#I did a full rewatch today and this was my take away

[whytheylosttheirminds]

I don’t know about y’all but every time I see this fucking man he can really fold me like a pretzel. Turn me every way but loose. Wrap me like a motherfucking cinnamon roll. Bop it pull it twist it I don’t give a fuck. He has no reason to be this fine I want all the Mario coins knocked out of me.

[storiesfromafan]

Little Bird - Part One

A/N: I am finally diving into writing a story for Feyd. Forgive me if he is ooc, but I am trying haha. This idea came when rewatching Dune Part Two almost a week ago. And i haven't been able to stop thinking about it, only to work on Benny one-shots.

Also, things may/have been changed to suit the Story, and will possibly keep changing to fit it as a whole.

This will probably be a slow written/updated story, as I want to make sure it's as good as it can be.

Do let me know what you think 😊

Part One

Rabban strode heavily and with confidence into the war room, his uncle – Baron Vladimir Harkonnen – grotesquely sitting at the head of the table. The Baron looked to his nephew with a scathing look, making Rabban's step faulted for a second, yet he continued on as if nothing happened.

“Well?” Boomed the Baron's impatient voice.

Coming to stand before his uncle, Rabban looked to the man with a proud and confident demeanour. “Yes Uncle. We have successfully obtained Arrakis, and wiped out the Atreides".

The gluttonous man smiled wickedly at his nephew, his plans coming along nicely. “Good. You have done well Rabban".

In the moment Rabban felt light, the weight of delivering what was expected of him lifted. Something that seemed rare, hardly happening for him. Today he had finally showed his worth, and his Uncle had shown him he was favoured. For the Baron had given him the place he conquered. Commanding he go to Arrakis, take the spice and make the Harkonnen name mean something of greater greatness.

A dark chuckle came from the shadows off to the side of both men. Both cast their gaze to the figure that slowly stepped out, their skin pale and head bald, like the other men. But the main feature separating the three was the new comers stormy blue eyes, which shone with mischief and mayhem. His full lips housing a knowing smirk. He was the Baron’s other nephew, Feyd-Rautha.

“Brother, do tell our Uncle about the souvenir you brought back from your invasion of Arrakis" came Feyd's raspy, yet amused voice.

Rabban's jaw clenched at his brothers words, have beating him to the punch. For he had hoped to inform the Baron of his prize himself. Part of him knew that the Baron would be angry for taking what he did. Yet he could not help himself. The perfect opportunity arose and Rabban couldn’t resist taking something for himself. Even if he didn’t truly want it. It was to show his strength and power.

“What is he on about?” Demanded the Baron, eyes drawing together in agitation.

The older nephew sputtered, trying to find the words while being put on the spot. Feyd held his arms behind his back as he leisurely strolled to stand beside his Uncle. His intense gaze on Rabban. With both sets of eyes on him, Rabban was uneasy, yet did his best to not show it.

“Well!” The Baron yelled, now becoming impatient with the man before him.

Once more Rabban could not speak, only angering the Baron more. Feyd smiling joyously at his brothers lack of response, how both he and the Baron seem to effect him.

“Uncle, since Rabban is tongue tied, I will inform you" came Feyd's raspy voice. “It would seem my brother has taken the prize of Atreides niece, the one who’s mother ran away and disgraced her family".

The Baron listened to Feyd's words, staying silent. Which he took as a sign to go on.

“I will say one thing in my brothers defence" Feyd mused, walking towards Rabban. “This prize is known to be good friends of the Princess. So, having her in our hands is favourable. And if we were to join her to our house, we may gain more favour with the Princess. And ultimately her father, the Emperor”. Feyd stood by Rabban and turned to look to the Baron.

Silence fell for a few minutes. Feyd watching the gluttonous man before him. Rabban not looking to his Uncle, and uneasy by the complimentary words of his brother. And the Baron, the wheels in his head turning. But then he smirked, a deep chuckle coming from the man both nephews despised.

“We already have an in with the Emperor. For he supplied us with his own men" the Baron looked to each of his nephews, who stared at the man before them intently. “Having the princesses favour because I allowed Atreides niece to join our house, is not necessary. In fact, it would low us!”

Locked in a windowless, bland room – walls a sterile grey, basic grey and black furniture. It was some sort of holding cell, a fancier one for those who had come from wealthy and influential families. Yet the Harkonnen’s seized, contemplating if they would execute them or not. That was were you were currently waiting, and for over twenty-four hours.

You had been dragged here, after being taken from Arrakis during the take over. You recall being asleep in your room, before hearing noises from the halls. When you left your room you found the chaos. Soldiers moving about, killing all insight. Unlucky for you Rabban Harkonnen had been coming down your hall. His eyes landed on you, recognition flashing in his eyes. And that was it. Before you could run he had his large hand on your arm, dragging you away while death and destruction passed you.

Even now you were still dressed in your night dress, which had dirt and some blood on it. Your hair was a tangled mess from those that would take hold of it and drag you about, Rabban included. Your lip was also split from being backhanded when you finally spoke up. Thankfully it had clotted over, but it was still quiet sore. You were on alert, but frightened. And who wouldn’t be? Yet you thrived, navigating it while feeling everything you did.

You had to be strong from a young age. Due to your mothers choice to pick love over duty, resulting in you, you were the one to suffer for her indiscretion. All the great families looked down their nose at you from the age of seven, when your mother had gotten her foot in the door, your father’s family rising and gaining a small bit of power. It wasn’t much but it allowed you all to be seen in social circles. But many whispered, speaking ill of you all.

Great families told their children to not speak to you, leaving you out in the beginning. When you were nine did the Princess Irulan for-go what people and children said. She was kind to you, befriending you. A true friend. And for once you felt as if you didn’t have to fight to be seen. Over time your friendship influenced those around the Princess, and in turn those children were kind to you under the Princesses gaze. But as soon as she turned her back, or left, they turned their backs to you.

Your ears faintly picked up shuffling in the hallway outside your room. Followed by voices, which sounded to be in a heated exchange. Wearily you stood from the chair you’d been sitting in, refusing to sleep till you knew what was to become of you. Taking a couple steps toward the rooms door, you strained to hear what was transpiring behind your closed door.

“How could you!” A gruff, angry voice said. “She was to be mine!”

Then there was a deep chuckle. “An why would you want her? Don’t you have enough whores to keep yourself entertained?”

“I was the one to take Arrakis and wiped out the Atreides! She is my prize!” A loud bang rang out down the hall, a fist had hit a wall.

“She was taken from you because you hid her from our Uncle”.

“Which I was going to inform him of! Until you told him!”

Their voices lowered, and their words faster. You didn’t hear anything after that. With a final loud aggravated groan, followed by heavy feet stomping away from your room. Then silence. Yet you could not relax just yet, for the other person was still out there. You knew it.

When the door suddenly open did you jump. But the doorway was empty, staring out the door frame  you questioned what was going on. Then he entered the space of the door. You took a step back. Slowly, as if stalking pray, he entered the room. The door closing shut behind him. Like all that you had seen he was pale and bald, but also tall and lean. As he entered into the light of the room his face coming into full view. First you noticed his full lips, that were set in a straight line. His strong jaw and sharp cheek bones. Last it was his blue eyes, their bright blue contrast to the dark look he was giving you.

With every step closer to you, did you step back. Until you were stopped by the chair you had been sitting in. Recovering from being trapped while the man came to stand before you. You stood tall, holding your head up high. Your gaze fierce as it meets his bright blue eyes. What surprised you was the amusement shining in his eyes now. You were amusing to him.

You looked at him, really looked at him. For a Harkonnen, this man had some unearthly beauty. Yet something told you you’ve met before, though you couldn’t believe it. But those eyes, bright blue, different yet familiar. Either in this life, or a past one.

“W-who are you?” You finally asked, wanting the silence to end.

He remained silent, just watching you a little longer, before he took a step back, giving you breathing room. His hands moving to rest behind his back, as a fear enduring smile crossed his full lips, which did not reach his eyes.

“I am Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen” came his raspy, deep voice.

A chill ran down your spine, both from who he was and his voice. You had heard many stories of the man before you, stories that chill to the bone and leave no room for humanity in him. And you stood before him. But why?

“W-why are you here?” You questioned, knowing you were pushing it. And Feyd was allowing it.

“I am here to inspect what is now mine" he coolly replied, as if it was common knowledge.

You looked at him with confusion. How did you end up his, if his brother was the one to take you from Arrakis? “What about your brother?”

Feyd chuckled softly. “My brother did not inform the Baron of taking you. And as punishment you were given to me, little bird".

You remained quiet, letting his words sink in. You had been worried about being Rabban's prize. But now Feyd owning you, that was terrifying. He would either spend his time torturing you, your flesh, before killing you. Or he would make you his whore, your body servicing him in every carnal way. Neither were options you looked forward too. Though maybe the death route would be the best of the two, for it would end the soonest.

“Come now" Feyd's words broke you from your thoughts. “Surely you wish to ask more questions little bird?”

He’d already given you a nickname, one you found annoying. “S-stop with that nickname".

“Why?” He asked in amusement. “I think it suits you. Taken from the wild, only to be locked up" – he reach out to take a lock of hair in his fingers, which you pulled away from – “untamed but with time can be...”

Your gaze darkened, as you managed to move from the chair and putting more distance between the two of you. His words had truth to them, but you would not be tamed. Not by him, and not by his methods.

“You are strong" Feyd said suddenly, his face dropping so it was serious. “I remember you at the palace when we were younger. How the children from the great families looked down at you, spat insults at you. It made you strong...”

Was that a compliment? “So what?” You spat.

He chuckled once more. “I was making an observation little bird. As not once had you cried or cowered when you were taken. Nor when in this room, or in my presence. You stand tall, and do your best to remain calm. I will give you that".

You glared at him. Not for what he said, but the nickname and how sure of himself he was. You were here because of his brother, not by choice. You were here, in your nightdress and looking a fright, because of them. They didn’t even have the decency to let you freshen up.

