#but the vibes of this post are too homoerotic for that

[unfotp]

mouthwashing the game has bewitched my soul. It's got those good breakdowns of shielding abusers due to the bro code. The Consequences of your actions. The Consequences of your inactions.

And my favourite flavor of them all, betrayal.

The author's betrayal to be precise. The lying protag. The guy who you think you can believe but he who does nothing but say untruths and through his twisted understanding of the people arouund him, you the Viewer are also forced to come to the warped conclusions.

It's even got the Other side of the loyal dog to oh captain my captain. The perverse version of right hand man. On the right side and powerful but not in the centre and with the most power. You're under him in hierarchy but you're also beneath him, always in his shadow.

That's your best friend. That's the guy who you mooch off of. That's the guy who covers for your sins. That's your highly competent and likeable leader who still for better or worse tries to fix your fuck ups. That's the guy who everyone else depends on and he stays humble and jovial and he still tries so so hard to keep you on the right track and whenever you veer off and do something irrational he tries to bring you back and he cares about you.

And most of all you HATE him.

He's a better person than you. He's a better man than you. And you're a jealous little boy, insecure about your talents. Doesn't matter that you're co-pilot, his right hand man, second in command. You're not Pilot. You're not First.

You will always put him first (after yourself) and save him before anyone else (after a little torture of course).

[triglycercule]

all i have been able to think about today is that silly little knife game where you stab the spots between your fingers and try not to hurt yourself and how that silly little game is SO horrorkiller. i cant explain it it bothers me so much that i cant explain it but it just does its so them

they play it when theyre bored. because when in doubt bodily mutilation and the risk of hurt and pain is always an appealing one. and when i mean they i just mean killer because horror wouldn't wanna just hurt himself on the fly like that for funsies. he likes to see others hurt because hahaha FINALLY some damn entertainment!!! but hurting himself???? nononnno hes already got enough body pain as it is oh and killer has already grabbed his hand and started playing (and now horror can't back out because killer's got him sucked in the game)

they sing the silly little song. horror has all his fingers the knife goes chop chop chop if killer misses the spaces in between horror's fingers will come off! and they are both enraptured and both captured in this childishly morbid game. it's so anticipatory because they both know its all up to killer to decide if horror gets hurt. hes more than precise enough to keep the game going for hours long without ever hitting horror but would he want to keep it going for that long? horror doesn't know how long killer would want to wait before getting to see him react to getting hurt

and killer does eventually do it even after theyre sung the song over and over countless times and tried different harmonies and finally killer decides to end this little song and dance and stab into horror's hand. maybe he decides to do a finger. maybe the palm if he really wants to piss horror up. its sudden its surprising and GODDAMN is it painful!!!! horror's trying not to show it but with all the sweat and the way his fingers are twitching killer can see that it hurts him. it's a bit amusing :3

and then horror grabs the knife from killer and they do it all over again but this time horror's the one doing the stabbing. he's not as precise as killer. he hits him a lot more than killer hit him but goddamn it he is in PAIN and wants to let it out because hes annoying and irritated and goddamnit would killer just stop looking at him with that blank smile while he's bleeding out from his hand???? yeah horror's pissy

horror's annoyed and trying to get some form of petty revenge on killer (he likes it when he finally manages to get that stupid smile to falter just a little bit) and killer's watching horror desperately try not to just stab the knife through his oh so very exposed soul that he could very easily hurt if he really wanted to hurt killer. anyways the game finally ends when either one or both of them get bored! but thats fine!!! killer will get bored again and horror will end up escalating it to a messier point than it was before and the only thing that'll get hurt is the surface that they use to stab between fingers. oh and eachother of course :p

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

*strolls into tumblr and falls on my face pretending I haven't been missing for like a month I was out getting the milk hello maggots*

Doctor Who But I've Never Watched It 2.0

For those of you feeling deja vu YES I HAVE MADE POSTS ON DOCTOR WHO BEFORE OKAY but back then I was a young uneducated lad, just a fresh blossom unfucked by tumblr. Now I am surrounded by you lot and by god do y'all love Doctor Who. And I am Educated. My DW virginity is deflowered. All that.

SO HERE WE GO, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW I'VE NEVER WATCHED:

The show started in 1963, and then was rebooted in 2005 and the showrunner was... Robert de Neiro? Idk all I know is he gives Pedro Pascal vibes. Like his name. His name is Robert.

There have been 15 Doctors so far. One is a lesbian and it is not Jodie Whittaker, it is actually the 12th doctor.

There's someone called the Master. I don't know what that means, or if it's some kind of BDSM thing, but he has intense sexual tension with the Doctor.

He's also emo and has bleached hair and is kinda babygirl. And is called Missy.

The Doctors all have intense trauma and the 15th Doctor kind of girlbossed it by leaving David Tennant intact when they binary-fissioned.

Donna is a person played by Catherine... Tate? Not Hepburn. And she knows less about Doctor Who than I do. And Donna is in a QPR with the David Doctors (there are two of them).

David Doctor loves Donna very much. And then he kills her. But doesn't kill her. And then they have dinner together with her husband and kid.

The original show had shitty effects. The new show does too, and everyone is happy about this.

Rose is someone the David Doctor is in love with and then she ends up with a human AU of him and he leaves and the fans are very divided and passionate about this.

The human AU is called Tentoo because y'all hate using W's. What the fuck is Tentoo. What is Nuwho. Why isn't it New and Two. Help me.

THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED THE TARDIS, IT IS BIGGER ON THE INSIDE, I HAVE HAD WEIRD DREAMS WHERE IT WAS A FUCKING AUTO-RICKSHAW WITH RIBBONS FOR SEATBELTS, AND IT IS BLUE AND NOT YELLOW BUT IT WAS YELLOW IN MY DREAM. Because of a Drarry fanfic that I misread.

The 15th doctor dances homoerotically with someone during the French Revolution.

The 9th doctor kinda vibes with like his head jiggling idk I've only seen one gif of him.

The 13th doctor keeps forgetting she's in a woman's body.

It is all very gay.

David Tennant's arms are too long.

The sexiest person is a head.

The Meep's pronouns are Meep. Meep is not friend. IF NOT FRIEND THEN WHY FRIEND SHAPED??????

A buttcheek skin talks or something yeah this is all I got.

have at it y'all @robinprinceofchaos @multidimensional-trashcan @wispedvellichor @queermarzipan thanks for the second hand brainrot

*sneaks away under the cover of night* i was never here

[bloopitynoot]

17 Novel Canon Cultivation WangXian Fics

This is rec list two for @yiling-laozu-is-loml

Here are some of the parameters of the list:

Cultivators in ancient China based WangXian fics

Long form fics only (I tried to stick to 50K plus - most are longer- and all are completed fics).

Canon based on novel only! No yin iron plot CQL plotlines (though some of these do include some donghua but minimal)

BottomXian if applicable only

can include: canon divergent, fix-its, and time travel (I included all of the above)

I'm not going to lie I had to cut out so many of my favs because of the Yin Iron plot BUT I still think I put together a stellar list.

A lot of them are fix-its some are totally unique in their plots and I have a few Yilling-Wei sect fics that I adore and hope you do too!

Enjoy the list!

1 no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone (174009 words) by rosemu

Chapters: 24/24 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zixuān (background), Mò Xuányǔ/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi (Background), Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén (background), One-Sided Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi - Relationship Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Yílíng Wèi Sect, Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, not the slowest burn but they do take their sweet time, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, EXTREMELY self-indulgent, Happy Ending Summary: “Have you heard? The esteemed Second Jade of Lan, Hanguang-jun, has defected from the Lan sect! He’s living at the Burial Mounds now apparently.” “What?! That scourge, the Yiling Patriarch, has managed to corrupt even the most ideal, upstanding cultivator. How truly terrifying!” Lan Wangji learns to follow his heart over the rules just a little earlier and it changes some things.

NOTES: A fix-itish but also Yilling-Wei sect fic in which Lan Wangji just never leaves the burial mounds after his visit? So many things are fixed with the second jade just kind of always being by Wei Wuxian. This fic has wholesome energy and found family vibes.

2 Cultivating immortality (230949 words) by KizuKatana

Chapters: 44/44 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Pining, Mutual Pining, Wei WuXian low self-esteem, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Lan Wangji, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, not sure if this qualifies as fix-it but that was my emotional need/intent, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator (wwx's self image is…), sect wars happening, Canon typical darkness, demonic cultivation descriptions in detail, self-indulgent exploration of the creation of demonic cultivation and how it changed wwx, JC and lwj are reluctant (VERY RELUCTANT) allies, Madam Yu and Lan Qiren are made to face up to their faults, Jiang YanLi is badass (fight me) though not in terms of cultivation strenght, JC gets a chance to redeem himself, Found Family, Top Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Bottom Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics, Please do not post to GoodReads or any other site Series: Part 1 of Cultivation partners universe Summary: “A weapon is not the same as a spouse, even if that weapon is powerful.” The words had barely left Wei Wuxian’s lips when he found himself slammed against the trunk of the nearest tree, Lan Wangji’s hands gripping painfully tight around his shoulders, practically lifting him from the ground. “Wei Ying is not a weapon!” Lan Wangji bit out. Wei Wuxian had said many things that had angered the illustrious Second Jade in the past. When he had been in Cloud Recesses as a youth, it had been Wei Wuxian’s favorite hobby. But he realized had never managed to truly enrage Lan Wangji with anything he had said until this moment. - - - - The Lan sect has been putting pressure on Lan Wangji to find a cultivation partner. They don't like the one he chooses.

NOTES: Baby WY has a journey to discover his self worth in this fic. The canon divergence happens after he's kicked out of cloud recesses and the subsequently kicked out of the Jiang sect via Madam Yu. There is a rogue cultivator WY plotline paired with Sect pressure for Lan Zhan to get a cultivation partner and the stubborn man vs oblivious man 230k is fantastic.

