#fourth arc mood

[mortish-writes]

I gotta say I'm interested in how you are going to write the pregnancy and baby plot lines down the line as while you did say your going to take the birth givers personal perspective, I'm excited to see how far this rabbit hole goes. Most romance books I've seen (there's probably good pregnancy romance books out there but I haven't found it.) Either goes three ways.

One way: Wow lover of mine we are so in love that we must make a physical representation of our joy and love! Then boom mc is pregnant and goodbye character development because wow this baby is so cute and mc your a mom now so forget your hobbies and interests and anything that makes you interesting to read your a mom!

Two: Some time shenanigans later MC meets her future child or the children are magical toddlers or some combination of both.

Three: Mc or love interest is already a parent just widow so they already done the hardest part of feelings that come with pregnancy so MC is either heavily pregnant around the times she is ready to go to labor or already got three kids running around and male love interest is here to be the dad that step up or opposite where male love interest is sexy single father who needs a loving woman (or man because I've read gay romances) to help them care for their rebellious child making their family whole once more.

None of these options are bad but for me I hardly read the stressful and dark parts of pregnancy that are actually interesting. (I'm not a mom and don't want to have children at my own choice but I can't say I don't find stories with it interesting.) Like for example morning sickness that's not just morning sickness, or sometimes not feeling happy being pregnant, the new body changes, the stretch marks, the mood swings, the cravings and always feeling like you gotta pee, sometimes feeling helpless when before you could do things independently, etc.

Most books take away the pregnant person agency (I also read mpreg.) either for drama purposes or the fact the baby is so much more exciting so it's always sad to me because the pregnant person is more than just the baby carrier and should still have their personality and journey on their way to be more than just a mom or dad or parent.

A fourth and my personal most-hated: Oops, protagonist finds out she's accidentally pregnant and the father was a jerk to her in the last scene so she's just going to hide the pregnancy until their kid is like ten, then they're going to get back together and live happily-ever-after and guess what he's such a good dad, yay! Um, no, you all need therapy, not a second-chance romance arc.

On a serious note, pregnancy can be a really harrowing experience and a lot of people don't talk about it. I attended a weekly expectant mother's group and it was just an hour of us talking about birth defects, career anxieties, and all the ways our babies might die. I think a lot of that gets cut out of romance novels because it's just a little too real and can detract from the overall romantic vibe of the story. I intend to touch on the darker aspects, but probably not in gritty detail.

The main aspects I intend to explore in Bride of Shadows, at least in regards to pregnancy, is how the MC can learn to love a child that she didn't necessarily want and is growing in a body that isn't technically her own, as well as how her pregnancy and impending parenthood affect her partners. There will still be a lot of other stuff going on, but it will definitely color the narrative going forward once everyone finds out.

[usha-is-transgender]

@batmanisagatewaydrug 's book bingo update for February!

Coming to you late (again). This month, I added 5 squares onto the bingo board, and am now only one square away from my first bingo. Not bad!

--

Literary Fiction: No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

I went into this book completely blind, and I'm so glad I did. I had seen it floating around as a book people really enjoyed, and sometime months ago I put the e-book on hold at my library, swiftly forgetting about it as the long, winding wait list inched forward. The day I finally got the notification that I could borrow it was a lucky one. I had just finished a couple of longer sci-fi books, and was in the mood for a change of genre and a quick finish. Starting this book off, I thought it had an interesting structure and fun narrative voice, but to be honest I didn't think it would be any more than just a fun read to tide me over until I started something I was really excited about. That is, UNTIL! The protagonist has a major event happen in her life, and we are immediately swept into it. What I thought was solely a commentary on the role of social media in the modern day becomes a meditation on grief, and if there is one thing about me you should know it's that I will always eat up a meditation on grief. I highlighted a lot of lines while reading this, and going through all of them shows an arc in and of itself. The early marks are quippy, tongue-in-cheek comments concerning life in the age of the internet. The later ones are punches to the gut in their simple severity. This book surprised me in the way I always hope to be surprised when I pick up something new.

As an aside, it seems from reading through the acknowledgements that this story has autobiographical elements, which immediately made sense to me. I sometimes feel like a sentiment like this is overused, but I genuinely think this a case where it is clear that the author has personal experience with the kind of grief it is portraying. As someone who has myself unfortunately experienced an especially tragic death of a loved one, I am not exaggerating when I say that some of the things written in this book have brought me to tears not only when first reading them, but after every subsequent revisit as well. This book made me feel understood, and for an aspect of my life I so seldom feel understood about. It is an incredibly special feeling when something comes out of the blue and touches you so deeply. An absolute standout.

Sequel: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

This is the fourth and final entry in the Wayfarers series, and while reading it I was finally able to put into words what it is I love so much about these books. There is an optimism within them about the future and the capabilities of humanity to work towards a more just world that I have only ever felt before while watching early Star Trek. This is not at all to say that there isn't horrifying and compelling conflict present in this world. Neither Star Trek nor Wayfarers is a perfect sparkling utopia. There are actually some pretty heavy topics covered in all four books. The optimism doesn't come from nothing bad happening, but from the conviction that we have the capacity to solve these issues if we only commit ourselves to the difficult path of collaboration and equitable construction.

Now, I am someone who felt that my life was changed by reading I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream as a middle-schooler. I tend to gravitate towards stories of the dystopian and depressing variety. I like to read about misery. That being said, there is something very compelling to me about a narrative in which you can feel in your bones how much its creator believes that things can get better. That is what I feel when I read Becky Chambers, and I can't deny how invigorating it is when done right. These books don't feel to me like I am being preached to. They feel like I have happened to overhear a very personal conversation. Chambers' portrayal of a society in which many different aliens all live among each other, a society that has adapted continuously to make this possible, and a world that has moved past so many of the issues of our day while also inevitably running into structural problems of its own is immersive and fascinating. I'm sad that there's no more to come of this series, but incredibly excited to dive into this author's other work.

Fantasy: The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Something I love to do every once in a while is to make one of my weekends into a game. The game consists of searching my library for any novellas I'm interested in and then trying to finish as many of them as I can in those two days. The way you win is by finding a really good book and/or feeling accomplished with how you made the most of your weekend. This book was part of that game, and yes I did win that time. My favorite thing about this novel was the fun structure it had in which we are learning about events that happened years ago from a somewhat unreliable narrator telling stories of her life to another character. It gives the story this really cool feeling of being simultaneously so large in its scope while extremely confined in its actual space. The majority of the events happen in a single cabin, but the effects ripple through everyone living in the empire its a part of. I know that this is the first book in a series, and I can definitely see opportunities for expanding on the story in interesting ways. I have to say, I wasn't quite enraptured enough to run immediately to book 2, but who knows? Maybe this world will find its way into my weekend game again.

Indie Publisher: Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar

This prompt was a really interesting one to try to fill for me. In the process I learned that so many publishing companies that I thought had nothing to do with the big names out there are in fact easily found to be subsidiaries of the Macmillan Industrial Complex. It was extremely sobering to try three separate times to slot in a book I was reading into this square, only to come back after a google search once again foiled. I was actually surprised when I looked up the publisher for this book (Chronicle Books) and found no connection to the Big 5. I picked this one up not because I thought it would fulfill the prompt, but to indulge my guilty pleasure of learning about survival disasters.

Okay, I can't lie, this was a bit of a weird one. I was very pulled into the chapters set during the Dyatlov group's fatal hiking trip and the ensuing search for their bodies. What wasn't so engrossing to me was the equal number of chapters dedicated to the author's trip to Russia in the 2010s to visit the mountain they died on. Those parts frankly just felt stretched out to pad the page count. There were a couple interesting moments, but they would have been more impactful if that entire section of the narrative was edited way down. In case you're wondering, the book does make an argument for how exactly the hikers came to die in such mysterious circumstances, and it comes straight out of left field. Have you ever heard of infrasound waves? Me either. In his defense, it seems like the author was equally baffled by the concept when he first came across it, and he chronicles his conversations with a really big deal scientist about how it's totally possible. I am not at all qualified to judge whether his theory is scientifically sound, but it's certainly interesting if for nothing more than how bizarre it is.

Social Justice and Activism: Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis

I bought this book years ago with the determination to read more non-fiction, only for a receipt I was using as a bookmark to stay stuck on page 15 long enough so that increases in inflation that have likely rendered every price recorded there a historical artifact. I honestly cannot be sure if I would have ever gotten around to it without this bingo, which is exactly the kind of books I hoped I'd be reading when I started this.

There's not that much I have to say about this book other than it is a concise, wide-reaching, and persuasive case for the abolition of the prison. Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. I found it very useful for myself in that I was certainly familiar with prison abolition and some of the most well-known talking points surrounding it, but lacked a lot of the historical context and specifics of its perspective. There's also a great wealth of information to be found in the references section for potential places to continue my reading of this topic, another plus. It feels to me like an excellent broad starting place with suggestions for more in-depth works on specific aspects of what it tackles. Happy I read it and would gladly read more on the topic.

--

Overall, a whole lot of wins this month, and I'm extremely pleased with how the board is filling out. Here's to more great reads this year, and hopefully a bingo soon!

