#and she’s there to move the plot along and do evil stuff

[your-favorite-bean]

If I ever get good enough at drawing I would definitely do an animation about the relationship of five and the handler with sex with a ghost by teddy Hyde in the background

I feel like the lyrics go well with those two and their dynamic

Sooooooo day one of me not doing it

[sundrop-writes]

The Restricted Section

Hermione Granger x Fem!Gryffindor!Reader x Harry Potter

Summary:

Harry wishes that Hermione would just relax. Just because he doesn't know the exact source of a hand-written spell in an old textbook doesn't mean that it's completely evil.

Intent to prove her wrong, he dawns his Invisibility Cloak and sneaks off to the Restricted Section of the library, looking for a more solid source of that spell - and he completely forgets everything that he set out to do when he finds Hermione along the way, doing something (or rather, someone) in a secluded corner of the library that is definitely not studying. (Something that he'll never be able to get out of his mind ever again.)

Hermione Granger x Fem!Gryffindor!Reader x Harry Potter. Accidental Voyeurism upon an Established Relationship. Smut/PWP. Set during Half-Blood Prince.

Word Count: 4,400

Harry Potter Masterlist | AO3 Link

Full list of warnings and author's notes below the cut.

Warnings: this fic is primarily smut focused; there is some very vague plot - Harry and Hermione have an argument because Hermione doesn't like the Half-Blood Prince's book and wants Harry to get rid of it (and they are still not on good terms when the smutty stuff comes up); passing mention of a hex that gives you boils that never heal; the primary pairing in this fic is between Hermione and the reader, and Harry spies on them having sex using his Invisibility Cloak - that does mean that this fic has dubious consent and dubious morality, because Harry never asks for their permission to watch and never reveals himself to them, and during the course of this fic they also don't find out that he's there (if this is the kind of thing that makes you uncomfortable, then I would recommend moving on to one of my other fics); the reader has a vagina and uses she/her pronouns; the reader's looks - including race, hair colour, skin tone, etc. are not described in anyway; there is use of Y/N in this fic; the reader is a Gryffindor in this fic (I wanted her to be closer with Hermione, sharing a dorm with her, and be closer to the trio in general); Harry has had a crush on the reader for a while before this, but this is the first time he views Hermione sexually past his platonic friendship feelings for her; accidental voyeurism - Harry does not intend to spy on the girls, but once he discovers them, he doesn't stop watching; semi-public sex - Hermione and the reader are fucking in the library, but they are fucking in a much more secluded part of the library where Hermione knows that someone is less likely to discover them; there is some sub/dom dynamics - Hermione and the reader having a pre-existing sub/dom relationship where Hermione is very dominant and the reader is submissive, and Harry is understanding those dynamics as he observes them; Hermione calls the reader: little girl (not as indication of her size, but as a form of degradation and condescension), little bitch, little whore, slutty, brat, darling,; Hermione demands to be called 'Mistress'; Harry is a switch - he imagines himself as both dominant and submissive in his fantasies; (Harry as a 'sir' kink in his fantasies); mentions of creampie kink (one of Harry's fantasies); Hermione is very mean and condescending toward the reader; brat taming/punishment and reward - the reader has 'misbehaved' and Hermione seeks to correct it; degradation kink (towards the reader); Hermione fingers the reader; Hermione uses the reader's tie like a leash; lots of dirty talk (from Hermione); Harry considers masturbating but does not (because he fears getting caught) (and there is a mention of him masturbating to thoughts of what happened in a more private space afterwards); pussy spanking/clit spanking (from Hermione towards reader) and ass spanking (towards reader - just once) (no severe pain kink); orgasm denial (towards the reader); I believe that's it.

A/N: This was such a random idea that zapped into my head that demanded to be written. People were asking for Hermione x Fem!Reader smut and it was something I really wanted to do, but I only really felt inspired to do it when it occurred to me to write Hermione through Harry's eyes. To talk about her going from this very non-sexual being to someone so sexually powerful in his eyes - it was something really fun. And I am so glad I actually managed to squeeze this one in and finish it before the poll for the other fic finished up. I feel like this is such a fun, Harry Potter based idea that uses themes and elements unique to the series. And it's wonderful, filthy horny smut. So I hope that you guys enjoy!!

...

Harry really didn’t understand Hermione sometimes. 

She was an amazing friend, someone that he wouldn’t trade for the world - someone so wonderfully loyal, smart, and fun to be around during the times when she let herself actually relax and untense. But during the times when she had that intensely large stick up her arse, she could be the biggest pain in the world. Sometimes, it was like she stayed up late in her dormitory, just thinking of ways to drive Harry and Ron utterly mad. 

Yes, Harry knew that his particular fascination with the Half-Blood Prince’s book was not exactly… normal. But Hermione’s attachment to a lot of her books was never normal either. And just because the book was old didn’t mean that it was bad. Just because Harry was fascinated by it didn’t mean that there would be negative consequences. 

There was no reason for her to go off on a long tangent about ‘dark magic’ and ‘the Latin origins of spells’ when he had asked her about a hand-written spell that was in the book. Something that spiralled into a huge argument between the two of them when he refused to hand over the Prince’s book once she had asked him where he had gotten the spell. To her, it was something that sounded very dangerous, and she complained that therefore, the whole book was dangerous. He complained that she had a knot in her knickers because he had just been asking if she knew what the spell was or not, if she had heard of it before - it’s not like he had any intentions of actually using it. 

And then Hermione had warned him that he should simply throw the book away and he told her that she was just jealous that he was actually getting better grades than her in a class for once, and the night ended with her huffing off to bed and stomping up the stairs - and the two of them hadn’t spoken in over a day because of it. Ron was nagging both of them to make-up - but Harry was chuffed, honestly. For once, Ron knew what it felt like to be between two feuding friends, trying to mend the fences. 

Harry wasn’t going to apologise. 

Hermione wasn’t the queen of everything. She couldn’t just demand things from him and expect him to follow suit. He had his own brain, despite what she thought, and he could make his own judgements. Harry had no plans to use the spell if Hermione thought it was dangerous, and he had just been asking about it out of curiosity. But he was more peeved that it led to her demanding that he throw the book away or destroy it, like she held some authority over him, like she was his damn mother or something. 

This left Harry stewing in his annoyance as he made his way to the Restricted Section of the library the next night. He was still curious if the spell had any other known origins - another spell book, some kind of book about dark magic. Hell, he would revert to a Latin textbook if he was desperate, just to get a leg-up without directly asking Hermione. But he was headed to the Restricted Section first - because as much as she was annoying, Hermione usually was right. 

He was feeling confident and perhaps a bit cocky to find the source of the spell and wield some more knowledge over her that she didn’t have. For once. 

Harry had dawned his Invisibility Cloak for this task, of course. It wasn’t past curfew yet, but the library was about ten minutes from closing, and he knew that it would be easier to sneak in before Madame Pince locked up and stay there well after dark, taking his time in order to find what he needed. And any trip to the Restricted Section without a note from a professor giving permission required such a disguise. 

The library was practically deserted due to the late hour - most students having wandered off to bed like good rule followers. Harry wasn’t surprised when he heard a particular, familiar voice coming from an isolated area of small desks study carols back between a few towering book cases. Of course, she would think that this would be the perfect place to get her work done, undisturbed. He couldn’t hold back from rolling his eyes when he heard that voice taking on her usual scolding, bossy tone. 

“I am not at all pleased with you, you know that?” 

It was Hermione. 

Harry knew for a fact that Ron was in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, his face unpleasantly glued to Lavender’s once again, so he wasn’t the one in the path of Hermione’s wrath this time. Harry had to wonder who exactly had come on the other end of her up-tight, nosy fortitude. 

He had seen Hermione usher you off to the library after class earlier that afternoon, saying something about the mark on your last Transfiguration essay being ‘far below your usual standard’, and talking about how you ‘needed to follow her study schedule more closely’ - and Harry had felt sorry for you at the time, if anything. The fact that you would have Hermione hovering over your shoulder, bothering you all afternoon, marking all your work and making you redo it to her incredibly high standards. 

Sometimes, he felt sorry for the fact that you had to share a dorm with her. That you couldn’t escape Hermione even for a peaceful night of slumber. 

But surely the two of you hadn’t spent this long in the library together. Even you wouldn’t take three or four hours to do your homework up to Hermione’s standards. She would have freed you by now - and with any luck, you would be off somewhere, snogging some lucky bloke - (Harry couldn’t let that particular train of jealous thought get to him right now). 

“Little girl, am I going to have to get mean with you?” 

Hermione’s voice came again, just as bitter as usual, and then it clicked with Harry. 

No, it wasn’t you, perhaps Hermione was taking out her anger on a couple of First Years for not doing their homework, getting on the wrong end of Hermione’s ill-guided Prefect power that she wielded like a presidency. Harry held back a scoff of laughter, and he couldn’t help the urge to move toward the sound of her voice, eager to see what exactly was going on. 

“Stop being such a whiny little bitch - you asked for this. Now shut up and take it like a good little whore.” 

Those words - those words in Hermione’s voice - immediately smacked Harry in the face harder than any stunning curse ever could have. He craned his neck around the bookcase in front of him so hard to see what was happening that he harshly smacked one of his shoulders, nearly giving himself away with the noise and having to strangle down his cry of pain in order not to be caught. 

However, after a moment, he came around the corner completely and rested against the bookcase comfortably as his eyes took in the utterly unbelievable sight at the other end of the aisle. 

Holy fuck. 

Holy… fuck. 

It was you. 

You and Hermione. Hermione and you. 

You and Hermione looking like some sort of unbelievable pornographic dream. 

Hermione had you pressed up against a desk, your legs spread wide for her with your arse just balanced on the edge of the table while she stood between them - it took Harry’s very stunned brain a moment to process it, but he realised that her arm working furiously between your thighs like that, pistoning back and forth while you spread your legs wider and leaned into the touch could only mean one thing. 

She was finger-fucking your pussy. 

Harry had no clue how he hadn’t picked up on the other sounds previously, especially not in the dead quiet of the library. But it was blatantly fucking clear to his ears now. The sound of your wetness sliding against her fingers, so beautifully sloppy - he could only imagine how slick you were, how pretty your cunt looked around her fingers, which were usually only meant for gripping quills or turning the pages in her next book. Along with your repressed moans, barely caught in your chest where you were biting your lip raw, clearly trying your best to stay quiet - the sounds coming out, as Hermione had described them: whines, as though you were a needy bitch in heat. 

Harry was in utter shock. 

Never, in a thousand years, would ever have imagined Hermione Granger looking at you with crazed heat in her eyes, her stern brow and disappointed frown somehow so perfectly fitting for the situation. Scolding you in her bossy voice while she held on tight to your Gryffindor tie like a leash, keeping your posture tight and straight as she finger-fucked you in the most rough, harsh way that Harry could have ever pictured. 

Hermione - uptight, bookish, rule-bound Hermione - fucking you in the library where anybody could have caught the two of you. It seemed so wildly unimaginable, and yet - when more scolding words came out of her lips in that bossy tone, it seemed… so terribly fitting for her. 

“You’ve been such a naughty girl, haven’t you?” Hermione breathed hotly, giving another harsh tug on your tie that made you whine deeply in the back of your throat. 

Harry swore the sound of her fingers jabbing between your legs became even wetter, sloppier sounding. So you liked being called naughty. 

“Yes, I have-” You whined out, and Hermione tugged the tie again, cutting off anything further that you had to say with a harsh jolt. 

Harry’s cock snapped to attention at an alarmingly fast rate, the blood rushing into his prick so quickly that it almost made him dizzy. The moral contention of watching two of his good friends go at it didn’t really cross his mind at all (perhaps his morality was going a bit too grey, using an old marked up book to ‘cheat’ in his classes these days). But he knew that wanking would be a bad idea simply based on the fact that he would have a difficult time staying quiet. So he reached down and squeezed the bulge in his trousers, gaining little relief from this as he looked on. He likely wouldn’t have been able to pull his eyes away if Voldemort himself showed up and demanded it. 

“Such a naughty little bitch - you can’t even go one afternoon without having your slutty cunt filled, can you?” Hermione demanded, her words seemingly growing filthier by the second. 