Feyd took no time to move before you again, his hand taking a hold of your chin. Lifting your head so he could look down into your eyes. Your glare deepened at his actions, which only pleased him more. Feyd then moved his thumb to your bottom lip, the rough pad running along it. The pressure he used collided with the split in your lip, causing it to open and you to hiss. Music to Feyd's ears. Running his thumb over the blood, he moved it over your lip, back and forth till it was completely covered.

Pulling his hand back, Feyd moved the blood covered thumb to his mouth. His tongue licking the pad, collecting your blood. The metallic taste delightful. “You will be moved to a better room. I will send some women to help clean you up, before you get some needed rest. By tomorrow I should have worked it out...”

“W-worked what out?” You asked curiously. A sinking feeling in your stomach.

A twisted smile crossed Feyd's face, chilling you to the bone. “If I will kill you or make you my whore".

With those words he turned from you, and walked to the door. Once it opened, he moved from the room and once more the doors closed, leaving you alone. Leaving you wonder what just happened. You moved to the chair and sat, your mind running over all that transpired with Fayd. Then finally you understood, tomorrow would either be the day you die or the day you loose yourself.

You don’t know how long you sat there, but when the doors opened and two guards walked into the room, you knew it was time to go. Reluctantly you lifted yourself from the chair, and crossed the room to them. One guard exited first, with you following before the second guard brought up the rear. It felt like you were being marched like a criminal, but it was far from it. For as you arrived to your new room, the halls to get there were nicer but still bland. The room was larger, a couch and big bed. The walls were still grey but with this room there was a window. You could see the night of Giedi Prime.

Two bodies walking from an adjoining room caught your attention, and upon turning you were greeted to the sight of two Harkonnen women, slaves, waiting with their hands held before them and eyes down. They were pale and bald, yet thin and were quite beautiful.

“My lady" they greeted softly, scared to be loud.

“If you follow us, we have a bath being drawn for you" one of them advised.

You didn’t say a word, but cautiously crossed the room to them. They stepped aside and allowed you to enter first. The bathroom had the same grey walls and grey, and black furniture, but with a large sunken tub in the middle of the room. Another woman was filling the tub, pouring in oils and scents. It didn’t take long for it to be full, and she left her spot. She walked over to you, bowed and then left. The other two women came in, and moved to undress you. You didn’t fight them when they removed your nightdress and undergarments.

You walked into the tub, the warm water feeling good as you slowly submerged your body in it. Your muscles loved the warm water, it helping with the tension you were holding. The floral scent pleasing to your nose. One of the woman came up and asked to help with your hair, which you accepted. So there you were, relaxing in a tub of water while the slave washed your hair and detangled it. It felt so good you almost forgot where you were, and what had happened to Arrakis and your family.

“Leave me" you commanded when your hair had been seen to.

Both women bowed before scurrying out of the room, door closing behind them. There you floated, eyes cast to the dark, sterile ceiling. In this moment of relaxation did you recall your family. Your Uncle, Duke Leto Atreides. His concubine Jessica. Your Cousin Paul. And all those innocent people serving the family that had fallen at the Harkonnen hands.

For the first time in years did tears rise in your eyes, and made their escape down your cheeks. The situation you were in was not easy. Many would have crumbled as soon as seeing the soldiers, or when they were on the ship to this toxic planet. You crumbled in a tub full of pleasant smelling water, realisation of possible outcomes of fate flashing before your eyes. Tomorrow would come too quick, you just knew it.

TBC...

Next Part: Part Two

[baby-iloveyou]

you could be a hand model

pairing: boo seungkwan from seventeen x afab!reader (gender not specified) genre: smut warnings: reader has a hand kink, fingering, slight brat!sk and very slight brat!reader, relationship between seungkwan and reader isn't really established but i wrote with roommates or friends in mind, use of petnames (baby), swearing, lowercase intentional summary: sometimes you need a break from studying. and sometimes you suddenly notice that seungkwan has very nice hands. and sometimes you really want those hands to touch you. word count: 2.2K writer notes: guys i can't take it anymore i need seungkwan so fucking much you really do not understand this is incredibly self-indulgent but i cannot care less he is SO HOT I NEED HIM AND HIS HANDS ON ME IN ME AHHH 

today was a regular thursday afternoon for you and seungkwan: sitting at home on your bed, studying with your shared playlist playing on the bluetooth speaker in front of you, once in a while complaining about how annoying the lecturer is of the one course you both follow.

"jesus, i need a break", you sighed after rewatching the same clip of your lecturer five times. "still not grasping the concept?" seungkwan looked up at you with a bit of worry on his face. "nope. professor fuckface over here can explain as well as a piece of bread that has fallen onto the floor and is covered in hairs and dust" you exclaimed - it didn't make any sense, but neither did the content of whatever your professor was trying to explain.

"i already offered my help but the offer still stands, you know?" seungkwan looked at you, slightly scooting over to your direction. you exhale loudly, rolling your eyes before looking at him. "i know, and i might have to take up that offer. but first i really want a break."

you put your laptop and notebook on the table, next to where the bluetooth speaker is standing, and sit at the edge of the bed. your hands are on your face, pose full of despair, before leaning back to lie down on the bed, hands still covering your face. seungkwan also puts his study materials away and also lies down next to you, with less despair - his hands rest folded on his stomach.

"uncover your face, y/n" seungkwan turned his head to you, waiting to see your face. a beat passed. no movement. "y/n, come on, it's fine" he tried once more, in the hopes you would remove your hands from your face. "i kinda like the darkness right now kwan: it looks a bit like my grade for this stupid course" you replied. seungkwan sighed, and sat upright to start prying your hands off your face. you finally opened your eyes and met eyes with seungkwan. you tried to cover your face again with your hands, but seungkwan held them down so you couldn't do so. "come on y/n, you're exaggerating."

you looked at your hands, pathetically stuck underneath his hands. you never really looked at his hands in detail - because why would you? that would've been weird - but they were very pretty. his fingers were long and slender, and they looked very well cared for. his nails were trimmed, no dirt underneath them, there were no signs of nail biting, and you could see his veins slightly pop out underneath his skin.

although your hands were stuck underneath his, you managed to grab his wrists, and direct his hands to your face - covering your eyes and face now with his hands. "if you don't allow me to cover my face with my own hands, this works for me too" you said, closing your eyes again now that seungkwan's hands were covering your face.

why did his hands smell good? did he use some lotion that just smelled really good? it would explain why they were so soft, lying there on your face, and he seemed like he took good care of his hands.

seungkwan pulled his hands slightly away from your face, one of his hands softly pinching your cheek as if you were a baby, "no y/n, i won't cover your face, just help you with understanding, understood?" his face scrunched up and he winked, as he smiled at you. you once again rolled your eyes at his face pinching, and sat up as well to be on the same level as him again.

"you know, you have good potential to become a hand model" you told seungkwan, whose eyebrows scrunched together, looking at you confused. "where did this thought come from? all of a sudden?" he turned his head, lost on why you suddenly brought this up. "i mean, your hands look very nice, they're really pretty, and you seem to take good care of them! so i just think you could be a hand model" you shrugged, directing your view at his hands first, and at his eyes again afterwards.

"well thank y-" seungkwan could not finish his sentence, as you accidentally interrupted him with "they also smell really nice". you realised what you said, and the both of you started laughing. "did you sniff my hands? do you have a hand kink or something, where is this coming from??" seungkwan said, while laughing at the situation.

oh, maybe that is why you suddenly felt such a strong urge to feel those fingers inside of you.

the thought of you having a hand kink never really crossed your mind, but the more you thought about it, the more it seemed like he was right. "w-what? no!" you giggled, hoping to play it off convincingly. you pulled your legs up from the side of the bed, to sit cross-legged, body facing the man now in front of you.

unfortunately, the thing about seungkwan is that he is very observant. and he was painfully aware that you were not being honest with him.

"mhm, so then what's the flushed face about?" he now turned his entire body your way, so he had an even clearer view on you and your antics. you could see, no, feel, his eyes looking you up and down, a small smirk appearing on his face, as he softly raised one of his eyebrows.

your stomach started to go wild now, as boo seungkwan stared you down as if he was about to win first place in a staring competition. you tried to think of a witty comeback to his hand kink comment, but the more you thought about his hands, the more you wished they would be roaming your body right now, pulling down your pants, fingering you on this exact bed.

"i guess y/n has a hand kink~ how fun!" he licked his lips, and held up one of his hands in front of you. his hand slowly reached down to your hands, grabbing them and resting his hands on top of yours in between the two of you. your eyes rested on the way he held onto your hands, the way his veins popped out a bit more than before.

"i swear, the next time i find out about one of your kinks, you don't get to hear the end of it, boo!" you laughed and sighed, trying to distract yourself from how much just his hands were doing to you. seungkwan was very much enjoying your suffering.

"you'll never figure them out though, we both know you're very blind to things sometimes" he winked and smized at you. okay, that was true. you just wanted to say something so the thought of clenching around his fingers would go away-

"any thoughts on your mind right now? about my pretty hands?" you were about to give up on hiding, and just give in - he had you wrapped around his finger. there was no way you could go back to the time before those thoughts entered your brain-

"i did offer my help, i told you right?" and that broke you. you pulled your hands out of his hold and put them on his shoulders to pull him closer to you. one of your hands snaked into his fluffy hair, the other held his cheek so you could kiss him deeply. your lips played with his soft lips, kissing him as if he was your boyfriend and you had not seen him in two years.

you quickly managed to insert your tongue into his mouth, to which he responded very well. a bit too well. as you gasped for air, you whispered "not only have pretty hands, but you kiss really well, boo". your noses were still touching as you both took deep breaths. "i've been practising in my head" seungkwan exhaled. "i've been wanting to kiss you for so long already." you are taken aback, and slightly pull away. "wait, really? i never knew-" "didn't we just discuss how dense you sometimes are, y/n?" you both giggle shortly, before meeting eyes again and seeing the hunger within each others eyes.

your lips crash back onto each other, your hands now both in seungkwan's hair, his hands on the small of your back and at your neck. another breath of air: "jesus, you taste so good, so much better than anything i could imagine." you chuckle, "wait until you get to taste the other parts of me."

