#for louis who is so well read especially how does he relate his story to the stories he's read

[dwreader]

one of the few good faith questions about s1 gender roles is why louis is only paralleled with white women. why does the show make him iolanta, melisande, nora helmer, etc and not claire kendry or janie crawford, characters who also appear in literature from the show's time period. why is he reading flaubert, colette, edward carpenter and not claude mckay or nella larsen who actually writes a lot about interractial relationships. on one hand the showrunner is white and maybe those are the texts he feels most comfortable with, but there are more than a few black creatives working on the show who are contributing in significant ways.

first of all, characters like iolanta, stella kowalski and nora helmer do not need to be white. they are white in their original forms because the writers were white and sometimes based them on real people. tenessee williams always wanted to have streetcar performed by diverse casts even though he based the characters partly on people in his own family. many productions now have non-white actresses in these roles (assad zaman was in one of these productions of a doll's house). also we can safely say lestat assigns melisande to louis because that's the kind of shit he's into (french opera based on a belgian story) and he's not really well read.

beyond that though, to me the reason louis is paralleled with white women is because he's married to a white man in 1910 louisiana where not only was interracial marriage illegal but homosexual relations and even interractial cohabitation were banned. but because of lestat's power, money and their vampire powers, these roles don't really apply to them. people who were in interracial or homosexual relationships in the 1910s had very different struggles and conflicts from loustat, like most of them could barely step outside without worrying about their safety. they certainly wouldn't be parading around society together all the time while even the politicians and authorities know about their relationship. so how do you make sense of your marriage if its very existence is anachronistic?? who's writing about your experiences if your experience is such an outlier in your society literally due to supernatural forces? there's no shortage of black literature in this time period (which overlaps with the harlem renaissance!) but being married to a white man is quite fundamentally different to being married to a non-white man especially in early 20th century. a white man has complete control over his dominion which includes the home and the outside world. a non-white man may have control over his home but the minute he steps out the door he's at the mercy of white men, he could be killed for simply looking at someone the wrong way, which makes non-white men impossible to relate to lestat. and who was allowed to be married to white men in those days? white women.

and ultimately louis is nora because the conflict of needing to escape an overbearing husband was something allowed only to white women in literature/theater. the reason we find so many parallels between louis and white female characters like belle even now is because his role in this story is largely reserved for white women and this has clearly ruffled a lot of feathers because its unfamiliar. i'll be curious to see what the show does as time moves forward but for season 1 it's very clear to me why the show chose these specific intertextual references.

[dxxtruction]

its probably meant to be somewhat ambiguous but it seems most likely that armand was gaslighting louis so that he didn't trust himself and daniel didn't trust him. he also seemed to basically get what he wanted by instigating a fight and igniting some passion, we see by next ep's start it probably got resolved with sex and absolution. idk the talamasca angle is not as interesting a story

Ask is in reference to this post: HERE

That's cool. You're able to hold that I'm able to hold mine. Interpretations are just that. I will say it doesn't matter whether Armand planted them, or not, because he still ends up gaslighting Louis in the 2x04 argument anyway. It’s effectively gaslighting even if they are telling the truth here as they see it because of how things stack up and what's said.

It is basically how you said, and I'll just go ahead and expand for anyone who might not see it so clearly. Initially, it seems he's more or less trying to just get Louis off his case for the photos, and is willing to throw him, his mental state, and character under the bus, to do so. But Louis already straight up knows him of doing manipulative things, of this exact sort, in the interview before this event even occurred - Namely that Armand is making himself look far more approachable, and better to Daniel, even after they'd both agreed to basically tear this guy to shreds, which makes Louis look worse by default, and goes against what they agreed to both do. Armand has a repeated tendency to fall through on his promises, or promise things, but then take it his own direction when it suits him. In all cases, he does keep obstructing Louis interview, especially when it comes to Daniel, and won't fully admit to it. - this is why Louis' so reactive, among just the fact he has trauma related to being denied his own interiority, fullness, and freedoms, because he's Black, and in society, seen less human. Armand simply doesn't help his case by denying it, even if it were actually his truth that the photos weren't his doing. (Note; Armand has also faced horrific dehumanizing traumas, but in such a differing way I don't think he's able to empathize with the same way Louis been dehumanized in life. I argue a little if Louis is even able to do more than simply hold a lot of sympathy for Armand, as they really are not a lot alike in both their interior and exterior reality. I don't think that sympathy goes both ways often.)

The way he's also keeps behaving like the bigger person in this reinforces the belief Armand wants out of Louis, making him 'see' it, and probably also to Daniel as well who's definitely overhearing this (this particular part has a chance of being unintentional however, if he was only really intending to deescalate, but it still keeps the same effects).

Not only making Louis look like he's crazy to assume it, but denying he'd been doing anything wrong of the sort (by simply at no point coming forward and saying something reassuring of Louis reality along the lines of, 'I have been doing those things, it's just not this, and those weren't my intentions to hurt you with it, I'm sorry' or simply 'okay, I did it, sorry'). As well, it doesn't matter how much Armand's truthful, Louis is someone who necessarily does need reality checks like that, because he suffers from hallucinations, and as he's finding out, memory lapses, and not providing them will make him jump to presume it could be his own symptoms. Also, at one point in the argument, he actually throws out that Louis is insane, if it needed to be anymore obvious. Which is derogatory, if arguably true, though reinforces that Armand's behaviors to 'stop or aid his madness' in prior instances were all a-okay, and all necessary. There's nothing wrong with him, and what he's doing, its all Louis. (His intentions to deescalate, if anyone wants to take on that idea, would've changed by then. It reads as a pattern to me mimicking of the promises falling through.)

Anyway, I'd be saying in my interpretation that him willing to keep this up, even though the photos had nothing to do with it, just shows how much he'd actually use any situation that arises to manipulate/control Louis, and mess with Louis interview, as opposed to orchestrating or planning situations, so he can then also manipulate with it. With all intentions or not, it doesn't really matter. Which makes his manipulation more realistic, honestly. A better portrait of who Armand is tbh.

I don't claim this transcript as 100% accurate, but it's as close as I can get it:

L: Four Fred Steins in the album, four. You made me look foolish. 

A: You just assume it was me. 

L: Well, it wasn’t me. 

A: You sure about that? 

L: Excuse me?

A: I take it back. 

L: Take it way fucking back. 

A: It was probably an honest mistake from the staff.

L: You think I need to be coddled, hyped up, lied to? 

-cut-

A: You’re being Lestat! 

L: Go call on him, see what happens. 

A: A little ridiculous… It's the staff, dear.

L: I’m being ridiculous? You wanna see, you wanna see ridiculous? 

A: No, Louis, it was an honest mistake. You knew it.

L: AAAH

A: You weren’t here- 

L: LA LA LA LA

A: -And more and more of them-

L: LA LA

A: They got through! 

-flashbacks-

A: This isn’t about Lestat! 

-more flashback-

L: You lobbed at Daniel, and disrespected me. 

A: no no no no no no.

-flashback-

L: and over and over and over it’s always the same damn thing. 

A: You trying to trick me?

L: I don’t know I’m just your God now. The abandonment, and aren’t we both cut throat? 

A: You won’t believe me, when I was here. I’m the one who can see! 

L: Alright, first off, first off. 

A: You are insane! 

-fb-

L: You always do this! … We’ll be done with Daniel any day now. Now, knock it off. Its about the record, this is my interview. You hear me? The whole interview that will be heard by me. 

A: In a future that you won’t see!

-fb- 

L: No more! Will you go to speak without asking first. No more! Will you ever flirt around on your years. 

A: Oh, come to Dubai, Louis says, but not me. 

-Then I can’t make out anything-

Sex and absolution I do agree with as well. Like they did do that. I don't think either were expecting it to go that way from the beginning, though, as in neither started or orchestrated a reason for argument just to have makeup sex. That being somewhat normal for them after a big argument like that would not surprise me however. A certain interpretation I take of them having sex after (given the argument) was more that (it seems to me) part of the accusations here is that Armand is 'flirting' to win over Daniel's favor, and trying to get with him? Maybe even back together with him? (Centered a lot around Armand telling him his little love story with Lestat.) If not, just turning him against him. So having sex could reinforce Armand had/has no intentions of leaving, further obstructions wrt Daniel, and/or infidelity. That it's 'me and you' and not 'you and him'. (Which could be the real lie depending on how you want to take it here lmao. And is so bound to fall through because... Armand doesn't keep his promises, not even to himself it seems since he turned Daniel).

Again all interpretations are just that, so long as it can be legitimately supported by the text, and isn't grossly insensitive. The Talamasca just adds to the whole scene to me more than it detracts from it. The outside world necessarily has influenced both of their inside worlds, and further how they interact with each other in both, and is the cause behind of a lot of their behaviors and reactions. Talamasca causing those to erupt sort of points to that. It's real. The whole narrative actually feels more concrete and like there's a world outside who can still influence them if they were the one's doing it. Sometimes I feel people want to center Louis a bit too much in the story, which is fair, it is his story, he has a narrative that should be centered, but it is also other people's story as well. They are playing roles here in it.

Also this is why I really wonder if they'd ever revisit this? I'm a little peeved about it being so hidden tbh. There seems like so much added context and we're denied most of it from the music and constant flashbacks. Fingers-crossed maybe Daniel was recording it? IDK.

[shreddedleopard]

for yuumori asks: 1, 13, 21 :)

✨ From Yuumori ask game here

Ahh thank you so much for the ask!! ☺️ (and for creating this wonderful Yuumori themed game too!!)

Oh god, these questions were harder to answer than I expected, once I sat down to think about them 😆 but here goes:

1. Favourite Character (s)

I’d love to say something quirky or unexpected, but honestly it’s a toss up between William and Sherlock for first with Louis close second.

William // I think to take a villainous character from an existing story and write them from a perspective which makes them as relatable and their intentions as understandable as William’s is absolutely brilliant. William is a character who I find more interesting and more wonderful the deeper I delve into him; it feels like there’s constantly a new element of him that makes me go 🤯 and I love this. I also find that I relate to him in certain ways, too. I think he’s very cleverly written so as to have many different facets of his personality which are relatable.

Sherlock // I love how Sherlock retains a lot of his original ACD character traits but also has specific elements which make him feel as though he very much belongs to Yuumori. I think his flaws and vulnerabilities are written honestly and again in a very relatable way, and I find myself also relating to Sherlock but in a different way to William. He’s funny, too; I will always gravitate to characters that make me grin or laugh aloud when reading ☺️

As an aside, I find it difficult to separate both of these characters for first spot because it’s also their relationship and connection which I adore in Yuumori; I feel like amidst a backdrop of drama, life and death situations and change on a grand scale, it encourages us to celebrate the joy of the everyday, specific ways we connect with other people and find things in common.

Louis // I enjoyed Louis’ character in the manga, was drawn in by the soft and gentle aspects of his character brought out by the English VA in the anime, but Ikkei Yamamato’s portrayal of him in Morimyu sealed the deal for me. Louis’ balance between his vulnerable and honest emotions he wears on his sleeve for William mixed with the stoicism and guardedness he strives for the remainder of the time intrigues me no end. He’s a character I’d love to explore more in writing, too, especially post time-skip. I think it’s sometimes overlooked how he, in the end, clung on to his composure and strength where William and Albert crumbled, and how he probably makes an excellent leader, but I think the anime stopping where it does is to blame for this. He’s very much my go-to type of character.

2. Favourite Arc

Wow this is so difficult because I absolutely charged through the manga when part 1 was already complete, so a lot of it blurs into one big mess when I think about it haha. I would maybe have to say The Final Problem arc, as the way suspense was built during this had my heart absolutely racing. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be a monthly reader not knowing the fate of the characters for months after that fall. The Two Criminals is perhaps a close second, because I thoroughly enjoyed Milverton’s character and almost wanted more of him vs. William/ Sherlock. When Sherlock ate that sandwich and drank that tea like he gave zero shits about Milverton’s little game, it did things to me. I think it was the moment Sherlock’s position as joint top favourite character was cemented 🤣

3. What I’d like to see as another OVA

I mean … I feel like the Durham Date is kinda the ultimate here, right? 😆 I would love to see this animated. But also, the storyline where William is kidnapped in earlier chapters is a favourite. I love how it shows William’s absolute dedication to his goal — he shrugs his mistreatment and injuries off as if they’re nothing, not caring for his own well being providing his plan succeeds. But not only this, his damn acting. I was so worried for him when he was shouting for Louis in the carriage, my heart was in my throat, only for him later to be like 😏 everything went as planned. When I realised he’d played me, the reader, too, I was shaking my fist at him (affectionately 🤣). I would like to see this performance animated, thank you.

This was so much fun, thank you again! 🥰

[stillhavetodothat]

Replaying Nancy Drew without Cheating - Part 9: Secret of Shadow Ranch

Loving this game is sooo diametrically opposed to who I am to my core (i.e. anti-horse girl), but I just CANNOT help myself. It’s so good. As a former Arizona gal myself, I am enamored with the setting, swept away by the romantic story of Frances Humber and Dirk Valentine’s forbidden love, and love staring a little too long at Dave’s sculpted ass at the chicken coop. I feel like this game is near perfect and I have very few complaints, despite the fact that I actually despise Shorty Thurmond with every fiber of my being. I haven’t hated a character this much since the days of yore, when Louis Chandler’s punchable face and droning voice haunted my nightmares. I have new nightmare fodder now - but I am very appreciative that at least it harkens back to The Shining, which is one of my favorite horror movies of all time.

God, my skin is crawling even just looking at that photo.

Okay, the real question here: was I tempted to cheat playing this game? The answer is no. I am thinking that between DDI, which I recently finished, and SHA, because I have not felt the need to look up any hints, probably just indicates that these are games that I have re-played most often. There was not any moment where I wasn’t sure what I needed to do next; in fact, I’ve come to realize that not playing along with a walkthrough (which I frequently have done) really does you an injustice as a player. It removes the element of immersion, so now, I was actually able to follow the storyline and really appreciate how well-fleshed out the game is. It just FEELS like they put some time into this one, if that makes any sense. It is enough to make me overlook the fact that I am terrified of horses and would never be caught dead riding one solo through the desert in real life.

Here are my thoughts:

1. This was THE FIRST game with this new interface, and it brings a whole new feel to Nancy Drew. The screen is larger, you feel more like you ARE Nancy. With that, of course, came some issues that would eventually be worked out, such as needing to deliberately close your bag every single time you pulled something out of it...made it feel a bit clunky. However, the changes’ good definitely outweighs their bad, and it was fun to feel like I was part of the next generation of HerInteractive.

2. Anyone else wondering how there are so many sticks just laying around, considering the fact that there are no trees on the ranch, and hardly any trees in that desert at all? I’ve never thought of this before, but I think these people would probably be buying firewood in town irl, not just finding it hanging around the yard.

3. Dave is obviously hot, and I have thought this since my childhood, but TEX is a smokeshow. Damn, those deep, rugged voices get me every time (lest we forget my concerning childhood crush on Dexter Egan). Mary Yazzie is a lucky lady, especially since I am inferring from this poster that Tex is very well-endowed. Girth is definitely rife with sexual innuendo. Remember, I know nothing about horses, and some people are reading this and palming their faces, but this is head cannon for me now.

4. Shorty is probably the dumbest culprit ever. I knew it was him back in the day as soon as I saw his stupid maps. The constant beration over his underripe vegetables and the elusive chicken eggs only further drove my hatred for him (without hints in this playthrough - I got thrown out of the house THREE times for picking the wrong vegetables. THREE!!). Shorty’s refusal to do his own job, his gross bald head, the fact that I for some reason have to rely on him every single day for water, him and/or his bank robber friends leaving the key for Nancy to escape from the jail cell within 3 minutes of coming to...I could go on. He is as dumb as a stump.

