#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).

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

[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

[johnslittlespoon]

ok okokk i may be pushing it but i just cant stop picturing barry circa 2012 with leaving!bucky. i just feel like theyd have the cutest dynamic ever. he gives art student vibes like maybe hes studying film or literature. theyre childhood bestfriends and maybe they were eachother's homoerotic-codependent-friendship canon event. UGHH theyd be so cute stfuu. and maybe bucky and gale are already established and curt is just yearning for a whileee like over a year of slow burn until the three of them are a throuple... idk i just miss curtbuckbucky. you dont have to change your canon for the long fic i just needed to share this idea lmfao

au post | NO ur not pushing it this is such fun world building teehee <33 genuinely this is gonna help me later for drafting! (FUCK MY LIFE HOW IS THIS 2K WORDS. i thought i only had a few thoughts... i was so wrong. my bad chief. enjoy/suffer ig)

ok so this is so funny because i've actually been thinking ab how sweet those two would be together, cute little nerdy besties, and how they'd meet because of course curt has to be in this fic!!

and the first thing my mind went to was the cliche homoerotic codependent friendship trope too LMAO. i'm feeling like maybe they meet on the first day of highschool; neither of them share their english class with any friends, and they end up sat next to each other, and john keeps side–eyeing him because curt looks... interesting. (ie: deep into his emo phase. the fringe. the smudged eyeshadow. chipped black nail polish, band shirts– all things john does not let him live down as they grow up.)

but his eyes settle on some pin on curt's jacket that has some character from his favourite movie or something, and the yap jumps out, john can't control it. blurts out a "you like ___ too?!" and curt's head snaps over and he nods nervously and john takes one look at those big sad charcoal–ringed blue puppy eyes and is like yup. this is the one. will protect with my life.

(tiny headcanon that rly won't have a big effect on plot or anything, but i feel like it just fits very well with john/his character in leaving– dude's got madddd undiagnosed adhd. he's written off as a loud mouth/troublemaker in his childhood, but he wants to be a good kid, his mind is just always going too fast and sitting still is torture and his parents get frustrated and don't look into the root of the problem, trying to discipline it out of him instead. i will heal my inner child by healing him alright)

they're attached at the hip from that moment on and it makes sense to no one because they seem like complete opposites, curt more inclined towards the arts and bookish things and his friends are all the same, whereas john is more inclined towards athletics and science and hangs around that type of crowd as well. but they both love video games and movies and music and they bond over never really feeling like they fit in anywhere particular and both groups of friends get along just fine when they all get together. <3

but yk time goes on, they learn things about themselves as they grow up, and curt and john are so close and spend so much time together that they're already a lot closer than regular friends– they just don't realize it. they think nothing of cuddling up on the couch watching movies together, or sharing a bed when john stays over at curt's place after he gets into a fight with his parents, or being much more interested in spending time together than pursuing girls.

and curt's pretty– john nearly mistakes him for a girl that first day they meet. the summer before their senior year, john practically spends the whole summer at curt's house, and curt's mom doesn't mind; she works long hours and is glad her son isn't spending the summer moping around indoors alone, and she loves john and gets the feeling that her home is a sanctuary for him. one day they're in the backyard lazing around, and they get onto the topic of first kisses, and neither of them have had a proper relationship outside of those classic week–long middleschool flings that don't actually mean anything, so there's not much to talk about.

but being dumb teenage boys, they start worrying about "what if we're really bad at kissing and no girls wanna go with us to senior prom this year" etc. and one of them pops the suggestion of practicing together, and thus begins a summer of sweet stolen kisses and hand holding and experimenting and dancing around calling it something. it ends when the summer does because they realize that they both work better as friends, but they're as close as ever and both definitely learn they aren't straight (and they probably make a cute pact– "if we aren't in love by the time we're thirty, we'll just marry each other.")

