#because no story other than the lead romance deserves any respect.

[thegoldenhoof]

Izzy likers : We just wish Izzy had been allowed to actually make something of the growth and self discovery he was given, either a kind life or a meaningful death, preferably on his own terms.

Izzy haters: yOu JuST mAd he iS nOt thE mAin cHarACtEr yOU thOuGhT hE wAS

Actually considering I went from loving both Ed and Stede (Ed more than Stede to be fair) and being excited about their development to being horrified by how each wonderful aspect of their personality was chipped off by the finale till what were left were 2 self-centered shadows full of unresolved issues with little identity beyond their "great romance"...

Yeah, I'm actually glad Izzy was not the main character

[aboxofcereales]

I’m slowly working on a piece of paper about changes in Wyll’s character between early access and game release, but I don’t really know when I’m going to finish it, in the process I’m more and more fascinated by potential story of Wyll’s parentage and their own story. Although mostly this is purely headcanon, but may I suggest the following:

There are few things we learn about Wyll’s mother during the game.

After stumbling upon Arabella in Shadow-Cursed Lands, a following dialogue may happen: “You've talked about your father, but not your mother. Why's that?” “Because there's nothing to tell. She died when I was born. As a boy, my bond with father was too deep to miss the mother I never had. Now, well - I'd be lying if I said I'd never thought about my mother. What life would've been like if she'd lived.”

During romance scene in Act 3, Wyll says: “My mother always said the Wilden Oak's acorns held just a touch of wishing magic.”

There are two weapons, belonging to Ulder Ravengard, which describe some details about Wyll’s parents - Duke Ravengard's Longsword (can be found on Ravengard himself) and Ravengard's Scourger (can be found at High Security Vault 5 in The Counting House): Longsword: “Cradling his newborn son awkwardly, the Duke's face pulled into a rictus of misery. His love Francesca smiled at him, briefly, and died. He stared at her until the boy cried, and he told the boy it would be all right, though he himself did not believe it.” Scourger: “Duke Ravengard's father was the sort of man who works with his hands, and communicates in grunts. In his heart his son vowed to do better. But when Wyll was born, Ravengard felt a strange gravity that drew him away from his son.”

To sum up, what we learn in-game is that Wyll’s mother was named Francesca, she died giving birth to Wyll, Ulder loved her and their son, and tried his best to raise Wyll well.

Ulder’s parenting style deserve its own piece, but I think its obvious that he cares for Wyll deeply, though often failed to show it, acted to strictly, to righteously. Ultimately, it fall down on Ulder character, the “Murder in Baldur’s Gate” describes him as following: “Blaze (Major) Ulder Ravengard is the incarnation of militarism. The only beauty he appreciates is precision, and the only quality he values is utility. He believes that personal ornamentation other than military insignia is a waste. A meticulous man, he forgets nothing and forgives less. Ravengard has never married and has no interest in domestic matters. Someone might consider him handsome, if not for his constant scowl and many scars.

Blaze Ravengard is Marshal Abdel Adrian’s right hand man. He is both the second Highest ranking officer in the flaming fist and the warden of Wyrm’s rock. Ravengard’s soliders do not love him. They do respect his leadership, however, and pay for it with their obedience, which is exactly how Ravengard prefers things.

Naturally stolid and terse, Ravengard is slow to speak and make decisions in any arena expect the battlefield. Once he decides on a course of action, Ravengard is relentless in it’s pursuit. He believes the Flaming Fist is the Gate’s backbone and the key to the city’s strength.

With the Death of Marshal Abdel Adrian Ravengard has risen to the Rank of Marshal of the Flaming Fists.”

What’s interesting, its noted that Ulder Ravengard was never married, and the longsword description calls Francesca Ulder’s love, not bride or wife. This more then likely mean that Wyll was born out of wedlock, as Wyll is about 16-17 during  the death of Abdel Adrian.

When talking with Counseller Florrick, when Wyll is reveled to be Ravengard’s son, he says “The circumstance of my birth is no matter of pride for neither me nor my father.” This may refer to Wyll’s birth leading to his mother’s death or the fact that Wyll’s technically was born a bastard. In the latter case, Wyll’s mom might as well have been a worker at  Sharess' Caress, with whom Ulder could have had a one night stand, but its specifically stated that Francesca was loved by Ulder, and of what I read about the Grabd Duke he seems to be the man who would marry her out of duty and responsibility of getting her pregnant. So there should be another reason behind it.

 There’s this banter between Shadowheart and romanced-Wyll:

“Someone of your social stature, Wyll, are they typically allowed to pursue their heart whims as they like?” “I don't have to ask for permission if that's what you mean.” “Really? I'm surprised, I thought dowries, alliances and old blue blood feuds might have to be balanced against your desires.” “I'm my own man, Shadowheart, in this sense at least.”

Wyll’s a hopeless romantic, who wishes for a happily ever after with her one true love, and Ulder apparently never minded the potential social status, despite him and Wyll being a high-ranking member of society.

Of course, Ulder’s marital status and Wyll existing can be explained by the fact that Wyll being Grad Duke Ulder Ravengard’s  son was a part of the character rewrite. It was datamined before that originally was supposed to be a great-grandson of Duke Eltan, the founder of the Flaming Fist and a Grand Duke of the city of Baldur's Gate in the 1300s DR. And the bits of this storyline are still presented in the game: Fist Art Cullagh with his original writ of duty, signed by Eltan himself, pre-final part of Wyll quest taking place in the Iron Throne, where Eltan nearly assassinated.

Currently, House Eltan, the descendants of Duke Eltan, is one of the noble patriar families. The Forgotten Realms wiki states that: “The family held partial financial ownership of the Flaming Fist mercenary company. At one point however, they were forced to sell their interest to help pay significant debts they had incurred.”. Which I believe corelates with what EA!Wyll spoke of his father (the man saw any shining bauble he liked and took it, and my hand were ever so stinky or smt along those line).

So, what if Wyll is still Elatn’s great-grandson through hid mother? What if somewhere along 1460s DR Francesca Eltan, a granddaughter of a once Grand Duke of the city and a member of  patriar family, met Ulder Ravengard, a son of a poor blacksmith and a mercenary of The Flaming Fist, steadily ascending through its ranks? What if Franceesca taught the stern and disciplined Ulder to dance, read to him her favorite stories and poems under the Wilden Oak, made him on other things then duty and order? What is if their time together resulted in Francesca getting pregnant with Wyll? What her family did not approve of the union due to Ulder being merely a mercenary, who hailed from the Lower City, or they wished to marry her off to someone who could aid with the family’s financial problems? What if Francesca ran away, hoping that the birth of a grandchild could convince her family to attend their wedding afterwards? What if Wyll’s love of dancing and dreaming came from the mother he never knew?

[tangent101]

Lost Opportunities in Double Exposure

This started out in response to someone else's comments but honestly, I realized I was going so far afield that it deserves its own area and not muddying up waters around someone else's comments and tags ^^ So... there was a missed opportunity here that would have helped shape the character of Safi and also been more respectful to Max and Chloe for both Bae and Bay settings.

Imagine if Safi were Max's therapist in the game. Her asking questions about the "blue-haired girl" and the like would no longer be casual nosiness, but instead is a therapist trying to break through the shell of a client. She could have asked harder-hitting questions rather than one-and-done stuff that immediately leads to Max dating other people (Amanda) in both Bae and Bay settings. And the death of Safi would hit even harder because now there's concerns that Max killed her own therapist.

Let's go one step further. You could have several added lines from therapist-Safi about how Max's attempts to date other people never work out. Amanda would now exist in the Bay storyline but not the Bae one. (Amanda may even have broken up with Max and insisted that Max needs to speak to a therapist - she's acting in Chloe's stead here and even if she's no longer dating Max she still cared for Max.) You can eliminate any romance option in the game (Max is still with Chloe even if they're in a trial separation in Bae, and Max is seeking counseling over her issues that led to her breaking up with previous girlfriends in Bay), and focus more on non-romantic friendships and on a therapist/patient dynamic for Max and Safi.

The reason Max and Chloe aren't texting each other in the Bae setting may even be that Chloe is going camping with David and they're going to be outside of any cell towers. (From personal experience, when you're 8,900 feet up on a mountain in the Rockies, you don't usually have cell coverage.) And the lack of texts in Bay from any exes is because the breakups were not on the friendliest of terms (due to Max not wanting to go to counseling).

We could even have a scene in the game where Chloe gets a voice line! Chloe is telling Max that she needs to talk to a therapist about what happened a decade ago, because it's still eating away at her and Max's refusal to talk about things is poisoning their relationship. But if the player chose Bay, then it's a blue-haired ghost-Chloe talking to Max in a dream and Max wakes up sweating and in tears wondering what the fuck is going on... and maybe that she does need to talk to someone. To a therapist.

Max could even talk about having "dreams" in which she's in Arcadia Bay and can change time and make things better but how things keep fucking up no matter how much she tries. In the Bay setting she mentions dreams of a week with Chloe that never happened and then how she has to let Chloe die at the end... and in the Bae setting she talks about horrific things like the Dark Room and her fears of sexual assault and the like.

We have here ways by which Chloe is not in the story in a Bae setting that is still respectful of Chloe and Max's relationship and with only a little bit of extra work allows for a separate Bay setting that still leads Max to seeking out a therapist... and also lets Safi become someone who is trying to help Max with her issues. It is not that difficult to do either, which raises the question of why didn't D9 do this?

The answer to that is that Deck Nine (and potentially Square Enix) has a problem with Ashly Burch and Chloe Price and thus assassinated her character. And hey, you know what helps sell games? Controversy. You know what a game company does not want to encounter? Apathy.