“I need it.” You moaned, arching into her further, as though you were possessed. 

Harry would have wondered if she had been replaced by someone else, or bewitched - but you seemed to love it, loved everything she was saying. She seemed to be playing into a knowledge of your kinks, things that she knew would make you weaker and more lustful in her hands. Which was so Hermione that it was painful. Studying for something, keeping a backlog of useful knowledge. 

Harry just never would have guessed that she would have used her big brain for this. 

What made matters even more dizzying and shocking - this was Hermione and you. A pair he never would have thought up that also somehow made so much sense. Now, every single time the two of you snuck off giggling and Harry thought that it was just something girlish that he didn’t understand - he had to wonder what the two of you had been doing. 

The fact that Hermione had been Viktor Krum’s date to the Yule Ball and you had been Harry’s, but you and Hermione had been glued to each other all night made a lot more sense. Every single time the two of you walked to class together holding hands, every single time you showed up to the Gryffindor table with some kind of glaring love mark on your neck and Ginny or someone else asked you about it and Hermione had laughed when you named off a different boy from a different house - it all made strange sense in Harry’s eyes. 

This was you - one of the hottest, most sought-after girls at Hogwarts. The star of every single one of Harry’s wanking fantasies since you had given him a pity kiss under some mistletoe after a DA meeting. (He had a feeling that Hermione would be sneaking into those fantasies too, now, as much as he had tried to keep her out on the grounds that it would be rude to wank to his best friend). You, someone who was so gorgeous and so desirable and somehow never seemed to have a long-term boyfriend, as often as guys asked you on dates, and as often as you claimed to like certain boys and even flirted with them. 

Apparently Hermione had been keeping you on a leash this whole time. A tight leash - just like the way she was holding your tie, keeping you close, keeping you waiting with baited breath for her next move. 

“Mione-” You breathed out in return, a slight begging in your voice that had Harry light-headed in seconds. 

This was better than any fantasy he could have dreamt up. 

“Ah-ah. Hush, little girl.” Hermione fired back, that bossy condescending she always used somehow sounding all the more perfect in this context. “You’ve been such a proper brat all day, and you’re going to take what I give you, understand?” 

You nodded your head (as much as you could with the hold she had on you) and made a noise of affirmation. But Hermione gave another sharp tug on your tie, clearly displeased with this. 

“Come on, use your words now. Be a good girl.” She ordered sharply, the only thing giving away what must have been her own arousal being a slight hint of breath on her voice. Otherwise, she was entirely proper - not a single wrinkle in her impeccable uniform, her face entirely straight and firm as she stared you down with sharp eyes. 

“Yes, Mione-” 

“No, darling. Wrong again.” 

Hermione hauled her hand back, creating another loud wet sound as she hauled her fingers out of your pussy entirely. Harry harshly craned his neck again, and it was only then that it truly occurred to him, between his dizzy head, his cement legs and his hard cock painful against his pelvis, protesting wildly against his zipper, that he could actually move closer to get a better look. With his Cloak guarding him, he would not be seen. 

He tried his best not to rush, not to make too much noise especially as he got closer, and he almost scolded himself when he nearly missed out on it - the wet smack as Hermione brought her hand down between your thighs. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have guessed that she had so boldly laid two rapid spanks right across your swollen, needy clit. Your skirt flipped up out of the way, no panties in sight, and giving her all the room in the world to do so. 

You harshly bit down on your own lip again, worrying the skin to the point where it was swollen and looked like it might even bruise, dampening down harsh cries from deep within your chest. Before Harry could worry that the tears pooling in your eyes had meant that Hermione had truly hurt you, you spread your legs wider and canted your hips more toward her, offering your body up for more. 

And then, you opened your lips again, seemingly to obey whatever implicit command she had given you with the spanks. 

“Yes, Mistress.” You choked out, putting stress on the title, as if correcting your earlier self. “Yes, I understand.” 

“Good girl.” Hermione replied, more breath this time as she used your tie to pull you into a heated kiss, and then shoved three firm fingers back into your waiting, leaking cunt. 

Harry’s head was spinning. 

He had never seen anything more beautiful and erotic in his life (not even when Fred and George had shown him and Ron those Wonder Witch magazines - no, this was much hotter and more perfect because it was so real). 

His mind was spinning with a unique kind of jealousy, something that told him that he was sure if he wanted to steal you away from Hermione because he thought he could - because he now knew all of your sexual preferences and he would use that information to play you, to do everything she was doing to you and more. He would make you the perfect horny little puppet on his painful, throbbing cock (he gave himself another squeeze through his trousers, suppressing a moan of his own). He would have you calling him ‘Sir’ and begging for his cock in no time, because you needed it - you needed to have your holes filled and you would fucking love it. 

Or if he wanted Hermione playing him like this - tugging on his hair, guiding him around by his tie like he was nothing more than a wretched dog, needing to be tamed. Wanted her using that bossy voice of hers to give him completely different kinds of orders - forcing him onto his knees to eat her cunt until she was satisfied, and - knowing her - she never would be. 

Harry’s mind flashed with an image of him on his knees before you, his head so perfectly framed by your plush thighs, with Hermione behind him, barking orders in his ear, a tight grip on his hair as she shoved him tighter into your perfect, messy, wet pussy. He decided that was it - that was exactly what he wanted. That would be the vision that haunted his dreams from now on. 

It was something that had him leaking enough precum to stain through to the outside of his pants, especially by the time your voice warbled out brokenly against Hermione’s chin, your thighs starting to shake, and Harry was sure that he would get the treat of seeing you cum on her fingers. 

He was sorely disappointed by what happened next. 

Hermione pulled back from you completely, creating another deadly wet sound as she pulled her fingers from your cunt once again - something that was almost drowned out by the pitched, disappointed whine that you let out. 

“Mione-!” You complained sharply, the nickname almost coming out as a sob from the back of your throat. 

You sat frozen on the edge of the desk, your legs spread wide as you stared Hermione down with glassy, disappointed eyes while she stepped back and grabbed a handkerchief from her bag that was sitting on a table opposite and used it to wipe off her glistening fingers. 

Harry rushed to get a better look at your cunt before you closed your legs, and Merlin - it was magnificent. Swollen and puffed from Hermione’s efforts, coated in your wetness, your clit stuck out from the hood and standing at attention, so damn needy, begging to be touched, your hole slightly gaped from where Hermione’s fingers had been. 

(Harry couldn’t help but to imagine how stretched you would be left by the thickness of his cock, how good you would look leaking with his cum…) 

“What did you expect?” Hermione said sharply, the edge of a sarcastic laugh on her voice. She was firm, not giving in to the pout that you were giving her. 

“You’ve been bratting up all day - I could have excused you flirting with Malfoy all through potions class-” She continued. 

Harry had noticed that too. He had simply thought that Malfoy would be your next conquest, not a simple flirtation to get on Hermione’s nerves. 

“If not for the fact that you didn’t finish any of your homework and you then decided to distract me from doing mine all afternoon.” 

Of course. Hermione doling out sexual punishments for not doing homework. 

Some things are just nature. 

Though, Harry knew, if there was one thing that would motivate him to do his essays - it would be the idea of getting to cum. 

“Of course you don’t get to cum, you stupid whore.” Hermione said these words how she said many things - as a final, finite declaration that was law. 

Hearing her speak such filthy words in such an authoritative (and nearly emotionless) voice almost caused Harry to cum in his pants on the spot. Almost. 

You let out a sigh of defeat and finally closed your legs, hopping off the desk and pulling down your skirt. Obviously, you hadn’t been wearing panties at all that day (which was another thought that would haunt Harry’s wet dreams) because you made no move to find a pair and put them back on. Instead, you simply turned around and gathered some of your books that were farther back on the desk. 

“How long?” You asked Hermione tentatively, glancing over your shoulder at her. 

Perhaps meaning - how long would she be angry with you? How long until she would finally allow you to cum? 

Harry’s stomach lurched - he imagined himself finding you in the hallway and pinning you against the wall, flipping up your skirt and finding your still wet, bare cunt, teasing you with his fingers and promising to give you everything that you needed as long as you surrendered yourself to him. He would let you cum - he would make you cum so many times that you would cry and beg for him to stop. And he would leave you tired, satisfied and gaped with his cum dripping from all your pretty holes. 

Perhaps it would be rude and underhanded to go after you simply based on a void that Hermione had left in you - but Harry was still feeling a bit of a petty sting from their argument the night before. 

Hermione stepped toward you again - careful, calculated, like a predator observing its prey. She put her hands on either side of your waist, and leaned forward to whisper something in your ear that Harry barely caught. 

“For as long as I want, naughty girl.” She told you. “You’ll take what you get, and you’ll like it, you understand me?” 

“Yes, Mistress.” You sighed loyally in return. Though your face was knit with a unique displeasure - clearly, you were still aching to cum. 

“And if I think for a moment that you have been touching your little whore cunt without my permission, I will spank you until every single person in Hogwarts hears you scream my name - understood?” 

She topped this off with a sharp spank across your ass, using her free hand to hold the fabric of your skirt out of the way to make sure it was nothing but free, burning, skin on skin. You sucked in a sharp breath, and began nodding furiously. 

“Yes, Mistress.” 

“Good.” Hermione told you. “Now, off to bed.” 

You began to walk off, but you hesitantly looked back over your shoulder, as if waiting for her to follow. 

“I’ll be along in a few minutes. I have to sort out some more books for tomorrow. Since I now have so much to catch up on.” She added the last part with a bit of snark, and you rolled your eyes, turning around and walking. 

Unfortunately, you abruptly headed in Harry’s direction and his stomach tightly clenched - he moved to press himself tightly into the bookcase, praying that you wouldn’t bump into him. 

Perhaps you felt him move, or you simply felt something… off, but you paused for a moment, and stared harshly at the space where Harry was standing. His heart began to beat hard inside of his throat, and he wondered how fast he would be able to run with his cock so uncomfortably stiff inside of his pants. You kept staring, as though you were expecting something to materialise out of thin air. 

“Y/N, go.” Hermione snapped. “Go on, it’s almost curfew.” 

“Yes, Miss Prefect, I’m going.” You sighed sarcastically in return, and walked off. 

Harry had a hard time not loudly gulping in air - not realising how harshly he had been holding his breath. 

He stayed there for a few more minutes and continued to watch Hermione. 

Jarringly, she was still so much of the usual Hermione. She was still absolutely someone that he knew so well, despite the secret sex persona that she had been hiding. Still biting at the skin around her nails as she concentrated on a thought, still fussing over which books to take, and still leaving the library with more of an armful than she could comfortably carry. Still somehow forgetting that she could just use magic to lug all the books to the Gryffindor common room instead of tiring out her arms - and Harry only fitfully realised now that this was only half her arm workout, and fucking your cunt raw must have been the other half. 

The whole time he stood there, Harry had considered revealing himself to her. 

He thought about begging to be let in on what the two of you had, even if he had to do something horrible to earn it first, to be worthy in her eyes - something like licking her shoes or wanking in front of her just to be ‘even’. But he knew that she would see the spying (even if unintentional) as a violation of trust, as something too creepy to be redeemed. She would probably hex him to hell and back, make him grow boils that would break open and bleed and never properly heal for the rest of his life - just for thinking about spying on her like that. 

So Harry knew that he had to keep this whole thing a secret, keep it close to his chest. He could never, ever speak about it to anyone. 

Harry forgot all about the book he had wanted. And, instead of going back to the Gryffindor common room behind Hermione, he took his aching cock to the Prefect’s Bathroom in an attempt to clear his mind. After making himself cum not once, but three different times, he finally settled into the hot water for a nice, long soak. He thought about it, and he realised that he was properly fucked - because he would never be able to look at you or Hermione in the same way again.

...

A/N: This is a oneshot, and at this current time, there is not going to be a continuation or a 'Part 2'. I might be open to writing a second part to this, but I don't have any current plans to do so and right now, it is not on my schedule. For now, if you are going to leave a comment on this fic, please leave a comment about the body of work that has been written instead of asking for more. If you want to see more Harry Potter fics that I have written, definitely check out my Harry Potter masterlist.