[deliveryboysomewhatequaltoheaven]

The Macaque Problem

I would definitely say Macaque's character is an issue for the show. His redemption arc is not good, and it brings down the other characters and takes up their time and arcs.

When we first see him in S1 and 2, he is an old frenemy of Wukong's bitter over an unspecified falling out. He is angry and lashing out at MK and his friends, projecting this feud onto them. He claims MK didn't notice his friends were gone, but we see him trying to call Mei, and that the others were resentful, but we see tang looking upset being forced to attack MK. Seems like a clear enough villain concept with some room forward right? But S3 and 4 derail that.

Chronologically, we can talk about the Brotherhood, (which he was not a part of in JTTW, and he complained abt being left behind in S2 but here he was?? Eh) He claims that Wukong pushed ahead without thinking or listening and that's what got him trapped in the mountain. But what do we see before Wukong surrenders to the Jade Emperor?

The rest of the Brotherhood trapped by the Celestial Army. We don't see Wukong fight the Jade Emperor. He was an immortal shapeshifter, I have no doubt Wukong could have escaped. But he turned himself in to save his friends. Was he in a bad mood in the mountain? I mean, yeah, but Macaque doesn't seem to consider that he's free because Wukong is not.

We still don't know about the final falling out and Macaque's seeming death, though S5 implies that Macaque pushed the situation. Still, it's not good, because if they can't properly resolve it, than it's just going to remain between them and Macaque's grudge against Wukong can't be properly moved past, which hampers his arc.

But then S3 happens, and honestly I think Macaque's motives are dumb. Why is he trying to get in the way of them stopping LBD if he also wants to be free of her? It's a positive for you! But they also start trying to portray him as someone who 'calls Wukong out' because S3 and 4 really try to make Wukong out to be a jerk. He made mistakes but it was a desperate situation against the Lady Bone Demon. I love Mei and Pigsy but they also call him out when they said nothing about the Fourth Ring/visions.

'You will make things worse for MK when I personally attack and threaten him and his loved ones for my own gain' OK Macaque!

But the S3 special is the real kicker. Macaque apparently changes his mind and we don't know why. They show some mistrust at first until MK says he knows Macaque is not a bad guy deep down... but doing one or two helpful things after three seasons of stalking, threatening, and attacking the gang doesn't exactly convince me.

And then this bit from the S3 special finale:

Uh, how??? Wukong is right, Macaque was until very recently willing throw everyone under the bus so he could get away from LBD. It's pretty rich that he would call Wukong self centered. Whatever Wukong did was trying to stop her and protect MK from having to deal with it.

In the S4 special, they also have Macaque talk about Azure Lion, and again I'm not sure why we are listening to him on characters' morality

Says the guy who wrote a play about how 'Sun Wukong is a big old meany who hurt my precious little fee-fees' if I never see or hear the hero and warrior monologue again it will be too soon but I will say he at least seems to consider he might have been wrong, though they don't really dwell on it...

Even in S5, we get this bit.

Once again, Wukong is right!! After 3 seasons of attacking and harassing MK I don't think he really gets to give advice. Plus WUKONG WAS TRYING TO TALK TO MK ABOUT IT RIGHT BEFORE THIS! But MK was not doing well emotionally and Wukong was trying to be mindful and not push!

And honestly I think they all let Macaque off easy for the S3 events, he literally choked out Mei and threatened to kill her! (Sidenote: he can call MK and Tang by their names, but Mei was just 'the girl' throughout S3... urgh)

But when Wukong gets mad at him, Macaque says "I didn't do this!" Well you forced the gang to do something that you didn't know what the consequences of would be! But Tang intervenes saying he did it, even though he awkwardly admits Macaque forced him but that he felt he should because of the golden cicada. Macaque later decides to leave the situation he forced. He later does help some, but doesn't really get held accountable for his part in everything.

But I guess it's fine bc at the end of the special MK gives him this drawing. This is actually kind of really upsetting and again makes little sense considering how much he and Mei care about other otherwise. But nah Macaque is cool now it's fine...

And Ao Guang! This is a tougher one, but in S5 they had Macaque let himself get sent to the Pagoda to buy others time... well I just say that's karma!

And Macaque comes back, of course, but we never hear more about Ao Guang. Even when they send the power of the Stones out, we do in fact see the East Sea Palace and the attendant, but not him, so his fate is unclear.

So yeah, overall, I think he was forgiven too fast, the root issue of his fight with Wukong unaddressed, and he takes up time from the others characters.

[hold-him-down]

The Fighter [18+ content, institutionalized slavery]: The system had started as a way to curb crime in the mid 2030s. Prisoners had been given the option to join the contracted worker system (slavery – but no one dared call it that), and years would be taken off of their sentences. Power leads to corruption leads to more power leads to more corruption. Ten years in, coercion was readily used to force criminals into the system. Twenty years in, rights started being stripped. Now, within a 60 year old system that has expanded beyond anyone's control, a U.S. Senator finds himself holding the contract of the favorite worker of one of the most powerful men in the country.

✥ Luke & Leo (Recovery Arc) �� 

You Can Help Him

Luke Visits Leo

Leo Comes Home 

The Doctor 

Leo Gets Sick 

Leo and Luke Talk 

Bathtub

Leo Gets a Haircut

Talk to Me

I Said Put It Down

Facility

Occam’s Razor

A Hand Carding Through his Hair

A Fluffy Blanket

Ice Cream Drabble

This One is For You

Christmas Lights

Sometimes 

Confrontation 

Not Ideal

Quicksand

Scrabble Rematch

28 Hours 

Get Out of the Car 

You Didn’t do Anything Wrong

There's Something I Want to Tell You

I Know it Wasn't Okay

Luke’s Nap Drabble

Please Don’t Let Go of Me

The Disaster Fundraiser: A Drabble/Introduction

Hey Handsome, Miss Me?

The Puzzle One

Bring Me the Collar, Leo 

Post-Nightmare Cuddles Drabble

One Day

Can I Close My Eyes?

Hospital Arc - Part 1

Leo Tells a Story

Do you Play It?

Panic Lemon

Saying I Love You Without Saying It

You Know Better (Seven Years Later)

I Want to Try (Seven Years Later)

✥ Before Luke ✥ 

It Looks Good on You 

Give Me a Smile

Emergency Disciplinary Form (18+) 

You're in a Better Mood Today

The First Time Leo Cried on Christmas

Don’t Do It Again 

The First Time (18+)

Get Off the Floor

You Look Cute

You're Turning Red

Nothing Permanent 

First Day with Parker Drabble (18+) 

First Day with Parker Drabble (Parker POV) (18+) 

He’s a Fighter (18+) 

Say You’ll Forgive Me 

The Shower Scene (18+) 

Don't Look at Me Like That

Embarrassed

The Second Time Leo Cried on Christmas (18+) 

Hold Him Down (Pt. 1)

The Third Time Leo Cried on Christmas 

I Got Something For You

Can I Kiss You?

The Fourth Time Leo Cried on Christmas 

The Key

What Can You Tell Me About Leo Evans

You’ve Been Selected for a Demo

A Small Mercy 

A Work of Art 

Please Don't

None of That

Strung Up

Try Harder

How Many Fingers am I Holding Up?

It’s a Book 

Hold Your Breath 

Ivan’s Rendition of ‘Tender First Aid’ 

Dislocated Shoulder Drabble 

The Defunct Prologue

This is Ridiculous

Waking Up in a Strange Place 

It Doesn’t Hurt, So It’s Fine (18+) 

Extra Content:

faceclaims, ask games, whump recommendations, etc.

the fighter tag - contains all asks/drabbles to date

five sentence fics - some not on masterlist

[theadhddimsenion]

Some ideas for helluva boss episodes and subsequent character development in season three.

First off my personal favorite of these it's time for "ghodtfuckers 2! Bethenny busts out!"

The episode starts out with everything going great for i.m.p they are bigger and better than ever and everyone is happy and content except for one and that oddly enough is the one demon who is almost always in a good mood and that is millie. She seems a little confused and put off by how much the company has grown and where blitz has never been happier and even stolas is in the best mood he's been in since last sinsmas but millie has concerns about the new reforms surrounding i.m.p's new clientele limitations and while she isn't angry with moxxie for putting forth the idea she is feeling pushed into a box with her pregnancy and i.m.p being reformed and there was even talk of giving up assassin work entirely in favor of bodyguard work!! And she doesn't like it one bit!

We cut to a half blind but alive Ronaldo crawling out of the pool he "died" and heading to the office of the now ruined one star wonder and cashing off some human urban exploerers so he goes to his desk and grabs the artifact he used to get to the human world and vows his revenge. He soon hatches a plan to lead i.m.p into a trap.

The first step of his plan is to put in a fake mission call to I.m.p and taking advantage of the fact that stolas doesn't know who he is.

Step two is him putting a personal request for millie taking advantage of how left out she was feeling.

The third step is while blitz and others are off on what Ronaldo assumes is a wild goose chase he will take advantage of millies mentally weakened state and remove her from the equation.

