#and because she's so accepting about the whole supernatural craziness

[givehimthemedicine]

lumax as a premature relationship

first: I don't mean any of this like "the show shouldn't have done it". what I mean is that with lumax, ST is telling the story of a relationship whose flaw (if it can be summarized into just one) is that it happened too soon.

probably out of comparison to milkvan, and the delay of canon byler, lumax gets lauded as the wholesome ship based on true friendship that slowly blossomed into romance. but that's not accurate. Lucas is a good friend to Max, but Max isn't to Lucas, and it certainly wasn't slow.

even platonic lumax should've been a slow simmer but was a speed run

the newly-introduced Max has high walls, which suggests anyone who wants to get close to her will have to take a slow approach. but then before you know it, Lucas is just kinda. in there.

yes, it takes him most of the season to earn Max's trust, which sounds long, but isn't. the first time Lucas and Max ever spoke was Halloween, Wednesday. the arcade I think is Saturday, and the junkyard is the day after that? so she broaches the darkest subject in her life... 4 days after meeting him. with like. zero prompting. "that fog looks cool! btw my parents are divorced and..."

Max's walls are only so high because of how badly she wants to let someone in, so it's understandable that the right person could get in relatively fast. I have no problem with that trope. sucker, in fact. but opening up here was CRAZY for someone with huge trust issues:

you have to be careful who you confide in about abuse because if your confidant mishandles it so that your abuser finds out you told, things could get MUCH worse. she simply doesn't know Lucas well enough to know he won't accidentally put her in more danger (which actually he already did: by following her out of the arcade after she said not to, and again by showing up at her house).

this talk was moments before Max saw a demodog, meaning she's gone along with the supernatural story without any evidence. I'm not criticizing that; she's a kid who likes fantasy, wants friends really bad, and isn't above playing make-believe in order to be included. what bothers me is she confided in Lucas about her abuse BEFORE seeing a shred of proof this entire outing wasn't the elaborate prank she feared it was. in the infinitely more realistic scenario that these boys are just messing with her, and will ditch her after they've had their laugh, this could so easily have led to a much darker situation at home.

the timing of that conversation was so objectively, stupidly unsafe that I'd call it bad writing if it was an isolated incident. but, self-preservation instincts so terrible they can sometimes be better explained as elf-sabotage - that's just classic Max.

romantic lumax seemed kind of forced because as a new kid in town, all Max wanted was friendship

the snow ball is about a month after everything else. Max and Lucas don't seem to be a couple yet. it doesn't even look like they're dates. so to kiss him suddenly felt like another jump way ahead. he sure looked surprised.

I guess a month is a while when you're 13, but the romantic aspect felt rushed to me because the whole season is full of indications that Max only wanted friendship. and that's made super clear by her constant focus on group friendship. her dialogue throughout 2 is consistently group-oriented.

her behavior is too: as of Halloween, Max has Lucas and Dustin in her pocket. if she's crushing on Lucas, or enjoys attention from boys in general, why on earth would she go out on such a limb seeking Mike's acceptance after she already has what she wants?

because that's not what she wants most. she wants to belong to the whole group, like she keeps saying. (I'm going to ramble much more about this theme in another post soon)

Max continues to prioritize friendship / group activities even after lumax becomes a thing

a few examples:

lumax's idea of "romantic time" can include their friends, in contrast to milkvan prioritizing alone time.

Max (and Lucas) drop 1 on 1 time (washing out his eyes is a scene that's an easy kiss opportunity for your standard tv teen couple) in favor of a long trek in the sun to build a radio tower so Dustin can talk to a girl she doesn't believe exists. Max and Lucas do skip off together, but again in contrast to El and Mike who leave early to make out, they only leave because it's time to go home.

^that's the same Max who tagged along and earnestly participated in armoring up a junked schoolbus to fight monsters without any proof.

despite downsizing for trailer living, she kept the Michael Myers mask in memory of the first night she felt like a part of the party.

unlike others who yell for their loved one from the UD, Max calls out for Lucas and Dustin.

her life-saving montage includes many platonic as well as romantic moments.

alright killjoy, if Max only wanted friendship, how's it make sense that SHE initiated all the romantic stuff?

ST is not a universe where grabbing someone's hand in a tense moment is necessarily an indicator of romance. Dustin said he could feel "the electricity" when Lucas and Max held hands on the bus, but then, Dustin also ships stobin.

the kiss, I could actually come closest to calling a writing misstep because.. it wasn't written. it feels forced because it was, as a last-minute unscripted thing - not because the Duffers decided it fit Max's characterization, but purely because they thought it was funny how uncomfortable Sadie was with filming her first kiss. <- this interview is actually so gross.

but, that kiss is canon regardless of how I feel about bts lore, and it fits and it works in the sense that this is the story of a flawed relationship. Max initiated it despite not being ready for it, simply because she thought she was.

Max's childhood fears about bad relationships have made her overeager to prove a good relationship can exist. so the first time a boy is actually kind to her, she's like OH SEE LOVE IS REAL I DONT HAVE TO GROW UP TO BE MY MOM LET'S GOOOO and hurls herself into something she's not mature enough to realize she's too immature to execute well.

if that kiss was so misguided, how's it still Max's happiest memory?

there's no conflict there.

she grew up around terrible relationships and probably feared she was destined for the same, so to find a nice boy like Lucas must have given her such incredible relief and hope. in her young mind, that dance was her happily ever after. you never forget how good a moment like that felt, regardless of how well reality lived up to it.

that said. can I point out that reality hasn't lived up to it?

Max choosing the moment lumax began, as opposed to any moment from the year-and-change of its actual contents... might be less good the more you think about it. like. she doesn't describe this as her favorite memory. she says it's the time she was happiest. in other words, she hasn't been as happy before or since.

that kiss marked lumax's moment of greatest potential, which I think is what made Max so happy. not the relationship she's actually gotten so far.

mmkay and then what do I do about the fact Max STILL wants to date Lucas?

once again, Max is the one who makes things overtly romantic by doodling a picture of them holding hands. but as you may know from my recent lumax diatribe, I don't see how the ship is seaworthy at present.

so the top layer of my interpretation is that Max is still operating under the same ideas that caused her to kiss Lucas in the first place. she's not thinking about how it'll work; she just wants. this is fast-forward Max again. it's a similar moment of hope to the snow ball kiss. romance with Lucas once again looks like her lifeline out of an awful situation.

the layer underneath that is less fluffy:

Max might've accepted this invite in as much an "I might die tonight so it won't hurt to make some lighthearted plans for the future, he did just save my life so why hurt his feelings for no reason" way as anything else. I don't mean her affection is fake. she just might consider the movie date a pipe dream.

consider that her attic monologue happens only a couple minutes after the doodle, and shows that her suicidal ideations are barely behind her. like, the wanting-to-die part is just bait at this point I think, but the deserving-to-die sentiment still feels fresh and sincere.

consider that Max so recently scolded Lucas for assuring her things would work out because that's "never true" in her life... and now here she is drawing a doodle of things working out.

sure, this could be a girl who's thinking "yes!!! ✅ Attending Event! I genuinely expect to be alive, deserving of love, and in the mood for romance this Friday!" but to me, it honestly seems more like a girl thinking "God, I wish."

btw the doodle would've been perfect as the advent of romantic lumax, imo

if lumax had grown slowly out of a healthy mutual friendship, Max really could be ready right here.

imagine: s2, Max earns her place in the party, but to grow especially close friends with Lucas takes a year; the bus talk happens in s3. we can tell their friendship is starting to want to become more. depression interferes in s4. but their bond helps pierce the fog, and they protect each other from Vecna/Jason.

you hit me with the movie doodle after THAT buildup? adorable, precious, showstopping. at that point, that date could've been their happily ever after. <- this is what people think it is already!

lumax is one of many flawed relationships (and that's okay)

another sign that lumax is supposed to be flawed is its place in the larger pattern of flawed relationships: parallels with other characters and ships.

Max and El in particular share a similar stumble into their relationships: both bond with the first boy to treat them with kindness, and throw themselves into a relationship that actually costs them the friendship they should've had with that boy.

and all the party relationships illustrate different friendship/romance progressions:

lumax is the story of a romance that should've been a friendship first/also and isn't going to succeed til it gets this right

byler will be the story of a romance that was a friendship first and will succeed by remaining one also (or so the themes and patterns suggest)

mileven is the story of a romance that should've been a friendship instead.

literally all of ST's relationships, including the endgame romances, have flaws that are intentional and meant to be explored. in fact that's like... most of what the show is. and most fans can readily admit that about all of them, until they get to lumax, which they think is uniquely meant to be perfect and is flawed only in its writing. this view strips lumax from its broader context and ignores many lessons it's there to teach us about ST's overarching themes.

understand: my aim in pointing out lumax's flaws is not to persuade anyone to enjoy it less or stop shipping it!

flaws don't mean you aren't allowed to like a thing. if anything, it makes them way more interesting to discuss, and more compelling to root for/against. we don't have to pretend our characters are perfect in order to enjoy, ship, and learn from them.

more on all this coming soon in another post exploring different types of love in the Max plot!

[umbrellasareforever]

Empire of Death

Alright I'm so fresh off watching it and normally I want to give myself time to think before I say anything but also to think I need to get it out somehow so ya'll are getting my thoughts as I process them and then maybe I'll make a more intelligent post later.

Let's start with things I enjoyed!

Mel was fantastic, as always. Bonnie Langford is a treat and honestly, watching her this episode made me almost wish she could be the series companion again.

The Memory TARDIS! A genuinely unexpected surprise and while it made not have made 100% sense, it was a fun reference and a unique way to get around the fact that the TARDIS wasn't available to them.

I enjoyed the scene with the Doctor and the woman in that ramshackle hut. It was a sweet, somewhat slow moment that let you feel the universe a bit. Honestly, I wish the episode had started with that, it would've been a great hook.

As much as I adore my Paradox Baby™️ theory, I do think that having Ruby discover that her mother is, in fact, just a person was quite sweet. It was nice to see a RTD companion actually have a happy ending for once (although we know she's coming back, but hey, it's still a sweet moment).

Okay uhhhhh let's get into my problems...

If Ruby's mother was really just a person why the hell did it snow every time her mom was mentioned? I get the whole "the more significance you give something, the more important it becomes", and I know that the universe is now more supernatural than it was before, but was that the supernatural bleeding in? And while we're on Ruby's mother, why did she point so dramatically to the sign? No one was looking, no one would've known that's what she named her daughter. Is it just a total coincidence that she ended up with that name? Am I crazy?

The moment Rose died so unceremoniously I knew that it was going to end up being one of those "no consequences" episodes and I felt incredibly deflated. I get that Russell needs to make the stakes feel high but I really don't think this is the way. You can't have every season end with a universe shattering event and then just as quickly put everything back to the way it was and expect me to still feel like there's a threat.

Piggybacking off that, whyyyyyyyyyyy the HELL did Mrs. Flood have to say the whole "end in abject terror" thing? I'm so sick of it. I'm so sick of every season ending with or being advertised with "OHHHHHH this next one is gonna be the biggest threat the Doctor has ever faced! Nothing will ever be the same!!" STOP!!! STOP IT!!!!!! YOU ARE KILLING ME JUST STOP IT ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of Mrs. Flood, as curious as I am about her and whatever the hell she is (Iris, Romana, Susan, the Trickster, something else entirely), I also think that the lack of any answers about her and the constant cutting back to her really pulled me away from the story as a whole. Whether it was because I'm more interested in her or because seeing her so much made me think her story was going to be more important in the episode, it just took away from the already limited time we had.