[ewingstan]

any strong opinions on amy dallon

Feel like answering this is the equivalent of inviting a vampire into my home.

If this is just asking how I personally feel about Amy Dallon the character: I'd say she's among the strongest characters wildbow has written. She was used exceptionally well throughout Worm; in her initial interactions with Taylor, her smugness and petty insults help convince the reader to doubt the use of hero/villain as absolute markers of moral standing. As it goes on, and we see more of Amy's home situation, it becomes more clear how much Amy's haughtiness towards the villains comes from her insecurity; a desperate attempt to differentiate herself from them so that she can feel more like she belongs with the Dallons. It humanizes the heroes—stopping Ward from becoming a simple palette swap story where all the heroes are ontologically evil and the villains are brave noble freedom fighters—while making the hero/villain conceptual framework seem all the more ridiculous and destructive.

Later, around the same time Taylor is talking to Sabah and Lily about how "hero" and "villain" are just labels that don't determine one's morality, Amy is having the same realization—and panicking about it, because it means that being a hero doesn't mean she can't be the horrible person she fears she is. Because while she's figure out that hero/villain doesn't necessarily have any metaphysical weight, she's still sure that good person/bad person are clear ontological categories. And if being a hero doesn't just mean you're a good person, then she might really be the person her parent's treatment of her implies she is. She might actually be in danger of acting on those troubling thoughts that surely no good person would have.

In terms of her Ward stuff, I haven't gotten to the big things people had problems with so I can't comment too much. I think Ward Amy is effective as a villain in Victoria's story, but all the plot points of her allying with Goddess and taking command of the prisoners make sense only for a character whose the villain of Victoria's story, and don't make sense for Amy as we saw her in Worm. These plot points are working off the "person who thinks in terms of good and evil and is convinced she's evil" thing without addressing how by the end stage of worm, we'd seen her attitude had changed and that she'd started to move towards seeing people as not being inherently anything. Moreover, the writing kind of reaffirms the belief that some people are just bad people. I might not have that critique if there was more framing like "Amy is behaving this way because she's been told by everyone that she's villainous and so is falling into the expected role," but that's not really a thing in Ward. Hell, its less of a thing than it was in Worm.

There are shitty things Ward Amy does that I can get behind and say "yeah Worm Amy would do that," like going along with Carol's reconciliation plan and then running after Victoria when she leaves. Sure, she wants to resolve that, that's consistent with the original motivation of the wretchening incident. But most of the Amy writing after that, nah. I'm sympathetic to the "That's a different character" claims for everything past arc nine or so. That's her Noelle clone or something palling around with Goddess. Have Amy step out of the plot after the Dot interlude and ride off into the sunset, and let WB do a compelling pathetic-yet-very hatable villain with some other character.

If this is about recent intra-fandom stuff:

You can point out how a character is described in kinda racist language, both to criticize the text and to analyze what the story is doing with that character. Don't see how that's controversial, not sure how that got turned into "you're saying she's black". Authors making a white character read as bad or degenerate by describing them as sharing traits with black/brown stereotypes is a pretty common trope historically, its worth noting it when it happens.

And while I can see why people could get inspired by some aspect of how Amy is made to feel like a degenerate, and run with it by depicting her as literally dirty/pest-ridden or writing her with more taboo kinks, I don't think such depictions are beyond criticism. I might defend some of them on the basis of alternate readings of the character. If you're doing something with it, using Amy to explore something you're really interested in—there's at least a discussion to be had, and maybe something interesting would come if it. But you can't meet an honest critique of the ideas in your work, or a claim that they make already bad parts of her original depiction worse, by saying "its just a joke." Its art about Amy, there's gonna be ideas and messaging that goes along with it, even without you meaning to put them in. Don't fight that, embrace it! We'll all be better shitposters if we consider our shitposts worthy of critique.

[unnecessary-dinosaurs]

*Long, exasperated sigh*

Ok. Chaos Theory season two review.

Spoilers below the cut. This might be a long one.

When this show was first announced, I was thrilled. The characters that meant so much to me would be coming back in a new series. I almost cried once after the first teaser leaked because I was just so excited to see Darius again. I was admittedly a little nervous too. Camp Cretaceous ended on such a good note. Did we really need a continuation? Going into the first season, I was cautiously optimistic.

Then it came and went. I liked it fine, but it wasn’t the same as Camp Cretaceous. In the following months I felt the years long grip JWCC had on me start to loosen. So by the time this season two came around, I was the least excited I ever had been for a new season.

For all of its run, Camp Cretaceous was so good because it simply refused the flaws of the current Jurassic movies. Where the JW trilogy prioritized action, JWCC prioritized the characters and their bonds. Where JW treated dinosaurs like scary monsters, JWCC treated them like animals. Where JW didn’t know when to end, JWCC ended when its story was finished.

Chaos Theory feels like this side story finally adhering to the rules of the franchise. The characters take a backseat to convoluted plots and mature dinosaur action. The story continues even though it doesn’t need to.

I’m not saying the season is horrible or even bad. I just feel like this show, despite its many strengths, hasn’t yet justified its existence to me. If you’re going to uproot the amazing ending of the first show, it has to be for good reason. And I’m just not convinced yet.

First, what I liked about the season:

-The first episode was genuinely so good. Like seriously amazing stuff. Great atmosphere and tension and sets up the rest of the season nicely.

-Brooklynn!! My least favorite camper in JWCC was my favorite this time around. Her flaws were layered and interesting and her motivations were compelling. Her flashback episode was my second favorite. Her relationship with Ronnie was good, and I consistently found myself drawn more to her side of the story.

-This kind of goes without saying but the art direction is still just so good. The lighting is so perfect, the models and the way they move are perfect, everything is just really nice visually.

-I liked the ending. I was worried that everyone would be happy and reunited by the end of the season and it would be too easy, so I’m glad they’re stretching out the conflict.

-The video call scene in episode three. It was just really cute. Good cute moment.

Ok. And now what I didn’t like so much:

-I feel like nothing happened this season? Like all the information in these ten episodes could have been condensed to five. Just really frustrating pacing. Felt like a lot of filler (a whole season of filler).

-I’m just really upset with how the characters were written. Why were none of them (except Brooklynn) interesting? Who even are these people? Why do they have the most generic dialogue ever? Like, I’m expected to care about Kenji, but that’s just literally not Kenji. He doesn’t look, sound, talk, or act like Kenji. Why is his character just being angry and making bad puns now? Why is Ben so boring? Arguably the most interesting character in JWCC is just some guy now? I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this but I can hardly be convinced to feel for these versions of the Nublar Six.

-The new characters were ok at best. They were all serviceable and likable, but I just couldn’t really understand why they were there. Zayna was completely fine, but I saw no reason for her to tag along the entire season. I really just don’t think she contributed much besides acting as a tour guide. The scientist guy was just completely one dimensional. Evil scientist. That’s the character.

-And the best new character from last season just never came back. Where was The Handler? She was such a highlight last season and she had one scene. Bummer.

-The Camp Fam finding out that B is alive was so underwhelming? It felt random and undeserved. There was little build up so what should’ve been a really important moment didn’t have much gravity for me.

-I get what they were trying to do with the hippos and lions but I just don’t really care, sorry. I’m watching Jurassic World, I want to see dinosaurs. I at least appreciate the thought though.

-I wish Brooklynn’s plot hadn’t been faking being bad to get cozy with Santos. It felt like a rehash of Darius pretending to be with Kash in season four of JWCC. A much better rehash, yes, but a rehash nonetheless. I just wish they’d done something more interesting there.

-There were several plot points from last season that were hardly/never brought up. Darius’s crush on Brooklynn, Ben’s girlfriend, Sammy and her family, etc. Why?

I have more stuff I could say but I don’t want it to seem like I think this is the worst season of tv ever. Or even the worst season in JWCC/CT. There’s a lot of genuinely good stuff in here, I just feel like it gets meddled with all the junk being in a franchise comes with. Camp Cretaceous avoided it to an extent, but eventually, it caught up. I know a lot of people like this show and I’m happy for them, but I’m just not one of them. I hope my complaints are addressed in future seasons, but honestly, I won’t count on it.

[thedragonchilde]

Going back and making notes for the first dozen episodes, since I downloaded the series! Here I have 1-6

"Gundam Fight Begins! The Gundam That Fell to Earth"

-some prime worldbuilding opportunities already!

-Domon’s first smile of the series is toward a child :)

-I wish we'd gotten more of Rain’s gadgets

-if these kids lost their parents in the last Gundam Fight, Sophia would've had to be just a baby. These boys raised a baby!

-we never get more on how the KoH title (and by extension the rest of the Shuffle Alliance) is actually known to belong to an elite fighter

-it's a shame that Michelo is such a hate sink because he's regrettably quite fashionable

"Roar of the Winning Punch"

-second episode, second instance of Domon in a bar. Is that whiskey?

-when the hell did he have time for 100 bouts? Even if you fudged his age, that doesn't make sense. They have to be counting practice or something

-Chibodee does NOT take embarrassment well

-and this is why they're rivals - that was a solid punch!

-ah, the shady government officials, who assassinate rival fighters and… hypnotize/brainwash people?

-little Chibodee!

-why is Mount Rushmore on the colony?

-the phallic sword positioning makes its debut

-”we'll eliminate you as well!” Damn, okay

-how can she know what Domon's suit-up sequence looks like and call Chibodee the showoff

-“Oh yeah”

-”why don't you just finish me off/I bet you pity me/my dream is now over” shit, the “Star of Hope” isn't very optimistic, though I guess that appellation was given to him to live up to rather than him choosing it

-he doesn't get why the crowd is encouraging him, let alone Domon. Oh honey

-”you're one of the good guys” hee :)

"Beat the Dragon Gundam"

-Sai, why are you sleeping in the road

-you little shit

-lol Chinese Gundams and water

-there's a lot of moving parts in this plot so I feel like I don't have much to say

-besides various versions of “you little shit”

-a draw! Nice to see Domon not winning handily

"Challenge! The Red Rose Knight!"

-They actually designed a Sand family crest

-ah, early installment weirdness, Raymond (or his lookalike) is with the princess

-DAMMIT DOMON

-is George psychically interfacing with his Gundam? Like, he's not in it, and he doesn't have a remote. Voice activation? And he's able to stand on it while it's moving, that's some A+ balance

-what is that bottle? Booze again?

-is he gently shooting her down or is he just oblivious? Probably the latter, since he's confused that she didn't want to listen to him wax poetic about his Gundam

-Marie-Louise how did you come up with this

-okay Domon going along with the plan is actually pretty funny

-who makes a toilet with an outside lock

-”I see nothing before me with the exception of this man” das gay

-he's not going to finish you, George, because that would mean you'd let go of the tower

-the French in that letter actually kind of sucked. And with @amplexadversary's headcanon that Domon is a polyglot, I wonder if he theoretically could have written it

"Great Escape! A Captive Gundam Fighter"

-“Why are there names of countries on this?” How do you know how to read Japanese?

-oh, this will be a huge scandal when it gets out

-for someone his size, Argo is quick as hell, being able to knock Domon out of the sniper's way

-okay, is Nastasha military or law enforcement?

-the eternal question: are suit-ups usually like this and just truncated for time, or is it only that difficult for Domon?

-Nastasha is a little turned on by being talked back to

-is it an asylum or a prison??

"Fight, Domon! Earth is the Ring"

-Kyoji shows more outright attraction to Rain than Domon does :P

-Domon gushing about Master is adorable

-saved by the mom! I'm guessing Domon didn't want to talk about the science stuff he could never get into

-so the finger snap activation is a Kasshu trait

-more early installment weirdness, with evil!Karato and an alternate explanation for Ulube’s mask

[oneatlatime]

A Precariously Stacked Pile of Random Season 2 Thoughts

These are notes I took as I watched the season. Usually after I’d already posted about the episode in question, and I thought of something I would have added to the post. Rather than edit them into my posts, I’m rounding them up and posting them all at once. As such, they are vaguely chronological. Unfortunately, because I made the notes legible to me and me only, I didn't bother to write down what episode I was referring to. I've also added some notes in as I was editing these notes. So this is also a bit of a scavenger hunt. Enjoy!

