#I'll also be looking for triangle agency

[emo-ginger]

My mom pulled the "getting you a ps4 game while you don't have a ps4" move with ttrpg stuff (I now have the shadowrun critter book, but not the core rules).

So now I must go to my local ttrpg store to correct this small error and buy new things...truly tragic :3

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PRELIMINARY ROUND - BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL THE SERIES

PROPAGANDA

Fred Burkle

1.) She is chronically a damsel in distress in the canon even though she has demonstrated her intelligence and ability to use weapons. The canon consistently takes away her agency over her body and ability to make decisions just to further plot. Why does she die because she gets possessed by a god for no reason </3

2.) ok I promise I'll be more normal about the other ats female characters than about cordy. fred was introduced as a genius physicist who had spent five years stuck in a demon dimension where humans were persecuted, surviving on her own and trying to somehow find a way back home. after being rescued from the demon dimension by the show's main characters, she joins the main cast and starts trying to readjust to the normal world. the setup for her character is really interesting, with her having a lot of trauma from her time in the demon dimension, feeling helpless, and struggling to become comfortable living in the human world again. but I guess because she's a Woman the show instead reduces her to just being at the centre of a love triangle with two of the other main characters, which she has almost no agnecy in and gets stretched out over like two seasons. and then after she breaks up for good with one of the guys and it looks like MAYBE she'll at least be freed from love triangle hell, the show introduces a NEW love interest for her just to keep the love triangle drama going. she basically never gets any focus or to be an active player in the show's plot aside from in a couple of episodes, pretty much being reduced to just a damsel in distress. and as if all that wasn't bad enough, fred's story ends with her being killed by a demon that takes over her body and destroys her from the inside out in a way that isn't Technically a mystical pregnancy but is like. close enough to one and presented close enough to one for it to count. (if you read the cordelia submission and are perhaps thinking to yourself jesus christ did they actually fridge both their main female characters in exactly the same way? Yes. Yes they did.) the demon in fred's body then allegedly becomes a new member of the main cast but the show does pretty much nothing with this character and she doesn't play any important role so it really does just feel like fred died for no reason other than to make her boyfriend sad. This is because fred died for no reason other than to make her boyfriend sad. It fucking sucks but I guess it's not like she got any agency or development when she was alive either

3.) Poor Fred. Amy Acker is a fantastic actress and Fred had the potential to become a truly wonderful character - a brilliant scientist who goes through intense trauma and finds her purpose in helping other people. I have a lot of love for her. Unfortunately she was the victim of a lot of really misogynistic writing. For starters, a lot of her characterisation falls into the ‘quirky weird girl who’s hot but doesn’t realise’ camp which Joss Whedon is fond of. Like other examples of this, her trauma is turned into something quirky which fades away once they get bored of it. Also, she becomes completely sidelined and silenced in a love triangle where the feelings of the man pining over her are given all air time, and her own opinion is never mentioned. Additionally, she’s constantly sidelined in the final season after being made the token girl, and is finally killed off unceremoniously to generate drama and pain for the aforementioned man who was pining over her. And you know what the worst part is? She still gets off more lightly than Cordelia.

Cordelia Chase (CW: Pregnancy)

1.) (downs an entire bottle of vodka and slams it back on the table) SO. CORDY. Cordy started off as a supporting character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the start she was your typical high school mean girl character, but as the show went on we got to see more depth to her character: her insecurities, her courage, her capacity for incredible acts of kindness. Then after the third season she moved into the show's spin off, Angel, where from the beginning she was basically the show's secondary protagonist. Her and Angel were the two mainstays of the show's main cast, she gets the most episodes centered on her out of all the characters aside from Angel (and yes, I've checked), and we really got to see her grow from a very shallow and self-centered and kind of mean person to a true hero who was prepared to give up any chance at a normal life to fight the good fight while still never losing the basic core of her character. There were some… questionable moments like the episode where she gets mystically pregnant with demon babies and things got a bit iffy like halfway through season 3 where the writers seemed to run out of ideas for what to do with her outside of sticking her in this romance drama/love triangle situation with the main character but overall, pretty good stuff right? THEN SEASON 4 HAPPENED. In season 4 she gets stripped of literally all agency and spends pretty much the entire season possessed by an evil higher power, and while possessed she sleeps with Angel's teenage son (who BY THE WAY she had helped raise as a baby before he got speed-grown-up into a teenager it was a whole thing don't worry about it) and gets pregnant with like. the physical manifestation of the higher power that's possessing her. it's about as bad and stupid as it sounds and also is like the third time cordy's got mystically pregnant in this show and like the fourth mystical pregnancy storyline overall (you will be hearing more on that note in other submissions I'm so sorry). after giving birth she goes into a coma, in which she remains for the rest of season 4 and the first half of season 5. SPEAKING OF WHICH DON'T THINK SEASON 5 IS GETTING OFF SCOT FREE HERE. yeah so in season 5 the show just FULLY starts trying to erase cordy's existence. she gets mentioned ONCE in the first episode and then never again until halfway through the season where she wakes up, helps out Angel for a bit and encourages him in his fight against evil, and then goes quietly into that good night and dies so it can be all sad and tragic. I'd call it the worst fridging of all time but even THAT feels generous because the whole point of fridging is killing off a female character so a man can be sad, and after Cordy dies basically no one's even sad about it because the show immediately goes back to pretending she never existed. she is not mentioned ONCE in the two episodes after she dies. in the whole stretch of time between her death and the end of the season she gets mentioned exactly four times. again, I counted. anyway the fun twist to all of this is that all of this happened because the actress who played cordy got pregnant before season 4 and joss whedon was so pissed off about this affecting his plans for the show that he decided to completely fuck over her character and then fire her and write her out of the show. so cordy's a victim of both writing AND real life misogyny!! good times!!

2.) OH SO MANY THINGS they menaced by giving her terrible hair cuts, making her seem like she'd get together with the guy she loves (and who loves her back) but instead she was killed and when she was brought back, she got possessed by an evil entity who used her body to give birth to itself. afterwards she was in a long coma and died. her character was so throughoutly assassinated

3.) She got demonically pregnant TWICE - there was this real sense of a womb/ability to get pregnant as like, a place for evil to get in. She got positioned as femme fatale and evil mother. The actress basically got fired for being pregnant, and when she agreed to come back for a single final episode she specifically said they could do anything but kill off the character. Guess what happened

[youareinlove]

I don’t know if you’ve ever done it, but have you ever wrote one long analysis of cardigan and the whole teenage love triangle?

i have a breakdown of folklore as an album that touches on the teenage love triangle, but i didn't go as in-depth as i would like to and talked more about how the songs related to folklore's overall themes as an album versus individual inspirations. also i think my opinion on some of the inspiration behind it has become more well-rounded so i'll put more of that here

so i think most people know by now that augustine, betty, and james are the main players of the folklore love triangle. cardigan = betty's perspective, betty (song) = james's perspective, and august = augustine's perspective. the most fundamentally important part of understanding the love triangle is that taylor is all three of them.

cardigan so cardigan is the first we hear of the teenage love triangle on folklore, which i think is so interesting because it's not the obvious choice. while betty (song) and august are narrated by teenagers (and you can TELL), cardigan is clearly narrated by an older betty who has done some maturing. the story's told from the perspective of someone who has processed what happened, while the other two (especially august) feel like active processing. cardigan tells the same story that betty (song) does, but in a much more vague way, which confused me initially but now makes sense to me because the song isn't really about the events that happened, betty (song) does that job. cardigan is an intensive look at how those events impacted betty as a person. betty, presumably in her teenage years and during the bulk of her relationship with james, is outlined as someone who doesn't have the ability to validate herself and needs to get that from someone else. we can assume that this is because of 1) daddy issues ("leaving like a father") and 2) the world invalidating her perspective ("when you are young they assume you know nothing"). she gets that validation from james, her boyfriend ("hand under my sweatshirt, baby kiss it better," "and when i felt like i was an old cardigan, under someone's bed / you put me on and said i was your favorite"), but loses it very suddenly when he cheats on her and breaks her heart ("a friend to all, is a friend to none / chase two girls, lose the one"). it's a formative moment for her because the relationship was her lifeline in many ways and not having that hurts her all over again ("you drew scars, around my scars, and now i'm bleeding"). the bridge talks about james rushing to fix things, but also it isn't really about that because it isn't about him. it's about how she had to learn to give herself what she was looking to james for, and she does ("cause i knew everything when i was young"). she honors her own perspective, voice, and agency, and the fact that she was perfectly capable the entire time. the point isn't that he put her on and said she was his favorite, the point is that she doesn't need him to do that anymore but had to learn that the hard way. starting the story with cardigan seems like a questionable decision because of how mature it is, but it also makes sense in a lot of ways because knowing how the events of the story affected betty is pretty crucial to understanding betty (song). also i think there's something to be said about how she chose to begin with the woman's perspective.

