#found myself mouthing along to most of the episode

[anundyingfidelity]

DO YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH? — Billy Butcher

Summary: Butcher gives orders for you to stay back from the fight. You hardly comply and prove differently; he starts thinking in a very improper manner about you.

Pairing: Billy Butcher x female!supe reader.

Word count: 2k.

Warnings: smut!! hate sex, unprotected sex, fingering, enemies to fuck buddies, reader can control blood and explode shit (like Victoria Neuman lol), the usual mentions of violence.

Notes: this is a request made by @thatcharmingmushroom for my 400 followers drabbles celebration. I'm sorry I took soooo damn long on this, but I hope you like it and thank you so much for the idea because I had so much fun with it! I picked the Herogasm episode for this tho hehe

☕ if you like my writing support me with a ko-fi !

GEN MASTERLIST!

taglist is here!

On the hunt for Payback, you made your way to infiltrate Herogasm along with Butcher, Hughie and the new asshole, Soldier Boy, not caring that the British dick ordered you a thousand times to stay back.

For different reasons, you were kind of forced to stay with the team, and while you didn’t really get along with any of them, Butcher was by far the one you hated the most. And, in the end, when Soldier Boy burned the whole place to the ground with a blast and Homelander arrived, you couldn’t stand there doing nothing. While the three men tried to hold down Homelander, you used your blood to create strong whips around his limbs, trying to tie him to the ground as Soldier Boy prepared to blast, yet again.

But just in seconds, Homelander recharged himself and pushed them all aside, cutting your whips, and flashing you quickly with his heat vision before storming out. Your blood blades barely made it to the hole he left in the roof as the supe just disappeared, flying away like a scared bitch.

“Well,” you started after an instant of staying silent. “I guess we fucking failed.”

Butcher shot you a dark glare as he walked straight until he stopped in front of you. “You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered.

You held his eyes as he towered you with his broad figure. He looked even more intimidating now he started playing the supe, injecting himself with Compund V. “I don’t care.”

There was this smug smirk on his face as you talked back. You knew he hated you; you knew you hated him. But as fucking weird your powers were, controling blood and exploding people with their own, Butcher found you interesting and stupidly astonishing. But of course, he wasn’t going to admit it. They were just intrusive thoughts about you and how hot you were, defying his direct orders of strictly not coming to the supe-orgy. Yeah, Homelander was a fucking cunt, and he would take care of Soldier Boy soon too. Right now, he just needed something to take the stress out after another stupid failure. His hand would work later once back at the motel, he decided.

Butcher leaned down, until his lips almost brushed the shell of your ear. “We’ll see about that.”

“Why do I have to keep listening to you?” you asked as Butcher followed back to the motel.

You stopped right out of your door, because of course you weren’t going to share a room with him and the old asshole. Hughie, who went inside their room, was the only decent human being between all of them, but still, you had to take care of yourself from those fuckers. Besides, the British idiot wouldn’t stop the verbal vomiting the whole fucking trip and you were growing sick of it.

“Because, for starters, you’re a fucking newbie here,” Butcher replied, smirking hatefully. “And second, your powers are fucking out of control. You need training and keep your mouth shut.”

You rolled your eyes, showing him your wrists. “I already healed myself from the cuts I made. Perhaps I should use your blood next time?”

“No, there’s no next time for you.”

“You don’t decide that, Butcher,” you crossed your arms over your chest, tired of being treated like a stupid kid. “I’m helping on this, I want him dead. And if any of you idiots don’t kill him, then I will.”

He curved an eyebrow, not showing any signs of being taken aback at your words, but inside, he was just in awe as before. You really hated Homelander as much as he did, however, you didn’t have a fucking plan. You would attack first, ask questions later. In any way, since when could he care about that? He had no idea.

“Hey,” Soldier Boy talked behind Butcher and stepped in closer between both of you. “You fucking stay back from this, you ain’t doing shit with your blood whips.”

Furious, you motioned your hand to draw fresh blood from a wound on his cheek and created a sharp blade, cutting his skin lightly. Soldier Boy clenched his jaw before smirking at you.

“Talk to me like that ever again and I’ll blow your dick, and not the way you like it,” you warned through your teeth.

Soldier Boy wiped the blood off the fresh wound, and smiled anew before patting Butcher on the shoulder. “She’s all yours, pal.”

With that, the old supe disappeared in the next room. You just wanted this to be over, so you turned around to get inside your room, but Butcher wouldn’t leave you alone just yet, putting his foot between the door and the frame, holding it with his super strength.

“What the fuck you want now?!” you yelled at him as he made his way inside, slamming the door closed.

“Imma have to call the fucking CIA if you don’t calm down your ass,” he threatened between his teeth.

“You wouldn’t-”

“I can, and I fucking will,” he insisted, taking slow strides, making you step back from him until your back met the wall.

His eyes were getting dangerously dark and you could smell the sweat and dry blood coming from him. You noticed his pulse was increasing, and you grinned. Your mind jumped to an unsafe place where you probably knew what Butcher was feeling right now. The heat and coming down the high of what could have been the end of both yours and his enemy was too much to burden. Little did he know that you were the kind of person that used to take out the stress with something, or someone. Just like him.

“From one to ten, how much do you hate me?” you asked all of the sudden, looking straight into his eyes.

Butcher’s fierceful gaze turned into confusion. “What?”

“How fucking much do you hate me?” you repeated yourself steadier.

Butcher rolled his eyes before answering in a whisper. “I’d choose a one thousand scale for that.”

“Good, I hate you too,” you replied with a smirk before pulling him for a kiss that turned heated too fast, but you didn’t care.

You needed release. Something quick, hard and hot to take it out of your system. He was perfect for the task, and by the way his tongue tasted your mouth, you found out that he wouldn’t step back. At least you hoped so. The tension between both of you was so damn sharp and it was just a matter of time for that bomb to explode, and you preferred it this way instead of fighting each other to death.

Gripping the neck of his shirt to get even closer as you kissed, Butcher’s hands roamed all over your hips, running on your sides until he met the flesh of your ass on your jeans, pressing you towards his chest. You gasped against his mouth when he started to unzip your pants, you worked immediately on the buttons of his shirt. Desperately, you discharged his shirt, the fabric being followed to his pants, and he undressed you with the same eagerness until you were only panties and bra.

Butcher lifted you up from the ground, hands on your thighs as he guided you to the mattress. He crawled on top of you, spreading your legs with his big, rough hands and leaning down to lick down at your chest and rip your bra off. His action made you gasp out loud at the same time he sucked on a nipple like a starved man.

“You're a fucking beast,” you whimpered, feeling his hands peeling off your panties and leaving you completely exposed at his mercy.

You tugged at his jeans and he pulled them down along with his boxers as quickly as he could, taking out his dick with that smug smile on his stupid face. He noticed your eyes taking the sight of his half nakedness, biting your lip slightly once you focused on his hard cock pressing on your crotch. It only made you wet.

“Well, I plan to fuck you like one,” he said, grabbing the back of your legs and rubbing the tip of his cock against your wet folds.

“Show me, don’t talk- fuck!”

You let out a rather loud moan when he rubbed your clit with his fingers, playing with your entrance until he inserted a single, thick digit in your pussy. Butcher stretched you out with a finger, then slid a second one, scissoring them to reach your deepest spots as your walls clenched around his digits. You kept whimpering and moaning as he increased the thrusts of his hand.

“Bloody fuck, these are the only sounds I like coming from your mouth, luv,” he hissed, sensing that you almost came on his fingers.

Right before you reached your high, he pulled out and you groaned in annoyance, feeling empty once again.

“Shit,” you breathed out.

He positioned between your legs anew, getting comfortable as he started to push his tip against your slit. The grip of his hands on your thighs became a little harsh once he entered you slowly, the thickness of his cock splitting you open.

“What a tight cunt I always knew you’d be,” he grunted, filling you up completely and leaning down to mark your neck with his teeth.

His mouth and thrusts earned him your sweet moans as he fucked you senseless. The burning soon turned into pleasure. Your nails scratched his back while moaning incoherent words. His hands on your thighs would leave marks on your skin, but it felt so damn good. You needed a little bit of pain to remind you that you were alive, rotting for that sweet bliss only sex could give you.

Moans escaped from your throat and mingled with his deep groans and the sound of your skin against his own, the headboard of the bed hitting the wall with every of his hard thrusts. You pulled him down for a wet kiss when you felt closer and closer to come undone.

“Fuck, I’m so close,” you gasped.

Butcher increased the rhythm of his thrusts, his cock throbbing as your walls started to clench around him.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he mumbled against your mouth.

“Do you still hate me?” you asked, trying to catch your breath. You reached down to rub your clit. You were so close, almost there.

“If I keep fucking you like this then I might change my mind- holy fuck!”

In that moment, you came hard with a string of curses and clenching your walls around his cock. The pound of his hips increased and he fucked you through your orgasm to reach his own. You continued rubbing your clit, fingers finding the place where you two connected, meeting his cock coated with your juices when he pulled out just slightly to slam back inside again.

Butcher emptied his cum inside you, mumbling dirty words against your ear. His rhythm slowing down eventually, fucking his seed in your pussy. Once he came down from his high, he pulled out and rolled by your side on the bed. Your body started to ache but in the best way possible. It was the best fuck you had in a long time. After a couple of minutes in complete silence you decided to talk, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“I hope you keep hating on me…”

He turned slightly to see your blank face. “Why?”

“I love hate-fucking.”

He scoffed with a smile curving on his lips. “You bet I enjoyed this too.”

Within a second, you climbed on top of him. Thighs straddling his lap as you rubbed your cunt on his soft cock.

“Second round? You can eat me out and suck your cum out of me,” you gave him a wink, rolling your hips and leaning down for a quick kiss.

“Dirty girl,” Butcher whispered on your lips. “Perhaps put your mouth into good use.”

“I like how that sounds,” you smiled back at him.

Billy Butcher taglist

@delaynew

@thesilmarillionblog

@feyresqueen

@drasticemotions

[ki-yomii]

careful | jjk

➥ pairing | jeon jungkook x f!reader ➥ word count | 2.2k ➥ warning(s) | 🔞 smut; dom!jk, sub!reader, dirty talk, mild dom/sub dynamics, orgasm control/edging, slight brat kink, slight brat tamer!jk, pet names, degradation kink, praise kink, mild dacryphilia, finger fucking, sub drop, pussy smacking, wet & messy ➥ summary | you should always be careful what you ask for ➥ notes | what's that - posting a fic that isn't any of my wips/requests? more likely than you think 🥲

i started writing today with the intent to work on my vampire jk fic cuz spooky season. instead, i found myself here... i'm sorry 💀

also i’ve seen enough run episodes to know you don’t want jk’s hands smacking you anywhere 😬

🩷 masterlist | inbox | AO3 🩷

“Look at me, baby.”

The low warning cuts through your muffled whines, Jungkook’s weight pinning you to the wall. Thick fingers grind deep inside your cunt, digging into your g-spot mercilessly.

Pressure builds behind your hips, borderline painful as you shift around in a vain attempt to dislodge him.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he says, “You know better.”

Whenever Jungkook speaks, his voice scrapes down your spine, low and whiskey rough. His chest is a long line of heat, plastered to your front from stem to stern.

The rapid gallop of his heartbeat echoes your own rabbit-fast rhythm, the scent of his cologne clogging your nose and clouding your thoughts.

He bites out your name, the palm shackling your hands above your head squeezing your wrist. Blunt nails dig into the delicate skin of your pulse point.

A silent prompt you know better than to ignore. And yet, the temptation to do so is almost too much.

Keen awareness roots low in your belly, dripping down between your thighs like candle wax. Your thighs tense with the strain of controlling the involuntary drop of your hips; the urge to rock down into his touch choking the breath from your lungs.

“I…”

The instinct to comply is almost Pavlovian. After all, you’re Jungkook’s good girl, aren’t you? Loved and fucked and trained to his liking.

(But how can you be good when he looks at you like that? It’s just not fair.)

Being good all the time is boring.

No. Your mouth snaps shut, and any response you have turns to ash on your tongue. The words catch on the backs of your teeth like candy. Not this time.

“Why are you being like this, huh?” Jungkook’s brows shoot towards his hairline, his dark head ducking to try and catch your eye. “I know I taught you better.”

How could you ever forget the rules when he’s fucked them into you so thoroughly? Took you apart piece by piece only to stitch you back together in his image - his precious little darling made to take his cock and swallow his cum.

“You really don’t wanna play this game with me right now. Trust me.”

Breath lodging somewhere in the middle of your throat, and tasting suspiciously of regret, you shake your head and dig your heels in. Resist the urge to crumble at his feet, beg for forgiveness with your mouth, your hands.

It’s already too late to back out - it’ll just be worse for you if you do.

Jungkook might hide his less… savory traits better than most, but you’ve experienced his greedy kisses firsthand, felt the tug of his teeth and tasted the salt of his skin. Heard his ragged moans honey sweet in your ear, felt the harsh grind of his body along yours.

When he smiles, it’s wicked, "Last chance. Show me those pretty eyes of yours, baby.”

Anticipation hooks behind your navel, stomach swooping as heat curls up in the valley of your hips. Blood rushes in your ears, starting as a slow thrum that crescendos into a rapid drum. Your heart tattoos itself into your ribs.

Licking your lips, your refusal shudders from you in a throaty rush, “No.”

A low hum fills the following silence, noncommittal. The mounting tension threatens to strangle you, sets your teeth on edge. Sparse hairs at the nape of your neck prickle.

And then, before you have time to consider taking it all back, plush lips ghost over the hollow below your ear. Whisps of dark hair whisper over your skin, soft and ticklish. Shivers race down your spine, spread through your fingers and toes.

“Alright, have it your way,” Jungkook smothers his words in the tender slope of your neck, “but remember: you asked for it. Don’t come crying to me afterward.”

Readjusting, Jungkook’s broad shoulders curve forward and the slackened hand on your wrists renews its grip. The cold tip of his nose traces along your jaw, inhaling the perfume of your silken skin.

An exhale shudders from him in a vulgar husk of breath. When you clench around his fingers still buried inside you, he laughs low and mocking.

“Damn, baby, your pussy’s just sucking me in. You really wanna cum that bad?” Kisses pepper up the side of your face, skirting the side of your mouth. “Heh, yeah, I know you do - such a dirty little slut.”

“Oh!” You sigh, sparks sizzling through your limbs, as Jungkook flexes his fingertips playfully against your swollen g-spot. Your hips tilt into the touch. “Hah…”

“That feel good, huh?”

A low keen escapes when he draws your earlobe into the moist heat of his mouth, his lips clamping down while the sharp points of his canines roll the tender fat. Little kisses of pain burn, brighten the arousal blooming deep within you.

“Yeah, of course it does,” Jungkook breathes, his voice low and husky in your ear as he strokes at your fluttering walls. “Just look at you.”

Unable to swallow the broken gasp of his name when he hits your favourite spot at the right angle, you tremble against his chest from where you’re pinned and squeeze your eyes shut, “J-Jung--!”

Holding up your own weight on weak knees is an endurance sport - one you’re losing as they bow and shake, threaten to give out. At the same time, your arms feel like lead, going numb from having them suspended over your head for so long.

Head light and floaty, your nails bite into the backs of his hands as a sharp spike of pleasure slices through you. “I’m--”

“Gonna cum soon?” Jungkook asks, the devilish grin tugging at the corners of his sculpted mouth more a baring of teeth. “Don’t lie to me.”

At your frantic nod, he tugs his fingers free from the tight clutch of your body with a sloppy squelch. Slick oozes from your cunt in a sticky rush that wets your inner thighs, your gut clenching hard with hollow satisfaction as he rips the ebbing flow of your orgasm away without warning.

“Shit!” 