5. The look on Dave’s and Tex’s faces in this scene is hilarious. We can all relate. Even though lamb ragout sounds really good and I would take it over a burger any day, I have a hard time agreeing when he says that Dave and Tex’s taste buds are as sophisticated as a sand flea’s. This man made me bake a cake myself while he stood at the stove, stiff as a taxidermied bear, stirring at nothing in a pot for 12 hours a day, so I have my doubts as to his talent in the kitchen. “I must confess the man has NO TALENT.”

6. LOVED Dry Creek. It was so creepy that I really did feel nervous whenever I had to go out there, as if the sense of isolation of that town was seeping into me through the screen. Very cool spot. Getting locked in that jail cell was super exciting gameplay too. I give Shorty shit for leaving that key on the hook there, but in this playthrough I definitely knocked the key off the wall and into the floor hole about 4 times before I finally remembered about lassoing the chair. Who’s the dumb one now??

7. This magnet puzzle made me want to kill myself. Ultimately, I just randomly put each piece in each spot until they locked in, since I never did see the pamphlet in Mary’s shop. I thought there would be a better explanation out there as to why the wood pieces are there the first 10ish times you open it, and disappear on the 11thish. Has any game ever just inexplicably taken pity on you like this before? I am trying to think about whether or not I have ever realized that the game does this, or if this is the first time, since every other time I would have solved it the first time I opened it by following a very explicit walkthrough. I do like finding these weird little quirks, which I would never have found if not for this initiative.

8. The WORST puzzle though, not because it was hard but because it was so fucking annoying, was the game inside of Cappy’s after you put in Frances’s cousin’s ring. I had 2 tokens going in, both of which I had gotten playing the original game making a series bad guys with the token from the roadrunner game, and they were quickly gone as I lost twice in a row. I then proceeded to have to go back and play that roadrunner game SEVEN MORE TIMES!! in order to get more tokens to win a game that was purely luck. OMFG. I now have all 3 levels of that roadrunner game memorized. I will likely never forget them. And honestly, cheating wouldn’t have even made this easier.

9. And finally, Dave’s shit-eating grin in this photo at the end of the game, as he watches a mysterious Nancy cloaked in a physically impossible shadow. 

Excellent game. Maybe my favorite so far. Who’s ready to follow along with me as I shit myself in fear as Ethel lurks in the shadows of Blackmoor Manor?

[desertfangs]

How do you feel what the show is doing to the characters? Especially to Daniel?

Listen, I don't love it. But before I go on, let me just say this is my only my opinion and I'm not trying to steal your joy if you do! The show just doesn't work for me. If you want to know why, read on. Otherwise, feel free to scroll on past and don't let me yuck your yum. The first thing I heard about the show was actually that they were making Daniel an old man and it was going to be second interview and I was immediately wary. I mean, a second interview might neat but why does it have to be a mortal Daniel conducting it? Changing Daniel's story that much meant that Devil's Minion--the real, true-to-book Devil's Minion--could never happen. Armand's whole character arc in that section is learning to love and accept that he deserves loves and making the decision to turn and not lose Daniel. Daniel's whole arc is wanting immortality, falling desperately in love with an immortal, and finally accepting that he cannot have it and is willing to die at peace in said immortal's arms. None of that happens if Daniel is old now, end of story. No matter what the show does with flashbacks, whether or not it gives them time together than TV!Daniel has forgotten--forcibly or otherwise--that story is irrevocably changed.

But the trailer looked great!! I was willing to give it a chance. I'm also a huge fan of Lestat and Louis/Lestat was my first and formative ship in this fandom so I was willing to hear it out and see what story it was trying to tell. I figured yeah, it sucks that they've changed my favorite guy but maybe the rest of it will be good! I watched every single episode. But sadly, it just didn't work for me.

None of the characters feel like their book counterparts to me. Of course, your mileage may vary on that score, but to me, they don't have anything in common: their personalities, their motivations, their goals (such as we are given them, which I feel is quite lacking)... none of it lines up to me with the characters I've known and loved for so long. Louis is telling the story and I don't feel like I understand him in the show very well. Lestat is loathsome and hateful and doesn't even have a care for Claudia. Why is Armand pretending to be human? What game are they playing?

For Daniel in particular, Young Daniel seems lackluster and bored, trolling gay bars to score drugs and disinterested in his interview project, when in the book, Daniel the Reporter Boy is passionate about it, curious about people and their stories, respectful and gently prodding. TV!Daniel is angry and aggressive, rude and pushy. (The flashback bar scene in particular really felt like it lacked a complete understanding of what makes these characters tick, and then we got the Rashid reveal and it's like.. OK sure, but why should I care? Who is this guy?)

I don't recognize these characters or how they relate to each other. Add to that the way the timeline was totally changed and the fact that the lore feels very Generic TV Vampire rather than Ricean, and it's just not my bag.

I'm happy for all of the people who love it! I just cannot join you.

Thank you for the ask, anon, I have no idea if this is the answer you were hoping for and I'm sorry if not.

[savagewildnerness]

Oooh, I like this conversation, @ultrapoppet! Thank you for indulging this interesting Nicolas and Louis chat.

I agree that Nicolas doesn't see Goodness in God or in God's creation, but not that he is an atheist. Although, I actually forget... does being turned a vampire disprove God's existence to Nicolas? Well, my not being sure about that must mean it is soon time to re-read The Vampire Lestat again! I'll take that excuse!

Although I relate to Nicolas a lot, it is mainly related to his experiences with music and how he feels about himself as a musician being almost entirely the same as how I feel. With respect to religion, though I was Christened Catholic, I was not brought up religious and never remember even believing God really existed. God was always a story similar to Father Christmas, fairies, Unicorns and... Vampires to me! So I can't truly say I understand how it feels to be religious, or to believe. (Though, do we all really *not* believe in these things, hehehehe!!)

However, I think Nicolas' religion and the idea of eternal punishment has been so ingrained that he does believe in God, certainly as a mortal. I don't think he thinks God is good. I think he thinks God says the only way humans can be good is self-denial. I suppose it's exacerbated by Nicolas' Father having expectations of Nicolas which are not what Nicolas himself desires... and that's also I'm sure tied into the fact that Nicolas is from a lower class family than Lestat and it is recently that Nicolas' family have begun to find a way to lift themselves up through the family tailoring business - from poverty, into money and a new standard of living. I'm sure it is not only religion that has been ingrained in Nicolas, but how hard he must work and what kind of work he must do to succeed and make his family proud. That Nicolas was studying law suggests his family desired Nicolas to go one stage further than they had reached and they're surely putting pressure on him to take the family name one step further. His youth is almost an opposite experience to Lestat's.

Even without Nicolas' mindset... and clearly he *does* have artistic talent to have done so well on violin in so short a time... how many families have pushed their child, thinking they were only doing the best for them, giving them opportunities they never had, pushing them to succeed, only for it to end in tragedy? Well... I have experience here. I'm a music therapist now, but I came from a family where nobody had ever been to University before me, but I went to Cambridge and studied maths. (It's very funny! I'm just a silly billy!) I wasn't pushed to do that myself at all, but I discovered at Cambridge that compared to everyone else there, I was rubbish... but thankfully I didn't get into one of the posh, old colleges and ended up at a smaller, newer, all girls college and made friends. But all the colleges have lectures together. Anyway... in the posh colleges there'd often be 9 boys and 1 girl and the girl would... if she was lucky she'd drop out. But, I tell you, especially in Maths - in the first year we were at Cambridge, SO many teenagers (or all genders) killed themselves. It became such that it wasn't even shocking to hear about anymore. And I am sure many of them were people who'd been pushed their whole lives to reach this - as some pinnacle... and then they found it impossible to cope once there and saw no other way out. It also wasn't shocking, because all of us could understand it. Most of us felt it, at least some amount.

Well, I've really digressed there... let's go back to your post! I agree with most of what you say. I think Nicolas didn't resent Lestat for turning him into vampire though, but he resents, as you say - Lestat's optimism and zest for life. He especially resents who vampire-Lestat is. I personally don't think every thing Nicolas says in that last meeting he has with Lestat is how Nicolas truly feels. It's a terrible argument and Nicolas says terrible things to Lestat, as you do in such a moment. Nicolas is mad as a vampire and basically his humanity is turned off hereon as he embraces evil now it's been confirmed evil exists and he *is* it, AND Lestat leaves him, but Nicolas wants Lestat to leave. We don't hear Nicolas' thoughts, but the way he embraces evil, Lestat must be at best an awful reminder of some possibility that no longer is. In a way, I think Lestat *was* hope for Nicolas. Nicolas was filled with darkness, Lestat with light. But I think they did love each other. But now, Lestat is just a reminder of all that Nicolas will never be, never have, never was. In that argument, I think Nicolas says awful things like people do in arguments so they hurt the other person the most. Not that there's no truth in it - there certainly is... but I don't think it's the full truth of what Nicolas felt for Lestat. Nicolas cannot bear that even as a vampire, Lestat has tried to Be Good. It's the opposite of his own response. They are worlds apart once Nicolas is a vampire. (And going back to my original point, had Nicolas survived, all Romantic love between the pair is at this point utterly dead forever. Though there's still love in a non-Romantic way because of what they once had, at least from Lestat towards Nicolas.)

I don't think Nicolas would have wanted to kill Lestat. But, that said, once Nicolas was a vampire, Lestat could not stand the sight of him anymore, so there was never a scenario where Nicolas would be in a situation like Louis and Claudia were, where they felt trapped and needed to escape Lestat. Lestat was relieved to be able to escape Nicolas. I don't think Lestat or Nicolas truly wanted the other dead, but they definitely never wanted to see the other ever again. Lestat has very complicated feelings here, because there is simultaneous relief and unbearable pain when Nicolas eventually does die. He still loves Nicolas... even though vampire Nicolas is no longer *his* Nicolas. But from Nicolas' side... I'm not saying he could not *be* violent (I agree - all vampires are violent), but there's no way to envision him in Louis' situation, as Lestat would never keep vampire-Nicolas held tight to him as he does with Louis. As from the second he's a vampire, it's OVER for them. So it's just a scenario that would never be.

Louis! I think that Louis is simply afraid to look too deeply within himself. His faith affects him in a different way to Nicolas. As you say, faith makes Nicolas a nihilist (I do relate to this aspect of Nicolas, even though most of my world-views are more akin to Lestat's), but Louis *needs* to believe he is Good in order to live with himself. But he is deeply afraid that deep down he is impossibly flawed. So when he does things like not feeding as a vampire, I think he is not doing this out of a deep love for humans. He is doing it as he is saying "If I do this *good* thing, then I *am* good. It is a right moral choice. I am good." But I think Louis is terrified that if he looks deeply into his own core he'll find Terrible Things. Exacerbated as Louis feels a lot of shame too for his sexuality.... In fact Louis feels a lot of shame for many things and so he has to deny much of his self.

I'd disagree that Louis isn't particularly violent for a vampire though. He chooses not to kill... but when he leans into violence, or when he simply snaps, Louis rips chests apart, rips jaws off, slams heads into walls - his very self becomes violence. He is uncontrollably violent when he isn't actively self-controlling. The first time Lestat saw Louis, he had a blade to his brother's throat and as a mortal Louis surely had to use a capacity for violence to survive and to get as far in life as he did. A capacity for violence is not the same as a capacity for evil. But I think Louis is deeply violent. But obviously Louis is not deeply evil! Not lovely Louis! Even the moment when Lestat first confirms he is a vampire and the violent nature of that, by killing the priest Louis is confessing to, the night Louis is turned - Louis immediately runs at beast-Lestat and stabs him in the back. Louis' capacity for violence is one of the reasons Lestat chose him. Just as Magnus chose Lestat after seeing him kill The Wolves. Louis' violence is towards humans though, so ought to bode a lot better for his vampire-self, really.

I think Louis' inaction also stems from this terror to look within himself - he's afraid of his darkness, he's afraid of what he's capable of and he's terrified of his desires and since he's afraid of his desires I think he just chooses not to consider what he truly wants and often he chooses not to consider what he's even feeling and that leads to inaction. If you don't know what you really feel, how can you truly choose to act?

I love that the TV show is conveying Louis' story of self acceptance and self discovery and how he is learning to be all the beautiful things he is. Hopefully without apology, for all eternity!

WOW, I rambled on! Sorry! And it kind of has no point! haha! Oh well! The End!

I’ve been seeing “What if Nicki survived” takes, so, as I see it (trying my hardest to be succinct…!)

Nicolas & Nicolas & Lestat’s relationship is beautiful because he (& thus - it) is doomed.

Nicolas was never long for this world. Like your Shakespearean or Greek tragedies, you can ruminate on Armand’s role; Lestat’s role; Nicolas’ parents’ role*… but while Nicolas may have struggled through an extra tortured decade or so, even if Lestat had never been made a vampire & even if he & Nicki hadn’t ever broken up, I am almost certain that in time, likely as Lestat’s star inevitably would have risen, Nicolas would have sunk deeper into a disillusioned, resentful depression that would be all the worse as he wouldn’t want to sink into it & he’d want only to love Lestat & be happy for him & yet Lestat’s world would be opening up & he’d have shone ever-brighter as he would have had to watch Nicolas, his love most likely slowly & awfully self destruct, sinking deeper & deeper, inescapably into darkness. (And this post is about Nicolas, but I’m not sure a mortal Lestat would have survived experiencing a slow self destruction by Nicolas in this way either…)

Whatever the scenario, all paths led to Nicolas’ death. (I described just one scenario here - but that’s likely the best-case scenario for Nicolas?!)

What’s more - that’s the beauty! That’s the beauty of gothic literature. You don’t need happily ever after to feel the peace & resonance & satisfaction from it. In fact happily ever after is (certainly to me anyway! And was so as a child too, instinctively) depressing as it’s (fictionally) unrealistic. The satiation comes from the satisfying resolution when what you knew deep down was always the ending comes to pass. As it always had to. As it must. Sorrow is Nicolas’ end. Death, in the end is all of our ends & in fiction, some characters can be an articulation of that inevitability & Nicolas is that for sure.

Just as Claudia’s end always had to be as it is & was a way for Anne Rice to give at least some kind of closure to an unfathomable, senseless, never-resolved pain in her real life - that of her daughter’s death; so Nicolas’ death is cathartic.

Here is a beauty of art. In reality, death is always painful & senseless, often random, always meaningless & there is no understanding it or ever getting over it. It has no purpose. It is always cruel. It is incomprehensible to our mortal minds. Just as true immortality is incomprehensible, so is mortality - that those we love will die. And the planet will die. And every memory of every human who ever existed will be lost. And the one specific person you love most of all too, can just die. It is senseless. People kill. People die. Death.

But in art, we have a realm to shape our inexplicable & painful experiences into something that’s not only manageable, but pleasurable. We can shape meaninglessness into meaning. And as I see it it means WAY more & I feel way more deeply &, ultimately (as it’s truer) it makes me feel way happier when the deepest tragedy can be sharped into meaning by stories. It is resonant and cathartic - A Savage Garden created by art, you could say…? Or at least a true articulation of The Savage Garden.

I don’t fully have the words to articulate what I’m trying to say. But Nicolas is one of my favourite VC characters & he’s certainly the character I relate to most.

And I love that he’s dead. That’s the point. He would always have died. That’s his beauty & his tragedy & what Lestat felt in Nicolas’ music, yet never fully understood about Nicki in his idealistic youth.

* We might blame God’s role, though. Religion.

[allwaswell16]

{Recently Read 1D Fics}

August 2021

These are all the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in August. There are 16 recs here in all and are in order by word count and organized by pairing. You can also listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 in August including the fics on this month’s fic roundup which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

Fanfictional Podcast #28 | ko-fi | fic recs

-Larry-

Memory of a Dream by tomlinvelvet / @afterglowslouis

[E, 64k, Sleeping Beauty au, a/b/o, alpha Harry, omega Louis, royal, fantasy, fairy tale, dark magic, angst with a happy ending, witches, violence, arranged marriage, hurt/comfort, no smut, wow this was such a cool take on this fairy tale, really enjoyed how the story was adapted and changed]

a Sleeping Beauty AU.