august next we get to hear from augustine. augustine is the "other woman" or the one james cheats with, and her sympathetic portrayal is very, very important (more on that later). we get to know that she was really in love with james and didn't feel casual about him at all, but was treated casually because he just didn't like her the way she liked him. the song is very much her processing this and feeling used and discarded, but also kind of dejectedly recognizing that she never had a shot because he was never really hers. august and foolish one really are sisters in that way. also there's like, a heavy implication that james was her first time (iykwim) and that's part of why it hurts so much that it ended the way it did. i think the best part of august is the way that she shows us without directly telling us the differences between how augustine and betty experienced their relationship with james. betty gets closure, augustine doesn't. betty (in cardigan) has verse after verse of different moments with james, because she was with him for years, but augustine talks about the moments during the summer (many of which are from like, the same day) over and over because that's all she had. it's subtle but it's there

betty (song) there is something so very intentional about the guy getting to say his piece last (i have no other elaboration lmfao, just wanted to start off with that). so betty (song) is like, the most clear-cut about What Happened which i believe is because betty and august have to process and think about how it affected their life and their person but james just gets to think about the story because he was the one fucking around and hurting other people. he knows he needs to apologize, and i don't feel the need to elaborate on that apology too much because it's like, in the lyrics lol. but i think betty (song) showcases the closure betty got that augustine didn't. whether or not she took him back is up for debate, and whether or not the apology is good is also up for debate, but at the end of the day neither of those things matter because the point is that it's an open-ended resolution to the story. you get to see how much he cares about betty and how little he cares about augustine (just a summer fling indeed).

the gender of it all it's impossible to ignore gender here because it's SO important to the story, specifically for betty and james. a lot of betty's initial struggle of being invalidated and diminished is because she's a smart teenage girl, and there's nothing society hates more than a young girl with opinions. they're both young teenagers, but the dichotomy of how their youth factors into their story is very intentional. for betty, she's told she "knows nothing" because she is young. her perspective is considered less important, she's made to doubt herself as so many young girls are when it comes to their instincts. even though adult betty is able to recognize that she was right the whole time and "knew everything when i was young," one of the greatest pains of the relationship for her was the way she was forced into that recognition. for james, he gets to say "i'm only seventeen, i don't know anything." he gets to dodge responsibility and make excuses for himself because of his age, and society is like "ok makes sense." his wrong perspective is only propped up and validated, which is a stark contrast to how betty feels. for augustine, as the "other woman," it would be easy for the narrative to encourage the popular and kinda sexist narrative that she got in the way of the relationship and was a homewrecker/evil mistress. but instead, she gets to be a teenage girl who was hurt. the narrative tells you that she's a kid who maybe made a mistake but it doesn't blame her. that's a luxury that's usually only afforded to men (and the luxury james takes advantage of).

real life inspiration i have to keep this part short bc i'm about to hit character limit but there are shades of her relationship with jake in august (having your first time and it feeling special but then being discarded and feeling kinda used) and some of the hurt around it. her relationship with harry (see: 1989 vault) feels like a driving force around the love triangle as well, because it's a very similar story. and i also think that the summer of 2016 with joe is a part of all this. people have said that august feels a lot like if cruel summer went the other way and they're right (again, there's some bits and pieces that are more sex-adjacent but that's another thing). and some of the references to betty's mental health and how james made things feel ok is very her & joe in 2016. it's kind of a lot of different events in her life and i think writing the love triangle helped her unpack how some of them led to each other. also impossible to ignore the similarities between how the world invalidated her for years and how the world invalidates betty

[arsene-inc]

Let's look at this list from Dicebreaker

Bad Start with the Dragon Games, to the dungeon with you

Then Pendragon 6E, not my type of fantasy, a pass

Daggerheart : The cards with the character sheets may be interesting, waiting to know more

Stormlight Archive RPG :I should read the books first. a D20 system ? hope they are doing something more. If I remember correctly, the magic system is based on promises and bonds, that is interesting and I will wait to see more

Wilderfeast : Okay so I was part of the wrowdfunding. I like cooking monsters... and there was an apron! I can't say no to an apron! Also the Monster Hunter thing.

Break : Also funded. I wanna be a murder princess

Triangle Agency : Another game funded. Do I have good taste ? A mix of Control, X files and SCP. Honestly I listened to the AP on Party of One @partyofonepod and immediately went to the KS page. A little love for the D4

Through The Hedgerow : Did I miss this ? Usually, the words Neil Gaiman in the description are enough to get my money. Well i'll wit for the release and see then. The illustrations looks great

Eat the reich : Already played actually, but not against another go it was so fun. (maybe with the speedrun system added to it). I love exploding fash.

Shadow Scar : First time hearing about this. Yokais ? tell me more. The guy from Witcher Rpg ? meh.... didn't enjoyed this game and its system.

The Hidden Isle : Have you seen the artwork !? Tarot ? Of course i helped fund this.

Jukebox : The karaoke Musical ?!?

Stonetop : Building a fantasy village ? hmmmm.... Pbta you say ?... let's see for chill sessions.

Shadow of the Weird Wizard : Like D&D with a d20 system ? meh.

[terastalungrad]

Big Brother UK 21: Episode 18

Friday 25 October 2024

Third live eviction!

None of my faves are up, but it's still high stakes. I'll rank the nominees, starting with the one I least want to lose:

A good egg, and the worthiest winner

Khaled

A good egg, and from Swansea

Izaaz

Evil

Marcello

Evil, and I'm worried the public will like him

Nathan

-

Izaaz gets mostly cheers. Ooh, Khlaed gets HUGE cheers! Marcello gets mixed, mostly boos. Nathan gets mixed, mostly cheers.

I had a sneaky look at Twitter last night, because I'd had a few drinks and wanted to see what my X is up to after I left. They hate Marcello over there! But it's a mistake to assume the permanently-online represent the general public.

Ali gives Dean her theory of the dynamics of the house:

There's an unconscious hierarchy, with three main boys at the top - Marcello, Khaled, Segun. They're the leaders, and command most power. This is a Patriarch.

These men are propped up by the "women that hold the most value" - i.e. the most attractive women, and the straight women.

[Ali doesn't specify who she means here, but we can guess she means Sarah, Rosie, Hanah and Emma.]

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the women "who hold the least value to the boys at the top" - that is, the queer women. Ali, Martha.

[Lily is interesting here - she's closest to Ali and Martha, isn't aligned with the three men OR the four other straight women.]

"Floating in-between" are the queer guys, Dean and Nathan, who can move between the middle layer [straight/attractive women] and the bottom layer [queer women], but can't make it to the top because they're not valued by the "head honchos".

The status quo is peaceful when this hierarchy is stable.

When someone at the bottom challenges the status quo (as Ali did by calling out Khaled), it upsets the three at the top, and those in the middle get nervous. They remain neutral to preserve the status quo. Even if they see the three at the top doing something wrong, they keep them at the top anyway.

Izaaz started out at the top, didn't like what he observed, and voluntarily moved to float between the bottom two layers.

The three at the top tried to recruit Izaaz, but Izaaz said no, so they pushed Izaaz out. He's a threat.

They also see Ali as a threat, so they're trying to push her out too.

NOW! I really really want to find fault in this model, because I definitely don't agree with Ali's perception of Khaled.

But ... where's the fault?

Because I can (and do!) like Khaled and Segun, and still recognise the truth of this hierarchy (which Ali illustrates by making a triangle with her fingers). Khaled and Segun aren't horrible, manipulative people - but they're propped up anyway. They haven't seized this power on purpose. But as Ali says, they're "propped up".

The one thing I think this model underestimates is the agency of queer housemates. Is it that Dean and Nathan aren't valued by the three on top? Or is it that Dean and Nathan don't want to be part of that group? I'm not sure. We know Dean is sceptical of straight men. Nathan's primarily bonded with his love interest Rosie.

Because, hey. Let's hypothesise an alternative model:

What if we put Ali at the top of the pyramid? She's strong, influential, powerful. She's fiercely intelligent, and unafraid to challenge others.

