#erik's trauma my beloved

[monaetheworldsdestroyer]

so i think we as a fandom agree that if someone Erik cares about got sick he'd absolutely fuss over them but lately i've been thinking about why he would do this and i came up with something i'm Not Normal About so y'all need to hear me out now

he'd been in a concentration camp. he had probably seen so many people die because of a common cold 'cause their immune systems were so weakened by the fatal conditions in the camp they couldn't fight it off. as a little boy he'd learnt that the moment you get sick you're already dead, and every time someone around him so much as sneezes he's reminded of all the deaths he saw that were caused by something seemingly so innocent as a cold.

so anyway this is all i can think about. i'm literally going insane. me and my friend are also writing fics on that

[sunshine-for-serotonin]

My lord i would give you my firstborn for more Erik content, hes literally my babygirl.

Hello my darling!! I decided to do some cuddling headcannons for you as well as some random tidbit headcannons!!! {it’s extremely unorganized} this can be read as any Erik of your choosing, but some specific phantoms are mentioned once or twice!

I’m not super proud of this, but I felt like I had to feed you guys something.

I am not officially back to my full tumblr writing, but I am hoping to make a steady return! Also, I made a Lerik bot on Character.ai if you guys want me to un-private it and post the link. :)

When you cuddle with Erik, no matter which version, you basically have to plan on taking the first or second half of the day off.

He’s very touch starved, so he doesn’t like letting you go unless he absolutely has to, and even then Erik will probably throw a fit of some kind, too desperate for your touch to even think about how it may affect the rest of his opera house.

He’s not ashamed about voicing his need for you either; if you try to leave, he will drop down to his knees and blubber like a child, begging for you to stay and love on him. If it’s a specific person that is causing you to leave, Erik will threaten to kill them! It doesn’t matter if it is the managers, Meg and Madam Giry, or even Christine (should she stay there after the whole final lair scene and the phantoms activities die down)! It doesn’t matter! They don’t matter! The only thing that matters is you and your love! Erik needs you, (Y/N)! He needs you to love him until he can’t think! For you to cuddle him and kiss him like he’s your beloved pet!

Concerning you being friends with Christine, Erik absolutely despises it! She had already abandoned him for the Vicomte, she can’t take you away from him too! She mustn’t! No, if Christine even tried to advise you away from him, he would make sure she wishes she never approached you!

Please, if he starts on one of his tangents about you leaving him for someone else, make love to him and tell him what a good boy he is. It’s a sure fire way to calm him down, and Erik, even though he is likely significantly older than you, loves being coddled and reassured that you won’t leave him.

you will find that almost all versions of Erik prefer to be held rather than just hold you, with the exception of Cherik. It’s not because they’re selfish! It’s because Erik needs you to hold him in order for things to feel okay, and it feels good that you would hold him of your own free will and kindness. If he was the one completely holding you, he would be worried you didn’t actually want to be close to him!

To expand on that a little more, Cherik is the only phantom that prefers to be the big spoon. All the others want you to press against them from behind and wrap your arms around their waist, pressing kisses into the sensitive skin of their neck. {as mentioned in one of my previous posts, Kerik is a horny bastard and will probably start getting hard if you’re not careful.}

Get them to lay on top of you.

Do it. Well… do it if you can handle them crying from emotional release, anyway.

Laying on top of you will give Erik the feeling of maternal care and nurturing he never received as a child, and it’s bound to make him cry from the sheer love he feels for you and the feeling of love you’re giving him, and even then the abandonment issues and childhood trauma just overflows from him like a fountain of sadness.

For versions of Erik where his deformities are a little more open and wet, like Meriks, you’ll have to reassure him that you don’t mind touching it. That the feeling of his open flesh against your skin doesn’t bother you, and that you’d love to cuddle him regardless.

Phantoms with deformities like Meriks are almost always between a rock and a hard place when it comes to cuddling you because on one hand, they’re worried about you seeing their deformities up close and so they’ll want to lay their bad side on your chest so you can’t see it as well. On the other hand, they’re paranoid about you finding the feeling of their deformities gross against your skin and making you uncomfortable.

It’s a lot to unpack when you cuddle Erik, or even give him attention in general, but you will find that it is well worth the effort. Erik loves you and would burn down the entire world to make you smile, and yet he finds himself feeling he is unworthy of even mere scraps of your attention and love, but you always reassure him otherwise. :)

[dross-the-fish]

First of all I just really want to say I absolutely LOVE your art and specially the way you draw Erik, Leroux-Erik my beloved 😭💕

Ok ANYWAY. I saw your posts discussing about Erik and how the Phandom portray him and Raou, and I really want to point out some of my views (in the healthiest and most polite way possible!!!)

I'm not trying to deny Erik's flaws nor that I have an obvious bias since he's my favorite character ever AAAND Raoul is a character I dislike a LOT for multiple reasons lol but, I want to adress that: Erik is a person that endured multiple ways of abuse and humiliation in his life, since he was a child. He has multiple scenes of trauma response and, as you pointed out your post, acts impulsively many times and also shows clear remorse for his actions. What I think separates him from Raoul is (aside from the obvious class diference and the fact that Erik has a whole history of trauma and evidences of mental illness) the fact that Erik learns something from his selfish, self-destructive behaviour. He *had* a chance to end up with Christine if he didn't so shitty with her, and this is very impactful in the end specially because Leroux didn't treat him as a villain who deserved punishment, but as a traumatized AND completely abandoned person who fucked up pretty bad

Obviously, despite my personal beef with Raoul, I don't think he's some sort of abusive devil or any shit like that. I just think Christine would be better at her own. Forgetting Erik's flaws for a minute — Raoul *is* very manipulative, childish and uncaring towards Christine. He, unlike Erik, doesn't learn from his mistakes and presents the same behavior until the end of the story. Idk my girl Christine could be better at her own, single, following her career. The fact that Raoul was born in a rich family in the 19th century and didn't face any of the poberty or struggles that lower-classed people like Daroga, Erik and Christine had also make his character waaaay more difficult to like in my point of view. I'm NOT SAYING THAT "being rich makes you evil" (duh) nor that Erik's actions are ok, just to be clear! It just bothers me how so many people treat Raoul like a saint little puppy and Erik as a monster, like COME ON

Now, back to Erik: I'm not saying you intended to mean that, but I have a huge problem with how part of the Phandom thinks Erik had malicious intentions when approaching Christine, or that his feelings for her are fake. The "Erik knew precisely what he was doing since the start" really makes sense considering how his redemption arc went in the novel. Obviously this changes a lot in many adaptations (for example he's clearly much more self-aware and manipulative in the musical). But Leroux-Erik *genuinely* believed he was doing the right thing. Maybe he had an idea of "uuuugh maybe this is pretty bad maybe i should stop" but the self-destructive-fear-of-abandoment-everything-is-fine voice spoke louder. Let's not forget that what turned Erik into having such a violent mental breakdown was not "Christine doesn't love me and I must punish her" bullshit, it was when he heard her speaking not so many cool things about him and his appearance at his back (NOT BLAMING OR HATING HER, I love Christine, I'm talking about Erik's pov). If Erik didn't love Christine, or if he was a monster, he wouldn't feel any guilty for his actions. The most impactful thing in the ending of POTO is that Erik realized he had treated the woman he loved like trash and even still she showed him the compassion he needed

Ok ending this long ass text, I just wanted to state that I agree with a lot of your points specially how the Phandom tends to summarize everything to black and white even though most of the characters are all morally grey. I wanted people to stop dehumanizing a mentally ill abuse survivor like Erik while also stop hating on a poor woman who never asked to be put into Raoul's or Erik's bullshit lol thanks for having the patience to read, I'm really curious to know what your thoughts about this are 💕💕💕

I appreciate your courtesy, I understand where you are coming from but there are a few points i'm not sure I fully agree with. While it is fair to depict Erik as traumatized or mentally ill, I feel these are ultimately reasons for his behavior, not justifications. I agree that he is a sympathetic character and his story is a tragic one, I also agree that Erik had a great capacity for good under better circumstances. Leroux says "he had a heart that could hold empires but had to content himself with a cellar," or something to that effect and I believe that's true. But some of Erik's behavior cannot be written off as impulse or trauma response. He was still an assassin who built torture chambers and even when no longer in Persia he still had a torture chamber in his home that he made use of. He has enough agency that he can still be held responsible for all of the death and destruction he caused even as we acknowledge that he doesn't enjoy killing and feels remorse. How he deals with his remorse in particular is a bit of a sticking point for me. Erik's consistent ability to willfully "forget" what he does or completely deny the severity of his crimes is very likely a product of guilt but the presence of guilt is not a sign of virtue and after awhile it starts to feel like he is first and foremost dodging accountability. He never feels guilty enough to stop and prefers instead to alleviate his internal discomfort by emotionally distance himself from his actions. I also think it's important to acknowledge that Erik is a villainous character and he is violent with Christine. He does try terrorize her and coerce her into marrying him by threatening to kill her and everyone else. To be honest that's why I like his redemption, because he actually NEEDS to be redeemed. You can't redeem a character that never fell from grace. If we can't hold him accountable for his choices and acknowledge the full harm he did then his redemption is hollow. On the subject of Raoul, Leroux tends to write him as being kind of young and stupid and most of his boorish behavior the product of youthful impulse and the older I get the more I'm inclined to agree. This doesn't make Raoul right or even necessarily likeable but if we're giving Erik grace based on the author's sentiments towards the character we should probably give some to Raoul as well. Ultimately I feel Raoul redeems himself by proving he's willing to die for Christine. He throws himself into mortal peril to save her because he does love her. Yes, he has a lot of privilege compared to other characters and it certainly contributes to him coming off spoiled and bratty at times but at the end of the day he and Christine do love each other and he is who she chose. I'll admit I sometimes feel compelled to defend Raoul even if he's not remotely close to my favorite character just because the fandom tends to over inflate his flaws and hold him to the worst faith interpretation while making every excuse under the sun for Erik. The phandom will go to great lengths to see nuance and humanity in Erik's behavior but not in Raoul's and, while I have my own character preferences and Erik is certainly my favorite by a long shot, I try to be fair and empathetic to ALL the characters in the story, whether I actually like them or not.

[copsecore]

i disagree with your opinion! i think as an audio channel erik is going to need his characters to have happy endings, especially for lovely & vincent who had already been through so much. being turned was the logical outcome for them . i’d love to know further why you think it would make sense for them to have died

thank you for your opinion!

personally I think (and i understand why this didnt happen) someone else should have died other than Xavier.