Which kind of brings me to my biggest problem; time. All season every episode has felt like we were rushing through, as if we didn't have nearly enough time to actually tell a story, and it sucks. It leaves stories feeling like first drafts and unsatisfying and meh. I know pacing is hard, but there's gotta be a way to make this stuff work.

On another note, the whistle was... uh... yeah. I'll accept the Doctor having Intelligent Gloves™️ and Intelligent Rope™️ and Psychic Earrings™️, but when a whistle falls out of a cupboard and he puts it on with 0 explanation and then uses what we can only assume is a normal whistle to control the TARDIS to *checks notes* shoot a cannon out of the console and fly it over to him and Ruby... Yeah I just... that's a bit much for me.

Also Sutekh's been on the TARDIS for how long??? Since Pyramids of Mars??? What happened to him in Flatline? What happened to him when the Master turned it into a Paradox Machine? Or when it was blowing up constantly in Series 5? Or when House took it over in The Doctor's Wife? He was just straight chilling?? Honestly this is less of a genuine complaint and more of a "Wow, Doctor Who is wild!"

Now this is VERY much a nitpick and I need to get over it, I know, but God I need 15 to wear more Doctor-esque clothes. Seeing him walk around this whole time in blue jeans and a t-shirt or combat cargo pants and a t-shirt just felt so off. Seriously, when he had that leather trench coat outfit back on at the very end I felt a moment of relief.

And while I'm nitpicking, I know they didn't even really play a part in the episode but I want to, once again, voice my frustration with how much UNIT is a part of RTD2 so far and how it feels like there's not even a hint of military critique about it.

Yeah okay, those are my thoughts for now. If you really read all this, I appreciate and applaud you, and I very much hope you enjoyed the episode. I wish I did.

Here's to the Christmas special, I suppose!

[hyperactivewhore]

In your opinion who is the best mother in the TVD universe? I think it has to be Hayley. She had made a lot of mistakes, but at the end of the day, Hope has never once doubted that her mother truly and unconditionally loved and supported her. Hayley practically raised Hope by herself. All Hayley wanted is for Hope to have a normal, happy childhood. And unlike many people I don’t think she ever abandoned Hope. Yes, she sent her away to the Salvatore school - but I think that’s because she knew that Hope couldn’t live a normal life in New Orleans and she thought that the best chance of Hope having a semi normal childhood is if no one knew who she was. And in legacies, it’s said that she still visited Hope at school frequently.

Hayley Marshall without a doubt was the best mother in tvdu, especially considering the events regarding her pregnancy, daughter and her daughter's family.

Hayley loved Hope from the very beginning, don't bring up how she tried to abort Hope because that's just rubbish: she wanted to do it because it would be better for both of them, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it. Claiming Elijah was the first person to care about Hope is so wrong, he didn't give a damn about the fetus but what it could mean to Klaus and his fucked up family at the beginning, he only saw his niece as her own person when she was fifteen years old.

Motherhood was forced upon Hayley and she had no other choice but to accept it, Klaus and Elijah made that very clear and it sickens me how people brush over Hayley herself saying how terrified and scared she was during this period of her life. She was barely an adult, thrown into the most dangerous family to ever live just because she happened to carry a baby and was killed twice because of that same family.

Saying Hayley was a bad mother is crazy, she loved Hope and put her above everyone almost always (I won't praise her for this, though, loving your child is the bare minium a decent parent should do) even if it was above people she cared about. People always bring up how she "stole" Hope in season two to try to put her in a bad light and it's embarrassing every time.

Was it a dangerous and risky choice? Obviously, yes, but Klaus, the father of her daughter, was jeopardizing Hope at the time with his paranoia and refusal to trust his family, and at the time everyone believed he had killed Aiden, a member of Hayley's pack, of course she would panick and run away with their kid. It was wrong nonetheless because she was putting in danger her whole pack, her husband, her daughter and herself, but I'll never blame her for it considering how much shit she went through only because of the Mikaelson.

Like Klaus, Hayley was scared too and this is often "forgotten" by the fandom: like him, she never had any good parent, but this didn't make her stop talking to Hope suddenly. The fandom often justifies Klaus abandoning Hope because he had daddy issues and because of The Hollow, but was it that hard to write letters, answer her phone calls? He ghosted his own daughter when she was nine because she saw him murdering someone, but somehow Klaus is the better parent in tvdu and the one Hope loved the most. Make it make sense.

Caroline was away too from her daughters, but she didn't ghost them the way Klaus did. Hayley was co-leading New Orleans, a whole city full of supernatural creatures, but she didn't abandon Hope either: as you said, Josie herself said she used to come to Mystic Falls frequently just for her daughter. Sending Hope away to school after nearly dying and losing her father was too soon, and while Legacies made everything they could to make these women look like bad mothers (Hope being basically depressed as a child, wanting to belong into the Saltzman family, her line in season three "my mom and dad will come back for me" - though I'm not sure if it should consider it proof, considering it was a weird Star Wars episode -, Lizzie feeling neglected by her mother, etc) they simply weren't.

Caroline and Hayley were both forced to be mothers and both proved to be better than everyone in the series. People should start criticizing the actual bad parents in this show instead of them.

[couragehopelovefaith]

I saw someone saying that Stefan couldn't ever be himself with Elena, because he was so serious with her, too busy protecting her and constantly trying to get her to do the right thing. It was also brought up that Elena could only be herself with Damon, because Damon is more fun and she got familiar with her dark side with him. And I couldn't help but laugh.

Stefan could be very protective at times, yes, but when it got too far for Elena's liking, she called him out on it and he learned from it. They worked as a team, made mistakes, were there for each other during their dark times and grew together and Elena did her best to keep him safe as well. They had a similar sense of humor and multiple playful moments, when they both were visibly enjoying their time together in the middle of all the supernatural craziness. This didn't change after she turned into a vampire, either. Stefan didn't want to fix her for himself, because he didn't like her as a vampire. He tried to find the cure, because Elena herself had repeatedly said that she didn't want to become vampire and didn't think she could survive as one. That's why Elena's "broken toy"-comment in 4x10 sounds confusingly sudden and absolutely ridiculous.

I love Caroline and Stefan as a powerful BROTP, but when they got together as a couple, it all seemed really one-sided and they never appeared to be as comfortable with each other than they were with their earlier partners and other close people in their lives. They simply weren't very compatible, in my opinion.

I'm not gonna go too far on the D*lena-road or touch the whole sirebond-subject, because it's not good for my blood pressure, but Damon "being fun" and "presenting Elena to her dark side and getting her to accept it" repeatedly put her at an unhealthy pedestal in his eyes and many people around her in serious danger - and was a big part of why Elena ended up turning into something almost unrecognizable. I saw absolutely nothing in canon, that would've backed up her "In death you're the one that made me feel most alive"-statement to Damon. And to be honest, I think that if Katherine would've wanted to be with him, Damon wouldn't have looked at Elena twice.

Sorry if this got too salty. Just wanna remind you, that I don't see Stefan as a perfect angel or Damon as a complete devil. They both have their own flaws and mistakes and also their good moments. But I can't help feeling very frustrated about the most endgames in the TVD/Originals-universe.

[kleo1504]

The Witch and the Supernaturals (1) [Interactive Story]

Hello and welcome!

You might know me from my tarot blog @oraclekleo.

I decided to keep this old one for my non-tarot content. And since it's the spooky month, let's try a little interactive storytelling, shall we?

I have written a piece of story and at the end you'll have a poll where you can decide how the story will continue. Clear enough, right?

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

The Witch and the Supernaturals

Rowena always felt in a way excluded from the townsfolk' community. It could have been because she lived in a house at the outskirts of the town, just at the entrance to the Raven Woods, an ancient forest rumoured to be cursed. As the real estate people always say, it’s about location, location, location. However, Rowena believed that there’s another reason why the town’s people prefer to keep their distance from her. And that reason was that she was a witch. Rowena practised witchcraft and magic her entire life, it was as natural as breathing for her. She always tried to use her skills for good but nevertheless, people seemed to be afraid of her. Sometimes when she needed to go to town, she noticed people staring at her, whispering at each other, even crossing the street so they didn’t have to meet with her. No need to say that Rowen felt hurt, especially when those same people came running to her, whenever they needed something from her. Usually secretly coming to her so their family and friends would never find out about them even talking to that weird witch. Rowena often felt lonely but she never grew bitter. She learned to understand the townsfolk' fear and simply made peace of mind about it. She will never fit in, she will never be able to find friends among regular people, she will never know how their affection feels. Rowena accepted all this. It wasn’t the end of the world for her. She wasn’t so alone, after all, as she had her wild animal companions visiting her frequently at her house. She could often see deers and doe in her garden, foxes came to play on her porch, hedgehogs and hares playing in the bushes, all sorts of birds nesting in trees around her house and coming to numerous bird feeders she installed over the years. She listened to wolves and their howling sonatas by the moonlight. Rowena adopted about 6 cats and 6 dogs and enjoyed their company and warmth when they decided to share her bed with her. She was rarely ever sad or truly lonely, though sometimes she wondered how it would feel to actually have a human friend she could talk to. It wasn’t unusual for Rowena, to put on a wig and costume, sit by her tall mirror and talk to her own reflection as if it was another person, she could even change voices to make the conversation more real for herself. She was always aware that if anybody saw her, they would consider her a total lunatic. But hey! She had several cats and lived alone by the wood, she was clearly a crazy lady already, so why not embrace it.

Rowena was tending her herbal garden at sunset, she nurtured her plants with love and care, talking to each one of them as if they were her dear friends. When it became too dark, Rowen whispered magic words and the torches strategically positioned around the whole garden ablaze instantly. The flame of aerie green colour giving the garden a mysterious atmosphere, Rowena smiled and continued with her good work. She hummed ancient melodies while weeding and watering the plants. She noticed a slight rustle in the bushes but she paid no attention to it and continued with her work. Some twigs cracked.

“You are clumsy, today.” Rowena spoke calmly without looking behind her back.

“I never attempted to be stealthy around you.” A deep growly voice responded to her.

Rowena could hear his heavy steps behind her. He stopped right behind her back, towering over her, tall and muscular. “You shouldn’t be in the garden alone after dark.” He whispered and sniffed noisily around. “Your scent attracts… Unwanted attention.”

“You mean, your attention, Reese?” Rowena smiled and while still concentrated on tending to her plants.

“It’s not my attention you should be wary about. There are other creatures in the woods. And they are not as friendly as I am.”

Rowena stood up and turned to face him. Well… she had to tilt her head up to look into his face. Reese was more than a head taller than her and when standing this close, his chest was so broad that it blocked her view. “I am aware of all the creatures around here, thank you very much. None of them is a threat to me. But I appreciate your concern.”

Reese sniffed, growled and licked his lips. His gaze was especially intense as Reese had his right eye brown and the left eye icy blue. “Don’t underestimate them. You are no longer a child.” He tilted his head lower and sniffed Rowena. “Your scent changed a while ago…”

Rowena arched one eyebrow. “Reese, I’m 28. I’m not a child for many years already.”

“No… Your scent has been different for the last 6 or 7 months…” He said with another growl.

“Right!” Rowena stepped back from him. “Is there anything I can do for you or have you come to just… sniff me?” She asked as she gathered her gardening tools into a basket and headed to her workshop.

