#and gil does his whole speech

[wardback]

I headcannon that when cynthia comes out to the t-birds she always gets gils car keys first to the point they joke its more cynthias car than it is his

[gilgil-machine]

One of my favorite bits of early CCC is when gil is pretty non-chalant and unapologetic about losing his power, directly admitting it and pushing the responsibility onto Hakuno to fix him up, but then later in myroom he shows that it does actually frustrate him and he's annoyed with himself

You know, while I was playing CCC I've noticed that Gilgamesh at first tries to show himself being the perfect and invisible king that has no flaws and is completely unbothered by everything. Even his manner of speech is completely relaxed with a small playful undertone and being sarcastic and at some point self ironic when he was talking about being weak and calling his body "saggy flesh". This whole situation was like a game for him where he was able to kill his boredom but as the story progresses he gets more serious and also opens up to Hakuno. Like you mentioned he gets frustrated for being weak and throughout the game he never forgets to remind Hakuno to keep his rehabilitation.

Also this moment😏

(If I had an opportunity Gil I would provide therapy to your body all day everyday)

Also during another moment at first he said that he's the most perfect being in creation but when he was telling his story Gilgamesh apologized to Hakuno for lying to them of being perfect and said that he wasn't always being perfect and the same thing was with immortality herb. At first he mentioned that he just gave away the plant to the snake but later he accepted that he screwed up and lost the plant. And I remember how someone mentioned that Gilgamesh opens his soul proportionally to him changing his outfits. At first he was fully armored and he was keeping his distance from Hakuno, then he got his night emperor costume and at the same moment he started to open up to Hakuno even more and so on and so on until in the end he showed up in front of Hakuno completely naked as if, metaphorically, showing his trust to them by exposing his body and his soul.

[number1mongrel]

hi! as someone who also loves gil deeply i love your blog and all your meta posts about our king. but i was curious, i know you ship kotogil and gilkidu and gilhaku, but how do you feel about gilguda? i ship gil with...basically all of the above options, all gil ships are good and amazing, but as someone who does ship all of them (and who is excited as hell thanks to oc3 for gil to have an entire ass harem in chaldea now lmfao) sometimes i get kinda anxious about shipping gilguda in the wake of how much people love all the others ships in comparison.

i do like gilguda!! i think they dont quite get as much time together as gil does with the other three, which is probably why its not quite as popular, but i do really like them. given the nature of things they dont really get a lot of one on one time in babylonia, but gil does come to genuinely admire and respect guda there, and then in solomon he comes in and give a whole speech as he helps guda to protect humanity together! the movie even implied that gil helped give guda the final power boost they needed

and then in chaldea gil very openly really likes guda! you can't forget the classic "give me a week's notice before your birthday". hes a complete tsun about caring about them. he will work well together with guda, like in the second gilfest where he helps you defeat spishtar. he basically never gets significantly angry at them

and ofc, both versions' valentines scenes are oo perfect. archer is a complete tsun and caster takes you on a literal date!

guda is definitely up there with the people gil cares about the most, just like the others. he literally sacrificed himself in babylonia to save them!!

[land-of-holly]

Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 2 Liveblog

Okay! I'm back from work and I've watched Episode 2!

More recap - dwarves incoming!

So what influence do the black tendrils represent?

Cool flyby into Khazad-dum, and I love the dwarf marketplace!

Durin and Disa are such a sweet couple! And hey, at least Durin wasn't completely exiled

Oh man they're really murdering the scenery

Oh no the light?

Opening credits gorgeous as usual

Galadriel getting in touch with nature. Good, that girl so needs to touch some grass

Celebrimbor?? Is here???

Wait does Galadriel even speak Black speech?

Well okay surprise visions of doom in a meeting at least beats sitting bolt upright in bed.

I love every elf extra, they're great

Does Gil-galad even have a personality besides being dumb and wrong???

Tyelpe's assistant lady is so cute!

HE SAID GET LOST HAL

:o FINALLY all I wanted was for tyelpe to have some better clothes THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD!!

Oh no, assistant lady's name is 'Mirdania', that's the most 'My name just describes my function' name imaginable T_T JRRT would be so proud

omg Tyelpe has a personality and it's "I can't believe I'm answering stupid questions when I could be at the forge" <<<333

yeesh poor messenger dudes

Ooh I like the desert bgm, reminds me of Nier Automata

Wait is this place actually named Caras Gaer? In Sindarin? Who named it that? And why?

Moth cult? Evil wizard??

Oh sure. Attack his friends. Surely no one has ever tried that and had it go horribly wrong

Dude...most people get named by their parents. Valid to want to find your own name tho

Uh Poppy...short cuts make long delays

SHUT UP ABOUT THE WAND or I'm gonna start getting contrary

Girl no, do you have any idea how many hikers die each year going off trail in the desert with insufficent water??

Disa my wiffffffeeeee T_T she's so beautiful

N A R V I !!!!!!!!!! oh he's so cute!!!

Still love the Stonesinger concept

Tell him, Disa! Get his ass!

Never understood the bullying instinct tbh

Love love love how Disa is on team "Durin Sr and Durin Jr repair their stupid relationship already!!" but she speaks very differently about it to each of them.

Elrond! Watcha workin on?

A boat!

Definitely looking forward to Galadriel setting up shop in Eregion for a longer term. It'll be almost like having Unfinished Tales around...

GET HER ELROND! RIP HER APART! PULL NO PUNCHES!!

RiDe HeR tO vIcToRy???? Elrond i love you but you need to stop right now I will not warn you again

Elrond she needs help please delete his contact info from her phone for her

DON'T MAKE CIRDAN SHAVE WTF ARE YOU DOING

Okay and he's supposed to be *wise* i expect him to make an *argument* not just throw disjointed metaphors and aphorisms at the wall. Are the rings tainted or not? That's kind of the whole question!

Okay "they're safer on the fingers of elves" is the beginning of a valid position

Nori that's a stick

Ooh are those guys using spear throwers?

Wwahhhhhh Nori! Poppy! Noooo!

aaaaaaaaaaa Tyelpe is such a nerd he's so cute!

Ithildin!!

Tyelpe tell him to get off your lawn. I know your grandpa taught you how.

lol he's got his little umbrella carrier following him around and he's still soaked.

TYELPE THAT IS LITERALLY THE DEVIL TALKING. ouuuugh i'm an unappreciated genius THAT IS HOW THEY GET YOU. YOU KNOW THIS.

tyelpe you dumbass... you had one job...

The seduction begins! .....babby.........

Halbrand uses Thaumaturgy!

GOD he's SUCH a drama queen

LOL did Vilya get jealous and evict all of Gil's other bling?

Awww I like Elrond's outfit

Hey, that's Feanorian script, is Durin getting mail from an elf?

YES IT'S TYELPE!!

This is a lot of fun!!

[raointean]

*cracks knuckles* This is reminding me of my (probably very specific to me) headcanons about Gil-Galad and Elrond. Regardless of what you think of the kidnap fam (I, personally, think m&m loved them, but there was always a tense undertone in their relationship with their role as hostages (which I made a whole post about one time)) Elrond may not have been entirely safe when he got to Gil-Galad, especially if you go with the son of Orodreth theory.

Think about it! Gil-Galad is a teenaged/barely adult king fighting an apocalyptic war and then trying to put the realm back together after. Next to him is this kid (or maybe adult, depending on how Elrond aged) who's the DIRECT descendant of his predecessor as well as the rightful king of the Sindar. His brother rallied all of the Edain under one banner and sailed off into the sunset, so clearly they've both been taught speech and statecraft. I imagine Elrond has many quiet (and maybe not-so-quiet) supporters among the Fëanorians who raised him, the Sindar he was once the prince of, and even Gil-Galad’s own subjects!

Elrond is a THREAT to him!

But what is he to do with such a threat? He can't kill him; that would be kinslaying and would (rightfully) earn him the ire of Elrond’s supporters. He can't banish him to the Sindar, because he could too easily raise an army to overthrow Gil-Galad. He could send him to his brother in Númenor, but for how long?

No, the only real choice is to keep Elrond under his thumb and make him submit.

