#SO BLESSED to finally have a gifset of this moment

[iffeelscouldkill]

"😏😏😏"

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

[matan4il]

I loved your OUAT meta and was curious your thoughts on a different couple. One of my favorite books and movies is Fried Green Tomatoes. Just finished a rewatch actually. It always slaps me so hard that to me Idgy, Ruth and Buddy are Buck, Eddie and Christopher. Was curious if you have read and watched it and your thoughts on the parallels.

Awww, Nonnie! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my Buddie vs Captain Swan meta! :D

But what are you doing to me, asking me to compare Idgie, Ruth and Buddy Jr. to Buddifer? I love it! I even had to make a whole gifset for it, in addition to a couple of gifs for this post. Okay, fair warning to everyone, there be spoilers under the cut... There’s also a gifset to go with the meta!

I have to admit, while I think the performances in the film are great, I prefer the novel. For one thing, when I first watched the film, I wasn't crazy about adult Idgie falling for her deceased older brother's girlfriend. It just opens up a few uncomfortable questions that the movie never addresses, such as is Idgie just a replacement love for Ruth since the guy she actually wanted died? It’s at least a real possibility due to other changes as well, like how the story about the ducks flying away with the frozen lake is Idgie’s in the novel, but the movie turns it into a story invented by Buddy, so all she ever does is just repeat it, just be a reflection of him. I have to say, the idea of two grieving people comforting each other and falling in love in the process is not awful, depending on how it’s handled it can actually be uplifting, but for that to be the case, this aspect has to be tackled so that we'd know that eventually, Ruth and Idgie's love story will be their own and not just a substitute. But the movie never does broaches this subject. That kinda bugged me the first time I watched it, and still, seeing Idgie and Ruth together is so heartwarming, I ended up embracing them despite having that initial issue.

But imagine my joy when I finally got to read the novel and discovered that Ruth never even met Buddy. When she spends time with Idgie? It's because she chooses to. It’s not some act of charity to help the troubled little sister of a dead boyfriend! In the novel, Ruth realizes that there's no one she wants to be with more than Idgie. And I love that! I think they both deserve that. It also means that when Ruth's son is named Buddy Jr., that can't be interpreted as her never fully moving on from Buddy, she didn’t know him! Instead, it’s a clear reflection of her love for Idgie and the baby being their son. Which to me is really similar to Buck, Eddie and Christopher, who also choose each other and to be a family, again and again.

And in fact, he is recognized as such! Unlike in the movie, where it’s just implied, in the book we have people like Dot Weems who publishes her weekly newsletter and explicitly refers to Buddy Jr. as Ruth and Idgie’s son. Given the very public nature of this, it implies not just her personal acceptance of the three of them as a family unit. It shows the town of Whistle Stop overall must have accepted them. And yes, this is absolutely so much like Buck, Eddie and Chris, who aren’t only a family unit, they’re also pretty much recognized as such. It’s in things like Hen in 317 talking about everyone including their spouse and her including in that Buck inviting Eddie, or the way Chim in 414 talks about Buck being there with Chris when Eddie was shot like it’s a given.

That brings me to another point. The book is much more explicit about Ruth and Idgie falling in love, which is a blessing in itself. It’s also far more mutual. The movie gives us a very clear ‘oh’ moment for Idgie when she’s obviously struck by the knowledge that Ruth is about to get married. Their time together is about to come to an end and realizing Idgie’s about to lose Ruth, something obviously clicks. It’s arguable whether we get one for Ruth. When she says maybe she should move out, the conversation (despite no one else being there) is not in romantic terms, and in fact Ruth suggest that maybe if she leaves, Idgie would settle down (implied to mean she’d marry a man and have kids). Which at least suggests that even within a queer reading, maybe they’re living their lives together simply settling for being life partners, without ever crossing the line into romance, despite being in love. IF we do have an ‘oh’ moment for Ruth in the movie, it’s during the trial, when she seems to maybe reach an insight on the stand and states in front of everyone that she loves Idgie (prefaced by calling her ‘best friend’). This reading can be seen as supported by Idgie’s own shocked expression at Ruth’s words, as if this is something she’s not used to hearing. Since Ruth dies of cancer a short while later, if that was indeed her moment of recognizing her own feelings, it would mean their relationship was only consummated for a very short while, if ever. The novel, however, makes it more evident that they were fully aware from pretty much the start of how they felt, were totally committed to each other from the second Ruth left Frank, and it never gives us any reason to think they didn’t fully realize their relationship. That gives them about 22 years of knowing they were in love with each other, and 18 years to live that love together.

I’m not sure if Buck and Eddie have had their ‘oh’ moment yet, but... If Idgie’s in the film is that panicked realization of possibly losing her other half forever, and Ruth’s in the book stems from the same understanding, I think we see something very similar in the expression on Buck’s face when he is forced to watch Eddie collapsing before him.

On top of that, in the book Idgie's mom not only makes it clear to her kids that Idgie is in love with Ruth, she also says in no uncertain terms that she expects them to treat their sister kindly, basically showing incredible levels of acceptance. I think that's just so freaking marvelous and not at all what I expected for a character realizing that she's raising a gay daughter in the 1930's. Of course, the novel itself was published in 1987, but it also has a contemporary character, Evelyn (whose story begins in 1985) allowing herself to be emotionally detached from her son when it's suggested to her that otherwise, he might grow up to be gay. So that highlights just what an exception Mama Threadgoode was in general, and especially given her time. This very much reminded me of Bobby, and how many of us read him as knowing and approving of Buddie since as early as 201.

In the book, on the day Ruth realizes she's in love with Idgie, there are two things I wish they had kept in. The famous scene with Idgie getting Ruth honey, going untouched by the bees, takes place. First, I wish they had kept Ruth admitting she doesn't know what she would do without Idgie. It gives the whole scene a different, more profound tone IMO. We have Ruth both amazed at what Idgie can do (nicknaming her “the bee charmer”) and terrified over realizing she could have gotten herself killed. This is Ruth’s ‘oh’ moment in the novel, explicitly so. The second thing I wish they hadn’t cut out is the tail of their conversation, when Idgie states that she would kill anyone who might ever hurt Ruth. True to her Christian (and “good girl”) values, Ruth doesn’t like that idea. So Idgie relents and says that instead, she's willing to die for her. But Ruth doesn't believe anyone would ever really put their lives on the line for anyone else. Yet, by the end of the story, we know that Idgie was willing to do just that. Someone else killed Ruth's abusive husband, but Idgie was willing to take the fall for it, quite possibly be sentenced to death for this crime. It's her contribution to what someone else had done to keep Ruth and Buddy Jr. safe from Frank. It’s Idgie fighting for her family and her loved ones, but also proving that she does exactly what she promised Ruth she would. Andit shows that, in spite of Idgie’s wild ways and anti-church stance, she’s that person who actually embodies Ruth’s values.

And I think this absolutely is so very much like Buddie, where we know that they would die for each other. With Buck, it’s been explicitly stated and shown. With Eddie, he knows exactly how reckless and self-endangering his husband can be, and he still goes wherever Buck does. In other words, that daredevil, reckless nature is something Idgie and Buck share, as well as that deep devotion and willingness to fight and to sacrifice for their family. Ruth and Eddie, as their counterparts? Roll their eyes, but clearly also adore and appreciate them, understanding that this stubbornness and recklessness comes from a place of deep caring. Eddie basically says as much in 414, when he tells Buck that he knows no one would ever fight as hard for Chris and that this is exactly what he wants for his (their) son.

Another commonality is that not only do we have two same sex couples raising together the child that one partner had biologically with a former spouse, the kid in both cases has a significant physical limitation (Chris has CP while Buddy Jr. has lost an arm), yet both are explicitly said to never complain, and both sets of parents are very encouraging of their child to live their lives to the fullest in spite of their disability. Fried Green Tomatoes even implies that Idgie is able to be a better parent to Buddy Jr. thanks to being queer, because she too knows what it’s like to be different than everyone else. So we have her, the non-biological parent, fighting for Buddy Jr. to be able to fulfill himself just like all the other kids. That’s exactly like Buck in 312, in direct opposition of Ana’s advice, encouraging Eddie and helping him find a way for Chris to be able to live his dreams despite his disability.

The novel makes it clear just how much Idgie and Ruth loved and missed each other while they were separated. Idgie would drive at least once a month (later once a week) all the way from Alabama to Georgia in order to see Ruth from afar, or even just to see Frank since he was a link to his wife, solid proof of her presence. Meanwhile, the book tells us that Ruth thought of Idgie every single day and missed her to the point of pain. She stayed with Frank even as he turned out to be a violent and abusive husband (to say the least) because she believed he could somehow sense her love for Idgie. Ruth felt guilt over it, and accepted Frank’s abuse as if it were justified by her emotional infidelity. I felt that was very poignant, showing us just how destructive the results of homophobia, including of the internalized kind, can be. And while Eddie staying with Ana is not quite as extreme, there is something about the sense of duty and guilt, the need to do the “right” (i.e socially expected) thing, that kept him there which I think is very reminiscent of Ruth. And it’s also very much like Buck who feels he should be with Taylor given she’s the first girlfriend who hasn’t left him, as if he has also bought into the idea that this is what he’s meant to do in life, find a gf and settle with her even if he’s miserable.

Now, you might notice that for the most part, I’m trying to stick to what is canon in the book, but clearly when adapting it to the screen, they realized they needed to show us a bit more of Ruth and Idgie’s married life ('coz yeah, that is exactly what they were, even if they never got to have a wedding). They’re partners in life and at work. And then we get that scene where they get to be playful with each other as well in the kitchen. Jon Avnet, the director, explicitly said that this scene was meant to be a metaphor for sex. So they take in what that means for Buddie’s own playful scene that starts in the kitchen in 309... we keep saying there is no straight explanation for it, because there literally isn’t!

One last connection, because a geek’s gotta geek. Ruth’s character is obviously named after the biblical one. In the Bible, after Ruth loses her husband, she vows to stay by his mother’s side instead of going back to her own country. She promises Naomi, “Where you will go, I will go and where you will dwell, I will dwell. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you will die, I will die and there I shall be buried. So will Go do to me and so he will add for [only] death will separate between you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17). In case you think that she’s just being a good (ex) daughter in law, Orpa is also shown to be a good, caring ex daughter in law to Naomi, she cares, she cries when she has to leave. In fact, Naomi states that they were both good daughters in law. But at the end, Orpa does go back home. Not Ruth though, who in verse 1:14 insists on staying with Naomi. That’s where we’re also told that Ruth clung (דבקה) to Naomi. Now what’s interesting about this specific verb in Hebrew is that it only appears in one other place in the Bible: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and he will cling (דבק) to his wife and they will become one flesh.” Yep, the only biblical connotation we have for this verb is one that is explicitly related to a romantic relationship. That’s why there are many queer readings of Ruth and Naomi, who have been adopted by some queer women as biblical counterparts.

Meanwhile, Buck’s birth name is Evan, which is a variation of John. In the New Testament, Jesus has a Beloved Disciple and the most likely identification of that person is John the Apostle (the disciple whom Jesus loved is only ever mentioned in the Gospel of John, and while this person isn’t named, the text states that this disciple is the author of that very gospel). Jesus, knowing he must leave, instructs his mom and the disciple he loves to become each other’s mother and son, effectively turning John into kind of an adopted brother. In the Song of Songs, when the narrating woman can’t openly be with the man she loves, she yearns for him to be like her brother, so she could walk down the street and kiss him without being socially scorned (Song of Songs 8:1). We know John is someone who was asked by Jesus to abandon his bride in order to follow him. There’s a verse (John 13:23) that, if translated literally, states that during the last supper, the beloved disciple was reclining in Jesus’ bosom. On top of all that, the apostles were all prophesied an awful doom. Peter, about learning of his own demise, demands to know what would be the fate of the beloved disciple. Jesus replies, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22). Did the 911 pilot writers (who are the show creators) intend for this when they chose Buck’s name? IDK, but the queer vibes from Buck go back to 107 at the latest, so maybe it was something that was playing somewhere in the back of their minds. 602 def tells me the 911 writers think long and hard about the names they choose for their characters, even minor ones, and at the very least one of the show creators is Ryan Murphy, an openly gay man, who’s probably been around long enough to be aware of the well known queer reading of Jesus and John.

