#I had writ more but we don't need all that. just take it as read I have a lot a lot a lot of feelings about this

[saxifactumterritum]

I can't really stop thinking about Jeeves putting on/taking off his drag in Bertie Wooster's room. sitting at his little fancy table with the mirror (I do know the word I've forgotten it).

[sexilene]

I FEIN FOR A FULL FIC ABOUT PRINCESS!READER WRITTING IN HER DIRAY S'SO CUTE LIKE

yeesss OFC!! ignore any mistakes sorrriii ˚ ��✶ ｡˚ ⁀➷ princess!reader w - mentions of sex, p in v, rafe making it up to you through sleepy sex!!

your nighttime self-care routine sometimes included needing to write in your diary the things you wouldn't dare say out loud. you sat on your side of the bed with the dim warm light illuminating the room while rafe took a shower. often doing all your skincare, shower stuff, and oral care before rafe so that after you can let it all marinate before sleeping. you grab your pink fluffy pen from your nightstand to start your journaling. 

dear diary, today was so totally not great, rafe ended up leaving me this morning to play golf with the boys even after he promised to take me to martino's to get some tea cakes that i've been craving for the past week!! AND on top of that, i missed a hair appointment since rafe had the car all day and he's like my boyfriend chauffeur!! this blows!! i hate him and he will not be given kisses or sex until further notice. 

rafe walks out of the bathroom, with a towel around his waist, his hair all wet, and droplets of water running down his muscles. the view almost makes you forget why you were pissed at him in the first place, but then you quickly snap out of it when you remember you are supposed to be "ranting" in your diary. 

"whatcha doin'?" rafe asks, making you look over at him, he's put on some comfy pajama pants and sat down on his side of the bed, leaning over to look at what you are writing. 

"i'm doing self-care, it's my de-stress diary." 

"why do you need a diary? that's what i'm here for, tell your secrets to me." he shrugs and leans closer to really read what's on the pages. 

"nuh uh, somethings i would say aren't lady-like." you bring the diary to your chest to prevent him from reading it. 

"hey, lemme see. i'm basically entitled to read your diary, it's a boyfriend's right."

"no baby that's just an invasion of privacy." you giggle which makes him huff.

"okay well we promised no secrets, so give it here." he reaches for the diary, you roll your eyes and give up, handing it to him. 

"fine, but i should not be held accountable for what i wrote, its girl stuff."

"aww shit baby, i forgot about martino's, i'm sorry," he remembers as he beings to read what you wrote. "no sex or kisses until further notice? that's fuckin' ridiculous kid." he furrows his eyebrows while he's reading. 

"mm-hmm, it's not like you'd notice anyways since you've been so "busy" recently." you exaggerate and roll your eyes.

"don't roll your eyes at me, fix your attitude." he points at you scoldingly which only makes you pout and reach for the diary again. 

"if you think you really need this then fine, but no more talking shit about me in there. use your words." he closes the little book and hands it back to you. 

"i did." 

"you know what i mean." 

"i can't say it to your face." you shake your head and place the diary on your nightstand. 

"yes, you can." he wraps his arms around you and pulls you closer to him, your back to his bare chest. 

"you smell really good." you sigh, wishing you could just give in and climb on top of him.

"thank you, baby. so do you." he kisses your bare shoulder, slipping down the thin strap of your silky nightgown. 

"but i'm still mad at you."

"rant to me then."

you sigh again, "you forgot that today was supposed to be our day, you suck and if you really loved me you wouldn't have done that." you exaggerate again. 

"i know princess, i know, and i'm sorry but i do love you so don't even start." your boyfriend chides, look back at him and he takes the opportunity to kiss the corner of your mouth. 

"no rafe, no kissing."

"don't be brat, i'll make it up to you. take you to martino's first thing tomorrow and i'll take you to do your hair, how'bout i fuck you to sleep nice n' slow right now? hmm?" he places his hand on the side of your face to bring you closer so he can press a kiss to your cheek. 

"mmhm ohkay, be gentle." you nod, rafe just grins and attacks you with soft kisses all over your lips, jaw and neck.

"just relax baby, lay down i'll do all the work." rafe extends his arm to reach over to your nightstand light to turn it off, now the only light coming in is the moonlight streaming in through the balcony windows. you lay back against the mattress, head hitting the pillows and rafe lifts the thin dress above your hips. never really wearing panties under your nightgown while you sleep, he rubs your bare pussy with the pads of two of his big fingers. rafe pulls himself out, also not wearing any boxers under the plaid pajama pants to sleep, and lines himself up to slowly push in, you wine and dig your nails into his biceps. 

"shshsh....you're fine." your boyfriend soothes as he begins to slowly and gently stretch you out, giving you a few wet kisses on your neck. the way he smells and feels on top of you makes you feel so warm and sleepy, that your eyes begin to fall closed as he thrusts into you very softly.

"i love you," you whisper, wrapping your arms around his neck to make you feel closer to him even though he's balls deep inside you right now. 

"i love you more princess, jus' fall asleep, i've got you."

[crows-in-the-house]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖆𝖑

It's a part of my own writting inktober! To see more check out this post!

Prompt: clown / emotion / ritual

pairing: Bill Cipher x Reader

tw: none

The moon was full, bathing the night sky in a cold silver light. Dark, long branches hit the window panes. It was midnight when you started to have doubts. Will it work? Will it actually help you?

You shook your head - there was no time for such questions. The last candle was lit with a trembling hand. The room was filled with darkness, you could barely see your hands despite the gentle flickers of the fire. You took a deep breath, taking the chill night air into your lungs, and letting it out in a long sigh.

You opened the old scripture, holding on to the old paper as if to your own life. The ancient rhymes made your eyes water. You were just about to go on to the part with the knife when you heard a faint laughter.

The room seemed to shift and change. You knew that voice right? Low, ominous rumbling filled the air, when sharp shadows circled around you as if to swallow you whole. There was something emerging from the corners in the darkness, something big, staring right at you-

This fucker!

"Bill! What are you doing in my ritual!"

"Oh come on toots, calling onto some stupid gods and not me? You really have a nerve!"

The triangle demon circled you while laughing. His form again normal sized, perfectly punchable if he only moved closer.

"Don't even try that kid! I'm not like those clowns you want so badly! I will get back at ya!"

"What do you want Cipher!? I was just about to summon a god and you ruined it! Again! Do you know how long I have to wait for another full moon?!"

You looked at the demon with anger. Since you two met he succesfuly stopped all your attempts at dark magic. At first you belived him when he said you where doing some stuff wrong, like using a wrong spell, or not fresh enough offering. But with time he started interfiing more and more. And now he was just an annoying prick.

"Listen kid, if you're so desperate to make a deal with a higher power-

"I'm not making deal with you Bill." You stood up crossing your arms. " I want to learn my future from a reliable source. A reliable source, got it?"

"Oh and would you look at that - that's exactly me, brainiac! If we just made a deal, I would let you know aaaall your possible futures, with all the alternative universes, great deaths and every new emotion in your head! Why not shake on, so I can share it with you?"

"Cuz last time I did that, you made me think of you every time when I spoke to my crush! And now I don't even remember their name!"

"As if such a detail was important kid, you got your end of the deal, and I got mine, yes?"

"How was that even beneficial to you?!"

"A guy must advertise himself somehow, you know?" He said while shrugging. You growled, putting out the candles. You had to stowe them away and wash the floor again. At least you didn't spill your blood this time. You were getting short on bandages.

You looked at your watch. Fifteen minutes after midnight. If it was at least ten, you would still have time to continue, rushed, but at least finally achieving your goal. Now tho, it was certain it wouldn't work out. The ritual needed special time and undivided attention. Both of which, Bill took without any care.

Your stomach growled. You haven't eaten in a while. Maybe you should go do that and watch a movie to sleep? You looked back at the triangle. He was still there, staring at you, as if suspended in space. Was he lost in thoughts or reading your mind? You nudged his side to get his attention.

"You know what? If you spawn me a drink - not alive, conscious one that is, I will share my popcorn with you." You saw humor get back to his eye.