The fourth and final step is with the main mental support gone he can pick off the rest of the team one by one at his leisure.

However while Ronaldo's plan does work at first he starts wasting time tormenting millie saying stuff like "what's the matter little hick I thought my words didn't mean shit to you!?!?! Hahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahha!!!!" But eventually moxxie and loona show up and try and fight him off but Ronaldo isn't easily beaten and just when it looks like the end blitz catches Ronaldo's punch and the freaky fish guy panics as he can't get to the wild stallion of hell like he used to before blitz and a band of real ghosts finish him off for good.

Afterwards in a scene that mirrors ghostfuckers ending millie sits on top of the van and broods and blitz immediately knows something is wrong when she doesn't respond to her being wrong about the existence of ghosts and immediately goes to her. Millie vents her pain and frustration with everything, about how she doesn't want to be a housewife or a bodyguard and doesn't understand why blitz has suddenly started caring about humans and what other people think of him and blitz levels her explaining everything about his life recently and at the end tells her that if the i.m.p reforms bothered her that much he would cancel them and perhaps even gives everyone a raise now that he could afford to, moxxie reassures her that he will always love her regardless of her desicon regarding the child and loona mentions she likes having a veteran around to show her the ropes.

Veroskia gets captured by the dhorks and i.m.p has to save her. Or maybe she needs help dealing with glitz and glam.

Blitz gets one short with him just having a nice time with his family.

When blitzs arc is complete his ultimate reward will be becoming the first imp to ever unlock his full demons form and saving his found family with it.

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Season seven of RWBY is over with now. A little shattered and a lot terrified of the next two volumes.

- Love it when Weiss stands up for her friends. Especially for Blake and Faunus matters. Such flair incorporated!

- Nora wants dancing shoes. I want them for her.

- Pietro is Penny's father. This I know. That must make him Gepetto.

- Paranoid men in power are never good for anyone. Not sure what to feel about Ironwood.

- Mantle has a very dystopian sci-fi look. Am a fan!

- I forgot Blake's weapon doesn't have a big blade anymore. Perhaps Pietro can help with that?

- You can't say Penny doesn't know how to make an entrance. ✨

- Maria going, is she important somehow. For Penny... Cackling out here!!!

- Miss Calavera turning around and moving away once she hears all the charges against the kids is top notch. Queen of protecting her own peace. 🤌🏻

- Everyone is going to get a makeover. Following in the footsteps of Oscar!

- Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses. Robin Hood and his merry men. ❤️‍🔥

- Weiss has issues with her homeland. Hard relate.

- Winter and Weiss. Their hug had me in the feels. 🥹

- The Ace-Ops, Penny, and Winter know everything too. Okie.

- Another attempt at a satellite. My problem with this is, who gave Ironwood the jurisdiction to do with the Amity Colosseum what he pleases? Isn't it a joint property of every region? I can guarantee he didn't consult the rest...

- At one point in my life, I would have been all for Ironwood's plan. Letting the world know about everything. But now I feel a bit iffy over it.

- Ruby does too, it seems. They are withholding information on Ozpin and the undeafetable Salem. Hmmm.

- Ahhhh. So they will get Atlas makeovers.

- Weiss giving Ruby a hard reset after a member of the Ace-Ops apologises a little too well... 💖

- Ironwood just hugged Qrow. And all I can think about is him bugging Yang and Ruby's favourite uncle. I don't trust this guy.

- Weiss maintaining the best posture of them all throughout the Atlas tour from Penny is peak characterization! Even when tired, she must maintain some form of elegance.

- Watts and Tyrian are in Mantle, while Mantle is in ruins.

- All of the Ace-Ops are TOLLLL folks. NOICE!

- The staff of creation coming up with Monty Oum's credit... 👏🏻✨🫶🏻

- Bumbleby keeps looking at one another during every scene they possibly can. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 💖

- THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOOOOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!!

- Wait. Blake got a haircut AND her weapon has small yellow accents?!?!!?? Someone check on Yang.

- Team JNR with P's red colour for Jaune. ❤️‍🔥

- Arc looks more like a boy though. Youthful little kiddo. Saphron's baby brother. 😆

- Qrow cleans up nicely too!!!

- You don't wanna know the number of times I replayed Yang's awkward arse trying to compliment Blake's new look, while the Faunus blushes. 🫶🏻✨

- Ren doesn't want to flirt now, 'cause mission. Jaune is oblivious. Nora's irritated. I am living for everything here.

- Blake is out of it. Yang has noticed. Is trying to be there for her. 🥹

- LOVE the new upgrades. And Marrow's weapon.

- Bad luck and good fortune. Huh. Clover and Qrow.

- I see Nora and Ren in Elm and Vine. Just a little bit.

- Nora wants to be best friends with Elm. Already has a name picked out as well: Thunder Thighs. 😂. Is that a RWBY Chibi reference?

- Ace-Ops interview panel with fans. Who get disillusioned after learning these folks are not friends... Such mood.

- What do you mean Blake glanced at Yang when Harriet said it's just a job. That they don't confuse co-workers with friends...

- Jacques Schnee has a special place reserved in my own personal heaven.

- Team RWBY is Weiss' family. 🥹💖😭💯✨

- Please tell me Winter and Penny are friends.

- Hunter licenses, celebrations, Bumbleby selfies, and serious talk with Uncle Qrow. What more do you need? ...And it's only the fourth episode. Gods. I am scared.

- Jacques OriginalLastName and Arthur Watts. Match made in some gutter.

- Bumbleby ALWAYS PAIRS UP. Marrow wondering if they are suited well enough... And then being proved wrong about his doubts in the very next minute. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

- Also, that whole montage of their days at Atlas has my heart...

- Casserole mum's kid is embarrassed. Nora's sure Jaune's hair is making the ladies go crazy. 😂

- Ruby and Yang having sibling night outs while Weiss and Winter do the same. 🫶🏻

- Why did I just notice Yang has a purple little bandana above one of her boots? 🤯

- The return of Team FNKI! Neon's verbal hits still land well. 👏🏻

- Penny is the best. Clover and Qrow are bonding. Robyn is here. She is hot. I like her.

- Weiss and Winter bantering. 🤌🏻

- Winter is supposed to be the next winter maiden. Wonder how that will work out. Can't say she wasn't meant for it though... Wait. Is this like a running joke or something? Winter Schnee. Cinder Fall. Raven has escaped this I guess.

- I love the Schnee sisters. Jacques should just die.

- Am glad the rest of the Schnee members are not like him. Hopefully Whitley won't turn out like his father.

- Also, recently saw a post that talked about Mantle being treated like a throwaway space and how they had a similar situation in Arcane with Piltover and Zaun. I agree now. Does Robyn have a sibling?

- Blake and Yang looking hopefully at each other at the prospect of a night off... Date? 🫣✨

- Jacques has better things to do than win an election. That doesn't sound like him. I don't like this. What is Watts planning?

- Bumbleby is adorable. That dance move bit... AGHHHHHHHHH!!!! 🥹🫶🏻

- Weiss doesn't want to be a third wheel. You know it's bad when she agrees to a movie with an excitable kiddo like Jaune. Having Oscar there would help though.

- Ruby is going with Ren and Nora to Robyn's party. Huh.

- "Blake and Yang are off doing their own thing. Again." 🤩

- Nora wants Ren and her to be more than friends. Lie is worried. And probably scared too.

- Premature victory party for Robyn. The chances of this going well is extremely slim.

- Jacques is gaining in on her. 43%. Is Watts hacking into the polls?

- THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! RENORA ARE KISSING!!!!!!!!! While "tell me it's love" plays in the background. 💝✨💞

- Oh my Gods. They blamed the attack of Robyn on Penny. Fucking hell.

- From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows. This is fine. 👍🏻

- Folks of Mantle want Penny to be deactivated?!???!

- Is Lie really under Ironwood's influence now? Or is he just pretending to fall in line? Leaning towards the former and growing terrified over that.

- Also, since when did Atlas become this General's kingdom? He is very close to becoming a tyrannical ruler all the people claim him to be. Fucking greater good.

- Thank you Nora!!! The people of Mantle are important as well.

- Yang and Blake being able to have a mature conversation about everything taking place now, and all that they have been through already, is another reason why I love them so much. Beneath it all, they are friends first who trust each other. ✨

- Maria is back! Is Pietro okay? He has been coughing a lot.

- Watts was also Pietro's friend. Pretty sure his thumb is covering the guy's head.

- Penny: The Protector with a Soul. She has his aura running in her?!?? Holy WoWie.

- Robyn called Yang fisticuffs. And now wants a hand. Is her semblance seeing people's memories through touch?

- Ahhh. So it helps her know if the other person is telling the truth or not... "Handy semblance" -Yang Xiao Long. 😂

- Oscar and Ironwood's talk was nice. I hope it helps. This general really is just a big baby who needs guidance.

- Weiss will have to go back to the Schnee manor. Shite. At least she will have everyone there with her.

- "Sir, with all due respect, you would have to pay me." -Winter to Ironwood on smiling for the cameras. 😆👏🏻

- I think Whitley just wants his sisters to be there for him. Also, Klein was fired?!??

