#and that there exist ''white marriages'' bc of this

[literaphobe]

i feel like. when it comes to stories and various media adaptations. some people are so obtuse and their reluctance to accept multiple interpretations of fiction especially those that are ambiguous by design. feels so childish and stupid

im just saying like. anyone who goes ‘jo x laurie shippers are so stupid for liking them didnt you know the writer didnt want them to be together?’ only to say ‘jo and freidrich are soooo cute!!!!’ are deluded in a way no one can ever save

[etfrin]

⤷❝The Study | Coriolanus Snow❞ˎˊ-

⇢☾Warning: NSFW | riding, toxic relationship, arranged marriage, mentions of cheating (no actual cheating occurs), riding, dom sub undertones, degradation (he calls you a slut once), hair pulling, edging if you squint, crying, pinv sex, unprotected sex (wrap it dumbfucks), creampie, dry humping, clothed sex (you were still wearing a dress) | lmk if I forgot anything!

⇢☾Pairing: young president! Coriolanus Snow x fem! Reader

⇢☾Summary: A video of you flirting with an elitist goes viral and Snow calls you to his study to confront you about it and it ends up in sexy times ;)

⇢☾A/N: btw for those who doesn't get why Snow asked reader to mark him, it's to show the Capitol that despite rumors, they are actually very close. And uhmm I hope you guys like this!

< masterlist > < bc: @cafekitsune >

< tags: @roryzzz @stelleduarte @strengthandstay @skywalker1dream >

The marriage was a facade, a show for the Capitol that the president didn't stand alone. The people in the manor were the only people who knew how fake the marriage was. Some of the elite of the Capitol could also tell. People can fake everything but not love, never love.

You learned early on Snow wasn't capable of love. A lover wouldn't do half of the atrocities Snow committed as he got to power but he had never done anything to you. You didn't exist for him in the manor and he was always respectful when you were by his side.

It was manageable, the life you had, nobody could mistreat you, not as the First Lady of Panem. However mistreatment and flirting are very different things, and the people of Capitol aren't a stranger to wandering hands and lustful eyes.

You didn't think Coriolanus would mind that you sometimes let the hands linger. That you would bask in the attention you were so deprived of from your husband. You were proven wrong as a video of you and an elitist was going viral all over the Capitol.

You didn't cheat on Snow, but you were too close to the stranger. His hand on your waist and your smile too wide. Cheating or not, it wasn't any less inappropriate.

A remainder by your servant made you walk to the study in which Snow spent most of his time. You were wearing a knee-length white dress, something that clings to your curves. It was a desperate, pathetic attempt to distract Snow. A part of you knew it wouldn't work and would make your mistake more obvious but it was an attempt better than none.

You knocked at the door and you could hear him say come in. So you did. Your hands are behind your back, and your eyes look at the floor like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

“Do you know what you have done?” He asked, you still couldn't look up to meet his gaze. Your fingers fumble behind your back as you bite your inner cheek. You give him a nod.

“And what have you done?” He questioned, his voice like the calm before the storm. “I created unnecessary gossip that isn't good for your reputation,” you mummer.

“What else?” He said, his tone suspicious and waiting for the confirmation. That's when you look up at the most beautiful demon you have ever seen. He looked all glorious with his suit and hair slicked back. “I didn't cheat,” you said, firmly, your eyes fierce and reflecting the truth of your words.

When Snow didn't reply, you insisted again, “I. Didn't. Cheat. It's a line I will never cross, Coriolanus.” Again, he didn't say anything, instead, his gaze went up and down your body, his expression unreadable. You flushed from his stare, not sure if wearing this dress was the right move after all. The man had always surrounded himself with those stupid white roses and this was the symbol that you had noticed.

“Come and sit.” You begin to walk towards the chair only to be interrupted by his words, “No, not there, in my lap.” You freeze from his words, but your brain tells you to obey his every word.

You make your way to him, your heels clicking against the marble floor. Your hands are sweaty and your heart is in your throat. You reach him before you straddle him without a word being uttered. Your dress hitching up to your thighs. Your hands around his shoulders as you wait for further instructions from your husband.

“What do you think we should do to make the rumors go away?” He asked, his voice deep and so seductive. You weren't even sure he realized the effect his voice had on you. You let out a small gasp when his hands held your hips, cementing your place in his lap.

His hands were warm and perhaps maybe it was biased but you thought they would be ice cold. Instead, his palm laminated heat against the thin fiber of your dress making your skin warm. Your former flush turns into a deeper shade of red.

“We could…” you couldn't focus, how could you when he was touching you like this? When he was so close. He was never this close to you before. Ever. His touch reminded you of the fact that despite everything he is a man and your husband at that. A demon in human flesh.

“We could do more PR,” you mumbled. He raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. “I mean if we do it right, I am sure it will work,” you fumbled. He gives you a nod.

“Take off my shirt,” he demanded. Your eyes widen and you hesitate. “Do it or I’ll make you.” he threatened and you know not to take his words lightly. With shaky fingers, you unbutton his shirt. The process was slow, meticulously slow. His toned physique comes into complete view, making your breath hitch. Fuck, he was a Greek God of tragedy and sin.

“Mark me up,” he said, his tone emotionless. “What?” you questioned, surprised. “You think you’re acting innocent?” he sneered, “You heard what I said, my wife. It's because of your suggestion. Mark. Me. Up.”

You swallow down your nervousness and bring your lips forward to his cheek. You pressed a soft kiss there and felt him tense underneath you. You drag your lips to his jaw and nip the skin, the tip of your tongue soothing the small teeth mark as he lets out a grunt. It was music to you. A masterpiece of symphony and you needed more, so much more. Snow had you deprived for months and it's time to take.

Your lips continue to nip at his jaw, placing sloppy wet kisses as his breaths get heavy. You moved down to his neck, a moan leaving your lips as you attacked his skin with your teeth. Sucking onto his pulse point and moaning when the salty taste of his skin hits your taste buds. Your hand goes to his neck, tilting his head to give you more access. All the while he lets out quite controlled sounds. You licked his Adam's apple before wrapping your mouth around it to suck a purple bruise. Marking him up just as he wanted.

His hand on your waist gave you a firm squeeze which made you bite harder and made him hiss. You lean back panting, as you admire your artwork of teeth marks and red love bites. You pressed down into him and moaned as his hard bulge pressed right against your clothed cunt. Your panties were soaked by now. “Snow,” you whimper.

“Corio, call me Corio” he whispered. His eyes briefly turned to a white bouquet of roses before he met your gaze. You didn't think much of it and whispered, “Corio.”

“Corio,” you tried the name again on your tongue and watched his eyes darken. You leaned in, your lips brushing against his. “Let me kiss you. Let me make you my husband, please,” you whispered.

You waited for a verbal answer but all you got was another squeeze on your waist. You were desperate enough to take what you could get. You started by grinding against his bulge. The juices that made your panties soaked are now ruining his pants.

You let out a breathless moan as you gained delicious friction against your pussy but it wasn't enough. There's no hell and heaven for which this would be enough. You crashed your lips to his. The kiss was all carnage and desire. Uncoordinated, something so unlike Snow Corio that it made you moan into his mouth. Your hands are in his hair, pulling him closer. Your lips glide against each other perfectly. His tongue took over your mouth, not leaving any place unexplored, untouched by him.

You break the kiss with a gasp. Your hand going towards his pants to unzip. The motion stopped as Corio held your wrist and you looked up at him. “You’re my wife, you're my right,” he said, “but do you deserve it?”

It was more than a question, it was a promise waiting to be made, a bond waiting to be sealed. “I…” you begin to speak, you meet his eyes, sea blue you wanted to drown in, “Never again, Sn- Corio. Never again.” “Please,” you added for extra measure. You had his taste already, no one else could ever compare. He had to know that too because he gave you a sharp nod.

You get up from his lap, taking off your panties first, not bothering with the dress. You knew he liked it now, more than you thought so he would. You find your rightful place in his lap again, his pants and boxers past his knees.

His cock was hard and twitching, the length had an angry tip with its slit profusely leaking pre-cum. It looked painful and it was because of you. You. You wondered if you had power over him now for a brief second but you shake your head clear of these thoughts.

Instead, you catch his lips again, the kiss slower this time. You raise yourself a bit so his cock can align itself to your entrance. Your dress is raised to help you. Even if his cock was on the girthy side with veins on the underside of his cock. You knew your pussy would stretch around him, that your walls would be a splendid fit around his length. You were too impatient for any sort of foreplay, you wanted the stretch, you wanted him to make you dizzy with his cock splitting you apart.

You let out a whimper as you began to sink onto his cock, your eyes flicked to him and his eyes were zeroed down to the place you both were connected now. His hands are on either side of your hip, guiding you down on his length. It was after his cock was fully stuffed in you, that his self-control allowed him to let out a groan.