“I admit your scent drives me crazy but I’m here to ask you for a favour.” Reese followed her in polite distance. “It’s my sister Reena. She got caught in a bear trap yesterday. We managed to get her out of it but the wound is nasty.”

“Oh dear! That’s terrible! Who would set up bear traps here? There are no bears around here…”

“I believe they were after us, Rowena. Werewolves aren’t exactly popular among town people.” Reese mentioned with disgust.

Rowena nodded. “I just fetch my medical bag.” She quickly grabbed her large shoulder bag in the house and followed Reese through the darkened woods. Reese was striding very quickly, never doubting his steps. Rowena was more or less stumbling behind him over the roots, rocks and muddy puddles. At a certain point Reese offered to carry her as it would be much quicker but Rowena refused to let him do that. Eventually they arrived at the werewolf camp. Reese had one of the bigger tents as he was the grandson of the pack’s alpha. He invited Rowena inside and there she was, Reena, a young werewolf girl laying on multiple cushions and with her left leg fixed with bloody bondage. Reena’s face was covered in sweat from the fever, she was delirious. Rowena instructed Reese to bring her hot water and kneeled at Reena. She started to undo the bandages and she could tell right away that there’s infection spreading in the wound. Rowena took a little phial from her bag and dropped it on Reena’s wound. “The trap was poisoned. Somebody smeared it with poison to cause the worst possible damage.” Rowena said and Reese growled and howled.

“Can you help her? Do you have an antidote?” He was pacing around like an angry tiger.

“I hope so. You should have come sooner. Reena is young and strong, though. She has a decent chance.” Rowena got to work and her hands were moving with precision and certainty. She properly cleaned the wound, gave Reena first dose of antidote and prepared antiseptic bandages. Reena never woke up from her delirious feverish dream. Rowena fixed the bandages and gave the young girl a special broth.

“I did what I could for now. Keep cooling her face and arms with wet cloth. Fever is a sign that her body fights the infection and poison but if it grows higher, it will be dangerous for her. You need to stay with her for the next 24 hours.” “I make sure somebody is with her all the time.” Reese nodded.

“Why not you?” Rowena asked. The dark glint in his eyes wasn’t a good sign. “Reese, I know what you are thinking about but you don’t know who placed those traps there. Going on a vengeance spree would cause more harm. Your sister should be your priority for now.”

“What if there are more traps around here?” He growled.

“That’s possible. But you can’t just go searching for them. If there are other traps, they will be hidden and you could get caught yourself. I know someone with a metal detector, though. I’ll borrow it from them and we can try to search the area where your sister was injured. Does that sound sensible to you?” Rowena squeezed his hand for reassurance.

Reese reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Who’s got the metal detector?”

“You don’t know him. And it will be better if I go there on my own. Werewolves don’t have the reputation of diplomats.” Rowena smiled.

“It’s late. I’ll go to them first thing in the morning. Try to rest a bit. I’ll come tomorrow to check on Reena and we can go search for more traps afterwards.”

“I’ll take you back home.” Reese announced.

“That’s not necessary. Stay with Reena. I’ll get home on my own.”

Reese shook his head and insisted on accompanying Rowena through the dark woods.

[singswan-springswan]

SW werewolf AU

yep, welcome back to another hyper fixated rambling! this one is heavy on found family though so it might be a bit more bearable.

Okay I've decided to center the concept on Ghost crew and slap it in the modern world just for funsies, since that means I can restructure the politics and whatever.

First off, I've decided that the jedi are all werewolves (or cats maybe? Ahsoka gives me cat vibes but she hardcore needs to be part of the pack so ig that can be left up to debate). They live human lives but have their own culture and events and get-togethers or hunts and such when they get home ofc. very strong bonds between pack members. Instead of calling themselves "werewolves" (despite that being the most colloquial and widely accepted term) some of them like to say they are "wolf bloods" because I guess that sounds more sophisticated. Almost all packs originate from the largest one in Coruscant (not a planet, just a region or somn), which has lots of intricate dynamics since also the alpha beta omega hierarchy is a thing. the way I want it to happen though is that their designation in the pack doesn't mean rank; it translates more directly to what role they play. I know that's not how actual wolf packs hash it out but think of it this way: omegas are sent out to do the nitty gritty field work, like buying groceries. Betas are responsible for caring for the overall health of the pack, and will use those groceries to make dinner for everyone. Alphas delegate everything, so they gave the omegas the shopping list and also the credit card and made sure everyone made it home from school and work on time to eat. Pack members are typically acquired through birth, though on the occasion they absorb an outsider who might have been changed with a bite.

Since Anakin and Co. would be kinda side characters in this au (but also because he's my bestie and I had to indulge him), he and Padme are like. soulmates. you know the ones. from wattpad. it only makes sense. when she found out about Anakin being a wolf blood that was a Whole Thing but she was eventually adopted by the pack and she agreed to be bitten so now the little puppies (Luke and Leia) are running around causing chaos with their abnormal and powerful supernatural abilities.

I want to say all the supernatural stuff kinda floats around the world while most humans are totally blind to it. Like Ventress has to be a vampire or a banshee or something, Sheev is an annoying breed of warlock, and Zeb needs to be a Creature not sure what kind.

anyway Kanan wanders away from the Coruscant pack because he's having a midlife crisis and wants to find himself. Depa and Mace kind of just snort and wave him off. It's pretty standard practice for young alphas to do stuff like that. Most end up rejoining the pack, but some do start their own in a different territory. Kanan finds his way to Lothal where he buys a cute lil house with his so much money (Mace is screaming Rich and taught his grandson how to invest like a champ yessir). He starts tending the local bar and decides to integrate with the nice townspeople just for a fun lil side quest.

Enter Hera, stage left. She's the captain of the local police precinct and has been operating out of Lothal for a few years now. She transferred from the Ryloth sector. Her dad is the chief of stations there. Actually, Hera and Kanan met once when she was still a detective. He thinks it's a great coincidence that their paths converge again, though her tough, stubborn attitude towards him is cold and professional (it's mostly because she remembers how crazy and fun he was and she doesn't want to be distracted from work). They dance around each other, as they do. Kanan is in love before he fully realizes. Something, something, he knows she's human, knows he can't start a pack with her, facetimes Anakin to rant about it, gets laughed at, Padme eventually bombs the call and tells him to go for it bc after all look how she and Anakin turned out (something crashes in the background. There is yelling. Obi-wan chases a Leia who is laughing maniacally while Luke complains about not being able to focus on his homework). Along the way they mention the increase in hunter activity in the Lothal area, so be careful bout that. Kanan has a hard time figuring out whether Hera knows about the supernatural side of things (she doesn't), but if she does he's starting to suspect she'd side with the infamous mandalorian hunters. She told him a story bout monsters and needing to protect the town and stuff. He's not sure how to convince her that not all non-humans are off the rails bat-kriff insane when he JUST got off the phone with the Disaster Lineage Family as they were in the process of burning their house down (you'd think werewolves would be more careful about playing with fire). He decides to go it safe for now. He'll tell her when he's ready (lol loser). 

In the meantime, Zeb and Kanan meet. Zeb runs into him like at the grocery store and they kinda just glare at each other across the fruit aisle. Zeb sniffs obnoxiously a few times "what are ye?" He grumbles. Kanan is momentarily confused. He holds up a banana. "A smoothie guy?" Zeb's eyes narrow. "Ya smell like wet dog from here." (It's raining outside) Kanan gasps, offended. He sniffs his shirt, and all he gets is old spice deodorant (the one he knows hera likes). "I do not!"

Something, something, Zeb eventually places him as a wolf blood (he uses the preferred term, which gets him back on Kanan's good side). Zeb also reveals that he's… whatever he is, some kind of bestial not werewolf thing that can also shapeshift into a human for disguise. Maybe a yeti? a werebear? 👀 Weeeeeee! Anyway Zeb's a social worker at the group home where Ezra's staying atm.

"I've got this kid." He explains to Kanan. "Maybe you can check him out for me."

"What the—I'm not a babysitter."

"Just tell me if he's like you! It's not that hard, kriff. He's got no pack. That's important for you lot, isn't it?"

Kanan agrees to test Ezra somehow. Picks him up from school on Zeb's orders, takes him to get burgers at the local diner like classic spodermun energy, figures out that there's a wolf stalking Ezra (grand inquisitor) and they've had a few run-ins for the past few months. Like Ezra would never out and out say any of that but Kanan's smarter than he looks give him some credit. Also there are shifty red eyes in the flower bed across the street (Kanan's getting really protective now). In classic creepy creep fashion, they get into a car wreck on the way back through the woods. Something, something, Kanan's tires got slashed, the car tips, Kanan's hauling Ezra out by the time he wakes up, then like, runs off into the dark to chase what he's pretty sure is that prick stalker wolf because he's new to dad-ing and didn't think to not leave his kid alone. Grand inquisitor (he should really get an actual name. Maybe we can call him GI? GI Hoe?) Circles back to ezra and attacks him (poor guy) and bites him before Ezra konks out again. He wakes up in the morning like back at the house and everything is totally normal (Kanan really finessed his way out of that) Zeb is making waffles downstairs and school is in half an hour. He'd ask to skip but he feels great. Actually, there's no sign of any injuries (wolf bloods do heal fast ya know), as if the whole thing was one big dream. Except for the fact that he's having a mild sensory overload. Sight, sound, smell are all suddenly maxed out. You know.

Kanan actually brought Ezra back after the whole thing with GI Hoe in the woods (Kanan beat him up and got in the car and kept driving) then immediately dumped his car in the shop. So Zeb knows, but neither of them are totally sure that Ezra is a puppy yet so they decided to just keep a close eye on him until they know. Meanwhile Ezra's having a very weird day at school. He's not sure he can rant to any of his friends about what he's definitely sure happened last night because he has no evidence and anyway they've all got better things to focus on. Jai and Zare are stressing about midterms coming up, and Sabine keeps griping about an impromptu family reunion that's brought a bunch of really scary (in Ezra's opinion) relatives into town who have a mildly freakish obsession with hunting. Ezra's seen her basement. It's a kriffing armory down there.

Anyway classic Ezra trying to juggle all these crazy changes happening to him in the cliche textbook way except he doesn’t have a best friend guy in the chair sidekick to google obscure mythical articles about werewolves for him so he’s doing everything by himself (may or may not be skipping a few classes). Eventually Ezra runs into Kanan again. Probably because he shifted during a moonspell and ran around crazy and Kanan had to snatch him before Hera could shoot the kid. Kanan’s still got no idea how to parent so instead of calmly explaining stuff he just yells at ezra and tells him to be more careful. It doesn’t occur to Kanan that Ezra wasn’t born into a pack and has absolutely no kriffing idea what’s going on. Poor baby. Ezra figures out about Kanan “You’re a werewolf!” *cue more offended gasping* “where did you learn that slur?” “Oh my gOD you literally have fangs!” "what makes you think I'm not a vampire?" "Uh, you're not grossly pale?" "Not all vampires can be pale." "You also wear jeans" "kriff, that's true"

At first Ezra blames Kanan for all the crap he's now subjected to. He's scared and unsure and alone and looking for something to take it out on, and Kanan is convenient because he's just kinda there. But he gets defensive when Ezra confronts him "what do you mean my fault? Ain't got nothing to do with your problems, the kriff?" Ezra's shaking with all the rage trapped in his tiny body with his hands clenched into fists "yes it is! You're the one who bit me!" And Kanan's just dumbfounded and incredulous like first of all excuse you no I did not I was raised better than that holy kark. All pups are taught at a young age that it's very bad manners to Bite someone on a whim. And Kanan may be selfish but he'd never just dump the transformation on a kid with no warning. So then they're just both staring at each other like wait so then who bit Ezra and even GI Hoe denies it when they catch him and beat him up for answers like yeah he's bitten Ezra before but it wasn't The Bite so Kanan realizes that Ezra must have been born a wolf blood and the sudden appearance of a pack near his previously unoccupied home territory plus also him reaching the age where his powers start to get stronger must have triggered an awakening in his body or something. He would have manifested his wolf blood abilities much younger if his parents hadn't died and if he'd been incorporated into a large pack (he would have been so cute as a baby wolf but alas). 