We have seen an initial round of anger and passion about what D9 has done to Chloe. But we are now seeing a decline in interest in the game. There's one of three reasons this could be the case. First? The mercenary decision to charge $30 extra to have two weeks extra to play the first two chapters of the game. People have responded but a lot of folks may be avoiding spoilers, and once everyone else can start playing the game we'll see a lot more people talking about it. Second? The fact that we only saw two chapters released, so the only ones talking about bigger spoilers are those who hacked the game and data-mined information from it. Third? The decision to move away from an Episodic format so that players aren't waiting a month or two for each chapter, thus allowing for increased hype as each new part is released (as the first two games were).

[sweetiebriar]

As someone very smart once said: "I try to stay away from a lot of fandom discourse, but since I’ve been seeing this on my dash again and in tags, I feel the need to make a statement on this, particularly for any young fans who follow me that might get drawn into this mindset."

First off, it's worth clarifying that Ramesses IS indeed a genuine ending LI. Remy simply mentioned that, being a later addition due to fan demand, his route might have slightly less screen time – which makes sense.

Now, there's been chatter about Livius hogging the spotlight in Season 2, leaving fans of other LIs like Amen, Agnia, Ramesses, or even Set feeling a bit overlooked. But let's break it down logically:

Given Eva's current priorities of survival, settling her debt to Set, and unravelling the mystery of Isman, it's only natural for her to interact more with Set and Livius, her available allies. This isn't about Remy playing favourites; it's just the storyline unfolding organically.

With Amen posing a significant threat to Eva's safety (antagonist of the story, let me remind you), it's understandable that she's focused on dealing with him rather than indulging in romance.

As for Ramesses, his absence in Season 2 stems from his need to flee danger both from the Hunters and his brother Renmao. It's a waiting game until Eva can reunite with him as promised (and I romance him too, I know how excruciating this waiting can be).

I don’t have anything concrete to say about Agnia because, no offence to her followers, but I think her role in the story is a bit shallow and serves no purpose except being the LGBTQ+ LI (like Lima in KCOD, which is truly sad…). However, Agnia's role may seem limited at first glance, but recent developments reveal her as a formidable adversary to Eva. Her storyline mirrors Amen's, with Eva needing to tackle immediate challenges before considering romance.

As for Remy's reputation, while she may be a controversial figure, her storytelling prowess is undeniable. Her stories are always complete, with choices that truly matter. All routes a player can take thoughtfully lead to a specific outcome. I remember being so impressed reading Kali and finding out how many freaking endings there were not only based on your LI but also the path you were on, whether it was Loyalty/Independence BUT ALSO Rage/Kindness of Goddess as well as Respect. All your stats count in Remy's stories, and that's what makes her works so popular, so can we please give her some leeway here? You don't have to like the person she is, but at least her commitment to crafting immersive stories deserves some recognition.

Apologies for the long-winded explanation, and thanks for sticking with me till the end 🫶🏻.

[kaylacautio]

Smiling Critters Headcanon List

I'm having a weird hyperfixation with the Smiling Critters lately and I do want to make a comprehensible story out of my headcanons, but for more instant gratification, I'm just gonna make a list. So here goes! These will primarily pertain to the cartoon versions because that's where my head's at.

We shall start with one for each of the critters because they all deserve love.

Dogday's tail wags when happy, like the good boy he is.

Catnap purrs when happy. Also his tail is prehensile, which doesn't follow along with his species but it wouldn't fit anywhere else.

Bubba's trunk is prehensile. Helps when his hands are full.

Bobby scratches her back on trees when no one is watching. Works better than her own hands most of the time.

Hoppy likes hard chews/hard candies. A lot. Her teeth grow uncomfortable if she goes without one for a while.

Picky enjoys a good mud bath. This could be either the spa variant or the "It just finished raining" variant. Out of respect for her friends, she will take a normal bath afterward.

Kickin lives up to the stereotype of chickens being associated with cowardice. He's working on it but he's still the most susceptible to Catnap's sneaking around. However, if anything were to threaten his friends, he would kill for them.

Crafty probably has the most powerful legs out of the group. Followed closely by Hoppy who doesn't skip leg day. You do not want to be too close to Crafty if she's startled or, heaven forbid, angry.

So you know how friend groups may have some people more drawn to each other than others? If I had to make pairings for who in the group was closest to whom, it would go something like this.

Dogday and Catnap

Hoppy and Kickin

Picky and Crafty

Bobby and Bubba

And now we have a few that would be used in the fanfic if I have any motivation to write it after this. They're mostly Catnap-centric since he'd be the main character.

Each of the Smiling Critters has a scent that just sorta naturally happens (to correspond with the scents their toy versions dispense), but Catnap happens to have two. His natural scent is lavender, while his Red Smoke smells like poppies. This comes from the fact that Playtime Co. apparently put some weird ingredients in their Red Smoke that I think gave it a poppy smell? When the Catnap toy was supposed to smell like lavender. So he gets both in the cartoon world!

Catnap is in full control of his smoke, for the most part. It'll come out in small harmless puffs if he's sleeping, or if he does something like a sigh.

Catnap, ironically, is an insomniac. He has frequent nightmares that prevent him from sleeping and is immune to his own gas. (He'd probably be narcoleptic if he wasn't.) He tends to space out a lot during the day because of this.

Dogday is also an insomniac and suffers anxiety as the group's leader. He is the most dependent on Catnap's gas to help him sleep.

The gas is somewhat addictive. I'm not sure in this case that it would drive its consumers to manic episodes like that sleepover cartoon, especially considering it's meant to aid sleep, but regardless Catnap has learned to be careful with it. He's tried other methods of helping Dogday and the others sleep but usually ends up feeding the addiction.

He'll also use the gas for self-defense if left with no other options since a heavy enough dose can knock people right out.

Romance plays very little role in the Smiling Critters' world but Dogday and Catnap might have feelings for each other. (Yes I ship it, but only in the cartoon world.)

Catnap is by far the quietest of the group. Upon first meeting him one might think that he's mute. But rather, he can't (or at least doesn't) speak above a whisper. To talk with his friends in a group setting, he whispers to Dogday and lets his bestie relay his thoughts for him.

On that same note, Catnap's quietness often leads to him scaring his friends by just standing there when they don't expect it. Sometimes he does it on purpose.

And then we have the most important headcanon, the one that basically would set this whole story in motion:

Catnap still worships the Prototype

But with a few key differences because this is the cartoon world we're talking about.

He's not so much of a Prototype-Bible-Thumper. In fact, he doesn't tell the other Critters at all out of fear. Fear of mockery or rejection, and fear of what his god could do to them.

The Prototype shrine is underneath his house, is smaller, and is constructed out of various toys and scraps he's found lying around. The human skeleton at the front is more than likely some kind of doll instead.

The electrocution incident that leads to the worship is caused by some faulty/exposed wiring. Perhaps his natural curiosity leading him into dangerous situations.

I can't say for certain that the Prototype is a benevolent god in-game, but he's certainly not here. He keeps Catnap under his thumb through fear more than anything else, he's the cause of Catnap's nightmares, which often portray gruesome deaths of himself and his friends, and he could drive Catnap to insanity at any given point. He could also give the poor kitty an existential crisis by revealing that he lives in a TV show or giving him visions of his "Bigger Bodies" self, but I haven't quite decided on that yet. Basically, Prototype's an asshole and Catnap stays due to both a life debt and fear of punishment.

And that, I think, about sums up the whole story premise I had without me having a proper structure for it. So yeah! The instant gratification monkey is happy.

[12th-shavie]

So I've been playing Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology lately and I have many thoughts that plague me

Spoilers under the cut

All of this is from reaching both basic and true ending, the PC ending with the singularity, all side quests, possible history quests and no second run with clear data for the extra ending. Also I played it on friendly difficulty and it's a good thing I touch at the end of my thoughts.

I mostly want to ramble about the different characters in the game, in somewhat of an order so I'll start with my dear boy Stocke.

I really liked Stocke. He's not particularly chatty, but we get to see a lot of what's going on his mind through the story, including every decision he has to make that can lead to a bad ending and he ends up very well-rounded by the time of the ending. He clearly grows to care a lot about everyone around him, which makes his fate particularly cruel when it's only because he made all these connections that he can be the sacrifice, but it's also the reason why his sacrifice is such a heavy blow for the others. His status as a man whose soul hasn't been his for a long time unbeknownst to him heightens the value of his growth as a person and as a friend, showing how he could still grasp the opportunity to see value in the world beyond himself and his own lifespan (that was technically over since quite some time). He's willing to use the power at his disposal to try to get the best outcome for anyone he can help, even when it seemingly doesn't do much for the world at large, he's just really helpful. Stocke is also very funny to me in the many ways he deals with his time travel. Especially in the ways he casually transports a bunch of items through the timelines, and never explains how he knows information he has absolutely no way of knowing at the point in time he's in. He also doesn't seem to question the fact that there's a big part of his life missing, or at least that's what I understand the Ernst memory wipe as, and seems to just adapt to whatever the timeline has in store for him at any given time. But he's also a Sad boy™ and deserves the world for everything he's been put through. Especially having to kill Rosch that one time.

Ah, Rosch. My poor sweet bulky boy whom I really tried to use every time he was available but it seems it was never enough and even in post-ending he's not quite caught up. The mana spring dlc also shows just how big his armor truly compared to his actual body and I respect the huge suit of armor that makes his silhouette a little silly. I wasn't a big fan of his romance with Sonja at first until the alternate history in Celestia and his bigger arc, where we get to see some more of them that made me appreciate them more (and Sonja upgrading his Gauntlet has to be some of my favourite interactions between her, Rosch and Stocke).