"Oh golly! Free useless food from my meatbag monkey? What a treat!"

"Do you want it or not?" you replied, leaving the room. His eye scanned your tired form while slowly following you.

What a cute fool you were. Calling onto beings your whole mind wouldn't understand. It was shame you weren't awere how much he was protecting you from getting your brain melted. Maybe, just maybe if he made you more like him you would finally realize how much work you made him do! But no. He couldn't risk his stupid puppet getting a potential response from one of those "higher beings".

After all you belonged to him.

[pruneunfair]

Rating female leads in manhwa.

Navier

6/10, I absolutely hate her writting and has devolved into a mary sue who only reacts to everything around her while her mass of supporters never shut up about great she is. Her synopsis claiming her as someone who loves all her subjects gets contradicted when its shown she doesnt really care about the slaves.

BUT in season 1 she wasn't bad, I liked her resolve and it was when she actually cared for her people, I feel like if we got to see a clear backstory beyond "she wasn't allowed outside when she studied to be empress" I would understand her total apathy more.

Ariande

7/10, I adore villains, especially villainous protagonists and at first I liked the idea she wouldn't be any better than her family but still had a soft spot for Arabella, she loses a few points because it turns out she's excused for killing people before in the name of "love" and is viewed as someone who can do no wrong.

Adelaide

10/10, she's like Navier but better, she has more noticeable flaws and while she is a kick ass warrior during the tower arcs she still is human and can't always take it alone without consequences, she acknowledges Diane's struggles and makes an effort not to be her enemy and is proof that you dont need to make FL overpowered gods to be strong women. A beautifully made FL in a underrated story

Robellia

1/10, She doesn't divorce her husband despite the title literally being "I will divorce my tyrant husband." But that's more of a problem in most other manhwa. She's too much of a perfect epic goddess for me and most of all she does the whole "buying all the slaves but giving them a home." to make her look even better, what is with manhwa and inserting slavery for no other reason other than to make the FL look better?

Arianna

0/10, there is nothing good about her. Other than being a mary sue and a personality that only revolves around the latest sexy man, she legit forces another guy to join her haram by threatening diplomatic war on his kingdom and bodyshames her fiance but all of a sudden wants him more than ever when he loses weight, it took a random chick being inserted with a 🍇ist persona to make her look "better."

Yerenica

6/10, in any other story, this girl would've been despised by the fandom for being a homewreaker/pick me. She gives me so much second hand embarrassment but she's not terrible, I actually really like her design too. Not a fan of the kidnapper-hostage relationship she and the ML have though.

Pereshati

10/10, the best one here. She feels so much more human than the others on this list, she's got flaws, a relationship with the ML Therdeo that has both realistic progression, blunders, but overall healthy love, she also has relationships outside of her husband which I really love, I actually get scared for her when shes in danger instead of the usual "oh great, heres the typical kidnapping trope", a great motherly FL

Hestia

5/10 I will be easy on her since I just started reading my derelict favorite but I've only heard bad things about it through spoilers so I don't have much hope, also girl, please acknowledge that just because your favorite character did it for love doesn't mean he's absolved for murdering 2 people, thank you

Edith

9/10, my 3rd favorite on this list. You do not know how happy I was when instead of immediately viewing Rhyse as a rival to defeat, she was actually nice to her and the chapters of them were so sweet, she even acknowledges that it isn't anyone's fault for acting out but the author who is pulling the strings.

Layla

8/10, I feel so bad for this poor girl. For some reason I noticed on reddit and tiktok that she's getting hate for not standing up to herself or just not being the usual "girlboss" protagonist, did it not occur that she cant do much to a duke!? Layla deserves so much better and she needs to be far away from Matthias, I don't care if it's "dark romance" he is torturing her for his own pleasure.

[gffa]

I don't know if you have read about Filoni saying that anybody/everybody can use the force now, that it was GL's vision on the force which is clearly a misinterpretation imo, to me he's just trying to make excuses for his bad writting about Sabine in the Ahsoka series. I do like the idea of everyone being part of the living force but I hardly dislike to think that anyone can be force sensitive and "become a Jedi" like they are trying to imply now. I mean, being a Jedi is more than being sensitive i know but I hope i make sense in what i'm trying to say here. I do like Sabine in Rebels she is such a good character as she is, a badass Mandalorian, why everyone needs suddenly use the force and be a Jedi out of nowhere? I'd like to know your opinion about it if you feel like answering. Thanks.

I mean, I will give Felony this: I'm pretty sure Lucas did say somewhere along the way that the Force is for everyone/that everyone can use the Force. My issue with Felony isn't that Sabine can use the Force, it's that his writing to take her down that path felt disconnected from her entire established story and that he stretched the worldbuilding too far--being able to grab your lightsaber in battle, okay, sure, maybe I could accept that, but the ability to also give Ezra a massive push across that huge of a distance. The Jedi have always said the Force is for everyone, Yoda gives a whole speech to Jek, Thyre, and and Rhys about how they can use the Force to quiet their minds in the very first episode of TCW. I don't have Lucas' quote on hand, so take it or leave it as you will, but I do think "the Force is for everyone" fits with his themes. I just don't think that Sabine being written as a Jedi makes sense for her character, even given how lost and adrift she felt (not that we actually got to see any of the important part of why she would turn down this path, just suddenly she's here! and only monologuing to tell us what happened), beyond Felony wanted her to be special. And I'm all for female characters getting to be special (male characters get to be special all the time) but not at the expense of breaking the worldbuilding, because now being able to wield the Force means less, because it's being handed out like candy to Felony's faves, rather than something that has worldbuilding and thematic rules. But that's also coming from someone who cares more about the Force and the themes of the narrative than almost any single character in Star Wars, so I treat it as being rather precious, and other people aren't going to feel the same way. A lot of people probably did love Sabine getting to use the Force. If Sabine had genuinely only been able to do small things or used it to quiet her mind/feel connected to the galaxy, I would have been perfectly fine with that. That made sense to me. But that giant push for Ezra to get him on the ship? Blehhhhh, that was more about making a Dramatic Moment than it was about keeping to the themes of Star Wars. So, personally, I'm just kind of compartmentalizing it into "Felony's pet fave gets special treatment, I'm not counting it towards worldbuilding" because I just don't care enough anymore. XD

[valscodblog]

"Trick or Treat" Valeria Garza x F!Reader

So uhm. VAL HAS MADE AN APPERANCE IN MY WRITTING!! Your welcome, I guess???

Warnings: SPICY FLIRTINGGGG, and maybe a lil more spicy stuff at the end too, so sue me, BAD EDITING, im tired. And uhm nothing else really. It's just some good ol' fluff with you and Mami Val. Female reader, im sorry im sorry-and it's short asf im sorry.

also, i might of misspelled a few words in Spanish. i wasn't using a translator bc im fluent but uhmm...sometimes i fuck up the spelling a few words, im sorry.

@seconds-on-the-clock @skauni @writing-with-moss and uhmmm yeah-

(okay before you read this can we talk abt how my name's Val-TvT)

Valeria called you into the bathroom of the house you shared with her. Yo were already ready, in your grim reaper costume, picked out by her of course because you were sorta of in a slump this Fall. You just couldn't come up with a cute costume idea like you did last year for you two! So Val searched up some costumes and picked out some cute ideas for you.

"Mi Vida, can you do the face paint for me, por favor?" you nodded and took up the brush she was holding out to you. You dipped it into the black paint and asked, "What do you want me to paint?" Valeria smiled and said, "Una calavera. A skull." and you sighed. "Really, Val? You can't wait until November?" "A skull." "...Fine." "Grasias, Mi Alma." "your welcome-" "In Spanish, please." "...De nada?"

Valeria sighed. "Maybe I should've taught you more spanish before moving you to Mexico," she said as she rested her hands on your hips. You giggled gently and finished up her face paint. "Your all done," you murmured softly as you set the brush down. "Muy bueno. Very good...your such a good artist, Mi Corazon." "Oh, Val, c'mon!"

"Ay, I'm being serious, Amor!" and you huffed, "Fine."