On the one hand, it's reassuring to Ezra knowing there are other wolf bloods out there, but Kanan also was not looking for a pseudo son on his quest for self-discovery so he's being annoying and generally unhelpful about it. Of course, that attitude changes when GI Hoe starts to make his intentions known. He's already got a pack, which reflects the more traditional structure that we're familiar with reading about: very hierarchical, very antagonistic, glowing red eyes, often attacks humans or livestock for funsies. Tensions between inquisitors are high as always so they're constantly looking for new recruits (they kill each other all the time). He keeps trying to adopt Ezra for his ranks, sensing that Ezra could be a powerful asset. when Kanan discovers this, he goes full dad mode and claims Ezra as part of his fam. This leads to lots of confrontations with inquisitors and ultimately ends in the death of GI Hoe. Subsequently the pack is scattered and leaves Lothal territory. Auntie Soka visited from Coruscant to help with that part a bit because she wanted a vacation from spying on Sheev for Padme. She brings her mate Rex (not sure if to make him and the boys another kind of shapeshifter like dragons or just have them be Normal Guys) so they all have fun family bonding.

Kanan tells Ahsoka about how he's in love with Hera and what should he do about it and she is unimpressed with his drama "just bite her. I don't see what the problem is" he is aghast. He would never force something like that on Hera! Plus he's been dancing around the topic with her for a while and he's pretty sure she would hate him if she found out he was a wolf blood—doubly so if he made her into one against her will. Not that he's even told her they exist. As far as Hera's concerned, the mythical world is not reality. Ahsoka is still unimpressed.

Oh by the way Sabine's family are all hunters. Like wolf blood/vampire/faerie/dragon/troll/whatever else hunters which only makes sense if you think about it because they're mandalorians aka the mortal enemies of the jedi (all of whom are some kind of non-human in this AU). Sabine at her age has already learned all the skills and weapons she will need to kill Stuff, and has herself already made a few excellent plaques to adorn her room (after Ezra realizes he's a wolf blood, he starts to hate hanging out at her house. It lowkey gives him panic attacks, now that he knows what kind of wolf heads she's got mounted over her desk). She obviously doesn't talk about the mythical stuff with people outside her family, at least in specific detail. She only ever rants about their group "hunts" but never mentions what they're hunting in exact names. Boy would it be traumatic for her to realize her best friend is one of the beasts she's been trained to kill since she was small. Maximum angst if she shoots him once or twice in his wolf form and continually tracks him (lol poor guy) to the point that she considers him her trophy kill and is determined to get That One if it's the last thing she does. This makes Ezra very sad boi hours. He loves his friend but obviously he doesn't wanna die. One time Sabine almost got him (oh no!) Then Kanan stepped in at the last second and almost killed her before Ezra stopped him and yeah it's just all around a lot of violence weeeee. Hera really can't keep up with all these animal attack reports. 

When Sabine finds out she is furious and horrified and feels very betrayed and has lots of strong feelings but can't actually bring herself to kill Ezra after all because she loves her friend too and like so does her family he's over for dinner all the time and lowkey they were considering adopting him. What wins her over in the end is that he carries himself like a sad puppy all over the place which is both adorable and depressing. Her dad was also there when she found out so he gets her to keep quiet about it and not tell the rest of the Wrens yet because he knows it'd be signing poor Ezra's death sentence and he can't bear to think about that (Sabine's dad was always loyal to the family and supportive of their hunting but Ezra is Ezra and literally one of the fundamental laws of the universe is protect the baby). Eventually Sabine manages to turn her family because she's cool like that and convinces them to hunt only problematic creatures instead (cough cough palpacreep).

Somehow Maul exists. Another warlock maybe? I dunno he's annoying.

Kallus can just be human. He's probably a lieutenant who works for Hera. They're bros. They have coffee together. He doesn't get paid enough to deal with their shenanigans.

Things that need to happen in this AU:

Hera hits wolf Kanan with her car while on patrol. Horrified by having rammed an animal at country road speed, she springs into action, stuffing this larger than abnormally large wolf into her back seat and flicking the lights and siren on. When she gets to the animal hospital, the vet is out. It’s just Intern Ezra locking up the building. Hera is frantic. Thank goodness Ezra is still here! She needs his help! Ezra’s always willing to help an animal in distress, but when he sees it’s Kanan, he almost considers breaking his code. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He deadpans. Kanan glares. Hera doesn’t understand what’s going on, and Ezra needs to keep face so he reluctantly helps her cart the wolf inside, where he takes some X-rays and does some busy-body nonsense in the back. He returns to an anxious Hera in the waiting room, who has pledged to pay any bill or charge in full. “Good news! It’s not as bad as it looks.” (Kanan has broken his leg in three places and cracked two ribs but Hera doesn’t need to know that) She is relieved and vows to return as soon as she can. Ezra goes and whacks Kanan upside the head. “You can change back now. She’s gone.” He throws an arm over his eyes and wheezes. “That kriffing hurt.” The next day, when Kanan sees Hera for some reason he’s wearing the usual leg brace under his sweatpants to hide that but something, something, his shirt rides up and she sees the bruising all down his side and her brain short circuits “How did that happen?” it takes all of Kanan’s willpower not to say “hit by a car”

Ahsoka eats a man

Luke and Leia make the national news

Palpatine gets impeached and also imprisoned in a fish bowl where he is forced to live out the rest of his miserable days stripped of magic

When Kanan begrudgingly agrees to teach Ezra the basics of wolf stuff they go out in the woods together and practice shifting. Hera sees them once and is delighted to find the wolf she ran down doing well “Hello again! Aww, your son is so cute!” (Ezra is thrilled to be called cute by nice police lady Hera)

The first time Hera brings Kanan home Chopper her cat goes apespit hissing and yowling and absolutely wrecking the furniture to get away. When it becomes apparent that Kanan is to be invited back multiple times, Chopper begins the series of attempted murders. Hera can’t puzzle out why her cat is more hostile than usual meanwhile Kanan is sweating buckets because every time he leaves his scent in Hera’s house it makes Chopper lose another brain cell

Zeb is mistaken for Bigfoot by some late-night hiker

Okadiah has just always known about Kanan and everyone. He just sits there chilling like he’s not really anything Special he’s a normal human but he knows and just sits there with popcorn and ice tea watching all this drama unfold

[moonstone27ls]

Unicorn Warriors Eternal ep 4

Sooooo... THAT happened. 

THat by which was the most screwed up love rectangle/triangle?.... Love mess. Reincarnations man (glad they didn’t go that route with Avatar XD). Point is... okay so its established the Lady Fox/or kitsune is basically the evil they fight, TIME and time again. The fight scenes were good.

Whats getting old is this love mess. I can’t call it a love shape because technically Edred isn’t really after Emma. He wants his Melinda. Emma...is at most confused I think that whole scene was cute and I think she actually felt chemistry which again brings up to point.... since Melinda/Edred are reincarnated TIME and time again... have these two made their carnations (or caused) them to reproduce offspring together? I say that because the last episode clarified it sorta... we only saw “2″ or our three... so it would be correct to assume Edred’s incarnation (unless born a woman) had children with Melinda’s.

Part of me is annoyed with Emma. But I say part, because again the Creator stated that this is focusing on Emma’s arc. Adult me knows that... but also me wants to say “EMMA IF YOU ARE HAVING ANGSTS AT LEAST TALK ABOUT IT”. She’s been vocal about everything else the “I don’t wanna do this”, the “I’ve got two mes”. Fine I get that then just admit to your team that you are afraid to fully use your powers. Edred I get why she’s refraining... but I want to assume she’s on a better familiarity with Seng/Alfie and the robot. Gahhh I feel more would get done if this show was longerXD.

But its minor with Emma so I’m not entirely annoyed... what I’m getting annoyed with is the love mess. I admit the jealous side of Edred was not the most ... I’ll just be honest I hate love drama it ruins a character, so it makes it less enjoyable. Watching Edred/Winston fight over Emma/Melinda was veryyyy annoying and I almost wonder why she didn’t smack them both and go “I’M NOT PROPERTY” 

But having said that... I do get why Edred is having trouble accepting this. Like Melinda they’ve been use to just being in control. Their incarnations have never talked back/or their lives never got in the way. So that much I understand... buttttt also Edred yeah you were a little harsh on Emma/Melinda in regards to her powers. And I feel even if that was technically Emma mad, he’s seen that look from Melinda. But again he went about it wrong, instead of actually talking/or apologizing he attempted to flirt with what he thought was his lover.

Then we get to Winston... I’m not gonna lie he’s annoying the hell out of me. Yes, yes, adult me and bigger picture he’s concerned for Emma. But COME ONNNN. That fight was literally over towns there is NO WAY he kept up that long. That was annoyingly cartoonish how he popped up out of no where. “Oh I followed you”... Me: BULLSHIT, you are not that fast and several things almost killed people.

Its not that I hate Winston its just his character does NOTHING for the story or Emma other than going “I love you”.  If I thought he had SOME form of Sherlock Holmes fighting skill then maybe I could let it go. But he’s like reverse damsel in distress. He ALWAYS gets in the way. And like Edred, he’s also pushing Emma. He’s like “LEAVE”, “She can’t fight”. I’m like dude, BIGGER PICTURE GOING ON.

Winston’s character seems to flip/flop in regards to all the crazy shit going on. I admit it was kinda.. racist/or xenophobic(I dunno the PC terms in regards to supernatural creatures) how he kept making fun of Edred for being elf. Yes one could argue he doesn’t believe in magic. But again thats were the flip/flop comes in. If he’s been following Emma since the hospital... then he should have seen the POSSESSED statues, a LITERAL fox lady, his FIANCE and EDRED floating, ALFIE IS LITERALLY FADING AWAY!  What more do you want? The hand of God to slap you and go “Buddy its real, get over it”.

Just haaahh Winston is so literally annoying. I would rather him go “I’ll wait for you”(cause again we don’t know what happens after the incarnations defeat the fox) or get some sense smacked into them that they HAVE to fight. But he literally brings nothing to the table and I’m so tired of him.

And whether Edred likes it. He’s fueled him to follow them more (which I get, again its Emma. Edred/Melinda are just technically spirits). But because Winston literally does NOTHING/and... looking at how he couldn’t even knock down the robot its fair to say he’s useless in a fight. He’s gonna get in the way or worse killed. I don’t want dummy dead, just out of the way 8B. Go and sit tea and wait for her dummy. Her parents are and thats her parents, they want their daughter back but I think that last quote her father said... it meant something. He knew it was something out of their hands.