With the way that the Inversion was - a massively traumatic event where thousands of people died - the only character dying being a side character, i feel like an opportunity was skipped.

Yes, we got to see the different kinds of grieving the characters took to, but i think it wouldve been interesting for the community to react to losing a more beloved and more main character (Asher, Lovely, Damien, Gavin, etc)

Of course Lovely was the first listener for the channel, so it’s unlikely for that series to have anything OTHER than a happy ending (although I can’t say for sure as even Erik’s said that sometimes he does massive plotpoints on a whim) but with everything they’ve been through, and with the situation being as it was in the Inversion, I wanted to see what would have happened if they had died, and had chosen to say no to Vincent’s offer of them being turned - which in itself made sense to me; they have had a lot of bite/turning related trauma, so saying no was a very viable option.

Also with Vince, I would’ve loved to see how the grieving process would have gone for him, seeing as he would have then lost both Stranger (his listener from the Valenweek 2021 anthology) AND his actual love interest, Lovely. It would have been interesting to see where it went, and what would have happened to have that storyline break free from the relatively simple idea that it started out as a couple years ago with Vincent’s first audio, and actually steer AWAY from that “happy ending” cliche.

I think they should have died, simply because they were the character who was MOST LIKELY to die - if it had been that way with other characters (you could also argue the same with Asher - the only difference being he wasn’t past the point of being saved with normal magic) then i would be saying the same about them, it just so happens to be Lovely.

1500 or so other people died in Inversion, and I’m always curious to see what could have happened, if events didn’t play out as they did in canon, and losing Lovely always jumps to the front of my brain whenever I think about it.

Although, let’s face it, with the way some of the community is about erik’s writing (*cough* redacted tiktok-) almost the mere reaction that Lovely dying would have caused, pretty much stops it from being an option.

But thank you so much for asking! It’s always great to hear other’s voice their opinions in contrast to my own!

[rosalinesurvived]

Live-blogging/rereading the foxhole court cause why tf not

This is early 2006, can you IMAGINE the fucking Wattpad fanfics written about Kevin and Andrew?

Daysten my beloved. Proof he was real.

Alright but I want to elaborate on this. Neil constantly moving, always changing, looking at this one piece of his life that stays constant. “He stayed the same, all of me changed like midnight rain” but make it agonising. Their lives are both so varying but they’re still both in such pain. But then there’s the juxtaposed “Neil knew Kevin’s face as well as he knew his own”

But Neil’s face is always changing.

Wymack!!!

Neil got the father vibes SO DAMN EARLY “it hurt MORE to see the familiar look—“ Sakavic honey we DESERVED to see Wymack bitchslap Nathan

The DRAMA that these weeny paragraphs can give us!!!! Kevin discussing other potential recruits, Nicky’s being a media boi on main(HC that Erik encourages it to the EXTREMES after Nicky’s conservative parents da boiiz are in love) again the continued empathise on Andrew watching Kevin and Wymack

Weirdly juicy for all the wrong reasons. “They don’t understand boundaries” as in all of the Monsters? What fucked up shit has Aaron been doing to Wymack behind Andrew’s back?? Also again the ND/Trauma vibe around all the monsters I remember seeing a post of and a g a i n Wymack seeing clearly the dynamics Kevin and Andrew have over each other. Also.

EIGHT.

AND YES.

The warrior’s bond <3

Gonna assume they made the Faustian pact in between Andrew walking off court and Kevin coming back right handed? Considering everything I think on Kevin’s side it was to give Andrew something to build his life around and on Andrew’s side it was protection.

Which is well and good if you don’t think that Kevin’s first priority would’ve been protection from Riko and the Moriyama’s only, and yet Andrew’s protection seems to go a lot further than that (punching Matt in tkm, always being by his side, etc), so, uh. Who knows.

But anyways Exy being so fundamental to it all it’s fair to say that Andrew also chose to come back on if Kevin did.

Also again Nicky’s ASD-ADHD head inability to kinda read between the lines here (fair, given that the lines were blurred+a millimetre thick) adding in to how much he gave up his life for his cousins whom he particularly understand.

Nicky’s weird to me in a way that he feels so much like an outsider in both the Monsters and the Upperclassmen; he’s in both words, he has a “place” for him outside of the Foxes, he’s isolated in the sense that he’s a monster yet not tied to Andrew with a deal and that it’s probably known that he’s there for the cousins only. Wacky meta, great character.

[monstraduplicia]

tagged by @emiliosandozsequence my beloved forever and ever <3

book that pleasantly surprised you: the house by christina lauren. for a YA book that i bought purely bc im a slut for weird haunted houses, its super good. i looooved how they wrote the haunting and the two main characters were freak4freak and i adored them. very good story and the prose wasnt bad for YA like it wasnt dumbed down at all

book that disappointed you: THE BOOK OF REVELATION BY RUPERT THOMSON!!!!!!!! its about a guy that gets kidnapped and assaulted by three women and then has to like, learn how to live post trauma which sounded very promising and the reviews are all good but the book was pure GARBAGE. like i dont think one has to be a trauma survivor to write about trauma however it was so obvious that this man had no idea what he was writing about. the way the main character was written was so unrealistic and just. i hated so much of this book. i did enjoy some plot points and the prose wasnt badly done, but god all the traumatizing scenes were written in a way that gave the impression that the author really just has a humiliation and pain fetish, and NOT in a cool bataille way. it was bad. so so so bad. only kept reading for the small glimmers of interesting plot and bc i had to know how it ended

current read: the phantom of the opera!!!! reading very slowly but i am enjoying it a lot!!!!!!! erik is so babygirl

top two books on your tbr: well i have a stack of books that ive recently bought that id like to read but ill probably continue anais nin's diary that i paused or reread brother by ania ahlborn bc i miss my too best friends rebel and michael

rec a book to the person who tagged you: well emilio tagged me in this so i really dont have to rec anything to them bc we talk about books daily but um. um. FINISH BROTHER SO I CAN REREAD IT!!!

tagging: @medievaltortures @rodgirling @iphisesque @charlestrask @castratedvader @cenciengelhard

[imperiuswrecked]

Welcome to the final issue of the Trial of Magneto. I’ve been worried for weeks, then spent the night angry, and now I get to unload about how stupid this whole thing is and first things first, this right here? A LIE. Pietro is not in this comic.

We start off with Wanda revealing who it is, that’s it. No mystery to uncover through clues, just her blaming her “killer”, once second to pause and say: Fuck you Tony, fuck all the avengers, no matter how many times Marvel tries to shove “Avengers are a Family” b.s. down my throat I will never believe it. 

So Erik and Wanda use Toad as their scapegoat because SURPRISE they needed a fall guy so they picked the most pathetic loser they know to take the blame of a crime he is innocent of and they sit aside and watch as he is swallowed up by Krakoa. Posting panels out of order just to be able to explain this.

I’m gonna take a minute here in the defense of Toad, he isn’t the most beloved character in the X-Men, he is a Loser, but he is also an abuse victim who’s biggest contributor was Magneto, and now Wanda joins him in this, what a totally gross way to handle Wanda’s character, having her be willing to let a man innocent of this crime take the fall for her.

Also X-Factor freaking sucks at their job, their one job, and remember that metal magic? yeah no Wanda used that to kill herself with and Erik planted it in Toad’s room.

Having Toad say it was all for Magneto, for a team that had long disbanded in universe, its been literally 10 or more years in their time and he still isn’t over it? I would laugh if I wasn’t so pissed off over how stupid this comic’s writing is.

Fuck you Vision, the way he speaks to Wanda as if they were a couple leaving a party, um you two are not a freaking couple anymore. Sick of the WandaVision narrative constantly used in this issue. It disgusts me. 

Also wowww now the Avengers can’t get involved in another nations punishment for crimes against them? wow, where was this when you all went running to Atlantis to call Namor insane and interfere with him running his nation? hypocrites. They just don’t care because it’s a loser x-men ex-villain they don’t even like. 

LOVE HOW THE RETCON WAS NEVER UNDONE AND YET WE HAVE THEM CALLING EACH OTHER FAMILY. BY LOVE I MEAN, WHAT THE F-

How the fuck did Wanda get resurrected through a mutant pod but still isn’t a mutant, hmmmm??? was there a need to point this out? no? ah yes we just have to keep saying that they aren’t really a family but are a family anyways because uhhh of all the great family bonding we’ve seen with Lorna and Wanda over the years, and let’s have Wanda calling Erik her father again. Pietro? Hug his sister? Care that she is alive? HA. What a silly notion. 

I wish people would let Erik be a complicated man who has a lot of fears and understand that most of his work/actions is in relation to that and not love. Erik’s past trauma constantly shifted to the side to push the narrative that he is a good man now, he can be a complex and not a good man but a man with grey morals and still be a good character you know.

Hey everyone, I found the Trial. It was love all along 

Also just in case you missed Billy and Tommy, who were screaming hurtful things at Wanda the other issue, here they are! What? where is Quicksilver? Pietro Maximoff? You still think he is gonna show up? hahahahahahaha 

To wrap up, the reason why Erik and Wanda kicked Toad into the fire and watched him burn and used him to further their agenda is because Wanda had a plan to bring back all mutants who were never in the database, and she knew that cult island wouldn’t accept her dying and being resurrected through their super special eggs. I think that if an island of people hate you then they would be ok with you dying then maybe that island is shit, just a thought. 

Anyways the ONLY good thing to come out of this whole stupid miniseries that has become the Wanda and Erik show except it’s totally the Wanda show and not even a good one is that John Proudstar is back, if you don’t know him it’s because he has under 40 comic appearances and was killed off a long time ago but he was part of the new line of X-Men.

Oh and now Northstar and Kyle are gonna be dads.

Charles you stupid slut. 

No, I need to insult him because he is an idiot and also point out how WASTED this artist was on this stupid as fuck plot line, look at that DRAGON. 

Hey Wanda! Remember how we spent months and months talking shit about you? Well now you get to join into our little cult and tell stories! 

And so ends my suffering. 

At this point I’m sure Pietro is passed out in that bar drunk out of mind and no one cares enough to go pick him up because where the hell is he, certainly not with his family.

[klqrambles]

Luigi Luigi I do love me an Anarchist

also Erik my beloved he’s my prescious little deformed trauma man. Theater kids <3 we suck.