3 like speaking to my heart (613672 words) by SnowshadowAO3

Chapters: 42/42 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Some people live!, And some people still die in this fic it's just a matter of who STAYS dead and who is really dead ;), additional warnings in specific chapters, if you don't know what daemons are that's ok because I explain it in the author's note, also by slow burn I VERY much mean slow burn Summary: Wei Wuxian is staring up at the sky, thinking idly about the taste of Emperor’s Smile on his tongue, when Suibian jumps full force onto his stomach and cries, “A-Xian, don’t be mad!” The sheer force of her pounce knocks the breath out of him. The resulting pause is just long enough for Jiang Cheng, who up to this point has been laying rather peacefully next to him, to shoot up and demand, “Oh great, what did you do now?” To be fair, the question isn’t exactly unwarranted. Suibian looks an absolute mess: twigs stuck in her fur, dirt smeared across the white fluff of her underbelly. She’s panting up a storm, little heh heh heh gasps that haven’t edged into her normal high-pitched laughter. When her ears press back against her head, she could almost pass for pitiful. “Bichen hates me.” Wei Wuxian’s first thought is Why would Lan Zhan’s daemon hate you?, but it’s followed quickly by remembering exactly where he is, how little trouble he’s caused today, and the fact that he hasn’t seen Suibian for a few minutes. A grin spreads across his face. (Or: The most important name a cultivator will ever pick isn’t for their sword. It’s for their daemon.)

NOTES: This is still ancient china cultivators but has a little bit of au due to cultivators having daemons. It loosely follows the book plotline as well but is canon divergent. I honestly did not expect to love this 600k fic so much but it had my HEART. I fell for the plot as well as the sentient daemons and the role they play in helping these two sort out their feelings.

4 From Whence You Came (79393 words) by kanzaki19

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin/Wen Qing Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fix-It, Canon-Typical Violence, Time Travel, Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending Series: Part 1 of Second Chances Summary: Do not take those you love for granted, tell them you love them. You may never see them again. After being torn from the life he has lovingly settled in, Wei Wuxian finds himself back in Qiongi Path. Faced with immediate threats he grabs hold of every opportunity to better the lives of his family.

NOTES: A solid fix-it from Qiongi Path. WY dies and wakes up mid battle with enough time to save Zixuan. This changes the timeline for the best but at the expense of their established relationship in the alternate timeline. A little bit of mourning there, but still a happy ending though!

5 my life's journey is far from over (148672 words) by thelastdboy

Chapters: 40/40 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Madam Lan Lives (Modao Zushi), Jiang Yanli Lives, Wen Qing Lives (Modao Zushi), Post-Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Slow Burn, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Healing Is a Slow Process, therapy is good actually, All women deserve better, Modern AU but not too modern™, mlm/wlw solidarity, the mortifying ordeal of discovering you're into bdsm while you're caught up in political intrigue, Kink Negotiation, Kink Exploration, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Lives, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family (Modao Zushi), Single Parent Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Selectively Mute Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Eventual Smut, Light Dom/sub, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending Series: Part 2 of the journey is far from over Summary: No one knew that Wei Ying survived the Burial Mounds. No one knew that it was his music that flooded the battlefields of the Sunshot Campaign with corpses. No one knew just how much he had given for his family. Now the war was over and Wei Ying found himself in Yiling once again and after spending years surrounded by nothing but death, he had to learn what it feels like to be alive again. He was dead to the world and for the first time wondered what it would be like to live for his own sake. Or: Wei Ying meets Lan Zhan after the war, both broken and searching for purpose. Wen Qing will do everything to save her little brother. Jiang Yanli learns that not every problem can be solved by soup alone.

NOTES: The story of what happens the war if no one knew that Wei Ying survived AND won the war for them. This has such a beautiful relationship between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying and features a jailbreak of (alive!) Madam Lan. It's healing and wonderful, but also expect the angst. Fear not though, it has a happy ending! BONUS: it does have a prequel which is part 1 in the series. Also very good but Lan Wangji POV and Wei Wuxian is presumed dead.

6 Vow (216627 words) by draechaeli

Chapters: 47/47 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Mainly Novel with a few CQL and Donghua bits, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Temporary Character Death, WWXs dead for a lot of this, but he’s having fun, BeliefGod!WWX, Original Children Characters – Freeform, Adoption, Adoption but WWX birthed them all, Pregnancy Kink, Mpreg, minor male lactation, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Bondage, easy to skip nsfw chapters, brief crossdressing, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, because JGS, Mentions Canon Typical Incest, Canon Typical Violence Summary: “If you’re not good the Yiling Patriarch will steal you in the night!” It was never true, in fact the first child stole herself, the second was gifted, the third begged. By the time people realised that all the homeless children of Yiling, and all the daughters about to be sold had disappeared, it became, “If you’re unloved the Yiling Patriarch will save you.” Sometimes when you make a vow not even death can release you; as Xian-Gege the Eliminator of Evil, the Protector of the Weak, and the Saviour of Children finds out.

NOTES: A fun God!WWX fic in which the vow that WY made and the belief in the Yilling Patriarch brings him back. Such a solid fic, I love the way that WY goes from hated demon to loving deity of children, women, and those in need. He does die in this and is mostly dead for a good portion of it but it is worth it for the reunion and wholesome hoard of children he collects.

7Propagate Understanding (175626 words) by draechaeli

Chapters: 34/34 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Pregnancy Kink, Consensual Non-Consent, Light Bondage, Adoption, Adoption but WWX birthed them all, Mo Xuanyu Lives, Mò Xuányǔ has an arc, Original Children Characters - Freeform, Babies for Everyone, Crossdressing, Temporary Character Death, easy to skip nsfw chapters, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary: A-Yuan was birthed by Wei WuXian, A-Yuan called Lan WangJi ‘Father’, A-Yuan had Lan WangJi’s nose! Was it the time that Wei WuXian took his forehead ribbon at the Wen Discussion Conference Archery Competition?—he’d have to ask Brother. As a physician, Wen Qing has to suffer fools constantly; if Lan WangJi is determined to be Wei WuXian’s baby daddy, she wasn’t going to stop him, especially if it could save them all. And if it leads to some misunderstandings on the topic of marriage and propagation—well, it is not Wen Qing’s fault if Lan WangJi became the world’s best and worst matchmaker, making sure that children everywhere had parents.

NOTES: This fic premise is absolute crack! and is one of my favourite niche crack! fic themes. In which the joke "I birthed him myself" is taken literally and the cultivation world truly believes the Yilling Patriarch and Hanguang-jun had a child together. So good, bless Wen Qing in this fic honestly.

8 Bring Your Wonder (Lose Your Faith) (75406 words) by kianspo

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Different Sunshot Campaign, straight boy wei ying, Feelings Realization, everyone is slightly darkner here, hints of xiyao if you squint, but not yet, meng yao has a plan, Protective Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Protective Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, by which i mean they set the world on fire, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, it's not all tragedy i promise, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Jades of Lan Feels, duh - Freeform, POV Multiple, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Whump Summary: Canon divergence starting from after the Xuanwu Cave. What if it wasn't Wang Lingjiao who came to Lotus Pier? What if Wen Ruohan had sent Wen Zhuliu instead? The respectful, sensible Wen Zhuliu, who knows how to work the room… In which Wei Wuxian loses his hand (he gets one better), Lotus Pier is saved, the Lan Clan is said to be dead to the last man, there's a horrible banquet in Nightless City, someone accidentally plays Sleeping Beauty, and there's that awkward moment when you realize Meng Yao is the sane one (except not really). It's a dark, dark night, but the sun will rise eventually.

NOTES: This is one of my favourite BAMF WWX fics. It is VERY dark, and Lan Zhan is not okay in the majority of this fic but my goodness is it fantastic. WWX does get his hand cut off and then proceeds to be tossed into the burial mounds but his new hand and demonic cultivation are so rad. Worth it for the pain!

9 if you can't beat them, recruit them (228416 words) by moeblobmegane

Chapters: 48/48 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, Burial Mounds, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Pining, Morally Ambiguous Character, Rumors, Politics, Background JZX/JYL, Developing Friendships, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Demonic Cultivation (Modao Zushi), YilingWei Sect Series: Part 1 of wwx time travels and accidentally creates a platonic harem Summary: Rather than mourning a future that had not happened yet, he would rather work with all his might to prevent it from happening. […] His aim was to fortify his home and his family so that they would never again be left vulnerable to greedy cultivators aiming for his genius. For that, he needed help. He may be a genius, but he was not the cunning manipulative man they thought him to be. No, that was not him. He knew who was, though.   (Or: Wei Wuxian uses a powerful array to go back in time and builds a secret squad to prevent the misfortunes of the future.)

NOTES: Another fantastic time-travel fix it in which WWX post the tragic loss of his husband and son builds an array to go back. In it he befriends and recruits the antagonists of the main timeline and fixes things. This was so good- especially if you like morally grey characters and want a bit of Meng Yao and Xue Yang redemption.

10 Song Unwritten (94846 words) by ShotsOfSunshine, Kytrin

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Cangse Sanren, Wei Changze Additional Tags: Temporary Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe, cql meets mdzs, Transmigration, Parallel Universes, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Alternate Universe - Yílíng Wèi Sect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression Summary: Lan Wangji knew what miracles were. He'd been given one second chance for happiness already, only to have it snatched away by an enemy he could not fight -- time. Now among his husband's research, he had a chance at another one, but to seize it he would have to take matters into his own hands and fight for it. Even if that meant the fight would take him to another world. After all, Hanguang-Jun followed chaos. And when was Wei Wuxian not at the center of chaos?

NOTES: This is a transmigration fic with a morally grey Lan Zhan. After losing WY he decides not to ascend and instead uses an array for another timeline. I will say head the warnings, Lan Zhan's father is vile and there is child abuse here so pleas ehead the tags it is very awful, it does have a happy ending though. Bonus for Wei Wuxians parents being alive!