Caught In Your Gravity by @lululawrence

[NR, 62k, footie au, coach Harry, football player Louis, Ted Lasso au kind of, friends to lovers, misunderstandings, secrets, secret relationship, pining, coming out, homophobia, humor, no smut, the footie fic of my dreams]

an AU inspired by a 30 second trailer of Ted Lasso that doesn't actually have much in common with the show at all.

Home Again...Winter Harlow by dandelionfairies

[T, 27k, small town au, chef Harry, holidays, winter, Christmas, injured minor character, strangers to lovers, light angst, a lovely Hallmark-esque movie fic]

While Louis is basking in the glory of the holidays and everything new to him, Harry is walking into everything he once loved but now hates.

I'm Hot for Teacher (series) by phdmama / @phd-mama

[E, 14k, doctor Louis, med student Harry, semi public sex, hand jobs, masturbation, flirting, professional ethics, library sex, office sex, smut, holy shit this was so hot whew]

You cannot fall in love with your professor, Harry admonishes himself sternly as he exits the building and heads home. You just can’t.

Moments by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

[E, 10k, fake exes to lovers au, strangers to lovers, particle physicist Louis, event manager Harry, banter, smut, hand jobs, anal sex, bl, so funny and cute!]

Looking back, Louis should’ve known that the universe likes to fuck with idiots like him who think they’ve got it all sorted.

i know i've grown (but i can't wait to go home) by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove

[T, 7k, royal au, time travel, historical, Prince Harry, time traveler Louis, fantasy, violence, assassination attempt, humor, this plot was so cool]

When Louis falls down a hill behind an old castle, he wakes up and finds the castle new and full of life.

Climbing The Swells by @cyantific

[E, 5k, surfing au, surfer Louis, surfer Harry, California, strangers to enemies to lovers, minor injury, hurt/comfort, smut, so hot and so much fun especially if you love surfer fics like I do!]

The one where a clumsy Harry and a stubborn Louis reconcile their grievances on the beach with a heartfelt apology from Louis on his knees without saying a word.

We Go Together (series) by cherrylarry / @beelou

[G, 3k, Grease au, Harry as Sandy, Louis as Danny, summer romance, high school, such a cute adaptation!]

the movie Grease as a larry au. Louis is still the one that he wants.

As Good As Scone by SunTomato / @sun-tomato

[NR, 3k, meet cute au, baker Harry, Louis can't cook, humor, flirting, first meeting, minor injuries, this was so much fun and I loved the snappy writing and dialogue]

The one where Louis tries and fails to impress a first date. Luckily, there is the 'Sweet Creature' bakery, and they deliver.

Eco-Friendly by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

[T, 3k, uni au, roommates, pining, green living, humor, this was so cute and funny and relatable lol)

the one where Harry just wants to get through one college year with a good roommate

Thesis Management by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

[T, 2k, werewolf au, wolf Louis, human Harry, grad student Harry, uni, established relationship, crack, humor, full moon, fluff, where does she come up with this stuff? lol]

Harry's got an assignment due and it's the full moon.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by skipper / @skipperxao3

[T, 2k, break up au, angst, drama, saving the world, ouch, this hurt so if you're in the mood for heartbreak this one is it]

the one where Harry wants to save the world but loses sight of who’s been right in front of him all along

Wordplay Poems 2021 by @kingsofeverything

[NR, 381 words, poetry, clumsy Harry, clumsy Louis, this was such a cool idea!)

Week 1: Diamanté Week 2: Couplet Week 3: Idiom Doggerel Week 4: 2 or 3 stanza poem Week 5: Free verse poem

-Grouis-

Getting a Head for Heights by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

[T, 3k, Louis/Greg James, uni au, size difference, pining, flirting, sharing clothes, kissing, I could scream I loved this so much! so so cute!]

The problem is, Louis thinks Greg would be quite good to date, so it would really help if everyone would stop reminding him of that fact so he could unthink it.

-Zaynshaw-

Long Shot by @fallinglikethis

[G, 816 words, Zayn/Nick Grimshaw, strangers to lovers, pub, Nick's birthday, drinking, well Nick's friends are crap but love how Zayn pulls him heh]

When Nick's friends throw him a birthday party in a pub and invite his ex, Nick wants nothing to do with any of it.

-Zouis-

Reduce, Recycle, … remove? by @reminiscingintherain

[G, 611 words, Zayn/Louis, neighbors, teacher Louis, artist Zayn implied, open ending, this is the rare pair jackpot tbh]

When someone’s nicking recycling out of the rubbish bins, who’s going to take them to task?

[raindancer2004]

“I like a challenge Darling”

Word Count: 5,366 Demetri x reader Oneshot Warnings: Fluff, reader being paddled, NSFW

Marcus and Demetri had a different relationship as Master and Personal Bodyguard when compared to Aro and the Twins and Caius and Felix. Marcus would quite often converse with the tracker when it was just the two of them in his private study, exchanging views of the books they have read, sharing stories from their human lives etc. This is how he came to know that Demetri had become lonely over the years as he had yet to find his mate, unlike his friend Felix who found his mate Mia a few decades back. Marcus had told him to have faith and that when the time is right, he would meet his mate and they would spend an eternity together.

So when Demetri finally met Y/N courtesy of Esme Cullen, although it was totally by accident that the two met, Marcus was happy for him and welcomed Y/N into the family with open arms. He liked her as she was respectful to him and his brothers and being human, she was curious about a lot of things including their world, their laws and this was something Marcus found endearing about her and would give her as much of his time as possible when Demetri was away so she wouldn’t become bored or restless. Even Caius liked her and he hated humans. Marcus surmised this was because of her interest in their laws and how they came to power and she understood that the vampire world and the human world were better off under their rule than that of their predecessors.

Marcus was in his private study working at his desk, Demetri being his personal bodyguard was in the room sitting on the sofa reading. Marcus didn’t see the point of him standing at the back of the office when he could be comfortable on the sofa reading or planning for missions. Sometimes Marcus would hide in his office just to escape the throne room and the bickering of his brothers, he always bought Demetri with him which the tracker appreciated. This was one of those occasions.

They had been in Marcus’ study for about an hour when he surprised Demetri with a request, one that related to Y/N. “Demetri, would you bring Y/N to my office please as I have a proposition for her?” Demetri’s eyebrows rose, a look of shock flashed across his and he knew Marcus saw it “Do not worry my boy, it’s nothing untoward. I promise” Marcus reassured him “Of course Master. When would you like to see her?” He asked “As soon as possible” Marcus replied “I’ll go get her now then. She’s in the garden” “Very well. Thank you Demetri.” Demetri bowed his head and left the room making his way out to the South facing garden where Y/N was reading by the fountain.

“Hello mi amore” He said softly as he approached her, not wanting to spook her “Demetri” She replied with a smile, one that showed she was happy to see him “Have you been let off early?” She asked, a hopeful look crossed her face “No, sorry. I’m here to escort you Marcus’ study as he would like to talk to you” He replied “Oh. Is it bad? Have I done something wrong?” “Not that I am aware off. Maybe he has become bored of my company and wishes for yours instead” He chuckled “We both know that’s a lie. He’d never get bored of talking to you, you have too much in common. I’ll admit he does seem to like my company or should I say he likes to keep me company when you are away on missions” She replied as she slipped her hand in his, their fingers interlacing with one another. Demetri loved how warm she felt against his skin.

“Good afternoon Y/N” Marcus greeted her with a smile as she entered his study, Demetri right behind her “Afternoon Marcus, I trust you are well” She replied with a smile of her own “I am thank you and hope you are too” He gestured for them to sit on the sofa “I’m well too, thank you for asking” She sat beside Demetri and placed her hand in his, Marcus noticed and smiled, seeing the strong bond between them despite the short time they had been together.

“So you may be wondering why I asked to see you?” Y/N nodded and smiled “Well, Gianna is out sick for the week and I was hoping you might fill in for her. I know the two of you get along well and you have helped her out on occasion, when you’ve needed a change of scenery for example” Y/N looked at Demetri and he just smiled back at her “It’s your decision cara mia” She looked back at Marcus and smiled “I’d love too. Be nice to do something different for a week and at least I know I’ll be safe as everyone knows I’m Dem’s mate” She chuckled, Marcus and Demetri doing the same “That’s very true my dear.” Y/N was in for an interesting week and she didn’t even know it.

Later that night Marcus informed Aro and Caius that Y/N was covering reception for the remainder of the week in Gianna’s absence. They were pleased to hear this as the lower guard Louis, who had covered that day did not do a very good job. Caius had threatened to rip his hand off just because he could.

The following morning Demetri escorted Y/N down to reception and ensured she had everything she needed to complete the day’s work “Thank you for helping out mi amore” He said softly and placed a kiss to her temple “It’s no bother really. I’ve helped Gianna before and it’ll be nice to be out of our room and see somewhere other than the library for a few days” She replied “I’ll come by and see you at lunchtime” He kissed her lips before leaving and heading to the throne room for guard duty. “Please gods let this week pass without incident for my beloved” Demetri muttered low, praying to his gods.

The first two days on reception went by without any problems or incidents, something everyone was pleased with. Day three however, there was a small problem when Heidi bought the ‘tour’ group in. Two of the tourists started bickering and Heidi was busy sorting out the disruption and therefore didn’t hear one young lady ask Y/N where the bathroom was “I don’t know why they call it morning sickness when it lasts all day” She said to Y/N as they walked to the female bathroom. Heidi did a final headcount and noticed she was one person short “Y/N I seem to have lost someone” She whispered “She’s in the bathroom being sick. She’s pregnant” Y/N replied and Heidi’s face paled “Wait five minutes, then please escort her out the castle. Make some excuse for me otherwise I’m in big trouble” “Leave it with me Heidi. I had no intention of letting her re-join the ‘tour’ as it would’ve gotten you into trouble” Y/N said with a smile “You are a star Y/N, truly” Heidi gave her a grateful smile “I owe you one” She called over her shoulder and continued on her way with the tour group to the throne room. Y/N was pleased as the young lady got to keep her life and Heidi didn’t get into trouble for bringing a pregnant lady on the tour.

Day six of Y/N covering reception for Gianna was more eventful than anyone could have imagined. Demetri and Felix were in the training room with the lower and transitory guards carrying out the regular training session. Jane, Alec and Santiago were on duty in the throne room with the Kings. Y/N heard a commotion and got up from the front desk to look and saw some of the transitory guards fighting at the entrance to the castle, humans were beginning to pay attention which worried Y/N, especially as it was sunny outside.

Y/N made her way to the throne room and knocked on the door once and they opened from the inside “Sorry to interrupt but…” “Y/N you know you aren’t meant to interrupt” Aro cut her off “Yes Aro, and I apologise but some of the guards are fighting at the castle entrance and humans are gathering to watch and it’s sunny outside” She replied quickly, hoping she wouldn’t be punished as Gianna’s predecessors were. “Santiago, Josh please go and deal with the guards at the entrance. Y/N you can return to reception” Aro said with a smile “Thank you Aro” She smiled and bowed her head before leaving the throne room quickly.

“Y/N needs to be punished” Caius says to his brothers “Really brother? Do you really think it’s necessary?” Aro asked “She did interrupt despite knowing she shouldn’t” Caius replied “She came to warn us of a possible exposure threat and she did knock first” Marcus defended her actions “Still rules are rules brother. If Gianna had interrupted instead of Y/N we would’ve punished her. We cannot play favourites just because she’s Demetri’s mate even if she is helping out this week” Caius reasons “Ok then. I’ll take care of her punishment” Marcus says as he gets up from his throne “You? You’re going to punish her?” Caius asked smirking “Yes, Demetri is my bodyguard and Y/N is his mate. Therefore, I will handle this situation” He replied and left the throne room.

“Demetri won’t be happy” Alec muttered low to Jane so only she could hear “My shift has finished so I’ll go tell him. He’ll want to know about Y/N” Jane whispered back.

Marcus went to reception to see Y/N “Hello, my dear. I need you to come with me please” “Of course Marcus, am I in trouble?” She replied “I’ll explain soon enough” He said and held his arm out for her to take. He led her to one of the guest rooms in the South Wing. Once inside he closes the door and explains the situation they are now in. “Caius has asked that you be punished for the interruption” Marcus started softly “But I knocked first and I thought you’d want to know about a possible exposure risk, especially as it involves your guards” She replied “I know my dear and I pointed that out to him but he was adamant a punishment was needed. I told my brothers I would deal with your punishment as Demetri is my bodyguard and you are his mate” “O-ok. Thank you. Does Demetri know?” She asked “Jane has finished her shift and I’m sure she’ll inform him of what has occurred” He replied and she nodded.

“Please can make your way over to the bed?” Marcus asked and she did as he asked. She stood at the end of the bed and felt Marcus come to stand beside her. “Please lean over the bed with your arms out” She did as she was instructed and felt his cold hands wrap something silky around her wrists “I’m tying you to the bed so you don’t move during the punishment you’re going to receive” He said low as he reached over her and gently placed a silk scarf into her mouth and secured it at the back of her head “This is to muffle your cries. Although, I ask that you don’t resist or cry out as Demetri is likely to hear and the punishment will start over if it’s interrupted for anything but an emergency. Also, you must keep your eyes closed throughout. Understand?” “Yes Marcus” Her reply coming out muffled.

There was a knock at the door “I won’t be a minute” He told her and opened the door to see Demetri, a confused and slightly angry Demetri. He stepped into the corridor and shut the door. “Calm yourself, my dear boy. No real harm is to become her” He advised “Jane told me what happened and whilst I agree she shouldn’t have disturbed you, she only did it to save us from being exposed by our guards” Demetri replied, worry clear in his ruby eyes “I know that and that is why I decided on her punishment and not Caius…” “What is her punishment?” Demetri interrupted “She is to be paddled 40 times” Marcus replied “What? Why?” “Well I heard Y/N talking with Gianna recently about certain things and well Gianna’s been spanked by an ex in the past for ‘misbehaving’” Marcus replied and Demetri’s mouth fell open a little “So you thought Y/N should be paddled for interrupting you?” “Yes, I do. Unless you’d prefer I take a leaf out of Caius’ book?” Demetri shook his head and Marcus smiled “Here” Marcus says and hands Demetri the small black paddle “You want me to do it?” He asked surprised “If you’d rather me do it…” He trailed off and held his hand out “No, no I’ll do it” Demetri replied and went to enter the room, only Marcus stopped him “She thinks I am going to hand out the punishment and I didn’t correct her. Also, I never said you had to hit her hard, just that it has to be 40 times” Demetri nodded in understanding “Thank you master” He bowed his head “Of course my boy. Do you really think I would harm her or order you to do so” Demetri shook his head “Exactly, once you’re done take her to your room and spend the afternoon together.” Marcus turned and walked away.

Demetri entered the room and locked the door, he turned and saw Y/N bent over the end of the bed and secured in place by silk scarfs; he felt himself harden a little ‘No, this is punishment not pleasure’ he tells himself as he makes his way over to the bed. He doesn’t say anything just lifts her dress up to her waist so her lacy covered ass is on display ‘Gods this isn’t fair. She’s wearing the blue set I love’ he thought to himself. He counts to three mentally before bringing the paddle into contact with her ass softly.

‘Is that a practice one?’ Y/N thought to herself as the paddle hit her ass softly; the answer came to her rather quickly when the next few paddles to her ass were just as soft ‘Marcus must be being gentle cause I’m human and Dem’s mate’ she thought to herself as the paddle continues to hit her softly. ‘twenty-five’ Demetri counts in his head. ‘wonder what Dem will think when he finds out Marcus paddled my ass’ her thoughts going to her mate and his reaction. Demetri continues to hit her softly as his minds wonders too ‘I think next time I spank her it’ll be a little harder and with my hand, just to see what effect it has on her in a different setting.’ Y/N feels confused as this doesn’t seem like a punishment Caius would approve of but she wasn’t going to complain. ‘forty’ Demetri places the paddle on the bed and unties her wrists and places a kiss to each one; a soft gasp escapes her lips and he smirks “It’s just me darling” He says low in her ear as he removes the scarf from her mouth “Dem” She breathed and he helped her up and held her to him “I’m here” He kisses the top of the head “Did you…” “Marcus let me carry out your punishment” He cut her off “I’m sorry. I only…” “Don’t worry about it. Marcus and I have spoken and agreed your actions were for the right reasons, this was just to satisfy Caius’ request.”