Luigi based on this year's Korean production's Luigi actors <3 I love all three of them sm

Tiny Erik in exchange who's sooooo scary and mad :]

[problematicturtle]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your five favorite fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖 

Wow okay, hmm.

At some point I watched blade runner for maybe the 20th time, then read the original novel, and an unofficial “sequel” to the movie, and then decided what I really wanted to write was a Jim/Bones Star Trek AU (nu Trek) where Bones is a blade runner and Jim is a replicant and they go on the run together. I really enjoyed the noirish style of the world and so that’s what I tried to encapsulate. It is objectively probably not very good but I am very fond of it.

This started as a regular old high school thorki AU and turned into an entire series with Loki vaguely inspired by Gillen’s kid Loki run and, I had plans to finish this with them going into adulthood, navigating a life that runs similar to what happens to them in the movies (they tear each other apart and then find one another again), but I’m pretty happy with where it ended up anyway. Of all Lokis, this terrible high school Loki who loves his brother in the most unhealthy way but also can’t help hurting him, can’t not be himself, was kinda so fun to write!

It may not seem that way if you’ve read this, but Sam Wilson is my favorite MCU character. Obviously being my favorite involves putting him through the wringer, although usually not to this extreme. And with this fic, I guess I just wanted to see a Sam unmade, stripped down to his core self and forced to adapt to the limit to survive, and then, very importantly: survive. I went into this thinking about trauma, and how what’s done to the physical body is just the beginning of what we have to deal with after that, and how we cope with how we change because of it, and well. I guess it took me 100k to think about it, but here we are. Also this is still a love story - because honestly, Sam and Bucky are endgame, no matter what.

The kink meme request was something along the lines of Charles lets Erik sleep with him because Erik wants it, but Charles really doesn’t, and so this fic is mainly about Charles absolutely falling into what it’s like to feel desired, and because he’s a telepath he he can really truly feel it - but hating it, and yet unable to say no, because he cares for Erik, and can’t hurt him like that. And - I don’t know, I liked writing the tragedy of how Charles absolutely at any point can say no, stop Erik, make Erik forget everything, and yet won’t, because he does loves Erik. And that ultimately Erik too deserves better than not knowing of Charles’ misery. Just a staggering difference in what both of them want out of the relationship.

Sometimes I forget I wrote a Losers/Inception fusion fic, and then I remember I wrote a Losers/Inception fusion fic. It was fun. Clay/Roque my beloved. Anyway I enjoyed thinking of the Losers movie as an Inception playground, and for the life of me can’t remember why I was in the Losers fandom for such a brief period of time. Ah well.

Idk who to tag I know very few people here - I was tagged by @writerkenna but I can’t tag her again! Anyway tagging everyone?

[uzumaki-rebellion]

We Have a New Ancestor...

Toni Morrison is one of my favorite writers. She stands right there with Octavia E. Butler, and Toni Cade Bambara, and so many other Black women fiction writers who spoke to my spirit...who spoke to my ancestry in this country...who spoke to so many of us Black Magical Blues women out here who craft our own stories.

Even with the fanfic that I write about Wakanda, I come steeped in the tradition of Morrison and apply it to the fantastic, because that is what she wrote about, the Black Fantastic. Even with our painful history, there was joy, hope, contemplation, and circular narratives. The past is not the past, now is the future, and the present has yet to be.

Losing her is a sad day, but also a blessing for those of us who will cherish and adore her work. A blessing because she left us a legacy to be proud of, even in these continual dark days. Although America is going through the usual trauma and non-Black people ARE JUST NOW realizing how trash our country can be, Mother Toni Morrison always whispered to us, letting us know we stand on the shoulders of Black giants who roamed the earth and still roam the earth: Black women, that is us. Black Diaspora, that is us. Continental sistren, that is you too.

One of my favorite quotes from her book “Beloved” is a quote I have plotted for Erik to say to a character in my Vol 3 of BBBTF. It is one of my all time fave books and also a book that I had Erik’s mother give to N’Jobu to read to help him on his journey to becoming who he became in Vol 1 & 2 of BBBTF. Everything I write, fanfic, even my real life published SF/F has some learned element of Toni Morrison floating in the mix somewhere. She was a Master Teacher, (just like Octavia E. Butler, And Toni Cade Bambara, J. California Cooper, Gloria Naylor, and Lord soooo many Master Teachers). I loved her work, will always love and revisit her work, on paper and in her lectures that we can still watch on youtube. She makes me so proud to be rooted ten toes deep in Blackness. 

Although I will lament and cry over her transition for the rest of the year, I am grateful for her life.

So grateful.

[tamayokny]

Name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people

This was extremely difficult to do. The first two were easy, since they are my ride or die, but choosing 10 different characters? From ten different things? I don’t know if I even like 10 different things, but I found some loopholes, lol.

tagged by @bpdanakins <3

1. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been one of my idols since I was a small child. My mom had bought Tomb Raider: Starring Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Adventures of Lara Croft for my sister on the PlayStation. I remember watching my sister play it, and then sometimes I was allowed to play it. I continued the Tomb Raider legacy throughout the years.

Lara Croft is just. Amazing. I love every version of her. Classic Lara deflected the life her parents had wanted her to have, and paid the price for it. Did that stop her? No, it did not! She was able to make her own mark in the world. LAU!Lara wanted to find out what happened to her mother, and honestly I love Keeley Hawes as Lara. She was witty and funny, and Legend is one of my favorite TR games. And Reboot!Lara? I love her. I honestly don’t care what people say, Reboot!Lara is great! Her first game is also fun to play. Each version of Lara Croft offers something different, and I love it. While many of Lara’s core values are in each incarnation (adventurous, ambitious, brave, etc.), each brings a new perspective which I enjoy!

Fun fact: my irl best friend and Lara share the same zodiac sign!

2. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Marvel

I LOVE WANDA MAXIMOFF WITH ALL MY HEART!!! She’s a huge comfort character for me. She’s one of the most powerful mutants (yes, I am ignoring the retcon), and she’s complex. Wanda first appeared in X-Men #4 alongside her brother, Pietro, as members of Magneto’s Brotherhood. Eventually, the twins become heroes and join the Avengers.

Wanda’s mutation is magic; probability, to put it at best. She can warp reality. While she is strong, she is also human. Many remember her best as having a mental breakdown and creates House of M (influenced by her beloved brother). After this, she goes off the radar for a few years before her reincarnated sons find her.

I love Wanda because she has heart, courage, and cares for others. She’s intuitive and sensitive and, in many ways, reminds me of myself. I genuinely love Wanda with all my heart. She remains to be my number one favorite superhero. I wish more people knew her--the real her. The MCU does not do her (or her brother) justice. At all. (At least AOU kind of got their “reluctant villains to heroes” origin story well enough?)

Also: fuck you Marvel for retconning Magneto as the Maximoffs’ father. It’s been 5 years but I still elect to ignore that.

3. Phoebe Halliwell - Charmed

Growing up, Charmed was one of my favorite TV shows. To sum it up, it’s about a group of sisters who discover that they’re witches. Specifically, they’re the Charmed Ones and they protect the innocent. For awhile, I’ve said that Piper is my favorite sister but after my last rewatch, I say that Phoebe is my favorite.

At the beginning of the series, Phoebe was the youngest and the rebel of the family. Before the pilot, Phoebe was living in New York but we see her move back in. We also see that she has a strained relationship with her eldest sister, Prue, due to her scummy fiancé. Phoebe is also the reason why their magic was unlocked. (As children, their powers were bounded in order to keep them safe.)

Over time, we see Phoebe mature more. However, there are a few things that never changes with Phoebe. She’s kind and caring for others, always wanting to help them no matter what. (She shares this trait with the youngest sister, Paige.) She is deeply connected with her emotions (which causes her to gain the power of empathy in season 6). Phoebe has also had rough luck with love (see: Cole the demon, etc.) but no matter how much she gets hurt, Phoebe still has hope. She still has love in her heart. No matter how much she gets knocked down, she finds a way of getting back up, and I admire her a lot for it.

4. Catelyn Stark - A Song of Ice and Fire

Family. Duty. Honor. This is House Tully’s family motto, which is deeply embedded into Catelyn. Catelyn was married to Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, after her former betrothed was murdered in King’s Landing (who, ironically, was Ned’s older brother). Their wedding night resulted in the birth of their firstborn: Robb Stark, heir to Winterfell and King in the North.

Catelyn Stark is the mother of the wolves, and her love for her family is no doubt a core of her character. However, Catelyn is clever and if you mess with her, you will certainly gain her wrath. Her eldest values her for her wisdom, and will turn to her for help. She will do anything for her family, such as freeing Jaime Lannister to get her girls back, or offering herself to save her eldest during the horrific events of the Red Wedding.

Catelyn is murdered, along with majority of the Stark party, at the Red Wedding. However, she is resurrected and becomes Lady Stoneheart. Stoneheart is out for vengeance, because she believes all of her children are gone; taken by the enemy. Stoneheart murders Frey or Lannister alike--whoever is associated with them. She holds no mercy.

There is so much more to Catelyn that I could go on, but I will stop here. (Besides, I need to reread the books again!) I will say this: fuck you, D&D.

5. Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) - Marvel

MAGNETO TIME? MAGNETO TIME.

Erik Lehnsherr was a young boy when World War II happened and because he was Jewish, he was sent to Auschwitz. His family did not survive, but Erik did. Depending on what you follow on, Erik either A) escaped with Magda (who is the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s mother) and started a life with her or B) he hunted down the men who worked for Sebastian Shaw (movie universe).

Anyway, Erik had been a mutant since around the time he was sent to the camps and after the horror and trauma he’s faced, Erik decided that mutants would never be accepted by “their less evolved kin”. So, he became Magneto, a protector for mutants and enemy for humans.

Magneto is only one side of the coin, however. Charles Xavier is a longtime frenemy of sorts, both having different perspectives in life. Xavier believes in coexistence, but Magneto believes otherwise. He had seen what humanity is capable of, and he never wants that to happen again. If he must be a villain, than so be it.

Magneto is beautifully complex. He has done some questionable things (I’m thinking of the comics for this one), but he has also done great things for his people. “Never again,” he says. He fights to keep it that way. Magneto is sympathetic at best, and I certainly understand where he comes from. Tell me this: if you were Magneto, what would you have done?

Also: while Michael Fassbender is not Jewish in any way, he did one hell of a job portraying this amazing character.