OK, as a bonus, some tidbits you might not have known! Fannie Flagg, the author, has had long term relationships with women. In writing this book, she was partly inspired by her own great aunt running a cafe with a couple of her friends (it’s still active to this day and you can find it where Flagg grew up, the town of Irondale, Alabama). Fannie was born Patricia Neal. At the end of the novel, a Neal family with their little girl Patsy runs into a character who isn’t named, but is clearly an elderly Idgie (who we know left honey and that loving note at Ruth’s grave in Whistle Stop that Evelyn finds), living with her brother Julian’s family in Florida.

In conclusion, I actually find it fascinating that the movie, which was released four years after the book was published, is a lot more ambiguous. Because at the end of the day, it does expect many, if not most, of its viewers (even back in 1991) to understand the nature of Idgie and Ruth’s relationship, even though it’s not explicitly stated. And to realize just how many of the things we see between these two women in the film apply to Buddie as well, then no wonder that in 2022, we’ve reached a similar conclusion about these two men. It’s absolutely to be expected based on the story 911 has been telling!

Thank you so much for the request, Nonnie. I hope you enjoyed this! If you’re interested, you can find more of my content on my blog. Thank you in advance for any kindness and support! xoxox

[superbatson]

i saw fotg today and bc i'm still not of sound mind to write a proper review (for here or letterboxd), i'm gonna just do a dump of all my spoilery thoughts featuring stuff i loved about the movie:

the new theme is incredible and epic i love you mr. christophe beck i'm gonna make you one of my top spotify artists this year for sure. (for reference: the previous score composer made my top 5 artists back in 2019 bc of how often i streamed the first movie's score.)

FREDDY AND ANTHEA WERE SO CUTE! obviously i'm ride or die for freebat but like freddy has two hands so he can date anthea too. honestly i'm team anthea/freddy/billy/courtney polycule. make it canon!

DARLA AND THE KITTIES! SHE NAMED ONE OF THEM TAWNY!!! so basically cat tawny, as my freebat server invented, is now movie canon. boom. (no really i screamed, i hope somehow that kitten becomes actual tawny in the movies. we really need to see tawny someday)

freddy calling billy "captain everything jr" was so fucking funny to me. like ofc freddy would act all cocky as a hero and the boys would still argue over who's the sidekick. i love it so much

GAY PEDRO REAL! WE DID IT Y'ALL!!! that scene got such a good laugh in my theater, it made me so happy. and i love that jovan got to be the one to say it too rather than dj. 'cause i know internet gays go all gaga for dj but coming out can be such a sweet, pure thing sometimes so jovan really deserved to have that moment and i'm glad he did. (and now seeing the movie, i have more respect for the tie-in comics, since pedro's was all about him being into baseball. i get why now hehe)

also i know i'm jumping ahead here but AY WE GOT AN ELVIS REFERENCE! sure, it was just the end credit song, but hey, i'll take it. it's something. and it was the junkie xl edit of the song too, so naturally, i loved it even more.

speaking of, the movie had a decent amount of bvs parallels! well, more than one, at least. everyone's harped on the final battle with billy basically sacrificing himself just like clark did in bvs (i hope to see those parallel gifsets in the future!), but i also noticed some bvs nods during billy's fight with hespera. when she dragged him by the cape and lifted him over her head to slam him onto the ground... i swear that was just like the bathroom fight with bruce and clark. at least the cape drag. i'd have to go back and watch both movies to see exactly what shots are parallel to each other, but, yeah. sandberg's movies still feel like love letters to zack's and i adore that.

WAS ANYONE GONNA WARN ME THAT IT'S ASHER'S FACE WE SEE WHEN BILLY DIES???? i mean, i didn't want the spoiler anyway but oh my god, i was not emotionally prepared. oh god. i'm still thinking about it. and freddy's sobbing. god. speaking of bvs parallels--

that scene is gonna haunt me for the rest of my days. i'm gonna write and read so many fics about it. ahhhhhhhh

yeah the movie did have a good amount of freebat bless you sandberg & gayden (and now jack and asher are adults so i can justifiably enjoy the freebat-ness of jack & zach scenes here too. suck it, antis!)

but also the movie did have a severe lack of asher and that made me kinda sad. there's a shot from the tv spots he's in that i do Not recall seeing in the movie at all. (though i did run to the bathroom just before the final battle so maybe i missed it somehow? but i doubt it bc his outfit was from an earlier part of the film) but also i kinda wish it was asher who came out of the grave instead of zach. like in the context of the movie, i understand why it was zach, bc diana gave him his powers back, but they buried regular billy so i wish he was the one to emerge from the grave. but whatever, i'm just picky.

asher did kinda out-act zach in all his scenes, though. this boy needs to get more work PRONTO! (he only has one other project coming out this year, i think. some small true story movie. put him in more blockbusters! disney, get him for your tangled remake! just something, please!!!)

the diana cameo was actually amazing and anyone saying bad things about it needs to shut the fuck up. it was great and yeah billy had a crush on her but he's established to be crushing on her in the first film too, it's literally nothing new.

"taste the rainbow, motherfu--!" one of the best lines in the movie, hands down. skittles has the only valid in-movie marketing. i know the line kinda got spoiled in tv spots but it was still so funny in context.

also darla sorting out all the yellow skittles for hespera was so cute and i was kinda thinking autie vibes before she explained her reasoning for it. the whole shazamily is neurodivergent and i will die on that hill.

yeah that's all i can think of for now i really loved the movie, i also kinda wanted more from it but probably bc i felt like we didn't see enough of the family together. but that can be resolved in a third film, of course. (if we ever get one. i know the opening box office is disappointing but maybe the film can still turn a profit. the budget's basically the same as the first film so it only has to make like $300 mil again for wb to make their money back. and it could blow up on streaming afterwards. you never know. i just hope wb is patient and takes their time before deciding on the future of shazam, if this cast is truly out for the reboot.)

[mischas]

Hi! I’ve always loved your gifs and I gotta say they have never looked better! Would you mind sharing a bit of your giffing process? Do you have any tips for giffing shows that don’t have HD (💔) episodes available? Anyway, thanks for your creations and for being so passionate about this character and this ship! Xxx

😭😭 you’re too kind, thank you. First off, we got blessed by the show being put on Max so the upconversion from even a few years ago has recently improved when it comes to redness and pixels (for the later seasons but even more for the first season). Thank god for t*rr*nts.

Second, my general advice for episodes in low quality is to stick to 268px gifsets rather than attempting 540px because lq episodes just aren’t conducive to wide gifs (in general!! some people have done incredible things with PS and lq videos). Doesn’t mean I haven’t tried though 😅 I def used to do this for Dawson’s Creek before their own migration to Max.

As for some tips:

I use the import method to make gifs which is less common than loading caps into stacks but it's how I've always done it.

For coloring, I'm really a novice even though I've been doing it for years. I'm nowhere near as skilled as most gifmakers on here but I like doing it and it's fun. I really recommend looking through the tutorials on @usergif ! Also, this tutorial was one I learned a lot of basic techniques from, including things I describe below.

Two adjustment layers that I think are really important for most gif-making is Curves and Channel Mixer but I'll share all that I did for this one scene in a gifset I posted a few months ago.

Here it is with no added coloring (though it has been smart sharpened):

First I use a Brightness/Contrast layer and set it to 73 brightness and 3 contrast:

This is where Curves comes in. I use the black eyedropper tool to select Ryan's jacket to bring out the black in the cap/gif:

So right now it's super saturated but that's a good thing that we can work with. Also, I'm no good at explaining PS so here's a good tutorial that explains Curves a little better. I like Curves because it emphasizes colors while also brightening the image (there's probably a way better way of describing it).

I add another Curves layer to brighten it (I probably used Auto on RGB; that so often works tbh):

Then I use Levels to get rid of some of that redness while also upping the green and blue (generally just sliding the thing until it looks good):

So to me this is way too green and yellow but still somehow red which is why I next bring in my favorite layer which is Channel Mixer. Basically this is the layer that helps with getting rid of the yellow filter many tv shows use that drives all us editors mad. It neutralizes your image which I think really helps with lq video. Here's an in-depth tutorial.

This final cap skews more purple than it probably should but it felt right to me in the moment when I made it. Looking back I probably would've gone even harder on the Channel Mixer to neutralize that blue/red combo but I like the coolness of the tones and the contrast we get:

I'm 100% sure I didn't explain this well enough but @usergif really is a great resource so I rec looking around there. For all footage but especially lq footage it's important to neutralize the image which usually means eliminating the redness and the yellow tones.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with!

[sherlock-is-ace]

we all know that representation is important... but i'm always amazed by how my brain is not really used to it yet

like i've just finished ofmd right? and i went into it knowing full well about the canon queer representation in it. I had seen screenshots, i had seen gifsets, the show is a "romantic comedy", i've heard the cast talk about it. Like I knew. Plus during the entire show it's pretty obvious that ed and stede have feelings for each other, it's not subtle...

but i got to the kiss scene and then the "his name is ed" scene and i went "oh it's canon cannon". Like throught the entire of my watch (knowing full well how the story went), I was still doubting it, thinking that i might be reading into things, and just shipping them, because i'm so used to that. I'm so used to inventing my own queer stories because otherwise i'd have nothing, or seeing the potential fall short because nobody ever delivers... Specially in a show that isn't a teen drama (not that there's anything wrong with that kind of rep but it's the most common one). In a show like this, with he avarege age of the characters not being 16, we don't usually get main queer protagonists, we might get a mention in passing, or a background character, or even a secondary one but not the main (that's why Pete and Lucius weren't a big shock to me personlly, I was ready to accept them).

Don't even get me started on Jim, like the fact that everyone immediately respected their pronouns and name? Even Hands, when threatening their life, it would have been so easy to misgender Jim in that moment but he didn't, because that's good writing y'all!!

anyways i'm late to the party, I know, I always am. But this show is a blessing, and now i finally have a good reason to be excited about season 2 lol

[userpoe]

Can you write more on your disabled Poe headcanons?! These are so interesting!!

oh bless you for giving me an opportunity to go on an infodump about this, *rubs my hands together*

I've mentioned it before (hell, I've made two gifsets on it) but Poe is coded as being incredibly neurodivergent - specifically autistic and adhd. this directly impacts and influences how he does things and, quite frankly imo, how people treat him.

(almost all of the pilots in star wars can be easily read as nd for that matter. now take a look at how often pilots get called 'arrogant' and 'impulsive' or how easily starfighter pilots get on well with force-sensitives and jedi, who are coded as being incredibly autistic. it paints a telling picture that the in-universe attitude toward pilots isn't so different from how people treat neurodivergent folk irl, especially ones with adhd).

back on track with poe being neurodivergent: he has to ask for clarification on things frequently, he gets fidgety and agitated when his usual routine is abruptly shifted. he's a very tactile person, obviously, but in tros he doesn't like being touched very much if it's initiated by somebody else. he doesn't mask his emotions at all, he has meltdowns (the scene on the bridge in tlj and also there's a moment in poe dameron: free fall that counts as a meltdown as well). he stims and can't stay still for very long, he's constantly bouncing around even if he's staying in the same spot.

canonically, some pilots do wind up with chronic pain from years of being in a cockpit (wedge has chronic pain from that and also just in gen from the galactic civil war), and I headcanon that poe definitely has chronic pain. I even wrote a fic about it.

he has scars and lots of them. I don't see this talked about often, but he does. He gets stabbed in the hand by Terex in the comics, and he gets stabbed a stressful amount of times in the torso/chest in Freefall. This isn't counting scars he might have gotten during various fights or crashes (he probably might even have some burn scars from, again, all the explosions he's been in close contact with). And even though it doesn't make an appearance in tros (which I'm very saddened by), I think the cut on his cheek from his time aboard the Finalizer definitely scars too.

he has hand tremors! there's a term for this, i believe, my friend told me it when she suggested the headcanon but I can't remember it atm. it flares up a little more than normal when he's anxious (you can see it in the movies, it tremors when he's worrying about his loved ones. it doesn't come up at all when he's in the middle of a fight though).