The noise you make at their loss is low and wounded, tears brimming in the corners of your eyes. Your body locks up so hard your stomach aches, walls fluttering as a cramp knots up behind your hips.

Your swollen clit throbs with angry sparks of pain that make you whine and wince, orgasm thoroughly ruined.

“W-Why did you…” Voice cracking around a hiccupping sob, you pitch forward into his powerful chest. “Jungkook--”

“You know why.” His reply cuts you off, chilly and brusque, while he stares at you without remorse, “I gave you a chance to change your mind.”

“But I -”

“Stop.”

Sniffling, you peer at him from beneath damp lashes.

Breathless and feral, Jungkook stands before you a vengeful god, robed in shade and shadow. It’s criminally unfair how good he looks; jaw clenched, eyes twin black holes that threaten to pull you in.

Harsh, hooded, hungry as they trace over the tear tracks cutting lines down your cheeks, the quiver of your lips. In moments like this, he’s as beautiful as Belladonna and twice as deadly.

“I don’t know why you’re even trying to sweet talk your way out of this.” 

If his glare alone wasn’t enough to curb your tongue, then the shuttered expression carved into the planes of his regal face would.

Displeasure sits heavy on his brow, tucked into the corners of his mouth like an ill-fitting mask. Then his hand is slipping between your shaking thighs once more, the backs of his knuckles dragging over your abused, messy folds.

Jungkook hums when you sigh, jolt at the touch, and says, “Now, shut up and be a good girl for me.”

It’s deliciously painful, like blowing on numb fingertips in winter. Your legs spread wider to accommodate him on instinct alone.

Head rolling back to rest against the wall, the cool stone heaven on your sweaty neck.

And then a strike, viper quick, lands on your exposed pussy. Your reprieve ripped away and smashed at your feet as the wet, sloppy sound of an open palm making contact with tender flesh almost drowns out your wounded cry.

“A-Ah!”

You flinch away from the touch, flickers of pain pulsing through your sensitive clit. Nerve endings burn with sensation. Tiny cavities pepper your field of vision, the world a blurry kaleidoscope of color through pooling tears.

It’s hard to think, harder to breathe through the lingering throb and mounting shock.

Jungkook didn’t hit you too hard (he knows your limits), though he may as well have with how hypersensitive your pussy is. And still, amid prickles of pain, fresh arousal gushes from you to soak the length of his palm.

Cooing, he says your name, his lips cradling the syllables like a precious secret as his hand rubs circles over your mound. “Are you finally going to listen to me?”

Air hisses through your teeth as his fingers dip into your entrance, and it’s all suddenly too much. You drop too far, too fast. Lost and left adrift. Small. Fragile.

Heart lurching in your chest, the bitter ache throbbing in time with your pulse. Reminding you of how empty you are.

Sobs drip from your lips like dew drops, unintelligible words frantic as they break through the great, heaving gasps, “J-Jungkook, I can’t… Please, ‘m sorr- I can’t.”

“Oh, baby. You look so pretty when you’re such a fucking mess.”

Your breath hitches.

It feels like your skin’s too small, stretched tight over your bones until you’re bursting at the seams. The slightest touch will make you shatter to pieces, scattered across the floor like shards of fine china. 

Before you spiral too far beyond his reach, Jungkook guides you back, keeping his voice low and gentle in your ear while he shushes your warbling sniffles. Affection softens his smile, his eyes dark with perverse pride.

“Stop crying,” he chides tenderly, circling your clit with a ginger thumb. “You’re fine, promise. I’m here, I’ve got you.”

Kisses wick away the last of your tears, sweep over the delicate skin of your undereye.

“You did this to yourself.” Jungkook searches your eyes for confirmation, his brows furrowed and lips pursed. “You know that, don’t you?”

You nod, albeit stiltedly.

There are always consequences when you try to give him a taste of his own medicine - some worse than others. This time, you took things a little too far.

Now your cunt’s going to suffer the consequences of your stubbornness, but maybe if you butter him up beforehand…

The bob of his Adam’s apple captures your attention, your eyes tracing over the slope of his jaw, the tick of muscle as he grits his teeth.

Gnawing on your lip, you weigh your options.

You both know you hoped this would happen when you started acting bratty. Jungkook knows your dirty thoughts and filthy fantasies, how soaked you get from the thought of being pinned down, helpless.

Forced to take everything he gives.

… It isn’t even a question worth asking.

“Didn’t catch that.” Jungkook’s lips twitch with amusement, his fingers biting into the soft fat of your hip. “Come on, you’ve gotta use your words.”

The despair gripping your throat in a vice loosens with his lighthearted tone. Wetting your lips, you take the first step towards sparring yourself a brutal punishment by apologizing.

“I know it’s my fault - and I,” you swallow the flood of saliva pooling under your tongue, “I’m sorry.” 

"Mm, apology accepted." Jungkook hums, tracing the seam of your puffy pussy. “I’m so lucky I’ve got such a good fucking girl all to myself.”

Heat sinks into the apples of your cheeks, your thighs clamping closed around his wrist. There’s no denying the needy twitch of your hips at his words. A pleased rumble vibrates through his chest and into yours.

“Yeah, you like when I call you a good girl, baby?”

You whine, your eyes rolling back and your lashes fluttering.

Heat pulses through your belly in rhythmic waves, the residual pleasure from your interrupted orgasm kindling to light with little effort. You’d been so close, your body still desperate for relief. Thoughts slow and syrupy, cunt soaked and sloppy.

“Jungkook, please - lemme cum.” You try to rock down on his fingers only for his hand to restrain your hips. ”Fuck! Promise I’ll be good this time - jus’ need to…”

He tsks, saying, “Shh, you can cum all you want.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank-”

“If,” his smile is knife sharp, his eyes full of mischief, his words honey sweet, “you keep your eyes open and on me the whole time.”

Oh.

Oh no.

You’ll be dumb and drooling, starry-eyed and stupid once he stuffs you full. The burning stretch of his fat cock buried balls deep in your gummy walls while the spongy head slams into your g-spot without mercy, your cunt milking his shaft with every gushing orgasm fucked out of you. His name a holy prayer on your tongue.

There’s no fucking way.

Jungkook knows you barely remember to breathe once he’s on top of you, let alone maintain eye contact. Your inevitable failure will taste all the sweeter when it fizzles, pops, bursts under the bite of his teeth.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

“Good luck, baby.”

Panic grips you by the throat, your eyes wide and pleading. “Jungkook-”

“You’re gonna need it.”

Well, shit.

[34saveme34]

blasts you with my laser of productivity

EPISODE 1 !!!!!!!!!

Getting Along?

Heh, when I write it like that I doubt it :3

some warnings: 3 drops the f bomb but it's cool, he's gay, also he curses a lot but you haaaaave to forgive him

what like. 5k words, I don't remember. lotta exposition, sorry in advance but I prommy I got some good scenes

SMG4 was freshly graduated from highschool. With an interest in creative writing, he decided to further his education in college. He heard some things about it but deep in his heart hoped that they really didn’t mean it when they said it would be more partying than studying. Sure, he wasn’t exactly the most diligent student, he cared more about his youtube channel he had been building for a while but parties kind of… freaked him out. What’s fun about being in a cramped place with other people, getting sweaty from just standing, the loudness of music and ESPECIALLY the smell of alcohol. So, he just hoped it wouldn’t be that way.

He only found a college kind of far away though that he also found good enough, that meant he had to stay in a dormitory.

He had never lived in one so he was just hoping he’d get cool roommates.

The day came, he had to move in, he brought a lot of stuff. He hoped his roommate wouldn’t mind, as he found out this dorm had 2 people per room. Which lowered the risk of him getting someone annoying. He was glad about that.

He took his time packing out, especially with his pc. His most prized possession. Not only was it super expensive, he had good memories with it. And it was also the hub for his super cool program, the Puzzle Wizard.

But this was no ordinary program no… It came from his special USB! 

Because, let’s not pretend he was just some normal guy (have you read the fanfic title?). He had cool powers and he would obviously use them. And his favourite was definitely this silly program that talked to him like a living being. If it wasn’t a computer program, he would call it his friend.

He set everything up and he was already looking for inspiration to work on stuff further for his youtube channel when his new roommate stepped in. While he himself was an average T-shirt + pants guy, this guy was… More. With his overalls that ended in shorts, painted nails, possibly using some make up yet with a beard. He envied that a little bit, he was never able to grow facial hair. He wasn’t sure he liked the vibes of the guy though. And as fate would have it, the look 4 gave this guy only made him say something that just made him dislike him more.

“What, never saw a flesh and blood fag in real life or something?” the guy said. 4 flinched at his words. He barely got here and immediately started out like this? 

“Umm… you can’t say that on youtube” it slipped out of his mouth and he felt himself choke on his breath as he coughed as he just realised how god damn stupid he sounded. The guy looked at him weird.

“Christ” the guy sighed “Name’s Trey by the way”

“Uhuh… I’m SMG4…”

“Like, legally?”

“Uhuh…”

“Do your parents hate you or something?”

“I chose it myself” 4 looked at him kind of annoyed before he put on headphones.

“Ah, well” he didn’t seem bothered as he instead just went to pack out. He brought his laptop and posters. A few were some alternative bands and one was the pop singer, Peach, also called Princess. And did she really deserve that name with the looks she pulled off. Trey put together quite the composition with Peach in the middle of it. He also pulled out his laptop and put away other important stuff like clothes and whatever else. 4 didn’t pay much attention to it after all. He was busy, trying to decide if the memes he was watching were funny enough or not to get referenced in his videos.

The rest of the day went quiet. Guess their interaction was so awful they just both decided it wasn’t worth it to talk. Or maybe 4 just found memes more amusing than his roommate. And maybe his new roommate thought he was a weirdo. Greatest first impressions.

4 was horrified the next day when he realised that there would be a freshman’s greeter type of thing. 

While his new roommate participated in it pretty well, going for the challenges himself and not doing awful at them, even gaining new friends along the way, 4 decided to avoid them. As much as he could at least. Although after having a bit of an anxiety attack they let him not do it. He just really hated stuff like this and social events always made him feel like this. He would avoid birthday parties like the plague even when he was small.

He went back to his room and decided to open his phone to check the news. To his dismay, a creature resembling a meme was roaming the city he so happened to reside in. It was almost like they were following him around. He was no stranger to these kinds of guys as he had to fight them before, with the power of his USB. 

He set off, especially considering he knew he wouldn’t be missed anyways. Usually, he would be making sure people didn’t see him setting off, especially considering how much different he looks when he uses the power of the USB. First time he transformed, which was in highschool, he felt like a caterpillar that turned into a butterfly. And to this day, it still felt the same way.

Trey himself had his phone with himself and saw the news as well. He so happened to have one of those USBs himself. He realised he had to go out now himself. Though, the 2 didn’t know that about each other. Who knows how long they’ll take…

He excused himself, especially since the events kind of calmed down at this point.

He went back to his room. Seeing 4 wasn’t in anymore made him a bit more comfortable as he transformed into his cooler attire with the power of his own USB. It honestly kind of resembled his usual style just better, with the sleek double shorts and the cute top with the long sleeves that were a bit wider by the ends, with the knee length boots to match it, all of it purple and a colour close to black. He was honestly proud of how he managed his outfit, but he was especially proud of the ponytail he sported with it. Made him feel really cool, especially if he aimed right with his cool gun he also had. Like, what could possibly be hotter than a pretty guy aiming flawlessly with a cool gun?

He left, he knew the city pretty well and based on the picture alone he quickly found the creature loose. Although, it looked bigger than what he thought it would be, which worried him. Would he be able to handle it alone? Well, he had to try!

He snuck around, trying to find a good place to aim from. Especially if he missed, he should have a good way to hide. He waited for the right time to aim but before he could even try, another figure appeared with a blue flash, slashing at the enemy with quite the elegant glide and then stopping at the top of a building beside it. As the dust cleared from such a fast and swift movement, he saw the guy. With the cute skirt, the determined face with sparkling eyes, the long gloves, the boots too- wow, what an outfit. Especially with the mainly light blue and white colour scheme the guy had going on. It was pretty cute. He shook his head as he went back to what he wanted to do, shooting at the creature wreaking havoc. The magical energy bullet from his gun fired hit the monster square in the forehead. It toppled over. The sword wielding guy looked up at him. He looked back. They were clearly looking at each other. Trey decided to try his luck, jumping down beside him.

“Nice shot” the sword wielder said, with a smile on his face. Honestly, his vibes were impeccable, not only did he dress cute, he had a good energy to him too, like you could work better beside him.

“Nice slash” he replied similarly.

The guy chuckled.

“We’re not done yet, this guy is more resilient… the uh… I don’t know if you name these guys but they’re the meme Pingas I’m pretty sure”

“Huh… I never noticed they were memes”

They stood there for a bit.

“So… You only fought alone before?” the guy asked a bit awkwardly.

“Yep, first time I saw someone as cool as me around” he smiled. The compliment was received with light surprise and a smile. He looked like he never received compliments… With that kind of fit too?? That’s criminal.

“Heh… Well, any ideas for how to beat this guy? It usually takes too long on my own”

“If you open its mouth I can throw a grenade in there”

The sword wielder looked surprised again, more surprised than before.

“You don’t mess around, huh?”

“It’s not worth it”

“Fair, alright, I’m in but make sure to aim right”

“I’m all about aiming, don’t worry”

The guy nodded then went off. He quickly had the creature down. 3 prepared his gun in the meantime. A grenade made with his energy  was one of a kind and took a bit to be created but then he had to be quick. He learned in his younger days that these things blowing up in his face were anything but great. Especially the ringing in his ears….

And almost like perfect calculation and beautiful teamwork, he aimed and it went right where it needed to and purified the creature in one strike, something rare for either of the 2. Now it could run off, tiny and harmless.

As they both admired the work they did, they realised they didn’t have to do anything else now.

“So we’re already done huh?” Trey spoke up first.

“Mhmm… seems so”

“Well, hope to see you around, you’re cool”

“Heh well, you too” 

And so they both went on their own ways

Trey got back to 4 already on his pc. They didn’t say a thing to each other.

Another awkward day that passed. At least something exciting happened that day with this new guy. Oh… he never asked what his name was. Well, now he was hoping for another monster so he could actually ask.

He laid down, tired. As his eyes wandered, he ended up staring at whatever 4 was doing. He seemed to be using quite the expressive program as it jumped around on his screen. With a TV for a head too, it looked kind of silly too. 

“What kinda program is that?” he said that out loud. He didn’t mean to but whatever.

He didn’t expect an answer though.

“It gets me addons”

“Addons?” 

“Yep. For games. Do you not know what games are?”

Trey scoffed.

“What are you, Saint Peter with the way you’re gatekeeping?”

He sighed.

“Sure. But yeah, it gets me addons I need for my production”

“Do you mean your youtube channel?” 

“Ah, you noticed I have one?”

“You barely looked at anything else so far, it’s hard not to notice. It’s like… wow, he isn’t hanging on youtube anymore, is he sick”

4 glared at him.

“It’s my life work”

“That’s sad”

“I’m now leaving this conversation”

“What??” Trey was flabbergasted. He didn’t get a reply. Maybe he was a bit too rude..? Well, what was done was done, he couldn’t take his words back. Not like he cared.

The freshman thing continued the next day too, with different challenges too. 4 seemed to inexplicably disappear before it started again. Trey couldn’t decide if he was glad. He was debating if he should try and actually get along with this guy or ask to switch with someone else.

Well, regardless, he went and had fun. The day went by fast, he almost forgot about his confusing roommate. 

Just as he was about to go back to his room, he heard loud roaring outside. He sighed and bolted in the bathrooms then left through the open window there. It was a bit hard squeezing through but that wouldn’t stop him.