Raynie and Marco are cute as characters Stocke is close to but I really couldn't care less about Raynie's romantic subplot, or her in general. My interest in her never rose higher than my interest in her gameplay, which is thankfully fun to me so it doesn't feel like she's wasting my time. Marco was a little better, especially with the Mimel sidequest where he shows another facette of himself in the bad ending where he goes nuts and I respect that. But ultimately, they're only involved at first because Heiss made it so, and neither their past not their relationship to Stocke or the others was delved into all that much, which is kind of a shame given how present they are during the game.

Which bring me to Heiss. Heiss' first appearance just threw me in a loop of "wow, this guy is so obviously evil but he called Stocke his best boy so now I really want the game to surprise me with a turn of events where he's not one of the Big Bad™. I really wish I could trust this guy in the slightest but that character design is screaming EVIL very loudly". He then proceeds to turn out to be the main villain. Except he still very much cares about Stocke, and always has, even when his other intentions are very nefarious. And even at the very end he still cares about his favourite nephew. And I'm a sucker for that kind of character development, so needless to say Heiss now lives rent-free in one of my mental tabs that run in the background on my thoughts. He does have one portrait where he looks down, in a content but sad way, as if reminiscing of a happier past and it really gets me every time. I did not expect to care so much about the guy, yet his character arc really did it for me. From the bitterness cranked up to eleven by the Black Chronicle's past owners and his huge soft spot for Stocke to his own actions of granting Stocke a chance at a non-royal, non-sacrifice life that he himself never got as Heinrich being the key to the only positive future there was for the world ? Gorgeous arc ! Until the true end where he just never gives up on the only thing he truly cared about, Stocke's future. The PC ending where he joins forces with Stocke, Nemesia and the others was also a satisfying moment, seeing how he's reminded of when he went on adventures with Ernst (again with that softer portrait I am very weak to), along with one of the possible histories where you get the key to his desk (which had plagued me from the moment I tried to snoop around his office much earlier in the game) and it contains an old portrait of Heinrich and Ernst, probably the only trace had kept from that part of his past, showing that despite all the scheming and lack of remorse on other fronts as the main villain, he's still an old man whose life was never completely his own, and who tries to break the cycle for the one person he cared about who was condemned to the same fate. In other words, Heiss is absolutely a magnificent bastard but also very human underneath and I am not immune to that.

On the other hand, a character I had to warm up to gradually was Eruca (I've seen her design from the DS version and I feel robbed, that little sprite had so much more personality !). She starts out kinda generic, as the princess stuck under the terrible reign of her stepmother who secretly leads her dead brother's rebel group, and I only started garnering interest when she joined the party and was armed with a gun. I had gotten a gun before but had no idea they were for her, and it was extremely refreshing to see how she fared in combat despite her lower availability. Her relationship with Stocke was also made so much better by that one moment around the end where it goes back to their first time meeting in standard history and shows exactly what she was dealing with when interacting with Stocke, knowing full that he not only was her dead brother living with a borrowed soul, but also had yet to be aware of his role in the grand scheme of things. I was afraid the whole ritual bit would get in the way of her character development but it didn't and she ended up being one of my favourite characters in both story and gameplay. Ice magic nukes are very nice.

Aht is adorable and I knew she'd be in my top three from the moment I saw her in the animated opening in which she gave me some Just a little guy™ vibe which is sufficient for me to be interested. Her voice acting was also very endearing (then again all of the voice acting worked really for me) and she was just as fun in gameplay with her trap set-ups and big combo potential. And then the story dropped all sorts of hints that she clearly was aware of something very big and plot-relevant and that really makes her go from Babsie™ to Tell me your secrets you adorable little scoundrel™ and that's absolutely my jam.

I wish I had a stronger opinion on Gafka. He's pretty neat, I like the combos he brings to the tables, the way he learns additional skills with Bergas makes sense to me and is cool, but I wish his character spoke to me more. The one thing I would say about him is that he has this trait where he has a hard time distinguishing humans and uses nicknames based on other visible parts of them, but does eventually come to recognize Stocke with his name instead of "Red One" and that's a new bit of development he got there.

I wish Viola was playable. Girl's got so much potential with a title like the Valkyrie but only gets so little story presence, but she's a highlight of every scene she's in and that's fine by me. I find her design very soft yet powerful and inspiring, as befits a character with her renown and charisma.

I can also say I really appreciate Raul, he's not the most appealing character at first, but the genuine effort he clearly puts in supporting however he can from the back lines and devising all of the larger scale tactics and stuff really elevates him as guy who's trying to make the best out of a bad situation where he can't turn his back on people who need help he can provide after not opposing Hugo more directly even though he suspected him to be up to no good.

Speaking of Hugo, he has me a little confused on what exactly his motives were, where his loyalty lied and what he was really trying to accomplish, especially regarding Noah and the possible histories surrounding him. I'm not a fan of letting him around with Noah and not facing more consequences for his actions. Noah himself is also a little weird, being both this mysterious prophet who just wants what's best for his people and this calm guy who seems to know more than he lets on but hasn't really tried to stop Hugo or find another way to reach the people without his name being exploited. I wonder how he could've affected the timeline if he didn't just vanish from the public eye after the possible history that saves his life in the alternate history.

Dias and Selvan are most definitely meant to be read as an evil power couple. You can't throw in a sidequest where it is shown they get a hotel room in the middle of the day and Selvan immediately resorting to threatening to kill a little girl the instant he sees Stocke menacing Dias, and not tell they're not in some kind of very close relationship that is never described as friendship, not even once. Also they'd seemingly betray anyone in a heartbeat except each other and I will read the subtext as I please. There is also that one line from Selvan in alternate history when Dias is dead and he says something along the lines of "But now Dias is slain, and I am broken". And that's without mentioning the possible history where they didn't set Protea up as queen but Dias directly, and an NPC says that "Dias wears the crown, but Selvan might as well sit on the throne" and I'll gladly interpret it as Selvan sitting on the throne with Dias on his lap. Moving on.

Friendly difficulty is a godsend that should be in many other games. I love being able to progress rapidly through the combat heavy parts of the story and only be forced into important fights which I can appreciate without wearing down my gameplay experience. I cannot show grateful I am to be able to enjoy the story to the fullest with no downsides in my opinion. It even gives me a reason to someday try out the DS version to experiment with combat a little more, and also see the game in all its original stylized glory (mostly Stocke's grittier self, Eruca's pixie cut, Heiss balding forehead that makes him less magnificent of a bastard and Dias looking less evil for some reason)

I also intend to finish RHPC with my clear data to see that final final ending, just to see what it brings to the table.

[averinna]

Hello, can I ask from this ask game :

https://www.tumblr.com/threecheersforinking/677824836625694720/anime-ask-game?source=share

For anime/manga : Queen's Quality, Akatsuki no Yona, Orange, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Thanks 🌻

Sorry to reply so late :

Queen Quality :

Favorite Character: Fumi of course!

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: The scene where it's revealed that the Black Queen is actually Fumi's self respect. The way she embrace her little self is adorable but also feel so healing for her. It's like healing your inner child.

Character I Think is Underrated: Oh man, everyone else?

Character I Think is Overrated: None!

Favorite Ship/Pairing: KyuFumi is the only one available but hopefully it's a good ones

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: How the story turn around mental health and even give you type to manage it. It seem little but actually cleaning your space help a lot with your mind than you expect. I love the gentle and patient approach the story have to emotions, how you shouldn't neglect them and the issues is never the emotions themselves but how you handle them. It's such a great manga!

Akatsuki no Yona :

Favorite Character: Yona!

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: Tae Jun redemption arc! I didn't expect it at all and he became a favorite character after it

Character I Think is Underrated: I'm not sure

Character I Think is Overrated: ... Hak. Like sorry but being hot and loyal isn't enough for me to like a love interest but it's also due to how people were fawning on him while insulting Yona for crying for her trauma. I know it's not his fault but he have the typical profile of the male lead who's loved so much any criticism is met with death threats

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Zeno/Kaya

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: The way Yona strenghten herself but it's not at the price of her kindness. It's something I quickly loved about Yona that made her my favorite shojo mc for a long time, before that Fumi came along. She's still very precious to me.

Orange :

Favorite Character: Kakeru! He's more than a love interest to me

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: It's my favorite but also painful : The whole flashback from the og Kakeru, about why he committed suicide. That was so heartwrenching.

Character I Think is Underrated: Naho herself. She's reduced as Suwa's trophy whos's a bitch for not choosing him. Even when people have good thing to tell about the manga, they never say anything good about her. Yeah she's dense! But she also became more and more brave throughout the story, she started to do things despite being scared and people forget how taxing it is to do things while scared.

Character I Think is Overrated: Suwa. And it's not even his fault! But people want to butcher the narrative just to offer him Naho as a trophy, Naho that they don't even like or feel like she's a good character, they just see her as an object. It's sad how most terrible take about the manga is because people love him.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: KakeNaho because they look cute

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: That it dare talk about depression and suicide with such care. For a romance it would've been easy to take the road of "I can fix him" where Naho loving Kakeru would've heal him from his depression, but he actually needed his FRIENDS and he WANT to heal because of how loved he is.

Jujutsu Kaisen :

Favorite Character: Itadori Yuuji of course!

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: Honestly anything with the plant trio doing mission together. I wish we had more of that before... you know...

