#but we do have some proper reflections on the good and the bad and the ugly

[giratinazero]

everything here is from free chapters, but I've put it under a cut anyways in case someone isn't caught up, because I do discuss some season 2 stuff. screenshot-heavy, talking about Ada.

so we know that Ada, obviously, just wants to be loved. mainly she leans on the idea of romantic love, but she clearly just wants any kind of acceptance, given that her reaction to Morella cutting her off seems genuine before she starts blustering again.

I also think her attempt to connect with Lenore in 37 was genuine, because Ada seems to be a pretty bad liar, or at least bad at "being bad," so I don't think she's faking this conversation.

Ada also quite clearly seems to believe she has to earn love or be useful somehow. On a meta level this is reflected in her original life as a maid, and in-story still manifests as doing whatever Montresor says, even before Prospero rejected her. From the start she's been doing what she's told for no reason other than to "belong" somewhere.

in comparison to Montresor [eager as hell] and Will [at least neutral], Ada also doesn't seem down with walling up Duke, but she goes along without really complaining because it's what they want her to do.

Ada wants to be useful no matter what, because then she'll finally be loved this time, right? and what's the best way to be useful? to be strong.

Maybe it's because I reread the dreamland/amontillado chapters a lot, but it seems that Ada is incredibly quick to pull out her specter. We've seen her at least 3 times in a [relatively] short span; first manifesting in 69-71,

then reappearing again in 82-88,

and most recently in 110-111.

That seems fast, right? In comparison, Berenice and Eula have only manifested once, Pluto has only really used his specter once-- he didn't do anything with it in the maze, only in the tower-- and I believe we've only seen Montresor once as well, maybe twice if my memory's bad. Ada defaults to her specter as quickly as possible because it's the only way she feels confident in her usefulness.

So where am I going with all this? I think Ada's going to lose access to her specter for a long, long time.

the stag clearly overloaded her with power, right? it didn't seem to drain her at all-- it made her so strong, her body couldn't handle it anymore.

based on this, I think it can go in one of two directions, and I think they're equally likely. either 1: Ada can no longer manifest at all. this would put her at a massive disadvantage in comparison to other students, but it would put her on equal playing field with Lenore specifically, and could be an interesting way to actually develop a proper connection between the two. Especially given that there's a chance Lenore's group experiences some strain in their relationships, there's room to work Ada in. of course she'd regain her ability eventually, but it would probably require more #trauma along the way.

or 2: because of the stag's residual power, Ada's become so strong that she can no longer control it. she's a liability now. sure, she's powerful, but what good is that power if you can't use it properly? Annabel is running a tight ship, and I don't think she'd be interested in relying on a volatile transformation that might hurt her group on accident instead of Lenore's friends on purpose.

whatever ends up happening on that front, Ada is once again stripped of what she considers her only value. She was useless to everyone before she manifested, and after finally proving herself, she's been forcibly reverted back to step one. As far as she knows, Monty won't want her without her specter, but Morella has made it clear there's no room for friendship without an attitude adjustment. Ada is going to be alone again, even though for the briefest moment, she finally had what she wanted. it's a fantastic chance for character development, because if you can't be loved, be useful; if you can't be useful, what's after that?

[threepandas]

Bad End: Cold War

The receiving room was beautifully furnished. Neither overly ostentatious nor fussy in design. But it had a... coldness to it. This entire god forsaken building was, artfully hidden fireplaces be damned.

And it wasn't just the temperature.

The North may be a cold place, but the people there had always been a hardy one. Kind, if stoic. Not the sort for empty words and flamboyant gestures. So to see a building like this? One so very, very COLD? It spoke of something rotten. Something gone terribly wrong and far beyond control, hidden away out in the countryside where no one could stop it in time.

And it had.

And it DID.

And oh, how we SUFFERED for it, didn't we?

I didn't understand what went wrong. I knew, KNEW, because I was no fool, that the Story would change. Since I was remove a load bearing antagonist, how could it NOT? But... well, I did not wish to die. Certainly not for some other girl's love story. I refused to suffer. To be humiliated. To lead a life of pain and degradation. Just so she might frolic about with men, only to ultimately end up on the throne.

She would either have to find her way to greatness on her own merit, or settle of mediocrity. But it would NOT be built upon the back of my suffering. I gracefully bowed out. Took leave of the stage. And? Comported myself as befit a daughter of my house.

They were not... the most open. In fact, they struggled to connect. To offer or even receive comforts of any kind. But my family LOVED with a fierceness that would lead armies and burn nations. We were ABSOLUTE. And we? Stand TOGETHER. Always.

I would never forget. No matter how many days pass by. WHO I first saw when I opened my eyes. Clustered around my tiny form, rumbled and undignified in a way I would never see them again, with eyes that shone with such RELIEF. I never saw my mother's make run like that again. I half believe she hopes I do not remember.

But I DO.

And I always will.

In the Story, my character was a terror. Haughty and cruel. Sadistic. A wealthy brat that played God right up until all her sins came due. She drove a great deal of the early plot. I? Did none of those things. I threw myself into being a good daughter and a shining reflection upon the parents I loved.

I took my etiquette lessons seriously, to the delight of my teachers. My school work was promptly finished and followed by clarifying questions, to the joy of my tutors. I was polite to my peers. Overlooked their embarrassing early fumbles and mistakes. Helped them navigate social disasters with dignity. Promised nothing yet remained approachable.

My prospects had been ABYSMAL in the Story. It was part of the Narrative's punishment, I think. Though in hindsight, it is an ugly thing to do. A wonder I ever found such a story interesting enough to read. I imagine, it is the difference between tales and lived events? Nonetheless. My father was FLOODED with letters.

My poor mother absolutely HARRASED. Not an outing could go by, without SOMEONE mentioning their DEAR, SWEET son or nephew. To maintain proper appearances and neutrality, I was forced to attend more party's and events then I EVER wished to see.

I felt like a slab of meat up for auction. A show pony. But I also knew it was temporary. That I need only keep an eye out for a good, respectful man. Listen to the rumor mills. Discreetly bribe a few servants for information that "everyone knew". It was, after all, the way of things.

Should have been, the way of things.

But trouble started. Strange infighting, that started between boys and escalated to entire households. Tense, unspoken, lines dividing garden parties that only the day before were amicable. The Protagonist and her Harem of powerful players? Were BLIND to it.

Two of them were PRINCE for God sake! How had they been RAISED, that they could not feel the sudden shift in the socio-political landscape of their Father's court? He certainly could. And it clearly unnerved him. Yet? The Harem, each son's, each HEIRS, of some powerful position? Seemed both blind and deaf to all but the painfully obvious.

And even THAT? Was apparently unconnected to each other in their empty little minds. Had they nothing but flowers and glitter between their ears? One had to assume.

People were... accidentally forgotten. When invitations were sent. Then deliberately. Then OPENLY. Then? They were SNUBBED. Events deliberately scheduled on the same day, at the same time, as another. So all of polite society would have to CHOOSE. It was escalation.

And if it had been on or two houses? It would have been scandalous. Depending on the house, perhaps even worrying. A handful of houses? The king might have tried to get involved. Forcefully mediate. But it... it was somehow so much WORSE. Was EVERYWHERE.

Like someone had carefully examined the entirety of the Court for fault lines, then SWUNG. Some silent, careful, machination that left everyone at everyone's throat. Divided. Weak.

Easy to manipulate and control.

I could not for the life of me find the source of it all. My social season becoming swiftly more and more dangerous. Politically charged. People pushing and PUSHING for alliances I could not and WOULD NOT give without consulting my family. The capital was no longer safe. So... I quietly left.

Letters of vague excuse. Family matters, cousin so-n-so in their time of need, I'm sure you understand. Too late to stop me and under the cover of darkness.

It... I tell myself it is not my fault. That it would have happened either way. That I could not have known. But... but guilt is a heavy thing. It sits like lead in your gut. Like chains around your soul. They were waiting, I think. More, I suspect. Because...

Because the capital all but EXPLODED.

The carnage was IMMEDIATE. Not even a full day later, at a hunting party, the heir to one house shot the second son to another.

He did not survive.

The powder keg finally sparked and it all went up in flames. Alliances that had stood for centuries, shattered. Brother turned against brother. A wedding turned into a bloodbath, as the bride turned on both her family AND the groom, escaped into the night. Fights broke out everywhere.

The festering tension that had gone for so long unspoken? Could no longer be ignored. Would not, be ignored. The king was helpless to stop it all. The gaurd could only do so much. The fluffy, happy, empty headed little world of comfort the Protagonist knew? Was shredded to pieces.

It became starkly clear that the royal family... couldn't handle it.

That their heirs were... Weak.

Captain of the Gaurd, the Prime Minister, even the King's strongest supporter, the Duke of the East, ALL of them had... weak and ineffectual heirs. One or two could be a failing of parentage, but all together? They had let someone sabotage their sons. Make them puppets to be used and discarded at convenience.

The natural suspicion, of course, fell to the one most benefiting from said son's empty headedness. Much to the Harem's horror. No! Not their beloved shared girlfriend! That the world was burning around them? Of no consequence. But upsetting their darling little mouse? Unforgivable!

It was an act of true, genuine, paternal love; that those fools were banished by the king. They would have been killed horribly had they remained.

My family and I? Retreated to our lands. We had enough to survive. Our House and our People came first. We sent no messages, we received none. I practiced my frankly terrible embroidery. My maids gently CORRECTED my frankly terrible embroidery. The country BURNED.

Powerful people were picked off, one by one.

And wouldn't you know it? A new star was rising from the chaos. A voice of reason. Charismatic. Driven. Handsome and powerful, with the bloodline to match. Conveniently allied already to all those people who had replaced the Old Guard in government! How very serendipitous. That those positions should just... open up, like that. That he just HAPPEN to have such qualified people at the ready.

What ARE the odds?

My House knew our monster know. We watched. Careful. As he smiled and smiled. One hand open in welcome, the other? Holding a knife, hidden just out of sight. The king saw him for what he was. And the monster saw a worthy foe in the king. They were, after all, both very Dangerous men.

It was likely swordsmen duel.

Deadly steel clashing, shining, swift as it dances, from attack to defend to attack again. Experience versus youth. Power against power. The king was an old dragon, stood against a tiger come to see him dead. And though the dance was breathtaking? In the end... the dragon was old. Tired. And not the man he had once been.

The tiger won.

The king died in his sleep. Of... natural causes. No one believed it. No one dared say otherwise. The crown princess ascended the throne. She had played the game well. Taken after her Father. Been neglected in favor of her idiot brothers. In the Story, she was to be married off. A side character never to be heard from again.

It seems she was not content with such a fate.

Now she was Queen.