As he left he saw the same guy with the pretty fit. He actually had his arrow out, which was blue, trying to control the corrupted meme. He had one too, but purple. If he had to explain it, it’s like a lasso made with life energy of the holder using it. He didn’t understand why it was an arrow too and now seeing this guy had a pretty similar one if it meant anything more. He shook his head, he had to focus and not get lost in the sword wielder’s skillful fighting and the implications of his existence.

He jumped up beside him.

“What is it this time?”

“It’s that uh… the T-rex meme from jeez… long ago. I don’t know why an unfunny ancient meme would show up like this”

“Unfunny…? I kinda liked it actually”

He sighed.

“We can discuss meme culture later, can you help?”

“Uhuh, yeah” Trey replied delayed, a tiny bit awkward, he was not the type to get distracted like this. If only this guy wasn’t so pretty-

He summoned his arrow as well, tying down the meme in another place, making it unable to move.

“Alright, now we need a plan”

“Oh you’ve got one too, cool” sword wielder guy pointed at the arrow “It actually gives me an idea” 

He hopped next to Trey, still keeping a good grip on his arrow as he shared his idea quietly, as to not alert the meme of it. Trey nodded, as they still both held onto the meme.

“You know, I just remembered this philosophical dilemma I read about the other day…”  4 said, as if casually talking and this wasn’t part of their plan.

“Yeah?” 

“It’s about that ship? With the replacing parts thing.”

“Ah, yeah, it’s kinda dumb as fuck”

“I know right!”

The meme was rather alert, listening to their conversation.

“It’s like, who cares, there’s better things to worry about in life than if some dude’s ship is still the same thing… or whatever the heck they meant by it”

“Really, genuinely, it’s so nonsensical. Only dumb fucks think about it too hard”

“And what was the guy’s name? Something with like… T”

“T more like Totally worthless hah, especially for getting himself such a shitty ship!”

The meme, with its love for philosophy, couldn’t take the slander anymore and started wailing. Trey didn’t waste time, basically purple fire blowtorching the meme through its open mouth. It was distracting enough for 4 to let go of it with his own arrow and slashing down on it with his sword with all the strength he could put into it. The meme was defeated.

“Easy as hell!” Trey boasted.

“Teamwork sure makes this stuff faster”

“Say… what’s your name?”

“I can’t tell you that I think” 

“Man… am I supposed to call you pretty sword guy for all eternity then?”

4 reddened at the compliment.

“You don’t need to, besides I’m not pretty”

Trey looked at 4 like he was the biggest dumbass in the whole world.

“Dumbass” and he called him one too.

“Ah??” the tone surprised 4.

“I mean, you’re just wrong. Might resort to calling you Blue then, at least it’s cute enough for you”

4 thought for a moment.

“Okay but… what do I call YOU then? Careless flirt?” 

Trey chuckled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But we could match, just call me Purple”

“Purple, ay? If that’s what you want”

“Then we’re settled”

And so they went on their ways, somehow avoiding each other on their way back to their rooms. 

And this would continue, with them getting along as heroes but not as roommates, even after the year started. Unfortunately, they attended the same course so they went to just about all the same classes as luck would have it. Trey for this reason would often go later just so he didn’t need to pass by him, it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with after all, it was enough to take his energy as he was in their room. Just silently clicking away, with a look of determination, it was admirable in a really ugly way. Like, there was dedication but only for watching memes and editing videos he didn’t get personally. This guy was anything but charming. Sitting by himself in class, eating and chilling out by himself in breaks. Just in general, doing things alone. 

All the while, he’d fight with this cool sword wielder guy who, unbeknownst to him was the same damn guy. And each time it was as good as the first, their plans always working out. He was actually really starting to like this guy. He almost started looking forward to monsters appearing so they could fight together again. What he found weird is that these guys actually started showing up more frequently now, which meant he had to excuse himself more and more and make up excuses. His friends would ask if he was fine a lot. And he would assure them that he was just totally sneaking off because class was too boring and they’d just laugh it off. He would also discuss his roommate with them, talking about how awful it was to be with him. He was actually considering asking for a different roommate.

He would hold off for a while though, only 4 weeks had passed so far. He didn’t believe Mr Watch Memes And Edit Video would change his mind and suddenly talk to him but he was willing to maybe give it a few more days. Only a few more days.

And just as faith would have it, a fateful day, a Saturday, would change their lives as it had been at this point.

Trey woke up, feeling a bit unusual but nothing too weird. His bed also felt weirdly different but he decided to pay it no mind. He got up to go to the bathroom, which felt shorter than usual. As he approached the mirror, it hit him like a bullet. It wasn’t HIM looking back from the mirror. It wasn’t his bored face with his usual messy hair, it was his shitty roommate with his shorter hair and blue eyes that probably never looked at anyone with warmth in them.

He panicked as he went out, indeed seeing himself in his own bed. He wasn’t the type to panic but man, did something settle in him then. Maybe it was his roommate being prone to feeling panicked. What a loser.

He was trying to think, what could make this possible. He sat down on his roommate’s bed. Thinking stuff through rationally, even if his roommate's anxiety ridden head was making it hard.

Why would they swap bodies in the first place? Did they do something they weren’t supposed to? No way, they barely interact. Is… Is that what was bad? But how was this even possible in the first place? No way some kind of energy beyond them thought that he had to get along specifically with this one annoying guy. And it could’ve been more merciful. Didn’t need to immediately make it feel like a punishment. He sat around for a while, not really knowing what to do. He didn’t really know what to do with his hands so he played with the necklace 4 had. It had a white USB as the pendant. 

He took a closer look at it, seeing that it’s seemingly functional. He took his laptop from his own bed, turned it on and decided that today he just won’t give a shit about possibly giving himself a virus. This was just all too interesting to him. He wanted to know more.

It loaded up. A folder came up but it had a ton of files, which were encrypted. Each one he tried to click made a window pop up to give a password.

“Damn it…” he spoke under his breath, feeling a little weird about not hearing his own voice. 

“Need help?” a voice spoke from his laptop.

“What the??” he recoiled a little, only to see his roommate’s silly little helper pop out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I scare you? I didn’t mean to! What are you struggling with?”

“Uhh…” Trey wasn’t sure how to go about this.

“I see you were trying to open encrypted files! Did you forget the passwords? Although thus far I didn’t take you as one to be forgetting PASSWORDS of all things, SMG4….. and you did tell me to protect them…. AND protect them I will”

Trey sighed.

“I don’t even know how to begin explaining”

“I’m afraid I do not understand”

“Like I do, damn!”

The TV stared at him.

“You’re not 4, are you?”

“Yes but no- I- I think we switched bodies?”

“HUH that’s…. quite the predicament…. with who again?”

“I’m his roommate”

“Oh, yeah, right, the annoying one!”

“How nice of you to say that”

“I would prefer if this wasn’t the case though… how about we wake up 4 to figure out something?”

“Are you not even surprised at the bodyswap?”

“A little bit! But a lot of strange things happen to my dear favourite user so what can I really do, hehe!”

“What… strange things?”

“Oh, you know, just all sorts of things with… memes and stuff. Getting weird injuries… That one time in highschool when his pendrive refused to work for him due to cosmic powers messing with it and he fixed it by… oh, what was it again?”

Trey felt like something wasn’t adding up.

“You’re not telling me something”

“Eh?”

“I’m right, aren’t I? What’s your name again… Puzzle Wizard”

“I’m a computer program! I can’t lie!”

“Uhuh, and you’re also not talking to me intelligently with a voice that text to speech couldn’t simply do, yes?”

“4 just made me really awesome like that! But you wouldn’t know because you wouldn’t even give him a chance!”

“He didn’t give me one either so why should I? What I get what I give, it’s that easy”

“Simple-minded! When he would leave me for whatever reason I didn’t just change my mind about him! Even though I missed him dearly each time…”

“Oooookay… let’s just wake him up!”

But just as he said that, 4 did indeed wake. He sat up, looking around, his eyes landing on himself. Which wasn’t him. He shook his head but it wouldn’t go away.

“What the…” 4 spoke but immediately stopped. That wasn’t his own voice.

“Yes, we swapped, like… fuck I guess this Saturday wasn’t meant to be good”

“Ugh… What..?” 

Trey got up and walked up to his own bed towered over his swapped roommate.

“Exactly what I said. We swapped for some reason. I’m still trying to figure out why but your weirdo program is being cagey about something”

“Don’t abuse Puzz!” 

“I’m not abused one bit! Just annoyed… and puzzled, heh… get it? hahh,,”

4 got up, looking at his digital companion on Trey’s laptop.

“Alright, good… What were you doing with my pendrive anyways?”

“Oh just… felt familiar in a way… I…” he trailed off, staring at his own pendrive. 

4 followed his eyes. 

“You… carry a pendrive on your neck too? Like a pendant?” he grabbed it.

“Yeah” Trey looked out of it.

“Wh… What for..?”

But he didn’t answer.

Instead he left and locked the bathroom on himself.

4 was left there, realising it alone.

“So… he’s been the… ph-… Purple…Well, ah- that sure is a lot to take in…”

He sat down, looking at Puzzles on Trey’s laptop.

“Well, what can you do? I guess it was… one way to have that dropped on you… Not that I knew I’m just- trying my best to comfort you”

“I appreciate it” 4 smiled at them “Still, this is quite peculiar” 

“Maybe the cosmic forces thought you needed to get along?”

“What is it with these cosmic forces and trying to ruin my life?”

“I mean… last time you learned valuable things too… maybe this time won’t be any different, as much as it pains me to say”

“I just… don’t know how the least nice roommate I could have and the coolest fighter by my side I could have are the same… and he said I was cute! Many times! I even… kind of started believing him but this… Oh I bet he doesn’t feel that way anymore”

“Well, I do think you’re still cute”

4 only sighed. He was feeling so many things. Disappointment, a sort of fear, like he was about to get accused of something bad, especially if it meant a lot for him, just general bitterness. 

Puzzles looked sad over how his words didn’t even really seem to be received. If only it were to be only the 2 of them��

“Hey, I wonder…” Puzzles started again, awkwardly, trying to bring his favourite user’s spirits up “I wonder what could be on your roommate’s pendrive? Since you- had me and all”

“I’m not exactly one to invade another person’s privacy buuuuuut….”

“Buuut?” Puzzles looked at him with big innocent eyes. He wanted to look at those files BADLY. 

“I’ll consider it as payback” 4 said then plugged the other pendrive in 3’s laptop since it was turned on anyways. 

As it opened they both noticed nothing was encrypted, besides a file type he was already familiar with. He messed with that kinda thing before and through quite the blunder, he found out it was the energy source of the pendrive. Interestingly, it was named a CTMGC file. He didn’t find anything about it, why would he anyways? It was… one of a kind… and overheated his pc once when he tried to open it. 

Anyways, other than that, it seemed to be songs sorted into folders by the albums they belonged in. There was a special folder just for Peach/Princess albums. Looking at Trey’s wall, which was full of posters, with Peach/Princess in the  middle, it was no wonder. It was easy to tell how much he loved the singer. If only 4 cared about this.

“Ugh… really, nothing?” he looked further while complaining.

But then…

An OGG file…

It was named.

A shitty mistake.

Finding it odd, 4 got his headphones out, giving it a listen. The song was maybe… a bit rough around the edges. Amatour work. The song had drums, maybe one or 2 guitarists and one bass guitar player based on what 4 could hear though he wasn’t the best at this kind of stuff. And then the singing kicked in. It was like… oh. Ooooooh, now the name made sense. That was this asshole singing. But he probably sounded the nicest out of everything. Standing out in some way, yet drowned out by awfully mixed instruments. It was kind of a shame. 4 was starting to like it. Even if the guy behind the voice still wasn’t to his liking. He wondered how they could even end up in the same dorm. 2 people so different. Probably never truly meant to meet. 

Meanwhile, Trey wasn’t coping well, staring at his reflection, trying to figure out how Blue and this loser could be the same. When Blue was cute, good to work with, can be communicated with unlike 4. How could they ever be the same? He liked one and couldn’t look at the other. As he looked in the mirror more, he got lost a bit. Just staring. And staring. As if bitter loneliness was hidden in his eyes. He wasn’t sure if this loneliness belonged to him or 4. What did it matter anyways, besides the fact that it captured him, as if the world stopped existing, even if he felt like he pulled a whole world of stress on himself with this. He didn’t want to kind of like this guy. 

He didn’t like him.

He didn’t like him.

He would never like him.

There was no way to.

Yet a sort of energy ran through him, as if it was beyond him. A connection he didn’t want or asked for. As if tied down in a way he never asked for. He found it scary. He wished this was a nightmare but reality wouldn’t be so merciful on him. He grabbed the sink as if it was at fault for his condition.

He sat down on the cold ground. Maybe he did think 4 was kind of cute either way. Not the first time he thought someone was cute yet  he despised them. And at this rate it probably wouldn’t be the last with the kind of people he finds cute… Eh, he’ll just… take off stress elsewhere when all this is over. Maybe move rooms so he’d have to think less about it. Avoid 4 in fights. They didn’t truly need each other for this anyways. He worked on his own, purifying memes by himself for so long anyways, he could always go back to it. 

After so much anguish he left the bathroom, noticing 4 was listening to something on his laptop.

As he took a closer look, he realised what it was. He immediately closed it on 4, without a word or a reason spoken.

“So, you’re a singer or something?”

“Were. Now shut up, I’m not gonna talk about it” 

4 froze at the cold answer. What could have happened that made him despise the song so much?

“I mean, yeah it’s not the best but…”

But he wouldn’t get an answer.

4 looked out the window.

“Trey..” 4 said “We should probably only move from each other when we figure out how to… turn back…”

Trey sighed.

“Sadly, I agree.”

They shared silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable, just tense and full of pain in such a specific way. Emotion was one hell of a torture method when it wanted to be.

It was gonna be one hell of a weekend, that was for sure.

[rey-jake-therapist]

We better get some real good Saurondriel content in the finale, because if the showrunners have been trolling and baiting us all this time and we’ll get Galadriel outright resisting Sauron and cast him away with Nenya or some Marvel-type sh*t, a huge chunk of their audience will be pissed.

I don’t understand what they are playing at here. Yeah, the kiss was strategic and not romantic, but wtf would they have that happening on-screen? No one will be happy about this scene, not the shippers (Elrond x Galadriel will), not the (actual) lorebros, and even the casuals might cringe. I would have picked a kiss between Galadriel and Adar any day, over this.

Ok, you may have seen my opinion on the kiss already : I don't mind it at all and I think it was very well done, in a way that there was no confusion possible about its nature. Now I can see many are confused anyway and it's understandable, but I found it the most platonic that a kiss on the mouth can be, and Galadriel's reaction said it all : "bro what?" was what her face said. She looked as stunned as if her own brother had kissed her. If you look closely it's very clear that he's gving her something, so she was also surprised by the subterfuge. And Elrond says, "forgive me," before doing it. Of course he's asking that because he regrets how he treated her, but I think it''s also a pre-apology for what he's going to do. To warn her that he's about to do something WEIRD and that she must play along.

It's quite confirmed by Morfydd Clark in the BTS interview : she said that Galadriel didn't think Elrond would be so bold (in the sense: bold enough to risk it all to allow her to escape, I think); when the interviewer expressed her surprise, Robert laughed goofily (he's so adorable, I can't). Then they were asked what he was doing, to which they answered: "he was giving her a pin!". End of story. There was no reason to talk about it more because it was all that it was.

So to be clear, I didn't intepret it at all as "Elrondriel baiting". Are there really many shippers, anyway? Everybody knows that Galadriel will become Elrond's mother-in-law, even the showrunners ackowledged that fact in an interview. Since the beginning their relationship is sibling-coded.

Why making it happening? Because otherwise the audience wouldn't understand how he gave her the pin in the first place. He couldn't put it in her hands because there was no way to do it discreetly. Kissing her was the only way, truly.

