#but actually caring about others and wanting to be in their lives showed him that he has to allow the same thing

[izels-writing]

r. lupin — i’m gonna be your wife

Pairing: remus lupin x fem!reader

Summary: despite what happens, you’re going to marry remus.

Warnings: FLUFFFF, honestly no warnings it’s just cute, written in two hours so if it’s rushed or bad don’t judge me yall 😔

you weren't sure of a lot of things. if anything, your indecisiveness was an integral part of your personality. anyone who knew you, even if it was acquaintances, knew that making decisions or being sure of something was hard for you.

but there was one thing you were sure of.

you were going to marry remus lupin.

no matter what life threw your way, no matter how many hardships or bad people that entered your lives—you knew that he'd end up being your husband.

you understood each other in ways no one else would. you were there for each other. you gave each other support when the other needed it. it was a beautiful, once in a lifetime thing you’d never find again.

you had told lily this once, but she gave you an unsure look—likely thinking you were crazy. it wasn't like you'd do something to ensure that you and him ended up together, you just knew it would happen. your interference wasn't needed.

now, the one person you'd never bring it up to is remus. he was unsure of dating you as it was, due to his furry little problem. you didn't want to mention the idea of possibly spending the rest of your lives together, because you knew how squirrelly he could be about love.

you had days where you doubted your assurance of knowing you'd marry him—you knew that was normal for anyone. but it always came to the same conclusion.

it'd happen anyway.

——

madam pomfrey let you inside as you stepped forward carefully with remus' tea and biscuits. being a student assistant for your school nurse certainly had its perks—getting to ensure your boyfriend actually ate was one of them.

you ambled over carefully to his bedside, placing the tray down as you sat on the chair next to him. he smiled weakly at you.

“how’re you feeling?” you asked softly.

“same as always,” he chuckled. you knew the humor was just a front.

“well, want some tea and biscuits?” you smiled.

he smiled. “sure,” he replied as he sat up and adjusted himself into a sitting position.

you placed the tray on his lap and sat back down, smiling as he ate slowly. he picked up his tea and went to take a sip before looking at you for a second.

“two sugars, a dash of milk, just how you like it,” you sighed, playfully rolling your eyes. he nodded in satisfaction and took a sip, savoring the taste of his tea.

“have you done your DADA homework?” he asked. your eyes widened.

“that would be a no,” he chuckled. “do you want help with it?”

you sighed. “yes, please. i don’t understand why i need it to graduate,” you groaned.

remus just laughed at you as you stood to get your school bag from one of the empty cupboards, bringing it back over to him. you enjoyed when he helped you with your homework—he never made you feel stupid or lesser. he knew how smart you were, no matter how much convincing it took for you to think the same.

it was a sweet thing you two did together after full moons. you’d care for him, he’d help you with homework or whatever advice you needed. funnily enough, this was also what brought you two close together in the first place to the point of being together for two years now.

you sat beside him on the bed, facing him—showing him the work you’d done so far, allowing him to survey it before he begun his mini-tutoring session.

he loved that about you. the fact that you didn’t see him as weak or unable after full moons like his friends. he didn’t blame them, frankly he knew he didn’t look his best, but he hated feeling weaker than them. you played to his strengths.

“okay, well half of this is right and the other half is…not…” he chuckled. you groaned, throwing your forehead down to his chest.

“can you just do it for me?” you pleaded, looking at him pitifully.

“unfortunately, i can’t, love,” he grinned. “you have to know this stuff to be a healer,”

“bloody hell,” you groaned.

——

after two hours of what you presumed to be torture, though remus would disagree, you talked and played board games with the physically exhausted boy. you both enjoyed spending the day together, even if you confined to one room throughout the entirety of it.

you placed down your piece after drawing the card, glancing up to find remus smiling at you—almost admiringly. you chuckled, “what?”

“nothing…” he chuckled back.

“come on,” you laughed, swatting his arm. “what is it?”

“you just…i hope you know how much i appreciate you and how much easier you make the hard days,” remus mumbled shyly.

you smiled. “of course, that’s what girlfriends do,”

he grinned, wincing as he started pulling himself up to cup your face. “i love you, y/n,” he whispered.

“i love you too,” you smiled, closing the gap between you both.

——

“and so, dorcas and emmeline are currently fighting because of that…” you concluded. because if there was one thing you and remus loved to do together—it was gossip.

“because of a hair product?” he questioned in annoyance.

“i know! i suppose it’s the principal or whatever, i dunno,” you shrugged.

“that reminds me of that one time james and peter didn’t speak to each other for a week over a quill,” remus snickered. “merlin, you should’ve seen the look on their faces when they realized sirius had it,”

you laughed. “i can only imagine,”

a few pairs of footsteps rushed inside and you both furrowed your eyebrows humorously at each other, craning your necks to catch sight of whoever was walking in.

suddenly, three boys appeared at your boyfriends bedside.

“hello, mister and misses lupin,” james grinned, greeting you both.

“hello, james,” you chuckled, sliding off of remus’ bed so the three of them could talk to him. “you guys want tea?”

“no, they’re fine,” remus said, glaring at them to dare to say anything more. they didn’t.

“great, ‘cause i ran out of tea earlier anyway,” you chuckled. “i’ll be back,”

it wasn’t that you didn’t enjoy hanging out with remus and his friends, because frankly you really did. they were a fun group and they were kind to you. but you also didn’t want to be that overbearing girlfriend who constantly hung around—so you immediately went to finish up restocking madam pomfrey’s stuff.

after an hour or two, the sun had gone down and the boys had returned back to their dorm without remus. obviously due to the fact that he was there for 48 hour care. though he didn’t show it, the full moon took a lot out of him.

you quickly returned to his bedside, smiling at his droopy state.

“tired?” you asked.

“very,” he chuckled. “you?”

“oh yeah,” you replied sarcastically, “stocking really takes the energy out of me,”

remus laughed. “alright, i was just asking, you twat, no need to be so sarcastic about it,”

you chuckled and sat down on the chair beside his bed. “no, truthfully though, i am a bit tired. i’ll wait until you’re asleep to go lay down though,” you smiled, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

“why wait?” he smirked.

you raised an eyebrow. “what do you mean?”

he scooted slightly, turning slightly to the side, before patting the spot next to him. luckily for you, you had changed into pajama pants and a tank top earlier—once the clock struck 8:30.

you laughed, rolling your eyes playfully, before crawling into his bed. you curled up next to him, laying face to face with the boy.

“careful, i could fall asleep here,” you joked.

“go ahead,” he grinned, kissing your forehead.

bonus;

remus sighed, bringing a hand to his face as he looked over the bills and debts owed. he felt terrible, having to constantly budget and decide whether to have a full fridge or a new stove. economically, it hadn’t been easy for you two.

and you didn’t deserve this, he knew that deep down. you deserved those pretty necklaces you eyed in the store but never commented on.

you knocked on the room of your shared office space in your house, smiling at your husband kindly. “what’s the damage, mr. lupin?” you chuckled.

“the same as always,” he sighed. you frowned slightly at his worry lines and his stressed out look. you hated seeing him like this.

you ambled over to him, sitting on his lap. you kissed his lips softly, massaging his head gently. he closed his eyes slowly, leaning into your hands. you kissed his face softly—in efforts to comfort him.

you never cared that you struggled with money, as long as you had him, things didn’t seem so bad. he tried his hardest and that was all that mattered.

“how about me and you watch a movie and eat some popcorn? the kids just went to sleep, so i figured we could have some adult time,” you chuckled, kissing his jaw slightly.

he chuckled. “i’d enjoy that a lot,”

he looked up at you, starry-eyed and lovingly and for a second, all of your worries slipped away. you smiled sheepishly, “what?”

“thank you for making the hard days easier,” he said, kissing your neck softly.