My family and I applauded. Polite. I hoped it marked the end of the strangeness. So many had died. So much had changed. Surely... surely it was over, wasn't it? But then? In the cold light of the early morning hours? A letter. Pristine and on a fine paper. Sat like a viper upon the table before us. A bomb.

My Father had stared at it, over steepled hands, like if he glared long enough? It would simply catch fire and burn away. The Monster's crest. Pressed lovingly into the wax. What... what did That Man want with us?

I watched him grit him teeth. Run his letter opener through paper like he was imagining jerking it across flesh, slitting the bastards throat for DARING to threaten his family. I held my mother's hand as he read. Watched his grip on the pages go white knuckled.

He didn't even tell a servant to burn it.

He slammed his chair back, in a terrible fury, and marched straight to the nearest fireplace to consign the letter to the flames. Over his dead body. Was his announcement. I... I had a terrible feeling it might be, whatever was on those pages.

The letters kept coming.

My Father burned them all.

Then? Trouble started.

And I did not need to see history twice, to know how it would end. I got up early. Waited near the damn GATES. My Father could not burn the letter before I read it, if I was there first. It... it was a marriage proposal. I... I did not understand. Why? For what POSSIBLE reason would he...?

It did not matter though, ultimately. I would be saying yes.

For my family? Anything.

And so I packed. My Father knew he couldn't stop me. I was entirely too much his daughter. It was why he had burned the letters. I was doing exactly what he would have done. He vowed to kill him. Slowly. Held me a swore. He would make me the loviest widow to ever live. My Mother promised to go look up family recipes for poisons. For rats, of course.

I loved them so, so much.

I LOVE them even now.

It is why I sit, back straight, fragrant tea untouched, in this cold but beautiful receiving room. I wear my best dress. The one that makes me look coldly beautiful. Elegant but untouchable. I feel like a winter spirit in it. Something made of ice and bone. I wear it when I want to feel stronger. I don't know if it's helping.

If I hold myself still. Count my breathing and do not think. I can almost... ALMOST? Slip into a trance, I think. Let my mind unfocus. They are keeping me waiting. It's a power play. So be it. You will find me unaffected. Bored even, by your petty displays. I stare peacefully into nothing. A statue in a silent room.

I hope I fucking unnerve them.

Confident footsteps. How quite has it become, that I can hear them, even through the door? I do not turn my head. Note absent-mindedly that the tea before me has long grown cold. This whole damn place is cold. I dispise it. The door is opened for the master of this house. I pointedly do not greet him.

"Aaah~, So COLD" He sing song's, almost chiding, it'd be nearly playful if not for the hint of something darker threaded through his voice. He has an almost victorious little bounce to his step as he approaches. "But then again, I already knew that, didn't I? Frigid, untouchable, and unfeeling~ Now? Now you're MINE~"

He laughs. There is something half disbelieving, half euphoric in the noise. Like he's finally gotten everything he's ever wanted and doesn't know what to DO with himself. He invades my space. Looms. Eyes a touch too wide as he stares. Drinking in the sight of me sitting before him, like he can't believe it's real.

"Do you know, snowdrop? How long it TOOK? What I had to DO to achieve this? Ha ha!" The grin that spills across his feature is unhinged. All I can do is sit, tense and frozen before a madman, as he speaks. "The WHINING, the COMPLAINING, the 'what about meeeee'~! They never shut UP! Wretched and pathetic to the last, they panted after you like DOGS."

Hands slid from his pockets, to come to rest on either side of me on the arm rests, bracing and caging me in. Trapping me as he leaned down. Entirely too close. He smelled like winter air, sharp but clean. His eyes were a blue grey so hauntingly pale, they seemed to bore straight into the soul.

"But they were so GREEDY. So DESPERATE for power. It was EASY, to play them like fools against each other. Make them DANCE. And worth it. Because I get what I wanted~ The brat get her silly little throne, and you?" His grin was all teeth. One hand coming up to rest on my head. "Now you can NEVER escape me."

The hand slid, slow and fingers splayed, downwards. Possessive as each finger brushed, stroked, the side of my face. My jaw. My neck. His eyes following it down with something that could only be blatant lust. His grip tightened around my neck. Not enough to choke. Just, it seemed, to prove to himself that he COULD.

His thumb rest again my pulse, facinated.

Sliding back up to cup my chin, gently forcing my head up, so I had no choice but to meet his eyes. His eyes were dilated. I glared.

"I am going to RUIN you." He whispered, sounding entirely too reverent. As though it were some act of worship he had planned. "Take you apart at the seams. Pretty, pretty little thing. Mine, all mine~"

"I saw you first, you know. You couldn't even be bothered to look at me. I tried all night. That's when I KNEW. I was going to hunt you down. MAKE you mine. Marry you and destroy anyone and anything that stood in my way. And I DID~♡"

"I'm going to have each and every part of you, Darling. Love you and love you until you can't HELP but love me back. We are going to be BEAUTIFUL together. You don't have a choice~♡"

[oldiesstationlover11607]

Bullies - Peter Parker x fem!reader

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None! Super fluffy <3

Word Count:

Description: Peter comforts reader after a hard day at school. It can be any Peter btw but I imagined it as Tom :)

Peter knew things at school weren’t good. They never had been. I had six weeks left before I graduated and we’d been counting down the days together, despite being at different schools. Peter was the smart scientific boy who I’d met at the library and I was the music obsessed girl who was brutally bullied for who I was. I’d been shoved up against a locker before my English class by Carson, the boy who was committed to ruining my life. I had banged my head badly and was sent to the nurse’s office after passing out in the lesson. My mom had been called and I was sent home. After watching a couple episodes of (your favorite tv show), there was a sharp knock at my window. Spider Boy. Peter. I stumbled out of bed to unlock and open the window so he could come inside. 

“What are you doing in bed?” he asked, crawling in next to me. I rubbed my eyes, hoping the throbbing sensation would stop. 

“I came home from school early. Had a headache,” I muttered. He knew full well I never got headaches, which was reflected by the conflicted look on his face. 

“Tell me the truth y/n, why are you in bed at 3:00?” I tried to figure out a decent lie but had absolutely nothing. Maybe I’d fallen down some stairs, maybe I’d accidentally broken my nose in dodgeball. He wouldn’t believe that, he knew I never showed up to phys ed. 

“Remember how I told you about Carson?”

“Oh so that’s why you currently have a black eye and a half,” he seethed. Well guess that answered the question of whether I looked as bad as I felt. “Are we going to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not,” I responded, cuddling closer to him. His arm was around my shoulders, body turned into mine.

“Did he hurt you?” Of course he hurt me. No one else would’ve done this to me. 

“I just said I don’t want to talk about it,” I looked up into his glowing brown eyes, not able to tell if he was worried or raging. 

“Fine, we don’t have to talk about it. But just know Spiderman is going to have a very stern conversation with Mr Carson,” Peter spoke with severe clarity, “he’s not going to hurt you again y/n.” I knew he meant what he had said. We sat there in silence while my computer continued to play (your favorite tv show). He watched the episode with me, occasionally asking questions so he could catch up. Once the episode ended I turned off my computer and put some music on. 

“How was school today Pete?” I asked. School was much easier for him, his teachers actually cared, he had his friends MJ and Ned, and he didn’t need to study to get an A. 

“Not too bad, we’re just getting ready for finals and prepping grad stuff, y’know,” he explained. I nodded, excited for the short period of time we had left before college. 

“What time do you have to get home?” Aunt May always knew Peter was at my house, but she had standards, especially knowing Peter was Spiderman, and a high schooler. 

“Like 10:30, we’ve got time,” he pressed a kiss to my temples and ran his fingers through my hair. I could feel the tension in the air, I wanted so desperately to cry over the day, over how much pain I was in. 

“I’m going to hurt you y/n. I’m going to hurt you as much as I can. And once school is out I’m going to fucking kill you,” Carson had whispered into my ear as he pressed me into the lockers. I could still feel the padlock being pressed into my back. My eyes started to water and a few tears slipped onto Peter’s shirt. 

“Hey, hey, are you okay?” He sat up and held me back so he could get a proper look at my face. I shook my head, letting the floodgates slip.

“H-he told me he was going to kill me Peter. I can’t go back there,” I sobbed. He pulled me in close, his forehead resting against mine. 

“He won’t lay another hand on you ever again. I mean it y/n.” I could feel the tension in his body. 

“You promise?” I cupped his jaw, my fingers resting behind his ear. 

“I promise. I’ve got you.”

//

Please submit any requests y'all have! I love to write so let me know if you've got any!

@urmykindofwoman let me know if you like this! I haven't written to Peter in a wee bit

[thebaldursmouthgazette]

I think it’s really weird that so many people are interpreting leaving the veil up as “keeping the status quo” and therefore bad.

First of all there are some “status quos” worth keeping. For example, medical personnel washing their hands to avoid infecting their patients is currently the status quo in most of the world. We don’t want to get rid of that, because then more people will die for absolutely no reason. Destruction for the sake of destruction is not a good approach, and just because something is currently the way the world works does not make it bad.

The veil was bad and destructive (to the status quo in fact! But also like, the world in general) when it went up, but that was several thousand years ago. And during those several thousand years, the world adapted to its presence. Mortal society and spirit society both adapted to its presence, and both would be destroyed by it coming down. And to what end? A world that is different, but no better, than it was before. There is no real benefit to the destruction of the modern world, the biggest benefit is that it will ease Solas’ conscience that he has undone something he regrets (and only at the cost of lives he doesn’t consider real or of consequence)

But secondly we aren’t keeping the status quo, we’re destroying it. You are all just focusing on the wrong status quo.

When speaking to Mythals fragment she speaks from the perspective of a god, conversing with foolish mortals who are “a thousand years from knowing the proper words” to describe what Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain are doing. If you tell her the people of Thedas do not need gods she calls you “a petulant child who complains that your room does not have enough pretty toys” and tells you “you’ve no idea how many monsters lurk outside the walls of the house your parents created to keep you safe”. She says something similar if you deny her godhood as an elf.

Elgar’nan names himself the “world’s creator” and claims that he was trying to restore glory, casting the mortals of Thedas once again as foolish children, incapable of making decisions for themselves, needing him to guide them so they could blossom and thrive.

Solas too, has acted since inquisition like he is far wiser and more knowledgeable than all the mortals he encounters. He does not even truly consider them people. While he does not claim the title of god himself, he certainly holds himself like one, and treats mortals as foolish children all the same. This is reflected in his first ever words to Rook: “you have no idea what you have done” in a disembodied voice, echoing with power around the fade prison. He knows best. All who oppose him just don’t have the capability to understand. They’re just mortals, you see.

Before the final battle Viago declares that “Thedas will be free”. It’s a riff on his “the crows rule Antiva and Treviso will be free” slogan, designed as a direct response to the daily announcement by the occupying antaam in Treviso that "the Antaam will rule Antiva, and Treviso will learn to kneel."

