#and its the prettiest cat ive ever seen in my life

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

My sibling brought home a stray cat? I'm deeply allergic to cats?? Why did they bring home a stray cat??????? I'm left with more questions than answers.

[many-gay-magpies]

1, 3, 20, 25 for the dbd ask game!!

ahh thank you anon!! these questions are so delightful to answer <3 (adding a readmore because i once again yapped like a madman. i implore my non-dbd followers to scroll down to the answer to the last question, which is me saying why i would recommend the show, because really i would recommend it to everyone all the time. forever)

1. Who is your favourite character?

I think Charles has pretty completely solidified himself as my favorite by this point, but Crystal is a close second.

Idk, with Charles, it's just like. not surprising at all, cuz I have a pattern of adoring characters with physically abusive dads and emotional repression issues, which is a bill he definitely fits. but also he's just so. sweet and silly and he has the prettiest smile known to man and the biggest brownest eyes on this earth. And he's SO INCREDIBLY PROTECTIVE and so devoted to the people he loves, and he tries to be so good because nothing was ever good enough for his dad, and he probably bases his worth on his ability to protect and defend his loved ones because if he can't protect them then what is he even good for? he's the brawns not the brain, build for taking the hits (because that's all he could do for his dad), and he's so so kind and loving, but also so angry, and I just love him so much.

Then Crystal is just... SO interesting and such a good character and thinking about her past makes me want to cry. She was born to parents who probably never should have been parents in the first place, who spoiled her with money and material objects but never gave her their attention, so she rebelled and started acting out because why would they care? theyve never cared about anything else she's done (but maybe, feeling their dissapointment when she did something bad was as close as she ever got to feeling loved). she was mean and cruel and manipulated people for laughs, but when all her memories of her life before were wiped away and she wound up in a situation with people who actually cared about her, she got BETTER. she had a shit childhood and was a shitty person because of it but she's also so kind and feels everything so, so deeply and I just adore her man.

3. A character you think is underrated/ underappreciated.

mannnnn i'd be inclined to say crystal but ive actually seen so so many posts talking about the exact same things i was just saying and touting their love for her in all her messed-up complicated teenage girl glory, so. crystal is nowhere near as under-appreciated as she could be and its a fucking BLESSING.

otherwise i'd say maybe tragic mick? he's so cool man. he's a walrus stuck on land looking like a man. he has an absolutely killer magic shop. is he immortal? idk but that magic shop is old as hell and he has the sense of having hung around a while. i think it would be fun if sedna cursed him to stay human but made him immortal while she was at it. he tried to stop esther from making the machine that drains ghosts, and yet all esther's torture couldn't have happened the way it did without him, because everything she had she bought from his store. where did he get all that stuff? does he buy from collectors? did he travel the world accumulating stuff to try and find a way to turn back into a walrus and realize it would make a killer business? he has untapped relationship potential if youre the shippy sort, like with the cat king and also kashi, which i am going to make a post about as soon as i finish this ask because ive just had a fucking EPIPHANY. tragic mick rocks

20. Which characters style do you like the best?

i think probably crystal and niko, with charles coming in after them. crystal feels closest to my own personal style, all artsy and thrown together and kind of thrifty-looking, and i respect it very much and also think we could swap clothes (or like, i could donate her my clothes, and if she had baggy jackets they might fit me. girlie is short as hell). then niko's style is more, like, organized and thought-out than mine, but i absolutely ADORE her bright colors and fully-coordinated makeup and hairstyles and accessories and god she is just goals. then of course charles is wonderfully underground 80's punk and i adore it.

25. Why do you recommend the show?

god why WOULDNT i recommend the show? i think literally my only gripe is how short it is, but that's the fault of modern streaming culture. literally everything else about it i can think of is fucking amazing, no notes.

in a more general surface-level sense, it is wonderfully campy and fun and just SUCH a great spooky, adventurous watch! but then it fucking battering rams you in the chest with excellent character dynamics and complex characterization and soul-grabbing devotion and character development. it has some of the best and most complex female characters i've seen on television—women that are allowed to mess up and do bad things but still be fundamentally GOOD characters—and some of the most heart-capturing friendships/relationships ive ever had the pleasure of witnessing, of course with charles and edwin first and foremost, but also with edwin and niko, edwin and crystal, charles and crystal, jenny and niko and crystal, just fucking ALL OF THEM. there's so much fucking LOVE in these eight episodes, clearly woven into every scene and snatch of dialogue.