From Elrond’s point of view, he's gone from being a hostage of the Fëanorians to being a healer/warrior in the War of Wrath, and then back again to being a hostage in all but name to Gil-Galad! It's a familiar position, at least. He knows what to do: be quiet, do as you're told,don't make anyone angry, be as small and inoffensive as possible... the list goes on. But Gil-Galad keeps bullying him. He's cold, cruel, takes any opportunity he can find to run him down, assigns way too much work, gets angry whenever Elrond fails to do everything he's asked; basically, just does everything in his power to keep Elrond exhausted and miserable.

And Elrond takes it! For a good, long while he does as he's told. He knows from long experience that, if he's obedient and perfect, captors will keep him around, keep him alive, maybe even start to care about him.

Sooner or later, however, Elrond catches on to the fact that he's never going to be good enough for Gil-Galad’s standards. He gets scared. Then he gets angry. Eventually, he snaps at Gil-Galad and DEMANDS to know why he hates Elrond so much. Elrond’s never done anything to offend him, never disobeyed him, and (to his mind) poses no threat to Gil-Galad’s power.

That last part catches Gil-Galad’s attention and he asks Elrond what he means. Elrond says that he assumes Noldor can't inherit through the female line since Gil-Galad was crowned even while Eärendil was alive and well (maybe Elrond’s right, maybe Eärendil was approached and decided to abdicate, maybe dear gilly got the kingship through... less than legitimate means; I haven't decided) and anyway, Elrond doesn't WANT the kingship.

Gil-galad considers this new information and Elrond can see on his face what happened between them. He asks if Gil-galad seriously picked on him for however long because he was INSECURE IN HIS POSITION. Gil-galad admits that he did and Elrond proceeds to yell at him for the next half-hour.

After "The Incident" that they both refuse to talk about afterwards, Elrond starts standing up for himself more often and Gil-galad gives him a little more (grudging) respect. He stops picking on Elrond and overworking him (as much) and actually starts to listen to his counsel sometimes. Gil-Galad is still cold and grouchy, but it's a start.

My headcanon is that Elrond's kindness started as a defense mechanism.

He spent most of his childhood and early adulthood as a captive. I know some fans make a lot of that line about how Maglor cherished them, but it's wrong to think that just because someone loves another means they won't hurt them. Many abusive parents truly believe that there's nothing wrong with what they are doing; in their minds, it's how they were raised, so it's not abuse. And Maglor was not Elrond's parent. He played a key role in murdering Elrond's grandparents and uncles. He slaughtered people Elrond probably knew since he was born. He chased Elrond's mother to the edge of a cliff until she felt her only choice was to throw herself into the sea. Whatever kindness he showed Elrond and Elros after that couldn't erase their memories of what he did.

With Elrond, he realized early on that if he spoke back or had an outburst of anger, he'd get a cuff on the head or a whipping. But if he was gentle and did whatever Maglor said, he was treated more kindly.

Even when he leaves for Lindon that behavior is ingrained in him, so he's more likely to respond kindly to people being rude or even cruel to him. But the longer he is free, the more Elrond begins to feel able to stand up for himself, even if his default is kindness.

So when Gil-galad hears that Elrond punched someone, he generally assumes the person deserved it.

[taylorkellyreporting]

i hope no one minds if i liveblog this bitch: eternals

BEAUTIFUL MAKKARI

oh shit ikaris and sersi got married??? i thought they just dated and then broke up

druig’s just like me 🫂 (always eating)

thena ☹️

i get where druig’s coming from but obviously mind controlling people is not the answer

“my friends from college are here!” 😭

sooo ikaris definitely killed ajak right?

“one time i turned a rock into air! :D” oh i love her

tony stark you will always be famous

“ajak didn’t even choose you to lead us.” 🗣GET HIM

gil is so funny i love him

“druig sucks!” “he does sir.” pls

I’D DO IT AGAIN ON ANY PLANET

sprite is in love with ikaris? oh wow

i really thought makkari and phastos were in the entire movie not just bits and pieces 🥴

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IKARIS

“i’ll remember. i’ll remember.” I HATE IT HERE

“he gave up on humans a long time ago.” ummm isn’t he married to one??? 😭

phastos has a beautiful family 🥺

“fall collection. ikea. ass.” lmfaooo

his goodbyes to his family ☹️

did they just forget makkari’s existence??? they haven’t mentioned my girl once this whole movie

MAKKARI THERE YOU ARE MY LOVE

“at least my boredom will end.” she’s just like me

DRUIG REALLY GAVE UP TWINKIES(is that what they were) FOR MAKKARI OH HES DOWN BAD

“MY BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL MAKKARI DID YOU MISS ME?”

i hate sprite

HE KNEW???!!!? glad my hate for this guy is valid

THAT’S WHY HE REACTED THAT WAY WHEN KONGO SAID THAT TO HIM. BC HE SAID IT TO AJAK BEFORE KILLING HER

IKARIS IS NOTHING BUT A COWARD

need ikaris GONE immediately

i hate how almost none of the eternals sign when talking to makkari

“i already gave that speech! ✋🏻" i love thena lmao

oh God makkari’s cry for druig i am not doing okay

MAKKARI KICKING IKARIS ASS IKTR

WACK HER AGAIN DRUIG

IKARIS DIED? WE ALL CHEERED

SHE FELT HIM

“it’s okay. it’s okay.” CRYING

sprite doesn’t deserve to be human

“stand behind me, actually.” 😭

“don’t go anywhere near him.” lmfaoooo

oh shit sersi

oh there’s definitely a sequel coming

so the movie was good i guess? i liked the characters a lot more than i liked the plot if i’m honest.

i’m gonna need a shit ton of makkari and phastos scenes in the next movie bc the ones we got in this one weren’t enough

[sing-a-songofsix-pence]

Comments on the first episode of the rings of power

(Going into this very dubious)

((Spoilers ahead))

- short haired elves oh my god Jesus why are there so many

- aww a swan ship

- ok idk if this is just so people know who she is but why is Galadriel not being called artanis or nerwen if she’s a kid? you know, seeing as you’ve included quenya maybe you could try doing that, huh?

- WHERE IS FINRODS LONG FLOWING HAIR. DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A GUY WHO WOULD FIGHT WEREWOLVES WITH HIS BARE TEETH. NO IT DOES NOT. I BET THIS GUY WOULDNT EVEN FIGHT A NORMAL WOLF

- the trees look cool but they’re not like… awe inspiring? that might just me being picky but they aren’t epic

- ok so finrod gave his life hunting sauron. right. not helping beren? no mention of that? you’d think werewolves would be a cool thing to mention

- harfoots seem cool I guess tho idk why they’re here

- glad to have the moose people explained (not.)

- seriously why do they have antlers on their backs??

- for a woman that can destroy a dude with her mind Galadriel is doing a lot of warrior-ing

- what’s up with that symbol

- does Sauron have a calling card now that’s fun

- ok we’re going for mutiny now?

- can’t get over these short haired elves dear god Elrond

- Elrond is heir to the crown of the Noldor in like 5 different ways why is he not counted as an elf lord

- GIL GALAD YES YOU DONT HAVE SHORT HAIR I LOVE YOU

- awww elrond wrote his buddy’s speech

- is celebrian gonna turn up? WHERE IS CELEBORN AT LEAST

- Galadriel is weirdly antsy about everything

- “you have not seen what I have seen” I mean sure but also Elrond saw his mother turn into a bird so idk who’s winning there

- i mean she’s right Sauron is out there but why is GALADRIEL hunting him down

- she’s only refusing to go to valinor now? what about at the end of the first age?

- What’s this whole thing about Galadriel being dependent on her sword she can DESTROY STUFF WITH ELF TELEPATHY

- an elf with a buzz cut? Ok then

- another elf-human romance

- again

- really you’d think they’d be bored of this by now

- “Only two” BITCH ANDRETH AND AEGNOR WOULD BE OFFENDED

- wait nvm they weren’t well known

- Aight Theo’s gonna be evil then

- there’s no way Galadriel went to the west

- Elrond and gil galad 👀

- OMG CELEBRIMBOR

- why is he older than Galadriel

- Elrond working with celebrimbor???

- Ew more short hair

- ok does that mean annatar is here if celebrimbor is working on a ‘special project’

- still confused about Galadriel going into the west

- Lovely montage with the meteor

- Ah ok that’s why Galadriel is damp in the trailer. She decides TO SWIM BACK ACROSS THE ENTIRE OCEAN. very logical good job.