Anything else.. a part of me wishes the Russian guy did take over Edred for a moment... or that Emma would talk to Alfie. Let her get some sense she’s not completely alone. I get the development will be solely focused on Melinda/Emma ... but it would be nice for the others to have some as well. See the trio bond together. Well four counting the robot.

EXTRA NOTE:: Because I forgot to add this. Whether its Melinda/Edred talking to Emma... I think they all do just need to talk. Admit into their humanity... what to I mean by that... I admit they’ve made mistakes. I admit thats another problem Edred is acting like a teacher. Which isn’t bad... whats bad is that he forgets this isn’t Melinda(fully?o3o). I mean yeah Alfie was as shocked. But Alfie kinda had his own thing(and again Emma isn’t voicing her anxieties, back to focus sorry). Edred and them need to remember that Emma/and probably Alfie(he hasn’t done much yet except make the mistake of trusting that fox plus he’s what I assume a child, .... I think? He was on a rival team against Winston’s ... so how old is he?oO) are not perfect. And although they’ve had CENTURIES of training. I don’t fully believe Edred and Melinda were born naturally gifted. I feel they both made mistakes and they both trained to control their abilities. 

[thatiranianphantom]

Nancy Drew 1x16: The Haunting of Nancy Drew

(or the one where my ethical issues with private infant adoption get REAL)

Okay, we know you're into the supernatural Nancy, but you mean you'd vomit an omen anyday?

A blessed break from Owen in this episode!

I need a makeup routine for all three girls. Immediately.

John Sander is the BEST. The true "normal person comes to crazy town" trope.

"Made that out of clay." Ace, sweet baby, ily.

How did Nancy get those case files, especially with Tamura?

Ah, asking her mother for help without knowing it!

Also, "did my mom have something to do with Lucy's death". Double meaning there.

God, baby Fanson. I love them.

The thing is before Nace were ever a thing, Fanson was great. I don't root for Fanson because of Nace, I root for Fanson on its own merits, while I hated Nancy and Nick as a couple.

Don't panic. Everyone: panics.

Tamura! I loved him.

"Is he a vampire?"

Ace can hack in 2 minutes, and should absolutely have been snapped up by some kind of government agency at this point.

Another theme for this episode: poor, poor Ryan. The face acting Riley does in this episode! His father made the love of his life kill herself, and he has to deal with the fact that she died thinking Ryan hated her.

People remember the events of 20 years ago with startling clarity.

Do Americans call pickles gherkins? Thought that was a British thing?

Lucy, someone who was at least 16, has the journal of a 5 year old.

Again, gonna put it out there that the people who ensured Lucy's death, a pregnant child, were the people of Horseshoe Bay. Don't know if I'd defend them hard if I were Carson.

Excellent casting, because I do see Lucy's facial features in Nancy.

Hoo boy, here we go. Let's start this with a disclaimer: I know that the internet is where nuance goes to die, but I want to make it clear I am not anti-adoption. I also fully recognize that many birth mothers, through their own free choice and zero coersion, choose to place their babies for adoption, and even if they had access to resources, this is the choice they would make. I am not calling that unethical. I'm also aware I am applying my own personal ethical issues with adoption to a fictional TV show. Okay, we good? Okay, let's get into it.

Lucy Sable was a (presumably) 16 year old child who had been relentlessly bullied into an incredibly emotional state, had just given birth, and had thought the love of her life hated her and never wanted to see her again. This is not a person in a clear emotional state, capable of making long-term decisions. I get that they absolutely did not know that Lucy would jump off the cliff, but Carson justifying everything with "Lucy wanted this. This was Lucy's wish. We didn't tell the Hudsons because Lucy wanted this" is somewhat understandable but frankly also a load of shit.

Lucy did not know the truth. Ryan deserved to know the truth. Nancy deserved to know the truth. I find it very hard to accept that Carson and Kate were "honoring Lucy's wishes" by never telling her (and never planning on telling her) that she was adopted, and never telling Ryan, robbing him of the opportunity to raise Nancy, or even to know Nancy. I get that Everett couldn't know. That does not mean Ryan couldn't, and that does not mean Nancy couldn't, especially as an adult, and the thing is, Carson gaslit her the entire season and would have continued to lie to Nancy if she hadn't figured out the truth on her own.

A whole whack of Nancy's identity issues are thanks to Carson and Kate, who refused to tell Nancy who she really was. Adopted children deserve to know, and know about, their birth families. It is very easy, as we have seen, to use a teenager's tragic and highly emotional situation for their own benefits. So Carson trying constantly to justify himself as having done the right thing is...that's hard to get over.

While I absolutely believe love makes family too, biology is an interwoven part of who a person is, and never acknowledging the birth parent or family as part of an adoptee's story is...harmful to say the least.

I know Nancy and Ryan forgave Carson, but that's always going to stick at the back of my mind. Yes, Nancy was his. He was her father. I get that, and I know that was real in Nancy's mind too. She was also Lucy's. And she was Ryan's. And his refusal to acknowledge that is....ehh.

I suppose we'll get more ranting next episode, but that's the core of it.

[brionysea]

The refusal to acknowledge Mike's weirdness in regards to the supernatural plot will never not be crazy to me i'm honestly so glad there's at least some people talking (point at you 🫶). Because most of the existing talks are always so selective. I've seen Will responding to El in the void when she speaks to him get used for proof he has to have some form of powers so many times but Mike looking at El in the void has no greater significance and doesn't mean anything of course. Also forget that they even make a callback to that a whole season later.

And all three of them, Mike, El and Will, all getting removed from the supernatural Hawkins plot in S4 is also again such a standout moment. None of them get to be there in person as the only kid characters. Just those three in general have so many things that tie them together as a trio.

Mike meeting El while looking for Will - El meeting Will through Mike and then later moving in with him as a sort of step sister - the two lab massacres both caused by Henry in S2 and S4 respectively happening to Mike+Will and El - El Will and Mike being the only kids who ever see another person in the void - hell even the eventual love triangle situation happening with Mike dating El while having feelings for Will just ties the three even more together.

But all of the trio imagery is always just attributed to the love triangle despite most of it having nothing to to with their relationships at all. It's always weird narrative choices connecting them. And I'd get if some people just weren't interested in the theory branches here but acting like the whole rule of three and power of three thing aren't ancient literary tools is odd. Even popular properties regularly use it because it's so common just look at StarWars. (crazy how you and a few other people are the only one's even entertaining it)

YES! all of this!

i've frequently seen the argument that mike "can't" have powers because the "point" of his character is that he's special and unique and capable of doing good without any, but if that was the case they wouldn't be saying it. if mike not knowing what it's like to be different or what it's like to be bullied were simple facts about him, if he's just not special in the superpower way, those things would be shown. they wouldn't draw attention to mike's ordinariness - in the same scene as will disputes every other claim that mike makes about himself; in the same scene as el says something that's just plain wrong in that mike "doesn't know what it's like"; in the same scenes as mike is deliberately blurred into the background because the people he's talking to aren't seeing him, aren't seeing that he's like them - if mike is just ordinary

for characters that actually are what people are claiming mike is supposed to be, just look at people like dustin, joyce, nancy, lucas, steve, erica, jonathan. most of the cast doesn't have powers and that doesn't stop them from doing good or feeling worthy. it's never brought up with them because it doesn't have to be. that's just who they are. it's a fact, it's shown and not told so you register and accept it without thinking about it, because it's just the truth. hell, they even had bob do the "ordinary person does something heroic and dies over it" thing in season 2. with how brave and self sacrifical mike is, if he was also completely ordinary he would've realistically died a long time ago, no matter how intelligent he is. max made the self sacrifice play ONCE and she immediately died

mike's most recent arc of feeling like he can't measure up to el doesn't read like unfounded insecurity, it reads like someone who feels like something's missing. like he should be able to do more but it's being blocked off somehow and he doesn't understand why

and if you look at the overall trajectory of his character, you can see what he's talking about. he was so intuitive and essential to season 1. he understood el, he understood the upside down. in season 2, he was coming up with most of the effective ideas to help will. in season 3, he started acting differently and then no one listened to him, which resulted in a season 4 where he's looking for external validation more instead of trusting (and asking/telling others to trust) his instincts, and he was a lot more hesitant to make himself heard at all because last time he tried everyone ganged up on him. that point in the middle, where everyone stopped taking what mike has to say about the upside down seriously, is exactly where things started to go wrong

if we're talking about the "point" of mike's character, it's lies. it's masks and deceit and things not being what they appear to be. he lies to others, he gets lied to, his family is a lie, his whole presentation as a character is a lie because we know he's not in love with el. why on earth would that apply to every aspect of his character except his insecurities, which "will the wise" called a lie? why would the character whose biggest theme is lying, who has an extremely weird understanding of the evil shadow dimension that no one else can match, revolve around that concept in all aspects but one? why would a running theme that's so integral to making plot twists work not be involved in an ultimate plot twist that recontextualises everything, showing that things were never what they appeared to be? that mike has mattered and been different and special all along?

that would just be shoddy writing, and we know stranger things is too good for that

[chloe-caulfield94]

I've had this little idea in my head about who evil max actually is.... my guess is she might be our max's alter ego

what do you think?

I think that Max's nightmare in Episode 5 was "all in her head" - so everything Max saw and heard while there was a product of her own mind. That doesn't make this sequence any less important. On the contrary, just like her diary, it allows us to have a glimpse at her thoughts and feelings.

All the townspeople accusing her of murder? That's her guilt. Max is kind, sensitive and empathetic, so when she sees the storm unfold she feels responsible even though I don't think she is.

Evil Chloe making out with other people and insulting Max? That's Max's insecurity. Max struggles with her lack of confidence throughout the game. She goes a long way in those five days. From being too afraid to submit a photo for a school contest to driving a stolen car in the middle of a tornado. She found her strength when it was needed. And she listened to Chloe's good advice: "Every great artist gets rejected before being accepted", "Start moving forward in time", "Once you get over yourself, you will make the world bow", "Stop beating yourself up". When Max says at the beach in Episode 5 that she's a nobody, Chloe responds by saying she needs to accept how awesome she is. The entire ordeal made Max stronger and more confident, but her insecurity is still there and during the nightmare it fights to gain control again.

And Evil Max? She's doubt. She's the part of Max's mind that always questions the good things that happen to her. Why would Chloe be with me? She must be using me. There's no way she would be with me just for me. I gave so much for her and what did I receive in return? Fighting doubts is a war we all wage our entire lives. And every victory is so satisfying.

I love when Max answers the question "You think she's worth all that?" with "Of course. She's my best friend". That's such a noble and heartwarming sentiment. Yes, we are willing to do everything for the people we care about. Not because we expect something in return. Simply because we care about them. Love and friendship aren't supposed to be transactional in nature. Although a different answer ("It has to be my destiny to save her") is also nice, because it flips the whole destiny nonsense on its head.

I don't think Evil Max is a separate person from Max, but rather a manifestation of her negative emotions. Although with all the crazy supernatural stuff going on in the LiS universe, I guess Evil Max could split off, sort of like mr Scratch did from Alan Wake. Come to think of it, Bright Falls is in Washington State, so Max and Chloe should be careful when they go to the country for a ride, lest they find an enchanted lake.

I don't think Evil Max is "autopilot Max", because nothing suggests that Max behaved differently (at least in the main timeline) while she was gone. I think the "autopilot" did pretty much the same things real Max would do, but simply lacked the memories gained by main Max during the time jump.