“of course,” you grinned. “it’s what wives do,”

[bitethedevil]

Living with Raphael

Because I’ve seen so many people do “domestic bliss” posts and similar stuff about other BG3 characters and it made me think. I love him but I would rather go skinny dipping in the Styx than actually live with this man, because I believe he would be the shittiest roommate ever. Here’s why:

Micro-managing: You can’t do shit without his endless sneering and commenting on every tiny little thing you do and it’s all in the name or “keeping the order in his house”. In reality, it has nothing to do with order, it’s just that he has a very particular way of doing things and you’re supposed to just be able to read his mind.

His tantrums: I just know he’s just like his daddy. Calm and collected one second, and literally tearing something apart in unhinged anger the next. How do you know which mood he’s in? You don’t. He can sit quietly doing his business and a simple “how are you” will be enough for him to explode about something that has absolutely nothing to do with you.

Endless yapping or total silence: You’re either forced to listen for hours about something or you literally can’t get him to talk because he’s in his own head. If it’s the former, he doesn’t even care if you don’t want to listen, he will make you listen and don’t you dare pull your attention away from him. If it’s the latter, you might get a “mm” or a ‘yes’ if you’re lucky, but he’s not listening regardless. If you’re unlucky, refer to point two.

Can’t fucking sit still for two seconds: he’s always doing something and it’s all hours of the day. He does not give an imp’s ass if you’re asleep if he decides it’s time to play a fucking symphony on the organ at three o’ clock in the morning. He’ll loudly recite poetry as well and it’s the same couple of verses again…and again…and again…”until it’s perfect”.

‘Mine’: (This is basically Raphael if you’re that age where you remember this show.) Nothing is ‘yours’ or ‘ours’, no no. You’re in his house, no matter how long you’ve lived there or even if you’re goddamn married. Everything is his (you included because you’re under his roof).

Mind games: This one is pretty obvious. Everything will be made into a manipulative mind game of some sort and it would be about the stupidest shit sometimes as well. He’s constantly playing 3D chess and I would resort to, not only eat the pieces to win, but also to maybe just throw the whole board away. Not dealing with your psychological torture, my dude.

Haarlep, I salute you 🫡 No one should be forced to live with him.

[hoetao]

sooo sort of a masterpost of info about Wriothesley.

about his character:

hes basically incorruptible, is said to be "low profile and dependable"

‌mostly just cares about the peace and tranquility of the inmates (he's a protector at heart!!)

treats everyone equally and generally prefers to be "reasonable" rather than use more forceful methods

‌doesn't really like cruelty and violence but if the need comes, he will use it

‌he thinks of himself as "neither a good person or a villain, just another soul still living on in this world"

‌hes basically just interested in every bit of knowledge any person shares and in their unique talents

he says that he himself doesn't have many abilities, but he "knows how to find people who do and get them to work for him"

his past:

‌wanted to be convicted and spilled everything about how he killed his adopted parents (cough cough child traffickers), even though some wanted to treat him with leniency

‌learned to lockpick and create small gadgets as a child

gained Coupons in the arena of the Fortress (while injuring himself considerably)

‌when he got his vision after going to prison he just. hid it between the fabric of his clothes so that no one would know and/or steal it. and then he kinda just hid it some more, for years, until he went to the Palais to receive his title.

‌how he actually became the Administrator:

accumulated a fuckton of Coupons

got everyone's respect by being so rich, "observant, persuasive, humble and reasonable"

got his account emptied in retribution by the former administrator

‌convinced other ppl to protest and challenged the previous administrator to a duel

the former administrator run away from the fight, leaving Wriothesley on the last day of his sentence without anyone to sign his exit papers

‌"so he walked into the office and took over all relevant duties"

about his role as a Fortress Administrator:

‌has a private information network and many connections

‌rejected having a ceremony for his title of the Duke. no spotlight for good old duke.

‌basically his management style just helps the Fortress make money (with one of its main clients being the Palais); he even jokes that his title was basically bought because he's a leading tax contributor

‌after dealing with the Fatui spies he went for a swim. near primordial water. and he didn't say shit after realizing that the prophecy may be coming to pass, he just started preparing his funky ship.

relationships with others:

‌Clorinde actually admits that no one really knows all of the methods he uses to keep the Fortress up and running; it is stated that "very few people know him in his entirety"

he seems to think of Neuvillette as some sort of a. higher power that cannot show concern (BUT HE DOES OH HE DOES)

‌he indeed held out the umbrella for Neuvillette in the rain. the Iudex was polite, but distressed.

‌gifts a lot of tea to Furina.

‌got Neuvillettes trust (i think what he implies is that he got it by his actions, not words?) and the Iudex "fought hard for the title and reputation he now has"

‌when he went to prison Neuvillette told Sigewinne to take care of him and they frequently exchanged letters about his progress (and Wriothesley called her Neuvillettes spy…)

info that i find especially funky:

he's a big softie when it comes to animals and kids

‌may or may not go outside the Fortress incognito to buy snacks sometimes. he's actually too incognito to know really

‌doesnt treat boxing like a hobby, "more like a necessity"

‌melusines put stickers on him and he rarely notices them do so. they are just too good. and besides, it doesn't bother him. they also have bets on who will pit more stickers on him.

‌he would like to have a happy childhood and maybe the ability to trust people (i am BAWLING)

‌might be "a bit taller than Neuvillette"

drinks coffee with milk and tea with two cubes of sugar

‌he thinks Sigewinnes milkshakes taste of desolation

Sigewinne spiked his tea with anaesthetics when he was younger because he always refused them out of fear that they would fog his brain

[accioepiphany]

I've come to peace with the way I feel about season 3. And I think it's still glorious at times and if you take each episode by itself, quite great. But as a whole, and as a series that needs to follow a group of characters it does gets lost and erases some of the characters' traits and progress that we had already seen, which by the end produces an accumulation of disappointment that is hard to rub off.

I do think its main issues could be summarized in three of the non-negotiables Carmy kept breaking throughout the season:

Focus

Carmy clearly gets out of the walk-in with the goal in mind to fix all his wrongs and he thinks the way to do that is by hyper focusing on his wrongdoings. Somehow, if he is aware of his mistakes he will be able to be one step ahead of them. Or at least that is what he thinks… you have him asking Ebra if he is fucking up, he takes Syd’s notes on a dish he creates as if it is his mistake that he didn't think of it better. But that's where he is wrong. This is not about him. And Syd calls him out on it in episode two, when she tells him that he is making it again about himself. He is so focused on himself that he fails to see everyone else's suggestions and attempts at collaborating with him. He is unfocused on the team…

And so is the show. It lacks so much focus on where the characters should go, it's part of why it feels so aimless. It's trying to do ten things at the same time and none truly. It´s trying to make Claire happen while never really giving it space and actual scenes. Just a bunch of flashbacks. It wants to take us into Carmy's brain without being too certain of what's in there, hyper focusing on his trauma and forgetting the Carmy we met on season 1 who was an asshole, but one that cared. So the focus is not on the people, which is so ironic with having Chef Terry say people forget the food but not the people they had it with.

Which brings me to the second point:

Vibrant Collaboration

Carmy’s non-negotiables have trapped him in a prison of his own that has closed up any attempt anyone might have of actually collaborating with him. So his vibrant collaboration is actually him imposing his ideas on everyone and maybe letting them work over them. Which is why we don't see many of the scenes we had in season 2 of him brainstorming with Syd. Just him being stubborn.

And the show also lacks a proper integration of its characters. Giving way too many screen time to the Faks, the people less integrated to the kitchen. Failing to incorporate Tina's and Marcus' ideas, which they are so enthusiastically developing, but never even get the chance to share. except for sparse acknowledgements by Syd, Nat and each other, that doesn't really take them anywhere. We get beautiful conversations among some characters that lead to nowhere, no consequence, and just because of that, makes them feel repetitive and a waste of time...

Every Second Counts

Which leads me to one of the prime phrases of The Bear, one with so many layers, that is what made it such a protagonist last season and what made Forks so poignant. It's the embodiment of being in the present, and not wasting time, because every second it's precious, which is why if you are not living it, consciously, to its fullest, then what are you doing?