6. Kira Yukimura - Teen Wolf

I wasn’t planning on adding Teen Wolf to the list, but here I am.

Kira was introduced to us in season 3b, written as a “new love interest” for Scott McCall. I remember a lot of fans of a certain ship were pissed, but whatever. I’m not here to talk about romance.

So, in 3b Kira was a new student, with her dad as the new history teacher at Beacon Hills High School. She’s of both Korean and Japanese descent, and she ends up playing an important role in the story arc. We find out that she’s a Kitsune, thanks to her mother who explains how a Kitsune and a werewolf must come together to defeat the Nogitsune, who happens to be possessing the loveable Stiles Stilinski.

After this, Kira becomes a part of the McCall Pack and Scott’s girlfriend. In my opinion, they’re cute together but many people hate them together. Oh well. Kira also becomes a badass in her own right, as her abilities evolve. However, in season 5, the creators put her on the shelf, as she trains with Skinwalkers and is never seen again. I am so fucking MAD about that.

Like many characters on this list, Kira has heart and courage. She’s a bit of an introvert but she is loyal, and cares for her pack. She’s cute and a bit goofy. She is skilled and deadly. Kira is one of the coolest characters Teen Wolf had, and the way they treated her was disappointed. (Even though after her death, Allison was always mentioned/connected in some way. I like Allison, don’t get me wrong but all I can say is: interesting...)

Fun fact: Arden Cho, the actress, is the VA for Sam Nishimura in Tomb Raider (2013)!

7. Lois Wilkerson - Malcolm in the Middle

The mother of four boys, the matriarch of the Wilkerson household is not one to push around.

Lois has had a rather rough life. Her parents were not the best, and everyone tries to push her down. However, Lois fights back and is not afraid to stand up for what is right. Francis, her oldest, describes her as an absolute menace and while her sons and husband fear her, they also admire her for her strength and courage. Lois is tough as nails, but she can also break, too. However, her family--the family she and Hal created, no one else--is there for her. Lois is incredibly strong willed no matter what, and I love her so much.

8. Theon Greyjoy - A Song of Ice and Fire

No words can describe on how much I love this fashionable war criminal.

Before the start of the series, Theon is a hostage/ward of Lord Stark, as a result of his father’s failed rebellion. Theon was a reminder that if Balon Greyjoy pulled something again, his last (male) heir would get the chopping block. Pretty brutal for a young child, right?

Now, at the start of the series, Theon is nineteen and is seemingly best friends with Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell and the North. He shows loyalty to Robb and the Starks, claiming that Lord Stark was like a father to him. He’s also skilled with archery and, like I mentioned earlier, fashion.

Then A Clash of Kings occur, and we began to see how Theon Greyjoy is.

Robb Stark has been proclaimed as King of the North, and sends Theon to the Iron Islands in hopes to gain allies with Balon Greyjoy. However, this does not occur. Old Greyjoy says “fuck that and if you’re [Theon] aren’t with us, then you‘re against us.” We see Theon conflicted, but we also see how strained his relationship with his father is. In the end, Theon joins the Greyjoys, and promptly sacks Winterfell. However, that is not the end. Theon is tricked by Ramsay Bolton and this vile man takes Winterfell. I believe while he took the women and children captive, the men were killed...save for Theon, of course.

Theon is held captive by Ramsay Bolton, and is tortured quite brutally. Theon goes through a lot in this time. His appearance had changed drastically: black hair turned white and brittle, he becomes skin and bones, and loses a few fingers and toes. Theon is no longer Theon. He became Reek. The new Reek.

Then, Jeyne Poole (or Sansa; I hate you D&D) arrives, under the guise that she is Arya Stark and she is to wed Ramsay Bolton. Jeyne begged Theon to help her, but he is in no position of power. He is a completely broken man. Time flies by. Jeyne is in absolute misery but with the help of Mance and some spearwives, Theon is able to escape Winterfell with Jeyne during a winter storm. Currently, in the books, Theon is set to be executed by Stannis Baratheon, who is currently holding him captive.

Theon Greyjoy may be a fuckup, but to me he is such an amazing character. He holds much conflict, from being a hostage/ward to Prince to prisoner. Theon Greyjoy may have done a lot of shit, but he is also a survivor. Everything he has been put through, he somehow lives to see another day. Despite holding negative feelings to Lord Stark and everyone around, claiming he owed no one anything (fair enough), he loved Robb. When Theon had found out he was murdered at the Red Wedding, you know what he thought?

I should have been with him. Where was I? I should have died with him.

Theon is far from perfect, but that is what makes him great. He has come so far, and I hope his journey does not end any time soon.

9. Suki - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko may have the best redemption arc (or does he? See above.), but Suki holds a special place in my heart.

We first meet Suki season one, on Kyoshi Island. She is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and effectively puts Sokka in his place. However, when Sokka requests a few lessons, Suki is happy to help...as long as he followed the guidelines.

Suki is a certified badass. Although a non-bender, Suki has incredible skill and event went against Azula. However, Suki and the others surrendered (so that Appa would not be captured), leading to her imprisonment at Boiling Rock. Eventually, Sokka and Zuko free her (with the help of Mai). After this, Suki joined the Gaang in ceasing the 100 Year War.

Suki is strong but like many other characters in this list, she has heart. She is an effective leader and fighter, offering her help whenever she can. Too bad she was never mentioned in The Legend of Korra. Suki is underrated and she deserves more love and respect.

10. Max Mayfield - Stranger Things

We first meet Max in season 2 as the new girl in Hawkins. She seems like your average girl but she quickly gets tied into the party after Lucas begs her to show her what has happened with him and the rest of the party. However, there’s a lot more to Max.

Max moved to Hawkins with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. It’s easy to see that Max and Billy, her stepbrother, do not get along. Billy is outright mean to her, lashing out at practically every chance he gets. Max fights back, however...especially when he threatens her friends.

In season 3, we finally get to see Max and El bond. (Thank God we didn’t have to put up with the “jealousy” tidbit. I would have--) El believes that Mike is lying and Max is like, “Well yeah. Come on let’s go to the mall!” and the girls have a blast together. I was so happy to see the two bond and have fun. I was so happy that El was spending time with someone other than Mike. I was so happy the girls were having fun by themselves. Honestly, the best part of season 3 was them becoming friends.

I love Max because she is confident and is not afraid to speak her mind. She’s funny and in many ways, we are alike. (Especially with our attitudes on boys and relationships.) However, Max is also vulnerable. We see this with her stepbrother, especially in season 3 I think. Their relationship was drastically different in season 3 and while many didn’t like it (myself included)...I also thought about Max. She’s a young girl and no matter how much bad blood was in between them, it will be traumatizing to see a transformation like this to someone you know quite well. It would be scary.

Anyway, I love Max.

Honorable mentions: Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Ororo Munroe (Storm), Jean Grey (Phoenix), Anna Marie (Rogue), Sam Nishimura, Malia Tate, all of House Martell, Dustin Henderson...

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Tell me, do I have a certain type of character that I’m attracted to? Also, I’m not sure who has all done this, so if you haven’t it: who are your top 10 favorite characters? Let me know!

[arcadianambivalence]

Why Dark Phoenix is Deeper Than You Think

As an adaptation of a beloved (and complex and long) comic book saga, it takes many liberties.  It has to.  One of which is focusing just on the Dark Phoenix (which should be obvious to casuals and stans from the very title of the movie) and its relation to Jean.

But adaptation literally means to change to fit a new situation, so (like Jean Grey herself) the movie goes in its own direction, and this is where I personally think its strengths lie.  Dark Phoenix is an allegory for mental illness.

With the opening scene that shows the source of Jean’s trauma, the movie sets itself up as an examination of Jean’s mind.  Believing both of her parents died in an accident she feels responsible for, Jean tells Xavier that “you can’t fix me.”  “Jean,” he replies, “You are not broken.”

(It’s a conversation that, cliched as it is in media, has its roots in real life, unfortunately.  How many people have this conversation with their therapists and doctors?  With their families or with themselves?)

When Jean absorbs the brunt of the Phoenix Force through accident, and then purposefully pulls it away from her teammates in an act of sacrifice, she becomes unable to suppress her childhood trauma and the Phoenix Force.

At first, she goes through what could be classified as a manic or hypomanic episode.  She feels fine.  Great!  Better than ever!  She jumps from a hospital bad to Scott(’s…implied bed) to a party, where she quickly imbibes more than the normal amount, concerning Ororo.  Then the memories begin to flash back and, as explained, “All that desire…all that pain and rage…it’s all coming out at once.”

From the beginning, the X-Men series and adaptions have lended themselves to allegory, be it for Civil Rights with the comic book inception or LGBT+ rights as interpreted with the 2000s adaptations.  Dark Phoenix takes its place in this line of social commentary.

Another parallel to the way people with mental illness are treated in life is the way the other X-Men react to Jean after the Phoenix Force becomes apparent.  Some of them are afraid of her, which would sound hypocritical.  As mutants, they’ve faced undeserved fear and suspicion from the world, so why look at Jean the same way?  But it’s not her physical health that worries them.  It’s her mental health.

When Jean realizes that her father is still alive, she tracks him down with renewed hope that she can heal the wound of her trauma.  It quickly becomes apparent that her father wants nothing to do with her anymore, and Jean is hurt and angry.  

The X-Men arrive, ready to confront or help Jean, all the while talking over her  as she is in the grips of her entire world spinning out around her.  Mystique moves to touch her, despite Jean’s pleas to be given space, and the resulting reaction leads to Mystique’s accidental death (paralleling the death of Jean’s mother).  

Instead of healing Jean’s trauma, the meeting with her father and confrontation with the X-Men only deepens it.  So Jean leaves everyone behind and tracks down Magneto for help.  He found new purpose in life, and she can too.  But seeing the blood on Jean’s hands (well, shirt), Erik grows wary of her, and eventually sides against Jean.

Alone and full of remorse, Jean is at her lowest and most vulnerable state…cue the villain, Vuk.  

Like Magneto, she wants a home for her people.  Like Charles, she wants Jean to control her powers.  Like Jean herself, she desires control over the Phoenix Force.  But Vuk sees people as little more than furniture or clothing.  Cold and utterly removed from Jean’s agony, Vuk tries to convince Jean of a grandiose destiny, a meaning and an end to her experiences.  Believing there is nothing left for her in life as it is, Jean latches onto this idea.  