11 Time Kept Flowing (201383 words) by notoneforreality

Chapters: 35/35 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Additional Tags: Timeline? What Timeline?, Grief/Mourning, major character death is wwx, who comes back, Family, Canon Era, Autistic Character, Autistic Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Kid Fic, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji raise the kids, Co-parenting is hard, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, POV Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, POV Alternating, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, just realised 'major character death' is like most of the cast, but it all happened before the story opens, Canon-Typical Violence, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, at the top of each chapter, Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi) Summary: Jiang Cheng goes back to the Burial Mounds after the siege. He finds a ruined settlement and a feverish child. Then Lan Wangji turns up, half dead himself, and Jiang Cheng is not prepared for any of this. He takes them both back to Lotus Pier, because he's not leaving anyone to die on his watch, and they both need medical care. Then they just end up…staying. At least Lan Wangji is as unimpressed with the situation as Jiang Cheng is. (Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan accidentally become co-parents and have to deal with the repercussions)

NOTES: This is the Jiang Cheng & Lan Zhan platonic coparenting fic I didn't know I needed. It was so healing and while WWX is dead for a good chunk of this he does come back. This is a fantastic fic if you want some hurt/comfort, mourning, and healing energy. I will warn it does have a lot of hurt and the Lans come under scrutiny (justifiably). But happy ending!

12 the past drifts away with the waves (58025 words) by thelastdboy

Chapters: 15/15 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fall of Lotus Pier (Modao Zushi), Major Character Undeath, Yu Ziyuan Being an Asshole, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Major Character Injury, Amputation, Loss of Limbs, Transformation, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Fierce Corpse Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Kinda, Merperson Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cultivation Sect Politics (Modao Zushi), Not Cultivation World Friendly, Resentful Creature Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Undead Merperson Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Fanart, Slow Burn, Getting Together, Revenge, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Resentment, Demonic Cultivation (Modao Zushi), POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, River Spirit Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Non-Human Genitalia, Dark Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Depending on who you ask, Monsterfucker Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wen Remnants Deserve Better (Modao Zushi), Wen Remnants Live (Modao Zushi), Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, Sect Leader Wen Qing (Modao Zushi) Summary: The next time Wei Wuxian became aware of his surroundings and was able to form semi-coherent thoughts, Wen Zhuliu had just finished tying weights to his feet. Both his arm and his back were still bleeding and he felt as if he had been flayed. “Should I make it quick?” Wen Zhuliu asked him, offering a small mercy. But Wei Wuxian shook his head. “Give me your worst,” he snarled, his teeth coated in blood from where he had bitten his tongue at some point. “I will come back to end you all,” he promised darkly. “Very well,” Wen Zhuliu merely said and drowned him. Or: Yu Ziyuan cuts off Wei Wuxian's hand to appease the Wens. He gets drowned in the lake behind Lotus Pier and resentful energy transforms him into a river spirit. After avenging his own death, he finds his way to Yiling.

NOTES: Very cool fic in which WY dies by Wen Zhuliu's hand and becomes a creature of resentment. He turns into a very cool undead water spirit with incredible power. He saves the wens, has a child, and gets the boy in the end. This story is for the monsterfuckers but don't let it fool you, it is kind of tragic. I swear there is a happy ending but the pain is rough.

13 Bitter Plants Bearing Sweet Fruit (83099 words) by Kryal

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: canon-typical horror elements, Worldbuilding, Desert, Misuse of Historic Setting, Original Character Death(s), Case Fic, aftermath of canon, ridiculously long author notes, Because I Have Nowhere Else to Talk Headcanons, Established Relationship, Nothing Explicit But Shameless Innuendo Summary: Patience is a bitter plant that bears sweet fruit. Lan Wangji doesn't know why Wei Wuxian is so interested in traveling to a city at the very edge of the civilized world. After Yunping, what secrets could possibly be left? But the desert remembers many things.

NOTES: Not going to lie this was a really cool casefic. The husbands go on a journey to the desert and solve a mystery. The coolest part was the difference in cultivation and belief systems outside of the sects territories. This is a healing fic- fantastic vibes.

14 We Meet at the Thousandth Step (315914 words) by Rynne, Admiranda

Chapters: 44/44 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign (Modao Zushi), Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze Live, Rogue Cultivator Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Night Hunts (Modao Zushi), Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inventor Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, Wei Wuxian's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Wei Wuxian Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings, Married Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Honeymoon, Wangxian's Baby Fever Series: Part 1 of The Different Paths We Tread Summary: As they both go wherever the chaos might be, Lan Wangji and rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian, eldest child of the famous Cangse-sanren, find their paths converging. Soon they'll discover in each other the perfect partner for night hunting…and beyond.

NOTES: A canon divergence in which Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze both live and raise WWX as a rogue cultivator (also he has a sister and it is wonderful). Lan Zhan and Wei Ying meet during a night hunt and then keep making excused to hunt together. Such a beautiful and wholesome slowburn with lots of the Wei family teasing. A healing fic for sure.

15 Dispersing Clouds (283284 words) by dreamingofcake

Chapters: 54/54 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Genius Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inventor Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive Yu Ziyuan, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Good Uncle Lan Qiren, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics (Modao Zushi), Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is Not Oblivious, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin Bashing, Jiang Yanli is Not Angelic, Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan Bashing Summary: While the Wen Clan is embroiled in subduing internal conflicts within Qishan, the Jiang Clan hosts the annual discussion conference. It has been one year since the disastrous archery competition where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji last met but Wei Wuxian remains as optimistic as ever. An unlikely friendship begins to blossom and without the looming spectres of conquest and war to strengthen his ties to the Jiang family, the trajectory of Wei Wuxian’s life changes.

NOTES: Definitely a fic if you're feeling completely angry at the Jiangs- it is definitely not in their favour. Terrible Madam yu and equally appalling Jiang family (In that they do nothing and normalize abuse). This fic does feature an absolute brilliant Wei Ying and a smitten WangXian with a bonus of the Lans actually not being terrible.

16 A Heart Undying (114855 words) by NonsensicalRambling

Chapters: 26/26 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Undead Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical dead things, the burial mounds, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Wei Wuxian probably needs a hug, the horrors of the sunshot campaign, Eventual WangXian, these boys will use their words!, No Yīn Tiger Seal, no beta - deal with it, Morally Gray Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Animals Eating People, Wei Wuxian's questionable choices, Morally conflicted Lan Wangji, Oblivious Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Creates a Sect | Yiling Wei Sect, Yiling Laozu Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Sect Leader Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji & Wen Qing have an Understanding, if Wen Qing were being paid she'd deserve a raise Summary: No one escapes from the Burial Mounds alive. No one. Just because Wei Wuxian made it out doesn't make him an exception. He knows he's surviving on borrowed time until someone finds out, but until then he's going to make that a problem for the Wen. And if no one does find out, well, he'll figure that out later. If only he could stop being so hungry.

NOTES: Okay this fic is actually rad as hell. The premise is so cool- WWX landing in the burial mounds and DYING but transformed. If you like vampiric energy but also God!WWX vibes this is the fic for you. It moves fast but the plot is so cool.

17 Practical Considerations (96963 words) by teawater, the_anthropologist

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Spouses to Lovers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Politics, Scheming, Lán Elders are assholes, BAMF Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, BAMF Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, eventually BAMF Lan Xichen, learning to make decisions, Learning Self-worth, Self-Esteem Issues, Sweet Wangxian, Domestic Fluff, Fix-It, JC is a big asshole, he improves somewhat but it's open-ended, WWX learns to stand up for himself, Quote: Come Back to Gusu With Me (Modao Zushi), POV wwx, POV LWJ, POV JC, Golden Core Reveal (Modao Zushi), Teacher wwx, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It (Modao Zushi), Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism, Past Suicidal Thoughts Summary: After the Sunshot Campaign Wei Wuxian is fooling around in Lotus Pier, and Jiang Cheng decides that he'd be more useful to the sect if he was to enter a diplomatic marriage. Especially since Lan Wangji seems so keen on dragging him away to Gusu. Only Wei Wuxian doesn't expect any good to come from it…

NOTES: An arranged marriage canon divergence fic in which "Come Back to gusu" is a term of endearment (but WWX does not know this). This fic goes form WWX being married and thinking he's being punished to married and absolutely THRIVING. This is one heck of a healing fic- great ending!

[tubbytarchia]

pause. zoom. enhance. good universe smallidarity being the one where joel isnt homophobic. i need to know more about your bad universe smallidarity joel <3

LMAO well "bad universe smallidarity" is how I interpret smallidarity personally. I know my following has been curated a lot by this point but I still get anxious to comment on it out in the open, so I'm just gonna: This is about characters. It's about characters. Hello I'm talking about characters and this says absolutely nothing about any relationships present in the real world and I wouldn't have it any other way than it is now. This is about characters and I am a big fucking fan of Jizzie, don't even doubt me (said in general, not to you lol)

Anyway. I made a long post about this before but it's a little bit cringe so I'm gonna try to sum my thoughts up again: I love analysing Joel's freak behavior and to me his character reads as homophobic but in a deeply closeted way. His relationship with Lizzie is extremely cute but I get more aroace vibes from it than anything honestly. Their characters would have gotten together because, it made sense to. "Hey we like each other, might as well get married" and good for them, but although they are cute and every now and then proclaim their love, it feels more like an obligatory sentiment to make to me, their characters within the Life series and other SMPs I've watched with them just don't strike me as a couple if you take away the specific terms they use that confirm it. Like honest to god someone can try and make a compilation of that and I'm willing to bet that the compilation of him and Jimmy being weird would be at least comparable in length. And frankly I don't think Lizzie gives much of a fuck anyway

Joel's treated Jimmy very undesirably in the past, main culprit being ESMP2, until out of nowhere he chooses to end their rivalry and proclaim them two best friends instead, which Jimmy very easily goes along with. This very sudden change in their relationship being enforced by Joel makes me think he came to some revelation and had a good think about it. That's a lie, he's bad at that, he probably had a meltdown instead and didn't know how to fix things other than to go tell Jimmy "hey lets be friends now and um impose new law". This is where he contributed to the Jimmy ecosystem (AKA the harmful environment and people that enforce the idea that Jimmy is inherently lesser than them) the most and then abruptly stopped. Instances of him belittling Jimmy one way or another still happen afterward but it really has changed and become both more lenient and less frequent. What has been a constant however is the weirdass homoerotic behavior