- Meteor has touchdown. still don’t know why this is relevant. who is the guy there. betting that meteor man’s gonna be a wizard or Maiar of some kind. if he’s a wizard he’s early.

[sirenofthetimes]

Every Proposal on Gilmore Girls Was Absolutely Unhinged

This show was rich in couples, swimming in conflict, and desperately lacking in healthy communication. Which made for some batshit marriage proposals! Let's go:

Christopher to Lorelai in Season 1 ep. 15: Christopher Returns

In Christopher's first appearance on the show, he rocks up to Stars Hollow on his motorcycle at the end of the previous episode, out of the blue, and in this one archetypes are made clear: he establishes himself as the irresponsible deadbeat single dad to Lorelai's hardworking, mature yet still fun single mom. They have a weird dinner with everyone's parents where his parents, Straub and Francine, are shown to be even more uptight and awful than Richard and Emily can be. A lot of fighting and yelling and relitigating past choices ensues. Then Lorelai and Christopher go off to have emotional, nostalgic sex on her childhood balcony, and off the strength of that, he walks into her kitchen the next morning and blurts out that he wants to marry her so they can be a "real family". They barely see each other. They know hardly anything about each other's current lives. This is the first time he's visited the town they've been living in since Rory was a child and yet. A marriage proposal. Naturally, she turns him down, but we have not heard the last of Christopher Hayden.

Max to Lorelai in Season 1 ep. 21: Love, Daisies and Troubadours

This relationship was used mostly to discuss Lorelai's commitment issues, the difficulties of dating as a single mom, and have her fight allegations of her being promiscuous (which are not true, she can be very sexually conservative) by having her do something risky like try to date one of her daughter's teachers at the stuffy private school that also exists in her parents' world. So despite them having okay chemistry, they haven't really dated much and broke up after two months before getting back together shortly before the night of the proposal. Max comes by the house to pick Lorelai up and finds Luke there getting his toolbox and relaying the news that Rachel broke up with him (because she has a basic level of intuition and picked up on his feelings for Lorelai). Max and Luke have a very cringy dick measuring contest, Max (in possession of similar intuition) assumes Luke and Lorelai dated at some point but it's not season 5 yet so she's not legally allowed to admit she's into Luke. They argue, Max expresses frustration that their relationship can never seem to get off the ground, and what does he propose as a solution? Yoking their lives together in blessed matrimony. Lorelai is justifiably frustrated and tells him that's not how you propose, that a proposal is supposed to be special and grand. She lists "a thousand yellow daisies" as an example how to truly pop the question and the next day Max arranges for that famous logistical nightmare romantic gesture at the inn, then says some flowery bullshit on the phone and because it's the season finale and emotions are high, Lorelai accepts. Though later, right after her bachelorette party, she runs away and calls off the wedding. They meet a couple more times for closure, and then the relationship is truly dead.

Jackson to Sookie in Season 2 ep 13: A-Tisket A-Tasket

Sookie and Jackson's budding relationship has actually been pretty nice to watch up until this point. They have a fun balance between awkward but cute flirting and comical bickering about produce. But there's something in the area's water supply that makes people unable to clearly express their wants and needs in a romantic relationship so when Sookie doesn't respond how Jackson wanted her to to him saying his lease was up and asking her what she thought, he sulks. The sulking manifests itself in him not bidding on Sookie's basket at the bid a basket auction so she confronts him to see what's up and they actually manage to have a decent conversation about what moving in together would mean. And that could've been a nice ending for that storyline. But shacking up together? Out of wedlock? Impossible. So at their picnic for two, Jackson fakes Sookie out and says he doesn't want to talk about moving in together any more... because he thinks they should get married. Sookie, reeling from that whiplash, accepts, and since the rules of TV beta couples states they must move faster than the main will-they-won't-they couple at all times, they get married, stay married, and continue struggling to effectively talk through big life decisions,with some admittedly nice moments in between.

Lorelai to Luke in Season 5 ep 22: A House is Not a Home and Season 6 ep 1: New and Improved Lorelai

Lorelai and Luke are in kind of a weird place at the moment, with Luke upset with Lorelai for considering selling the Dragonfly to a corporation owned by one of her father's contacts, which would have her traveling and consulting instead. While she's not too serious about it, she's enjoying being courted by the company, but this is in complete disregard for the giant house Luke bought without telling her or the kids he's thinking about having that he also hasn't discussed with her so it's causing problems. This is forgotten however with the news that Rory wants to take time off from Yale after receiving some rare negative feedback, and that Richard and Emily are letting her stay with them after just telling Lorelai they would help her force Rory back into Yale. So when Lorelai walks into the diner lamenting the fact that Rory is making a decision independent from the vision Lorelai had for her life, and Luke comes forth with a nonsensical plan to, again, force Rory back to Yale, Lorelai is touched that she finally has someone on her side. And since she's a veteran of the season finale marriage proposal, she celebrates having her partner agree with her by asking him to marry her. He accepts in the next season's premiere with no hesitation, but eventually their tendency to hide things from each other to not ruin their relationship.... ruins their relationship. Shocking.

Zack to Lane in Season 6 ep 16: Bridesmaids Revisited

Zack is on a bit of a redemption tour after ruining Hep Alien's showcase in front of a major label by throwing a tantrum about Brian potentially writing a song for Lane. This random burst of jealousy sends him on a power trip that has him throwing out their set list and screaming at his band mates until a fight breaks out and the band and him and Lane split up. But when he sees Lane in the music shop some time later putting up a flier advertising her drumming services to other bands, the thought of her daring to potentially continue living her life without him spurs Zach into action. He convinces Brian and Gil to get the band back together and they're in if Lane's in. And his way of getting Lane back is to walk into Luke's while she's working, go off on some tangent about how he doesn't feel good, and propose in front of a huge crowd of gossipy small town people. Lane must have smacked her head on some antique furniture that day because although she at least stops to ask if he's thought about this, when he presents her with the pawn shop ring he got that "belonged to like an Elk or a Moose or something", she accepts and walks right into marriage and babies land and right out of development that would make sense for her character or be interesting.

Christopher to Lorelai in Season 7 ep. 7: French Twist

Ever since Lorelai walked out of her fraught engagement with Luke and into Christopher's bed, he has taken the reality of a woman coping with feelings of rejection by hooking up with the man she keeps stashed in the background for occasions such as these, and spun it into an elaborate romantic tale of two star crossed loves who waited their whole lives to be together. And when Sherry who, guided by the hands of karma, previously abandoned Gigi leaving Christopher to raise her on his own, writes a letter saying she's totally fine now trust her and wants Gigi to spend a few months with her in Paris, Christopher invites Lorelai along for a big romantic gesture trip. They spend most of it jetlagged, but Christopher remembers he's super rich now (as opposed to just being regular rich like before) and he bribes a restaurant to open early for the two of them. Lorelai, basking in the romance™ of it all, confesses her love, and Christopher pounces on that and starts in on a whole speech. Basically, even though he said he'd be willing to wait for Lorelai to fall in line with his vision, he doesn't feel like waiting any more. Lorelai, sensing where this is going, suggests they wait, as they've only been really dating for a couple of months. She also brings up Rory, figuring she'd want to be up to date and present any big changes. But Christopher waves those perfectly valid concerns away, stresses how long they've known each other, insists that they're meant to be, and fate has brought them together. And then comes out with it and asks her to marry him. Which are very intense words for Lorelai, an emotionally vulnerable woman who just broke off an engagement because her fiancé seemed overly hesitant to actually get married, to hear. We don't see her accept, but there's a scene of them returning home where he calls her "Mrs. Hayden" (as if she would ever change her name), and their marriage immediately began to fall apart like wet tissue paper.