But free of what? What statement of freedom is being made on this day? It is freedom from the “gods”. Freedom from the machinations of people who have put themselves in a position of godhood, and declared that they should govern the world because the mortals are foolish children who do not understand enough to make their own decisions.

The veil never needed to come down. That is something Solas decided was necessary. And he ignored every mortal trying to convince him otherwise because he decided he knew better. These mortals did not need to be listened to. They are tiny children, incapable of understanding his actions and the reasons for them.

With the deaths of Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, and the banishment of Solas, Thedas has declared itself to not need gods. The people of Thedas are not foolish children incapable of understanding. They’re not going to calmly place their head on the chopping block, trusting that it’s okay because Solas knows best and sure it looks to them like they’ll all die horribly, but they’re just naive children who do not understand as Solas does. They have said no, we do not need you. We do not want you. We do not think you are our betters. You are not gods, and you are certainly not our gods.

We’ve not maintained the status quo, we’ve demolished it. We’ve gone up to the people claiming godlike superiority and told them to go fuck themselves, they’re no better than us.

But I think some of you aren’t seeing this because you believed Solas when he told you he knew best.

[c-t-r-l14]

And the Crowd is….Slighlty Confused!?

Ya’ll remember when Kendrick Lamar said, “I remember when you was conflicted”?

That’s me right now, ya’ll. I’m conflicted.

I’m conflicted as hell.

For the first time in six months, Alex and Gremlin sat down and had a proper conversation about the break up, how they’ve been feeling, and what they’ve been doing since then. And honestly, I couldn’t be more prouder of both of them. They were certainly tackling this subject with maturity—an aspect that they both begged of each other, but clearly lacked the last time they spoke. It was really nice to see them sit down and be amicable to one another, and honestly, my heart couldn’t help but soften by the way they interacted with each other. It reminded me of the good ol’ days. The peaceful times before everything went to shit.

On one hand, I really want them to have a happy ending. In the audio, you can just feel the mutual pining between those two; the way they both have been stalking each other socials, the way they’ve been thinking about each other non-stop, the way they find remnants of each other and the happy times they had in ordinary mundane things—the way you can tell how much they’ve missed each other. Like—I truly, truly felt the love. This was the conversation they should’ve had from the very beginning, and it pisses me off that they didn’t really talk things out after the first initial argument in part four. At the end of the day, all Gremlin wanted was reassurance, even though they went about it the wrong way. I think one of the best things about this audio was the fact that Alex gave them a lot of grace. He recognizes that Gremlin’s trust issues went deeper than they thought, and even realized that what they did that night was a lapse in judgement on their part. He took the time to understand their mindset when they made those accusations—how it’s hard to see anything differently when you’ve had your mind set on something, or—how sometimes when life is a little bit too good, you start to get suspicious—and start to find a reason why it could be an illusion. But, I think one of the biggest things about this audio was how he acknowledged how irrelevant he made listener feel. He reflected on his behavior during the campaign shoot he was doing with Natalie—and how he was fully focused on his work because he wanted to impress the higher ups—and it was because of that, he started to neglect listener. He started answering his texts less, he was spending more of his time at the studio, and by the time he got home, he was exhausted—so its not like they could’ve done much with each other, anyway. That neglect, plus him spending time with another woman—it made Gremlin spiral, and drudged up old memories and fears that they thought they’d put to bed. And Alex, after all this time—finally acknowledged that he was partly to blame for that spiral, and realized that he should’ve been more attentive to the person he loves.

Another thing I really love about this video is that we finally get a reason why he acted so strangely during the break up. Alex and Gremlin never really spoke about the cheating accusations after it happened, and like I said in my last rant—it’s very possible that it had been on his mind for a long time, but he just never told them how bad it truly made him feel until the break up convo happened—which caused his feelings to get the better of him. And, he acknowledged that because of this, it made him say some things that he really shouldn’t have said. Now, as a person who’s literally known for her hatred of Alex, I’m gonna give credit where credit’s due. I am very proud of Alex’s character development. I’m proud he reflected on all of the events that took place and the part he played, and unlike the last audio—he doesn’t make excuses this time around. He acknowledges the break up could’ve been handled better, and takes some accountability for his role in it. But that’s the thing—he only takes some accountability for his part, and it’s because of that I’m conflicted as hell.

Throughout this entire closure convo, it seems like Alex was kind of vague about the things he said during the breakup. He never once acknowledged the excuses he made, the gaslighting he did, or his hypocrisy during that entire conversation. And those three things were the biggest reasons why a lot of people do not like him. Like yes, he acknowledges that his emotions got the better of him and made him say ‘things he shouldn’t have’, but the main thing he did acknowledge was the offhand comment he made about Gremlin not being the “right person” for this relationship. On top of that, he made sure to go into great detail on the way Gremlin confronted him about the cheating allegations. Now, don’t get me wrong—Alex is fully within his right to tell Gremlin how they made him feel. At the end of the day, they had no right to violate his privacy or yell at them with accusations they made up based off flimsy ass evidence and their own paranoid theories—and I can understand why Alex was hurt by that. However, he never really went into depth about the things he said during the break up convo,either. He puts the gaslighting, excuse making, and hypocrisy under the umbrella term of ‘things he shouldn’t have said to them’, and that was something I really did not like. Because, one of the biggest reasons why Gremlin fully believed that the break up was all their fault was because Alex made it seem that way. He dodged the solutions Gremlin tried to give him with excuses, he demanded transparency from them and couldn’t even be bothered to do the same thing back, and used such roundabout language that made it seem like they were the only problem—despite his lack of effort and accountability. He doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that he tried to twist their anger for being the last to know about his job offer in a way that made them look like that they were mad that he got a job offer at all. And speaking of that job offer…WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU ‘NEVER TOLD THEM YES?’ WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE ‘ONLY THINKING ABOUT IT,’ AND ‘WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT TO THE PEOPLE WHO MATTERED TO YOU FIRST?’ In the break up audio, he made it seem like he was actually going to take the job. Him taking the job was one of the biggest reasons why he broke up with Gremlin in the first place—because he was so sure that they couldn’t handle long distance! If he wasn’t sure about taking the job the day he broke up with them—then what was the point of the break up in the first place?? Why didn’t he at least take the time to make a decision about the job offer first, and then see what he could do about his relationship afterword?? Like—if he wasn’t 100% sure that he wasn’t going to go to States—why did he break up with them? That was the part that never made sense to me. I guess you could say that his emotions had gotten the better of him in that moment and he impulsively decided to break things off…but just knowing that he never had a definitive answer during the time they broke up makes the break up seem more stupid than it already was. I was so sure that he was going to go to New York that I didn’t even think that we were even going to get an audio where Alex tells Gremlin that he still loves them, simply because—number one—I thought he his decision to move was set in stone, and number two—he acted like he wanted nothing to do with them!

I just don’t know ya’ll, I’m hella conflicted. You can see how much he’s grown—at least in some ways. He’s finally starting to recognize his faults, and acknowledge the things he could’ve done better. I think my favorite thing about this audio was the fact that he didn’t let Gremlin take all the blame, and he even tried to give this relationship a fighting chance. However, his immaturity still lurks in the background. Because while yes, he does acknowledge some of his faults, he doesn’t seem to recognize all of them.

A part of me is still bitter toward him—and pissed as hell that they could’ve had this conversation the whole time if they just took the time to open their mouths and communicate. But, another part of me—a slightly bigger part—can’t help but forgive him. And that might be a shock to ya’ll—since I’m probably known as that ‘One girl who despises Alex so much that she makes unhinged rants about how much she hates him.’ But I think if he truly wanted to change, and is taking the initiative to do so, who am I to be mad at him? I think its a step in the right direction—and I’d like to think it’d be nice for him prove that he’s not the punk ass, bum ass, photographer bitch boy that we think is. Because, one of the biggest things I hated about him was the lack of initiative, because despite telling Gremlin how much he loves them, and how they make him happy during the break up convo—he never once lifted a finger to make things work.

But, I don’t see that now. If he wants to make things work, then—I mean—why not? Their love is just as clear as their red flags. And maybe a lot of ya’ll may think I’m a punk for thinking this way, but as much as I get up on here and talk shit, I’ve always secretly hoped that they’d get a happy ending together—one where they both worked things out. And they finally have a chance to do that now, both of them—in therapy.

Although I don’t think that’s gonna happen—because the crumpets are not having it.

Oh well. What’s important is that Gremlin got closure, and (hopefully) knows they’re not fully at fault for what happened, and Alex apologized—and to me, that’s all that matters.

Masterlist

[coldinternetllama]

My thoughts on Maomao and her parents

Spoilers for Maomao's backstory and maybe for some future instances in the LNs. Also this is not a proper analysis, do not expect much structure, lol

One of the saddest things to me in this story is that Maomao probably craved Fengxian's love until the very end, regardless of what she is saying. After all, who wouldn't want to feel their own mother's love, right? Maomao keeps saying that she doesn't know how to love, however I believe this is simply a coping mechanism for her. We know that she loves Luomen, her sisters, the Granny, even Xiaolan and Loulan (yes, I do think she loved them). Hell, she also has "certain affections" for our beloved red flag, as she herself states in her mind. Yet she doesn't classify any of that as love proper. Instead, she comes back to the cut tip of her pinky and repeats her favorite phrase about how she left that feeling somewhere in the past. There where she also left her mother, who is now just the woman who gave birth to her. Still, she administered Fengxian's medicine time and time again. Still she set up the perfect opportunity for Lakan to find her. Still she danced for her under the night sky with a heavily injured leg. Still she bowed to her remains and played her last game of go for her. I don't think she had it in herself to love the woman who pushed her away, but part of Maomao wanted to love her, I believe. And to be loved back. Granted, Luomen and the women at Verdigris house did their best to raise Maomao, but it wasn't enough to replace what could have been.

If anything, our dear apothecary is probably more frustrated than anything. She doesn't hate her parents, no. I would go as far as to say that she actually feels bad for them ( I mean, who wouldn't). Of course, she would never admit that, which leads to her other coping mechanism, namely her extremely abrasive language when referring to Fengxian and Lakan (come on now, breeding mare and stallion? Girl, chill). She would rather feign indifference, lest she has to confront her feelings, which is her least favorite thing to do, as we know. After all, it's these two people's feelings that got them all to that state. If even such intelligent people could make such a blunder because of feelings, why would she want to feel love or be loved? This is also reflected in the scene where she is telling Jinshi that she wants to be executed with poison. Jinshi answers that he would never execute her. Maomao's answer? It doesn't matter what he wants to do, it only matters if he CAN do it. To me, this is a direct reference to her parents' story. Lakan wanted to be with Fengxian, but couldn't. Fengxian wanted to reach out to him, but couldn't. It all ended in ruin because of that damn feeling called love. Of course, this is also why Maomao just refuses to even consider that she can love (btw, I don't mean strictly one type of love, this is a very vast and complicated feeling with many facets, and I mean all of them here). So she simply claims that she doesn't, yet her actions tell a different story.