Personnally, I would have preferred it if it had been the Orc who discusses Adar's orders who would have released her, but well, they went for that instead... There was definitely a desire to surprise the audience and see their reaction. I must say my first reaction was a big "yikes!" because it really felt as watching two siblings kiss, and I'm pretty sure it was how most people reacted.

I keep seeing this kiss being accused of "breaking the lore", but it doesn't break anything. They didn't get married suddenly because Elrond kissed her to give her a pin... I must say that when I've read about the leak, I didn't believe it because in my view, it would make their relationship awkward and ambiguous. But I didn't imagine that it would happen in front of witnesses, because there was no other choice! For some reason, I thought that Elrond would sneak into Adar's camp and kiss her to give her the pin while he could give it to her in a completely different way. In this case, it would have felt awkward and would have inserted some unnecessary drama into a plot that doesn't need that.

An Adar/Galadriel wouldn't make any sense whatsoever, imho. Shipping them is very cool and fun, I found myself imagining scenarios where a romance between them could actually work, but it's not at all what the show is heading for.

No one can say how episode 8 will turn out, if it will be satisfying for the Haladriel shippers or not... We can now be quite certain that the kiss that Morfydd hinted at was this kiss, so there won't be a Saurondriel kiss. But is it really that surprising? We talked so much about the possibility that I caught myself hoping for it, but tbh I'll be content if their scene is emotional and isn't limited at "I hate you! I hate you more!" and useless fighting.

The only hope I have for Haladriel in episode 8 is that Galadriel realizes that Sauron didn't fake it all with her. I don't know how they'll manage that, but it's the most we can truly hope for, imho. The showrunners said episode 8 would be emotional... Now we just can wait and see!

[thesparkling-diamond27]

The Second Bridgerton And I: Part 8

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Summary: Y/n Clearwater is named the “Sparkling Diamond” by Queen Charlotte herself, but she doesn’t know what to do with all this attention. Of course she has her family, but sometimes that doesn’t seem enough. But what happens when she encounters a specific Bridgerton, which changes the course of her season.

Author’s Note: This chapter includes scenes from season 3 episode 5 of Bridgerton. Down below is the link to the part 7. I hope you enjoy!

Dearest Reader,

While most seasons of our fair marriage mart follow a predictable pattern, this author likes it most when there is a surprise. It is said that surprise is one part secrecy and one part speed. And last night, an announcement came with great speed indeed. It may come to a surprise to all that Mr. Bridgerton’s rumored assistance in helping Miss Featherington find a husband has, instead led the two of them finding each other. Regardless of how it happened it is surely a wonderful time for the happy couple.

Adeline finished reading the Lady Whistledown pamphlet that was released this morning and to say that I was surprised was an understatement. I know that Penelope and Colin recently shared a kiss with one another, but I did not except them to become engaged, and especially with such haste. They did not even court one another!

However, although I was surprised I was also quite elated for my dear friend. I know how long she had harbored feelings for Colin and it is about time that Colin saw what a remarkable woman she is.

“Oh that is wonderful news!” I exclaimed from the couch in our drawing room.

“Their betrothal is definitely a surprise.” Noah said as he plucked a biscuit into his mouth from the plate that was on top of the nearby table.

“Did you know about this Carina?” Alex asked me.

I shook my head in response

“No. I knew that they shared some sort of affection for one another, but I had no idea that they would get married, especially since they never began to court one another, and definitely not so soon.”

“Well no matter how quick or surprising this news may be, Penelope is a lovely young girl and it is nice that she has found someone who appreciates her for who she is. They will make a handsome couple.” My mama said.

I nodded in agreement.

“Can I visit Penelope Mama?”

“I know you would like to visit Penelope and congratulate her, but I would wait Y/n. Her family is probably celebrating at the moment, so I would wait a few days before doing so.”

“I guess you are right.” I said disappointedly.

“But you can still send something if you would like. We can go shopping for a gift this afternoon. How does that sound?”

“That sounds lovely mama thank you.”

My mama gave me a smile and returned to the book she was currently reading and I returned to the embroidery I was working on.

I was stitching blue cornflowers with a few baby’s breaths scattered around. I am not the best at embroidery, but this one did not seem to be turning out so bad. Seeing the needle go up and down, as it poked holes within the cloth, was soothing and I found myself enjoying myself.

I heard Adeline playing the piano forte in the background. It was nice melody and I soon found myself humming along as I stitched.

“What has got you in such a pleasant mood sister?” Alex asked.

I looked up to where Alex was sitting, across from Noah, at the table.

“Hhmm?” I asked.

“What has you in such a pleasant mood?”

“Yeah. You are in a chippier mood than you have been of late.” Noah added.

Mama did not look my way, but I can tell that she was intently listening for my next words.

“I do not know. The weather is lovely, Adeline’s playing is excellent, my best friend is engaged. What more can I ask for?”

“Being married yourself perhaps.” Noah said.

“Well…Maxwell is returning this week, so we shall see what happens.”

Noah seemed satisfied with my answer, but Alex looked at me unconvinced, but said nothing nonetheless with a knowing smile. He knew me so well that he could tell when I was lying.

I was not lying though. They were all real reasons why I was happy, but the main

reason I was in such a good mood was, because of me and Benedict. We finally resolved the misunderstanding between us and he graced me with his presence this morning. Well sort of. He waved at me from the street below while I was in my bedroom. He is lucky that my basket of thread was near my window because he would have been waving at nothingness if I had not seen him.

Of course I could not voice that Benedict was the reason for my unexpected happiness, so I kept quiet and hoped that my family (except maybe Alex) would believe my answer.

When thinking about Benedict, I couldn’t help, but reimagine a certain series of certain events that happened at last night’s ball.

When his lips came into contact with my own, it was as if I was reborn. The woman I once was completely gone and I was left with someone who was fresh and enlightened. Benedict made me feel things that I did not know was even possible.

Our first kiss was beautiful and gentle. As if he was afraid I would break if he attempted the kiss otherwise. But this kiss was hot and heavy. It was as if Benedict was demanding me to kiss him. His left hand found itself at the side of my face, but his right hand wandered lower.

His kisses trailed down from my mouth and to the nape of my neck, which caused noises of pleasure to escape my mouth. Benedict brought his mouth back on to my mouth to silence me and separated from me enough for him to say,

“You do not want us to get caught right?”

I nodded.

“Then keep quiet.” He whispered in my ear, which sent shivers down my spine.

I nodded again and he continued to where he left off.

Eventually, he lifted up my leg to his waist and he slowly inched his hand under my skirts. I quickly pulled away and stopped his hand from going any further.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I brought my leg down.

Well I did know what he was doing I was not stupid. My mama made sure I knew everything I needed to know a few years ago, but I was surprised that he would do such things in a public setting. Even though we were alone, someone could easily walk to the very balcony we were at for some air. And then we would be caught and it would all go downhill from there.

“Do you trust me?” He asked.

“Yes.”

I did not even need to think. I did trust him.

“Then you do not have to worry about what I am doing.”

“That is not what I meant. I know what you are doing?”

Benedict looked at me shocked, but said nothing.

“I just…do you think it is a good idea to do such things here where someone can easily find us?” I asked.

He took a step back to think about my words.

“No I do not think it is a good idea. I think it is an excellent idea.”

I looked at him puzzled. Benedict stepped towards me and cupped my face.

“I love you and you love me and that’s all that matters.” He said.

I was shocked. I did not expect him to say that. He loved me. I could not believe it. Benedict loved me. I was happy. No I was more than happy. I was overjoyed. What I was once wishing for was actually reality. He loved me. I did not know how much I yearned for him to say those three words until he did.

“You love me?” I asked.

“Of course I do. You are kind.”

He kissed the back of my hand.

“Compassionate.”

He kissed my ear.

“Strong willed.”

He kissed my cheek.

“Insanely beautiful.”

He kissed my nose.

“And the woman I want to be with.

He kissed my lips.

“Any man would be stupid to not fall in love with you.”

He looked into my eyes. His blue eyes met my e/c eyes and I knew I was a goner. I was probably gone a long time ago, but it was not until now I realized the true depth of my situation.

“How do you know I love you.” I said teasingly.

“Well you are here. With me. Alone. And you have no objections when I do this.”

His lips found his way to my mouth again and I got lost in his touch. Benedict bit on my bottom lip lightly, which caused me to to leave a small opening for Benedict’s tongue to have complete access to my mouth.

Without breaking a sweat Benedict gently pushed me up against the wall, so that we can be concealed better. My hand found its way into his hair. His touch set me on fire, but it felt familiar at the same time. I could be like this forever in Benedict’s arms. Doing this, or simply holding hands while promenading. It did not matter what we were doing just as long as it was with him. I wanted to do everything with Benedict.

I slowly pulled away and we both took a moment to catch our breath. Then I uttered the three words that he said to me earlier.

“I love you.”

A smile broke across Benedict’s face and his hand pulled a stray hair out my face. He grabbed my back securely holding me up straight. I wrapped my arms around his neck and re-connected his face to mine.

His hand slowly bright my leg to where it once was and his hand went—

I had to stop.

I was currently daydreaming about what occurred between me and Benedict when the rest of my family was still in the room. I had to get out of here, before my family noticed I was acting off.

“I am going to see if I have green thread in my room for my embroidery. Maybe a different blue as well.” I said.

I grabbed the blue thread I was currently using and stood up from the couch.

“Are you alright dearest?” Mama said, “you look a little pale.”

“I’m fine I assure you.” I said.

I walked out of the drawing room before the rest of my family could say anything, with my blue yarn in hand, and made my way to my bedroom. The walk to my bedroom gave me some time to steady my breathing and calm down from my daydreaming. Benedict could still affect me even when he wasn’t present.

What a discovery!

I entered my room and went towards the basket of yarn that sat beside my vanity on the floor. I found a green thread that I thought might match the blue I had already used and another blue thread I quite liked. When I rose from the ground, I noticed the hancherchief that Benedict had given me still on my vanity.

I looked down at the threads in my hands and then back at the handkerchief. An idea suddenly popped into my head.

————————

Benedict

I quickly walked up the stairs to enter my home. Anthony and Kate were supposed to return from their extended honeymoon today and I wish not to be late. Before I entered the main entrance of the house I heard a voice that sounded like Anthony’s.

“I could get used to such long journeys if every return was like this.” Anthony joked.

They must have just arrived. I entered to see my family welcoming back Anthony and Kate.

“Brother.” Anthony said as he grabbed Colin’s arm.

“Brother. Good day.” I said as I pulled him into an embrace.

“And from where have you returned?” Anthony asked.

“Just out for a morning stroll.”

I did go out for a morning stroll. And it was to see a particular Clearwater through her bedroom window. Good thing when I waved to her window she noticed me because then I would have look like a mad man. Well I guess I did look like a mad man to the general public. Who knows what I looked like to them when I was waving at someone who was not in front of me.

But I did not care. I was living in my wildest dreams ever since last night and I did not have any plans of leaving my dreams. Then I remembered a little piece of information I heard in Whistledown’s issue this morning.

I looked Colin dead in the eyes and said,

“I read a curious piece of news in Whistledown this morning.”

“Mm-hmm.” Colin responded.

The rest of my family showed knowing grins while Anthony and Kate looked confused.

“Oh. What is it?” Kate asked.

“Brother you must tell them.” Hyacinth said excitedly to Colin, but before Colin could say anything she said.

“You delay so I shall. Colin is engaged to Penelope Featherington!”

Kate looked in complete shock, but seemed overjoyed for Colin, while Anthony, well I could not read his expression, but he did not seem overjoyed.

“Hyacinth must be the most excited of us all.” Mother said.

“Congratulations.” I said.

“Thank you.” Colin replied.

“Ah. Well what wonderful news.” Kate said to Anthony mostly. I think she was trying to get him to be happy for Colin.

“Of course.” Anthony replied.

“Thank you. I am in high spirits.” Colin responded.

“It seems…” Anthony said as he broke away from Kate to meet with Colin and I, “…we brothers have much to catch up on, indeed.”

The three of us decided to go to a local bar where we could discuss Colin’s engagement with an afternoon drink. We found ourselves a table and Anthony went to go grab our drinks.

“Devin was very well, but…we have bigger fish to fry.” Anthony said, “First…” Anthony took a seat beside me before saying, “…explain!”

Anthony and I looked at Colin waiting for his answer. Our seating arrangements were like an interrogation. Rather comical if you ask me, but Anthony and I wanted answers.

“No furtive looks necessary.” Colin said.

“Come now, you must admit, its’s all rather sudden.” Anthony said and I had to agree with Anthony on this one.

“What was sudden was my last betrothal.” I had to agree with Colin on that one. His betrothal with Marina was much more shocking and sudden compared to his betrothal with Penelope.

“So I cannot blame either of you if you are prone to think me foolish.” Colin continued. “My feelings for Penelope are not a thunderbolt from the sky. I have known her for a very long time, and perhaps I have always felt something for her. My only foolishness this time was not realizing it sooner.”

I sighed at Colin’s words. He really did care for Penelope and he was serious. I can see the vast difference compared to his last betrothal with Marina. Penelope was a perfect fit for Colin.

“Have you said these words to her?” Anthony asked.

Colin tensed up. I guess he never told her these words.

“The final part, the betrothal, it…it did all happen rather swiftly.”

Swift indeed Colin. Swift indeed. Colin’s words made me think about what happened between Y/n and I last night. The feeling of having her so close was ecstasy and I only had a taste of her. I simply could not get enough. I wanted to discover more about her and I could not wait to do so.

I wonder if she enjoyed it as much as I did. I would think so since she greeted me rather warmly this morning through the window.

“Ah, it’s swift because—“

“Are you going to duel with your own brother, or…” I interrupted Anthony.

He looked at me with a look of annoyance, that I was right, and understanding.

“Well you are marrying her, and for all the right reasons, it seems. That’s all that matters. But tell her.” Anthony continued.

Anthony and I both looked at Colin expectedly.

“Very well. Perhaps I shall go see Penelope now.”

Colin stood up from his chair, but before he could leave, I raised my glass and said,

“First…to your wives,”

Anthony raised his glass and so did Colin.

“Congratulations.” Anthony said.

“Thank you.” Colin said.

We all drank.

Colin then quickly left the room without another word.

“Can you believe that.” I said “I did not know that.”

Anthony looked amused.

“What about you brother?” He asked.

“What about me?”

“What about your wife? I’m married. Colin is engaged. Is there a special someone that caught your eye?”

My mind immediately went to Y/n. I would like to court her, show everyone in society that we were betrothed to one another. But I know she was currently courting Maxwell. But maybe after last night…My thoughts probably showed on my face because Anthony said.

“There is someone!”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Do not lie to your brother.”

“I am not.”

Anthony seemed to realize that I was not going to change my answer.

“Very well then, but I would like to meet her. Or at least know who she is.”

“Maybe.” I replied.

————————

“One chocolate and two vanilla please.” Maxwell said.

“Oh you do not have to pay for mine dear.” My mama said.

“No it is alright. It is the least I could do since you let me take Y/n out for an outing today.”

Mama looked at Maxwell with acceptance and gratitude. He definitely received some brownie points from my mama today.

The worker took our order and then told us to sit in the corner near the display of treats. Maxwell and I sat at one table and my mama sat at the table next to ours.

“I used to love coming here as a kid.” I said.

“Yeah? Why so?” Maxwell asked.

“Well doesn’t every child love to go to the ice cream parlor?”

“Well…yes.” Maxwell laughed.

“Well me as a child obviously loved coming here for the ice cream, but I also loved coming here with my family. I have the fondest memories here. I remember one time Alex threw a spoonful of ice cream on my dress and I had a fit. I was furious back then, but now I remember the memory with fondness. I guess that’s what happens as you get older. Maybe it’s because you want to go back to when times were simpler. When all you had to worry about was an ice cream stain on your dress.”