it also has one of my favorite villains ever in the form of esther, just. full unapologetic morally irreprehensible evil badass of all time. yeah she feeds kids to her giant snake to stay young and beautiful, its honestly NBD. she is the most wonderful evil hot terrible villain of all time and i love her, and i love how EVERYONE ELSE loves her. also her downfall was so fucking satisfying and perfect and i adored it, really just peak justice being served in the wickedest way possible.

ive said this before but dead boy detectives has the sense of having some of the most REALISTIC characters and dialogue ive ever seen, with the way they speak and react to things and such, without having the like. "haha we're so REALISTIC and GRIM and GRITTY and DARK, look at how realistic we are. humanity sucks and no one is good and everything is ironic because nothing really matters" tone of some tv these days. it feels like real complex people got shoved into a fun campy supernatural universe and it's fucking EVERYTHING.

if anyone reading this has not seen the show, i say please please do watch it—not just to get us more views for hope of the cancellation being retracted or anything, i dont honestly have that much hope of it succeeding. but ill say watch it anyway, because its just so wholly amazingly GOOD and i think everyone deserves to see it—if it gets renewed, or if it NEVER does and this one season is all we get of it. its still just such a fucking fantastic work of cinema, and the ending is hopeful enough to feel like a satisfying closing point even without a second season to wrap up the more ongoing plotpoints.

[lookslikechill]

Character Interview Tag

Tagged by @requiemesque JUST  before I tagged her in the last one I did haha.  And we’re doing Daphne, Hayden, Blake, and Reese this time just bc I want to!  They’re some of the Enforcers we meet first and (not counting Blake at this point) know the most about!

Guidelines: answer these 12 questions in the voice and manner of your character(s) and then tag as many or as few writeblr guys, as you would like⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. What did you have for breakfast?

Daphne: It’s hard to say what is breakfast on workdays, but on my last day off I had waffles, eggs, and fruit, at home with my family.

Hayden: Is it dinner or is it breakfast if you eat it at 2am?  

Blake: Very well-done scrambled eggs with green pepper, onion, garlic, and  tomato.

Reese:  A salad, no dressing, water on the side.  

2. What can you cook perfectly?

D: I used to be able to cook most things really well, since my mother was very . . . insistent that I learn how to cook everything under the sun to perfection.  I haven’t had much practice since I moved away from home, though.  At home, my husband, Henry, does most of the cooking. 

H: Listen, I don’t like to cook or anything, but occasionally I would help my mom bake bread and it would turn out pretty decent!

B: Anything that can be sauteed or grilled, I can cook it.  It will be edible, it will taste good, but it might not look all that fancy!  

R: Um . . . cookies?

3. If you could choose a pet, what what would it be?

D: I have a soft spot for cats.  Henry and I have talked about getting a pair of littermates once our youngest is a bit older.  

H: A dragon would be really cool!  Or a unicorn . . .  >heart eyes<

B: A dog. Classic.

R:  I had a couple lovebirds growing up.  They were sweethearts.  >small smile<

4. How is your relationship with your parents?

D: My father died before I was born.  I love my mom, and she loves me, but we don’t always get along.  We see each other often, and she’s great with the kids.  She’s not always great with Henry, though!  >chuckle<

H:  I never knew my dad.  I haven’t seen my mom in months, but I write her letters sometimes!  I love her, but she just really wants things for me that I don’t want.  Harvey and I came to Astervale to get away from our mothers and their expectations.  Harvery’s mom is WAY worse than mine, though! Wow!

B: I have a good relationship with my parents.  We keep in touch regularly.  They’re pleasant people, y’know, the kind that have lived in the same place since they married and had the same jobs for going on forever.  >fond smile<

R:  Alright.  They’re not happy that I chose to become an Enforcer, instead of training in the International Relationships Department like they did, but they’ll get over it.  They’re just a bit uptight.  >scoffs and crosses her arms< And people think I’m uptight.

5. What is your favorite read?

D: I don’t know, it’s been a while since I’ve read anything for me.  My most recent read?  Everybody Poofs.