i don't see them really doing much together because they're young and shy and inexperienced, but it's enough for john to decide that yeah, he definitely likes guys too, but that's all that really amounts to (until he meets gale) because he's growing up in a small town in wisconsin and it's not the easiest/most accepting place to find other queers. john probably ends up dating a real sweet girl during his last year of highschool, but she's going away for college and john's going to a local one so it ends amicably at the end of summer, both of them staying close friends. (if we wanna get sickeningly wholesome, maybe she ends up pining for a girl while john's pining for gale and they share their little stories and give each other advice and facetime every week to catch up <3)

(++ curt ends up falling head over heels for ken, who he meets through john when curt and john's friend groups get together for movie nights or summer parties. john pretends to be annoyed at how lovesick they are when they first start crushing, but he ends up matchmaking and being the one to push them to confess their feelings after graduation because he loves his friends.)

BUT THEN, leaving this fic's 'canon' to elaborate on the throuple stuff you said! i miss curtbuckbucky too </3

in a separate universe, curt doesn't end up with ken, and as much as he loves his friendship with john and agrees that a relationship wouldn't have worked at that time in their lives, he spends that first year of college pining. when john starts talking about some guy named gale during their second year, he's a little sad, but mostly protective, because "what do you MEAN he's in his 30s??" and "he's a BIKER?"

but john eventually introduces him to gale after a few months of telling curt about him, probably once he and gale actually start seeing each other, and curt immediately gets it. and then he's in double–hell because not only is he a bit (a lot) in love with his best friend, but he's blushing every time said best friend's new bf talks to him, and they're gonna notice eventually if they haven't already and he feels so guilty.

more yearning ensues and john is dense and doesn't realize but gale picks up on it, maybe even notices john doing a bit of pining of his own that john's not fully aware of. and his heart twists because his mind goes to his own insecurities about how john should be seeing someone his own age, so he sits john down and opens up a conversation about it. john is adamant that he's very, very happy with gale, but he tells gale about his and curt's past and admits that he has always still had feelings for him, but insists that it's not something he'd ever pursue, that he values curt's friendship more.

gale throws him off by saying he wouldn't mind if john wanted to explore those feelings, and at first john gets anxious gale is calling things off with the two of them and this is his way of softening the blow, but gale reassures him that's not the case, that he's very happy with their relationship. he just encourages that if he wants to talk to curt and feel things out, he wouldn't be opposed to john and curt seeing each other as well– gale's often busy, after all, so it would be nice for john to have someone else, as long as curt's comfortable with that kind of arrangement and as long as john keeps gale in the loop.

they decide to kinda just feel it out as they go, but soon enough gale starts coming home from work every so often to find the two of them curled up on his couch together, sweet and innocent. curt's wary at first, always slightly detaching himself from john when gale's around, but gale is always friendly and doesn't change up his routine, settling on the couch at john's other side like it's not a big deal at all, wanting to show curt he's welcome there, not wanting john to feel guilty.

it's another scenario where lines just sorta start to blur over time, curt spending a lot of time over at gale's house, and gale sees the way curt looks at him, probably noticed it from the first time they met but chalked it up to nerves at the time. curt's an angel and he's grown quite fond of him, but he doesn't want to overstep, so he leaves it up to curt, thinking maybe the boy will mention it to john one day and john will in turn come to gale to talk about it.

and eventually that happens, just like gale thought it might. curt's just gone home and john's head is in his lap on the couch while they watch tv, and john asks "what do you think about curt?" and gale tells him that he's sweet and he loves how much john smiles when he's around him, the usual. "so you like him?" john pushes, and gale immediately has a feeling where this conversation is going, drags his eyes away from the tv to look down at john.

says "of course" easily, and lets john take his time forming his thoughts. john ends up telling him that he and curt were fooling around earlier while gale was at work (and god help gale for the images that puts in his head) and that he'd made some offhand comment about how curt better hurry up if he doesn't want gale to come home and catch him half naked on their couch. and john's all shy when he says "and curt, uh. y'know. that... did it for him" with a vague gesture LOL. gale never fails to find it amusing how certain things can fluster john to talk about after all they've done together.