Iroh poisoning himself: dumbass moment or 5D chess?

My autocorrect corrects “Sokka” to Sock, and “Sokka’s” to socks. This causes double takes when editing.

Badgermoles have excellent eyeliner. Is that where the Kyoshi Warriors get their jaw dropping cat eye?

Why is Ty Lee spelled Ty Lee and not Tai Li? Why is Dai Li spelled Dai Li and not Dy Lee?

Sometimes Sokka makes me think of Mulan. Am I crazy?

Are the swampbenders’ moves based on a real martial art style too?

Why didn’t Aang use his swamp sense to locate Appa post-appanapping?

Where did Toph, who spent her whole life as a prisoner of her parents’ house and a moonlighting WWE wrestler until Team Avatar busted her out, get such emotional intelligence?

Why did Zuko’s dad put forward the plan to disinherit Iron in favour of him less than 24 hours after Lu Ten’s death? Why did he think that moving quickly was the right approach? Does the Fire Nation not do grieving periods? In what world was 'strike while the iron is hot' the correct course of action here?

Looking back, I’m amazed that season 2 didn’t end in Zuko’s redemption. I didn’t much like Zuko Alone, but I was sure that a season that included that much set up for a Zuko redemption arc would prioritise finishing that arc.

I haven’t even met this Firelord guy yet, but I am peeved that that twerp has a name as cool as Ozai.

Why haven't I met that Firelord guy yet?

I really thought that the older brother character in Zuko Alone would make an appearance later on in the season, giving Zuko a chance to flex some newly acquired morals. But the parallel to Lu Ten and the general message about the evils of war lands better if we never hear of him again.

Zuko in the first half of season 2 had me so annoyed that I was incredibly uncharitable to him in my write ups. Reading through some of the stuff I wrote while watching episodes, I kind of wince now. Zuko in the second half of the season was much less annoying. Which I feel bad for saying, because he’s clearly not in a good place in the second half of the season.

I would love to know why the writers decided to have Toph and Iroh meet in the wilderness. I think it’s a good choice, but I want to know how they came up with it, and why those characters? Is there anything about Toph (especially at that point, when we’ve known her for 1 episode) that suggests that she and Iroh should meet? Or would get along if they did?

Zuko has so many rock bottom fake outs this season: Zuko Alone? Nope, he gets worse in The Chase. The Chase? Nope, he gets worse in Bitter Work. Bitter Work? Nope, he gets worse in the finale.

I’m still peeved that Azula won a 6 on 1 showdown. Sorry, but that breaks immersion.

I bet the Blue Spirit could make lightning.

If water is the element of change, why does the Northern Water Tribe have such strictly defined traditions? I get that it's literally the element of change, in that water can exist in different physical states, but shouldn't the metaphorical interpretation also be true?

I like that Toph can think like an Airbender sooner than Aang can think like an earthbender.

What is Sokka’s boomerang made of? Is it metal? Because if it’s metal, does that mean that there’s a blacksmith somewhere in the South Pole? With a forge?

I still can’t get over how dumb the whole eclipse plot was.

Suki is TINY!!!

I mocked this guy’s 80s aerobics video leotard aesthetic, and I stand by that mockery, because this guy is ugly. Those colours are awful. But do you know who else has those colours?

Jet this season fascinates me. He’s positioned as genuinely repentant and legitimately seeking a second chance and I don’t believe him for one minute. Why don’t I believe him? This show has a theme of learning from mistakes and doing better, so shouldn’t Jet be a perfect fit for this show’s themes? I should be primed to believe him. And yet I don’t.

I have to applaud Iron’s enthusiasm for their new life in Ba Sing Se. A lot of that cheer (at least before the tea shop) is put on for Zuko’s sake. I don’t know where Iroh gets the energy to keep trying with Zuko after years of minimal results, but I’m glad he does.

I think Aang and Ty Lee should hang out. They have similar circus energy. Or maybe it’s that they’re the only two characters in the show so far who are remotely playful.

Aang = surface silliness, core of calm. Not that the silliness doesn't run deep, but he seems to have an untouchable anchor of calm deep within that rarely gets disturbed. Gyatso raised him well.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~Poetry bouncer ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

I need next season to have more Appa & Mono subplots à la their escapades in The Swamp. Not à la Momo’s Tale.

Tales of Ba Sing Se definitive ranking: Momo Aang Sokka Zuko Iroh Katara & Toph

I love that Momo still sleeps in the Momo bag from The Blind Bandit

Are Suki and her warriors sitting in the middle of some Earth Kingdom forest in their underwear?

So are Smellerbee and Longshot just done? Will they be back in season 3? What happens to their life now? They are known associates of an enemy of the state who was just executed. It doesn't look good.

Everyone on this show has big ears. Zuko has the smallest ears simply because he has the least amount of ears remaining. But everyone else? Big ears.

Can I have more Gyatso? I forgot how cool he was. More Guru too please.

Hakodilf.

Everyone in the SWT has such wonderfully fluffy hair.

I like Sokka’s boots. Southern Water Tribe boots in general.

If this is the grand total of the SWT, I have some bad news about population dynamics.

Is there a proper naval term for what the SWT are doing? They’re a stealth strike force that seems to be going after individual enemy ships, using both direct and indirect tactics. Not pirates, because as far as we know they aren't going for FN supplies. They're doing what submarines do, but above water. There’s got to be a proper name for that.

Is there a raft of FN corpses chilling in the waters in front of the NWT's big wall?

I saw ATLA described as a show where all the characters are Asian-inspired people of colour, but isn’t Suki a blue-eyed redhead?

I had no idea that you could decline an Agni Kai. Zuko should have done that.

Why are the Dai Li so in love with Azula? I get that they're pissed with Long Feng for getting arrested, but wouldn't the logical choice be to direct their loyalties to the Earth King rather than a wildcard princess? I'm not going to pretend for a minute that the Dai Li are loyal to the Earth Kingdom or to Ba Sing Se, but the Earth King is a known quantity. Seems to me that it would be easier for them to re-puppetify him, rather than a FN princess.

Katara & Zuko bonding over their missing mothers is the same “makes sense until you think about it for five seconds” as Song & Zuko bonding over losing their fathers to war. Technically the same, sort of, on paper, but actually kind of rude to equate them once you know the full story. Same with the parallel between Lu Ten and the older brother in Zuko Alone. The proper dead mom parallel is Katara and Jet. Although Katara doesn’t object to the Zuko comparison, so I have no grounds to do so.

I’m really glad that Katara didn’t remove Zuko’s scar with her spirit oasis water. Both because she kind of really needed that water, but also because one thing this show has always done right is permanence. No quick fixes, no fake outs, no take backs. Lu Ten is dead, and he stays that way. Princess Yue is the moon, and she stays that way. Half a dozen people’s moms are dead, and they stay that way. Aang is the last Airbender, and he stays that way. Zuko is scarred, and he stays that way. There are no hand waves, no easy fixes. All the characters can do is learn to live with it, and go forward. And I’m grateful the show is like that, because that permanence, as well as being a good lesson to learn, functions as a reward for audience investment.

Aang did come to a crossroads of destiny in the finale, chose his duties to the world over his friends, and got aggressively slapped down for it. I have a feeling that he’ll take the wrong lesson from that, since he was already inclined to shun that path.

Overall Season 1 was prettier.

Ty Lee was the cause of more than one Beat Up Sokka Quota fulfillment this season. Make of that what you will.

Will Zuko & Azula spend season 3 bouncing between the FN and Ba Sing Se? They could be heavily involved with establishing the FN governance over Ba Sing Se, since the city is already inclined towards royalty.

Favourite episode this season? The Guru. The Blind Bandit and The Swamp are tied for second place.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

More magical girl stuff

Yosano: violet + butterfly motif. Brother is Ranpo. Recently moved to town after the death of their adoptive father (rip Fukuzawa sorry man). Rivalry against fem Dazai - similar powers but she is using a darker source. Clashes with Kouyou.

Higuchi: yellow + flower motif. Younger sister Kuniko. Works multiple jobs to support her. Friends with Tsujimura and Kunikida. Her encounter with Wells, believed to have vanished months ago, kickstarts the plot. Rivals with Gin.

Tsujimura: cyan + tech motif. Befriends the strange girl in her university classes who doesn’t talk much - fem Chuuya. After magical girl-ing for a bit, she is recognized by her annoying classmate, who she realizes can somehow see through the glamour that should prevent this. She is forced to take him (Ayatsuji) along.

Naomi: blue + mirror motif. A high school student who makes it a point to learn from their enemies. Rather trickster-ish, but also very supportive and sweet. In a study group with Haruno and Louisa. Has a hidden agenda.

Kouyou: red + fire motif. An investigator looking into the case of a comatose patient named Margaret. An orphan attempting to look after younger orphan Kyouka, but winds up smothering her. Works for Mori.

Teruko: pink + illusion motif. Rival investigator on the same case as Kouyou. Willing to play more dirty and do what’s necessary but has a strong sense of justice nonetheless. Works for Fukuchi.

Lucy: green + puppet motif. Part of a group of travelling performers, all orphans - the group was initially her, Atsushi, Sigma and Aya. They have since been joined by Kyouka, who sneaks out to spend time with them. When she gets her powers she sees it as an opportunity for revenge on the people who screwed them over.

Dazai: black + scythe motif. The leader of a group of antagonistic magical girls. They draw their power by sapping the life force of others. She has an agenda. Does not seem to reciprocate Yosano’s animosity.

Gin: silver + spike motif. The right hand of Dazai. Develops a rivalry against Higuchi. Seems to agree that Dazai’s plan is a necessary evil but is stingy on revealing what said plan actually is.

Sasaki: white + string motif. A very apathetic girl who also joins with Dazai and Gin on their mission. Extremely clever.

Wells: gold + time motif. A woman who mysteriously vanished months ago. She appears to be often in two places at once - either trying to take pictures of something in the distance, or standing eerily in costume holding a golden string.

[variousqueerthings]

Should I watch spartacus? I've tried a few times but always lapse after a few eps bc the characters didn't really connect for me

listen, I don't usually rec spartacus to people, because it's - quite frankly - not for everyone. the language is crass, there's a ton of toxic masculinity, a whole bunch of graphic violence of (most) kinds, and it's got this super stylised environment building to it that can be hard for people to get used to

that being said I've seen it three times now and it makes me very emotional each time. so, if you're thinking of giving it another whirl, here's what I will say:

it definitely does take a little bit to get into the characters beyond the hur-dur big muscle men who all hate each other and make comments about who has the biggest dick (and like, this never totally goes away, but it's filtered through a different lens as the story goes along and the characters do start caring for one another) and here's more tits and undulating oiled women (I must stress though that everyone is oiled up and naked in this show, it's equality), but once you get into the meat of the story, I'd say rouuughly halfway-ish through s1, they really really start growing on you, like fungus. fungi -- especially crixus and agron (whom you may not have reached depending on where you stopped), I'd say for me especially crixus, who is always annoying to me for a fair bit in s1 and then you realise what sort of a character he is and where his arc is going and you're like ohhh ok. ok ok, got it, and there's a scene in the... second last episode of s1 I think where he is sobbing and unable to hold the woman he loves (naevia) as she's dragged away from him and they swear to see one another again... well, let's just say it made me feel things

the political drama of the show is *chefs kiss* it just builds and builds and builds across the whole show, with the second season being a prequel that adds context (it was made out of necessity -- the main actor was very sick, but it also adds to the story, both in terms of backstory and a new important character)

speaking of story -- some of my favourite pacing of all time! it sets up some premises and it continuously moves towards fulfilling those narrative arcs, it is a Very Satisfying Show Pacing-wise

some gay people in this show do die, because a lot of people on this show die (some very sad stuff happens to... well, everyone), but also this is a "the main gays are immortal" show, in which a beautiful m/m couple just fuckn. Cannot Die (they survive some stuff lemme tell you) and it was the first show I really saw that sentiment in

there are some very cool women in this show -- I think there should have been even more and it definitely is male-skewed, but the women on this show have their own really neat arcs and skill-sets, and it manages to not do the misstep of "the only women worth anything are the ones who aren't traditionally feminine/can fight and the rest are lesser," (with characters like diona, sybil, seppia and many minor characters mattering to the plot) while also giving us some gorgeous fighty-anger ladies (naevia, saxa), pragmatic leadership women (mira, laeta, gaia), a whole bunch who fit into difficult-to-categorise spaces (kore, aurelia, melitta) and ofc evil and scheme-y (lucretia, ilythia). I think for the most part the show is also very good at navigating ideas around power and womanhood, with characters like lucretia being both oppressor (owns slaves, can order crixus to have sex with her, is callus towards their humanity), while also at times suffering from lack of power, because she is only as worthwhile as who she is married to (same goes for ilythia and other roman women, and there's an interesting arc in s4 about how easily citizenship/personhood can be entirely stripped from you)

there's a very beautiful ethos beneath it all -- yes beneath all the hyper-violence and graphic sex and horrible dehumanisation (this is a show in which many of the main characters are slaves after all) it's got a strong core about protecting those who cannot protect themselves and it mourns the deaths of innocents (pietros, diona, aurelia, kore, etc)/isn't just about the Fighter Types, it's about fighting to overthrow systems even when it seems hopeless in order to build a better future, about loyalty, about community, about building cross-cultural bridges, about beautiful oiled up peo- wait hold on...