H: Reading? For fun? Hahahahahaha haha ha hahaha ha haha

B: I don’t spend much time reading anymore, but when I did I really enjoyed any adventure involving sword-wielding ladies and dragons.

R: Anything educational.  Fiction is a waste of time, I’ll read fiction when I’m ancient. 

6. Do you put both socks on first, or one sock, one shoe?

D: No socks.  One shoe at a time.

H: I LEAP off my bed and my shoes jump onto my feet at the same time, mid-air! Haha! Glad you asked! 

B: I wear complicated shoes that require a bit of attention, so one at a time.  

R:  One shoe at a time.  >sighs, rolls her eyes< Like a proper witch of status.

7. Do you fold your clothes before bed?

D: I don’t fold them, but I do hang them.

H: >throwing his clothes on the bed and jumping on after them< Doing what before what now?

B: Seriously. Magic.

R: No.

8. How do you feel about marriage?

D: It’s a dream come true, honestly.  >gazes lovingly at Henry & the kids<

H:  It sounds nice!  If somebody I liked asked me to marry them, I’d die. . . of HAPPINESS!

B: Rather neutral.

R:  It’s a meaningful alliance, with the right person.

9. Who was the last person you crushed on?

D: Henry.  It worked out well.  

H:  Well, there’s somebody up in International Relations . . . they have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.

B: I don’t really do that.  Like, the romance thing.  I tried it out when I was younger, and it’s just not for me.  Even if I did, it just seems like people expect so much out of you, y’know?  I like my space to be my space, and my time to be my time.  Not counting work, of course.

R: I really don’t have time for that stuff right now.

10. What does your dream home look like? And where would it be?

D: Nothing can beat my current home.  Safe neighborhood, large yard, garden out back, a couple of trees, sensible layout on the inside with a cozy look and feel.  A perfect home to build a family, raise a couple kids.  I might even want to live here well into my senior years.

H:  A cave or an abandoned mine, for me to live in and protect.  I could leave and hunt birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, and come back to chase off any intruders.  I could have a bed of cloth bags full of leaves and a stone-lined firepit in the way back of the cave.  I would bath in a stream nearby and dress in deer pelts and fashion bowls and spoons out of bone.

B: A big stone house with high ceilings, a fireplace, and lots of windows.  Somewhere high up with a view.

R:  A small house, but not too small, just the right size so I can live there on my own and not a single corner will go unused.  Busy yet organized.  Somewhere isolated and private.  

11. What’s your worst habit?

D:  I can be . . . a little harsh, a bit judgmental, a little quick to form an opinion.  >muttering< I’mmymother’sdaughtherIguess. 

H: I’m loud? I guess?  >walks off to boast about how well he did in hand-to-hand combat training and talk to people at length while they are obviously trying to fill out paperwork<

B: I don’t always utilize my time properly. 

R: Sometimes . . . >whispers< sometimes I am bite the inside of my cheek a little.  

12. What do you do for living and how do you feel about your job?

D: I work as a high-level Enforcer.  I’ve worked hard to get to this point, and it’s well worth it.  We do a lot of good in this city.

H: I’m a mid-level Enforcer!  I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania, where I started out being an Enforcer, and I’m so glad I transferred to Astervale.  People actually listen to me, and there’s murder!! I mean, not that murder is great but it would have happened whether I was here or not and there wasn’t much murder happening at home!  They need me here!

B:  I’m a high-level Enforcer.  It’s worthwhile work, and I get along pretty well with the rest of the Enforcers, for the most part.

R: I’m an low-level Enforcer, which means I’m in training, basically.  I’m pleased to be here and ready to work hard.  

Tagging: Anybody who wants to do this!!  Just say I tagged you okay!  (you don’t have to do it with All of the characters at once like I keep doing ooooof)

[teashadephoenix]

Spoilers for Bohemian Rhapsody, insofar as you can spoil real life...

So Ive seen Bo Rhap. I cried through a good deal of it.