Now, I have never been in a similar situation, so I do not claim to know what a person like Maomao would truly think and feel of this. But I think that deep down she wonders what it would have been like to have been loved without being hurt. For her cries to have been met with warmth and not with silence. For her mother to have hugged her instead of having chased her away. And maybe Fengxian wanted the same, but knew that it was not possible. Maybe she was ashamed and disappointed in herself. What good would it be for that child to love her? The child, whose destiny might turn out not too different from her own. Indeed, in the end, no matter what anyone wanted, Fengxian could only become the woman who gave birth to Maomao. And Maomao could only learn to accept that.

[bengiyo]

The Trainee: Being An Adult Doesn’t Make You Inherently Functional

I watched episode 10 of The Trainee yesterday morning and had a great time with it. I’ve skimmed some of the…mixed…reactions to the Ba-Mhee storyline, and will get to those later (spoiler: I don’t think it’s inherently bad for her to go back to Tae). However, I want to get into this point that Jane made about how everyone in the company is dealing with some sort of screw up in their lives, and reflect on the internship as a whole.

Despite my investment in queer stories, I am primarily focused on this show as a workplace drama about a bunch of young people learning about their potential careers. Like @doublel27 I am glad that we’ve seen Ryan and Ba-Mhee find conviction in themselves over the course of this show. 

I know I was going to love this episode from the beginning when Jane went to see Ryan at home, and didn’t out him to his dad at all. Forever in love with Jane for presuming nothing and waiting for Ryan to take the lead. Later, I loved Jane noticing that the print shop has a similar workflow to the production house. This ties together Ryan’s recognition that he actually loves being a support player in his life. It’s what we all noticed about his role in the family business over two months ago, and it’s actually lovely to see Ryan recognize for himself that he does have some skills, and he does want to be proud of the work he does on a regular basis. I’m still hoping we return to Jane’s comments about letting go of his dreams, but I’m happy with where they are. 

I’ve loved seeing Pie blossom into a reliable team member that others go to when they need things, and I love seeing her not panic over small mistakes anymore. We got great comedy out of her tripping and spilling those papers all over the place, and the part I love the most is that Pie didn’t have a panic over it. It’s a simple thing that happens, and it was great that we didn’t have to worry about Pie. 

What we did have to worry about was Jane embarrassing himself. I’m glad @biochemjess pointed out how perfectly comedic Jane detailing everyone else’s shortcomings right as he and Ryan almost get caught flirting at work. 

As for Tae, I actually like that we see him struggling, especially since it’s been one week since he and Ba-Mhee broke up. I liked how he has been clearly working on rebuilding his independence and self-reliance since the breakup. He is feeding himself, he’s clean, and he’s completing his tasks as work. However, he’s heartbroken. It’s good that he tried to stay useful, and accepted the help of others when he was struggling. I also just really love the way Sea has played this character.

Following up the reveal that Jo is the head of the company, and that he and Pah have a lot in common, with Pah taking the lead to help Tae makes complete and total sense. It’s also clear he’s the one who’s probably doing the best at this internship thing. He’s made connections with almost everyone at the company, and quickly rallied everyone to put on a performance to help Tae attempt to reconcile with Ba-Mhee. At no point during that sequence did I doubt that everyone at that company was extra enough to participate. 

So, let’s talk about the big drama around Ba-Mhee choosing Tae. I have commented for weeks that I thought Judy was lacking in interiority for her to be a proper romantic lead. Though I liked seeing Ba-Mhee recognize that neither Judy nor Tae fit her, I agree with @peachblossomdrama that she doesn’t seem like she’s totally ready for long-term conflict management in her relationships. Still, like @burnsuncomet pointed out, they’re in their early 20s, and dealing with the first big stressor in their relationship. It’s not that surprising that Ba-Mhee would go back to the person she loves, and who she knows loves her. 

Like @lurkingshan, I was so relieved when Tae revealed that he hadn’t forgotten their anniversary and had made plans. Ba-Mhee has consistently assumed that Tae didn’t like her anymore because he was focused on his internship. I don’t think she did a great job of communicating her needs to him, and I don’t think he deserved to be cheated on for it (particularly because he hasn’t been the one pursuing a separate relationship). @neuroticbookworm did a great job covering the arc of what has gone on with Ba-Mhee, and I am with @twig-tea on recognizing that he needed to figure out how to exist independent of Ba-Mhee, that she has a right to choose who she wants to be with (including Judy), and assuring her that he will be present in the relationship in ways that are more accessible to her.

I will also say, for all the angst that’s being leveled against Tae, that boy has not once complained about Ba-Mhee to anyone, even when she was literally breaking hard drives at work to try to smother him. Meanwhile, Ba-Mhee is chatting with Pie and Judy almost daily about what Tae is and isn’t doing right. On top of that, the show was clear that Ba-Mhee is still going to be figuring out the newfound queerness she found in herself, and I think it’s important that on the “god forbid women do anything” age of the internet that we acknowledge that it’s okay for a bisexual woman to choose to stay with the boyfriend she loves and continue to work through that relationship (@waitmyturtles). I don’t think it’s baiting from the show to explore this, and I continue to lament that GMMTV has let us down so consistently on doing a solid GL plot that for so many folks this resolution is going to feel like a letdown and a betrayal (even though I don’t think the show set up any false expectations about this). I like Ba-Mhee’s arc of learning that she is good at things, and she can and should choose things for herself independent of her relationship. I also love that she learned from Judy’s behavior that being smothered by your lover isn’t a great experience! Whether she chooses to be with anyone in the future, this is a truly important thing for her to learn.

We are watching an office drama that contains romances in them. I love the way this show has the interns growing from their three-month experience in this company, and I’m excited to see how Jane (and hopefully Judy) are changed by this experience. With two episodes left, I’m curious to see if Jane will face his issues with Nine and giving up on being a director. I’m curious if we’ll see Judy talk to Jane about what happened with her and Ba-Mhee, because the fact that we’ve gotten zero interiority from Judy about dating her intern has bugged me. I’m hoping that the high school connection between Judy and Jane will pull through. 

I’m so glad that OffGun continue to work together, and I’m so happy they decided to take on a drama that doesn’t center a romance between them as the driving force of the narrative. Putting them in a show where you learn that being an adult is a perpetual project is probably my favorite thing from them ever.

[loveemagicpeace]

✨Aries Season✨

🔥Aries season will be fiery. We are already have mercury in aries so the communication is much more direct maybe a little aggressive. You can also get into the fight with someone so much quicker

🔥Aries is the first sign of zodiac sign it's all about the energy it's all about you . Aries is called to be very selfish because it's much more focused on themself than on others.

🔥Aries energy helps you believe in yourself and take confident action as a leader. Throughout this Aries season, ask yourself: How can you show up with confidence? Where do you need to show leadership? When do you need to take action? Fire is the vital spark, the soul, the life-force; it embodies risk-taking, leadership, passion, confidence, action, motivation, energy, and sparkle. Aries season is an excellent time to start a new job or hobby. You may choose to break a bad habit and begin a healthy one. It's time to hit the refresh button.

✨Mercury in Aries will remain in the sign of Aries until May 15. Mercury in Aries will bring a much more direct, open and fiery energy. They will speed up events and things will develop quickly. But you can quickly quarrel with someone or say something thoughtlessly.

🔥Aries will offer an opportunity for introspection, reflection, and reassessment. Aries energy encourages us to tap into our inner courage, assertiveness and independence. Use this time to reflect on your goals, desires and personal boundaries.

☁️Take it easy during Mercury retrograde, and particularly watch out for impulsive actions in the coming weeks. While Aries energy pushes for quick decisions, remember that it may cloud your judgment, leading to potentially hasty decisions.

🫧Have introspective conversations to ensure you're honoring yourself and your personal beliefs/truths. with people that you feel good energy. Ensure your voice is heard and express your thoughts. Aries is all about expressing your thoughts out loud. Don't force your beliefs or desires onto others and don't be with people who are too negative or angry. Don't jump to conclusions or make rash decisions based on immediate reactions. Mercury can sometimes make things look different than they really are.

🌙Rising Signs🌙

Aries Rising- mercury will be in your ist house. This will affect how you express yourself, behave, and your appearance. Identity and self-perception take the spotlight during this phase. You might feel the urge to revamp your appearance or refresh how you present yourself to the world. Patience isn't always your strongest suit, but it's crucial now more than ever. Take this time to pace yourself and avoid burning out.

Taurus Rising-During this period, your dreams, imagination, and intuition will be heightened. Your spirit is intricately connected to the universe, so prioritize activities like meditation or journaling to slow down and reflect. On the financial front, you may require careful attention during Mercury retrograde as there might be unexpected expenses or financial expenses or losses could arise, particularly if proper budgeting in planning are neglected.

Gemini Rising-you might experience a favorable outcome in your career. You could also see advancement such as job opportunities, promotions, or even the chances of traveling overseas with great job satisfaction, the dedication and hard work may be recognised by superiors, leading to support, appreciation, and possibly even promotions. It can also bring about better relationships. You can meet or see a friend whom you haven't seen for years. Be cautious of conflicts within your community and strive for autonomy without overstepping boundaries.

Cancer Rising-Sudden change such as transfers in the job may disrupt stability and cost dissatisfaction. Increased work pressure without recognition or appreciation may lead to frustration, and some individuals may even have the possibility of job loss. But you could result in increased expenses and limited opportunities for earning. Maybe there are some things here that are related to the family or the father. Practice patience with your colleagues and yourself.

Leo Rising-New job opportunities might be possible for you during this period and due to this success may also be easily possible. During this period, you will have a good potential to meet with immense success and you will also have more efficiency in your work area. If you are in business will gain good popularity and money as luck is going to favor you completely. It can also mean some sort of spiritual journey. Be cautious when traveling or embarking on trips-while it's not forbidden, proceed with care. You might begin to question your beliefs, which is crucial for personal growth.

Virgo Rising- During this time, you might uncover some deep-seated traumas or hidden aspects of yourself. There might be lack of satisfaction and acknowledgement in your professional endeavors leading to concerns about job performance. This Mercury retrograde encourages you to examine what's holding you back from progress. 8th house is also about soul bonding, intimacy.

Libra Rising- While some might experience setbacks and lack success others might find exciting job prospects abroad, offering them a sense of fulfillment and joy. Mercury may bring mixed outcomes with a balance of expense and gains. Opportunities for financial gains. Business contracts, in particular, might be problematic, so it's crucial to thoroughly review all paperwork before signing. Be extra considerate towards your partner if you're married.