"what if i don't wait?"

if his words were setting your lower area ablaze earlier, this sentence had completely burnt down your cunt. you could feel yourself getting so incredibly wet, and with the thought of seungkwan not only fingering you like you imagined moments earlier, but also licking his fingers after he had touched you was sending you over the edge.

you placed a quick kiss on his lips, before speaking up. "please finger me." seungkwan bit his lip, happy to hear you speak the words he thought about ever since you made comments about his hands. you were not the only one with dirty thoughts, it seemed - seungkwan had his fair share of scenarios playing in his head.

his hands reached to your shorts, pulling them down slowly, together with your underwear. the cold air was now hitting your pussy, making you inhale. your eyes darted to his, and you were happy you did, but also jesus. his eyes had gone completely dark, he was about to go feral, his tongue was hanging out slightly, his mouth formed into a slight smirk. fuck, he is so incredibly hot.

his hands first traced your stomach, then stroked over your legs, and finally hovered over your dripping cunt. you were clenching around absolutely nothing, trying to thrust into something, only to be met with the cold air in your room.

"finger you, you said?" seungkwan cocked up an eyebrow. "yes, god, plea-" you couldn't finish your sentence, as he cupped your pussy, and had found your clit, now playing with it slowly while licking his lips. "what do i get out of this?" you huffed, both because of the stimulation as well as because of his question. "obviously the privilege to finger - oh my god - finger me" you moaned. your eyes kept opening and closing.

"okay, but other than that privilege? i have something in mind, if you want to hear it." you licked your lips, still sighing from the way he was touching you. "wh-what is it?"

"it's actually two things."

"well, go on then, as - oh fuck that's, that's good keep going - as long as you finger me now."

"well, the first thing..." seungkwan said, as he inserted his index finger into your sopping cunt, "is that you suck my dick after i've fingered you."

your brain knew these were all words you knew, and the offer sounded good for what you got from it. but currently you were simply in bliss from seungkwan finally inserting one of his slender, beautiful fingers into you.

"sure, whatever, can do-"

"the other one is...", he inserted another finger, "we go on a proper date sometime after this."

your brain actually processed this but you were in no capability to respond properly, as seungkwan had already started moving his fingers in and out, curling them, scissoring them.

and he felt so incredibly good inside of you. as if his stupid veiny thin slender long hands were made just to finger you.

"ahh, oh my god! ye-yes that sou-sounds good! god that feels so good too!" your moans got louder and louder as he kept fingering you. "you were- you were right seungkwan, ah fuck, i do have a hand kink". he grinned at your observation.

"maybe i have a 'y/n' kink. i'm already obsessed with you."

he kept curling his fingers, twisting them, hitting the perfect spots. his fingers were just the perfect length to hit your most sensitive spot when he curled them up. your moans and grunts turned into saying his name quite a few times now, followed by a "god i'm so close".

"seungkwan, i think - oh fuck - i think i'm gonna cum!"

the way his fingers just so perfectly filled you up. the way you kept clenching around his fingers. the way he was talking to you and looking at you.

he sped up the curling of his fingers, hitting your g-spot even more often, and on top of that added his other hand to toy with your clit now. that was the max.

"cum for me baby, i want to taste you so badly."

you clenched hard around his fingers, cumming on his hand. you could feel a little bit of cum touch your inner thigh as he removed his hands from your vagina.

seungkwan looked you straight in the eyes. brought his hand up to eye level. brought it to his mouth. licked your essence straight off his fingers. hummed.

"if that's how you always react to my hands and me fingering you, i want to do this every single day."

he licked his hands completely clean, leaned forward to kiss you, so you could still taste yourself on his tongue, and sat back again.

"so, do i get my part of the deal now?"

[flutishly]

The lull before the storm - revisiting the days before Hero's birthday, a decade later

Note: This post contains spoilers for Nothing Much to Do.

I'll admit, I haven't been keeping up with the NMTDaily in recent weeks. I'll watch the videos a couple weeks late, in chunks. It feels entirely unlike how I watched NMTD when it was originally released (obsessively, as the episodes came out; I never used subscriptions, so I'd check the channels directly pretty much every day), but entirely reflective of where my life is today, a decade later.

I'll be away this weekend, leading into the 10-year anniversary of Hero's 16th birthday and the radio silence that followed. I'll probably write more about the actual videos when the time comes (hey, remember when I spent hours micro-analyzing a tiny video only for the full-length scene to emerge within that same day? I should be embarrassed by that than I am), but for now I find myself thinking about how the tension ramps up and how the story of Much Ado About Nothing and NMTD's interpretation feels different in 2024 than it did in 2014.

There's a lot that at the time I feel I was less forgiving of, interestingly. Maybe it's because I'm older, but I find myself feeling sorrier for the boys this time around. Claudio's anxiety and self-consciousness feels more... forward. Pedro's need to people-please and "lead". Ben's intense need to be liked and appreciated. Ironically, even as their behavior seems even more "inappropriate" today, I can't help but feel that there's something about it that I better understand today.

Hero herself somehow feels more mature. There's something about watching with the retrospect of a decade that makes the coming punch hurt all the more. It's been long enough since my last rewatch that I'd forgotten so many smaller details, like the way the girls have their sleepover or the fact that Hero has her own charming relationship with the camera independently of Beatrice. (I'm not sure why I'd forgotten these moments specifically, but it's interesting! I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I always clicked with Bea more as a character, but in this rewatch I feel like I'm finally seeing the version of Hero that many of my friends from the NMTD era always saw.)

Hero seems more mature and Bea seems more childish. Ten years ago, Bea was just a few years younger than me; she was immature, but not so different from where I was in life. Now, both Bea and Hero feel like teenagers and I'm very much not a young adult anymore. I look at both of them and think how fragile they are, how much they're taking on themselves at such a young age (independence is wonderful, but do they have the love and support of a good adult mentor?). I think of Bea's discomfort talking about Ben and her fear of being hurt. I think of Hero's open love and trust. I think of how both will soon be heartbroken by the same event, in very different ways.

Hero's birthday is one of those plot points in the world of literary webseries. It's iconic for a reason. And I know that as things "unfold" this weekend (and are only revealed next week), I'm watching it from a very different place than a decade ago and with a completely different mindset. But I suspect that the sadness and anger I felt then will not be completely obliterated. I suspect that I'll still have a moment of anguish for Hero, for Bea, for shattered dreams and the end of innocence.

----

One final aside: I truly love the writing on NMTD. Time and again, I'm impressed by just how richly the characters are drawn, by what a beautiful job The Candlewasters did in translating a classic text and making it feel so very real. I feel so lucky to have experienced this show as it was released in 2014 and yet again lucky to watch it now.

[aphroditeslover11]

Hi what do you think about a Neil Lewis with a actress reader? Like they met before and he has already a crush on her and then he watch movie and see her ?

Another tought (not q request just something in my head) so I'm from Göttingen, an we have here q tradition if someone has his PhD they have to kiss the Statue of the goose Maid ( "Gänseliesel") he is not common with this tradition and so when reader ask him when he is planning do the kiss he assumed she wanna that he kiss her

I hope this is something along the lines of what you were thinking of. I’m not at my best at the moment so I’m sorry if there are any glaring errors. I hadn’t written for Neil before, but he’s actually very fun! Thanks for your request. Also, that is a fabulous tradition, it might get slotted into one of my other Oppie requests, I’m not sure yet though as it’s in the idea phase at the moment.

A Surprise Encounter

A/N: the classic films mentioned are all free on BBC iPlayer, go and give them a watch! I also have no idea where the store is, so I made it up.

Neil was absolutely beside himself when the invite arrived in the post. A new film that he couldn’t wait to see was premiering soon, it was low budget but contained a few big names who had decided that they wanted to promote the more independent side of the industry. He had been asked to attend an event aiming to promote smaller video shops like his rather than the huge, commercial ones that were taking over. When he read that you and the director alone were going to be on the panel he felt like he had never been luckier, finally a chance to meet his favourite actress in the flesh. Although he did admire your talents, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he also found you wildly attractive.

The next few weeks were spent planning everything. He rewatched a few of your films so that he could ask some decent questions of you at the press event and reading every article that he could on the making of your new one, a biopic of Julie d’Aubigny. He went out and bought a new suit for the occasion, had his hair cut. As far as he was concerned, there were going to be no disasters, not when he was going to meet one of his idols.

~

The day of the event had finally come. All of the invitees, including Neil, had been piled into an auditorium where they had been given an early viewing of the film, then being moved into a press room with rows of chairs set out in front of a platform. He was happy with his seat, about half way back in the crowd, not too conspicuous but with a good view of the stage. The previous hubbub died down as soon as the panel made their way up, the director taking his place, yet Neil’s eyes were fixed on you. Your hair was down and curly, framing your face, and that smile that everyone always talked about. You were wearing black heels a red dress that dipped down just enough to give a small view of your cleavage. He was transfixed.

Questions started being asked, the general types of how you had enjoyed working with the rest of the cast and what you had taken away from playing your character, some conversations were had about wanting to make sure that the smaller side of the film and cinema industry wasn’t dwarfed in the future. For some reason, all of the eyes in the room suddenly focused on Neil, it was only then that he realised that he had drifted off, his arm leaned on the armrest of his chair in such a way that you had thought he was asking a question.

“Uh, the gentleman in the blue suit there, do you have a question?” The sentence was coming from you, quickly drawing him out of his reverie.

“Um.. yes,” he never was much good at thinking on his feet. “I know that you’re promoting this film today, but do you feel as if classic cinema has been forgotten. My shop specialises in older, more hard to find movies and… well, yeah,” he trailed off. He was like a deer in the headlights, speaking as if he was full of terror. A few people around him were scoffing and hiding their laughter. Great, he had embarrassed himself in front of you.

“Actually, I do think that we’ve forgotten about classic cinema. Not only the thrillers and comedies, but for me the least talked about are the romance films. I grew up on Astaire and Rogers musicals, I know some people don’t like them and find them a bit politically incorrect know, but they still have a special place in my heart. If you think about their influence on modern cinema, we wouldn’t have ‘Sleepless In Seattle’ if it hadn’t been for a 1939 film ‘Love Affair”. What was your name?” Why the hell did you want to know who he was?

“Neil Lewis.”

“And where’s your shop?”

“California, its called Gumshoe Video.”

