the force or something. I don’t know I’m upset now. My husband is laughing at me because I’m just now going through what everyone goes through with this.

[ellrond]

this was the scheduling conflict Hugo Weaving was talking abt when he said he couldn’t be in the new Matrix

[hopelesstvaddict]

Listen my take from the very beginning is that they never should have touched LOTR again. PJ's work was good enough that it was universally recognized both by audience and critics. To even attempt to make another adaptation was a folly from the get go. The standards to achieve were simply too high. The only thing they could do is they had to respect them and match them to make a work that could pass as a continuation of PJ's films. Make them as if they were done by the same company. That meant similar sets, similar visuals, similar costumes, similar atmosphere. Attempting to do anything else was not going to be well received.

I see now that I was right and that this is not the case.

[aragornsrockcollection]

Since all I’ve been doing is reblogging people dragging lotr prime, I would like to make something clear:

Every single thing they’ve fucked up, they could make a solid LotR show even with. I would hate it on principle, but they could do it.

Long post, detailing how this is possible but how they will still not do it beneath cut.

I love Elrond, but Peter Jackson proved you can have a very out of character Elrond and still tell LotR well, so politically ambitious (🤮) Elrond won’t sink this ship.

The extreme heteronormativity cowardice they’re showing with short-haired male elves and beardless female dwarves aren’t going to break this show, just my goddamn heart.

Girlboss Galadriel in Feanorian plate armor… when plate really shouldn’t be on ANYONE even by the end of the third age, fine, whatever.

Lots of original characters? You need them, otherwise there would be like two named characters per city, and entire cultures of middle earth would be gone. You definitely need at least nine men whose names we do not know.

Hobbits in the second age? Honestly, hobbits at sneaky, all they need to do is be just big enough to pass for short men and not draw the specific attention of anyone who writes shit down.

Celebrimbor and Galadriel’s relative ages? It’s so sexist, I hate it, but maybe Edwards is just that good an actor, I wouldn’t have said Hugo Weaving was particularly ageless, and I’d take Cate Blanchet if they cast her as she is now in a heartbeat. Suspension of disbelief is pretty powerful.

Condensed timeline? It can be done, it’s just a needle that needs to be very carefully threaded.

No, what’s going to absolutely kill this show dead, absolutely flatline it, is going to be a lack of thematic consistency and vision.

Tolkien needs to feel like you were dropped into a myth, a chain of events that’s connected to a time before the sun rose. An absolute leviathan of history peaking through the mist at you, ready to rear up and provide sudden aid or sudden doom from unexpected places.

People are walking around who spoke to gods and can reform the earth with song, and there are still dark unknowable things that the likes of them can’t anticipate. You are being crushed by a mountain of history, but even as just a note in this vast song, you can hope and move forwards.

Peter Jackson’s movies worked, because you felt like the characters were a part of something huge that was ending, and you felt that against all odds hope could prevail, even at a high cost. It hit the themes, and gave us actors who gave a shit, and that’s why I still watch the absolutely terrible green ghost effects in Return of the King and get utterly hype when the scooby-doo villain says “THAT LINE WAS BROKEN” and Aragorn replies “IT HAS BEEN REMADE!”

What is the story of the rings of power going to be about? Where is that sad mix of ancient power, and wisdom forgotten? The second age distilled is very much about the perils of hubris, who is holding down the fight against that?

What is moral of this story, where is the pathos?

I was not a fan of game of thrones, cause all of their interesting characters (and they were interesting!) didn’t add up to a story that MEANT anything. And that was done for this fake realism of gore and political agendas. In game of thrones even good people are vile in their own way.

In LotR even vile people were not always so, and redemption is always RIGHT THERE even if you know they won’t reach up and grab it. Tolkien writes stories where pity can be found for a slimey gremlin who CANONICALLY HAS EATEN BABIES, and compassion is not only right, but necessary.

Do we think Galadriel in Feanorian armor is going to stand for that? Cause it’s supposed to be Elrond. It’s supposed to be the half-elf who chooses to preserve knowledge over power, and uses his immortality to bear witness and heal what wrongs he may, and refuses to become embittered despite his losses.

This isn’t going to be a myth, it’s going to be a Disney ride. Shiny, plastic, with calculated thrills and twists and smoke machines instead of mist.

The Hobbit was a bit like that, but The Hobbit at least tried to hit that note of wonder, it was just not tight enough to get there. And the character designs were fun. At the time I think I said “All this filler was worth it to hear that ring theme hit under the misty mountains for the first time.”