Scorpio Rising- During this Mercury retrograde, you might find yourself feeling sluggish, so it's important to slow down your pace. This could mean scaling back on work commitments, easing up at the gym, or taking extra care to avoid getting sick. Spend some time in nature particularly near plants and trees to ground yourself. Do things that don't burden you.

Sagittarius Rising-might experience tension in relationships, particularly concerning your children and family matters. Additional issues within the family may arise causing you stress. Navigating relationship challenges requires excellent communication and patience. Watch out for old flames resurfacing, Use this time to reflect on matters related to your passions. Don't indulge recklessly during this period, but do take time for yourself to reconnect with what brings you happiness.

Capricorn Rising- Patience is key to avoid unnecessary stress during this time. Many things have to do with you and the things you do. It is good not to open too many demanding and difficult conversations, because you will not feel that they are leading and you will only end up disappointed. Consider how you give and receive information. Maybe you will go somewhere or meet more people.

Aquarius Rising- there is a strong possibility of success with opportunities for promotion and salary hike. Overall, this period holds promise for career advancement and success. This period presents opportunities for growth and financial stability in your business endeavors. On the relationship front, you are likely to enjoy success in maintaining a harmonious relationship. During this period, effective communication with your life partners can contribute to a positive personal life.

Pisces Rising- you may experience tremendous peace and understanding with life partners and family members. Strong connections and perfect understanding have the potential to increase happiness and pleasure in personal relationships. This transit brings another wave of change. It's time to reassess your relationship with material possessions and finances. Don't waste money on unnecessary things.

🎸For personal readings u can sign up here: https://snipfeed.co/bekylibra 🎸

-Rebekah💕🦋💍

[jewish-vents]

i finally got up the energy to watch the john oliver segment on the west bank (i normally like his stuff/opinions but anything about i/p is such a fucking landmine for me these days) and by the end of it my fiancé who was sitting next to me was like “we can stop. we can turn it off if it’s making you this mad” but i was so rage-invested that i watched until the end.

i HATE that the entire segment is ostensibly about the current status quo in the west bank (judea and samaria for anybody with any historical fucking knowledge of the area) and never mentions the palestinian authority ONCE. he accuses israel of apartheid as if they are the only people with any control over what happens in the west bank and as if the pa is like. a fairytale that doesn’t actually exist and have real sovereign powers over their areas in the west bank. it’s so gross!! it made me feel so gross!! because without discussing the pas role in the current status quo (or even WHY the current status quo is the way that it is) you CANT have a real conversation about the west bank. it’s just so disingenuous. you can criticize what is happening there without presenting a one-sided narrative that only addresses israel’s role and places all the blame on them. he DID mention the 6 day war but FAILED to mention WHY it was fought/who it was actually fought with, making it seem like israel just attacked the poor palestinians and annexed their land for no reason!! not because they were attacked by multiple surrounding countries on the holiest day of our fucking year!! mentioning that or even acknowledging israelis as having any humanity apparently makes you one of (((them)))

there were a lot of moments that were good, and then so many that were thinly veiled condescension towards any jewish audience members—like he DID mention christian zionists and how gross they can be, and then essentially chastised jews for taking support from them?? which. ok buddy that’s not really an issue you’ve demonstrated yourself qualified to speak on. i know my synagogue works with a local christian zionist organization and it’s probably because who the fuck else is willing to help us!!! really!!! you point out that our only allies don’t actually want to help us (like we don’t fucking know that) without an OUNCE of reflection as to WHY jews might be working with people who openly state that they want us to be converted by j. chrizzy during the rapture. you don’t have to tell us why that’s bad we fucking know!! please call me up when you have any other organizations with money and political power in the us who are willing to do even the slightest fucking thing to assist jewish communities!! i’ll die waiting!!

it’s just. the lack of concern for presenting a nuanced depiction of what is happening in the west bank all while pretending to be presenting a nuanced and well-researched (lmao) depiction of the west back. yes they did some things right (citing israeli sources, finding israeli and palestinian people talking about it instead of secondary sources, no al j. in sight) and that actually makes me ANGRIER because it shows that they could have spent the proper time breaking this down! they clearly have the research skill for this over there! there is NO WAY, in all their time spent on b’tselem (source they actually cited which i was impressed by considering i didn’t know non jewish americans knew abt them) that they didn’t run across a single article about the pas role in the current status quo in the west bank. you can’t break down what areas a b and c are without also understanding the pas role in that. there’s just so much that’s not there that should be and it’s so infuriating because you know that it was a choice. they know about the pa. they know why the wall was built and why the checkpoints are in place. they just don’t fucking care. he cites the number of israelis killed in a period of years and then points out that ten times that number of palestinians were killed in the same timeframe. which is so gross!! let’s not compare piles of corpses to determine moral superiority thanks!! and presenting those numbers devoid of any context other than “many of them [palestinians] were killed by israeli security forces” only serves to minimize israeli suffering and concern for their safety while ALSO minimizing legitimate palestinian suffering by lumping in victims of anti-arab hate crimes with terrorists killed by the military. it’s gross and patronizing and for all the jokes he makes about shit he can’t talk about as a british american he is sure running his fucking mouth

i just wish people would stop trying to condense this conflict down into something that’s easily digestible and consumable in less than 30 minutes. there are horrible people on both sides and refusing to acknowledge that stops the conversation before it can start. all this did was further villainize israel in the minds of armchair expert leftists (since john is like a king to them) and contribute absolutely nothing meaningful or interesting to the conversation. it’s just regurgitated uncontextualized pseudo intellectual bullshit. i’m an english teacher i can sniff a pile when i see one. i rlly wish leftists would just. leave us alone already. new year is coming up and i’m trying to find it in my heart to forgive you know? but fuck that. i’m so sick of goyim talking down to us about this issue while simultaneously being the most misinformed fucks (whether by choice or sheer stupidity) to walk g-ds green earth. i guess i’m just tired.

.

[atleastpleasetelephone]

Ain't that a lotta love - Chapter 2

A/N: A story that starts on the set of the 68 Special, with Elvis and his long-term girlfriend Dorothy Valens. Dorothy has been with Elvis for a long time for good reason - she's no pushover, and she has a habit of getting exactly what she wants. As Elvis' career starts to get back on track, their relationship fundamentally changes too...

Need to catch up? Masterlist is here.

Pairing: Elvis x OC - Dorothy Valens

Word count: 2.5K

TWs: None, really. Tinge of angst and mention of Elvis taking pills to sleep.

Dorothy eventually surfaces even later than Elvis, exhausted from staying up until the early hours of the morning and struggling to sleep in the unfamiliar environment of the NBC dressing room. She sits next to Jerry, hands wrapped around a coffee mug like it's a lifeline. Elvis is, indeed, practicing some kind of choreography or other and doing a lot of cussing about it. Jerry hands her a croissant and she leans her head on his shoulder, heavily. 

“Fuck me, I'm tired.”

Jerry laughs. Although she tries to keep herself prim and proper, a lot of the time Elvis’ girlfriend has a real potty mouth. His friend finds this very funny, especially when Elvis calls everyone he ever meets “sir” and “ma'am”. The contrast is hilarious.

“You up late last night? I saw you go out.”

“Mmm. El wanted me to ditch our girl.”

“Ah. Noticed she wasn't around this morning.”

“She was getting in the way, apparently.”

Dorothy moves her head and pulls the end of the croissant off, popping it into her mouth and chewing. The coffee cup has made its way to the floor. 

“You ok?” 

She sighs. “I guess so. I did like her, y’know, Jer. But she wasn't subtle enough. Or smart enough.”

Jerry looks at her quizzically. She takes another bite of croissant. 

“The fat man.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

He puts a comforting arm around her. “I'm sorry.”

“Thanks. Just wish Elvis would do the breaking up for a change. Why it always gotta be me, Jer?!” She asks, in a silly, fake New York accent. 

Jerry laughs. “Because we are all just his subjects,” he teases, in his own silly version of an English accent, pulling the other end off the croissant and eating it. She puts the rest in her mouth and licks the crumbs off her fingers, chuckling at the all-too-accurate description of their position in relation to the King, Elvis Presley. 

“Seriously, though,” he continues, after a swig of his own coffee to wash down the pastry, “you should put yourself first, sometimes. You're always doing things for him.”

“Mmm. I guess you're right. Easier said than done, though.” 

Drinking the rest of her coffee in several large gulps, she reflects that she's feeling better already. Although it was probably more to do with the company than the caffeine, yet. 

“Who's that over there?” She waves her empty cup in the direction of a man walking quickly around with a clipboard. “Saw him outside the room last night.”

“Oh that's Steve Binder. He's directing this whole thing.”

“Oh! The fabled Steve.”

The man comes a little closer and she gets a slightly better look at him. Shorter and stockier than Elvis but not bad-looking. Fashionable hair and a ruggedness to his features that she doesn’t mind at all. 

Jerry snorts. “Yeah. The only man to have stood up to the Colonel and won. So far.”

Dorothy has heard a lot about Steve. Elvis gushed about him when they first met, and then gushed even more after the recording sessions with him. Everything recently has been Steve this and Steve that. “Sounds like you want to marry Steve,” she'd teased him at one point, making him blush. 

“Yeah I've heard plenty about him from Elvis. Nice to finally put a face to the name.” She pauses to brush crumbs off her skirt. “What d'you think of him?”

“Seems like a good guy. Knows a lot about the business. Doesn't take any shit from you know who.”

She nods, settling her head back onto Jerry’s shoulder. At least she'll have someone different to talk to this evening. 

***

Elvis stands behind Dorothy with his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin on the top of her head. 

“Good day?” She asks, looking from the inner part of the dressing room through to the outer part, where the guys are already assembled, singing and laughing and messing around. 

“Mmm. Tirin’ but good. You ok?”

She nods. They stand there for a little longer and then he speaks again.

“You think my hair’s too black, Dodo?”

She turns around in his arms to look at him and sees his serious expression. Someone must've been joking with him about it but he's obviously hurt. Worried that people think he looks silly. 

“I think it looks perfect, El,” she tells him, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek. “You're perfect.”

He smiles and blushes and his tongue pokes out over his lips cheekily. 

“You think?”

“I know.”

Bowed up by the affirmation, he kisses her quickly before pushing the door open, making an entrance as usual. Grabbing her by one hand he spins her around in front of him, manoeuvring her to the side so that they can walk in together. The rest of the guys whoop and cheer, asking him where he's been, how his day was, what he wants to do. Dorothy settles down on the sofa and he flops beside her, an arm casually thrown over her shoulders. Steve has been watching them since they first came into the room, and as they start their cigarette ritual, he has to admit to being fascinated. Elvis’ girlfriend is petite and striking, with thick black hair and bangs. Her eyes are large and flick around the room, taking everyone in without comment. They meet his briefly, and then she's stretching out her arm for the cigarette and bringing it to her lips when she receives it. She and Elvis seem to communicate without talking, all little looks and gestures, and once he's stubbed out the cigarette it’s like that portion of the evening is over, and things move on to the usual talking and laughing. Charlie passes Elvis a guitar and he starts to strum, he strikes up a tune and people sing. 