I think -- vs some other shows that I could mention - GoT - that's what's so strong about it. it has an arc, it has a point to it, and it like. wants to give its characters purpose, narratively

there's a couple of missteps, and I think part of that is the time the show was written in, but considering it's 2010 + its main actor died after s1 unfortunately it's miles ahead of many of its peers and most shows that came out in the 2010s that I'd argue tried to catch some of its rizz. flair. pizzazz

I think the right state of mind to go into it with is:

obvs ask yourself first if the sheer amount of sex and violence onscreen is a dealbreaker. you can also ask me what kind of violence if you want to prepare, because for me it was the not-knowing that was stressful the first time around, the next times I could step away during a few scenes that were too much for me, but on the whole was okay

we good on sex and violence? ok then, next step is: the language is gonna be super idiosyncratic. a mix of giving old (?) grammar (the word "the" no longer exists for the most part), kiwi accents (this was filmed in aotearoa/new zealand), names you're not used to hearing, and swearing in every sentence. let that seep into your bones, it becomes very fun after awhile (or it did for me)

give yourself a little shake and then go: "this is a Very Cool Show. not as a negative, it genuinely is Very Cool. other shows wish they were this Cool. it'll take half a second to immerse myself in just how Cool everything is, but once I'm used to it, it'll be awe-striking music, amazing stunt/fight-work in nearly every episode, beautiful -- and I mean beautiful -- character relationship arcs, and a vibe that's giving Mythological the whole way through," my friend it is unreal how Cool this show is, the pay-offs for its various setups make me punch the air when I get to them, every time, and by the final season you're screaming for the Roman Empire to fall beneath the heels of these beautiful oily people, while a majestic choir soars in the background

believe that the final episode of this show is gonna be so worth it -- not because it was a slog to get there, but because we're all so used to being let down in the final hour, but the ending of spartacus? chef's kiss. made me cry the last two times, which is why I'm putting it off this time.

in conclusion: this is not a show for everyone. it's definitely giving sexy boobs angry men at times. it is also a show with a quite similar set of ideas to things like black sails and sense8, which is what is so good about it. it's about how people matter and deserve humanity and it's very cathartic for me in this current day and age to watch these characters navigate the ideas of what a "revolution" looks like. it's a tragedy though, although there's joy along the way, and this is one of those stories where it was worth the trying no matter the cost

it's like. a good story. so many sexy bosom shots though (I mean, this may be the opposite of a deal-breaker now I write it out). but you've gotta gaze through the bosoms to see the plot. or something. yeah that makes sense

I've got a more detailed draft post of all my pros and cons of the show that I'll put out as well -- that was is full of spoilers that may be somewhat incomprehensible if one hasn't watched the show, but hey. it's out there

[madschiavelique]

I actually read your initial post and I just knewwww that particular scene had inspired you😂😂 idk I just had that hunch for some reason (its been a while since i last watched it but doesn’t he also flip her and then slowly move the knife she has on his neck to hers instead bc 😱😱😱😱😱 im sorry I have issues)

I hope you’ll stay inspired to write it, it’s such a sexy trope tbh 🤌🏻🤌🏻😮‍💨 its peak forced proximity imo, bc despite the fact she’s a slave he isn’t exactly a free man to deny her. bonus points if there’s corruption involved bc I’m also soo weak for the “evil warlord/soldier takes the fair temple maiden as a slave but they fall in love along the way” 😩

(and while your prompt differs from these takes i just wanted to share them for shits and giggles, so consider these: 1.) I also live for the idea that the maiden in question is revealed to be the princess of the country that invaded and killed miguels ppl. The king’s daughter joined the temple anonymously bc she wanted to serve a purpose and ideals she stood for and not just live the life of a royal completely removed from the real world. Only the king knows of this and though their views differ he’s ok w it bc he wants to keep her safe from his enemies and her being a sworn maiden in the temple provides just that, but during the siege the temple gets raided anyway and she’s taken as a slave (as i write this i realise this is literally the story of the slave girl from troy lmao anywayyyy) and when miguel discovers this he takes her as his personal slave😈 win win, he was already planning on claiming the most beautiful one for himself, but she’s the daughter of the man he hates most as well??? Oh justice is gonna get served😈😈

orrrr take two, the king gives away his daughter as a way to save his own ass (but then again this is a different scenario) and miguel takes her as his wife, kills the king anyway and the daughter is distraught bc now she has to live her life as a slave to her father’s killer, not knowing that her father was responsible for the death of said man’s family in the first place. And of course he doesn’t tell her a thing about himself or his past at first bc my man is emotionally constipated af and only comes to her for fulfilling his marital duties and boy does he fill em🥴)

anyway wowww brainrot!!!!

YESSSS forced proximity omfg i love this

AND YES indeed he is not that much of a free man either in this situation

OKAY THE FIRST PROMPT IS DELICIOUS AND I THOUGHT OF DOING THIS INDEED but i had another thought for this : the king is really a huge bastard, and miguel doesn't appreciate much of what he does. he only wants revenge, and he is getting it in his blind hatred for other kingdoms.

but see the thing is (plot twist) the flag he saw in his village was put there by his king himself. why you might ask ? well because if many villages of his own kingdom start getting attacked by "another" kingdom then this is a sufficient motive to create a war, and that's all he wants. so he deliberately set fire to some villages in his own country and planted there the flag of the kingdom he wanted to attack to convince the population that other kingdoms were threats.

and when miguel learns that, he'll kill the king, and will escape with the reader to live a life of peace

i also kinda prefer the fact that reader is just a nobody kinda, like- she doesn't need to be of royalty to be considered as something precious

BUT YEA REAL GOOD STUFF NONNY AND YEA BRAIN ROT IS ROTTING GOOD

[heretherebedork]

All of your insights on wedding impossible feel so spot on to how I’m also consuming the drama. I haven’t gotten to the press conferences and stuff since I’m only on episode 8, but I’ve seen posts about it and even those frustrated. It just feels insane to me that anyone can think Dohan is the selfish one. I know we’re kind of beating a dead horse and preaching to the choir here but it’s just so baffling. Jihan who tried to get his brother’s fiancee not to marry Dohan so Jihan can build a mall. Jihan who tells Ajeong to her face he doesn’t like her but he’s going to seduce her and she’s not going to be able to resist bc he’s just sooooooo handsome and charming (which gave me a huge ick, how lowly does he think of this 32 year old woman that he assumes she’ll fall for someone who says he doesn’t like her??? But then she does???). Jihan who then does try to seduce HIS BROTHER’S FIANCEE. Jihan who tried to stop another woman from getting married by saying he should’ve hit on her instead (I also feel bad for CEO Chaewon in this show). Jihan who then strings Chaewon along to get things he wants (like breaking up his brother’s marriage that he thinks is real). Jihan who takes zero time to worry about Dohan after he’s outed by a crazy ex before immediately getting angry at Dohan and then again telling Ajeong not to marry him. Jihan who did all of this because he wants money. He’s the selfless one? Why, because he held an umbrella?

The writers are resting on the assumption that viewers will just ignore how awful Jihan is because he’s the male lead and is supposed to be the ideal man we all fall for, so they aren’t putting in any work to actually make him sympathetic. The worst part is it’s apparently working for the vast majority of viewers. You’re also so right that the show keeps telling us Jihan and Dohan are supposed to be close, but doing absolutely nothing to show us that. They might as well be strangers sharing a lease at this point. I had never watched a (het) romance kdrama before this (I always stuck with mystery and thrillers which korea does quite well imo), and I’m not sure I ever will watch one again if this is considered good. Also do we ever find out wtf happened to the ex? It’s been a couple episodes since we saw him all beat up but there’s no indication of what happened. Did they really use a gay bashing to create an evil ex boyfriend who could out Dohan to Jihan and stalk Ajeong for a bit and nothing more?

The ex was so underutilized and basically amounted to nothing except him forcibly outing Do Han to Ji Han to make the plot move. That's really all he does. Well, maybe he does more in the finale. I haven't watched yet. I'm working up to it.

But, yeah. This is my dead horse to beat.

Ji Han was the single most selfish character in the show and anyone who tries to claim otherwise is trying to sell you something.

Or trying to salvage a romance that ended up just generally unpleasant to me because, seriously? The entire romance started with him trying to steal away his supposed fiance and then ended with him getting pissed off about Do Han being gay and supposedly manipulating Ah Jeong and then was him just destroying their supposed sibling relationship.

Which I guess they don't have anymore? Or something?

The show gave us zero closure on that and I hate it so much. Because it's so stupid. Because there was no sibling relationship. None! The show refused to give us anything. Nothing but Ji Han being selfish and Do Han having to feel like the worst person ever for even remotely trying to protect himself.

Ah, but the show isn't going to show any homophobia. Why would they do that?

Instead, the show is just gonna give us nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Not even a goddamn glimpse.

No one seeing this would ever believe these brothers loved each other.

[snowyfrostshadows]

Wind Spoilers under the cut

Well.

That was certainly a book.

The prologue was kinda funny with Splashtail deciding to reject the nine lives from Starclan and using Curlfeather's choice to receive them as one of his reasons to kill her making him one of the stupidest villains in the series.

They can do as they always have and give a leader their nine lives regardless of that cat's actual morality or actually do something interesting for once and refuse to enable an antagonist.

He gets ahold of all this power but one good hit or sickness and he's dead. Alright. Great planning skills there bud.

But then I realized that Splashtail's decision frees Starclan from having to make that choice.

This way they can stay the wise (yet somewhat powerless) spirit cats the clans can turn to for guidance.

Speaking of Starclan giving out lives, I hate how everyone knows Nightpelt's story despite it never actually being public knowledge. Hell I don't think Fireheart found out and he figured out everyone's secrets.

But no. Since readers know every single trivia bit and history of the clans, the cats get to as well which is so....boring.

It takes out some of the awe and way histories can be changed and retold to fit certain narratives or having characters actually do some digging and discovering things out for themselves.

I know this is primarily a series for children but Erins I am begging you, give your target audience some credit. Kids are smarter than most people give them credit for and actually you know. Enjoy a good mystery here and there.

Another thing that was frustrating to read was having cats ask permission to move the plot along or sit around in a circle discussing stuff and judging each other for it. I. Can kinda see what the Erins are trying to do; make things more of a group decision and have older characters/past povs part of the story but man. In actuality, it just makes things drag on and characters flatter.

I miss the days when cats could sneak out and move the plot on their own and show off their own initiative. With Nightheart and Sunbeam waiting around for permission it just. Makes them feel...... incompetent? Like they literally can't do anything with being told to?? And this makes their chapters a slight pain to go through because nothing really important happens in them or they're just there to observe Frostpaw 's plot and comment on it I guess.

On another tangent, I. have no idea what they're doing with this arc's villains.

The first few books set them up as cunning and clever cats whose strengths are in being subtle but now... they're kinda all over the place.