[eibhlean]

Daily Writing Practice, Take 1

Several short story rejections have me feeling a little dejected. To get myself out of a writer's rut, I decided to spend 30 minutes a day writing... something. Today I used a prompt to get the juices flowing, and this is the result. Not sure if I'll keep going with it or not, but it's an interesting start.

Prompt: A voracious reader starts noticing odd synchronicities in the books she's reading.

“This is the... 40th(?) one. He's just... hiding in the background. It doesn't matter the genre, it doesn't matter the print date. As recent as this year, as old as the written word. I find him everywhere.”

Ayden looks at my pile of books with his patented skepticism. He has always found my eccentricities a little annoying. The insistence on leaving out rice for the fae to count, the knocking three times. He pretends to ignore it, but I know he wishes I were a little less... me.

“Are you sure you aren't just picking up on a trope?”

“I swear it's not some coincidence or writing cliché. It's too specific. Will you please just look? I feel like I'm going crazy.”

Ayden sighs deeply. “Fine, show me.”

I have several books already open to the relevant pages. I pull him over to a large, leather bound tome first. “I think this was the first time I found him. At least, the first one I remember. He might have shown up before. But I read this one about a year and a half ago.”

I've highlighted the relevant paragraph. The book in question is a collection of myths and legends from around the world. In a story about the adventures of Sun Wukong, the mischievious monkey steals from a copper-haired farmer named Koh Lin. It's quick, only a line or two, but it stands out, in part because it is so brief. It has no impact on the story as a whole and seems thrown in.

“If he hadn't been a little incongruous I probably wouldn't have remembered him when I saw him again. But I got a little sense of deja vu.” I hand him the second example, a paperback fantasy novel. About a third of the way through the book the protagonists find themselves hiding in the barn of a farmer named Cailean, who's fiery temper matches his fiery hair.

I keep going down the line. A book on etymology written by Colin Farmer, whose author picture on the back cover shows a man with bright red hair. A children's book where a red fox named Cullin raises chickens on his farm. Pulpy sci-fi where a red-headed Callum is a pioneer on a new planet, helping to establish one of the first farms. An Arabic poem written by Khaleem Fallah, who a quick Google search reveals to have bright red hair.

“So, you see the pattern, right?” I look up at him, giving my best 'please don't think I'm mental' puppy-dog eyes.

“It is a weird coincidence, but I don't know, Andy, it still seems like just a coincidence. So there are a lot of authors who stick red-headed farmers with names that sound a little like Collin into their stories. That doesn't mean there's something supernatural happening.”

“It gets weirder now.” I say it quietly, a little afraid to show him the next bit. This is the part where either I'm right or I'm getting checked into a facility.

“Alice in Wonderland, Stranger in a Strange Land, Snow Crash, To Kill a Mockingbird. The Taming of the Shrew. Our Town. He's in all of them. He wasn't there before, Ayden. I swear he wasn't there before.”

“I think you've Mandela effected yourself, babe. I remember these passages, they've always been here.”

“Then why don't we talk about it? How many literary theory classes have we taken? Am I really the first person to notice that all of these works contain the same character? How could that be possible. You agree it's a weird coincidence. So why don't we study it, when we study why the curtains are blue? And why did I only start noticing it after?”

“You're traumatized, Andy. You nearly died and we still don't know what happened to him. You're seeing him everywhere. You really need to accept that he's gone. Did you see that therapist?”

“You weren't there, Ayden. You didn't see what I saw. He isn't gone. He didn't just vanish without a trace. We were trapped there together. I would have seen him leave. And if he did get out, and go for help, and not make it, we would have found his body. We never found his body.”

[eggsnspanky]

This was gonna be a Reddit post, but I'm afraid they'll find it. It's a wild enough story that it might just get attention, and I can't risk that. On Tumblr, it will disappear into the ether.

So, like, I'm a puppy dog. Hit me, beat me, shout at me, and I'll still come back, hoping that THIS TIME you'll love me. I never cared about myself, and see myself as a possession to be owned. So, I just keep forgiving them.

My family always told me I was crazy.

I'm telling my story, because it's happening to my baby sister, now.

I had ONE psychotic break in high school. I believed in these fantastical stories of escapism, and would wander out at night, hoping to get spirited away by supernatural forces. I was never violent. I was never dangerous. I have never hit or hurt anyone in my life. The psychotic break happened because of stress. I was caring for two children while being physically and emotionally abused, and while in only AP or accelerated classes. (Mom said she didn't want me in the r-slur classes. Classy, right?) AND I HAD UNDIAGNOSED LUPUS. It started pretty soon after puberty. I started getting sickly often. So, yeah. I was a little stressed, and I broke a bit. I was APPARENTLY also Autistic, which made all of it that much harder and more confusing. And had DID. Like. How much can you ruin a person, damn. 😭

I called myself crazy because I saw ghosts. That's a whole 'nother discussion, but they actually BELIEVED that one!!! They're very superstitious, and would have me make sure that places were safe, and had me keep the house un-haunted!!! I actually have eyewitness accounts of hauntings that happen around me. I was a total ghost magnet. Things flying, electronics glitching, voices and shaking and the smells of death and burning... I learned how to keep spirits away. Yeah, it's a whole thing. THAT should have been the crazy part. THAT would have been a rational thing to call crazy, right???

But no!!! They witnessed the ghost stuff, and they believed that part!!!

So, like??? What exactly were they calling crazy!? Why did I ever even believe them!?

They even put me on antipsychotics, but I used them like tranquilizers. I was always so scared, and they helped. The only other instances of psychosis that WEREN'T debatably ghosts were because of medication withdrawals because my antipsychotics were empty. The antipsychotics did not get rid of the ghosts.

They would rewrite the past and change it to fit their own narrative. I have DID, yes. But I DON'T have amnesia. I forget things that my brain can't accept, though, so I never knew what to believe. They always tried to tell me that my brain couldn't be trusted. But I wrote every hard event in a journal as it happened, because I didn't trust my memories. And they would change the past. They would straight up LIE to me and everyone around me.

The middle sister, especially. She started hitting me when she hit puberty. I'm meek, quiet, and a pacifist. I've never hit anyone in my life. Violence scares me, and I hate it. I have ONE alter with the capacity for violence, but even that one is a gentle bleeding heart. She's just crazy overprotective, and dangerous if she feels her life is in danger. But the middle sister was a child I raised. I loved her. She was one of the ones I wanted to protect. I have never raised a hand to her.

But she tells people that I do. She'll do bad things to me and rewrite the story with mom. She'll hit and hurt me, and act like a victim. And no one stopped her.

Her dad abused me, physically. He would hit, kick, and manhandle me. Drag me like a sack of potatoes. Make me clean and watch the kids while mom was at work. I had a brother, back then. Two years younger than middle sister. Hit by a car at 6 years old. (I was 9 when she was born, dammit. I couldn't raise a newborn...)

I would tell her out right. I don't like when you do that. It's scary. It reminds me of your dad. I can't do this again. And she would cry and rage that she doesn't like being compared to an abuser. (Then maybe stop hitting me!?!?) When I stopped talking to her, because even though she was a teen she genuinely scared me, she acted like I was the worst person on earth, that I was a manipulative abuser using silence against her, that I was traumatizing her. I was just scared and afraid of getting hit more, man... I never knew what would set her off. She's so damn scary. I shake when I'm near her. I don't like that kind of unpredictable behavior...

Then, her game changed. She would hit me and spin the story like it was my fault, or self defense. Even when I was scared of her, I still saw her as my baby. I have never raised a hand to her. I was always careful not to hurt her, even if she was actively trying to hurt me. One instance, she was mad that I had started helping less around the house.

This girl makes an art of belittling me and putting me down. Even when she was young, she would make fun of me, and say that she hoped she never ended up pathetic like me. I just accepted it. I WAS pathetic. I was sickly and crazy and useless on my own. That's what I thought.

So, she decided I wasn't worthy of my passenger seat in the car. I was working full time, and all my money was going to my mom and sister. My body couldn't keep up, though, and I couldn't do my usual housework on top of it. This pissed off my mom and sister. Sister sat in my seat, and told me I was unworthy. I think she was 17. I was tired of the disrespect. I told her if she didn't move, I would sit in her lap. She didn't move. I warned her multiple times. But yeah. I did my best to keep my weight off of her, and sat on her lap, making sure to avoid ACTUALLY squishing her. She got pissed, tried to push me off a bit, before she relented. When she got up, she punched me hard in the back and cussed me out. It bruised, and hurt for a long time.

The story she told everyone else is this. She sat in the front to help her carsicknesses. I was a bitch about it, and sat all the way on her, and she couldn't breathe. She was panicking and batting at me to get me to move. She didn't punch me at all. She just kinda "ended up" hitting me in her panic.

When I confronted her, she said I was crazy and didn't remember. I wrote it down that day. My husband saw the bruise.

Mom caught on to the game, and joined.

They told me I was crazy, before, but it reached a fever pitch.

They never wanted me to leave. They convinced me I was unable to live alone. They convinced me that I needed them to survive, that I was hopeless, useless, insane, a danger to myself... They rioted when I tried to move out. They tried to villainize my husband. They told lies about him to me. They acted like I was choosing him over them by leaving. They wanted all my time, money attention, energy, and if I gave it to anyone else I was a traitor. They only wanted me gone after I started Demon worshipping. They got scared when paranormal activity flared in coordinance to my mistreatment. If they went too far, spirits retaliated. They said I was inviting evil into the home, destroyed my altars, and said I had to find a new home.

The baby... My sweet, beautiful baby...Witnesed this. She's witnessed everything. But she's too good to be ruined. This wonderful, darling little child has never raised a hand to me. And when she saw how the spirits protected me, she wasn't scared. She wanted the same protection. She took videos for proof of abuse, but they would steal her electronics to destroy the evidence of what REALLY happened.

My husband and I love her more than anything. We had to move back in with them during COVID. I got too sick to work. We didn't know at the time, but the Lupus had reached my organs. Nowadays, I can barely walk around without feeling weak and shaky. So, I was back with my baby. And It was like looking into a tragic mirror.

They were doing it to her. They would tell her she was spoiled, sassy, a liar, a lazy, bad child. They would yell at her when she cried and call her an award winning actress. They would tell her lies. Convince her that she was always at fault. Rewrite the truth so that she looked horrible. They talk about her like they hate her, but then say they love her. They cuss at her. They HIT her. And I can't do a thing.

I've never had the strength to act against them. I'm too timid. I'm too submissive. They've broken me. All I can do is act as a support.

When my husband and I lived there, we would run like HELL if we heard a cry. We would hold her and listen to her. We would cheer her up and talk to her.

We moved out two weeks ago.

Now who's gonna hold her when she cries? When I think about it, I just can't help but cry, myself. She has no one in that house, now. I feel sick. She has no one.

She's so much smarter than I am, though. She knows what abuse is. She knows she's being lied to, taken advantage of, treated wrongly.

I had always accepted it. I figured, I'm not a person like everyone else is. I'm different. I'm less. I'm a pet. A dog. Even less. A burdenous object to be owned and passed around like a disease. I've had a dog complex since preschool. As an adult, I've even cried and slept in the dog kennel OF MY OWN VOLITION when I felt I was a burden, because I felt it was where I belonged and what I deserved.

But not my baby. Not my sweet child. She's better than I was. She's beautiful and clever and sassy and SO STRONG. She stands up for herself. She talks back. She calls them out. And they respond with even more cruelty. They steal from her. They lie to her. They hurt her.