Dorothy ruffles Elvis’ hair affectionately as she stands up, making her way over to the drinks cabinet and pouring herself a scotch. When she turns back, she sees her seat is now occupied by Alan and makes her way to another chair between Steve and Joe. 

“You got a light?” She asks Joe, as she brings another cigarette to her lips. As if her mirror, Elvis grips a cigarillo between his teeth and lit matches appear around him instantly. 

Joe is too far away to join in, and anyway he's captivated by Dorothy’s cleavage, something she's well aware of as she leans towards him deliberately. He flicks the wheel on his lighter and a flame kisses the end of the cigarette. She inhales. 

“Thanks, doll.”

Joe laughs and blushes a little. “Shouldn’t it be me calling you doll, not the other way around?”

“Sure,” she replies, then turns to Steve. “Hi. I hear you're Steve. I'm Dorothy.”

Joe sighs quietly at her giving him the cold shoulder, as she does so often once she’s got what she wants. 

“You heard right. Nice to meet you.” Steve proffers a hand and she takes it, giving him a firmer handshake than he'd anticipated. 

“How're you enjoying hanging out with these reprobates?” She asks, waving her hand around the room and producing a cloud of smoke in its wake. 

Steve smiles. “Well, they're kinda fun.” He pauses to look around as Elvis moves to the piano and the other men flock around him. Dorothy gestures to the now empty sofa, and they move there to better observe the group. “How do you enjoy hanging out with them?”

Dorothy takes a long drag on her cigarette as she contemplates his question. He's a little more direct than she's used to, but she decides to play along. 

“Joe likes my tits, Alan and Charlie like being told what to do, and Lamar likes whatever's left.”

She looks at Steve, eyebrow arched, ready for however he decides to respond. He feels a little spark of excitement in his belly. She's fun. 

“Sounds like you have them all worked out.”

She shrugs. “I guess so. I've been around for a while.” Another drag on the cigarette. “How'd you like dealing with the Colonel, then?”

Steve laughs. She's not beating around the bush, that's for sure. 

“I don't,” he replies, honestly. “How do you like it?”

That earns him his first proper laugh, her head is thrown back and her eyes are merry. “I don't either. Annoying little shit. Big shit, actually.”

“You really don't like him?”

She shakes her head. “No. But, I'll let you in on a little secret.” She leans close to him so she can speak more quietly, even though the amount of noise the guys are all making singing she's sure she could shout and they wouldn't hear. “Joe’s his dirty little spy. So don't tell him anything you don't want the fat man to know.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“You trust me with all this? You've only just met me.”

“Ah, I've only just met you, but I've been hearing about you from El for weeks now.” She takes a sip of her scotch. “And you're not some kinda hick, which helps.”

Steve laughs again. They carry on sitting and chatting, Dorothy telling him more about the guys and him taking it in. After a while he realises she hasn't mentioned Jerry, who's standing up somewhere near the back and trying not to sing too loudly, having been told about his tunelessness in the past. 

“What about Jerry?”

She blinks. “What about him?”

“Well you mentioned everyone else.”

“Jerry is a sweetheart,” she replies, entirely without irony. “He wants to get into the business. You know, movies, music, whatever.” She waves her hand about. “You should give him some advice.” 

Steve is just trying to swallow being given such a direct order by a girl he's only just met when she stands up, finishing off the end of her drink and clearly signalling the end of the conversation. 

“Nice to meet you.”

He takes her hand and kisses the back of it this time, telling her how nice it was to talk to her and that he'll go and chat to Jerry. She smiles, pleased with both the kiss and the fact he's agreed to follow instructions, and then turns towards Elvis and the piano. It takes her mere moments to insinuate herself into the middle of the group and between Elvis’ legs on the piano stool. 

Her boyfriend greets her with an enthusiastic kiss to the neck and then asks what she wants to play. Moving towards Jerry, Steve is surprised that the next thing that comes out of the piano is a duet, and that Dorothy can play very well indeed. He shakes hands with the other man and strikes up conversation, first about the industry and then about Dorothy, finding himself oddly fascinated by her.

“She's a good girl,” Jerry enthuses, with a smile. “Good for E. Keeps him sane.”

Steve nods, wondering about the mutual admiration that Jerry and Dorothy seem to have for each other. He's surprised that Elvis would be so relaxed about their relationship, but now he comes to think of it, he's sure he saw them together earlier that day. Jerry with his arm around her too. He doesn't seem to fall into the category of the other guys, who she treats largely with disdain and orders around as if they were her lackeys, not Elvis’. Then he wonders about her telling him to go and talk to Jerry, and getting up to leave so quickly. Which category does he fit in, exactly? Friend or foe?

***

It's the early hours of the morning when Jerry finally persuades the rest of the guys to go home. Steve had left around the same time as Charlie, Alan and Lamar, but Joe stuck around for a frustratingly long time. Jerry knows he's a snitch, but surely even the Colonel has given up on trying to get rid of Dorothy at this stage. There are a couple of other hangers-on too, but once Jerry manages to persuade Joe that it's bedtime they don't stick around. It doesn't hurt that he's filling out his t-shirt nowadays, and at 6ft cuts an imposing figure. 

“Thanks, Jer.” Dorothy puts her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. 

“Yeah, thanks man. Thought they were never gonna go.” Elvis sighs. 

“I better go myself or Joe'll be back in here assuming I'm saying something I don't want him to hear.”

Elvis hums. “I bet it was him shopped our girl to the fat man.”

“You ever think of demoting him?”

Elvis shakes his head. “Nah. Better he's not sure if I know. Also better I have him where I can keep an eye on the bastard.”

He doesn't like the fact that Joe snitches on him to the Colonel, but he still enjoys the other man's company, even if he knows Dorothy thinks he's a letch. He likes all the guys, despite their shortcomings. 

Jerry nods. “Fair ‘nough. You know best, EP.”

Elvis laughs. “I think you'll find it's Dodo who knows best.”

He pulls her to his side with one arm and she smiles up at him, her hand reaching up to dig into his hair. 

“She sure does,” Jerry replies, looking at them for a moment, lost in one another's eyes. He's amazed they're still like this after so long. That a girl has managed to keep Elvis’ attention for so long. And that someone could keep Dorothy’s. He supposes they are ideally suited, though he worries a little about her. She has a hard exterior but he can't help thinking that breaking up with so many girls must be doing her some damage and he hopes Elvis realises. Though his boss has had enough problems of his own recently, so the change in Dorothy over the years might have gone unnoticed.

“Anyway, I'll head off. See y'all tomorrow.”

Elvis and Dorothy bid him goodbye and go to bed themselves. Elvis is tired anyway, but he swallows his usual handful of pills and relaxes into the mattress. He never could persuade Dorothy to join him with the tablets. She's never said anything, but he has the distinct feeling she disapproves. She's always slept like a log though, so he doesn't think she understands what it's like to have insomnia. He slowly traces the contours of her face with the backs of his fingers as he waits for the drugs to kick in. 

“You're so pretty,” he drawls.

She smiles, sweetly. “You're so pretty.” Her hand catches his and she brings his fingers to her lips, peppering them with kisses. 

He snuggles into her, nuzzling her neck. “You'll always be here for me, wontcha, Dodo?” It's only been a few minutes, but his words already sound slurry to her. 

“Always, pumpkin.”

He mumbles something else she can't quite hear into her hair and then his breathing deepens and he lets out a little snore. 

“And you'll always be there for me, won't you?” She whispers back to him, knowing there won't be a reply. She strokes his hair and traces the contours of his face with her fingers, just like he had been doing minutes ago to her. “I hope you will,” she whispers again, into the dark, closing her eyes. “I really hope you will.”

☆☆☆

Chapter 3

Taglist:

@arg-xoxo @from-memphis-with-love @msamarican @blursedblegh @returntopresley @eapep @everythingelvispresley @i-r-i-n-a-a @sissylittlefeather @arrolyn1114 @jhoneybees @polksaladava @lookingforrainbows @jkdaddy01 @epthedream69 @lustnhim @elvisslut @pomtherine @that-hotdog @ladelinee @angschrof @fairybloodsucker @deltafalax @makethemorning @elviswhore69 @ilovequeen978 @wildhorseinkansas @pocketfulofpresley @dkayfixates @iloveelvisss @kxnnxy @presleyhearted @lvrdollep @nebulamorada @iloveelvis2 @18lkpeters

[npookie0]

hey n!! could you maybe do a thernin x sick reader? them fussing over the reader and making reader hydrate and them just trying to take good care of reader?

Healing Sin.

Thernin x reader, sick reader, them taking care of you when you're sick, fluff, comfort, poly!!!!

Words: 1291

Cws: Spoilers for Gluttony Gods

"Really, babe, didn't your mama teach ya to wear your hats and scarfs?" Ronin asked, arm thrown over your shoulder as he stood next to you.

You, Ronin and Ther were standing in Angelwood's High hallways, the redhead with their hand on your forehead, wincing when they felt the heat coming from your body.

"Jesus Y/n, you're sick." They said, their gaze scanning your shivering body that barely had any power to stand.

You tried to laugh it off, but sneezed instead, gaining an even more concerning look from the prom-queen-to-be.

"Listen, I couldn't stay at home, you know how they are." By 'they' you meant your parents, just like most of Angelwood's population they had some weird obsession on treating you like their reputation card, perfect presence, perfect grades, curse you if you were sick and dared to even suggest staying home, not like you wanted to stay there anyway.

Anywhere would be better than your house, even the damned school with the fake people trying to be saints.

Ronin's voice tugged you back to the real world. "Why dontcha come to my place then? My ol' man is out anyway, work and allat." It wasn't really a suggestion, nor was it an offer.

Ronin was stating facts, you were going to his house, all three of you, because your two lovers would never let you go around with your stupidly high fever.

So now, you're in the Beaufort's house, it's a dark house located at the far ends of Angelwood with a really good view at the Estridge's manor. Ronin's house was a cold place, reflecting the family itself, a family that wasn't happy.

The three of you were in the boy's room, you basically glued to his bed, wearing one of his rock band tees and shorts that he thrown at you so you wouldn't sit in your sweaty clothes.

"I'm really okay guys-" You tried to protest, but your sore throat and cough made it pretty much impossible to prove your case.

Ther pinched the bridge of their nose. "And you're the one saying that I should take better care of myself."

"Because it's the truth!" You and Ronin said at the same time.

Ther sent him an angry gaze and shook their head. "Even you against me Beaufort." They sighed and looked at you again.