"so, anyway. i asked him about it after, if it was a coincidence, and he was real shy about it, but he did admit after a whole lot of apologizing that he likes you." gale listens to him nervously get his words out, petting his hair encouragingly, waits for him to be done before he asks "how do you feel about that?" only to watch the flush return when john mumbles "it's hot."

this is getting sooo long i need to take away my own typing privileges, but basically that's how things would start between the three of them– john and gale agree that gale will let himself be a bit flirty with curt and see how curt takes it. obviously this goes a little too well when curt gets hot and bothered sat between john and gale during a movie night with john's hand on his knee and gale's arm resting on the couch behind him while he plays with curt's hair.

the movie is forgotten when gale's finger catches on a tangled curl and curt doesn't bite back the little whine that slips out in time and john's head snaps over and he mumbles a "fuck" when he realizes what's happened, and his lack of filter comes out to play when he turns to curt and asks "curt, can gale kiss you?" and curt turns to gale with big doll eyes and nods.

john ends up palming himself over his shorts as he watches gale coax curt into his lap, face hot and pupils blown as he gets to see both his guys make out in front of him, almost dizzy seeing curt get so shy and needy and pliant because when it's just the two of them, he and curt are both very balanced in their dynamic. they've been such close friends for so long that not much gets the other truly shy like that, and they're always quick to voice their wants and crack jokes while fooling around and all. so to see curt get so flustered in that way with gale has him lightheaded, and by the time they all collapse into gale's bed at the end of the night, john's convinced this is the best decision he's ever made.

there's a lot of pining on curt's end because for a while it's kinda just sex when it's the three of them, and he loves it but he also finds himself wanting more but feeling too scared to voice it because he feels like he's intruding. but eventually they all get their shit sorted out; curt fits into their relationship just right in a way gale and john never intended or expected, and gale falls for curt just as much as john has and curt does the same with gale.

gale's got two sweet things glued to his side now and man, do they ever give him a run for his money, and if he'd thought john had too much energy (and stamina) it's nothing compared to keeping up with both of them, but he wouldn't have it any other way. <3

throuple things won't be happening in the actual fic, but i do love the idea of exploring the dynamic the three of them might have in a spin–off of that au so this was rly fun thx :-) maybe i'll write a pwp oneshot set in that universe as an excuse to write more curtbuckbucky once the fic is done LOL we'll see!

[childotkw]

Back when I first read 'You belong to me, I belong to you' I really thought Nathan Ciro would be a secret spy of Grindelwald's as a plot twist and that the whole MoD Harry thing was meant to lead us astray, that Nathan was marked by Grindelwald instead of it being a mark of Death.

Was that intentional or was I just thinking too much?

Also what if Nathan was planning his revenge all along and his death was the final part of the ritual to summon an avenging angel/reaper (Harry) and Nathan has been there the entire time watching, imagine an AU where Harry and Nathan are *sharing* Nathan's body. I would cry.

I hate to love your omc so much. Because there's not enough of him and I ship him and Harry like crazy but him being an original character means the content about him is very minimal. Second year Harry who's being bullied by the Hogwarts students and canon Nathan would make such a good pair. It's so much easier to stand up for someone else than yourself, they could protect one another.

I'm in a sad mood and have been thinking about Nathan for a few days now, made a post about Simon!Harry yesterday and I still can't stop thinking about it, both of my babies deserved better than what they got. I'm craving Harry and Nathan being as homoerotically codependent as the Winchester brothers, because while the whole world is against them, at least they still have each other. 🙏

Thank you mother, for birthing Nathan Ciro.

Amen.

I'm not gonna lie, darling, there were some other plotlines for Nathan that I discarded because they weren't meshing well with the overall vibe of the story. One of those was Nathan being far more calculative and biding his time in regards to his bullies - but I scrapped it for reasons.

It was always intended to be a MoD story, but it was a bit intentional on my part to draw that comparison to Grindelwald's mark.

And I might include Nathan in a future work, if I do another time travel-esque story! I do really like him as well, and I think he'd be a good background character that isn't connected to Tom, so Harry could have someone sane to talk to if he ever got yeeted back in time and found himself surrounded by baby Death Eaters. They would definitely bolster each other, and have plenty of good chemistry, much to Tom's jealousy and frustration!