- Qrow is trying to let alcohol go. Awwwwwwwww!!! Much kudos for taking that decision and sticking to it too.

- Team JNR to the rescue! Weiss is free to look around now.

- There's a Jacques wall with his pictures and just one with Weiss. Then there's his wife's wall with her stuff and a portrait of Whitley. Oh Gods. They used their children to fight their battles too, didn't they? At least, am pretty sure Jacques did. I want to end him SO BAD.

- Well, Weiss is meeting her mother now.

- Did Winter just trade in one man who considered emotions to be for the weak, for another? It seems like it to me. Show her the way Penny!!!

- Thank you Willow, for helping Weiss now at least. Parents who let you down this much leave the worst scars behind.

- Weiss saves Ironwood! YAYYYYYY!!! Jacques, go down. And stay down.

- Oh my GODS. Weiss is arresting her father. Is this what dreams are made of? ✨

- Now they know Arthur is working for Salem. Thank Gods. This should help.

- Robyn is awesome. I am scared for Mantle. No heater in a cold that severe is a death sentence.

- Is Neo in the Schnee manor?! That butler... Fuck.

- Ruby and Oscar. Two kids cut from the same cloth. They are both adorable little munchkins!

- Ren and Nora are holding hands. Yang and Blake watch. Then look at each other. CUTTTEEEE!!!! 💖

- Atlas council plus Robyn, know of Salem now. Ironwood has been made aware of her undefeatable status.

- RWBY Raptor Grimm?! With wings. I knew this was coming but still. 😭

- Butler Neo and Cinder with a cape. Why is miss Fall still hot?

- Jaune's kid school route working for him against an unruly public. Gods. This show is amazing. 🫶🏻

- A humungous Grimm dying by its own tusk. That was an excellent plan. Great job Ruby and Penny!!!

- Watts is at Amity. Ah fuck. Ironwood vs Arthur... What Tetris western movie battlefield are they fighting in?

- "I will sacrifice whatever it takes to stop her." Ironwood said that. Yeah. I don't like the sound of this.

- Summer Rose lore. Like mother, like daughter. Salem is getting to Ruby. Holy hell. Is she okay?!?!?

- Weiss' face when she realises Ironwood sent Winter to get the Maiden's powers. It hurt something in me.

- Hubris of man. Ironwood. Fuck you and your self-preservation for Atlas.

- Team RWBY now knows Cinder is alive still.

- Why do just a handful of people get to decide who should be saved and who can't be? Why do folks who have already run themselves ragged still remain in power? Why is the greater good always brought into question when there's still a way? Why, why, why.

- I am going nuts.

- Ace Ops four against team RWBY. Just realised the former sounds like Aesop's. Of the fable kind. Huh.

- Oscar is nowhere to be found. His quarters have been shot at. Is he okay?

- Qrow is still trying with Clover. Awwww. At least Robyn is on the right side. Tyrian's commentary was funny, even though I am not a big fan of his.

- "My personal feelings don't matter." Good Gods. What have they been feeding the soldiers of Atlas? Winter. I love you. Please leave Ironwood behind. Listen to your friend Penny.

- "We are the best hunstmen in Atlas." // "You were. Then you trained us." ...It's guaranteed to be a good battle when the altercations start off like this.

- The Tyrian, Qrow and Clover fight is confusing. The fuck is going on here.

- Teamwork makes the dream work!!! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Bumbleby working so well together. WhiteRose with the critical assists. What a time to be alive.👏🏻💖🤌🏻

- Maria and Pietro arriving when team RWBY is doing clean up with the injured bodies of the Ace-Ops... has to be one of the funniest bits of the show so far. Even more so when Calavera points out that this is where they ask for the two's help. 😂

- Winter is smart. And kind. I wish she gave herself the same amount of grace and choice she provides Penny and Weiss with.

- Penny. Getting personal feelings. AGHHHHHHHH!!! Gods. She is one of the best characters to have come from this show. I love her.

- Clover's last words being "Good luck" to Qrow. How much more can you break a man? RWBY is going to test the limits of this question and am not sure I will like the answer.

- Cinder backstory? Atlas elites get on her nerves. What happened there. Hmmm.

- Winter's sword having a sword is forever an incredible design choice. I adore it tremendously.

- "My life doesn't matter." The FUCK. Thank you Penny for being there and being right. Someone sit Winter down with a therapist please.

- Neo knows how to fight. And how to use her semblance well. Kudos to her for that, at least. Charlie Chaplin vibes.

- Is Ren okay? Someone check on the best boy. Neo turning into Nora to get past him was brutal.

- All hunstmen and huntresses should require mandatory therapy. Make it happen. Fuck.

- I feel nothing now. Am numb. Just hope Ironwood perishes soon.

- Oscar will be alright. Right? ...Will Winter be okay?!??

- Penny is about to turn into a real girl. Isn't she.

- Winter. Please defect. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please...

- Ozpin's monologue on fear. Amazing. Fantastic. Incredible. Stupendous. And all those adjectives from that Lady Gaga gif. Chef's kiss, truly.

- Salem is here. With an Atlas of her own?! FUCKING FUCKITY FUCKED UP HELL.

- This was an experience. I am still reeling.

- Ironwood's shift hurts more because he had the potential to be better. He almost was. People were trying to help him. Watching it all be for nothing is a unique kind of torture.

- Fear. What a song.

- The Monty Oum memorial bit made me happy. After all that, it was heartwarming to watch.

(No spoilers. Or you will get charged for Winter Schnee's therapy. Hasta la Vista!)

[katieberry]

just got done with a stressful meeting at work and so to recuperate I'm ranking the Doctor Who Doctors on, would I?

"Daddy? Daddy" Tier

1. The Fourteenth Doctor - ofc. omg. have you seen him? The beard scruff, the glasses, he's so smart and just the way he's so confident and. aaaa. he's absolutely a top too which is absolutely a requirement and consideration on this list. this is specifically the 14th Doctor, not 10, who's not nearly at the same level. David Tennant aged like fine wine. Absolutely would.

2. The Eighth Doctor - okay, so!! most people know him for the TV movie, where, he's ok. he's fine. but not finnnneee. fast forward 17 years, Night of the Doctor, Paul McGann is back!! and look, just like David Tennant, age turned him into literally the hottest man ever. And his voice? and his composure?? he's the only Doctor to have a canonical erotica written about him, for good reason. absolutely would.

"Hear Me Out" Tier

3. The Seventh Doctor - okay. Is it conventional? No. Is he attractive? Not really.

But imagine the psychological play that could happen. Imagine the dirty talk. Imagine a dynamic with this man. His entire character arc is 90s writers wanting to make Doctor Who soo edgy and adult and make him a manipulative mastermind, and omg I'd let him play his little mind games and manipulate me and, would a relationship with him be traumatizing? yes. but if we just keep it to the bedroom? literally amazing. absolutely would

"It Depends On How They Flirt With Me" Tier

4. The Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison. this man is so pretty. look at him. he's so cute. I'm just scared he's a bottom, but if the mood was right we could have a night of really sweet vanilla and I'd like that a lot, he'd probably light candles and be all nervous and he'd be cute.

5. The Ninth Doctor - he's not specifically calling out to me as my type, but he's also not -not- my type? and his personality easily meets the energy I want to be brought to me. I'd just be scared he'd end up having war flashbacks and crying in the middle, but I'd be happy to hold and comfort him. would.

6. The Fifteenth Doctor - he's cute. Same as Nine, he's not like, I look at him and instantly go omg, but he's a cute man. and if he said the right words? would

7. The Tenth Doctor - so. he's not quite daddy, as David Tennant would later evolve into. but obviously the potential is there, and he's cute. so, would.

8. The Twelfth Doctor - yes, he's old. but he's also the best Doctor, and professors do something for me. I'd attend a lecture, and then who knows what might happen? would.

"Would Kiss at a Party" Tier

9. The Thirteenth Doctor - she's pretty. I'm not super attracted to women unfortch, but like I'm flexible and. if she made moves? would

10. The Fugitive Doctor - love her energy. frankly makes me a little gay. total top. I'd have her higher but I don't feel like redoing the image. would

11. The Sixth Doctor - look. he becomes SO SWEET in the expanded universe. is he super attractive to me? no. would i be his best friend? yes. and sometimes, you just kiss your friends at a party.

12. The Fourth Doctor - he's silly. a little deranged even. but i kind of like that. would after a few shots.

"Probably Not But He Can Be My Grandpa" Tier

13. The First Doctor - the sweetest most cuddly Doctor. people think he's mean because of how he's stereotyped, but he's so sweet after his first season. I'd love him to be my grandpa. I would love to listen to his stories and bake him cookies. would let him adopt me as a granddaughter

14. The War Doctor - a disappointment because writers are cowards who don't let us see him do war crimes. if we saw him in his younger years being all stoic and distant and committing atrocities, he might have even reached daddy status. but as an old man hours away from death, I'd still let him be my grandpa.

15. The Third Doctor - such a gentleman. so composed. he's just a little old for me, and doesn't have the acting chops of Peter Capaldi to overcome that for me. but would I let him be my grandpa? yes.