Character I Think is Underrated: TODO! And I know it's only because he's not conveniently attractive : the guy love Yuuji to the point to have his on his pendant locket, he hallucinated a whole school arc with him, he supported him when he was at his lowest... Todo deserve more. Also he'sn hilarious

Character I Think is Overrated: ... Gojo. Yeah I go for the obvious but it's more... people you KNOW that there's other character? Also stop using you know who as your self insert to have someone else than Geto to ship with him, seriously

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Itafushi. AH! Young love

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: How funny pretty much everyone is. I miss the Jujusanpo. I am not good at meta for too long work but I think there's more to see, especially around curse. Meta post explain it better than me

Thanks!

[follower-of-romcommunism]

Shows with poignant endings that are actually satisfying

Since season 3 ended on such a pathetic note, here are shows I think that actually do what Ted Lasso was trying to do with its ending, but in a way that doesn’t rob its audience or gaslight them about what they showed us in literally everything else leading up to it 

1. The Newsroom - written by Aaron Sorkin, watch on HBOmax

2. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story - written by Shonda Rhimes, watch on Netflix

3. Derry Girls - written by Lisa McGee, watch on Netflix

4. Fleabag - written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, watch on Prime Video

5. M*A*S*H - many writers, watch on Hulu

Notice I didn’t say happy endings, because none of these shows have an ending that’s neatly tied up and everyone’s hunk dory. You don’t need that to have your ending be satisfying and well-written. You can have a gut punch goodbye without destroying everything you built. Feel free to drop more recs in the comments.

spoilers under the cut for explanations

The Newsroom ends with the death of Charlie Skinner, Will McAvoy’s mentor and dear friend. The message of the final episode is about how life will go on without him, but the characters are consistent, and while some things are open-ended (like where Jim and Maggie stand with her moving to DC), we aren’t left feeling empty. They give the viewers some fucking credit here. 

Queen Charlotte may seem like a silly historical romance series on the surface, but it has more depth than its parent show, Bridgerton, especially with the end. It shows us that George will never be cured, not even with Charlotte’s love, and she is choosing him anyway. The whole show preaches that those with mental illness will always be that way, and they are still deserving of love and respect. We can meet them where they are. And life will not be easy at George���s side, but Charlotte wants to be there anyway. That is the real power of love. 

Derry Girls has what I’d consider the happiest ending out of all these, but the questions at the end leave the audience hopeful but with that seed of doubt. As each of these young women place their vote, and decide how they want to live their lives after the Troubles, it’s moving in a surprising way. It’s the end of their childhood, the end of an era, and yet with that comes this exciting new world. The final shot of Granda Joe and Erin’s little sister walking hand in hand perfectly shows the old life and the new coming together. 

Fleabag has probably the most devastating of all endings here, but it’s probably closest to what Ted Lasso wanted to accomplish by showing how one person can come into you life and change it forever, but that doesn’t mean they’re meant to stay. But what makes Fleabag’s ending effective is not only the dialogue, both characters actually voicing their feelings for each other and stating why they can’t be together, but Fleabag finally looks at the camera and shakes her head before walking away. She doesn’t need the audience anymore. And we aren’t left loving her or Hot Priest any less. 

M*A*S*H is along the same lines as Fleabag. All these doctors came together because of the war, and they were the epitome of found family while they were all so far away from home. At the end, as they all part ways, they let each other know through words and gestures what the experience meant to them. And there isn’t some weird sequence showing what everyone’s up to now, they let the audience fill in those gaps themselves, so we can’t be disappointed by things missing (Ted at Beard’s wedding *coughcough*). 

[iamacolor]

At least kdramas are pretty okay in that regard, you get quite a few dramas where the relationship is equal from both sides and female leads who get to be the one to save the person they love and actively contribute to relationship, cdramas are so much worse, most of the romantic ones are basically y/n fanfics and the disparity in what male love interests and male love interests are saying/doing for each other is huge, something like love between fairy and devil where both leads get to constantly save and protect each other is a unicorn.

yeah I definitely feel like the "landscape" of kdramas is gaining more variety in that sense!

gosh now I wish I'd watched more cdramas so I could actually compare (I think I've watched 6 in total djfkdhks and the last ones were a while ago - it was love like the galaxy where both the leads were genuinely crazy unhinged, in different ways, so they were their own dynamic anyway and reset where they just keep dying so no one really had time to do any real romancing lol) but I remember between fairy and devil blowing up on here and a lot of people were talking about how different it felt from other shows because of the dynamic between the leads so clearly audience like it when writers step away from that formula! I genuinely think there's so much to do with the romance genre when you play with tropes and treat characters of all genders with the same appreciation and the idea that they both have to go on a journey and be fully fleshed out people and truly have to build something together and that everyone should get to be a little ridiculous. as a treat

although I will say that I do feel like there has been a shift in the way male leads are now generally behaving with their fl because now we're getting a lot of very devoted men, less cold and curt or too cool to show any real emotions with their gf, less forceful over their gf too, less commanding, who often embarrass themselves because of how much they're overwhelmed of what they're ready to do to attract the woman they love, who genuinely appreciate the woman, and who often have moments of taking care of her so I feel like that kind of demonstrates a difference in what romantic relationships are supposed to be like nowadays, with men now expected to actually show devotion, respect and affection and not just possessiveness and random act of politeness followed by a surprise kiss for it to be love if that makes sense? so in a way most romance stories are still written to present an idealised version of men as romantic partners (not necessarily more realistic lol) but at least it's showing women they deserve better than what they've been given for so long. now they all need to realise that the reason why that's important is because women are actually real people who feel various emotions and desires (even physical ones yes) and that there's nothing shameful about a man not being the shining knight of the story or the one who has the swoon worthy line 😘

[maychild]

mini-reviews of bl dramas watched (part 8)

UNINTENTIONAL LOVE STORY 

adfjkldsajfkdslfj i loved this. was it cliche with predictable twists? yeah, but i enjoyed it nonetheless. the angst was sooo good, the chemistry between all the characters was phenomenal. i absolutely loved hotae and donghee and geonhee and his wife. i did not like vice manager jung but i didn't dislike him as much as i usually do unscrupulous people in dramas so...i did love wonyoung standing up for himself there at the end with manager jung so i don't mind the narrative redeeming him. wonyoung still has to work with this dude but maybe manager jung won't think he's such a pushover any more. i didn't like that for the majority of the episodes wonyoung was getting close to taejoon for the wrong reasons, but i did like that the latter half of the series focused on his deceit and the fallout. (a lesser drama would've resolved the whole thing in one ep but, unpopular opinion, i loved that they gave the major falling out and the getting back together the room that they did. i honestly did not feel like the series lost any momentum in that regard. taejoon's whole issue with trust and having it broken already in his life should not be brushed off so easily just so we can have romance and lovey-dovey moments, but again, i gather this is an unpopular opinion in this fandom.) 

of course i want a s2, especially with a focus on donghee and hotae. like they were definitely gearing up to be something there by the end, and we were robbed of them going on double dates with taejoon and wonyoung. (also! no reaction at all from anybody about the wedding rings??!! SO ROBBEDDD. i also wanted scenes with taejoon and his father.). 9.5/10

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN SEASON 2 / UTSUKUSHII KARE SEASON 2

where to even fucking start on how good this second season was??? this season picks up with hira in his final year of college, still anxious in his relationship with kiyoi, still needing to learn how to be an equal partner in this relationship (it doesn't help that hira has such low self-esteem that he still treats kiyoi like a god, and himself as a lowly pebble not even deserving of kiyoi's gaze). the things i didn't like the most in s1 (the miscommunication and the abuse) was fixed this time around--kiyoi has matured wonderfully, he doesn't take hira for granted or treat him like his slave (even tho that would make hira the most happy--someone on viki mentioned he might have a degradation kink and i'm inclined to agree). 

koyama, the second male lead/love interest is still around (obviously), and while i'm not wild about him appearing, he was a good friend overall, and he respected hira rejecting him.

hira is still his oddball, stalkery self, and the drama ended with him very much still a work in progress, but i do like how they emphasized that any meaningful change had to be slow, as it's hard to overcome 20+ years of people not lifting you up emotionally.

i also loved the introduction of more characters like anna, kiyoi's actress friend/mentor, and noguchi hiromi, the famous photographer/future mentor to hira. the story ends with hira and kiyoi still together, but very much both still a work in progress with each other and in their relationship.