She stayed with my husband and I this weekend, and was finally able to talk.

There were cameras in every main room in their house. They watch them and spy on us. We have to watch what we say, there. We aren't allowed to speak freely. Mom reads our journals and hunts down our social medias. (Even writing this is scary. But they aren't on Reddit.) My baby couldn't speak freely without the fear of spying.

So, when she stayed with us for the weekend, she unloaded EVERYTHING. She told me what they had been doing, that they're lying to her and saying SHE'S the liar, that they're making her feel like she's going crazy. It was like looking into a mirror, and I feel so sick. My baby. My beautiful baby. She's all alone with no one to defend her.

Everyone in the family is on the side of those two. They've built their castle on lies, and it was just too attractive to ignore. I'm crazy little me, untrustworthy and dangerous. My sister is a spoiled liar and possibly a psychopath. That's the story they tell everyone.

I believed what they said about me. I even tried to lean into it. My sense of self was so fucked, one of our alters actually TRIED to be "bad" and "evil" but she was too gentle to hurt anyone!!!

But my baby has my husband and I. We tell her that she's so good. We hold her. We listen to her. We encourage good behavior and try to talk her out of bad ones. And she's SO sweet to us. She's respectful. She's loving. She's so attached. She said she wishes she could live with us.

Live with us. In a broken trailer. That has holes in the walls big enough to climb through. That doesn't have plumbing that works. That is 1/3 rotted, so you can't walk on the floor in places without fear of falling through. That is in a rough side of town, so you always hear gunshots and sirens. She has to sleep on a pull out couch bed in the living room. The doors don't close. It's tiny. We can barely afford to live or provide for her.

But she wants to live here. To her, THIS is better than her current home. This shaky little tin can.

I get it. I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm elated. I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to worry about being watched. I don't constantly hear yelling through the doors. I don't have to shake and cower because memories are just ASSAULTING my brain.

But my sister is still in Hell. She's stuck there, without me. Without my husband. Without anyone to hold her and tell her she's good. That she deserves more. That they're liars when they tell her that she's a bad kid.

It hurts more than anything. I would take the abuse all over again to save her, even if it WAS the end of me.

I would die in a heartbeat to save this child. I love her so much it's painful.

And I don't know how to save her. I don't know how to help her.

My husband and I take her as often as allowed, without being suspicious. We already plan to fix the rotted room to make it HER personal room. We're trying to get clothes and personal products for her. We tell her that no matter what happens, we will always love her, and that we will always be a safe space for her.

But we can't save her, and it kills me.

I'm not posting this on Reddit.

If any of them find it, I will actually be ruined.

I'll never be able to see her again.

I can't let that happen.

I just want to save my baby.

I NEED her to be okay. She can't end up broken, like me. She's more than I am.

I love my mommy. I love her so much. She helps me financially. She gives me gifts. She gives me affection. But she also does all this... I was a puppy dog. I was submissive. Doting. A doormat. Selfless to my own detriment. Adoring. Loyal. Everything she wanted me to be.

But my sister is not. My baby is not sweet to her mom. Mom is not sweet to my baby. My middle sister is actively hostile. Those three only use harsh words at each other. Sweetness is a performance.

I don't know what to do or think.

I don't know how to save them.

DO NOT REBLOG, SHARE, OR REPOST. IF THEY EVER CATCH WIND OF THIS, THEY WILL TAKE MY BABY FOR GOOD AND RUIN ME.

[bookloveravenue]

Bewitched (book 1): Bewitched by Laura Thalassa

From bestselling indie author and TikTok favorite Laura Thalassa comes a witch fantasy set in the world of the Bargainer series.

At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene’s magic awakens to save her life—at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon’s help for answers—and his plans for her will change everything.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65001557-bewitched

********

April 8, 2023

My Review: 5/5 Stars

What a rollercoaster this one was! The whole time I was trying to figure out who I was rooting for because man so many ups and downs. This story was pretty wild and thankfully it isn't the last especially after that wild cliffhanger. Not even sure how I totally feel bout everything that went down but I know I wanna find out. So our story follows Selene and her magic is pretty rough. I do not envy this girl. For every time she uses her magic, a memory is taken away. Living like that cannot be easy. But despite the struggles Selene faces, she is determined to push through and make something for herself. And right now her goal is to get into Henbane Coven so she can work on her magic and be around other witches. But she has been struggling to get in. And in her latest try she is told that she needs to go on a quest and get a familiar. So she'll do it. But she never expects what comes next. A supernatural force brings her plane down in South America and she hears someone calling to her... Memnon the Cursed. And she may have released him. What's worse? Memnon is convinced Selene is his wife and that she betrayed him. And if that isn't complicated enough, she returns back to the US and gets into Henbane but then there are a series of murders going around. And with Selene's memory gaps, she is the main suspect. Poor girl can't catch a break. This story was pretty wild. I was hooked from beginning to end. I wanted to know more about Selene and her magic and how she could be Memnon's long ago wife. Reincarnation was my first guess but the big question was how? And if she was his wife, then why did she betray him and lock him away? Or did she even do that? Then Memnon himself was an enigma. To trust him or not? Could he be good? Bad? A bit of both? So much happening in this story and some many threads that overlap. Like I said, a crazy cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see where this series takes us.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[ghstdoll]

salem had a hard time with people and making a space for herself in others lives. she never felt like she belonged here, like somehow the universe made a mistake when it created her. the daughter of stu macher, it was only a matter of time before she turned out to be just like him. so in a way, she understands why he feels this way and how lost he is, he has to start all over and find his place in a world that probably wouldn't accept him. "I'm kind of considered a freak here so...I get it but I don't want you to feel lonely the way I have, at very least I can be someone who brings you comfort in this shitty ass world like you have been for me even though you weren't technically there." she smiles softly. "I meant it when I told you that I wanted to be with you I just didn't expect that you would be sitting in my bathtub." she laughs softly, a warm smile on her lips, her eyes looking down where their hands meet as his fingers brush over her knuckles as if he's trying to reassure her that what she has to offer isn't completely worthless.

she notices her joke might've been take wrong when he looks down at his body. "no, wait I didn't mean it like that...youre totally hot and your body is beautiful, I was trying to make a bad joke about how all the food today is...not what it used to be back then, it'll fatten anyone up." she shrugs. "but who knows maybe you have a high metabolism." salem smirks, eyes peering down at his body because he really is good looking, even for a dead guy he's pretty fit. "oh hot means like whatever you guys used to say when you found someone good looking but extremely so." she attempts to explain realizing how even the way they talked was probably different now,. "anyway, it's a date...did you guys have those back then?"

maybe there was sa deeper meaning to all this and their connection as a whole, why she was drawn to his tomb and dreamt of his ghost. she always believed in crazy things, like ghosts and the supernatural after all not everything had to be made up did it? so maybe soulmates existed too. though it's kind of ironic hers is over a hundred years older than she is, putting age gaps to shame.

her cheeks flush softly when his hand comes up to cup one, eyes looking into his with a soft gaze as she presses her lips together as blue meets green in a loving gaze. she'd never been touched so gently before, mostly it was out of anger or to hurt her when she'd been touched but he was gentle, his thumb tracing against her skin and she almost wants to tear up as she leans into his touch. "I wish I could hear your voice just once...to know what you're thinking and if it's the same as me." could this be what falling in love feels like? tethered to one another by an invisible string that had taken him from his own world and put him into hers.

the temptation is strong, to move in and kiss him even if the circumstances should be a bit strange and off putting, his lips are still kind of pale as if the color hadn't fully returned to his body but they're still pretty, wanting to trace her thumb against them and know what he tastes like against her own, it would be so easy to do especially given everything else they're doing now.

her hand is against his length, entire body feeling like it's on fire right now as she tries her hardest not to think too deeply about what she's doing right now. is this wrong? because it didn't feel wrong if anything it felt really good, feeling him growing under her palm like this as she bites down on her bottom lip.

it wasn't that men never wanted salem, if anything they did a little too much but she'd never given herself to a boy before, certainly never touching one so I appropriately even if it was only to keep him clean. his reactions don't help either, he's panting and his face seems like he's enjoying it as she slowly moves her fingers against him, his eager nods are the most lively she's seen him since he walked into her house so she moves just a little more, blue eyes glancing up at him as she watches for his reaction just as his own hand is holding hers against his cock encouragingly, even biting down on his lower lip as she blushes slightly. "h-have you been touched like this before?"

he can tell she feels pity for him by the way she looks at him, sadness in her beautiful blue eyes. he didn’t mean to make her feel bad, of course, but he didn’t ever want to be dishonest when she asked him a question either. what he doesn’t expect is the way she says she wants to make his new life worth it, even if she doesn’t have much. the implication that she wants him to stick around makes him beam with happiness, nodding in response to her words. once again, regulus is struck by how kindly she treats him, even in the worst situations. most people wouldn’t want to tend to an old graveyard in the first place and probably would’ve killed him with fire for showing up on their doorstep (or at the very least called for help).

when she says she doesn’t have much to offer, he reaches out, placing his hand over hers gently. stroking it, his green eyes flicker up to meet her blue ones, gazing into her beautiful face as he traces her knuckles. after a moment he stops, pulling away so as not to go too far.

her explanation of movies makes him frown for a moment– people can watch plays from their own homes by looking at some device? the more confusing part is when she explains horror, mentioning witches and making him look up in surprise. had witches graduated from being blasphemous to being part of plays? or maybe the blasphemy was the appeal and people didn’t believe in them as much anymore. salem’s explanation makes it sound like people enjoy scarier things for entertainment now.

regulus doesn’t think he’s a zombie… or, at least, he doesn’t remember any part of his mother’s spell that would liken him to one. he doesn’t have a craving for flesh or anything at all, really (aside from the beautiful girl before him).

he gives a small nod at her offer to watch a movie with him, not even bothering to hide his gaze of admiration. his brows raise a little when she says she wants to fatten him up, glancing down at his body almost self consciously.

it’s endearing to him, how much she softens at the fact he dreamed with her. he reaches out tentatively, pressing a palm to her cheek and brushing his thumb against her skin slowly. he gazes at her beauty, drinking in how perfect each of her features are, from her perfectly sculpted small nose to her full pink lips and slender face. he wants to tell her as much but his voice won’t come, so instead he slowly traces her cheek with his thumb before finally dropping his hand again.

he wishes he could taste her lips; see how it felt to fall in love and kiss someone in such a way. none of the girls who pursued him ever made him feel a fraction of what he felt for her and he couldn’t get her out of his head, even when he was dead.

her face has flushed red and he understands why– he doubts it’s usual even for her time period for anyone to see or touch someone else’s dick when they’d just met. what they’re doing would have him excommunicated from society in his time, which is a difficult thought to push from his brain. everything in him wants her; wants her beautiful blue eyes to look at him and like what she sees. but he also knows he shouldn’t and that it’s ‘wrong’. even holding her hand had crossed the line… no gentleman would act like this. but was he ever really a gentleman, as a heretic and a witch? why not give into that side of himself, especially if he was dead anyway?

so his hand tugs hers down towards where he wants it and she gasps, a sound that makes his body warm in certain places to an intensity he’s never felt before. he tries not to, but can’t help but wonder what she would sound like if he were inside of her instead.

she points out that it still works, referring to his erection, which is now in her soft hand. his eyes flutter as she squeezes his length, causing a moan to escape his lips. he nods a little too eagerly when she asks if it’s okay, and pants a little at how her hand moves against his cock with the soap. she’s not jerking him off exactly, but her movements are causing stimulation and regulus is surprised to find it feels pleasurable, almost as if his body is in a normal condition. unable to help himself, he leans towards her, using his hand to press hers against his cock encouragingly as he meets her eyes almost shyly. his face is flushed, biting at his lip at how good it feels.