This since and before ESMP2, but it really gives vibes of someone in love but neglecting to acknowledge it and/or combating those feelings with vocal disapproval of any intimacy that could be inferred. He has a wife after all, in fact, he'll remind you every chance he gets. Joel has no problem indulging in and joking about more sexual approaches vs more affectionate ones. Eg, the neck kisses, calling Jimmy babe, having pillow talk with Tango and literally making a baby with both Jimmy and Sausage in ESMP. But anything affectionate makes him feel vulnerable and so that's a no-no. I have no good explicit examples for this other than the fact that he just doesn't engage in affectionate engages/jokes much (not even with Lizzie) and him refusing to hold Jimmy's hand in SL. It's all jokes, and if it does get too sus, no worries, he can always just proclaim "I have a wife!!" as a no-homo safety net. But methinks he's just in denial. Unfortunately when he starts to grapple with his feelings I think he becomes homophobic and has probably called himself every slur out there. It'd make sense to me given how he often acts around Jimmy. It's not that he has anything against the concept of gay, he just doesn't know how to handle himself being gay

But, along with him trying to step out of the ecosystem and instead wanting to support Jimmy, he's also become more open to intimacy? For lack of a better word. He's been much less outward about his interactions with Jimmy being jokes, eg the RL and WL kisses where they're both just fucking soft about it man and just carry on, or him declaring himself to just be flirting with Jimmy to Gem and Scar in WL with no caveat. Still, Joel absolutely can't express genuine love or care in any conventional manner to Jimmy which hmm. Why might that be... WL puts Joel's worry for Jimmy to the forefront where he is VERY vocally upset about almost each of Jimmy's deaths but can't express this to him any other way than to call him a loser. Other people might hear of his worry (eg Gem) or he'll defend Jimmy to them (disapproving of the premature grave people built for him in SL. This in general is really important in signifying his departure from the ecosystem by disapproving of others within it). He is very nice to Jimmy, like in WL (especially considering Jimmy's several attempts at killing him for no real reason) but only outside of vocal confirmation

This is why in the smallidarity compilation I included clips like him in Phasmo just saying he was worried about Jimmy TO Jimmy because this fucker never says that so this is substantial material for me. It's character development, maybe he's slowly exiting the closet and coming to terms with his feelings and that he can be "vulnerable". Anyway that's why I label him homophobic but the point is that he really does care Jimmy a lot and he's been much better to him and by virtue less homophobic towards himself

[demetriandelibinaryboyfriends]

Hi, happy Miguetri Monday, what the FUCK was this look!!! WHY is he smoldering our boi Miguel Diaz!!!

Y'all I am SCREAMING. I've been on my clown shit for YEARS now being like "haha wouldn't it be funky if Demetri had a crush on/was attracted to Miguel!! Wouldn't that be wacky and wild and kind of delightful!!" but I had no real evidence for it, it was solely Vibes. Like Demetri is 40000000% gay, but usually, the only guy he checks out on the reg is Eli. Like, I always liked the idea of him being kinda into Miguel, but it was mostly just me being goofy and shipping my two favorite male characters with each other (sorry Eli ^^;).

UNTIL NOW???

Anyways, breaking news: Demetri Alexopoulos is bestiesexual! The only way in the world to get him to be into you is to be a boy and be his bestie (yes, I AM implying he does not genuinely romantically like Yasmine at all, but that's a rant for another post). And just being a casual friend will not do--you MUST be intensely ride-or-die through the thick and thin to unlock The Horny.

I also have a headcanon (that I honestly can't decide if it's more heartbreaking or hilarious) that Demetri has had an on-and-off crush on Miguel for the entire series, and it tends to activate/intensify when he thinks he's too deep in Eli's friendzone or has otherwise completely lost his chance with Eli. Like back in S1, he lowkey seems to be crushing on Miguel to the point where he's a little O____o when Miguel invites Sam to join their pig dissection group XD Prolly because he was like "WELL Eli is definitely definitely DEFINITELY never gonna see me that way, or else he woulda said something by now...but this new guy, tho? 👀👀👀MAYBE IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO BE GAY WITH HIM--"

And then shit gets so intense with Eli and Miguel dates so many girls that Demetri kinda forgets his crush for a while. He's got bigger concerns, and Miguel probably doesn't swing that way anyhow! And THEN he gets Eli back, and things are looking up, and--

What's this??? Eli wants to "explore his options" for college??? Well maybe I'LL explore my options for DATING then!!!! I am checking out The Goods, Eli, and The Goods are fine as hell, and maybe MIGUEL would treat me right, and maybe it's not too late for Miguel to come out as bi and also totally into me--

(DEEPLY funny because it's like. Boy be so fr right now! Your rebound crush is a guy in a committed het relationship who you have even LESS chance with than the homoerotic best friend who spurred all this in the first place???

Then again, Demetri has a history of getting "safety crushes" on people he views as completely unattainable, so...this is nothing new XD)

ANYWAYS, IN SUMMARY

[qprstobin]

Maybe it's just the jock in me, but I think about Steddie going to the gym soooo much. For a lot of different reasons lmao. Part of it is that I think it's a great place for Eddie to thirst and be confused at how homoerotic so many of the rituals around the gym are, but also because there's a lot of humor in Eddie going to the gym.

He has a lot of energy, and we know he has some muscle, likely just from day to day activity, mechanics, band equipment, etc. He seems like he would enjoy being outdoors, and hiking or exploring. Something that is a work out but doesn't feel like one if you do it right. Despite all that, he absolutely has the vibe of someone who hated gym class (which, same), and probably would claim to hate working out/doing physical activity.

I just know that when Steve finally convinces him to go to the gym with him, Eddie would be SO MAD at how much he loves it and how great it makes him feel. He is absolutely that post that is like "you mean regular exercise is good for you and makes you feel good???? is good for your mental health??"

He feels lied to, he feels cheated. Maybe he should've expected this, now that he's dating a jock, but he thought that his jock was an exception. He hates jocks. What is happening to him.

Of course part of it is just that it's not gym class, which is not good at catering to any demographic other than "generally athletic and doing a school sport". Another part is that Steve is very big on making sure he doesn't hurt himself, and making sure that why he lifts and shit are at the level he is actually at. Steve would not allow him to overwork himself. He likes that he looks after him and likes that they are able to do something together that aligns with Steve's interests and not the nerd herd's.

It becomes a great way for them to spend time together in public, and it's extra fun when Robin comes along, or when they manage convince one of the others to join them.

The funniest part would be how much his friends would heckle him for it though. It's all affectionate, but Gareth every practice makes a joke about how he knows how Luke Skywalker feels, now that his "father" has betrayed him. Lucas is smug every time he shows up for a session with Steve, and Eddie is there too. it takes a lot for Eddie to remind himself he can't fight a toddler.

(He refuses to admit that he knows Lucas would win.)

The worst though, as @starsvs brought up, is that Steve would look at Eddie, who loves the outdoors, is good at staying hydrated for dnd/the band, and is now working out regularly? And go "babe I think you're a jock now" and Eddie would lose. his. shit.

Eddie genuinely takes a moment to consider if this is what is going to cause him to dump his boyfriend, because he better take that slander back right the fuck now. Eddie? A jock? The very antithesis of everything he stands for? The sheer dramatics that statement causes is enough to keep Steve laughing for weeks. Eddie would grumble and bitch for days, laying on the floor complaining about him!! being called a jock!!! Wayne is just calmly sipping his coffee and watching his boy go on and on, because its certainly more entertaining than anything on day time tv.

[weirdbrothers]

Stranger Things Fic Rec

Let me get one thing out of the way: absolutely nobody asked for this. But I love these pairings and stories so much I had to share it with you all. This is heavy on Steve/Billy with some Steve/Eddie sprinkled in.

If you've never read Stranger Things fic, or when you saw this post thought "oh yeah, that 80s kid monster show" I encourage you to give these a try! You don't have to know much about the show besides the bare bones of the plot. (And my ask box is always open for Qs!) If you like angsty teenage boys who are in denial about their feelings and hate their hometown, read on.

Now, on to the porn and depravity!

if i stare too long by @brawlite & @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger | Steve/Eddie/Billy

After the end of the world, Billy Hargrove is a mess. But at least he has company.

Notes: Literally one of my favorite fics of all time, I will never shut up about it. Gay threesomes. Angst. A sweltering midwestern summer. Homoerotic undertones that builds to filthy gay porn. The vibes are all there.

Pressure by Yellow_Blue_Books | Steve/Eddie

"You never did tell me your name," he called at Munson's back. The older man was already in the trees when he turned back around and stated his name, eyes bright and grin wide. Steve never heard it; he couldn't read his lips from so far a distance between them. So instead, he watched Munson walk away; the teen, now wide awake, went to sit on the hood of his car to wait for Hopper to show. On that crisp, cold January night in 1985 - Steve Harrington heard the sound of Eddie Munson's voice for the first and last time. He never even knew his name.

Notes: The only WIP on this rec list, and totally worth the wait. Great characterization. So many little tidbits of information that have me squealing with joy. But also dark and grounded in reality.

chokechain by @brawlite | Steve/Billy (and Tommy is there)

Tommy H. invites Billy to a party at Steve's house. Billy expected hot chicks and booze, but when he shows up, there's only the latter. Steve and Tommy teach Billy that in Hawkins, sometimes you just gotta make do.

Notes: When I think of this fic I literally start sweating its so sexy. The fic that got me hooked on Steve/Billy and gay Steve in general. Its so subtle and gritty and grimy and hot. And Tommy is egging everyone on, yet oblivious, just how I like him.

so good at being in trouble, so bad at being in love by @the-copperkid Steve/Billy

Steve's sophomore year, Billy showed up.

Notes: A fandom classic. The perfect example of Steve/Billy getting together in world, and dealing with their feelings (+ porn, because I'm me and I need porn in all my fic).

We'll Go Down in History by @eternalgoldfish | Billy/Steve

Hawkins High takes a field trip to Baltimore to see historical sites and Steve would rather jump out his hotel window.

Notes: So much teenage angst and tomfoolery in this one! A little more lighthearted than others on the list. Gets to that theme in ST that I love: the idle hands of teenage boys are the devil's playthings.

Dom 4 Hire by @lazybakerart

Steve is naked, on his hands and knees, in the apartment he shares with his high school sweetheart for a man he only just met in person five minutes ago.

Notes: From the second I saw Steve Harrington on screen I knew that boy was a sub dying for someone to call him a good boy. And Billy is just the dom for the job. My only complaint is that I wish this was longer!

Maybe we're something uncool by desert_dino | Steve/Billy

It’s only noon; Billy knows neither of them have work that evening, and their shitty gen-ed biology lab was cancelled. They’ve only been hanging out for an hour, and maybe Billy isn’t quite done fucking around with Harrington yet. Maybe he’ll indulge him.

