#all the writers are white 🤦‍♂️

[katerina-q]

Get them, atla Twitter 🤦‍♂️ We are so tired 🤦‍♂️

[ryoryeonggu]

After years and years, I admit that my opinions with TVDU have changed a lot. For example, I no longer feel the burning hatred towards Elena when I realize how suck her life is (and she did have her moments). But no one could ever bloody convince me that killing Kol wasn't a selfish hypocritical action on her and the MF gang's part, and only because of plot armor that she (and her friends) survived after pulling that shit. Nope. Not a chance.

Point number 1: "Elena only killed Kol to save her brother, that's self defense."

Like it wasn't her who lured him into her house in the first place. Like it wasn't the point of her whole plan at the very beginning is using the death of his entire sireline to complete The Hunter Mark. To get the damn cure for herself. Let's get a quick reminder of how she was fully aware of the consequences and what she's doing:

Elena: If you kill one Original vampire, their entire sire line will die with them. That's thousands, maybe tens of thousands of vampires.

Elena: Think about it. Kol's sire line must stretch to the moon by now. If Jeremy kills Kol, every vampire that he's ever turned, not to mention everyone that they've turned, will die, which means the hunter's mark will be complete and we'll have our key to finding the cure.

Some would argue that it's after Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy. But please don't say that there's no other choice since there's Klaus trying to dagger him! For the girl and people who have deluded themselves into thinking her planning a genocide was to protect her brother, she sure did a good job protecting him by having Jeremy fight an Original with some guns and crossbows (like it could've worked in a making-sense world).

Btw hey, how about using the dagger that bloody Matt stole to use it on Rebekah, how about using it to dagger Kol instead? It's still utterly stupid and reckless to challenge an Original vampire either way, but at least could've "protected your brother" without murdering 10000 and more innocent person who did nothing to you. How about that?

#dontwannakill100letskill10000ppinstead #elenaslogic

Point number 2: “It’s not plot armor, Elena is smart and capable than people giving her credit for”…

Okay that could’ve been debatable... if her plan wasn’t stupid af.

I already read those arguments about how Kol isn’t the greatest fighter out of The Originals squad (can’t blame them since the writers kept letting him get bested ridiculously). About his strength might be numb and his skills might be affected after centuries spending on the coffin. About how Kol was cocky, arrogant and underestimated Elena and co. And you know what, that’s fair. That’s some good point I could get behind to explain why Kol didn’t just tear Elena and her brother apart in a few seconds as soon as he entered The Gilbert house.

But let’s not pretend when you saw with your own eyes, that Kol wasn’t in the upper hand in the whole fight. Even they did prepare themselves with all those hunter equipment, attempted to trap him or attack him with surprise. Kol, with all possible inconveniences listed above, still managed to overpower Elena and Jeremy, throwing them away with no sweats like some rag dolls. Not to mention Kol had several chances to just kill Elena and be done with it, like when he pinned her to the wall, and stabbed her. Why didn’t he just rip her heart out of her chest? When he stated clearly on the phone with Klaus that he was going to kill Elena? Why stopped there? No reason. (And why did he froze like that in the kitchen scene as if he was waiting to be killed? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️) Kol didn’t underestimate Elena, it's Elena who underestimated Kol. And now we all agree that she and her brother would’ve eaten sh*t and dead, or been armless if it wasn’t for all plot armor, stop fooling yourself.

Another hole of Elena’s “smart and capable” plan is… HOW? What tf was she thinking how she’s gonna kill him??? Like, we all know the only way to kill an Original is the white oak stake… which they didn’t have. The only ones who knew Kol had it were Klaus and Rebekah. And I doubt they just casually mentioned to their enemies in very short of time that their brother had the murder weapon which could kill them all. And let’s pretend they did for some reason, how could they be sure Kol would just bring the white oak state along to the house? He could've kept it somewhere safe, he could've destroyed it already. And there’re no indication or hint that they knew where it was. They planned to steal a dagger to use on Rebekah, to deal with the aftermath, but they didn’t bother to find the crucial weapon for the plan? And Kol just happened to bring the weapon to their door, how convenient. How clever.

Conclusions? Being with poor Elena and defending her all you want (like I couldn't careless with all other matters) but please don't pull the self defense card in this case or go as far as she really just survived purely on her "skills" or her "intelligence". Like, sure. She made a plan, lured Kol into her house to murder him, planned to kill 10000+ people and dgaf about the possibility of the world ending just because she couldn't handle being a vampire. The entire mess afterwards was because of her doings. And don't get me started on how the hell she thought she could get away with killing Klaus and Elijah's little brother and planned to dagger their baby sister later. But yeah, of course, somehow she did. Plot armor. Pointless.

[trulybetty]

Closed Sets | Dieter Bravo x OFC!Bryony

A little one-shot for this week's @writer-wednesday - I thought of ideas for a couple of other characters, and I may return to them...

But for now, here's Dieter and Bryony...

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x OFC!Bryony Warnings: closed movie sets, Dieter being his unrelentless self, barely read-over writing, tiny hint at smut if you squint Summary: Dieter convinces Bryony to visit him at 'work', however, he has other ideas. AO3: TBD

Closed Sets

Dieter was radiating mischievous energy. Bryony had suspected he was up to something the moment she’d realised the sound stage he’d lured her to was empty and not another soul was to be seen, anywhere. She had been working late into the night in the offices on the other side of the studios when her phone had sprung to life with a series of text messages, all from Dieter asking, no begging, her to come see him. 