[areallycoolanduniqueusername]

Laurie Strode and Annie Brackett Evidence

Seeing as how I'm hyperfocusing on Halloween right now and no-one else online ships this (especially 1978 Laurnie) except for me and a handful of other people (shout out to this amazing edit on tiktok) I thought I'd give my pitch for it here.

First of all since I know a lot of you don't care about "canon evidence" and like ships more for the vibes I'll go over their dynamic for anyone who's uninitiated or hasn't seen Halloween in a while.

Laurie Strode in 1978 is a shy, sweet, probably autistic but that's a post for another day, 17-year-old girl. She likes babysitting, reading, knitting, and hanging out with her friends. She spends most of her time babysitting because she can never find a date (and apparently teenage girls in the 70s had no other hobbies XD).

Annie Brackett is one of Laurie's two best friends. She lives a few houses down from Laurie and they seem to spend a lot of time together. Annie is snarky, sarcastic, and witty. In the novelization she's said to always be in a rush for no discernable reason and she was apparently the first among her peers to lose her virginity.

Annie and Laurie have a lot of teasing banter throughout the film.

For my more concrete evidence, I have a few points I can make:

In the novelization, after making one of her jokes, Annie calls Laurie "cute" and ruffles her hair

Also in the novelization, when asking Laurie why she never goes out, Annie says "do you prefer girls? I'll try anything once"

When Annie calls her on the phone, Laurie laughs at one of her jokes while twirling her hair (although this is a stim Laurie has throughout the movie)

At one point, Annie feeds a piece of popcorn to Laurie in a vaguely homoerotic way

Now for some counterevidence:

Annie tends to poke fun at Laurie for never going out in most of their conversations. While these jabs do occasionally feel a bit mean-spirited, she does try to set Laurie up with Ben Tramer in what seems to be a genuine attempt to help her, but her refusing to back down from the arrangement is also a bit dickish.

Overall, because of what little screentime they get in the 1978 movie, it's hard to tell how seriously Laurie's friend group's teasing is. In the novelization the jokes and jabs are a bit more evenly spread throughout the group, whereas the movie tends to have a lot of jokes at Laurie's expense. I feel like "Oh great I have three options: watch the kid sleep, listen to Lynda screw around or talk to you" (a line from Annie) gives the impression that Annie doesn't like Laurie's company, which isn't great for the ship, or their friendship in general, but we do have to keep in mind she is in a particularly bad mood during this scene because her boyfriend Paul has just told her he's grounded and can't see her tonight. It's quite possible she's usually nicer to Laurie, particularly given their other scenes together.

The not-quite-picture-perfect friendship isn't a deal-breaker for the ship, though. In fact, the fact Laurie puts up with Annie's shortcomings might be a sign of a crush (although that's obviously not healthy, girl you can do better) and Annie is shown to genuinely care about Laurie.

Sashanne from Amphibia comes to mind when thinking of similar ships with toxic friend dynamics. I could see Annie going on a similar redemption arc (though obviously her behavior is not nearly as cruel or manipulative as Sasha's) and learning to appreciate Laurie more.

That isn't necessary though, as I could also see their interactions in the movie being perfectly harmless if given enough context (How long have they been friends? How often is Annie actually a GOOD friend to Laurie? Does Laurie tease Annie like this too? (we do see a little bit of this in the movie))

Now I bet you're wondering: But Mx Coolandunique, what about when Laurie tells Annie she wants to go out with Ben Tramer? Or Annie's boyfriend Paul? They're clearly interested in boys! To that I say: bisexual until proven straight, and honey, there ain't no proving these girls straight.

Annie and El Jerko are more casual than anything and Laurie might have mentioned Tramer to cover her much stronger, more embarrassing, and less socially acceptable crush (who she could NEVER ask to the dance in a million years unlessyouwanttowriteafanficaboutthatguyspleaseineedlaurniefanficitdoesn'thavetobethedancejustsomemore78laurnieimeanilike07laurniebutplease)

Overall, Laurie and Annie have an intriguing friendship dynamic with some homoerotic undertones, and would make a very interesting friends-to-lovers dynamic with lots of interesting bumps along the way. This is my pitch please someone write or draw these two they're such a rarepair it's a crime.