The cast is spectacular, although Ben Hardy is Too Pretty. (He does not get in the cupboard but the bit where he bitches about I'm In Love With My Car is a gold standard even without it.) I love everything Joe Mazzello was doing as Deacy, just.. every fucking face he made was hilarious. Gwilym Lee is a treasure. Like, he ceased to be Gwilym and was just Brian May. And Rami is exquisite. Like I dont have the ability to not see actors, I dont get lost in the performance very easily, but there are wholesale moments where the cast disappears and its Queen and that's usually about the time I would just start bawling. It's so pretty. IT'S SO PRETTY.  There are hilarious fucking in-jokes and moments that will gut you (there's this bit where Freddie goes off the rails at the guys, like oh Roger would be a dentist without me and Brian, you'd be Dr. Brian May without me, and then he tells Deacy he doesn't even know what he'd be without him and I feel like most people even nowadays forget about Deacy so I was like FREDDIE FFS YOURE BEING A CUNT)

which brings me to this, which is that I think there was a whimsy in the real Freddie that wasn't quite captured in the film? He's very angsty, and he has lovely soft moments, but there isn't a lot of fun to him. He's presented as this lonely tortured artist who is wildly unhappy with who he is and throws on this constant performance to get away from what he describes to Jim as the "inbetween moments," and once his attraction to men drives a wedge between Freddie and Mary and he becomes close with Paul, he throws himself further down the hole, drinking and getting high and partying until absolutely no one is left except Paul. There's this sense that he always felt on the outside, even within the band, because the other guys were all married and had families and Freddie had his cats and fucking Paul

btw Paul, while absolutely a dickbag, does not come across as the villain I had in my head based on stories I've heard of the shit he put Freddie through. A lot of the harsher shit is alluded to more than shown, and while Freddie is flamboyant and clearly attracted to men he's never shown in bed with any of them. The implication that he's taken them as lovers is there and that is all. Paul forces a kiss on him early on and then Freddie kisses Jim later, and apart from Freddie distinctly calling himself a bisexual when he and Mary break up, only for her to disagree and tell him he's gay, that's the extent of The Gay. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "dequeering" as some reports have, but it is only about as implicit as I expected and no more.

The movie clips on at a pace. It's 1970 then its 75 then its 80 then its 84 and finally its the Live Aid concert in 85 and that's where the film ends. The narrative line is clearly The Rise and Fall and Subsequent Rebirth of Freddie Mercury. He and Queen rise together, he jumps into a hole with Paul, and then he kicks Paul off and reunites with Queen to own Live Aid.

The AIDS diagnosis is in there, as well as Freddie telling the band about it in a scene that fucked with my tear ducts. tbh I cried for about the last twenty minutes, throughout the scene where he tells the band that he's sick, and then the entire Live Aid show. I was a puddle.

So I loved it, I definitely loved it. Not terribly accurate, but if you're going into a film to fact check then probably don't go, because it's a biopic not a documentary. It's beautiful to look at. Probably the prettiest biopic I've ever seen. It has the spirit of Queen, if not every intimate accurate detail of their story.

I love my boys. I love the boys they hired to play my boys. The movie delivered exactly what I expected, a beautiful recreation. Not perfect, not exact, but the heart was there.

[kateera-writes-blog]

What’s On The Menu

Well here I am again, trying to figure out when I got so busy (joke, I know it’s when I joined the Fannibals)! Plenty of writing projects are keeping me busy, as well as a road trip in August to Las Vegas. I’m hoping to keep you all as updated as possible so there should be a “What on the Menu” post every week. (Sorry if they get a little repetitive but it’s also for my benefit to keep me on track). With that, and a meow from Hannibal-the-cat, here’s what up and coming this summer.

Things Set for June!

The Deadly Seven – Hannibal Ship: Hannigram Summary: A retelling of The Magnificent Seven with Hannibal and Will at the center but with all our favorite characters out to play. Peace officer Will Graham is up against The Verger Company for the small town of Wolf Trap, Kansas. He’s needs some help, of the ruthless variety, so turns to his wanted posters and recruits the worst of the worst. Unknowingly, the worst of them is a random stranger they rescue on the side of the road to Wolf Trap, a doctor of the highest caliber, and Will can’t get him out of his head. Progress: Current word count is 22,141. Notes: Chapter 7 had been added so with Chapter 8 already started, this one is coming along swell! My two trash sons (Tier and Brown) are making leaps of progress while  Hannibal and Will are still circling each other but things are about to get very messy in Wolf Trap. *grins*

Once Our Eyes Watered – Hannibal Ship: Hannigram Summary: They’ve been dancing in the dark around each other for so long and now that they have a little light, Will and Hannibal are more scared of what it could reveal. Will grabs at the chance for a different kind of life, a life with Hannibal, not just beside Hannibal. Progress: Word Count is 3,522 Notes: Still waiting for my brain to settle so I can touch this one again. The smuttastic ending will happen so please be patient! Other projects are pulling at my short attention span. :P

 Things Set for July!