Dieter: Bryonnnnnyyyyy 😏😏😏 Bryony: Dieter. Dieter: Mon chere 🥀🌙, I'm aching without you. Bryony: I miss you too. Dieter: 💔 Devastating. Why not wrap up your work and come see me? I'm only on lot 6 🎬 Bryony: I still have six more pages of this proposal, Dieter. Dieter: It feels like forever since I last saw you 😭 Bryony: We had breakfast together this morning. You interrupted my morning meetings and you've FaceTimed me three times this afternoon already. Dieter: Ahhh, but it's not the same...😓 Come on, Daff 🌼 Bryony: And Cricket told me there was a fourth attempt, said you FaceTimed her instead of me... Dieter: 🤦‍♂️ Not my finest moment, I admit. Bryony: She told me you were naked... Dieter: Just a minor wardrobe malfunction 🙊 Nothing scandalous, I assure you!

So he'd lured her here with the promise of a break from their demanding schedules, a playful diversion. Dieter, with his boyish charm and sparkling eyes, was in his element, a mischievous grin adorning his face. Standing before Bryony, he was practically buzzing as he guided her towards the mock suite nestled within the sprawling movie set. 

“Dieter,” Bryony hissed, casting a wary glance around the dimly lit set, “this is a closed set, we’re not supposed to be here.”

His grin widened, and he shrugged nonchalantly as he smoothly retorted, “Au contraire mon cherie, I’m an actor in this movie and you’re a producer who works on movies. This is a movie set is it not? Do we not meet the prerequisites to be here?”

Bryony rolled her eyes at his logic, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips despite herself. His light-hearted banter was infectious, and she found herself unable to suppress her laughter. “That’s one hell of a way to bend the rules to your advantage, Bravo,” she said, her voice layered with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Dieter merely shrugged, feigning the picture of innocence. “Come on Daff," he coaxed, his voice a silky drawl that was hard to resist. "I need to get in character for my scene tomorrow, help me run my scenes.”

Bryony narrowed her eyes at him, knowing all too well the underlying subtext of his words. She was after all too familiar with his tactics, and she knew precisely what scene he was supposed to be filming the next day. It involved a bed, a beautiful woman, and not a stitch of clothing. She couldn't help but laugh at his audacious attempt.

"Dieter," she admonished, fighting the smirk that tugged at her lips, "I’m not having sex with you here."

Undeterred by her refusal, Dieter's playful grin never wavered. His eyes twinkled with delight as he stepped closer, his fingers gently tracing the curve of her arm. The sudden proximity, the warmth radiating from him, and the lingering scent of his cologne set her senses on high alert. This was Dieter at his most persuasive, his most charming.

He turned, walking over to the bed in the middle of the set “Come on Bryony," he began, his tone feigning sincerity as he perched on the edge of the sumptuously dressed bed. The white linen and plush cushions perfectly positioned for the scene in question. "I need to get in character for my scene tomorrow. Help me run my scenes.”

“Dieter,” she replied, the single utterance of his name holding a world of warning. Despite herself, she felt the familiar stirrings of desire at the back of her mind.

Unfazed by her retort, he simply shrugged, his grin widening as he leaned back on his hands, feigning innocence. “Daff," he coaxed, his voice dropping to a persuasive whisper that tickled the edges of her resolve, "give me something to work with tomorrow.”

He knew just how to push her buttons, how to make her knees weak with a mere glance, a word, a touch. It was a push and pull that they had perfected over the course of their relationship. It was enticing, thrilling, and utterly frustrating.

“Maybe I can try out the whole method acting thing," he suggested with a twinkle in his eye, "see if it’s all what it’s cracked up to be.”

That elicited a laugh from her, a delightful sound that echoed through the spacious suite, bringing it to life. “Dieter Bravo,” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes at his theatrics.

Switching tactics, Dieter leaned in, his voice dropping to a sultry murmur, “Juste une petite démonstration, ma chérie?” The shift to French was deliberate. He knew the language was a turn-on for her, the way his lips curled around the words sending an unintentional shiver down her spine.

“Dieter,” she strung out his name, her resolve faltering as he stepped towards him, close enough that he could tug her to stand between his open legs by belt loops of her jeans.

"At least let's fool around,” he winked, hoping to set some middle ground to agree on, “give me something to work with tomorrow on set. Sex scenes really aren't as sexy to film as people think."

Bryony's gaze flickered from his hopeful eyes to his softly smirking lips, a decision forming in her mind. With a sigh, she moved closer, her hands landing on his chest. The fabric of his shirt was warm under her touch, his heartbeat steady beneath her fingers.

"Alright," she finally relented, her voice almost a whisper as she gave him her best attempt at a pointed look. "But remember, this is purely for research purposes."

Dieter's face lit up, his grin widening as she lifted her knees to straddle his. "Of course, purely research, Ms. Morgan."

He was leaning in close, the warmth of his breath fanning against her neck, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. Despite her initial protests, Bryony found herself falling into the rhythm of his playful game. She rolled her eyes, a half-hearted attempt to appear exasperated. "Jesus, I must be losing my mind to let you convince me of this."

[1rakus]

confucius and lao tzu were actually contemporaries! and either way, id say both daoism and confucianism only borrow their names from their writers and both embody endemic philosophies already extant in chinese culture. as someone whos grown up around both id say that theyre two sides of the same coin, or three faces of a pyramid if you count mahayana buddhism

anyway im reading lao tzu now and the preface author is like "we've resisted confucianism and the dao is victorious" sir...