“I’ll pop in next time I’m in town, maybe you could give me some recommendations.” And that was the end of that conversation.

~

About three weeks later everything had returned to normal. Neil was back to running the store and the gang were still practically living there. It was a completely normal day when Lucien, who had been manning the counter, came around to the back to find him.

“Neil, you might want to come inside, there’s a customer asking for you.”

“Can’t you handle it?” He just wanted a bit of time to himself, making is response more huffy than he had intended.

“Trust me, you want to come and see this.”

He followed Lucien back into the shop, only to be caught in shock as he saw you standing there in front of him, dressed a lot more casually than the last time he saw you, but still with your hair down in its beautiful curls. He never thought that you would actually make true on what you had said, but here you were.

“Is there anything that I can help you with Miss y/l/n?”
“I came by to see if you had any suggestions for me, you know, classic films like you said you specialised in.” You actually seemed a bit nervous, though he had no idea why. “And please, call me y/n.”

“Right, y/n,” it just felt so right when he said it. “What kind of thing are you looking for, any genres in mind?”

“I always love a romance movie, the press don’t know yet but I left my boyfriend last month after he cheated on me. I’m down here to get away from it all, so a romance to take my mind off everything would be good, yeah.” He could see the sadness behind your eyes as you explained.

“He must have been an idiot then,” he said, immediately regretting it and walking past the stunned Lucien towards the romance section, beckoning for you to follow.

“So, you said that you liked Astaire and Rogers, but have you ever seen ‘The Sky’s The Limit’?”

“I don’t think I have, no.” He reached out for the dvd, showing you the front of the case.

“It’s Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie, came out in 1943. A musical about a fighter pilot who falls in love with a girl who wants to make it as a journalist, sounds like the sort of thing you might be looking for.”

“I think I’ll take that then, sounds perfect.” Something lit up inside him, you were smiling and it was because of something that he had done.

“Right, I’ll go and sort out a membership card so that you can rent it then, do you have any ID on you. Driver’s licence or something?” You followed him over to the till, rooting around in your bag to find what he had asked for. He busied himself, quickly handing over the card and the movie.

“What do I owe you?” you asked, reaching for your purse.

“Nothing, it’s on the house.”

“Are you sure, because…”

“Yeah, in return for having me at that panel a few weeks back. It was amazing.”
“Well, in that case can I pay you back in another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe we could watch the film together?”

“That sounds like a fair means of payment, I think I’ll accept.” You slipped him your number, telling him to call when he was free before walking out of the store, Neil wondering what the fuck had just happened.

[smahell]

otaku fm sinful sounds - the disappointing reply to the fans' outcry.

this morning i wake up to a notification from the obey me! official channel - a new otaku fm episode? celebrations. fantastic. i'd been waiting ever since i saw a photo of kada and yamashita back in the iconic studio. we hadn't received a new otaku fm episode for roughly two years, and of course, when a new one is announced there's going to be expectations surrounding that. expectations that will originate from the previous seasons and episodes.

so after watching the one which came out today, i was just genuinely disappointed.

"that's it?? that's the episode?"

you might even notice that the episode doesn't stay loyal to its usual 35-45 minutes format. in fact, anime and chill had the longest episodes, and is what I'd call "peak obey me™". these episodes are half that length. and i'm expecting the newer ones to be even shorter.

sinful sounds (ss).. was never advertised to be as short as almost the otaku fm mini series with the side character's vas-

even worse? the twenty minute time frame was meant to be shorter. they went overtime.

i'd totally understand if it was labelled 'otaku fm mini - sinful sounds', but this was meant to be a return to formula. with the abundance of paid content coming from solmare recently, this was meant to be something that those without dispensable income could actually enjoy. yes, it was also stated that listening to the asmr would "make the episode that much better", but assuming that i'd enjoy it regardless is an overstatement. whether you listened to the audio drama or not, this was just a disappointing way of coercing people who don't use twitter to listen to it. and another disappointing reminder of what obey me has become.

be warned - i talk about the actual episode here. so maybe go listen to it first before reading on.

yes, hearing the voice actors come back.. of course i'd love that. that's one of the main reasons i wanted it to come back. they even acknowledge how long it's been since the last time they did, but then it goes straight into "what is ASMR??"

like.. the fanbase is full of deluded white women /j .. i think we all know what it is!!! i guess it's helpful nonetheless, but then they're like:

"let's listen to a clip!!!"

hey...what?!?

(and said clip takes up a good chunk of the episode..)

my point is.. it's not really them gisting about anything. the whole thing just feels scripted and stiff. i don't feel that liveliness that i feel from rewatching previous episodes. sure, yes, asmr is meant to be calming and relaxing.. but that's not what i think of otaku fm. they're spoonfeeding me a product like it's baby food.

it's just a 20 minute ad. really.

some could say "well duh, that was the point of otaku fm, to advertise obey me and give more fan content!!"

then tell me, genuinely. did this episode give you any fan content of the vas or character that you've either already heard before OR content that really satiated you.

let's use anime and chill as an example. the anime and chill series was made to advertise the anime, but they didn't spend all the time talking about it. and you didn't exactly need to have the money to watch the anime to enjoy the whole thing. the voice actors themselves are performers. they're used to taking the reins on a project and creating an entertaining experience, which is why even though a segment is based on asking one question, we learn so much about them on a personal level. if a radio episode can make me feel like i'm chatting with two friends, then its done its job. this episode felt like watching two unskippable ads in a row on youtube. end me.

for me it's bringing up the question - all this paid content might just turning more fans away rather than bringing more in. i'm suspecting they've ben losing money since the decline in popularity after lockdown.

it's just making me think, well, five years in the future, will obey me as a game even survive? because trust me, after this disappointing episode, i'm starting to turn to ex and bee as my lord and saviour.

this isn't a diss at the voice actors at all. they were told and paid to do this, and they've done it perfectly well. this is more at a poke at the higher up executives calling the shots for this. because it always is- /hj

think i'm the only one who hates it? read this other post from another person on youtube who's also another avid fan of the voice actors. i might be repeating one or two of their points, but i saw this before i ever listened to ss, and trust me, it was a red flag for what was to come.

again, i'm not making this post because "arghhh i hate solmare i hate the vas".. no. i'm doing this because i can see that in another universe, this new series could've been amazing. it just falls flat. and i feel like it will continue falling flat until the developers and higher-ups behind this game acknowledge the scraps and and shreds of a fanbase the game has left.. i'm disappointed.

before you even begin praise this episode, listen to every single episode featuring sumi shinya, miura ayme, and/or takuhei yamamoto, laugh your heart out, then come back to this post. and mourn what has been taken from you.

[somedayillbepeterpan]

on today's rewatch: S3E7 [Joining of hands]

I haven't done a good job in putting out original content for the past few months and I blame my new job entirely 😂 It's so intense, it turns my brain into mush most days.

I'm 68% functional right now so if my ramblings don't make sense, I apologise.

Today, I am thinking of Colin's retreating back after he discovered the Pen was LW.

(Colouring this gif is so hard. It's so dark 😭 I wish I was better at this.)

I don't know why I'm locked in on Colin's back.

On him walking away.

On his coat billowing as it matches the force of his steps. I have a thing for people's footsteps or way of walking because I often think about how I walk and how it represents what I'm feeling at the moment. My many, many rewatches offered me the realisation that there isn't a lot of full body shots of Luke Newton for S1 and S2 nor are walking shots. If there are full body shots, he's with Nicola so your attention is split.

I read a meta somewhere that book!Colin canonically loves walking so much so that he would endure the rain to help clear his thoughts.

I always thought that this walk was more heartbroken than angry. He walked away because his heart was breaking into pieces. But I also think that he walked away because of his love for her.

I know that the last thing he says to Pen in this scene is that he will never forgive her but I also think that he was talking more to Lady Whistledown than to Pen because at this point, they are still separate in his mind.

Clearly, this walk is the hardest to understand and has been part of heated debates of what canonically would Colin really do (this being compared to the source material aka book!Colin). I don't want to broach that debate too much because I would've done the same as Colin (as someone who is an introverted demisexual empath who value the words that come out of my mouth and actions to take but often overthinks them). And these are mere ramblings of a Polin brainrotter.

Now, there are three significant full body walking shots of Colin in S3: Colin's entrance in E1 (the faux swagger), this retreating walk in the early part of E7 (the heartbreak), and the him trying to clear his thoughts in the latter part of the same episode (the drunk, angry yet pensive one).

This walk represents the war that Colin has fought so many times. When his emotions overtake him, he finds himself walking away. I say find because I don't think Colin was self-aware nor mature enough to understand why he walked away. It's why he traveled around, it's what happened to him with Marina, and what he almost did to Penelope. In my head, this very distinctly represents Colin's trauma about his dad's death. His emotions always get the better of him.

This is another thing that I appreciate about Colin and Penelope's relationship-- they helped each other grow. If Penelope didn't have the courage or honestly, the love, to confront Colin when he was about to walk away in the modiste scene, we wouldn't have known the root of Colin's emotional trauma. Of him feeling inadequate and abandoned/betrayed by the people he loves.

On a different side of this debate, this is what separates this relationship to all other relationships that Colin has in his life-- the depth of love and understanding that him and Pen have shared gave them the the power to get out of this situation much, much stronger.

(on a side note, writing this is making me so excited for s4 even though I want to tamper my expectations)

In conclusion, I didn't appreciate the words that came out of Colin's mouth. But on the other hand, I appreciated that he walked away and he didn't do what book!Colin did. While this scene was devastating to watch, I really really appreciate how Colin spent time understanding his emotions about the whole LW situation. I know we all wanted to tear his hair out by the end but love doesn't put a timeline on forgiveness. Nor does it paint a pretty picture.

But time does help in growing yourself better.

[mashiraostail]

Hi there, I was wondering if you would write some vlad, Kugo, and hound dog x fem reader with nipple piercings and how you think the guys would feel abt them, if they like them or not and if they play with their nipples more because of it I love your writing btw 🖤

I'm gonna start going through old asks but feel free to send new ones! I have mine done and they certainly slay. I did also spend the past two years getting crazy body mods and making myself unemployable hehehe idk what this phD is even for because I'm big time tatted up.