Curlfeather was the mastermind but apparently just. Did this all on a whim because her mate died and picked a random apprentice to share her plans with but couldn't bother keeping up a pretense of even pretend respect around him and just. Spoke down to him. Okay

Berryheart wasn't happy over the new rule allowing cats to swap clans and was willing to start up a evil book club and set up a sort of rebellion of sorts but then....they just...don't really follow through with that? She gets exiled, curses out the clans, and then....joins a clan she hated to the point of accepting a co-leader ship position from an unstable teenager openly stating his plans to attack her former clan and she's just okay with it because I guess she's just.......an unreasonable woman...

Alright.

And then there's Splashtail.

On one hand, I'm a lil disappointed on how far off the deep end he's gone but absolutely fascinated at the decline in his mental state.

He got his power.

He exiled Frostpaw.

Managed to convince nearly every cat around the lake she's the insane liar and then.

He just. Loses it.

Makes his clan fight each other with claws out, doesn't bother to allow the camp to be cleaned, kills his own deputy and appoints a cat who by all logic, would maybe be the first to kill him given the opportunity as deputy and he's portrayed as the biggest threat to the clans.

Him. One, singular cat that the leaders of the other clans know only has one life.

That any one of them could kill proving to Riverclan that Splashtail wasn't approved by Starclan and was actually lying about Frostpaw.

But no. We get yet another book with everyone sitting around talking about what should be done and why they can't and basically holding Tigerheart back by his tail to keep him from cutting this arc's runtime in half.

The poor man sees the problem, has a solution, wants to end problems before they impact literally everyone in yet another clan wide war but gets called the Real Villain for most the arc by everyone.

Frostpaw and Tigerheart are the real MVPs of this arc in terms of story and literally keeping me invested in this thing.

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: And another chapter! Now bringing in some of the plot and game dialog from RE 3 remake. We'll get to 2 soon. I did not re-read this chapter so I hope it doesn't suck. Enjoy!

TW: Violence, murder, zombies, guns, ect. Typical Resident evil stuff. NO MINORS!

Chapter 3:

September 28, 1998-

All your attempts at leaving the city have not worked out so far. The evacuation helicopters always left or were too full for you to get on.  You had actually made it to the edge of the city on foot on the 26th, but quickly turned around when you saw Umbrella men with guns blocking all exits. 

You'd rather take your chances with the zombies at this point. You knew that as soon as you walked in sight of those men that you would be shot at. There was no way out.

So you made do with what you could. You found a shotgun and more ammo for both your guns discarded throughout the parts of the city you could access. You also had a gun holster now, which was helpful. Your guess is that they had come from the police and the military people attempting to subdue the outbreak.

Speaking of the police station, with nowhere else to go you figured you would test your luck there and see if Katherine and Ben were still alive. You weren't even sure if they were still here. Katherine's father would have been long gone and out of the city by now, and he surely would have taken his own daughter with him.

Ben, well, you weren't sure. Ben would probably still be in his cell, if you had to guess. Irons is an asshole. He wouldn't let him out. Even in an apocalypse.

You still had the flash drive tucked away in your front jean pocket. You wished you could shower and change your clothes, but you had already changed into your second outfit two days ago and have yet to come across a goddamn clothes store without a whole horde of zombies in it. You were not going to waste all your ammo for a new hoodie. 

You looked at your surroundings as you crept out of a secluded alleyway, checking for zombies or any other mutated beings. Like those blind ones with no skin, sharp claws, and tongues that stretched further than tongues should be able to.

That was not a fun encounter. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, those things had appeared to ruin your day. Your guess was that they mutated from the fires that seem to be everywhere in the city. Their skin had melted off, leaving a morbid appearance of muscles and bones. How they were held together, you weren't sure.

You did learn fairly quickly that they only respond to loud sounds. Seeing as they had no eyes, they fully relied on their hearing. So if you move slowly and quietly in their presence, you should hopefully be alright. Maybe. That's the theory at least.

Once you see the coast was clear, or as clear as it could be in a zombie infested city, you quickly begin to run out of the alley.  You had the cover of night to help you a bit. When you checked your watch a few minutes ago it was 8:01pm. 

The part of the city you were in wasn't as bad as other areas you had been in. That was changing quickly though. As more and more people started to turn and a fire had broken out in different buildings.

As you're running through the alley, a woman suddenly gets thrown out of the burning building to your left, landing right in front of you.

You let out a yelp of surprise. She gasped in pain, weakly crawling away from the door, debris crumbled and blocked whatever it was that was chasing her. She clearly wasn't infected. Just scared as hell.

"Holy shit! Are you alright?" You asked her as you carefully walked forward, holding out your hand to help her up.

She studied you for a moment, noticing your disheveled and blood stained appearance, along with the gun sticking out of your backpack and the one in your hip. You studied her. Her brunette hair was cut short and her light blue tank top and jeans did very little to protect her pale skin from the bitter chill in the air. She was clearly well toned and very pretty. 

She eventually decided she could trust you, and took the hand you offered to her.

"No." She huffed, grasping her abdomen in pain. You huffed a laugh at her blunt answer.

"I wouldn't think so after that tumble you just took. Come on, things in this area are getting worse. We have to go. Do you need help walking?" You asked her.

"No, I got it. And what do you mean worse?" She asked you. You look at her like she's grown three heads. Which at this rate you worry you might actually see.

"What do you mean "what do I mean"? Where have you been for the last five days?" I asked as we walked through the alley.

"Lockdown." She muttered. As we walked through the alley to the exit, there were people running around in fright in front of us. Police sirens were still going off. They had been going off for days now.

"What's the fuck?" Jill muttered in confusion at all the chaos.

"Jill! Over here!" A man shouted from the alley's exit. 

"Brad!" The woman at your side, Jill, sighed in relief.

"You okay?" He asked as we walked closer.

"What was that thing?" Jill questioned. You can assume she wasn't referring to zombies, probably something far worse. You stood at a distance and watched the interaction.

"Damned if I know." Brad shrugged. "But right now it's got a hard-on for the only two S.T.A.R.S left in town: you and me."

"Wait, you two are S.T.A.R.S?" You asked. This is perfect! Maybe they can help you get the information on Umbrella out. 

"We were, until we were shut down." Jill said.

"By, Irons." You nodded, already knowing.

"How did you know?" Brad asked, suspicious. Jill stared at you more closely.

"You look familiar. Did you know a man named Ben Bertolucci?" She asked.

"Yeah, I worked with him. How did you know?" 

"There was a photograph of you standing near him in the papers, you weren't mentioned though."

"Look, this is nice. But we have to move. I'm not sticking around. Just look around you. The longer we wait, the more screwed we are." Brad motioned to the chaos around you three.

"Yeah, it's been like this in spots all over the city. I guess it's just finally happening here." You tell them as you start to move.

You walked by a cop car that crashed into a coffee shop. The cinema in front of your path bursting into flames. Crashed cars and semi trucks blocked different paths, debris making them no longer usable. People were running and screaming for their lives, away from the chaos.

"How did this happen so fast?" Jill gasped.

"I dunno. But one fucked up thing always leads to another. It's like Arklay on steroids." Brad said.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. The police have been stretched thin all over the city trying to bring back some form of control. This was the last area to fall apart."

Just as you said this, two rescue helicopters flew over us. Brad tried screaming for their attention, running after them. We followed. Running around the corner, we come across a tall makeshift fence attempting to block a horde of infected people. Jill gasped in disbelief.

"We've gotta be dreaming. How could this many people be infected?" 

I nudge Jill, drawing her attention to the zombies beginning to climb and get past the weak fence blocking them from us.

"Brad! Here they come!" Jill shouted, the fence crumbled down and we looked for a safe way out.

"In here!" Brad gestured to the Jack Bar to the left of us.

Jill froze at the amount of zombies coming for you all. "There's so many…"

"Come on, Jill!" You grabbed her arm and dragged her into a run to the Jack Bar where Brad waited at the door.

Jill opened the door and you ran through. Brad threw a sign at the zombies, attempting to keep them away longer. It failed, and the zombies continued running in your direction. Brad and Jill ran through the door and attempted to shut it, but the zombies pushed against it, making them fight to get it shut. You join in attempting to shut the door.

"Door behind you, go!" Brad yelled. Jill ran to the back door and you took her place in helping to keep the door shut, being careful as to make sure your limbs aren't anywhere near the mouths snapping at the two of you.

The door on Brad's side gives out and he gets bit in the arm, dropping the knife he was using to defend himself. You continue to try and push all your weight on the door, desperate to get it shut.

"Brad!" Jill yelled when she saw Brad was bitten. She ran over, grabbed the knife on the floor, and stabbed the zombie biting Brad's arm in the head, causing it to fall back and allowing you to finally shut the door.

"On no." You said when you saw the bite on Brad's arm. That is not good. You, Jill, and Brad continue to fight to keep the door closed, the pressure of the zombies breaking the lock.

"Don't think about it. We're gonna make a run for it!" Jill told Brad.

"C'mon, Jill. We know how this ends." Brad said, grunting at the pain in his arms and from the effort of keeping the door shut.

"No. I don't." Jill said, stubbornly.

"Are we still a team?" He asked.

"Always."

"Then do me a favor, and don't fuck up like I did. Go!" He shoved her away from the door and gave you a nod to go. You nodded back and ran to pick Jill up off the ground.

Running to the door, you paused to wait for Jill, who had turned to give Brad one last glance, before she followed you out the back exit of the bar. You shut the door behind you both. Brad just gave up his life to save the two of you. Better not waste it.

"I'm sorry, Brad." Jill muttered as you both walked away from the door and out to the alley.

"I'm sorry about your friend, but we need to go." You told her, feeling sympathetic but knowing now wasn't the time to grieve. She nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, let's go." She paused when she saw the body of a police officer, gun clutched in his dead hand.

"Sorry." She whispered as she took the gun off of the body. The door behind you slammed open and you raised your handgun to aim at the zombie walking through. Jill beat you to killing it, managing to get it down with one shot.

"Damn, it always takes me three." You said.

"You've been doing this for five days?" She asked.

"There are other parts of the city that the outbreak spreaded through much faster. I had been trying to get out, but there were Umbrella soldiers standing on the outskirts, shooting anything in sight that was attempting to leave. Even the living." 

"What's about the helicopters?"

You snorted. "I've had bad luck with those. Either always missing them or they're always full to the max."

You two ran along the sidewalk, coming to a stop when a big neon sign fell in front of you. It would have crushed you if you didn't stop. You two ducked under and continued to run.

A bus and debris blocked your entrance to the road, so you two took a hard left and got to the gated door of another alley, avoiding any zombies trying to take a bite out of you.

You shut the door behind you and continued moving. A bright light suddenly appeared over the two of you, briefly blinding you.

"You two! Get to the parking garage roof!" A voice from the helicopter above you both said.

"Parking garage. Got it." Jill said as the light went away.

"Sounds like a plan." You agreed.

You both walked through another door to a building, noticing an old man standing out in the open.

"Sir, are you alright?" Jill asked.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" The man exclaimed, backing away and walking towards a storage container.

"Hey, come on. There's a helicopter waiting to take you to safety." Jill tried, attempting to calm the man.

"What "safety"? I'm not going out there!" The man exclaimed, climbing into the container.

"The parking garage isn't far, we can take you." You said. The man didn't care.

"The only safe place is in here." The man said, shutting the door to the container in your faces.

"Sir, what's your name? I can't just leave you behind." Jill said.

"It's Dario Rosso. And yeah right. You just want to steal my safehouse. Get your own, missy." 

"Missy?" Jill asked.

"Would you please calm down? She's a police officer. She's here to help." You said.

The man laughed harshly, "Oh yeah, cause they've been doing a real bang-up job. You wanna help? Go handcuff yourself to one of those freaks."

"Well fuck you too, old man." You muttered.

"Sir, this is your last chance. No one else is coming for you." Jill said. She really didn't want to leave him behind.

"I'm not going anywhere! I'd rather starve to death in here than be eaten by one of those undead monsters. Now leave me alone!"  He yelled.

"Come on, we wasted enough time here." You said. Jill nodded in agreement, and you two continued heading to the parking garage roof.