Notes: Cocky Billy is what the world needs! Great banter and dialogue. Just a snapshot of what I imagine their afternoons would look like, and the teens of Hawkins would be like "why the fuck are they always hanging out?" totally oblivious.

slipping through by sightetsound | Steve/Billy

It was the weed, and the pilfered whiskey from Steve’s daddy dearest they passed back and forth. It was actually how Steve’s eyes caught the moonlight. How his mouth moved when he spoke, and how it curved on a grin Billy would call relaxed when they were alone. Admitting as much felt too much like giving ground, and so it was the weed and whiskey.

Notes: Really bittersweet, heartfelt, and sincere. A different kind of pace for this pairing.

You Get Too Close by @trashcangimmick | Steve/Billy

Steve sits at the back of the bus on the way to a basketball match in Gary. Billy Hargrove sits right across from him.

Notes: Be for real- when we saw that basketball and shower scene we were all hoping it would go in the direction of this fic. Gives me the vibe of an 80s porno in the best way.

Reflecting on the Longest Wavelength by @trashcangimmick | Billy/Hopper

Billy’s heat hits early. Jim Hopper happens to find him before anyone else does. 

Notes: This pairing is a little rouge, I don't see it often and its hard to pin down for me past all the basic tropes. I really like the A/B/O world-building here and find myself returning to it.

[markantonys]

I am a bit confused about who is playing galad and who gawyn the descriptions are off about their ages and stuff. I love olivia Williams as the queen thoo

SCRATCH ALL THIS, ANOTHER UPDATE: wotseries says they have "official confirmation" that galad is still the older brother after all, not gawyn.

i'll keep my original answer below nonetheless!

i had a whole answer typed out trying to list some theories of why they might have switched the ages of the brothers, but now that they've confirmed it's actually luke fetherston who's playing gawyn and callum kerr who's playing galad, the only theory i have to cite is @iviarelleblr's because i think it's bang-on.

the theory is: it will actually be GAWYN who is rand's half-brother rather than galad. this would explain why he was made the older brother and why he's being played by someone who bears a good resemblance to josha. the reasoning behind it is that gawyn has his whole arc of hating rand but then eventually coming to forgive him, whereas galad has nothing narratively to do with rand at all, and so in the show's limited time, if they are going to keep someone as rand's half-brother, it would make more sense for it to be gawyn who's already narratively tied to rand for other reasons than for galad who would have to get a whole extra storyline made up in order to make anything out of him being rand's brother.

.....................oh no. all my months of rand/gawyn homoerotic rivalry enjoying might be about to be brought to a very swift and very awkward end LMAO noooo i will be so sad to have to part with my favorite crackship! i'd better not make any posts about show!rand and gawyn so that i won't have to hastily delete them in a later season if/when their brother connection is revealed djkfjg okay guys, all aboard the matwyn train instead for showverse!

the only open question now is whether or not gawene will still happen in the show. i don't see why not, although show!gawyn being potentially 5-10 years older than egwene would change the vibes somewhat for me (but i can picture luke as maddy's love interest way more than callum, that's for sure!) it would also be funny as HELL if the above theory pans out and egwene ends up with her ex's brother, that would crack me up so hard.

(also yes, olivia williams as morgase 10/10 no notes! and the character description sounds awesome too, maybe they'll lean a bit more into the true awfulness of an andoran succession and how cutthroat it can be since it sounds like show!morgase had to do some unsavory things to win it.)

[wntryoongs]

My thoughts while watching Deadpool & Wolverine

I made this review just for my entertainment and cuz I really couldn't control my excitement lol. Just a quick warning to please not take anything I say seriously :') (also i already wrote this review on letterboxd 3 days ago)

The intro alone deserves an Oscar.

THEY COVERED PETER PARKER'S FACE I AM SOBBING. DOES WADE KNOW WHO HE IS? With the 4th wall breaking power and whatnot.

The costume fitting scene with the butt slaps, slaps. Call me immature idc.

"Get your special socks on, nerds." Deadpool was adressing me on this one guys 🤣🙏🏻🙏🏻 my little geek brain was exploding with every little reference.

Cassandra Nova, JUST ONE CHANCE PLEASE I AM ON MY KNEES 🧎🏻

Casual by Chappell Roan was playing in my head when DP & W were fighting in that Honda. That was a tad bit too romantic bye.

Nicepool, I am mourning for you 24/7. You deserved so much better. Thank you for that wonderful The Proposal line. You have made my life complete.

Interesting cameos: it took me a minute to identify the Henry Cavill one. Chris Evans, what a treat! JENNIFER GARNER, MY WIFE!

A traumatized Wolverine and Deadpool vs. a hundred other Deadpools fight sequence lifted my soul. I legitimately thought I was floating away. I didn't blink. Not once.

Hugh Jackman: shirtless. My jaw=dropped (no cuz seriously). I understand the hype now. And don't ask me if I was salivating, anybody who claims to have seen me do such a horrendous act is a lying liar who lies 😐

I smelled a Deadpool hyperfixation incoming the moment i said "he's literally me". Wade Wilson is pookie.

Bad ass holy shit. Other than those Cherik edits I keep on seeing, Deadpool & Wolverine is the only reason I am finally convinced to watch x-men. Also I now wholeheartedly support the Xmen>Avengers agenda. In terms of power, at least.

Unrelated but why was Bucky not here? I miss him. And furthermore, WHERE was my beloved God of Mischief/Time/Stories!?? TVA plot kinda confused me, because isn't Loki the one whos supposed to hold all the timeline branches?

Compared to DP1&2, this was definitely toned down.

"We'll use the power of (homoerotic) friendship!" Ahh ending 😭. I can't even be mad though cuz they played it out so well. My only complaint for this movie is this: why didn't they kiss? Not even just a small smooch? But it's alright; God gave us ao3 for a reason.

I am very glad to have watched with people who aren't passive. Everyone in the audience were laughing. The whole experience was a great vibe.

The post-credit montage with Good Riddance playing in the background had me tearing up (i was biting my hand trying to stop myself from sobbing).

All in all, yes.

Ps: I've been awaiting this movie the second it was announced to be produced. Also I've never avoided show spoilers before since I suffer from chronic FOMO and anxiety when it comes to media that I like. Even though I only had to avoid spoilers for a few days here and on letterboxd, I was already experiencing withdrawal because I felt like clawing my eyes out whenever I try to stop myself from opening reviews. EITHERWAY, it was worth it 😊

PPS: Much like Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool, Hugh Jackman was born to play Wolverine.

[moliathh]

Oh i was the anon who asked for tentacle sex alutegra… just bringing that up again 🤧

Anyway what are your thoughts on Dracula (the BBC 2020 version) and dragatha in general?

oops.. hehe I had a wip on a slight nsfw tentacle actions between girlucard and integra even before the question was brought up but im ermm not very comfortable with sharing wips yet so i guess it would need to be finished before i post it uh hihi!!!

About BBC Dracula! I LOVE IT!! AS WELL AS DRAGATHA!!! Let's get into details!!!

One, I am very intrigued by the way they reinterpreted the Dracula novel, let’s go by chronological order. Episode 1. Shifting Dracula’s lusting towards a human from Mina Harker to Jonathan Harker. A nod to various papers and discussions about the homoerotic of the original novel! I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! And it makes lots of sense! I definitely prefer that more than the F.F Coppola’s reincarnation romance plot between Dracula and Mina. The story telling method of ep1 was VERY good too. They got us hooked from the start by introducing the reinterpretation of Abraham Van Helsing! GENDERSWAP!!! I could NEVER say no to genderswap especially with genderswap reinterpretations that subvert the common tropes! The quick-witted, eccentric, no nonsense intellectual scholar role is often a man! Especially a role such as a Van Helsing. The way Agatha established her character as a very proactive character, practically leading the conversation and playing into the “intellectual/competent” archtype was so cool! Personally, I find the series had written their female characters really WELL! Mina Harker looks like a naïve and fumbling girl, classic damsel archtype, but at the same time she was written with much agency, actively making wrong choices, driving the plot forward and established herself as a character with her own personality and agency rather than just being there. Agatha’s wittiness and arrogance also lead to consequences instead of just being a quirk of her personality. She is not a one dimensional caricature, not just a “girlboss” type, but she was actually written with much depth and nuanced too!

Let’s round back to the story telling method Im sorry I got off track with talking about Agatha. I love Agatha a lot. Anyway, the story telling method. In ep1, it was in the form of a testimony. Ep1 carries us in with the reminiscence of F.F Coppola’s Dracula, by starting from the pov of Jonathan Harker, switching between it and the monastery, smoothly transitioning us between the record of the past with the present and from then lead us into the current present of the characters. They managed to convey the gothic and Dracula-esque vibe EXTREMELY well with this method. Placing Agatha into this was a difficult task that somehow, they nailed spectacularly. She is a presence that could be seen as out of place. Her archtype was not commonly present in medias such as this, her demeanours seem almost too “modern” for it. She also distant herself from other characters’ theatrical, not being carried away by Jonathan’s testimony. She’s almost too aware. But she successfully immersed herself into the overall theme through her interactions with Dracula. She turned out to be as much of a drama queen as any character of a gothic horror. Theatrical flair is a MUST in gothic fictions!!!

And in ep2, it was a multi-pov story, an entirely different vibe. A retelling of the Dmitri’s voyage!!! LOVE it!!! I am very fond of anthologies and series switching their vibe and story telling vibe between episodes. The best highlights were the plot twist like damn.. I did NAWT see that coming. And since the story already started with the push and pull between Dragatha since ep1, I KNOW people expected to see more of them in ep2, if they did not make enough appearance in the beginning of ep2, people WILL lose interest. This is the downside of anthology, if you drop the bait that had audience hooked from the previous ep, it’s easy to lose their concentrations. But there was no dull moment because, the mystery surrounding room 9. That was VERY interesting, such a good plot twist too!! That combined with the little chess game between Dragatha and the way the story was retold through his word, i ADORE stories where the narration is from a character themselves. And that helps connect the previous ep with current ep smoothly! Agatha was as much of a main character as Dracula to just be used in One part of the anthology. Dare I say this is a story about their relationship development instead just a Dracula retelling. As most of the events followed tightly behind them.