I wanted to start with my best boys (esp Kugo :3) and some headcanons. I've been rewatching the show which is what made me think abt and miss the blog a little. Idk if the demand for MHA content is still there so I'll probably make an updated post with other shows and media I enjoy (big Bauldr's gate rn!!! yall already KNOW who it is.) NSFW under the cut!

Vlad: *I think he would be the least surprised upon noticing them. He's maybe seen them on other partners, or just is familiar with the concept. *the first time he notices them through your shirt probably went something like this: You're fresh out of the shower, pajamas sticking to your still damp skin as you pop into the kitchen for a drink. The relationship is new, and he's still in awe of you. He's always eyeing you in an appreciative way, especially when you're freshly showered, his eyes climb up your exposed legs shimmering from your body lotion, to your stomach and waist, and of course to your chest. Usually they'll slide up to your shoulders and linger on your neck and the cut of your jaw, but today they stop. Your shirt was smaller than usual, and of course it complimented your chest but there was something else. "What?" You pull the bottle of water away from your lips, "do I have toothpaste on me?" "No." He shakes his head, "no you don't." You cap the bottle and shrug, starting to walk by him, "I'm gonna go watch the-" Before you can get by him he grabs you by your arm, "what is that?" He's looking at your chest again. "My boobs-" "No I know." He looks up at your face, "are those your-" "Oh yea. I guess you've never seen them like this before huh? You can see them through a tight shirt." He's blinking, he's taking it in. All you can do is laugh, "go ahead." "No I'm an adult. I don't need to squeeze-" "It's fine, go ahead." You bridge the short gap between your lips and kiss him, holding him by his jaw and pressing the full weight of your body against his. After the fact he might be slightly apologetic for getting worked up so easily. *H's probably the most delighted by them too. I feel like he's just a horny guy, he's easily worked up, his brain always goes right to the wrong place. *Wearing a baby tee with no bra underneath so he can see them prominently will drive him up a wall. *He might get used to it with time, but all you have to do to hook him in is lean over the table at him, get him to look a little too long and he'll be bent at your will. *He loves them, he loves when you change the jewelry, colorful rhinestones, short chains, or captive hoops are all equally enticing to him. Red is his favorite on you though. *He'll lavish them with attention in bed, especially when he's going down on you, one of his hands is always occupied. If you're especially sensitive you'll need to tell him. *He likes to use his mouth too, the metallic taste on his tongue paired with the taste of your skin is a huge turn on for him.

_________

Kugo: *Most perplexed. He's probably not encountered them before. Show him the ropes, let him know they help rather than hurt and he'll be good. The first time he sees them he's going to have a lot of questions: Honestly, getting into a car and going home with Gang Orca was not necessarily in your plans for the evening. If anyone asked Kugo, taking home a random reporter was also not like him at all, in fact he had never done it. Maybe it wasn't fair to call you random, he had your phone number, you'd met before, you even had a friendly and slightly flirtatious banter. Maybe you had been sending him signals all along, maybe he had failed to pick them up, until now. He doesn't even get the chance to ask you if you're sure about this, if you want to sleep with him, if you'd been hinting at that this whole time, because you're straight to business as soon as his front door closes, climbing him like a tree. He guesses you were sure. Your excitement was contagious, you were handsy and giggly tugging him further into his home. You end up ontop of him, stopping your assault of kisses to sit up around his waist, "hey are you sure you want to..." You trail off, hands at the hem of your shirt, "I won't be offended, I was probably coming on so strong this whole time." You laugh a little but Kugo shakes his head, "take off your shirt." Your sweater flys off, something about the fact you've been bare skinned under that sweater all night makes his stomach warm with arousal. His eyes catch two shiny, metallic adornments. He reaches up instinctively to touch them. One hand still holding your waist. Your gasp makes him pull back. "Sorry does it-" "No it doesn't hurt." You catch his hand before he can pull it away any more, "the opposite." He spends most of your first sexual encounter fixated on them, licking, brushing his fingers over them, squeezing and so on, but you don't mind. *That being said he'll grow to love them as well. *Especially enjoys seeing you touch them in bed. *If you're riding him he won't be able to keep his hands off though. *Doesn't have a preference for jewelry, but if you ask him to pick you out something he'd secretly be delighted, he'd probably pick a barbell with some small charms on the ends, maybe hearts. *Lowkey already a huge boob guy so they just draw more attention to what he likes!

______

Hound Dog: *Mostly indifferent, doesn't get the point. *Until you're fucking, then he gets the point, then he likes them. A lot. *He doesn't avoid them during sex but he doesn't give them special attention either until one specific night: You're in missionary below him, his hands are holding onto your waist as his pace increases from dizzying to bruising. He likes to watch your face, your furrowed brows and the way you draw your lips between your teeth drive him nuts, it's almost impossible to get his eyes off. He'll let his gazy flicker downwards though, he likes your body almost as much as he likes your face, seeing the bounce of your stomach or the way your thighs shake is also rewarding for him. Today he stops on your chest though, bouncing to his almost abusive pace the dim light in the room catches on the jewelry, it's tantalizing, begging to be touched. When he ducks his head down to roll his tongue over one the moan you let out and the way you say his name would have probably made him cream his pants honestly, and the cherry on top is the way you hold the back of his head, practically burying him in your chest. Safe to say he gets the appeal after. *Lowkey likes rings better than barbells, he'll start to gently tug them, enjoying the way it makes you buzz. *Likes to pick jewelry out for you, for all your piercings, wants them all to match!

[theroguequeen]

The brothel scene

okay we all know I have a soft spot for younger rhaenyra and daemon and sometimes I still think about the brothel scene (just kidding maybe I think about this like every day lol) and what can I say I rewatched it today and my mind is running wild so here we are

Starting with the moment daemon shows up and is just standing there with his silly little hood over his head, not saying a word just looking at her and the way her face lights up full of pure excitement and joy and him casually grabbing her hand and there's not a moment of hesitation.

I know some people will be like that this whole city trip was just manipulation and so on and I personally think of course he had a plan for that night, but there's a change in the dynamic slowly and god it all goes over board later

When they are strolling through the streets daemon puts his hood a little more over his face and rhaenyra mimics him, doing the same while her laugh is ringing in his ears, seeing her so careless as some man is bumping into them

Daemon does not push him away but you know he is ready to it and than you have rhaenyra saying almost proudly "he called me boy"

The whole time you hear the loud crowd, people talking, even moaning and you can see how rhaenyra comes to life again, the excitement being outside, people not nociting her or at least not saying anything and acting so differently than at court, this is not about the throne, not about being the heir, this is her still young and thirsty for knowledge and new experience

And as we know this is the night where she loses her virginity, leaving something behind and entering a new chapter of womenhood

Daemon is handing here something to drink and there is fire and the mummer asking her "do you wish to know your death, child?" we as viewers know the tragedy behind this, but she does not, even laughs at it and her eyes are always wandering to daemon who till know did not say a word and just let her be, let her see, feel, smell

Now we are at the mummers play and daemon is watching it with her but is although looking at her, noticing every little motion on her face, seeing how her smile fades for a moment as Rhaenyra is hearing the people talking so casually about one of the most painful events in her life and there is the question "but would she be a strong and powerful queen" and the people booing and rhaenyra shouting against them and daemon saying to her that many of the people do want a male heir, the ongoing burden that lays on her shoulders and her turning away saying "there wants have no consequences" and daemon laughing but not taking his eyes of her, reminding her that after all it has consequences still not looking away, as he knows how that makes her feel for sure.

And for me it's clear that at the end of the night he realized that she will be a strong and powerful queen.

You can see that rhaenyra is upset and a little bit angry, her voice gets a little harsh as she replys "for one night I wish to be free of my inheritance" as she takes something to eat and running away even so daemon reminds her that common people get punished for stealing.

To me this underlines how desperate she is to just feel free, that she knows she is safe with daemon, provoking him, teasing him by running away so he has to follow her and knowing that he will.

And here we are - at the brothel, moaning all around, rhaenyra wandering around not knowing where to look at but not as shocked as some might expected her to be. This is new, yes, but she is not scared. She is ready to explore something new as she was the whole night.

On the other hand there is daemon, this is a place he knows by heart, spending endless nights there, fucking but never really feeling fully pleasured because the women may be beautiful and only there for his own pleasure but none of them are the one on his mind, hunting him in his sleep. There hair is not silver, their eyes are not hers, their moans are not hers. Not yet.

He is confident, the way he walks towards rhaenyra and once again she follows him. And she is not asking to leave this place, not once even if the moans are getting even louder and he brings her into a room full of people. There's nudity. Pleasure. And you know what? Even now she does not turn away. She stays. Looking at him. Following him. She does not shy away. She knows she is safe. And daemon feels that too. He sees it in her eyes. Some part of him maybe thought she would want to leave but on the other hand he was sure she wouldn't. He is is aware of what he is doing.

"fucking is a pleasure"

There it is. The four words. And she is still looking at him, not moving. Remember their conversation from earlier, about her having to marry someone, about her not feeling free. About finding no pleasure in the thought of having to marry just to produce heirs.

But there is is. Pleasure. True pleasure. Rhaenyra does not hesitate when he kisses her, she is leaning into the kiss, grabbing him, pulling him closer. Again, no fear, just the desperate need to feel his touch, to be seen as a women, not as the child she was. She wants this. She wants him. And I think this is what makes daemon stunned. The soft touch of her lips, not knowing exactly what will happen but ready to go all in here and now.

"fucking who we want."

She wants him. And him realizing he feels the same, this is not about manipulation anymore, this is not a game, she is in his arms, her body pressing against his. The longing. Yearning. Aching for his touch. She is so much more than he could even imagine.

The whole time they are not taking their eyes of each other. In this moment it's only them, the world stands still.

It are her moans who are filling the room now and as he is behind her she turns around just to grab him again, wanting feel him, but although wanting to see his face, not wanting him to stop but to go on while being seen by him.

And as looks in her eyes he realizes that she would sleep with him. That she will not stop this on her own. That she wants this. With him. Now.