“I respected you like a lady but sluts don't deserve respect,” he said, his lips parted as he let out a heavy pant. You let out a whimper, your mind hazy as your cunt tries to get used to his length. “I.. am sorry,” you whine, how many times do you need to repeat? When will he be satisfied with your apology?

“Prove it,” he said with a smirk, “Prove that you deserve to be my wife and the First Lady of Panem.”

You follow Corios’ command. Your hands are on his shoulders to support yourself. Your fingers fist his shirt as you begin to ride him. Raising yourself a few inches before slamming down on his cock with a loud moan escaping your lips. He reached the deepest spot inside of you like this. His cockhead grazing your spongy spot as you fucking yourself on his cock. Your arousal and his pre-cum being smeared all over your thighs.

The sight made his breath hitch, something you didn't notice as you were too busy with your eyes closed and taking his cock like a good wife. You looked completely debauched like this, your hair wild, your lips red and swollen, your hands digging into his shoulder. Your nipples are hard and obvious through the white dress.

He wasn't supposed to lose control, this was happening for a reason. No matter how many deem him God or devil in the end he was a man. And no man is perfect. He pulled you closer to him. One of his hands is on your back, pressing you to him. Another of his hands in your hair, tugging the strands without a care about how rough he is being. It makes you moan, your head on his chest now. His hips raise upwards to fuck you as he now lets out more vocal sounds of enjoyment.

His pace was slower than yours. Each thrust of his was made for his indulgence in your velvet walls. The drag of his cock was perfect, his speed however was making you feel insane. You needed him, faster, harder. Used would be a much more correct term. You wanted to be used by your husband. And right now, you were but it wasn't enough.

You let out mewls and whines to make him break his languid pace but Corio gives you no mind. His fingers interlanged in your locks, his hand still pressing you in and his strength made it so you couldn't take control. He was drunk in the pleasure your pussy gave, his head resting on his headrest, his lips parted to let out a grunt with every thrust.

You weren't a person for him, not right now, a fleshlight perhaps. It didn't matter what you felt, it mattered what Snow felt. Snow felt amazing, he felt stupid for denying himself this for months on end. He would never make the same mistake again.

Time passes and you don't know how long Corio has you like this, your nerves raw as your pussy impossibly sensitive. Tears were falling from your eyes and staining his shirt but moans slipped your lips every time he pushed in again.

“Corio, please,” you try to plead, raising your head to look at him. “Please, please can't anymore.” He turns his head to you, his fingers that you seemed to have forgotten were in your hair tugging your strands roughly.

That was it. You gasp out as the pain becomes a trigger to make you cum on his cock, your pussy tightening around his cock like a vice as the orgasm washes over your body. It was intense and you had snapped. “Sorry! Sorry!” You begin to sob, “I won't ever look at a man that's not you! Sn- Corio please!”

His languid thrust had sped up, his arms caging you to his chest. The last thing you heard before he spilled his seed inside of you was, “Snow lands on top.”

[nanamineedstherapy]

Inumaki Toge meets Gojo's wife

Gojo Satoru x Preganat Wife Reader x Nanami Kento

Inumaki Toge x Okkotsu Yuta

A/N: This is an excerpt from my fic "Third Wheeling Your Own Marriage" but can be absolutely enjoyed alone bcs everyone should. Warnings: No warnings, just Crack!Gojo being Gojo. WC: 1200 aprox.

You were starving.

Again!

Pregnancy did that—one second, you were fine, the next, your body was demanding something salty and fried like it was a life-or-death situation.

The car was too quiet. The night was too still. You drummed your fingers against the door, the rhythm sharp and impatient. Your entire existence had been reduced to craving fulfillment, and right now, that fulfillment needed to be deep-fried and covered in salt.

Then—movement.

A teenager, white-haired, passing by with his hands stuffed in his pockets, face partially obscured.

Target acquired.

You rolled down the window. “Hey, kid.”

He stopped, turned, and blinked at you.

“Do me a favor,” you said, pulling out a crisp bill and holding it out. “Run into the store and grab me a soda. And—” you paused, adjusting your outfit because you didn’t want to be bullied for a mid-fit (he seemed like the type who would)—“some samosas or chips. Just get whatever looks good.”

The teenager tilted his head. “Shake.”

You frowned. “No. Soda.”

“Bonito flakes.”

“…What?”

He nodded, very serious. “Salmon.”

You inhaled deeply through your nose. “No. Soda. Chips. Something salty. Preferably fried.”

“Bonito flakes.”

Your eye twitched. “Are you messing with me?”

“Shake.”

A pause. A long, painful pause.

You stared at him. He stared back.

The tension thickened.

A single leaf drifted by, carried on the wind.

Finally, you pinched the bridge of your nose. “You know what? Never mind. Just get me Shoko.”

“Salmon.”

You shot him a look.

And then—

“Uh, hey.”

A new voice. A new presence.

You turned to see a dark-haired young man walking toward you, his expression a mix of mild concern and secondhand embarrassment.

The teenager—Menace Flakes—perked up. “Shake.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” The newcomer sighed, rubbing his temple before looking at you. “Sorry, he’s not trying to mess with you. That’s just... how he talks.”

The dark-haired guy scratched the other’s cheek. “Sort of. It’s his cursed technique.”

Well, that was oddly homoerotic for some reason, but it wasn’t your problem.

Then his words caught you off guard. You glanced back at Menace Flakes, who blinked at you expectantly, as if he hadn’t just given you a goddamn aneurysm.

“Cursed technique?”

“Yeah,” the new guy replied. “His words make things happen. If he said something normal like ‘give me a Lambo,’ it could go south real fast.”

Huh. Weird.

You exhaled. “Fine. Whatever.” You waved a hand. “Could you buy me something to eat? You know how pregnancy is.”

The new guy nodded, but didn’t move.

Instead, his expression shifted—subtle, but sharp.

His eyes drifted downward.

Not at you.

At your stomach.

You tensed.

The air around you shifted, and for the first time, you saw his shoulders square, his stance change—like he had just registered something wrong.

“You’re—” He hesitated. “What are you?”

Your jaw locked.

Not who.

What.

Your stomach. The part of you that was currently housing two tiny freaks of nature.

He was looking at it like it was a nuclear warhead.

You exhaled slowly. “You cannot be serious.”

But he was. His fingers twitched at his side, cursed energy humming just beneath the surface.

“I can feel it,” he muttered, eyes locked on your stomach like it was about to lunge at him. “The cursed energy—it's massive. It’s—unnatural.”

You stared at him. “Yeah, no shit. I’m six months pregnant with Gojo Satoru’s kids.”

He did not look reassured.

“You are lying,” he said flatly. “No women want him.”

Menace Flakes, meanwhile, nodded sagely. “Salmon.”

“Stop helping,” you snapped.

The dark-haired one exhaled sharply, clearly debating whether to exorcise you, arrest you, or just straight-up pass out.

And then—

The air split open with a crack.

A presence—massive, overwhelming, and unmistakably obnoxious.

And then—

“SWEETHEART! BABY! LOVE OF MY LIFE!”

Gojo Satoru exploded onto the scene, arms spread wide, sunglasses slightly crooked, radiating pure, undiluted drama like he had just crash-landed in a soap opera.

The dark-haired one froze.

Menace Flakes blinked.

The pregnant woman in question exhaled. “Oh, great.”

Gojo landed beside you in a flourish of long limbs and expensive fabric, dramatically pressing a hand over his heart like he was personally enduring your suffering. “I felt your distress from inside the building and thought—oh no! My delicate, vulnerable wife must be suffering!”

You stared at him, unimpressed. “I was just trying to get them to buy me a soda.”

Gojo gasped, looking scandalized. “WITHOUT ME?”

The dark-haired one, still standing there, fists clenched, visibly struggling to process any of this, finally managed, “Wait—what?”

Gojo turned to him with the kind of slow, patronizing patience that made you want to file for divorce on the spot. “Yuta-kun.” He gestured toward you with a flourish, his tone unbearably smug. “Meet my wife.”

Yuta’s soul momentarily left his body.

He turned to you.

Turned back to Gojo.

Then back to you.

“She’s married to you?”

Gojo grinned. “Yes.”

“…Willingly?”

Gojo staggered back like he’d just been mortally wounded. “Excuse me, Yuta, I’ll have you know my wife adores me.” He turned to you, batting his lashes and pouting his lips in a way that made your insides almost immediately forgive him—like he could do no wrong. “Right, sweetheart?”

Familiar heat dropped in your stomach; he hadn’t looked at you like this in months.

But the way he was acting made you wonder if he was bipolar, like the unlicensed part-time mental health diagnostician you were.