16. The Second Doctor - I'd prefer him as an uncle actually, but I didn't want another tier, and grandpa isn't too bad. he's funny. he's sweet. I'd be happy to be his granddaughter tbh

"Somehow the Least Sexy Doctor" Tier

17. The Eleventh Doctor - something about Eleven just makes me want to get a restraining order. would not.

"Doesn't Even Count and Also Wouldn't" Tier

18. The Valeyard - is not the Doctor. he's explicitly like, the dark side of the doctor, but absolutely a different being and not literally a future doctor. and also he's literally boring. it would be like having sex with my tax returns. would not.

that took so long I don't know why I'm like this have a good day ♥️

[0creativity0]

I love soundtracks and OSTs. Toby Fox was my fourth most listened Spotify artist this year, and I wholeheartedly believe that if Killua Zoldyck was a music, he'd be "Waterfall" from the Undertale OST. I listen to it a lot, and the thought of him comes organically to my mind everytime. I don't even like Killua that much, the music just sounds like him. It's layered the way I'd layer him, one step at a time, and it comes back full circle.

If I ever were to be asked one day to pick my favorite anime soundtrack without any time to think my answer through, I'd probably say it's 2011 Hunter x Hunter's. It's inherently good. It does some really good things when establishing the ambience, principally when it comes to the Zoldyck family theme ("Ansatsu Ikka no Yakata"), Leorio's theme ("All I Need Is MONEY!", hilariously fitting name by the way) and all of the background musics for the hunter exam arc in specific that are so spot on with the mood, and made me fall in love with the show. That and the amazing, showstopping, iconic "HUNTING FOR YOUR DREAMS", peak soundtrack, in my (and everyone else's) opinion. Most of the tracks from the Hunter x Hunter soundtrack though, really, I only like because they've grown on me, and not because I loved them from the get go. That's why it's not my favorite soundtrack.

I know that's a stupid argument, but hear me out;

My favorite album of all times, Portals by Melanie Martinez, I hated upon first listening to, because I was so used to her first three releases. It took me time to learn and appreciate it. It took me listening to it over and over again, imagining performances, learning to anticipate the beats. I didn't mind that process of discovery at all, in fact, it only made it better for me. In the same way, I haven't disliked listening to the Hunter x Hunter soundtrack as I get work done and coming across musics that I don't like that much.

While enjoying the show, though, I feel like it's sort of essential for the music to do it's magic immediately upon first watching. That's when I'll be discovering it, that's when I need for the atmosphere to captivate me, and there's nothing like good music to keep my attention on something. That's what the hunter exam themed musics did to me, and that's what had twelve year old me rushing out of bed all giddy at six in the morning to watch an episode or two before school. But the rest of the musics from the show lacked of that feel. Even those that were kept from the first season didn't feel as good afterwards, since they were so proper and attached to the first arc.

That said, I think there's only one anime soundtrack that ever pleased me right off the bat, and it's Puella Magi Madoka Magica's. Insane music. Everytime I hear "Sis puella magica!" I envision Homura, the witch mazes. I think Mami, I think Bebe, and I think this is so undoubtedly Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and it's why, despite not having any of my favorite anime characters, it's still my favorite anime. "Scaena felix" and "Postmeredie" make me nostalgic, like I was there with Madoka in that kitchen in episode one. And when I listen to the soundtrack, I have to stop any activity that requires reflection because even the most unassuming songs in there speak to me, bring me back to scenes and themes and feelings, and I can't focus in those conditions.

I've watched Hunter x Hunter many more times than I have PMMM, and I discovered it a long while before too, yet there a lot of musics on its soundtrack that are (IN MY OPINION) just so boring and, quite frankly, eh, so I don't remember them upon encounter. They do not elicit any sort of reaction out of me, and most likely never will. If they do, they'll relate to my personal life rather than the show, which is not what I'm looking for.

One thing that the Puella Magi Madoka Magica soundtrack does better than the Hunter x Hunter one in my opinion is the whole 'pretending this is a cute show and then breaking your heart' thing. Hunter x Hunter had more time to get those characters into your heart, so of course the impact was much more violent, but the music to go with it, in my humble opinion (please don't murder me), was kind of mid.

To be kept in mind is that, while in some aspects, its length was a disadvantage, Puella Magi Madoka Magica only has one season (twelve episodes, I believe), a movie, and a second one coming our way. They had it easy in terms of arcs in comparison to Hunter x Hunter, they didn't need to make as many songs with as many different atmospheres.

But overall, I think it's songs like "Signum Malum" that make Puella Magi Madoka Magica's soundtrack so special to me. The reusing of a now familiar melody with a fully different vibe and intent to fit the new narrative. Masterpieces, I'm telling you. Sort of links with the happy show facade that I was on about earlier.

Bonus points to PMMM because the cover for the soundtrack is a picture of our two lesbian queens, one so sentimental and heart shattering if you've watched the Rebellion movie.

All in good faith, though. And in no way is this meant to shame people who like the Hunter x Hunter soundtrack, obviously so do I. Everybody does. It's just a random opinion I thought would be fun to share, and I'd love to hear yours back of course.

[rabarbarzcukrem]

Black Rose Musical save me

So they're starting with Mikage's backstory? Interesting

Actually, I wonder how they'll go about showing that Mamiya was Anthy all along

Mamiya doing that quick spin with Anthy, and then Utena with Tokiko...

I love the "Burn" song, it does a good job at setting the mood for this arc

Ok we're getting a reminder of Utena's story and what happened in the previous musical

I love the way Saionji tosses his hair lmao. Cunty. And how he runs away with that pathetic "UaUaAaaaa!!". he's such a loser

I like how these musicals really want us to associate "the princess was wrapped in the scent of roses" not necessarily with Dios, but with Anthy. She appears every time this line is sung

Ooooh even during the "on the previous episode" part, Mikage and Mamiya are already watching everything from the shadows

Btw, Mikage's voice sounds really similar to the original in my opinion

The parallels between Mamiya and Anthy are so clear, "if you say so, senpai" = "if utena-sama says so"

Akio being introduced so casually when it's obvious that he's super important to the plot also reflects how it happened in anime

Utena/Anthy and Mikage/Mamiya parallels..Mmmm delicious

I looooove how the whole cast is gradually presented (one relationship by one) and then at the end there's Akio with Anthy. Such an amazing way to show the way all these relationships connect and mirror each other

This musical's theme song being about light, mirrors and never letting go of something that might seem like an illusion...huh...

The scenes simultaneously happening on the stage impact each other - Akio is talking with Utena in the tower, but at the same time pushes Kozue towards Miki. Only a stage adaptation would be able to portray it this way

Wait....No kanae?? :((((

Holy shit Mikage's songs have such a creepy sound with the choirs in the background

(Also Mikage pushing Miki, imitating what Akio did to Kozue)

THE ROSE STABBING SCENE. Intense as hell

The contrast between Kozue entering her Dark Era and Wakaba whining about exams lol. Isn't that a perfect encapsulation of the spirit of RGU. The tragi-comedy of it all

The choreography !!

I wonder if there's any significance to the fact that when the cast is standing still singing zettai unmei mokushiroku, Anthy is copying the dance moves of the supporting dancers

The fact that Black Rose duelists have the same skills as the members of the student council showed by having both of them fight Utena at once?? Clever

Also, power of Dios possessing the sword showed by Dios literally fighting alongside Utena

Shame that Kozue didn't do that dramatic falling on the ground thing after her rose got pierced

The egg being called "a cage of freedom". That's a nice way to put it

Saionjeans appears!!

I love shiori already

I can't remember, does Shiori call herself a prodigal daughter in the anime too? Either way that's something I'll be thinking about for the next few days

They did the blood sucking scene 👀 while Shiori and Juri's gay shit was happening 👀

Shiori thinking Juri was reaching for the boy, when she was actually reaching towards her...

Akio walking with the same posture as Touga did... HMMM

They even managed to keep the water motif !

Shiori's horrified expression when she sees her picture...The actress is too good

SHIORI AND JURI FIGHTING SCENE

How did they manage to make them even gayer??

Shiori and Juri taking off each other's roses AAAH

I love that Nanami consistently breaks the fourth wall, it's a perfect thing for her character to do

Wakaba screaming after being stabbed was so heartbreaking...

Akio throwing away that hair clip in the exact same way Touga did with Saionji's exchange diary. Once again: HMMM

Wakaba singing the lines from the first musical about the book she'd read, but this time with her voice breaking, on the verge of crying. I can't stand this

Saionji and Wakaba both singing about a prince on a white horse - Saionji mocking Utena by this, Wakaba actually idealizing Saionji. God, it works so well

Wakaba's duel broke my heart. The actress is so good at capturing the desperation and sorrow in her voice

For the first time Akio is implied to actually have been the one to give Utena the ring...and the way he grabs the supporting dancer and shoves him to the ground. He gives off such sinister vibes

The friendship song is both hopeful and sad because it proves what Akio said - Wakaba had her moment of happiness and specialness but then she had to go back to her normal life of the supporting character. And also because of the fact that while Wakaba and Utena keep singing, Anthy had to go meet up with Akio.. So even though it's heart-warming to see them spend quality time together, none of them really understand what the others are going through

This killed me

"Do you have someone important to you?" And we see the duelists with their black rose counterparts

I almost feel like Mamiya in the flashbacks has slightly different mannerisms that the one in the present impersonated by Anthy.