Logan to Rory in Season 7 ep. 21: Unto the Breach

It's the end of Rory's time at Yale, and on the heels of her New York Times fellowship rejection, rejections from other newspapers across the country, and the fact that she rejected her one job offer for better things that did not come, Rory's future is wide open and unstable. On the other hand, Logan is completing his character transformation from irresponsible party animal trust fund kid to hardworking and responsible trust fund kid, accepting a job offer for an internet company in San Francisco. The question emerges: How will the young couple handle this next phase of their lives? And when Logan shows up at Lorelai's house in the previous episode, he comes with a solution. He wants to marry Rory and take her to California, and he wants Lorelai's blessing to propose. She gives it, though not without trepidation, and Logan does propose. In the middle of the graduation party Richard and Emily are throwing for Rory, he gets up in front of everyone and takes out the ring. Rory is caught completely off guard and takes him outside to talk about it, where he reveals that he got the job, picked out a house for them to rent, researched newspapers where she could apply to work, and even planned activities for them to do in their spare time. The original plan being that she would say yes to his proposal without knowing all this and walk blindly into her new, pre-arranged West Coast life. But Rory needs time to process the idea of marrying Logan immediately after college, and on the day of her graduation, she declines. Logan decides if he can't marry her, there's no point in being with her at all, and the two go their separate ways, to eventually meet again in a years long affair, for some reason. Though I barely acknowledge the revival.

Honestly, the only proposal that truly makes sense is Lorelai's to Luke in the revival but I won't discuss it here because a) again, the revival basically doesn't exist to me and b) they should've married during the original run of the show.

[sindar-princeling]

ep 5 thoughts!

I love the dwarven ring that looks like a building by a small bridge, what a cool design

I like that Celebrimbor is a mix of meaning well but also proud and almost- hubristic? feels like he's going to be like I Didn't Think Sauron The Deceiver Could Deceive Me when it all goes to shit

not sure I like that Sauron is present for everything now, because his presence has implications in this world. are rop creators implying that the Doors of Durin are also influenced by him, like the Rings he helped make? or are they just ignoring the fact that Sauron's power is present in his creations? or did they not think about it at all? this world has rules, and it weakens the story to just drop some of them whenever it's convenient

(like I know he may not have even touched them, but just the fact that he's here makes you ask questions)

"to credit your contributions" okay nvm you heard it here first - the doors of durin were made by sauron too I guess (i am. pretty sure they want to imply that but it's so ridiculous that it's hard to actually believe)

Celebrimbor and Sauron are the most interesting plotline I swear

Celebrimbor is growing on me, I didn't like him much in season 1 but he gets more depth here, there's more to work with for him in terms of plot

a nice little detail of Celebrimbor patting Sauron on the arm and Sauron standing there for a few seconds like. did that lowly thing just fucking touch me

it tickles me a bit that Sauron mentioned Earendil to, of all people, Feanor's grandson. "that guy whose sons were kinda-sorta orphaned because of your uncles..... he was a truly great man wasn't he?" like what do you say to that ajsjsjdjdjdjd

"perfection of the three, thrice perfected" WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE SEVEN THEN. STOP JUST WRITING THINGS BECAUSE YOU THINK THEY SOUND COOL

I really liked Ar-Pharazon's speech, yeah king lead that island to ruin through the power of your hubris. it's in moments like this that you wish the whole show was like this

I'm still not sure why the eagle's coming meant Pharazon should be king, though

Elendil and Miriel have such a nice dynamic. I loved her telling him to be the calm at the eye of the storm

Earien annoys me so much why is she here again. why did they have to invent an entire daughter for Elendil, she should have been a new character

WHY did gil-galad's vision look so out of place compared to literally all other scenes. it was filmed like bits of a documentary

I love Disa's insights into the whole situation

"two hundred for a bloody rock?" would you believe a dwarf said that line. would you fucking believe it

did the balrog finally wake up from its 5-episode-long nap? also that tunnel didn't even seem that long. it's kinda hard to believe the dwarves have that little of the mountain mapped

I think it's a really smart choice to have the dwarves' greed be mostly the rings' fault, takes a bit away from the antisemitic stereotype present in the books. it's presented less like their inherent trait and more like a side effect of the rings - they affect everyone equally after all

Celebrimbor's anvil-shaped paperweight ansnsnsnsajsksmnd

this show has a tendency to assign causation to the wrong things I think - they made Mordor be created instead of just be a land that's slowly filled with evil and killed by the shadow: they make men's rings be inherently different instead of acknowledging that the rings reflect their owners. the nazgul are not wraiths because they wear rings with specific properties - they are just corrupted by the rings' evil, and the wraithness is an effect of the corruption, not a property assigned to men's rings specifically. I don't know if I'm explaining this well but it's kind of a "correlation is not causation" thing

Sauron looking like a mini-eye as he watches from a tower was such a nice touch

the Numenorean seashell candles are cute. I also love the wall ornaments looking like seashells

ohh Valandil being nearly drowned was brutal, it was a good scene. same for that annoying Whatshisname washing the sword in the shrine's water

I really would have liked the forging to be more gradual, though, it's going so fast you don't have time to sit in any sort of dread or worry for what's coming

well we all know how well swearing things goes for people in middle-earth :)

I like that they show Sauron quickly reacting to obstacles and constantly twisting the truth - not all of his moves make sense to me lore-wise, but it's accurate characterisation for him

really nice performance from Charles Edwards this episode

rop season 2 episode 1 thoughts

at this point you gotta admire the creators' dedication to absolutely bizarre choices when it comes to sauron. 15 minutes in I'm already going what the hell and fuck. like what was that supposed to be. genuinely

Charlie Vickers has grown on me; he still doesn't have much to work with in terms of the script or the plot though

this whole introductory sequence was there....... I'm not sure why? we could already extrapolate all that, and I mean All That, from the previous season

it still pisses me off that Galadriel is The Main Idiot and Everything Is Her Fault

also, I am reminded by all the plot and worldbuilding choices that annoyed me before. why is mithril important for the elves' survival again?

CIRDAN HIII CIRDAN <33333

I'm so glad they kept his beard

believe me, I AM trying to find things to like about this show, but the plot choices feel like so much unnecessary drama. Galadriel and Elrond fighting feels.... tiring. I feel like all Galadriel does is fight with people

oh are we getting Rhun?? 👀 Nice

this is a personal opinion but the elven women have wayyy too strong and modern-looking make-up

it's a shame galadriel gets the ring because she's power-hungry and reckless, not because she's one of the mightiest elves in middle-earth. she SHOULD be power-hungry, don't get me wrong, it's one of her best traits, but this way you don't put any sort of accent of how very important and mighty she is

sauron having a Badass Walk into mordor at the end of s1, which was a really cool shot to end a season on, only to then get himself in chains and then turn away and come back to Celebrimbor has got to be the most '???' moments of this show. they really have no idea what to do with him

overall I'd say my main gripe, apart from the plot solutions, is that this show doesn't have much to say. it's showy, it's lore-heavy (even if I don't like the lore they came up with), but so far it still has little heart and thought behind it. to me at least it doesn't feel like it really wants to tell you something

[your-ace-cousin-clover]

Different, But Same

[Part 1 of my Tomgreg Analysis Series]

TL;DR - Shiv and Greg tend to mirror each other a long in the sequence of the story especially in regards to Tom. This is interesting as Shiv is Tom's romantic partner which the same relationship is echoed very strongly with Tom and Greg.

One of my most interesting observations in regards to the whole Tom/Shiv and Tom/Greg situation is how Greg and Shiv's narrative arc seem similar in regards to their relationship with Tom. However, because of certain reasons, the relationship that Tom has with Greg is more stronger despite the same narrative followed for Shiv as well.

Also disclaimer : THIS IS TINHATTERY! THIS IS ME THEORISING! YOU CAN ALWAYS DISAGREE / AGREE WITH ME.

I'm just having some fun here.

1. Initial Circumstances of meeting Tom

In S01E01, we see the circumstances in which Tom and Greg meet each other for the first time. Yes, with the volatile reaction that Tom has of "would you kiss me if I asked you? if I told you to?" (That is a whole another topic that I'll later delve into about shame and queerness in Succession) However, but the time Greg dejectedly stands at the door Logan's hospital cabin with uncertainty about his job at Waystar, S01E02, Tom makes an important offer to Greg. He offers to "look after" Greg in his time of need and help him.

Interestingly, later in the series, in an offhand comment, Shiv mentions how she herself was not in a good state of mind or in a stable position of life when she met Tom. [I don't recall the exact episode where this conversation takes place - but I'm pretty sure this happens]

Regardless, in different times of the show, Shiv depends on Tom to help her through stressful circumstances.

Tom is a dependable person for both Shiv and Greg through his emotional support as well as professional support for these people.

2. RECNY BALL Incident

In S01E04, the notable RECNY Ball takes place which is overshadowed by the fact that Tom receives papers about the Cruises Scandal from Bill. There are two people that Tom informs about the papers : his assistant, Greg Hirsch and his wife to be, Siobhan Roy.

