#and i'm glad they took no chances and did it in the second season

[goodobservationshirley]

"Subspace Rhapsody" a Star Trek Strange New Worlds Musical (x)

[truelovepolinator]

Nicola and Luke are ABSOLUTELY TOGETHER and have been all along and here’s how I know

(Friends, I’ve just finished this and it is INSANELY LONG. Like, two looong book chapters long. But I PROMISE it’s worth it. I was gonna cut it into multiple parts to make it more readable, but I’m going to be super busy over the next few days, so I wouldn’t have a chance to post subsequent parts until probably Christmas, so I’ve decided to drop it all now so I don’t delay the final victorious conclusion. Sorry, it’s so long, but I don’t really have time to rethink it and try to tell the story in a more concise way. Again, I think you’ll be glad you stuck with it if you want to feel as thoroughly confident as I am that Nic and Luke are absolutely together.)

(Also, I have to run now, but I'll come back to add relevant photos/videos as time allows. But I'm sure you're all familiar with them anyway.)

So I want to start by saying something I’m sure I’ll repeat. This is, of course, just my opinion and supposition based on the evidence available to me. But I also want to say, I am absolutely, positively sure now in a way I have never been. Genuinely not a doubt in my mind, and I think you’ll agree by the end of this.

It’s also worth noting that this may be nothing new to some of you. I’ve only been on this platform for a week and have barely scratched the surface of the great content here. So this is how *I* came to the final, joyful conclusion that everything is right with the world where lukola is concerned. I had long been sure they belonged together, but was afraid to embrace the theories about them actually being together now for fear of heartbreak, plus all the confusing signals about A & J, etc.

But all that changed a couple nights ago when I finally got the last piece of the puzzle I needed to see the big picture. There were just too many things that didn’t make sense, until they did! I literally couldn’t sleep that night (seriously only got about 2 hours) and then spent next day telling my husband the story for hours (in 20-30 minute increments as he could spare them during his slow, Christmas time work day).

My husband has been a patient, long-suffering skeptic through all of this. He’s put up with my rants and constant videos I just had to share, but he’s been completely convinced from day one that they simply leaned into their friendship to turn on faux relationship vibes for PR. He was absolutely sure it was all just make-believe for the fans. No matter what I showed him, he could not be convinced.

Until yesterday. Yes, I convinced the toughest skeptic in town.

I think it’s important to start with my journey into the Lukola fandom for context. I was a casual Bridgerton watcher until this season, and had never read the books. I liked season 1, I loved season 2, and I was looking forward to watching season 3.

I had planned to wait to watch the first 4 until the second half was about to launch (so I wouldn’t have to wait for more), but I realized after about a week that we needed to watch it immediately before everything was completely spoiled by timeline gifs and clips.

Needless to say, I was beyond hooked. Instantly. Season 3 was another level for all the reasons you all know. Finally I could engage safely with the fandom, but the process from occasional Polin/Lukola content to nonstop immersion took some time. So even following the second half, there was a TON of footage I hadn’t seen.

All of this to say, I basically missed all of the World Tour stuff as it was happening, and it took well into the summer to finally see so many amazing clips and edits that I was absolutely fucking sucked into the lukola wormhole. However, I was well behind many of you on the curve, and even to this day, I’m still catching up on things.

But by late summer, I was all in. I was sailing high on USS Lukola (or I suppose that should be the HMS Lukola!) because I saw exactly what you all saw. This was clearly real, their feelings were indisputable, and everything about their behavior and much of what they said was so far beyond PR, even “faking couplehood” PR.

They were real. Even if he had this dumb girlfriend. (I say that only in the good-natured, abstract sense that I wanted him with Nic, not in a personal “actually about her” sense. In fact, I’ve never said anything hateful about either A or J and I hope I never will.)

WHY AREN’T THEY TOGETHER???

I couldn’t resist the mystery.

It drove me absolutely crazy for months trying to understand why they weren’t together. Nothing made sense, but I mentally explored literally every possibility. They’re afraid of ruining their friendship? They’re afraid of disrupting the production if it goes wrong? These possibilities at least made some kind of sense and seemed to be the only explanations I could find. But in my mind, they weren’t good enough reasons to resist what these two so obviously had. Still, I’m not them, so that was easy for me to say. I had nothing to risk in this.

One or both of them is/are secretly gay? Soulmate besties instead of soulmate lovers? I didn’t think this was the case and nothing made me believe this. Yet, I was attempting to allow for every possibility. Still, with Nicola being the super vocal “gay icon” that she is, it was hard to imagine she wouldn’t live out and proud if that was the case. And apparently she lived with an unknown man for two years. Though she does always keep her private (romantic) life super private, so I suppose who knows? And, of course, Luke had two very public past relationships with women, but again, who knows, I suppose? This option doesn’t ring true at all, but it does exist in the universe of possible explanations for this inexplicable situation.

They love each other in a soulmate way, but somehow one of them just isn’t “attracted” to the other? Certainly, if the stories about Antonia were true, that might suggest that Luke might be attracted to an entirely different physical type than Nicola. But that didn’t ring true either because LOOK AT THEM TOGETHER! He can’t take his eyes off of her, let alone his hands. And the same for her. They are magnetized to each other. If that’s not attraction, what is?

One of them has baggage and isn’t ready for a real, serious relationship? This one seemed possible. People can have hang-ups or wounds for all sorts of reasons, and letting someone in – especially someone who might actually be your soulmate – can be terrifying. Self-protection by avoiding relationships and/or distracting yourself with less meaningful relationships is a natural way of coping with baggage. Yes, maybe this one? Neither of them seems obviously wounded, but what would I know? Most people don’t wear their wounds on their sleeves, least of all during a PR tour. Still, the energy flow between them seemed anything but wounded. It seemed like the healthiest, happiest thing in the world.

People kept saying, they’re blind and they don’t see it yet. But I don’t believe anyone can be that blind. Especially after watching all the countless edits and clips of their tour, which we know they did because Nicola is chronically online and sharing with Luke the best of it all (and sneaky Luke is likely lurking also).

So at the end of the day, I had no good explanation. It just kept not making sense.

Then those music festival photos of Nic and Jake (I’ll abbreviate sometimes for ease, but I do say their names) showed up. The fandom erupted into chaos with full reactions across the spectrum including a bizarre, almost immediate burst of (not yet named) jakolas, which felt like a disproportionate response to a few photos.

Admittedly, those photos did look quite friendly, and touchy, and yes, they stood arm-in-arm. But lots of friends stand like that at concerts. And Nic is known to be touchy-feely, so let’s not go overboard, I thought. However, I did acknowledge (in my head, I didn’t weigh in online at all) that it suggested that it COULD be romantic. I opted not to freak out, because either way, Nic’s love life is her own and I want her to be happy.

And it’s worth saying here that both of their private lives are none of my business, none of any of our business, and even writing this is completely at odds with that truth. I acknowledge that. But what I told myself, and actually meant it, was that I was going to stay out of it unless and until NicLuke got together. That was the only place I would invest my energy since they’ve both said they think it’s sweet that fans ship them. If they dated others, good luck to them. Be happy. But when the time comes…

Yes, friends, the time has come!!! But back to my story.

Note that (because again, I was still catching up), I hadn’t yet seen the swimming in Sorrento photos and had missed that piece of the puzzle at that point. Throughout this time, I’d see people refer to things on Twitter like everyone already knew what they were talking about, but hardly anyone ever took the time to explain. So I got lots of glimmers of things that others felt were notable, without actually knowing any details. Those pictures were an example. Another was the Claddagh ring.

I’m very grateful to some amazing deep dive blog entries by @threeacttragedy that explained the ring, “Bless the Telephone,” and other meaty, important history that I’d previously only heard mentioned in passing. In fact, one of her blogs is what first brought me here by referral from Twitter. And if you don’t follow her, you should!

In the past week, as I started reading blogs that broke down past dates and clues, I finally started looking them up one by one and trying to put the pieces together in my head. I’d seen the swimming photos by then, but I revisited them. I dug in to try to understand the references to a “New Year kiss” from the night the friend group (Rory, etc.) posted photos together from a Soho House party. I reviewed Hot Boy Summer, I rewatched the incredibly emotional video of Luke meeting Nicola’s mom, I looked at photos of the Claddagh ring and went to Chupi’s website. I learned about the LA photos from April, both Antonia’s version and the InStyle Polaroids. I reviewed all the photos of Luke and Antonia that I could find. And I reviewed all the photos and videos of Nic and Jake that I could find. Also, I listened to “Bless the Telephone” about one hundred times. Lol.

Regarding Luke and Antonia, I had the same response in this deep dive I’ve had every time. Weird. I mean, if I didn’t feel so strongly that Luke was in love with Nicola, and if I knew nothing about him except he was some hot actor, could I see him dating someone like A? Sure. But the fact that there are almost no pictures of them posing together, alone like a couple, is weird. Even if it’s super casual and she was just his date to some stuff. The fact that Luke looks grumpy in both sets of pap photos (premiere night and swimming in Sorrento), but A is smiling happily in at least one of the premiere night photos is weird. The fact that after the Sorrento pap photos, Luke seems to leave his friend group to come home early, and then stops liking any of his best friend Rory’s photos from there on, weird.

The fact that in the fall, she posts pictures harkening back to a place and time they were apparently together, but without any actual photos together, weird. And the continual drip, drip of Likes from Luke is weird. And then when a photo of Luke in a restaurant in Rome is posted by the restaurant, she immediately follows with a video story of someone making pasta in the same restaurant, weird.

Perhaps weirdest of all, the fact that she pre-posted the LA pictures, and then he gave other versions of the same shots to InStyle. Especially the switching seats thing. If my husband and I were taking pics of each other at a café, I’d take his picture in front of the traffic, and he’d take my picture in front of the restaurant, because that’s where we’d be sitting. Across from each other. So why switch seats to take the photos? It’s not like that street with traffic was such a fantastic backdrop that we’d each need our turn with that shot? And they’re the same, with the same table number, but different. Sure, traffic moves, but weird coincidence that they each had a white truck, but a DIFFERENT white truck. So, like I said, weird. Always implying they were together, but never actually saying/showing it. Weird.

I read all sorts of theories from pragmatic (we just have to accept that they’re dating) to hateful (they’re not together/never were, but she’s obsessed and keeps inserting herself in a pathetic, desperate plea for attention and followers) to seemingly far-fetched (some sort of NDA that means for some reason Luke is obligated to Like her photos). Only the first of these seemed plausible. I maybe didn’t like it (not maybe, I didn’t like it at all), but I thought, “Yes, I guess we just have to accept that they’re probably together until they tell us otherwise.”

(Though I held out a small sliver of “but we don’t know anything for sure until L and/or N tell us themselves” hope, which remains true even as I write this.)

Now, let’s talk about Nic and Jake. First, there were those shots from the concert (discussed above). Then, I believe, were the NYC shots (if I’m not confusing the order). In the NYC shots, they were both there, but they weren’t especially intimate in any interpersonal sense. Then, the pap shots on the street posted on DM, ostensibly catching them walking home together, holding hands and arm-in-arm after a night at the pub. With those photos came an onslaught of fandom fury and gossip site reporting about how “Nicola Coughlan confirms her relationship…” Same story runs across a bunch of trashy sites, all saying the same thing and citing an unnamed source talking about how besotted they were, or whatever the quote was.

Admittedly, I was among the furious fans. Not because of what the pictures showed. Again, I was trying to be serene and Zen about them and their private lives. I believed with all my heart that NicLuke belonged together, but if now wasn’t their time, I’d have to wait. I didn’t love that I’d heard he was only 24, but I was trying to balance my efforts to be a non-judgmental person with my discomfort over that issue and reminding myself that her choices are none of my business (unless she chooses Luke!).

So I did my best to refrain from judgment, even as I saw the fandom erupt into toxic madness about whether it was true, whether he was gay, whether the age gap was wrong, whether DM lied about the date, and if they did (which they did), why? But I figured, unless the photos were very, very old, things weren’t likely to have changed in their relationship over a couple weeks, so I wasn’t overly concerned about the date.

However, I was angry about all these stories (basically the same story across the board) announcing that she’d “CONFIRMED” the relationship. It made me very angry that they said she confirmed something when she’d done nothing of the sort. I wasn’t prepared to argue that she wasn’t dating Jake at that point, but why would they all run this story, with this headline, when what actually happened was a paparazzi photographer snapped shots and sold them, then the media drew conclusions from what they saw.

Nicola never confirmed a damn thing. So why were they running this headline so universally?

I was also angry that the photos existed at all. Photos in her neighborhood could reveal her location and put her safety at risk. Also, how did they happen to be there to take those photos late one specific night? Felt like they must have received a tip. But I moved on and forgot about that part.