*smacks table* this is actually more coded into his character than a headcanon, but he has anxiety, depression and ptsd. he has an alarming lack of value for his own life and at the very least has some suicidal ideation happening (he wakes up from a crash in poe dameron: free fall wishing he'd died and...I don't enjoy citing resistance r*born, but he point blank tells the entire resistance if he thought it would stop the First Order, he'd sacrifice himself in a heartbeat. he's also incredibly prone to catastrophic thinking, especially in freefall, which is when your anxiety completely tosses 'logic' out of the window and all you can see are the worst possible outcomes and you accept that as the reality of your situation.

BB-8's model of droid can technically be considered a therapy droid! They were the successor type of a different medical droid model, and I definitely headcanon that BB-8 is the in-universe equivalent of an emotional support animal (I had the hc for awhile, but kudos to this twitter thread for making me aware it's genuinely a possibility!)

I also headcanon that probably after tros when he gets shot (& it's left mostly untreated for awhile + he flies frequently on the arm), it eventually results in some mobility loss in that arm. again, i wrote a fic on it.

[woodsfae]

It’s been an exciting last day. I had an allergic reaction to my nicotine patches yesterday so now I’m not smoking by willpower, since I’m not allowed to have lozenges or gum yet (they inhibit healing with oral surgery, exactly the thing I’m not smoking for), and really I don’t want to try them anyway. Not really a fan of hard candies/lozenges or chewing gum.

Carrying on with Babylon 5 - !

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S01E02: Soul Hunter

THANK you Sinclair, for finally saying Susan Ivanova’s name out loud. Dr Stephen Franklin, mental note to remember that. Bye Dr Kyle, I wanted more of your existential dread over Vorlon faces but here we are.

These various ship designs are fantastic.

I like the technology in this. It’s very physical in a way that still feels futuristic. The lack of voice-commands is particularly great. I’m so sick of everything technological listening to me. Let’s go to a future where nothing’s listening to us.

Dun dun duuuuuun, gonna go catch the loose mystery ship like it’s a claw game.

THANK YOU SINCLAIR for saying Delenn’s name out loud! Keep up the good work, my dude. I can’t figure out if she wears a headdress or if that’s part of her body.

Delenn does not like this Shak Tot/Soul Hunter. Quick guess - predatory telepaths?

“You do not know these things as I do,” - “Then educate me,” SO LOGICAL. Thank you.

They sound like predatory telepaths. I wonder if Delenn is right that they are particularly interested in Minbari and do cause harm (they don’t kill, just arrive at the moment of death, though. That doesn’t really sound harmful) or if this will be an odd cultural taboo/prejudice of some kind.

It’s funny that they show the atmosphere is different by putting a tint on the shot.

Non-humans are clearing out of Babylon 5 ASAP. Lends more credence to Delenn’s fears, if lots of species have a fear of the Soul Hunters. It still could be a mortal discomfort with their own mortality and anyone who is free of natural death and can sense mortal death.

OK if Shak Tot are always this creepy about death I might wanna shoot them out an airlock too.

“We are drawn to the moment, the moment of surrender the instant of loss between despair and ecstasy when the flesh fails on all that remains behind the soul we save. Not all. Only the special ones. Leaders, thinkers, poets, dreamers, blessed lunatics. [...] We enshrine them, we worship them, talk to them, listen to them. We learn.”

Hah, their (the Minbari) former leader is Duhkat. It has to be a conscious nod to DS9, no?

I’m sticking with predatory telepath, with a cultural imperative to collect imprints of consciousness. Even if the Shak Tot is telling the truth and doesn’t cause harm or death, it does seem reasonable for a species to establish a boundary that another species isn’t allowed to collect their consciousnesses, and for there to be conflict when the Shak Tot continue to try to do so.

Delenn’s disgust and horror makes sense with her cultural view - the souls of Minbari merge and blend and become the next generation. The Shak Tot believe souls die at death and collecting them is the only way to keep them alive.

The Shak Tot really should just let the species that prefer not to be collected, remain uncollected.

Satai Delenn! More of a name, and some backstory! thanks, Shak Tot.

“If that’s true, all we have to do is figure out who’s about to die,” yes, very simple, Ivanova.

Cool alien design! Insectoid is pretty unusual.

I am curious how a ship coming into the jump point can activate it when they’re clearly very far away. FTL communication of some point?

DUN DUN DUN a Soul Hunter here for Sinclair! He seems more straightforward than First Arriving Shak Tot.

Oooo Deeply Disturbed Shak Tot! Hims gonna murder people to get their souls, perhaps? Ah, yes. He’s gonna murder Delenn. but based on all the gifsets I’ve seen over the years, he’s definitely not going to get her in S01E02.

Are they really immortal? How long has Deeply Disturbed Shak Tot been killing people for their souls? Weeks? Years? Centuries? He might be the origin of the fear.

o m i n o u s  c h r i s t m a s  o r n a m e n t

pfffft if it takes this bigass machine to capture a soul every time no wonder the Shak Tot are so easy to stymie.

Exsanguination, narrated so creepily. I’d be skeered of these guys too, if this was the normal process.

U lyin, New Shak Tot? He looked so exasperated, hah.

Do what, plan what, Satai Delenn??

This is why you send security in first, Sinclair. Or like, bring some security in with you?

This Shak Tot was way easier to collect than Delenn was. Are they all this susceptible to soul scooping?

Still can’t tell if Delenn has a funky skull or a headdress.

“we were right about you,” “they’re using you,” “you have a hole in your mind,” lots of interesting stuff centering on Sinclair.

Ahhh, her name is not Satai, it’s a title for the Grey folks Delenn was so concerned Spots G’Kar never mention in her presence again.

“Life’s full of mysteries. Consider this one of them,” that’s pretty great line. I’m glad Delenn gets to take care of the Minbari souls in a culturally appropriate manner for her people. Is she telepathic? How does she know which ones want to go on, and are there any that want to stay orb’ed? This may remain a mystery to me, too.

[end episode]

I didn’t feel the powerful urge to make gifs of anything from this episode, which saves me a lot of time, so on to the….

next!

[akvtsuki-ari]

Around Your Neck

Warning: smut, unprotected sex/creampie, post!prison reid, fingering, oral both recieving, throatfucking, slapping, bruises idk??

Length: 4.8k 

Authors note: you know that tiktok audio that goes “whats wrong with you?,” over and over again. thats how writing this fic made me feel. based loosely after a conversation me and my wife @pastanest​ had sdkjhjkef and that gifset of spencer with that gold chain on that has me so tight. so disrespectful...

Edit: heres the gifset!!! 

Plot Summary: Prison changed Spencer. That damn chain around his neck made sure you remembered. 

Spencer Reid was… different after prison. It was something about him when he left, like a part of him was always far away somewhere when you spoke to him. He was fractured it seemed like - even though he was saving lives everyday there always seemed to be something on his mind. He was still Spencer of course, still sweet-talking and soothing when he needed to be. He never lost that odd charm about him and after those first few months he grew back to be more comfortable in his own skin but there was just something there. Something on the back of his mind that he seemed to be handling alone. 

You’d been with Spencer for a while before he went to jail, a few years and other traumatic events later - you had an idea of how Spencer dealt with pain and difficulty. He liked to let things sit and stir inside of him for a long time before he lets it show - then he gets snappy and mean for a bit after that till he sorta just breaks. In many ways, when something bad happened to Spencer you sorta just knew what things would be like for a bit, but no matter how many times he slipped you caught him. When he got shot and nearly died twice, you were there right next to him - making sure that he was going to be okay. That's just what you did, to say you were Spencers ride-or-die would be an understatement. You gave him whatever he needed, whether that be some tough love or being pampered for a few days straight. 

Spencer knew that about you, and even before prison he had this affinity for you that always made sure you knew how much he adored you. He wanted you to know that he only ever had eyes for you and that he was beyond grateful for how patient you seemed and how loving you were to him. Spencer made sure he never stopped chasing you before he went to prsion. He bought you flowers, supported you when you switched careers, and generally made sure he returned the favor in loving you but he was always chasing you still. Part of it was out of disbelief that someone could love him like that, but the other part was out of insecurity. You always told him you were always his, but he never seemed to believe you. 

Prison changed a lot of things for Spencer, but that thing about him chasing you was what changed most. Spencer was always possessive in his own right, but he wasn’t jealous necessarily. He just wanted to make sure you were okay and that no one was fucking with you or bothering you. It didn’t bother him before if you talked and flirted with Luke, or if some guy was hitting on you because you were normally so adamantly rejecting it. He wasn’t someone who was particularly upset about not having claimed you as his - before he didn’t really care. 

For the longest time you didn’t really notice just how much Spencer had actually changed how he acted towards you - mostly because he was still really sweet to you. It wasn’t like he was treating you any worse, or necessarily any better. It was honest to God, just different, more.. something. You don’t wanna use the word aggressive because Spencer isn’t the aggressive type. Spencer was calculated, and he could be angry sometimes but not often. He didn’t have a shorter fuse - hell, you could argue that prison made him more patient since he was often just lying in wait. 

The best way to describe it is probably just more confident, really. He was assertive about you being his and his tolerance for crude jokes that came your way was a lot lower. Most of the time, at least before, he’d let shit slide if it was too small. Nowadays though, if he even catches something bothering you he steps in - always finding the small of your back and pulling you closer to him like he was keeping you close to protect you. He doesn’t curse them out or get angry, just stares at them with a blank expression that's arguably more intimidating. 

You were a flirt by nature, too. You were never trying to flirt with people, but you’re one for flattery and compliments so it sure can be read that way. You loved receiving the same energy so when you did your jokes and compliments would increase ten-fold. It doesn’t bother Spencer because he knows you’re just being silly but before, he didn’t mind if the other person was serious because he knew that you’d never continue like that. Now though, when someones dropping any lines your way he’ll tell them to leave you alone no question, unconcerned about any consequence or even if that person could beat Spencer's ass. Spencer wasn’t concerned about strength like he used to be - and when you asked him about why that was he simply shrugs. 

“I’ll play dirty if it gets there,” 

Those were all small details but there were so many of them that it was starting to pile up and draw you to interesting conclusions. Sex was also a clear example of change. The first time the two of you had sex when he came back from prison was relatively the same, but you could tell he was holding something back. For the longest time, you didn’t really know what until it was the heat of the moment and Spencer wrapped his hands around your throat and ask if he could choke you - something that you’d ask for previously that he was rather unsure about doing. It was the way Spencer's eyes looked into your eyes when he did it, the way his fingers curled almost carelessly around your delicate neck - so instinctively as if the whole endeavor was so natural. When he lets you go and kisses you - you’re more than into it but you can’t help but wonder where his desire came from. You didn’t really mind how Spencer got when he was like that but damn, you couldn’t say you saw it coming. 

The more you thought about it, the more it became clear to you that Spencer has changed a whole lot more than you understood initially, but maybe the last straw was when you made a sorta silly joke about the necklace worn around his neck after prison. It was a thin gold chain, for the most part tucked underneath his clothes when he went to work. He said in many cultures gold is a symbol for blessing and spirituality and he wanted to keep that with him, and that a lot of other people in prison wore gold chains. You made some stupid joke that if he were gonna wear it all the time - he should at least have your name around his neck. You knew stuff like that wasn’t really Spencer thing so when you’d said it, even though it was pretty hot, you were mostly just joking. 