She tries to kiss him again, there's even a little smile. Daemon gets almost paralyzed you can see how he stops himself, because this is not a whore, not some random women, this is rhaenyra and you even if his look almost gets cold, it's not because he does not want her, it is because of how much he wants her, his head turning into a whole mess as he realizes that what ever plan he might have had is gone, worthless, because all those feelings are just so intense and he has to force himself to let go of her.

And again this is because it's rhaenyra. Because he will not take her virginity in this damn brothel. He knows this is precious. This is meaningful. That this is not about his own pleasure but about her and that she deserves so much more.

"Wed her to me. I want Rhaenyra."

[deuterium51614]

Boueibu Rewatch Part 1

I've been working on transcribing Crunchyroll's subtitles to use on my bluray rips (to be able to watch the Definitive Version™️of Boueibu lol) but I only just started working on the second episode last night.

("Definitive" because of the pink and blue bars with extra text, filters for bright lights and some ghost frames being removed, changes like the summer uniforms, the ED at the end of the first episode, etc.)

So, for my rewatch today I opted back in to the lowest premium tier so I could watch the episodes on the big screen without having to rely on my laptop.

Something to note is that Crunchyroll has changed some subtitles from when it first came out, and I'll bring up the ones I remember. No idea when they were changed, since I tend to watch it offline. (Last time I watched on my TV was 2021, and it was definitely on Crunchyroll because we kept joking about the repetitive car dealership ads, back before they removed the ability to watch Boueibu without a premium membership.)

If they're recent changes, could it be part of the Funimation merger? Or could they be updating subtitles to be closer to an English dub?? How often does Crunchyroll go back in to old shows and make changes, anyway?

Episode One

In En's chikuwabu speech, I could've sworn that they changed the subtitles from "it rejects others and denies its wheat-based origins" (because wasn't the point of the line that it "stays as wheat flour mixed with water," as he says in the previous line?) but apparently it's still there. Maybe I'm thinking of the Funimation subs? (Which used to be available for free on Tubi, but aren't anymore. RIP the Enny/Kinny/Atsu nicknames)

Anyway, something I never noticed before: when Wombat is tackled by Yumoto in the first episode, he's got rice around his mouth.

For the first episode, like I said above the bluray has the OP before the title card and the ED at the end.

During the line "I miss you," it's En on the screen, pointing.

So that, combined with:

the fact En is in the seat behind Kinshirou

you don't know necessarily who Kinshirou is looking at when he turns

it hasn't been established yet that the Defense Club wears their Battle Lover colors for casual clothes (because of the flashback in the ED)

...it could be said that up until the previews for episode four, the viewer could assume Kinshirou was childhood friends with En, and he's mad at Atsushi for taking him away. And now I'm thinking of a different version/cut of Boueibu where the episode four flashback didn't happen (or Atsushi's face isn't shown), and it's a big twist that the viewer thinks En was the childhood friend for the entire show until the final battle.

Episode Two

This is where I noticed the most changes in subtitles (because I was just transcribing it last night). Entire lines are different! Some have big effects on the tone or meaning, while others are easily swapped. (There's so many I'm literally just watching them side by side now, and also skipping some of them.)

Io's line "Anyway, can we ask Wombat about the aftermath now?" has become "Anyway, can we talk about why Wombat appears to be dead now?"

En's line "We can't take these things off, can we?" became "These things won't come off."

Tawarayama's "Now you shall not worry" became "Now you need not worry."

Ryuu's "'Shall' in this day and age..." is "'Need not' in this day and age..."

Atsushi's "I can't believe you're touching him, Yumoto." -> "I don't know how you can touch him, Yumoto."

Wombat's "It's a 'joint life'!" -> "We are 'living jointly'!"

Atsushi's "I've never heard that one before..." -> "I don't know where you pulled that one from..."

Wombat's "I had no choice but to run at full speed!" -> I had no choice but to run with all my might!"

"You made it done."/"Truly done." -> "You did it, all right."/"Really did it." (I like this one because it matches the previous lines "You did it, huh?"/"You sure did it.")

"Am I to shoulder all the responsibility by myself?" -> "Is the responsibility truly mine alone to bear?"

En's "You're a creepy guy." -> "You're so creepy."

Ryuu's "That's fishy!" became "Talk about corrupt!"

"It's okay to have various definitions of love." -> "It's fine that everyone has his own definition of love."

Ibushi's "rustling the leaves" became "rustling young leaves," though I think that's something that was in later episodes' subs and they just went back and made it consistent.

The chopstick monster's "Multiply!" became "Multiply further!"

"That's a more [insignificant -> unintelligible] reason than I was expecting."

"It's true that it's nice to have a matching set." -> "It's true that it feels more complete that way."

"I knew they'd react like that." -> "They're right to react like that." (They made it funnier lol)

"Your images and voices have been altered to protect your [privacy -> personal information]."

Wario's "Green..." -> "Eco-friendly." (Funimation subs iirc had him say "Eco.")

Episode Three

Don't think there were any changes to the subtitles, though it's been a while since I've watched the version I have offline.

My dad came into the room for parts of this episode. "Talking teddy bears?" he asked when Wombat was sitting on the desks, raising his hand. Said Ryuu looked more like a princess than a prince. And when everyone was falling in love with the monster: "Bestiality??" Also commented that he felt like he was losing brain cells watching it, and kept giving me concerned glances lol

I've always thought it was funny how the guys' plan was to get more votes for Ryuu so he could beat Akoya, but...two of their plans don't involve getting votes for him. Maybe the wrestler and urinal guy were going to vote for Akoya before they were convinced otherwise? That's the only way it makes sense for me.

[whoiwanttoday]

I am posting some Madeline Smith today because I rewatched the Vampire Lovers last night. It's a movie I have always held near and dear to my heart since I was just a little kid and watched it and was pretty sure it's about as erotic as a movie can get. Usually that leads to me posting Ingrid Pitt, who is the titular Vampire but it's a Hammer movie from the 70's and Hammer Glamour means all the girls are kind of titular if you get my drift. Anyway, I adore the old Hammer stuff and I am not going to claim everyone needs to rush out and see any of it but there's a reason its the stuff that has stood the test of time. If you don't know, Lesbian vampires were a huge, huge cinema trend in the 70's but it's the Hammer Karnstein trilogy that has maintained it's place in the world of horror while most of the rest have fallen away (you can make an argument for Vampiros Lesbos but that is really something only mega nerds know, so you've just outted yourself as a mega nerd if you were thinking of that). I would say @kat-eleven could give you her opinion as she watched the movie but her opinion was wrong, full of takes like, "Why are those girls kissing" and "I feel bad for the boys who won't get to have a wife now cause the girls are all kissing each other". To each their own I guess. Madeline Smith was in quite a few Hammer movies over the years and looked great in all of them. I have actually posted her twice before but I bet it's been since 2016 or so I did the last time. She has very big eyes which are good at conveying a doe eyed sort of innocence that works for Gothic Horror. She has to be innocent and naive for some of it to work. She also has big other things which is important when fulfilling Hammer Glamour, the term applied to Hammer's use of period dress that was rather low cut. But classy cause it was olden days. A sophisticants cleavage if you will. Anyway, here is Madeline Smith with all her big eyes and sophisticated cleaveage. Today I want to fuck Madeline Smith.

[forgottenfourr]

i saw you in a dream - university smau

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chapter fourteen - impossible

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w/c: 1349

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a/n: i am still very sick (yes again) but the people must be updated!! while bedridden i have been rewatching kingdom: legendary war and i always forget how insane it is but i love it sm. i always act like i'm watching it for the first time when i rewatch it. but watching 3 groups that i absolutely love (skz, tbz, & ateez) compete against each other is so </3

chapter is not proofread because i am too exhausted too tbh

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

yn's pov:

as you predicted, the cafe was agonizingly slow today. plus the anxiety of meeting with chan during your shift today was not helping the hours go by any faster.

it's about 2:30 when he walks into the cafe, his normal bright and full smile plastered on his face like always. maybe this chat won't be as shitty as you thought.

"hey!" he greets, voice as joyful as it always is.

your anxiety subsides slightly, "hi! do you want anything to drink? on the house." you try to match his attitude but fail.

"nah i don't really drink coffee. i'll just go sit and you can meet me there whenever you're free, yeah?" he says while gesturing to the booths that are just a few hundred feet away from you two.

"i can go on break now! min is here so he knows about you coming here to talk." like on cue, minho appears behind you, placing his hand on your shoulder to make you aware of his presence.

"oh my god minho! hey!" chan says somehow more cheerful than his previous words.

"hey, chris, how are you?" minho quickly starts a conversation with chan like they are lifelong friends.

"i'm good! busy with senior year stuff but overall everything is alright. how are you?" you can hear the genuine response and question in chan's voice. it makes you wonder if he is always an open book like this for everyone.

"meh, senior year. pretty exhausting shit. plus being friends with this dumb ass," he says while pinching your side making you shriek away at his touch.

"DICK HEAD" you retort back to minho whilst shoving him. causing both of the boys to laugh.

you groan at the two and how immature they are. "min i'm going on break," you state. not giving him the option to say no or ask you to wait a few more minutes.

"okay, don't miss me too much!" minho calls out sarcastically as you and chan make your way to a nearby table. his comment making you turn around and flip him off which resorts to him laughing at you again in hysterics.

you and chan take a seat across each other. if anyone were to not know the context of what is going on right now you're sure they would think you guys were on a date.

"it's nice to see minho so comfortable with you," chan begins, ultimately dragging out the conversation you so desperately just wanted to be over.

you nod your head at his words, a slight smile on your face.

"i don't mean to sound rude but, can we just get to the point? what did you want to talk to me about?" you feel awful for skipping the small talk and going right to business but you felt as if you couldn't wait another minute. your anxiety growing in you more and more as each second passed on.

chan's face seems to falter slightly and he repositions himself in his chair. it is very evident that he is now uncomfortable.

"yeah uhm," chan pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words that wouldn't automatically accuse you. "don't take this the wrong way but," he takes a deep breath, "did you actually write the guitar part for your song?"

a haste breath falls past your lips at his question.

"what?" of course you did. you came up with it yourself. you weren't a piece of shit. you would never steal another's work.

"of course i did, why are you asking?" the genuine annoyance and hurt so audible in your tone.