Time went on and I saw more and more discussion of Jake’s sexuality. I don’t really want to get into that here because I don’t really feel comfortable speculating about anyone unless they choose to explicitly come out, but I did finally start poking around his page, Douglas’s page, etc. and began to understand why people were saying what they were saying. However, I reminded myself that bi/pan-sexuality exists and I wasn’t willing to partake in bi-erasure, so I held my tongue and kept watching.

Now, at this point, I want to remind us all that Nic has always been extremely private and uttered nary a peep in public about her romantic/sexual life. And fair enough. It’s none of our damn business. Also, she’s talked extensively about how women are not just men’s girlfriends and her feminist take on many things and how it doesn’t feel nice to know that people are more interested in her love life than her work. She’s worked freaking hard to achieve the success she’s now enjoying, and she certainly should not be reduced to a woman in a relationship. No matter who is on the other end of that relationship.

(Again here, I feel the need to acknowledge my hypocrisy in writing this, but I really do genuinely love Nic’s work and spirit and activism, etc. as well.)

So, in light of her position on all of that, we wouldn’t expect her to go public with a new love interest. The fact that she was papped with this guy (if indeed he was a love interest) was just an indication of how much her celebrity and profile have grown. There’s greater interest now and she’s more recognizable now, so it’s to be expected that she’d have a harder time keeping her love life private now than in the past. Not so strange then, that she got caught a couple times in paparazzi photos at this point.

However, would she really then go public with that guy? That would mark a radical change in her behavior just when you’d think she’d want to be the most private because the glare of the spotlight is brighter than ever. Still, she allowed a public photo with him, Camilla, and Evan Ross Katz to go out shortly thereafter. If one believed they were dating, that could certainly be interpreted as a launch. Yet, as I said, would she really do that if she were dating him?

Then he started popping up everywhere. I won’t get the chronology here right because I don’t want to research the dates right now, but there was the Charlie xcx concert, in which she appeared with Jake and Dylan, who is out and proud. The Queer premiere where he was just caught in the background of a fan photo. The simultaneously released photos from the red and gold restaurant (with a mysterious third person taking the photos). There was the apparently brunch-time photo of her with Jake and two others, taken by Dylan. And most recently, Louisa’s photo with Jake and Douglas (who is also openly gay and close friends, if not more, with Jake).

I’m not mentioning all the players in all of these because it’s not critical to the story, and I may be forgetting some photos, but there is a point to all of this. First, there’s potentially a notable shift in what she’s allowing to be shared here. Again, historically, she’s never shared anything about her love life. Suddenly, she’s letting him be photographed everywhere. Also, at most of these events, there were other queer participants and/or queer content (the movie premiere).

And while she’s never allowed her romantic life to be shared, you know what she has often shared? Photos with all of her platonic friends, including her huge friend group of many, many gay men. So this trend in what she’s allowing to be shared suggests that she’s telling a story and clarifying Jake’s role in her life.

But then there’s that one mystery release, the simultaneously timed restaurant photo drops. Clearly coordinated, clearly indicating they were there together. No indication about the third party. Why? Just enough to hint that there might be something going on, and to continue wreaking havoc in the fandom.

Because remember that toxic fandom bickering over all of this? The jakolas swearing they’re in love and soon to be engaged and furious at the lukolas for “being blind and refusing to accept the truth and it’s so disrespectful to Nic ('who you claim to love') by disregarding her feelings and treating the love of her life so badly. They keep showing you they’re in love and you won’t listen!” Etc., etc.

Meanwhile, the lukolas fall into a couple camps. By this point, most have decided Nic and Jake aren’t dating, but some remain circumspect. Some scream back at the jakolas, ostensibly in defense of Jake, saying very similar things about “Jake and his friends are doing everything in their power to show you the truth and you refuse to see it.” And a variety of other responses. Everyone’s mad at everyone.

And all of it, every bit of it, keeps us ALL talking about Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. Nonstop, every day.

Now, we are nearing the big mic drop of all of this, and I want to say at this point that we need to remember that Nic and Luke are HUMAN BEINGS who have a right to privacy. And they are celebrities living in a world that has an intense interest in their love lives. And sometimes, we might not feel good about the measures they must take to protect their privacy. We might hate those measures. We might feel manipulated, and we are. But if we love and respect them as much as I hope we all do, we can also understand and forgive them for taking such measures.

A quick review of important factors in all of this:

THINGS THAT TELL US IT’S REAL

The Galway trip and that very emotional introduction to Nic’s mom, which looked for all the world like a woman meeting her future son-in-law

The Claddagh ring and how she’s been wearing it

The things reporters, cast, and crew have said in passing and/or posted, not to mention recent open shipping from Ryan Wheeler and Shondaland’s IG

Everything we saw with our own eyes on the world tour, not to mention everything we’ve seen in the BTS

Little droplets of NicLuke over the recent months like Bless the Telephone and (not yet mentioned above) the S4 selfie and the photo of them in costume that Nic said she thought she’d shared, but now it’s ours (while she hasn’t posted any Jake)

The absolute consistency of all of this as a story that makes sense

THINGS THAT MAKE US DOUBT IT’S REAL AND/OR KEEP US GUESSING AND DISCUSSING

The premiere night pap photos (and though I didn’t mention it earlier, the fact that Nic went home that night so she wasn’t around for A’s attendance)

The friend group photos at Soho House with Luke, A and others

The weird LA InStyle photos

The Sorrento swimming photos

The multiple sets of pap photos of Nic and Jake, including grainy night-time neighborhood photos (with a woman walking a dog in the background)

The way every gossip news outlet ran the same “Nicola confirmed her relationship” story with the same headline and the same anonymous quote

The weirdly devoted, intensely defensive jakolas/Jake stans that seem to care about nothing but Jake/jakola out of nowhere and love screaming at and stirring up shit with lukolas

The chaos and constant discussion of all of this over the past 6+ months

The absolute inconsistency of any of this with anything in the top group

So, this mystery just gets deeper and deeper, and none of it makes sense. Every time I’d try to accept that they were just seeing these other people, something would bump in my head. There were just too many weird things that didn’t quite make sense and the biggest, weirdest one of them all was that NICOLA AND LUKE ARE CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER.

So while the pieces would always almost fit, the puzzle never quite took shape. Until two nights ago when I stumbled on @lukolafan ’s page after they liked one of my posts. I scrolled down their page and found a link labeled “Lukola PR Strategies and Fake Narratives.” I cannot scream this loudly enough. GO VISIT THAT LINK!!!!! (I’ll add the links myself later if I have time.)

I did and it led to a series of Reddit posts taking an academic approach to teaching us, the general public (and lukola fans) PR Media Literacy. Among the various topics it discussed were things like:

“PR Firms and Entertainment Media: Coordinating “News” Across Gossip, Entertainment, and Official Publications,” which talks about using anonymous sources, more about staged paparazzi, and repeated narratives (“outlets echo identical stories, reinforcing PR-approved messaging, for example, multiple outlets platforms describing a celebrity ‘rising above’ a controversy, quoting the same anonymous insider” – Sound familiar?)

“The Invisible Hand of Celebrity Privacy: How PR Fabricates Narratives and Manipulates Fans,” which includes ways that PR strategies intentionally manipulate fans to fight/debate celebs faking relationships, and more (sound familiar?)

There’s honestly so much meat in all of these (there are a couple others as well) that they are ALL worth reading. There is definitely some repetition, but still, the content is super insightful and revealing and can help us all be more savvy consumers of media.

But I want to focus on two CRITICAL posts, in particular.

“The Role of Staged Paparazzi and Gossip Outlets in Celebrity PR Campaigns”

The first part of this piece talks about the method for staging fake paparazzi photos to create narratives. Two items of particular note (and I’m excerpting directly):

Quality Control of the Image: While professional photographers use high-quality cameras, staged paparazzi photos are intentionally manipulated to appear grainy or blurry. This adds a layer of authenticity to the photo, making it look as though the photographer stumbled upon the celebrity by chance.

Extra Figures in the Background: Another key tactic in staged paparazzi photos involves the use of background extras—people who might be walking with dogs, pushing strollers, or simply in the vicinity.

Think of Nicola’s photos walking home with Jake, a woman walking a dog behind them. Some of them are clear, but some are quite grainy, despite the fact that professional photographers have great equipment and are more than capable of taking a night-time shot.

Another excerpt…

Gossip Outlets: DeuxMoi and the Symbiotic Relationship with PR Firms

With the rise of user-generated content and anonymously submitted tips, gossip websites have become integral to the modern celebrity PR machine. Sites like DeuxMoi thrive on rumors and speculation, providing a platform for fans and anonymous sources to share celebrity gossip. PR teams exploit these platforms to feed their desired narratives without appearing to directly control the flow of information.

How Gossip Sites Like DeuxMoi Work:

Anonymous Tips and Leaks: PR teams often send anonymous tips to gossip outlets, offering details about celebrity activities or sightings. These tips are deliberately vague, leaving room for interpretation and speculation. Once posted on sites like DeuxMoi, the stories tend to snowball as they are shared across social media and republished by larger outlets.

Fueling Speculation: These posts generate buzz and speculation, keeping celebrities in the public eye without any direct confirmation. Gossip sites become a key player in amplifying the narrative, as fans, influencers, and media outlets continue to discuss and spread the information.

Mutual Benefits: While gossip sites operate independently, there is a mutual benefit to the relationship between them and PR teams. Gossip sites thrive on traffic and engagement, while PR teams can ensure their client’s name stays relevant in the public discourse. By subtly feeding stories, PR teams maintain control over how their celebrity’s narrative unfolds.

The piece goes on to give specific examples like Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, Tomdaya, Gigi Hadad and Zayne Malik, etc. then talks about fake fan interactions and how to spot them.

It offers key questions to ask about the photos you see (like what story is it telling and why and who benefits?) and then it gives this example. If your ears aren’t already fully perked, this will do it:

Example: 37-Year-Old Famous Actress and 24-Year-Old Lesser-Known Celebrity

Narrative of Romance or Distraction: In this case, the 37-year-old actress is likely fueling rumors of a relationship with the 24-year-old to either distract from something else in her personal life (like a real romantic partner) or to refresh her public image. The younger celebrity could be hired to play a temporary love interest or interest figure in the media, leading people to speculate whether they are more than just friends.

Creating a Romance or Mystery: The photo of them walking arm-in-arm, laughing, or holding hands might suggest that a romantic connection exists. This could be used to make the actress seem more relatable, desirable, or single, even if there is no romantic involvement behind the scenes.

Diverting Public Focus: If the actress is privately in a relationship with another celebrity or involved in an ongoing controversy, the staged photo with the younger celebrity helps to deflect attention. By inserting a "mystery romance," the public is more interested in who the new partner is, leaving the actress’s real partner or issues to stay out of the spotlight.

PR Stunt to Revitalize Publicity: The actress might not just be looking for romantic gossip but also fresh exposure. A curated paparazzi shot could serve as a PR tool to keep the actress's name in circulation—be it through romantic rumors, new partnerships, or simply new media content to fuel speculation.

Potential Body Double for Real Partner: If the real partner is shying away from the public eye or trying to avoid the media, the younger celebrity might act as a "body double" or decoy. This helps maintain an image of the actress being in a public relationship, while allowing her to keep the real relationship.

Don’t think I need to explain the relevance of this very specific example. There’s a lot more in the post, but I’ll move on for now to the next key post.

“Breadcrumbing and Coordinated Campaigns”

In this piece, they offer first some key breadcrumbing tactics, many of which sound awfully familiar.

Common Types of Breadcrumbs:

Cryptic Social Media Posts: Celebrities post vague messages or abstract references, sparking fan theories. Example: Harry Styles posts cryptic images or quotes, prompting speculation.

Coordinated Social Media Timing: PR teams synchronize posts to create the illusion of a shared narrative. Example: Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss posted similar content at the same time, fueling relationship rumors.

Accidental Social Media Interactions: Liking posts or commenting on ambiguous tweets creates intimacy and speculation. Example: Kendall Jenner engages with fans on social media, fueling rumors.

Seemingly Innocent Photos: Casual photos subtly hint at a larger narrative. Example: Zendaya and Tom Holland posted photos together, teasing their relationship.

Cryptic? Like Bless the Telephone? Or a mysterious left-handed guy holding a phone in the background while Nic gets ready?

Synchronized like Nic and Jake at that restaurant? Or as far as that goes, like Nic and Luke with the S4 selfie?

Accidental social media interactions? I didn’t go into that here, but we’ve seen lots of odd likes and things, lots of Nic interactions, oh, and those RW and SL likes of late.

Seemingly innocent photos. Like very happy looking S4 pics and the “now it’s yours” BTS photo?

Perhaps most of this could be interpreted as just genuine fan interaction and fan service, which I think it is to some extent. It’s a natural part of the business. But it’s also very often done with intention.

But here’s the more important part of this piece. It gives some case studies (Ben and JLo, Shawn and Camila), then it gives two “abstract” examples.