A few months ago, you’d turned to psychology and philosophy to try to justify his antics or at least understand the reasoning behind them, but then you’d given up—mostly because you realized that even Aristotle and Carl Jung would be confused.

You stared at him. Then, without breaking eye contact—

“I was literally about to walk into traffic.”

Gojo cackled, delighted. “Classic my wife!”

Yuta, meanwhile, was still trying to reboot his brain. “And the cursed energy—?”

Gojo clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Ah, yes, my future children. Purse friendly—Gojo's, if you will.”

Yuta made a noise that could only be described as an existential wheeze. “Sensei, you’re telling me she’s pregnant with your kids, and that’s why she’s emitting that much cursed energy?”

And then—

A new voice.

Calm. Measured. Deeply exhausted.

Nanami, walking up like he had just spent the last ten minutes cleaning up Gojo’s mess, casually fixing his cuffs as he passed a hand over Menace Flakes’s head.

“Our kids.”

Yuta’s soul made a desperate attempt to leave his mortal shell.

Gojo beamed, clapping his hands together. “Yep! Kento’s involved too!”

Yuta let out a strangled sound, while Menace Flakes—completely unfazed—nodded. “Okka.”

“Thank you, Toge-kun.” Nanami said.

Gojo finally turned back to you, all smiles. “Now, my love, my moon, my gorgeous trillionaire—what’s this I hear about you running off?”

You exhaled sharply. “I was hungry, and you idiots locked me in my own car.”

Gojo gasped, reeling. “A travesty!” He turned to Nanami. “Ken Ken, we’ve wronged her.”

Nanami sighed. “You wronged her.”

“I wronged her,” Gojo conceded solemnly. Then, bright again—“So! Riceballs? Soda? My life’s mission is now to make sure my pregnant goddess is fed.”

And with that, Gojo climbed through the window of the car like an overgrown raccoon, all his limbs too much like giant spiders in a miniature toy car, while you stared at him in abject seen-it-all.

Nanami, a functional adult, got inside like a normal person. “See you around, Yuta and Inumaki-kun.”

Meanwhile, Yuta just stood there, staring into the void, rethinking every single life choice that had led him to this moment.

Inumaki patted his arm.

“Bonito flakes.”

All Works Masterlist

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

I have this pestering theory of mine that og Cale Henituse is a double regressor. My main point of evidence being that his behavior suddenly changed on the flip of a dime when he was eight years old and started acting extremely mature. That could be the trauma, that could be him being extremely mature and intelligent already, sure, but how could he not get caught by Ron in the act? A real eight year old should be caught by the trained assassin right?

What do I mean by double regressor. I'm saying that og Cale Henituse grew up getting close to Basen, Violan, and Lily, and experienced a tragedy typical of regression stories like Basen dying or being assassinated bc his relatives, and then waking up on the day of Violan and Deruth's marriage. Deciding that, to save them, he'll ruin himself.

But then he makes it to 18 again, and a war breaks out. And then his family dies, and he can't save them like he did before.

And then... Death approaches him. He says, regress again, and you can save them.

So he does.

BUT ALSO

Totally different theory that could also exist in the same universe, even though it totally doesn't make sense, I think og!Cale could've had a regression ability that lets him go back in time (by a small amount) either when he wanted or when he dies. Cale was nobody special, remember? But he survived 20 years in that hellish war with the white star. How was that possible? He faced the white star himself, and survived. ????? Unless I'm misremembering that and he died at the age of 40 in that encounter. But wouldn't it make sense that there's a reason behind why Cale Henituse specifically was chosen to regress? Maybe because he had an ability already that would make it easier? So all the God of Death would have to do is increase the scale of his power, letting him regress incredibly far back.

I know it doesn't make sense and there's a hundred reasons why it couldn't work but look, it's just an inkling feeling I have based on a few things that have been described in the story. Like the chill Cale gets on the back of his head, I can't describe it. Just consider it my headcanon or a wild theory of mine.

[loumandivorce]

theres this thing thats been happening in vaguely historical fiction media (usually always set in victorian england or something) in recent years where racism and sometimes homophobia magically do not exist but misogyny still does so that the cookie cutter white woman protagonist can still experience sexism and be a #girlboss and worry about an arranged marriage. and it just feels incredibly lazy and boring bc you want your white power fantasy without actually engaging with any of the actual social issues, including misogyny, in any meaningful capacity. and sure let people have fun or whatever but its difficult to suspend your disbelief when king henry or queen elizabeth are people of color but the Spunky Brunette from a rich family is getting cutting remarks about her gender. not to get too serious but the imperialism doesn't get better when a poc is doing it? its giving hamilton

[adorefranchaela]

Some bridgerton book fans are so pathetic they are like

“the show is gonna flop now bc they changed the gender of a toxic manipulative man into a woman😡”

like y’all said the same thing when the show was announced and they casted a black man to play simon, when kate was casted and it wasn’t a white woman, said the same thing when polin was the main couple instead of benophie (yet it got over a billion streams within the first week) can they pls just shut up now

“why can’t they follow the books” first off they never have in kanthonys book edwina and anthony don’t even have that whole wedding shit like they do in the show… none of the seasons are like their books

secondly THANK FUCK THEY AREN’T!! the show wouldn’t have existed if they kept it exactly like the books

the men in the books are vile

anthony is physically abusive towards kate and edwina

colin is emotionally abusive towards pen

benedict is just plain vile towards sophie

michael said to fran ( a woman who struggles with fertility) that he wants to keep her tied to a bed till she is with child… guilt trips her into marriage bc they had sex while fran just feels used…

THANK GOD THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE THE BOOKS

[aq2003]

archive dive #4: love's labour's lost (2008)

love's labour's lost my favorite little disaster of a play that nobody likes but me. this was one of my most anticipated of the recordings i'd booked to watch in stratford firstly because it was my pestering emails that helped it along the "restore it to be accessible to the public again" process but also more importantly because this is one of the few prominent productions of this play to not whitewash rosaline. obviously it isn't the first production to do this, shoutout to the 1984 rsc production (josette simon was the first Black woman to play a leading role for the rsc!), but still it's pretty disappointing how few and far between these are, even if the play is pretty unpopular. the lines about rosaline's "blackness" are pretty unambiguous and imo the story loses an amount of its thematic edge without them... (dishonorable mention to the 2015 rsc production w/ a blonde, white rosaline that cut those lines entirely). anyway this was a really fun watch; the whole vibe of it here was kinda "yeah we have taken great lengths to intimately understand this work and we came away with the conclusion that it's extremely fucking silly". which like. hell yeah, honestly. anyway nina sosanya rosaline your hand in marriage PLEASE

prev / archive dive tag / next

this is something you can kind of tell more in the official photos of this production rather than the recording but the tree is so fucking good. the colorful shapes on the trees just scratches my brain in all the right ways. whoever designed that tree you have my love and my life

i'm not sure how common the "have an actor in character doing something on stage before the show begins" thing is in rsc productions but every time i've seen it it's so much fun. in the twelfth night production i watched feste is up on a ladder layering paint on the walls and here we have berowne, longaville, and dumaine having a little picnic! (berowne is having a nap and is covering his face with his straw hat)

ferdinand YANKED that pillow from berowne. let my man LIVE ferdinand

berowne successfully threw the hat onto the tree branch <33 good for him <33

also: his hat feels so out of place when he actually wears it. it feels like it's an anachronism even though i'm sure straw hats existed in the 16th-17th centuries

haha yeah shakespeare wrote a bunch of characters 400 years ago for dt to play but he is actually Such a good fit for berowne... he has such a natural talent for comedic timing and berowne's whole thing is that he's quick-witted and smart but makes a joke out of everything and can't take things seriously. also i was somewhat expecting him to be way more self-indulgent and overdramatic (a little bit like his romeo) bc that's somewhat how berowne came across in my head when reading LLL but i think dt's berowne is like. more of a lovable flirtatious dork. charming and romantic and more sincere than he thinks. it helps sell a more genuine connection between him and rosaline, for one!