Trick or Treating had started and you, being the sweet thing you were, passed out candy. A few guys try to hit on you sure, but you had a feeling that they stopped the second Val started looking up from her phone. "Val. Babe, how come your on your phone so much?" Valeria smiled gently. "I'm trying to buy you a birthday gift-it's soon, no?" "Well, yes, but-" "No buts. Now-need help with that dulce?" and you swore you could've died happy right then and there. "Please. My feet are killing me."

Val took the basket and started passing out the candy while you sat down in the lawn chair she had been in-still warm. Huh...your eyes started to droop but you didn't fall asleep. You couldn't....okay, maybe just a small ten minuet nap....

Valeria looked over to you and sighed gently. She had made a "Take one" sign for a reason after all. She pulled out a small stool, set the bowl down and then the sign leaning against the bowl. She then picked you up, with surprising ease. Hmm...she'd have to feed you a little more, if you were still so easy to pick up.

She walked inside with you and laid you down on the bed, taking off your boots. You woke up as she did this and grumbled, "What the hell..?" "Buenos dias, Mi Luz." You smiled and giggled, "Morning, Val...did I really fall asleep?" "Just for twenty minuets or so. Not long." and you nodded as you rolled over onto your stomach. Your dress rolling and then clumping up around your hips, exposing your lacey black panties.

Valeria rolled her eyes, "You trying to turn me on, Mi Amor?" and you hummed in a questioning tone. "Sus chones...muy bonita." Valeria said, grabbing the waistband with a finger and then lifting it up and then letting it go, taking her finger back, realishing the slapping noise it made on your skin. She laughed softly at the whimper you gave because of it and pressed a soft kissed to the nape of your neck.

"Good to sleep, Mi Vida...I'll have breakfast ready for you in the morning...I'll also change you, if you want."3

"Valeria!" "Que? I'm just offering." "...fine but don't do anything." "I promise not to." "Good...Night, Babe." "Buenas Noches, Mi Amor."

[abbyshands]

Can I say something really quick? The person who wrote that post complaining was just trying to shame smut writers 😭 I did stalk them and had porn links of "Ellie and Abby" so I really don't understand from where she came from. Aldo you are right, writting it's such difficult and more difficult write fluff things. At the end of the day please mind your business and write whatever you want bc no one pay you for it, it's a HOBBY

i've seen sooo many people talking about it so i'm not sure which account originally said it, but !!! regardless of who did, i absolutely agree. i'm just wondering why it's a big deal for people to make and post smut? i'm not a big fic reader at all, but if i ever feel like reading and i check a fic's warnings and i don't want to read it, i just ... scroll? is that not what you're supposed to do? why do we have to bring down people in the process? that's what makes me upset. i write for my job in real life as well, just like the fiction i write here, and i can tell you that, with the amount of angst and fluff i've written for work, it's tiring to come up with ideas, and executing them is even more exhausting. don't get me wrong: i'm grateful for being able to make money by doing what i love. but i get really hard on myself with all that i write, especially those two genres. it takes a long time to write, which is why i never want to rush it, and i always want it to be presentable. smut isn't like that for me. i'm okay with making a quick drabble. but for me, genres like angst and fluff, or even dark content (which i have also written) is where i feel like my skills as a writer truly show. so when i send it over to clients, or when i post it publicly in general, i want it to be perfect, at least in my eyes. you know?

and you're so right! any genre you write should be for fun. that's all. like, when did we lose the "fan" in fan fiction? so much more to worry about than a bunch of sapphics just having fun. unless what you're uploading (mainly smut wise for this take, but also in general) is wrong (morally, legally, ethically, etc), then i don't understand why you need to feel ashamed about posting it. this in mind, write what you want to write.

[vaxildanscyare]

Tech x F!Reader

( +18 )

This is my first time ever writting anything like that on tumblr so I hope it will turn out good. Also please if you aren't adult don't read this.

" Pleasant distraction "

Warnings : Description of sex | First time | Oral ( f!receiving ) | Unprotected sex | Tech's skillful fingers | Reader is a virgin so is Tech

You and Tech had been dating each others for more than a month , to be specific it would be 43 rotations. How you know that well , let's say that Tech always takes notes on important things and for him you were important. You both shared familiar interests , you both were great listeners to each others. . .listening to him ramble about his favorite activities or discoveries always felt pleasant.

Thought recently he had became a little more busy , you didn't knew exactly why. All you seen was basically him sitting in front of his datapad , staring at it , tapping on it. Usually you would understand that since they are pretty busy with their own things - mercenary work. However you missed his company. . .alot. you miss where he had more focus on you.

This day you just couldn't take much anymore , when the rest of the bad batch did their standard supply room you decided to approach Tech who was like usual doing something on his datapad. Your hand softly landed on his shoulder which caused him to switch his attention at you for a moment. Just for a short time before focusing back on his task.

" Need something , cyar'ika ? "

He asked softly , his honey brown eyes stared at the screen of his datapad as he waited for your answer.

" I need you. "

Your voice quiet almost in whisper , when your fingertips gently grazed left side of his neck which caused him to shiver a little. His focus still staying onto his dear device , well he was really determinated to complete his task it seems.

" I'm busy at the moment , give me ten minutes. . . "

You frowned knowing this response pretty well , when he says ten minutes it usually ends up in hour. Not this time. You had quite interesing idea , now moving in front of him to settle down on his lap. Wondering if he still will keep his focus onto it even if you start to just. . .casually stripping off. You swiftly removing your shirt throwing it to the side revealing your blue sport bra.

" Look at me. "

You asked him softly , finally Tech gave up and decided to take a short glance on what you were up to. His breath suddenly hitched as he saw your exposed skin , there goes his focus.

" shit. . . "

He cursed under his breath , his hands now gently landed on her sides. It was like touch of feather however very cold since he was still in his armor. Your hand landing on sides of his helmet to remove it then afterwards landing on his cheeks , holding his face as you lean into kiss. It was gentle however still passionate. The clone trooper returned the kiss , his hands feeling your exposed sides and your back. He pulled away soon realizing that his squad might be back soon they shouldn't of start anything.

" Wait. . .they will come back soon- we shouldn't do th- "

" Don't worry. Hunter would let me know when they will be coming back. They should be away for two hours. "

Wait. . What? His eyebrow raised as you told him that. . .Hunter knew? Was he helping you in a form of wingman and it was all planned out so they had time for each others? He adjusted his goggles thinking about it for a moment and deciding to continue. He pressed soft kisses against your neck , his hands smoothly working to work on removing your sport bra. His kisses now moved from your neck to land in between your breasts. Your one hand landing behind back of his neck to hold him close to your body while your other hand's fingers moving through his brown short hair. His kisses , his touch it felt like your skin is on fire. He made you get up from his lap for a moment so he could lower his pants down a little then revealing his growing erection from his boxers with soft sigh. Meanwhile you worked to remove your pants as well. As you wanted to settle back down on his lap he stopped you.

" First we have to prepare you.

Let me take care of it. "

You felt your cheeks heat up as he said that. Now wondering in what way he would prepare you. He gently set you down on the counter in front of him , his gloved hand pulling your panties to the side. You could feel how your core was burning from just being touched by him in any way. His two fingers sliding between your folds to collect your wetness then licking his fingers clean. You almost felt like with things like those you gonna reach your release. You never seen Tech's side like that.

"If you feel uncomfortable. Let me know. I will stop. "

He said softly , he spreaded your legs and it didn't took long for his head to go right betweeen them. You could feel his tongue teasing your clit , circling his tongue around it for friction which earned a soft shaky moan from you. His fingers sliding in between your folds moving up and down not wanting to penetrate you. His other hand wrapped around his shaft pumping it softly preparing it as well. Two hours sounds like alot but it completly wasn't. Already around 40 minutes passed and it was just his simple foreplay.

" F-Fuck. . . Tech. "

You said in between your shaky moans which caused him to glance shortly at you , quite proud of his work , of which state he was putting you in. Moaning out his name softly. Soon Tech got up , towering over you as you lay down on the counter. His hips positioned in front of yours before smoothly sliding in. Sudden pain.