(the movie looks trippy as fuck, and i hope we interfans get it soon-ish.) 10/10

STAR STRUCK 

this was so disappointing. both leads lacked chemistry with each other, there was a lack of intimacy, and it was slow/boring af. (honestly, i was shipping jinhwan and hanjoon more than the actual couple, and they only had interactions in one ep!)

the dead fish kisses also did not help matters--yes, there were a couple of kisses, but i did not buy that these two were in love with each other at all. i get that it was because there was an idol playing one half of the leads, but that didn't stop semantic error! the drama didn't exactly spend any time building up the romance in a believable way. there was a montage! seriously, a montage when u could've just chosen to show and expand on the relationship organically instead of shooing in everything at the last minute. speaking of last minute--the show felt very rushed, wanting to cram in a lot of things in the last two episodes. 

sadly, this had a lot of potential, but, at the end of the day, there's nothing to set it apart from other bland kbls that also didn't have the best chemistry or good story telling. 6.5/10

ALL THE LIQUORS 

this was so dull and boring and nothing really happened. i don't need a ton of angst or plot but ATL essentially had nothing.

some people will say the two leads had okay chemistry but, for me, it was nonexistent. everything felt way worse than an indie film. at least in indie film/shows with low-budget u can tell the show had a lot of passion and heart and drive for the story, but this show felt like it was just checking off boxes on what they thought made a good BL without diving into what the aspects of what made a BL good. (i can tell you it's not teasing an interesting backstory on a character who avoids alcohol as if his life depended on it, and a character who is a borderline alcoholic--i say borderline bc while he tends to drink a lot, so far, it doesn't interfere that much with his life.)

the drama might've had some potential if it delved into the intriguing plot line that ep 1 promised, mainly that of alcoholism and rehabilitation. (the drama might not have been bland if it had something to say about two recovering alcoholics falling in love, but alas, it remains totally unambitious, and the few dead fish kisses we got in the final episode felt like it came a little too late in the game.)

weak storytelling, weak acting, weak chemistry, basically all around weak everything. 4/10

LOVE TRACTOR 

love tractor is a wonderful mix of comedy, romance, and drama. i loved most everything about this drama (except for how short it was): the pacing, the story, and all the characters (there were a couple of ajummas but i needed more, and i needed the back story on village head ma because i definitely think there's a Story there). 

tho i will say, this is on the lower end in terms of heat and romance and passion--there were only a couple of kisses at most, but thankfully no dead kisses, and considering it's the first relationship they've ever been in for one of the younger characters, i can excuse that there isn't a whole lot of eroticism. the characters are developing slowly and if we had more episodes, maybe there would be a lot more passion, but, again, the story is majorly wonderful on its own that i'm not totally bothered by the lack of lust, it's just something i'm always on the look out for, but the lack of it in this drama certainly doesn't detract from how good and almost perfect this drama is.

anyway, loved it to bits and i want more seasons, tho i'm unlikely to get them (or the two main leads to star in another BL). 10/10

PART 1/???, PART 2/???, PART 3/???, PART 4/???, PART 5/???, PART 6/???, PART 7/???

[findafight]

Currently consumed by the thought of a stobin Hollywood studio era lavender marriage au. They elope from Hawkins and Steve takes Robin's last name (a scandal when the paps find out!) And work shit jobs until they hit it big. (Robin is a trailblazer director who verbally eviscerates people who abused their actresses to get a ""more authentic performance"". Steve is a leading man who shifts into Dad Roles in his fifties. They adopt a gaggle of children so his career isn't as full as Rob's and he is so happy about it.)

They are a power couple for over half a century and eventually come out (Robin as a lesbian who's had a partner since the fifties and Steve as 'just very queer. I didn't have the words back then and now I don't feel like labeling it' and their marriage as one filled with love and respect and caring without romance or sex. Calling it "every bit as real as any other marriage, except we never had the complications of fucking. We loved together and fought together and cried together and lived together. The only thing more important to us than each other are our children and grandchildren, and isn't that what every other marriage is?") to the confusion of nearly everyone because they clearly adore each other and constantly hold hands or sit on laps and call each other soulmates and gaze adoringly across rooms and once said about meeting that they knew, after that first month of teasing and jeering and growing pains, that they'd found the person they were meant to be with. That they'd be together for as long as they were given because to know someone so thoroughly that they know you better than yourself and you know them the same that you barely need to speak but you do for the joy of the other's company is a rare gift to be given, especially so young.

Because they never lied! It's just, people assume romantic intent or attraction when Robin and Steve don't! They're the loves of each other's lives but they are not romantically in love and that's hard for people to understand. Especially a high profile couple who was the Romantic Ideal for three generations. And so when they say they were never involved like that, it's hard for some to believe because those two love each other so openly and intensely and for that love to be something other than romantic doesn't compute.

But on the other hand, they had already been queer icons. Steve 100% played in a heavily queercoded war film in the fifties and Robin had a Way of shooting women and they'd been vocal "allies" since the sixties. They'd nearly come out in the eighties but by then it wasn't just a decision they could make. It involved their partners and their children and grandchildren, so they waited to do so. But they were activists early for queer folk and did their best to fight the good fight (and also 1000% cussed Regan out. As he so deserved)

Idk I've rewritten this post like five times as I was helping my brother move and I'm just. Very emotional thinking of a grand, seven decade spanning, queerplatonic love story in the studio era of Hollywood.

[hello-nichya-here]

How NOT to write romance - How I Met Your Mother edition

Warning: long-ass post and lots of bitterness over a TV show that ended nearly eight years ago.

Basics for story-telling

If the romance you want to write is dysfunctional, fucking embrace it and have fun with the concept instead of pretending the bad shit the characters do is okay because “it’s true love”

Acknowledgde that your main character has flaws instead of acting like he is a saint who can do no wrong for no reason other than “he is the main character. Definitively don’t make him do, of his own free will, the exact exact same things the supposedly “selfish and cruel” womanizer does and then excuse it as him having “succumbed to/been tricked by a bad influece” like he’s child who doesn’t know any better instead of being a grown ass adult.

Don’t make your characters be annoying, entitled fuckers who think they have the right to judge others for wanting different things out of a relationship/not wanting a relationship at all. Don’t act like monogamy, double dates with other couples, marriage and children are something EVERYONE secretly wants deep down.

Don’t demonize the “evil” character of the group and act like the “heroes” being appalled by the shit he does is anything other than hypocricy. There’s literally nothing forcing them to be friends with him, so they’re obviously not as horrified at bad shit he does as they say they are, otherwise they would have ditched him a long time ago.

Don’t have the “heartless womanizer”,  who we later find out is the ex-husband of the girl the lead wanted for himself, be shown to us exclusively through the eyes of the an unreliable narrator who had motivation to make him see worse than he is likely to be (get his kids to want him to get the girl instead of the “douchebag”). Also, don’t make his schemes to trick women into sleeping with them so completely absurd and ridiculous that the audience is pretty sure that 70% of the women he banged were completely aware he just wanted a quick fuck and went along with it anyway because they wanted some dick (and because the character is played by Neil Patric Harris, who is incapable of not being charismatic)

Fucking let you characters (especially the supposed hero we’re supposed to think is the best boyfriend ever) grow instead of making them constantly repeat the same mistakes

Lily and Marshall

Don’t make one of the characters hide something very important from their partner, and then have the audacity to be mad at them for “just not understanding” as if they were given any reason to understand what the problem even is

Don’t act like someone being heartbroken that their partner lied to them and practically made a plan to “escape” being married to them means they’re not being “supportive” of said partners dream - you should especially not do that after we were shown that they took a job they didn’t like just to make sure they’d have a secure future that would allow said partner to follow their dream.

Don’t have the character who was obviously in the wrong need to be convinced to get their shit together and apologize to their ex.

If a character forgave the ex who wronged them and even got back together with them, don’t have them constantly hold their past mistakes over their head like it that problem has not already been solved - you especially not make them do that on what was supposed to be their wedding day. They can either forgive their partner or not, they can’t keep going back and forth.

Don’t have them constantly hide important shit from each other (having a huge financial debt, getting a job, etc)

DO NOT have the character who fucked up years prior suddenly be willing to do the same shit again for the EXACT same reason (”I think our relationship is in the way of my dreams and I’m now completely isolated because I refuse to talk things out with you”) and then expect the audience to sympathize with them.

Ted and Robin 

Unless you’re writing a Disney/Disney-esque romance, don’t have your lead just look at someone across the room, decide they’re “The one”, imagine their life together and full on say “I’m love with you” AND “I love you” on the first goddamn date.

Don’t have the lead stalk his love interest, and throw three parties in a row just to have an excuse to get close to her now that she made it clear she is not interested in having a relationship with him.

Don’t have the “hero” lie about having broken up with his girlfriend so the girl he wants to be with will sleep with him, and then have him blame his actions on time. “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” Grow a pair of balls, Ted!

If one of the characters says “You’re going too fast on the whole ‘love’ thing. Can’t we just go on a few dates and see what happens instead of already starting to plan our lives together?” and the others throws a fit, that is called “being incompatible” and “damn, this dude doesn’t respect boundaries”, not “Wow, she’s so afraid of commitment”

If you want the audience to believe the main character’s feelings are not one-sided, don’t make the fact that said feelings ARE unrequited a running joke, and don’t have the girl only accept giving him a chance after having to deal with the fucker whining “But I love you” for months and/or after going through bad break ups. Also, if you have to retcon half the fucking show to “proove” that “she DOES love him”, that pairing fucking sucks.

Don’t compare the couple you want the audience to root for to the main character’s divorced, dysfunctional parents, and don’t have flashbacks showing that the lead had no clue what his girlfriend actually liked in bed AND that she literally covered up his face so she could pretend she was fucking someone else.

DON’T MAKE HER GET RID OF HER DOGS, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!

If your lead character is still jealous/possessive of his ex, thinks he still has a chance even after she told him to his face that she didn’t love him, and acts like she and her fiance (who he says is his friend) being happy is somehow them being selfish and cruel, your lead character is a loser AND an asshole.

Don’t throw away the entire premise of the show (Ted finding the REAL love of his life) just to force a bad pairing down the audience’s throat

Ted Mosby in general

Don’t have your “romantic, sensitive hero” break up with a girl on her birthday through an answering machine, come back into her life without warning years later because he’s afraid he’ll die alone, and find out that she never heard the message but was actually told about it by her friends and family who were at her apartment preparing a surprise party for her. You should especially not make his first reaction to this new be being mad that he was not invited to the party, and for the love of God, don’t make him break up with her on her birthday AGAIN.

Don’t have the “hero” cheat on his girlfriend and excuse it with bullshit like “Nothing good happens 2 a.m.” and “But I genuinely love Robin so it’s okay that I’m lying to both of them”. Do not, I repeat, do NOT have him blame it on his girlfriend being distant when she didn’t pick up the phone one night and then called back the second she was free to do so, while he was enjoying the gifts she sent him and LIED to her about having sent her some as well.