"i am not accusing you of anything!" his statement coming out very quick and apologetically. "it's just. i have a friend who i worked with a few months ago. and he has a guitar part in his song that sounds identical to yours. and it could be a coincidence! but it seems very unlikely?" all his words have a ping of uncertainty to them.

"no, i swear i wrote it myself i-" a sudden thought making you cut off your own words.

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

you remember exactly where you first heard the guitar melody. you had finally fallen asleep after nearly 3 days of being awake. you remember returning to your dream world, immediately greeted by the mystery boy. it felt like it always did, serene and peaceful. but it was different that day. the boy spoke to you.

"hey, do you know how to play the guitar?" he said with a warm smile on his face. the one you grew so fond of.

you laugh slightly, "i can but i am awful at it."

"would you like to be a little less awful at it? i can teach you some stuff," he said as he pulled out a guitar from seemingly nowhere

you didn't know what you expected his voice to sound like but it was certainly 10x better than anything your mind could've made up.

your cheeks blushed at his offer, "i'd love to." you replied, your acceptance making the tip of his ears red.

you guys spent the rest of your time together sitting together and playing songs for each other. though, most of the time it was him playing for you and you watching him with awe. he taught you different chords and melodies, helping you with each note as you struggled through.

there was one melody though. one that stuck with you. that bounced through your head at any given moment. one you found yourself humming at any given moment. it was like it was planted in your brain and you had completely fallen in love with the simplicity of it. the melody being so beautiful and perfect no matter the key or pace.

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

your face grew pale at the sudden realization. you had only heard it once in your life. and that being from your dream boy. who is fake. who your subconscious came up with. right?

because it wouldn't make sense if the boy from your dreams actually existed. it isn't possible. and if it was, the only thing about the boy that would be the same is his appearance. everything else about him your mind created.

so there is absolutely no way he also just so happens to know the guitar melody that he taught you in your dream which you then thought was just something you came up with yourself because AGAIN it happened IN YOUR DREAMS.

there was no way that is possible. even if a teeny tiny bit of you wanted it to be possible, there is no way. it's like scientifically impossible. sharing your dreams with someone? let alone someone you don't even know?

it's too much to process. let alone in front of chan who probably thinks you're having a mental breakdown or going absolutely fucking insane right in front of him. which you kind of are!

"uh, yn?" chan tries to get your attention back to him quietly but him calling your name just makes you all too aware of what is happening right now.

you quickly stand up and you continue to revert your gaze from him. "i uh, i have to go." you quickly say, words barely audible through your mumble.

you don't give him a second to think before you're racing out the cafe's front door and run home. leaving chan there unsure of what just happened.

it's too much to think about. you just need to be away from everyone right now. minho will be fine at the cafe by himself. he'll be pissed but he'll forgive you. you'll make it up to him later. right now you just need to be alone to process everything. the possibility that somehow the boy you have been spending time with in your dreams for the past 7 months might be real and also might have been having the same dreams you have.

it's too much. but a part of you is hoping that he does exist and remembers everything you two did together. it's nearly impossible but one can hope, right?

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<<<prev masterlist next>>>

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tag list [open]

@thisisnotjacinta @ddextra @puppymplushie @what-the-y2k @strawberry-dreamland @veryjeongintxtkid @rag-iii @amara-mars @lolcarlaaa @stilesks @amara-mars @hello-2-u-from-me @marcillfll @beaann @everglowdaisies @funkygoose @yjeonginlvr @tfshouldidohere

red means it won't let me tag you (check your privacy settings)

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[ryuichirou]

 Replies

A lot of replies today! About recent drawings/posts and about some other stuff as well.

Anonymous asked:

You should check your inbox for nebulacollege, I sent a gift 😘

Sorry for the late reply, Anon! As Katsu already said, we didn’t really have an opportunity to reply properly before, but we saw your gift right away. It’s so wonderful, and we are so grateful!!

Nebula technically had its first birthday recently, so your timing is kind of perfect. It’s insane to think that not so long ago I struggled to come up with a way to draw Edmund that would fit the vibe Katsu is going for, and now we’re seeing your amazing fanart of him. It looks so good, both the idea and the drawing itself.

Thank you so much, once again.

unofficialwheatdog asked:

I had this dream this morning that you and Kat joined the Trolls and the Bee Movie fandom, so there was art of a bee and a human getting it on and trolls

I woke up in a cold sweat if you couldn't tell btw

Honestly I would say that this is a hilarious dream and that you shouldn’t worry about it, but it sounds like something we would 100% do. I am now kind of terrified that we’ll watch the Bee Movie and start shipping a bee and a human but unironically.

But I shouldn’t be worried either, I don’t see that happening anytime soon. We did however rewatch some episodes of Angry Beavers and are currently kind of into Norbert/Daggett ……………..

Anyways! Thank you for dreaming about it?? 😭💕

Anonymous asked:

THANK YOU FOR THE TREYVIL! Oh gosh that was so good! Vil's look towards Trey~ very lovely! Proud of  "Normal Guy™" Trey managing to get a Supermodel like Vil. 💚

HEHE YOU’RE WELCOME! I’m glad you like it, thank you!

I’ll be honest, I didn’t fully get Trey’s popularity at first, but for some reason I kind of get it now. The juxtaposition of the "Normal Guy™" and gorgeous supermodel Vil who isn’t desperate, but still openly flirty with him, it’s kind of…. Very nice.

Anonymous asked:

That look Vil gave…..GOD. Probably best not to say what’s going through my head.

It’s okay, Anon, I feel you…. wink

I’m glad I managed to draw it in a way that makes you ~feel~ things hehe.

Anonymous asked:

Hey vil, what else can those beautiful legs do? What time do they open? 🥵🥵

I think Vil can easily do an entire clock hands rotation with his legs… Vil being stupidly flexible is my agenda and I will keep repeating it. He is going to put his legs behind his head if he needs to.

thestarlightfae asked:

Wait, now I want to try that. Not in a sexual way (aroace), but in an am-I-flexible-enough way.

I believe in you! I know you can do it! <3

Anonymous asked:

What kind of porn would Rollo, Fellow and Gidel watch?

(related to this post), maybe I’ll edit the post and add those there…

Rollo doesn’t watch porn, come on now. The only type of smut he experiences is the kind that his own mind plays in his head when he sleeps. And Rollo really wishes he could turn it off! But he can’t, so for now he’s just having weird wet dreams about faceless men in red cloaks judging him….

Fellow doesn’t really care about porn all that much because his life is already so full of sex, but he doesn’t necessarily have access to a lot of porn either. He used to flip through magazines with some hunks on them, but hasn’t done it in quite a while.

Gidel, however, loves his dirty magazines! I’ve said it in some other hc post: a magazine with beast-ladies in tiny bikinies is an ultimate gift for him. He steals those from shops, he takes the ones that are randomly abandoned at gas stations. Whenever they are lucky enough to stay at a motel with a tv, the first thing Gidel does is turning on the TV to see if there are porn channels available for free. He doesn’t even do anything while watching it, he’s just fascinated by smut. I guess it’s a phase… or is it?

Anonymous asked:

IS Idia a masochist?

He IS…. And he isn’t. I guess to a degree.

Idia feels like someone who would be genuinely uncomfortable and even whiny when it comes to physical pain and discomfort, but at the same time… there are some kinds of pain and discomfort that he would find weirdly pleasing and tickling. Starting with something not so drastic, like hair pulling and butt smacking. I think he has potential to blossom as a gorgeous masochist. I think he is highly trainable. 🤔

He also strikes me as someone who craves for a punishment somewhere deep down, so it’s also a big factor.

Anonymous asked:

Lilia making Silver watch porn with him is super hot actually?? Especially when Silver is so shy about it and doesn't really enjoy watching it that much, still being pressured to keep watching with him omg

(related to this post)

Hehehe thank you Anon!! I thought so too, as you can see lol

Silver doesn’t feel awkward all that often, especially with Lilia, but that time really felt weird… a good kind of weird. 😳

Anonymous asked:

I regret to inform you, it's highly likely that antis are that dumb.

Saw a hot take that was "it's wrong to sexualize the TWST minors even if you're their age!!!"

Oh no, puberty makes some high schoolers horny, who'd have thought.  A 17 y.o. not being the same as a 7 y.o. is a novel thought to them; they'd have never lasted in my hs.

And a non anti one, but evidence that some people aren't too bright: the amount of people saying Ace is an irredeemable monster, a sociopath who wouldn't care if You died, a fuckboy who'll never have a serious relationship, ect. because he's slightly mean and committed the unforgivable crime of ghosting his ex-gf in middle school.

And the amount of people wishing harm or death on proshippers just for that, I have to believe, for my own piece of mind, that they're not fully aware of what they're saying cause otherwise it's a scary thought.

(related to this post)

Yeah, unfortunately that’s not surprising. When people do nothing but try to find ways to police other people’s enjoyment of certain characters + marinate in these ideas all the time, their takes become almost alarming. They’re obsessed with numbers (fictional that have zero relevance to real life) and the idea of purity, it always boils down to sex = bad. And “sex = bad” is a very useful thing to both gatekeep characters (“you can’t sexualize them, I can”) and trying to assert authority on a group of people that has nothing to do with you.

The Ace take is hilarious. Imaging judging someone for ghosting a person when they were like 14-15, especially when it’s just one fictional guy. I also find it funny that technically one could read it as “Ace realised that he is not into girls and dipped; it’s not right for him to hurt her feelings, and this reaction from Ace is pretty normal for a guy who is figuring shit out”. But instead of this or any other kind of more nuanced reading they went with “Ace is a monster”. Ace is a teenager, and a well-written one at that, it just happens that the majority of teenagers are either nasty fuckers or socially awkward maximalists, or both.

Anonymous asked:

Ace’s method of flirting reminds me of the song Nice Guys by nigahiga

(referring to this post)

«And if you ever get cold, you'll just have to hack it, 'Cause I'd be cold too if I gave you my jacket» is the most Ace Trappola line in the world….

Anonymous asked:

I thought this was funny but idk if you'll think so.  Just this week I started a side blog for venting/discourse because I loved writing essays in school and I gotta put my English degree to use somehow right.  I only have two posts, one of which is about TWST antis. 