" Tech. . .stay still please. "

He was a little confused until he gazed down and noticed. . you were virgin. His hands landing on your sides gently caressing them , giving you time to adjust to his size.

" Take your time , you doing perfect mesh'la "

He said gently , his hands still gently caressing your sides as you take your sweet time. You always adored how even Tech didn't seemed like a guy who was affectionate in public he made up for it in private , how he cared about your wellbeing above his personal pleasure.

After a moment as you gave him non-verbal signal that he can continue , he started to thrust softly. The pain turned slowly into pleasure. He kept steady and gentle rhythm leaning now lower to capture your lips with his. You still could taste yourself on his lips. . .and genuinely? It felt great. Your body was burning but his armor was cold which gave quite interesing combination. . . cooling you down basically. He continued to thrust , they became a little more faster , your arms wrapped around him to hold him close. You didn't wanted to let him go like ever , with every thrust you felt like you reached your release closer and closer. It took around ten minutes for you to finally came all over hi shaft and Tech instantly came right after you when your walls clenched around his length. Tech let out loud moan not even knowing that he couldn't release something like that from his mouth.

You two finished just in time , having around twenty minutes to dress up and clean up before the rest of bad batch returns.

[dariaastrid]

Bridgerton season 3

All right, I loved the season so far, but that's my take, what could be improved with storyline (there were lots of bad writting choices as well as good one, but I want to outline my thoughts). So, I'll try to sum up, what could be written or added, that could make narration style more elegant and truthful to the viewers. Free to disagree. Sorry for the mistakes in advance. English is not my first language.

Colin's character arc. A lot of the things we got was told through the dialogue or was subtle, but not in between. I had a feeling that they haven't developed him enough to really show his inner conflict. Sometimes he was a side-character in his own show(part 2 did him bad), while the thing he should be the main one, because it shows his dynamic with Penelope/Lady Whistledown and key to understand their dynamic as a couple and his character arc. Other leading male characters had that physiological touch/depth to their character, while Colin somehow didn't. What we needed: flashback to his travels and small plot about loosing himself there or maybe gaining false confidence(could be done with him alone reading the lines of his letters), study of the middle-child complex(scenes with small Colin and Antony, who was the father figure for him, or brother dynamics with parents that could outline his people pleaser arc), more journaling, including the scene we got, but also about his writting challangies, more details about his likes and dislikes as a writer(favourite authors, could be the scene with Benny, because writting and art is quiet close). Maybe, not him tellling of his jealousy, but again creating scene that show views that he feels inferior. All other thing they did alright, I guess.

Penelope's character arc. I guess I kinda like a lot of things, but I didn't like the ending with the message of 'woman couldn't have dreams, but their husbands could'. It doesn't matter for me was 'child; in the ending or not, but they should have given her character career arc plus. It might have been just a hint of her, talking about wrtitting a book or developing her gossip column into somethins more serious, like critique. Not her mentioning JUST editing Colin's book with a happy smile on her face, watching a newborn. That was the worst writting decision, because it proves Portia words. The whole point of Lady Whistledown was hiding under the mask and trying to gain control and power through her her, because Penelope was too afraid to bloom. In fact that power was within her, and although they did the choice of her uncovering face and name in the end, it didn't end well in her arc. It could have done way better, considering the point they made in the begining. I would also love to see more of her experience sexual awakening after episode five as a slow process of gaining that condifence and gaining control in bedroom(that will be my 3 bullet point about them together) by proceeding it through imagining, talking with friends or dreaming. Besides, I'd like to add that tv show would have benefited from scenes, where she's not only writting, but also looking at the mirror, kinda trying to see, what she really is every now and then(we had one of that scene in green dress). Could be in her bedroom before mirror scene, but after carriage one. It would have made sense, how perception of her body changed, and the mirror scene would have hit stronger. Could be done during her struggles of Whistledown reveal too.

Now let's focus on main couple, and what could have gone better, if writers didn't try to fit 10 storylines in 8 series and literally tried to write their leads attentively and thoughtfully. Polin. First and foremost, that talk about how they met (again bad creative decision, story should show, not hit right between your eyes) MUST have been a flashback. I don't take no as an aswer. It was the only part lacking through their development from season one. This one flshback could have fixed lots of things. + I think audience need a bit more warm-up with just the two of them in the first part of the show(more charming lessons, at least one more befoe the kiss, where Colin starts to get confused about his feelings, and it would have worked perfectly with all the other things). + him really going through the process of figuring out that she is Lady Whistledown. I feel like Luke played subtle emotions perfectly, but we didn't get build up of him, slowly noticing things from his POV(there were chances in the show and lines in the dialogues, ink scene, where they could have hinted on Colin's expression, even in the 1 part, that he could have found some of the Pen's action suspicious, but didn't question it or didn't want to believe in it because of the feelings, until finally he would have followed her to the dark streets of the town). Next thing, they should have shown the process of following her to raise the suspense, him hoping that was another person, her being in shadows in her cloackm, and that at the same time this build-up would have made Luck's acting incredible fulfilling and impactive) + after the reveal it's out of his character to leave her alone, and I guess writers lost themselves elsewhere + more dialogues with them not talking about their relationship, but art and craft of writting(again they share many common interests, why didn't they show us that before the fight and after they made up) + more dialogues with them being cute and teasy as in church and after the sex+ prolonging scene, where he reads her letters, but not just showing the letter, but hearing her voice in his ears + longing should have had more scenes and more touching and being hot and cold, not only him sleeping on the couch(this just one creative indea, but it's not enough, but by talking also), going back and forth after the fight, just the night encounter next to modiste and blue gown(in this particular one they didn't embodied the tension, my idea that although Colin wouldn't like the intimacy, when he is angry, but the stare wan't enough, he should have come, touched her and then made himself stop with a line or without it), these scenes were not enough to show their struggle there + longer scene of them making up after the ball and chage of sexual dynamic, because this is important to her character arc and him accepting her. This scene should have been the third long steamy scene, not 20 seconds with the attention to the details and how they do through trust and communicating with each other, it could have been wrtitten beautifully and releasing the tension of conflict between them by swapping roles, and Colin by that finding out he loves it, while Pen finally taking control as she wanted and as her real character is after revealing her indenty + having him coming to his senses before her speech and him holding her hand instead of her mother + the love confession which is not about just drama, but also bout them as friends and their dynamics

I am not sure I need to write the second part, about other nuanciens aspects and acrs, but this what I would have done if I had a chance to be in the writting room with them

[20001541]

Maybe not much of an All For One focused question, but how was Yoichi able to avoid becoming codependent on his twin like afo was with Yoichi? It kinda makes more sense for Yoichi to be the codependent one since he's sickly and was the one being taken care of.

I think it's a really interesting writting choice by Horikoshi that adds a lot of nuance to them both as characters.

This is one of those instances where I wish we got more of Yoichi's pov during their backstory. Because of the circumstances they were born and grew up in honestly, I don't think Yoichi was able to avoid it in the beginning. I think there was a time where both twins were completely codependent on each other as they had no one else and no framing of what a healthy relationship should look like. Of course, I can't say this definitively because the only thing we're told about Yoichi's feelings regarding AFO during their childhood was that he wished to guide him on the path of goodness.

But I think the codependency was strong for both of them when they were younger as they had no one else and only a vague idea of what the world was like. However, as Yoichi grew older and began reading books and learning more about the world around him maybe he realized what they have going on isn't normal. There's also a whole world of people out there that he wanted to explore and get to know. I wonder if they ever fought about this, with Yoichi wanting to meet other people while AFO insists they don't need anyone else. Meanwhile AFO had no such interest to let anyone into his own little world. He just wanted it to be him and his brother. He even describes his ultimate dream of ruling the world empty without his brother by his side.