[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?

[magixfairyix]

Stormy Character Rant

Because gurl deserves it and I have quite a few ideas.

With a small bit of Icy and Darcy.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

~ SO! I believe (like in cannon) she can control storms, tornados, lightning, etc. No mental changes. Though those elements (in my mental head cannon) align with the 'emotion' of the need to cause chaos

~ So she is quite eccentric at times (ie, in season 1 lighting trees on fire) though because I think the Trix are really good coven sisters to each other, they don't care. They enable it, and the only reason Darcy gave Stormy shit about it in season 1 was that "you can light shit on fire but touch my shoes and you die."

~ My backstory for her in my fanfiction S.S.S. was that she lost control of her magic and unlived her (see more in this post). Even before then she and her parents argued quite a bit, with each other and with her. Just being petty

~ She doesn't like the awkward energy that arises when Icy and Darcy argue on occasion or when all of them are clearly internally pissed. Such as in season 1 when all of them were walking in the rain and Stormy made a comment about the weather being nice

~ Ironically once again, I see her as the peacemaker. She is a bit less irritable and ruthless than her sisters.

~ I feel like this shows in season 1 where Musa slapped Icy. Icy right away was like "omfg you're gonna die", and later during the fight scene Darcy was like "lol Musa have fun getting smushed by several cars." Stormy was just fighting as usual (lightning bolts and wind here and there, irritating Bloom) and shaking her head at the sadistic messes that were her sisters.

~ She is only really violent and on the same level as her sisters when her pride is threatened. Not in an insult way. If you insult Icy you quickly realize how fucked you are. Darcy, you either amused her or you're six feet under, have fun figuring out which. If you insult Stormy herself (insult her sisters and you die, but just herself) she walks away and scoffs like, gurl she can't be bothered. She put up with that petty bullshit with her parents.

~ But with Musa in season 2 her pride was wounded. In my mind when she was about to zap Musa's father again she was like "thank fuck lightning doesn't create blood." She wanted to wound Musa in the same way.

~ Also speaking of Musa, the two of them are gay for each other. Stormy didn't realize it until Icy sat her down (jk but funny scenario) and was like, "sister. I don't think you're straight. Darcy found the remainder of the lipstick portrait of Musa. I have the same homoerotic enemy tendencies with Bloom so I am not judging you, but your closet is made of air."

~ Shared this before, but I headcanon Stormy as pan, genderfluid (doesn't give a fuck about pronouns). She found out the first a bit after season 2, but found out the first earlier in like the second year at Cloud Tower.

~ Because the Trix were talking more about their respective planets (Diamond, Zenothe, and Stormy is from Linfea) and Darcy and Stormy were talking about what planets give af about gender or not (since Zenothe doesn't give af and Darcy is non-binary in S.S.S) and Stormy was like "oh yeah. I wish you just be like, moving in between so called genders and not giving a fuck cause yeah."

~ Then Darcy sighs and closes the book goodness gracious Stormy is about to get the revelation of her life.

~ MOVING ON!

~ ALSO! Stormy doesn't like blood. She wouldn't be too weird about unliving people if it didn't involve a lot of blood. She leaves her sisters to do that stuff.

~ I feel like Stormy would really like sculpting. She just gives those vibes and I feel like the Trix are all somewhat artistic in some way or another. Stormy is also decent at cooking. Not baking though. She'd burn the house down because gurl doesn't have enough time for that many measurements. She cooks off of vibes.

~ She is the fashion queen. I know Darcy gives off those vibes, but if Darcy could go out in anything and make it look good. Stormy cares about all the details of outfits. Icy is also good at fashion, but some days Stormy looks at her and prays to the dragon like "my sisters are basic as hell please help me dragon god."