Ironically, Vuk is proven right.  Jean does become something far more powerful than anyone could imagine.  But it’s not through a repression of memory or control of emotion.  She gives the protective barrier that protected her from her childhood crash to the X-Men (and the train crashes in a similar twisting fashion to the car in the first scene).  She fights off the D’Bari with an energy not seen since her initial hours as Phoenix.  The pain of her past, the rage against Vuk, and the desire to save her X-Men family comes out at once and makes her powerful.

So when Vuk drops all pretext of being on Jean’s side and tries to take the Phoenix Force, noting that emotions make Jean weak, Jean very quickly overpowers Vuk.  “No,” she says, “My emotions make me strong.”  

And that is the moment Jean truly transforms.  

Only when she realizes that she is not broken and does not need Vuk to “fix” her mind does she let go and feel the entirety of the Phoenix Force.

In real life, we can’t go toe-to-toe with physical manifestations of mental illness.  There is no celestial force that resembles the neurons in the brain to help us come to terms with who we are or to reach our greatest potential.  Most of us don’t get a moment of clarity about life or our purpose in it.  We can’t go home to Xavier Jean Grey’s School for Gifted Youngsters.  We just go home.

But we do have the ability to let go and to change.  And, as the stigma against mental illness is slowly worn away as people become more open about their experiences, we can find people who share our experiences after all.  So, if Dark Phoenix means anything, it’s the need to heal and to accept who you are, “mutations” and mental illness included.

[arelya-andaria]

E, L, R, X for the author ask?

Thank you so much for the ask @a-partofthenarrative!

E - OTP: Erik and Christine, obviously, at least in this phandom. I used to be an avid reader of Captain Swan, in the TV series Once Upon a Time. And in Harry Potter, Dramione has always been my go-to when I needed a quick HP fix. But my life’s been consumed by E/C, and I don’t plan on changing any time soon.

L - Already answered! But my second favorite, long story is Vines of Blood and Music. I am really impatient to show you guys what’s in store for Vampire Erik and our beloved Christine. I just love a good vampire story, and a Vampire Erik just fits his character so much!

R - Favorite all-time fic. So hard, there are so many good ones out there, and I haven’t even read most of them! But the one I always think of is Kintsugi, by Soignante. So long, so well written, so many feels, and such good characters, evolving so organically, so realistically! And a happy ending! What more could I want?

X - Current project is Vines of Blood and Music, about Vampire Erik living in recluse in the south Provence region of France, a 100 years after the events of the book, and meeting Christine, a modern young woman who’s trying to turn her life right after several traumatic events. He starts teaching her, and they try to see where that relationship can go, considering their past trauma and the secrets he’d hiding. I have also the Advent Calendar story (about New Year’s Eve in Vienna for our favorite couple E/C) and an old idea about a self insert taking Christine’s place in the events of the musical. Classical idea, but with a twist: Christine still lives within her, and influences her action. What will happen, afterwards, is still being written ^^

Thank you again so much!

[ihazocd]

#McKeeFireFund

Dear friends, As much as I hate to do this, I come to you on my knees. Some of my dearest friends are going through the worst of times right now, and try as I might, I simply cannot do all that is needed to help them myself.

Times were already tough as my best friend Stephanie was in the hospital for nearly three weeks, but things went from bad to worse last week when her husband Erik went home to check on their three cats and found that sometime while no one had been home, a fire had broken out in their house. Though the flames were mostly limited to the kitchen and dining room areas, the damage from smoke and soot are far more extensive. They also lost all three of their beloved pets in the fire.

The entire house is covered in a thick layer of acrid black powder, and according to the insurance adjuster, nearly everything they own will have to be replaced. Only irreplacable items will be able to be cleaned as the cost to do so is very high.

They now find themselves living out of a hotel and having to replace the most bare necessities out of pocket, which is a cost they weren't prepared for. They have a few articles of clothing each that I have been able to wash, a few personal items that had to be replaced immediately, and very little else. They have already run out of funds to replace the immediate necessities, adding acute financial distress to the trauma of losing everything.

I plan to do some shopping myself today to get them some food items, clothes and a couple toys/activities for their eight-year-old daughter (my niece Ayla) - but I also have limited means and won't be able to cover even the immediate needs by myself. Because of this, I have created a GoFundMe campaign for them (my idea, not theirs) in hopes that if we pool together as a 'village', even if each of us can only spare a couple dollars, we might ease their burden just a little bit. I truly hate to ask anything of anyone as I know that none of us are sitting on a lot of extra funds, and I already owe many of you who are reading this a huge debt of gratitude for being there for me when I needed it three years ago. However, these are people who have been there for me and for others when we have fallen on hard times, and I simply can't watch them struggle and do nothing - but unfortunately I cannot either relieve their burden on my own.

The GoFundMe campaign I created for Steph, Erik and Ayla can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/bk323-house-fire-relief-fund. It will remain up until as many needs as possible are met. All funds raised go directly to the family. Please, if you can spare a few bucks, could you help me create a silver lining for them? And if you can't (and that's okay), would you please share this, so that maybe someone who can help might see it?

I hate to beg. I really do. Especially when I know you all have expenses of your own, and you all have already done so very much good. I owe each and every one of you my very life. But this isn't about me, it's about two wonderful people and an eight-year-old who have lost nearly everything. I know it's Thursday. I know many of you are waiting on payday even to do your own shopping. But if, once that paycheck goes through, you can find even a couple dollars to contribute, it will go farther than you can imagine in not only helping to ease the family's financial burden but also in strengthening their morale as their village rallies around them. Alone, what each of us can do is very little, but together, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Thank you and God Bless, Katie

^^ ‘Ground Zero’ ^^

^^Ayla and I at the History Museum last winter ^^

[snowmadien]

Gajevy Week Au Fire Fighter

So Fun fact about this story is that my brother gave me the idea indirectly when he was coming home for fire academy training. 

Gajevy Week 

Bonus Day AU Fire fighter

Rated T for language

Gajeel stared up at the plain white ceiling of the Dragon house 4 fire station, thinking about her. It was half past midnight yet his body couldn’t sleep rather he was awaking thinking of the one person who had made him the man he was today.

Never in his whole life could he imagine that he would ever be happy, that he would ever have peace with himself and the world. He was once a fierce and formidable member of the Phantom Lord, selling drugs, doing drugs and hooking up with just about anyone he wanted to, even getting what he wanted when he wanted.

Until he met her. She wasn’t afraid of him like most people. Rather, she offered up her small apartment to him one cold snowy night, after he had been shot in the shoulder. At time she was just a nurse in training now but soon became head of trauma department. What she didn’t know after that fateful night was how he began to watch over her from the shadows and slowly she began to break his iron cold heart. She was the reason why he had decided to leave the gang and become a different man. She made him do the one thing he had never done in his life and that was fight for something. When his past nearly took her from him he did everything in his power to get her back; from that day forward he knew that she was the one.

It wasn’t easy but no that the looked back upon it he wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Now he just wanted to go back home to her, after spending nearly a two weeks since he had last seen her, thanks to the recent firestorms plaguing Fiore. He still couldn’t get the sharp smell of the burning cinder and lingering smoke out of his hair or his skin. 

Closing his eyes he pictured her, her velvet lips, soft blue hair and her creamy skin. But her eyes were the ones he would love to see the most they were a beautiful amber and full of life. Slowly, he began to feel the pull of sleep when a sharp bell yanked him from his trance. 

Without even thinking he raced out of bed and to the truck. Sliding down the poll he quickly grabbed his gear and began to put to on. 

“Gajeel there is a house fire over in Magnolia!” Natsu yelled as he put on his helmet and jumped into the truck with him.

“Do you know where?” he yelled as Sting started the truck and began pull out into the sleeping city. Without out any of the normal daylight traffic it was easier for Sting to driver faster and go thru red lights with ease. Natsu paused at what he was about to say 

“ All I know is that it’s near Sycamore road.” 

Gajeel’s breathing hitched, they lived in that area and he prayed to whatever God there was that Levy was alright. He quickly began to mentally prepare himself as Chief Laxus began to issue out orders but, Gajeel wasn’t listening. 

His heart had stopped when he saw the truck turn onto his street and stop directly in front of his own house. A large victorian mansion that he had bought from the bank at a cheap price since it was a bit of a fixer upper. But it was a beautiful maroon red that hid behind the large oak and pine trees that surrounded it.Smoke was billowing out of every crack and crevice he noticed that orange flames were escaping out of the basement. 

Without warning he blotted out of the truck only to be grabbed by Rouge and Erik to keep him from blindly running towards the smoking building,

“Let me go!” He growled “WHERE IS SHE?!” He screamed he desperately looked for her but saw no sign of his beloved.

“Gajeel get your head in the game if you want to save Levy!” Laxus snapped, Rouge and Erik released Gajeel and quickly went to help out Sting and Natsu with the hoses.  “Listen you are going in with Natsu. Since you know the lay out better you stand the best chance of finding her. From what I’m told the fire is in the basement now get your ass masked up and in there!” Within seconds he and Natsu had their tanks on and broke down his door. Smoke poured out of it’s new exit and the two men made their way in. Gajeel knew for a fact that both his woman and his cat were upstairs sleeping in the master.

“Hey we need to get out of here stat! I don’t think the floor is going to hold much longer!” Natsu said while testing the flooring with his ax.“Listen Pyro you grab Lily and I’ll get Levy.” The two made their way up and found the master bedroom with the door open and lying on the ground was Levy passed out with Lily next to her. It was obvious that she had tried to escaped but the smoke had taken it’s toll on her and his pet.

“Shit this is bad she might have been asleep when it started!” Natsu quickly scooped up Lily while Gajeel picked up Levy bridal style. A groaning and a snap echoed behind them and they realized that the stairs had gone out.“Oh fuck this is bad. Gajeel is there another way-” Natsu didn’t finish what he was about to say as Gajeel yanked him into the room and out towards a large balcony. Ivy covered the side of the large house which grew on white colored steal that had been fastened into the side.

“Get down the side and I’ll hand you them!” He yelled. Without a word Natsu made a made climb down, the moment his feet hit the ground Gajeel had tossed him Lily. Another snapping sound rang out and he looked back and saw that the flames were spreading faster than he had thought.

“Gajeel, hurry this house is going to come down any second!” Natsu hollered. Gajeel adjusted Levy so that she hung from his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Giving one final look back he saw that everything he had and every memory that was created in the house going up in flames. He climbed down and both men bolted towards the front of the house. He quickly yanked off his masked and quickly put it on her face, he realized that Levy wasn’t breathing. 