“That definitely makes sense.”

The waiter arrived with our glasses of ice cream.

“I bet it is nice having siblings. Being able to grow up along with the same group of people.” Maxwell said.

“You are an only child right?”

Maxwell nodded.

“Being an only child is probably vastly different from growing up with siblings.” I said.

“It is indeed.”

“Is it lonely?”

“Sometimes. But sometimes I quite enjoy the solitude. Allows me time to think.”

“I cannot remember the last time I had some quiet to hear my own thoughts.”

“I can see how that can be a problem.” Maxwell said with a laugh.

“You do not have any cousins?” I asked.

“I am not that close with them.”

I could not help but feel sorry for Maxwell. I could never imagine not growing up with siblings or not being close with my non-instant family. I then realized how different Maxwell and I are.

I for one have three siblings, Maxwell has none, and although they drive me insane, I would not trade them for the world. Secondly, I am quite close with my cousins, while Maxwell is not close with his at all. I guess we are what people call “opposites attract”. Right?

“Well this conversation took a sad turn.” Maxwell said.

I lightly laughed in response.

“Now enough about me. I know you said nothing happened much while I was away, but I want to know everything. Even details that you might think are boring.” Maxwell said.

I instantly thought about what happened yesterday with Benedict, but I absolutely could never mention this to Maxwell because he would immediately call off this courtship.

“I already told you. Nothing eventful happened. Plus I wrote you letters, while I was gone. Although one thing that recently occurred, that you might know about already, is that my friend Penelope Featherington recently became engaged to Colin Bridgerton.”

“I in fact have heard about it. I did not realize you two were friends with one another.”

“Oh yes! We have always been friendly with one another, but it was not until the end of last season that we became friends.”

“Ah I see.”

We continued to talk as we continued to eat our ice cream. I had just finished laughing at a joke Maxwell said and he continued to say,

“I really enjoy spending time with you Y/n. If being married to you is anything like this, I will be the happiest man alive.”

My smile slowly fell from my face as I heard his words. His words were simple, but to me they carried so much weight.

“Are you alright?” Maxwell said.

I cleared my throat and said, “Um…yes I’m fine. I just had some ice cream stuck in my throat.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure.”

I smiled at Maxwell and he seemed to think that I was alright.

“Okay then, but if you are feeling upset you can tell me.”

I nodded.

“Good. Now I am going to go pay for the ice cream. I will be right back.”

“Alright.”

Maxwell left our table to go pay for our ice cream and I was left alone with my thoughts. If I were to be honest I felt guilty.

Guilty for cheating on Maxwell with Benedict. Well maybe not necessarily cheating. Me and Maxwell are not married, but we are courting. That is two steps down from marriage, so my actions do carry some significance. Maxwell does not deserve such treatment, but I could not help but think about Benedict and—

“Y/n are you alright?”

I turned around to see my mama looking at me concerned.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“You were simply sitting still at the table. I wanted to make sure you were alive.” She joked.

“Oh…I was simply thinking.”

“About?”

“Maxwell.”

Which was not a lie.

“He is a fine young man isn’t he.”

I nodded.

“You found a good one Y/n.”

“I did didn’t I.”

My statement was true, but I was not happy about it like I should be.

—————————

“Miss Y/n there is a letter for you Alexandra stated.

I looked and noticed that she had an envelope in her hand. I grabbed the letter and replied with a thank you before noticing that it was from Penelope.

I quickly opened the envelope to see what she had written.

“Dear Y/nn,

Thank you so much for the blue silk coin pouch. The embroidery on the pouch is exquisite. I can tell it was done by you (you have always been better at embroidery than me). Thank you for giving me a blue one instead of a family color. You know how much I distaste those colors. I am sorry I have not been able to see you recently. Ever since my engagement things have been hectic. We must spend time with each other soon. Perhaps a promenade around the park? I do hope to see you this weekend though. In the envelope I included an invitation to my engagement party. Your entire family is invited as well. I would love for you and your family to be able to attend. I hope you have been doing well and I cannot wait to see you again.

Sincerely,

Your dear friend Pen

I smiled at Penelope’s letter. I am glad she enjoyed my gift for her and I did in fact work hard on the embroidery. I figured I should give her a blue coin purse because a) she hates her family colors, and b) she will become a Bridgerton soon.

I looked into the envelope and found the invitation Penelope was taking about and I knew I had to show this to mama. Suddenly my mama entered the room.

“The menu is set?” My mama asked.

“Yes ma’am.” Our head maid Mary replied.

“Tea?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“The children?”

“Two out of four are ready ma’am.”

“Only two?!

Mama turned to see that only Alex and I were currently present.

“Where are the others? The Bridgertons are about to arrive any minute!”

Before Mary could reply I interjected.

“Relax mama. Everything shall be perfect. There is no need to be so formal.”

“Y/n is right mother.” Alex said. “It is not like the Queen is coming over for dinner. It is only the Bridgertons.”

Our words seemed to calm her down.

“You both are right. It is only the Bridgertons.”

It seemed like my mama finally came to her senses.

“Very well then. Mary, see where Adeline and Noah are. Y/n and Alex go up to the drawing room. There is no need for you two to be down here. I am going to make sure that a few things are in order.”

Our mama left before we could say anything.

“Oh Mary before you go. Make sure that my mama reads this eventually. It is an invitation to Penelope and Colin’s engagement party. And can you bring this letter to my room?” I asked.

“I will have her read it before the Bridgertons arrive.”

“Thank you.”

Mary took the invitation and my letter from Penelope and went wherever my mama went.

“Mama’s mind gets so frazzled sometimes.” I said as Alex and I began to walk upstairs to the drawing room.

“I know.” Alex said, “At least we know where Adeline gets it from.”

We both broke into laughter.

“Are you looking forward to seeing a certain special someone?” Alex asked.

“I do not think Maxwell is attending dinner tonight.”

But I had a feeling that Maxwell was not the “special someone” Alex was talking about.

“I am not talking about Maxwell. I am talking about a certain Bridgerton. The second one to be exact.”

And it appears that I was correct.

“Benedict? Well of course! He is a great friend. As is Francesca. The whole Bridgerton family really.”

“As a friend? Really? Is that why you decided to wear the dress you are wearing? The same exact dress you wore in order to impress Maxwell at a ball not too long ago.”

I suddenly had a loss for words. I looked down and realized that I was in fact wearing the same exact dress that I have worn to impress Maxwell. I completely forgot I told Alex such information. The one time I regret doing so.

I did not intentionally mean to wear this dress, but maybe I did subconsciously. Benedict has been on my mind for quite some time now and that may be why it influenced my wardrobe choice. Was I trying to impress Benedict? I did not know. I did want him to think I looked presentable.

Alex must have noticed my overthinking because he grabbed my shoulders and said,

“Hey I am sorry for saying such things. I was only teasing. I know you are courting Maxwell and you are happy about it. You are happy aren’t you?”

I nodded. That was not a lie. Maxwell did make me happy.

“Then forget I ever said anything. Can you forgive me?”

“There is nothing to be forgiven.” I said with a smile. “And like you said, you were only teasing.”

Alex smiled back at me.

“Now come on. They will be arriving any minute now.” I said.

As we walked to the drawing room I could not help, but feel nervous. Benedict will be arriving shortly and this shall be the first time that I will see him since the event that occurred three days ago. I hope we both can act civilized and not draw any attention to ourselves that would reveal anything to our families.

When Alex and I entered, Noah and Adeline were already seated in the drawing room.

“Were you two here this entire time?” I asked.

“Of course!” Noah said, “It was stupid to think to even listen to mother and wait for the Bridgertons at the entrance of the house.”

“You could have said that more nicely.” Adeline said. “There was no need to drag mama.”

“I am being honest.”

“A little too honest.” I added.

I decided to take my seat at the piano forte. I hovered my hands above the keys before I began to play a simple familiar

tune. I let my muscle memory take me and fell into a trance as I played a song that I knew since childhood.

I didn’t realized I had an audience until I heard applause at the end of the song.

I turned and noticed that the Bridgerton family were standing near the couches watching me. I wonder how long they have been here. I quickly rose from the piano stool to greet them.

“That was lovely piano forte playing Y/n.” Violet said as she brought me into an embrace.

“Thank you. It has been a while though, so I was a little rusty.”

“Nonsense! You are as good as me. Maybe even better.” Francesca said as she hugged me as well.

“Have you met Anthony and Kate dear?” Violet asked.

“No I do not believe so. I believe they were on their honeymoon when we last had dinner.” I said.

“Oh! That is right. Well here is my eldest son Anthony and his wife Kate.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both.” I said as I slightly curtsied.

“Oh you do not need to be so formal.” Kate said. “The pleasure is mine to meet you as well.”

Kate seemed nice and her smile was warm and welcoming. I turned to Anthony and he gave me a kind smile and I returned the favor.

“Am I chop liver over here.” I turned to see Benedict on the other side of Violet and I instantly blushed.

“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry Benedict I did not see you there.”

“It is alright. I am used to it by now. Being second best. Who can compare to the Anthony Bridgerton.” He joked.

“What…that was not my—“

“Quit hogging her Benedict!” Gregory said and I was grateful for the little boy for freeing me from further embarrassment. I knew that Benedict was joking, but I was too nervous to say anything in his presence.

Hyacinth grabbed my arm and added, “We are going to go play cards with Y/n.”

And before I could protest I was dragged over to the table where a game of cards was already set up for three.

“How did you know where to find the playing cards?” I asked.

Hyacinth shrugged and I shook my head. I played a few rounds of cards, with Gregory and Hyacinth, until I got bored and decided to join Francesca at the couches, along with her mama, my mama, and Kate.

“I hope you all will come to Colin and Penelope’s engagement party this weekend. I am sorry that Colin could not attend tonight. He had some matters he had to attend to.” Violet said from Francesca’s right as I sat next to Francesca.

Francesca gave me a sweet smile and I returned it.

“Oh Y/n! I am glad you can join us. Your mama was telling me that Penelope sent you an invitation to the engagement party this weekend.” Violet said.

“Yes she did and I cannot wait to attend.”

I answered.

“Yes you can expect all of us to be there.” My mama said across from Violet.

“Wonderful! I do not think there should be much people in attendance from our side, but I am not sure how much people will be there from Penelope’s side. I hope there is not much people. I recall Lady Featherington mentioning a long list of people, but I hope it is not true.” Violet said.

“If there is a lot of people attending, I hope I prepare enough food for everyone.” Kate said worried.

“I am sure you will dear.” Violet said. She placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder for support.

“Y/n it is so great to meet you. The whole family told Anthony and I so much about you.”

“All good things I hope.” I replied.

“Oh you have no idea.” Kate said, “You were praised by everyone and especially Benedict.”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Benedict.

“I was only speaking the truth.” Violet added. “You are a very lovely young lady Y/n.”

“Thank you.” I replied with a blush. I never took compliments well, but it was nice to think that I am thought of so highly by the Bridgertons. And “especially Benedict” did not go undetected by me and the comment made my blush even deeper. But I was saved by the bell, literally, when Mary walked in to announce that dinner was ready.

“Finally!” Alex said, “I am starving!”

I rolled my eyes at his comment.

As I rose up from the couch Francesca asked me.

“Shall we walk together?”

“Of course!”

We linked arms and joined our families to dinner.

“I have some wonderful news Y/nn.” Francesca said. “Can I call you Y/nn?”

“You most certainly can. But do tell this wonderful news.”

“Well do you remember, not too long ago, when you and I and our mama’s went shopping together?”

“I do recall.”

“And we ran into Lord Kilmartin and he left rather abruptly?”

“Yes.”

“Well he left… because he went to go get the sheet music, that the musician was playing on the street, and he had it arranged to the way I would have liked that piece of music to be! Can you believe it! I could not even believe it! I have been learning and playing it non stop and now I have it memorized.”

This is the most excited I have ever seen Francesca. Her feelings for Lord Kilmartin seemed much stronger compared to her feelings for Lord Samadani, if she had any feelings for him.

“I am so happy for you Francesca! Lord Kilmartin seems like a nice man.”

Francesca nodded.

“I decided to follow my heart and that is to pursue Lord Kilmartin and my family is supportive with my decision, or rather they are at least trying, and that is all I could ask of them.”

I nodded in understanding.

“What about you and Lord Tewkesberry?”She asked.

“Things are going quite well. Ever since he left for Paris, Maxwell and I have exchanged letters to one another, and yesterday him and I attended the ice cream parlor together.”

“Do you feel happy with him?”

“Things are easy with him.”

“Are you happy?”

“I could be.”

There was a frown displayed on Francesca’s face.

“Can I be frank?” She asked.

I nodded.

“It seems to me that you feel comfortable with Maxwell, but you do not feel content. It could be because you are holding yourself back or maybe…maybe…”

I could tell she seemed hesitant to say her next few words.

“It is okay. You can say what you would like to say.”

Francesca took a deep breath

“Maybe Maxwell is not the one for you. Maybe you need to go over your options. It is just a thought.” She said quickly.

I stood silent and began to process what she had just said. There was some truth to her statement, but I could not say that I wanted to court her brother. I believe that she did not even have an inkling of our feelings for one another.

“Oh my goodness! I said the wrong thing haven’t I.” Francesca said. “I am so sorry! I overstepped and now you are—“

“Francesca relax it is alright.” I interrupted “Your words just gave me some things to think about.”

Her words gave me a lot to think about.

“Are you sure?” She asked with uncertainty.

“Yes I am sure.”

“Alright because the last thing I want to do is to make you upset.”

“Do not worry. You have done nothing wrong.” I reassured her, but her words did not reassure me, so I began to consider my options.

I thought about the good qualities that Maxwell possessed. He was kind, considerate, caring and he takes great care of me. My family also approves of him. He is also someone I can talk to when I am down. All qualities that I would want to have in a husband.

But I could not help, but hear the nagging voice in the back of my mind. Telling me to look the other way. Telling me that Maxwell was not the one for me, but in fact Benedict. But this was not the time to think about such pressing matters. Tonight I am supposed to have a lovely night with my family and the Bridgertons. My thoughts on my future husbands can wait until later.

We all made it to the dining room and we began to take our seats.

I was about to sit beside Francesca when someone pulled me away from her.

[bbgliker-teehee]

This might sound like an unpopular opinion of mine but... Is it just me or is Fizzarolli becoming an annoying character to me now. Like before season 2, I used to like him and I found the conflict between Blitzo and him really interesting and I wanted to learn more about it despite me not liking the show at the time (I mean I still do, but you know what I mean)

But when season 2 came along, I was left with a sour mouth when it comes to Fizz, and his conflict with Blitzo. Fizzarolli became from what season 1 gave us, he gained the most success and he felt proud of it, didn't care of the others feelings when insulting them, and was basically an asshole that rubs the success and Blitzos face and was the first one to genuinely get on Blitzos nerves (even have implications of Blitzo being jealous towards Fizz because he hoggled the spotlight more than him) but when season 2 came along, he just now resorted to being a huge scared puppy that shakes in his boots when someone insults him/threatens him. Like what happened to season 1 Fizz? What happened to the overly cocky and sassy asshole of a gremlin he was, can we bring that one and Season 1 Asmodeus back please?

And his conflict with blitzo and how it was executed, OH BOY. He gave him the most guilt-tripping ass apology, downplayed his disability just because HE REALLY MISSES MOM SO MUUCH, FEEL BAD FOR HIM HE'S JUST A MISUNDERSTOOD LIL BABY DEMON, like fuck off man. That episode didn't make me feel bad for the guy, it made me hate him even more.

And when in the end when they reconciled and shit, I was over here asking "Why bother building this rivalry up, when you're jist make them reconcile faster than the flash himself then?" Like, they should've just enemies imho, because that was more interesting than them being friends again.