Don’t fucking make an entire episode with the premise of him turning a no into a yes - and telling that story to his children like it’s romantic.

Don’t have his fiance, who he knows has a rocky relationship with the father of her daughter, tell him she is uncomfortable with him inviting his ex to their wedding and then have him decide “This means I should invite her ex as well”. Also don’t expect me to feel bad for him when she runs off with said ex.

Don’t have him spend YEARS waiting for one of the hundreds of girls he thinks is “the one” to be single and even ask her neighbour to spy on her and let him know when/if she breaks up with her boyfriend - again, for YEARS.

Don’t have the lead say he’s gonna tell their kids about his love story with their DECEASED mother, only for it to secretly be an excuse for him to go “By the way, I’m still in love with aunt Robin despite her having rejected me for 25 years, can I go screw her?”

Don’t act like making the characters reverse back into who they were at the beginning at the story means they’re gonna make things work this time when the whole point of their break up in the beginning on the story was the fact that they’re just not right for each other.

Robin and Kevin

A therapist who was supposed to help their patient move on after a bad break up that messed them up, dating said patient is a major red flag. It is also a bad sign that, when she cheats on him and wants to break up, he realized what she was doing to used his job as “evidence” that he knew better and that she should NOT tell her partner how she felt/what she actually wanted.

Do NOT have said therapist date yet ANOTHER patient that asked him help to move on from a bad break up. Seriously, Kevin was a creep, stop acting like he was some angel who “deserved better than Robin.”

BONUS: How NOT to break up a couple - Barney and Robin edition

Don’t act like their relationship falling appart after their friends kept meddling, and even kept them locked in a room against their will until they labeled their relationship as something they aproved of, is somehow “proof” that they’re not good for each other.

Don’t retcon their relationship to force a break up (seriously, Barney was super supportive of Robin long before he even fell in love with her, but I’m supposed to believe he’d be a bad boyfriend who is never there for her? And he loved advantures and always said “challenge accepted”, but was suddenly miserable travelling the world with her and couldn’t deal with not having wi-fi at the hotel? Fuck off)

Don’t spend an entire season focusing on their wedding, have them get married and then divorce THE NEXT FUCKING EPISODE! Why do you hate your audience? Even people who don’t want them together can see this a terrible idea.

And most important of all, when people question what the fuck were you thinking, don’t have a meltdown on twitter and say that people who think Barney can change are responsible for Donald Trump being elected, you fucking weirdo, go see a therapist (that isn’t like Kevin)

[look-at-the-soul]

The Reward (Cillian Murphy x OC)

Summary: An oversight can change your life in a matter of seconds and it can lead you to lose a valuable member of your family. A lost dog in a new neighborhood. Endless hours of searching. A reward. It all lead them to find each other.

Cillian Murphy x OC

Parts: 4/7 more here

A/N: Scout is the star of this story, because I love dogs. A/N 2: This is my first Cillian Murphy fic, hope you like it! If you want me to tag you, just let me know :) your comments & feedback is appreciated ♥️

Notes: super blurry picture, wish we could have more casuals like this, so I’m adding another one.

“For what? To take a chance to being left at the altar one more time? Once was enough.” She tried to make it sound casual. 

She learned her lesson and moved on. Now, she only focused on her work, it was her whole life, her safe place. Safer than being close to a man again. 

“He was young and stupid.” Chad tried to reason with her. “Not everyone is a cheater.” 

“Marissa and Damien were exactly my age, and trust me, they both knew what they were doing.” She handed the approved menu to the chef, and started walking to her office. “The problem is that they couldn’t respect her best friend’s man and his girlfriend’s best friend.” 

Marissa, Debbie and Liv were best friends since high school, they did everything together shopping, sleep overs, travel, shared their clothes and shoes. But when Liv was about to get married, Marissa did everything in her power to share the groom as well. Correction, she stole the groom. They always had the perfect alibi, never raised suspicious. They were together for months before the wedding until that day, he left Liv waiting at the church. And Marissa was nowhere to be seen, so it wasn’t really hard to put the story together. 

Now, years later it didn’t hurt anymore, but Liv didn’t want to go through any of that again, so it was easier to close her heart and keep going with her life. 

That’s why she preferred to stay away from any celebration of love at her restaurant, it was a reminder of something she wouldn’t have. 

“Doesn’t matter now.” She told Chad. 

“Of course, it matters, when was the last time you had a date?” Chad pressed. 

“I have a date this weekend remember? Downtown to see the new packages for the food to go. There’s your date.” She winked at him. 

“I’m talking about a real date, kisses, fireworks, romance, sex.” He whispered the last part. 

That made Liv laugh out loud. 

“You deserve to be happy.” He added softly. 

Touched by his worried expression she assured him: “I’m happy.” 

“Forget that, you deserve to share your happiness with a good man, that’s all I want for you, doesn’t matter if he is a pirate or walks slow.” 

“I’ve only met two good men in my life, my dad which my mum got him off the market and you, like my favorite uncle and your married too, so both of you aren’t an option for me.” 

“One day he’s going to walk thru that door and I will know as soon as I see him, so don’t be surprised if I suddenly say it’s him!” 

***  Scout’s being missing for four days now and it was so hard and difficult to lie to Aidan about it. Cillian came up with the idea of Scout being on vacation with other dogs, saying he was stressed with the moving, fortunately for him, the kid believed him so he now only kept asking him if today was last day of Scout’s trip. 

He walked around the street one of his friends mentioned that they saw a dog matching Scout’s description and asked every person he came across with, showed them pictures and handled them a flyer. But nobody seemed to have seen Scout. 

It was as if he just disappeared. 

His sister Sile sent him a picture someone shared, it was awfully blurry, someone else tried to catch a similar dog but they couldn’t. 

Scout might at the other side of the city by now. 

He stopped at a café and got scones and coffee for breakfast, it was time to go back home. 

“Something?” Asked his mum right after he got inside. 

“Nothing, a couple of people apparently saw him but couldn’t catch him.” He offered her a coffee. “I’m hoping I will get a call anytime.” 

Aidan appeared still in his dinosaur pajamas. 

“Why aren’t you ready for school yet?” His son disappeared laughing as Cillian tried to chase him. 

“I miss Scout.” He stated while Cillian helped with his uniform. It broke his heart to hear that. 

“I miss him too.” He moved around to get his belongings. “Shoes. There you go.” 

“Can we visit Scout later? 

“Nope, he’s on vacation remember?” Please stop the questions, he thought.

“When we go on vacation we take him too.” 

“They only allow dogs at that beach, you would have to walk in fours, bark and lick yourself. You know, it might be good, you would be quiet.” He joked. 

Aidan burst out laughing. 

Cillian loved his innocence. 

And with that Aidan promised to make a draw after school for Scout to give it to him when he was done with his holiday.  The rest of the morning, Cillian and his mother kept getting everything ready at the house, started at the kitchen since it was one of the places where he spent more time, then he went to his basement to take a call with his agent for a new role, while he was on the phone, he started printing more flyers. Again, running out of ink. 

“I’m sorry man, they said they wanted someone else.” His agent said over the phone. 

“It’s alright, it wasn’t meant to be.” He admitted. 

“I told them you are really good with voices.” 

“Hey Martin, it’s fine, you will find another casting soon.” 

He wanted that role, yes, but you can’t really force something like that. Some roles are for you and some other aren’t, he knew that well. 

“Thank you for calling.” 

Cillian took one of the flyers in his hands. He just hoped this wouldn’t be one of those times when you get one bad news after another. 

Should he double the reward? 

Before he knew it, Aidan got back from school with his grandma. Scout would be barking at the door until they finally meet for licks and kisses. For now, it was only his son and his parents while they ate, he tried to stay positive, to keep his hopes up, he really did. He just didn’t know for how long he would be able to keep going like this.

“I have to do something ok? Be good to Momma and do your homework while I’m gone.” He asked Aidan. 

“Can we go?” Aidan asked staring at his dad, then his grandma. 

“It’s going to be boring, why don’t you entertain Momma with a movie?” He kissed the top of his head and thanked his mum for helping him. 

“Call immediately if you find him.” She asked giving Cillian a hug. 

“Will do.” He left with his dad, allowing him to drive, they decided to get out of the neighborhood, Scout might be anywhere. 

“Perhaps we should try outside the neighborhood?” His dad suggested.

“Probably.” Cillian agreed.

Cillian was so glad to had his family help with Aidan and the search for Scout.

“I haven’t seen that girl you were dating.” His dad said after driving in silence for a while.

Cillian shook his head. “It’s over now, it’s been months actually… she didn’t like kids and you know how I feel about that, always wanted a big family.” He admitted.

“That would be nice.”

“How did you know Momma was the one?”

“This will sound like a cliché, but you just know, a woman like her simply stands out, they do something casual and simple, look extraordinary.” His dad smiled remembering the first time he saw his wife. “And oh, you won’t be able to get her out of your mind.”

Cillian looked outside the window thinking he would like to experience something like that, but it was hard. He was picky, plus he had Aidan, he couldn’t get involved with someone who wouldn’t accept his son. Being honest with himself, he liked a smart woman, one who could understand his sense of humor, funny, kind, he wanted deep talks… Maybe he was just asking for too much.

They decided to keep searching by foot so they got out of the car, after a few minutes, they came across a man walking with seven or eight dogs attached to his waist, leashes tangled.

“Excuse me, have you seen a lost dog around?” He showed him a picture.

“No… I only walk the neighbor’s dogs, but if I see anything I will let you know.” He said taking the flyer. “Have you checked at the shelter? They take the lost dogs over there.”