Worry filling these beautiful dark blue eyes of their, eyes blue like the darkest depths of the sea and just as mysterious. "Love, please let us take care of you." They sat on the edge of the bed, taking your hand in theirs and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

Ronin took a seat on the other side, ruffling your hair. "Yeah, Estridge's right, we jus' wanna be there for you, watching you let the fever kill ya is not somethin' we want, baby." He said, soft and tender, not the usual cocky bad-boyish act of his.

You sighed. You didn't want to admit that you're sick, you really didn't, because that would imply that you can't even take proper care of yourself, but maybe having them take care of you wouldn't be so bad.

You slowly nodded. "Alright, I am really sick and need two loving idiots to help me survive. " You said, a teasing smile on your lips and a dry giggle leaving your lips.

"Very funny." Ther rolled their eyes and still held your hand, caressing it with their thumb.

"Awh, you love me for my humour."

"A cheap copy of Ronin's jokes? Yeah, sure. Stay delusional, darling." Ther replied teasingly and stood up. "I'll get you some tea, your voice sounds like you went to a metal concert with Ro." They stood up and left the room, telling Ronin 'make sure they stay in bed' before they disappeared behind the doors.

"it's jus' the two of us now, baby." He said, laying down on the bed, almost nuzzling against you.

"Do you want to be sick too?" You asked, not protesting against the closure.

"Nah, I'm a big boy, I won't get sick." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Mhm mhm, we'll see about that." You stuck out your tongue.

Ther came back with a white porcelain mug in their hand and some medicine in the other.

"For a doctor's house your medicine supply is really shitty." They said and placed the items on the bedside table.

The snarky remarks towards Ronin dissolved as soon as they sat on the bed again, leaning forward and putting their hand over your forehead again. It felt pleasantly cold, you leaned more into their touch, welcoming it.

"Oh, your fever is still high." They said, voice filled with concerned. "Ro get a wet towel, quick."

Ronin didn't them to repeat it. "Ay, ay, captain." He was gone behind the bathroom's door, getting a towel ready for you.

"You need to cool off Y/n, your fever is really bad." Ther said, gently kissing your forehead, brushing the hair form your forehead beforehand.

You closed your eyes. "Mm, is it really that bad?"

"Yes?! Don't you feel its affects?" They asked, looking at you, how much you shivered.

"Oh, yeah, that'd make sense..." You mumbled, the fever getting the better of you.

Ronin came back and placed the towel on your forehead. "Should we let 'em sleep?" He whispered to Ther.

"Yeah, we can watch over them." They whispered bacl.

"I can still hear you, you know." You murmured.

"Ah, sorry." Ther said and lay down next to you, Ronin followed in their footsteps.

He wrapped his arm around your waist. "Seriously though, try to sleep for a bit."

"I'll wake you up in time to drink your tea and take meds." Ther added, holding out their hand to tuck your hair behind your ear.

"Mm, okay, I'll nap for a bit. Jus' don't leave..."

You were fast to fall asleep, held by Ronin and Ther who whispered to themselves about your illness and overall well being. The pair was really concerned, not knowing if their care alone would be enough to make you feel better, but they'll still try their very best.

Ther was sitting now, the mug in one hand, while they gently shook you with the other. "Y/n, darling, wake up." They said, voice soft and gentle.

"Mmm, what?" You murmured.

Ronin was the one to speak this time. "Your tea is drinkable now, so open your pretty little eyes up and let me sit ya up." His hands on your sides.

You opened your eyes, rubbed them with the back of your hands and let Ronin do his things, leaning back on his upper body to sit still without falling back.

Ther held the mug to your lips and helped you drink, wiping your chin after the drink was gone. "Feeling warmer?" They asked, putting the mug away.

"Kinda, but I wanna cuddle more." You said, outstretching your arms to them.

Ther couldn't fight the smile that formed on their lips. "You're so cute when you're like this, y'know that?' Ronin said, but you didn't know whether he meant you or them."

"Shut up Ro." You and your partner said, they shot Ronin a glare.

And now, the three of you were under the blankets, hugging and cuddling, not caring about the possibilities of them getting your sickness, you just needed the closure and they were more than happy to share their body heats with you.

"I love you, you two idiots." You murmured before dozing off again.

You only heard;

"I love you too, Y/n."

and,

"Yeah, love ya too, darl."

From them, before falling asleep.

Maybe all you needed were two lovebirds to show their care and love to you to find your cure.

Hey hey

Hope you enjoyed it!!! I love you too, reader dear

By bye, love ya. Nathan!

[r0semultiverse]

Hey, Jake & Jack fans, is this anything?

Both men imprisoned (literal & metaphorical).

Both offered an out from their current predicament by an outside force (arguably in the case of Brain Ghost Dirk).

Both have loose ties to Lord English visually.

Yellow initial glow & Gamzee involvement too.

Sometimes a guy just needs to explode (same pose too).

Both dual wielding weapons.

That same said weapon type (for Jack Noir) having killed Jane Crocker.

It's really looking like Jake is going to do her in.

I would also like to point out that we've had interactions involving these three (Jane, Jake, and Brain Ghost Dirk) before that consisted of similar topics & themes.

Brain Ghost Dirk implying that he's just there as moral support, a manifestation of Jake's powers, and as a coping mechanism. Jane also talking about ruling an empire with him while talking down to him, similar to how she saw and/or still sees him in Beyond Canon's Candy timeline. Jake also being uncertain about doing anything to harm her despite all the bad things she's doing.

Brain Ghost Dirk going away tells us that Jake's more hopeful than he's ever been. This is the moment where he is the most sure of his decisions than he's ever been in his life, whatever those decisions may be in regards to Jane and how to handle this situation.

He is probably going to shoot Jane down, quite literally. I would also argue that after all this time, the lad isn't beating the Lord English allegations. We might as well have a parallel of him killing Jane much like how Jack Noir killed her right before he got possessed by Lil Cal & given some of Lord English's immense power.

Alternatively maybe we'll get to see what the power of hope or hope bullets can do to someone whose done so much wrong & come so far off the deep end in terms of moral wrongdoings. Maybe with every shot that hits her, she'll begin to be swayed to the side of good & start to self-reflect.

I'm still not fully convinced that Gamzee actually cured Tavros' peanut allergy, I mean just look at the panel.

This could absolutely be interpreted as Jake injecting his hope power into the epipen and by proxy injecting both his power & the epipen into his son! If younger Jake is strong enough to defeat Grimbark Jade, then adult Jake might just be strong enough to defeat a peanut allergy is all I'm saying! In fact, now that I'm rambling about it, this seems like the more likely outcome is Jake's hope power swaying or (in the very least) confusing Jane mid-fight. Hope bullets, they would look cool & would be pretty strong!

The power of believing in others & wanting things to change can be a strong tool indeed, Mister English.

If there's one person who still believes in changing Jane's mind (or bringing her back to proper canonicity depending on how you interpret the recent lore), it would be Jake English, the believer.

Okay, maybe this is something! Tally ho!

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 4 production Notes

Again, I genuinely didn't think I'd have anything to say at this point about this episode. I had such a good time the first time I watched it, just smiling the whole way through. There is one thing that did stick in my brain a little bit though so here I am again with another post.

Episode Break Points

We honestly can't be making any final conclusions at this point but there is starting to emerge a picture of how the production team approached the development of this show as an episodic release. The question that was rattling around my brain after watching episode 4 was how they are choosing their cut points between episodes. We really only have three data points right now which is not enough to definitively identify their intent but it does start to paint the picture a little bit. Sometimes, the break point is beyond obvious, like cutting ep.2 at the end of the USA trip. But when there's not a definitive line, a choice has to be made when to bring one episode to a close and start another.

Some shows use the changing of the day as a break point but that's not necessarily always the best choice to make for the narrative of the show. For example, the break between eps 1 and 2 is in the morning after JK has his coffee and makes the stone tower. This better served the momentum of the episode and wrapped up the story beat of JM's rough night. Ep 2 then starts on a high note with JK's motorbike ride. In my opinion, this was an excellent choice as we close ep.1 feeling all cozy and ep.2 begins with a little bit of excitement.

A Look Back

So why am I bringing this up now? It's because I was so confused as the choice of when to break these two episodes. I don't know if I've decided if it was good/bad/somewhere-in-between but I absolutely was not expecting Episode 4 to start the way it did. Ep 3 ends at the Go Karts and feels like a complete story beat. While ep 4 starts with the drive to the Omakase.

To me, it feels like we're picking up on the last remains of the previous episode and not starting a new section. Which is honestly, kind of counterintuitive. Why would it feel like that? They're literally on their way to the next activity. I suspect it has more to do with the tonal momentum. The guys are still coming down from all of the energy they expended from Rock Climbing and racing and are having a well-deserved relaxing drive. Even the brief moments we see of JK on the motorbike are quite chill. (mostly because there's not really a great way to get action footage on a bike in the dark lol).

So...to see if I could support my suspicion, or if I was just bringing something else into my viewing experience, I decided to rewatch the whole series so far and rank every story beat on a scale for how energetic/intense I felt the narrative was supporting.

A couple of notes before you judge my rankings:

This data is the very definition of subjective. if I redid this same exercise even the next day, I'm sure I would disagree with myself on certain rankings so you certainly don't have to agree with my rankings.

If a storybeat had a noticeable tonal shift, I entered it twice and included both rankings. If it just varied a bit, I entered a ranking more representative of the scene as a whole.

This won't be reflective of the time occupied by each story beat. Some sections are longer than others but with sustained energy so it doesn't translate in this visual representation how much of an impact on the overall tone of the episode any one of these are.

I also added a star at the end of each episode of my median scores. I feel that this was a better representation of the overall tone of each episode rather than an average but that's just my personal view on this teeny dataset. Please don't come for me analytics folks! This is just a post for funzies, not proper analysis!

So What?

The point was curious about is in the gap between eps 3 & 4. Everywhere else there's a pretty clear shift in the start and end of the energy but that gap looks like it was just a step that was missed in what could have been a continual episode.

Here are the runtimes of each episode so far:

USA: 56 min

USA: 72 Min

Jeju: 56 min

Jeju: 70 min

I don't have any conclusions about why it was done this way other than they felt the tonal break was the sacrifice for keeping the Omakase story line in tact. Which honestly, I agree. There would have been time to include the drive in the previous episode but it would have left us on an unfinished storybeat. This is one of the reasons that we never get footage of the members return trip from their travel shows. Bon Voyage ends every episode with the members remarking on the trip overall. Even though we know they have to return home, we don't see it because that would start to build energy for whatever they're doing next and not the story of their trip.

Even in ITS1 when the members do return home in the middle, we see them packing up and getting in the cars but the episode ends before they really start traveling. (Actually it ends before they even let Jin in the car so they're definitely not on their way yet!)