This is one of the multiple instances where Greg and Shiv are placed in the same context for Tom.

When Gerri confronts Tom about the holding a press conference. However, (this is the point where the Tomgreg subtext becomes stronger) when Greg defends himself, Tom seems to believe him which ends up casting strong suspicion on Shiv. This is interesting as this takes place, weeks? days? after having met Greg for the first time and despite, fact that Tom is going to be married to Shiv, he doesn't trust her.

Greg's subordinate status to Tom and his disconnect from the Roys (the situation happens to be opposite for Shiv) is what makes Tom believe him in the first place. Tom has never felt secure in his relationship with Shiv because of his perceived inferior status. However, in regards to Greg, he's in a more balanced position (even superior to Greg) which is why he feels strongly about protecting Greg as well as is comfortable in his relation (though he expresses jealousy? at Greg's closeness with Kendall professionally later on).

He assigns the job of burning the papers to Greg which brings the both closer as they have a secret between them. (Even Shiv doesn't know about the papers until their wedding) Greg and Tom can trust each other to some extend because of the Cruises burning incident because if one of them reveals it then the other goes down. (This analysis does not currently take into account Greg revealing the papers at the press conference - by that point he's reached a position where he can reach out for things other than what Tom can offer him)

3. They both betray Tom as well as Logan

Shiv joins Nate professionally which leads her to not only later cheat on Tom despite their ongoing engagement, but it also brings her into conflict with Logan Roy as she decides to align herself with Senator Gil Eavis who is extremely anti-Logan. Her alliance with Nate causes strong jealousy for Tom wherein he asks Shiv about Nate (which also later is apparent with how Tom humiliates him later with the wine).

In a similar vein, Greg encourages Kendall during the night of Shiv's wedding with "things have to change here". And later on, not only aligns himself such strongly with Kendall that prompts Tom to ask him about it during Hungary and says "a girl can start to wonder."

Both of these alliances are detrimental to Logan as they challenge his place in the throne. However, Shiv's alliance with Eavis collapses easily due to difference in views. It would be interesting if the Kenstar Gregco alliance lasts longer due to the consequences that might result if they try to break apart as well as the blood bond which makes the link more stronger.

4. They both negotiate with Gerri using the Cruises Papers

Tracking on the fact that Shiv and Greg are the ones that mainly know about the papers. They leverage this information in a way that benefits them or creates additional favours for them.

This is initially seen when Greg rats out Tom's plan to do a new conference exposing Cruises to Gerri which is how she shuts him down quickly. This gives Greg a favourable opinion from Gerri, a proximity to the power of Waystar and benefits him even though it screws Tom over.

In a similar vein, Shiv does the same thing when she negotiates with Gerri, Logan's spokesperson, during her wedding night to stop the attacks on Eavis. She uses it to benefit the person she is working for.

This is a very small similarity, but is also another way they both mirror each other in the arc of the story.

5. A sense of moral superiority

Again minor point, but interestingly, both Shiv and Greg have a sense of moral superiority over not being as involved in the business and their sense of doing the right thing.

(This may later diminish as both get more and more stuck with the core of the business, but this is at like early S2)

Greg brings it up first when Tom brings him to ATN with his whole speech on "principles". Tom admonishes Greg with "of course, we're trying to do the right thing. We all are, so don't go talking about principles."

A similar thing repeats when Shiv admonishes Tom about Logan's decision to purchase Pierce. She makes a point about how terrible ATN is the fact that she needs to get proper news from a "respectable" source.

Both of them throw Tom's involvement with ATN as well as Waystar by a way of sticking to principles while being incredibly hypocritical themselves.

6. "Open Marriage"

This is self-explanatory for the most part, but at the same time, it's one of the biggest points for this mirror as well as for Tomgreg.

As mentioned before Tom feels a sense of inferiority with Shiv, which is why he is the more meeker one in the relationship. Which makes him accept the "open marriage" idea with Shiv even though he is essentially being cheated on the entire time.

However, in regards to Greg, the same inferiority does not appear. And by the time, the famous "I will not let go of what is mine" scene, Tom and Greg are friends to a bit. They go out for the ortolan scene (which has a separate analysis about physical hunger and queerness as well later - food metaphors are strong in Succession), Greg tells Tom about Shiv's cheating and Tom has brought Greg into ATN.

[These small things cement the relationship between them and show that Tom and Greg enjoy themselves outside the confines of Waystar which Tom and Shiv struggle with as seen in the case of their honeymoon]

However, Greg's use of "open marriage" causes Tom to not only express his anger, but provides a space to express the anger. He publicly declares how upset he feels that Greg wants to leave and interestingly, uses relationship specific terms like "break up" to talk about Greg's proposal. He repeatedly asserts that Greg is "his" and this brings in a context of jealousy with Kendall when Tom questions about Greg spending more time with Kendall later on in Hungary.

7. They both ask favours from Tom which put him in trouble with Logan

In the Hungary episode, both Shiv and Greg ask Tom do certain favours (In case of Shiv, it is for Tom to ask Logan about the Pierce deal and convey everybody's dissatisfaction. And in case of Greg, it is to hide that fact that he met with Pantsil from Logan).

Now, Tom has been clearly established as a strong sycophant in regards to whoever is at the helm of Waystar (conveying Kendall about Ewan coming to the board meeting as well as cheering on Logan when he announces Pierce) so the only way he would take a risk for a person is if he's close to them. This makes sense in case of Shiv as she is his literal wife, however, this comparison is interesting when we think about Greg in this context. Tom goes lengths to protect Greg to the point he is humiliated by the employees and his in-laws only which is huge as throughout the entire series Tom has simply been trying to fit in with the Roys to the point, he wants to change his last name after marriage.

8. Both are put in position where they are can be the successor of the company and in turn, can become Tom's boss

This happens mostly at the end of S2, but, the entire time Shiv is championed as the Successor by Logan Roy himself which makes Tom assume that he will later on succeed her. However, this is turned to the head when Shiv proclaims that she does want to run the company. In doing so, she will become Tom's boss which is disappointing to Tom because, it will only emphasis on his sense of inferiority as well as the fact that he cannot take care of her (because as established before he is the person that cares for people, especially ones that he loves).

A same dynamic emerges as Greg aligns himself with Kendall. This exponentially increases his chances of being the Successor (especially if Kendall drops out somehow either due to drugs or any other circs) which would also untie the two Roys. This would similar draw the same conflict Tom faces with Shiv as the successor.

Therefore, in bringing Shiv and Greg together again and again, I feel like it enhances the romantic subtext between Tom and Greg (as it literally swaps out the man's wife for his lanky assistant) as well as brings out a stronger comparison as Tom and Greg have done things to each other as well as for each other which ties them together more closely than Tom and Shiv.

Just imho.

Tag List ❤️-

{Let me know if you wanna be added or removed}

@feuillytheflorist @finitevariety @dr-pamela-isley

@dawsonandpaceyareinlove @nickwilding @foreverjustvibing @houseocats

[wyrd-syster]

can you elaborate on what "not power of the flesh, but over flesh" means re: Sauron?

I mean, I can try!! But y'all know I don't work on the show, right??? and I haven't really read the books??? But I love analyzing things to pieces so let's go!!!!

OK. so. In rewatching the scenes with these lines, the concept "power of the flesh" to me seems like what a typical fantasy world understanding of might/power would be: brute strength, physical magic casting abilities, etc. "Power of the flesh" then becomes easily translatable to "strength of the individual."

I think too that there seems to be an extra dimension of this concept if used in conjunction with leaders, like Gil-galad. If used in this capacity, I feel "power of the flesh" reading as the power rulers gain by the popular support of their people i.e. "power of the flesh [individuals/people] backing me up."

Now, "power over flesh" is always used alongside an invocation of the Unseen World, so already we're getting into some more mystical/supernatural shit. Adar also introduces the concept as part of his whole "Sauron's trying to heal the world and bring it into perfect order" speech to Galadriel. So, with all of this context, I read "power over flesh" as the ability to exert your control over others - mind control, if you will. This has less to do with strength and abilities and more to do with tapping into a primordial force.

And, similarly as above, there's another layer when talking about it as related to leaders. "Power over flesh" would allow someone like Gil-galad (or our good King Halbrand) to bend his people to his will without fear of dissent - fascism!