Cillian got pale.

“Thank you.” 

He wanted to go home now, felt hopeless.

Was it time to give up? Let Scout go?

“Listen to me, Scout is fine.” His dad tried to reassure him. “Don’t lose hope.”

“What if he is hurt?”

“Don’t let your mind go that way son.” His dad patted him on the shoulders. “You just need some faith.”

Cillian was so tired when they go back to the house an hour and a half later. They heard laughs coming from the kitchen and judging by the smell of the house, it looked like Momma and Aidan were baking.

He was about to join them when his phone started ringing. 

Tag list: @alreadybroken-ts  @runnning-outof-time​

[tinyhistory]

Hey! Love your stories so much I just had to ask! Do you have any favorite drarry authors/stories? I sometimes compare the quality of other stories to ROA (oops!) because ROA is just that good. My personal favorites are ROA (of course!), the Foundations Series (saras_girl), the ordeal of being known (louisfake), denouement (the_never_was), Good to Me (And I'd Be So Good to You) (AWickedMemory), and To Hurt and Heal (cassisluna). Have you read these? Have a wonderful day! :)

Thank you, so glad you’ve enjoyed my stories! And thank you for so patiently waiting for a reply. I haven’t been online much in the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately I haven’t read any of your recs, but I’m always happy to add another fic to my to-read list.

I did a rec post a few months ago, but I’ll post an updated version now. The Skyhawke Archives appear to be down, which is crushing news. I’ve had to update a lot of the links.

So here are my favourite Drarry fanfics:

And We Are At Our Apogee (PG-13) by angelgazing

Summary: Draco wanted revenge, but it didn't work out that way.

My notes: Californian beaches, supermarkets, road trips, and a bittersweet ending.

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A Reckless State of Mind (T) by Lomonaaeren

Summary: Draco is a Psyche-Diver, and his newest patient is Auror Potter, who’s been a pathological liar for over a year—and has just tried to violently end his own life.

Notes: The plot alone guarantees inclusion on this list. Probably the most creative fic I’ve ever read, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing.

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Berlin, In the Year of Our Lord (PG) by Are

Summary: Harry is a green-tea addict. Draco stalks him.

Notes: Probably my all-time favourite fic, along with Blue Vase. It’s sparse and minimal and I love that writing style.

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Blue Vase (M) by ivyblossom

Summary: Let’s pretend.

Notes: Draco finds an amnesiac Harry and befriends him, pretending they were once lovers. It’s pensive, short, and bittersweet.

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The Boy Who Only Lived Twice (E) by lettered

Summary: Harry Potter is an Unspeakable. Draco Malfoy is the wizard who shagged him. Adventure! Intrigue! Secret identities, celebrities, spies! It's all right here, folks.

Notes: Action-heavy fics are damn hard to write, but lettered nails it. The action scenes are breakneck speed, the conversations are threaded with double meaning, and even the silences are tense.

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Draco in Darkness (T) by Plumeria47.

Summary: Following an accident in his seventh year, Draco loses his eyesight.

Notes: This is one of the first fics I ever read (when it was over on FF in 2003) so it’s probably here just for nostalgia points alone. I read it when I was a kid and just thought it was a lovely golden fairytale, the best romance I’d ever read in my (very short, thus far) life. I love reading it again, even years later as an adult when I can see the tarnish on it; the things my childhood eyes didn’t notice. I don’t care. It’s my soft and fuzzy comfort fic.

-

The Flesh is Frail (NC-17) by wildestranger

Summary: None

Notes: Draco has injuries from curses and spells, and Harry keeps him company. Draco is angry; Harry is stubborn. They argue their way into a grudging relationship. It’s a short read and well worth your ten minutes.

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Good-bye to Yesterday (NC-17) by furiosity

Summary: Draco felt ready to face even a million years in Azkaban as long as it meant that at the end of it all, he would make Potter pay.

Notes: It’s not a dark fic, but it certainly dips in and out of the shadows. If you like your romance to be sharp as a razor and bitter as black coffee, give it a read.

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Hymn to Color (PG) by Lomonaaeren

Summary: Months after Draco cast a curse that took Harry’s eyesight, Harry is still trying to come to terms with it. Draco still wanted forgiveness, which was probably the problem.

Notes: Probably my very inadequate idea of “fluff”. It’s a quiet, introspective fic. Draco and Harry are well-written.

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Kings among runaways (PG) by enderxenocide.

Summary: Later, the toast will be slightly overcooked, Draco will burn the eggs, and there will be another fist fight in-between the living room and the front door, but they’ll eat breakfast with second-hand plates and Draco’s great-grandmother’s silverware.

Notes: Dreamy descriptions, abstract scenes, and the characters are lovingly delineated. Beautiful writing.

-

On Broken Glass (PG-13) by coffeejunkii

Summary: After the final battle, Draco is holding the shards that are left of his and Harry’s life.

Notes: Established relationship. Harry’s forgetful and seems to suffer both short-term and long-term memory loss; Draco stays by his side through six years of post-war amnesia. Very short, just a tiny ficlet. There’s sequels (in bite-size pieces) but I prefer to read the first ficlet and leave it there.

-

Paper Dolls (M) by cupiscent

Summary: In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price.

Notes: Short, succinct, and packs a punch. No character deaths, in case the summary has you feeling nervous.

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Portrait (PG-13) by Silent Blast

Summary: None.

Notes: Dorian Grey, but Drarry. Of course it’s going to be good.

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Shattered (NC-17) by femmequixotic

Summary: One damned accident involving one too-lucky curse, and suddenly you'd think he was five again, with their Harry, be carefuls and their quick Levitating charms ready the instant the potion gives way and his rebelling hands lose hold of whatever's in their grasp.

Notes: Draco’s an artist. Harry’s intrigued by his sculptures and paintings.

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Snatch (PG-13) by didntyoupotter

Summary: Harry is comatose, Hermione and Ron aren’t much help, and Draco isn’t sure about anything anymore.

Notes: The opening scene fools you into thinking this will be a light read with a streak of good humour. Don’t fall for it. By the third act, you’ll be hanging onto every word and feeling a lot of emotions. Also, back in the day, this was one of the Draco/Harry fics. Everyone knew of it. Pay your respects to your fandom history and read this beloved classic.

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The Stages of Acceptance (T) by Lomonaaeren.

Summary: Harry, already happily married to Ginny, receives the news that he's Draco's mate. Law and custom don't give him the option of ignoring the news. The stages of his reaction, one by one.

Notes: This is not a romance, and I love that the author just casually chucks all the Veela tropes in the bin and says “nope”. In Lomonaaeren’s own words, this fic is more practical than romantic. Harry is unfamiliar with the Veela concepts and hates the very idea of being “shackled” to someone; he rejects Draco at once. Draco is miserable and lonely. They do eventually come to understand each other better, but it’s a huge struggle with lots of setbacks. The general air of pessimism and misery does make the small glimpses of compassion and empathy feel so well-earned. I love a fic that rations out its happiness.

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The Stately Homes of Wiltshire (E) by waspabi

Summary: Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Notes: This one needs no introduction. The writing is polished, the characterisation perfect, and the dialogue is fun. I love the humour woven throughout it.

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Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain (E) by faithwood.

Summary: It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that's ever so cross.

Notes: Another one that most of us know. It’s a lighthearted and fun read.

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (M) by novembersnow

Summary: In the war-torn years after Hogwarts, one man has no knowledge of his yesterdays.

Notes: Another classic back in the feverish heyday of the Harry Potter fandom, when books were still being released and everyone had worked themselves up into a shipping frenzy. And no wonder this fic was an instant hit. Draco has lost all his memories and Harry’s investigating as an Auror, but the longer you read, the more you start questioning everything. Good twists and turns that lead to a tender ending.

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Turn by Saras_Girl

Summary: One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Notes: An inevitable inclusion on any favourites list. I think my favourite thing about it is the characterisation. Everyone is so well-rounded; the characters are brought to life and feel like old friends. All their habits, styles, mannerisms, even the way they walk or talk. While I love everyone in this fic, I have to admit that Blaise is just amazing. Of all the thousands of Blaises imagined by fanfic writers, I love this one the best. “Old bean” indeed.

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Under the Ivy (PG-13) by coffeejunkii

Summary: It is impressive how much you can learn about someone by simply sharing a few rooms. They don’t spend time together, not really, but Harry still knows that Malfoy prefers raspberry jam over strawberry, that he hums along to the Wireless when he thinks no one is around, and that his leg is bothering him more than usual when the temperatures drop below freezing.

Notes: Another old, old favourite of mine. It’s like snuggling into a soft blanket. Remus owns a cottage and Harry moves in after the war. Later, Remus lets a room to Draco, who is an outcast after the war and has limited housing options. Harry isn’t happy at first with the new lodger, but he eventually warms up to Draco. A slow and gentle romance.

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Vale Sanare (M) by rurounihime

Summary: Draco’s world gains a new component, just when he thought he’d sorted everything out.

Notes: London nightclubs, one-night-stands, loud music and lonely nights. Draco has seizures due to a curse from the war, and the seizures have led to a fear of intimacy. Short and sweet.

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The Way Down (T) by lettered

Summary: Malfoy’s all, “Come out of there,” the way you say to a cat who is badly behaved. And Harry’s all like, “No, what, I’m a hermit! And I have a chest-monster! And I am crazy magically powerful!” and Malfoy’s all, “We all have problems, bub.” (thoughtfully) “You are crazy though. I’ll give you that.”