Mamiya with the candlestick literally SITTING on the COFFIN

"Is (Saionji) going to waltz his ass back in here?" Lmaooo

Did I just imagine it or did Mikage slash Utena on her arm, similarly to how she injured his arm before the duel

Is "Imaginary living body" playing?!?!? Hell yeah!!!

Mikage actually seeing Dios helping Utena fight? Interesting! That's something I didn't expect

I loooove the curtain falling and revealing the projector. That's what I mean when I say that a stage adaptation brings the best out of this anime. There are so many fun visual things like this

I think this arc must have been incredibly difficult to pull off in this form, without being able to do quick cuts and transitions that could be shown in the anime. But they did such a good job! Actually, they kept surprising me with clever ways of adapting the themes of the show to fit this adaptation. I was constantly impressed

The last thing left to say is. PART 3 WHEN

[aloneholy]

hi i love your blog :) & was wondering if you could recommend your favorite/the best sapphic n wlw media like shows books movies please? I have recently come to ... Realisations .. :') I do love picnic at hanging rock btw and also the similar vibes of the media that you tend to reblog. homeorotic energy w out being Explicity Stated it also very welcome <3 thank you if you can and i hope thats okay !!! have a good day :)

hellooo what a lovely question - thank you so much! i’ll happily rec some things i’ve loved, especially that i find homoerotic/wlw media that Compel me much harder to come by - and i agree, picnic at hanging rock is so unique.

books:

- zami: a new spelling of my name by audre lorde - an “autobiomythography” & maybe thee most formative book for me, in terms of wlw reading. i read it for university and it changed me as a person, changed the way i look at loving women. it’s beautiful

- nightwood by djuna barnes - if you like the more unsettling aspects of picnic at hanging rock, something lynchian and modernist, this is a dark and heavily abstract lesbian novel which i really love

- our wives under the sea - a really poignant and lovely soft sci-fi depiction of a wlw relationship, themes of grief, identity, loss etc. some compare it to annihilation though expect much less science fiction

- her body and other parties by carmen maria machado - a lovely (probably my favourite!) collection of short stories which often are wlw-centric or have a vibe. stunning prose in general

- hera lindsay bird by hera lindsay bird - wlw poetry, very fun and contemporary, what i call self-aware poetry

- mary oliver’s poetry!!!

- for biographies, anything about tove jansson….

- anything by virginia woolf will fit the not explicitly stated vibe feeling - mrs dalloway has a really wistful lesbian undercurrent, orlando is a love letter to vita sackville-west. etc. etc.

movies:

- persona (ingmar bergman) - thee movie. it’s Not explicitly stated, it’s feverish and desolate, but it’s both intensely homoerotic and a searing exploration of identity, existential dread etc.

- mulholland drive (david lynch) - again, unsettling vibes. not even gonna elaborate on it - it’s a david lynch - but it’s a must-see

- passing (rebecca hall) - a moody, poignant and beautiful adaptation of nella larsen’s novella (which is on my to-read list) about a relationship between two women

- the favourite (yorgos lanthimos) - recently rewatched with a friend, no notes. a bizarre, obsessive, thrilling story. rachel weisz is to die for in it

- kajillionaire (miranda july) - a tender and strange (affectionate) depiction of a bond between two women in unexpected circumstances

- thoroughbreds (cory finley) - what if murder was homoerotic, what if murder was a metaphor. in a way this is about every codependent friendship between girls that has ever veered towards obsession

- vita & virginia (chanya button) - a biopic abt virginia woolf and vita sackville-west specifically, people have very mixed feelings on it but i personally love it to bits.

tv shows:

- black sails - anne and max’s storyline in black sails is the most visceral and lovely wlw story i’ve seen in tv or film… there are specific tws i would heed for max’s arc in the first season which i’d be happy to elaborate on, but their story is beautiful

- first season of killing eve is still unmatched 😔 second is still quite nice, if not as good. third is hm. the ending scene has whimsy to it. never watch the fourth.

things my gf loves that i still haven’t read/seen:

- portrait of a lady on fire - i just know it will Get to me so i’m waiting for the right mood to watch it

- this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar & max gladstone - same reasoning!

things i’ve started but haven’t had a chance to finish yet:

- little blue encyclopaedia (for vivian) by hazel jane plante - a beautiful (but sad, and also about grieving, hence it’s taking me a while) trans wlw story. quaint and quiet and wistful.

[cabeswaterdrowned]

I've never watched pretty little liars but tell me about your favourite pll femslash.

Hi I think I wrote half of a response to this a while ago but it got lost somewhere… starting over so I’m such a multi shipper between the pll women that I think it would be more appropriate to tell you my top 5 rn.

Vandermarin —- (Hanna Marin & Mona Vanderwaal)

I tried to choose pics from the pll wiki gallery for each of these dynamics I thought encapsulated the dynamic and its gayness as well as two random images can. In this case the image on the left is Mona lovingly visiting Hanna in the hospital after Mona herself drove a car over Hanna, because they fought/Mona is jealous that Hanna has affection for people who are not her and also Hanna was too close to uncovering her identity as A the nameless faceless entity that badly wants Hanna to break up with her boyfriend and leave her friends and only hang out with Mona but we’re meant to think Mona is straight…. and the right image is after Hanna has found out Mona’s identity at the evil mastermind to her troubles but she’s still visiting her ex wife in the mental asylum, and lying to her boyfriend about it and the show plays every beat of this like Hanna is cheating on her boyfriend. Insane. They’re the love story of pll because literally if Mona wasn’t obsessively unhealthily in love with Hanna the whole plot of the show would not have happened. An undersung toxic yuri queerbait for the history books I seriously think it’s deeply misogynistic they don’t get their due in this department. 

Spemily (Spencer Hastings & Emily Fields).

This is so funny to me because these two images perfectly encapsulate the dynamic. Either they are soo in sync getting coffee for each other and detecting murders together and stabilizing/calming each other, or they are having the Messiest fights and bickering/getting on each others nerves like a married couple going through their third divorce. I joke about them being adansey coded for this reason, also there’s a dynamic of a class difference and Emily/Adam call out Spencer/Gansey for it similarly and Spencer/Gansey being protective towards Emily/Adam in a way the latter doesn’t like or feels infringes on their autonomy. Great stuff, I have a type. And speaking of..

Monison (Mona Vanderwaal & Alison Dilaurentis)

There are other gay pictures of them interacting but I chose the left image as Mona cleaning the dirt off Alison, the girl who bullied her, after pulling her out of a grave (Alison was buried alive this night and it’s a whole thing but not really relevant to this post) and they’re in a motel in the lost woods. There’s another scene from this flashback that’s Mona kissing Alison’s forehead but I can’t find a cap anywhere (I also couldn’t find a cap of her kissing Hanna’s cheek the homophobia). The one on the right is Mona’s shrine to Alison that’s in her evil lair girl literally was so obsessed with and in love with girl who bullied her and wanted to wear her skin and also for her to stop existing and also to be loved by her and then she made the love of her life Hanna into her own personal Alison doll… wild stuff. They’re also a bit adansey coded imo (and Hanna/Alison didn’t make this list but they’re rather Jordanessy coded imo). They’re also really gay for each other on the spin off which is not a good show but did give me crumbs. 

Spona (Spencer Hastings & Mona Vanderwaal)

Sometimes / in the past this has been no.3 I’m just in a very Monison mood rn so it’s fourth rn. The left image is of their psychosexually charged debate scene and the right is Mona trying to get Spencer’s attention at a political rally. Will say no enough of their really gay scenes are appropriately represented in that wiki gallery but I did the best with what I had. Overachiever x Overachiever but one is an evil mirror of the other,  the actresses have a ridiculous amount of chemistry, there’s a whole arc where Mona wants to corrupt Spencer and is furious when Spencer “turns her down” and seeks to ruin her life so she has no choice to accept her… another toxic yuri of all time. They’re also my two favorite characters on the show individually (although I love all six of the main women) so that gives an extra something special to their scenes for me. 