Around Ali, we have Lily, Martha and Dean. Loyal to her to the end.

Next, we have the housemates who won't challenge Ali or her friends, because they'd prefer a peaceful status quo. Sarah, Rosie, Izaaz, Segun.

Then there's the housemates who WILL challenge Ali - Khaled, Marcello, Emma and Hanah. Two of whom face eviction tonight.

Nathan is willing to challenge, but has historically taken Ali's side in arguments.

Viewed this way, the house looks less like a patriarchal, heteronormative model ... and more like a model that mostly privileges white housemates of higher social class on top.

(Neither model considers Thomas, whom both Ali and I forgot existed while forming our models. Oops! Sorry Thomas.)

So, I still see value in Ali's model - I just don't think it's quite as simple as that. She's clearly right to point out that the status quo is preserved by neutral people pleasers. But the balance of power could easily shift from week to week depending on who leaves. Already this week, it's Ali and Dean who became Heads of House. Ali's model matters a LOT if Khaled or Marcello go tonight.

(Quick theory - it's straight women who decide who wins Big Brother, but queer people who talk about it online. So online chatter makes you think Yinruns can win, but they probably can't.)

Izaaz is evicted! Noooooo!

I love Izaaz. This is also the most boring possible eviction, surely? Any of the other three would've been more disruptive.

Can't believe the house still contains my TWO enemies, and NO Welsh housemates.

Things that were being given tonight:

Was it just me, or was Dean giving hungover at 9am lecture energy? (AJ)

It's giving bitchy vibes (Martha)

Your photo's giving catch of the day. But the catch of the day is catfish. (Sarah)

[taj-mirror]

Exploring the Majestic Taj Mahal and more Selecting the Perfect Taj Mahal Tour Package

As I approached the Taj Mahal, the air around me felt hushed, as if in deference to the splendor that unfolded before my eyes. Majestic and serene, the structure stood as a testament to an enduring love story, etched in white marble. This architectural masterpiece, located in the heart of Agra, India, was not just a mere structure to me – it was poetry in stone.

Commissioned in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the Taj Mahal is an ode to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It's said that upon her untimely death, the emperor was so heartbroken that he ordered the creation of this monumental symbol of love. As I wandered the expansive gardens and gazed upon the reflective pools, I could almost sense the whispers of lovers and echoes of ancient artisans.

A glimpse of Taj mahal with our guests

Understanding Different Types of Taj Mahal Tour Packages

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Golden Triangle Tour 3 Days

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Intriguingly, there were also Adventure and Activity Packages that included cycling or walking tours in and around Taj Mahal, offering a more immersive experience. The Backpackers' Tours stood out for their budget-friendly and social aspects. These included hostel stays and a more flexible itinerary, perfect for solo travelers like me looking to meet fellow wanderers. Finally, I noticed Family and Group Packages tailored to accommodate larger numbers with activities suited for all ages, ensuring that everyone had an enriching experience at this UNESCO World Heritage site. Each of these packages offered a different lens through which to witness the splendor of the Taj Mahal. It was clear that whatever my preference or travel style, there was a tour package that catered to it. When I first considered visiting the Taj Mahal, I knew I needed a reliable travel agency for best  Taj Mahal Tour Packages then I found Taj mirror as a best travel agency to guide me. My journey to find the perfect partner taught me several valuable lessons, which I'll share with you.

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[rarepears]

That twink!Sung Jinwoo X Endeavor idea I keep forgetting to post to tumblr

But it's finally here. And copy-pasted from Discord, so it's a bit of a mess, but I'm too lazy to clean it up. (Also wow! This is my 1,234th post on this blog.)

Why do i want to pair twink!sung jinwoo (who's really like a thousand years old and just hopped to a new world called bnha) with DILF!Endeavor?

Shouto (14 and about to start attending UA) is Not Impressed that his dad is having what's clearly a midlife crisis and dating this young twink that looks to be like Fuyumi's age. It's Awkward And Are You Sure He's Not Jailbait, Father????

Okay, so Jinwoo can control his appearance. and he's found that when he lands in a new world, it's best to be 18 or so for paperwork. He can claim to be homeschooled for highschool, but he can't just whip up fake college papers. it's hard, it's pretty easy to get discovered once his so-called classmates are asked, and just... nah. Instead as a barely 18 year old, he can claim that his parents are conspiracy theorists who didn't let him have official documentations or that he doesn't know where they are since he ran away from the crazy people.

But when he starts dating. Um. It looks weird, very weird because he prefers mature people. but he looks like a twink.

-

Shouto: why does endeavor listen to the twink so much when making decisions? Endeavor: i know that my husband is far more experienced in this type of stuff so i'll listen to the expert Everyone else: yes that's totally a midlife crisis

-

Hawk: THAT could've been me WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT ME

You know what would be even better? Jinwoo's made up background says that his nonexistent parents who believed in conspiracies hid Jinwoo and prevented him from getting official documents because "they feared that jinwoo would be kidnaped by some government agency for his quirk and get brainwashed to become their agent."

Now cue jinwoo being known publicly as endeavor's twink husband.

Hawks sees this background info on jinwoo and boy oh boy does it sound incredibly ironic to him because he was the kid kidnapped by the government agency and brainwashed to be their agent

Hawks: why is Jinwoo living the life that I always wanted to have????

-

Jinwoo looks like he has daddy issues. With that kind of "background", Jinwoo would 100% look like he has daddy issues.

Shouto: Jinwoo's waist is so thin that endeavor's one palm can wrap all around it Shouto: now that endeavor doesn't need babies with powerful quirks, he can look for people who look as delicate as glass to love huh?? angry puppy eyes

Shouto is no longer the baby of the family. Jinwoo is the baby of the family, the baby in Endeavor's heart.

Shouto: i could have had a crush on jinwoo if jinwoo didn't show that he had terrible taste in men to like my dad of all people

-

Dabi: let me try to steal my dad's flame from him

Insert love triangle between Dabi, Endeavor, and Jinwoo. And if you know just what's actually going on, it's even weirder that father-son are competing for the same twink now.

-

Shouto: one look at this small twink and endeavor has suddenly thrown all his ambitions to defeat all might as the No. 1 hero???? Is this the legendary power of a thicc booty???

all endeavor needed was a good lay???

endeavor: from asshole to slightly less asshole

-

Shouto's first meeting is seeing Endeavor "rescuing" jinwoo from villain. (Shouto tagged along on Endeavor's patrol.)

And then Endeavor doesn't let Jinwoo go, offers the twink some candy instead, and kidnap Jinwoo to his home, or so Shouto believes. (Shouto didn't realize that the two have been dating for a few months already)

Shouto to Jinwoo: Did no one ever teach you not to follow the adult men who give you free candy???

Shouto: I HAVE SO MANY COMMON SENSE THINGS I NEED TO TEACH MY NEW STEPMOM

Shouto: number 1 - if endeavor tells you to do something, you need to do the reverse

Jinwoo: so if he says that he's too tired at night...?

Shouto: uh-

-

Wait.

Sung Jinwoo has a walking, talking sentient shadow monster. Shouto immediately sees his new classmate and yells at him: "I HAVE FOUND YOUR LONGLOST COUSINS PLEASE TAKE HIM AND NEVER LOOK BACK."

Tokoyami: ...is this my first instance of high school bullying? Kuroiro: ???

Everyone's first impression of shouto: this is a second Bakugou?

At USJ: We have shouto seeing kurogiri and going like "hey i found your younger brother". Shouto is very desperate to separate Sung Jinwoo from bad influence!Endeavor.

Kurogiri is so bamboozled that the attack doesn't happen. He gets his coordinates wrong and dumps the kids in the wrong location.

Shouto: I KNEW THAT JINWOO"S OLDER BROTHER COULDN"T BE A BAD GUY

-

Meanwhile a shadow butler is washing dishes in the background. Another shadow butler is trimming the lawn. And a third is cleaning up all the muddy footsteps that Shouto trekked through the house. Then there's just a bear rolling around in the middle of the living room.

Jinwoo's past time involves reading books like "how to get along with your spouse's children" + "101 ways to be a good stepparent". One of the tips is reaffirming your stepchildren's dreams.

Shouto's dream is to convince jinwoo that he's too good for endeavor. Sung Jinwoo just nods along. Shouto thinks after every conversation that he's managed to successfully convince jinwoo; he's very disappointed to see jinwoo the next morning, sitting next to endeavor at breakfast.