Ep2 and ep 3 BOTH carry reminiscent of detective stories. Just different era. Ep2 was channeling gothic horror from head to toe. Ep3 serves thriller murder. i Love both! One of my FAVOURITE Dracula retelling. The other one being Hellsing.. not exactly by plot but by how they interpret and convey vampirism.

Talking about vampirism, its such a loose definition. Each interpretations have their own way to explain the fantasy power. That is a highlight of BBC Dracula, which is a close similarity Hellsing also have. That willpower was the factor at play. Why does Dracula repels sunlight or Christianity. Certainly its not a vampire thing, its just Dracula himself because that is what he known of, Christianity i mean. I doubt Buddhism works like that on him (the Dracula of the BBC remake) since he didnt know Buddha like that. It was all about mentality. Skill issue honestly. But willpower isnt a thing to be taken lightly. Of course it was "Rule of the Beast", because it wasnt a rule on humans, or anything else, it was his own rule applied on himself. Similar to Alucard, who limited himself on his own accord. These self loathing lil shits wield humour, nonchalance and monstrosity like a shield to hide their insecurity, what do one do with them.... Agatha and Integra saw allat and still think yeah this is what i would wanted to hold in my arms

I dont feel like Zoe and Agatha is the same person but its an interesting touch and a nod to Coppola's reincarnation plot? With Zoe later starts recalling Agatha memory like Mina recalling Elizabeth's memory in the 1992. But it doesnt pmo as much as the 1992 alterations, i feel like there are still some certain pushes and pull between Zoe and Dracula. They give so many personal agency to female characters in this remake its honestly very refreshing! I barely have any commentary on the gender disparations, if there was any. Of course we have to mention Lucy Westenra, oh I LOVE this character. Definitely better than whatever Coppola was doing (i dont hold 1992 version on high regards much.. there was too many ick for me). Here is how you write a hypersexual female characters. Both 1992 and 2020 established Lucy Westenra as an flirtatious party girl, not the naive sweetie like the book. But while i ICKKKKKKKKK with the 1992 interpretation, the 2020 Lucy Westenra have all of my heart. Yes she is playfully seductive, she is vain, seemingly the cliche of playgirl who disregard sweet nerdy boys (Jack Seward). but God strike me down if i could find anything in me to hate her. Her demeanour is the type of character very easily hated, and some of the reasons behind the hate is inspired by misogyny. She reminds me of Sansa Stark. In the sense that she was comfortable with her femininity and use it to her advantage, but at the same time shes deeply insecure and her outward demeanour was just a facade. She is kind of like Dracula, they are both vain, hoarding and indulging in physical pleasure in an attempt to compensate for their emotional needs. Both Drac and Lucy in this used each other as a cope, fulfilling only each other's physical needs. They both wished to be loved and accepted. But they couldnt and wouldnt understand each other. I dont ship them but I can see how their interactions brought out their characters. They reflected a part of themselves in each other. Agatha saw that part and she couldnt hate them. I could not hate them too ☹️💔

I also really adore her relationship with Jack Seward and Jack's character. I'm specifically invested in the relationship between Seward and Van Helsing throughout adaptations. The argumentative teacher and the less confrontational protege. They're cute. Dragatha witnessing first is Johnmina, and then Jacklucy, choosing love, doing the things they predecessors failed to do until the last moment. It's poetic. The double suicide was really something. I love that trope, where both held the mean to the other's destruction. That's what made them Dracula and Van Helsing. The hunter and the prey, predator in between. The character of Van Helsing works like wonder when the interpretations are women. Commonly regarded as the victim in these genres, a prey, but at the same time a Van Helsing, a hunter. It's such interesting to think about. And then there's Dracula, predator of women, prey of Van Helsing. So good. Love that trope. The scorpion can sting the frog when theyre carrying the scorpion through the river, but at the same time, the frog can dive down, drowning the scorpion. The nature of their relationship can destroy one another, nothing is fair in love and war unless it's between a Dracula and a Van Helsing. They can choose to kill one another and both are capable to. But will they? Or wont they? It is what appealing about a Dracula/Helsing relationship, without that aspect it wouldnt be half as enticing. So yes, i Love LOVE Dragatha. They did not forget the core of the Dracula/Helsing relationship, that they are dangerous to each other. Natural enemy. In Vietnamese we have a word "thiên địch" to call the species that in nature hunts a specific species. Cat is that to a mouse. The word roughly translated into "natural enemy" but while the word "enemy-địch" was accurate in translation, the word "natural" wasnt half as close. "Thiên" is not only "nature", but also means "sky" or "divine". A fated thing. They are born this way, but what will they choose to do with it. The impact of willpower is a strong theme in these matters. Especially in vampirism. And more than that, Van Helsing characters aren't just hunters, they're doctors, scholars, scientists. And they study Dracula, that is such an intimate aspect of their relationship too.

He could kill her. She too could kill him. A mutual relationship.

I feel like, both Jonathan and Lucy was considered a marriage prospect by Dracula, but both of them are not someone he couldve loved or couldve loved him. It's about the understanding that was nonexistence between all of them. And it's what Agatha seeks with him, she wished to know him. It was heartfelt. Not just to know what he can do, that's biological, but to know why he do that too. Again, Dracula and Van Helsing characters are bound together beyond biology, they chose to be in close vicinity, either to kill or just to prod. The obssession of the other one's presence is there regardless.

Another thing, right before I watched that remake I just recently watched Renfield (2023) too, a bit of whiplash seeing Renfield in 2020 and the Reinfield in 2023. It was such a fun and refreshing movie, I HIGHLY recommend. I am not too fond of Awkwafina but Nicholas Cage nailed down his role so GOOD. I am fond of the homoerotic toxic codependency thing Ren and Drac set up in that movie too it was very entertaining.

Oh I almost forget, there was a part where Zoe mentioned their organisation received money from a source they aren't comfortable disclosing. I am delusional and want to think Integra is a distant cousin of them and she slides them pocket money from her evaded tax share. Please take a look at this amazing fic No Life Beasts by oomf!!! I LOVE THE IDEA THAT THEY'RE BOTH CONNECTED SO MUCH!!!! Much MUCH to think about! especially with how Dracula was fixated on trying to procreate. If he see Alucard already acquired a fledgeling, hes gonna seeth with jealousy and baby fever at that sight hehe.

Uh and below would be nsfw, just a heads up!

Okay i spent almost a week to wrote this out chipping away at it little by little and during that time i sketched out tentacle sex alutegra!!! I would consider drawing more when i have the time or finished my old works... i kinda dont understand how tf does Alucard's tentacle worked it was definitely not just octopus-liked, it was sorts of shadow tendrils uhhh so i was just drawing it out randomly ... I had so much fun drawing Integra i really enjoy drawing her

[loooongfurby4444]

So I saw this blog (it had some terfy vibes but I couldn’t confirm it) that said, ‘ You destroyed gender roles! Why is it that when men are weaker and women are stronger in media they are labeled as trans?’ While this is kinda common, I don’t think that is a widespread problem like the poster made it out to be. I think it is just a tactic to demonize people who hc characters as trans. They then listed some characters but her main one was Dipper Pines, from Gravity Falls.

I’m sorry, you think Dipper Pines is being hc as trans solely because of him being less physically strong than other characters? There was an entire episode dedicated to feeling as though you aren’t man enough due to societal expectations. No one can decide if he is a man or not. The lesson he takes away from the episode resonates with a lot of transpeople (especially transmasc ones). Queer people are also a large part of Gravity Fall’s fanbase. When a show draws attention to gender roles in a setting, many people want to make room for trans readings. If that episode of Gravity Fall’s was not made, I think the hc’s about Trans Dipper would be almost halved.

Another character she mentioned was Viktor, from League of Legends and Arcane. Viktor’s trans hc’s, in my experience (as I hc him as trans too) is due to a few factors. One, he is a transhumanist…The prefix making for associations with the one of the most common usages of said prefix, transgender. He is also a robot man, robots I think, though on a lesser scale than monsters, resonate with queer people. He has taken initiative to modify his body how he sees fit, against what society would expect of him. He is also an outsider, feeling like he doesn’t fit in (and to be honest he doesn’t) with Piltover. Characters who have a struggle to fit in due to unchangeable qualities often resonate with trans people. I believe one of Viktor’s main creators said they support the headcanons, although that may just be gossip. His homoerotic friendship with Jayce also plays a role in this. Many people with gay relationships in media are also headcanoned as trans (the so gay they’re trans pipeline), which may be the issue she was trying to point to about trad gender roles. Again, while I think this does happen to a degree. I must also point to that in situations that have room for LGBTQ characters, people who consume said media, might hc characters as LGBTQ.

Luz Noceda is a character she brought up as well. Luz Noceda is in the Gay Witch Show…I’m sorry if you didn’t want trans headcanons on the Gay Witch Show, you brought it upon yourself! She is headcanoned as trans for multiple reasons here is a compiled list-The so gay they are trans pipeline, want to escape society being queer friendly (and attracting trans viewers), fanbase and show itself being pretty trans friendly (ie having many trans people), demonized by society for something she can’t control, themes of found family, evil puritan guy is the villain of said show.

That post just couldn’t leave my mind and what was I supposed to do? Not type up a response at 2:00 am???

I may add more characters in a reblog but I had to get this off my chest.