i do think tho compared to dt's benedick his berowne is more serious and grounded and less of a silly clown man. if him and nina had went on to do ""love's labour's won"" (much ado about nothing) together it def would've been VERY different from the dt/ct version

i love this ferdinand so much. there's this kind of straightforwardness and evenness to how edward bennett says his lines like you can REALLY buy that this man would be insane enough to get his three friends to swear to be cooped up with him for 3 years without the touch of a woman and only having 1 meal a day 6 days a week etc

whoever decided to make moth's whole vibe "armado but small and endlessly sassy" your mind is so huge. they're like a "don't talk to me or my son ever again" deal

the portrayal of armado is biblically accurate. which is to say. this man is down horrendously bad and is so annoying and dramatic about it. applause

nina's rosaline is EXACTLY what i had pictured her sounding when i first read the play. i cannot describe it in words other than "she is so perfect for this role and i'm insane"

the ladies all gasp when boyet tells them that ferdinand is gonna make them stay outside on the grass LMAO

sorry for this commentary being text only but i must point out the cunty little cape that berowne is wearing in this scene. ok thank you

i WISHHHHH i could see berowne and rosaline's expressions when they're having their back-and-forths cuz based off of the line delivery and the pixels i think berowne is grinning like a lovesick lunatic at her and i Need it. I Need To See It. Give It To Me

armado dramatically playing the guitar vs moth unenthusiastically shaking a maraca. Yeah

completely my hypothesis also but i think the part where berowne talks about rosaline to costard is where This DT Image comes from. like the way his head is totally in the clouds just saying her name

[berowne voice] The Boy (derogatory)

several things that dt does during the german clock soliloquy that are so much fun. a) when he says "lord of folded arms" he points to someone in the audience with their arms crossed, b) when he says "king of codpieces" he sort of leans over to look Downwards at (presumably) a man in the audience, and c) when he picks out a woman in the audience to compare to the german clock, he makes a big show of winking at her afterwards. i may be screaming. berowne disaster bisexual!

i realize now that a) i have completely forgotten what the hell holofernes' latin phrases mean and b) the regular person in the audience does not know what holofernes' latin phrases mean either. but that's fine because oliver ford davies delivers these lines like something you'd say "okay grandpa let's get you to bed" to

sick and twisted about the bit where everybody reads out berowne's letter to rosaline aloud because IIIIII think what he wrote was very nice, sweet even, but holofernes is like "what is this fucking garbage smh my head"

hard to tell through the recording but i think berowne straight up chucks his draft of a letter at the beginning of 4.3 into the audience when he sees ferdinand coming

WET BEAST EDWARD BENNETT. HE SHOULD PLAY WET BEASTS FOREVER.

also ferdinand pauses in the middle of crying to take out his love letter again bc he forgot the next line he wrote. Amazing

the chemistry between the four guys is incredible. the most "me and the boys" energy of all time. especially when they sing together

"I, THAT AM HONEST" SUREEEEEE BEROWNE. SUREEEEEEEEEEEE

Chomp

and i mean of course david tennant's berowne would try to eat his love letter to destroy the evidence. i hope this makes sense to anyone who is a big fan of david tennant

i have no clue how the other lords are able to make out his handwriting though. i feel like he kinda did a pretty good job of destroying it

the way david delivers the "your mistresses dare never come in rain / for fear their colors should be washed away" line is so good. A+ no notes. also i'm mentioning this so late but i love the costuming of the production being a nod to this line what w/ berowne and rosaline being the only ones in their respective groups not wearing all white

ok so when i was reading the chapter on love's labour's lost in greg doran's book he mentions having discussions about how they would address the other lords' racism towards rosaline, how much would they keep in, how they would frame it, etc. but he never actually elaborates on what approach they actually took so i was curious to see how they did it. and the best way i can describe it is they attempt to keep in tone with the scene being mostly goofy funny but they keep those lines and have berowne fight back against his friends (longaville and dumaine especially). like for example longaville holds up his foot when he compares rosaline's face to his shoe and berowne grabs him by the leg and drags him around when saying (essentially) that rosaline is too good for him, and the audience laughs at longaville (also bc he looks ridiculous hopping around on one foot). i feel like the execution of it is inherently flawed in that it somewhat reads more as "berowne's friends messing with/getting back at him for lying" more than "berowne's friends are terrible people for saying this" (and that's partially just by virtue of how the scene was written, ig at some point it's impossible to reconcile this w/ the emotional beats and tone of the play). but it is keeping with the characterizations and it's made pretty clear who's in the wrong (dumaine/longaville are basically made into the butt of the joke, and letting berowne retaliate and take control of the argument plays a key role in that). however this is why i'd like to see more productions where rosaline is a black/brown woman, i feel like there are more possible interpretations of this bit that can potentially strike a better balance between sensitivity and tone

(tangentially related: in the most recent production of love's labour's lost by the rsc they set it in the modern day and cast an east asian woman as rosaline and, like, as an east asian person i feel like even though she's a woc that's still inaccurate casting. bc dark hair and eye color aren't traits that ppl look down on us for having, meanwhile rosaline's features are subject to ridicule by multiple characters in the play. also there are plenty of lines alluding to rosaline specifically having a darker skin color ("red paints itself black to imitate her brow" "to look like her are chimney sweepers black" "ethiopes of their sweet complexion crack" etc) and i find it weird that no one cottoned onto that, in 2024?)

this production cuts berowne's "she is born to make black fair" line but they keep in "her favor turns the fashion of the days"; i like the tact in that, like it's giving less of the vibe that berowne thinks rosaline is the first woc to ever be pretty and more "he thinks she's so beautiful she'll change all of society's standards"

yes they cut to intermission on david saying "allons! allons!" while they all run off the stage. haha very funny

there's a moment where holofernes thinks for one hot second that armado is making a pass at him and i can tell from this blurry pixelly recording that holofernes looks like he almost has a stroke at this. like the way that he staggers back and tries to process it. okay grandpa gay people are real but armado is very very cishet don't worry let's get you back to bed

text-wise at the beginning of 5.2 katherine and rosaline have a back-and-forth with a lot of wordplay about "light" and "dark" that plays off of their contrasting appearances (katherine is described as having rosy skin and blonde hair). in this production though they cut a few of katherine's meaner lines in that exchange (she's also played by an actress of color so they cut the lines talking abt her appearance) and frame it as more of a friendly banter. tbh understandable given that showing a camaraderie and friendship between the ladies really helps the humor in the later parts of 5.2

the .........the russian disguises 😭 omfghfgdfdsfhfwfwmfwmfwfdw

also is it bad that i think their russian outfits are so much nicer looking than their normal outfits. minus the comically ridiculous fake beards and eyebrows of course

also x2 i'm imagining the lords trying to practice this dance number together and my eyes start to water. whose idea was this.

BEROWNE WHY DID YOU KICK THAT POOR CHILD OUT OF THE DANCE LINEUP. HE WAS DOING HIS BEST

berowne's fake russian accent is the stupidest thing ive ever heard and i love it so much. he is mangling all his vowels into something vaguely russian sounding but you can hear the scottish fighting to be free and the end result is something you can barely understand. it's so glorious. what the fuck is he saying. also imagine trying to rizz your girl up in the worst most stupid fake accent known to man. you deserve to be single forever. sorry

the boyet hater monologue is so DELIGHTFULLY bitchy. chef's kiss (also this monologue is probably one of my personal favorite shakespeare passages to read to myself. it's just so funny)

the nine worthies bit is very funny but this is another case where i wish the quality of the recording was better because in one of the entries on this blog (by that crazy person that went to see hamlet 27 times and LLL 14 times) they mention how fun it is to watch berowne's expressions/reactions ;___; oh well. i will just have to imagine them in my mind

i really like how berowne and rosaline going off together is juuuuust implied…like they start off following their respective groups off opposite ends of the stage, and then the last image you're left with is how they stop and turn back and look at each other. i don't think they get together in that time (imo the ending of LLL is subversive and interesting bc none of the romantic pursuits are successful despite the men trying so hard. way too hard even. but life goes on anyway) but i do think that rosaline joins berowne in visiting the sick for a year and they begin to form a deeper relationship. (also i'd love to know more of david and nina's thoughts on this and where they imagined the characters would end up)

[fallenhunnyapple]

@ilikelookingatthings left a very long and question filled essay about Angel!Lu AU in the replies so now its time to delve into More Info about the AU! @fallenguitarhero is my Adam so I got his input for all the Adam-related parts of this. Under a cut because.... this is Very Long LOL (bonus art at the end)