You made it back outside and was startled by a dog barking aggressively on the other side of a fence. Jill pulled you in the opposite direction, leading you to the garage. You had to crawl beneath a partially collapsed fence that had a zombie on top of it trying to get through. As you crawled past that one, another jumped against the fence, making you and Jill scream in fright. The fence still held, so you both continued crawling at a faster pace.

You made it through and Jill helped pull you to a stand. "This way, let's go." 

She led you through the parking garage entrance, a zombie in the entrance booth banging at the window in your presence. You ran past it and stopped in front of an elevator. Jill pressed the button to the elevator and waited for it to open. You both yelled in surprise when two zombies came running out of the elevator once the door opened. You quickly pulled out your gun and shot one, Jill taking care of the other. You pressed the elevator button once more and it slid open less. You shimmied through the gap and waited for Jill.

"Jill!" You yelled. She ran up and shimmed in after you. A zombie tried to get through the gap and Jill quickly kicked it away. You pressed the button and the elevator immediately closed.

"Come on." Jill gasped, urging the elevator to go faster. You both stood there, trying to catch your breath.

"So, nice weather we're having." You joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She huffed a weak laugh, "Kinda chilly, actually."

"Not a fan?"

"Not when I'm wearing a tank top." She gestured to her blue shirt.

"You want my hoodie? It only has about two and half days worth of blood and dirt stains on it." 

She laughed. "I'm good. Thanks."

The elevator fully opened to the roof of the parking garage. As you both walked out, the helicopter flew above you and flashed its light on you both.

"Hey, down here!" Jill beckoned. The helicopter flew to a free spot on the roof and waited.

"Hey, get in!" The pilot yelled.

You and Jill quickly ran your way through the maze of cars towards the helicopter. You got about halfway there when the helicopter's tail was hit by something and control was lost. It spun in the air before crashing just a little away from the two of you. You and Jill are thrown back by the impact and into an orange car behind you. 

You and Jill quickly stood up before Jill paused in fright. You looked at the direction she was looking at, a tall, strong and grotesque figure walking menacingly toward her.

"Huh, that's new." Your heart started beating faster in your chest. 

"Get in the car." Jill told you, motioning to the orange car you were both thrown into. She tossed the dead body in the driver's seat out of the car with a muttered apology. You rounded the car and got into the passenger seat.

She struggled to start the car as the tall figure continued to make its way slowly toward our direction, seemingly taunting her.

"Oh, come on. Start damn it!" Jill panicked.

Finally, she got it to start the third time she turned the key.

"It's my turn, bitch!" She yelled, slamming her foot on the gas and directing the car toward the tall figure. You braced for impact.

The car slammed into the monster, it barely reacted, the impact was similar to slamming into a tree. It punched through the windshield and grabbed Jill's neck. You screamed and quickly tried to get the giant hand off her throat. Jill continued to desperately push on the gas, trying to get it to budge.

The car finally knocked the monster off its feet, driving across the car park and crashing off the roof, taking you both with it. Your stomach jumped at the sensation of falling. Yours and Jill's screams filled the air as you once more braced for impact. 

The car crashed and flipped on the ground, causing you and Jill to fall to the roof of the car. Your seatbelts weren't on. You groaned in pain, your body aching everywhere from the rough ride.

On your left, Jill whimpers and chokes in pain. You quickly, or as quickly as your bruised body will allow, sit yourself upright to check on her.

"You alright?" You asked, looking her over to make sure nothing is broken.

"No." She said, her eyes on the tall figure that growled and slowly got up from the ground. As if it didn't just get hit by a car and off the roof.

"Oh, what the hell? Okay, get up." You struggled to get her sitting upright, dragging her out of the car as fast as you physically could. You both grunted in pain from the pressure on your injuries.

Just as you got out of the car, it exploded, causing you both to yelp as you, once again, got thrown through the air from the blast. You groaned as your bruised and scraped body landed on the rough ground.

You turned around and saw the monster was walking through the fire, still persuing Jill. Its face was melted and deformed. The monster just looked more terrifying now.

You got up with a groan, stumbling over to a frantic Jill, who was trying to crawl away on her back. You grabbed her arms and attempted to lift her up, nearly falling over yourself as your knees almost gave out.

"Hey! Fuckface!" A voice yelled, getting yours and the monster's attention as a rocket was launched at it. The monster caught the rocket with a tentacle it somehow formed, throwing it away to a police car, causing it to explode.

You looked over and saw a man in combat gear with a rocket launcher on the hood of a car. He shot the monster once more, this time succeeding in hitting it. The monster fell to its knees, not dead, but disoriented.

The man dropped the rocket launcher and ran over to you and Jill, who you were still struggling to help stand up.

"Hey, easy lady. I got you." He said as he went to help Jill up.

"Who are you? What are you d-" Jill started, gasping in pain.

"Name's Carlos and I'm saving you two." He said, succeeding in helping Jill up. "Come on, let's get you two someplace safe." He wrapped Jill's arm around his shoulder to help her walk. You join them with a slight limp.

"Are you able to walk?" He asked you. You nodded, waving your hand at him.

"Yeah, I'm good." You told him. You patted your pocket, the flash drive is still there. Good. You checked your backpack. Everything is still good and fully intact. Your backpack had managed to save you from a broken back quite a few times already.

You studied Jill's savior a bit closer. He was a well toned man, with curly dark hair that nearly covered his eyes and tanned skin. He was cute. If you were into men you'd be interested.

As you looked at Carlos you froze, noticing the Umbrella logo patched on his sleeve. Wonderful. Just what you needed. 

You could make a run for it. But you didn't want to leave Jill behind without knowing if she's safe. He can't be all that bad. He did just save Jill. But you didn't want to let your guard down. So you just continued to carefully follow behind them, watching the man and your surroundings.

-September 28, 1998-

Carlos led you two to the subway near Downtown Redstone street. You all stopped and gasped for air, trying to calm your beating hearts.

"I think we're in the clear." Carlos gasped.

"Hope so." Jill muttered, out of breath.

"We've been bringing survivors here." He said.

""Here" where?" She asked.

"My guys have converted some subway cars into a shelter. It's safe." Carlos said, going to help Jill walk again.

She brushed him off, "I'm fine."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Personal space. Okay, I get it. Let's go." He began to lead you through the subway station. Brief flashbacks of when you were last at a station went through your mind. You hope your friends are okay.

You walked closer to Jill, muttering under your breath. "Did you notice the patch on his sleeve?"

"I did. What I don't understand is why you're so weary of Umbrella. What do you know?" She whispered quietly, not wanting Carlos to hear the two of you.

"A lot. Too much. Enough to get me killed if they found this on my person." You pulled the flash drive out of your pocket to show her, then quickly put it back.

"What is it?" 

"Evidence. Something I have a feeling you need. And I'm willing to give it to you. Once I know you're safe and can get it into safer hands." 

"You would just hand it over? Just like that?" 

"Only to the right person. Ben had tried to do the right thing and tell the people, but that backfired on him. I honestly don't know who else I could trust to help with this. I figured a S.T.A.R.S member would be my best bet." You looked at Carlos walking in front of you, and held out your arm to stop Jill for a moment.

"I just need to know it will be safe in your hands, Jill. Ben and I went through too much for all this to be for nothing. I need to know that after this is all over, people will know who was the real cause behind his outbreak. You must understand, it all goes far deeper than you realize. "

"I will. This evidence is exactly what I needed to start proving that Umbrella was no good." She started.

"You two coming?" Carlos questioned, realizing we fell behind.

"Yeah, one second." Jill said, before turning back to you. "Hold on to it for now. Once I know I can keep it safe, I will like to have it."

"And I will gladly give it to you." You laughed in relief, before you both finally continued to follow Carlos.

"Hey, what do you know about that monster?" Jill asked him.

"Nothing. I've never seen anything like it. But it's no zombie. It knows what it wants and won't stop till it gets it. Don't you like that in a man?" Carlos jokes, still leading us through the station.

"No thanks. He's all yours." Jill said dryly. You snorted, choking on a laugh in your throat. 

Carlos chuckled. "Listen, I promise you're in good hands. I'm with the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. U.B.C.S for short."

"Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding? You guys are the one who caused all this!" Jill shouted, not believing that anyone in Umbrella was here to help.

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?" Carlos asked. "You don't have to trust me, but I'm going to the shelter. You two coming?" He kicked a door open. "C'mon, it's this way."

You and Jill shared a look, before following Carlos.

"I don't think everyone in Umbrella knows what really goes on in Umbrella. He might not know, Jill." You whispered.

"I still don't trust them." Jill mumbled.

"You don't have to." You said. You both make your way into the train that was being used as shelter for survivors. Beside Carlos sat an injured older man, also in combat gear, who you assumed was more higher up than Carlos.

"Hey, Captain. This fine young lady could use our help." Carlos said, gesturing to Jill. 

"Carlos, you didn't even think to ask fine young lady her name?" The man asked, an accent in his voice that you can't quite place. Russian?

"She is an elite operative of R.P.D Special Tactics And Rescue Service. Her name is…something…Valentine." He continued.

"It's Jill." She said as she took a seat. You stood from the side, watching the scene unfold.

"Nice to meet you, Jill. I am U.B.C.S Platoon Leader Mikhail Victor. My team was sent here to rescue civilians." He grunted in pain at the end of his sentence, the wounds on his abdomen severe from what you could see. A bite, perhaps? You weren't sure.

"Right. How's that going for you?" Jill asked, a distrusting tone in her voice.

"The city is completely cut off. Isolated. Most of the hundred thousand civilians will wind up dead. Ah, correction: undead." Mikhail Victor said. Jill looked irritated and saddened at those odds.

"My Platoon has suffered serious losses. Just keeping them alive is more than I can manage." He admitted.

"Well you can thank your corporate overlords for that." Jill snarked.

"Yes, well… we are doing all we can. If we can get the subway train moving…we can evacuate some survivors." Ah, he's gonna ask her for help.

"But we need help. My men cannot do this alone." He finished.

Jill looked to the side, debating. She made eye contact with you, looking for some advice. You huffed and shrugged. You can help, but it's up to her on whether she wants to do this or not.

She sighed then smirked. "Alright, I'm in." She stood from her seat. "But I'm on their side. Not yours." She pointed to the civilians in the cart next to us.

"Oh hey, hey. That's cool. We all want the same thing." Carlos said.

"Thank you, Jill." Mikhail Victor said.

"Alright, supercop. Here you go. We can use this to stay in contact." Carlos said, handing Jill a walkie talkie.

"I know what a radio is." Jill snarked. Carlos huffed a laugh, before shrugging.

"You coming with?" Jill asked you.

You figured you at least owe any surviving civilians that. Seeing as you had failed to shut Umbrella down sooner and failed to prevent all this from happening. Ben can wait a little longer.

"Yeah, I can tag along."

"Okay, first thing's first. We need to get you two geared up. Head up to street level. You'll find supplies there." Carlos said.

You both nodded and made your way out of the train. "By the way, what's your name? I never got the chance to ask." Jill questioned.

"Oh, Y/n. Y/n L/n."

"Nice to meet you, Y/n. Thanks for saving my ass."

"Yeah, well, I have nothing better to do at the moment." You laughed.

[meadow-roses]

Hey can you explain the main plot of keepers?

I'll do my best, I hope this will answer your question 😂

So the main concept of "The Keepers" is a collection of stories that play with the crossover trope. It's hard to say exactly what the plot of the keepers would be at this point in the development, since we're still coming up with the plots of all the individual stories that make up the crossover.

Each of the main characters has their own story they were/are the protagonist of, who's "happy ending" is interrupted by the instability of the universe. They end up meeting and teaming up when they realize they all share exactly the same villain and he's still trying to win.

The main villain is a scientist driven mad by grief, still trying to make his vision a success despite all the loved ones he's lost along the way as a direct result of his research. His end goal isn't necessarily bad- bringing magical equality to the world- but ends don't justify the means and he's tearing apart the universe trying to make everything "fair".

Functionally, Skylar is the main protagonist, mainly because his story kicks off the plot time-bomb but also because he's kinda the one rolling around the multiverse inadvertently collecting allies. (Despite the fact he vehemently insists he's a one man show lol) The other Keepers are Ketsler, Felix, and Betty, but as you might have noticed the cast is pretty extensive. 😂

Skylar's story is a folk fairytale style adventure of two brothers trying to learn what it means to be a Man and also break a curse, but unfortunately the end of the world happens.