“Damn it Levy, breathe!” he begged as he began to do CPR on her. He couldn’t dare lose her again. What felt like an eternity he heard a small gasp of air saw that her eyes were beginning to open.

“Levy!” He pulled her into a tight hug as tears rolled down his eyes.“Ga-Gajeel?” “I’m here Lev, I’m here.” He whispered, a soft hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked up to see the EMT’s had arrived. Giving them a short nod he allowed the men to do their work.

“I’m going with-” He began to say.“No you aren’t Redfox you’ve got a job to do!” Laxus barked out, fire pooled into his gut as he stormed over to the Chief.“Don’t give me lip Gajeel we are here to fight this fire not hitch a ride with the medics.” Resisting the urge to knock Laxus’s teeth out he gave a sigh and grabbed another house and started to kill the fire that was destroying his home.

Time skip five hours 

Sitting in Levy’s room Gajeel waited for her to come out of her slumber. The minute the fire had been put out the whole group had gone to the hospital to check on Levy. However, only Gajeel was permitted to see her at the current moment.Ash and soot covered her face as she lied peacefully on her bone white bed. A soft knock  stirred him from his vigilant watch.

“Porlyusica.” He greeted.

“Doctor Porlyusica.” She corrected “She’ll be able to go home be tomorrow. Only a few burns and her hands and legs along with a dangerous amount of smoke inhalation.” She read from the cart.“Also tell her that she will be granted paid leave by the hospital for the next week, along with a check up needed in three.” She stated.

“Wait why does she need a check up?” He asked.“Why don’t you see for yourself.” She handed him Levy’s medical chart and as he began to read down the list he stopped at a single word.

“No way..” he whispered, Levy was four weeks pregnant. A part of him was stunned and yet beyond joyful. He was going to be a father!

“Gajeel?” A breath voice whispered. He looked over to Levy and saw that she was waking.

“Hey short stack.” He stood up and hugged her tightly fearing that she would turn into smoke and leave him.

“I’m just thankful that you’re alive.” Tears began to roll down his face as he tightened his hold on her.“I thought I was going to lose you, like everyone else in my life.” The mere thought of losing her was unbearable.

“I’m not going anywhere I’m staying right here with you no matter what,” he pulled back and kissed her hard. Her lips tasted of smoke and tears he didn’t want to let go wanted to hold her forever.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He demanded as soon as they broke apart. Levy paused to think for a second before realizing what Gajeel was asking.

“I wanted to be sure that I was. I had an appointment today with Doctor Porlyusica but guess that didn’t happen.” Gajeel softly kissed her as he smiled.

“I’m going to be a father!” He laughed as they kissed. 

A slight cough had broke them apart, standing in the doorway was the rest of his team and in Natsu's arm was an ash covered Lily.

“Lily!” They both happily yelled. The cat bolted out of Natsu's grasp and into the couple’s loving arms and began to purr contently.

“So Redfox when should I tell Mira that she’s knocked up?” Levy turned a bright red and Gajeel choked at Laxus’s comment.

“Just tell her to keep it small, I don’t want nothing out of control like the last birthday party she threw!” he snapped.

“Shit, where the hell are we now going to live?” he realized with their home gone they had no place to go.

 “Don’t worry I got your guys covered. Gramps is selling a private home on the edge of Magnolia. It’s got land and the house isn’t that big but for a family it’s perfect.”

“You don’t have-”

“Redfox shut up, you saved  my ass once and now I think it’s time to return the favor!” Laxus barked, soon everyone was either sitting on the chairs or on the floor to sleep. Porlyusica didn't bother kicking them out as they were all more than exhausted and deserving of the sleep. Gajeel had crawled into Levy’s bed and held her tightly. With Lily sleeping in the crook of Levy’s arm.

Hope you guys all enjoyed this story I sure as hell did when writing it!

Shout our to @mangaguitar96 for going over this 

[justbloggingit-blog]

The 25 Best Netflix Original Series

The fact that we can even make a list of the best Netflix original series is kind of amazing. Less than five years ago, the now dominant streaming platform was best known as the company that put Blockbuster out of business. House of Cards not only changed all that—it also changed the way TV is consumed, introducing the now ever-popular binge model. History is made by forward-thinking companies and Netflix, let’s be honest, is making history.

The streaming platform is rich with content and, so far, has had only a few true misses (talking to you, Iron Fist). To come up with the list of Netflix best original series, we left out shows that originated on another network, including those that received a second life on Netflix (sorry Arrested Development, though it’s probably for the best, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life). You can find those titles, and many more, on our list of the 75 Best TV Shows on Netflix.

Here are the 25 best Netflix original series:

25. 13 Reasons Why

Creators: Steve Golin, Tom McCarthy and Selena Gomez Stars: Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro, Miles Heizer, Derek Luke, Kate Walsh Premiered: 2017

Here’s something ironic: One of the shows that could be the easiest to take for granted this season could very well be the one about a teenage girl who kills herself because she was taken for granted. Based on author Jay Asher’s young adult bestseller, 13 Reasons Why is about what happens when the bullying, sexting, betrayed friendships, doublespeak conversations, and sheer loneliness of high-school hell get too much for teenager Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford). But Hannah doesn’t go down without naming some names and her suicide note comes in the form of audio recording, in which she recounts exactly what (and who) led her to fall into this pit of hopelessness. The message is that everyone had a chance to save Hannah from herself, even the adults. 13 Reasons Why is one of the most important TV shows of the season. Whitney Friedlander

24. Grace and Frankie

Creators: Marta Kauffman, Howard J. Morris Stars: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen, Brooklyn Decker Premiered: 2015

Sometimes the only thing worse than a flat-out bad show is a woefully mediocre one that thoroughly squanders its vast potential. Indeed, despite its luminous cast, respected creative team (Marta J. Kaufman co-created Friends) and timely subject matter, Grace and Frankie never quite shakes the impression that it’s a broadcast comedy masquerading under a thick layer of “prestige half-hour” make-up. The story centers on the titular characters (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, respectively) who end up becoming roommates/reluctant friends after their husbands (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) announce they’ve been engaging in a long-term affair with one another and wish to dissolve their marriages to be together. Feeling tossed out to sea in the twilight of their lives, the two women attempt to rediscover life as newly single gals. Cue gags fueled by elder dating, elder sex and the ever-reliable, “elders try to use technology.” It’s essentially How Stella Got Her Groove Back for the septuagenarian sect. These creative shortcomings are all the more disappointing given the unmistakable chemistry between Fonda and Tomlin, not to mention that, as actresses of a certain age, Hollywood is not exactly bowling them over with the roles they deserve. Grace and Frankie is far from a bad show, but it has enough going for it that one wishes it was so much better. Mark Rozeman

23. The OA

Creators:   Brit Marling  and Zal Batmanglij Stars: Brit Marling, Emory Cohen, Scott Wilson, Phyllis Smith, Alice Krige, Jason Isaacs Premiered: 2016

Brit Marling  and Zal Batmanglij’s flawed, transfixing science (or is it spiritual?) fiction asks its audience, as the title character (Marling) does hers, for trust—to the point that the suspension of disbelief emerges as the subject of The OA, and not merely its mechanism. As the OA, or Original Angel, also known as Prairie Johnson, unfurls a tale of unimaginable trauma for four high school students and their math teacher (the surprising Phyllis Smith), the decision to focus on images of their rapt faces might appear premature, given the first season’s meandering course. And yet, mirroring the OA’s inscrutable message, Marling and Batmanglij’s snarled stories ultimately straighten, as if diagramming an indecipherable sentence or lining a complex hymn: When its nesting narratives come taut, when its forked paths converge, The OA rewards the faith it requires, coming to a climax of such sublime conviction it continues to reduce me to sobs even now, after countless viewings. Matt Brennan

22. Bloodline

Creators: Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman Stars: Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek, Norbert Leo Butz, Jacinda Barrett, Enrique Murciano Premiered: 2015

The first season of Bloodline, I found myself asking “Is this good? Do I like this?” after every episode. “Better watch the next one to figure out how I feel about it.” Before long, I was fully invested in the show’s mystery and had made it through all 13 episodes, but I still find myself wondering why I’m not totally blown away by it. It’s got a stellar cast—Sissy Spacek, Linda Cardellini, Kyle Chandler and Ben Mendelsohn (the latter two of whom were nominated for Emmys for their work on the show). It’s got a compelling plot (the family’s black sheep returns home and threatens to reveal a bunch of secrets that could tear everything apart, with flashbacks to a decades-old tragedy mixed in for good measure). It’s beautifully shot, so much so that the Florida Keys are almost another character on the show. And yet there’s something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on, something that hasn’t quite taken the show to where it should be on paper. That said, I’ll probably blow through Season Three in a weekend this May to see if they’ve found it. Bonnie Stiernberg

21. Chef’s Table

Creators: David Gelb, Andrew Fried and Brain McGinn Premiered: 2015

This docuseries might really change the way you look at what you eat and why. Each episode is a standalone documentary that highlights the personal journey of a different chef. The ultimate focus is on the chef—not the food, not the restaurant—and the show is freaking beautiful. Each episode is gorgeously filmed and an extremely thoughtful look at one chef and his/her career journey. What’s brought into sharp focus is a sense that each of these people, surrounded by families and communities and friends and patrons, is someone with a fundamental sense of being alone. We have a number of programs about food and it’s easy to believe that no one could possibly have anything new to… um bring to the table. But all of the episodes leave me wanting more. Amy Glynn

20. Sense8

Creators: The Wachowskis, J. Michael Straczynski Stars: Tuppence Middleton, Brian J. Smith, Doona Bae, Aml Ameen, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Tina Desai, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Jamie Clayton, Freema Agyeman, Terrence Mann, Anupam Kher, Naveen Andrews, Daryl Hannah Premiered: 2015

There is no bigger WTF TV show in the world right now than Sense8. This globe-trotting and glitzy sci-fi series, created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (co-directors of The Matrix trilogy) and former Babylon 5 showrunner J. Michael Straczynski, drops us into a world where eight strangers in different parts of the planet are somehow psychically and emotionally linked. The first season’s 12 episodes and the Christmas special follow this assortment of confused and beautiful people as they try to understand this connection, use their newfound abilities to help one another, and engage in not one but two blissfully queer orgies. As wacky and over-the-top as Sense8 can often get, the series remains important as it deals with issues of sexuality and gender identity through the work of trans actress Jamie Clayton and performers Miguel Silvestre and Alfonso Herrera’s portrayal of a gay couple in Mexico City. Robert Ham