YOU’LL LOVE THIS. Note that the second example changes to an actor and a musician, but don’t let that fool you. Keep reading for some unmistakable specifics.

Breadcrumbing with a Fake PR Girlfriend: Case Study of Celebrity 007

For Celebrity 007, breadcrumbing is used to create a false narrative about a relationship with a PR girlfriend. This helps maintain fan interest while deflecting attention from the celebrity’s true personal life.

How It Works:

First Breadcrumbs: The PR strategy begins with posts from both the celebrity and the PR girlfriend, hinting at a connection without confirming it. Example: Celebrity 007 posts a picture from a Paris restaurant or cafe in LA and the PR girlfriend shares a similar post from the same location but from a different day with different white trucks in the background (double check the Instyle Stunt images!!!)

Expanding the Narrative: Shared travel posts and indirect interactions continue the illusion of a relationship. Example: Matching geo-tags in posts from Rome suggest they were there together.

Indirect Engagement: Likes, comments, and ambiguous interactions increase intrigue without confirming the relationship. Example: The PR girlfriend comments, “Great to be here with you! 💖,” on Celebrity 007's post.

Paparazzi Shots: Carefully timed candid shots further reinforce the illusion of a relationship. Example: Paparazzi photos of Celebrity 007 and the PR girlfriend walking hand-in-hand, fueling speculation.

Note:

Café in LA, same location, different trucks?

Matching tags in Rome?

Likes and ambiguous interactions

Carefully timed (say at a premiere party) candid paparazzi shops w gf walking hand-in-hand

And then there’s the next one. In the interest of length since this is already hella long, I’ve removed some less relevant parts, but I encourage you to read it yourself.

Breadcrumbing to Hide a Real Relationship: Case Study of Celebrity 009

Why Hide the True Relationship?

In celebrity culture, the decision to keep a relationship private—or hidden—can be a strategic move, driven by a mix of personal privacy and professional interests. Some celebrities may choose to share their personal lives openly, but for others, particularly those who value their privacy or wish to control their public image, keeping a relationship private is key. This is especially relevant for two celebrities who are romantically involved but prefer to maintain discretion, despite public curiosity about their relationship.

Whether it’s a high-profile couple like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, or a less conspicuous pairing, the decision to hide the true nature of a romantic relationship often involves balancing personal desires with career strategy. In this scenario, let’s explore why two celebrities might choose to keep their relationship under wraps and the complex PR considerations that lead them to do so.

Media Scrutiny/Escaping Constant Surveillance: Navigating the Spotlight Together (I’ve combined two sections here for length)

When two celebrities become romantically involved, the media will inevitably take notice. The relationship can quickly become the focal point of constant headlines, paparazzi photos, and gossip columns. For celebrities who value their privacy, this level of scrutiny can feel overwhelming, as every public appearance or moment shared can quickly turn into speculation, even if the couple doesn’t wish to attract attention.

Romanticized Expectations: The Pressure of Perfection

Media scrutiny often creates an unrealistic, romanticized version of a celebrity relationship. Fans and the public tend to project their fantasies onto famous couples, imagining them as the perfect, unbreakable pairing. The real complexities of a relationship—differences, compromises, and struggles—often don't fit neatly into the idealized narratives created by the public.

For a couple like Actor A and Musician B, the pressure to live up to these idealized expectations can be exhausting. By choosing to keep their relationship private, they can avoid the constant pressure to fit into a preconceived mold. Hiding the relationship from public view allows them to keep things grounded and avoid being turned into a media spectacle.

Brand Control: Managing the Image of "Singleness" or "Availability"

For many celebrities, their public image is closely tied to their brand, and that brand may depend on their perceived "availability" or their status as desirable, unattached individuals. The way the public perceives a celebrity’s romantic life—whether they are single, dating, or in a long-term relationship—can have a significant impact on their professional success and marketability.

Creating Room for Desire: The Allure of the Single Celebrity

Consider Actor A, a leading man known for portraying romantic heroes on screen. The public’s perception of Actor A as a single, unattainable figure is key to their marketability, both in the media and as a brand. If they were to publicly reveal a relationship with Musician B, it could diminish that aura of unattainability. Similarly, Musician B may want to maintain a flirtatious public persona, which could be undermined if they were publicly involved with someone. By keeping the relationship private, both celebrities retain the allure of being desirable and unattached, feeding into the fantasies of their fans.

Avoiding the "Couple" Brand: Risk of Being Reduced to a Package Deal

When a high-profile couple’s relationship is made public, they may become known less for their individual work and more for their collective identity as a couple. In some cases, the couple's public appearances or shared brand messages may overshadow their individual projects. Think of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who have an incredibly powerful couple brand that often eclipses their solo endeavors in the media. For celebrities like Actor A and Musician B, the fear of being seen as a "package deal" might drive them to hide their relationship. This allows both to maintain their distinct identities, keeping their projects and brands separate and preventing the public from viewing them solely as a pair.

Respecting Boundaries: The Vulnerability of Celebrity Relationships

Even when two celebrities are involved, the vulnerabilities of a relationship can become the focus of media attention if they go public. Romantic relationships—especially those in the high-pressure world of celebrity—are often fraught with ups and downs. The public might demand to know every detail, fueling rumors of breakups, infidelities, or relationship drama. By keeping their romance under wraps, Actor A and Musician B can avoid becoming the subject of constant gossip and can maintain some semblance of normalcy in their private lives.

Avoiding Disruptive Publicity

Celebrity relationships often attract media scrutiny not only about their romantic lives but also about how their relationship affects their careers. The public and the media often delve into the smallest details, speculating about how the relationship might impact their professional trajectories, previous relationships, or future projects.

Career Disruption: The Challenge of Balancing Love and Work

For celebrities like Musician B, a new relationship can take attention away from their upcoming album release or concert tour. The media’s obsession with their personal life might overshadow the launch of a new professional project. Similarly, if Actor A is in the middle of promoting a film or preparing for a big role, the press could focus more on their relationship than their craft, disrupting the flow of their work.

I won’t bother reviewing the relevance of all of the above. I’m sure you can see it plainly for yourself. The examples are absolutely, positively referencing Nicola and Luke, and the reasons for hiding it are super relevant. Especially boundaries, disruption, pressure to be perfect, and being reduced to a package deal.

Now at this point, it’s worth asking the question, do we trust this source? I don’t actually know who posted this content, so I can’t verify their credentials. Perhaps this is yet another PR person’s tricky efforts to continually confuse us and keep us guessing? That seems unlikely since the entire purpose is to help lift the veil on all the other tricks. If you wanted the other tricks to be effective, you’d hardly be revealing them to your target audiences.

But even setting that very logical assumption aside, the reason I know with every fiber of my being that it’s true is that this is literally the only version of events that makes sense of absolutely everything.

All those mysterious and confusing signals, all those weird photos and changes in behavior, all the inconsistencies between what we all saw with our own eyes (they are IN LOVE) and what we saw subsequently with the adjacents, all the tiny Lukola crumbs keeping us hanging on, and all the fandom bickering, especially from bizarrely rabid jakolas.

Every bit of it makes complete sense if we accept that Nic, Luke, and their PR teams have been using a classic PR handbook to distract us from the very real truth that they are together and in love.

Does it hurt to know we’ve been manipulated? You bet it does! But I quickly accepted that because I was so happy to have the truth verified at last. And because I understand why they would do it.

Relationships are hard enough when lived in private. No relationship, no matter how much people love each other, is without challenge. Even soulmates have issues to navigate. Can you imagine the pressure on them if the whole world was watching?

And their lives have added challenges. Travel and separation. Long work schedules that may often be at odds. Possibly romantic scenes with future co-stars that could stir up uncomfortable feelings. Career ups and downs that may not always synch up. Fans and media watching their every move, dissecting them, judging them, rooting for them, and just putting massive pressure on them. What if they fail? They’re letting down the whole world, not just themselves.

And what about Nic’s longstanding demand for privacy? And her emphasis that no woman is just some dude’s girlfriend. She wants to be known for her own work and achievement and passions, not for who she dates or marries. Even if it is wonderful Luke.

Likewise, Luke is just now achieving a newfound level of success. This is a moment for him to seize and make the most of. Being a hot, sexy, ostensibly single guy is good for his brand right now. Even if we know he loves Nicola, his stans need to be able to fantasize about him, which is easier if his relationship is unconfirmed.

And let’s face it, if they come out as a couple, IT WILL BE LUKOLA all the time. That will be the story. Certainly if they’d come out during the World Tour, every question at every stop would be about them and their personal “friends to lovers story.” It would be irresistible to reporters. Too good a story to ignore. And they’d spend way more time talking about their personal lives than about their work. Does that sound like something either of them would want?

And one last thing. Back to their changes in behavior. Does it make more sense that Nicola, who has always been super private about her love life, would suddenly be willing to be photographed constantly with her new bf Jake? Or that Jake is not her bf and she’s keeping her actual bf (or fiancé or husband) secret?

Meanwhile, Luke, who has always been open about his relationships in the past suddenly decides to tighten up and share absolutely nothing about his private life? Well, that makes complete sense if he’s now in a relationship with a woman who is famously private and shares not one word publicly. Suddenly, literally everything makes sense and is entirely consistent.

So there it is, folks. To me, this is the Holy Grail. There’s not a doubt left in my mind about them. They’re together and everything else �� literally everything else – is a decoy and a distraction, and every bit of it comes straight from the PR playbook.

I’d like to maintain a sliver of hope that they’re leaving much of it to their teams and they’re not in on the worst of it, but in any case, I don’t blame them one bit for trying to protect their love. It’s too special to let it be destroyed by public consumption. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Given that I don’t actually know them and haven’t confirmed anything directly, I’ll leave 1.5% room for doubt, and adjust my certainty to 98.5%.

And you may dismiss all of this and draw very different conclusions, which is okay, too. But if I’m being really honest, I’m actually 1,000% sure. And I couldn’t be happier for them.

What do we do now? That’s up to each of us. Personally, I’m going to be blissfully happy for them, not sweat any of the distractions, let them live as quietly as they like, and patiently await the day (whether it’s very soon or far in the future) when they finally go public. I hope you’ll do the same.

And until then, I’m going to keep watching Lukola videos on repeat.

[eriexplosion]

Yesterday everyone was posting their feelings on TBB. I'm glad I waited, because there's a lot swirling around. Cut for negativity again.

I was introduced to The Bad Batch in August 2022 and fell instantly in love. The characters, the story, the complex family dynamics, they all spoke to me. I wasn't even a Star Wars fan but I went through and devoured The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian, all of it. I threw myself into this world and adored every second of it. I must have rewatched season one over five times before season two even came out.

When season two premiered I loved it. Every Tuesday night I stayed up until the episode drop and devoured it immediately. I looked ahead at the schedule and took days off work for the double episodes, for the big Crosshair episodes - he was my favorite early on and season two only made that grow. But season two also really brought Tech into my radar even more. I had always liked him, but here he was shining. The Crossing really solidified it, as an autistic person. I'd never heard someone describe the difference in processing so succinctly before, so clearly, and it spoke to me like very little had. Here was a character that was like me. Here was a character that I needed when I was an undiagnosed child, someone that would have made me feel like I had at least some way of describing my differences.

Then, well. He died. It was an affecting scene, but it felt out of nowhere, it felt unfinished. Tech didn't even get the climax of the episode. He just fell into the clouds, the Batch grieved for a few minutes, and then the plot steamrolled right along.

I didn't believe it, not after the mad scientist presented his goggles and claimed not to salvage anything else. It seemed like such an obvious fake out. The longer I sat with it the less satisfying it felt. It felt so brushed over, so pointless, all for a mission that they accomplished nothing on. Then came the social media circus. Again and again his fall was shoved in our faces on Twitter, demanding we stream it. TikToks were made that were so out of touch they felt like parodies, the wound ripped open again and again, and I thought surely there had to be a purpose to it.

So I waited for season 3 as interviews were done that seemed to almost intentionally avoid calling him dead. As tweets were made promising we'd be so fulfilled if we could only see who was onscreen in the mid-season! (A tweet that immediately garnered dozens of people hoping it referred to Tech, all without a single comment to try and quell the speculation.) It felt already like we were being toyed with, but I thought it had to be for a reason or a purpose. More weirdly vague discussions went up about his Sacrifice, his Fall, his Anything But Death, even as everyone insists that it was so meaningful, the way he died on a mission that accomplished nothing. Jokes were made around Valentines Day.

He Fell For You, get it?

The first official use of killed went up on the databank right after the trailer, on Hunter's page of all places. The first time the interviews used dead was the Friday before the premier. It all felt too late, theories had already grown for months by that point.

Season 3 finally came and I waited up for every episode drop just like I did for season 2, hoping for him to come back or at least for him to be properly grieved, since we had barely a couple of minutes in Plan 99 before it was swept away for the next plot point. Surely Tech's impact deserved an episode of focus, if he were really gone.