He took her hand in his and they made their back to their shared room, once inside he locked the door “How are you feeling?” “I’m ok but next time the dumbass guards risk exposure, I’m going to ignore it” She replies and he nods as he pulls her into him capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. He pulls away his eyes locked on hers, his burning in his need for her. He kisses her roughly, his hands moving to her ass and he gives it a squeeze before lifting her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. “Good girl” He says low and she gives him a sultry smile.

He placed her gently on the bed, one hand running up her thigh coming to rest on her lace covered hip. He kissed along her jawline making his way to her ear and nipped it gently, before placing a kiss below and leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, his hand stroking her through her lace covered panties “Hey, I’m not that easy Dem, take your time…play me like a violin” She says low in his ear and he growls before replying “Play your cards right and I may snap your G string” He gave a wink and continued to kiss and nip at her skin.

He pulled away long enough to remove her dress and his shirt and trousers before capturing her lips with his. She bit his lip and he opened his mouth allowing her to slip her tongue inside, their tongues moving against each other as soft moans fill the room.

“You’re lucky I love this blue lace set you’re wearing or I’d be ripping it to shreds” He says as removes her bra and panties before settling himself between her thighs, his mouth closing around her clit and sucking harshly, flicking the bud with his tongue. Soft gasps fill the air and she feels his fingers dance against her skin, he growls as the scent of her arousal fills his nose, the sound vibrating against her clit, her arousal building and a soft whimper leaves her lips.

He moves up the bed, placing one hand to her cheek and kisses her lips softly as he enters her slowly, stilling for a moment “So warm and wet just for me” He pulls out of her a little before re-entering her slowly “Ahh Dem” He moves in and out of her over and over filling her deeply with every thrust; hitting that sweet spot and she met him thrust for thrust “Ahh Y/N” He breathed against her skin, she felt his mouth on her breast, kissing and sucking her skin leaving a mark. He continued to move within her as he took a nipple into his mouth sucking it and flicking it with his tongue. Her fingers carded through his hair and she gave it a tug; a growl escaped him before he gently nipped her breast.

He could feel his release was near but held off as he was determined for her to finish first, he needed to claim her, finally mark her as his. He kissed her neck and then sank his fangs into her skin, a light gasp left her lips as she felt him bite her. Her orgasm hit her at that moment, her eyes closing and stars flittered behind her eyelids. He continued to drink her blood, drawing out her orgasm as he released himself deep inside her. He pulled his teeth away from her neck, licking the wound closed; leaving a bite mark on her skin that would show everyone that she belonged to him.

Y/N could feel that Demetri was still hard inside her despite him climaxing moments ago “Dem, you’re still hard” She said low “It’s a vampire thing, we can go for multiple rounds without tiring” He replied and winked at her “So, there’ll be a round two then?” She asked before biting her bottom lip and looking at him through her lashes. “Definitely sweetheart” He replied as he began thrusting in and out of her again “I could stay here and make love to you all day” He said looking into her eyes and gave her a quick kiss “I do have the afternoon off…” He trailed off and let his hand slowly move down her body, his fingers lightly brushing her folds. “As fun as that sounds, I’m human and I don’t think I could keep up with you” She replied low “I like a challenge darling. Let’s see how many rounds you can keep up with me for. Mmm?” He asked, his eyes darkened by lust, before capturing her lips with his, both of them moaning into the kiss.

“Ok, but we have to try different positions. Switch it up a little” She replied, taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she felt him twitch inside her “Deal. Where would you like round two?” “On the bed but I’m on top” He smiled and rolled them over “Do with me as you will” He smiled at her, she smiled back before lifting nearly all the way off of him only to sink back down on him hard ���Cazzo” He breathed out and she chuckled “That good huh?” She lifted off of him again “You had a great teacher” He smirked at her as she lowered herself back down on him, his hands going to her hips “Uh uh. You gave me control sweetheart” She circled her hips over his and he growled, his hands moving to grip the bedsheets “Good boy” She praised low and he chuckled. She leant forward to kiss him as she grinded against him and felt him hit a new spot inside her, she repeated this action as she left a trail of open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and down his neck. “Ah Y/N.” She continued to move her hips over his and he felt her teeth graze his skin where his neck meets his shoulder before she sucked on the skin there eliciting a purr from him. He was smiling as he watched her rise and lower herself on his hardened length, her hips grinding against his to get the friction she needs as she nears her orgasm, “I’m so close” He breathed out “Me too” She smiled and sped up her movements, her release followed shortly after; her hips continuing to move over his and she feels him twitch inside her, his cold seed filling her once more. His eyes were closed tight as he came, his mouth open; a soft gasp escaping his lips as his grip on the sheets tightened. “Gods, you’re amazing” He praises her and sits up to hold her close, pressing a kiss to her temple “Like you said, I had a great teacher” She whispered and he smiled against her skin.

“Round three” He breathed against her ear “Your choice” She replied and he thought for a moment “Any chance of a blow job…whilst I think of our next position?” He asked “Only if you say please…Mr Volturi” He growled and thrusted up into her “Dem” She cried out “Any chance of a blow job please?” “Of course Mr Volturi” She climbed off him and moved over to sofa “Coming then?” She beckoned him with a wave of her fingers. He went to sit on the sofa when she placed her hand on his stomach “You stay standing” She sat down on the sofa and wasted no time in taking him into her mouth; his head fell back instantly, loving the way her warm mouth felt around his cock “Oh gods” Her hands moved to his ass and gave it a squeeze as she took him further into her mouth, the tip of his cock hitting the back of her throat. She moaned around his cock; one of his hands moved to the back of her head, his fingers grabbing a hand full of hair. She ran her tongue along the underside of his cock, swirling it around the tip, licking up some of the pre-cum that had leaked out. He growled low as he felt a warm hand cup his balls, massaging them and he tugged on her hair and thrusted his hips forward ensuring he hit the back of her throat and she moaned around him. She hollowed her cheeks as she continued to suck him off and massaging his balls “Such a good girl” He praised her as she run her teeth along him and he twitched inside her mouth. He tugged on her hair and she stopped moving her head up and down his cock, allowing him to fuck her mouth, he moved his hips forward a few times ensuring he hit the back of her throat each time. He felt her tap his thigh and he stopped moving his hips, giving control back to her. She sucked and licked his cock a few more times before she ran her teeth over his length again and he emptied himself down the back of her throat, her swallowing everything he gave her. She licked him clean before pulling away and looking up at him. He knelt down before her and kissed her, tasting himself on her tongue. “I love you Y/N” “I love you too. Next position then?”

He took her hand and led her to his desk and bent her over it; and he entered her easily from behind, one hand wrapping around her throat applying a little pressure “If you don’t like this or you want to me stop, let me know” She nodded in response as the pressure on her throat increased a little. He thrusted in and out her setting a fast and rough pace “Demi” She breathed out and he leant over her burying his head in the crook of her neck, slipping inside her deeper as he continues to thrust inside her, his other hand moving down to play with her clit as he applies a little more pressure to her throat “You’re doing beautifully mi amore” He felt her walls flutter around him and he sped up his pace, edging them closer to their releases; the warmth of her release coaxing his own to follow. He released his hold on her throat and placed a kiss to her neck as he pulled out of her, she turned to face him smiling. One hand going to the back of his head and she pulled down for a passionate kiss.

“Round four is your choice darling” “Well, Mr Volturi before round four I’d like you to get on your knees and return the favour. Please” He smiled wide “Anything for you.” Demetri sat her on his desk and lowered himself to his knees in front of her and buried his head between her thighs, inhaled slightly taking in the scent of her arousal and growled low. He looked up at her to see her looking down at him, his ruby eyes had darkened further due to his continued arousal. He gently lifted one leg over his shoulder before lowering his head and sucking on her clit, flicking the bundle of nerves with his tongue. She leaned back slightly and gripped the edge of his desk as he placed a hand on her stomach keeping her in place before he gently pushed her other leg away from him, giving him better access to where she needed him most. He continuing to suck and flick her clit with his tongue, her soft moans being the only sound in the room. He smiled against her knowing he was the only one who could elicit that reaction from her. He moved his head lower and she felt his tongue enter her, she gasped and one of her hands moved to his head and she threaded her fingers through his hair before tugging on the strands, eliciting a growl from him. She felt his growl vibrate against her “Dem” She breathed out, he growled again and she felt a knot form inside her; she tried moving her hips to get the friction she craved but his hand still held her in place. He withdrew his tongue from inside her and closed his mouth back around her clit, sucking harsher than before; his tongue flicking her bud. She felt him slip two fingers inside her, curling and uncurling them so they brushed her inner walls a few times. He uncurled his fingers and moved them deeper inside her, hitting her sweet spot; his fingers and tongue working together to bring her to climax. “Ahh…Dem” She breathed out as she came hard, her eyelids half closed. He withdrew his fingers and put them into his mouth “Mmm. I love the taste of you baby” He smiled looking up at her through his lashes “I love you Demi” “I love you too.”

He stood up and surprised her when he lifted her over his shoulder and made his way to their walk-in closet and set her down on her feet before he pinned her against the wall. He captured her lips with his in a heated kiss and nipped at her bottom lip and she whimpered allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth and dominate the kiss. He lifted her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist and she could feel his cold hard length pressing against her entrance and with one slow thrust he entered her easily “Fuck…baby” He growled in her ear, he didn’t give her time to adjust to him, he just began to thrust in and out of her at a steady pace; her legs closed tighter around his waist and she grinded against him; he slid in deeper hitting that sweet spot inside “Oh yes” She cried out, her nails scratching lightly across his back and he growled and thrusted up into her harder. He kissed and sucked his way up and down her neck, nibbling her earlobe and she felt him smile against her neck with each moan of pleasure he coaxed from her. His thrusts sped up chasing his release as he felt her walls flutter around his cock; he bit her neck for the second time that afternoon and took a few gulps of her blood and she screamed out in pleasure as her orgasm hit her hard, stars dancing behind her eyes. The warmth of her release pulled him over the edge and he emptied himself inside her; continuing to move inside her with slow, long stokes as they rode out their highs together. He licked the wound closed and kissed his bite mark, he captured her lips in a slow sensuous kiss, she opened her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue inside, their togues moving in sync with one another.

“I love how you feel inside me” She whispered when he pulled back to allow her to breathe “I love how warm you feel wrapped around me” He replied before kissing her again. He walked backwards to the loveseat in the corner and sat down with her still in his arms, staying buried inside her for a little longer. He wrapped his arms around her holding her to his chest as she wrapped hers around him. She buried her head into his neck as he laid his on her shoulder, both enjoying their after-sex cuddle.  

Y/N was totally exhausted once Demetri had finally finished making love to her and he noticed her heartrate and breathing had slowed. She was supersensitive now and knew she was likely to be a little sore in the morning but didn’t mind as she had enjoyed every minute of being with her mate.

He carried her to the bathroom and set her down on the counter and run a sink full of water using some of her favourite bubble bath and washed her gently with a warm cloth. He then cleaned himself up before carrying her over to their bed, placing her gently beneath the duvet. He crawled in beside her and pulled her into his arms once again and held her as she fell asleep, breathing in her scent. He smiled to himself as he thought about the sexy afternoon they had just spent together, impressed that she had kept up with him for six rounds of amazing sex. ‘my amazing little human’ he thought and tightened his hold her, placing a kiss to her hair “I love you darling” He whispered and closed his eyes, resting beside his mate.  

[variousqueerthings]

OKAY SO SOME "JULIET IS BLEEDING" THOUGHTS @gjdraws obvs don't read this yet, but when you have seen episode 7 I would be curious if you agree or totally disagree on any of this

also... sorry... it's long (not sorry)

they really put it in the title huh, man i wonder if someone is going to be bleeding... yes... yes she is

i was genuinely tossing and turning thinking about "juliet is bleeding" because it was at once a beautiful david marciano flexing episode, and one that had cool plot development and brought back a good villain, and explored some potential deeper ideological rifts in ray's and fraser's relationship that have previously been brushed over or made a little more comical

2. but... i think what it suffered from, for me, was the "curse of the single-episode female character love-interest." because there are times when this can work -- i don't know if victoria's coming back, but her tenure was interesting (even though it also suffered from some of the same "tell don't show" for very similar reasons). the undercover detective that ray liked, probably (?) not coming back, but she was very interesting. the DA we're seeing was a single-episode character from last season and now they're giving her more to do, which is fun, and making her and ray have some kind of Dynamic, which... i'm on the fence about, but that's not The Thing about this episode, other than the way it does kinda reinforce the problem with the single-episode love interest, especially when she's meant to be a longterm person in our lead's life. (also i do think ray in the last episode was... hm. mainly a violent cop, some comedy relief, and a few uncomfortable sex jokes about sweat lodges, which actually also colours my feelings about ray in this last episode)

3. it made me think, what were the three most shocking things that happened in this episode, because I was initially surprised that they killed her off, but then I was like... that wasn't the moment that made me go WHAAAAT out loud. - obviously louis getting blown up was the most shocking thing in this episode, he's arguably the most "there for comedy" character (especially paired with huey, who is now... going off on a different track?) and he. is dead. it's wild. total change in the story now, he no longer Is Alive - then, ray's and fraser's dynamic. will get back to that. but ray's complete shutting down and judging of fraser's... fraserness... as it were, it did make me squirm, and i will get back to it!!! - irene dying. which. was shocking in that it was meant to be shocking, but then i was like. ah. you introduced this woman second season in, related to a character introduced in s1 with whom the lead has Serious Beef, which, very well introduced and explored Serious Beef (the story about the basketball is imo the most fucked up this show has been so far), but now... it's about this new person, who has been here the whole time actually, which is... it's weaker motivation than the original one i will take it. i will challenge in myself the writing of it, how it's clear that she doesn't have much agency as her own character, because her whole raison d'etre is to be ray's long lost love and a late-introduced one at that, but i will take it, i will do things with it in imagining it deeper than it is 4. BUT then she gets killed off. and she doesn't get killed off as a consequence of her narrative, she gets killed off because ray, frankly, makes a series of veeeery unthought-through decisions in this episode, in order to further his dynamic with frankie, and in order to bring him back to fraser (sort of, I Will Get Back To Them). she is, unfortunately, a most textbooked fridged woman. which, it's the 90s, but... C'mon

5. so i have some mixed feelings about the episode because i think (here we return to ray and fraser) it has been well-established on the show that ray, fundamentally, is a Cop. fraser, fundamentally, is an instrument of justice, who has numerous times been told that he's not very good at being a cop. I was hoping that eventually those two Things -- what it means to be a Cop (ultimately servicing the police force and all the relevant and interesting discomfort that brings forth for you, the viewer) and what it means to do Justice (ultimately putting the people first, always, but in fraser there's a bit of a push-and-pull in that he definitely definitely has been more loyal to The Law than to people at times. that's part of the tension inside himself)

6. so ray being a cop, if pushed far enough, would put that first. which is what happened when louis died. he was pushed that far. and it was coupled with the fact that (in his head) it was frankie, a man who when they were both kids mutilated a boy's face, who ruined the neighbourhood ray grew up in, who beat fraser senseless last season (the fact that they brought that up this episode was great, BUT ray didn't bring it up himself??? if I'm remembering correctly from this first watch, I'm kinda surprised he didn't try to reason with fraser that way like, "the guy tried to kill you and you're standing up for him!"). i think that that is more than enough good writing reasons for ray to throw everything he's been taking in from fraser aside, enough to make him blame fraser for not budging, but. I do wish there had been a bit more... fraser is his Best Friend and frankie tried to kill him, but because ray's motivations are about romantic love now, that's not as important as that. i guess. does ray a bit of a disservice. I will get back to ray and fraser later

7. and so unfortunately, the weak link of the episode is this shoehorned romance. it's carrie-anne moss and i really really want to like her character, i was actually thinking she'd be recurring, but her character iiisn't well-fleshed out, which weakens ray's narrative, weakens his dynamic with fraser, because suddenly he's not quite doing this for gardino or to settle that score with frankie, he's doing it, mainly, for her.