Commercials?

I have a question for anyone that's watching this with ads. I don't really watch streaming content so I'm curious, do the ad breaks just randomly occur? Or does it seem like they're intentionally scheduled? Building story breaks for commercials was a huge focus of legacy tv and I'd be interested to learn more about how streaming services are incorporating it (not enough to not have commercials though, I get insta-rage when the content I'm consuming is interrupted lol). I vaguely remember getting frustrated when I was attempting to watch something at my parent's over the holidays but I don't recall if it seemed structured or not.

That's it. That's all I've got to say right now. We're definitely getting a lot more to the story of this show and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm going to be away for a bit next week and I honestly don't know when I'll fit in watching episode 5 but I'm very much looking forward to it!

If you've seen this post and are interested in some more of my thoughts on Are You Sure, here's a link to my AYS MasterList. Still can't believe I've rambled so much about this show but it's been fun! Thanks to everyone that's been rambling with me!

[bee--28]

Why Mr. Perry isn't the worst human known to mankind, with textual exidence!

Welcome one, welcome all to the hill I will die upon. This could be an academic essay, but I'm on an airplane, typing this with less than an hour left in my flight, on my phone. Plus, I got less than 2 hours a sleep, so I don't have the brain power for a proper essay.

Now, into the meat of it. Mr. Perry, while a bad father and not an all-around great guy, wasn't evil or horrible or anything else people like to say he was, and he doesn't deserve the death penalty. He was a middle-class father trying to give his son the most prosperous life while not thinking about what that meant for Neil or Neil's feelings in the matter. Did he go about any of it in the proper, good parent ideal we like to push onto fictional characters? No, absolutely not. Is this ideal realistic? Also, no. Does the unrealism of it all excuse anything? Still no.

We, as humans, are inherently flawed. We do bad things without realizing, we hurt people. These are facts. Some more than others, but all of us still do it, mostly, unconsciously. And all of us should be held accountable for these actions. Mr. Perry's actions are flawed, he is not a good parent, and none of my later statements will be made with the intention of implying anything of the sort. However, he was not coming from a place of malice with his actions. He cared for his son, deeply, and I personally believe some people in this fandom are far too wrapped up in their personal feelings toward their own parents to realize such. And this is not to say people who relate to Neil cannot feel a specific way about Mr. Perry or his actions, but analysis is not the place for projections.

You may be thinking, "Woah woah woah, hold up just a minute, you said you had textual evidence, this just looks like you're making generalizations as proof!" To those of you who are thinking this, you hold up just a minute, I'm getting there. Examining textual evidence is visual media, like movies, can be incredibly difficult but let us remember that every acting choice, directing choice, and writing choice is 100% intentional and nothing that makes the final cut is a blunder or too minute of a detail.

I'm going to cite from Neil's post death scene when his parents find his body, as that is the moment we see Mr. Perry express care for Neil.

Mr. Perry is the one to hear the gun shot, he is first to Neil's body, he is cradling his son, and he is crying out to his son. Let's disect this piece by piece. Mr. Perry hearing the gunshot, which is silent to the viewer as a way of showing that Neil was as silenced in death as he was in life. But Mr. Perry heard it. This is showing that Mr. Perry is finally hearing his son, seconds too late to save him. Thus, this is reflective of Mr. Perry finally understanding Neil as well, understanding how he compromised his son's life.

Then, Mr. Perry is quick to Neil's body. Before Mrs. Perry. "Oh, pish posh, why does that matter!" Because it's the writers' and director's way of showing us Mr. Perry cares. Movies don't have the ability to spell out the meanings of certain things like books do so we, as viewers, must infer. In a typical 1950s dynamic, the mother, the nurture, will always be the first one there in a situation like this. However, it's Mr. Perry who runs to Neil's body. It's Mr. Perry who cradles his dead son. This is important, this is intentional, this is showing the viewer that Mr. Perry isn't a heartless abusive father, even though he seems to be.

I have seen some say that Mr. Perry was mourning the loss of what he was forcing Neil to be, I'm gonna need those people to shut up, leave, and block me. 1st off, the scene in which Neil's body is found is the first time we aren't getting the story from a child's eyes. Every other moment of Mr. Perry's screen time is from Neil's perspective. We must take it with a grain of salt and understand that Neil has felt like he and his feelings don't matter to his father. The wondrous thing about perspective is that it in itself shifts the narrative. This scene all my evidence is from is a shift in the narrative, it lets us in on the knowledge that Mr. Perry wasn't the worst father ever. Mr. Perry didn't know what his actions were doing to Neil, as we all know, Neil is an excellent actor and deliberately didn't allow himself to be vulnerable and show his father how he felt. This is, of course, because of his fear that his father wouldn't listen, etc, etc. Anyone who cares to read this far already knows Neil's perspective on the situation, and in the interest of saving time and my thumbs the strain, I will not be getting into that.

There's certainly more that I could talk about on the matter, but thoughts are slipping into the abyss as I'm exhausted, so maybe another day :/

Also! The whole thing that makes Dead Poets Society the masterpiece that it is, is that no character is truly "bad" or at fault for what happens in it. Everyone is a victim of the times and societal pressures.

[imtrashraccoon]

heyyy…. I will submit my “Don’t imagine” now,

I sent you an ask previously explaining kinda my idea..so I was wondering if I could get a ballroom scene? Nobles are very judgmental and even someone as carefree as Ivy can get insecure.

and we know how much noble woman enjoy gossip, she gets in a bit of a pickle.

Also she’s bad at dancing (but that’s a given)

Ooh! Ballroom scenes are sooo good! I will write a proper one another time but for now, here's a few crumbs. (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

Don't imagine being the palace gardener for Emperor Nightmare and how you regularly have to use magic to keep the plants alive to counteract your master's latent negative aura. How excited you were to be permitted to attend the grand ball since you'd never been to one before. How you put on your best dress and begged one of the maids to help with your makeup.

Don't imagine the thrill that courses through your veins as the first of the guests arrive and how magnificent they are dressed. How scrumptious the banquet tastes and how you can't possibly try everything on offer. How the light from the chandeliers reflects off of the glassware as if they were made of diamonds.

Don't imagine how the music swells and the dance floor comes alive with a flurry of happy couples. How you can only look on in awe at how graceful their movements are, knowing that you could never keep up with them. How you wish that you could join in the fun if you had a partner.

Don't imagine standing off in a corner not knowing what to do with yourself. How you feel frumpy and out of place among all these important people. How you are positive that some of the women are gossiping about you and how many have given you odd looks the whole evening.

Don't imagine how the room falls silent when Nightmare finally makes an appearance. How he barely spares anyone a glance as he makes his way onto the dance floor. How you overhear one of the gossipy women wondering if he'll actually ask someone to dance this time. How he blatantly ignores the few brave enough to try asking him and how you turn your gaze away, knowing that he'd never consider someone as unimportant as you.

Don't imagine hearing someone approach and looking up, only to be shocked when it's him. How he considers you for a moment and how you wish the floor would swallow you up to spare you from this humiliation. How you can hear whispering from the other guests and how he seems to frown when he notices as well.

Don't imagine how Nightmare extends his hand and asks you to dance. How you can't possibly refuse him with everyone's eyes on you. How you meekly take his hand and let him guide you towards the dance floor

Don't imagine how he places his other hand on your hip and leads you in a slow waltz. How you nearly trip over your own feet but he skillfully steadies you. Definitely don't imagine how he leans closer and how he quietly tells you to look at him. How his permanent sneer seems to lift when you do so and how he almost seems happy in this moment.

Don't imagine how quickly you both become lost in the moment. How the other guests seem to fade away and how you can only see him. How his eyelight seems to flicker with an unknown emotion and how his grip tightens ever so slightly. How you start to actually have fun again.

First, Previous, & Next Request

[maxdibert]

It may be improper of me to speculate on someone’s intellect, but all the hatred directed at Severus by snaters/mstans is bizarre to me. In a world consumed by violence, it’s illogical to look at this character’s situation so superficially and spout nonsense like, “Being poor, bullied, or other hardships aren’t excuses to join ‘racists’ or ‘the equivalent of Nazis.’” This completely ignores tangible examples of what such environments can do to a person. How many stories are there about literal children bringing weapons to school as an attempt to retaliate against their bullies? How many news articles talk about children joining gangs or adults who, for various reasons, ended up involved in criminal organizations? This kind of thing isn’t hard to find—it’s all around us.

Many people who join criminal groups are vulnerable individuals, often from low-income backgrounds, with no adequate support system. These people are easily manipulated by the smallest crumbs of respect, affection, or acceptance. Vulnerable individuals will cling to anything that offers them a shred of security, no matter how questionable or malicious it may seem to others.

Is Severus responsible for his own choices? Of course, and he knows that himself. But expecting a child who never had proper support, never had the chance to grow and heal, and clung to the one stable thread in his life to turn away from it in favor of people who treated him worse than garbage—who tormented him simply for existing and ignored or silenced his suffering—is so detached from reality that it’s absurd.

You can hate Severus—I’m not arguing or imposing otherwise. Everyone has their preferences, and that’s fine. But it’s arrogant to expect someone who has only ever known violence and neglect to live up to some idealistic and egocentric notion of what is “good” or “evil.”

Is he perfect? No. Is he likable? No. But none of his flaws justify dismissing the suffering and trauma that shaped him. I guess an unrealistically “clean” victim, free of emotional scars, would suit this fandom better. But who am I to say anything, right?

This turned out a bit longer than I intended—sorry.

Honestly, I have nothing more to add because I completely agree, and this is something I’ve repeated a thousand times to the point that I’m starting to feel like a broken record: the idea that Severus had a "difficult" past isn’t meant to make people feel sorry for him, forgive him, or see him as some poor uwu. When we talk about the importance of his past, it’s because understanding his decisions requires us to comprehend his context and the way it significantly influenced those decisions.

People need to take a moment to think, step outside their bubble of privilege, and really reflect on what options a poor boy with no social resources or familial support could have had in an environment where he was marginalised by the "good guys" and where only the "bad guys" gave him a social space and some recognition, despite his blood status and social standing. Consider how that space and recognition were the only escape routes he had from poverty and violence and how that played a fundamental role in his decision-making.

Severus didn’t have the luxury of choice. He couldn’t refuse to align himself with his housemates because outside that house, he was faced with a group of bullies making his life miserable. And he couldn’t return to where he came from because that was a place of sheer poverty and more violence. He had no alternatives. Whatever he chose, it was going to turn out badly for him. So, he made the decision that seemed the least problematic at the time.

And that decision doesn’t need to be "less problematic" from an ethical perspective—it’s about stepping into his shoes, not viewing things from the comfortable position of a morally superior spectator at home who can judge without pausing to think and consider the situation as more than just black and white.