Felix's story is a sci-fi/fantasy superhero story set in a dystopian future about family, friendship, and what true bravery is. The main character accidentally becomes the leader of a planetary revolution and meets his true love.

Ketsler's story is about "the prophesied one" struggling to fulfill his role when deep down inside he's just another regular dude, but thankfully the power comes from outside and not within. He, his cousin, and the med student they befriend try to figure out what the source of the evil magic is and it goes terribly wrong.

Betty's is still in the early stages, so I don't quite know what the themes will be, but she is an orphan with psychic powers that lets her hear other's thoughts... including the thoughts of ghosts. In search of a way to use her powers for good and also find a place where she belongs, she moves to Earth and joins the interplanetary organization that studies and controls the supernatural. She certainly meets some supernatural things. :)

There are a Lot of other characters, but those are the main four. Other significant persons would be: Gigi (Skylar's brother), Grace (Felix's wife), Vokku (prince of the Fae), Rhyin (Ketsler's cousin), Haru (Ketsler's apprentice), Vinni (Rhyin's girlfriend), Edmund (the bard from Thistled Rose of Glishern) and the kids from the Ageless War wip.

It's a. Really big story because it's kind of like a 12 book series, so there's a lot of stuff still up in the air that could easily change next week or two years from now, but that's how it stands currently.

If you have any more questions or would like clarification on a point Please don't hesitate to send another ask! I don't want to hit you with a three page essay right off the bat lol

Thank you SO MUCH for your interest and your support!!! 😭💕

[snuffwhistlecakes]

sketches of underdeveloped chipbill angels & devils AU 😈❣️💖😇

details & explanations are under the cut.

so, the main idea was that everything is nearly the same to bcg original set-up (they move into the city and yada-yada), aside from the fact, that there is 3 kinds of people on earth. the angles, supposedly good & thriving on good/nice deeds. the devils or the demons, who get their power from causing other people's misfortunes & general mischief. and then, lastly, there are the non angel/devil kind. it's like a purgatory sort of deal. as result, they don’t have any specific perks, but have an ability to eventually get into one group or another, based on their choices. or they can stay in-between, if they won't dab into extremes, or will keep mixing up bad deed with good.

now, back to angels/devil. another thing that connected with theor personal balance of evil & good, is that angle’s wings get bigger, the more nice deeds they commit. and for devils, it’s their horns. they get larger, the more power they possess. the more powerful angels and devils can control the length of their wings/horns, mostly so that it won’t get in the way, when they will be doing smth mundane. 

overall, this au has a similar plot/timeline with original bcg set-up, but with some adjustments. this is also not an after-life/or religious au lol. it’s just that their universe is like this. with bill being an angel, who cannot fly, and has small wings. and chip, who eventually becomes one of higher devils (his ceo version), while manager one was more on the level of mid, average demons. on top of that, big part of chip’s plan in that universe includes seduction of bill green, bc nothing gives the devil more power, than tainting someone, who is supposed to be ‘pure’. but during his like charade, he ends up falling in love with bill, which tbf doesn’t prevent him from being evil or becoming more powerful, basically. in return, bill would try to ‘fix him’, and perhaps finally get his big, nice wings. but neither of them prob will get what they want lol.

another thing, is that changed devils/angels, don't tend to downright switch their occupations. if the angel 'fall' or the devil 'raise', they most likely will end up in purgatory. and naturally, the devils are less likely to change into anything, but become worse, vs angels, who can have a 'breakdown', and lose their wings. anyhow.....

bill can control when and how often his wings show up. mostly he just has a halo above his head, like all angels. chip has the same perk with his tail, but his horns are always presented. along with a narrow pupil. later on, as ceo, he also has longish, clawed fingers, but he can control this as well. his horns are also way-way taller and sharper. but he can mask them back into shorter form.

now, a quick side note about other characters, who exist in this universe. chip’s father is also the devil, a pretty powerful one too. but usually, he keeps his friendly facade intact, so it’s hard to understand why he's a ‘bad dude’. but welp, he is. alice is also a devil, her husband was an angel. mixing with another kind isn’t forbidden in their world, it just can cause certain difficulties. mostly the fact, that angels & devils disagree on a lot of things. anyho', tilly is an angel, but she didn’t get her wings yet. cricket is the devil, but he doesn’t have horns, only a tail lol. nancy is a non-devil/angel. she used to be the devil, but not any longer. she’s not ‘good’ enough to ever become an angel, but she no longer gets power from doing bad stuff, either. remy is an angel, bc idk how he can be anything else. his bodyguard is the devil. officer keys is the angel, bc of course he is, haha. and welp, gloria sato simply doesn’t exist in this universe, bc i don’t want her to lol. *taps chin* mm, i guess, it covers the most main characters. each would have their own arc and such, even if my main focus is always gonna be bill & chip. cuz yeah, this au exist for them. others are just kinda there.

either way, it has been forever since i drew/posted on this blog. these sketches sat inside my folder for months to come, so i decided to quickly slap color on them and post it in the way it currently is. for one, i hate piling up too many unfinished drawings (i already have like uh 10 of them lol), along with my pile of unfinished fics, so yup. 

[milo-the-professional-yapper]

Hello! about your malevolent ask

[long ass answer- many apologies]

its a slightly goofy, sort of horror soap opera, in the vein of call of cthulu/tma. I dont find it Super Scary, but idk what your milage for horror is.

The overarching plot is drivin by the patrions (sp sorry), in the style of a choose your own adventure novel- you can usually tell where the choices are; it'll be something like 'omg arthur, we're at a crossroads- do we go left, to the evil cavern (where the horrors live) or right, to the evil woods (more horrors).' You can also hear more overt RPG stylings in the beginning- dice roll sounds for perception checks, etc. These do fade out after the first season.

Rough outline (some spoilers): John (a spirit/demon type guy) possesses Arthur (a detective from Arkham MA) and, in doing so, takes over his eyes. Now Arthur must navigate the world with only the guidance of the voice in his head. Horrors unfold, walls are walked into the boys are in their get-along consciousness. Think venom, if both of them were way bitchier and prone to swearing. and also eddy was blind.

IS IT GAY: Yes and no. If its a friendship, its really intense- but cannonicaly it has been very firmly stated that they are just friends. However, the relationship is intertwined and deep enough that many people consider it to be queerplatonic- Arthur being aromantic is a very popular interpretation, if that sweetens the pot for you (idk how loosely you're using gay here). Glib answer: its pretty queer, but no kissing.

COOL STUFF:

-A dramatic, intense relationship between a guy and the dude who lives in his head. They argue ( my god how they argue) they make up, they argue again.

-The saddest little english man (arthur) gets chucked off cliffs multiple times. Do you like men whimpering? This is the podcast for you!

-Very impressive voice acting: the writer voices absolutely everyone in the podcast (yes. everyone) and its genuinely almost unnoticeable. You really do have to have it pointed out to you.

-Fun, slightly campy (in the way of an rpg campaign) Lovecraft style horror

-Lovely piano soundtrack

-A gentleman called the butcher shows up in- what season 3? maybe?- and I adore him. Go singing irishman go. You get that violent homoeroticism.

Drawbacks:

Again, I don't really know your taste, but these are some of the things that might turn someone off from listening. YMMV etc.

-LOUD. If you dont like gentlemen yelling DIRECTLY AND ANGRILY INTO THE MIC then this is not for you. If you do like that, then you are about the have the time of your life. There is also just. An incredible amount of panting/heavy breathing. Also directly into the mic, and at length. Like, an 'i am secretly watching gay pornography' amount. I had it going on a speaker once and my roommate had questions, kind of amount

-Almost no women characters: understandable, since a dude is voicing Literally Everyone- but it is something of a sausage fest. Women exist in universe, they just tend to move in the backround/be unvoiced. Lots of 'oh heres whats happened to her' sort of describing around the 'I can't voice a woman' issue. One old lady has a few voice lines and thats it.

-Kind of a soap: This is a draw for me ngl, but if you are looking for TMA 2: the magnusing- she isn't it. Its a LOT lighter than tma, writing wise, and isnt exactly hitting any crazy new twists in its plot (if you've read Any lovecraftian stuff you probably wont be super surprised by anything)BUT. Its still very fun. Two dudes sharing a body, detective roadship shenanigans. They might kiss! Might see some skinned bodies or something.

The dynamics can be a lil repetative (wake up break up back together) and the plot can be a little- ehhhh. due to it being yk, patrion controlled- but that can be fun- it's pretty heavily a choose your own adventure story at heart, so if your down with that (and the sillyness that comes with it) then you'll like it.

-Gore: pretty gory. I enjoy that sort of thing/ am not really effected by it BUT if that not your cup of tea, then you might wanna skedaddle.

🤠 thats all. Again, apologies for the very long answer.

First off- don’t apologize! This gave me everything I needed- thank you for the detailed answer to my question! Looks like I’m giving this podcast a listen- everyone wish me luck 😭

[coralcatsea]

I feel like rating the Batman Caped Crusader villains, so here we go.

Note: These ratings are just what I was feeling at the time, but they're subject to change if I see more of them in the next season!

Mama Penguin: 7/10. she was enjoyable to watch and felt like a cross between the Witch of the Waste from Howl's Moving Castle and Captain Dola from Castle in the Sky. 😆 I also liked the look she has with the purple dress. I feel like we needed more about her role as a villain, why she's a villain, etc.

Clayface: 6.5/10. He was pretty fun, I liked the mystery surrounding him and his general demeanour. The sword fight was also good. I feel like he could've been more memorable, though, and it could've been more fleshed out why Clayface went off the deep end and immediately tried to kill his costar. Maybe delve into how he realised that if she rejected him despite changing his looks, it must mean there's something wrong with his personality, and that's how he comes to decide his personality is evil or something?

Catwoman: 10/10. She had cats in every corner of her house and a catmobile. That automatically makes her amazing because it's hilarious and I'm biased. She also had a very lively and amusing personality. She was playful and expressive, and her over the top innocent act cracked me up. I love how she took inspiration from Batman because she vibed with his aesthetic, and she truly committed to the bit. We also got a bit of backstory for why she is the way she is, and her dynamic with the maid was great.

Firebug: 4/10. He had potential and they did nothing with it. I liked how he put on goggles and saw everyone happily being consumed by flames, but...that's about it. They didn't tell us anything about him, he was just a plot device.

Harleen/Jester: 8/10. I was looking forward to seeing this show's take on Harley, and I enjoyed it a good amount. I particularly liked her as Harleen and appreciated the psychiatrist focus since a lot of times that side gets forgotten. It was interesting to see her reasoning for becoming a villain, and while I didn't get their reasoning for the Jester connection at first, I later realised it and the theming of her victims is connected to Jungian archetypes! Having it related to psychology is pretty clever!! I will say I didn't get the point of the Renee/Harleen stuff. I was curious how and why they would fall for each other, and...it kind of just happened? I hope they'll delve into the reason for attraction in s2.

Gentleman Ghost: 6/10. He seemed cool, buuut...we didn't see enough of his personality and his motivation felt kind of bland to me. Him being an actual ghost also felt a bit out of place. I didn't mind it too much, but I guess I was just surprised there wasn't some "scientific" reasoning for him.

Onomatopoeia: 5/10. Kind of amusing, but it's hard to form a strong opinion about a guy whose face is fully covered and he doesn't say anything but stuff like "plip plip plip" and "bang!" 😂

Natalya: 7/10. Cool design, she gave Wednesday vibes. I also liked her personality and how she felt like a more tragic villain. Her brother helped add to that, along with her mysterious condition. I do wish we got to know more about the condition. She also managed to bring out Batman's compassionate side, which was really nice.

Harvey: 5/10. Meh...he was more complex than the totally corrupt version in the Harley Quinn show, but that's not saying much. I liked what they were TRYING to do, with his original self being more corrupt and then he gains a conscience when he becomes the victim and gets scarred. But I feel like it wasn't written or explored that well, and he barely had time to be Two Face before they took him out of the picture.