I'm going to just Copy-Paste the answers I got when we discussed it

I do think that Adam actually subconsciously shifts blame to Lilith because he's very black and white in his views. He hates devil Luci but he thinks he can prevent angel Lu from going down that path if he just keeps them apart. Lute also believes this and ngl her view of Lilith is like...really awful internalized misogyny type shit. Both of them think its better the two never meet and Lute outright threatens Lilith to stay away. Adam is too possessive to try and shift Lu to someone else but he does like... try to push Lu back into friendship type feels. Adam is a dumbass about sexuality so he thinks if he brings Lu to do Masculine and Straight things it will fix this. Instead he ends up just spending even more time with him and making it worse. As for his trauma... yeah Adam tries to hide it. Mostly by changing the subject and acting like an asshole tbh. I've thought abt Lu finding out about Cain and Abel p much by mistake (maybe saw artwork of it, all the hell related stuff is hidden but they wouldnt think to hide art of Adam holding Abel's body or Cain's exile) and it breaking his little baby heart. Adam def has moments where like... his mind is busy w something else like a bad day or a nightmare and for a second he sees the devil instead of his angel. Adam always like... 'shit, sorry, i thought you were someone else- fuck, don't look at me like that, c'mon.' There are other issues he just... doesn't realize he needs to hide. They're right about Adam being cynical and like... telling himself Lu doesn't really love him. Even once they date, he's still insecure. At that point i think he'd tell Lu about Lilith leaving him for a friend of his (whose name he never gives) and his marriage with Eve ending badly. He avoids details. He prob talks way more about his kids and prob even introduces Lu to them... Lu being around might encourage him to work on his relationship with them. Adam's body dysmorphia is such a contrast from the Adam Lu knew before... i do think that with him hiding so much from Lu, he tries to make it up to him by making sure his life is perfect. He goes out of his way to keep his angel happy and his attitude spreads to his exorcists who accept Lu into their flock. tbh Adam's dynamic with them prob becomes way healthier over time due to Lu's influence. i think Adam does tell the truth about some things but leaves out the details. Like he says evil found earth and destroyed Eden but says it hurts too much to talk about it (not a lie) and tells Lu that it's why the exorcists exist, they protect heaven and the dead humans from it. Which is what the official story is anyway! i think Lu prob has the same info the average low ranking Heavenborne and winners do. If Lu pushed him too much Adam might admit there are things he can't tell him but frame it as a military thing - there are things only Michael, Adam and the high ranking exorcists can know. He feels a lot of guilt about lying. it weighs on him a lot. that and the stress of protecting Lu from his brothers honestly makes Adam act more subdued and tired than canon Adam. His eyebags are awful. It prob becomes obvious as time goes on that Adam is Not Well. He keeps his mask on for a looong time after the first time bc it helps him hide his feelings and self-regulate but when he finally takes it off it's obvious to Lu from how he looks that Adam is struggling mentally. Comparing him to how he looked in Eden makes it so clear.

For Lu's part of things. Of course he'd ask about Lilith. Especially after finding out that so long has passed and Adam is here, so Lilith is probably here too, right? I feel like because he missed... So much, the concept of Death to him still doesn't really sink in. Like even with the Sins, it's basically like he just Knows he can't See them again. So with Lilith its like Adam has to just lie the same as with Anyone else from Hell. And Lu is definitely heartbroken about Lilith being Gone.

And like, at the time, Adam isn't lying so he doesn't feel Guilty about it, he just feels bad seeing Lu so upset. The timeline of this is kinda indeterminate but it definitely is Earlier than the 7 years of Lilith being in Heaven. So when he first Appears, she hasn't left Hell yet. Who knows, Charlie may not have even been born yet at that point. There's no Solid point in Time for Lu to have appeared in Heaven, it's just... Earlier. He doesn't think to Look for her because he knows that if she's Not Already There, then she's Inaccessible. Otherwise Adam would have told him, he's sure of it. (Adam has no obligation to tell Lu when Lilith does get there and for the reasons stated above + the fact that the Elder Angels probably would try and deter any interaction between the two. he's left in the Dark about her arriving in Heaven. He doesn't know Adam has even made a Deal with anyone) He still misses her because Adam is Truly the only friend from When he's from left.

And tbh the mixed signals are what keeps Hope Alive for Lu. As much as he tries to be okay with friendship, he still wants more because he's In Love and Adam is the only thing that makes him feel Normal when his entire life and everything he knew was entirely up-ended. It's why he's so passive about it. He doesn't want to make Adam feel bad, but he sees Adam being so Conscious of him now and it makes him happy. He doesn't wanna Push it, but he still likes seeing that Adam is Aware of him like that now. Especially because it's not in a way where Adam is trying to push him away, Adam is actively spending more time with him!

The longer time passes, the more discontent Lu grows. Knowing he's being lied to/that things are being hidden, even by Adam, he is Curious and he wants to learn more. But he also isn't going to be reckless about Learning More. The thing is also he Doesn't Know what questions he should be asking. He could ask Winners things and get answers, its not like anyone would stop him from Talking to Winners, its part of his Job. But like... How would he even start to figure out what's Missing in his knowledge?

Also Lu is definitely Aware of how different Adam is from his Eden self. Like just Visually, it's so easy to separate them because Adam wears his mask. But when its just the two of them and Adam is maskless, Lu may be more susceptible to treating him like that. But he's also very aware of the fact that actually their Knowledge Base is completely flipped. Lu hardly knows anything and Adam knows Everything.

And like.... Lu Knows that being kept in the dark is probably 'for his own good' but as stated, the person who fell is Still him. So now instead of resenting/being upset that Humans were kept in the dark, now it's himself. There's no Fruit That Will Fix Things for him though. He's just left frustrated at his lack of agency in this. And honestly, what keeps in line Most is Fear. Since coming to this time, his family has been Nicer to him, he's actually getting along to some degree with his brothers who used to ridicule him (or worse) and he Knows it's only because he's 'behaving' now, now that Creation is over and Life Has Existed. And he's scared or what will happen if he steps too out of line. He doesn't have the refuge of going to Eden to visit the Humans if things go south with his siblings. He isn't allowed on Earth, he's confined to Heaven, so he would just be stuck with the same sort of things that ultimately drove him originally to commit the Sin of giving Eve the Apple (not that he's Aware of how it culminated) And Also he has Adam. He doesn't want to know what the consequences would be if they were to decide that they shouldn't be allowed to stay together. It would absolutely break him.

If Lu were to find out about the exterminations, he'd be just as Appalled by it as Emily was. Lu doesn't know about Sin, what that entails, how Sinners destroy everything. He hasn't had to live with it so he can't see any contempt or justification for their destruction. Lucifer hates them because they came in a ruined the world he tried to build in Hell. Lu doesn't have any such associations with them. He would just see them much like Charlie does, souls who made mistakes and who should be given the chance to Do Better and make up for it. (That's sort of what he is, in a way, too.) He would absolutely be upset and scold the fuck out of Adam and Lute if he knew what his besties were REALLY doing once a year-

As for the sexual stuff, Both Lucifers started without having a concept of sex or sexuality, so both of them are specifically shaped by their partners (literally in a way). So the Lucifer who learned and explored with Lilith is going to be completely different from the Lucifer who learned and explored with Adam in terms of How they have sex. It's a skill they learn by doing, so it's not the Same.

Thank you for sticking it out this long, have a doodle for your troubles 🙏

[holmesunenthusiast]

hypothetical: if you had to choose only one holmes adaptation to exist and all the others got wiped from existence. What would the one be

OH GOD THE FATE OF THE WORLD IS IN MY HANDS

Confession time I'm actually a fake ass fan cuz I fear I've never watched the famously beloved ones 💔💔 I saw some of the Granada and the Soviet shows but I never had the time to properly sit down and appreciate them!! All this to say I'm excluding them from my answer because I'm hashtag not informed.

I think the ones I find most impactful/most enjoyable are the Enola Holmes movies, the Rdj films, The Great Mouse Detective, Moriarty the Patriot, and BBC Sherlock. Honorable mention to Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd century but I cannot in good faith put it up there with these I'm sorry SH22 😓 Sooo I'm picking from those!

Cut cuz this may get long... You can ignore this and scroll all the way to the bottom for my answer I'm so sorry for this omg 😭😭

The RDJ films have all the makings of an adaptation I should seriously hate, but at the same time it's such a fun new angle for Holmes that I'm kind of impressed at the audacity and just loop right back to enjoying them LMFAO like sure I GUESS Sherlock Holmes can be an action hero if you want him to be 🤷🤷🤷 I mean he canonically boxes so... Good job?? On that?? I think the premise is absolutely ridiculous but the cinematography, the acting, and the soundtrack all work together so beautifully to create a series that I love against all odds. (Still waiting on the third btw 💔) HOWEVER... I can't keep it around because of what it does to my girl Irene Norton. I HATEEEEE Irene as a Holmes love interest with all my heart and soul. Bad premise. Idc if she died. It should've never happened in the first place. Rachel Macadams I'm sorry they did this to you you could've been so much better.