Notes: I just adore this fic. The fic starts well-grounded, giving you a solid backstory and matter-of-fact context, but as it goes on, it slowly unravels into dreamy scenes, lush settings, and repeated motifs. It’s just such a beautiful story.

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When Love beckons to you, follow him (PG-13) by megyal

Summary: Draco wakes up, lost, somewhere in a forest. He has no idea where he is or how he got there. As he is blundering around trying to find his way home, he hears Harry's voice in his head, telling him what to do.

Notes: I generally like my fics to be bittersweet or with a bit of heartache — but this fic is just a little cloud of softness. If you need something light and lovely without being syrupy-sweet, this is a good choice!

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The World of the Living (M) by fourth_rose

Summary: A traumatised war hero and a convicted criminal under the roof of an eccentric journalist make for a rather odd ensemble, but Luna has never had a problem with oddities as long as they make sense.

Notes: The story is told from Luna’s perspective, which gives everything a lovely dreamy quality. She takes in a couple of strays after the war — first Harry, who is avoiding his other friends and has quit his Auror job — and then she offers a room to Draco right after his trial. Draco is rude, angry, and ungrateful; Harry is churlish, withdrawn, and moody. Luna doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest, and over the course of the next few months, her house guests slowly warm up to each other.

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Voices From the Fog (E) by noeon

Summary: After years of running away, Harry crosses paths with an all-too familiar face and follows him to Amsterdam.

Notes: Harry drifts across Europe, trying to forget the war. He ends up in a woodworking shop in Amsterdam, alongside a moody Draco. Atmospheric settings and solid characterisation.

[valiantdust]

I know YA is literally just a marketing label slapped on books to sell more of them, but I really really hate those YA fantasy books that are specifically written to be YA fantasy, if that makes sense?

The trope-filled, buzzwordy acotar clones packed with "witty" one-liners, one dimensional leads, and faerie porn; the knife-to-the-throat, enemies-to-lovers, "I'm the prettiest white girl in a murder dress" dross? Hate it.

I hate it because as a teenage girl, I know I'm supposed to like it, and frankly I just feel insulted. It's all shit. Badly-written, plotless, copy-and-paste shit by cowardly writers who wouldn't recognise a decent character if it kicked them in the neck. And I'm supposed to eat it up? Get over yourself.

And I hate the people who write these books because they throw a tantrum every time they get criticised, crying because "everyone hates what teenage girls like" and "god forbid a woman do anything". They can take their bullshit, individualist, weaponised 'feminism' and stick it up their hot enemy's arse.

But most of all I hate it because it talks down to its audience. The writers are so lazy. They write with the most basic style of bland prose, with the same recycled tropes as every other book of the type, and sprinkle in some "snappy" dialogue or quip every few pages to pretend they have any more writing skill than a monkey with a typewriter. They don't put any effort in because they don't respect their audience enough to offer them decent writing.

And even the works that have potential are held back by the shit that's expected of the YA fantasy subgenre. For example when I read Six of Crows, it was so obvious the writer needed to age up the characters and include more violence and darker themes, but no, it's for teenage girls, so you must lighten it up and throw in undeveloped romance and jarring character behaviours! Because money, right? This happened to a lesser degree in one of my favourite books, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, where she took a lot of YA fantasy tropes and breathed new life into them with her prose and world building, only for the characters and pacing of the book to be held back by the norms of YA fantasy.

And I know it doesn't have to be this way, because there are countless books that teenagers - and sometimes even younger children - can read that are actually good! To name just some of the books I've read, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Earthsea, anything by Diana Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, The Poppy War, The Shattered Sea trilogy, the works of Tolkien. These are all brilliant writers and works that suit a wide age range, are diverse in their stories, and don't talk down to their audience.

I hate having mediocre wattpad books marketed and sold like they're high art. They're shit. And it's not just because the individual writers are unskilled and untalented (although most of them are), but because the YA fantasy subgenre marketing tactic itself requires poor quality.

I don't blame tiktok completely, because this shit existed before then, but booktok's algorithmic marketing of new books amplifies the problem massively.

Also, to my fellow teenage girls? Stop settling. You deserve better. Read better. It's worth it.

[ganymedesclock]

So I discovered the trailer for Belle (2021), and it’s making me think about what I love about Beauty and the Beast riffs, and what makes a story scratch that particular itch for me or not.

And I think a huge part of it for me is the examination of monstrosity as a social role. To just use Disney’s animated classic as my base for comparison here, Adam, The Beast, is not literally cursed with fur and fangs, claws and horns- he has those things, and may have mixed feelings about them, others certainly have bad reactions to them-

-his curse is ostracization. His curse is to not be seen as human. What actual, physical features he has are irrelevant to that. They’re just quirks he can learn to live with, or a further excuse to tell himself he deserves this isolation, this frustration, this misery.

So the breaking of the curse, to me, is not the scene where Belle sobs confirmation of what we knew well before then into his stilling chest and brings him back, minus those quirks- if anything, that his happiness comes with the loss of those things has seemed to me (and I’m not alone) as almost something of a betrayal depending on how it’s framed.

By contrast, to me, the breaking of the curse is the ballroom scene, and the moments leading up to it. Adam returns to Adam, rather than The Beast, at the point that he decides that he deserves to be treated like a human being- not as a labor of love from Belle, but from himself. Yes, it’s love with Belle that they dance together, that they have this ball scene when there’s no high society to impress, but before that point, he had to make a decision; that he can clean up and dress nice and have an evening. That he deserves to.

When we first see The Beast, he has all of the means and resources to act like a prince, to present like one. He could make himself comfortable and be surrounded by splendor, but the truest thing he suffers under is he’s ceased to see himself as worth the effort. It’s not as if he could cut the fur down and prune back his claws, file down the horns, and look the way he feels he ought to- the way he thinks he should. He’s broken every mirror in his house except for the one he hides from, and this is a gesture of absolute defeat. He knows what he looks like. He can’t pretend he doesn’t. The only way he can tolerate this is not looking at himself.

As a neurodivergent queer person, the monster in the mirror is something I have a very complicated relationship with. I have an “advantage” in some ways. My appearance is not shocking to most people. I do not benefit from an obvious mobility aid or assistive device; I speak within a range people think of is normal. I have an “unusual haircut” for a “girl” and I don’t aggressively correct people on my pronouns or presentation.

But I’ve always had this feeling, that perhaps, my fangs and fur were simply easy things to trim off, and it’s so easy to wonder, would I still be okay if they weren’t? Because really, it’s none of the granular details that make a monster. For every imagined horror creature, there’s almost certainly a real animal it resembles, and real animals are not monsters. A monster is a monster; anything else, we believe, has a place, has a home. Deserves to exist.

To be a monster is to be a thing that doesn’t fit, or, more directly, to be a monster is to be a thing that is unaccepted. Rejected for not fitting. Unworthy of love, from within, or without.

At the end of the day, I know, factually, I am not a monster. I know that I’m a real person. I know that I deserve dignity and respect and love, even if only from myself. I’m not owed another person to love me just to prove that I can be, but, also, no man is an island; as humans we seek each other one way or another, romantically or platonically. That’s a fact of anyone, not just people who struggle to see a real person when they look at their reflection.

And yet, at this same time, I can’t help but feel betrayed, left behind, when the narrative goes that if the monster does everything right its reward is to be shaped into the likeness of a Real Human Being. Because you can’t just pull a feathered skin off me and make me like I “should be”, like my various diagnoses and self-identifications all present me as an aberration from. If you showed me a me without any of those qualities, that’s honestly the thing I’m the most afraid of, a me without me. A Miss Perfect who’s a good, normative daughter, and in my insecurity I wonder if people would like her so much better than me that they wouldn’t miss if I was gone.

Which, that’s nonsense. I know a lot of people who care about me the way I am. But nobody ever said fears had to be rational.

At the end of the day, as much as I hate the idea of being a monster to others, I also relish the notion of qualities that are categorized as monsters. I love dragons. I love putting big, horrible teeth and leering eyes and wings and claws on heroic characters. Because brought into the light, qualities are just qualities. And if you bring those qualities into the favoring, soft light of stories about human connection, romances, queerplatonic bonds, friendships and found family alike, those qualities can even be charming, alluring, inspiring; a character can look like anything and we still feel a rush of reassurance that this specific character is there.

And that’s the other side of Beauty and the Beast: Adam is running away from being a monster, and Belle is trying to run away from who she is, too. Because Belle is the other side of that trap.

Let’s be honest; it isn’t just that Belle’s an outspoken woman with opinions. It’s that she’s pretty. She’s the prettiest girl in town. She’s someone people want, people have expectations for- and those expectations have little room for what she actually wants. Hell, that’s one of the major dangerous driving forces of the climax- Adam nearly gets murdered by a mob because Belle made a choice that her community really didn’t like, especially Gaston, and it’s easy to point to Adam as the wrong choice because he’s pointy.

“Beauty”, as much as “The Beast”, are dehumanizing categories that people are sorted into. The doll and the monster. One is considered beneath monstrosity; beguiling, an object of appeal and desire but not someone with opinions, oh no, and not someone able to make a choice that you disagree with. People driven to the fringes by opposing forces but regardless find each other in the place they’re trying to find room to breathe in.

And that, I think, is one way some of these riffs can, for me personally, miss the point- and that’s not a mark against them, it’s just that there’s a specific thing I see in this story, and it’s very specifically not, “to be beautiful and desirable to mass public consumption is the way to be happy; we will have a story about how to rehabilitate someone so they can be beautiful too” but rather, “what does it mean when people stop seeing you as yourself, whether the alternative is perfection or a monster? what would you do to be seen clearly?”