[jpriest85-blog]

My Discord friends introduced me to @blacktabbygames Scarlet Hollow, and now I'm obsessed. I've created some concept art of my MC Valentina Scarlet. Her main trait is mystic, but I'm having trouble deciding which secondary trait, so I've created multiple saves for her; Occult Nerd for Mystic/Book smarts, Gothic Romance Heroine for Mystic/Hot, Disney Princess for Mystic/ Talks to animals, Psychic Detective for Mystic/ Keen eye. I've compiled some info for her so far:

Name: Valentina Dahlia Scarlet

Gender: female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 23

Face claim: Manal Issa

Home city: San Francisco

Noticeable Features: The characteristic Scarlet™️ cheekbones and deep set "haunted" eyes. As well as multiple ear piercings, a nose ring, and tattoos;  protective evil eye tattoos on both wrists, and an in memory tattoo on her right shoulder of Dogwood flowers and golden poppies besides her mothers name and a quote from "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. 

Traits:

Occult Nerd Mystic/Book smart

Gothic Romance heroine Mystic/Hot

Disney Princess Mystic/Talks to animals

Psychic Detective Mystic/Keen eye

Occupation: student trying to get a degree in Psychiatry.

Living situation: attic bedroom and shares a house with 10 other roommates, because rent in San Francisco is expensive AF!

Romances: Avery on Occult Nerd save, Reece on Gothic Romance heroine save, Oscar on Disney Princess save, and Kaneeka on Psychic Detective save.

Personality: Valentina comes across as a well-meaning if eccentric person with a strong sense of curiosity. She's usually a very sweet and understanding person, which is why she tries to be patient with her cousin Tabitha when she first arrives in Scarlet Hollow. After all, Tabitha is grieving, and family relationships aside, she's still a stranger to her cousin. Still, there are people who will test her temper, and she can be pretty stubborn. Her mystical attunement does sometimes put others off and Valentina has been known to unintentionally creep out people (although during her bus ride she was a bit happy about spooking the creepy guy who kept chattering at her).

This made things very difficult for Valentina growing up as other children would avoid her and her creepy imaginary friends, which later on turned out to be not so imaginary. So she missed out on a lot of things as a kid, like sleepovers and being invited to birthday parties, etc. Thankfully, her mother did what she could to help, even going to doctors and therapy sessions with Valentina. Eventually, people just considered Valentina a harmless eccentric when she grew up. So, while she never quite blossomed into a social butterfly, she did learn how to make friends (especially when she became so pretty as an adult).

Miscellaneous info & Headcanons

Vivian was a big fan of old school jazz and Swing music, and she wound up naming her daughter Valintina because her favorite song was "My Funny Valentine," by Frank Sinatra.

Valintina's father was a Lebanese Jazz musician called Gabriel Aboud who met Vivian while he was touring North Carolina with his band. 

Valentina used to take piano lessons growing up, partly because her father was also a musician, and because it was also one of the few lessons Vivian was forced to take, she didn't completely hate.

Much like her cousin, Tabitha Crystantum, also has a flower middle name, and there is a variation of Dahlia flowers known as Valintina.

Considering how much tragedy befalls the Scarlet family, Vivian probably used many protection charms and talismans on Valentina, especially when she started developing sensitivities to the supernatural when Valentina was old enough, she'd continued this habit from her mom by getting protective evil eye hamsa tattoos on both her wrists.

She was prone to sleepwalking as a child, another reason Vivian took her to see a therapist. She's mostly outgrown it, but sometimes Valentina will start sleepwalking again when she's emotionally distressed.

She's is a polyglot that's fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic (and being able to speak with animals in one of her saves).

She went through a witch phase in high school.

Valentina also knows how difficult it is to live in and maintain an older house, as she resided in a Victorian home in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Granted, the infamous Scarlet Mansion is much grander than the "Painted Lady" she was staying in before coming to Scarlet Hollow.

Living in San Francisco means Valentina gets to meet some pretty eclectic people. For instance, one of her roommates is a Wiccan, another is a violinist for the San Francisco opera, and another is a professional dominatrix.

When she started college, Valentina became involved in a poly relationship with a male TA for a class outside her major and a non-binary classmate. It became pretty serious for a while, but over time, people changed, and Valentina ended her romantic relationship with them when she realized she wanted different things from her life. She is still on friendly terms with both of them, and her exes are still in a relationship with each other.

In addition to the 10 roommates, Valentina also shared her cramped attic bedroom with the ghost of a hippie that died during the Summer of Love back in 1967. He's a pretty chill ghost, actually. His hauntings mostly involve a sudden strong smell of patchouli and asking Valintina if she's seen his hidden stash.

Valentina did not appreciate Wayne protecting/stalking her and probably attempted to mace him at least once before she realized he really didn't intend to harm her. She's a single woman who grew up in a big city. Of course, she's not going to react well to a large man in a mask following her! Tbh Wayne's lucky she didn't try to hit his groin and run.

When "The Sixth Sense " first came out in theaters, Valentina had a hard time sitting through the film. The scenes were Haley Joel Osmond's character was bullied and ostracized by his classmates because he was the creepy weird kid who saw ghosts, hit too close to home for her.

[iamhereinthebg]

If you havent done him, what are your thoughts on Mitsuba (No.3)? Aside from his whole plot line with Kou, i believe he's super interesting because this is one of the (only i think?) times where we actually get to see a supernatural advance from day 1!

Hey Anon! :DD Really sorry for the wait for this ask dshdjsk

Once again, number 3 is a mystery so I will automatically really love him :D Especially with how many informations about supernaturals we gain with his plotline!

As you said, Number 3 is the only one where we see in details one of the way on how a supernatural can exist :D (we saw it for Mei and Akane too but not as much as Mitsuba!)

What we know about this new mystery is that he is a creation of Tsukasa with a piece of soul of the human Mitsuba Sousuke who died around the age of 14. So Number 3 isn't Sousuke, but still has a really deep connection with him since he has a part of his soul (hence why Nene and kou went to see his mom in chapter 74)

What I love about Mitsuba is the fact that his wish of being human, is because he realized he never was one.

When we start the hell of the mirrors arc before Tsukasa appears he thinks that he is dead, because he has no memories and just think he forgot about his life. But really quickly several supernaturals come to tell him that he never was human in the first place and that he is a defect (as for number 6 :DD I love this) And that he exists only because of Mitsuba Sousuke's wish.

Number 3 is only coming after Nene not being bothered or interested in Mitsuba's presense at all unless he gets in his way.

He is viewed as an object or a defect by a lot of the others supernaturals. Tsukasa, Hanako, Number 3 etc... But definitely wants to know what he is and what he is supposed to do. No matter what is the price and no matter how selfish it is.

And this is what led us to the perfect picture arc :0 This is mostly coming from Mitsuba's (the number 3 now) wish in the first place.

Picture perfect arc is one of my fav arc of the manga because we get to see (Mei my beloved) how pathetic and desesperate supernaturals are when it comes to their wishes and want. Mitsuba wants to have a place somewhere and since the only thing he knows is what the human Mitsuba Sousuke went through when he was alive, this is what he wanna be. He knows becoming a human is impossible, so he will accept Tsukasa's plan even if it gets Kou and Nene involved in it. Because he doesn't care if others are hurt/involved in the first place (something that will change quickly let's be honest, he is the one who said what to do when he saw how distressed Kou and Nene were), he wants something and he will do anything stupid to get it. Even if it means giving up his real dreams and becoming just Tsukasa's pawn.

I love the mystery kids being Identity crisis gangs too tbh.

Mitsuba just want to be loved even if it means becoming something he isn't. I absolutely adore how complicated it is for him to know and understand that he can be his own person. Because he just wants Kou to aknowledge him and is jealous of the other Mitsuba. The perfect picture arc show us two different view on supernaturals inspired by previous human. On one hand we have Shijima-san who never wanted to become Mei, who doesn't want people to think she is Mei because she is not good enough to be her or to represent her, and on the other hand, we have Mitsuba who knows isn't good enough to be the human Mitsuba Sousuke so is going to pretend and to fake everything to trick people into believing he is. And I adore this, that we have two views on this matter and that they both have a problem with being 'related'/inspired by a previous human. And in the end they are both supernaturals, who just want things but don't know how to get them without being full crazy about it because their morals and views are way different than humans.

It's Kou who tells him he can be someone even if he isn't the Sousuke Mitsuba he used to know and that he will be happier if he doesn't pretend and live in a fake world. (and then Kou goes full Kou mode like 'I will make you human yayyy')

One of the thing I like about Mitsuba is that he is openly jealous too. Idk how to explain, I think it is really great to have this in a character. Of course supernaturals are jealous of humans because they don't have future and anything like them. They are trapped here only able to watch from afar time passing but never being able to move on. It just makes sense for Mitsuba who is a new supernatural to have those thoughts and to say it out loud.

Idk where to end this tbh. I just really like Mitsuba's progression and story line, because it parrallels with Mei too. And we see how lonely and desesperate supernaturals are, how little they understand what humans think and how crazy they can get to get what they want. And of course, always assume what humans want, and do stupid shit for them without getting their consents (hello Hanako).

Another thing I wanna point out about Mitsuba and that I find really funny is the fact that he is the character who is openly saying how cute he is, and the fact that his powers are related to mirrors. When we all know mirrors can be linked really quickly to being narcissistic (not gonna explain the myth of Narcissus I think everyone knows it)

Mirros are also something in a lot of myths/beliefs that are related to what we really are. Mirros don't lie, when you are in front of a mirror you have to face what you really are deep down and forced to see your flaws so you can accept yourself (this is why Hanako doesn't wanna go into number 3's boundary at first) Mirrors being linked to identity issues is pretty funny to me when we see how Mitsuba is (and the fact that the mirror broke when Tsukasa destroyed the previous number 3 is great too eheh). His boundary is also a reflection of what he wants, even the previous number 3 had a rumor similar to Mitsuba's storyline. Muppets who want to trade their places with the livings.

So yep I wonder where they will go with Mitsuba's arc now, especially since he doesn't seem too interested to become human again (at least less interested, he mostly wants to help Kou and becomes a good friend). Kou is the one focussing on this mostly. We also need to know what the Sakura gang has prepared for him (I do think there is a high chance his yorishiro is the same as the previous number 3 but honestly Idk that much). When we also can see that Tsukasa could have taken his yorishiro way before? He didn't need to create a new number 3 tbh Idk maybe he just wanted to mess with Kou (maybe he remembers him lol) and Amane. And we also don't know what happened really during chapter 65 so we probably didn't get the whole thing. And there is a lot of strange things going around the human Sousuke too, like why tf did he have a photo of the red house in the first place? So yep there are still things to resolve around him and since he is one of the last mysteries to have a yorishiro I hope we will see him there ^^ (we will see him again but I think it will be mostly for Kou's character development idk what they have planned for Mitsuba at all ahah x')

This got really long sorry anon :'D and it doesn't make that much sens, but yep I really like Mitsuba because of how flawned he is (but it makes sense) and how supernatural he is too ^^ I gotta agree that he is a really interesting character!