And Carmy is so trapped in his past, thinking this is what will make him not waste time, that it ends up being the opposite, because he cannot just be in the moment and enjoy what he currently has at all.

Sadly, this season has a similar problem and has too many flashbacks and side-plots that drag and just doesn't move forward and kind of waste the very valuable seconds each episode has.

I still love this show and its characters, and I still truly believe it can pivot in season 4, specially if the creators were trying to set the ground with season 3 for maybe more action in season 4. But, I think it's also important to point out when it doesn't go well, as everyone did this season with Carmy, trying to tell him his non-negotiables where ruining everything. I just hope, different from Carmy, the creators of The Bear can listen and change.

[threesnakesinatrench-coat]

Please vote.

Like I so so bad wish that voting a third party would do something but it won’t. Please. Vote for Biden. He is really probably gon die in office. But please. Vote for him. He’s old. He can’t make his thoughts into coherent sentences. But you really want someone to be president who will actually become a dictator? And like turn America into hell?

One option ignored a question about climate change to talk about money and the other one supports climate action.

One is guilty on 34 counts and one supports roe v wade. Like guys. We have two options here. Don’t try to be fucking moral and vote third party cuz u align urself more w them. A vote for a third party in a magical world where America isn’t the way it is could be good. But here, you have to. Please. Vote. And vote for someone who has a chance at winning. Trumpers arent going to vote third party, they’re going to vote for trump. Full on Biden lovers are far and few between. PLEASE VOTE FOR A BIG PARTY. I don’t care about ur moral dillema. Vote for Biden. We can all overthrow the government later, once we’re sure that project 2025 isn’t happening. Vote for someone who might actually tax the rich so it’s easier for us to eat them later (because we will be able to afford to live)

Vote for Biden because a vote for anyone else is a vote for trump. A third party cannot win this year. There are too many center leaning people. We need to collectively decide as a country that the two party system isn’t working. But don’t listen to me. Vote third party if you want, I can’t stop you. Maybe there will be enough third party voters to show the country that a third party could actually win. But if you care about your life if you’re queer, a woman, a person of color, disabled, or otherwise marginalized, DO NOT vote for trump. You can’t. Please don’t vote third party cuz you want to take the higher ground. I wish we could, with all of my heart I wish we could bring cornel west up in here and fix everything. But we can’t. So do the next best thing. Turn your vote into something useful. Keep participating in democracy.

THE VOTERS HAVE POWER. Use your power im begging you on my hands and knees use your power and save our country from this insane fuck who will ruin actually everything.

If you haven’t looked into project 2025 you really should. Share it. Talk about it with everyone.

Tell everyone who can vote to vote. Please. Register to vote if you haven’t registered. Pre register if you’re 16/17.

V O T E

[oversensitiveandoffputting]

I cannot stop watching the first four minutes of Apology Tour because it’s so well-acted and animated (especially Bryan Pinkham, oh my god he was told Stolas was a cunt this episode and he delivered).

Stolas admittedly got petty when he brought up Striker and reminded Blitz that Blitz wasn’t there when he was being tortured and was almost murdered. But I think he knows Blitz was prioritizing his child and while it may hurt, as a father himself, he doesn’t actually hold it against Blitz for not being there.

What I think is actually cutting him up is that the guy he’s in a situationship with and in limerance with (meaning intense, obsessive crush), never showed up to see him at the hospital and kept making excuses to to not talk to him after he was tortured and almost murdered.

Like, fuck man. That has to hurt. That has to feel like a stab to the gut. We know as the audience that Blitz is keeping himself at a distance because of his self-hatred and complicated feelings and guilt, but Stolas doesn’t.

And shoutout to @timkontheunsure for finding this:

To be very quickly followed up by Blitz admitting he already knew Striker was trying to kill Stolas, even if he didn’t take it seriously (I take it at face value that Blitz didn’t think of Striker as a threat to Stolas. He took the assassination attempt itself seriously but had no reason to think Striker would attempt a second time and especially be successful. He seemed genuinely shocked that Stolas could be killed in Western Energy).

So, from Stolas’ POV: you’re have this intense, obsessive crush on your situationship. The other guy does not take it seriously that you were badly injured, never saw you in the hospital, is avoiding seeing you after you get out of hospital, sent you pictures of your torturer’s horse as memes, and then admitted that he already knew your torturer had plans to murder you while calling your a racist. Stolas probably believes Blitz does not care if he lives or dies. And while we as the audience agree that Stolas has racial blindness to work on, I’m sure the first time he’s ever had to think about race/class dynamics being when he’s being tortured is not giving him any motivation to check himself on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole topic throws him into a PTSD episode. This is especially heartbreaking because Stolas is making an effort to hide an injury he still has from Striker, most likely because he’s royalty and royalty have to appear strong at all times.

Sometimes I wonder if Blitz knows if Stolas wasn’t a pacifist, he would have murdered him ten times over by now.

And Stolas’ little drunken speech at the end is so fucking sad. I think he’s being literal when he says he wants someone to care if he stays or goes, but also euphemistic. He wants someone to care if he leaves the morning after, but he wants someone to care if he’s fucking murdered or not.

My sad birb, the bar cannot be this low.

And I think it’s going to be another thing that makes things very complicated and vitriolic between them. On Blitz’s end, you have the racism/classism and the power dynamic. On Stolas’ end, you have the knowledge that your situationship only wanted to see you for your access to the human world (there’s no way he didn’t figure that out after months of being left on read, which he mentions in S1E1) and probably wouldn’t have known if you passed at the hospital because he had no intention of seeing you. And Stolas deserves to have that hurt acknowledged. All the birb wanted was a “hey I’m glad you’re not dead here’s a little kiss on the forehead and a horse movie to keep you entertained.” That’s it. The bar is so low it’s six feet under Hell and it still wasn’t met.

And Stolas’s response was to get a little petty one time when they were already arguing? My ass would be using this to win every argument from now until Armageddon.

“Stolas did you do the dishes?”

“IDK Blitz. Did you come visit me in the hospital after Striker tried to gouge my eyes out?”

[radioactive-reactions]

Just a quick little idea for a reaction, could you maybe do companions (and maybe Mr. House) finding out that the Courier is a pre-war ghoul?

Of course! The New Vegas fandom has just celebrated Mr. House's 4th birthday, so consider this my small contribution.

Ghouls were anything but uncommon in the Mojave, but those who had lived through the Great War were particularly exceptional. Everyone knew about the ghoulish Courier - zombies rising from the grave made good saloon talk, after all - but only those closest to them were trusted with the knowledge of just how old they were.

Raul is just happy to have another viejo around to commiserate with. Invariably, he begins to keep the two up long into the night trading stories of the Old World - and more often than not, the Old World's failings - around the campfire. "Hey, boss, you... you remember Cuna de Lobos? Ahh, the bomb dropped right at the end of Season 91, just when Catalina was about to show everyone what she'd been keeping stashed under her eyepatch. My grandmother would have killed to see it. She could have, too."

Boone is as unflinchingly stone-faced as ever, and his thoughts are quickly summed up in three succinct words: "I pity you." There's a moment of consideration, a realization that he may have gone too far, and he tries again. "You and all the... others. There are a few in the service. You knew what came before. Saw it with your own eyes. Christ, the rest of us must be like kids playing dressup to you. In your shoes, wouldn't have bothered staying around to see how it'd all turn out. No point."

Veronica has a million questions. Try as the Brotherhood might to hoard pre-War knowledge, she's never come quite as close to a living, breathing repository of it as she is now. "Wait, wait, back up, like... five steps. You're telling me you could walk into the bunker anytime you please and totally school Elder McNamara and you've just been sitting on that?! Oh my God! Okay, okay - is it true that every kid back then was raised by a robot slave? A-and did you really have to ritually encase all your food in Jell-O before you ate it?"

Cass gives an impressed whistle, looking the Courier up and down just to make sure they haven't actually been feral this entire time. "Fuck me. Uh, that's not an invitation - I don't want anything falling off. But that'd make you, what, two-hundred-something? Older than the Republic, the way they tell it. We've got some Rangers like that, supposedly the ultimate badasses if you look past the bad knees and the death rattle... but between you and me, I think you've got a sturdier claim to the title."