Shouto: new conspiracy theory being that Jinwoo is a mail order bride

all for that japanese citizenship

-

Jinwoo just really enjoys climbing trees. That's the official hobby listed on his biography: tree climbing.

Hawks reads it in a very different way.

In another interview, jinwoo talks about how he knows how to ride horses.

Hawks: sTop it we all know endeavor is hung like a stallion!

Honestly, if this were to become a oneshot, half of the fic would just be bullying Hawks. Hawks just being salty the whole time-

WAIT so we all know jinwoo's crazy transformation from like chubby cheek 18 year old who looks like he's younger than his younger sister? And then by becoming S rank, he gets HOT. I'm talking sexy hot model hot.

So Hawks just watches in great annoyance as Jinwoo goes through this insane transformation at "20" And then jinwoo starts... stealing modeling jobs and magazine covers.

Jinwoo the model.

Hawks: is this man out to attack him? Hawks: i came into this life to have a good time and i'm feeling very attacked now. Hawks: WELL IT'S NOT LIKE HE CAN FLY Jinwoo: brings out a dragon Hawks: ...

More in the #twink!Sung Jinwoo (except he's the immortal monarch of death) X Endeavor au where hawks is SufFeRiNg

[thealmightyemprex]

FAvorite Movie Rambles :The Phantom of the Opera

So lets go into a movie that has recently joined my favorites list ,a film that I thought was OK the first time.....And now I adore it ,having seen it 6 or 8 times

This 1943 film tells the tale of Erique Claudin (Claude Rains ) ,a violinist who has spent every penny he has to anonymously aid a young opera singer named Christine (Susanna Foster ),when due to a tragic mix up Erique goes mad and is horribly scarred ,but sseeks to aid Christine by any means necessary

OK so this is my favorite version of Phantom of the Opera......Hardcore Phantom fans are scratching their heads .See Phantom is a beloved story ,adapted multiple times,though its stage adaptation as a beloved musical might be the most iconic version .I have not read the book but I have seen many of the film versions and the 25th Anniversary filmed version of the Musical .In the grand scheme of Phantom adaptations, this one is not talked about a lot , its also a very loose telling of the tale,with some odd changes ....So why do I love it ?

Well It's so unique for its time period.See ,especially at this time at Universal,Horror films were B Pictures,black and white ,very moody.....Which this isnt...This is an A picture !! Universal wanted to make this movie stand out .SO instead of black in white,this film is in gorgeous technicolor and the production values make this a stunning film to look at . The film has a feel of a musical but with a killer in it ,which I think gives the movie a feel of all its own

Also the movie not only feels like musical,it kind of is one ,as there are many Opera scenes.Now I get how that can be a turn off ,I mean with Phantom of the Opera ya want more Phantom then Opera......But I actually love the way the film emphasizes the power of music both in its score but also in its story . I adore the sweet lullaby that links Claudin to Christine (I'll get to why later ).I also like how the movie opens with an opera,and while watching the performance we are introduced to most of the key characters in the story,what their deal is,all without dialogue .Yeah some of the opera scenes go on a bit too long ,but I cant complain about the gorgeous singing of Susanna Foster and Nelson Eddie

The films director is Arthur Lubin ,noted for his comedy films,so he brings a sense of humor to the film,which I appreciate .Theres a great running gag involving the Stage Managers paranoia over a ghost haunting the Opera House , and the always blustery J Edward Bromberg hams it up wonderfully hammy as the owner of the theater .However surprisingly the best comedy is actually the love triangle scenes .Now in most versions the love triangle is a big part ,between The Phantom ,Christine and Raoul ,the lovestruck young noble ,however with the changes to the Phantoms character (Get to that later ) ,that is not the love triangle I am talking about. So in this film there are TWO suitors: We of course have Raoul ,now a cop instead of a noble .....But we also have Anatole,the star baritone ! Funny enough Anatole is kind of more the Raoul character then Raoul is ,being the hero ,planning to catch the Phantom and he is styled to resemble Norman Kerry's Raoul from the 1925 film .Playing Anatole is singer and actor Nelson Eddie (Disney fans will know him as the Whale Who Sang At The Met ) while Raoul is played by character actor Edgar Barrier ,and both deliver great performance .SEriously the best humor in the film comes from them trying to one up each other ,they have great chemistry and I like the arc they go through together

The strongest aspect of the film is its Christine and its Phantom .Christine is played by Susanna Foster.....And she is my absolute favorite Christine ..I love her chemistry with her two love interests,she sings gorgeously ,she has a bit more agency then most Christines,and I like her reaction to the Phantom which I can only describe as someone stuck with an unhinged person and trying their best to talk them down .This Christine is a woman torn between her love for two men but also her ADORATION of music(And I love the end of the film for the decision she makes )

Christines adoration of music plays into the overhaul of the Phantoms and Christines relationship. In most versions its pretty standard Stalker with a crush thing.....But While the film brings that up as a possible motive for Claudin,the film also firmly puts its foot down that isnt what is going on.Now originally the film was going to protray Claudin as Christines long lost father buuuuuuuut given the usual Phantom and Christine relationship,Universal feared that might come across a bit incestious .So whats Claudins deal then ?Well my interpertation is that all Claudan has is music .He has no friends ,no family,only music ,and he sees a kinship in Christine ,who has that same passion as well as being from the same part of France as he is ,and this is shown in the lullaby they both know .His obsession is mainly around music ,letting her be the best she can be ,and he perhaps sees her as the daughter he never had

Now lets talk about the Phantom himself played by Claude Rains....Cause he is a very diffrent Phantom,but I adore this take .This version of Erik,or Erique as he is named in this film is not the manipulative almost supervillain most versions depict but a far more sympathetic antagonist,who before he goes mad is a very nice older man who just loves music who has lost his ability to play the violin ,spent every penny he has to aid Christine before his dive into madness and murder.....That said the movie establishes subtley that he is unhinged ,he is still obsessed with and kind of wierd with Christine and once he fears his music is stolen he jumps to murder pretty darn quickley . What I like about him is while he is tragic.....He's still creepy,he is a murderer stalking a woman . Claude Rains was a king of playing villains,and for being masked a lot of the movie you need an actor with a grand voice and you dont get a voice more grand in the 40's then Claude Rains .I think he really captures how insane he is,one of my favorite moments is near the end and you see this mad look as he gleefully plays his concerto .And yet Rains captures the sadness of the character .I also like his costume ,especially his mask ,it miught be my favorite Phantom mask .Also the chandalier fall is a staple of the story,,,,,And this has the best one ,being a tense scene of the Phantom sawing with a hacksaw.

I love this movie ,its a pers0onal favorite of mine,if you havent seen it check it out

@angelixgutz @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @filmcityworld1 @amalthea9 @princesssarisa @ariel-seagull-wings

[surreality51]

Questions 5, 18 and 19, if you are happy to answer more than one question?

Thank you!

Thanks for the ask, @pearandalmondtart!

5. What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

Anywhere and everywhere. I rarely get time to myself, so I write a lot in tiny spurts using Notes on my iPhone. I'll write while waiting in line, at the gym, or on the floor after I've finished reading bedtime stories to the kids. Part of this is due to my circumstances of being a working parent, but part of it is also how my brain likes to write. I find it incredibly hard to sit down and write a fic from start to finish, especially a longer fic. I use more the "BitTorrent" method of writing, where I jot down pieces of scenes and dialogue as they come to me, in whatever order they come to me. Sometimes this means I write a scene from the middle, then jump to the beginning, then write the last scene, then dialogue from a third the way through, etc. Then I have to somehow string it all together when I finally sit down at 1am when the whole house is asleep. Yeah....not the most efficient way to write, but you do what you gotta do.

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

I'm going to be greedy and name two scenes from The Promises We Make, because that's the longest fic I've written in over a decade and gosh darnit I'm proud that I actually finished it.

FWIW, spoilers ahead.

Scene #1: Mirka confesses to Rafa that Roger loves him and Rafa asks her why she’s telling him this

For all of Mirka’s shortcomings, she did not lack for courage.

“It was a hard truth that I needed to accept. And that is why I’m here: because he has a choice to make, and he believes there is only one way forward for him. I know him. He will choose me and the kids, every time. In his heart, he has already made the choice, because he hasn’t said anything to you. And he never will.”

She gathered herself and looked Rafa full in the eye.

“But I also know the choice has cost him. He made the choice alone, without talking to me about it, because he was afraid. He didn't want to hurt me. But what he has forgotten is this: I don’t want to hurt him either. I love him too much to let him live with regret. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Rafa gave the barest nod. Mirka reached out and placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. Rafa automatically covered her hand with his.