[tossball-stick]

everyones freaking out over the brothers thing, but they state that they arent actually related, and the term brother for men youre unrelated to has a long homoerotic history. especially during the victorian period, of which piltover is inspired by. you guys dont need canon reasons to ship things, you can ignore canon thats fine to do. regardless, here is another reason you all can ship the yaoi brothers guilt free: they arent actually brothers, therefor you can ship them.

like seriously guys please for the love of god stop acting like you arent allowed to think differently than the show creators and game writers. there is so much LoL lore that im rewriting for myself because it doesnt matter. you can do whatever you want forever, and also riot doesnt care about the games lore whatsoever. even if there are people working on it with love, riot is just forcing another fucking rewrite of all of it. so who cares

this isnt even to mention the fact that the show itself loves to compare and contrast familial and romantic love; the show loves paralleling vi and jinx (familial) to vander and silco (romantic; also!! they call each other brothers!!!! the show itself uses brother as a homoerotic term of endearment!!! you can too), as well as making vi's two choices be between family and romance, with jinx jealous of caitlynn 'replacing' her. again, we are seeing the emphasis of how familial and romantic love are intertwined with each other. like, ultimately this should be its own post, but im trying to make my point here:

jayvik is purposefully vague about its status om whether its romantic or familial love. you can interpret it however you like, thats no sin. what IS the sin is that riot games (allegedly) has a history of doing this with their characters. there are many more instances of LoL characters that are clearly intended to have gay vibes with others of the same gender, but they cant just outright confirm that. fucking. udyr and lee sin come to mind as blatant examples of this, they have extremely gay vibes and lore and dialogue (they even love to be nebulously fused like jayvik), but have no actual word on their relationship. they could genuinely just be really good bros, or they could be gay! its up to you.

in conclusion, if youre letting this stop you from shipping fictional characters: stop it! get some help! have some creativity of your own and make things up that may seem out of character. thats the point of fandom- have fun with it. if youre scared about something not being canon, i have something i regret to tell you: none of your interpretations of either of these characters is anything close to canon!! nobodys is!! theyre our interpretations, so do whats most fun!!

[sapphos-corner]

As the Seasons Pass Ch. 1 "Mid-July" ☆ A sapphic fiction story

Synopsis: Genie has been struggling with a homoerotic friendship. She meets a girl named Valerie through this friend. Tonight is the first time she's hanging out with Valerie one-on-one. Platonically of course. This story is gonna be a very slow burn, so this chapter surrounds the first stage of building the dynamic that Genie and Valerie will have. This is part one, but there is a background chapter that surrounds the homoerotic relationship Genie has. If you'd like to check that out, it's linked in my pinned post.

Contains: Nervous Genie. Car ride. General sapphic nervousness and awkwardness. Concert. Slice of life. Indirect kisses:p

Warnings: Although there isn't smut in this chapter, this story as a whole is not for minors. If you're not 18+ you are not welcome here, I mean this in the nicest way.

Word count: 1.6K

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I wake up to another instagram notification, a DM from Valerie.

@/Valthehuman: Wait would you want to hang out? Like before the next group hangout? There's a show tomorrow night at that bar you were asking about, if ur free/interested in going. I have an extra ticket too?

@/Geniesirius: Yeah omg, that sounds so fun, just let me know what time! :)

There's a bubbly, fluttery feeling rising in my chest that actually makes me excited to get out of bed. I head out to the kitchen and make breakfast.

My phone lights up and I pick up my phone with a record amount of speed. It's not Val. It's one of the scam texts about the election. I roll my eyes and put my phone down.

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I'm in the middle of drawing a cute little neurographic-style page when my phone lights up again. This time it's her.

@/Valthehuman: Awesome! It starts at 7:30, do u wanna meet there or I can pick you up? It’s kind of a hard place to find unless you know what you’re looking for.

@/Geniesirius: Yeah that would be so nice actually, i hate driving into downtown :)) I'll send my address over in a sec!

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I'm really anxious getting ready. Val's so cool and effortless. I've gone through three different outfits, I probably should have asked about the vibe.

I grip my phone and start scouring Val's page in an attempt to find the band that's playing tonight. I click on her tagged photos and scroll a bit, revealing a picture of a crowd with Val front line and center. Her eyes were wide and she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on anyone's face.

The caption reads: "So lucky to have had some of my closest friends at my first show." Posted by @/jennadummy.

After going through her feed, I see she's the drummer of this band. I watch a few of the reels and it seems to be a pretty eclectic alternative band. This is good. Everyone at the shows dress pretty casual and the crowds run pretty small.

I settle on some black cargo pants and a lavender babytee. I accessorize with some silver jewelry and spritz some peach perfume on my neck and wrists. She's picking me up in an hour and I feel a ball of anxiety building in the pit of my stomach.

I keep telling myself it's not a big deal, because it's not. I'm just hanging out with a new person and making a friend. It's not like im going on a tinder date with a stranger or something. It's literally not even a thing it's just a stupid little hangout in a public place. Oh and a forty-five minute drive with someone that's had maybe six minutes of screentime in my life so far. Fuuuuuck fuck fuck fuck fuck what are we even gonna talk about for forty-five minutes?

I pick my phone up again and start stalking her socials again, I have to find at least one thing I can resort to if things feel too quiet and weird. She has the link to her spotify in her bio, truly a godsend. She only has one playlist titled 'everything' and it's over two thousand hours long. I scroll through and see we have a ton of bands and artists in common, I click through and sample the songs and artists I don't know. All niche, obscure bands that have under a thousand monthly listeners.

In the middle of my venture, a random number texts me.

234-555-6789: Hey it's Valerie, I was wondering if you wanted to pick up some food or snacks or something to eat on the way? If so, I'll probably be on my way now, if that's okay?

I forgot we exchanged numbers earlier, my heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw it was her. The stress I'm feeling is borderline ridiculous, but no matter how hard I try to overcome it, I can't help but turn into a puddle of nerves before I hang out with literally anyone, even (correction: especially) Sabrina.

Me: Yeah, that sounds awesome actually. I'm ready to go too so just lmk when ur on the way:))

She leaves a heart on the message and lets me know she'll be here in ten minutes.

It feels like a mass of knots are winding and tightening in the pit of my stomach. My hands are shaky and my breath is shorter than it usually is when I get nervous before going out.

I head outside two minutes before her ETA so she won't have to wait on me. She pulls up and her car is insane. It looks brand new, and it's a dark blue color.

I walk around to the passenger and open the door.

"Heeeeey, You look good." The smile on her face is major and she reaches over for me and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me, it's good to see you again. You look really good too." I find that last part couldn't help but come out fast paced and slightly jumbled. She's wearing an olive green oversized button up, which is of course, unbuttoned. Underneath is a white tank top and her pants are dark and baggy. Her hair is shaggy and reflects the light, complimenting its natural black color with an orange and yellow shine. Her eyes are decorated with smudged black eyeliner, and her lip tint is a neutral brown color. If her appearance could be summed up in one word, it would be 'androgynous.'

She drives with one hand and sings under her breath so softly you'd never know she was doing it unless you paid attention. Which I'm totally not, by the way.

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"My passenger door is kinda fucked up right now, so I gotta open it from outside."

She turns the wheel so smoothly, and she purses her lips as she parks. When she stops the car she develops a wide smile.

"Parked right on the first try swag"

I feel my face scrunch as I laugh through my nose. "should we call bella hadid?"

Mutual laughter erupts and she opens the driver door and steps out of the car. She speed walks over to my side and pulls the handle with a slight urgency. She walks a little quicker than me, opening the door to the gas station before I can reach it. As I walk past her, I am greeted with a lightly cologned smell. It's very woody with some light notes of vanilla.

"Thanks. You're so chivalrous."

"You gotta be while courting."

I turn my head towards her and we make eye contact. She starts shaking her head quickly. Her eyebrows lifted, her eyes squinted, Her lips upturned and pushed together awkwardly.

"I'm.. kidding.." She says semi-convincingly. For some reason a slight sense of grief stirs in my chest. Random.

"I wouldn't be mad if you were."

"You're bad at flirting."

"Me? You're...awful. Jesus. What kind of trouble are you trying to get into in the seven eleven, though?"

"Oof i don't know. Perhaps an energy drink and something sweet. How 'bout you?"

"I think I'm gonna opt for the same."

I settled on the cherry limeade celsius and dark chocolate covered pretzels. She got the sour patch kids 'ghost energy' and a bag of jolly ranchers.

"Do you like these?" She gestures to her drink.

"I've never tried it, but sour patch kid flavor is...borderline unhinged."

"Wanna try it?" She cracks the can and hands it over to me. I reciprocate the gesture and we switch cans.

"Wow this is actually really good." She lifts her eyebrows and nods her head in approval.

"This tastes radioactive. I'm getting one every time I go to the gas station now."

We re-swap and she starts back on the road.

"Would you mind handing me a jolly rancher?"

"Yeah, of course. What's your favorite flavor?"

"Blue raspberry! How about you? You can have as many as you want, by the way."

"Cherry for sure. Blue raspberry is up there too, obviously."

I grab one of each and slip hers in between her pointer and middle fingers on the wheel.

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She opens the door for me as we step into the club. The entire place is consumed by red lighting, the walls are covered in art and it's a pretty good turnout.

"You wanna drink!?" She nods her head towards the bar

"Yeah for sure!"

She grabs my hand as we walk through the crowd. Her hand is cold and soft.

"So how do you know the band!?"

"I've known the drummer since second grade! we're still good friends!"

"Do any of your other friends from school come to the shows!?"

"Yeah, our friend group from high school comes to the shows, the ones that still live nearby, at least! They should all be here tonight though!"

"That's pretty cool!"

"What do you want to drink!?"

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She insisted on covering the tab. I got an amaretto sour and she got a lemon drop martini. We walk over to the crowd and she scans the area.

Val leans in close to my ear "They're over here."

She grabs my hand again and leads me to her friend group. She introduces me, and then tells me everyone's name. I repeat it to myself in my head until it sticks. Serena, Polly, Annie, Jolene, Belle, Bridget. Serena, Polly, Annie, Jolene, Belle, Bridget. Okay, got it. I think. The group and I exchange hellos and I catch Belle smile and raise her eyebrows at Valerie. As subtly as possible I look to Val, who blushes and slyly shakes her head.

The band comes out and the crowd 'woos' in encouragement. Jenna starts screaming, which absolutely catches me off guard. The group laughs along with the rest of the audience and the singer steps up to the mic. Val turns to me and whispers in my ear. "She's just like that, it's part of her shtick."

After a short and sweet introduction, the music starts.

I catch a glimpse of Val dancing. I can't help but smile, she looks so happy. Her black eyeliner is a little more smudged than before and her eyes glitter in the red lighting. I think this has crossed the line from a glimpse to a stare as I notice Polly in the background furrow her eyebrows and cross her arms.

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"You came on the right night, that was one of their best sets ever."

She speeds past me as we get closer to the car, opening the door for me.