It’d been a few weeks since then. Spencer had a case that needed his attention and you were at the bullpen with Penelope waiting for everyone's arrival. You were nearly bursting from anticipation, a busy case that made you particularly clingy and had you missing Spencer more than you can explain. There everyone was, walking through the doors when Spencer walks through and wraps you up in his arms. Spencer picks you up and spins you around for a few seconds before giving you a small smile. You just hug him again, noticing the cool metal on your skin when you do. You pull back before Spencer speaks and look down - his chains never had a pendant before 

There it was. Your name, hangin around his neck like it was nothing. Spencer was sporting it with a more casual version of what he normally wears, which was basically just no tie. A white shirt and blazer, and your name around his neck. You try your very best to ignore the heartbeat in your jeans while your fingers went up carefully to touch it. Spencer gives a coy smile, watching the way your eyes look at it so hazy. Just like he wanted. He places his hand on top of yours, seeing your pretty eyes flick up to meet his. You can barely contain yourself - the chain around his neck always brought you to some interesting places but to see your name - your fucking name, around his neck so casually brought you somewhere rather interesting. 

“Um - nice necklace,” you squeak out. Spencer laughs brightly, his arms circling around your waist as you bury your face in his chest instinctively . You can feel the way his laugh reverberates and you just whine in annoyance. 

“I’m glad you liked it, might be a little awkward otherwise,” Spencer jokes. It was your turn to giggle, Spencer left terribly endeared by the sound. 

“You ready to head home, doctor?,” you say softly. Spencer nods, taking your hand as you lead the way and feeling his heart burst out of his chest, grateful to have you on him always. 

__

You guess that Spencer buying your name as a pendant on his chain was really what set you off in realizing just how possessive he was. He didn’t take it off around the house, walking around your shared apartment shirtless with it on at all times. He’d play with it constantly, fingers brushing the smooth metal while he was doing something a little mindless or that required his focused attention. It was driving you nuts, the image of Spencers chain hanging in your face was already one you returned to a lot but - now that your name was there it made the stakes of such a situation so much higher. 

Spencers just sitting and reading the paper when you finally are fed up. He always liked reading the actual newspaper, claims there's nothing quite as good but you’re tired of… well, you’re not sure what you were tired of but you knew you needed his attention asap before you lost your marbles for good. You walk over to him, moving the newspaper carefully out of his hands and folding it before sitting across his lap and crossing your arms. Spencer laughs loudly, especially as you take his arms and wrap them around your waist. Spencer just gives you a quirked eyebrow, a questioning look. You shake your head, because you’re honestly kind of unsure for what you’re asking for - you just wanted something. Dick, maybe. 

You give Spencer a look as you take his chain around your fingers again and play with it’s pendant. He already knows why you’re here, but he decides to let you figure it out. He knew before that you were the submissive type, but his response to that changed in prison. He carried that picture of you with him everyday, looked at it for hours sometimes so he could sleep - and it pissed him off when people would see it and talk about you. Spencer missed a lot of things outside of jail but you were number one - your love and affection of course, but there were other things too. Prison made Spencer particular about his possessions, that picture of you was one of the few things that was his and his alone. He didn’t let anyone go as far as touch that picture, so when he saw you again that possession just carried over. He didn’t really care, especially since it didn’t seem to bother you. Prison made Spencer realize how much he really cared for his possessions, books, chess boards, you - all things he already cared about but became a lot more particular after the fact. 

Spencer just knows. When you sit on his lap, all he can picture is him out in the yard but instead of isolated and paranoid, he’s with you by his side giving him all the restraint in the world. He’d be damned if he let anyone take that from him. You give Spencer a look he can’t explain, there's a certain innocence written on your face that makes Spencer's chest hot. His hand sits between your bare thigh as you sit on his lap, and the second you look down on it, you seem to get the clue. Spencer grips your thigh, eyes following the way yours move to try and make sense of what's happening. Your eyes are fluttery, as your head twists to meet Spencers, the two of you nose to nose. Spencer just gives you a smile, before looking down at your lips then right back up to you. You blush. 

“You’re close,” you say, not knowing what else to do. Spencer chuckles. 

“Would you like me to move?,” Spencer asks politely. You shake your head. 

“No,” you say stubbornly. Spencer licks his lips for a second before smiling again. 

“Okay. Then, what would you like me to do?,” Spencer says, holding back a laugh. Your eyes fixate on his lips when he talks, and you scrunch your face up. 

“Kiss me,” you mumble. Spencer grins ear to ear. 

“Say please,” Spencer replies, leaning in as his lips brush onto yours. He pulls away before you can kiss and you sigh. 

“Please,” you manage out meekly. 

Spencer pushes air out of his nose before he does just that. His lips are smooth, stubble touching your smooth skin as your hand moves to one side of his face. Spencer smiles into the kiss, feeling the way you melt into him. The moments before things get heated is fast, Spencer's hands underneath your shirt as his tongue slides between your lips. He kisses you slowly, patiently but that’s not quite what you want. You give him a whine, but he shows the same attitude. You keep kissing like that for a while, moving yourself to straddling Spencer's lap before using your teeth to lightly tug on Spencer's bottom lip. He gives you a small groan and you return it with a noise of approval. Spencer pulls back to look at you, his eyes telling you to be careful but his body language betraying him. You can feel the tent in Spencer pants as you weigh yourself down on his lap. 

“Don’t hold back,” you ask, hoping it’s the right thing. Spencer gives you a weary look. 

“Are you sure?'' Spencer asks. You nod, eyes looking into his. 

“Red for stop, yellow for slow down, and green for go,” you say repeating your safewords to him. Spencer gives you a kiss on the forehead, both for remembering your safeword but as an assurance. He’d never really been rough with you - he was a soft dom at heart and wouldn’t go as far as hurting you. You just give him a pleading look - you wanted him to be rough with you, bruise and mark you, just for a little while. The idea made your skin flush, but who was Spencer to deny you of such a request. Spencer nods softly, leading you to the bedroom. 

Spencers the first to close the door, pushing you up against as he lifts one of your legs up and kisses you slowly - fingers pressing into your thighs as Spencers tongue toys with yours. He always kisses you like that, slowly but surely introducing as much of himself to you as possible - his erections pressed against you when he does. The sound that leaves your mouth is a cross between a whimper and a moan - a broken sound that makes Spencer a little more eager. He smiles when you make, giving you a look of surprise but you don’t have anything to say. Spencer smiles down at you. 

“Go lay down for me,” Spencer requests. You just nod as you get comfortable on the bed - watching Spencer take off his grey sweatpants and boxers, the chain still around his neck. Your eyes follow his figure, landing on his erection before widening. Spencer just chuckles at you - signalling for you to take your shirt off which you do with no question. You watch his eyes as the rack themselves over your figure, panties forbidding the rest of you from being on display. Spencer walks towards the bed, pulling your legs over the edge as he kneels between them. You yelp at the sudden move, but quickly settle up again. 

One thing is for certain, Spencer always wants to make you feel good first. It didn’t really matter what headspace he was in - whether or not he was super dominant like he was today or if he was super submissive like he was when he was stressed. His touch is careful, your legs over his shoulders pull him closer instinctively but he doesn’t seem to mind. He merely pushes your panties to the side before he eats you out, kissing your clit to be gentlemanly. His tongue is careful at first, experimental lickes before he lays his tongue flat - with a soft rhythm, slowly increasing his pace to your pleasure. He gets you close like that, pausing for a few seconds on moving before sucking softly on you, making you twitch your legs. Spencers careful about this part, his speed only testament to how much he can push you, the knot in your stomach carefully being undone as Spencer continues. 

“Can I cum, please?,” your voice scrapes the surface as you ask. Spencer is busied with his mouth but he hums - feeling you unravel as your orgasm hits you with astonishing impact. Spencer feels the way you pulsate on his tongue, humming again so you feel that little vibration that sends your hands in Spencer's hair to pull you off. You’re trying to catch your breath as you finish, Spencer still adamantly eating you - making your body shiver with pleasure. He holds your hips down for a few minutes like that. You don’t really want to argue with him but you’re unsure how much you can handle as he makes you cum for the second time, a small wave of pleasure brushing against your spine as cum for the second time. When Spencer pulls away from you, orgasm covers his lips and manages to get onto his stubble. He gives you a light smile as he leans up to kiss you, hands holding your thighs as he does. You can taste yourself on his tongue. 

“Do you think you can handle letting me fuck your throat?,Spencer asks. You give him a look of surprise, trying to remember if you still had any cough drops before nodding - more than eager to let him do that if that's what he wanted to do. You just nod, ready to get on your knees before Spencer stops you in your tracks. 

“I wanted to do it while you were laying down, you know,” Spencer says, voice unsure. You’re surprised but you just shrug, laying down, your head back on the edge of the bed.  It weird to see everything upside down like this, so you just shut your eyes and open your mouth up. Spencers cock twitches at the site of you laid back for him like this, pushing past your lips a lips a bit, feeling your tongue along his tip. You pat Spencers leg, letting him know you were comfortable to let him go further, feeling his length push past your throat. You let your throat relax, gripping your thumb as Spencer buries himself nearly fully in you. His fingers find the column of your neck, brushing the bulge in your throat which makes it hard for him to contain himself. Spencers fucks your throat slowly, carefully not to push you too hard even though you were more than ready for it. You steadied yourself, the other hand in your underwear rubbing your clit to the feeling Spencer fucking you like this. 

“You’re so pretty with me down your throat like this,” Spencer comments. You moan around his length, letting him know he’s free to continue. 

“Prison made me think of all the things I could be doing to you, fucking you like you were the only thing I thought about all day. Maybe because you were,” Spencer laughs when he speaks, his hands reaching down to toy with your nipples, his fingers carefully twisting them, relishing the way you writhe under his touch. You tighten your throat around Spencers length causing him to jerk into your throat - sorta how you planned for this to go anyway. Spencers expression changes as he watches you take all of him in, his hand lightly around your neck, maybe too turned on by how the air leaves your lungs. When you pull out, spit covers your face and chin - but you just give Spencer a thumbs up and a smile, not phased at all. Spencer didn’t think he could be anymore in love with a person, yet here he was. 

Spencer helps you sit back up, sitting for a few moments to readjust to the world around you. Spencer cups your jaw, pulling your face to look at him - giving you the most adoring eyes like you didn’t just take his dick all the way down your throat, well that may be the reason why. Spencer  leans down to kiss your forehead, hands around the base of your neck as he does. 

“Good girl,” Spencers use of that phrase is spare, only using it when he really meant it. It fills you with a certain intensity you weren’t expecting, your throat already a little sore from the endeavor. You give Spencer a small hum of approval. 

“Thank you, Sir,” The honorific makes Spencer's heart ache. Spencer was a soft dom, which mostly meant that in bed you called him by his name. Sir was a sometimes thing, like when he got rough on the occasion. Sir was earned, just liked good girl was. 

“Get on your hands and knees for me, pretty girl,” Spencer asks. You do as you're told, arching your back completely for Spencer without questions. Spencer admires you, running your hands over the curves of your body, admiring the little wet spot that forms on your slit for him, cum running down your legs. Spencer wanted to fuck the shit out of you, wanted to see his cum spill out of you - as filthy as the thought was. You’d always talked about letting him go raw but Spencer was normally too cautious. You getting pregnant was much less of a consequence these days, like if anyone were to carry his baby into the world it’d be you and no one else. 

If anyone got to fuck you like that, it needed to be him and no one else. That was one thing Spencer knew was so different. Spencer needed to fuck you like that, raw and shameless just like only he could. Spencers fingers are too curious for his own good, one hand around your waist to play with your clit, and the other posing two fingers inside of you - brushing up against your gspot with ease. You shudder under Spencers touch, getting fingered from the back like this wasn’t what you were expecting but you weren’t upset about it. Spencers voice is warm in your ear. 