“So I have made a choice too. I’m choosing to make room for all of us. I don’t want to watch him watching you with longing in his eyes. I love him too much for that.”

This exchange was hard but pivotal, because I had to figure out the answer to why--why would Mirka willingly share Roger with Rafa? If you want to build an OT3, you need at least two sides of the triangle to be balanced, and the third side to accept each other. Any imbalance on the third side would cause the whole thing to collapse. So the Mirka-Rafa relationship is key to making any Fedal relationship where Mirka is not shunted to the side both possible and believable. I wanted to give her agency, to make it her choice. For that to happen, I needed to answer the question of why. And it had to be from a position of strength, not "because I'm afraid I will lose Roger otherwise."

And so to find the answer, I thought about what makes marriages strong and what has been important in my own marriage, and one thing I came up with is brutal honesty about your desires, dreams, wants, and needs--how important it is that these things align, and how a married couple might drift apart if they don’t actively try to stay aligned with each other on these aspects. This is where the hard work of a long-term marriage lies, in the constant alignment and realignment of each partner’s priorities with the other’s so that you both keep rowing in the same direction. It’s a constant, unending effort that requires honesty about which direction you really want to row in. 

It occurred to me that Roger, in his position, wouldn't be willing to risk what he has (Mirka and the kids) to pursue what he wants (Mirka and the kids and Rafa). He wouldn't do that to his family because he loves them too much, and he’d be afraid of jeopardizing what he has. Plus, there’s no guarantee that Rafa feels the same way AND is willing to jeopardize his marriage with Mery for it. In fact, it’s such a long shot as to be a moot point, hence Roger choosing to keep his feelings to himself. But that necessarily means that he's lying to Mirka, if only by omission and thru his inaction. It's for all the right reasons, but his choice still creates an area within their marriage where he is not completely honest. 

Once I realized this hole in their marriage, one that has been steadily growing in size over the years, I had the key to giving Mirka the power to do something about it. I wanted her character to have the intelligence to see this hole in her marriage and the courage to face it. And it was important to me that she approached it not out of fear of losing Roger but out of love for Roger. She approaches it in a way that shows the strength of her character and the durability of her faith and trust in Roger and what they had built together.

Because what any Fedal+Mirka OT3 fic needs to acknowledge is that Mirka is the one who stands to lose the most if things go south, so it takes real courage, trust, and faith for her to let Roger go and yet believe that he will stay. I wanted to honor her for that strength.

Scene #2: The sister scene to the one above. Rafa confronts Roger about what Mirka told him. 

“So what else did my lovely wife tell you?”

Rafa huffed a low laugh. “She told me you are in love with me and it is very obvious and we are being stupid about it.”

“Oh, is that all?” Roger replied lightly. “She’s not worried about me cheating on her with you and blowing up the careful balance you and I have maintained for the last ten years and risking my marriage and yours and the press finding out and everything going to hell?”

“No, she says we are stupid if we have doubts about our love for our wives and our families. I think she is insulted that you did not talk to her about this.”

“So she sent you to talk to me about this instead of coming to me directly herself.”

That was a dangerous ball. Rafa paused to consider his response.

“I think,” he said slowly, feeling around for the right approach, the most truthful approach, “maybe she thinks you don’t really believe her if she just told you with words, because you are too scared of the consequences, so she wanted to show you that she is okay with this.”

Roger considered their twined fingers quietly for a long moment.

“She must be very mad with me if she went to all this trouble.”

“Yes, very mad. You are very stupid.”

This scene was necessary to close the triangle, because we have Roger-Mirka as pre-established, chapter 1 deals with the Rafa-Mirka side, and now Roger and Rafa need to hash things out. It took me a while to figure out how we could get to Roger opening up and finally acknowledging his feelings for Rafa. I knew that Rafa needed to push him, because Roger was never going to do it on his own, for the reasons outlined above. It also occurred to me that Mirka couldn’t be the one to push Roger, for the same reasons as above. So it had to be Rafa. But how would he do it? 

Rafa is a very open and straightforward person, but he’s also highly emotionally intelligent and sensitive. It made sense and felt right to me that he would be very matter of fact about it, in a “why you being stupid?” way, once he himself had come to terms about what he wanted and what the situation was. 

So how would he approach Roger? 

By straight up calling him an idiot, of course. 

Because in a way, Roger was an idiot. First, because he assumed/hoped that Mirka wouldn’t notice his feelings for Rafa. (Haha, the entire tennis community and half the internet has noticed his feelings for Rafa, I don’t know how he expected Mirka not to notice.) Second, he assumed/hoped that Mirka “I have one job and one job only” Federer would do nothing about it and just let it lie there festering and unspoken between them. Third, he assumed/feared that Rafa “I left my pregnant wife’s hospital bed to be with you” Nadal would never be able to reciprocate even if they did acknowledge their feelings for each other, for all the practical reasons listed above. 

Clearly, he had underestimated Mirka, their relationship, Rafa, and even Mery. Hell yes, Mirka is mad about that and is gonna do something about it. But she ain’t gonna do all the hard work for them, Rafa needs to step up as well, and he does. 

tl;dr: Roger is an idiot, both Rafa and Mirka are calling him on it, but they love him anyway.

19. Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Rafa is definitely hard for me write in terms of realistic dialogue, just because he has a non-standard way of speaking English. I need to listen to more interviews with him, because his grammatical “errors” are not random, they are probably rooted in how English and Spanish differ. Or at least that’s my guess. The point is, I need to listen to his speech patterns more to figure them out. 

He’s also less familiar to me as a person/character. I admittedly watch a lot more Roger interviews and feel I have a pretty good grasp on his character. He shares a lot of the same attitudes, motivations, way of approaching things as my husband does, so it’s easy for me to understand and draw on that in my writing. But Rafa I feel like I know less well, partly because I haven’t watched 700 hours of interviews of him, partly because he’s somewhat limited in what he can express in English interviews, partly because he’s an introvert who naturally lives more in his head--whereas with Roger it’s a bit more “what you see is what you get” though not always--and partly because I don’t have someone in my life who is similar to him, so I haven’t been able to pull on my own experience and observation. 

Mirka is hard to write in the sense that we don’t see or hear from her directly very often. Much of what we know is either from before 2005, second-hand from Roger or biographers, or what we can observe from afar when she’s in the stands. We can make a lot of inferences from this--such as her being an introvert, very driven and determined, ambitious, mentally strong, disciplined, detail-oriented, highly organized, warm, positive, and steady/supportive of those around her--but we still have a lot of blanks to fill in. Some of it I fill in using my own experience being in a long-term relationship where the two parties are practically attached at the hip and work together to achieve shared goals, but admittedly some of it is just wish fulfillment of seeing a female character who can hold her own in an environment like the male professional tennis circuit and not be reduced to just a WAG.

Mery is by far the hardest to write because I know so little about her, hence why she gets the short end of the stick in my fics. I definitely need to change that. Maybe I should write a fic that is just texts between Mirka and Mery about their boys being idiots. :D

[viscountessevie]

I may rushed it or it could just only be me—

But I must say this.

Anthony had his grand speech.

Edwina had her grand speech.

But Kate was all over the place. Why was she there for? For her sister? And found love for herself? My mother pointer out, very unsettling for me, that Kate doesn't seek to have any lasting effect on her as Edwina. She is the protagonist and yet......

It's definitely me and mum right????

Heya Anon! Thank you so much for the ask and for waiting while I let all my asks sit for the last two weeks. I've just been trying to process the season before answering asks about the new season and also managing some irl personal stuff but I digress.

Everything is under the cut because this got long as always lmao:

When I first saw this in my inbox I'll be honestly I had no idea how to answer it because the lasting impression bit dumbfounded me (so allow me to answer that bit first!).

To me, Kate wasn't lacking or forgettable. But that's my experience and how Kate had already made her place in my heart after I read TVWLM after S1. Even more so when Simone was cast as her because I saw a lot of myself in Kate Sheffield but now Kate Sharma reflected someone who looked like me on the outside as well!!

So no matter how little screen time she got, Kate was always going to blow me away and leave an impact on me.