Arcade freezes up at the news, getting that awkward, wavering smile he always flashes when he's backed into a corner. "Wow. Uh... hey. Just so we're clear, I in no way endorse - o-or endorsed - the whole Enclave 'cleansing of the world's tainted' thing. I'd like to think that goes without saying, given the way my life has gone since then, but... just so we're clear. Uh, if you need any kind of specialized care, please just say the word. I've given Beatrix enough topical collagen to fill a bathtub... if one inexplicably wanted to do something like that."

Lily doesn't quite seem to get it, bless her heart, but enough careful explanation does slowly get her to regard the Courier as more of an equal than a grandkid. "MY MISTAKE! YOU DON'T LOOK A DAY OVER A HUNDRED, DEAR. WHATEVER YOU USE, I'VE JUST GOT TO GET DOCTOR HENRY TO MAKE ME SOME! IF I HADN'T MADE A PROMISE TO MY HUSBAND, REST HIS SOUL, I COULD JUST EAT YOU UP."

Mr. House predictably uses this as ammunition to further his own plans. There's no change in the face on the flickering screen, but whatever cold mental calculus drives him moves the Courier up a few spaces in his strictly regimented list of priorities. "Then you, more than anybody, understand what we have to lose - or rather, what we have to gain. Put another way, you are in a unique position to understand the resources at my disposal. Imagine the luxuries you enjoyed before the barbarians in Washington reduced you to this base, hardscrabble existence among the ruins of their shortsightedness - and I think you'll appreciate that ruins isn't simply a turn of phrase here. Imagine having them again: not just the house and the car, not just the material indulgences, but the structure that made them possible - will continue to make them possible. We alone know what's been lost, and we alone hold the potential to see it returned."

[daily-pat]

Today's a bit more hypothetical, more of a domestic situation between the three. You can interpret it as a ship or as friends!! I wanted to sort of ponder what an "end goal" would look like for Pat. I've always interpreted him as someone who values connections and strives to make a world he believes is truly better. Perhaps his imagined future or result is simply a world where those he cares about can live comfortably without struggle. Of course, struggle does not always mean order, i.e. Paul in the background, but he knows those two, it's a given with them. Of course, this is just a distant dream to him, and he knows that. In fact, it couldn't even happen at this point...

QOTD: Have you ever seen a musical before? If so, which one(s), or what was your favorite?

I've seen a bunch of shows in my time, massive theatre nerd. My personal favorite is actually not Hadestown, though, like my username would suggest! It's actually SIX! It's just such a good time and I have so many positive memories related to it.

Sappiness and further notes below!

This one's actually slightly personal, there's a bunch of references to actual moments my friends and I have had cooking. The blue icing came from the time that @thebirdsystem, @thrifty-swiftie and I were making cupcakes, but we made a complete mess of it, and also Birds got his hands completely covered in blue icing and walked around asking if anyone "wanted some blue". There's other inside jokes, like a 1 pound carrot, an overfloured dough of bread, and the one time I nearly poured salsa on a cake.

I'm so sorry this was so late, my tablet was struggling the entire time I was drawing. :[ Tomorrow's might be traditional if it's still not working. There are a bunch of areas that I actually had to draw using the hand cursor. If you notice any stray marks, please simply do your best to ignore it!!

Also, will return to drawing requests tomorrow! @thrifty-swiftie has unfortunately spammed me with some horrible ones. And a few surprises coming up in a few weeks. :3

[augustmonsooning]

The Bear in 5 Acts : We're really in the Act III weeds, pals

One of the first thing's they'll teach you about good story telling is about the 5 act structure - it's tried and tested, from Shakespeare to films like I don't know, Past Lives, they all follow the same beats.

I think's it's significant that the title card at the this season and maybe season 2 (I'm gonna have to go back to check) says "The Bear Part III"; these seasons are components of a cohesive whole, it's not being made up as they go along. This is part of the reason why the writing and filming is so quick: the bare bones of the story arc is already there, they are just embellishing and perfecting.

Season 3 thoughts under the cut!

Now, I know Season 3 has the crowd split. My initial reaction was that I loved the cinema of it: the first episode I think was one of the best, most innovative bits of TV I've seen in a minute. I really enjoyed how they played with memory and anxiety. The show had a lot of interesting things to say about grief and regret and shame this season, and the ways we cope with it all.

It also cemented for me that The Bear is following v classical 5 act storytelling.

Act 1/ Season 1: Almost pure exposition, and probably why it stands out as a very strong standalone season. You could get away with not watching any episodes after Braciole and still feel like you've watched a great show. The money in the tinned tomatoes, and Carmy's proposal (of a restaurant) to Sydney is the inciting event. You could also think of Sydney coming back as the inciting event - this is probably the first time in Carmy's life where someone outside of his family (maybe even including his family) has seen the worst of Carmy and decided to come back

Act 2/ Season 2: Rising tension. Will The Bear make it? Will Carmy escape his traumas? Will Sydney and Carmy actually find their way back to each other?

Act 3/ Season 3: This is where we are now. To mix metaphors. The traumas and bad copies strategies are coming home to roost. This is Carmy at his very worst, because somehow he thinks this is him at his best. This is how Backstage, a theatre newspaper describes Act III : "Oftentimes, the end of your third act leads into a “dark night of the soul,” where the main character is at their lowest moment as a result of the climax. They believe that they cannot achieve that new, overpowering goal established at the end of Act 1. " I think that pretty much sums up Carmy and Syd this season, on the surface their goals have been achieved: The Bear is a functioning kitchen, it's packed out every night. There's modern Danish design, there's two tops, a tasting menu at the bar, and a window on the side for the sandwiches (the family style has been scraped, but we'll get to that later). So why does it feel so off? Can it be that neither of them wanted any of that shit in the first place? Can it be that they were at their happiest eating gluey spaghetti with their friends they loved in a place that had regulars who knew them, a place they could innovate with the odds and ends they had lying around and still make wonderful food. Could it be that a place where bricklayers and teachers and postmen were eating was the goal all along?

Act 4/Season 4: Where next? I think both Syd and Carmy are gonna reckon with what is actually important to them. And we alreayd know what that is, it's that scene under the table last season: they love to take care of people, they love to cook (not be "chefs"), they love to be there for each other - be someone the other can rely on. Everything they absolutely were not doing in Season 3.

Act 5/ Season 5: The real coming back. I remember watching Braciole for the first time thinking fuck, is this just an extremely silly show? It feels so real, so earned all the way up until the cash falls out of those tomatoes and Syd comes back. Because nothing has actually been resolved or addressed. Carmy has learnt absolutely nothing. Syd is as impatient and green as ever, jumping into a new business with a guy who has absolutely shown himself to be volatile and unreliable. But we forgive them, because as the viewer we've come to love Carmy and understand that the angry, doughnut slamming Carmy is not the real him, and we understand Syd because sure, of course it feels intoxicating that when the person who made the best thing you've ever eaten, the person who can seemingly finish all your sentences, the pinnacle of your professional ambitions looks at you with his freakishly blue eyes, and ask you open a restaurant with him, you're gonna say yes. The series from Season 2 onwards feels to me like a redux of the last few episodes of Season 1 in slow-mo but this time with real learning, real consequences, and real, abiding love. Like a "find out what you love, and do it on purpose" type of thing. When they get back together the last episode it's going to feel even more magical than in Season 1.

Listen. I feel like that dude trying to get Tina et al to invest thousands of dollars to get a job in Napkins. It feels like a scam to tell you all to invest more time and hope. But, imma do it, because it's gonna pay off.

It also doesn't escape me that Strange Currencies, the song they use on the show to signpost Carmy's romantic life, has the lyrics "I need a chance, a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance"

Carmy had a chance in season 1, he fucked it up by going absolutely bananas in 'Review', he had another one in season 2; and he ran away and then thought he could fix it with a fancy chef jacket and promises under a table, he's had another chance in season 3 and safe to say, he's fucked it again. He's gonna get another, but he better stick the landing.