The previously on plays his last words twice. But then we skip months into the future. We don't see Crosshair find out the news - even though Tech died on a mission to retrieve him. We don't watch Omega grieve. She barely seems to notice she's missing a brother. We got a brief allusion in episode two. It took three episodes to even mention his name in passing. Five episodes in everyone got their chance to look sad about him, but only for a few seconds and only when his skills were relevant. Compared to the gorgeous callback to Mayday in the same episode, it felt shallow. He had to have been more important than this didn't he?

Episodes 6 & 7 felt like maybe there was a reason. We see a new masked assassin that gets extra focus, who got put through a series of Tech-adjacent situations, whose beef with Crosshair was just a little too personal, who survived longer than all the rest but stayed masked. Rex talks about losing brothers, but Hunter says nothing about the brother they lost. I hoped it all meant something, that this was the reason that he felt so much like he was thrown away, so that he could come back in.

More one off mentions that only really come up when it's about how useful Tech would have been. More poking at the wound that still felt open and raw because we'd never gotten any closure. The closest we get is a single scene in episode eleven, so late in the season and so brief that I thought that couldn't possibly be it.

CX-2 comes back, and he talks like Tech. He's still not unmasked. I really need him to be something because otherwise what was it all for?

The most emotion comes in Juggernaut, from Phee. Its a highlight because it actually feels like it was about him, like he mattered as a person. It's episode twelve and we finally talk about him like a person. We never saw her get the news either.

Episodes thirteen and fourteen pass without any mentions at all. We're running out of time. Episode 15 hits and we get one raw one from Crosshair that Clone Force 99 died with Tech. It's the first time they directly say he's dead in so many words. It's the season finale. CX-2 is a nobody it turns out, and he dies faceless. Everyone gets a happy ending and after over a year of wondering if we'd ever get closure, it turns out Tech's just dead. But look how happy everyone else is!

Everyone gets to grow old. Except the autistic one of course. He's just dead and it hardly feels like it mattered at all. Did you know Wrecker and Hunter don't use his name once in season three? Omega and Echo mention him once each. Crosshair twice, only once with any emotion behind it. Phee tops the charts at three mentions, two by name and one by nickname. We see his goggles four times. I kept count.

There was never a bigger plan, this was just all he was worth. We spent two seasons on Crosshair's absence. We spent a whole episode dealing with it when Echo decided to go with Rex. Tech dies though and all his life amounted to was a handful of mentions when his skills would have been useful, some shots of his broken goggles, and endless cooing out of the text over how meaningful his sacrifice was. Too meaningful to take back, of course, even as Ventress is brought back from her own sacrifice.

I had really, really thought that this time autistic life would be worth more than autistic death. That a character that felt so carefully handled couldn't have just been thrown away for shock value, barely to even be mentioned again, his memory used to string us along to keep us watching. If you added up every mention and shot through season 3 it might actually clock in at less time than was spent on Mayday's send off.

I'm an adult. I'll survive, though the sting of seeing yet another character like me used as a stepping stone for everyone else's happy ending will take a while to fade. But I think about the child I used to be who needed a character like Tech. And I think about how it would have felt to actually get that only to watch him die a handful of episodes later as a side note to his family's story, barely even mentioned again. How badly it would have hurt, how deep it would have scarred.

I'm not that child anymore. But there are a lot of autistic kids out there that are the same as I used to be, and they're learning for the first time that people like us don't get happy endings. Instead they die so that everyone around them can rise up, and they might even get mentioned a few times. But don't worry. Everyone will tell you how meaningful and special it is and how delusional you were to ever hope for anything else.

The Bad Batch still means a lot to me. I think it always will. I love the characters. I love the family, and all the potential they had. But the sting of not belonging in this happy ending is there, and it's deep. It's been a long time since I trusted a show. It'll be a long time before I risk trusting another. And I hope that the autistic kids trying to learn how to close their hearts off behind new walls are doing okay.

[obeymematches]

Can I request the brothers reacting to mc saying i love you to them for the first time.

yessssss ❤️

Saying "I love you" for the first time

Lucifer:

You have been dating for months and you are yet to tell him you love him. It doesn't matter as your actions tell him every single day about your devotion. In your defense, he is also too proud to say it out loud. Maybe you two deserve each other after all, Just Say It Already, Damn. Today he could manage to take you out for dinner, ushered you home and made sure you felt good&loved, if you know what I mean. You were laying on your side, your hand holding your head up as he was getting under the blanket to put himself away.

"I love you, Lucifer. Thank you for today, I enjoyed every minute."

"I'm so glad. I love you too, y/n."

Now that it is finally over, he will be sure to remind you every day; he loves you, most ardently.

Mammon:

You were taking a stroll around town with him; you were a little tipsy which made you a little braver than usual. He took you to a place up top, where you could see the entire city from.

-Careful y/n, anything you say here echoes in the city, so keep quiet!

- Nu-uh, stop being so silly, no way it echoes here... see... I LOVE YOU MAMMON!

-What- Shhh- Human what you doing- damnit-

-Want me to do it again?

-....... you kidding me? sure but... this time only I wanna hear it.

Before you had the chance to say it again his lips were already on yours, his arms pulling you really close to him. (It did, in fact, echo on that part.)

Leviathan:

It was time for the annual cuddle break from his game. It took him weeks to get this comfortable with you, he sure did believe you were faking everything to prank him, for days. It took you consistent effort to prove him otherwise; that's why you were careful not to say it too soon. His head was laying on your chest, all was quiet for a second, both of you feeling peace surrounding you for once. Perfect timing.

"I love you." Then there was silence. You felt him squeeze you a bit, as if you could get any closer to him. He mumbled something you couldn't catch.

Satan:

He took you out to a local cat coffee. The date went really well, the cats were playful and the company was perfect. On the way home it started to rain; you might have stayed longer in the coffee than you intended, so of course you got caught. Thankfully he had an umbrella on him; you suspect he was expecting this situation to happen. You scooted very close to him to fit under his only umbrella. He haven't said anything for a couple of minutes when you broke the silence.

"I love you so much."

His steps slowed down a bit, turning himself to look at you.

"And I love you even more." He gave you a quick kiss on your forehead.

Asmodeus:

He had a long day today, he had to buy new clothes; the new season is here and he must keep up with fashion! You were at his room as he was giving you a spontaneous catwalk show in his new clothes. Of course he looked adorable in everything. You were sitting there cheering him on, - Another 10/10, you look so stunning Asmo!

- You think so? Don't you think green would look better on me?

- Oh come on now. You are breathtaking in every color. I love you.

He smiled, a very genuine smile in fact, and didn't hesitate to kiss you then and there.

Beelzebub:

He was strong enough to pull you closer to him as you were just a bit too far, both of you on the couch of the Common Room, watching a comedy. He kept stealing short kisses from you the entire time, needing your touch the most.

"I love you, you know." You could swear you saw his eyes tear up just a little bit.

"I love you too." He made sure you wouldn't see his face for the rest of the movie. Was extra cuddly with you that night.

Belphegor:

Today was awful for you and at this point all you wanted was a nap with your favourite person here. He promised to help you fall asleep; laying behind you he was stroking your hair from the front to the back, slowly and carefully. You were almost asleep when you quietly muttered;

"I love you." You couldn't see his expression but you sure heard a giggle from him.

"I love you too. Now, just relax and fall asleep."

[darkpoisonouslove]

HotD S02E04

I watched this at 6 in the morning and I have to say that I'm glad I took the risk of ruining my entire day because I loved this episode. It flew by so fast and had me chanting the dragons' names several times. That is not to say that some things weren't questionable or just plain irritating despite actually making sense so lets review:

Daemon was tripping so. hard. These hallucinations are fucking him up real bad and I love it. He's sososososo pathetic. The fucking nerve to just go "Hey, won't you kill your grandfather? It would really help me out." Have fun losing your mind, asshole!

So Alyn and his brother are Corlys' bastards. Corlys gets so little screen time, especially in this second season, and he's still so hateable. At least Otto is funny and a great politician. What does Corlys have? A stubborn refusal to acknowledge his granddaughters despite his wife being denied her inheritance? Anyway, he should have been the one to die instead of Rhaenys.

Alicent, bestie, what the fuck? Not her going around and trying to assuage her guilt by still clinging to the delusion that Viserys might have wanted Aegon to be king. What even is this behavior at this point? Her grandson's death should have confirmed what Otto told her so many years ago - that Rhaenyra pursuing her claim to the throne would kill her children in one way or another. We should be past this by now, my god!

The disrespect to Baela is so unreal. I love that she snapped back. "We StIlL kNoW vErY lItTlE" And without Baela you'd know fucking nothing! The fact that even Rhaenys has to deal with this bullshit and Corlys had to come in after her for everyone to remember their place is just an insult.

Criston haters must be so mad at how he's succeeding despite everyone thinking the odds are against him.

Larys not giving a fuck about Harrenhal is so funny. If he thinks it's useless to them outside of the possibility of it driving Daemon mad, then you know it really is. (I am curious about Larys' feelings on Alys, however.) And the way he bragged about controlling all the finances of Harrenhal. He really drained it and the whole situation back in 1x06 to the fullest, got everything he could and then left the castle and everyone in it to rot.

Aegon at that Small Council meeting, the poor soul! No one gives a shit about him, only enough so to steer him away from messing up their plans. And his brother bullying him back (deservedly so tbh) but I have big question marks about that part. Why would Aegon not know how to speak High Valyrian? This doesn't make sense considering how they later show him being so close and affectionate with Sunfyre. High Valyrian is the only way to control the dragons. Unless Aegon and Sunfyre's bond is so strong that he doesn't even need words to direct his dragon, which is actually such a great implication that I could relinquish my anger about this choice otherwise. For the umpteenth time the writers make choices to make Aegon look bad but the implications just decimate the effect.

Alicent has certainly grown less bothered by Larys or at least learned to hide it better. To be fair it seemed like he'd lost interest in her lately but at the same time, she has been evading him pretty successfully for the last few episodes. Not to the point where he doesn't know everything that's been going on with her but at least enough so that she hasn't had to deal with him. And this conversation was more a veiled communication of the truths they've uncovered rather than her depending on him. I am enthralled with how their dynamic evolves and hope we see a lot more from it. He did run to her first chance he had, though I find it interesting that this conversation is only happening now with Criston out of the way. Alicent's relationship with him is certainly reflecting on the dynamic she has with Larys, much to his chagrin, I'm sure. His behavior towards Alicent is fascinating. He was certainly attacking her, digging into every weakness he noticed, and yet, he validated her "indulgence" and seemed pleased with the conclusions she's reached. It's so obvious he wants to wrest her from her faith and conscience because he identifies with the woman he believes she would be without them. And for the purpose of accomplishing that he's not moving in to decimate her relationship with Criston (tbh they're doing that well enough on their own). He said "It's important that she has sex. Doesn't have to be with me. It just needs to happen to draw her away from clinging to her morals." His obsession with her is so insane and deeply twisted. I can only watch mesmerized. Next they should make him run around trying to fix Alicole, make sure that they're having all the sex. That would be the funniest direction to take this love triangle.

I love how Alys is just toying with Daemon like he's her food. Harrenhal is really not agreeing with him. He is haunted as fuck and it's so funny. Him seeing himself as Aemond especially was 10/10. The implications! Aemond is a kinslayer, who's hurt Rhaenyra the most by taking her child away and the fact that Daemon sees himself as a reflection of that says so much!

Aegon is also having the worst time. The fact that Alicent instantly assumed he's destroyed the books says how much faith she has in his ability to actually consider the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, I can't defend him because he instantly proved her right about that. However, I believe we're seeing the alternate version of that scene where Alicent found him crying and left play out. This is what would have happened if she'd tried to comfort him back then. She's been angry with him her whole life and it's really been brought to the forefront now when his rash actions have hurt them and she has to face the guilt over her own actions. She's not capable of comforting when she's so angry but while in 2x02 she was looking to avoid hurting him, here she just doesn't care after the realizations of last episode. She's viewing Aegon and his impulsiveness as obstacles (and his temper and recklessness certainly are) but she doesn't care about approaching with care to cultivate the behavior she wants. And I doubt that would work regardless when Aegon has his whole life as proof that whatever he does will never be enough for her but he can't understand the why. He just wants her to love him and he doesn't have all the context of how he - most of all her children - is the embodiment of her pain and suffering. They really are a tragedy and it's heartbreaking. Though, this scene wasn't as bad as I feared. It makes sense for Alicent to act this way despite how frustrating her refusal to deal with her own feelings is. Not to mention the fact that she brought up her own reign with pride and self-confidence. That was more than I could have hoped for!