However, rereading your ask and in retrospect given how much time Kathony and Eddie got compared to the useless B Plots *cough* stupid LW, Cousin Jack and while I love how entertaining Pru, Portia and Philly can be, their screen time this season was 15 mins too long *cough*

Kate was very much shortchanged and compared to Anthony who got his backstory and Kate didn't, it was a very glaring difference. It was really a disservice to the character we loved so much in the book. And it's even more disappointing that your mom had a more lasting impression of Edwina from her breakdown wedding day speech (can we PLEASE get Charithra the Emmy she deserves for that scene). I'm happy for Eddie getting the love she deserves and having a shiny new backbone and agency compared to the books but where was the enhancement and improved characterisation for Kate??

CVD and his team can't say they want to write three dimensional women and then go throw two sisters with the best bond into a love triangle like wtf.

On that note, even if he fleshed out Edwina this season, she was still reduced into a plot device role and was an obstacle for Kathony to overcome. It is SO ironic that CVD thought he did something with Eddie this season. Yes, she wasn't as docile like in the book but as Nia @missfairygodmother pointed out in her post here in a way Eddie had more of a personality in the books. Her main role this season just seemed to be the diamond.

Yes, we did get some insight of her being a nerd and studious but as Molly @newtonsheffield has pointed out in her Ton & Tea videos that while Edwina is very talented in all these things - a polygot, can dance all three dances on the regency dance floor, etc, she had to be taught somehow. It is implied that Kate taught her so Kate has to know all these things too. So I wish we got Book!Eddie's quirks of always carrying a book around, being bored with dumbass Anthony, unconditionally loving her sister. I honestly hated the love triangle with a passion because my fave comedy moments in the book was Anthony and Edwina platonic relationship. They literally had NO romantic chemistry, it was literally crickets every time they talked but like after he marries Kate, he takes her under his wing like a sister because she is Eloise's age so he should have always viewed as a younger sister type!

I'm just really upset that the creative team wanted to prop up Eddie but it was done at the expense of Kate's character. Eddie got to pop off in Episode 6 - WHERE WAS MY DAMN STORMS BACKSTORY IN EP 3 HMMM CVD?? If not Ep3, give it to us in Ep4 AT THE LITERAL LIBRARY STORM SCENE!! Do you know how excited I was to see the library still in the trailer? Super excited, it was one of the turning points of Kathony for me but we didn't get it SIGH.

All in all, anon if you read this far, please know that it's not just your mom and you. The writers did Simone and Kate SO DIRTY this season by not giving her enough screen time or explicit conversations about her past. They always say "Show, not tell" WELL THE WRITERS DID NEITHER FOR KATE THIS SEASON, Simone did it all her damn self. We love to see our queen take the reins of her character and shine on her own when Netflix and the promo are failing to promote her as their lead.

Thanks again for reading all of this unhinged takes from me if you made it this far!

[eolewyn1010]

the fanfic asks are so good, can you answer all of them? jk. (unless...) pls do these if you want to: c, f, h, k, m, t and also the one you really want to answer but nobody has asked yet

Oh, okay, that's a bunch ^^'

C - What member do you identify with most?

Member of what? What an awkward phrasing. I'mma hope it means character, so: Charité's Martin Schelling. My boy is just permanently So Done With Shit, and for all his dry snark really frightened of showing genuine feelings. He has, like, maybe five people in this big wide world that he actually cares about, but those few are so very precious to him. Also, he doesn't emote all that much unless he's alone with someone he cares about - or really, really pissed off.

F - Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

You know, I've looked around my writings, and I can't find one rn. Which is weird because it's not like I dislike writing dialogues. But I did find an overview of "planning what these people are saying to each other in this scene" but written in script form and abbreviated humorously, and while I still gotta make an earnest chapter of it sometime, I kept it because it makes me laugh a lot. If you wanna take that instead of an actual fully-fledged dialogue scene, let me know and I'll share that.

H - How would you describe your style?

I always think it's a little dry because I don't do much of what a friend called "rhetoric clutter" (amazing, considering my tendency for too many adjectives and slightly too long sentences); it's rather unrushed telling of what's going on, something for relaxed, calm reading. That includes not being very good at action scenes, but I was told I do excellent fluff. More focus on body language and tone etc. than feelings tho; I was also told that my writing doesn't try to tell the reader what emotions to feel, and I hope that's a good thing?

K - What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

Writing down a fictionalized story of Sporus. He was a young catamite of Emperor Nero, castrated, forced to play a female gender role, called by the name of Nero's dead wife, handed over from one Emperor to the other, suicide before he was twenty - the semi-historical record of his life is awful enough tbh, and my story isn't rectifying much of that. Sporus gets some more agency, a few moments of sweet, sweet comeuppance, and positive relationships, but all the terrible stuff still happens. It's quite a downer.

M - Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

What if Tatort Kommissar, but werewolf? I don't do that Alpha-Omega bullshit, but it admittedly does give me the chance for some dirty jokes at the expense of Thorsten and Sebastian.

T - Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

Love Triangles. That are played for drama, that is, not for exploring polyamory and the different ways we love different people. I know some people love the back and forth, weighing the upsides and downsides of either option against each other, but it doesn't really do anything for me. I guess that's why I never warmed up to the likes of Austen and the Brontës - call me philistine, it is what it is.

Bonus of my own choosing: X - A character you enjoy making suffer. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. As a literary character, obv, not the historical Goethe - I blame @fanpersoningfox and their "Referendare und Liebe" because their Goethe version is always kind of lofty and above it and super not-even-fazed-by-your-shenanigans, so when I write Goethe, I enjoy having him flustered and facepalming and spluttering because I want to see the little idiot off of his high horse. *sigh* I love him.

[ellenembee]

Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles Rating: G Relationship(s): Love Triangle - Female Detective/Adam du Mortain, Female Detective/Nate Sewell Summary: In the wake of her kidnapping and transformation, Detective Ophelia Maven does what she can to regain a sense of safety and normalcy in her life. Denial works wonders (for a while). Timing: Just before the beginning of Book 2

Ophelia tapped the edge of the report against the desk with a sharp click. The pages slid into order, and she aligned them against the inner crease of the neatly labeled folder before closing it. Standing, she trailed a hand along the edge of the desk as she moved toward the corner file cabinet, wood grain and then a flash of smooth tape gliding under her fingertips.

She'd turned off the overhead light hours ago to avoid drawing attention, but the pool of warm lamplight surrounding her desk only extended so far. So, she used her phone flashlight to find the correct drawer and scan the alphabetized files. She deposited the folder into the proper spot and gave the pristine files a pat for good measure. Even now, after weeks of organizing, she still discovered the occasional misfiled report or, in Douglas' case, stacks of paperwork he'd "forgotten" to file in order to prop up his phone while watching TikTok videos.

She sighed and shook her head at the small-town nepotism that forced her to deal with inept employees. If she had her way –

A rattle toward the back of the building caught her ear. She froze, holding her breath as her heart began to pound. Her muscles trembled with the sudden rush of adrenaline. Another rattle, and she crouched down, reaching for the Agency taser she kept on her at all times. She raised the weapon, grip tight to stave off the shaking in her hands.

A cheery tone greeted her ears a moment later and gave her just enough time to holster the taser and slump against the wall before Tina passed by the office on her way to greet the night desk volunteer. Ophelia pushed herself up and wiped her sweaty palms against her pants.

"Uh..."

Ophelia jerked her head up at the sound and found Tina leaning backward with just her head peeking into the office. Tina backed up until she stood upright in the doorway, hands gripping the door frame as she leaned in to look around. Ophelia stood straighter, and the movement caught Tina's eye.

"Ophelia? What are you doing here? It's past one in the morning!"

"I just had a few reports... to finish..."

It sounded ridiculous, even to her, but she raised her chin a notch anyway. Tina knew her well enough to understand the motion.

"There's no arguing with you on this, is there?"

Tina's words carried laughter but also a twinge of softness. Ophelia let her shoulders relax a half inch and flicked a strand of long dark hair out of her face.

"I would have organized this place when I first started as detective if it hadn't been for... everything that happened. You know I've been dying to do this for years now."

"Oh, I know. But it's not worth losing sleep over, is it?"

Ophelia maintained her neutral expression, but her heart leapt into her throat at the wording. She knew Tina just wanted to help, but she had no intention of telling her friend exactly why she spent so many late nights at the station. Instead, she gestured to the file cabinet.

"I just filed the last report for today, so I'll –"

She interrupted herself with a giant yawn, tears forming in the corners of her eyes with the strength of it. Tina tsked at her from the doorway.

"Come on, then. I'll drive you home. You're too knackered to be behind the wheel."

"Really, I'm fine."

"Look, I'm keeping my mouth shut about these continual late nights... for now. Give me this one."