I'm suprised that noone even brought this up too, but... This one piece of dialogue of Mammons shitty special I had to restrain myself from yelling at my screen. My god did I wanted to choke him to death when he says this:

OKAAAY, so not only did Blitzo give a guilt-tripping ass apology ever and they became friends again because of that shitty apology, instead of him comforting Fizz in this very moment, he resorts to saying THIS to Fizz when it's clearly shown that Fizz does not feel okay right now and looked he needed some comforting, and then Blitzo going back to square one and bullying someone when they're not feeling in the mood for it. Yeah good friend Blitzo, am i right? Fuck you Blitzo, genuinely like go die in a hole along with Loona & Stolas....

I'll probably be the only to say that BlitzFizz sucks, not a big fan of it because it felt like they just made Blitzo have a crush on Fizz to make him more sympathetic, yet they should've made them more like brotherly type of dynamic, to me that is idk about you.

Sorry for this essay like ask btw, just really wanted to get this out of my chest somehow. God watching these characters exist is hard man...

SAMMMEEEEE like- I think Fizz was a cool character, but since we can't have anything nice...Viv made him 'baby uwu'...

And Blitz whole ass apology was literally:

"Hey, I know you lost your legs and arms and you got all deformed and shit...BUT MY MOMMY DIED SO PWEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And yeah...I want my super swag sigma Ozzie who gets bitches back...not this loser beta dripless Ozzie that gets 0 bitches....

[parkitaco]

oh oh feeling their temperature after one of will’s episodes (i’m not sure your post meant to send you a request or not so if not ignore this while i go bury myself alive)

Mike has never liked seeing Will in pain.

He doesn't- he doesn't like seeing anyone in pain, of course, particularly not people that he cares about, but with Will it is and always has been different. Will is quieter about it, for starters, always quiet in his sadness and shying away from anything resembling pity. He's hard to figure out, sometimes, but Mike prides himself on being better at it than most people. Mike's spent most of his life learning how to be in tune with Will Byers, but an unfortunate side effect of that fact is that when Will is in pain, Mike tends to feel like the world is ending.

Lately, Mike has felt like the world is ending a lot, partially because it actually, literally is ending right now, but also because Will's seemed- well, he's seemed down, to put it lightly. And for once in his life, Mike can't figure out why.

He's mentioned it to people, even, said things like do you think Will's okay, he seems upset to Dustin and Lucas, who have both responded with bewildered looks and something along the lines of shouldn't you know?

Which is fair, because Mike usually knows everything there is to know about Will, but ever since their fight last summer Will's gone quiet on him, and Mike can't quite figure out what he's thinking.

Right now, that task is even harder, because Will is asleep. And this fact would be fine, if it weren't also true that Mike is wide, wide awake, and as a byproduct is completely aware that Will is having a nightmare.

Sharing a room with Will has been- odd, to say the least. For the first few nights, before Mike and El's breakup when everyone was still quiet and scared and sad and they hadn't gotten used to this new apocalyptic reality, Will had slept on the floor, refusing Mike's offers to sleep in the bed and keeping his back turned to him while he slept. Then, one night a few weeks ago, after a grueling but ultimately bittersweet breakup with El, Mike had stumbled into his room with tears on his face and a weight on his chest and found Will laying on the floor, still awake, and he'd blurted out: Just come sleep up here with me, please.

Will had complied, and Mike had explained the breakup in whispers, head resting just inches from Will's chest, wanting to grab hold of him but not daring to, and Will had hummed sympathetically and carded a hand through Mike's hair, and everything had felt just a little more right.

He's slept up here every night since, some sort of unspoken agreement, and Mike has been careful to stay on his own side of the bed, his implicit desires no longer reigned in by the constant reminder of you have a girlfriend, Michael, pull yourself together. He's laid awake countless nights now, watching Will's chest rise and fall with quiet breaths beside him and drowning in his want, fighting with all his might to comply with the rules he's laid out for himself.

But right now, with Will thrashing in his sleep and crying a little, whimpering in a way that makes Mike's chest squeeze painfully, he decides that his rules are stupid, and reaches for him.

"Will," he whispers, leaning over and catching Will by the shoulders, shaking him gently and fighting his own inexplicable urge to cry. "Will, wake up."

Will's face screws up in agony, and Mike's heart breaks a little. At least he's not being Vecna'd, he tells himself, as if that makes it any better, he would be unresponsive otherwise.

Even so, his chest feels like it's collapsing in on itself, and he shakes Will more firmly, hissing his name desperately, in a way that he'd probably be embarrassed by if he wasn't so afraid and if it wasn't so dark in Will's room, Will's name a quiet plea in his mouth, wanting written all over the single syllable. Mike is too incriminating for his own good.

He shakes him again, and Will's eyes fly open. He gasps, pupils dilated as he jerks into consciousness, and Mike's entire body relaxes with relief.

"Will," he says again, quieter, and Will's eyes settle on him, a choked sob escaping from his mouth. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay, it's just me."

He keeps one hand on Will's arm, gripping his bicep like a lifeline as he tilts sideways and reaches over to switch on the lamp, and the room floods with light as Will sits up shakily and brings up a hand to swipe at the tears on his face. "S-sorry," he whispers brokenly, as Mike sits back on his heels and peers out at him. "Sorry, I just..."

"It's okay," Mike says again, because it is, but Will's face crumples anyway.

"I woke you," he points out, bottom lip quivering, always too kind, too gentle, too aware of others' feelings. Mike loves him. He loves him so much.

"I was awake anyway," he manages to say, fighting the urge to wrap Will up in his arms and kiss away the tearstains on his face. This statement is one hundred percent true, but Will looks at him disbelievingly anyway, even as Mike squeezes his bicep meaningfully.

Will's eyes flick to the hand on his arm, and Mike, for once, isn't racked with insecurity by it. "I'm okay now," Will says, which is definitely not true, and Mike levels him with a disbelieving look of his own. "You can- you can go back to sleep. It was just a dream."

"Bullshit," Mike says immediately, always a little too rough around the edges, but the corner of Will's mouth ticks up and he considers it a win. "You're- you're upset, you're all flushed and shit, come here," he commands, and Will's eyes widen almost imperceptibly as Mike scoots forward, his hand sliding up from Will's arm to rest against the junction of his shoulder and his neck. Will is flushed, all warm and flustered, and there's a light sheen of sweat around the edges of his face. He still looks like the most beautiful thing Mike has ever seen.

Mike swallows, pressing his hand more firmly into Will's shoulder, and Will doesn't seem to mind when he leans into the touch, exhaling softly and relaxing just a little under Mike's palm.

It's a testament to Mike's sleep deprivation that he doesn't overthink it when he shifts closer still, reaching up with his other hand and pressing it lightly against Will's forehead before shifting it to his cheek, swiping his thumb over Will's cheekbone, and Will doesn't seem to know what to do with himself other than sit quietly and let Mike run his hands over him.

"See?" Mike murmurs, as he presses the back of his hand to Will's cheek, heat bleeding from Will's skin onto his, and there's a little zip of electricity in the air as Will meets his eyes. "Warm."

"D'you think I have a fever?" Will asks absently, not looking particularly fussed about it, and the small, hopeful part of Mike wonders if he's using it as an excuse for Mike to keep his hands on his face a little longer.

He shakes his head slowly. "No," he murmurs, "Just warm."

It's better than cold, Mike thinks, better than the shaking, wide-eyed Will of two years ago whose skin was icy to the touch and who screamed like - well, like a boy possessed - when the temperature got to be over sixty degrees. That was one of the more terrifying parts of Mike's life, and there are many to choose from. There had been something unknowably awful about having Will physically present, but seeing something so entirely foreign in the eyes that Mike knows so well.

Will must know that that's what he's thinking, because he smiles as Mike's hand shifts over to his forehead again. "That's how you know I'm alive," he murmurs, and Mike huffs a wry laugh.

"I'm glad," he whispers back, and means it more than he cares to admit.

Will meets his eyes again, smiling delicately, and there's something dancing in his eyes, something Mike can't quite put a name to but feels with a certainty all the same. He pulls his hand back just slightly, pressing his thumb to the crease between Will's eyebrows, smoothing it out, and they've given up all pretense of temperature checking as Will's smile widens.

For once, he lets himself be just a little bit brave as he pulls his hand away for real, tapping his thumb just once against Will's forehead before tilting his head forward and placing a soft, gentle kiss to the place where his hand just was, a ghost of a touch that still sends a thrill through his stomach.

Will shivers beneath him, and Mike pulls back, blinking at him hazily, drowsiness tugging at him. Will doesn't seem put-out or offended or weirded out by the motion - on the contrary, he's regarding Mike with something akin to wonder, a delicate sort of gentleness on his face.

"We should sleep," Mike whispers, too tired to explain himself and too cowardly to do anything more, to kiss Will for real the way he wants to. He'll- he's going to do it, someday, he decides dimly, for real, and he's going to tell Will everything, provided Will lets him.

Just not tonight.

Will bobs his head, and Mike settles happily back on the pillows, allowing himself to break the rules once more as he extends an arm in Will's direction, a silent question.

Will more than answers it when he tucks himself into Mike's side, pressing his head gently against Mike's chest and slinging one arm over his stomach, and Mike's stomach floods with warmth as he drags a careful hand through Will's hair.

"Goodnight, Will," he whispers, a small smile on his face as his eyes drift shut.

"Goodnight, Mike," Will whispers back.

For once in their lives, Mike and Will sleep peacefully.

[ikuzeminna]

Hi! How did you learn to read Japanese? If I'm not wrong that you do, is the Japanese depiction of the GW characters' personalities different from their Western depictions?

Hey! Learning how to read Japanese is definitely an adventure in and of itself. For me, I had learned how to read and write hiragana and katakana from the Yoshida Institute’s site long before smartphones existed, along with a few kanji. I would use hiragana for my cheat sheets at school. (Yes, I learned a whole different alphabet just to cheat at history and geography instead of simply studying for my exams like a sensible person, even though I realized it was way more effort. I'm not exactly smart.) I started learning kanji properly years later with the kanji learning app Japanese Kanji Study, which I can't recommend enough, then took a brief language course and then accidentally ended up studying Japanese in college for 1.5 years, which is where I learned all my beginner's grammar (みんなの日本語 anyone?) and, as is totally apt for a beginner, hentaigana.

It’s funny when you can't string five sentences together without issue, but can make out Nobunaga's scribbling, something many natives are incapable of. Great, balanced education you thought up there, folks.

At least I got a laugh out of one Ranma ½ episode where Ranma found Kuno’s journal entry and couldn’t read it because of course that doofus would write it in the most archaic manner possible. 

Anyway, as far as reading aids go, I’m just gonna plug everything I’ve used over the years for anyone interested. The Firefox extension 10ten reader has been a lifesaver, as has been Jisho. When it comes to comprehension, Google translate is dog crap. I’d recommend Papago, which must have been trained specifically on East Asian languages as the results are much better. Not perfect, but better in my experience. Google translate has long incorporated OCR (image to text) so it may be less useful, but I’m very fond of the no-install Capture2Text which can convert manga speech bubbles to text, provided the scans are clean enough to read the kanji.

For grammar, I stuck to Minna No Nihongo. Bought all the books and slowly work through the lessons now.

The most valuable asset though is having a fluent or native speaker you can ask. Nuance is impossible to grasp if no one explains it to you. Even with vocab, you’ll run into plenty of words with the same meaning. Dictionaries often don’t distinguish in those cases. Having someone you can ask makes learning a lot easier.

Now for the Gundam Wing part of your question.

I’m not exactly sure what you mean by Japanese and Western depictions, or rather who you mean. If we’re talking official sub vs. dub then yes, there are a few differences. Heero isn’t perpetually constipated in the original (he actually has a sense of humor!) and Duo is a lot less flirty than his dub version. But it’s nothing grave. Certainly not Seto Kaiba levels of the dub rewriting his character to make him rant about not believing in destiny every time he opens his mouth.

Or Saber Rider being the leader of the Star Sheriffs. wtf I grew up with a lie D:<

Now, if you’re referring to fandom spaces, I am, without a doubt, the wrongest person to ask as I have never seen what the Japanese Wing fandom is up to and have never really been in touch with what the West is doing either. Have I seen fanfics and do I know 1x2 is the most popular ship? Yes. Have I spent 10 minutes looking at a manga panel, trying to figure out what is going on, only to hit the back button as fast as I could once I did? To the detriment of my poor eyes, yes. But when it comes to fandom differences, I think @muwi-translates could give you a proper answer. I can’t really say much as I’m not involved in the fandom in a way that lets me know such things.

I just sit here in my bubble, talking to myself most of the time.

[sturthepotofmadness]

What Are They? (Shattered EarthSpark AU)

Previous post here. Somewhat direct continuation of the first post, unlike the second post. I'm tracking what episodes I've written for and the order of which they're written, so in time I'll have a master post with everything in order. For now, you're dealing with me just linking to previous. Long post ahead.

"How... strange," Megatron said in a rumbling tone. His frame was it's usual flight frame, though one he taken when teaming with GHOST (a shortened version of their full name, Global Hazard and Organized Security Taskforce), along with being white and blue. His bright blue optics looked over the two strange mecha Dr Meridian had returned with. The smaller being, more femme in stature but that didn't say much, stared at him and Optimus with a bloodlust in its optics as it slowly approached them. The taller of the two was much more quiet and shy, preferring to stay near Atlas Meridian.

"Hello, little ones," Optimus chirped, tone in an unnatural sweet tone. The former Autobot was still a large truck, black and purple in color with dark red optics, a near maroon color. The smaller looked directly towards Optimus, their optics meeting. "I am Optimus."

The smaller one's optics went wide with clear adoration as they replied, "We are Twitch."

"And I," Megatron began, stealing Twitch's attention from Optimus, "am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons."

The other young mecha didn't say a word, causing Dr Meridian to say, "This is Thrash." Thrash flinched at that, giving a small wave before they stepped away a bit. Atlas seemed to have noticed, as he added, "He's... not that comfortable around others."

Megatron nodded as Optimus, back to his more bland tone, stated, "Oh joy, already taking the world so harshly." He gave the black and purple bot a somewhat strong nudge, though Optimus just responded with a bored glance.

"Dr Meridian, what are these two?" Megatron asked.

Twitch's attention went back to Optimus as Atlas answered, "I am not too sure myself. GHOST detected a faint Cybertronian signal and when I went to see what it was, I found this strange stone. When I touched it, these two appeared and the cave the stone was in gained some damage."

Optimus's helm moved, raising a bit and optics glinting. "By chance, is the stone you speak of dark teal with speckles of a brighter teal?"

Meridian seemed unsure for a moment before he answered, "I wouldn't say it was dark teal, more of an ocean color, but it did have teal specks on it."

Optimus's finials flicked up as Megatron suddenly realized what the other was implying. "The Emberstone?" Megatron blinked.

"That is my thought process as well," Optimus said, glancing towards Megatron. He looked back at Atlas and asked, "Did anything else happen when the stone was activated, assuming it is the Emberstone? A voice, most likely."

Atlas gave them a weird look as Twitch continued to stare up at Optimus and Thrash shuffled back a bit. "No, just the cave damage when these two appeared. Two of the stalactites broke," he replied.

Optimus's finials did an odd motion as Megatron blinked. "Most likely not the Emberstone, then..." Megatron muttered.

"Well, no slagging clue then," Optimus deadpanned, causing Megatron to glare at him. "Unless it's some AllSpark scrap, no fragging idea."

"Language," Megatron chastised, then immediately recognized something the former Autobot said and looked away.

Optimus shrugged in reply, then his finials flickered when he saw Megatron's reaction. "We're here on Earth anyways. I was wondering when sparklings or sparkling-look-a-likes would begin to pop up," Optimus stated. "I expected Starscream and Jetfire to be first. They're not very good at hiding when they're--"

"NO!" Megatron interrupted, slammed a servo over Optimus's mouth. Optimus just stared at him with a bored look. Megatron stated, "They do not need to know."