8. who is she, what are we told? - she seems naive to her brother's actions to the point of being disconnected from the main narrative thrust that links s1 frankie to s2 frankie (like babe... he mutilated a boy's face... i get he's not guilty now but... i need to understand why you're defending him beyond "he's my brother." tbh i need ray to challenge her more on that, i need more) - i think they were trying to infer that she's been quite under his thumb, potentially emotionally abused (although not physically i think), but then we come full circle to the initial issue: we're not given enough of her to really say. she's just. a bit wet. tbh? but she's not meant to be i think - i like that clearly frankie loves her a great deal, and vice versa. i wish this had meant they'd make her more morally ambiguous, given her something more substantial. i also wish, instead of getting shot and dying in order to "mend things" between ray and frank (and i do hope she didn't succeed in that, because truly fuck that man 😂), that she'd ended things with ray. that she had made a choice either to stick by her brother or to leave them both. i wanted to understand her conflict more, as it were, and i don't think that was possible in the episode anyway because there's SO MUCH going on

9. THIS IS ALL SO CONFLICTED THOUGH BECAUSE DAVID MARCIANO GIVES TWO KILLER SCENES - WHEN THEY'RE HUDDLED UNDER THE BLANKET AND HE'S BEING SO SOFT AND OF COURSE WHEN THEY'RE IN THE HOSPITAL AND HE'S MONOLOGUING ABOUT WHEN THEY DANCED!!!! THOSE ARE SUCH KILLER SCENES BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK THE PLOTLINE QUITE HANGS TOGETHER TO JUSTIFY EITHER OF THEEEEM!!!

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ITS OWN PLOT! JUST ABOUT HER!

10. case in point in how she doesn't come across as well-realised is when they're first dancing and it's really unclear if he's dancing with her to piss off frankie or dancing with her for her. what i would have desired was for her to have waaay more of an opinion on this -- now i've only seen this episode once, but her being "a prize" essentially between her brother and ray would be fucking galling. they do give us a bit to like... intuit, again. but. it's just not about her. at all

and in fact, it kind of compliments the earlier scene when frankie invites fraser over to flesh on his power. (there's so much about that moment that I adore by the way). ray can see fraser from where he's sat and what is frankie doing? soft-bullying him by reminding him of the time he almost killed him, showing off his power and influence, (subtly) offering fraser a bribe again. and then after that? ray goes over and dances with irene. it's such a "you take my person, I'll take yours" Thing, which works for fraser because he's also his own character... i wiiiiish irene had challenged fraser more than just the "who are you dancing with" comment. smacked him, at least. Something

11. OKAY SO THINKING ABOUT IRENE I GUESS WHAT I'D NEED IS LIKE. RAY IN HIGHSCHOOL FICS TO BRIDGE SOME OF THE GAP BETWEEN "I DANCED WITH FRANKIE'S SISTER" AND "FRANKIE DRIBBLED A BALL ON A KID'S FACE" AND "WHERE WAS IRENE WHILE FRANKIE WAS TAKING OVER HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS" REALLY LEAN INTO THIS EMOTIONALLY REPRESSED WOMAN WHO'S NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO CHOOSE FOR HERSELF EVER IN HER LIFE

cool, i've written myself into understanding it all a bit more. i just. those fuckn "one episode love interests" drive me up the wall, because there's barely ever enough time to invest in them properly unless done really really well

also like. did not dispel my headcanon that frankie was always in love with ray and was soooooooooooooo fucked up about it. and that ray kind of knows. and he's playing to him while he's kissing his sister, truly unhinged behaviours

12. OKAY SO TO RETURN TO SOME THINGS ABOUT RAY THE COP AND FRASER, I do very much buy that eventually there would be that conflict, ray himself is often the person "joke" questioning fraser's credentials

13. and and ray in s1 is often callous and cold and cruel to people in the way the systems being shown are, which is one of the reasons it's so interesting that he gravitates towards fraser from almost minute one. he really really didn't have to take the "the dead mountie was my father" to heart, but he did. other people, willie, the pizza delivery guy whom he initially was willing to cheat out of his money, the baby, the mentally ill guy whose name escapes me, he's so willing to write them off, but he doesn't because of fraser and it makes him a better person, canonically, and often puts him at odds with his own department. and crucially, he's never really said no to fraser, except that he did call him out at the beginning of the season for his messed up self-sacrificial not-setting-boundaries-not-standing-up-for-himself type behaviour... but that's still about fraser (which isn't to say it shouldn't be about fraser, but that this is The First Time he's essentially gone "fuck you fraser." and he did it... for some veeery messed up reasons) 14. so we've seen him doing some things of questionable legality and morals, but pushing a minor's head against a table, hard, (i was gonna say slamming but i can't remember if it was quite a slam, but if that's the nitpicking I'm doing, you know... it wasn't a good thing to do that's for sure) and specifically a minor who's native.... it's such a show of violence and fraser immediately steps in, but then the moment continuing without remarking upon it, BUT THEN THIS NEXT EPISODE???? 15. it's some real dark-grey behaviour and it's... interesting... for me... right now... having seen s1 twice and created narratives in my head about what could happen next, and thinking actually that ray and fraser would have conflict in the finale of s1, but no, they sorted it out with a lot of affection still for each other

16. like. genuinely the saddest thing in this episode is not irene dying, or louis dying, it's that ray, to me, no longer reads as "the guy fraser can depend on," and more than that (because really i was expecting ray to set some boundaries eventually),it feels like we've hit the wall on ray's willingness to develop himself into someone kinder, less beholden to the cult of police, the guy who said you never smack a kid (but you do force his face against a table, sir! you do put "the thin blue line" before your best friend?)

and i wonder if there will be more conflict of that kind. i would like to see it IN CONCLUSION

so yeah. a lot of conflicted feelings about this last episode. to summarise: pros - truly amazing acting from david marciano, he's the Reason It Works - interesting doubling down of fraser's ideals, especially now they've come into conflict on a personal level - i mean, the ray vs zuko dynamic is soooo gooooooood - i was happy to see carrie-anne moss - the killing-off louis gardino feels like a bold new trajectory i doubt we've seen the last of the aftermath of (?) - generally the Tone is now set for something new - i was really into the fraser scenes with zuko and zuko's lieutenant, it really shows how fraser is a very savvy person, which one doesn't always take into account. like, all the actual work this episode was done by fraser cons - alas, irene is pretty underdeveloped and that affects everything else in the episode, especially ray's motivations throughout the episode - three plotlines driving the emotions, it's too many undecided - im on the fence about a lot of ray's decisions in this episode and whether they felt to me more like they were there to make the plot Happen or if they made internal sense, especially especially the last "running into the house" segment which... idk. i could put this into cons also, it was where the emotional drive fell flat, but generally i'd need to sift through the ray decisions that worked for me and the ones that didn't as much - i don't know (yet) if i entirely buy ray's total disregard and meanness towards fraser. or indeed, if i'll recover (this is also exacerbated by the con points) - i don't know if they'll further develop this moment of rift, it feels significant and this show does have a lot of continuity, but it's still fundamentally episodic in nature, and i hope, basically, that they don't just drop the weight of this one <- a lot of my undecideds will be decided by this

@gj spoilers for s2ep6 so don't loook

some quick thoughts on due south episode six "Masks"

I feel like there was a tension from the very beginning in terms of fraser's code of honour as something trained into him by the fact that his father was a mountie and his earliest sense of Justice and Right and Wrong and Duty and all of that came from that sphere...

and the fact that Law (very much also Canadian, both irl ofc, but also on the show) is often incredibly unjust, especially against people who don't have much recourse

the fact that this involved corruption by people with a lot of power in canadian government and business, both in the Pilot and in Masks, specifically against native people, and that Fraser's involvement in both of these meant him siding against people who you'd call his superiors in some form (and in the Pilot being punished for it, even though he did very much obey the letter of the law and Gerrard and Co did not), and in Masks specifically that he broke the law by not revealing that the recovered masks were forgeries-

speaks to that tension, and heightens it. Namely, that what Fraser believes the Law should be, and what it is, are often diametrically opposed and that there is no such as rigid adherence, because one man's/community's law is very different to another's

those masks were basically originally stolen (they hint at it strongly with the whole "oh they were legally sold/there's a lot of dispute about that, tellingly from the Tsimshian people themselves"), which means that Fraser is obeying a much higher law than the officials he's actually serving under

and I wonder if this will continue to expand for this character, because Fraser has really struggled to go around literal law in order to help people (although he has so far always found some way of helping through sheer perseverance, which doesn't mean the law works, just that he's both an embodiment of what it should be and bent on punishing his own body for the sake of others, which is... also not good), and especially himself. The Wild Bunch is haunting me!

(and hc that some part of it haunts Fraser as well)

anyway, a long ramble to say that Fraser knows that the laws he's driven to follow and the idealism he has for the RCMP are full of cracks, and I feel like it's a post-Pilot ongoing exploration of his own understanding of what it means to serve the people, who has rights and who doesn't, what Laws he actually follows and whether it's possible to be Good and Law-Abiding

I mean, the show could decide to do the tried and true "it's just bad apples" type thing, which I wouldn't hold against it as such -- it's the 90s, it's a cop show in the end, I don't know (yet) what its ultimate journey is, but... it would be cool if we continue to see those cracks, even if Fraser does remain with the RCMP by the end (which wouldn't be unrealistic either, this is the life he Knows how to operate in, he's not technically a revolutionary... technically)

long post to say: Daaaamn Fraser Broke The Law For A Higher Purpose, and it was only a few episodes after he almost had a panic attack "fake" stealing Milk Duds

also the Magical Realism was Through The Fucking Roof in this one 👀

ALSO I will buy the retcon that "Eric" knew Fraser when he was a kid and that he was the guy from the Pilot. I need to merge them somehow into one guy, because Eric Schweig was much younger than the new Eric-Actor, but we can make it work

[usergreenpixel]

JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 1: La Seine no Hoshi (1975)

1. Introduction

Well, dear reader, here it is. My first ever official review. And, as promised, this is one of the pieces of Frev media that you have likely never heard of before.

So, without further ado, sit down, relax, grab drinks and snacks and allow me to tell you about an anime called “La Seine no Hoshi” (The Star of the Seine).

“La Seine no Hoshi” is a children’s anime series made by Studio Sunrise. It consists of 39 episodes and was originally broadcast in Japan from April 4th to December 26th of 1975.

Unlike its more famous contemporary, a manga called “Rose of Versailles” that had begun being released in 1972 and is considered a classic to this day, “La Seine no Hoshi” has stayed relatively obscure both in the world of anime and among other Frev pop culture.

Personally, the only reason why I found out about its existence was the fact that I actively seek out everything Frev-related and I just happened to stumble upon the title on an anime forum several years ago.

So far, the anime has been dubbed into Italian, French, German and Korean but there is no English or even Spanish dub so, unfortunately, people who do not speak fluent Japanese or any other aforementioned language are out of luck ( if anyone decides to make a fandub of the series, call me). That being said, the series is readily available in dubs and the original version on YouTube, which is where I ended up watching it. The French dub calls the anime “La Tulipe Noire” (The Black Tulip), which could be an homage to the movie with the same name that takes place in the same time period.

Unfortunately, while I do speak Japanese well enough to maintain a basic conversation and interact with people in casual daily situations, I’m far from fluent in the language so the version I watched was the French dub, seeing as I am majoring in French.

So, with all of this info in mind, let’s find out what the story is about and proceed to the actual review.

2. The Summary

(Note: Names of the characters in the French dub and the original version differ so I will use names from the former since that’s what I watched)

The story of “La Seine no Hoshi” revolves around a 15-year old girl called Mathilde Pasquier - a daughter of two Parisian florists who helps her parents run their flower shop and has a generally happy life.

But things begin to change when Comte de Vaudreuil, an elderly Parisian noble to whom Mathilde delivers flowers in the second episode, takes her under his wing and starts teaching her fencing for an unknown reason and generally seems to know more about her than he lets on.

Little does Mathilde know, those fencing lessons will end up coming in handy sooner than she expected. When her parents are killed by corrupt nobles, the girl teams up with Comte de Vaudreuil’s son, François, to fight against corruption as heroes of the people, all while the revolution keeps drawing near day by day and tensions in the city are at an all time high.

This is the gist of the story, dear readers, so with that out of the way, here’s the actual review:

3. The Story

Honestly, I kind of like the plot. It has a certain charm to it, like an old swashbuckling novel, of which I’ve read a lot as a kid.

The narrative of a “hero of the common folk” has been a staple in literature for centuries so some might consider the premise to be unoriginal, but I personally like this narrative more than “champion of the rich” (Looking at you, Scarlet Pimpernel) because, historically, it really was a difficult time for commoners and when times are hard people tend to need such heroes the most.

People need hope, so it’s no surprise that Mathilde and François (who already moonlights as a folk hero, The Black Tulip) become living legends thanks to their escapades.

Interestingly enough, the series also subverts a common trope of a hero seeking revenge for the death of his family. Mathilde is deeply affected by the death of her parents but she doesn’t actively seek revenge. Instead, this tragedy makes the fight and the upcoming revolution a personal matter to her and motivates her to fight corruption because she is not the only person who ended up on its receiving end.

The pacing is generally pretty good but I do wish there were less filler episodes and more of the overarching story that’s dedicated to the secret that Comte de Vaudreuil and Mathilde’s parents seem to be hiding from her and maybe it would be better if the secret in question was revealed to the audience a bit later than episode 7 or so.

However, revealing the twist early on is still an interesting narrative choice because then the main question is not what the secret itself is but rather when and how Mathilde will find out and how she will react, not to mention how it will affect the story.

That being said, even the filler episodes do drive home the point that a hero like Mathilde is needed, that nobles are generally corrupt and that something needs to change. Plus, those episodes were still enjoyable and entertaining enough for me to keep watching, which is good because usually I don’t like filler episodes much and it’s pretty easy to make them too boring.

Unfortunately, the show is affected by the common trope of the characters not growing up but I don’t usually mind that much. It also has the cliché of heroes being unrecognizable in costumes and masks, but that’s a bit of a staple in the superhero stories even today so it’s not that bothersome.

4. The Characters

It was admittedly pretty rare for a children’s show to have characters who were fleshed out enough to seem realistic and flawed, but I think this series gives its characters more development than most shows for kids did at the time.

I especially like Mathilde as a character. Sure, at first glance she seems like a typical Nice Pretty Ordinary Girl ™️ but that was a part of the appeal for me.

I am a strong believer in that a character does not need to be a blank slate or a troubled jerk to be interesting and Mathilde is neither of the above. She is essentially an ordinary girl with her own life, family, friends, personality and dreams and, unfortunately, all of that is taken away from her when her parents are killed.

Her initial reluctance to participate in the revolution is also pretty realistic as she is still trying to live her own life in peace and she made a promise to her parents to stay safe so there’s that too.

I really like the fact that the show did not give her magic powers and that she was not immediately good at fencing. François does remark that her fencing is not bad for a beginner but in those same episodes she is clearly shown making mistakes and it takes her time to upgrade from essentially François’s assistant in the heroic shenanigans to a teammate he can rely on and sees as an equal. Heck, later there’s a moment when Mathilde saves François, which is a nice tidbit of her development.