This show doesn’t even know what it needs to try to be. It is, in fact, actively trying to be something else.

[anti-rop]

Oky i have enough of this. What the hell is this shit man? Like is it Tolkien. Seriously!! They spent billions on it but holy god the costumes are atrocious.it feels so violating.the clothes look like costumes from some high school drama or a bad cosplay.Gil-galad, my boy how they butchered you. The actor looks good in real life but that elven dress up make him look pot bellied and old.like some middle aged uncle from our neighbors. Yes he got the long hairs but at what cost. The wig is horrible ,make him looks balding and what is up with that golden roman style crown? And first of all, why everything is golden in this series. Why can't they give each house their own respective colour. The golden color shattered here and there looks so cheap seriously.young elrond looks like he has some serious ADHD,especially with that modern hairstyle.the grace with which hugo weaving has played this role can't be given justice by anyone else.Celebrimbor, I have no comments for you. I The first glimpse I got of him in that navy coloured night gown looking robe, I was left speechless.

Where are the beard of dwarf ladies,and most importantly why the Royal dwarves look like homeless people.the crown of durin made me want to bleach my eyes.that design was so similar to the one that the cave troll leader was wearing in the hobbit movies.and wait two, durins together at the same time seriously??do those set designs represent the magnificence of the dwarven architecture and their skill of forgery?they were said to be even more skilled in the craftsmen ship than elves and this is all what amazon has come up with.i still remembered the vast grandiose of the erebor and the way PJ did the justice to them.look at thror,thrain and thorin,their clothes,jewellery ,weapons and armous speak about their Royal lineage.infact,thorin was still looking more royal in that travelling fur than whatever the fuck these are, from this shit show.The concept art of dwarven women from movies were so gorgeous .they all were bearded,with full of beautiful jewels hanging from their beards and braids.beards are considered a thing of pride for them.then how the hell, Disa, a dwarven princess has a complete hairless face. That's blasphemy!!dwarven people can never accept her and where are her jewellery??she is a freaking princess.she needs to be laden in gold, ruby and sapphires something heavy and gaudy like something of indian vibe jewellery I guess.And now now,galadriel, my dear girl, even though I love cate but this actress is good too but the plot they have given to her character is total disaster.

Galadriel in numenor seriously???like some lowly wandering knight in that cheap looking medieval armour. She was one of the most powerful and influential high elf.look I have no problem with warrior galadriel knowing that she had taken weapons against feanorians at Alqualonde but making her basically,a wandering ranger just doesn't fit right. If They wanted to add some elements they could have done it in better ways. After all, no adaptation are ever 100%true to their sources . You can choose some creative liberties. But i think, a fighting galadriel could have been done in more creative way that doesn't feel forced and cringe. And fighting besides with her own kin makes more sense than her being with mankind. An intricately wielded spear would have been a better weapon choice for her rather than a plane sword. Now come to numenor, look the basis of the conflict was due to mortality and immortality between men and elves. If writers do actually have a brain, they can driven many extended plot lines from this that to establish ,an intriguing and conflicting political relationship and difference in the societal perception between the elves, men and dwarves.

I think numenor should have been based on the ancient Rome empire cuz like numenor, it was massively powerful yet divided. Its political conflict, civil wars, slavery and invasion to other native lands all these concepts can fit so perfectly in the retrospective of numenor. Numenorians were greedy and power hungry like romans and that what made them blind ,resulting in their downfall.look, it was quite evident from the books that they were a sexist society. Tar miriel got married without her will which mean dubious consent.so , basically we can deject this opinion that SA was not a uncommon thing in their society.So, showcasing tar miriel in a battle (let's not even talk about her battle gear) is completely absurd and abysmal. They considered women inferior.Even with galadriel, it is quite out of option. While the elven society had the equal view of both men and women, this degradation of women in numenorean society can set up a very prominent culture difference between the races. Tolkien has stated that female elves can fight just as well as their male counterparts but they generally tend to choose healing rather than aggression. This statement leave us a hopeful open ending.if Amazon really wanted a female warrior, they could have created a new character that could be anything be a general, commander, a simple guard or soldier and even an ambassador.the story would have told from her perceptive,from the eye of a commoner,a simple elf not any Royal blood.how She could become witness and got involved in the grand cycle of events.how the end would bring change in the world and her own personal views. It would have worked better than galadriel being roaming around in numenor. Seriously, fan fiction writers can write better than these apes.

maybe its tooting my own horn, but I know I've written better fanfiction than this shitshow.