Optimus raised a ridge as Megatron backed away. "Eventually," the black and purple truck blandly said.

Megatron's frame relaxed slightly as he looked towards Atlas and Thrash. Optimus looked down at Twitch as the white and blue mech said, "Forgive Optimus. He refuses to censor himself around... anyone, really."

"It is fine," Dr Meridian replied as Optimus knelt down to better be at Twitch's level. "It was best to report directly to you two before seeing what connection was created between my robotic arm and Twitch and Thrash."

Megatron nodded as Optimus made a noncommittal hum, adding, "They look around the age Bumblebee was when he gained his alt mode." Megatron glared at Optimus, but the former Autobot appeared to ignore him.

Megatron looked back at Atlas and said, "Once you and your team are finished, can you send Twitch and Thrash to the docking bay?"

"Of course," Atlas replied as Optimus stood back up. Twitch lifted a servo towards him, causing him to grin.

"You'll see me again, little one. Rejoin Dr Meridian," Optimus said. Twitch's young field flared in disappointment Optimus's field just began pushing against the young mecha's own, releasing a bit of reassurance into his field. Twitch lowered her servo, stared for a moment, then walked back to Atlas and Thrash. Thrash kept his distance from his sibling, field bubbling with nervousness.

"We'll see you again in due time," Megatron said before Atlas began to walk away. Thrash immediately followed, though Twitch lagged behind slightly to stare at Optimus before finally following.

Once they left, Optimus said, "I'll be there early, once I check in one Jetfire." He didn't wait for a reply, immediately walking out of the room.

Megatron stared for a moment, then his frame relaxed immensely and he turned towards a nearby table where a machine sat, looking like a purple box with many seems and loose plating. "RAPTR Unit 3, contact Executive Agent Croft," he said.

The machine reacted. It transformed from its small, compact box form into a raptor-like body shape that was roughly twice the size of an average human teenager. RAPTR's plating was mostly purple and bits of white and slate making up the rest of the plate color. Yellow biolights were on the droid, with its snout and face being replaced with a screen and camera. (RAPTR, being short for Recall Adviser and Pair Task Reporter.)

RAPTR's screen lit up, showing a loading screen. After a few moments, the familiar face of Agent Croft appeared on the screen. All he could see on the screen was her familiar silver hair, fair skin, green eyes, and part of her uniform.

Once it was clear it was connected, Croft asked, "What was found at the signal?"

"If what Dr Meridian said and our assumptions are correct, a stone of Earthen origins that is able to create Cybertronian-like life," Megatron replied. "It has created two of them so far, both relatively are at the tail end of their sparkling phase and soon to roll over into their youngling phase."

"Interesting..." Croft muttered. "That is something to be explored at a later point." She raised her voice. "Thank you for informing me. I'll make sure there's a team with an eye on it. Is there someone able to watch over these new... younglings?"

Megatron thought for a moment.

[petrichoraline]

EIGHT SHOWS TO GET TO KNOW ME

tagged by @littleragondin mwah🥰 these are not all my most fave but they all represent a bit of me so i find them suitable

W.I.T.C.H - now i'm not gonna pretend to be the biggest fan but this used to be THE show for me before WINX came along and i'll always pride myself on being a witch girlie first and winx girlie second (the "not like other girls" syndrome began very early on for me); their powers, the visuals, the adventures combined with the daily struggles of teen girls, the boyfriends, the intro song omg, there is sm about this show, the countless books, the og comic.. good stuff <3

also those two >>>

Lovely Complex - my first anime iirc, i wish people would pay attention to it (but also i'm the only one who's allowed to get it, y'know); only a young romantic towering over her classmates could have the chance of understanding my feelings for it

also read the manga <3 but uh you can skip the live action lol

Hana Yori Dango - broooo- bro. this show was made for my basic romantic ass, it was my first asian drama (or one of the first), it introduced me to Matsumoto Jun, had me hooked for two seasons (though im pretty sure i binged the second season and movie in 24 hours, long after i had watched the first season..? idk what that was about)

i am of the opinion f4 thailand did best in many ways but this will forever be THE adaptation in my heart. the songs were unmatched, the drama breathtaking (there are so many cliches that i didn't know were cliches back then lol) and the experience surreal. i'll always treasure this questionable classic 💖

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - i enjoy this an unreasonable amount - my country's edition, that is; i just like having it in the bg and being a smartass, sometimes i run my mouth off so confidently and proceed to apologise to the tv when the contestant turns out to have been right lol

Weekly Idol - hear me out on this - aside from all of its issues, the show has always been my way of finding more about groups. especially back in 2015, those low quality episodes on yt helped me so much with getting into kpop; it can be very hit-or-miss but i have so many faves; many artists have been on multiple episodes throughout the years and yet show something entertaining every time. you can find new groups to stan through the mixed episodes and learn more about the members of groups you're already interested in (though for that i also rec individual shows like gose, wanteez, monsta x-ray etc.). i'm especially excited for eunkwang and minjoo as the new hosts, they are so funny on their own and i want to see their dynamic so bad

Pride & Prejudice - i've watched this just once but i can't not appreciate the accuracy to the book (except for the iconic lake scene lmao) and it covers british tv, 90s shows, austen books and period dramas all at once - all things i enjoy

Bridgerton - i had a whole piece written bout this but simply put - season 2 and kathony were a Thing for me. got me researching and binging a bunch of jonathan shows, reading most of the book and a bunch of tumblr posts..even looking through gifs now im going feral, i love them

New Girl - i usually play shows like this in the bg but i found myself paying a lot of attention and actually losing it laughing so many times, also nick and schmidt are the most precious intense bromance i've witnessed in fiction

[mikuni14]

Laws of Attraction Ep 8

Actually, I could stop at reblogging @befuddledcinnamonroll post, which expresses my thoughts about the finale, but this is LoA, my beloved series, so I should also write something from myself 😊

I was a little afraid that Charn would actually completely go over to the light side, that he would do something stupid or naive based on his suddenly found faith in goodness and thus endanger his new found family. So I was relieved to see Charn take the bullets, because I knew he must be wearing a bulletproof vest, and I really enjoyed watching the creepy smile bloom on his face after meeting the senator. Yes, Tinn healed his heart, but it didn't make him blind to reality, gullible, and stupid. It was very satisfying. Actually, Tinn saying he doesn't want to change Charn and even affectionately calling him Bad Lawyer was super satisfying. 👍

The only thing Charn possibly did wrong is that he foresaw everything except for the explosive mix that is Nawin with Tinn. Although maybe he knew that the unpredictable Nawin combined with the determined Tinn must end up with the Tinn's escape, who would surely come to his rescue, what Charn maybe... subconsciously wanted? Who knows, it sounds nice, I want to believe it 🥺

I absolutely loved that the series quickly and casually ended the whole story and devoted the rest of the episode to fluff, wedding, Charn and Tinn in domestic situations, showing them madly in love with each other. I was smiling the whole time, the whole ep, this show is pure joy. Even when some guy in prison makes a knife out of a plastic bowl and starts stabbing with it 💀 This series is gold.

I know that Charn organized the entire wedding, because it was a small ceremony only for the closest and trusted people (Nawin was invited! he's a family too!), but perfectly organized down to the smallest detail. This is all Charn.

Nawin is one of the most interesting characters ever to appear in the BL series. He's a perfect character. He literally has no flaws. Dream job is to be Nawin's bodyguard, he provides a constant supply of entertainment. I thought I was going to die laughing when he had his bodyguards curse Tinn and when the bodyguard stood next to him with tissues. He is perfect. PERFECT.

It's good that Tanthai saved himself, and Thee couldn't help him, no matter how hard he tried.

LoA, despite having actors who PERFECTLY showed attraction and sexual tension, did not allow them much in this matter. Actually it didn't really let them do anything. The characters, especially Charn and Tinn, could drill holes in each other with hot stares but kiss like dead fish. And barely touch each other unless they're clothed. When Thee leaned over Tanthai to kiss him in the finale, when Charn looked at Tinn at the wedding with his bedroom eyes, with his mouth parted, I had to take a deep breath and stare at the wall thinking what the fuck a wasted potential this is. This is actually my only complaint about LoA. Because really, after all the pinning, longing, tension and passion sizzling between them, they should do it like rabbits at the first chance they get. (Ok, maybe I have one more complaint: I am once again asking for NO. GUITAR. NO. SINGING.)

Anyway. LoA is a great BL drama with great characters played by great actors. Film played outstandingly, at the highest level. But all of them performed brilliantly, including the villains. In addition, the series had interesting and colorful characters like Rose, Maya, Nawin. The series showed toxic, horrible families as well as good, supportive, loving families. As for a crime series with fake fire and exaggerated action scenes, it treated the victims of the crime in a surprisingly innovative and sensitive way, i.e. a little girl, but also Charn. We know why Charn became like this, the series showed exactly what happened to him. Just as it had shown Tonkhao all along, not only as a victim, but also as a lovely, bright girl - the way Tinn wanted her to be remembered. As a romance LoA also turned out to be sensational. From the beginning, as viewers, we see the characters' feelings, the new ones (Charn and Tinn) and the old ones (Thee and Tanthai), and the show knows exactly what BL and romance fans in general like and showered us with scenes furiously giffed by viewers, rewatched multiple times, that fed us for weeks ;) LoA made it clear what is good and bad, allowed Charn to heal and find hope and love again, but without cheaply moralizing and removing from Charn what we all liked him for. What else I like is that Charn was with Tinn so openly gay and flamboyant, flirty, such a little shit and Tinn liked it and Charn stayed like that. Same Tinn, with his jeans and converse and his beliefs and principles has not changed and Charn likes him that way. For me LoA is the Thai series of the year 👑 I want to thank the people who made it and the fans I enjoyed the series with 🥰

Hope to see more series with Jam and Film. And with Nat (NAWIN)!

Bad Lawyer and Crazy Dog are what Freeloader 3 and Group Leader were in Semantic Error 😎

[oswincoleman]

Key moments of Jenna Coleman's interview for The Italian Reve magazine

When we Zoomed, she wanted to know where I was calling her from, she wanted to know how my colleagues were doing, she was curious about me and about us. At that point, when Jenna showed genuine interest in the scraped white wall and green leaves on my background, and revealed a glimpse of her living room in her house, her happy place, I realized she is one of the most down-to-earth entertainment industry people I’ve talked to, so far. Perhaps, one of the most down-to-earth women I’ve talked to, as well.

Like her character in the latest project she’s starred in, the TV series “Wilderness” where she plays a control-freak, vindictive wife living in a constantly heightened reality, where she needs to be the perfect female counterpart to her dominating male partner. Or at least she thought she needed to. When Jenna wondered out loud, “What even is perfection?”, and I found I couldn’t answer to that question and, at the same time, I didn’t care to know, I realized that maybe things are really changing, like she said, especially for women and women in cinema. Starting from me, starting from her and the new generation of actors and young people in general whom we both look up to.

What I found is that each role brings its own challenges. In “Wilderness”, for example, my character is in such a held, heightened state of immense anxiety and pressure, so to hold that over the course of the three/four months of shooting, to keep that heightened energy was a challenge. I found that on “Wilderness” there was such an intensity because the whole show is based on a mechanism for which you have something bad that happens and the next one gets worse and worse. To keep Liv, my character, in that suspended state for so long was incredibly challenging.

 I did have empathy for her [Liv] and I understood her and I thought that what was so interesting was that it feels like a very “coming-of-woman story”. She’s someone who doesn’t really know herself or isn’t listening to herself, and is co-dependent, unsure, she will bend herself to what society expects of her, the life she thinks that she should be living.

For me, along the line of the six episodes, it became a very primal story of her reclaiming her voice, and herself, and her boundaries, and I think that, especially for my generation, these themes have become very common, formative and primal. It is a kind of “Woman hear me roar” story, the journey that she goes on, but she needs to go to the darkest depths to be able to get out the other side. All of that was really well done in the script, but obviously the challenge, which is absolutely mental about the series, is how you’re asking the audience to empathize and side with a character who does things that are very morally wrong. It’s interesting to try and get the audience on that journey, and that was one of the biggest challenges for me and the only way to do that is to try and get the audience to understand that: that’s one of the hardest things about the show.

You know, I took a beat after “The Serpent” and went into playing these angry roles [laughs], it’s interesting, looking back. I did a film called “Klokkenluider” which was so much fun, a real departure, where I play a really foul-mouth journalist who has these amazing speeches, and that was really fun, as well as “Sandman”; with Liv, it was great because it was all about the intensity of the time on set, and being in all of the time, your instincts take over, in a way, and you’re not as conscious, your creative flow is happening, and you’re in contemplation and let the other things happen and explore as an actor. With So and all the other directors I’ve worked with, it was was great, and I realized I can dip in, as long as I do the prep and the work. It was an incredibly emotionally exhausting part, but I have the confidence now to know myself enough, I have the ability to dip in and out, I feel like I know that as long as I do the work, the emotional range is all there and I know how to access it a lot better now.

Liv is in every scene in the series, I only went to Comic-Con for a few days, so I got three days off in the entire show. I remember we were shooting this bit where she goes to Las Vegas and falls in a sort of psychedelic trauma, she is hollowed out from the inside out, raw, broken, almost at the point of madness, and after that we went to Comic-Con, in the middle of it all, and that made me feel like I was literally the character [laughs]. The piece is very primitive and very visceral, there’s something so primal about the journey that Olivia goes on, she’s like a phoenix in the ashes. She’s driven to the point of madness, and there’s something Shakespearean and animalistic about it: it’s not only a cat and mouse dynamic between the husband and the wife, nor the phycological dynamics, but when someone’s pushed to such a point of emotional distress, the animal comes out and I think that staying in that state over the three/four months of shooting and the journey that she goes on is just fucking wild, basically. It was fun.

At the moment, there’s this common theme of murderers, I don’t know where it’s coming from, so I’d say let’s be done with the murdering [laughs]. I got offered another murderer role after this and I had to say no because I thought, “What is happening?”. What I’ve realized is that my characters in “The Cry”, “The Serpent” and “Wilderness” have all been in a very emotionally held, hidden kind of state, in a way; but I’ve recently watched “To Leslie” with Andrea Riseborough which I thought was phenomenal, or if I think about Victoria, they’re free, emotionally, so I’d definitely like to play something emotionally more volatile next! [laughs]

You’re biggest act of rebellion? Honestly, probably finding a way to say no to things. You’re biggest fear? I’m not a fan of spiders [laughs]. But my biggest fear is time. What does it mean to you to feel comfortable in your own skin? It means not to be shy, not to hide, not to be afraid to be seen. What’s your happy place? My happy place is home, with my partner, with a book, calm, with a fire.

From:

[aestheticvoyage2023]

Day 141: Sunday May 21, 2023 - “Workin on the railroad”

William, like a lot of little boys, really enjoys a good train. Something about the romance of that one-way Southbound, I guess - that rambler in his blood. 

I took a shot one weekend, as I imagine I stressed about some level of task loading (that would seem like cake now,) and turned on Thomas the Train and Friends and responded, quietly in awe, just like the little boy look in that “ussie” on the right.  Wide eyes, mouth open, drool.  And with that, our little guy loved choo-choos.  A switch had been flipped.  I think it was last December.   His second pair of sandals, that he has managed to keep for several months now, are the “choo-choo” shoes, his favorite, and he gladly put those on today when I told him we’d be riding a choo-choo train.  A BIG choo-choo train. A real choo-choo. (I imagined he might be thinking, “yea not like that battery powered one at the zoo!” - and was that really a whole month ago?  We’ve both been doing some levelling up.). YES, buddy, today is a big day.