Ophelia pressed her mouth into a thin line before looking away and offering a quick nod. She strode to her desk, pulled her bag from the desk drawer, and holstered her gun. She patted her belt, feeling for the DMB and pepper sprays. Satisfied she hadn't forgotten anything, she looked up to find Tina staring at her, head cocked to the side.

"I've been meaning to ask about your new toys." She gestured to Ophelia's belt. "Any of that gonna become standard issue? I feel like you're holding out on me, Lia."

Ophelia snorted at the nickname. She'd tried to discourage it at first, but Tina could be just as stubborn as Ophelia if she thought it was important. Somehow, the nickname had become a hill Tina was willing to die on, and since she was careful to only use it when they were alone, Ophelia had grudgingly let it be.

"It's Agency gear, so probably not... but I can ask."

"Ohhh, secret government stuff. Exciting! Speaking of –"

Ophelia barely held back the grimace this time.

"– how's it going with those stunning new coworkers of yours? I haven't seen them around lately."

Ophelia shrugged, taking a moment to double check her office while walking toward Tina. She tugged at her waistcoat, grabbed her jacket off the rack, and pulled it on. Through it all, Tina remained in the doorway. Ophelia let out the smallest of sighs, knowing Tina wouldn't move until she answered.

"I don't know."

Tina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I haven't seen any of them, either. They've been... busy."

"For two months?"

"Agency business. I'm a low rung on the ladder compared to them."

"Still..." Tina trailed off, her head cocking to the side. "Is that why you've been so out of sorts lately?"

"I don't know what you mean." Ophelia straightened her spine. "I thought we were heading out?"

Tina twisted her lips to the side before letting out a long sigh. She pushed out from the door frame and into the main floor of the office.

"Have you heard from your mother, at least?"

"A couple of times."

Ophelia pressed a finger to her temple to rub at the beginnings of a headache. She couldn't fault Tina for being interested, but if Unit Bravo was sea level on the list of things she wanted to discuss, her mother was at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Even now, she didn't blame Rebecca for keeping everything a secret – Ophelia had always understood that Rebecca's work came first – but that didn't mean she was keen on changing their status quo. They'd lived for thirty years on each other's periphery, never becoming enmeshed in one another's lives. Ophelia liked it that way.

Apparently, Rebecca had different ideas now that Ophelia had become a part of the Agency.

Thoughts of her mother reminded her of that strange non-conversation with Nate at the Facility concerning her relationship with Rebecca. Ophelia had been too overwhelmed to think much of it at the time. For the past two months, however, she'd had nothing to do but work and think – Tina would call it overthinking - and Nate's investment in her family life seemed over the top.

Although, she could appreciate that he just cared about everyone that way. He'd been kind and open from the beginning. The thought warmed her, and she remembered those early days when he'd been the only one she liked. Not for the first time, she wondered if she'd just imagined those couple of moments between them when it seemed like... like maybe he...

"Alright, I can take a hint," Tina said in a teasing voice. "I'll leave you to your precious silence. I suppose I should be glad I got that much out of you."

Grateful for an interruption to spiraling thoughts, Ophelia dismissed her foolish ideas about Nate as well as the image of icy green eyes that flashed in the back of her mind. Nothing good could come of thinking of anyone in Unit Bravo as anything but colleagues.

Instead, she watched Tina go about closing out her shift. Within a few minutes, her computer screen was full of sticky notes and taped on messages. Half-finished reports littered the top of her desk, which Tina made no effort to tidy up. Ophelia didn't realize she was frowning until Tina glanced over.

"Ohhhhh no. We've been through this. You don't get to frown at my desk. You can now force me to file things in one of your pristine file cabinets when I'm done, but I have my own system. I will not bend to your organization authoritarianism!"

"Say that five times fast," Ophelia murmured without much thought.

Tina raised a brow before her lips turned up, and she barked out a laugh. "Just when I'm losing hope for you..."

Ophelia allowed a small smile to break through her neutral expression. Tina grinned back before grabbing up her jacket and waving for Ophelia to follow.

"Let's get you home."

Thankfully, Tina left off on the questions during the short ride to Ophelia's apartment. Bubblegum pop played softly in the background, and by the time they reached the apartment complex, Ophelia had relaxed enough to give Tina another small smile as she gathered her bag and reached for the door handle.

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

Ophelia closed her eyes but kept her spine straight. The night closed in around her, and though she fought it, the thought came anyway.

No, I can't. I can't talk to anyone.

"Of course," she said instead, glancing over her shoulder at her friend. "Thanks, Tina."

She got out of the car, trudged up the stairs, and keyed into her apartment, waving at Tina to go home before closing and locking the door behind her without turning on the light. She hung her bag and jacket in their normal spots before removing her boots and placing them neatly on the shoe rack. Her socks sank into the plain beige carpet as she navigated the familiar layout, stopping in the kitchen for a glass of water and then heading to her room. A series of clicks followed – a click of the door shutting, a click of the lock on the knob, and a click of the slide lock above that.

A faint square of waning moonlight decorated the carpet in her room. She stared at it, her mind spinning back to the week Unit Bravo had invaded her apartment in the name of protecting her. They'd made themselves as unobtrusive as possible, all things considered, and when she came back from the Facility, her wounds still healing and her mind still consumed by the horror of what had been done to her, she'd found...

She'd found that she missed them.

Or... not them, but rather the security she felt when they'd been there – Adam standing watch by the living room window, Nate reading on the couch, Morgan skulking around outside, and Farah calling out nonsensical questions in the middle of a nice, quiet evening.

Ok, so that last one she didn't really miss, but even so, Farah had her own charm. Ophelia just wished the younger vampire would stop reading too much into Adam and Nate's behavior. She could admit the attraction on her side; all four vampires were unfairly beautiful.

With Nate, she could easily pinpoint the reasons he both attracted and scared her. He'd been charming from the start, a trait she'd never possessed. No one would accuse her of being pleasant or friendly... except maybe Verda, but she had a soft spot for him and him for her, so he didn't count. That stoicism – a gift from an absent mother and a revolving door of Agency nannies – had earned her few friends, but Nate had seemed to see beyond that. It made her uncomfortable at times, his easy manner and the way he just said things. The way he teased her, touched her.

But that was how he was. Nate was kind and friendly and tactile. It didn't mean anything.

Her attraction to Adam, on the other hand, was a mystery even to her. The man was infuriating beyond belief. She'd wanted to kick him out of her station on so many occasions. She had enough self awareness to admit that once those initial impressions were behind them, they had agreed on things more often than not, but that didn't make him any less of an ass about it. She had finally found someone more socially inept than herself.

Sometimes, though, he'd catch her with that weighty gaze, and she... something would short circuit in her brain. It wasn't logical, especially because Adam quite clearly viewed her as a co-worker at best, but logic didn't seem to apply in this case.

She shook her head and moved toward her bathroom to get ready for bed. She didn't want to think about them anymore. It was highly unlikely they were thinking about her as they settled into their new place on the edge of town.

As she crawled into bed a few minutes later, a shadow passed over the square of moonlight. She froze, half in and half out of the bed. Her eyes darted to the window, but she couldn't see anything from her angle. Picking up the Agency taser from her bedside table, she crept along the wall until she could peek outside.

The fire escape was empty. She looked up, expecting clouds. There were none. She swallowed, the taser trembling in her hands as she darted forward to throw the locks and shove the window open.

"Who's there?" she hissed. "Show yourself!"

No answer. Not that she was expecting one. Her heart beat double time as she eased her upper body out of the window, checking left and right, above and below.

Nothing.

In the distance, the old downtown clock tower clanged out the hour – two bells ringing low and deep into the stillness of the night – and Ophelia breathed out. Her alarm would go off in five hours. As she ducked back inside and closed and locked the window, she grimaced and wondered if she'd get any sleep at all.

At least a sleepless night would mean no nightmares.

*

Outside, in the shadows beyond Ophelia's vision, a vampire with pale skin and dark blond hair stood in silent vigil for a moment longer before disappearing into the night.

[mangacat201]

I posted 1,603 times in 2021

75 posts created (5%)

1528 posts reblogged (95%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 20.4 posts.