Jace being so angry with Rhaenyra is the first interesting thing he's ever done but, of course, they refuse to linger more on these feelings and instead give us a bonding moment where Rhaenyra passes down her father's legacy on to Jace. They could have focused a little more on why she waited so long and why he was so angry but I guess we can't have even a little trouble in paradise. I mean, for someone who wasn't sure she believed the prophecy, she sure made it out to be her whole reason to fight for her claim. It's almost like she's in denial about the fact that she's not doing this out of noble intent but because she wants the crown and the vindication of being queen when so many are against it (which doesn't at all mesh with the sense and wisdom they've tried to imbue her with). Her and Alicent are such mirrors when it comes to that.

Rhaenyra wanting to go into battle herself is legit on the same level of bullshit that Aegon is pulling, regardless of motivations. It's almost like she was hoping to get killed so she won't have to bear the consequences of engaging in this war. Again, I know what they intended for this scene to accomplish but it doesn't really do her any favors. If anything, she should have sent more than one dragon to ensure victory. You know Aemond has Vhagar and you're willing to walk into that alone and later send someone else alone? Girl, be serious! It's just bad strategy.

Sunfyre being so playful with Aegon is the cutest thing we've seen on this show. He's like a big puppy. I was, however, literally yelling at Aegon to stop drinking and he did... only to go driving while fucking wasted. What was he thinking? (I know what he was thinking but, god, he's never beating those reckless fool allegations.)

Aegon being grounded both figuratively and literally so fast was just painful to watch. The way that Sunfyre was screaming in pain hurt me personally and Aegon's attitude changed from "I'll show them all. Fuck Aemond in particular!" to "Thank the Seven, my bro is here to bail my ass out of trouble" to "Fuck, I'm cooked!" so swiftly that you know he was regretting probably all of his life choices. He really doesn't use High Valyrian to communicate with Sunfyre, though. The only word in High Valyrian he used was "dracarys". His part in the battle wasn't long but I sure am living for these implications like I said above.

I do hate what they've done with Aemond. If he'd joined sooner, Aegon probably wouldn't have gotten so badly injured. He certainly had it coming but that makes it practically three times Aemond was looking to have him killed in the span of about as many minutes. But the last scene in the woods with his sword drawn? Wow, okay! They decided to really go in full force on that kinslayer title and I just don't think it makes sense. Not after the way Aemond felt guilty even for killing Luke. Aegon bullying him for a minute surely wouldn't have set him off that badly if he felt regret over killing the boy that slashed out his eye. They're just trying to make you hate Aegon by making everyone around him hate him.

Criston scrambling to do PR and fix their image was so funny, though. You know his inner monologue is just "Shit shit fuck shit" but externally he's giving a motivational speech. XD This is what I wanted to see from him being Hand - having to deal with Aegon's whims. While I'd say he failed there, it wasn't like he could do anything once Aegon was on his dragon, and otherwise his plan was pretty good so... Criston keeps winning, I guess.

I love the way that it was shown how Rhaenys is more experienced than both Aegon and Aemond. Vhagar also took some damage in that fight that would have been more fatal if she just wasn't a whole, entire mountain. But at the same time, it wasn't just Vhagar's size that won this for Aemond (though that certainly did most of the heavy lifting). This man rides the largest dragon in the world and he managed to hide it in the midst of battle and ambush his opponent. That certainly took a little strategical thought if nothing else. And then Vhagar's size did all the rest. The boys certainly are not experts in dragon battle and it will be interesting to see them proceed from here on out, see if they've learned anything from this or not. I'm sad to see Rhaenys go so soon. She should have gone back to Dragonstone when she could. Rhaenyra certainly took a big loss with that.

The way I just knew Criston would get knocked out. I was yelling at him to watch where he's going... and he didn't. He survived AND won the battle but at what cost? The way that soldier crumbled to dust under his touch was bloodcurdling. And Criston's prominent worry for Aegon might be the first time it occurred to him that this war could take away the people he loves.

P.S. Why was Aegon wearing his crown on top of his helm? Unless that's another crown that's specifically designed to go with the armor, it shouldn't fit him both with and without the helm.

[wishingstarinajar]

I know, I know I'm a scratched record

But I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the Wakfu finale when you get to it!

I just finished watching it and it's uuh... hmm. I read people saying the finale was "satisfactory" but I am not fully on board with that sentiment.

Too much left unanswered, not enough wrapped up, too rushed to get to the end.

I know the Waven game is a continuation of sorts, it takes place decades after Wakfu's conclusion so that game might hold some answers or closure, buuuuttt... I'm not interested enough in the game to play and find out. I guess I've grown a bit tired of the whole cross-media info/lore some franchises love to do (like Blizzard and covering important info across the Warcraft games, books and short stories).

Wakfu season 4 obviously has an open ending, no matter that it is the final season, so who knows what might follow. I'm just a little saddened that the story picked up a little too late this season but the animation, particularly during action scenes, was pretty great... when not using the same static images of characters xDD They loved that a little too much but I understand the budget wasn't that big so I can't really fault Ankama for it.

Did I like this season? Mmmyyeeaaah, it's a mixed bag. Better than season 3 but not better than the first two seasons or even the OVA episodes. Glad it exists but I don't feel super satisfied with its conclusion.

HEAVY SPOILERS ahead, so be mindful but gonna share some thoughts:

Seeing Joris play a bigger part in the second half of the 4th season, and him vibing with Adamaï made me very giddy and happy. Love that for them, hope they become good friends. And thank fek neither of them died. RIP, Qilby, Armand and Brakmar (maybe?). The guys who needed to redeem themselves got their chance, at least.

Goddess Eliatrope was a big disappointment and an unlikeable character but I guess that was kind of the point...? Angry that she totally ignored Chibi and Grougal, like what the fuck even? Didn't even show a hint of acknowledgment towards them. What if they wanted to meet mom, huh?? And what even happened to Baltazar and Glip, who were in Emrub with the same kids that were asleep in Goddess Eliatrope's belly? What did she do with them?

But hey, at least my headcanon that the Sadida and Eliatropes will combine into a single kingdom/people (which I also wrote about in my Rebirth fic) actually happening was pretty satisfying x'D It even has Wakfu-infused trees, om nom nom.

A little frustrated with Necroworld (not the same Necroworld from the Transformers: Lost Light comics) because it's supposed to be a different planet in some other universe but it had dofus (dragon eggs) and races of the Twelve like Sadida, Sram and Sacrier. It was pretty confusing... Imo, it should have been something similar to The Upside Down (Stranger Things), or an alternate version of the world of Twelve rather than a completely separate place. But eh...

Why did nobody care about the state Inglorium was in, or that the Gods have disappeared? That bothered me so so so soooo much during the first two episodes; nobody non-Eliatrope or non-demigod cared that their God/Goddess was... well... gone. Aside from God Iop, where are they?? Hated the disinterest, hated the silence around it. Guess that's a mystery that will be unraveled in some other media.

Yugo grew tall and handsome and I'm not afraid to say it. Happy for him, though him suddenly growing so quickly was a bit silly. I figured there would be a time skip to justify his 'growth' that we saw in promotional images and teasers. Won't complain though, he deserved to finally be in a body that reflects his actual age, it took him long enough!

"Bootleg Alys" from the Dofus movie made a cameo in episode 11 which made me snerk. (I noticed a few more background characters from the movie that were re-used in episode 11.)

And that's all I have to say, at least here on Tumblr. It was quite a ride.

A big thanks Ankama and all the Kickbackers that made it possible; this show had its ups and downs over the past decade but it was enjoyable and loved. It still holds a special place in my heart and I will keep a tiny eye out for more Krozmos stuff in the future (like Welsh & Shedar, gimme!!).

[autistic-danieljackson]

So I've just finished season 9 of SG-1 and it definitely has different vibes than the rest of the show so far. Not bad! I didn't think it was bad at all which I feel like a lot of people write it off. But it almost feels like an SG-1 spin-off, if that makes sense? Like SG-1 2.0, it's not quite the same as the first 3 seasons but you sort of need to know the history of how we got here. Anyway, some quick thoughts before I start the last season. Cannot believe I'm here already but also feel like I've been watching for so long even though it's been less than a month.

First, I need to apologize to Vala Mal Doran. I'm so sorry I was too boring at 10 years old to appreciate her, she is such a fun character and I think naturally brings the silliness that's kind of missing with Jack gone. I'm very excited for her to be a series regular for season 10, cannot get enough.

Second, I'm really not sure what I think about Cam. I hadn't seen much of season 9 or 10 before now, when I was first watching it was before streaming and I'd come home from school and there were 2 episodes of Atlantis and then 2 episodes of SG-1 on each night so I just had to watch what was on(I'm not that old but god did writing that make me feel so old 😂). Anyway all this to say I'd seen Cam before but I didn't really know his character. I think Ben Browder did a great job but I think they tried to make Cam younger Jack 2.0 and I wish they would've just made his character more original. They could've made his character more interesting but I also get that they were probably trying to appease fans who were probably upset that Jack was gone. I think it could've been handled better but I don't actively dislike Cam.

The only thing I do dislike about his character is that it feels like he's undermining Sam a lot. Obviously the in-universe reason for why he's in charge of SG-1 makes sense now, Sam left to work at Area 51 and Cam was brought in to lead the team. But like...it just feels like so much bullshit. Again, they could've just had Sam in charge and had Cam come in as this young hotshot. It just feels so disrespectful to her character and being with the team for 8 years to now be second chair to the new guy. Also I know it was the early 2000s and there was a fair share of casual misogyny everywhere but it just felt extra gross coming from someone who just stepped in and basically took her spot. Like in the Kassa episode when Cam's insisting that he be the one to go collect information and he calls Sam 'Mary Poppins'? What is that even about?? (To be fair, the writing of that whole episode was not great, that's the only episode where I was like okay yikes yeah this is not super good) I just think more could've been done with both of their characters and I really would've liked to see it play out differently.

Don't care for Landry. Never did, that hasn't changed. I feel like he's unnecessarily mean a lot of times and I just don't like him.

Carolyn Lam, however, I do really like. I like that they finally got a steady replacement for Janet and although no one will ever truly replace her, I think she does a solid job. Not sure how I feel about her being Landry's daughter, I feel like that plot time and energy could have gone to other parts of the story but it's also not bad.

It definitely feels quite a bit different from earlier seasons, with a cast change and a totally new villain that hadn't even been heard of before I don't think that's a surprise at all. But I think it holds its own well enough and I'm definitely glad I didn't write it off without giving it a chance. Very excited to start season 10 and then start on Atlantis!

[chaotic-on-main]

hi sky can i also pls order a rum raisin sugar cone with hot fudge?? or if you're outta hot fudge I could definitely take some chopped nuts?? canon pls if possible but no worries if not!!!

Order up!! One rum raisin sugar cone with hot fudge for El!!

Sky's Summer and 250 Follower Event!

☾ Pairing ➼ Erwin Smith x gn!Reader

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ one bed, canonverse, pre-commander Erwin (actually freshly scout initiate Erwin), light fluff, angst (if you squint but you don't need to squint that hard I'M SO SORRY)

☾ A/N ➼ HI EL! I'm so sorry this took forever also sorry that I did Erwin's instead of Miche's but I'm working on that next, I swear!! Canonverse one bed can be hard but I think I made it work out. This became a lot sadder than I initially planned but like, there's hope?? And it's kinda sweet?? But like, knowing what you know for the last half of season 3 :| yeah. I'm sure it's fine a;lsdkjfa;lskjf this is the second time where I've written canon and alluded to the shitshow that happens later as;ldfj ANYWAYS. Thank you so much for sending in a request!! I'm excited to hear what you think. :3

Edit: coming back here to say that I had this exact request sitting in my inbox from El for the longest time and I'm glad you requested it again when I had the creativity and confidence. It still has to do with a tent and a bedroll and one bed, but hopefully this twist was okay lmao. I'm still laughing at my typo with typing right as write akjfksnfmd

☾ Word Count ➼ ~2.3k

It would figure that your first ever expedition would turn into a disaster. Not because of any titan's doings, which is what you would assume would have happened. No, instead of facing an early death, you find yourself dealing with a ripped tent and a torrential rainstorm. Everything you brought with you, including your spare clothes, were soaked through. Nothing was spared from the wrath of the dark skies.

This is why you're marching to the only person you know well enough out of the entire legion that was sent forth on this expedition – Erwin Smith.

Fresh out of the cadet corps, it was a no brainer that Erwin would join the scouts. You were quick to follow, but not because of him per say. You also shared the drive for knowledge on what was out there and a way to cure the sickness that ails humanity – the titans. Both of you begged for any answers and the only way to get those answers was to go beyond the walls, no matter what it took.

For these reasons alone, you and Erwin found friendship in each other easily. But because of those same ideals, you were both very isolated. That isolation was relished between the two of you, though, as it made you closer.

Erwin's tent is now in arms reach and you don't hesitate to scratch at the canvas to get his attention. It was still early in the night, you assumed, so there was a high chance Erwin was still awake. As the cold rain falls around you, dripping down your face and soaking your clothes, you wait impatiently for your friend.