19. A Series of Unfortunate Events Creators: Mark Hudis, Barry Sonnenfeld Stars: Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, K. Todd Freeman, Presley Smith Premiered: 2017

When Netflix announced its adaptation of Daniel Handler’s beloved, quirky books, my main question was this: Is A Series of Unfortunate Events adaptable to the screen without losing the idiosyncrasies that make it so charming? Fortunately, director Barry Sonnenfeld, Neil Patrick Harris as the evil Count Olaf, and Handler himself (as screenwriter) rose to the challenge magnificently. The series, whose first season contains eight out of a planned 26 episodes, doesn’t consistently hit the emotional heights of Netflix’s best fare, but it more than makes up for this paucity with solid acting, abundant wit and a visual aesthetic that is wholly unique in television—a hybrid of Tim Burton’s gothic glee and Wes Anderson’s diorama cinema. Book-readers will delight at the faithfulness of the adaptation, and while first-timers may take a tad longer to get their feet wet, the colorful menagerie of characters and the dogged perseverance of the Baudelaire orphans should win them over. Zach Blumenfeld

18. Marvel’s Luke Cage Creator: Cheo Hodari Coker Stars: Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick, Erik LaRay Harvey, Rosario Dawson, Theo Rossi Premiered: 2016

Marvel’s third Netflix venture isn’t perfect—the structure of its villain hierarchy needed some serious recalibration—but it is good, very good in fact, and most of all it’s ballsy. Who writes a superhero show around a naked discussion of what it means to a black American in 2016? Luke Cage is obviously a Marvel product, but it’s also the product of its creator, Cheo Hodari Coker, and its cast, including Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick, and Erik LaRay Harvey (plus appearances by Frankie Faison, Ron Cephas Jones and, of course, Method Man): The series has more flexibility in addressing its subject matter thanks to its platform, but it’s hard to imagine that it’d speak as loudly or as boldly even on Netflix without Coker driving the narrative forward. Even though he stumbles during the show’s midsection, his errors don’t add up to more than an inconvenience. Luke Cage blends its source material with a wide range of influences, from jazz to rap to horrors ripped straight from the headlines, and churns out a yarn that’s as powerful as it is irresistibly poppy. Andy Crump

17. One Day at a Time

Creators: Gloria Calderon Kellett, Mike Royce, Norman Lear Stars: Justina Machado, Rita Moreno, Stephen Tobolowsky, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz Premiered: 2017

I can’t remember a time I loved something the way I love the new One Day at a Time. Part of my affection stems from the fact that the show was such a discovery. It arrived January 6 of this year with almost no hype. I write about TV for a living and I barely knew it was premiering. Almost immediately I dismissed the show as yet another ill-advised remake. How wrong I was. The comedy is a pure delight. A throwback to the defining comedies of the 1970s with a modern twist, the show deftly tackles some hot-button issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, wage inequality and teenage sexuality amid real conversations about generational differences and Cuban heritage and traditions. Justina Machado (Six Feet Under) is fantastic as the recently separated veteran raising her two adolescent children with the help of her mother Lydia (living legend Rita Moreno) and her landlord Schneider (Todd Grinnell). Moreno gives an amazing speech in the series 12th episode that should easily nab her an Emmy nomination this year. But above all the show is funny and grounded. Once you start watching, you won’t be able to watch this gem one day at a time. Amy Amatangelo

16. Love

Creators:   Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Paul Rust Stars: Gillian Jacobs, Paul Rust, Claudia O’Doherty Premiered: 2016

If you’re a fan of Undeclared or Freaks and Geeks, you should make it your business to give Judd Apatow’s latest series, Love, a try. In a lot of ways, it feels like what would happen if Sam Weir and Kim Kelly wound up dating in their 30s—we meet Gus (Paul Rust), a dorky on-set tutor for the child star of a witch-themed teen drama, and Mickey (Gillian Jacobs), a radio producer struggling with her sobriety, as they’re both reeling from tough breakups and watch as they fall for each other. Like anything Apatow’s got his name on, there’s an underlying sweetness here and an incredibly strong cast (Claudia O’Doherty steals pretty much every scene she’s in as Mickey’s roommate, Bertie), and the addiction plot lends some dramatic muscle. The characters are complicated (and not always likable), but hey, so is love. Bonnie Stiernberg

15. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

Creators: Michael Showalter, David Wain Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Lake Bell, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Ian Black, Michael Cera, Josh Charles, Bradley Cooper, Judah Friedlander, Janeane Garofalo, Jon Hamm, Nina Hellman Premiered: 2015

When a follow-up comes along for any project with a huge cult audience, it seems doomed to disappoint. Arrested Development’s fourth season’s breaking apart of the cast was bound to frustrate, and Anchorman 2 could never reach the surprising joy of the original. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp obviously came with a certain amount of trepidation. But instead of trying to recreate the glory of the last day of camp, as seen in the 2001 film, First Day of Camp added a considerable amount of depth to the original film and explained aspects of Camp Firewood that never needed to be understood, but make the entire history of these characters feel more whole. The Netflix series managed to redefine these characters that we fell in love with over a decade ago, all while giving us laughs and immense heart as well. Ross Bonaime

14. The Crown

Creator: Peter Morgan Stars: Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, John Lithgow, Jeremy Northam, Victoria Hamilton, Eileen Atkins Premiered: 2016

The Royal family were allegedly concerned when creator Peter Morgan refused all offers of assistance in bringing The Crown to life. The fact that Netflix’s first costume drama manages to make someone as famously insensitive as Prince Philip appear deeply sympathetic proves the Palace needn’t have worried. That’s not to say that this fascinating portrait of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign is a piece of sycophantic fluff—it doesn’t exactly shy away from the conflicts that plagued her early years. But the first season, which centers on events from 1947 to 1955, does humanize the monarchy in a way that very few royal dramas have done before. Indeed, the reported $100 million budget has understandably garnered the most headlines, but as sumptuous as The Crown’s sets are, it’s Morgan’s meticulously researched screenplay that impresses the most. Exquisite performances from Claire Foy as the young woman thrust onto the throne in her twenties and a never-better John Lithgow as the formidable Winston Churchill also ensure that Netflix’s ambitious royal gamble well and truly pays off. Jon O’Brien

13. Making a Murderer

Creators: Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos Premiered: 2015

After the Serial podcast captured the zeitgeist, Netflix brought viewers the true story of Steven Avery, a man wrongly convicted of a brutal assault. He sued law enforcement, and while in the middle of that suit, he became a suspect of a brand new crime. The 10-part docu-series covers 30 years in Avery’s life, and like Serial, became a phenomenon that had us all playing armchair judge and jury. Amy Amatangelo

12. Lady Dynamite

Creators: Pam Brady, Mitch Hurwitz Stars: Maria Bamford, Fred Melamed, Mary Kay Place Premiered: 2016

Generally speaking, we like our comedies and our comedians to be funny. Maria Bamford—actress, voice actress, stand-up—is funny in the strictest sense possible, but her Netflix series, Lady Dynamite, blends her humor with melancholy and hurt. Don’t worry: You’ll laugh. You will laugh! Lady Dynamite is hysterical, and it’s hysterical on a wide array of axes, incorporating everything from slapstick, to absurdism, to cringe humor into one hyperactive rush of comic goodness. But it’s also deeply human and deeply sad, the kind of comedy series where the laughs tend to catch in one’s gullet, or squeeze through gritted teeth. Sometimes you laugh so as not to wince, or just to keep yourself from shedding tears in front of your friends (or in front of your own damn self). Sad comedies are a dime a dozen in 2016, especially for Netflix junkies, but the manic qualities of Lady Dynamite’s humor, its frank approach to its themes of mental illness, and its cavalcade of comedian guest stars—whether they’re mainstream comedians, alt comedians, or mainstream-alt comedians—give the show a brio and soul all its own. Andy Crump

11. Marvel’s Daredevil

Creator: Drew Goddard Stars: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio Premiered: 2015

Marvel and DC have both tried to leverage their movie dominance onto the small screen many times over, but so far, the only beloved TV show based on a comic book has come from indie publisher Image with The Walking Dead. That changed with Netflix’ new offering Daredevil. The Hell’s Kitchen of Matt Murdoch’s world is much grittier than that of his Marvel cohorts on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.—no surprise since the show was created by Drew Goddard, director of Cabin in the Woods. Goddard, who’s written episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias and Lost is also no stranger to the comics world, having written a few issues of the Buffy comics. The fight scenes are riveting (and often bloody), and the hero and his companions are well-developed, but it’s Vincent D’Onofrio complicated turn as the crime boss Wilson Fisk that elevates the show into something special. Both Fisk and Murdoch want to clean up the city, and will go to great lengths to do it. The difference between hero and villain is just a matter of ends-justify-the-means degrees. Not since Rick Grimes tangled with the Governor or Walter White went up against Gus Fring has there been a protracted battle this gripping on television. Your move, DC. Josh Jackson

10. Narcos

Creators: Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro Stars: Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal, Joanna Christie, Maurice Compte, Stephanie Sigman, Manolo Cardona, André Mattos, Roberto Urbina, Diego Cataõ Premiered: 2015

One popular line of criticism has it that Narcos romanticizes the violence and degradation associated with the Colombian drug wars—and drug culture in general—and I would agree that the excellent Wagner Moura plays kingpin Pablo Escobar so engagingly that he becomes a sort of Walt White-esque antihero. And the rhythms of the documentary-style narration are fast-paced in a way that’s reminiscent of Guy Ritchie, whipping us along at an almost breakneck speed. Nevertheless, this valid criticism misses the important point that we are watching a work of fiction based on historical figures—not a real documentary. And when viewed that way, Narcos was one of the most successful new shows on TV, in how it managed to flesh out some very dark characters and tell a complicated story with such urgency and clarity. This is not the hyper-realist drug fiction of Traffic or 2015’s wonderful Sicario, but as conflict entertainment goes, it succeeds wonderfully. Shane Ryan

9. The Get Down

Creators:   Baz Luhrmann, Stephen Adly Guirgis Stars: Justice Smith, Herizen F. Guardiola, Shameik Moore, Jaden Smith, Skylan Brooks, Tremaine Brown Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jimmy Smits Premiered: 2016