Enola Holmes is another one which I feel absolutely masters the aesthetic it's going for. Enola herself is so charming, the music is whimsical, the setting and costumes are perfectly colorful, it's a SUPER fun watch... For anyone who can ignore the major canon changes 💀 the most HEINOUS issue imo was how they massacred my man Mycroft because WHO is this obsessive, unintelligent misogynist???? That is NOT Mycroft Holmes pls he would not GAF if his sister was a genius or whatever he would probably RECOMMEND for her to go to school but if she fought THAT hard his ass would not fight back. Get real. If anything SHERLOCK would be the one who would be more in support of his sisters schooling/marriage for reasons of safety and whatnot bc he deals with crime all day. I hate Enolas Mycroft with a burning passion for God's sake there was no reason for them to be doing allat they could've just invented a father 🤦🤦

Another, slightly more nitpicky critique I had was the choice to racebend and genderbend Morairty... Now I'm the last mf to be pointing the racebend finger because I pull the woke forced diversity stunt every time I stylize ACD canon characters. a Netflix casting director hates to see me pull up to the forced diversity competition. HOWEVER. I think that given the sort of story that Enola Holmes is trying to tell about female empowerment while simultaneously ignoring how intersectionality plays into that... It's fine. It WOULD be fine if we were creating a verse where we don't think too hard about these things. But Professor Moriarty?? Being made a black woman? Professor Moriarty works from a place of privilege. He has a strong academic history and is someone that is difficult to mark down without HEAVY evidence. No one will believe you because he's established himself as just some MATHEMATICIAN! What's he gonna do threaten you with a quadratic formula?? He's too Smart and White and Rich to be a bad guy. He is THE Quintessential White Man to be villainizing in your very simple feminist narrative!! 😭 You had everything you could possibly want Enola HOW did you fuck this up oml 🤦‍♂️ and then to have Mira Troy just reveal her identity... WHEN THE ONLY WAY MORIARTY MANAGED TO OPERATE THE WAY HE DID IS CUZ NO ONE KNEW HIM😑. pls don't play with me if there's any character that gets more butchered in Holmes adaptations than Irene it's Moriarty.

Which is my perfect segue into Moriarty the Patriot. In terms of representing Moriarty as a figure no one in the public would ever expect as a criminal, they've done a stellar job. Easily one of the best adaptations in terms of understanding WHY it would be difficult to expose a guy like him. He's a PHILANTHROPIST. He HELPS people. How could someone like him also be a criminal??? So in all that, nice work. Making Moriarty the protagonist is a very creative choice. Now my problem here is Holmes (and not just his atrocious ass anime boy design I should kick this thing to the curb just for that). I. REALLY. Don't like the whole "finally my worthy opponent" dynamic being laced with like a love for the chase. Holmes was at his absolute LOWEST when he was going up against Moriarty and Moriarty was shitting his pants that The Sherlock Holmes was on his tail. I get that they needed their enemies to lovers yaoi but did we have to stoop to Sheri///arty territory 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️. It was bound to happen I'm just sad it happened in a series that actually puts Moriarty in the kind of position that'd make it hard for Holmes to take him down that goes beyond "he's caaaRAYZAYYYYY 🤪". Also the redemption arc was bullshitty and gay and I hate it. It had some really good elements and I enjoyed watching the first season but afterwards it just hurt to see them make MORIARTY more important to Holmes than fuckin DR JOHN H. WATSON. Don't play with me anime I am not the one 🙄

Aaaand now we're down to BBC and Disney. This truly seems bleak BUT I have to go back to your wording for this question cuz I feel like these two have DEEP roots and "wiped from existence" means I have to live with a lot less than just a bad Holmes adaptation. And this is about BBC specifically because TGMD is GOOD. Actually it's one of the adaptations that I think BEST represents Holmess mood. I know it's just a mouse who lives in his house who's like factkinning him but this mouse did his HOMEWORK okay? He perfectly captured holmess ups and downs, his moodswings, his recovery after moodswings, his tenderness and his ACTUAL CARE for the people hes working to help. And Dawson is the PERFECT WATSON!! He's a FANBOY. He's amazed at everything Basil is accomplishing, he finds him strange but brilliant and he is loyal and noble and SO KIND. The scene after Olivia gets kidnapped I think is my absolute favorite in terms of how it represents them. Basil is furious they lost the trail, he gets angry at Dawson for exactly a second but then he sees Dawson crying and immediately stops, reflects, and COMFORTS HIM. Oh my god you did it. You made Holmes smart and capable and calculating and brilliant and NOT AN ASSHOLE.

And I feel like just by describing TGMDs pros I've highlights all of BBCs shortcomings. The cases are not smart, not well thought out, and not interesting to follow. The characters are shallow and so too are their relationships. It only made it this far because I am replying to this message on the BBC Sherlock founded website. That's one of our forefathers unfortunately it was the kind of forefather you barely even consider sending a Christmas card to. It is undoubtedly influential and once I wiped the acd canon from my memory and also threw away my dignity and offense that a company is really trying to sell me the story that this is a smartly written character/series I had a great time! My go to quote about it is that it's a shitty early 2000s ooc chatfic. Objectively bad but sometimes you just LIKE that shit. it's fun in spite of and sometimes BECAUSE of its flaws. What do you mean the hound of the Baskervilles was a fucking hallucination. What do you mean you thought Victor Trevor was a dog. What do you mean Irene is a lesbian but her exception is... THAT 💀. That's hilarious. I hate you. Tell me more.

Also TGMD is the reason Disney as a company still exists. It gave them the funds to create The Little Mermaid and pushed them out of the Disney Dark Ages. We don't talk about what Disney does NOW but if it took Sherlock Holmes furry au to give us Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, it was worth it.

So The Great Mouse Detective is my winner! This is probably excluding a lot of great adaptations simply cuz I never watched them but TGMD will always have a special place in my heart and is usually my go to rec for when ppl want a fan adaptation. Basil is my pfp for a reason ig 🤭

[eve-was-framed]

okay this is gonna be a bit of a long rant (with some SA and CSA mentions so pls don’t read if that will be too much for you rn) but I’ve been thinking a lot about the “male loneliness epidemic” lately and I have some Thoughts ™

we live in very isolating, depressing and scary times. we live in a hyper-individualistic capitalist hellscape that seems to punish people who need community support. and I truly believe that we as humans should try to help each other out in the ways that we are able to.

but I lose 100% of my empathy for lonely depressed men when they start using their own personal issues as an excuse to peddle ideologies that advocate for rape, pedophilia, child marriage, sexual slavery, and even murder of women and girls. I don’t fucking care how sad you are, if you advocate for other humans beings to be subjected to the cruelest treatment possible then you either need to get serious help or die (and not take anyone with you when you do).

you do not have a fucking paramount on suffering. you are not the only ones who experience loneliness. I know you think women get to just pick and choose whichever romantic partner/friends we want, but that is false, and also being seen as nothing but a sex object by men is so incredibly isolating too. that’s not real love and connection, that’s only being valued for what we can provide for men. so many people feel so alone and it genuinely is a big problem.

I was raised in an extremely misogynistic cult that preaches that grown men are not responsible for anything they do to little girls bc “they’re wired that way.” I had very bad things happen to me before I was even old enough to realize what it meant. and you know what the excuse always is? “well it happened to him when he was younger too so he can’t help that he does it to you.” I learned very early that male suffering is viewed as more important than the suffering they inflict on innocent people. and despite going through this, despite seeing nearly every woman in my life go through something similar, despite all of this, I still would never ever sympathize with any ideology that preaches rape, slavery, sex trafficking, pedophilia, white supremacy, etc. and that doesn’t make me some super hero, it makes me a mildly normal person.

so no, nobody “pushed” you into your evil ideologies, nobody made you do that. if true suffering at the hands of the opposite sex is really the root cause of inceldom then almost every single woman I know would be the most insane incel you’d ever meet in your entire life. but they’re not, even though many of them are lonely and long for true companionship, none of them feel so angry and entitled to it that they want to murder and rape men or little boys. not a single one. the root cause of inceldom is, and always has been, male entitlement. men who were raised to believe the world and every woman in it exists to serve them in some way, but then grew up and realized that actually nobody is owed sex and you don’t get to force women to marry you and have kids, because we are human beings who deserve to be happy too. and this makes them so mad that they start thinking it’s okay to do whatever they want to whoever they want, because after all, nobody on planet earth could ever suffer as much as incels do when a woman tells them no.

I’m fucking sick of it. stop saying “they pushed me to this” and start taking even an ounce of accountability for your deranged, entitled mindset.