I already got some anonymous troll telling me I'm a loser and they hope I know it.

I have made it y'all!!  My sideblog's so young but I've already got the discourse blog badge of honor!! (Also the submission is a few days old and I only noticed now whoops I feel kinda bad for them.  Definitely didn't react the way they were hoping I would)

lol congrats Anon!! It really is like a badge of honour and a seal of quality at the same time. I’m pretty sure you’ll get more of those as you continue posting, so please take care of yourself and block annoying people, including Anons!

I’m glad you’re enjoying your new side blog though. Writing essays is fun, especially when it’s about something that you care about because, well, you’re a part of the situation…

Anonymous asked:

🐩 anon back with news that they made the terrible mistake of giving me TWO character slots because they wanted a bit more flavour to our current cast before we continue in another two weeks.

I came to offer you an unholy Deacon with god complex. He is about to make Rollo disintegrate by just walking into the same room as him. He got some Sebastian and Malleus vibes all in one, it's terrible for everyone else really.

The fact I gotta draw the design is what gets me, because how does one do that justice? The smugness? The charm? I'm tempted to do a design influenced by Frankenstein in Noblesse and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy. Maybe some Undertaker because who doesn't like long haired men, yk?

This sounds awesome, Anon, I think this is the perfect type of character to throw at Rollo to make him deal with him lol Whatever you end up with, I’m sure it’ll look great! What you’ve listed sounds like a great ingredient list for a very fun character.

[iris-sistibly]

Since I'm rewatching Maria Clara at Ibarra on Netflix, at dahil may time ako for today's bidyow I'm just gonna give my two cents on this comment:

I think we can all agree that Maria Clara did NOT deserve to suffer the way she did, and yes she deserves to be happy with the only man she ever loved. But Maria Clara's story is the story of many women who were oppressed, and abused by priests during the Spanish era and sadly, this reality STILL exists even up to this day. And as much as I fucking hate to admit this, there are still many untold stories of women (even boys and young men) who were sexually abused by these disgusting hypocrites who call themselves instruments of God, and what's more painful is that the victims are silenced and the abusers get away with it because *coughs* ✨the Church protects them✨

Don't get me wrong, I was baptized and raised as a Catholic myself, but I refuse to ignore cases like these which thankfully in the modern times are being addressed and taken actions of, but I'm not sure how many of these mga sugo ng Diyos are actually punished for their crimes (*clears throat* Church is still quite influential af even in the 21st century 🙃).

Ibarra is a good man with good intentions for San Diego, yet he was framed and accused of being a heretic and filibuster by [again] these fugly Church peeps because they wanted the Filipinos to remain indios: uneducated and poor af. Juan Crisostomo Ibarra is the image of those people who only wanted to help their fellow Filipinos, yet are the ones who are being punished for the most nonsense reasons, and the very people who called themselves his friends and supporters are the same people who turned their backs on him because they were afraid of suffering the same fate as Crisostomo (and Don Rafael) .

In the show, I saw myself in Klay (except that I passed my Noli, El Fili and Rizal lessons 🤣) my only drive to read Noli and El Fili was to pass my Filipino subject. I did not have a full grasp of the lesson that Rizal was trying to teach. The moment I passed my subject, I was like "Oh good! Finally!" but I didn't take those learnings by heart. And I said the very same thing Klay said in the earlier episode, "What's the point of studying Noli and El Fili when I can't even apply it on the course I'm taking or my job when I graduate?" And I admit, history wasn't my favorite subject, I found it boring. I missed the whole point of what my teacher was teaching me.

I could go on and on about the characters of the novels and the show but to sum it all up, every character and events are the very images of every Filipino, their struggles, and the truth about what was really happening in our country. Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo weren't the kind of novels you expect them to be, it is not a stereotypical love story, and it wasn't written to make the readers OR the audiences happy. These novels are here to teach the Klays like you and me not only about our history but also open our eyes to the reality of how this cancer of the society still exists and if we, the Filipino people don't do something to "cure" this, our country will NEVER progress.

As much as I wanted Ibarra and Maria to have a happily ever after they both deserve, I am glad that GMA 7 actually didn't stray away too much from its source materials, because now I understand why I had to learn those books. I understand now why Rizal was named national hero, his novels paved the way for the Filipinos to finally stand up and fight the oppressors.

However, as much as it pains me of how tragic Rizal's novels are, at least in the show, they got a happy ending. Just in a different timeline and universe but still, happily ever after.

[changingplumbob]

Not Sims - Just Reign

So I binge watched the final 5 episodes today and... I am emotionally compromised. See below for my ramblings and how I attempted to make album art a decade ago.

If you clicked keep reading I'm going to assume you don't mind reading my rambles so I'm just going to indulge myself here. I need to process and getting it out helps me process.

I first saw Reign during my final year of High School and fell completely in love. Quite aside from English History being a special interest for me at the time, Adelaide Kane and Toby Regbo were so gorgeous. Honestly the signs that I'm bisexual were right there but it just did not click.

If you're my moot you will know by now I am a massive romantic. So of course I would get invested in the Mary Francis love story. Thanks past me for routing for Francis from the start, smart choice.

The outfits took my breath away, as did the wonderful landscapes. I fell in love with everything Mary wore and tried to find a graduation dress that was as close to something like that as possible.

The music! I loved every track they put with the episodes. Shout out to that one youtube channel that was posting full versions of the songs. I have a playlist with the music from the first two seasons and have listened to it on loop so often. There was a website that would post screenshots of the episodes and I would copy paste and make my own album art. Not to do anything with, they were solely for me to see when the songs came up on my iPod.

BUT I only watched the first two seasons before I took a break. History wise I knew Francis would die before they had a child, but the end of season 2 seemed to announce his death was approaching and my romantic self could not handle it. So over the next few years I rewatched the first two seasons plenty, and continued to listen to the music. I tried to watch season 3 in my first year at university, I really did. But things were different back then and I could only find low quality episodes because legitimate streaming services were in their infancy, if they even existed.

During my post grad diploma I would take a train part of the way to my placements. It was on the train that I happened to catch someone watching Reign on their phone. Not just any part of Reign either, the recap that shows Francis dying and Mary saying goodbye to the coffin. You bet any progress I had made towards being able to watch it was reset.

Following the worst of my depression, last year I began to feel a proper interest in things I love again and I wanted to see Reign to its conclusion. So I got myself the DVDs for season 3 (I don't have netflix, plus I like having physical copies of things) and worked my way through. Since I hate spoilers I didn't want to read the blurbs included in the cover so I never knew which episode Francis would die in, I was happy he was in it for so long. The whole plot with Francis having made Mary a sword for taking back Scotland made me love them all the more.

I gifted myself season 4, the final season, for Christmas. I've been watching it in bits and pieces. I have this thing where if something is ending I try to hold off the ending for as long as possible. But today I was so under the weather that I did watch the last disc all in one go.

Side note, Rizzio. I can't believe that actually happened! But wikipedia says it did. It really sounds like something a drama show would make up.

I've always known Queen Mary was executed for supposedly trying to kill Queen Elizabeth. I wasn't sure how Reign would tackle that. I figured they would do a flash forward or do that text over screen thing. I love neat endings but my heart could survive not seeing the end of Mary. I begun the final episode, saw Toby Regbo's name in the starting line up and immediately teared up. If he was in the episode then they were certainly going to show her death. Those end scenes, they made me happy and sad all at once. I loved that Francis was there for her, and I loved the flashbacks through their life together. Damn did it make me cry though.

The main characters have had a place in my heart for a decade. So heck yeah I'm grieving the loss. I know I'll watch it again, so it's not a permanent goodbye, but it's tough to see the end of anyway.

[sunskate]

I think it’s important to watch Torvill and Dean in the context of their times. To that end, having thematically connected programs like Barnum (as opposed to the choppy music cuts in vogue at the time) and precision mattered more. But you’re right — it’s a different sport to today’s in many ways. My favorite team of that era is Klimova/Ponomarenko.

Christopher Dean is a distinctive choreographer but I don’t think other teams really have been able to execute the choreo anywhere near the level that he and Jayne did. Like the programs he did for Coomes/Buckland and Chock/Bates in the 2014-2018 quad were not particularly impactful. I think they require a strong male performer with a lot of flair like Chris Dean (or Scott Moir) to make them work. I did enjoy the unisex Reflections he did for the Duschenays, but it was so poorly received that they scrapped it mid season and replaced it with a modified version of one of T/D’s exhibition pieces.

For what it’s worth, I actually loved the RD rumba T/D did in 1994 which became one of the CDs, and I did like their free dance — mainly because I thought it was a good way of dealing with the rules changes put in place to move the sport away from the trends they started with Bolero.

i'm curious to learn more about them and their context, but at best you can see them and a few programs from the other top competitors of the time- it would be a service to the sport if the ISU would make full historical FS events available. we can't even rewatch US Nationals from this year, events from 30-40 years ago are ancient history, but they don't have to be

watching T/D do some of the patterns is pretty great - like this is amazing

it looks like Christopher Dean resists the flower/stem paradigm of ice dance- he was the star of the team, he's often the main character - at the very least, he's equally the focus, like in Bolero, and often the engine for their pattern dances

that Reflections program for Isabelle and Paul doesn't look gender neutral to me - it looks like the protagonist is a man, and she's portraying his mirror image - Isabelle is dressed and changed her hair to be more like Paul. Paul is dressed the way he would usually dress. i think the reason CD's choreo requires a really strong male performer is because his ice dance world starts with him. Chock/Bates have the opposite dynamic as T/D, so i can see why his choreo wasn't impactful on them

CD's notable in challenging traditional roles in ice dance. though idt he should be commended for those times that the female partner seems secondary in a way that feels dated. but he did resist assumptions about who should be centered and how they should behave. what would he do with another Reflections program now, with a F/F or M/M team, or just an entirely mirrored program for any team

watching them and other teams from the 80s and 90s makes me appreciate and feel sad at what's been lost in the direction that the ISU's been taking the sport. it was a less athletic, less acrobatic and gentler sport, and you can feel the limitations they were running up against because it was so structured, but the skating skills of the best teams, the dance quality, the close holds are really beautiful