It all just boils down to Yoichi taking more of an interest of the world around him and the people while AFO only cares about the world and its people in terms of what they can provide him. Couple that with the sense of empathy Yoichi had as a child compared to AFO and you get one sibling who puts all his emotional needs on one person while the other is more open to being around others. So of course AFO ends up more codependent than his twin since he desires for all his emotional needs to be met by Yoichi and Yoichi alone. Its why he fights so hard to get him back because without him everything in his world is empty. He's had riches and many adoring followers throughout the years and yet none of it brings him any true satisfaction without his brother there by his side.

I do wonder if being separated from AFO for the first time in his life was rough for Yoichi after joining with Kudou and the others. Yes, he had to get away by any means necessary from his brother but I feel it would still be a struggle trying to get used to being without his brother there because he's so used to his constant presence. Besides I do believe Yoichi genuinely loves AFO and regrets not being able to save him from the path he was walking on. Maybe he felt guilt for leaving AFO like that even though it wasn't his fault AFO made him desperate to leave that vault. Not sure but it could be possible.

[kebriones]

it is entirely out of character for alcibiades to say "i hate myself" given that he is literally the Best at everything he does. if the ancient aristocrats like plato or alcibiades failed, then they would just get better by sheer resource of their genius; they would never even express self-pity bc it would be shameful. alcibiades' exceptional traits and ability to adapt to any situation stem from supreme self-confidence, never self-doubt or self-hatred

For anyone reading this, this is in reference to my fanfic which is a modern university AU which is heavily out of character for everyone involved anyways, and which I wrote on a whim while waiting for painkillers to kick in, in my bed. So please forgive any out of characterness, it's all just for fun. However, I don't think that particular bit was out of character for him, so here comes the essay.

I take a lot of how I characterize alcibiades in my fics from plato. If you read plato's symposium, the self-hatred, self-pity and self-deprication is very much there in alcibiades' speech. When he's with socrates, he says he feels like he can't stand his own life because he sees his deficiences and his mistakes. He understands that if he's to stay with socrates he must let go of many other things he wants and he can't do that, and he's saying outright how ashamed he is of himself when he meets socrates and has to admit certain things. In the Alcibiades 1, he is even more humbled by his shortcomings, expresses opn self-doubt and confusion.

This is what makes alcibiades so interesting and multi dimensional. He's at once extremely aware of his shortcomings AND extremely confident in himself, ashamed of himseld BUT ALSO has a bloated sense of ego. This conflict is very obvious in how plato writes him. And, for plato to write these things, he must also have some knowledge of such internal conflicts. If socrates was as he's presented, associating with him would make going through this humbling necessary.

Both in Plutarch and in Xenophon, we have alcibiades showing fear and uncertainty (when he's afraid to disembark immediately after returning to peiraius, even though he had been recalled to ahtens for a couple years at that point and had won her many victories)

This might be my subjective reading of his speeches, but I feel that in terms of expressing self-pity, he does so in thucydides, xeonophon and plutarch. He often laments the injustices done to him in his public speeches. For the speech he gives upon returning to athens, plutarch says "He lamented and bewailed his own lot, but had only little and moderate blame to lay upon the people. The entire mischief he ascribed to a certain evil fortune and envious genius of his own."

We must understand that alcibiades' ego didn't stop him from being a master manipulator. Andocides wrote that alcibiades has no problem with using tears and begging when it comes to gaining something for himself.

anyways yeah I feel kind of strongly about this because it's such a core conflict of his character, especially in plato's writtings, and a very interesting one at that. You have someone who's behaving as if he's so much better and above everyone else, and probably believes it most of the time, but when he's with socrates, he is forced to see that this isn't true. In the Alcibiades 1, this is exactly what socrates uses to make alcibiades see that he needs socrates if he is to become great. Because it's only socrates that can show him his deficiences, and again in plutarch it's said explicitly that this is why alcibiades respected and loved socrates above everyone else, because he humbled him and he was smart enough and self-aware enough to understand, at least sometimes, that this was necessary if he was to become as good as possible.

[softxsuki]

Could I request a letter for your Valentines Day Letter Event? I would love love LOVE a letter from baji. We've been friends since middle school and we became offical when we went to the same University. (He does veterinary medicine and I do art.) I'm 20 and he's 21 (dating for a couple of years at the time of him writting ir) and well... he does call me a variety of pet names depending on his mood (just wanna be call dollface/cutie). TONE: I'm thinking about a hurt to comfort letter where I get hurt/bullied (harassed and peer pressured by bullies and idk how to response bc i thought uni wasn't the place for bullying and high school drama. Guess not 💀) and he saves me but I don't respond bc i feel week and I should have done something instead of waiting for him ro come save me and I just feel undeserving of his love and isolate myself in my dorm (we live in different dorms). Baji not being sure on what to do/not wanting to pressure me (ik he isn't like this but shhh it's for the sake of the letter) write a letter expressing how much he genuinely cares for me and loves me (without it being out of character) and that I'm not alone and I have him. Location: it takes place at uni (so he slips it through underneath the door. After I read it, he comes in and we just cuddle and watch a movie (whilst hes holding me in his strong arms. He stays the night and makes me breakfast, also he "talks" to my bullies so that when I see them again they all run away 🏃 (they want no smoke). Other information: I'm usually the more affectionate one between us and like he reciprocates (was quite shy at first but warmed up to it and how he starts it... it gets a little heated sometimes if he's jealous 😳). I hope I'm not coming off as ooc by saying this (please correct me if I am). I feel like baji is somewhat reserved in public (unless he's jealous) like the most he'll do if give me a kiss or a brief hug (maybe ruffle my hair) but like o can tell he cares. I can't proprrly articulate it but he isn't just a feral troublemaker, he's more than that (acts of service - giving me water, snacks if so I don't get hungry or thirsty/reminding me to like eat and hydrate. Also I can confinde him about anything and he won't judge me for it. Also he doesn't judge me for my autism (actually G checks and fucks up anyone who tries it) and he doesn't care if I'm stimming or pacing around and like it's just really nice to not be seen as weird. Also like he's really attentive like if I'm having a shitty day he wont just not say anything, he'll pick up on it and do his dammest to make it go away. Like giving me advice (amazing if not a bit blunt), or doing what he can. Also I sometimes draw portraits and art of him bc I love him (and my hobby is art) and even if he insists I don't need to. I always make sure to buy him gifts (new cat toys/food, veterinary resources, yskisoba and snacks, etc) bc I want to give back to him.

But yeah that's all there is to it. I hope it isn't too much. Thank you for accepting my request and letting me send this in.

I hope you have a nice day. Ur amazing.

Baji's Comforting Letter to His Girlfriend

This event is now CLOSED, but you can view the masterlist for the other letters here.

| Pairing: Baji x Fem!Reader | Genre: Comfort, Fluff | Post-Type: Letter | Word Count: 1.1k|

Warnings: mentions of bullying, reader feels a little insecure

Note: Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you enjoy your letter from Baji :)

Baji feels awkward standing in front of your dorm door, his letter grasped between his fingers. You had run away from him a few days ago after he helped you out upon seeing your classmates harass you. Not knowing what to say after that, he gave you your space, but you still hadn’t reached out to him at all.

Worry filled him after your silence. Were you upset with him for some reason that he didn’t immediately reach out to you? Anxiety bubbled up within him as he stood outside your dorm room. It was Valentine’s Day and while that usually meant just staying indoors and ordering takeout with you like any other date, Baji felt like he had to do something extra for you this year to cheer you up. 

He wasn’t used to expressing his affection for you verbally, especially not in a letter since his handwriting was horrible and he couldn’t spell to save his life, but this is what lots of guys did for their girlfriends, right? Maybe it would help you feel better.

Swallowing his pride and brushing his embarrassment away, he slips the letter under your door and knocks a few times before rushing to hide behind a nearby wall so you wouldn’t see him.

You, busy sulking on your own in your dorm, jump slightly at the sudden knock on your door. You were  embarrassed that you had run away from your boyfriend after he helped you out. Of course you were grateful for his help and having him protect you like that sent butterflies erupting in your stomach, but you had let your classmates' words get to you. You felt undeserving of Baji’s love, how could you possibly deserve his attention when you were just you?