Eventually, a head pops out of the slit of the tent, ocean blue eyes searching until they fall on the figure in front of him. There's a little grimace at first until he realizes it's you, and then it's replaced with a dazzling smile. Bushy eyebrows shoot up his forehead as he takes in the state of you.

“What are you doing out in the rain? Go back to your tent and dry off.”

“I would love to do that but something happened and now there's a giant hole in my tent. Nothing is salvageable. Can I stay with you?” You wrap your arms around your stomach to hold yourself closer for warmth, but there's none left. Your teeth have started chattering at this point.

“Of course, get out of that rain. You'll catch a cold.” Erwin pulls up the flap to give you allowance into his dimly lit tent. Instantly, a burst of warmth blows onto you and you don't have to be told twice. Erwin's tent isn't large by any means, especially considering how much space he takes up already. You find yourself brushing up against him as you scuttle your way into the warm space – you completely miss the way he freezes up for a second as you do.

“Did you bring any spare clothes?” Erwin asks as he ties the tent flaps back together. The rain brought cold wind which made the canvas shudder from the force. You knew Erwin well enough to know he had staked his tent down well, but you still can't help but worry.

“They were ruined as well. I brought my pack but again, nothing was salvageable and it all needs to dry.” You say through chattering teeth as you rub your hands up and down your arms for extra heat. Your pack in question hangs loose on your back and is currently dripping the same amount of water that drips off your shaking frame.

Erwin turns around to take in the sad sight of you, his eyes downturned in concern. You now notice he was in his underclothes, almost ready for bed. His bedroll is spread out next you, which was unfortunately being splattered by rainwater as it drips to the ground.

“You can use some of mine and we'll hang your clothes to dry, okay?” He holds his hand out for you bag which you hand over happily through shaking fingers. You were chilled straight down to the bone.

As he digs around your bag for your extra clothes, you take this moment to look around his cozy space. The bedroll you've already seen, but off to the side is his pack and a dim lantern, and right next to it are a few journals and books. One is half open with a pencil sticking out of it as if he was taking notes in the margins – which you would not put past your bookish friend.

“Okay, you can grab the spare I have in my bag. I'm sure they'll be too big, but it's better than nothing. I'll step out for a second so you can get out of those clothes.” Erwin mutters as he turns to you waiting for an answer. You furrow your eyebrows back.

“So you can get wet too? No way, just. Turn your back or something.” You flap your hand dismissively. The dim light coming from the corner makes it hard to see his face, but if you could you'd notice a very prominent pink flush that starts creeping from his neck into his cheeks. He stutters an agreement and does what he’s told.

Without hesitation, you start stripping. It’s extremely hard to do because not only do you have complicated leather straps to unbuckle, every fabric clung to your skin. Eventually you're able to pull it all off and drop them to the ground with various ‘splat' noises – even your undergarments. Your teeth chatter even harder now as your exposed skin meets the cool, moist air. You trusted Erwin enough to know he wouldn't peek nor do any funny business, but you can't help the heat that burns in your cheeks at the vulnerable position you were in.

As you start rummaging in his pack, you notice he had the bare essentials as well as two other books. You raise an eyebrow at it all as you pull out his white button down – folded neatly of course.

“Did you even bring any rations with you?” You half-joke as you tug Erwin's shirt over your head and down your body.

“I did. Enough for the expedition, of course.” He chuckles, knowing damn well you were poking fun at his books.

Due to the massive height difference, his shirt is practically a dress on you as it falls a little under your butt. You already knew his pants weren't going to fit but you still pulled them on just to see. It was almost comical how easy they fell down your legs. With a soft huff, you step out of the uniform that pooled at your feet and tug your underwear back on. Wet was better than being exposed.

“Everything okay?” Erwin asks, still with his back turned to you.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Your clothes are just so big. I'm done, by the way.” You say as you straighten back up after tucking his things back into his pack.

“Better than being wet.” He turns back around, those eyes of his sparkling in the dim flames. They glance down to your bare legs for a second before jumping back up to your face. There's an obvious blush across his pale cheeks but you pretend not to notice.

“Yeah, that's fair.” You sigh as you sit yourself down on Erwin's bedroll. The leather is soft against your exposed legs which you cover quickly with the thin fleece blanket provided. It's considerably less cold, your teeth finally at a standstill.

“Erwin, are you sure this is okay? I don't want to impose.” You watch as Erwin lowers himself down next to you, half on the bed. You scoot over so he has room and he follows suit – still partially off the cloth but not as bad.

“Nonsense. And leave you sopping wet? Don't be dumb.” He gently knocks into your shoulder with his own, a low chuckle rumbling out of his chest.

“Well, thanks. I don't have to take the be-"

“Don't even think about it. I don't need one, you take it. Besides, you're the one that got drenched, not me. Your body heat needs to get back to normal.”

You don't answer back to that. Erwin Smith, the chivalrous knight as always. As the heavy raindrops hit the top of the tent, you find your thoughts drifting back to when you and Erwin first met – back in the cadet corps.

“What do you think is out there?” You ask quietly, watching the lantern-lit shadows dance against the inner tent walls.

“Freedom, I hope. An elixir to humanity. More answers to questions that haven't been asked yet.”

“Hm. Do you think we'll ever live to see those questions answered?” You look over to your friend as he meets your gaze, eyes softened as they bounce around your face.

“We have to. Or at least, we have to hope for it. That's all we can do.” His lips twitch into a smile.

“What do you think Nile is up to?”

“Doing his best to look out for the people, I suppose. As much as I think he would have made a great scout, I'm glad he's there. He'll be able to keep people in line effectively.” His shoulders bounce from soft laughter, no doubt thinking back to the shenanigans Nile had to save you from time and time again.

“You know, before we left I heard word that he was thinking about marrying Marie.” You mutter, looking away and back to the canvas walls.

“Yeah, I did too. I sent him my best regards.”

Distant thunder cracks above as the wind starts to pick up a little more. You bite back what you really wanted to ask but found your curiosity winning over, as it always did. Something you think will never change despite the trouble you've gotten into over the years.

“Do you regret not staying for her?”

“No, it wasn't going to work out anyways. Besides, our lives have bigger purposes. I wasn't meant to settle down, I don't think.” Erwin responds back faster than you thought, clearing any doubts you had for him.

“So you don't think you'll ever get married?”

“With this line of work? I'd have to retire first.” You laugh at that, trying to picture what an old retired Erwin would look like.

“I think I'd like to. But not until we get answers, of course.” You say quickly, giving him a quick glance. Answers were all you and Erwin ever wanted when it came to the decision of joining the scouts.

“Then that means we need to push even harder, doesn't it?” A yawn escapes you as he finishes his sentence, and he raises a bushy eyebrow at you.

“You should get some rest, you look drained.”

“What about you? There's not a lot of room here.”

“It'll be fine.” He sounds so nonchalant but the blush on his face that no doubt mirrors yours says otherwise. You're suddenly hyper aware that you're only in a shirt and underwear.

“Fine, but no funny business, Mr. Smith.” You narrow your eyes playfully before sliding yourself lower onto the leather until you're fully lying down. Always the knight, Erwin lies down too but gives a good 6-inch clearance, enough that you know he's half off the bedroll again.

“Thanks, Erwin.” You mumble before closing your eyes, the smell of cedar wafting into your senses – something that always came with Erwin's proximity. You're drifting off before you know it, straight into dreams about your younger cadet years.

As you sleep, you of course are not aware of Erwin's careful gaze as your breathing becomes heavier with every passing minute. The way your eyelashes flutter as your eyes move around in your dreaming state. How your cheeks and bottom lip puff out, tinted light pink. Erwin hopes that somewhere out there, there's a world where he could settle down. And hopefully it was you that he was with.

.

“Commander Smith?” A soft voice brings Erwin out of his memories and into the present where a young boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes stares at him.

“Ah, yes. Sorry about that. You were saying, Arlert?” Erwin sits up in his bed, using his remaining arm to push him into a better position. The throbbing pain that radiates off his right side is ever present, but not as white hot as it was before. It was nothing he couldn't handle. What did weird him out was the feeling of his fingers that were no longer there.

“Forgive me for being so bold to ask, but is something bothering you Sir?” Armin shifts nervously in his chair, the wooden frame creaking from under him.

“Aside from the missing arm?” Erwin chuckles darkly. He notes the wide-eyed disposition of the cadet in front of him, expression full of worry. And… a little bit of underlying excitement. “I'm fine. You just remind me of someone I knew, is all.”

“O-oh. I hope that's a good thing?”

“It is. I think they would like you. But about the basement? You had theories about what might be down there?”

“Yes! Well, I was thinking…”

Erwin watches young Armin Arlert as he rattles on, not being able to stop the string of thoughts of how much he missed you and wished that you were still here with him. How much you would have loved to learn the secrets of the walls and what might lie beyond. What you would have said to Erwin after he quietly whispered over to you, ‘told you so.’

There's an unspoken promise made to you that he would do what he could to learn everything so that when he saw you again in the afterlife, you would get to know as well.

I don't have a lot of Erwin girlies that I know of but I know @bita-bita likes him so uhhh here! Also @melodyuzumaki and @elnyrae just for good measure.

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 2: Sending Off an Ingrate and a Shocker

Work is still awful, but I need to come on here to talk to you all about the show this week. A lot happened and we need to discuss. I'm gonna rank the stars based on my enjoyment of each performance (mostly) combined with how I feel they may fare with votes. But before that, let's address the elephant in the room. That elimination. So first of all, I was SHOCKED to see Tori Spelling out in the first week. Was she amazing? No. But I think she did enough to cement a third week. I guess I underestimated the fact that she seems to be really disliked. Because between being a part of Beverly Hills 90210, being the daughter of Aaron Spelling and being constantly talked about for decades at this point, I thought she was gonna be around til week 5 at least. Y'all know it takes a lot to shock me with regard to this show. The double did her in and that's why I always hate double eliminations in week 1. It always takes out one person that maybe needs a little more time to get going. As for Anna? Well it was expected. What I wasn't expecting was her parting words. I feel for Ezra mostly, because that man was riding for her since the day he met her. He took amazing care of her and I know it was hard for him to see the heat she was taking. And you're telling me she couldn't even thank him for showing her that she was more than her crime. Or CAI who tried uplifting the past two weeks? What a waste. Even I didn't go in like I could've and really wanted to because I think people deserve a second chance after committing certain crimes (not drugging, murder, sexual assault, trafficking and your third time physically assaulting someone).She played in all of our faces. You know who I don't feel bad for? Conrad and the rest of the producers for DWTS. I said on twitter, "play stupid games, win stupid fucking prizes". She got on that show, on that platform that y'all gave her and bent over backwards to make it work for her, just for her to spit in your faces and tell y'all that y'all ain't shit, ain't been shit and will never be shit. And honestly, that's the one positive thing I can take from her response. Showing them that they are fools for casting her was great. Hate that this show has fallen so far that someone can say that and the show deserves it. Alright, let's get into these couples:

Top Four

Chandler and Brandon might be my favorite partnership in quite some time. They work well together. Chandler is an incredible dancer with the most gorgeous movement quality. And Brandon is creating some great dances. That was a beautiful rumba. I want them to go far. I think they can go far. I don't want another Tinashe situation to happen. But so far, they are doing exactly what they need to do.

Stephen and Rylee are super fun to watch together. They mesh well and Rylee is definitely choreographing some good numbers that showcase Stephen extremely well. I have a concern though. Stephen is a very awkward mover. That was super obvious in this paso. His hips and shaping looked strange. His footwork made me scratch my head. It was a little strange. His timing is still a bit off. He's got a lot of potential, but they really need to work on finetuning these dances. I can see this being a bigger problem in the more fluid Latin dances and the Argentine tango.

Ilona and Alan are just so much fun. I'm glad Ilona let her guard down a bit more this week. She wasn't moving as small in this salsa and really settled into and owned her sexy more. I love that Alan added a couple of lifts for her as it may have helped her feel more comfortable. She has a ton of potential too and I'm super excited to see their dances once she really lets loose. I actually feel like she might shine in a ballroom dance. I know they have that coming up next.

Dwight and Daniella actually did a great job with the foxtrot. Dwight really really wants to do well and you can tell. He is paying so much attention to the details. He connects his moves. He finishes his lines. And he really handles Daniella with so much care. Two things though. I know that the height difference definitely affects this, but he's gotta work on tucking his butt under him. Second is the footwork needs to be cleaned up.

Middle of the Pack

Joey and Jenna made a believer out of me this week. He is definitely one to watch for sure. He is charming. He seems to be a fast learner. He has great movement quality, especially for a man this early on in the competition. He's still gotta work on his hip action. It isn't natural. Once he get that figured out, I'm a little scared about how good those Latin dances will be. Because this rumba was really really nice.