[hannigramislife]

Thoughts on this idea I’ve seen people spout?

“Dazai has to treat Akutagawa the way he still does and he can’t make nice and give him approval because he promised Aku a reason to live and if he gave him that approval Aku wouldn’t have a reason to live anymore.”

It’s normally used to semi-excuse Dazai’s current behavior, but not totally since it’s normally preceded by a “I’m not justifying his behavior! But”

Well op, lemme tell you what I think about this take.

I think it's the biggest load of bullshit I've heard while in this fandom, and I've heard a lot. What does that even mean?? I don't even know where to start, to be honest.

Firstly, since when was that an acceptable reason of living to give to a 14 year old orphan? Since when did Dazai promise that the reason he'd give would be his own approval– more so, how fucking arrogant and conceited and disgusting would it be, to believe your approval is worth being someone's entire reason to live? If Dazai really thinks of it that way, it would be horrible and disturbing.

Secondly, if that is Dazai's true reason for his behavior, even a tiny bit, he still left. For four years he was gone. I don't remember if him faking his death is canon or not, but nonetheless, dead or missing, he was gone and had no plans to come back. How could he have been Akutagawa's reason to live then? I don't think that even featured as a thought in his mind at the time, so why would it now? Obviously Akutagawa can get by without him.

Thirdly, if Dazai gave a fuck about Akutagawa's emotional wellbeing, about his mental health and what's best for him, he would try to rip out Akutagawa's admiration of him from its roots. He'd be honest and say that at the time of their promise, Dazai hadn't had a reason to live himself. That there was actually no such thing, and that a reason to live should be whatever causes you not to kill yourself each morning. He would encourage Akutagawa to find his own meaning, in his own people, instead of withholding praise and affection and acknowledgment and all the positive feedback he so easily offers Atsushi.

Finally, I'll say this. The reason why this is, as I mentioned, the biggest load of bullshit ever, is because Dazai actually uses Akutagawa's admiration for him. Why would he get rid of it when it's so convenient? Season 5 showed us that. I will admit that Dazai probably is planning for Akutagawa's progress, and wants to help him grow. If that weren't true, he wouldn't partner him with Atsushi, he wouldn't be trying to cultivate a new Double Black, he wouldn't bother with him at all.

But that's not because he cares about Akutagawa personally. I am quite certain he doesn't even like Akutagawa. There are plenty of other reasons he could be doing this; because he wants to make up for the past, because Oda told him to save the orphans, because him and Atsushi are so compatible–

“Dazai has to treat Akutagawa the way he still does and–" Dazai has to do no such thing. Dazai has never manned up and faced his problems head on a day in his life. Man runs from his past and his issues and his feelings, so why would this be any different? He chose the easier option, which would be to keep Akutagawa tethered to him, and simply went with it.

That's all.

[blogauroragloryme]

I am wondering about Feng Xin and Mu Qing's first fight as Martial Gods of the South. Imagining that during Xian le era their fights were usually verbal bickering with each other and the hand to hand one was only during sparring.

So after ascending they never had a full blown fight. So imagining a scenario where after a meeting all the Gods are moving out and due to some comment now the two Southern Gods are facing each other like two tigers sizing each other up. Of course every heavenly official (are more like those gossiping neighborhood aunties🤣👀) is anticipating this showdown with fervour,after all the tragic story of Xian le Kingdom is something everyone has known,but to see a drama unfolding between two Gods of the most popular tale ;nobody wants to miss. They are all betting against whose gonna win and blah blah.

First MQ and FX are simply arguing and throwing barbs and insults. But than MQ says something and FX loses his cool and actually punches MQ using his power and MQ crashes in a nearby pillar. FX is flabbergasted because he didn't had any idea about his strength and is about to react before a spirit ball is thrown at him and he also crashes on the fountain in the middle of the Grand avenue.

The other heavenly officials definitely loved gossiping and betting,but they are also speechless because of the damage the two Southern Gods had done. Once this starts, there's no turning back MQ and FX attack each other in full swing not at all caring about anything and anyone. Earlier the officials were cheering and applauding for them,but now they're dragged in this crossfire as well(it's fun to imagine officials cheering and than getting accidentally hit with spiritual blasts😂 or rubble falling on them from the infrastructure). They are now definitely scared and scramble away for their lives. FX and MQ both are covered in injuries, bleeding and panting harshly but not backing down. Some brave officials try to intervene and stop them get non intentionally thrown away to the other side of heaven.🤣

I have a separate scenario for Pei Ming here😉. PM has just returned from a mission when he sees the officials gathered around what seems to be like an arena and his deputies explain it to him about the situation. PM himself has heard about the Xian le story and is intrigued. He has never closely seen the two newly ascended Gods and wants to see what's gonna happen.He sits in a high balcony from where he can get a clear view of the two and his deputy keeps on updating him about the Xuan Zhen and Nang Yang in picture (basically gossiping about their backstory). PM is definitely enjoying this show down alongside his deputies,apart from the drama he wants to study their Xian le fighting style and techniques and blah blah. He is enjoying before the situation escalates and the newly ascended Gods are now adamant in destroying the heavenly property.💀 When PM sees that none of the other officials are able to break their fight he himself descends to the arena to put a stop as the fight has dragged for too long and it's no longer an entertainment but an actual serious situation. He initially (as you all know) gives them his charming smile and chides them like he's talking to little kids but than MQ passes a comment and FX reacts and they start all over again and this time when PM actually steps to bodily intervene he also accidentally becomes a victim of a spiritual ball (its hilarious to imagine PM's handsome face getting covered with soot and his hair in disray). Now PM actually loses his calm and actually smacks the two of them on their head(FX and MQ both are tired +PM is stronger when he actually gets serious). MQ and FX finally fall down because of exhaustion and sporting similar bumps on their head.(You know like the Shinchan scene where Mitsi hits Harry and Shinchan and they grow bumps on their head😂) something like this 👇

Finally the fight comes to a stop and other heavenly officials start weeping (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) and thanking General Ming Guang for saving the heavens from destruction .MQ and FX had to be admitted to the medical pavilion. The next day another meeting is held and Jun wu although exasperated actually finds it amusing to see the two Southern Gods bandaged from head to toe. The one holding their reigns is PM and he also sports a bandage or two on his face 👀 (PM is sulking). JW actually comments on that huhu and PM actually glares at the two and they shiver like two younger brothers who are disciplined by their older brother.(I have mentioned in my earlier post also about how I like PM to have that annoying big brother energy🤭). Ling Wen is on the other side of JW nursing eyebags and a headache because she had to stay awake all night calculating all the damages the Southern Gods had done to the heavenly property including injuring other heavenly officials.

So yah this is the first and many other fights yet to witness in the heavens. But at least the other heavenly officials learnt their lesson about how to stay feets away from General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen during a fight and never to intervene if they value their lives.😁

(Just my head Canon 😆)

[layuhsblog]

Oblivious | Haechan X reader pt2

"Whats up?" You asked when he only gave you a blank look without saying anything. Why'd he ask you to come to the kitchen all of a sudden?

"Why are you ignoring me?" you scoffed at that. Ignoring him? What was he doing? Building you a shrine all these years?! He can't say shit after how he's treated you all this time.

"Wow, you're so self-centred. You barely acknowledge my presence after being a mutual friend for so long. I've tried so hard to get even remotely close to you- so that we can atleast stay alone in a room without feeling awkward but you've always given me the cold shoulder. It's not fair, you cannot drag me here and give me a lecture about ignoring when you cannot even stand my presence let alone drink a cup of tea I offer you!" You said, looking up, blinking away the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. You were too angry, you wanted to scream and cry. The lump in your throat making it hard to breathe.

He scoffed back,

Why were you being so difficult?

"You don't get to flirt with Chenle. Why would you do that?..I thought- I thought you like me?"