[cursedeclipse]

is feyre boring, or do you just hate female characters?

i saw this text post and it got me thinking how strange it is that a series made by a female author, targeted towards a female audience, and is women-centered can be so heinous and quick to write off the main female main character in favor of side male characters.

feyre is often joked about being a "mary sue" or a boring self insert when she is easily one of the most fleshed out characters in her own series. we have three books full of her thoughts, depicting her trauma, and her story and somehow she's boring and a self-insert? based on what exactly?

even her "flaws" are used against her and joked about at wits end. jokes about her illiteracy, about how people think she is bad at art, and how she is a "bitch" for "destroying the spring court."

feyre isn't allowed to have trauma responses to tamlin, because when she pushes back against him a little bit she is antagonizing him. obviously, a hundreds-years-old male can't control his powers and his emotions, he can't help but to react aggressively towards her behavior! it's feyre's fault for upsetting him (let's not talk about how that is classic abuse apologist language though...). poor tamlin found a 19-year-old girl who was abused and neglected all her life, took her from her home, lied to and manipulated her, and gaslit her when she started showing signs of c-ptsd. why couldn't feyre just be nice to her abuser?

but feyre is also too meek and a doormat throughout the acotar trilogy. it doesn't matter that she was neglected and abused her whole life and that often gives someone a low sense of self-worth, it makes her boring and she's a liar about the abuse she faced in her childhood anyway!

why do people treat the main female character like this? people love to act like female characters are never written well or fleshed out, meanwhile, they will give todd the bus driver who appears twice in a book whole headcanons, fics, and fanart that centers around him. is that male character really more interesting than the many female characters or do you just see women as dolls to place prettily in the backdrop of a man's journey?

are eris, azriel, lucien, tamlin, and tarquin really all that much more interesting and well-developed than feyre, elain, mor, and amren? am i supposed to believe you when you say that azriel is more interesting and more developed than a male character like rhys and that elain is too boring for him?

is it a coincidence that people gravitate towards fleshing out 800 male characters in every fandom and make so much content out of mlm ships, yet when there are canonical gay women it's crickets?

i don't think that shipping azris or whatever mlm ship makes you a bad person nor do i think making content on mlm ships is wrong. however,these biases don't exist in a vacuum. it's the reason why female characters will be sidelined for imagined mlm ships. she'll be pushed aside and the fandom might hc her as a lesbian or a huge bitch so she's not "in the way". they might even make up a ship with a woman that there isn't a lot of homoerotic vibes with but post things like "omg they're gfs and who hold hands and they 'yass queen' x mlm ship i really gaf about! 🥺" and that's as complex as lesbians are allowed to be in comparison. (sidenote: as a gay woman, that is not allyship towards lesbians/bi women but comes across as writing the fmc off so she's not a threat to your ship btw).

why is mor hated on, questioned, called a snake, etc. while her abuser is paraded in this fandom unquestionably? there is mor/emerie content, but it's telling that the amount pales in comparison to mlm ship content. and that happens in every fandom. there can be 100 female characters in a series and let two men exist with like 2 personality traits each and people will flock to shipping them.

it's frustrating to see how well-meaning people can rush to being male-centered more often than not. that people will have a set of very high standards for female characters, and if they're not to their specific set of interests people rush to call them boring, undeveloped, or untrustworthy. whereas a man can have .01% amount of on-page time and people just automatically assume there is more to him. an abuser isn't just an abuser but he exists in the shadow of his horrible upbringing, expectations his family had for him, pressure by society, etc. men are allowed to be layered in their flaws/actions.

a female character has to be the most prolific female character in existence to be seen in any sort of depth. and that just makes me not believe people when they say that they don't show more support to female characters because, "only men are ever written well! it's not my fault the author can't write women." that is just using misogyny as a shield.

is feyre boring? or do you just not like how differently trauma shows up in people? is elain boring? or do you just not care to dissect her in the ways you would azriel or eris? is mor boring? or do you just hate it when women are strong-willed and confident?

[technicolorfamiliar]

Well, it took me a year, but I watched a billion 50+ Conrad Veidt films. Some good, some great, some so bad that I hope I never have to see them again.

This post is a stand in for the entire second half of this filmic journey -- I'll link the original 5 posts that make up the first part below. But instead of reposting all of my reviews for all of these titles (the original posts for these are on Pillowfort), I'll just share some highlights below the cut.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5

Bleaker and darker than I expected, but that makes sense if it's based on a WWI memoir. What happened to Martha was legitimately awful and hard to watch. Stilted performances aside, I would have also liked a whole separate movie about the lesbian spy aunt. But Commandant Oberaertz... [redacted]. He's so hot, despite the character being absolutely awful and creepy and intimidating. I actually said "wow" out loud about his body shape in that costume. That jacket is fitted within a millimeter of its life. How many other films did Connie use this lower register in? Not many, right? It's too much, TOO MUCH. I think this movie took ten years off my life.

I Was a Spy, 1933

Dir. Victor Saville

⭐3/5

Watched Feb 18, Snowgrouse's masterpost

Connie's performance in this is more sympathetic than it has any right to be. The movie very easily could have been sensationalist garbage, and I'm so glad it was handled with relative care and humanity. I liked his whole vibe, I am not immune to party boy Rasputin's charms; "he's got the kavorca, the lure of the animal!" He looks like he stinks, which in this case may not necessarily be a bad thing. I don't even know what to make of all the cooing and baby talk he does with Alexei, or for that matter Drunk!Rasputin dancing and climbing over furniture to get at his ladies. I wish we got to see more scenes with Rasputin and the royal family, how those relationships formed and affected matters of state. We only really get to know about any of that through dialogue among other court officials. And so the emotional turn at the ending was unexpected. The way he cried out after being shot, I've never heard a sound like that come from a human being. Needless to say I did not feel great when the movie ended, but I liked it way more than I thought I would.

Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen, 1932

Dir. Adolf Trotz

⭐3/5

Watched Mar 23, Archive.org

Almost all the performances in this are pretty excellent. The stripped back, realistic style with handheld, newsreel camerawork really suits these actors and the story. Apparently this is a remake of an English film which is based on a play, and it definitely feels like a play. I'm fascinated by this little movie, it's basically an anti-war film about British soldiers in WWI produced in Germany in the early 30s… how did this even get made?? Messages about the horrors of war aside, the homoerotic undertones (overtones?) alone make this a truly unique piece of storytelling for the time and place it was filmed. And those under/overtones are treated pretty respectfully, none of these men are the butt of a joke, how they are with one another is handled with a naturalism that isn't really seen again until maybe the 1950s. And Connie. The range. Can we talk about Stanhope? He's a gruff, messy drunk, a traumatized, hollowed out husk of a man. When Osbourne says something like "you'll be alright when this is over," NO HE WOULDN'T, HE'D BE WORSE. His relationship with Raleigh is interesting too, clearly they were more than casual friends. I didn't believe for a second that the tension between Stanhope and Raleigh was about the sister/fiancée, it's weak, weak I tell you. It's one of Connie's most underrated performances.

Die andere Seite, 1931

Dir. Heinz Paul

⭐3.75/5

Watched Apr 27, Snowgrouse's masterpost

Everyone in this movie looks like a Rankin Bass stop motion character. The ending was abrupt as fuck, Werner Krauss' Jack the Ripper got a lot less screen time and I wonder if they just tacked that onto the end after they realized they spent too much time on Emil Jannings' and Connie's characters. There's a lot of fondling going on in this movie, there's the guy with the bread in the first part, then Connie going all glassy-eyed caressing his globes. Ivan the Terrible is a certified DIVA in that diaphanous, white robe, even with the hard middle part and scraggly beard. What is he doing with his tongue the whole time, though?? Love that he crashes some random girl's wedding, lets her father get murdered by assassins, kidnaps her AND her husband, and brings them both home to his sex dungeon. Connie is doing the most -- the eyes, the gestures, all the greatest hits from his silent film acting tool box, he's whipping them out for this role.

Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks), 1924

Dir. Paul Leni, Leo Birinski

⭐2/5

Watched May 29, Archive.org

I didn't like this movie, I just wanted an excuse to post this screenshot. But it actually is a very silly little movie, with what must have been an enormous budget for costumes and sets, and it has some cute physical comedy. Sadly, Connie's in too little of the film to save it from being obnoxious. I did like the Czar's body double who just wanted to work on his needlepoint, and the Court Spanker who was clearly really into his job. And of course Metternich, that sly dog, that velvet-clad scamp. Between the all the foxy, gap-toothed grinning he does and the way he's going to town on that dialogue, he is as always a pleasure to watch. The English version is on Youtube somewhere, so I may go through that and pick out the time stamps for Connie's scenes because I don't think I could sit through this whole movie again, especially not that stupid fucking "Wien und der Wein" song, jesus christ.

Der Kongress tanzt, 1931

Dir. Erik Charell

⭐2/5

Watched Jun 23, Snowgrouse's masterpost

Apparently this movie was considered a flop, and Connie wasn't super happy with this role and others around this time. I think I must have had that info in the back of my mind somewhere going into this movie, because my expectations were pretty low. So, as usual, I actually wound up liking it more than I thought I would. It's a lot sillier than it has any right to be, but yeah it's ultimately a piece of fluff compared to some of the other heavy-hitting films on this list. I love when Connie has a comedic foil like the Marius character, but it could have been a lot better if the dialogue was snappier and the timing tighter. And Connie's character promises to be this bad bitch at the top of the movie, but all we get is one quick, poorly choreographed sword fight and a whole bunch of nothing after that. There's all this build up, I mean, the character is nicknamed The Black Death, and the movie never really lets the character live up to the name. It's a missed opportunity for sure. That said, the Puffy Shirt with the open collar "ensconced in velvet" (to risk yet more Seinfeld references), jaunty hat, knee-high boots with spurs look is really doing it for me. And THERE ARE PUPPIES. Perhaps the most delightful thing that has ever happened in cinematic history. I couldn’t believe it. Connie picked up the first puppy and said, "You big boy, you!" and I hate him, like full Madeline Kahn Mrs. White "flames… on the side of my face." I hate him so much.

Under the Red Robe, 1937

Dir. Victor Seastrom

⭐2.5/5

Watched Jul 17, Youtube