[fremedon]

Brickclub 4.11.5, “The Old Man”

Once again, Gavroche is singing and I have no idea what to make of it--except that it seems ominous. It’s hard to follow whether all the animal references refer to the same animal, but it sounds like it’s about a tiger eating, or at least glad at the prospect of eating, two drunken sparrows, who either become or are called wolves while intoxicated. This... seems like a bad omen.

The chorus of the song lists places--two customs tollgates (Passy and Pantin, which is argot for Paris), and two things I think are villages? (Chatou and Meudon)--with nonsense rhymes and the refrain “I have only one God, one king, one sou, one boot.”

The king is also interesting--Gavroche has sung about kings before, but it’s surprising to hear him owning one, even in a fairly nonsensical song.

I really don’t know what to do with this song; if anyone has ideas or links I’ve love to see them.

I also cannot find any reference to the Rue Bassompiere that Enjolras & co. escape down. The Boulevard Bourdon, where the Amis are when the dragoons charge, is the portion of the Boulevard that continues south of the Elephant of the Bastille, next to the canal; the Rue Lesdiguières, where they meet Mabeuf, is parallel to it with no intervening parallel streets, and the connection between them is the end of the Rue de la Cerisaye. The 1830 map I’m getting all of this from does not list a Rue Bassompiere anywhere in the key--there is a Rue Basse-Saint-Pierre, which would have been pronounced as Bassompiere, but it’s all the way over by the Champs-Elysées. Gavroche’s progress down from Ménilmonant follows the map, but as soon as the Amis appear the geography starts getting weird--in the next couple of chapters, they’re somehow going to miss Saint-Merry despite going right past it, and the Rue de la Chanvrerie where they build the barricade is Hugo’s own spelling for what the map calls the Rue de la Chanverrie and Hugo will insist was originally the Rue de la Champverrerie.

And then there’s Mabeuf.

He’s weaving in the street like a drunken man, not seeing where he’s going. Courfeyrac tells him they’re going to fight, there’s going to be cannon-fire and saber cuts, and Mabeuf just says “Good.” And then--after establishing that they’re going to die--he asks where they’re going. Courfeyrac says they’re going to overthrow the government, and Mabeuf says “Good,” and his face gets blanker, but “Suddenly, his step became firm.”

The rumor spreads that he’s a Conventionist, an old regicide. He’s the farthest thing from it--but he’s found his way to the Revolution.

I am always surprised that we learn in passing that Courfeyrac has accompanied Marius to Mabeuf’s many times. In Marius’s POV, we never heard anything about this--his two friends were always contrasted with each other and kept quite separate. It’s one of a lot of examples where the narrator makes it sound like Marius hasn’t spoken to a living human being in months and then casually drops in a perfectly normal exchange with one of the Amis, and it really makes me question the reliability of everything else we see solely or mostly through Marius’s eyes--he’s so depressed and checked out that in his own POV, he’s completely alone and other people (besides Cosette) just aren’t making an impression; but clearly at least until the last few months, when he started to pull away from everyone including Mabeuf, he was still managing to keep up at least some social ties.

[ismellvinegarandfries]

Goddamn, good morning to you, and you, and especially Hugo Weaving and his impressive control over his tone when speaking. God bless.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

What are some good book recommendations? I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered myself very much of a reader because I’ve never really found a genre that I’ve fallen in love with. But your taste in books is rather beautiful and makes me want to give it another chance

omg no-one has ever called my taste in books beautiful before, thank you 🥺 This is going to be an extensive list, I apologise in advance! I’ve provided a brief description of each book/series so you can go through and decide whether it would best suit you. The last thing I want to do is inadvertently trigger anyone.

Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout - A series of three books following the life of Ivy Morgan. Good fae, evil fae, secret orders and a love interest with dark hair and green eyes. 18+.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - A series comprising of seven books and one book of novellas. This series follows the assassin Celeana Sardothien as she enters into a competition to become the King’s Champion. This series is violent, and has some distressing scenes as well as scenes of 17+.

Crave by Tracy Wolff - I like to think of this as Twilight if it took place in a boarding school in the middle of Alaska. For those that read Twilight in high school, or have recently read it, this book is a hit of nostalgia you didn't know you needed. It is so entertaining and the love interests are *chefs kiss*.

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair - A series comprising of three books so far. A modern retelling of the famous Hades and Persephone myth. I adore this series. I seriously cannot tell you how much I love this series. The world building to the character development to my love of Hades by the end of it. It’s such a great read, I even waxed lyrical about it in one of my Fred Weasley fics. 18+ (scenes of mature nature).