Or, I guess if you want a positive spin on it like Celebrimbor obviously does, it could be something more like enhancing your naturally (good) qualities and imbuing them in your people. At least, that's what gotta I assume Brim-Brim thinks he's doing with the mithril. Although, maybe it's just because I know how this ends, but I can't imagine how that funny little man hears a phrase like "power over flesh itself!" and doesn't immediately think "weird, that sounds like something a fascist would say!"

Anyways, it's late and I'm getting punchy, but I hope this helps?? If someone more cogent than I wants to lend their thoughts to this I welcome your ideas!!

[gilgil-machine]

For the character ask game! (i love all your gil takes): 9, 22, and/or 26 :>

Aw, thank you😊

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

HELL NO😆😆😆 I mean, as much as I love Gilgamesh I wouldn't be able to stand even a day living with him, well, maybe with caster Gil but not his archer counterpart. Even though I can be quite a patient person I just wouldn't be able to stand his misogynistic remarks (I honestly envy Hakunon so much with her patience with him and I wish I was like her in that part).

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I love when authors manage to stay as close to the character as possible and I also really love when they manage to copy his manner of speech and his mannerisms in general and just adding artistic metaphors, comparisons and stuff like that to make the description or the moment look and feel more elegant, you know. Ah, when I read those fics I just feel how my soul rejuvenates🥹❤️‍🩹 So please keep doing that good work.

And what I don't like when sometimes authors make Gilgamesh cuss/curse like making him say "fuck" or whatever, like it's just puts him out of character I think and it just feels like not him you know.

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

Him being a total jerk in Fate Stay Night. Like whenever I see those horrible comments he does towards Saber I feel like my whole being just fills with pure anger towards him. And I got happy when Saber kicked his ass in the end because that's what he truly deserved.

Also when he made some fatphobic remarks in CCC towards Jinako or when he was talking to Hakuno about it as well. I mean, it feels stupid to get offended over the words of a fictional character but still I took it a bit personally because at that time I was a bit overweight (and basically looked like Jinako ngl) and I know that the reason of being fat or chubby is not always because you eat a lot or being lazy but because of your problems with health and stuff like that.

[paper-cuts-and-fresh-bruises]

So once again I’ve taken my time to collect my thoughts because wow, I am all in the feels right now (warning, long post). First things first, I am so oddly HAPPY that they didn’t give us a Nancy and Ace kiss, because beforehand yes I was wanting it and by all means I still do, but it made so much more sense with how everything played out. Plus, the proximity Nace had in the dreamscape was immaculate, and when dreamscape Ace said “knock ‘em dead”, oh lord that knocked me dead for a good minute. Plus, we’re in it for the slow burn, and part of that is letting it unfold naturally and gradually, not forced by circumstance or manufactured; make no mistake, the writers are invested in giving us everything we could want and more, but they know how to do it without falling in too deep into the rabbit hole, they have to take clarity in real time, we can only do that after the fact. I personally find that for once the writers know me better than I do, I’ve thrown out theories (some I’ve shared on here and some not) that I’ve had into the void with varying levels of accuracy, from none, to partial, to spot on (this last one being more rare personally). And honestly, I’m actually quite comforted at the moment with my trust in what the writers will do just in general, but obviously especially with Nace. For now I’m living on Kennedy’s words “just let it ride baby”. Plus, season 3 is the place to be for it to flow naturally like a river, give us that progression and have it happen.

Another Nancy x Ace feature I loved was Ace’s tendency to be more touchy (literally) and drawn to Nancy in the finale, because although make no mistake Ace has had numerous moments through the season in terms of his journey towards Nancy, Nancy has definitely been a bit more loud on that side of things although it does make total sense for the both of them. Nancy’s near death experience was definitely a catalyst in the journey for Ace to acknowledge those feelings, I mean the eye contact when Nancy woke up was astoundingly loud. Also, going back a bit for a second, aside from the fact I am so glad that Nancy dumped the dumpster fire that is Gil, I am also so giddy at what Ace said to Nancy because it was so sweet but I also adore his clear affirmation to Nancy that she can do it and that her breaking up with Gil was all her, she has the strength and as can be seen she proved that. Also quick note, aside from the back rubs and hand holding, his concern when the blood was draining, MY HEART. On top of that his “I feel like I left something behind” is giving me everything, and btw I can give you an eye witness description Ace, plus any additional info if you’d like. Coupled with Nancy’s speech she was rehearsing at his door, the girl has it bad for our boy, he just needs to gain clarity in return.

Other things I want to mention, I know we kind of talk about who Nancy’s gonna be with next but I’m gonna throw it out there and say no one, at least not until Ace comes along, at which point they play the game of awkward interactions and figure things out. The Nancy we’ve known up to this point has jumped from guy to guy, but we understand at this point that that’s down to her avoiding her trauma, which she’s now not only in charge of but has to face head on, which means not diving into just any guy’s arms, she understands at this point that it’s not healthy and it’s not helpful. As a result, I think she’s gonna fuel her time with other things; this will obviously include investigating, but maybe even hanging out at Ace’s house whilst he’s on the “romantic” trip (also I really don’t like Amanda defending Gil, I can understand defending family to a certain degree, but girl “he got dumped for no reason” is complete bs, did you even ask or just assume? Ace is right about all he said, and as someone with a brother myself I’ll say it doesn’t take having a sibling to know that, you didn’t even acknowledge Gil’s toxic behaviour properly when Ace called you back). I feel like even though Ace encouraged the trip that he’s already not feeling it, because his feelings are elsewhere *hint hint* right now, it’s more of an excuse to run from what (or who) he’s feeling different about, but when he returns we’re gonna get a lot of juicy content (I don’t think they’ll waste much time doing this for season 3). 

The episode really went there, addressing a lot but not making it feel rushed. Which whilst we’re on the subject, aside from Nancy’s whole ordeal, it’ll be interesting to see if maybe there’s a solution for finding a way to separate George and Odette (I’ve had this theory in my head that Temperance might be the devil they have to make a deal with), though if they do I want it to be a case of Odette being freed and her moving on, because Bess deserves to find someone (as they hinted in the interview for the finale) and not just be dragged back because whilst it was cute for a bit, the whole Odette thing was definitely messy regardless of her noble choice to not resurface again, but also give George her life back where she isn’t having to rush milestones and Bess can get the screen time (which btw I think they deliberately scaled her back this season to serve the other plots better so that they could do more for her in season 3, to give the writers credit where it’s due). Another thing, from the interview as far as the Bobbsey’s are concerned, as far as I know they’ll be taking a backseat, which has me intrigued as to how they’ll be used if they do turn up. On top of that, I loved the reference to Nancy and Ace’s feelings as “nothing casual” which leads me to the last bit of this long post (I will likely make more posts but I’m trying to control myself).

For the longest time I’ve shipped Nancy and Ace, like day 1 type stuff. And part of me just thought it was my brain working overtime and wanting it to be that way, especially when season 2 rolled around and we got all this CONTENT. It could’ve been the writers just latching onto us. But as it turns out I and the rest of us Nace shippers have been right in what our eyes saw this the entire time. They looked at Ace (Alex Saxon) as a love interest for Nancy (Kennedy Mcmann) the moment they had him cast. It’s such great validation because in season 1 amongst other scenes, especially when they went to the library and there was that look between them when they read the emails, I was like...am I? are you seeing this? the seeds were being planted. Anyways, that’s all that’s on my brain right now (surprise surprise), nevertheless I can’t wait for what’s next overall, but obviously I and the rest of us will have to. Luckily though it’s not a whole year we have to wait so we are truly blessed. Looking forward to what’s in store.

[akampana]

harem au in a hotspring vacation

◉ - Any other question of your choosing

Harem AU + Hot Spring

There are many benefits to having Gilgamesh in the Harem and one of them is that he doesn’t hold back when it comes to spoiling his queen (and by extension, her many, many "pet dogs"). So, you better bet when they go to an onsen, it's basically the whole resort. He usually picks those with multiple scenic rotemburo just so Arturia can relax with a nice view. She (and that dumb Faker, who is unfortunately a good cook) gets rather tense.

Of course, he does make sure the ryokan allows konyoku as well, to give Arturia the option to join them in the same onsen.