Danny and Witney are my dark horses of the season. Danny is light on his feet and he stays on time (mostly). Witney is doing great choreography and his technique in this jive was great. I still want him to loosen up more, but I can tell that he made a big shift from week 1 to week 2 in comfortability and confidence. These two, as well as the 5 above them, have me super excited for this season. I can't remember the last time I was this genuinely excited for 6 different couples in one season.

Phaedra and Val are interesting to me. I don't think Phaedra is very good. And I don't think Val is choreographing to her dance strengths that well. That section of their foxtrot that was super fast exposed A LOT of Phaedra's technical setbacks. She was super hoppy. That said, I like their partnership. Phaedra is a larger than life personality, so she makes up for the lack of ability with her performance. I want Val to slow things down though. I think that would better suit her at this point.

Jenn and Sasha are an interesting couple. While Jenn handled some of the production issues like a pro, some of the choreographic choices were a choice. I do not understand why there was a cartwheel thrown into this dance. Or jumps and side by side choreography? I'm cool with that stuff being thrown into quicksteps, but a tango? Why? And why are we using these types of songs for tangos while we're at it? There are so many movies that have been nominated for Oscars that have actual tango music in them. Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately. I feel like that could've forced Sasha to not make stupid choreography decisions. So this is what I'm going to say. Jenn is a good dancer. A lot of her undoing and early departure (because I'm feeling a "shocking" elimination from her) will be due to his choreography. Because again, why?

Bottom Three

So I'm just going to make this easy for these three. Eric and Reginald are both terrible. There's really not much that either Britt or Emma can do for either one of them at this point. They really won't get all that much better, if at all. In fact, I can see both of them getting worse as the season goes on. The one thing I can say is that they both improved this week.

Brooks and Gleb are interesting. Brooks is good. But that quickstep was not it and Gleb is relying way too much on this STUPID SHOWMANCE that they keep trying to shove down our throats. We're TIRED! It sickens me to my core. The fact that Derek clocked that they did a tango hold instead of the correct hold lets me know exactly where his priorities are. So I say that it's time for us to take a stand. We have to stand against showmances on this show. We gotta let these folks know that we are TIRED. We are not stupid. You cannot play us for fools. I'm ready for them to GO!

So that's it. No show this week. Two shows next Monday and Tuesday. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

[shesthespinstersimmer]

Catching up was a bit daunting, but that was compounded by the fact that, for some reason (probably because I haven't restarted in weeks), my laptop was running like molasses on pet rock in slow motion and I didn't want to restart it because I would lose my /chrono place ("Next" opens a new tab every time, so I didn't want to do that). So I aimed to just power through, but right after I reached your posts from mid-June, the tab crashed! So I took that opportunity shut it down and reboot. Definitely a faster experience afterwards. And even though I scrolled /chrono for ages to get back to where I was, it just stopped loading after a couple new posts! (YaY Tumblr! 😑) So I switched to using the Next links and just powered through until I was completely caught up. BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

There were a lot of things that made me laugh and awww and smile and want to give you a high five over, but I'll just list a few.

Loved Shalom's growth, physical and emotional.

Loved the sibling dynamics.

Loved Judge B's continued openness and willingness to really change her life to find balance with Coop.

'Soul to Table"

Vanessa and Harper: from slight rebound, to maybe something, to better off friends, to intentional life long friends and cheerleaders.

Glynis and Neeto.

The parents handling their child/ren's maturation.

"We got boundaries, cuz"

Loved the couples/parents who had long loving histories, but also loved the parents/couples who've had a rough go or needed a second chance with the same person or another. Really loved the Chen's backstory.

Sabrina & Coop's post-nuptial interview format!

The wealth of variety of event styles showcased during the Wedding Season arc.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many of the editing choices!

Sometimes when I take a break from things, I never pick them back up again because just the thought of catching up is overwhelming, but I knew that when I returned to simblr that wanted to catch up with my shows and I knew that because of your posting frequency, yours was going to be the biggest undertaking, but I truly enjoy your narrative style and the range of topics and situations you cover in your stories, so I figured, come hell or high water, I was going to do it. And I'm so glad I did! Thanx for continuing to share your creativity and cultural insight with us!

YOU ARE THE 🐐!!!

I am beyond amazed – know that I’m fully aware how much of an undertaking that was! And thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart for doing it 😭😭😭

It’s just my little story; the one that keeps me sane, the one that gives me routine; something to promise myself that I’m gonna do every single day so that even the small days/the bad days have something good in them. 

Transparency: I’ve always felt guilty posting so much, but on the other hand, better here than filling up my brain day and day out. It’s been so helpful to have somewhere to put it.

My circle is small, and that’s how I like it; too much would be overwhelming. But knowing that people read and enjoy what I’m doing is astounding and incredible. Tumblr has kept me accountable when it comes to my writing, but watching you the last few days catching up post after post (and yes, I realize that it was an obscene amount ) is it feeling? I can’t even find the words for.

I’ll just stay with THANK YOU 🖤🤘🏾✨ so very much.

*I’m gonna run off and cry now *

[blacksmokebarbarians]

How about Sammy getting all excited because you’re giving him a special gift you’ve been hiding from him? 🥰

yes. yes. YES. its his birthday, we've got to do this one.

Preparation had begun many weeks ago, when you first wrote out the plan for how you wanted Sammy's birthday night to go. Fairy lights, dinner on the porch, and of course, his birthday gift! The whole shebang. While you had begun becoming rather reserved and secretive as the days inched closer to his special day, Sam grew more and more anxious to know what was going on.

"Oh, come on, Doll, Can't you just tell me what's going on?" He begged, leaning against the kitchen counter as you made breakfast one day. It was the week before his birthday, and he had been growing rather anxious to know what you were up to.

"You can wait a week." You giggled, flipping the pancakes that sizzled on the skillet.

Well before his actual birthday, you treated him like a prince. In all honestly, you couldn't help yourself. He was always so sweet to you, it was in your natural nature to give him special treatment, even if it was a week before his big day. You made him breakfast, took him out on little day trips, and made sure to cuddle up close to him when the night came.

He groaned gently, his brows furrowed as he crossed his arms. "Could I at least get a piece of bacon for the troubles?"

You shook your head with a laugh, handing him one of the prepared slices that you had already finished cooking. Ever since you had pledge to go vegan with Sam, you had been practicing all of his favorite recipes. You found that cooking rice paper with certain seasonings and syrups grew to taste like your favorite piece of breakfast cuisine.

Once you finished up breakfast, the two of you sat and ate, listening to the record that ran in the next room over. "Is it.. a surprise party with the boys?"

"Nope."

"A camping trip?"

"Nope"

"Is it a--"

"Samuel. Hush."

"Finee." He grumbled, finishing off his orange juice. You admired him as the sun from the window shined down on his tanned skin. How did you get so damn lucky? He was like a dream come true, and you had the pleasure of spoiling him when they time finally came.

April 3rd.

It was finally time. The day started off just as any other day had-- the two of you tangled in each other's arms, a nice warm breakfast, cuddling on the couch. When the afternoon finally neared, you sent Sam out to get some wine of his choice from the store to get a chance to set up. The second he had left the house, you were stringing up the fairy lights, finishing off dinner, and setting up a nice candlelit table for the two of you. You had slipped on your dress just before he had arrived. As you heard the jingling of his keys just outside the door, you stood, readily awaiting his entrance.

As the door finally creaked open, he stopped, looking around in awe. You could hardly tell if the look on his face was confusion or absolute shock. "Happy Birthday, Darling.."

Sammy shut the door behind him, his lips curving into a gentle smile. He could hardly get a word out as he looked around, holding the bottle of wine to his chest, "Baby.." He finally got out. His eyes finally met with yours as he stepped forward. "This is beautiful.. Thank you.." He said gently, his open hand wrapping around your waist, leaning down to kiss you gently.

As you slowly pulled away, you took his hand in yours, guiding him to the dining table which was elegantly set. "Anything for the birthday boy!" You grinned, sitting down opposite of him.

"Seriously, honey, thank you." He smiled, admiring you as you began to pour each of you a glass of wine.

The two of you began to dig in to dinner-- Sam leaning back in his chair out of pure delight. "This is wonderful.." He hummed gently, savoring each bite of his meal. "I'm glad that you like it. I've had this all planned out for nearly a month now.." You explained, taking a sip from your glass.

Finally, as the two of you finished off your supper, you stood, Sam's eyes following you intently. You went to the nearby shelf that held all of his favorite records, pulling one down before setting it on the turn-table. "Music and dinner?" He asked curiously, perking up as he watched you place the needle. "You bet." You hummed, walking over to the table, holding a hand out to him. "Come on, Birthday Boy.." He looked up to you for a moment before taking your hand, following as you led him to the livingroom. You began to sway with him gently to the beat of the music.

"This is nice.." He whirred, placing his hands on your hips gently, following your lead. As the two of you swayed together, you rested your head against his shoulder, smiling wide. He left a gentle kiss against the top of your head, humming along to the tune.

"I love you, Sammy.."

"I love you, darling." He murmured, holding you close. You listened as he began to softly sing along to the lyrics of the James Taylor album. His soft voice vibrated against you as he rested his cheek against the top of your head. As the song slowly came to an end, you looked up to him. "This isn't the last of your celebration." You teased gently. His eyes widened as he whined, "I knew this wasn't it! You've been too sneaky lately.."

You slowly shifted away, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. "What is it?" He asked curiously. You could tell that he was attempting to be contained, but his excitement was about to burst. "Oh, come on! Just tell me already!" He begged. You walked upstairs for a moment, leaving him drenched in suspense. Finally, you came back to the living room, carrying a large box with you. Setting the wrapped box down in front of him, he raised a brow. "You are so devious." He chuckled.

"Go ahead, darling. Open it."

Without any hesitation, Sam tore the wrapping paper from the rectangular box, throwing it off to the side. As he ripped back the paper, a large logo was revealed that read 'Fender'. His eyes lit up as he looked up to you. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Keep going!!" You encouraged, watching as he opened up the cardboard. Once the box was open, he took the foam exterior off, exposing the new tan jazz bass beneath. The gleam of excitement twinkled in his eyes as he picked it up, admiring the new instrument.

"Baby, this is amazing! I've been looking at this one for months now!" He practically squealed, looking over to you. "Thank you so much.. For all of this, Really. I couldn't ask for a better birthday." He assured.

You leaned over, pulling him into a gentle kiss before he escaped away to test out his new bass.

[summersmithlatinxgyatt]

BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. TIME TO TALK ABOUT NIGHT SUMMER

First off, Night Family is 10/10 and among my favorite episodes. I'm inclined to say my favorite, but The Vat of Acid Episode is amazing and 10/10. This is gonna start off with a review of the episode. The score, the premise, the final fight, and the entire dynamic is great. I can't believe that a fake-out incest joke made me laugh so hard, every part of it is great and I'm convinced they got either ghost writers for this episode or they went all-out to make it great. I can't stress enough how amazing it is and I'm glad I have the chance to rewatch this episode for a review/explanation. I usually don't care about this but an 8.5 IMDB score is too low for this

Second off, this episode has already made people wonder why Night Summer was the leader of the family and strongest Smith family member. Site-note, that plate scene still makes me squirm holy shit. And you already know I'm a Summer connoisseur 🤓 Let me explain why Night Summer makes sense

So we already established that Summer keeps the family together. Of course, she also nudged Rick to let them use the Somnambulator. The Night versions are subconscious versions of them, with Night Summer saying she's always been inside of Summer. That means there's always been this version of Summer, which is probably a logical progression of how Summer acts already. Rick mentions that Night Summer CONVINCED Night Rick to deactivate a lot of the machinery

I'm not a Rick hyper-analyst, but luckily there's other people who ARE. Therefore, anyone can correct me about this.

Considering that Rick tends to hide how he feels, especially his sympathy (until later seasons), it means he was very easy to convince. Summer keeps the family together and has a strong relationship with Rick, therefore Night Summer's presence was amplified to the point that everyone was forced to recognize her presence. This let her manipulate everyone to work for her

I've also had a theory that Summer understands the technology so well that she likely made all of the proxy drones herself. Plus, other details include Jerry just saying 'Uh, family?' to convince Summer to jump to the next car

There isn't much new I can say without repeating the entire point about family and whatnot, but it's amazing that they're keeping this character of Summer quite consistent

This also means if she wants to, she could easily take Rick's technology for herself and make the family under her control. It's always been inside Summer and possible, so it's likely that Night Summer seizing her chance means that whenever Summer slowly took more control and kept the family closer together, we saw more of this subsconscious Summer

Night Summer is just the name given to her potential and honest self

And remember, as I pointed out, she no longer follows the norm and rebels after the events of 'Wedding Squanchers'. Of course the ONLY family member who would rebel and free themselves with their family WOULD BE SUMMER

To summarize Night Summer - yup, this is just her potential that she's scratching the surface of

'Night Family' is not only a fucking great episode, but another that shows off Summer with established parts of her character. We see her potential unleashed - a genuine threat that keeps the family under her own control and capable of using Rick's technology and/or making her own, an unshackled threat that only does this to keep them all under her vision

Also here's two edits I did

[hellcatinnc]

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion Anime Review

Includes Spoilers

I'm really glad I took the time to watch this honestly I did because I had seen someone do a sweet video on the duke and Raeliana however I had no clue what it was about until now. It took me less than a day to watch this I was all in the moment I started. So first off I love the idea of murder mysteries especially if you add romance to it. So this story is about a girl who in the real world is pushed off a building her death to be thrown in to a novel that she knows into a girls life called Raeliana. Come to find out who she is supposed to be engaged to he is trying to kill her so she turns to the duke to make a contract with him by blackmailing him into being her fiancé so that she can get away from her current fiancé so she can live another day.