~ Stormy gives off the vibe of someone who would like piercings. Specifically a lot of ear piercings. Darcy gives tattoo vibes. Meanwhile Icy is like, "my skin is glorious on its own, no shade to you. You kick ass with them, but touch my skin and you die."

~ Stormy could do piercings on her own. She's done her's on her own and they've healed faster than normal somehow, also because she's not paying that much money for that. She has a Magical dimension to take over. She also gave Icy an extra ear piercing at the ice witch's request.

~ She could do really well with horror movies as long as there's no blood. Ghosts? Yes. Psychological horror that even Darcy shudders at? Yes? But blood, get her out of there.

~ She has a decent sleep schedule. Staying up until like 11-12 at night and sleeping in works for her. She's also the most well rested somehow out of all of them.

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Might add more but this is all that's currently in my brain.

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@rerarlo

[bedrock-to-buildheight]

you got good ass takes on minos and sisyphus hows The Lady and the Tiger by tmbg as a those two guys type of song ? I need peer review on my song associations lol. also do you have any songs you associate with any ultrakill characters ?

It's a very interesting and spicy song for those two, cause in this song, Minos' opinions is represented by the tiger, the more dangerous choice. I like it!

As for my songs for the blorbos, OH BOI YOU UNLOCKED AN UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE

Below is a bunch of songs and who they're for. Some even has explanation

Gabriel

This Is Love by Air Traffic Controller - damn near a gabv1el anthem. A homoerotic AND homicidal lovesong. Literally the third line is 'I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood'

Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos - Gabriel to the Council

Kaiserion by Ghost - same vibe as above, with more anti-christianity vibes

Bitter Water by The Old Hellos - Minos/Gabe, in an anticipatory grief, doomed yaoi kind of way

V1

Would That I by Hozier - highly specific Gabv1el with Minos/Gabe former relationship

Stars from Les Mis (Phillip Quast version)

V2

The Plague by the mountain goats - imo V1 was never made to give much of a shit aboyt humans. It's almost vindictively happy at seeing humanity's hubris catching up to them at last

The Toy Soldier's Song by The Mechanisms (Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser) - loyalty is a lot to ask of a weapon, the song

Want You Gone from Portal 2 and Still Alive from Portal

Cry for Judas by the mountain goats - 'But I am just a broken machine, and I do things that I don't really mean'

A Sadness Runs Through Him by The Hoosiers - Gabriel/V2. The story of guard dogs who had bad owners

Minos

Sisyphus

Cirice by Ghost - Minos/Gabe that started out as Minos manipulating Gabe into siding with him a la Drowning Man (fic)

The Music of The Night from The Phantom of The Opera - slow, powerful and seductive. If charisma itself is a song

Ferryman by Shayfer James - despite the name, this is a Minos song. There's a certain indifference to shitty lovers and the insignificance of individual humans that fits him well

Run to You by Pentatonix - Minos/Sisyphus post-Prime. The specific amv scene I have in mind is 'Minos finds him bleeding out after fighting V1 and they share a few moments. Sisyphus realizes that maybe, he did regret one thing'

For the Departed by Shayfer James- Minos/Sisyphus, depicting their final moments before Gabriel arrives in Greed

Villainous Thing by Shayfer James - Sisyphus to Gabriel. An understanding between people who care about Doing Right, but hold too much anger to take the respectable route. Plus a bit of flirting <3

Ferryman

The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives - Ferrygabe resentment song <33 They fucking hate what he made them into

Obsessed With You by The Orion Experience - self explanatory

Others

Body by Mother Mother - self explanatory 2. That one piece of unadded ferryman lore hakita dropped is the gift that keeps on giving

Cupid by Fifty Fifty - lmao

Bury My Mother Pale and Slight by Amalgemotion - Virtues song. The chorus is directly calling to Gabriel as 'the knight' who will bring them freedom. I like to think that 'the king' mentioned here is God

For Narmer from Warframe- Sisyphean Insurrectionists

Like The Dawn by The Oh Hellos- Hell/Lucifer

Nothing Changes from Hadestown - The Council

Living in The Light by Ridiculon - The Council