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Like history? Like vampires, witches and demons? This series is for you. A trilogy following the love shared by Diana Bishop, a historian and witch, and Matthew Clairmont, scientist and vampire. This series is for mature readers - it doesn't hold back on violence as well as sex. However, if you choose to read, I promise you, you will enjoy. It is also a series on Sky with a second series being aired in January (in the UK anyway). 18+

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - A series of four books following the lives of Audrey-Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell. Set in Victorian London, the first book follows the Jack the Ripper investigation ending on a cliffhanger not even I saw coming. This does get maturer as you continue the series and there are some gruesome scenes throughout. 16+

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout - What can I say about this series that I haven’t already cried about? I bought the first book in lockdown and devoured it. I bought the second book about a week after it was published and it has not left my mind since. World building? Astonishing. Character development? Stunning. Handsome love interest? You best believe it. This isn't YA Fantasy; this is NA and it is mature. There are scenes throughout both books that are violent as well as mature. 18+.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer - The origin story of the Queen of Hearts and with no better way to put it... it’s heartbreaking. This book had my heart soaring only for it to be crushed in the best way possible. An incredible read. There are some violent scenes but it’s YA so it’s at a minimum. 15/16+.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw - I read this book in one day. I could not put it down, I loved it so much. This books follows three sisters set on a quest for revenge - and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them. 16+.

Historical Fiction 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Patroclus, an awkward young prince has been exiled to the kingdom of Pthia where he meets Achilles. Follow them through their coming of age tale through the Battle of Troy. So I adore this book, I love this book. I could talk about it all day long. It’s fantastic - go read it. LGBT+, 17+.

Lovely War by Julia Berry - A multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World War One and Two, where Gods hold the fates - and hearts - of mortals in their hands. Oh... my... word... this book left me speechless. It left me speechless. I couldn’t not finish in the day that it arrived on my doorstep; it’s prose is poetic, it’s romance is dreamy and I just found myself tearing up at the words on the page. 17+

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy - Every seven years something goes missing from the town of Sterling: people’s reflections, the stars in the sky, the ability to dream. Aila realises her mother may have something to do with such a curse. Again, I read this in a day. I couldn’t put it down. It’s set through WW2 and I just think the plot is genius. 15+.

Prose that makes me want to cry

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I read this for the first time back in 2014 and have read it so often since that I have had to buy a second copy so I don’t ruin the pages of my first. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It follows the creation of a circus that only opens from night until dawn and how this circus weaves itself into the lives of its workers/owners. An absolute masterpiece. 16+.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - This book has been one of my most anticipated releases of 2020, and it has not disappointed. When Addie LaRue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality and the curse of no-one remembering who she ever was. Until one day, somebody does. Every part of this book, I savoured, I made myself read it slowly for the fact that I didn't want to miss a thing. Utterly breathtaking. 18+.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - Anything by Jackson deserves to be on this list. It drags you in and keeps you there. Why do you think they made a Netflix series of her work? 16+.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - This is a collection of short stories that are dark retellings of classic fairytales. It is so utterly fantastic. 18+.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Definitely in my top 10 reads of 2020. A former Hollywood starlette tells her life story to a reporter; every seedy detail of her life including that of her seven husbands. I was hooked from the first page. 18+.

18+ (This section can be ignored if this genre of books is not your thing).

A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone - When librarian Poe Markham takes the job at Thornchapel, she has only two aims. One - to stay away from Thornchapel’s owner, Auden Guest. And Two, to find out what happened to her mother twelve years ago. This is a series comprising of three books so far with the fourth published at the end of this week. This series covers a lot of dark themes as well as mature content. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - I have only involved this series here for the fact that it does have a lot of smut involved. Not as much as other books, but a lot more than your typical YA. However, these books are gold and so far this year, I’ve read the whole series about six times. I love them, go read them. 

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair - I mentioned this series earlier but it does have a lot of smut.

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa - The first in the Four Horsemen series. This has a lot of violence and a lot of smut. However, the overall plot is so interesting as well as badass female characters that bring so much energy to the plot. 

The Bargainer series by Laura Thalassa - If you’ve read ACOTAR, then this series is the perfect hangover cure. A love interest to swoon for and a plot to only keep you interested.

Authors I buy every book of

Cassandra Clare

Sarah J. Maas

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Scarlett St. Clair

Deborah Harkness

Kerri Maniscalco