“You’re gonna have to cum one more time before I even think about fucking you,” Spencer warns. You just nod, chewing your lip as Spencer pads his fingers along you, curling them up for you to feel. He stretches you out comfortably like that, and you’re unable to really think clearly. His mouth works on your neck, biting hickies onto your throat as he does. The bruises are red and pulsating, the dark marks only bound to get darker and more visible as the days pass. Not that Spencer minded, though you did. It was a worry for later though, of course. You cum around Spencer's fingers again, unable to comprehend the level of exhaustion that seemed to come over. Still, you’d be damned if Spencer didn’t fuck you senseless. You tighten around Spencers fingers. 

“Spencer, fuck - please, please,” the begging has no particulars. It’s never for anything, instead a mindless response to Spencer and his ability to turn you on this much, to the point it was all you thought about. You were exhausted but all you wanted was for him to cum inside you and make you feel so pliable. You always were, for him anyways. 

“Sir - fuck me raw, please,” that last plea was a demand. Spencer groaned into your neck, nodding lightly, no response to your request. His fingers burned bruises into your waist, gripping on to you like he was gonna lose you if he didn’t. That feeling comes at you so quickly you can barely make sense of it, Spencers hands rhythmic in their ability as you convulse, cumming around Spencers calloused fingers and feeling every inch of them in you. You whine in disappointment when he pulls out. He just chuckles, taking his fingers and slipping them between your lips and down the back of your throat. You don’t choke, unsurprising to Spencer really. Saliva coats his fingers which he smears across your lips, just degrading enough for you to giggle. 

“Lay on your back from me, I wanna see you,” Spencer doesn’t need to finish his sentence to say that he wants to see how his cum fills you up, such a pretty sight it doesn’t need any words for description. 

You lay down, waiting for Spencer who doesn’t wait to get on top of you. That’s when you catch it again - his fucking chain. His name around your neck, hickies from you around his neck just like your name was. Spencer gets on top of you, chain hanging from around neck and all you can think is how fucking badly you needed this man inside of you. The way he had you, feeling this possessive over him made you fucking insane. You knew he’d always keep that chain on, like you were always hanging around his neck anyways but you needed to do more. You wanted to scratch his back up, steal his soul when you gave him head - everything, you wanted to do everything for that man. When he fucks you and you feel all 7inches, stretching you out - cumming inside you like he owned you because he did. So carelessly fucking you, making you cry out his name and now he had your name hanging around his neck. You’d be damned if another person even got near him. 

“Say my name when you fuck me,” you request. Spencer groans, slowly doing just as he promised, hitting your cervix before bringing his hips up - ready to fuck the daylights out of you with no question. Your eyes fixated on the jewelry that adorned him as he pounded into you, your voice totally lost to you as you feel his cock pulsate inside of you. He was relentless, the sound of his hips making contact with your backside filling the room with such a filthy sound. It was filthy the way Spencer fucked you. He leans down to you, his chain resting on your chest as he hands move to the side of your face. He wants to hit you, call you his pretty slut before he fills you with his cum. You just flutter your lashes and before he can ask. 

“Green,” 

Spencer's hands hit the side of your face roughly, the stinging sensation rather pleasing in all reality. Spencer's voice is low, an octave lower and hoarse as he pounds you out like it was nothing. 

“You’re such a good slut for me, aren’t you baby? Taking all of me in, like it’s easy. What were you doing while I was gone? Bet you were getting ready for me do this to you, weren’t you. Did any of those toys you used feel as good as me,” Spencers words are callous, and degrading but you loved every second of it. You shake your head. 

“Nothing was as good as you,” your response was forced out. Spencer laughs, voice tinged with something dark. 

“Nothing,” Spencer pushes his hips as far as he can, making you cry out as he reached the edge “Nothing ever will be,” Spencer finished

You tighten yourself around Spencer, looping your legs around his waist to make sure all of him shoots inside you. He finishes with a loud groan, fucking the cum into you a last few times before pulling out. You’re more turned on than you know what to do with so you loop your fingers in Spencer's chain and kiss him, wet and sloppy as he finishes. He presses his forehead to yours as he kisses you, eyes locking with yours as the both you stare at eachother in euphoric post sex glow. Spencer breaks out into a giggle as he comes down, falling into you when he pulls out and you do the same. 

“All this because of a chain?,Spencer asks. You just nod, placing a kiss in Spencers messy hair before sighing. 

“If you ever date anyone else, I’ll be the person in prison,” you say stubbornly. Spencer just laughs a little bit more, the two of you lying comfortably as Spencer places kisses over some of the hickies he left. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, love,”

----

taglist:  @cynbx​ @zephyr-studiesjp​ @skrrrrrrrrrrt​ @reid-187​ @louistwinslover​ @pastanest​ @nomajdetective​ @iamburdened 

[rruffian]

WWDITS s4 finale: Loss.jpg

I admit I did wonder after ep 9 whether the show might have gone off the rails, with one possible explanation for how Bad it made everyone feel being that it was deliberately taking us to the absolute brink of watchability. In that case ep 10 was supposed to yank us back to safety, and it did! (thank G*d)  

As written, Nandor’s behavior in ep 9 pushed at the boundary of what makes complex characters compelling and possible to empathize with vs off-putting. (The two shows that come to mind that successfully pull off this high wire act are Fleabag and Crazy Ex Girlfriend). But the reason we perceive it as so reprehensible in its off-handed cruelty and oblivious selfishness is because it’s aimed at the vastly more sympathetic audience proxy and Show’s Beating Emotional Heart in Guillermo, and at Marwa, whose treatment at Nandor’s hands rightfully triggers outrage and horror but whose lack of characterization makes it hard to feel anything for her but that. I doubt the writers meant for her to be anything more than a prop, but it would be nice if they could bring her back for a fleeting moment of comeuppance somewhere down the line, just as a nod to the response her fate drew from fans. That said, it’s not like any of Nandor’s numerous other victims get any justice, or viewer outrage. His misdeeds are only ever played for laughs, and the only dynamic over the 4 seasons is that these laughs are now tinged with a gradually increasing sense of horror. What we come up against in ep 9 is a narrative dealbreaker -- it simply isn’t funny anymore, just horrifying, and that makes makes you want to stop watching. It’s an unpleasant viewer experience to be forced to sit with the worst side of a character you have been led to empathize with or at least affectionately chuckle and shake your head at over 4 seasons, and to sit with it in a way that precludes feeling entertained in any way. I understand why viewers clamor for growth and redemption, but with 2 more seasons to go it wasn’t going to happen at this juncture, and I doubt it’s ever going to happen in a very major way. This show is simply too much like Life in that respect, its characters too plagued by smallness and pettiness and mired in their interminable existence to get some sort of spectacular arc.  

But yes, it’s good to know the writers are being very deliberate about this. Guillermo’s “nothing ever changes” monologue seemed specifically designed to mollify the viewers’ mounting despair over how stagnant the vampires remain season after season after season. And just like we couldn’t take it anymore after the penultimate episode, neither can Guillermo. Just like we closely watched Nandor for any sign of regret or even acknowledgment, so does Guillermo before he finally packs up and leaves. This too is very Life of him, giving up on a loved one when they can’t/won’t change their impossible ways. Going after what you wanted with them, without them. Harvey, G*d bless him, sells the heartbroken resignation of Guillermo’s decision to move on with a range of incredible faces that I will reblog a gifset of shortly. 

Another reason the latter half of this season has shaped up to be very strong with the addition of the finale is the tonal shift in episodes 6-10. The first half is lighthearted and playful, but starting with the wedding you can’t help but feel dread creeping in. Because Nandor and Marwa’s ostentatious wedding is not what you want to be looking at, the futility and wastefulness are too upsetting. The gang and their doomed efforts to get the house repaired through the garish lens of a reality show is not what you want to be seeing, it feels too hollow and dispiriting. Nandor’s escapades with Freddie make you want to get as far away from the screen as possible. Against this backdrop of unpleasantness, Pine Barrens and Sunrise, Sunset stand as the show’s excellently executed forays into pathos (because snapping back to comedy wouldn’t have worked). I think everything that needs to be said about the former already has been, but man, the latter sure did strategically hammer at the wall of my heart to send it crumbling down. Colin Robinson stepping into his original persona with horrible Junji Ito-esque inevitability means Laszlo’s parenting efforts were for nothing, and he doesn’t even have anyone to share the memories of it with since Guillermo’s left. Nadia’s one last attempt to squeeze some money out of her failed business venture backfires so badly she just sits there sobbing outright and admits she hasn’t been making the best drunk decisions lately. And all of it bookended by this tearjerker lament of a gutter pantomimemusical theatre number, played straight, performed with dignity by all the vampires, Gizmo now gone. It’s heartbreaking, and it works beautifully.  

[donaidk]

300 followers and 6-monthversary

So I wanted to bring these two celebrations together, as they happened pretty close to each other 😅 Tumblr, and mostly F1blr, has now been part of my life for 6 months on a daily basis, with only a few days offline. It has been up and down most of the time, but still, it's not a lie if I say it has brought me a lot more laugter than tears. (Even some good tears sometimes) Taking this moment and trying to make it a great one, I would like to just share a bit of positivity, and mention a few people who took part in me enjoying this site either by talking to me daily or just blessing my dash with their posts.

First of all the few people who I somehow had the courage to talk to and became a huge part of my journey here:

@x-lipstickstain-x, @georgeinamerc, @formulola, @landonorrisgeorgerussell

You guys were always there for me to talk to either about irl situations or racing wise and I always felt comfortable enough to bring up even opinions that would be considered unpopular. Thank you for being such pillars to my Tumblr daily routine, even if we don't talk every minute or every day. It wouldn't have been the same without you guys. Special mention to Moni, who has been here since day -1 and who I really don't know how can keep up with my brainrots, anxiety and random thoughts on the daily. You're a real champ and I hope we can celebrate a lot more together in the future 🥺

I also wanna mention a few people, who I may not know closely, but who make my dash look pretty and also make me laugh with their posts/tags all the time. I really do recommend you following them if you're looking for a bit of fun 🥰 (in no particular order)

@dams-racing with all her great gifsets and edits about all the series you can think of @kiwi-lawson the spotify collection abotu the drivers everyone has to see, also very pretty gifsets and edits @ilottsupremacy who pretty much killed me in the last few days with the punk edits, and I just generally love her enthusiasm about everything @formulaunoo killer album cover edits that i hope will never stop coming, and edits that make me excited to scroll through my dash @liam-lawson the one who caused me to have flashbacks of her fancams while listening to different songs, killed me with one (1) jüri fancam, also fire moodboards @formationlapsz the very good kind of 'you think you saw all the Danny Ric content? no you didn't' person, and i just simply love your posts @babssionate all the racing infos you can need presented on lovely ppt's, and someone who I just love to keep up with in general for her opinions and posts @acrosstobear someone who always makes me laugh with her tags, makes lovely fancams and has a fantastic little series going on with @formulaur who's also someone I can only recommend! @limp-wrist-max pretty videos, moodboards, edits, wallpapers and also reaction pics, and don't forget about an url that just makes me laugh every time i see it on my dash @yukitsunoda very charming edits, gifs and moodboards that always get my chin on the floor @rafealnadal the prettiest drawings out there I have ever seen @landhoe I will always be in awe about how realistic her drawings are @danielxricciardo fics that i can't keep up with there's so many, but always make my evening when I can finally catch up on them @callumilott all the professional looking graphics and gifsets about all the formula championships

And just a little special mention for the small Hungarian 🇭🇺 circle I got to "meet" on here and who give me a little connection to home even here, where people are from everywhere around the world and who I also recommend becuase they're all funny as hell:

@formulola, @holymacncheeseballs, @papayaboismybeloved, @tittipaldi, @clausoos93, @watermelon-seb

(I did manage to forget someone, I'm so sorry 😭)

I really hope I didn't forget anyone, I tried real hard to remember all the lovely blogs, but I also know I don't follow many people on here and that there are many more lovely girls and guys who deserve all the attention! I myself thank you who decided to stick with me and who have been part of my days, bringing my mood up every time I was about to fall. I truly may not be the same person if I didn't join when I did, and I already have so many great memories to look back on, even after just 6 months. Here's to many more, hopefully 🥂 All the hugs to you guys! 🤗🧡