Sighing, you stand from your bed that you were wallowing away on, and approach your door, seeing an envelope in front of it. Curiously, you pick it up and see your name written on it. You look through the peephole of your dorm door but don’t see anyone outside it, opening the door slightly just to make sure no one was there, before closing it again.

You take a seat on your bed again as you open the envelope and begin to read its contents;

Hey Dollface,

Did I scare you off the other day? Or were you embarrassed that I found out you were getting picked on? You know I don’t care about things like that, but I wish you had told me yourself so I could have helped you out sooner. Don’t worry about those idiots, they won’t bother you again, in fact, no one will bother you again, I’ve made it very clear to them that they shouldn’t mess with my girl…

I’m sorry if I upset you for not running after you and giving you space. I should have looked for you and comforted you right away. But just…don’t feel like you’re alone. We’re partners, I want to share the pain you feel and I want to know when someone is bothering you so I can sort it out quickly. I love you too much to see you throw yourself down like that. If anything, I’m the one undeserving of you.

Anyway, it’s Valentine’s Day and I heard guys write stupid letters like these or something, so here it is. I really don’t get it, but if it makes you happy then good. I love you.

From,

You know who, do I really need to say it??

You smile to yourself as you read the letter, it was so like him. Super curt, straight to the point,  and probably took him forever to write out properly since the grammar and spelling were perfect. You read through the letter one more time, your eyes always stopping at his words ‘my girl’. You were his girl, despite how many times you may have thought you didn’t deserve his love, Baji would never pretend to be interested in you, he knew what he wanted, and that was you.

The only thing you’d ever picture him doing is pushing you away if you were ever in danger because of him. But he’d never lead you on and pretend to care for you, so why were you so worried in the first place?

You laugh to yourself and quickly grab your things, wanting to see him as soon as possible. Two days without being in his arms was long enough. You open your dorm door, but you definitely don’t expect to see your handsome man in front of you already. He backs you up into your dorm room and closes the door behind him, his eyes never leaving yours.

You could see his red ears, hinting as his embarrassment from his letter, but he still stood tall, his confidence never leaving. 

“Did you read it?” He asks, a hand coming up to rub your arms.

Baji had never been one to initiate affection with you, but since dating you for a while and getting used to your touchiness, he finds himself reaching out to you first now more often. He loves it.

“Mhm, thank you,” you smile, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. “I loved it, and I love you. Thank you for stepping in the other day for me…and I’m sorry for running off on you like that without a word, I just felt embarrassed.”

He shakes his head and laughs huskily, pulling you into his arms, his chin leaning on your shoulder as he squeezes you tight, “You don’t need to apologize. It’s my job to look out for you, just know that they won’t be bothering you again. They know what’ll happen if they do.”

You hug him back, missing the feeling of having his arms around you

“I’m sure you did. Thank you,” you hum, before a teasing smile graces your lips, “Happy Valentine’s Day. Such a romantic gesture to threaten my ‘bullys’ for me.”

He groans in your neck, guiding you back to your bed where he pushes you back into the mattress, hovering over you, “Yeah yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day. As long as you’re happy.”

And happy you were as he leaned down to pepper kisses all over your face.

Your day of love was spent cuddled up together with a movie playing in the background as Baji later attempts to cook brunch since it was still early on in the day. It wasn’t perfect, but you could care less as long as you got to spend it with him, that’s all that mattered.

Posted: 2/14/2024

[leggerefiore]

In relation to your N poll since it refused to fit in the comments: I firmly believe that N is a human. Ghetsis probably lashes out at him because he can’t accept defeat (his enraged speech about N after he failed to defeat the protagonist in BW, completely shutting down in B2W2, pushing and taking Lillie hostage in USUM, while other bosses were rather chill) and is jealous(!) (I think that both of them are distantly related to King Harmonia, and N is the one to inherit his ability to speak with pokémon, aka the chosen one. So the only logical thing to do (I condemn) in Ghetsis’ mindset, is to berate N for his uniqueness and make him think of himself as inferior). Also it’s easier to shift the blame for failure and redirect agression on someone else (coping). <— I don’t think any of this proves that N is a pokémon. Ghetsis sees pokémon as inferior beings and tools, so he degrades N to their level. The only healthy Ghetsis imagine I can come up with: is him being dragged by his partner to a psychiatrist (I am not in position to diagnose anyone, but from what I’ve read from books, I think Ghetsis may have ASPD). I like both Ghetsis and N (admittedly, I am thirsting for like Ghetsis more) because they provide so much room for theorizing, I wish we had more info on them. Now that I am thinking about it, I wonder how Ghetsis treated Anthea and Concordia, and at what age they both were adopted. Don’t remember seeing anything related to that in the first game. And what happened to N in the alternate universe USUM Ghetsis is from? What a messy family our old man cooked.

Anyway, now that I am here, I absolutely love your writing! The characters are written so… in character, it’s obvious you love all of them, and it makes your imagines so delightful to read, thank you so much! (I began adoring Lear because of you too, haha.) Don’t reply if you don’t see the need in it, just wanted to let you know my opinion. (Also I made a meme a while ago about writing Ghetsis content I was too anxious to send to you, but after your last post it now seems outdated. Sorry in advance for bad English and chaotic thoughts flow.)

Eh, you can send in whatever. I don't like Ghetsis, but I can laugh at him. Honestly I think the only times I've ever been like "??? No" was when people asked for actual child characters, like Alistair.

I would love for some more backstory on either of them, too. Why does Ghetsis have a ninja group under him? Why is he like that? Who are N's supposed real parents? Literally anything about Concordia and Anthea. Colress? How did Ghetsis meet him? A canon (not Masters) interaction between N and Colress is something desired. Also, any actual canon discussion about the King Harmonia those two are supposed to be related to. So many things to be desired.

Off-topic a bit, but one line from the previous post was from USUM Ghetsis about humans being easier to control. N probably still ended up having a change of heart in that universe... He also notes confusion at Colress betraying him, meaning Colress was at play somewhere there. I want to see all the USUM verses kind of. Maybe not Archie's or Maxie's. 7.8/10 too much water (and sun).

To be honest, Ghetsis's dialogue alone wasn't enough to really sway me. It was more Masuda's comment on N's possible backstory.

Granted, it's just a rumour, but I do find the thought experiment fascinating seeing as there are apparently people born from pokemon? Like the Froslass guy in the Alabaster Icelands in PLA. Ghetsis doing some freaky science experiments to make a Zoroark hybrid kid perfect for his plans really doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. (I want to explicitly state that I do not pull any of this from his personality and character traits. He is a socially uncertain, sheltered, and brainwashed guy trying his best – That does not make him something inhuman.)

Thank you for your kind words! I try so hard to learn about the characters as much as I can before I write them. I'm ready to write a dissertation on Cyrus's lore (which has now been mostly confirmed). And don't be afraid, I don't get mad at discussion. It's healthy for any theory, no?

[silencefromafar]

I'm back with another half-baked TROP analysis post, this time to dissect some aspects of the season finale. I will be focusing more on the events surrounding the fall of Eregion and comment briefly on the other storylines because, well, let's be honest, there was not much going on there.

Beware of mammoth post under the cut

So we begin Episode 8 already in Khazad-dun with King Durin III awakening the Balrog. When I first read the title 'Shadow and Flame' I was convinced that the Balrog would be the climax of the episode, Durin's Bane and all that being such anticipated event to LOTR fans. And as much as I found the dialogue between the two Durins really touching, the Balrog appearance itself was kinda bland. I didn't feel a sense of true menace like I felt while watching the fellowship desperately running for their lives. Probably because it seems like to escape the Balrog they just had to... close the opening? Second Age Moria's Balrog apparently just wants to sleep without uninvited dwarves barging into his bedroom. If you just leave and close the door he won't come after you. 🤷

Balrog box ticked, now we move to the Stranger and the Dark Wizard of Rhûn. This whole sequence felt like something done in a hurry, everything feels weird and flat. So the Dark Wizard comes out with some bad acting and with 'Hey, wanna hang out with me so we can overthrow Sauron to take his place as Dark Lord?' *wink wink* 'No? Then take these CGI rocks! Dark Wizard out!'. I won't even comment on the sand peop- I mean, the nomads comedic exit. I say only that Gandalf and the proto-hobbits deserved better. This was supposed to be the big reveal of the season, right? The Stranger is Gandalf! Instead, it felt more like an after thought. I really hope they can bring back the good writting to these storylines since theirs was my favorite part of season 1.