[ofallthingsnasty]

Ah, but being a party girl... Getting to your late 20s/early 30s, feeling that shift within you; knowing that hey, this can't go on forever... Starting something light with Crocodile, maybe aiming for a little fun in the spring, just someone proper to take you out for dinners and to warm your bed - testing the waters, so to speak. You want to settle down soon, just not right now, just want to see how it is as an item. He's handsome, has a certain air to him and a lot of money to spend - so why not?

tw.minors dni, a little dark twist at the end bc it's crocodile 🤭

Of course, you butter him up. He's right at that age where his type of man gets a little wistful, would like to have a wife, a house, maybe a kid if it's in the cards, still? Twenty-some years of 50 hour weeks will do that to you, will show you that your body doesn't just bounce back like so when you step over a certain threshold. Well, he wants someone to put a ring on; you want some fun - so, selfish as you are, you play along. Humor him. Hang off his arm and entertain those silly thoughts of his - a vacation together, moving in with him after the summer's done (because well, why not smile and nod when you'll be long gone by then), pointedly ignoring the way he keeps burying you in expensive gifts. You should feel bad, the guilt should probably eat you alive, because as the weeks pass you can tell that he's really, really smitten with you while you're secretly texting some other guy your age when you return home from yet another chic Italian restaurant-

It's such a sad thing, really. He'll make some other woman stupid happy, especially if she's been yearning for a rich husband; he's the perfect example of the broody, grumbly type who mumbles on and on about her expensive taste but would rather die than NOT to buy her exactly what she wants. There is a certain appeal to him (or else you wouldn't have spent this much time with him) and he'll be just fine after licking wounds once you're gone, you're sure of it. It's definitely nice to have someone around who is serious about you - after years and years of boyfriends (emphasis on boy) who were only good for long nights of drinking and summer vacations, you feel spoiled and terribly grown to have a handsome man downright worship you, to plan a future with you after such little time. He's committed and doesn't play around. Yes, you think, you could get used to this, but you still need a few more years of being free before you'll let yourself be tied down - because as much as it is flattering, it can also be a little scary. The thought of you in a white gown and a matching ring on your finger in just a year is making you antsy; and with how fast he's moving he might just want to opt for a December wedding.

So you do what you do best: smile, kiss him goodbye after yet another lovely date and- ghost him. You avoid his neighborhood for a few weeks, go private on all your socials, block his number, duck away whenever you see that telltale black shock of hair that is dragging smoke behind it, act like he never existed. And it works, as it always does.

At least that's what you think. Because the one night you finally dare to venture out again ends abruptly and with you waking up in an unfamiliar room. You can barely lift your hand to rub your tired eyes because suddenly there is a weight on it and a familiar face is staring you down solemly from the bedside, that all too familiar smell of cigars all around you. Turns out, leaders of crime syndicates who operate behind the innocent fronts of bussinesmen don't like to be deceived and made a fool of, especially by naive little playgirls who think they're smarter than the rest of the world and when they weren't even able to glean that there was more to the person they chose to goad. And spoiled brats like you need to learn not to toy with other people's hearts and egos, both of which are dangerously fragile. You reeled him in with promises of marriage and love and that's exactly what you'll give him now, just without all the luxury that you could have had if you hadn't been dishonest from the start.

Time to grow up, princess.

[horizon-verizon]

I think people misunderstand medieval understanding of "bastard" as the modern understanding of "the" medieval understanding of "bastard". Which is this solid, unchanging, oversimplistic definition or condition of "not born into wedlock" and that's it. As if people had the power to even make it stick to that even in real life European politics.

Yeah, some wanted such a hard definition for their own interests and there were....but real life doesn't conform to human desires very well.

Bastardry is not a biological state. It is a legal identity that people have had many different conditions that changes throughout human history. How do these pre-modern people confirm or witness that the child is the claimed father's? Humans cannot magically understand a child is a man's just by looking at them, our eyes are not microscopes capable of seeing the DNA, much less are we able to--even if our eyes were--of understanding which genes show parentage for comparison. Thereby we always had external tools and practices and social mechanisms to confirm parentage and we always will need such if that is our objective. Like the relationships of the parents to other agents, timing, place, degree of time spent b/t the parents, looks, even the status of the parents and possible candidates of fathers themselves (William the Conqueror)!

The very institution of marriage making so that the medieval/Westerosi wife historically cannot have public lovers or even travel far from her castle like her husband can bc she is not the head of said household and all her "work"--or a huge valued part of it--is in the castle.

"A bastard is a person born out of wedlock! It doesn't matter if a father claims them!"

While yes people try and have tried to use "proven parentage" to define bastard as such, often they are forced to rely on other elements to prove such parentage or to confirm it and make it matter politically, legally--there IS a "becoming" process to bastardry because it is solely dependent of previous sociopolitical conditions such as gender inequality and resource handling in the instituion of Westerosi feudal/general marriage prior to that child's existence.

Like someone on TikTok said, "You can't 'pardon' someone who hasn't been convicted of a crime!" which is an excellent way to quickly describe Rhaenyra's kids' situation: at no point were they ever legally or politically known as "bastards", therefore Viserys (the monarch) had no need to "legitimize" them as Aegon IV did for Daemon Blackfyre and all his other bastards who everyone witnessed born to different mothers than Naerys. Or when Rhaenyra legitimized Corlys' supposed grandsons/sons Alyn and Addam of Hull-turned-Velaryon.

Since often people who argue the bastard thing and use show!Laenor's looks to make a "REALISM" point, I have to point out that REALISTICALLY, HotDLaenor, who is "biracial" and could have looked all manner of ways: could have had all manner and variety of hair textures, skin tones, features, etc. bc of that phenotypical heritage. Laenor could gone even lighter, with much looser curls, than any of his actors. Laena, too. And still, with the actors that we do have, what i will say below would still be true.

If such, by marrying a "white" woman like show!Rhaenyra and impregnating her, their kids can and usually would look very pale or have curlier hair, etc. Yes, ALL of them. Adding to this, Baratheons are knwon to be dark haired even if Rhaenys in the show is not. Which is why HotD insisting on their looks being a dead giveaway and then making Laenor unable to impregnate Rhaenyra being DEFINITE proof is weird and UNREALISTIC. Again, I'm saying that to make as if the looks are a dead ringer is too black-and-white if you want to be "realistic" about it.

Now, I argue myself that bk!Rhaenyra's kids are likely not Laenor's, BUT it doesn't matter to me nor even for the Targs' politics (if Alicent and Otto had not been there, and I say these two and not random/any noble bc yes you very much had real nobles of real life keep such "secrets", look it up or go read) because those kids were never "witnessed" as "bastards". REALISTICALLY, not every lord's son/child is his. It's statistically impossible AND the very socio-political conditions of Westerosi feudal marriage and the inequality of it rather guarantees it--women are human, they will search out comfort even if they come across dangers in it just as Robb with Jeyne Westerling or Cersei x Jaime getting it on.

[mayhemlovesenvy]

(This has been in draft hell for a while now, weeks) Me yapping about an AU :3 (Merlyn is just there for vibes he doesn't have a role in the au)

First of all, just some translations of the text in the image

"AU where when Denisse dies, Vincent goes to Heikki INMEDIATLY"

Heikki doesn't even let Vincent move a meter without him.

Vin is having a mental breakdown and Heikki doesn't really help

Owynn just had their canonical event with Freddie

Denisse dies, vin has his breakdown, Owynn goes to school and fights with Freddie

Vin thinks it's a good idea to search for Heikki, he's rich and he'll help, right? Even if years passes and he may not even remember him. But he tries, he knows they have a tour with some numbers in Finland, he goes there and finds Heikki, he of course helped

Now Vincent lives in Heikki's home, and has to get used to that and Heikki existing while also grieving and dealing with the mess he left behind. But they're all too mentally ill to be normal abt it

Heikki has been obsessed with the idea of having Vincent again since they parted ways. The fact he found him so unexpectedly was like prayers being answered. But in this time period, he also hasn't fully healed from his own wounds, and having to deal with one of them now (Vincent), makes him act unwise. While he gives all he can to help and tries to say the best things he can, he also has a famous singer career to take care of, and a case of self-obsession

He doesn't want Vincent to do anything, just "rest", but Vin doesn't feel rested by rotting with his thoughts. But he really has nothing to do but take care of Owynn, since there's maids that clean the house and make food

I'll start by talking abt Vin's hair bc I have no idea what to say, ehem. Since Heikki does provide for the bestest of things, one of those things is nice hair products, a fancy way to say that Vincent finally washes his hair often. But is too depressed to re-dye, so wavy brown-ish hair for now 🔥🔥

Drawing him with similar clothes to the one he used in his HS time was on purpose, Heikki subconsciously picked those clothes and Vin, once again, too depressed to notice or care, at least he looks nice

And that's all I had in the draft and I don't remember what else I wanted to add, really, so, errrrmmmm

Once Vincent gets more comfortable he picks clothes he actually likes, his style is very whimsy goth, not that anyone would realize because I never got the chance to draw him THAT trauma-less LOL, maybe soon! But yeah, under all his puppy sadness there's a whimsy happy guy that I love and adore

Welp, they eventually get better, good enough to marry!