Arison (Aria Montgomery & Alison Dilaurentis)

left image is a flashback to them eating frozen yogurt together while bullying Mona, right is Aria’s hallucination of Alison that she has when her father’s girlfriend who looks a bit like Alison and who Alison wanted Aria to tell her mother about Byron’s affair with poisons her, again sadly there were fewer images in the gallery for them but. This is a really fascinating relationship to me and one I wrote a fic about that Imran quite proud of when I first got into pll a couple years ago. Aria is the only one of Alison’s friends she treats kind of as an equal rather than a subject or a rival, she’s very fascinated by the way Aria lives freely rather than at the whims of other people and Alison develops an alter ego that looks a lot like Aria, Vivia Darkbloom. She also gets into a relationship with an older guy while acting a lot like Aria and then this same guy (who is a predator and groomer but the show never addresses these dynamics as such L) goes after Aria after Alison’s death. Also Alison secretly took pictures of Aria while she was sleeping and hid them places and when they were uncovered her brother makes a comment about how Alison always hid things and it was almost second nature to her don’t remember the exact quote but it reeks of internalized biphobia to me (Alison is canonically a bi character it’s just that the show defines her as only gay for one girl which is Emily and straight for everyone else which is insane but we won’t get into that). Anyway. They’re really underrated and interesting. 

some honorable mention ships that I also love a lot: Sparia (Spencer x Aria, if I had done this a few months ago do think they would have a shot at top 5 I really love them), Spanna (Spencer x Hanna), Hannily (Hanna x Emily), Spalison (Spencer x Alison), Monaria (Mona x Aria), Emison (Emily x Alison this one is canon), Emaya (Emily x Maya also canon), Emona (Emily x Mona), Halison (Hanna x Alison), Aria x Jenna, Emily x Jenna, Aria x Alex Drake.

[justjudethoughts]

Writing update that's actually just an excuse to rant:

I have a insane number of half-finished Lockwood and Co fics that I work on at random times depending on which one I have braincells for.

As far as Narnia goes, I have been working on my most complex fic ever for 3 years. I am on the second draft, and have 0 idea what I'm doing because I have never formally drafted fanfic. I'm dying because I realized A Character who was previously absent kinda needs to be there, so I have been trying to integrate her into scenes she previously wasn't in. The chapters are WILDLY long and I don't know how to break them up better. I keep having horrible writer's block because I sit down to fix things, remember what I have to fix and to "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" and I am really, really close to wanting to scrap it but I absolutely will not do that because I finished the entire first draft so that would be stupid of me.

My other Narnia WIP is a collection of oneshots about Jill. Three out of about five are already posted, but the fourth one has been absolutely killing me, and I might need to scrap it and go back to the drawing board. I came up with that idea for that one a long time ago, and I'm wondering if I have sort of grown out of it, *but* the oneshot collection is supposed to read in such a way that there is a traceable story arc, which means that oneshot 4 is a pivotal piece in the 5 parts, and I'd have to replace it with something.

To make everything worse, I'm really in the mood to write Lockwood fics, but I know the longer I focus on that the more my brain will not figure out how to fix the Narnia stories, and I have been working on them for so long I really want to make more progress.

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

WAIT YOU'RE ALSO IN BSD FANDOM????? CAN YOU PLEASEEE TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTERS AND WHY PLS I'M GENUINELY INTERESTED!

Yes, I'm also in bsd fandom but I'm active about Tokyo Revengers on Tumblr and, so far, I doubt I'll be posting any bsd character x reader hcs/one shots here at all. Just saying in case.

Now about my favourite characters. (I won't write paragraphs about them tho)

1. Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I know that because of recent chapters, a lot of people might dislike him now and they probably do, which is understandable but personally, I love his entire character a lot and I can talk about it for decades and never get bored. He's such well written villain that I want to thank Asagiri for creating him. And I'm really excited to see more about his character and especially his backstory. I do find him relatable to certain level but no, I don't kin him. Anyway, he's my number one favourite character in Bungou Stray Dogs.

2. Ayatsuji Yukito

Many don't know him, unfortunately. He's from Bungou Stray Dogs spinoff/Gaiden. Ayatsuji Yukito is one of the smartest detective and is on the match of Ranpo. He's smarter than Fyodor and Dazai. But I don't find his smartness as appealing as his entire character in general. Like what do you mean he has entire collection of antique dolls? What do you mean he talks to his cats? What do you mean he killed 2 billion peo-- He's really amazing and admirable. Many might think that he's heartless at first but he genuinely cares about his allies/friends, he just shows it in different ways and not straightforwardly. I'm literally in love with his character and that's final. He's my second favourite one.

3. Nikolai Gogol

I'm sure plenty of people will agree with me that Nikolai is rather complex character but that complexity is what makes him likable to me. I can talk about his character for decades and just how much I relate to him and on extremely deep level. He's seriously one of the best Bungou Stray Dogs character ever made.

4. Lucy Maud Montgomery

I love her so much and I also relate to her on some extant level. It's true that she doesn't get much role in the plot (if bsd even has it atp) but the guild arc had big impact on me, especially because of this girl.

5. Akutagawa Ryuunosuke

Okey, I genuinely LOOOVEEEE his character so much. I feel like he might even be fourth my favourite but I decided to put him on fifth, probably because of my mood. His character development, his character's goal and his entire character in general is very relatable and also very well written. If you haven't noticed, I love well written characters and Akutagawa deserves place here. I will never shut up that he probably found another reason to live besides Dazai's acknowledgement in newest chapter and how he's protector by nature.

6. Tsujimura

The BEST female character I've seen (probably after Lucy). Not only is she relatable but also so well written. She's just so human in every possible that I think lot of people will find her relatable in one way or another and she's also very easy to like. No, she's not pick-me or blue Higuchi. She's one of the best agent of Special Division For Unusual Abilities. She has strong morals and values and I absolutely admire that. Aspiring to be like her.

These are my top 6 favourite characters that I'll forever love no matter what. My seventh is probably Kenji Miyazawa but I'm too lazy to write more! I also love Atsushi but I'm very bothered by the fact that he doesn't have a goal, which just makes the plot very confusing since he's a main character.

And no, I don't like Dazai at all. He's my first hated character^^

[kadextra]

another orv longpost is here 🕺

(again huge spoilers for the novel don’t click if you haven’t read)

since my last one of these, I have completed reading the demon realm revolutionary arc >:D

now lets get some miscellaneous thoughts out of the way before I go into analysis

THAT SCENE FROM AGES AGO WHICH I BARELY REMEMBERED FINALLY REVEALED ITS PURPOSE!!! MY JAW DROPPED. thank goodness fatherhood has made han myungoh way more likeable 🎉 he’s so soft & doting about his daughter <3 I want their little family to reunite go away asmodeus…

b i y o o.

I have noticed that the author loves to use the phrase “cold water poured over [the mood]” and that’s sooo accurate cause I felt exactly this way when dokja opened the 1st revision of TWSA and found it became an account of events influenced by his involvement in the story & is set after his future death. chills.

when dokja was legit about to die after destroying the demon duke guy in the big factory monster my heart was racing too. then joonghyuk came with the save last second :’D

the part where he described his senses after re-entering the scenario, the story embracing him, changing his breathing to feel alive again, and how that frightened him. ohh my god…..

also neat to see how the fourth wall helps practically too :D like when dokja was all mentally scattered and couldn’t think straight it helped by putting the pieces he already knew together for him

-

now onto some analysis dissecting dokja’s behavior :))

multiple times I’ve read how he hears a shocking thing and instantly goes like “I thought it was an auditory hallucination.” his first reaction to unbelievable stuff is believing that it’s not real. his power literally disassociates him it makes complete sense to react this way, good detail

it’s cool how he will be like ‘I think this’ then the fourth wall goes [Kim Dokja is thinking this]. sometimes it’s a helpful expansion of those original thoughts, or vice versa with dokja continuing off what the fourth wall says first

but it can be that the two lines of thought presented aren’t alike!! so I have had to read deeper into what he’s really thinking/feeling :D

through that, it is becoming way clearer to me in this story how some things dokja says & does are contradictory with what he himself narrates. it’s something that needs my closer attention while reading bc otherwise I could get fooled, he’s an unreliable narrator

sometimes he feigns disinterest when all signs in the dialogue point to him being emotional, or he puts on a confident narration but then the fourth wall or his actions exposes insecurity. sometimes he straight up has no idea why he’s acting certain ways -which I try piecing together- and occasionally he fights with himself too

these lines show that stuff pretty well

It was a reckless battle. It was uncharacteristic of me and I didn’t know why I acted like that.

No, don’t think like this. Kim Dokja, please wake up. You’ve survived so far thanks to this novel.

I wanted to ask why he came here. I wanted to ask what he would do in the future. However, completely different words emerged from my mouth.

I smiled slightly while covering my eyes with both hands. I didn’t appear so on the surface, but I wanted to say that I was smiling.

he was absolutely crying in the last one I know it

not my first rodeo with unreliable characters I love them <3

lastly, dokja was more desperate in this arc than I’ve ever seen him before. I saw how he started to get more troubled as it went on, but ofc the constant painful disintegration didn’t help 💀 the 1st revision.txt is useful with figuring out what to do but it’s sorta vague, he’s still anxious

that’s why I LOVED the writing on the wall conversation with jang hayoung.

it delved into those stresses and had him trying to think of a way to move forward. probably one of my most favorite discussions in the story thus far

I had to write something on this wall. This is despite the fact that it might change what has already been written…

I didn’t want to be a person who only read.

I had been acting as a reader the whole time. In order to see the ending I wanted, I had to create a new story. In fact I had already warped reality.. I just didn’t know yet who would read it.