[kbsd]

not sure if you’ve answered this before, but what’s your process look like when you make an amv? i’m just curious and in constant awe of ppl who can make videos like you do :)

hello all!!! i have answered this before and i have a vid help tag with other asks i’ve gotten about stuff like this! but i’ve gotten several more messages along these lines so i’m just going to answer a bunch of them together (under a cut since i love to ramble about editing lol). i do just wanna say i’m definitely not the authority on video editing and obv everyone has their own techniques!

edit: i just finished typing all this up and it’s SO long so sorry in advance LMAO god bless anyone who reads this entire thing

so i work in news tv and we have a very specific workflow for writing scripts, sourcing video, producing, and editing. i’ve just applied that to making amvs! for every video i make, i copy the song lyrics into a google doc and adjust them to match the song i’ve cut (i often will trim songs for time and/or content purposes). then i start planning! i’ll mark down what clip i want to use for each lyric next to that line, and any sound bites i want to use (with episode numbers!). i’ll color code between video and sound bites and lyrics, so my scripts end up looking something like this (for my honeybee amv):

doing the planning ahead of time makes everything much easier when it’s a video that spans the whole show or involves a lot of sourcing, like honeybee or sports analogies. that way when i get to the actual editing process, i already know what i’m going to do and have a game plan. for videos like happy ending or believe it or not, where i’m mainly just pulling from a few episodes, i can just plan it in my head as opposed to writing it all down, and produce as i edit. obviously i do make in-the-moment decisions while editing—sometimes a shot doesn’t work the way i thought it would, or i go where the video takes me—but planning ahead definitely helps. i know some people use spreadsheets as well, with columns for lyrics, video clips, and sound bites if applicable. once you find a system that works, it actually goes pretty quickly.

as for sourcing clips themselves/finding clips within episodes, i talked about that here and kind of here. the short version is that transcripts are a must, and the supernatural wiki is hugely helpful by cataloguing all the hugs, prayers, phone calls, etc. in the show. gifmakers that tag episode numbers on their posts are your friends. it gets easier the more video you make—that’s another huge reason i make the google docs for each video (even the ones i plan in my head, i end up going back and making a loose script with episode notes just for reference). if i can’t remember where something is but i know i used it in another video, i can easily reference past scripts!

i also cut all my videos in the same project in premiere pro, so i can flip between them easily. instead of checking a past script, i can just go to the video sequence itself and copy the clip i’m looking for! this was especially helpful when i match cut together the 5x18 and 4x22 wall slam shots for my bestie video, and then stole it from myself for honeybee hahaha. at any given time i have at least 8 sequences open:

because of the sheer volume of videos i make, it’s worth it for me to download the entire show—i have all 327 episodes in HD, plus deleted scenes. if you think you’re only going to make a few videos, i’d start with scene packs. you can usually just google “destiel [or whatever ship/character you’re looking for] scene packs” and there will be any number of ones you can download. if you need other specific scenes, you can always download/torrent individual episodes or screen record netflix (that’s what i did before i got HD download links). i’m happy to share my links if you DM, but be warned it’s a lot of disk space (about 500GB on my hard drive). someone also compiled every destiel scene, downloadable here.

having every episode already loaded in premiere for all my projects also makes it a lot easier to source clips. once i use a clip in a video, i’ll put a marker on the episode file, so that after a while i have most of the important scenes/lines marked to easily find them. to give you an idea, this is my episode file in premiere for 12x10 lily sunder has some regrets (markers at destiel scenes, the car fight, hot girl cas, etc.). markers are the green tabs along the bottom:

premiere also lets you color code and name markers, so ONE DAY i will go back and color code them all. the ones above are all the same color, but in a perfect world, i’d have a myraid—for destiel shots like hugs, touches, looks; for important pieces of dialogue; for action shots; etc. but for now this works ok for me, so that’s a project for another time!

between detailed scripts, one giant premiere project, markers, the wiki, and my own memory, i have so many points of reference that i can usually find any clip i need in about 2 minutes max. sound bites are often harder to start out, or tiny specific shots i haven’t used before, and that’s when i turn to tumblr gifsets or beloved mutuals to crowdsource. but if you’re as obsessive about marking/keeping neat scripts as i am, it gets easier and easier with every video you make. that’s part of why i’m able to cut videos together so quickly. (also i want to stress i do this for a living and have to produce/edit a new piece for my show every day so i’m used to it. and compared to constantly updating content/sources and news that changes every day, 327 highly documented episodes that never change are much easier to handle hahaha)

this is all great for me since i make so many videos and plan to continue doing so, but if you’re only making a few, this level of work isn’t worth it imo. really it’s all about developing a system that works for you. whatever you do with episodes/sourcing, though, i cannot recommend planning things out in a script ahead of time enough. 

everything i just mentioned is producing, though. for the editing process, i usually do it in this order:

music first. any parts i want to cut, i make sure it all sounds smooth

then soundbites. i usually try to weave them into the lyrics—i have characters talk in breaks between lines or instrumental sections as much as possible. i’ll sometimes go so far as looped/extending an intsrumental part to make room for the soundbite i want there lol. if i do have dialogue over a line, i do the sound mixing/levels at this point as well to make sure everything is audible/one doesn’t overpower the other. (also i always include the video that goes with these bites when i drop them in, and decide later if i want to show the character speaking or have other clips cover the dialogue)

once i have all the audio locked in, then i bring in all my other video clips. sometimes i edit completely chronologically, sometimes jumping from section to section—it depends on the song or how i’m feeling

double check sound mixing. i usually listen to my videos through a few times, with headphones and without to make sure it’ll sound good no matter how people watch it

once i have picture and audio lock, i go through and color correct my clips. i’m basic and just use lumetri color in premiere, and usually just play with brightness, saturation, temperature, and tint until i like it

render and export! :)

i always have several audio tracks, but i try to keep my video tracks condensed. i’ll drop clips on a V2 level, and edit a section there, and drop the whole chunk down to V1 so i know it’s finished. that way when i leave and come back i can know where i left off/what’s done/etc. to give you an idea, this is the timeline for my what the hell video:

i always render as H.264 with high bitrate, and make sure to check “render at maximum depth” and “use maximum render quality” for the best quality. i’m sorry, but i don’t know what the equivalent options are in final cut, imovie, kdenlive, etc. i post on youtube mostly so i don’t have to sacrifice quality, but usually just using a lower bitrate will get you under the tumblr file size limit and it’ll still look good.

as for the anon who asked about “polishing”: first of all, thank you!! second of all, it’s in the details. all of this is a matter of taste and my own insanity, but here are some little things i always try to do:

after i color correct, i blur out any credits from the starts of episodes. i use gaussian blur for this, but really any blur tool works

as much as possible, i avoid clips where we see a character’s mouth move but don’t hear the words. in tv/film we call it “lip flap” and i just think it looks messy. also i’m trained to avoid it at all costs at work hahaha. it’s more for serious videos that this matters a lot to me (e.g. i think i did a really good job eliminating lip flap in my happy ending amv)—for comedy videos i don’t sweat it as much

i put audio fades on the start and end of every single audio clip i use, even if i don’t think i need it, to make sure everything sounds smooth

i use markers for timing, especially in action-y videos like what the hell. i’ll put a marker on the clip i’m using at the exact moment a punch lands, and in the song on the beat. if i have the magnet/snap in timeline tool on i can just easily snap them together instead of having to spend time finagling it

this is such a small thing but i dip/cut to black for a tiny bit at the start and end of every video. this way if i post with tumblr video player, there’s black between the loops, and it gives you a beat before the video restarts. i do this even on videos i post on youtube, just because i think it looks nicer/more professional

this is 1,500 words so i’m going to stop myself before i pull something. if you have follow-up questions feel free to ask and i’ll continue to add them to the vid help tag, but any more questions about sourcing clips or my process in general i’ll just link this post going forward. anyone who made it this far, i am sending to a telepathic kiss. thank you for reading and happy editing!

[foxofninetales]

Liu Sang Watcher’s Guide Part 6

Link to part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Whistle, My Love, And I Will Come To Thee

The Lost Tomb Reboot Season 1

Episode 7

36:05-37:00

It is revealed Liu Sang spends the entire time after the failed prank lurking 200 meters back from the Triangle, like someone whose joke fell so flat at a party that he has to go hang out in the backyard until everyone else goes home.  Most. Relatable. Character. Ever.

Liu Sang is not wasting his shame-induced alone time, though - he's busy mapping out the tomb.

At this point we all completely lose track of the plot because he is Doing That To A Whistle. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO COPE WITH THIS.

I just like the framing of this shot, okay.

More whistle molestation.  Liu Sang: putting the “porn” in competence porn.

Zhang Qiling taps out to meet them in the main hall. Liu Sang tells him not to worry about him because OF COURSE he does. 

Episode 8

Some kind of plot happens but there is no Liu Sang in this episode so what's the point?

Episode 9

30:15-31:37

Liu Sang gets the ominous feeling that SOMEONE just triggered another *bleeping* trap.

He uses his whistle more like a normal human this time, to our extreme disappointment.

Earring!

Hands!

NEVER MIND WHAT I JUST SAID ABOUT THE WHISTLE.

It was pretty much impossible to properly screencap the cocky little smirk he gives here, but it is AMAZING.

33:59-34:22

Yeah, you know how he told Zhang Qiling not to worry about him? He takes that back because no one told him about killer clams.  Killer clams. THAT SHOULD NOT BE A THING.

Meanwhile, we all take a moment to be proud of our baby for actually knocking out a panicked message to ask for help.  *growth.gif*

Pangzi grumbles, but the entirety of Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling's discussion of whether they should help or not consists of Wu Xie telling Zhang Qiling, "Be careful." Bless.

I couldn't capture any screencaps of Liu Sang running from the clams that weren't just blurry messes, so instead, have Zhang Qiling realizing that he may finally have encountered someone who needs rescuing more often than Wu Xie.

*Please feel free to use any of the screencaptures from these LSWG posts for your own purposes - crediting is appreciated but optional.

Gifset posts from this episode:

100% pure whistle porn by @canary3d-obsessed​

Rescuing Liu Sang by @kholran​

Link to part 7

[what-breaks-my-heart]

DanHwa Couple: Happy Ending versus Sad Ending

Note: I did plan to publish this post in conjunction with the last day of Run On Week when I came up with the idea for this post but I never thought this post would eventually be this long so I’m not going to ruin it for everyone 😂🙈

Previously, I’ve touched on the main theme of DanHwa’s storyline - goals & dreams.

Before I continue, I wish to extend my heartiest gratitude to @belsmultifandommess for taking my gif requests specifically so I could include them in this post ❤❤❤ You can click on “GIF by belsmultifandommess” to view the full sets from which the gifs I’ve included in this post were sourced. If you haven’t already, give some love to those beautiful gifsets.

This is going to be one hell of a long post so hydrate yourselves, get some snacks, prepare a box of tissues if you are a softie like me, and buckle up.

Previously in my series of write up on DanHwa storyline...

About Seo Dan Ah

Seo Dan Ah, Her Little Brother Seo Tae Woong, and A Planned Coup in Seomyung Group

Goals & Dreams - The Main Premise in the Live of Seo “Rapunzel” Dan Ah

Goals & Dreams - I Need You to Cooperate with Me

I have to be honest. The finale left me with so much feelings that made me struggle to understand how DanHwa’s storyline was concluded. There have been various takes on the conclusion of their storyline and I cannot totally disregard each of them because they do make sense in a way.

After seeing the preview for the finale, I did pose a question whether Young Hwa would agree to cooperate with Dan Ah’s potential goal to stop seeing each other, while still holding on to his dream of not breaking up with her.

As I was starting the finale, I saw the episode description on Netflix and giggled at how the storyline of DanHwa was described.

Mi-joo’s work gets a director noticed overseas. Yeong-hwa and Dan-ah achieve their own goals. Seon-gyeom officially becomes a sports agent.