Gandalf test ticked, now we go back to Ereg-I actually had to come back and edit this because I forgot about Númenor. Ok, so I loved Míriel's sea trial, it was so beautifully done and it gave me hope that we would see the Faithful forces start to fight back and some actual power struggles going on. Since season one we have been told that Númenor is divided but we don't get to actually see it playing out (I guess if you count that MAGA guy making that speech about immigrants stealing their jobs...). All it took for Pharazôn's faction to get rid of the Faithfuls was a piece of paper written by God knows who. Míriel's trial was simply unnecessary. You could have it cut out from the narrative and it wouldn't make a difference. If a piece of paper was all it took, Pharazôn wouldn't even need to say that Míriel used dark arts to survive. He could have touched the Palantír at any time, let's be honest: he would never abstain from using such a powerful device solely based on political values. His political values are power. *sigh* At least we got Narsil, that was a good fan service.

Now back to Eregion, the dramatic and action core for the season and the only storyline that got a proper development (or did it?). So one shot sequence and Galadriel captured back by Adar's Orcs, yeah. It was a nice touch that they showed her rescuing the same people that appeared previously on Sauron's illusion. She uses the Nine to bargain with the Orcs and the scene ends with her delivering a witty line. Cue to... Celebrimbor's torture. Yep. We go from that quip to a torture scene. There's so much weird stuff coming from Galadriel's deliveries in this episode... But I will come back to that later.

Back to Annatar and Celebrimbor, the outstanding part of the season. The whole torture scene with the dialogue between them was so emotionally heavy! Celebrimbor's lines were soooo good! I mean Dear Lord this is what I want from this show! It was SO good I transcribed it:

"Your only craft is treachery! So pure it shall betray the very hands that forges it! [...] No. No, hear me. Hear me, Shadow of Morgoth! Hear the dying words of Celebrimbor! The Rings of Power shall destroy you. And in the end, I foresee, one alone shall prove your utter ruin! [...] You are their prisoner: Sauron, Lord of the Rings."

The way we see the spear in Sauron's hands start to tremble while Celebrimbor spells his doom right before he strikes out in rage? Get. Out.

In death, Celebrimbor finally triumphs over Sauron. His will prevailed. He didn't give up the location of the Nine rings, enduring all that torment under Sauron's hands to buy time for Galadriel to get the rings away from the city. And this is why Galadriel delivering a quirky one-liner right before such a poignant scene leaves a bad taste in my mouth. For surely Galadriel knows what's going on after her last talk with Celebrimbor. She certainly could imagine what fate awaited Celebrimbor. But whoever wrote her lines didn't seem to be in the same room where Celebrimbor's scenes and dialogues were written, not only because of the glaring disparity in quality but also because of the tone deafness, the lack of awareness about what's the emotional state Galadriel is - or should be - in.

We still have another box to check: the Southlanders. I like Isuldir and Estrid, but my favorite part was Theo and Isil talk. Poor Theo just needs an adult parent figure, ffs bring Arondir back to his boy before Sauron shows up offering him a ring. 🥺 Anyway, something something Kemen is in Pelargir and I hope Berek kicks him right into Mount Doom's fiery pits.

BACK to Eregion: Celebrimbor is dead and Galadriel is brought before Adar who we see has been healed by Nenya just by WEARING IT. This is huge! We see Adar's fair elf form but once again the show skirts around revealing his old elven identity by having Adar outright reject it and give Nenya back to Galadriel. Now I have a problem with how the show dealt with Adar's arc conclusion because they had been setting up everyone and their mothers to have confrontations with Adar. The guy had a waiting list with Sauron, Arondir and Elrond on it. And all of them lacked emotional depth. I mean, don't get me wrong, I felt for Adar, being killed by the children he loved so much. It was incredibly cruel of Sauron, but also kinda impersonal? Even more compared with their interaction back in season 1 where Saurbrand almost finishes Adar. Anyway RIP Adar, I will miss you.

Now to the main event: Sauron x Galadriel. First thing I would like to point out is the use of Dutch angle. This is used mostly to convey that something is wrong, it is meant to leave us weirded out. So it's worth noticing that the show changes to Dutch angle at the moment the Orcs present Galadriel to Adar. The camera goes back to regular angling only after Galadriel picks up the blade to attack Sauron. Could it mean that Sauron was already around while Adar and Galadriel talked? Was he listening to their conversation? I'm not sure what they intended with this yet. But it is also worth noticing that right when the orcs arrive carrying Glûg and Adar leaves her side to see him, Galadriel pointedly puts her hand on her chest (a gesture that has been repeated enough times so we know it means something) and breaths heavily. When Sauron finally appears, the camera work gets even weirder: here we see Sauron and Galadriel with the use of shot and reverse shot. This is filming 101: shot and reverse shot are used to show characters interacting face to face. But then we see that Sauron is actually behind Galadriel. What exactly were they going for with this? I have some ideas but tbh at this point I'm not completely sure it wasn't another editing mistake so I will try to not read too much into it. :/

There are several posts about Sauron's line about not wanting to harm Galadriel, so I will not delve into it. I truly believe that he meant it at that point. Instead, I want to focus on something that I haven't seen be addressed: right after Sauron sees Nenya on Galadriel's finger, he demands that she hands it over... and the Nine. Now HOW TF did Sauron know that Galadriel had the Nine Rings of Men???? This is such a glaring gap in the narrative. Celebrimbor endured torture and still didn't reveal the rings location. By the time that group of orcs captured Galadriel outside the city Celebrimbor's torture was still going on so there weren't any Orcs working for Sauron yet to send him word. Was Sauron in her mind? But then if he could access her thoughts so easily why waste so much time on trying to extract information from Celebrimbor? Unless he could only do so after she put on Nenya back on her finger? If so, why would he want Nenya back? Isn't it better for him to have her using it so he can influence her? Why send her visions to attract her to Eregion and not do the same with Gil-Galad and Círdan if he wants the elven rings back? Or does he want only Nenya? Then why only Nenya? The show brings up many questions and offers no answers. I really hope that they don't just brush it all aside. Anyway, I have already expressed my views on their fighting scene here if you all are interested. I will only comment that I like the idea of Sauron using the same crown that killed him to forge a blood bond by piercing Galadriel with it. If Sauron talking directly into Galadriel's mind and the interesting camera lens use are anything to go by they might be setting up a scenario where they can interact through a mind connection. I hope they go in that direction.

P.S.: That shot with Sauron holding Fëanor's hammer, where the hell did he get that??? I mean, the last time we saw that hammer was when Celebrimbor yeeted it thru the window when he tried to hit Annatar with it 🤷

P.S.2: That epilogue was way too cringe :/

P.S.3: I realized that I probably sound like a hater lol I swear I'm not. I really got invested into the show watching season 2. I watched episode 1 twice because it was so good! To me S2 was a significant improvement compared to S1. For the most part. Notable exception being the the last two episodes. And I really hope they can get back on track and figure out how they want to tell this story.

[sitp-recs]

Hi liv! I was wondering if you had any fics with really charged moments between harry and draco? Where they both want each other but are unwilling to make a move? They don't strictly have to be slow burn or ust fics because I feel like I've read some where there's a fast sexual burn but they still contain heavy moments. This ask was inspired by me just finishing little Compton street and rereading some bixgirl fics, and I know you love those authors so hopefully you know the vibe I'm trying to find! Thank youuu

Ohh I love this ask! And I’m really pleased to know that we share some favorite authors and works, LCS has my whole heart ❤️ I also think that Writ and Bix are great authors to binge read if you’re looking for that specific vibe of UST, their fics are sooo cinematic. Here are some recs, I’ll save this list as “intense UST” lol

Take These Lies by @pennygalleon (E, 20k)

There’s a portrait of his godfather in Draco Malfoy’s potions shop and Harry needs to know why. But that’s not why he keeps coming back.