Wrong Door – SpaceDogs (Hannibal to the left) Ship: Spacedogs (Nigel/Adam) Summary: Nigel forgets where his apartment is while drunk and ends up passed out on Adam’s front hallway. He wakes up to a hangover, a blanket covered in stars draped over him, and a very annoyed neighbor (who might be the prettiest person he’s ever seen). Apologies are in order but Nigel thinks maybe a date might be better. Progress: No Word Count Notes: This will be for The Hannibal Cre-ate-ive fest #SpaceDogsSummer and I hope to make this a little ficlet but you know how that goes. It could be a giant story with multiple chapters if my muse has anything to say about it.

 Scenting - Hannibal Non Main Characters Ship: BearHawk Tier/Brown (A rarepair indeed) Summary - Alpha Randall Tier’s normal work day at the museum is interrupted by the most fascinating and mouthwatering scent he’s ever smelled. He follows his nose to an Omega wandering around the Rare Bird Exhibit. The scent is intoxicating and he can’t help but follow the Omega’s path, keeping back but never letting him out of his sight. When the Omega enters a restroom, Tier rushes in after him and finds himself slammed up against a stall. Omega Matthew Brown hates being followed and when he catches a rather nonthreatening Alpha trailing him, he leads him into the nearest restroom, intent on tearing him apart. Even slammed against the stall though, the Alpha can’t stop sniffing the air and Matthew isn’t quite sure what to make of the man so drawn to his scent. Progress: No Word Count Yet Notes: Well, this will be my first A-B-O fic so of course, I’m also making it a Tier/Brown fic as well. Its for the #SummertimeSlick Fest (hosted by the awesome people of @hannigram-a-b-o-library ) happening all of July and I have a few lined up but this is the first (though it ties into the second).

 Accidental Bonding - Hannibal Non Main Characters Ship: Tier/Brown (Yes, I love my trash sons) Summary - After a rather heated argument turns into scenting and kissing and then into racing out of the bathroom because someone needs to use it, Randall is kicking himself for not chasing Matthew down and getting his number. He’s sure he’ll never see the snarky Omega again. A late night grocery store run for them both, Matthew teetering on the edge of heat, and a challenge from another Alpha changes all of that and Matthew drags Randall home to help him through his heat. Bite marks and bonding were not as welcome. Progress: No Word Count Yet Notes: SECOND A-B-O Story! Yes, the continuing adventures of my trash sons and their fascination with each other. Again, due to post during #SummertimeSlick and Randall and Matthew are ready to smirk their way into your hearts.

 OTHER THINGS!

I’m hoping to churn out two more stories for July, including two more A-B-O fics centered more around Hannibal and Will. I’m also cataloging characters for my romance fantasy novels which I will post here as time allows.

 Things Set for August!

A Different Kind of Lure – Hannibal Ship: Hannigram (Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter) Summary: Hannibal leaves Will at a rest home for the dying when he doesn’t wake up from his coma after the fall. Will does wake up to find Hannibal gone, a goodbye note for him on the night stand, and a church full of surprised (but silent) nuns. He’s not pleased to find Hannibal gone and will do anything to find him, even if those methods are a little more familiar than is quite safe. Progress: Word count is 996 Notes: This was a weird one that popped into my head during The Radiance Anthology race but it needed more time to percolate so now it fits here. Hoping to at least have the first chapter of this done for The Hannibal Cre-ate-ive fest, #ItsStillBeautiful and then work from there. It’s different from my normal writing style so I’m a touch concerned about it.

That’s all on my plate for now but who knows, maybe I’ll be inspired! Feel free to prompt and chat with me in my other blog @kateera