Earlier, I did a write up about how Dan Ah was plotting a coup in Seomyung Group. Later in the finale, it was revealed that all along, she had been waiting for her father to pass away so she could take back what’s rightfully hers. I stand corrected. Dan Ah sweetie, I should have thought better than slandering you 🥺

True enough, she needed Tae Woong’s support in the coup, but she didn’t say the situation might call for him to turn against her because she wanted him to come clean about his paternity, but she said it because she knew how the bastard ‘older’ brother would blackmail Tae Woong into voting for him for the position of the successor in Seomyung Group by abusing his power and influence in Seomyung Group. I bet he was the one who started the rumour about Tae Woong’s paternity in order to control Tae Woong.

However, Dan Ah needed Tae Woong’s support as one of the major shareholders so that she could obtain enough support to be in a position of power in Seomyung Group. And thanks to his support, Dan Ah was promoted as the youngest Vice President of Seomyung Group. Yes, she was not yet wielding the power as the Chairwoman of Seomyung Group, but being a Vice President of Seomyung Group was itself a shorter-term goal, or a milestone towards achieving her dream of taking back what’s hers - her title as the rightful heiress of Seomyung Group.

Just like what Young Hwa - bless his young, optimistic yet immature self - told Dan Ah when she first came to his college after he kept crossing the line; if a dream seemed impossible to be achieved, focus instead on shorter-term goals while working towards chasing that dream.

By the way when I think of it, it was never made clear if the ‘older’ bastard son was appointed as President of Seomyung Group. Imagine if he was, because it wouldn’t be surprising, but he could never have things done his way because Dan Ah would keep having his ass handed to him by convincing the board room just how stupid his ways were.

Anyways, the way the story of DanHwa was concluded could be open to various interpretation, and I now believe it was intentionally done so. Why?

Exhibit 1

Young Hwa telling Dan Ah that his new goal was to watch her from a distance neither too far that he could not see her, nor too close that his field of vision would be blocked, so that he could always see her wherever he was.

He did so by asking her to just stay where she was. Of course the moment he said it, my alarms were buzzing because of how the story had compared her to Rapunzel living in a castle.

It was when Young Hwa looked “Seo Dan Ah” up on the internet when he later realised that he had forgotten how Dan Ah had been living in a castle that a peasant like him could never even dream of entering, since she was Rapunzel.

Exhibit 2

When Young Hwa and Dan Ah finally met again in front of his painting at the gallery, Dan Ah said that she was going to make that day to be her real birthday, before Young Hwa was finally able to wish her happy birthday.

These lines did seem rather out of place, but when I think more about it, it was Dan Ah cooperating with Young Hwa’s goal for both of them to celebrate her real birthday together.

This was in contrast to when she said her birthday was far away. This to me, seemed like both a literal and figurative remark.

In the literal sense, she was not sure at that point in time if they could still see each other when the day would eventually come.

Whereas in the figurative sense, celebrating her real birthday would symbolise a celebration of her successfully claiming her rightful title as the heiress of Seomyung Group - which seemed like a stretch to her at that time because she didn’t know about her father’s health condition.

But when they finally met again, she realised that there was someone who cherished her and kept her inside his radiant heart. And this person wanted to celebrate her real birthday with her because her being born was a miracle (just as other birth), because she was healthy, and because she was seeing him.

And he wanted to celebrate her real birthday with her as a way of expressing his gratitude to the heaven for all of these.

But ultimately, Young Hwa wanted to celebrate Dan Ah’s real birthday with her to get her heart in return.

And when Dan Ah decided to make the day they finally met again as her real birthday, it was symbolic that instead of obsessing over her dream of getting back her rightful title as the heiress of Seomyung Group which might require her staying in her castle, she finally gave her heart to Young Hwa, even though she was desperate to keep her heart intact due to her health condition. Maybe it’s just me but I think it’s poetic in a way.

And when she made the decision, it was symbolic to her accepting living with a fake birthday as long as someone truly cherishes her, because it may be fake, but her feeling was otherwise as real as it gets.

Exhibit 3

When the four besties met up and discussed about endings, Young Hwa told the group that his happy ending would be living well, giving birth to children like a rabbit with the person he loved (no joke that’s exactly what he said in Korean, hence the look of disgust on Dan Ah’s face).

And when he asked Dan Ah about what she wanted as her happy ending, he also asked if they could share the same happy ending, claiming their love would last forever (ah, the pure innocence of first loves).

Dan Ah then argued that she even faked a coming out to her family specifically because she did not want to get married, so sharing the same happy ending with Young Hwa like what he imagined would totally be out of the question.

Exhibit 4

DanHwa official Before poster

I’m sure many of us didn’t see this poster before the drama started airing. To be completely honest, I was not anticipating for this drama to air. There I was, minding my own business, when I saw gifs and screencaps from this drama’s first 2 episodes suddenly showing up on my dash. And then I read the usual caption spam by @dangermousie​ for those episodes and those caption spam actually piqued my interest.

You could see a sense of giddiness in this poster, as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse with each other. For those of you who don’t read hangul, the lines highlighted in this poster read as below:

“Don’t keep crossing the line.”

“But you came to see me because I crossed the line.”

DanHwa official After poster

And on the day the finale aired, JTBC released this official After poster. In this poster, both of them were portrayed to be lost in their own thoughts, no longer giddy and teasing each other.

Again, for those of you who don’t read hangul, there was only one line highlighted in this poster which reads:

“Don’t get sick, my first love.”

Special shoutout to @its-chelisey-stuff for highlighting the differences in these two posters in a post of its own.

Exhibit 5

After everything was said and done, the two of them kept hanging out together and seeing each other. They even went as each other’s plus one to the premier of Yook Ji Woo’s movie, Killing Day. And it was a public setting where people could gossip about them going together too, so it was clear she was not bothered by the possibility of people gossiping about it.

So with these 5 exhibits, it was clear that the drama was intentionally sending us viewers mixed signals about the conclusion of the story of DanHwa. But what exactly should we take from this intention?

Now, let’s talk about Young Hwa. Our precious little crybaby goof ball. We’ve seen lots of movies (or Young Hwa (영화), geddit??) with happy endings. Some gave us sad endings, but those sad endings were not unrealistic.

Throughout the drama, we could see the growth of both Dan Ah and Young Hwa since they first met each other.

In the beginning, Young Hwa told Dan Ah that he was too busy with what was in front of him (life of a college student coming from a small town in the rural area) that he never got to have a dream. When he finally had one, i.e., to not break up with Dan Ah, he gave her the assurance that he would make that dream comes true. He even tried delaying their breakup as soon as he realised that she would be breaking up with him. Not breaking up with Dan Ah was Young Hwa’s first dream ever, but he eventually learnt how hard it was to chase his dream.

But going back to the episode description, why did Netflix say that both Young Hwa and Dan Ah achieved their own goals? I’ve argued earlier in this post how Dan Ah’s appointment as the youngest Vice President of Seomyung Group could fit in this narrative. Young Hwa’s goal to keep watching Dan Ah from a distance neither too far nor too close could arguably fit in this narrative too.

I know, I know, the irony of me spending so much time thinking and talking about the ending is clear to me. But to me, the whole story of DanHwa was cleverly concluded. If we go back to episode 7, Dan Ah expressed her regret that she let go of her dream to play professional soccer (I much prefer the word ‘football’ but Koreans use the word ‘soccer’ so I’m sticking to it for consistency purpose) so easily and that she was still looking forward to having chances to kick the ball every now and then.

Later on, Dan Ah disclosed to Young Hwa how desperate she was to make time for her to go running to him despite time being of utmost importance to her, and how she desperately wanted to grab onto the little time she managed to make to be with him.

We also saw how despite being so desperate, she had initially tried to resist her urges to just run to him. Because to her, she could not afford to be distracted from running towards her dream. But she eventually ran towards him and gave in to her feeling nonetheless, albeit timing herself so she wouldn’t forget about her dream altogether.

I personally believe that their relationship would keep on going the same way it had been going - them chasing after their own individual goals, them cooperating with each other to make sure their individual goals would be achieved, Young Hwa keeping Dan Ah deep inside his heart with more subtlety just like how his painting evolved from a big drawing of Dan Ah to the silhouette of Dan Ah hiding in his painting which was displayed in Seomyung Art Gallery, while Dan Ah grabbing onto what little opportunity she would have to spend her time with Young Hwa, even if it was only for a short, sweet moment.

They might live the rest of their lives together, or they might not. But what Run On managed to tell me is we should not be too obsessed with our endings which may or may not be far away from us. Instead, we should focus on what’s right in front of us.

Instead of obsessing over our dreams and happy endings which may demotivate us if we keep stumbling onto boulders while chasing our dreams and happy endings, we should focus on shorter-term goals. Because who knows what great opportunities and sweet moments are standing right in front of us, waiting to be grabbed, if only we allow ourselves to cherish them and in return, being cherished ourselves.

And that to me, is the biggest takeaway from the story of DanHwa.

[loooreleii]

#atotsweek2021 Day 7

Fandom is indeed forever, and this fandom in particular is so lovely and made this show even more special! I honestly never had so much fun in any fandom, so I'll just go and be greasy for a minute. You all have to promise to pretend you never saw this!

Name some of your favourite blogs/fandom creators.

Q (@thedownloey) - for talking the night away and creating the best AUs with me even if no one else gets to see them (GMMTV should totally hire us!).

Orthy (@ataleofthousandstars) - for being the heart of this operation and manifesting the best stuff (S2 when??!!) as well as sending me your beautiful location scout pics!

Nads (@systoles-lfc) - for your amazing, insightful meta, your gorgeous fics and bc you're simply an admirable, hard-working, and impressively intelligent person!

Maria (@eyepietime) - bc you're the funniest person I know and make the most cursed edits, and bc I could talk to you for hours, and bc we're each others biggest cheerleaders! And for being the best, most patient beta reader, I promise I'll learn proper punctuation one day (I say, like a liar).

Kit (@taleofstars) - for the gifs, and your clever comments, and bc you're lovely and gorgeous and I'm glad we got to know each other better!!

Nuria (@phapundao) - for being my most beloved fansite, fellow Earth shrimp, and delivering the most amazing gifsets.

Quan (@billkinsdancing) - bc you're chaotic and funny and I love you, even if you're a pie traitor.

Lara (@atotsphutian) - for your beautiful gifsets and generally lovely self (even though you're unfamiliar with Spreewaldgurken ;) )

Angela (@viriyanon) - for the Wingman crew love and your gorgeous art!

Sam (@kaonoppakao) - for constantly blessing us with your gifs and sometimes giffing so fast I believe you're a time traveler!

Our Overloard (@ppdchickencoop) - Bc I love your brand of crazy and hope you will always bless us with your creations.

A special shoutout to @chiakery and @morathicain for your amazing fics, and @thatgothsamurai for creating such beautiful art!

Link your favourite atots gifset/ artwork/ or fmv.

Everyone knows that this masterpiece by Orthy (@ataleofthousandstars) is my favourite thing in the world. It just shows their whole journey, from their first moments on screen to that final kiss and every single magnificent moment in between. I can't even imagine how much work you put into this, but it was so, so worth it! Instant reblog each time it crosses my dash.

My favourite artwork is this stunning work (by @thatgothsamurai) bc every single one of the drawings is perfect and I love how you included all of these amazing characters!

Link your favourite atots fics/meta/textpost.

Nads, my love, this one goes to you: But when I get home to you I'll find the things that you do

The way you tackled a very real but often ignored issue Tian and Phupha will likely face in their relationship was astonishing. It has the perfect balance between angst, fluff, and introspection.

And this is still my favourite sentence:

"With a look at Tian’s expression Phupha gets it. If this was the way his father felt when he crossed the doorway of their house and if this was how his mother smiled at him as a welcome, he understands."

I'd give you 1000 Kudos if I could!