👏🔥👏💯🔥👏💯🔥👏

a person who doesn’t just read, but writes too… so curious to see what he does now especially since he doesn’t have multiple lives to mess with

wow long ramble but I love love deep diving into stuff I can’t wait to see more cool things as I go on <3

if you wanna see my other rambles about orv check my tag #kade reads

[rocket-sith]

Q GOT TIRED OF MAKING ROBINHOOD LARPS SO HE DECIDED TO OPEN FOUR DIFFERENT CHRONO-TRIGGER SAVE FILES AT THE SAME TIME INSTEAD, but only one needed further progress (non-linear progress of course), two were already complete but were saved in the wrong place and missing a sidequest (lol time being non-linear what?), and the fourth was a big ol' sparkly decoy, a glitched file of nonsensical bits n bites, alluringly named Picard, that nearly crashed the game and took everything with it while you were busy looking for continuity in all the wrong places.

Behold! Season 2 of Picard, AKA Facepalm Theater Presents, AKA "Dude, where's my Tapestry?"

Love it, hate it, WTF it, or some should-be-impossible combination thereof - but somehow, you feel it. Are you in one or both of those last two camps? Yeah, me too. But I think I might have a theory. And no, it's not bunnies. (I rambled a bit about this somewhat in the A/Ns and comment thread of one of my fics a few weeks back, but the proper brain dump belongs here).

Season 2 of Picard is neither episodic, NOR is it one major overarching story with various sub-plots. It's FOUR overarching major stories, well-conceived in theory (mostly), but thrown together as gracelessly and incoherently, with the same abundance of panic and lack of transitions as the night-before-it's-due school essays we're all so painfully familiar with perpetrating. (Admittedly, a lot of us got pretty good at being zero-hour coherent by the time we got to high school, but apparently, this skill does not translate to timetravel via stellar slingshots and demigod trolls.) So that leaves us with - 

Picard Season 2: A Trek in Four Acts Loosely Disjointed and Sloppily Squished Together Parts. Feast your eyes, rub your temples, and buckle up. 

CRIS AND THERESA'S WILD RIDE: (Love story, social commentary, classic Trek shiz focused on the more touching/emotional side of temporal shenanigans.)

RENEE PICARD'S TIME HEIST AND EVEN WILDER RIDE:  (Classic Trek shiz, classic time travel fuckery, focuses on the more action-packed side of temporal shenanigans.)

THE RED HERRING, AKA THE ROCKY HORROR PICARD SHOW:

Supposedly the main plot, but really a completely ridiculous distraction that's the narrative equivalent of dumping sand in the snowglobe and violently shaking it up. Captain Picard takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque and has to go do the Timewarp (again) in some creepy old castle so he can be magically transported back home. Yeah, okay buddy, just don't forget the teddy and the TP rolls to throw around the theater.

Cut this entire arc out, and the season improves substantially in both enjoyability and coherence. (I said what I said.) If any of the four major threads don't belong, don't move the story forward, and only serve to muck things up - it's this one. It's not so much an arc as a collapsible squiggly line that looks like it might go somewhere but never does. Great if you're drunk with a shadow cast and some floorwalkers. Not so great if you're actually trying to figure out WTF is going on. 

TAPESTRY RIDES AGAIN, AKA GRAND THEFT BORG QUEEN LOS ANGELES: And now for the main event, which was literally announced as such in one of the episodes, by two people breaking the fourth wall who were probably the LAST people anyone was expecting to break the fourth wall: Seven and Raffi. So naturally, we viewers took it as a couple of throwaway comments and cute banter to lighten the dark/intense mood of all the other crap. Yeah, oops. We can't say they didn't warn us.

At one point the two of them are joking around, talking about how they're the main event, and all these other side stories are just side stories, but...yeah. Looking back after S3, that was not a joke, and it goes above and beyond the call of foreshadowing. It was a flat-out tell, and with ALL the potential fourth wallbreakers in S2 - Q, the Borg Queen, The Traveller, the Long-Lived Alien Bartender With Multiple Mysterious Powers, The Temporally Flexible Romulan Spy Of Dubious Origin - if somebody's gonna spill some futuristic tea, it's gotta be one of them, right? RIGHT? Nope. Seven and Raffi snuck in the back door.

Basically, the Grand Theft Borg Queen arc was Tapestry, but for Seven (and Raffi and Jurati to an extent). Jurati and Raffi were, IMHO, initially intended to be pieces on the gameboard, not players, but they made themselves into major players. To what extent Jurati's involvement in outsmarting the Borg Queen was meant to be a challenge for her by Q, or part of Seven's trial that Jurati unwittingly assisted in IDK, and ditto Raffi's major role in all the aforementioned drama, but either way - Seven finally accepting herself the way she is, Borg hardware and all, was a direct, not even subtle parallel to the TNG episode Tapestry. 

The most direct link is the scene in Tapestry where Picard realizes he'd rather die as his true self than live as his other-universe self who "corrected" the "mistake" that led to his artifical heart. Seven accepted that she would rather live as her Ex-B true self than die as a fully organic human, and in doing so, passed the test. 

And Jurati and Raffi played no small part in that realization, and passed their own tests in the process - with Raffi embracing Seven (literally and figuratively) while resisting the urge to manipulate Cris out of choosing his own fate, and Jurati outsmarting and merging herself with the damn Borg Queen to protect humanity and her friends. Seven passed the Q Troll test with flying colors, and Raffi and Jurati did too - giving us Elnor and a benevolent Borg Queen in the future as a result. (Q is totally one of those teachers who gives his students rewards for passing the Big Test.)

Fire up S2 of Picard, get your Fast Forward button ready, and follow the Grand Theft Borg Queen: Los Angeles arc and ONLY that arc. Skip over every single thing (other than Q monologing, as that's the one common thread) that doesn't have Seven, Raffi, and/or Jurati. You'll get an entirely different experience. It's Tapestry, but for Seven, and with different tests/opportunities for Jurati and Raffi. (And they all pass). 

Now do it again, but FF anything that ISN'T either part of the Renee Picard Time Heist plotline or part of Cris and Theresa's story. You'll get a classic Back to the Future, MCU, Reset the Timeline, Poke-An-Alternate-Reality's-Doom-Destination-With-A-Stick style story. And they all pass too. Cris and Theresa get their happily ever after and punt the primeline forward through the next generation of temporally paradoxical, adopted and found family members. 

As for the BS at Chateau Picard? It's all a decoy/charade. So come in costume, bring plenty of shit to throw, and chug the wine. You'll need it. 

[bookaddict24-7]

2024 Reading Goals!

I'm always a bit more lax with my reading goals because I never really know how a year is going to treat me--the last thing I need is stress over my reading (which is admittedly my biggest escape from life). BUT with that being said, making some goals that aren't set in stone is always a fun exercise!

Eleven Reading Goals I'd Like to Achieve in 2024:

Read at least 250 books. (I listen to a lot of audiobooks, so this isn't usually a major stress factor. Even if I wanted to read less, my reading addiction wouldn't really allow it. When I'm not reading, I'm thinking about reading. It's just who I am. BUT keep in mind that this is my goal based on my reading habits. everyone has a different reading habit!)

Finish, or nearly finish the Sookie Stackhouse series. (Of course, this is super dependant on when I get the audiobooks from the library LOL.)

Finish the books on my desk. (I have...a few started books on here. It's cluttering up the space and I feel like I just really want to read them but I'm a mood reader, so...)

(Fourth Wing is a re-read that I was annotating and dropped when something new came out and my attention was stolen away.)

4. Read a few books from each bookshelf of my bedroom. (I already went through the shelves last week and assigned myself a handful of books or so from each shelf for each month of 2024. I just want to specifically target some of the books on my shelves to encourage myself to read more of my owned books. Maybe I should share that progress on here to keep myself accountable. Hm...)

5. Continue to DNF books I don't like. (This is a practice I've been using for the last couple of years, but I also want to remind anyone reading this that it is OK to put down that book you're not vibing with. Life is too short.)

6. Read more formats, not just audiobooks. (I LOVE audiobooks and owe them so much. But I also do sometimes miss having the attention span to read physically. I read a lot more physical books in November & December and I loved it. Also, I pay for KU, so I might as well use it more in 2024.)

7. Try to buy less books. (Seriously, I've gone off the deep end in the last four months. I need to rein it back in. Maybe I should keep a monthly track of it to remind myself not to do the book buying thing as much.)

8. Diversify my reading even more. (Pretty self-explanatory, I think.)

9. Continue to review every book I read this year. (I've been doing this for the past couple of years and it has felt both a bit overwhelming and super rewarding. I love that I can look back on these last few years and read my opinion of whatever books I read during those years.)

10. Unhaul more books. (Life is too short and my shelves are too full to keep books I felt meh about, or don't think I need. Trust me: the first unhaul is the hardest, but after that, it's a little too easy to unhaul books.)

11. Read more of my ARCs. (They are currently staring at me from their designated shelves. I WILL read my very old ARCs at some point in my life, hopefully some will be in 2024.)

___

What are some of your goals for 2024?

___

Thank you for being with me throughout another year of book blogging and post sharing! I hope everyone has a fantastic year full of reading and good health!

___

Happy reading!