What seemed like a cute cat and mouse game between Noah and Raeliana it wasn't hard to realize he was falling for her so hard and fast. Of course she spent the whole time trying to the main protagonist Beatrice with Noah yet she couldn't find her. She was to be with Noah after Raeliana was murdered but she shifted everything when she stayed alive. Instead of thinking about what she has in front of her she is too busy trying to fix the original story. She has yet to realize its too late his heart is hers. Even after the black mail fell through he still tells his brother he refuses to end their engagement. He even tells her at one point that he wants her to stay by his side forever he doesn't want to see life with out her. When she almost dies several times you can see how it effects him it shakes him up so bad.

I love Noah he is a sweet man to her, and the love he shows in his eyes when he looks at her is unmistakable everyone sees it. He has never showed interest in any woman until her and she even on the last episode as she has been drinking she starts confessing how she feels for him then he kisses her. Honestly this needs another season or I'm gonna go insane, guess this will be a manga series I need to read. I did watch the English version because I loved the English actors voice that did Noah and OMG he is another one that says good girl after Raeliana is caught watching him sleep. Another sexy man that is Kabedon although he didn't per say hit the wall behind her he still leaned into her the same and omg my heart melted.

I literally watched this in less than a day I was hooked from the first episode and couldn't stop and OMG there is some other hotties in this show granted I still love me some Noah more though and their connection beats the rest but look at these hotties.

It really is worth the 12 episodes that are out and hope you give it a chance. Its full of mystery and love and watching them fall for each other. It just came out this summer hopefully we get a second season for this.

[bakerstreetbabble]

Finally finished Elementary (CBS)

This morning I finally finished the journey I began way back in Fall of 2012, shortly after the CBS series Elementary first began. As I recall, I didn't initially like the show: I had been so impressed by the BBC's Sherlock, and I just didn't think Jonny Lee Miller's version of Holmes was as compelling as Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as the same character. I also thought that the "Watson is a girl" premise of Lucy Liu's character was too gimmicky. But I gave the series a second chance, and I'm glad I did. Over the course of Elementary's seven (six and a half?) seasons, I now believe that Miller and Liu were able to inhabit their roles as the famous detective and his loyal sidekick to an extent that no other actors have been able to achieve. And as far as the way the creators of the two shows wrapped up their series, I think the finale of Elementary was far more satisfying than the mess that wrapped up season 4 of Sherlock. (Yes, I know there continue to be little hints that maybe, just maybe, the BBC may pick up Sherlock again. But that season 4 finale really felt like a series finale.) By the end of the BBC series, Sherlock and Watson had become little more than parodies, whereas the end of the CBS series seemed to be to be completely appropriate to the characters we had come to know and love across the years. Just in case there is anyone reading this who took even longer to finish Elementary than I did, I won't give any spoilers. Suffice it to say that I also enjoyed many of the little tidbits that were mixed into the last half season. References to the Garridebs, or Ronald Adair, were entertaining gifts for longtime fans of the Sherlock Holmes canon. Elementary provided such references from time to time, but it seems to me that they included significantly more canonical "shout-outs" in these last several episodes. I see that the series actually ended in August of 2019, so I guess it didn't take me too much longer to watch the entire series than it should have (four months late is better than never, I guess). I guess I'm fortunate to live in the age of Hulu, so I could binge watch the series in a handful of extended viewing sessions. Overall, despite a very few episodes that I didn't enjoy as much, I think Elementary was one of the most successful Sherlock Holmes adaptations ever to grace the screen. This Sherlockian has found it immensely satisfying, at least.

[ceedaryaps]

Bridgerton Season 3 Spoilers!!!!!!!

So I finally had a day off and could wacth season 3 of Bridgerton and oh.my.god. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.So three things before I get into the meat of it. First of all, I sincerely hope that Violet and Lady Danburys brother get a chance to connect more MAMA VIOLET DESERVES LOVE TOO! Seecond the fact that Anthony cannottt keep his hands off Kate is so hilarious to me like get awf that lady and let her breathe. And third Francesa being a subtle autism rep is so amazing to me, as an autizzy person myself seeing someone with the same mannerisms as me within a romance setting is so refreshing like it truly puts joy in my heart. And also the sign language in the first episode???? love itttttt, they truly perfected diversity without shoehorning it.

Now to the meattttttt of it.

Now friends to lovers has never personally been my thing and in terms of each bridgerton show im gonna rank this leason my second least favorite but thats NOT to say I dont like it I very much enjoyed this season but i do have my critiques.

1

While I get a giggle out of Pen's sisters I cannot stand her family as a whole, for the simple fact that they treat her as if no one would EVER want her just because she plus sized and has "odd interest" in their words, it infuriated me how her mother wanted Pen to say yes not because she was happy for her but because she truly thought this would be Pen's only chance. Despite my disliking her family it was a good plot point for her to finally decide to make a change and put herself out there. I feel like in her previous two seaons for her she didnt put herself out there because, as weve seen, she has a huge lack of confidence that it was more than likely the work of her mothers and her sisters doing. I also loveeee the wardrobe change from bright gaudy colors and patterns to more Bridgerton esqe colors in her wardrobe. The wardrobe in Bridgerton has always amazed me but putting Pen in that light blue was amazinggg she was gorgeous and glowing. Even her sisters were eating this season like props to wardrobe and makeup bc they ate. Im so worried to see whats going to happen when Collin eventually finds out shes lady whistle down like omgggg.

2

I don't hate Eloise and Cressida NOW HEAR ME OUT OKAY. Cressida is still not a good person at all but I'm so glad we got to see more of her character bc it definitely shed light into why she acts that way. It would be completely ignorant to sit there and believe that the pressures of the ton to be perfect and find husbands quickly and avoid scandal WOULDNT make the girls get a little nasty with each other. The pressure from her parents specifically made me go "Oh girl I think id get nasty too if those were my folks." In no way does it excuse her treatment of Pen tho!! I also liked that it was Cressida who clocked Eloise's tea about her pointing fingers immediately at her when Pen got exsposed. Not to mention when the girlies came to Cressida for tea SISTA DID NOT FOLD!!!! She politely said naur and kept it pushing. Like I understand Cressida was neverrr the nicest and was a gossip but if Eloise decided to hang around her then she shoulda had faith in the girl. Like Eloise I love you but doooo betterrrr. Don't get me wrong at all yall Eloise is my fav but I'm glad people are clocking her for her shittt. I hope Cressida and Elosie stay friends but they constantly build off of each other to be better bc I loved how Eloise made her dislike of Cressida's treatment towards Pen known.

2.5

This is so unrelated but i love bennedict BAD hes sooooo idk yall I need him.

3

COLLIN BRIDGERTON IM HERE TO CLOCK YOUR TEA.

Imma be real I might be bitter bc I feel like Pen shoulda made that man grovel. After what he said about her to his friends in the previous season he should have been on his hands and knees BEGGING for her forgiveness she let him off too easy. Also I don't really appreciate that it took another man giving Pen attention for his stupid ass to finally be like "Oh shed kinda bad actually." I ALSO don't like how when he described how he liked Pen as a friend it wasn't because of her actual qualities it was how she made HIM feel. "You're always here to listen to me and give me a new perspective!" Sir you could have just said she was very insightful, you enjoy her company SOMETHING other than a service she has done for you. That why Im glad he was suffering so bad every time he saw them together he was SICK to his stomach and I'm here for it.

All in all I cant wait to see how things go down next bc I think everyine is gonna reap what they sow Pen, Collin, Eloise EVERYONE. bc the sneak peak looked crazyyyyyy.

Anyways the next thing I should post will be the Finnal Gambit the last book in the trilogy of the hawthorn legacy series.

See yall later!

[lovinggreeniehours]

push and pull

↳ arin × luka (arin uses any pronouns. the ones appearing here are it/they/him)

↳ 900+ words

↳ this is not edited thoroughly so. pardon me hdfjgddh the brief rundown is: arin was the winner of al.nst season 48, then luka won 49th. they had a longstanding rivalry (or so the press would say) leading up to the 50th season, eventually culminating in an arranged marriage public relationship situation to keep their popularity numbers climbing. this takes place some time before round 4 or 5 i think

—whilst practicing a duet, they both get a little off-script. they forget why. some kind of competitiveness? a natural instinct for improvisation? technically, they were glad they could do so this smoothly, but.. there was a sense of getting lost in it. in the steps. in the words. in the harmonization of voices. they were good. it was why they were paired up. maybe it really was the competition. two winners of the same stage would wonder which of them would dominate, wouldn't they?

when luka dipped them, arin kissed him.

it leaned into the adrenaline their performance left them in, carding its fingers through his hair. and it is utterly fascinated when luka kisses back.

"how interesting." it murmured, just barely pulling away, luka's breaths still ghosting over its lips. "so this is how you'd react."

luka scoffs, but strangely, he only seems to grip them tighter.

"to think that you would actually.." arin murmured as they both straightened back up, simply thinking out loud at this point. he figured luka might enjoy a little glimpse into his brain. as compensation. "i didn't think you would desire me in that way. it seems there was more to it than i thought."

at that, luka's demeanor completely switched. arin watched, curious, though a little confused, as the former's lips curved into a smug grin.

"so you do observe me."

arin felt a distinct dip in their own mood watching luka smirk like that. ultimately, they just raised an eyebrow. not that luka needed any prompting to continue. he seemed to like the sound of his own voice well enough.

luka's typical flourish returned to his movements. it was almost comical, really, how little it took to get him from upset to elated. hands still locked in their dance position, luka swayed them both a little.

"so you think i'm worth observing, do you? i wonder what else you think of about me behind that impenetrable pokerface of yours. could i have a peek?"

"there's nothing to peek at." arin was confused more than anything, if a little.. displeased. it was a pity luka was a simplistic, arrogant bastard most of the time. "is it so strange that i would try to learn more about you? we are supposed to be married."

"so you kissed me for it?" the more luka talked, the brighter he seemed to get. "you could've just asked. but regardless of what road you'd picked, you either love or you love me, starlight."

"the answer is neither, however unfortunate that might be for you." arin said. "because my own intentions aside, you kissed back. and i have reason to doubt that our motives were the same."

though there was no more music, luka twirled them. they spun as gracefully as ever. luka put a hand on his hip, humming thoughtfully.

"is it that much of a stretch to say i observe you as well? i mean, i'm sure you're already aware." he tapped a finger to their cheek, lightly pushing it to make them look at him properly. "i did notice a certain boldness about you when you took my microphone earlier in the second verse. are you upset with me by any chance? is that why you didn't ask? you know, you should just tell me about things like this. i am your husband, after all."

luka delighted at the minute frown etched onto arin's face. he liked the way their gaze sharpened when they met his eyes. he coveted it even; he considered it proof. the perfect living doll was as fragile a human as he was. and luka was the only one privelaged enough to see.

then arin tilted his head at him. luka almost paused as it spoke, an odd lilt laced in its voice.

"i quite wonder which of my reactions you've taken as genuine and which ones you missed." arin mused.

"have you so little faith in me? you think i don't know when you're faking a smile or not?"

there was that look again. the barest glint of something in their big, dark eyes.

"do you?"

arin watched luka's lips, sweet and pretty, part ever so slightly. and it was almost as if arin could see the turning gears peering past his pale yellow eyes. a specific sort of glee burned at the sight of luka's growing uncertainty. one that arin hadn't felt in great measure since his childhood.

maybe arin did like him, it decided. this bare look of confusion would be precisely why.

"well, do you?" they repeated themselves.

unlike arin, luka could do little to hide.

so they continued, reveling in the look on his face. "if anyone knows anything about me, it's how i act onstage. i'd be a little disappointed if you of all people thought anything i said or did while performing was genuine. you know, since you claim to know me so well."

when luka said nothing, arin finally offered a smile. the way one would offer a consolation prize. if arin did their job as well as they hoped (which, they did. who were they kidding?), luka would be scrambling. was even this smile meant to lead him on?

luka was motionless now, the rise and fall of his shoulders aside, but the slight strain in his sigh said enough.

"i'll unravel you one day, wife."

arin gave him a laugh, waving him off. it cleared its throat, schooling its expression back into nothing.

"how about we run through that song again?"