[canary3d-obsessed]

Lost Tomb Lewks, Part 3

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for Season 1 of The Lost Tomb Reboot

Look 12: This look is wet Xiao Ge again, with his shirt off again, but this time he’s being put on display like a hanging pig carcass in a meat market, and I am here for it.

We’re examining this look a little out of order because we gotta have the good shit before the “keep reading” cut, am I right? Some of you aren’t watching this show yet and you need to know what you’re missing. Admittedly it isn’t all hot boys with their tiddies out, but they give us three bare-chested men within about 10 episodes, bless them. 

Xiao Ge accessorizes this look with inch after luscious inch of neck, and an adam’s apple you could hang your coat on.

...what?

It’s a look. We’re looking. At the look. 

(More after the cut!)

Look 13: Xiao Ge did bring some clothes today. It’s hard to see exactly what he’s wearing a lot of the time, because he’s always in dark colors. This look has a dark hoodie with a black mock turtleneck and black trousers. 

It’s a simple outfit, but it suits him very well; the high neck of the shirt sets off his throat and jawline nicely.  

Look 14 belongs to A-Tou, the woman who’s checking out Xiao Ge’s...tattoo. 

This look features layered tank tops, denim short shorts, a workshop apron, and geta sandals. Apologies to Japanese speakers if I just said “sandal sandals.” She’s loaded up with exquisite tattoos, and her hair is in braids or twists with an occasional ring in them. I don’t *think* her hair is pretending to be textured Black hair; I’d like to believe that’s just a terrible white-people trend but I’m sure there’s an SDC video or two that prove otherwise. 

She rounds out the look with a bunch of different jewelry, including this awesome ring. 

The ring, people; I’m showing you the ring on her index figure. Just ignore the shoulder in the picture. 

In a US or UK tv show, a woman this quirky, edgy, and sexy would be a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, slated to be a love interest or possibly an emotionally-unpredictable sidekick to one of the male characters. 

This woman, on the other hand, is a master tattooist, mural restorer, and acupuncturist, and her role in the story - her entire role - is to be a fucking expert on stuff, and display her expertise. THAT’S IT.  She’s still 100% female coded; Pangzi catcalls her, like an asshole, the moment he meets her. She pays him back by making him eat a piece of human skin. I adore her. 

Bonus Look: Speaking of Pangzi, he pretty much always wears a similar outfit when he’s out and about, which is a colorful tee shirt, often with a hilarious cat on it, and some kind of tough guy jacket, with cargo pants and boots. At home he generally wears harem pants, likes pink, and sometimes puts on an apron to do domestic stuff. I don’t know if he reads as gender-bendy in a Chinese context, but it’s pretty cool if that’s what’s happening, particularly with a big tough guy. 

Look 15 belongs to “Black Glasses.” So, this lewk. I’m divided on this one. On the one hand, it’s a pretty uninteresting Joey Ramone type look, with black jeans, black leather belt, coat, and gloves, and a weirdly low-cut tank top. 

On the other hand, the person wearing it is Baron Chen, who is made of pure distilled sex. (for evidence of this, see my Bromance gifset) So, I’m going to say this is not a great outfit, but it would look just fine tossed over the chair next to my bed.  

Look 16:  Finally, another Wu Xie look! 

Um. Wu Xie, why are you wearing a fuzzy blanket?  Pangzi bought that, didn’t he? 

Admittedly Wu Xie looks adorable in this blanket because he is fundamentally adorable, but this blanket is going to make Xiao Ge cry. This blanket says, I am concealing a deadly illness beneath a veneer of cheerfulness and blue fuzz. This is a death blanket. 

Fortunately Wu Xie will get out of this blanket soon, and into a handsome spelunking outfit, suitable for lingering gazes...next post. 

[terrainofheartfelt]

"It's you, it couldn't be awful"

A Playlist For Dair Appreciation Week, Day 7 - Fave Quotes & Lyrics

I haven’t the faintest idea how to make gifs (seriously I think all of you are witches) so I made this playlist, because there is nothing I love more than scrolling through my spotify library and just projecting all over it.

Track listings and links with opinions & lyrics under the cut, because this thing is long, because I have no restraint.

(Note: I intentionally left off all tswift bc if I didn’t, we’d be here all day)

Section 1: The Bops

Little of Your Love - HAIM

A bop that embodies the energy of the 4b arc, and an energy of “Oh for crying out loud, Humphrey”

You’re just another recovering heart / I wasn’t even gonna try / you wouldn’t even give the time

Stop runnin’ your mouth like that / ‘cause you know I’m gonna give it right back

Hate That You Know Me - Bleachers

It’s “You owe me ten / You owe me twenty!” & “I was hoping it would go away / I was humiliated” & basically all of While You Weren’t Sleeping, tbh

Some days I, I wish that I wasn't myself / No luck! / And I hate that you know me so well

I Like Me Better - Lauv

Heavily featured in all y’all’s gifsets—and rightfully so!!! It’s also like the perfect counter to the previous song.

To not know who I am but still know that I'm good long as you're here with me

Sweet Talk - Saint Motel

It’s about Blair roasting Dan for filth and him being completely charmed by it.

when you laugh / I forget that it's about me / But it's alright / Yeah, cause being your punchline / Still is something

No Reason to Run - Cold War Kids

In the perfect version of the show that lives in my head, this is the end credits song that plays as the two of them frolic in Rome.

I have evolved like a fish growing legs / Woke like a lightbulb clicked in my brain

You Make Lovin' Fun - Fleetwood Mac

The song for the couple that fucked in an elevator. Bless the work.

Sweet wonderful you / You make me happy with the things you do

No Matter What You Do - covered by Jakob Dylan and Regina Spektor

The energy is “I have a lot of affection for you but you are so annoying.” And this is the obligatory post-breakup s6 song.

No matter what in the world you do / Hey, I'll always be in love with you

Don't Take the Money - Bleachers

I see so much love for tswift on this website (valid) but I feel like the world as a whole sleeps on her collaborator Jack Antonoff bc he is brilliant and his act Bleachers has some of my favorite songs ever. Like this one. Antonoff has said before that the title phrase is more metaphorical than literal, like an idiom that means don’t take the easy way and give this up, because it’s genuine. Real “I want to have a sleepover with you” vibes.

Somebody broke me once / Love was a currency / A shimmering balance act / I think that I laughed at that

In the Morning - Nina Simone

It’s about the domesticity! And the “Our relationship is our world”! And the “we’re young and still have so much life to live so everything’s gonna be okay.” did i title a smut fic with lyrics from this song maybeso.gif

Please be patient with your life / It's only morning and you're still to live your day

This Must Be the Place - Talking Heads

This is a canon dair song bc @mysteriesofloves titled a fic after this song, them’s the rules. But for real, this is such a good one. The lyrics are intentionally scattered, a little bewildered, like “how did we get here? how did this happen? who found whom?” and finally “who cares? we found a home in each other.”

The less we say about it, the better / We'll make it up as we go along

Cleopatra in Brooklyn - Frank Turner

Chosen for the title obviously, but the lyrics capture the royal/5b arc pretty well, I think. The narrator carries this tongue-and-cheek comparison of the woman he’s singing to to Cleopatra through the whole song, comparing himself to Marc Antony, and ending with this really earnest kind of declaration. I’m obsessed with this songwriter he’s a genius please give him a listen.

These people are adjectives to your proper noun

I'll come find you when your fortunes fail you / I'll die with you when the gods desert you

Morphing into Section 2: Pure Vibes

Walking on a Dream - covered by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

The original is by Empire of the Sun (and omigod I just realized the coincidence), but I first heard it covered by McMahon, and he’s one of my favorite musicians of ever so I just love his rendition. And this song is sort of like...about finally deciding that the reality of love with someone is so much better than the idea of it.

Thought I’d never see / The love you found in me / Now it’s changing all the time

Wake Me - Bleachers

Jack coming for my life yet again. This song is so romantic but also so melancholy? Which is such a Daniel Humphrey Vibe.

And I'd rather be sad with you / Than anywhere away from you

All I Want - Joni Mitchell

I’m a white girl with a mother who grew up in the 60s, so I love Joni. And this song is so bubbly and joyful, but it’s also about a relationship between two imperfect people and wanting it to work anyway. Big “Despicable B” vibes!

All I really want our love to do / Is to bring out the best in me / And in you, too.

Dust to Dust - The Civil Wars

A friend in undergrad got me into the Civil Wars by showing me their live videos, and they have such incredible musical chemistry - like, the synchronicity of their ensemble is so good that it even comes through on their studio recordings and it makes these simple lyrics hit SO HARD.

You're just lonely / You've been lonely too long

NFWMB - Hozier

Ok, this had to be like the first ask I ever sent @bisexualdanhumphrey bc they wrote this fantastic meta post about Hozier and Derena but I said: “consider: NFWMB is a Dair song.” And they said, “You right.” I stand by it, and that’s why this song is on this list.

If I was born as a blackthorn tree / I'd wanna be felled by you / Held by you / Fuel the pyre of your enemies

Friday I'm in Love - covered by Phoebe Bridgers

This song - especially this cover - gives such Secret Friendship Arc vibes a la the end of 4x16...the inherent romance of eating pizza and falling asleep on the couch together

Always take a big bite / It’s such a gorgeous sight / To see you eat in the middle of the night

A Case of You - Joni Mitchell

Queen Joni again. Like! I am a lonely painter / I live in a box of paints. & The “You’re the star of Dan’s book” of it all in these lyrics!

I remember that time you told me / You said “Love is touching souls” / Surely you touched mine / ‘cause part of you pours out of me / In these lines from time to time.

Longing to Belong - Eddie Vedder

This is my thinly veiled attempt to tell more people about this: a song written and performed by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder on ukulele, that is actually the softest love song in the history of western music.

All my time is spent here / Longing to belong to you

Bones - Josh Record

Okay, so, that Moment on the Couch at the end of 5x02? That’s this song.

And darling, when your feet are cold / Wait up, I'm coming home / And all of you I will hold / My love will clothe your bones

Cinnamon Girl - Lana Del Rey

The song for when you reach the end of plausible deniability - One all consuming paralyzing thought & You need to go back to Brooklyn - and it scares the heck out of you.

There's things I wanna say to you, but I'll just let you live / Like if you hold me without hurting me / You'll be the first who ever did

You and Me - You + Me

You can be flawed enough but perfect for a person

Section 3: Songs for Dancing in the Kitchen with Your Lover at 1 am

Cigarettes and Coffee - Otis Redding

The “Dan and I have a real connection song.” It’s about the romance of commonplace things when they’re with the right person.

But it seemed so natural, darling / That you and I are here

I'd Be Waiting - Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

It’s “I just want to spend the day with you” but in like, slow-dance, sexy harmonies format.

If you ever get lonely if you never did

Never My Love - covered by Jakob Dylan and Norah Jones

The “Words of Affirmation” love song they deserve, and an underrated love song from Laurel Canyon, imho

What makes you think love will end? / When you know that my whole life depends / On you

Dancing in the Dark - covered by Morgan James

Okay so these lyrics are such Dan lyrics to me, it’s charmingly self-aware and self-deprecating. And this cover by Morgan James turns this staple rock song into something ~sexy~

I'm dying for some action / I'm sick of sittin' round here trying to write this book / I need a love reaction / Come on, gimme just one look

Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You) - Aretha Franklin

They’re literally always making each other laugh! It’s about feeling safe enough to be uninhibited and unselfconscious in your joy.

To make you laugh / I would be a fool for you

I Fall in Love Too Easily - as done by Chet Baker

No one, but no one sounds as sweet or as smooth as Chet. I know it, you know it, Hozier knows it. And this song and it’s titular thesis is so Them, it’s such a central part of their respective characters, and one of the things that makes them compatible.

My heart should be well schooled / 'Cause I've been fooled in the past

For Me Formidable - Charles Aznavour

Due entirely to this fic (Part II of a god tier s4 au) This is the end credits song for their full feature length Nora Ephron romcom.

NSFW Honorable Mention: Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier

it’s the definitive “men get pegged” representation, iykyk