"Wow, that's what this is about? Don't make me laugh, Haechan-ssi. You don't get to complain about this. You have no right to drag me here to see this shit. You're so arrogant and self-centred. You only wanted attention, didn't you? You don't care that that's an actual human's feelings you're hurting. If you didn't like me and you KNEW I liked you, why couldn't you approach me? Told me to move on? How can you expect me to try to not move on when you don't even consider me your friend? It's so fucking convenient right? The person you got to walk all over, she shows any small sign of moving on and you try to pull her back towards that toxicity all because you're too fuckin insecure and want someone to like you to inflate your fucking ego. Fuck you, seriously. I- I hate you.." You wiped a single tear that fell from your cheeks. Obviously you said more than you meant. You obviously didn't hate him. You didn't care if it hurt his feelings, you wanted it to. It would show he cares.

You waited briefly, for him to say something, anything. Only silence followed your outburst. Donghyuck frozen in his spot. Unable to form words, looking to the floor. You sighed, you left the kitchen, grabbed your things from the living room and without saying anything to even Chenle and Jisung, you left.

You wished any of them stopped you, no one did. Before the realisation hit any of them, you were long gone. Your number unreachable.

-

Three days, three days too long without your bestfriends.

You groaned into the couch pillow. Your friend was ignoring you, busy on his phone.

"Was I too harsh on him?" You heard a sigh from the other side

"Chill out girl, he deserved it. Just because he was confused with his own feelings doesn't mean he'll be a dick to you. If he wasn't my bandmate I'd have chopped his dick off." You smiled at that,

"But Yangyang, you don't get it, what if I lose my other friends cus of this?"

"Welp, then you'll have the better subunit. You have me, Hendery, and Chenle cus he's an honorary Wayv, he wont leave you the fuck alone. If that's still not enough, maybe you and Kun can adopt Wis." He said sarcastically and went back to his phone after that.

You frowned,

"Why are you using your phone, who are you texting?" He turned away as you tried to peak into his phone.

"Tell me! Is it that situationship- I can help you, cmon show me-" You laughed evilly as you snatched his phone.

He was texting Haechan, about some comeback shit professionalism blablabla. A part of you was hurt and you didn't know why.

These feelings are irrational. You sighed and gave him back his phone without saying anything.

"I don't feel very well, mind if I take a nap in your room?" He shook his head no,

It's better to sleep, these feelings will go away soon. I'm an idol, I shouldn't be getting these feelings in the first place.

-

"Hey ___, wake up please. We need to talk." You were shaken awake by some pretty angel with a halo. Wait, what? Are you dead?

You rubbed your eyes and sat up. Your heart dropped at the sight of him. Haechan was waking you up, his eyes had dark eyebags, he looked stressed out. A part of you still didn't wish to see him. You coldly asked him what he was doing here.

"Yangyang let me in.." You were going to kill him. You made a mental note to lecture Chenle, Jisung and Yangyang trying to invade your personal space by getting in your matters like that.

"Oppa, I really don't want to talk to you right now. Please don't make me hate you."

"You called me oppa, that's a good sign." He tried to joke and immediately stopped as you glared at him.

"Okay sorry, please hear me out? I'll not bother you again if you hear me out first." You only nodded.

"I- I'm not sure where to start. Okay first of all, I-I'm really sorry, I've been confused and I've been leading you on for years a-and I knew that and I still hurt you. It's justified if you don't want to hang out with me anymore, I'm not apologising so you forgive me or become my friend or anything. I'm apologising cus I owe it to you.

You've been nothing but an amazing friend to me these few years, I've always pushed you away. Again, I don't know why.

It's hard to apologise when you don't know. I don't know why I got jealous, I don't know why I always pushed you away, I just don't know why I'm so drawn to you all the time. I guess I got jealous at first, my friends liked you better than me. I'm not perfect, I was a kid. I wanted them to like me better..I thought if I was mean to you, you'd eventually hit your breaking point and leave us alone. As the years went by, I craved your attention. Every concert, I wished you'd be here to support us. I tried to convince myself you're annoying and I hate you...but, that's not true ___. I really don't know where I'm going with this."

He took a deep breathe,

"When you left SM, I was devastated. I thought I'd never see you again. You know award shows, I thought I couldn't meet you during those without sasaengs or fans shipping us together. I'm really happy you still support us. I- I support you too... There's not a single MV, a single feature, a single album of yours I haven't heard. I really do care about you. I'm learning and I'll do better. Please, if you can, forgive me. I want to be friends."

You slightly smiled,

"Oppa, you've hurt me, a lot. I accept your apology. I just want to ask, why would you never drink anything I gave you? You always accepted it but you didn't drink it. The banana milk, the tea, the coffee.."

"I didn't give the banana milk to Mark hyung." You raised your brow at that. You clearly saw he did.

"Silly, I was giving it to him to open it. You left before you saw anything." You felt stupid, still it doesnt explain the other incidents.

"I, don't eat or drink anything before stage. I didn't have the heart to say no to you, you looked so happy to be there. Numerous times, I kept it on my table to drink it later, it was always gone. You threw it away, didn't you? The times it didn't end up in the bin, I drank it." He smiled fondly at the memory.

"You're really thoughtful, you know that? I...really do like you back ___, I was always hesitant to approach you. A part of me wanted to hug you, tell you I'm sorry, I really wanted to make you mine. You deserve someone better and I know that. I thought if I push you enough, you'd like someone else. I'm really stupid though. I never thought how it would make me feel. I, cannot stand the thought of you with someone else. I really can't." This bloody siren. You wanted to kiss him. You convinced yourself to not be moved away by his words easily.

"I forgive you, oppa. Let's be friends.. for now, there are a lot of unresolved feelings between us, a lot of things we need to talk about. I cannot let this go easily."

"I'll wait however long. I'll do better. I agree, we should be friends and get to know eachother for a while." He smiled at you. It felt like a huge weight had lifted off of your shoulders.

-

For two months you hung out together, went to arcade dates, had movie nights. Donghyuck was everything you wanted a guy to be. For once, you felt enough, you felt complete, you felt needed. It was no doubt he'd been working on himself.

You grew closer to the point, any wrong thing in your life, even if you called him at 3am, he'd pick up and console you, no matter how tired he was, how much it hurt him to hear you cry.

-

He was on tour, it was your birthday. You had decided to surprise the dreamies at their concert in the Phillipines. Your group was also touring and it was the country where your tour dates matched.

The dreamies gave your group a shoutout as you all waved to them, giving them a thumbs-up. It took everything for Haechan to not rush towards you to kiss you. You looked beautiful. Stunning. An angel, really. The adrenaline, his heart was pounding. He had not seen you in months.

I think I'm in love.

-

"Hyuck, hii!! You did so well!! Here you go drink water." You beamed at him. You were backstage, handing him a towel and a water bottle.

To your surprise, just like the old times, he accepted the towel and the water bottle, not using them. You titled your head at him in confusion. He said nothing, you were starting to get worried something was wrong.

If you know the dreamies well enough you know that Hyuck is never quiet.

"Hyuck, what's wro-" Your words were cut off as you felt him grab you by the shoulders and pull you closer towards him. Your eyes shut as his pillowy lips met yours. You kissed him back. It was a longing kiss, desperate, passionate. You understood every emotion he gave into that kiss and reciprocated it. He left you breathless.

The kiss ended but his lips lingered on yours as he connected your foreheads together. He whispered,

"I really cannot wait any longer. I love you. I need you to be mine."

Who were you to say no to him?

_

UNEDITED.

[cubbyyyy]

A post about my favorite aftg relationships/friendships because why not?

1. Andreil. Of course. I think I actually don’t need to explain more but yea, they were my favorite part in aftg. they quickly became one of my favorite shippings and in my humble opinion love isn’t even enough of a term for them. No one will ever understand another the way they understand each other. They showed me what perfect compatibility looks like because in tiktok term - no one matches each others freak the way they match each others freak. I can’t imagine a neil without an andrew. they are different enough to make the other improve and similar enough to make the other feel validated. they aren’t afraid to show their dark sides bc the other matches the dark sides.