Mathilde also doesn’t have any romantic subplots, which is really rare for a female lead.

She has a childhood friend, Florent, but the two are not close romantically and they even begin to drift apart somewhat once Florent becomes invested in the revolution. François de Vaudreuil does not qualify for a love interest either - his father does take Mathilde in and adopts her after her parents are killed so François is more of an older brother than anything else.

Now, I’m not saying that romance is necessarily a bad thing but I do think that not having them is refreshing than shoehorning a romance into a story that’s not even about it. Plus most kids don’t care that much for romance to begin with so I’d say that the show only benefits from the creative decision of not setting Mathilde up with anyone.

Another interesting narrative choice I’d like to point out is the nearly complete absence of historical characters, like the revolutionaries. They do not make an appearance at all, save for Saint-Just’s cameo in one of the last episodes and, fortunately, he doesn’t get demonized. Instead, the revolutionary ideas are represented by Florent, who even joins the Jacobin Club during the story and is the one who tries to get Mathilde to become a revolutionary. Other real people, like young Napoleon and Mozart, do appear but they are also cameo characters, which does not count.

Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI are exceptions to the rule.

(Spoiler alert!)

Marie-Antoinette is portrayed as kind of spoiled and out of touch. Her spending habits get touched on too but she is not a malicious person at heart. She is simply flawed. She becomes especially important to the story later on when Mathilde finds out the secret that has been hidden from her for her entire life.

As it turns out, Marie- Antoinette, the same queen Mathilde hated so much, is the girl’s older half-sister and Mathilde is an illegitimate daughter of the Austrian king and an opera singer, given to a childless couple of florists to be raised in secret so that her identity can be protected.

The way Marie-Antoinette and Mathilde are related and their further interactions end up providing an interesting inner conflict for Mathilde as now she needs to reconcile this relationship with her sister and her hatred for the corruption filling Versailles.

The characters are not actively glorified or demonized for the most part and each side has a fair share of sympathetic characters but the anime doesn’t shy away from showing the dark sides of the revolution either, unlike some other shows that tackle history (*cough* Liberty’s Kids comes to mind *cough*).

All in all, pretty interesting characters and the way they develop is quite realistic too, even if they could’ve been more fleshed out in my opinion.

5. The Voice Acting

Pretty solid. No real complaints here. I’d say that the dub actors did a good job.

6. The Setting

I really like the pastel and simple color scheme of Paris and its contrast with the brighter palette of Versailles. It really drives home the contrast between these two worlds.

The character designs are pretty realistic, simple and pleasant to watch. No eyesores like neon colors and overly cutesy anime girls with giant tiddies here and that’s a big plus in my book.

7. The Conclusion

Like I said, the show is not available in English and those who are able to watch it might find it a bit cliché but, while it’s definitely not perfect. I actually quite like it for its interesting concept, fairly realistic characters and a complex view of the French Revolution. I can definitely recommend this show, if only to see what it’s all about.

Some people might find this show too childish and idealistic, but I’m not one of them.

I’m almost 21 but I still enjoy cartoons and I’m fairly idealistic because cynicism and nihilism do not equal maturity and, if not for the “silly” idealism, Frev itself wouldn’t happen so I think shows like that are necessary too, even if it’s just for escapism.

If you’re interested and want to check it out, more power to you.

Anyway, thank you for attending the first ever official meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Second meeting is coming soon so stay tuned for updates.

Have a good day, Citizens! I love you!

- Citizen Green Pixel

[falsegoodnight]

this is part two of my december fic rec! this list encompasses the fics i’ve read from the 18th to the 28th!! it’s also my birthday today which makes it even more special! i can think of no better way to spend today than spreading positivity! :)

you can find part one of this month here

✰ there’s happiness because of you by @hadestyles | NR | 1k - (so soft, tender, and beautiful!! rori’s writing amazes me always! and this was written for my birthday because they’re an angel <3)

Thursday mornings have always been their favourite.

✰ and it gets colder and colder by @hadestyles | E | 2K - (another rori fic!! once again, beautiful prose! made me feel emotional!)

Harry wants to take care of Louis. Things take a turn.

✰ make my wish come true by @soldouthaz | M | 3k - (drabble from this series) (so cute, lovely, soft, amazing!!! made my heart so happy! this is also dedicated to me which :��) sarah angel chant)

The taste of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven and peppermint hot chocolate is still heavy on his tongue. Harry’s sweater provides some warmth and it still smells of him from before he left for his internship two weeks ago, but it’s nowhere near the feeling of his arms wrapped around him. Louis shivers despite the blankets.

✰ spirit meets the bones by @hadestyles​ | E | 3k - (i had to edit to add this because rori wrote another beautiful little fic for me :’) beautiful prose, beautiful emotions, so so so beautiful, gosh. pure poetry!)

The action shouldn’t fill his eyes with tears but it does. These small gestures mean the world to him. A steady reminder that Harry does notice all the tiny, seemingly insignificant details that make Louis him.

✰ 29 Blows by @quelquesetoiles | E | 4k - (super hot but also so cute!! love the concept of the birthday tradition in this one!!!)

For over a decade now, Harry has had his little tradition. It wouldn't be a Louis Tomlinson birthday without his best friend finding new, ingenious ways to make his life more difficult.

It's cute, it's funny, it's theirs, until Harry takes it a step too far on Louis' 29th birthday.

✰ calm me down (before i sleep) by @erodiansunflower | E | 7k - (a pwp and super hot, but also super cute??)

Prompt 24: Harry is a sex shop owner that has a crush on Louis, the shy customer who flirts with him while buying cute buttplugs, lace panties, and collars. One day, Louis asked Harry to help him put on a corset (they end up fucking in the dressing room). Things escalate quickly from there, so they start seeing each other seriously while trying other sex stuff.

✰ You’re Never Alone With a Moon This Bright by @helloamhere | T | 8k - (part one of this series) (WOW this was incredible and i am ENTRANCED! this author is an all-time favorite and idk why it took me so long to get to this series but i’m here now!! and loving it!!)

Louis was a monster. But sometimes, even monsters get a Christmas.

✰ Be a Good Girl For Me by @sincetheywere16and18 | E | 9k - (really hot and cute!!!)

Based on this prompt: “AU where Harry is Louis’ older brother’s best friend. He catches Louis dancing around his room in panties and blackmails him, saying that louis has to do anything he says or else he’ll tell Louis’ family that he wears girly underwear. Secretly soft for him, Harry gives him easy tasks and uses the whole thing to spend more time with Louis. Eventually, the orders begin to escalate and Harry teases Lou about his secret, making Louis shy and embarrassed. Louis loves the attention though, and forms a crush on his brother’s best friend. Lots of feminization, secret relationship, and enemies to lovers. Thank you!”

✰ it’s hard to fight naked by @loustarlight | E | 11k - (LOVED this so much!!! a big fan of enemies/flatmates to lovers especially when there’s a walk-in involved!!)

Louis leaves dirty socks on the couch, Zayn does assignments while he's high, and Harry is hopelessly crushing on his roommate.

✰ Sweet Scary Creatures by @specklelouis | M | 13k - (jurassic park au!! so cute and fun!!! loved louis’ character growth in this in particular!)

They stare into each other's eyes for a while until Louis remembers this is too intimate and looks at Harry’s hands on his thigh. It spans a big portion of his thigh and Louis has always been insecure about how thick he is, so he loves that Harry has huge, dustbin hands that hold him and makes him feel smaller, safer.

✰ hereafter (ad infinitum) by @larryent | M | 13k - (this was absolutely beautiful!! the writing was incredible, the contrast between the old timeline and new one impeccable, and the letters!!! love them!! and vampire harry is always a win!)

"A legacy is every life you’ve touched. And you’ve touched mine twice."

On the coast of San Francisco in 2024 is when Harry falls in love all over again.

✰ Believe Me When I Say You Have It All by @helloamhere | T | 20k - (part two of this series) (loved this even more than it’s predecessor. not to be dramatic, but i’d die for the louis and harry in this series. this whole world has my heart)

Harry had never faced anything in this forest that had actually succeeded in scaring him. Louis was no exception.

✰ Yours to Lose by @loulicate-recs | M | 26k - (so cute and soft and sweet!!! louis and harry were both angels and IAN <3 little cutie!!! so proud of you hanis!)

Louis always gets distracted with his mummy duty and he eventually catches Harry's attention.

✰ But It’s Useless by @thinlinez | E | 26k - (this put such a big smile on my face!! so cute and lovely!! louis was a relatable and adorable menace and harry was a smitten idiot but they both got there in the end!!)

Omega Louis would never guess that he would be trying to hack into Alpha Harry's Wifi. That is until everything changes when he tries to get to know his enemy.

✰ Stuck On You by Writewhatiwant | E | 34k - (so so sweet! loved the aspect of stickers in this fic and how louis found joy in them!! really loved how both louis and harry (especially harry) grew throughout this story and how they found peace at the end!)

Louis’ life revolves around his stickers. Harry’s life revolves around his job. The universe has decided their worlds should revolve around each other.

✰ smoke between your teeth by @soldouthaz | E | 37k - (i think everyone knows how much i adore sarah and her fics but this one just might be a new favorite! loved all the psych stuff, the pining, the rom-com worthy confession <3 brilliant!)

Louis tries to stop his addiction to cigarettes and discovers he's been addicted to Harry for much, much longer.

✰ Your Life Worth Walking on a Bright Morning by @helloamhere | T | 38k - (part three of this series) (it just keeps getting better and better <3 so comforting and consistent and beautiful!)

For all its complexity, Louis sometimes reminded himself, life could always be simplified into a series of forks in the road. Even overwhelmingly big things were survivable when you broke them down to their choice. One path or the other, left or right.

✰ On The Edge by @zanniscaramouche | E | 47k - (so crazy good!! zanni is always amazing me!! loved the ice skating, the hockey, the misunderstandings, the multi-faced and beautiful characters and relationships - all so perfect!)

Figure skating is as vital to Louis’ identity as his DNA, so when his skates go missing right before the last Olympics of his career there may be a meltdown only vanilla bath salts can fix. Well, that and the stupidly charming hockey player he met on the plane.

Harry’s too old to be the wonder kid and too young to be taken seriously in the NHL. As an alternate thrown in at the last second, he fights to prove himself on the national team at the largest sporting event known to man. Or he will, once he gets off this flight and can focus on something other than the fussy figure skater and his stunningly blue eyes.

A baggage mix-up skews both of their perfectly laid plans for gold, forcing the two to work together as the clock clicks towards the minute they’re expected to shine on centre ice.

✰ made for lovin’ you by @cuddlerlouis | E | 53k - (loved this so much!! touch depri/accidental bonds are my favorite and this was no exception!!! the characterizations, the tension, the misunderstandings, the tenderness, the fluff!!! so good!)

A quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

✰ social cues by @outropeace | E | 56k - (so fucking good!! the slow burn in this was impeccable!!! pair it with friends with benefits, mutual pining, angst, misunderstandings... amazing <3)

To Harry, Louis was becoming as tangible and essential as music in his life. He still was a mystery but at the same time, he was one of the most real things Harry had. He just hoped he could live up to the image Louis probably had in his mind of him.

He could play the part, after all, what was published of him wasn’t as detached from reality. He didn’t think of himself as a rockstar cliche, although he couldn't deny he did sleep around, partied a lot, and did some drugs. But then again, wasn’t that what the majority of his friends back in his hometown were doing at college?

Harry wanted to impress Louis, he didn’t want to disappoint or leave his expectations unfulfilled, so he’d give him the full rockstar experience.

It was a very simple plan, what could possibly go wrong?

✰ dripping like spider milk by @raspberryoatss | E | 64k - (pip amazing me with her talent? a common occurrence. this was so wonderfully written and so well done!! loved the characterizations, the dynamic, the angst, the miscommunication, the pining, the HUMOR!!! it was all so amazing!!)

When he sees the alpha, his brown hair curling around the top of his neck and his broad back that’s filled out over the past couple of years, Louis freezes for a moment. The alpha turns around, Louis’ surprised expression mirrored on his own for a fraction of a second before he schools it into a big, yet shy grin and a wave of his huge hand. With his nostrils flared, Louis knows that he can smell him, too.

They never hired alphas, except for—

“Harry.”

✰ a taste of freedom and sweetened passion by @tomlinvelvetfics | M | 74k - (okay technically haven’t finished reading this one yet but i want to get this up early and i already know this is amazing because it’s LATE and she’s incredible!!! and, i mean, anne of green gables?? abo?? best birthday gift ever!! will be spending the day reading this in bliss <3)

“Are you mad?” he explodes, throwing his hands up, groaning. “I was so, so close to reaching my goal, and your stupid, stalking ass had to creep up on me, hm?”

Harry is trying to keep his laughter in, walking closer to him, eyes soft. He doesn’t like the way those eyes make him feel, an odd, dangerous mix of nervous and flustered, so he bends down to pick up the books, raising an eyebrow when Harry growls in protest.

“I wanted to pick them up for you,” the alpha pouts, and Louis glares at him, getting into position and lowering the pile of yellowed pages over the top of his head.

“I’m a functional human being, thank you very much,” he grits out as he begins to walk and mentally count the amount of steps he takes. One, two, three, for heaven’s sake Harry fuck off!, four, five. He doesn’t let himself be distracted as the alpha walks along with him despite the slow pace, green eyes focused on him in a way that would, in any other cases, compelled him to throw a book in the alpha’s face.

He doesn’t know why he doesn’t do it and certainly doesn’t want to think about the reason, whatever it might be.

If you read any of these lovely fics, remember to leave kudos and comment to show your appreciation!

*if i made any errors, please let me know :)

enjoy!

[project-pnf-404]

Checkpoint and important updates 2!!: Electric boogaloo!!

Heyo guys!! Long time no talk. So, I’ve got some cool update stuff to show you guys. I’ve been doing a lot of blog “housekeeping” since the end of the last event. (don’t worry it hopefully won’t be boring update stuff lmao as it includes some new supplementary content). So, first and foremost, thanks to the inspiration from @koppais-smallest-nerd I’d like to let you guys know that I am now adding screen reader access to all future posts!!! This one included. At the bottom of each post under the, “read more”, image descriptions for all images will be added! Screen reader accessibility will also be added to all previous asks on the blog. However, getting through all of them will take a tiny bit. As, of this update, the first 4 asks have had image descriptions added. As well as all the supplementary content in between where applicable.

I’d also like to show you guys some supplementary content for the blog. Between these dashed lines are in character day 1 log entries written by the rest of the crew. 

———————————————

———————————————

I originally wasn’t sure if I wanted to put these extra day 1 logs on the main blog or not. But, I’ve decided that all supplementary content that may be story related will remain on the main blog for the foreseeable future, while BTS content will end up on PNF-404-Plus.

That being said since the end of the 1st event and my time away from the blog a lot has been going on when it comes to the blog.

For one the entire desktop version of the blog has had a large overhaul. A new theme has been added to the main page.

But, not only that but new side pages with supplementary content have been added!! This includes an event list, a bio page for the crew members of the S.S Drake, a Piklopedia page for the new Piklopedia, and a music page to top it all off!!

The Event List will show each new event as they are added! You can click on the current known events to go directly to all posts tagged with that event tag. Speaking of which all Event 01 posts have now had their tags updated with the Event 01 tag making it much easier to navigate.

The new Crew Members page has bios for all the members currently on the mission or known in the story so far! These Bios are pretty in line with cannon with some fanon, and light headcanon added  in for good measure. I recommend taking a look as it does have some interesting info in there. Also quick note: all of these bios are written as if it is prior to the beginning of the blog.

Then there’s the Piklopedia!! Here you can read each of their findings as they explore PNF-404! Currently the findings will be on each area they explore (not each creature they find) as they haven’t found any new creatures yet. There is also a map of places they’ve discovered and more!