We busted out from the girls and their lugar-loco to get some fresh air and sunshine together in Scottsdale at the McCormick-Stillman Railway Park after starting the day, at 5:45am, with a couple episodes of Thomas & friends.  Once at the park we “climbed aboard!” a real size old antique dining car train, through the old replica station and museum.  He didn’t make much sense of the inside, at all - but the outside, he just wanted to point and look.  To him, it must seem like its made for a giant.  I might have spiced the imagination a little bit, in telling him that this train used to talk and be on the show before they retired him to be in the park for little boys like him, and let him chew on that for a few minutes while I took him inside to buy a bundle of tickets for us to ride some rides together.  I like to picture that imagination in him like a steam engine, burning up any and all bits of information I throw at him throughout a day, loosely considering what might be real vs fantasy....and I consider that when I narrate with him all day every day, giving his little mind as many fun nuggets as I can in hopes that he grows up to believe the world to be a beautiful positive fun place...to love history, and information, and the grandness of the scheme, easier than most.

The real steam engine that was running laps at the park today, was waiting for us as we climbed in up front, right behind the engineer.  William got very quiet, and focused and smiled a lot. This is what he understood us to be here for - time to ride the choo-choo. When the train started at a nice pace along the mile long track, he started to hum a little version of chugga-chugga.  He waved at the people, called back to the train whistle and as soon as we pulled into the station he was ready with several tracks of “ride it again.” I happily obliged. The second time around, we moved to the caboose to be with the conductor.   Breeze in his hair, sitting on my lap and I was thinking that It was such a neat park, complete with old stops and a long wood shaft tunnel.  Very neat to find such an authentic park to have some time with just me and him before we get back into a busy week. I remember thinking “this was a really nice idea, Dad - way to pull it through.”  But as it would turn out, the train today wouldn’t even be the main attraction!  Before I could get another round of “ride it again” (yes, I may have learned something important from Toddle Waddle) I scooped him up and out of the station to our next big thing - the carousel.

As many times as we’ve been to the Zoo and walked past the carousel, William was never one time shown any interest and so Ive never tried.  But armed with a few extra ride tickets, we found ourselves choose a chariot worthy of King William The Lion’s first ride.   Whats also very interesting is this independent “don’t touch me phase” and suddenly I found myself in my own boundary checking of wanting to not have him fall on his face on his first carousel ride, with also understanding the affinity of saying “Im a big boy, I got this” in such an iconic moment. And so we both eased into it, until I stepped out of the frame and let him ride on his own.  Even with him just holding on with one hand (new toy train in the other).  

“No problem, Dad - just like riding a bike, right?  Its not a real horse!”  - the music would stop and the horse would slow and Id have to help him down, as I waited for the formal response ....would we be riding it again? Ayes Ayes.  The second time around we were a bit more choosy and picky about the horse we picked, and a little impatient with the music to start, but once we got going, we got that same awe-full look on his face.   Ah, the world in motion, brings him joy...he must surely have been conceived with Love As A Verb.  Its simply the best, to be with him in these simple moments.

We climbed back into Silver for the ride back to Tucson, and I pulled a little something out of my pocket.   William wasn’t the only one that got a new toy in the gift shop.  I’d picked up a train whistle too and attached it to my keys.  Once I got him strapped in and ready to roll, I blew it loud and proud and then gave an enthusiastic “All Aboard for Tucson!” and looked up to see his toothy smile in the mirror looking back at me.  Nice one, Dad.

Song: Billianne - Simply The Best

Quote: “Trains changed - conductors never did.” ― Harper Lee

[casspurrjoybell-24]

The Alpha's Beta - Chapter 20 - Part 1

BOOK ONE: The Alpha's Trilogy

*Warning Adult Content*

I'm Still Your Brother - Part 1

Alpha Silas Claymore

I woke up the next morning alone or at least I thought I was alone until I turned over and came face to face with Star's sleeping face.

His mouth wide open, hair covering his face loosely, light huffs of his breath hit my chest.

I yawned and turned onto my other side.

I looked up at my nightstand and jumped into a sitting position when I saw the time on the clock.

It was fifteen minutes past eight.

I pushed the blankets off me, careful not to take them off Star.

I was just about the plan my feet on the floor when I saw a note on my nightstand.

'Ellis and I are covering training. Star wanted to sleep with you last night.'

Darren  

I groaned and laid myself back down in the covers.

Curling into the blankets again I let myself drift back to sleep.

I woke up a second time to my body being shaken.

I pried opened my eyes to a sleepy looking Star.

He pointed towards the nightstand on his side.

I leant up on my elbows and saw my cell-phone's small LED light blinking green.

I groaned and reached for it.  

It was just past nine apparently and I had a miscall and voice mail from Simon.

I laid back down and put my cell-phone on the table beside me, before looking back over at Star, who was now sitting up and rubbing his eyes.  

"Did my cell-phone wake you up?"

'Yeah, like ten minutes ago. I was just too lazy to get you up.'  

"Oh, how sweet of you," I chuckled before getting up.

We both made our way downstairs and into the kitchen, where I opened the food warmer.

Darren had eggs and toast under it.

The eggs looked a little brown on the bottom but I'll give him and B for trying.

'What are we doing today?' Star asked before shoving a fork full of eggs in his mouth.   

"We're going to get dressed and head out to the clearing. You'll be joining the 12-4 training group. We just want to see where you are physically."

Star nodded his head, a flash of excitement went through his eyes.

Along with something else that I couldn't quit put my finger on.

After we finished breakfast Star went upstairs to change while I hit the shower but before I did I decided it was probably best to call Symon back.

Knowing him he could be calling about either a panic attack or great news like a new Dr. Phil episode.  

I pushed in his number on my cellphone and waited a few seconds before I heard a beep.

[Hey this is Simon. Leave your name and I'll call you back.]   

So then I tried again.

[Hey this is Symon. Leave your name and I'll call you back.]  

I sighed and then realized he was most likely with the training group.

After the shower I made my way back downstairs and found Star waiting by the front door with a dark red T-shirt with the Spiderman logo on it and gym shorts.

I smiled at him before we made our way out the door.   

"Race? Yeah," I said, eyeing the boy and he smirked and started running ahead.   

He was a fast kid I'd give him that.

He ran fast and jumped over rocks, like it was no issue to him.  

I still beat him though.   

We made it to the clearing and I saw most of the group just getting there too.

Darren stood on the far side of the field with no shirt on and low riding blue gym shorts.

'Thank you Moon Goddess for this wonderful gift.'   

Darren and I had kept Star's presence with us, low key.

Not many people knew he was with us, unless they had contact with him, when he was with us.

A few of the pack members looked at him curiously but then just went back to what they were doing.

Knowing better then to stick there nose in something that wasn't their business.   

"Hey," I greeted Darren, when we finally made our way to him.

He nodded his head and my head drifted to the night before, when I felt his arm on me but I wouldn't dare bring it up, knowing how fragile our relationship was at this point in time.

"Has Simon been here yet?"   

"Simon hasn't been here all morning. He's normally here by now," Darren shrugged.   

I felt my heart jump and pulled out my cell-phone.

The voice mail notification hit me in the face.   

"Hey Silas. It's me. I... um... I don't know how to tell you this but I'm leaving for a bit. With them coming tomorrow... I have to leave. I know I should have told you to your face. I'm so sorry. You'll find out everything soon. Don't look for me. I'll be back. I love you Silas. Remember no matter what... I'm still your brother."   

"Silas. Silas are you okay? You're not looking well. Silas..." Darren's voice turned into an echo around me.

My heart dropped to my feet, as I relayed the message again and again.   

I couldn't think.

I turn around and bolt out of the clearing towards Simon's house.   

I swung open the door, hitting the wall, hard behind it.

Frankly I didn't care if I made a hole in it.

I ran throughout the house calling Simons name and getting nothing in response.   

I was frantic, looking in every corner, even under the sofa cushions, I didn't know what to do.   

Finally I stopped in Symons small office, a room across the hall from his bedroom.

It was painted a light blue, with steal desk in font of the window.

There was a bookshelf off to the side and a arm chair beside it.   

I made my way to his desk.

Sitting on it was a single book.

A medium size brown book with one word scribbled across the top in cursive.

Rodrick.  

I grabbed the book with shaky hands.

I could feel a presence behind me but I didn't bother looking.

I sat in the desk chair and flipped the book to the first page.

May 22nd 1914

I had to get a new book for this tale, for the new road ahead of me.

Though my journals are only three, I still felt the need to buy a new one with the new event going on in my life, plus my old one was starting to tear.

I should start from the beginning.

Today was a hot day and my father, Alpha Alphonse Claymore had decided it was best for Jeremy and I to go to town and pick up some supplies for the feast that was coming up.   

[glapplebloom]

Alt Title: Can we figure out who did it?

My Little Ace Attorney: Elements of Justice is a fan continuation of the original Phoenix/MLP crossover Turnabout Storm. Currently, Dash is on trial yet again and it's up to Phoenix to save her. Differences being currently its for poisoning another Wonderbolt Cadet and Sonata is the actual Defense Lawyer against Princess Luna. Though I will admit the series gives me some problems.

Luna is not being a good prosecutor, at least one that actually cares about finding out the truth. As of right now, she’s just trying to fit pieces together to make her side win without having all the possible pieces. But this is not a writing critique, it's a character flaw. After failing her last trial to save a kid, she’s desperately looking for a W and at this point doesn’t care about how she gets it, even going as far as attacking characters since she has no strong evidence other than her emotional drive to get a guilty verdict.

And this is a double edge sword for me because the day before Episode 3-5, I was in a Debate where Luna’s tactics won. It was less a debate and more “our side tries to explain why our series is better by explaining what it is all about while the other side mostly bad mouths Yu Yu Hakusho since it isn’t Jujutsu Kaisen in front of Jujutsu Kaisen fans.” So to make myself feel better, I’ve decided to take Luna’s role and see if I could figure out what’s going on before we find out, most likely in 3-9 considering how long the last trial was...

The Victim

What we know as well as Luna does is the victim and Rainbow Dash had a grudge with each other. Rainbow Dash believes Stream Line is a cheater. Rainbow Dash was seen exchanging juice boxes. Stream Line also collapsed suddenly. She was also suffering from the following symptoms: extreme levels of perspiration, a dangerously high heart rate, light-headedness followed by vomiting, and an overwhelming impression of anxiety.  And before passing out, she was mumbling something.

Luna saw the symptoms and immediately thought someone poisoned Stream Line and found Grickle Grass to have the same symptoms. This is despite the tox screening showing up negative. Now assuming there is no other fictional plant that will be made up that causes similar symptoms but more, let’s see what other causes could have those symptoms...

The first thing I found is a Panic Attack. It symptoms includes hot flashes/sweating (Extreme levels of perspiration), racing or pounding heartbeat aka palpitations (a dangerously high heart rate), dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea; (light-headedness followed by vomiting), and dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions like a feeling of detachment; (the hallucination). And with Anxiety being a leading cause of Panic Attacks, this fits the bill a lot better than Grickle Grass.

Another thing I’m thinking of, to go along with Dash thinking she’s a cheater, is that she’s suffering from Withdrawal. It varies from drug to drug but some of the symptoms include vomiting, anxiety, disorientation and hallucinations. Opioid withdrawal also includes perspiration and heart pounding. Same for Alcohol Withdrawal and probably others. And while they tested the victim, a thing they did not test were the juice boxes themselves...

The Poison?

Apparently while Dash only started drinking the stuff recently, Stream Line constantly drank the stuff. And only after Dash began to switch juice boxes that she was not as good as she was. Not to mention, in order to poison a juice box she would need to contaminate it with the poison. Something that should be more noticeable since, in Pinkie’s words, Dash is only medium sneaky. And while Luna proved Dash has the means to sneak stuff to the Wonderbolts Academy, she didn’t prove Dash did.

Spitfire stated they checked for contraband before and after the incident. Finding no evidence of Grickle Grass in either incident, Luna only had “Pinkie sneaked drinks to the Wonderbolt Academy Grounds” as her only line of defense with no evidence that she even knows how to make Grickle Grass. Because despite how easy it is to make, we still have no clue of the ingredients to make them. It's apparently exotic as well as uncommon, making the ease of its making moot in comparison. 

And if poisoning is the cause of it, the easiest solution would be to analyze the juice boxes. The ones in Rainbow Dash’s locker as well as Stream Line’s. If Rainbow Dash somehow got someone to make the poison and transferred it to the grounds via the juice boxes, then the current juice boxes should have the poisons in it since in order to have poison it and have nothing found at the Academy then it has to have already been in the Juice Boxes.

And... One More Thing...

Notice how her Tox Screening found nothing. Well, while Tox Screenings aren’t fully fallible, you know what gets a lot of false negatives? Benzodiazepine. But here’s another thing... Most Drugs usually get out of your system at most a week later. And according to the other Wonderbolts, it was during the week that Stream Line was looking less effective...

My Theory

Someone was contrabanding illegal stuff through juice boxes alright, but it wasn’t Rainbow Dash. Whatever was in those drinks gave Stream Line a big leg up, so when Rainbow Dash began to exchange them that’s when she began to not be as effective as she was. So what Stream Line suffered was not from poisoning, but Withdrawal. The symptoms weren't because there was something in her system, it was because there wasn’t anything within her system. So in truth, Stream Line was using enhancements to improve her own abilities and with them gone, she wasn’t performing well.

Am I right, I bet I am but only the future can tell us. Sadly, it won’t be for months from now...

[denimbex1986]

'The past few nights, I’ve been watching the latest version of Ripley (Netflix), starring Andrew Scott as a talented sociopath who robs, impersonates, and kills rich people. I found myself longing for the freedom of such an undivided inner life. This is partly the plan of Patricia Highsmith, who invented Ripley in a series of novels she wrote between 1955 and 1991. It was her plan we would identify with poor, seedy Ripley, who is suddenly invited into a world of gleaming gold rings and crystal ashtrays heavy enough to bash in a head.

Scott, who was the sexy priest on Flea Bag, plays Ripley with dead eyes. The rich people he preys on are tedious and snobbish, but still they are people, and Ripley feels no attachment or regret. That’s how his temperament allows him to chug along. But what about the rest of us, burdened with contradictions that can’t be resolved? On paper they sound wholesome and upstanding—complexity and all, being able to hold two conflicting ideas in your mind at the same time—but sometimes to live this way feels unbearable...

I’m thinking about Ripley. I’m thinking about the cinematography by Robert Elswit and the direction by Steven Zaillian. The eight-episode series is not only shot in black-and-white, heightening its noir atmosphere and steep, German expressionist angles. Most effectively, it works as a silent film, telling its story with the interplay of camera shots alone: a drop of unnoticed blood, followed by a cat’s face, followed by “red” paw prints on a marble step.

The show’s most brilliant set pieces are long, purely cinematic stretches. One is Tom Ripley’s murder of Dickie Greenleaf in a boat. As Tom tries to plan his next moves, he’s accidentaly tossed into the water. He can’t swim. Of course, he can’t swim. He hasn’t had lessons. Social class is always the subject here. The next thing Tom knows, he’s pursued by the motor boat that charges him with a charmless and zealous determination that matches his own.

In another brilliant sequence set in Rome, Tom mops up the blood spilled in his apartment from the head wound of Freddie Miles, his second, even more obnoxious victim. Then Tom carries the body to a car, pretending on the street they are drunken lovers, even kissing the corpse on the mouth. As Tom drives Freddie past the Collosium, his body keeps flopping against his shoulder in a bit of ghoulish slapstick worthy of Hitchcock. Back in his apartment, Tom realizes he has to return to the car to take Freddie’s passport and wallet out of his pocket. On and on it goes, building tension that’s strangely enjoyable, because it’s such a relief from the wooden, insincere dialogue the characters exchange. No one says a word of what they really feel...'