When they do get there though, it's Ozy that's in charge of the itinerary, mostly cause the rest of the harem are more likely to follow him than their shiny golden sponsor, and he's...surprisingly good at delegating tasks equally. As a result, when they get the chance to visit an onsen, the harem gets to travel around the surrounding areas as well and immerse themselves in Japanese culture.

EMIYA's still on food duty, but he gets a break from cooking. Instead, he checks out the area for good places to eat and local delicacies for the other Servants to try. (Some of them already have an idea who he is, but they don't bring it up).

Anyway, onto onsen shenanigans.

Except for Bedivere, who insists he doesn't have a remarkable figure like the others (they're all helping with his self-esteem. Slow progress, but still progress) none of the other guys are self conscious.

Ozy and Gil are proud, as they tend to be. Cú likes to start shit, so some flexing will definitely take place, and Lance, EMIYA, and Diarmuid are indifferent. Unless challenged, that is.

Arturia is aware that the others see her romantically, so she does get a little shy to have herself in full view in a setting that isn't the bedroom. She tried the "unpleasant to look at" speech one (1) time and was promptly shut down about a thousand times over.

None of them perv out in the shared bath, except for dishing out a few flirty comments, but it's fine. Plenty of time for that later.

The first one out of the bath is Cú cause he's not comfy in the heat for too long, and unlike Diarmuid, he somehow had the sense to not do an endurance battle with Arturia in there. That battle ended with the two of them woozy and having to be carried out by Bedi and Lance. EMIYA is there to provide facepalms first aid. Ozy and Gil however, can stay in the water far longer, having been accustomed to heat for the duration of their lives.

Thank you for the ask!

[godess-ofthe-underworld]

Love Finds A Way

(sequel to “see You Again”) ( A Harry Hook x reader love story)

Part 8

Just over on the other side of the metal pipe Hadley, Evie and Mal were waiting.

When the limo stopped Carlos hopped out of the back and Jay and Lonnie got out of the front.

“Lonnine?” The three questioned.

“I made them bring me.” Lonnie said as she hugged then.

“I'm so glad” Mal said.

“Welcome to the Isle” Evie said as she side hugged her.

Jay and Carlos went to the trunk opening it up to reveal a stowaway.

“And Dude.” 

“I told you to stay” Carlos scolded

“I flunked obedience class.” 

“Great and he can still talk” Jay looked at Carlos.

“You're lucky I love you” Carlos said to Dude as he pulled him out of the trunk.

Jay grabbed the case of swords and slung it over his back before shutting the trunk.

“Ooh. Here let me see it” Mal reached her hand out for the fake wand.

Carlos handed it over to her and she inspected it.

“Wow, what a beauty” 

“Guys, it's noon” Hadley glanced at the pipe.

Mal handed the wand back to Carlos who stuck it in his jacket.

“Alright. Are we ready?” Mal looked at each one of them.

” Yep”  Evie and Hadley both held up the bags with the smoke bombs.

Mal nodded and took the lead, heading through the tunnel.

Hadley and Evie followed, Lonnie behind them and Jay and Carlos at the every end.

The walk through the pipe was only a minute but to Hadley it felt like hours.  A million thoughts ran through her mind. What if they couldn't get out in time and she had to fight him? What could she say to him? What else would he say?  The broken look on his face just hours earlier burned into her brain.

Evie must have seen because she grabbed Hadleys unoccupied hand and squeezed it.

Hadley gave her a small smile and they stepped out of the pipe and on to the docks.

 The Lost Revenge was swarming with Umas crew.  

Hadley immediately caught a glimpse of Harry's jacket.

He was pushing a bound Ben and Ruby towards the end of the ship.

He pushed them  hard and been stumbled, Harry opened his arms,

“Welcome!”

The VKs stopped at different points on the dock. Jay, Lonnie and Evie behind Mal, Carlos on the upper deck, and Hadley directly in front of the plank. Watching Harry torment Been and Ruby over the plank. Harry looked up and saw Hadley watching him, the sadness present in her features made his heart clench but he shook it off and continued.

(Uma)

Huh, let's get this party started

I swear I'm cold-hearted There's no negotiation I'm not here for debatin' You need some motivation? Just look at Ben's face Then ask yourself how long you think I'll remain patient I'll throw him overboard and let him swim with killer sharks You either hand over the wand or he'll be ripped apart

(Mal)

Now, let's all just be smart Although for you that must be hard You'll get your wand No one has to come to any harm Don't try to intimidate Your bark is much worse than your bite Who's the baddest of them all? I guess we're finding out tonight

(Pirates)

Let's go, bring it on Better give us what we want It's the wand for the crown If you don't, it's going down

(VKs)

Let's go, make your move Peace or war, it's up to you Give him up and do it now If you don't, it's going down

(Pirates)

We want the wand Or else the king is gone Your time is running out You should really watch your mouth

(VKs)

Let's go, pound for pound We're prepared to stand our ground Put your swords up, put 'em up It's going down

(Pirates)

Oh, oh, oh, make the trade Oh, oh, oh, or walk the plank Oh, oh, oh, make the trade Oh, oh, oh, or walk the plank

They gathered around Mal at the gangplank, listening to her plan.

Mal walked up towards Uma pointing to Ben and Ruby.  Harry noticed Mal getting closer to Uma and left the two royals stand-in on the edge of the plank and walked over, pushing Gil towards them.

(Mal)

Ok, look, this is not a conversation It's a do-or-die situation If you don't give me back the king I'll have no hesitation I'll serve you right here And I don't need a reservation That way your whole pirate crew can have a demonstration Release him now, and we can go our separate ways Unless you wanna deal with me and the VKs

(Uma)

So that's your big speech, huh? An empty ultimatum?

 Harry got in front of Uma, getting closer and closer to Mal.

Jay and Hadley walked up behind her.

(Harry)

All it takes is one swing and I'll humiliate him Matter of fact, make one wrong move and I'll debilitate him And if he even starts to slip, I'll eliminate him All it takes is one long look and I'll

As he spun around, Hadley grabbed his hook, stopping him.

(Hadley)

Harry! We get it, chill

Harry smirked at her and sauntered away back to his post at the plank, continuing to push Ben and Ruby around.

(Pirates)

Let's go, bring it on Better give us what we want It's the wand for the crown If you don't, it's going down

(VKs)

Let's go, make your move Peace or war, it's up to you Give him up and do it now If you don't, it's going down

(Pirates)

We want the wand Or else the king is gone Your time is running out You should really watch your mouth

(VKs)

Let's go, pound for pound We're prepared to stand our ground Put your swords up, put 'em up It's going down

Carlos pulled the wand out from his jacket and handed it to Mal.

She walked back up to Uma ready to hand it over.

(Ben)

Hey, we don't have to choose We don't have to light the fuse Mal, whatever you do, it's gonna be a lose-lose There's gotta be a better way Uma, I promise I'll give you your chance You'll have your say

(Uma)

Silly king! You? Give me? You're gonna give me a chance? Well, not a chance

(Pirates)

Oh, oh, oh, make the trade Oh, oh, oh, or walk the plank Oh, oh, oh, make the trade Oh, oh, oh, or walk the plank  

Mal handed the wand out to Uma who held her hand up.

“Hold up. To easy.”

Mal took a step back.

“Why don't you give it a test drive. We want to see it work.” 

Mal sighed “you always were quite the drama queen”

“Oh and nothing to big or else Ben and Ruby are fish bait.” 

Mal looked behind her and  Carlos nodded his head to the upper deck where Dude was sitting.  Mal smiled at Uma and leaned against the railing.

“Although it seems absurd, turn your bark into a word.” She waved the wand and Dude did nothing.

Mal turned and smiled at Uma and glared back at Dude.

“Talk dog.”

The smallest voice came from Dude.

“Does this vest make me look fat?”

The crew around Uma cheered.

“Does anyone have some bacon? Cookies?”

Uma laughed as Mal turned around.

“Give me the wand!” 

“Give me Ben and Ruby!”

Uma looked over to where Harry was holding them close to the edge of the plank.

“Harry, bring them over.” 

Harry sighed but reluctantly pulled them both over to the gangplank, kicking the backs of their knees making them fall to their knees in front of Mal.

Hadley ran up to retrieve Ruby.

Uma reached for the wand and Mal pulled back, reaching her hand out for Ben, nudging Hadley to do the same.