Lastly, a new music page has been added. On this page, I’ve created event-inspired music playlists. Some of the songs have been mentioned in the past. But, here you can listen to them all in one place and see which songs are for which part of the events. As well there’s a secret songs playlist. This playlist has nothing to do with the blog directly but is filled with music given to me by people I’ve met from this community while I’ve been here!! Currently, there are 5 songs there, however, there will be more added in the future! What makes it secret is that you won’t know who gave me the song XD. (well unless you’re the one who gave me the song lmao) who knows if you’ve ever shared music with me before you may find your song there!! (There is also one song I’m sharing with you guys in there too so have fun figuring that out lmao. )

As well the table of contents has been once again updated with a lot of this new stuff as well as some other new information!! As for mobile users as of now, all of this is on separate Tumblr pages. However, in the near future, I will be uploading much of this stuff , such as the Piklopedia entries and Crew Bio’s, as individual posts! However, in the meantime, if you feel like you can always check out these pages on your phone browser instead if you’re a mobile-exclusive user. (Though some pages don’t look as good on phone)

Welp, I think that’s it as far as updates go!! I should be back with brand new ask posts soon (likely within the next week or so!) so keep a look out!! I’ll see ya guys again soon and thanks for reading!!!

{{ Screen reader image description is under “read more”}}

In the first image,  Alph’s Day 1 Log entry is shown. His log says, “To think I thought the first day would go well. Then again I didn’t think I would get sucked out of the ship either so maybe I should stop being so surprised. At the very least Louie and I were able to find our way back despite some obstacles and I was able to fix the ship in time. Though if it weren’t for Chunks we would have never found the pikmin we did. That little guy sure saved the day. 

However, Then there's what happened to Brittany… To see her in a situation like that... I can’t even bear to think about it. Tomorrow I will be checking over the entirety of the Drake to make sure a crash like that doesn't happen again. I can't help but think that the crash was due to me overlooking something during maintenance... However, The only thing I can do now is to make sure something like this never happens again for all our sake, especially Brittanys’. “ It is then sighed by Alph

In the second Image Charlies Day 1 Log entry can be read it says, “I should have been on top of things. As this crew’s captain, everything that went wrong was under my watch and things should have gone much smoother. That being said I am very glad that all of my crew have made it out alive. Though I am still worried about Brittany. If only I was able to keep her safe…

 But, at this point, we all must press forward. We have a task to complete and after seeing how devastated some areas are, we must get to the bottom of what’s wrong with PNF-404. Nothing will get in my way, not with my steely fists that is!!” It is then signed by  Charlie

In the third image Louies’ day 1 log entry can be seen it says, 

“

Going back to the pikmin planet wasn’t at the top of my list of things I thought I’d be doing anytime soon. Yet somehow I find myself back here and stranded again…. At least I wasn’t fully alone this time…

Alph and I eventually found a pikmin that we later named Chunks. He sure acts differently in comparison to any other Pikmin I’ve seen before. But, even still, if it weren’t for Chunks, we wouldn’t have been able to help Brittany or find any other pikmin for that matter. So, we should thank him for that.” It is then signed by Louie

In the fourth image the updated version of the Project: PNF-404 Tumblr is shown. It now has a bright cyan futuristic aesthetic to it. In the fifth image a picture of the new events page, listing all the past and future events planned so far is shown. It has 1 known event Titled Event 01. The other 3 are titled Event unknown. In the sixth image, the new crew members’ character page is shown. A picture of Olimar is shown along with a description of his traits and a biography. It reads as follows, 

CAPTAIN OLIMAR

AGE 38

ALIAS(ES)Olimar

SPECIES Hocotatian

GENDER Male

TITLE(S) Employee of Hocotate Freight, Xenobiologist

AFFILIATION Hocotate Freight, Planet Hocotate Government

Fatherly, well-meaning, and resourceful, for an almost 40 year old Hocotatian he has a lot of bravery and guts. Olimar first and foremost loves his family and cares deeply for others around him. A Hardworking employee of Hocotate Freight and family man, Olimar tends to try and stay level-headed while looking out for others.

Having been one of the first to visit the Pikmin planet Olimar has extensive knowledge of the planet's life. Lucky for him he just so happens to have gone to college for xenobiology. Many of his findings can be found within his many log entries known as the Piklopedia.

But, for as much as Olimar tends to be on top of things, his trips to the pikmin planet have had him face many dangers and life-threatening events. Though these issues are not something he brings up…

In the seventh image, The new Piklopidea page is shown, In one section it displays a map of PNF-404 with 2 marked locations. The first of which is highlighted in blue is named the “Silent Stream” the second, is highlighted in orange, Its title is “Glacial Gardens”. To the right of that is a description introduction for the Piklopedia. It says” To help ensure the progress and success of this mission all crew members must write down their findings in this log. Overview: 

CAPTAIN Olimar: Writes In-depth biological analysis of fauna and how the ecosystem affects said fauna.

LOUIE: Writes about Recipes and ingredients that can be found in each area. ALPH: Looks at the area with the eyes of an engineer. He uses this insight to discuss the benefits and flaws of what he’s analyzing. BRITTANY: Uses her botanist skills to look into the flora of the area along with talking about the aesthetics of things and adding in her own general opinions.

CAPTAIN CHARLIE: Writes about combat strategy and how one can use the environment in an area for a tactical advantage.

To the left is a map showing the current locations discovered by the crew. The one highlighted in orange has yet to be explored.

The final image shows the new music page! 6 playlists can be selected on the left each having 5 songs. To the right is an image of the event 01 cover art. With (from left to right), Brittnay, Charlie, Olimar, Louie, and Alph all looking up with a distressed expression on their faces. 

END ID

[strideofpride]

DAIR APPRECIATION WEEK 2021 DAY ONE: Why do you love Dan and Blair?

I broke down what I love about Dan and Blair into five parts under a read more below. The tldr is: their compatibility, their parallel arcs, their slow burn, the larger message it would've given GG if they were endgame, and finally their mature, adult relationship (aka "pure and simple love").

Warning: I basically wrote a fucking essay lmao. Cited my sources and everything.

I. Compatibility

Dan and Blair have great chemistry sure, but they have something that I don't think any other pairing on the show really had: common interests. They were pseudo-intellectuals who could talk about books, literature, art, etc. with each other ("Dan and I have a real connection. We did things like visit the Dia and debate Charbol versus Rohmer..."). And I know in TV world all anyone cares about is chemistry, but in the real world the key to a long lasting relationship is common interests.

And yet they are also still an opposite attracts pairing, just in the best way, where they are opposite in personality and background, but still share lots of common interests. Blair was the rich mean girl from the Upper East Side and Dan the "poor" loser from Brooklyn, but they still can relate to one another, they can still find stuff to talk about together, they still come to enjoy each other's presence and friendship.

And back to their chemistry: it isn't steamy chemistry 100% all the time (although they can certainly go there). Their's is a sweet chemistry, a chemistry where it's clear that they respect each other, that they know each other on a deep level, that they understand each other more than anyone else. It's a chemistry that you believe could lead to a satisfying marriage one day.

And I know I've said this before, but to me Dan and Blair are just soulmates.

II. Parallel Arcs

I am such a sucker for when two characters' life journeys parallel one another and Dair had that in spades. In season 1 especially, they were both dealing with the abandonment of a parent (Dan's mom/Blair's dad), they both lost their virginities and entered into sexual relationships with much more experienced partners (Serena & Chuck), and they both had their sights set on one school (Yale & Dartmouth - although come season 2 this became Yale for Dan, giving them even more in common).

I've also already talked on here about how you can parallel all of their other romantic/sexual relationships to one another, as well as how they both were abandoned by their best friends sophomore year. And, they both have a bad habit of going back to the same person over and over again (again, Serena & Chuck).

To me, Dan and Blair are almost narrative foils. Dan's relationship with his father starts out pretty solid but deteriorates over time - Blair's relationship with her mother is the exact opposite. Dan pines, while Blair loves to live in denial. Blair sees her life as a movie, Dan sees his life as a novel.

And that makes it all the more satisfying to see them come together, to learn to appreciate their differences, to accept their similarities, to see them grow together (albeit briefly) over seasons 4 and 5.

III. Slow Burn

A lot of people on here use this word incorrectly. If the characters kiss during season 1 (unless it’s under false pretenses) it’s not a slow burn! But Dan and Blair are a true slow burn (whether or not that was intentional).

From that hallway scene in 1x04, it's clear that Dan and Blair have a deeper connection and understanding of each other than they are letting on. We get brief glimpses into that in 1x15, 2x08, 3x18, and 3x22. All of that very slow build up makes it all the more satisfying when they become friends in season 4.

I truly think the W arc is the best written arc of the entire show. You very slowly see them accept their common interests, grow to begrudgingly respect one another, even begin to accept that there might be an attraction there. It never feels rushed, when they kiss in 4x17, it's earned (I use this word a lot - buckle in).

And then, yeah, the Louis arc was fucky (I stand by that they should've kept the love triangle Dan vs. Chuck, or Dan vs. Louis, all three was too much). But Dan standing by Blair through everything she went through that season was beautiful, to see her depend on Dan in her darkest moments, to see her realize that he's the one who will always be there for her...it just really, really worked.

And so that moment when Blair finally calls him "Dan" to his face, when it becomes clear they are finally going to be together...it's one of the single most satisfying moments in the entire show. Because, again, it was earned.

IV. Larger Message

As this video essay posits, the showrunners were left with a choice after the 2008 economic recession: "Either adjust to the times or lean further into an escapist fantasy where extreme wealth is the status quo...and lean they did. For the sake of providing their audience with an escape, the dark underbelly of extreme affluence became the show's core theme. The more it began to sell cynical opulence as standard escapism, the more the writers and fans turned on the less wealthy characters."

Furthermore, by revealing Dan as Gossip Girl, "It transitions him from pretentious soft boy to borderline sociopath, actively ruining the lives of his friends, family, and crush just to get a foothold in Upper East Side society. And then the show did something it had seldom deemed to do for a less wealthy character: it rewarded him...And thus, the show presented us with the most insidious message of all: wealth, privilege, and power corrupt...and that's okay."

By having Chuck & Blair and Dan & Serena as endgame, GG became one of the most cynical shows on the planet, where (to quote Constance Grady) "all relationships are transactional".

But yet: "The sole bright spot in the midst of this cold universe in which relationships are bought and sold like real estate came in the form of Blair’s brief season four romance with Dan...it marked the last hurrah of the first version of Gossip Girl: In a world in which money is so powerful that it makes romantic relationships indistinguishable from prostitution, Dan and Blair were working to create an authentic, meaningful bond outside of the influence of wealth and privilege."

If Dan and Blair had been endgame (and Dan hadn't been GG - although we all know that one is bullshit anyway), it would've been a rebuke to that ideology, it would've shown that there is more to a good marriage than a shared tax bracket, that a genuine connection is more important than wealth and privilege. That abuse does not equal love.

But alas, that was not the story they wanted to tell I guess.

V. Mature, Adult Relationship (aka "Pure & Simple Love")

I am personally not much of a fan of grand romantic gestures. I often find them shallow, childish, and showy. To me, it is far more romantic for Dan to have secretly written a book about Blair, for Blair to submit Dan's article to Vanity Fair, for Dan to say "it wouldn't to me" when Blair asks if it would matter if she was pregnant with another man's child (especially since this moment is (take a shot here), you guessed it, earned - we know he's being honest because we already saw him do this with Milo).

Now, I am personally not as much of a fan of the Met Steps moment as everyone else (Blair's desire to be royalty is probably the thing I like least about her), but that was probably Dan's grandest romantic gesture and yet...it's still so simple. It's really just a plastic tiara and a cab ride. Which is what makes it so beautiful. Because it's not about the money or the extravagance or showing off to anyone else...it's about Dan showing Blair he truly knows her. And to me, that's the healthiest way to do a romantic gesture.

I also love their bad sex arc in 5x18 because a) it's real - most real world couples don't have earth shattering sex the first time together, it takes time to learn what your partner likes and needs and b) because they actually (after getting drunk at Dorota's & Nate's) communicate about it and work out their problem like adults.

Because that's the thing about Dan and Blair - it's a real adult relationship. It's not a never-ending game of cat and mouse, it's not a fallback, it's not a bad habit...everything else just melts away when they're together. They grew and changed together...they learned to put aside their prejudices and see each other beyond their facades. They became better people together. They always had someone they knew they could turn to.

And that's what true love is supposed to be.

[schleierkauz]

Q&A Highlights

Ok so bad news first: My questions were ignored. Cornelia did not clarify any of our death-related theories. Maybe next time.

There was A Lot of other stuff, though so... Enjoy!

- The stream starts with everyone wishing us a happy women’s day! Usually women in Erfurt (where the bookstore people are) get flowers but not today because... you know. Cornelia says America is starting to go back to normal, meanwhile Germany... :| Anyway. Don’t look over here.

- Cornelia says she probably won’t get the vaccine anytime soon because she’s just chilling on her farm anyway and people who have to be out in public/are vulnerable should get it first

- Question: When will Cornelia visit Germany again? In response to this, she gives us some exclusive news, not official yet, heard it here first: She’s gonna move to Italy! Apparently she bought an olive farm there which is cheaper, better for the environment (her current farm will be sold to some people who want to turn it into an organic farm) and obviously closer to Germany so she’ll be here more often. :)

- The 4th Reckless book will be released in English at some point this autumn

- There’s no definite release date for TCoR because she’s busy with Dragonrider but she hopes she’ll have finished writing it by the end of this year

- If she’s still alive after all that to work on Reckless 5, it’ll be the last book of the series... probably. She’s also working on a bunch of smaller projects with her artists in residence

- Question: What are Cornelia’s favorite stories by Jane Austen, the Brontë sister and Shakespeare? She’s not a huge fan of Austen or Brontë because she finds all those repressed emotions too exhausting to read about. With Shakespeare on the other hand she struggles to name a favorite because there’s so much greatness to choose from (she does name MacBeth and Romeo and Juliet though)

- The Black Prince’s legacy in the Reckless timeline may play a role in the next Reckless book or it might evolve into a whole other story. Either way, she’s thinking about it  👀

- Someone asks about Reckless characters and Cornelia says that Kami’en and the Dark Fairy felt very familiar to her from the start in that she always knew who they were as people. She’s not sure why that is. She thinks the Dark Fairy represents many aspects of womanhood, like the ancient forgotten Goddess. Same with Fox, who embodies different sides of that.

- If Cornelia had to date a man from the Mirrorworld, Kami’en would interest her

- Rainer Strecker randomly joins the chat to say hi and everyone is delighted

- Cornelia’s favorite book series is still Lord of the Rings

- Question: Why has the Black Prince never found his true love? Cornelia says she’s not sure that’s true - maybe he did found true love at some point and then lost it again? ‘...and they lived happily ever after’ isn’t a guaranteed outcome after all. Since he’s such a passionate man, she’s pretty sure he’s had at least one big lovestory at this point. She hasn’t asked him about that yet but hopes she’ll find out when she continues writing his story.

- Jumping off that question, Cornelia says she respects her characters’ privacy and lets them keep their secrets until the time comes to ask about them, just as she would with real people.

- Someone asks if Cornelia has ever written herself into a story and she says a part of her is in all her characters. Except the villains because she hates them. She feels closest to Fox because she also always wished she could shapeshift

- The bookstore lady jumps in and asks about Meggie, is she similar to how Cornelia was as a child? Cornelia says yes, especially because she also had a very close relationship with her father and they would bond over books. However, she always envisioned Meggie with dark hair and as a different kind of girl than she was. (Ok sidenote from me on that, I wonder what she means by ‘dark hair’? Because Meggie is explicitly blond, so like... dark blond? Or did we just unlock brunette Meggie in 2021? Cornelia-)

- Continuing the conversation, Cornelia says she doesn’t consider herself the creator of any of the characters in her stories, she feels like she met them and wrote about him but she would never say something like ‘I invented Dustfinger’ because that’s absurd. How would that even work. That’s disrespectful. No.