2. Andrew and Aaron. Twinyards. After Andreil their relationship intrigued me the most. The way they seem so indifferent towards each other but caring so much anyways is just so bittersweet. I live for their improvements. The way they legitimately killed for each other is just everything. Neil making Aaron understand that Andrew did everything for him and that he did the same is just so dear to me. Yea they misunderstand each other, but the brotherly love they have for one another could burn cities.

3. Neil and Matt. I love how matt just adopted neil. Neil may be a little crazy but Matt just goes along with it. So when Neil punches a guy, Matt hypes it up. Matt caring for Neil from the start was precious to me since I still wasn’t sure about the “monsters” in the foxhole court. like they seemed honestly pretty much demanding as fuck and I just wanted Neil to have a save, rest space while figuring them out and that’s what Matt gave him. (I especially like the trio of Matt/Dan/Neil). Matt is just the definition of a best friend and I’m glad Neil has his bestie outside of the monsters.

4. Nicky and Neil. Okay hear me out - when I think about Nicky and Neil I just pretend the eden incident didn’t exist bc I can excuse a lot, especially in fiction, but sexual assault is never on the list. So I made the choice to pretend it didn’t happen (i mean the books also pretend it didn’t happen lmao). And when you see them outside of the incident, they were pretty nice. I think Nickys cheerful personality helped to loosen the tension in the team (and monsters group). I loved when Nicky flooded Neils notifications so Neil wouldn’t flinch about them anymore. I also feel like Nicky played a big role in Neils growth. Like telling him to think about more stuff besides exy. Making Neil realize he has friends now. All that stuff.

5. Andrew and Renee. I just love how they’re sparring partners and understand each other so well, that they were the jogging team where they talk about possible zombie outbreaks.

6. Kevin and Jean. They didn’t have much screen time in the aftg series and I haven’t read the tsc yet, but their relationship intrigued me. This one I could possibly even ship romantically since they are so bittersweet that I just wish to save their ending. they formed a bond so deep but yet so scarred that it’s unexplainable.

7. Allison and Renee. I love them. I love how after Seth died, Renee took care of Allison. They just seem so fitting and I’m still shook they weren’t an official thing in the books.

8. Aaron, Nicky and Andrew. The fact that Nicky took care of the twins when he was barely an adult himself is just very precious.

9. Wymack and Neil. Honestly I could put him higher, I just forgot till now to mention wymack so he’s here. The scene at the end of the kings men where Neil asks for wymacks help is just stuck with me for life.

10. Kevin and Wymack. The fact that Wymack is Kevins father surprised me at first but then it made sense? When Kevin said that his father watches all his games I was ready to shed a tear.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

I've been sitting on this since Bridgerton Season 3 ended, to really consider it and what I think. And the TLDR is that the actors across the board, but particularly Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Hannah Dodd, and Victor Alli, knocked it out of the park. Fabulous performances. But the structural and narrative arc writing from the Bridgerton writer's room (particularly in terms of cul de sacs and blatant contradictions and everything about Lady Whistledown--but not the switch from Michael to Michaela Stirling; I'm actually intrigued to see where they're going with that) was absolutely appalling. More below the break for anyone who wants to keep reading.

So...the writing on Season 3. I'm going to start with where I think Michaela Stirling might go, and why I think they can actually make this storyline queer while still engaging with the infertility storyline that so many people connected with in the book. There is every possibility that Francesca will decide that she both wants to be with Michaela and wants to be a mother--but Regency England doesn't have IVF, so we could theoretically keep John alive, and have Francesca be really honest with him and Michaela and come to an agreement where she and Michaela get to have a relationship, and John will agree to help Frannie get pregnant because he needs an heir. Honestly, we could have a really interesting relationship between Frannie, Michaela, and John here where everyone is here for their own specific reasons AND because they care for each other. We could Iron Widow this, people!!! Frannie can still deal with infertility and how that affects her relationships with both John and Michaela, and we still get the effects of grief and infertility on relationships.

Alternatively, we can still have John unceremoniously drop dead (this is not my preferred choice, but like...the book exists), and have Frannie lose her pregnancy. If the miscarriage is secret, Frannie could try to get pregnant again (I bet Michaela knows people) and have a series of quick miscarriages before they couldn't hide the fact that John wasn't the father anymore. This is a less strong writing choice, but it could still be an exploration of grief and infertility. So overall, I think there is an argument to be made for making this storyline queer, and I'm interested to see where it goes. I'm not hopeful that the current Bridgerton writer's room will handle this well, but like...I can see paths to go forward on without losing the themes that people resonated with from the book.

Now. We need to talk about the Lady Whistledown thing. Season 3 spent A LOT of time telling us that Lady Whistledown was a mistake and it was actively harmful and it ruined lives. And yeah, if you just watch Season 3, that sounds pretty damning and like it would be best for everyone that Lady Whistledown gets buried (or leashed by Queen Charlotte, which is what actually happens and I cannot TELL you how mad I was about that).

The problem with that is that I was here for Seasons 1 and 2. And I want the Bridgerton Season 3 writer's room to POINT TO THE LIVES THAT LADY WHISTLEDOWN ACTUALLY RUINED. Because everyone who was written about landed on their feet. Daphne avoided Nigel Berbrooke (and Violet wouldn't have been ABLE to get Daphne out from his thumb without Lady Whistledown to publish his philandering and terrible conduct. I stand by Nigel not being ruined and frankly deserving WORSE than having to run to the country). Marina was not in a good situation from minute 1 of the season for social reasons, not because of anything Lady Whistledown wrote. And here's the thing: Pen got backed into a corner on this one. She told Marina "Not Colin" (several times) and she tried to keep Marina's secret while telling Colin not to marry her. When the Whistledown outing Marina was published, Colin and Marina literally had suitcases in hand to run to Scotland. So yes, Pen stopped that marriage. But in the world of the show, Marina landed on her feet with her marriage to Sir Philip (see her "I am content" scenes in season 2), and Colin ended up happily with Penelope. So sure, Pen prevented a marriage that narratively was doomed from minute 1, but I don't think it's fair on any level to say that Lady Whistledown ruined Marina's life.

We can talk about Pen's motivations for outing Marina's pregnancy all we like (and I do think that was complicated, and a mix of selfish and selfless motivations. It's called being a complex character), but Marina's life was not ruined by Pen publishing that Lady Whistledown.

Possibly the most egregious example of Season 3 trying to reframe a Whistledown as the worst thing ever is when Penelope "ruined" Eloise in Season 2. Queen Charlotte had threatened Eloise and the ENTIRE Bridgerton family, and I think its fair enough to say that Eloise's best friend trying to take credit for Lady Whistledown given the royal threat wouldn't fly. Publishing Eloise's friendship with Theo pulled Eloise's and the Bridgerton's bacon out of the fire. And Eloise was FINE. She was at the next ball, wasn't unduly harassed there, and she came back the next season like nothing had happened. She was fine, and the family wasn't ruined BECAUSE that Lady Whistledown got published.

The interesting tension with Whistledown was when Pen was directly challenging the Queen. She was coming for the person who set the social norms and managed social attitudes in her level of society. That's FASCINATING, and Pen challenging the literal power that was directly and indirectly responsible for everyone being shitty to her and her family for two straight seasons is ENTIRELY valid and interesting. But then Season 3 happened.

Season 3 yelled with its whole chest that Penelope was bad and wrong and should be ashamed for saying mean things about people, and tweaked Queen Charlotte's brain so that that's what she cared about too, instead of caring that her authority was being publicly challenged. Like...I was here for seasons 1 and 2. Pen was deeply human in her motivations and deeply complex in what she did and did not publish. And season 3 flattened all of that to go "BE ASHAMED BECAUSE YOU SAID MEAN THINGS." I am always furious when nuance gets flattened, and this is a particularly egregious example of that. It tells us to think something that directly contradicts what the first two seasons showed us (which is shitty writing on two levels).