Hadley decides looking at Ruby was the best thing to do because looking at Harry would cause her to break.

“Cut ‘em loose Harry.”

Harry grumbled as he pulled out his sword and sliced through the rope binding Ben and Ruby hands.

“ I never get to have any fun”

Their hands flung up and grasped Hadley and Mals hands.

Uma hand darted out for the wand and Mal placed it in her hand.

Hadley pulled Ruby up and started pulling her up the docks, but Ruby started pulling her way back.

“Ruby! Come on! We need to go!” Hadleys voice barely went over a whispered but it was urgent enough to get Ruby's attention.

Hadley happened to look behind her to find Harry's eyes watching her retreat, that broken look from night before present but poorly masked by the joy of getting the wand.

Hadley managed to pull Ruby to the docks by the time Uma found out the wand was fake.  Before she knew it there were pirates swinging from ropes, smoke bombs were being set off left and right and she was handed a sword.  The metal object felt foreign in her hand, she tried to remember the tricks and moves that Harry had taught her when they were younger.

Hadley disarmed a few pirates, looking for one in particular. She saw the flash of red and looked up, finding Harry now fighting Jay.

She cursed herself mentally and ran to the upper deck, dodging swords and pirates the whole way up.

Just as Harry was about to bring his sword down on Jay, Hadley's clashed with his.

Jay looked surprised to see Hadley able to hold him off.

“ Jay go help Evie and Ruby, I've got him” Hadley grunted as Harry pushed down harder.

Jay hesitated.

“Go!”

Jay ran and it was just Harry and Hadley.

“You never could win against me.” Harry sneered.

Hadley pushed with all her strength and threw Harry backwards catching him off guard.

“There's always a first time”

They squared up and Harry brought his sword down first,she was able to block it.

“Harry we need to talk”

“A little late for that now ain't it”

“No, Har, I never meant to leave you here.”

“Then why did you?”

Harry spun around her trying to throw her off.

“I tried to get you over. I really did!” Hadley ducked as his sword came dangerously close to her head.

“Please Harry, I never forgot about you! I couldn't even if I tried!”

Harry laughed.

“Yeah, that's why your aren't wearing me necklace hu?”

He swung again, Hadley pushed him back enough to use her other hand to pull the necklace from under her shirt.

Harry stared at her and the necklace, looking back up to her.

“I have not taken your necklace off since you gave it to me”

“But, the coronation.. I watched… it wasn't there...” 

Hadley shook her head.

“ I had it tucked under my dress.” 

Harry looked to the side away from her, their fight momentarily forgotten.

“You left me here, wondering if you were ever coming back.” Harry looked like a kicked puppy and it took everything in Hadley not to run up and hug him.

“I know, and I'm so sorry Harry. I tried, every day I tried to talk to Ben about bringing you over but something was always more important.”

Hadley moved a little closer and he looked up at her his eyes softened and Hadley wanted to tell him what she felt for him, but their moment was interrupted by Uma shouting at him from the lower decks.

Harry face quickly handed again and he brought his sword down quickly, catching Hadley slightly off. 

“Harry please!” Hadley pleaded pushing him off and swing at him.

“Please believe me"

Harry said nothing as he swung again and again, each strike causing a spark to ignite between the two swords.

Harry had Hadley backed up against the railing and brought his sword down using his hook to hold her sword away from him.

Hadley kicked at his knee, pushing him back. Harry brought his sword down and Hadley moved making his get stuck in the railing. 

Hadley knew she had little time before the others made it to the pipe. 

She looked around while he struggled to free his sword.  Her eyes landed on his hook, the only thing he cared for more than anything else.

When Harry's sword was finally freed he lunged at her but Hadley moved and thrust her sword blade through the hook and twisted it freeing it from Harry's grip and dangling it from the edge of her sword.

Harry stood there dumbfounded before throwing his sword down at her feet and reached his hand out for his hook. 

Hadley took the hook off her sword and held it looking at it.

"Harry, there's something that I should have told you a long time ago, but I never knew how."

Harry looked away from him hook in her hands up to her eyes.

"And what's that?"

Hadley hesitated.

"I… I…"

"You what?"

Harry stepped closer, the movement making Hadley look up from the hook.  Their eyes met, Hadley could see the emotions swimming through his ocean blue eyes.  

She let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I love you…"

dun dun duuuuun!!!! oh boy anther part down... If you liked part 8 and would like part 9 please like and comment!  As always you can read the illustrated viersion over on my Wattpad (@phelpsphan). If you would like to be added to the tag list please message me!!! <3<3<3

Summary: You would think that six months in Auradon would do any villain kid good.  Well, not Hadley.  After the events of the Coronation, Hadley's mood took a downward spiral; and for one reason, guilt.  She'd broken a promise and left her best friend on the Isle of the Lost.  How will she handle seeing him again when certain circumstances bring her back to the Isle? Will she finally tell him what she really feels?  

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in Descendants.  Hadley and the plot between her and Harry are mine.

Tag list: @unded-bride 

[unnursvanablog]

I tryly though I was going to hit a kdrama slump after Vincenzo and Navillera ended. That can happen if you end up enjoying a kdrama or even a book a whole lot and then the next thing you pick up will pale in comparison or not hook you as much. But it turns out Bossam - Steal the Fate was exactly what I had wanted. Especially from a sageuk such as this.

It’s a lot funnier than I had imagined it being. I expected a lot more serious tone in a way, because this isn’t really advertised as a comedy and it’s also not this fushion saguek ether. But a lot of dramas, not matter how serious they are often start out more lighter in the beginning than they actually turn out to be. And this is just the right amount comedy that quite fit the tone of the story, I feel like. It still feels serious, a bit sad or melancholic but not bleak (the right amount of sadness for me) and grown up.

I am hoping for something like The Princess’s Man honestly, with the setup of forbidden romance between the daughter of a king and then someone who is not really of her class (although maybe he once was and that is the reason he doesn’t like the king). And for some reason I adore the combination of the more prim and proper rich lady and then someone of a much lower class than her falling in love.

Sageuks tend to follow a lot of nobles and be about the court (which this will probably also follow a bit) but I feel like this one might take a slightly new angle on things and that makes me excited. Maybe it will be somewhere in the vein of The Princess’s Man or Rebel Hong Gil Dong or that is sort of the feel I get from it from these first two episodes and if it actually manages that I think I will have a really good time with this one. Because I do miss those types of saguks and I feel like I haven’t watched one like that in well over a year or even more.

I really enjoyed the first two episodes of Bossam. It truly was what I had hoped from it and what I wanted. I also find it pretty, but not really in a sweeping way. But I also really like that’s not too clean and bright. But still I do find it pretty to look at.

The first one set up the story really well and introduced everything really clearly so everything flowed really well and nothing felt to crammed in there or anything. I really felt for both of our leads and their situation they both found themselves in. There was a really nice melancholy over both of them and I love how she is a widow and he is a single dad.

They have both been in love (although maybe the princess felt more of a duty and loyalty to her husband than love because their marriage was very short), they have been hurt or they have lost someone because of it and it’s just not something I feel like we see a whole lot in saguks or just kdramas overall. It’s very sort of first love centric I feel like, which I don’t mind. But I like that here it’s different and they can both find love again and idk I just find the though of it sweet. They can both learn to love again.

What truly hooked me was the little kid and his bond with the princess. There is just something that I find so incredibly sweet about it. I also love his dynamic with his dad who is truly trying his best in a very grim world where he can’t really be loyal to anyone in order to survive. Or that is the sense that I’m getting from him. Jung Il Woo is meant to be in sagueks. He is just one of those actors. I feel like I only ever pay attention to his in these roles, and I think he manages to choose really good sageuk projects.

The princess is a lot lighter character in comparison, even if she does feel just as melancholy as he does, just in a different way. She is very much the prim and proper lady that she was raised to be, but she never feels spoiled or anything (I would more call her naïve). She has come to expect certain things from live but she is not unkind to people just because they are of lower birth. Yuri is great here, I feel. I don’t know how well she is doing with the sageuk speech so to speak but I enjoy her so far in this role.

And the brother-in-law that is in love with his dead brothers widow. Oh, that might be some good angst (if done well). Bring it on!

I don’t totally know where this story is going but I do have faith from what I have seen that it will be interesting and so far I think I will like to follow the characters wherever the story will take them. The first two episodes were so promising.