This is like, epic bc Heikki didn't want to pressure marriage into Vin (unlike some 😒), and Vincent himself wasn't sure if he could stomach it, even if the only difference was going to be a ring

Yasss, back-less because Heikki likes to show off Vincent's back, most of his outfits when they go together to an event show off the back bc what the hell, sure

Heikki is in white because my heart wanted it that way, they both have lighting designs in their suits, and they're also wearing Heikki's blue :3

Talking about Owynn---- they grew to be... a little bit more normal, living away from Freddie, less paranoia of finding him again, their dad going to therapy means he's not too afraid of taking them to therapy as well, so their problems were identified earlier and everything was under control before getting worse! <3

[saveahorserideaneddie]

i really want a fic of eddie realising him and buck have been falling in love the entire time.

I keep seeing posts (and even had someone tell me) that it’d be unrealistic for Eddie to be in love with Buck and not realise. Like not even think of him as an option. 

But that’s such a real queer person thing- i’ve lived that experience. I’m a women and despite all the times I admired other women it took forever for it to click for me.

I mean I grew up with accepting parents and kind friends and even queer people on tv. I remember looking at girls as much as I looked at boys. And yet I still had the reoccurring thought “I could be gay, I mean i’m not- but I could be. But most people aren’t gay and i’m most people”. (gay being used here in my head to mean “not straight”) AND YET despite it all I didn’t realise i was Bi until I was much older.

And even then, I’d had at least two long term crushes without realising they were crushes before it clicked. 

(I kid you not- it took a drag queen talking to me like i was a toddler for it to click, but that’s a whole other story SO-) 

Whether or not Eddie already knows he’s gay (or demi or whatever) doesn’t really make a difference, cause it’s that same sort of heteronormative internalising that causes these feeling to not be understood. 

Especially for Eddies character who’s had this messy norm with Shannon for so long, a stable thing to grasp (even when their relationship was a mess) and then her death and him chasing to find that weak grasp to SOMETHING again- something that can be another excuse to not go looking for himself. 

Like he’s internalised this behaviour of, “if i’m in a relationship, I don’t have to look deep and figure out why it’s not working” and never quite realising that maybe the reason it’s not working is cause he’s trying to replace something that was never really real.

(Speaking of, Eddie and Shannon are the epitome of loml by taylor swift. I mean- “we were just kids babe” “from one kiss to getting married” “something counterfeits dead” “what a valiant roar, what a bland goodbye” “i’m combing through the band of lies- “i’ll never leave” never mind”) 

babe you are speaking to the POSTER CHILD of raised in a religious household and convinced themselves they weren’t queer until it was staring them in the face

the biggest issue is that most (again i said most before yall try to jump down my throat) of the people who are against buddie are either straight people who don’t understand the nuances of queerness, or queer people who didn’t grow up in environments of oppression and have never felt the need to hide themselves

i used to tell my parents i had crushes on girls only to later realize that it was because i just had a genuine platonic connection with them (two of whom are my best friends and are also queer women) and i used to get confused about what the difference between attraction and admiration was— something a LOT of queer people go through without realizing.

comphet is literally such a widespread phenomenon that people truly don’t realize just how common it is— like even queer people don’t realize they probably know several “straight” people who are still lying to themselves bc sexuality isn’t black and white— it exists on a spectrum. I’m not saying that to invalidate anyone’s straightness, im just saying i know multiple men who are my dads age (60s +) who only recently came to the realization that they were gay.

it’s genuinely so disappointing to see some of the people in this fandom pushing homophobic talking points from history just to disprove a character’s implied queerness bc they view that character’s queerness as a threat to their ship.

anyway, i agree eddie and shannon’s relationship is soooooo unconscious lavender marriage coded to me and there are SO MANY beautiful TS lyrics that apply to that… another song that i really feel like captures Eddie’s pov of the relationship is Home by One Direction… especially these lyrics:

[angelsaxis]

Lost quickly succumbing to the temptations of nonsensical heterosexuality. I need Kate to stand the fuck up and I need both Sawyer and Jack to get punched in the face.

I also want more for the female characters on the show. Shannon doing much less and contributing almost nothing and dying in her quest to find Walt because suddenly Sayid needed a (racist) white girl to mope over? Sun is great bc she has practical knowledge and is clearly willing and able to help, but she's also got more marriage problems with Jin than anything else (which have thankfully been resolved, meaning I hope that now shell participate more in other things. Maybe she'll get to hold a gun)

Kate's attracted to sawyer despite his myriad red flags (racist, misogynistic, selfish to the point of endangering others) because she has massive daddy issues. That's one thing. What EYE am confused about is why Sawyer heard "you remind me of my domestically abusive father" and said "ooh that's romantic". And we the audience know that he's been inappropriate with Kate for basically her whole life, so it's quadruple WHAT THE HELL.

Writers will make pregnant characters never exist beyond the pregnancy and subsequent child. I wouldn't expect anything different from an older show but it would be nice to see Claire do something that isn't stressing about the baby. Which reminds me Charlie needs to get decked again.

Libbys coming in and it's nice that she's a clinical psychologist but man I hope she doesn't just operate for a romance with Hurley. Can any woman besides Kate hold a gun. Can they please hold a gun. Please.

And the cop. Ana Lucia. Fuck her lmao whys the next Strong Woman gotta be a cop with an unbearable attitude.

[vacantgodling]

Let's .. pretend it's Monday and I didn't forget

ANYWAYS Happy Morrible Meebus Monday 🤡. Tell me about your least favourite character you've ever created LOL

LMAOOOOOOO i also forgor such is life <3 today can be forrible feebus friday asdoxcjkz

genuinely; i think there's only 3 characters that i sort of just Detest on principle. this isn't really because they're villains or anything (bc that's a separate list and a lot of my villains i don't dislike in a Personal way--a lot of times, i dislike what they do and what they represent but that doesn't mean that i don't find them interesting to explore so i "like" them in a sort of fucked up way ig) but that i just literally can't stand and even if people were to come to me and say they like these characters i'd be like OOF. like i'm glad my writing resonated with you but i'm not down to like have a super happy chit chat about them and irl i would avoid them like the plague.

so anyway those three are (and warning for some spoilers tm):

Madja Fandel from TCOL -> i don't care if she's a beast lady, i don't care if she's a masculine woman which i usually find hot, i don't care that she has "fascinating" motivations i don't care about none of that shit bc she pisses me off SOOOOOO BAD. like to me, she's the real fucking villain of tcol and honestly like idc i'm not even wrong. if ur a madja defender or fucker get well (derogatory). and a lot of it actually doesn't even stem from the fucked up plot shit she does (which, she definitely does do and i'm angry on behalf of SO MANY OF MY OCS cuz she fucks up SO MANY PEOPLE FOR WHATTTT) but honestly mainly because of her treatment of my ANGEL GIRL cameron fucking bliss. i would die for cameron like lay down my life for that short queen and she has never done anything wrong ever YET THE WAY MADJA TORMENTS HER SPECIFICALLY MAKES ME WANT TO TELL HER TO BITE THE CURB. BITCH!!!!!! she's completely irredeemable for that alone to me, and then the cherry on top is how she fucks up hella of my faves like honestly die in a fire worstie.

Siobhan Absyna (LuKEWARM ReJECTION/Secret Project) + Pinyiko (He Who Smites the Sun) -> these two are listed in the same list because i literally dislike them for the same reason. entitled bratty younger siblings are the bane of my fucking existence. and it sucks in both of their cases because i KNOW people are going to be sympathetic to both of them -- sio gets groomed by di's shitty creepy ex boyfriend, and pinyiko gets kidnapped before her wedding day due to some nefarious bullshit orchaestrated by her father. but i just SERIOUSLY don't like either of them i find them both extremely childish, manipulative, whiny, entitled, and absolute fucking menaces. are they products of their environment? absolutely. am i going to write them with grace and care? yeah. do i like them? HELL NO. do they piss me off? FUCKING YEAH. and what's even more interesting is technically i could've originally thrown a third character into this batch bc i disliked her for the same reasons and that's the mc of Gothica, Lennon Rhapsody Granger bc i specifically made her character to be this particular brand of personally annoying to me bc she's supposed to be modeled off of your typical entitled white ya dark academia protagonist but then this WEASEL of a bitch got me to start caring about her stupid ass. and to be fair, a lot of her story is learning the error of her ways and shit so like. i think i mostly like len bc her glow up arc is Worth It. but sio and pinyiko never learn anything and i think that's what i hate the most about them. pinyiko is gonna end up with one of my faves anyway (arranged marriage and shit), and she's gonna be upset that tsokhizhe is doing better for himself so fuck her, and sio isn't going to know what specifically happened to maverick (only di, toph, and the band know and toph specifically erases a lot of the bullshit that he did out of other people's minds) but that doesn't change her personality. she still feels entitled to things di has and still is enabled by their fundie ass parents so like rip in fucking hell. there's a very... specific reason why i dislike these kinds of characters that has to do with shit in my personal life so like big fucking shrug. ik how to write well enough to make them likable to someone i'm sure, which good for them but fuck these two pfff.