Then there was also the weird contradiction with the chess scene between Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte and the outing of Lady Whistledown. The chess scene was like "Keep the game going, it's more fun that way," and I genuinely thought that meant that we wouldn't get a Whistledown reveal because the GAME is the cat-and-mouse relationship between the crown and the column. Then we get the butterfly ball scene where Penelope is like, "Hey, can I keep writing? You can watch over my shoulder and make sure that I only say nice things about people." Which is UTTERLY BAFFLING because that's not the game. That's literally ending the game. There is no game if the dynamic goes from "two independent actors act and react to each each other to negotiate society and social norms" to "Penelope promises to be nice and Queen Charlotte gets to decide if she's doing that." That's not a game, that's a probationary period. It's also directly contradictory from a writing perspective, and I really don't have patience for writers directly contradicting themselves.

And the writing issues are most of why Season 3 was a fail for me. The acting was amazing, the vibes of some scenes were incredible, but the basic writing and narrative structure was a mess.

[cup-o-cat]

i think my roman empire is how it feels like the buckley parents' redemption isn't supposed to be in the whole coma storyline. buck's desire to stay in the coma world being fundamentally rooted in how there he had that classic nuclear family growing up with parents who love him implies that he still doesn't have that in the real world. at the end of the episode, he says that his family isn't in the coma world, and makes the deliberate choice to step away from this perfect family he always wanted and toward the 118 family he already has. but if we take the redemption (specifically how the show framed the simplicity of their redemption) seriously, they are actually around and buck has a great relationship with them, discounting their role in buck's coma. i'm not saying the buckleys being around completely contradicts what buck went through and realized in the coma i actually really love the arc! family is much more nuanced than there/not there so buck's desire to have parents who always showed their love for him rather than parents who showed up after 29 years, even if they are trying now, does actually make a lot of sense! but the weight the episode puts on how the buckleys are magically fixed and buck instantly brings them back into his life.

in the thematic core of the episode as well as the show as a whole, bobby (and athena too) has a much larger role than the buckleys in shaping buck, helping him find the way out, showing him that he's wanted. buck realizes his own importance through his relationship with bobby, and how even when they fought he still cared about him and his actions were able to change both of their lives for the better. it's not simple, it's not always positive, but there's always this unconditional aspect that they keep fighting back to. and yet the episode still ends with the buckleys back in buck's life, without much of a fight to reach a common ground of conversation. yeah, they may not have ever been around before but now they're offering to redecorate his house 👍 all's good here problem solved

it's a truly fascinating contrast between bobby and buck's hard-fought growth and connection over the course of the series culminating in this ep, and the buckleys' past issues with buck largely ignored in favor of easy, clean resolution because "well, they're trying this time". one of these feels deeply connected to the themes of the show and the progression of its characters, and the other sticks out from the show's narrative like a sore thumb.

tldr fuck the buckley parents all my homies hate the buckley parents happy belated father's day bobby nash <3

[akutasoda]

Heleoeoeo can I request hcs with the demon brothers with a teen mc who acts like daki?

teenage attitudes

synopsis - how are they with a teen mc who acts like daki

includes - lucifer, mammon, leviathan, satan, asmodeus, beelzebub, belphegor

warnings - gn!teen!reader, fluff, slight angst/crack, wc - 1.1k

lucifer ★↷

↪even as the avatar of pride, he found your pride to be extreme. perhaps it was because you had a much more arrogant sense of pride then he had or had ever known of, but it was too much for him - even the he'd try and convince himself that it was just a teen phase by you.

↪although he actually found your bratty tendencies to test his patience more. your childish side he could, again, pass on as a teen phase that you'd yet to grow out of.

↪there were many demons that chose more peaceful lives but you very clearly weren't one of them. you fit more into the category of troublemaking demons who took great pleasure in doing so. he wouldn't enjoy how much of a headache you could cause.

↪lucifer highly looked down upon how you acted so hostile towards others, whether it be verbally or physically, he didn't want you acting like that. more so for your safety, all it took was one encounter with the wrong person.

↪through all his clear dislikes to most of your attitude, he still cares a little. you showed a little more care towards him and the brothers, perhaps because they reminded you of someone else, but he still could not pass on your behaviour.

mammon ★↷

↪ initially, he thought that your sense of pride was rather admirable. he would've thought more of it if you weren't so dismissive and blunt about it. mainly because this lead to him getting riled up and into petty arguements with you.

↪although, he could excuse your more arrogant and disdainful side because it sometimes meant that you'd stick up for him, unlike most. whether it be when he's being chased up on debts or whatever, you'd sometimes help him out.

↪occasionally you're childish tendencies could be on par with his and that wasn't necessarily a good thing for anyone. same thing kind of went for your spoiled attitude, but maybe mammmon was a tad bit better.

↪mammon would never admit it but sometimes he thought you were a tad scary - he'd never admit mainly because it sounded ridiculous for the great mammon to be scared of a teenager. you had a slight sadistic side that he never wanted to get on the baf side of.

leviathan ★↷

↪if he was to be one hundred percent honest, you reminded him of those antagonists that were painfully arrogant and violent. therefore, you did scare him a bit and so he was happy to keep in his room and away from you.

↪levi had seen the amount of trouble you'd land yourself in, mainly with lucifer, for picking fights with some demons at RAD and that sadistic side was definitely not what he wanted to come across himself.

↪admittedly, he had heard and seen how you were noticeably more caring toward the brothers but he really couldn't shake the feeling and your dismissive tone did not help.

↪levi did wish that he actually had your pride however because he admired how you confidently thought so much of yourself, there would be so much more he could do but maybe without so much of the arrogance...

satan ★↷

↪satan did enjoy seeing how annoyed lucifer would get with you, he even invited you to be apart of the 'anti-lucifer league' because you would be a great help as nobody seemed to get under lucifer's skin like you did.

↪he even admited the confidence you carried yourself with, but sometimes he would have to admit that you're dismissive nature and childish behaviour was a bit difficult to work with.

↪also thought that you acted a bit too spoiled and disdainful for his liking. it would get on his nerves sometimes but some of his brothers could act nearly as bad.

↪satan would have to admit that you were more caring toward the brothers than everyone else, you certainly weren't verbally and physically hostile to them like everyone else.

asmodeus ★↷

↪he was initially rather put off by your dismissive and bratty attitude, it wasn't exactly the most inviting to talk to you when you appeared like that during first impressions.

↪however, he noticed how you acted slightly more caring towards the brothers than everyone else. therefore he started being able to talk and hang around with you more.

↪asmo absolutely loved gossiping with you, you had quite the knack for it and it was rather entertaining. arguably if anyone caught you two, then you probably would be in trouble but for noe it remained like a past time for the two of you.

↪didn't exactly think that you should be so sadistic, especially when you'd start toying with demons at RAD. it wouldn't do you any good in the long run and he worried for your health.

beelzebub ★↷

↪admittedly, beel was rather taken a back with how prideful and bratty you were. although he could see it as a teenage phase that you'd outgrow, that still didn't stop you from acting that way now.

↪however, he could look other it a bit because you were certainly more caring toward the brothers but everybody normally overlooked that fact.

↪he'd normally be the one to catch you toying with another demon at RAD, and he'd normally be the one to break it up if lucifer hadn't gotten there first. he hailed the same worries as lucifer, that one day you'd find the wrong person and something bad would happen.

↪your spoiled nature sometimes would remind him of a few of his brothers, although you were slightly nore intense than they were but not always.

belphegor ★↷

↪similar to satan, he enjoyed watching you annoy lucifer with your attitudes and actions - he thought you were a great match for the 'anti-lucifer league'. although again, he found your pride to be a bit tiring however.

↪he wouldn't admit ot but your bratty and spoiled side could be slightly equal to his if he really wanted to be - mainly when it came to sleep however. but that didn't stop it from getting on his nerves from time to time.

↪he enjoyed watching you rile up another demon at RAD, although he knew he probably should discourage you before it's too late, he really couldn't help but watch in amusement.