The Get Down, from Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis, bears the imprint of its creators’ extensive experience on the stage, mustering more musical zeal than the many other contemporary rock ‘n’ roll series. The story of aspiring MC Ezekiel Figuero (Justice Smith) and his love interest, disco singer Mylene (Herizen F. Guardiola), The Get Down edges closer in affect to Singin’ in the Rain or West Side Story than to its brethren on TV. Whether a function of its interest in the origins of hip-hop or the spirited optimism of its protagonists, determined to escape, or transform, the South Bronx, The Get Down is buoyed by its kinetic energies, even as it strains to bring its sprawling cast and sociopolitical interests into sharper relief. Each episode is a kaleidoscope of musical influences, from disco to ’90s rap. Throughout the first few episodes, the camera combats the intermittent sluggishness of the writing, zooming, swooping, circling and retreating before cycling back to the beginning, painted all the while in bright swatches of color. The Get Down recalls the aforementioned classics not because it’s made with similar aplomb, then, but because the series’ chaotic construction nonetheless reflects the musical’s central premise: The music isn’t the setting for the story. The music is the story. Matt Brennan

8. House of Cards

Creator: Beau Willimon Stars: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly Premiered: 2013

It’s been called a gamble. It’s been called a revolutionary step in television. However you look at it, House of Cards, Netflix’s first original series, is certainly something you need to witness. Whether you watch all the episodes in one sitting or spaced out over a few weeks, the show has an undeniable draw that will suck you in. The political thriller, starring the incomparable Kevin Spacey, is an adaptation of BBC’s show of the same name (also worth checking out on Netflix). It sets out to take on drama juggernauts from HBO, Showtime and AMC; succeeding in part. The most compelling aspect of the show is Spacey’s take on Frank Underwood. He’s able to carry scenes and sometimes entire episodes. The series focuses on Underwood’s ruthless rise to power alongside—and, at times, in opposition to—his icy, ambitious wife, Claire (Robin Wright). The show lies somewhere between the exceptionally boundary-pushing first season of Homeland and the intelligence of the early The West Wing episodes. Adam Vitcavage

7. Dear White People

Creator: Justin Simien Stars:: Logan Browning, Brandon P. Bell, DeRon Horton, Antoinette Robertson, John Patrick Amedori, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Giancarlo Esposito Network: Netflix

Based on creator Justin Simien’s 2014 indie, Netflix’s original series—narrated by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul’s Giancarlo Esposito—replicates the pungent humor of the film without ever seeming stale, or static: Its knives are sharp, and they’re pointed in every direction. Though its primary target is white privilege, in forms both egregious (blackface parties) and mundane (calls to end “divisive” politics), Dear White People, set on the campus of a fictional Ivy League university, is even funnier when it turns to the details of the black students’ personal and ideological choices, transforming the notion of the “problematic fave,” from the McRib to The Cosby Show into the engine of its entertaining, incisive comedy. Matt Brennan

6. Jessica Jones

Creator: Melissa Rosenberg Stars: Krysten Ritter, David Tennant, Rachael Taylor, Mike Colter, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty, Wil Traval, Susie Abromeit Premiered: 2015

Marvel’s first team-up with Netflix, 2015’s excellent Daredevil, took the shiny Marvel Cinematic Universe and rubbed much needed dirt on it. Jessica Jones furthers the trend with a psychological thriller that is, somehow, more brutal and dark than its Hell’s Kitchen contemporary. Unlike Daredevil, Jones not only redrew the lines for a Marvel production, but redefined what a comic book show could be. The emphasis is not on the physical, but instead the mental destruction caused by Kilgrave (the phenomenal David Tennant), a sociopath with mind-control powers. Netflix’s binge model is used to its full-effect, each episode’s conclusion begging the viewer to let the train roll on. And, like a victim of Kilgrave, it’s impossible not to abide. Jessica Jones keeps the viewer guessing, leaving them suspended in a state of fear and anxiety for 13 perilous, wonderful hours. Eric Walters

5. Stranger Things

Creators: The Duffer Brothers Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine Premiered: 2016

The only question viewers tend to ask about the quality of Netflix’s Stranger Things isn’t “Is this a fantastically entertaining show?” but “Does it matter that the show is so homage-heavy?” Our take: No. Since springing into the cultural consciousness immediately with its release, Stranger Things has been hailed as a revival of old-school sci-fi, horror and ‘80s nostalgia that is far more effective and immediately gripping than most other examples of its ilk. The influences are far too deeply ingrained to individually list, although imagery evoking Amblin-era Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper films drips from nearly every frame. With a stellar cast of child actors and several different characters whose hidden secrets we desperately want to see explored, Stranger Things hits every note necessary to motivate a weekend-long Netflix binge. As questions now swirl about the direction of Season Two, following the first season’s explosive conclusion, we’re all hoping that the same group of characters will be able to re-conjure the chilling, heart-pumping magic of a perfectly constructed eight-episode series. Please, TV gods: Don’t let Stranger Things go all True Detective on us. Jim Vorel

4. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Creators:   Tina Fey, Robert Carlock Stars: Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Karkowski, Carol Kane, Lauren Adams, Sara Chase Premiered: 2015

NBC has made any number of mistakes over the years, but few bigger than shelving Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s 30 Rock follow-up, before punting it over to Netflix. The fast-paced and flip sitcom features breakout performances by Office vet Ellie Kemper as the titular former “mole woman” trying to make it on her own in New York, and Tituss Burgess as her flamboyant and put-upon roommate, Titus Andromedon. Throughout the first season’s run, some writers and critics seemed dead set on finding some kind of flaw to pounce on with the show, zeroing in on how the minority characters are represented. This may be a wild generalization, but I think this was a natural reaction to one of the most overtly feminist sitcoms ever produced. Kimmy Schmidt is most certainly upsetting the natural order of your typical network sitcom. The show’s titular character is defining her life on her own terms and by her own standards. For some reason that still freaks some people out so they dismiss it or find some way to poke holes in the vehicle for that idea. That is what makes the show so exciting. Just as the show can go in a myriad of different directions, so too can Kimmy Schmidt. Now that she has put the awful time in the bunker to bed, she can face a new day with that infectious smile, bubbly attitude, and enthusiastic embrace of life experience. Sorry nitpickers and network executives; Kimmy Schmidt is going to make it after all. Robert Ham

3. Orange is the New Black

Creator: Jenji Kohan Stars: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Michael J. Harney, Michelle Hurst, Kate Mulgrew, Jason Biggs Premiered: 2013

 Orange is the New Black is perfectly suited for the Netflix delivery system, if only because it would have been agonizing to wait a week for a new episode. But there’s more; the construct felt cinematic and compared to your average show, and I couldn’t help but feel that the all-at-once release plane freed the creators to make something less episodic and more free-flowing. Taylor Schilling stars as Piper Chapman, a woman living a content modern life when her past rears up suddenly to tackle her from behind; a decade earlier, she was briefly a drug mule for her lover Alex Vause (the excellent Laura Prepon), and when Vause needed to plea her sentence down, she gave up Piper. The story is based on the real-life events of Piper Kerman, whose book of the same title was the inspiration, but the truth is that the screen version is miles better. Schilling is the engine that drives the plot, and her odd combination of natural serenity mixed with the increasing anger and desperation at the late turn her life has taken strikes the perfect tone for life inside the women’s prison. Over the first few episodes, prison is treated like an almost-quirky novelty she’ll have to experience for 15 months, and the wisest choice director Jenji Kohan made (and there are many) was to heighten the stakes so that what begins as an off-kilter adventure soon takes on the serious proportions prison life demands. And as great as Schilling and Prepon are together, the supporting cast is so universally excellent that it almost beggars belief. There are too many characters who make gold with their limited screen time to mention individually, but suffice it to say that there’s enough comedy, pathos and tragedy here for a dozen shows. The fact that they fit so successfully into one makes OITNB a defining triumph for Netflix. Shane Ryan

2. Master of None

Creators:   Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang Stars: Aziz Ansari, Noél Wells, Eric Wareheim, Lena Waithe, Kelvin Yu, Alessandra Mastronardi, Bobby Cannavale Premiered: 2015

The long-awaited second season of Aziz Ansari’s masterful Master of None begins with an homage to Bicycle Thieves and ends with a nod to The Graduate. In between are beautifully nuanced episodes as Ansari’s Dev Shah tries to navigate his love life and his career. Even when the show goes the traditional sitcom route—the will-they-or-won’t-they romance of Dev and the engaged Francesca (Alessandra Mastronardi)—the dialogue and interactions are decidedly not traditional. They talk like real people not ones created in a writer’s room. “New York, I Love You,” which stepped away from the main characters to showcase the vibrant diversity of the city and “Thanksgiving,” which chronicled Dev’s childhood friend Denise (Lena Waithe) coming out to her family, are easily the season highlights. The show is fun to watch, emotionally satisfying and thought provoking. Unlike anything else on television, Master of None is not only one of the best shows of Netflix, but one of the most important in a long, long time. Eric Walters and Amy Amatangelo

1. BoJack Horseman

Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg Stars: Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris, Paul F. Tompkins Premiered: 2014

 BoJack Horseman is one of the most underrated comedies ever made, and it almost pains me that it doesn’t earn more praise. Right from the title sequence, which documents BoJack’s sad decline from network sitcom star to drunken has-been—set to the beautiful theme song written by the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney—this is one of the most thoughtful comedies ever made. Which doesn’t mean it’s not hilarious, of course. Will Arnett is the perfect voice for BoJack, and Paul F. Tompkins, who is in my mind the funniest man on planet Earth, could not be better suited to the child-like Mr. Peanut Butter. This is a show that isn’t above a visual gag or vicious banter or a wonderfully cheap laugh, but it also looks some very hard realities of life straight in the eye. There are times when you will hate BoJack—this is not a straight redemption story, and the minute you think he’s on the upswing, he will do something absolutely horrible to let you down. (There’s a special irony in the fact that a horse is one of the most human characters on TV, and the unblinking examination of his character makes “Escape from L.A.” one of the best episodes of TV.) So why isn’t it loved beyond a strong cult following? Maybe it’s the anthropomorphism that keeps people away, or maybe it’s the animation, but I implore you: Look beyond those elements, settle into the story, and let yourself be amazed by a comedy that straddles the line between hilarious and sad like no other on television.