I added 705 tags in 2021

#word of honor - 178 posts

#shan he ling - 107 posts

#the devil judge - 99 posts

#wenzhou - 70 posts

#the untamed - 52 posts

#wen kexing - 50 posts

#zhang zhehan - 44 posts

#zhou zishu - 36 posts

#shl - 36 posts

#lawful husbands - 33 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#(it's funny as shit to me that the only k-drama so far that did stick the landing without reservation is fucking crash landing on you. like

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Watch "Zhou ZiShu 周子舒 & Wen KeXing 温客行 [Spoilers -Word of Honor 山河令] || Just One Wish 一廂情願" on YouTube

26 notes • Posted 2021-07-07 09:25:41 GMT

#4

So here's much 'Vincenzo' has burrowed into my life

How much, you ask?

Well, wanna know what my brain was doing when it chased me awake and out of bed at 6.20 on a Sunday morning?

Vincenzo Symbolism Meta, that's what, y'all, I can't even.

Anyway, so remember @dionideatta's awesome Meta Essay about Vincenzo's association with fire?

(If you don't, you should definitely go read it. I'm linking it here instead of another reblog, cause otherwise this would be a long ass post)

Dionideatta's Fire Imagery Meta

So I've been thinking about that on and off and after the HELL RUN that was Episode 17, I figured something out that might have possibly been obvious to y'all, but to me, it sure wasn't until this morning.

And that is, where for Vincenzo it's fire... for Han Seok, it's ice.

The first time we see him as himself - even though we don't know it yet - is in the hockey rink with Han Seo (which is importantly also the first time we see how Han Seo is completely stripped of his agency, how the act of failing expectations when he goes off script and has to improvise and Make His Own Decisions leads to punishment) playing with him in the cat and mouse kinda way and terrifying him even more with the unpredictability of his attack than the actual hurt. And every time that fucking hockey motif comes up after it's always as a metaphor or expression of Han Seok's cold, calculatedly homicidal nature, his incapability to emphatize with actual people. Detatched, like he's looking at the world around him through a sheet of ice. The scene where Han Seo tries to imitate his brother with bashing those executives.

The scene of the prosectutor death match.

All reflections of that same motif.

Here's someone who sits back, looks at the board and plays the long game with a staying power (just for the fun of having duped the people around him) that is frankly insane.

Han Seok is always dispassionately scheming, playing the game with detatched glee, ice cold (until he isn't), while V is always simmering on low, burning with that inconspicuous, blue gas flame (until he isn't). They're opposites even in the moment they let loose, because where Han Seok just loses all sense of proportion and of his surroundings in a killing rage, V retains his capability of rational thought and putting it in the box again for the long game.

Now this former is fire and the latter is ice. It's quite ingeniously grafted. They're like Glacier against Volcano and where they meet, you get the kinda steam that'll cook you in the span of half a second (which is, unenviably, exactly where Han Seo always finds himself). But that makes for such a great dynamic between them.

It also applies to their respective Queen's btw... Myeung Hee is a 'staple fingers, sit back and watch the fireworks' kinda girl, while Cha Young is a 'ball your fist, sit up and MAKE the fireworks' kinda girl. So much awesome stuff to go around.

Well, I have more thoughts on the bro-triangle, but I feel like that goes past this analogy, so I'll leave that for another day.

Anyway, thoughts?

55 notes • Posted 2021-04-25 11:06:27 GMT

#3

Let’s talk about love language in ‘Vincenzo’ for a minute

And I know that there’s a lot of fabulous treatises on it already, but I’m still flashed by the utter mastery that was the episode 19 end scene and I want to add one specific observation that has pricked my brain from that.

This is going to be a raw, unstructured, rambling flatus cerebralis with nyagh, maybe not enough evidence to back it up. But I don’t care.

So, love language in A side and B side cause ‘Vincenzo’ loves their dichonomies.

We all know that Vincenzo and Cha Young express their feelings for each other in gestures rather than words (and even if they use words it’s metaphorical, oblique, coded and never direct).

From conveying attraction with offer of a wine glass, seeking physical reassurance in a hug and then respecting boundaries of not being on the same page, via giving gifts that say ‘I want to you always carry a piece of me with you and remember when you look at it’ to gifts that are ‘you can trust me to bring down the Tower for you in retribution’ and ‘you can trust me to hold vigil for your loved one while you stymy your rage until you can actually grieve’ to we will share our greatest deeds and greatest misdeeds and not judge each other.

That is how they express their love.

We are all very frustrated that they’ve never come right out and said it, but the reason for that isn’t because WE don’t know how they feel about each other, it’s because until it’s said out loud and unequivocally that we can’t be sure THEY know how they feel about each other.

But, y’all love in words is never going to be their thing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that holds true to the very end. And I have to say, I think it should.

Why? Cause there is someone who uses words over actions to try and express the same thing, which is Jang Han Seok, who from the very beginning when we didn’t even know who he was yet was very brash and direct - Sunbae, I want to go out with you, why don’t we date,... persistently and blatantly broadcasting his attraction and infatuation until ‘don’t you know how much I love you’.

(If I had half a braincell working, I could probably come up with some more instances, but I haven’t so I won’t, feel free to supplement)

But for all his openness and direct approach, these words are, if maybe not entirely disingenuous, then at least always performative. He sees something shiny he wants to own and control, but is incapable of the kind of love that reads to us as authentic and true. He knows what the words are supposed to represent and how to use them to effect, but is unable to grasp their actual meaning. Which is why someone like Cha Young, who has a strong foundation in the actual feeling of loving and being loved (familial in the beginning of the show, no matter how fraught her relationship with her dad is on the surface, and romantic as her connection to Vincenzo deepens) cuts through his bullshit with such scathing precision.

So, with love as with many other things, the show establishes that words are cheap and empty and actions speak much louder any day.

Which is words of love are reserved for the antagonists and actions of love for the protagonists.

62 notes • Posted 2021-05-02 10:37:44 GMT

#2

So...

...Switzerland legalized same-sex-marriage today (I KNOW, they’re the last ones of the inner-European nations, I was surprised as well) by public referendum.

Now... Kang-Kim family. What about it, there’s no excuse left.

101 notes • Posted 2021-09-26 17:33:07 GMT

#1

This... made me feel things. So many things. Provenance is apparently murky, so whosoever is to be credited, if you come across it, let me know. Because this is the Encyclopedia Britannica level definition of fandom: Fandom is... Fandom is focus. Fandom is obsession. Fandom is insatiable consumption. Fandom is sitting for hours in front of a TV screen, a movie screen, a computer screen with a comic book, a novel in your lap. Fandom is eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome and not enough exercise and staying up way, way past your bedtime. Fandom is people you don't tell your mother you're meeting. Fandom is people in the closet, people out and proud, people in costumes, people in T-shirts with slogans only fifty others would understand. Fandom is a loud dinner conversation scaring the waiter and every table nearby. Fandom is you in Germany and me in the US and him in Australia and her in Japan. Fandom is a sofa bed in New York, a road trip to Oxnard, a friend behind a face in London. Fandom is smarter than you. Fandom is stupider than you. Fandom is five arguments over and over again. Fandom is the first time you've ever had them. Fandom is female. Fandom is male. Fandom lets female play at being male. Fandom bends gender, straight, gay, prude, promiscuous. Fandom is fantasy. Fandom doesn't care about norms or taboos or boundaries. Fandom cares too much about norms and taboos and boundaries. Fandom is not real life. Fandom is closer than real life. Fandom knows what you're really like in the bedroom. Fandom is how you would never, could never be in the bedroom. Fandom is shipping, never shipping, het, slash, gen, none of the above, more of the above. Fandom is love for characters you didn't create. Fandom is recreating the characters you didn't create. Fandom is appropriation, subversion, dissension. Fandom is adoration, extrapolation, imitation. Fandom is dissection, criticism, interpretation. Fandom is changing, experimenting, attempting. Fandom is creating. Fandom is drawing, painting, vidding: nine seasons in four minutes of love. Fandom is words, language, authoring. Fandom is essays, stories, betas, parodies, zines, use net posts, blog posts, message board posts, emails, chats, petitions, wank, concrete, feedback, recs. Fandom is writing for the first time since you were twelve. Fandom is finally calling yourself a writer. Fandom is signal and response. Fandom is a stranger moving you to tears, anger, laughter. Fandom is you moving a stranger to speak. Fandom is distraction. Fandom is endangering your job, your grades, your relationships, your bank account. Fandom gets no work done. Fandom is too much work. Fandom was/is just a phase. Fandom could never be a phase. Fandom is where you found a friend, a sister, a kindred spirit. Fandom is where you found a love, a talent, a reason. Fandom is where you found yourself.

from post in AO3 Writers Group on Facebook, via FF.net profile proliferation

112 notes • Posted 2021-03-02 21:04:31 GMT

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