- Some characters pretty much demand to be written about and are very impatient (like Jacob), others are more shy and elusive and take effort to understand (like Will or Dustfinger)

- There probably won’t be another book like The Labyrinth of the Faun because it was created under such unbelievable circumstances. Cornelia does enjoy writing film scripts, though, like she did for the Wild Chicks recently

- Question: How does Cornelia come up with character names? She has a bunch of encyclopedias and when she knows where a story takes place she checks if there are any artists from there whose names she can steal. She always wants names to have meaning and to paint a picture of whatever character it belongs to. However, she says that sometimes the vibe of a name is a tricky thing: When she wrote The Thief Lord (which takes place in Italy), she thought ‘Mosca’ was the perfect name for a big strong boy. However when the time came to translate the story into Italian, the Italians told her that ‘Mosca’ sounds like the name of a tiny little fly. Oh well.

- Cornelia says a lot of readers have written to her about The Thief Lord because at one point Victor (the detective) calls Mosca (who is black) a “Mohrenkopf”. Context: ‘Mohrenkopf’ is a German slur towards black people and also an outdated name for this goddamn marshmallow cookie:

Fuck this cookie.

- Cornelia says yeah, Victor is being racist in that moment but that doesn’t mean that she, the author, is racist. Similarly, she used the term ‘Indians’ in Reckless and a lot of readers were upset which she did not anticipate. To her it’s a positive word since she admires ‘Indians’ so deeply and finds terms like ‘Native/Indigenous Americans’ very complicated. She wonders how much longer she’ll be allowed to say ‘Black Prince’

- She thinks it’s right to be vigilant about bigotry but simply searching for problematic words is dangerous because context matters

- Bookstore lady brings up Pippi Longstocking and how the N-word has been removed from modern copies (think Pippi’s father). She think’s it’s wrong because the original text is part of the cultural heritage and shouldn’t be hidden from children but instead explained. 

- Cornelia says that in America she sees the hurt that’s connected to that word but she doesn’t think it’s right to simply remove the slur and expect everything to be fine. After all, the text in which it was used is still the same so any harmful ideas would still be in there and that needs to be discussed. Simply whitewashing things doesn’t make them any less racist.

- Cornelia brings up a visual example: The Asterix comics. She always liked them but the fact that the only black character is drawn as a racist caricature is harmful and wrong. It’s time to listen when black people express how hurtful depictions like that can be. Many white people never noticed racism growing up because it never affected them and that’s why it’s important to learn

- The ‘from rags to riches’ American dream was usually reserved for white people and Cornelia thinks a lot of (white) people are waking up to that fact. The way black people are still being criminalized and the way prisons use inmates for cheap labor is horrible and like a modern kind of slavery

- The bookstore people try to say something but Cornelia is not done: We Europeans are not off the hook either because the sins and wounds of colonialism are still felt around the world, not to mention the way other countries are still exploited today. Our wealth rests on the shoulders of poorer nations. Many doors are opening and it’s difficult to step through but we have to do it and admit to the things we may have been blind to due to privilege.

- The three of them agree on that and go back to reading questions

- Question: What are Cornelia’s tips for young authors? She advises to never start writing a story on a computer, always get a notebook and collect ideas & pictures for your story. Don’t rush things. If you have more than one story, give each story its own book and feed whichever one is hungry. It’s important to follow the idea where it leads, if you use cliches your readers will recognize them. And then it just takes time and passion. And trust in your own unique voice. She paraphrases a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson who once said no one cares about stories or characters or whatever, people read books to see the world through the goggles the author puts on them. I’m sure he said it prettier, I’m paraphrasing the paraphrase.

- That said, Cornelia thinks authors who say things like “I’m writing to express my innermost turbulences” are kinda dumb. She thinks it’s important to write about the things that happen everywhere else and around yourself and to try to find voices for others, not just yourself. Just like how carpenters build furniture for everyone else, a writer should use words to build things for others, whether it’s a window or door or a hiding place.

- Speaking of notebooks, as most of us probably know Cornelia has a lot of those and occasionally publishes them on her website. She says she’d love to let people look through them in person, maybe at the new farm in Germany (Cornelia sure does love farms)

- Speaking of writing things on paper, all three of them stress that everyone should write more letters because one day they’ll be old letters and curious people will want to read them, just as we like to read old documents now.

- Last question: How come both the Inkworld and the Mirrorworld feature a character called Bastard? Cornelia thinks that’s a good question and she should probably think about that. (Am I stupid? Are they talking about Basta? I’m confused)

...And with that, the livestream ends. They’ll get back together to do this again two months from now, until then: I’m going tf to sleep

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Reading your thoughts on the relationships in the bands brought me so much joy too, thank you for that!! I'd sign 85% of what you feel about them, especially Liam & everybody else is spot on for me.

Zayn is a tricky one - I feel Harry and him haven't been friends since 2014 and I'd love to know the reasons for this. From Harry's side it might be that Zayn's problems and Louis being involved, concerned, angry etc were a dealbreaker. I also think that Harry withdraws easily when lines are crossed and doesn't look back (thinking about Nick here, too). His bitterness about Zayn even years later suggests it was an important relationship for him or Louis or it represents a hard time in their life. We'll never know and I'm fine with it, not like with the Gryles friendship, here I really, really want to know what happened!

I'd be very much interested in your or other peoples' thoughts on the Larry/everybody else relationships if you find the time. To me, Liam again is quite straightforward. He is (was?) fierce with the Larry denials and torn up between "let them love in privacy" and "why do they need to make everything so difficult for everybody?" But mostly he wants love from both of them individually and he wants what they have. Sadly that doesn't seem to work out for him right now and Harry can't deal with the intensity of Liam's feelings, so he keeps his distance and doesn't interact with him as a part of a couple, only as a former bandmate, prompted by Louis. Harry and Louis as a couple is difficult for Liam for many reasons, not sure if Louis accepts that, Harry seems to.

Harry, who has felt loved his whole life, doesn't get Liam's brand of messiness. Maybe he regards their closet as a contributing factor to Liam's troubles during the band, which might be the same with Louis, who reacts differently to Liam nevertheless.

Louis is very, very good at making people feel loved and his instinct is to step up as a 'big brother' (which Niall doesn't need now and I guess has never needed from him). In my mind, I see Louis sighing in exasperation after a phone call with Liam and Harry rolling his eyes, but still giving Louis some extra undeserved kisses, because they've got what they've got (which might just be a different kind of mess, we'll never know ; ) but they seem so openly happy about it since 2019.

Sorry for the novel, but it was fun writing it, so that is that.

Thanks for your thoughts anon. And sorry it's taken me so long to repost this excellent ask!

First of all about Zayn - I agree about all of this (including the details not mattering to me compared to Gryles). I suspect that Harry withdraws easily when lines are crossed - but I also think he withdraws from people wanting things from him. I don't think what went down was Zayn wanting something from Harry - but you could tell a very interesting story where it was.

I tend to think Harry feeling like Louis gave a lot to Zayn that wasn't reciprocated might be a part of it. But I also think it's interesting to imagine what some of the repercussions on Harry and Louis of Zayn leaving might have been. As well as how Harry was feeling at the time.

The others relationship to Larry question is really difficult. I think there's lots of different ways of understanding it, both the way people relate to them as a couple as opposed to individuals. But then also the way people feel about and relate to the idea of Larry. I was thinking about the former, and have a couple of asks about it so I'll save them. But I think the question of the latter is also really interesting (and how possible it was to keep them seperate). I think you're absolutely right that Liam would have both defended them very much, and also been very frustrated that they couldn't stick to the rules. (A lot of the rest of what you say seems based on the idea that Liam wants what Louis and Harry has, and I'm not sure if that's true. I think he feels like he's supposed to want it. I don't know if it's what he actually wants).

I feel like there's a whole series of posts about the question of whether Harry has felt loved all his life. I don't think he has that surface level 'please like me I don't feel safe unless I'm making people happy' that Liam has. But I do feel like Harry does have his own (more deep seated, better hidden) drives to make people happy in a way that isn't always great.

In fact, I think in a lot of the ways that's the source of what's going on between Harry and Liam. Harry feels Liam wanting things from him, and he has to avoid Liam, because he can't handle the feeling of someone wanting things from him and not giving them.

Totally agree about Louis and Niall. But I think Niall doesn't mind Louis making him feel loved, and they kind of go along with it, even though they both know it's not really what's going on.

Anyway thanks so much for your novel - I love stories about how 1D members interact and welcome people sending me more.

[yaz-the-spaz]

So I’m new to the Ziam fandom, I’m a strong larrie but I also couldn’t help to notice that there was something between Z*yn and L*am too. Could you tell me about the tiger tattoo? I keep hearing that its an iconic Ziam tattoo and I’m a little confused. Also, do you think Ziam is still together right now in 2020 and could you explain why? I hope this isn’t a bother.

hey nonnie, welcome to this side of the fandom! and please don’t worry, you are not a bother at all, and we are always happy to have new members! please accept this adorable gif of ziam waving hello as your welcoming gift into the ziam fandom lol! 😊🌈

now onto your question about the tiger tattoo...

hooo boy, nonnie

 idk if you know what you’re asking because this is a BIG life-altering question.

BIG.

...are you ready for this? 

are you ready to die? are you ready to have your soul ascend from your body up to the gay ziam heavens for all eternity? 

i mean it’s pretty nice up here and all but you may just wanna get your affairs in order before you continue, cause once you discover all the ways zayn javadd malik has professed his undying and eternal love for liam james payne all over his goddamn body there is no coming back.

are you absolutely sure you’re ready?

ok, here we go!

so. once upon a time way back in october 2013 zayn debuted a new tattoo of a tiger on his arm. at the time it seemed like just another tattoo in a quickly growing long list of (random) tattoos, and went by relatively untalked about among fandom (at least afaik) for a couple of years. but THEN, in early 2016 zayn followed that tattoo up with the addition of the full title of his m.o.m. album spelled out around the tiger...

seems normal, right?

first off, notice how the tiger’s tail is shaped suspiciously like an L?

well, that’s not all that’s gay i mean odd or interesting about this tattoo lol...some have also noticed that the muscles of the tiger’s back quite remarkably appear to resemble the muscles of a certain boy whose name also starts with L 

(and no i’m not talking about louis lol)

but here’s where shit really gets real because guess what? you may have noticed that the letters of the ‘mine’ part are kind of shuffled in an odd/not really consecutive order to spell out the word mine in a way that’s clearly or easily readable...that’s because zayn’s extra ass arranged it specifically so that only the i, e, and m, are all directly around the L-shaped tiger tail, while the n is just off to the side like a lonely forgotten reject

by now you might be saying to yourself okay, well that’s not really all that significant to liam, and the L could just be a coincidence/not really mean anything, couldn’t it?

wrong again!

because once more, zayn ‘i live to be as extra as humanly possible about my love for liam james payne because i don’t know any other way to live’ malik made sure to put a little tail/extra line on the side of the letter ‘e’ to make it interchangeable with an upside down letter ‘a.’ 

now again you might be thinking i don’t know if that’s really intentional or all that meaningful. but look closely. 

there is clearly an additional connected piece on that e that cannot be explained away or mistaken for just a weird blot of ink. it’s not just an error on the part of the tattoo artist (if it was i’m sure zayn would have had it fixed by now given that he’s had that tat for over 4 years at this point) and there’s also no letter ‘a’ in ‘mind of mine.’ 

so why is it there? and why does it just so happen to be right next to the i, the m, and the L-shaped tiger tail. why did zayn choose to arrange the letters of the word ‘mine’ in such a weird order instead of a more normal/easier to read format like the rest of the album title? and why did he choose put those exact letters all near each other? because it’s intentional. and because it’s meant to have a very particular double meaning.

if he was going for just a random order he could’ve put those letters anywhere. but he didn’t. and more than that he went out of his way to make sure that that additional piece on the e was added and distinct so that it could very clearly double as an (unnecessary) a. 

there’s no way you can argue that all of those things are just coincidence or that the random letter ‘a’ means absolutely nothing lol. that tattoo was clearly meant as both an homage to the album and to liam (who the album is largely believed to be about lol). and the fact that the muscles seem to match quite closely to liam’s is a nice added bonus that just helps confirm that imo. (plus there’s also the lovely little tidbit of knowledge that the tattoo is positioned in such a way that whenever zayn wears short-sleeve shirts the ‘Liam’ part is the only part clearly on display 😏😏😏)

BUT GUESS WHAT??

THAT IS NOT EVEN WHERE ZAYN’S TATTOO DEDICATIONS ENDDDD

never mind that he already had all of us ziams sobbing ourselves to death and morphing into withered soulless husks over this tattoo after he debuted the full thing in 2016, but there’s so! many! more!

boy’s body is literally a giant ass open love letter to liam and i am NOT OKAY. (have i mentioned i hate these extra ass romantic saps with every fiber of my being? no? well i do. and you’re about to find out all the reasons why)

reason #1 - all. the. goddamn. mandala. tattoos. (there are multiple but i’m only linking to this post featuring/talking about the main one, i.e. the very first one he got cause that’s the one that kills me the most but if you wanna see the others peep my ziam tattoos tag or my zayn’s tattoos tag)

reason #2 - love & marriage poem tattoo (read all the posts in this tag starting from the bottom first for full context)

reason #3 - red wolf & bat wings chest tattoo

reason #4 - wolf leg tattoo (more background details here too)

reason #5 - liam’s silhouette leg tattoo

reason #6 - smoking lips hand tattoo (which literally matches the album art for liam’s debut single exactly and was debuted on zayn’s hand months before the single’s release - scroll down to the part where you can see the red lip pics)

reason #7 - the snake tattoo (aka the snake habitat tattoo)

reason #8 - motherfuckin 25!! idk what it means but it clearly means SOMETHING important to the both of them and it still drives me insane to this day and probably will to my dying breath 🤬 

bonus - it’s not a tattoo but: zayn’s nose piercing. which along with the mandala wrist tat is literally a desi bride declaration of marriage; fun fact - tan france, a gay married british-pakistani tv personality who is part of the queer eye crew also has a mandala tat on his left hand that some have speculated may also be to symbolize his dedication to his husband)

anyway there are more tattoos of zayn’s that seem to also be related to liam (though more loosely imo) but this post is already beyonddd long enough so i figured it’s best to just stick to the main ones/most obvious ones here lol 

(side note: liam also has tattoos that are clearly dedicated to zayn/his and zayn’s relationship as well, but that’s for another post and also if my recall is correct i think zayn might actually have more?? well that we know of anyway lol)

(side note 2.0: one other thing that adds to the theory of the m.o.m. tiger tattoo being a dedication to liam/liam’s name, besides the obvious lettering thing described above, is that zayn is known to have a thing for tattooing the names of his closest loved ones on his body. the only person in his immediate family whose name he doesn’t appear to have tattooed on him is trisha’s and i’d be willing to bet that’s either because she specifically asked him not to, or he does have one but it’s just in a very hidden place. but we know that he has his father’s name, grandfather’s name, and all of his sister’s names tattooed on him so when you combine that with the weird lettering of the m.o.m. tiger tat and the fact that the album was very likely about liam/closely followed the story of the beginning of his relationship with liam, it becomes even less plausible imo that that tattoo is meant to be about anything else but liam. ain’t science grand?)

(side note 3.0: zayn’s whole left arm/left sleeve of tats seems to be specifically reserved for tattoos dedicated to liam and/or related/connected to liam’s own tattoos, and there’s a couple of good posts here - x, x, x, x - that go through some of the more specific parallels between their tattoos and how certain ones seem to mirror or directly pair with each other’s)

ok i promise that’s it for the side notes lol!

lastly, to your final question, i do believe that they are still together currently, especially considering this most recent soft outing/confirmation from one of zayn’s songwriters (who is also not the first to do that either btw lol) but that is not the only reason - see my post here for some of the biggest reasons why i believe ziam remains real and strong :)