The Venice Job by nishizono (E, 25k)

Harry Potter was one of the youngest Aurors in history. He was the Boy Who Lived, and the Boy Who Lived Again. He loved Guinness and Quidditch, and hated pineapple. He wrote letters to Hagrid every Thursday, and on Sundays, he visited Hermione and Ron. Harry Potter was also not gay.

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor by birdsofshore (E, 28k)

God, he wanted this – wanted it so much he could taste it, a metallic tang of heat and desire. He suspected nothing would ever be the same again – especially when he saw who else was in the room.

War Wounds by SilentAuror (E, 30k)

Some wounds take longer to recover from than others. HP/DM, with background HP/GW. Themes of alcoholism, love triangles, and dubious fidelity.

Us, in Lieu by Tepre (E, 30k)

Teddy needs help and Harry needs funding. Draco sits in the other room and plays the piano.

Expecto Patronum by @writcraft (E, 35k)

As Draco Malfoy negotiates his feelings for the wizarding world's brightest star, he becomes increasingly attached to Harry and unravels the secrets he keeps hidden from the rest of the world.

Stately Homes of Wiltshire by waspabi (E, 57k)

Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship (E, 83k)

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less.

Who we are in the shadows by @quicksilvermaid (E, 100k)

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Can't Sit Still by wilteddaisy (E, 193k)

Five years after the war, Harry finds himself drawn to Draco Malfoy by memories that aren't his own. Or, in which Harry hates his Auror partner, Draco flips houses, Pansy sleeps around, Hermione is a magical creatures’ justice warrior, Blaise is getting married, and Ron is just along for the ride.

[rukimakino-heirofheart]

🔥Puella Magi Madoka Magica

🔥Renaruki

🔥 MadoMagi:

The original anime was pretty mediocre and had a mediocre soundtrack. Its fatal flaw is that it tries to center itself around a single main character (Madoka Kaname herself) whose viewpoint we see the world through, but her characterization physically cannot get focus in this format in an anime, because you just don't get to see how deeply screwed up her worldview is if you never know what she's thinking. Consequently, you actively lose information by telling the story in a format other than a novel or VN. (Observant viewers may recognize this as the same ultimate problem behind why adapting FSN for the screen inherently requires getting more exposit-y about Shirou's deal.) Ultimately, I wholeheartedly recommend skipping the MadoMagi TV anime entirely; most of the best parts of the Puella Magi Series are elsewhere and don't expect familiarity with a disappointing TV anime. (The Different Story, Rebellion, and Wraith Arc escape this curse by not being Madoka-centric, instead focusing on more conventional protagonists in Kyouko and Homura.)

Rebellion was a perfectly fine ending in and of itself, and it doesn't need a sequel. The only reason I'm interested in Walpurgis no Kaiten's existence is that it seems to be going so far out of left field that I kind of have to entertain it and find out what the cook is.

Of the "classic" Puella Magi titles (pre-2017, i.e. before Magia Record), I'd rank them like this:

Puella Magi Tart Magica - Masugitsune

Puella Magi Oriko Magica - Kuroe Mura

Extended Puella Magi Madoka Magica Series - Gen Urobuchi (TV, Rebellion, Wraith Arc) & Masaki Hiramatsu (TDS) & Hanokage (Wraith Arc)

Puella Magi Suzune Magica - GAN

Puella Magi Kazumi Magica - Masaki Hiramatsu

Rankings of Tart and Oriko may be swapped depending on how I'm feeling that day.

This is not to say that Suzune and Kazumi are bad manga, but the former quite infamously ran into production troubles and the latter bit off way more than it could chew, and it shows. Kazumi has a lot of cool plot ideas and themes in play but reading it for the first time can feel like being subjected to a plot point firing squad. The original manga run of Suzune was good but not spectacular -- it didn't truly get to shine until the MagiReco crossover events started happening. (It has been 1200 days since the last Suzune event...)

MagiReco fans often describe Arc 2 as "when it gets good," and it's common to write off Arc 1 entirely as an extended prologue, however I do still maintain that Arc 1 is a good story on its own terms. You can feel the weight of the production issues (there's a very noticeable midpoint shift where a major rewrite happened) but it's still a perfectly fine and coherent story. Most of what the fandom writ large likes to call "flaws of Arc 1" are just, intentional foreshadowing.

When AniReco (the companion anime to MagiReco that tells a completely separate story)'s final batch of episodes originally came out that fateful April 3, I gave the production as a whole a massive side-eye (I distinctly remember logging on and asking a chatroom I was in "what is even happening?? Why is the anime Folklore of Zero propaganda all of the sudden?? Wait, Neo Dorothy Motherfucker???? Huh??????"), but I've since warmed up to it. It's its own thing, and you have to have its place in the series' cosmology and the showrunner's goals in writing it explained to you first before you start watching, and it makes some writing decisions I find to be questionable, but it did a remarkably good job for a series that was slashed from 39 episodes down to 25 halfway through.

Apparently this is a hot take now: I like Nagisa Momoe's actual backstory as detailed in MagiReco a hell of a lot better than "dumb idiot child wished for cheese instead of healing her ailing mother." The collected Nagisa cycle of MagiReco stories makes her arguably the single most interesting member of the Holy Quintet.

I want more Kyubey worldbuilding, goddammit! We know precious little -- the Incubators were created by an advanced alien civilization (local expert Touka Satomi, A1C9), and their tissue is analogous to stem cells and can be reconfigured on the fly (Kosane Kiriha, NMG) -- and I need to know more! What were the progenitors like? Did they wipe themselves out? Actually, now that I think about it, are Incubators like Touhou's shikigami where you take fleshy hardware and flash it with your own artificial intelligence? We know a human can control one (Madoka uses LoC-branded pink Incubators for surveillance purposes) and we know a human can have their soul shoved into one losslessly (mokyu!), so like, what are the limitations here? Hell, the Pleiades made their own once! It sucked at its job, but it existed! How did they do that? Tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I think that even in the absence of the Automatic Purification System, being a magical girl is just kind of objectively better than being human. You get to opt out of mortality, you get private(-ish) telepathic communication for free, you get a shrunken hitbox -- no more worrying about workplace safety hazards as long as you protect the gem! -- you get a weirdly specific personal magic that varies in effectiveness from Konomi's baton pass to Iroha's localized time reversal, and even if you don't get something useful you still have a magical weapon that you can spawn on command. That's even before we get into the existence of Coordinators, and the logical applications of their Adjustment magic in gender-affirming care. To be quite honest, if Kyubey ever had reason to approach me, my wish would probably just straight-up be "immediately megucify every human who exists right now and every human who will ever exist in the future regardless of energy cost."

I'm scared of the new Magia Exedra mobage's existence because (1) it's very prominently advertised as being Quintet-centric and I'm sick and tired of the Quintet, and (2) there's a nonzero chance it will take resources away from Magia Record to focus instead on what seems, if the credits on the website are to be believed, to be a shitty autobattler. MagiReco is the best thing the Puella Magi Series has ever done and I want it to survive well past its tenth anniversary.

🔥 RenaRuki:

Okay, seriously, did the entire Tamers fandom collectively forget that, past a certain part of the D-Reaper arc, none of the Primary Colors are actually human anymore? Because it feels like I'm the only one who's acknowledging this, despite the fact that "Ruki, alienated from humanity, voluntarily gives it up, while Renamon, aligned with humanity, is a trans woman" seems like a pretty obvious thread to work with, and being turned into a digital life-form offers plenty of opportunities for neat body horror, not even to mention how this affects the ways in which Ruki's Candy timeline counterpart has steadily been getting worse for two decades.

[Side note: I really need better names for the "more canon" movie timeline that's relevant, essential and true, and the "less canon" drama CD timeline that isn't. If I keep calling them Meat and Candy I'm going to get weird looks from the non-Homestucks.]

I swear I had more observations I was going to put here but I got sidetracked. Might add on a reblog later.