#her older sisters protection which is largely how she is already viewed in fandom

[the-greendalehumanbeings]

Thoughts on Edwina’s Characterisation:

imo book!edwina kind of read as tragic in a way even tho that definitely wasn’t JQ’s intention. she is meant to be one of the smartest people in the room, yet constantly has to moderate her thoughts and opinions in order to play the perfect debutante. none of her suitors,especially not Anthony, really knew her or actually wanted to know the real her. I don’t think she would have been as outspoken or even as bold as kate. but she very clearly read as a woman who had long since learned to mute or mellow her personality. she has had to tame the parts of her that weren’t demure or polite. largely bc she knows that it’s how she needs to act to marry well to help her family. but also bc of the societal pressures on her. everything about her felt like she was play acting the role of the perfect debutante/lady/trophy wife. it felt very real and that is what made her feel tragic.

i remember reading a quote somewhere saying ‘a woman's first blood doesn't come from between her legs, but from biting her tongue’ (no idea who said it originally), which honestly fits Edwina (atleast how I see her) to a tee. if I’m being honest i don’t think the show will really explore this. largely bc it seems that in the show, edwina is a romantic wanting true love and not a girl who would had to marry well for her family.

i hope her relationship with kate is done better tho. i understand edwina wanting kate’s approval but i found it hard to believe that an 18 year old would be happy to be managed/hovered around to the level that the show seems to suggest. tbh though i get the feeling that this fandom will not be able to handle any real conflict with the two sisters without making Edwina out to be ungrateful or in the wrong. or constantly complain that their sisterly bond was ruined by the writers. instead of it you know being a very normal thing for siblings to do.

[romansrace]

Season 13 Sassy Reviews - E1: The Pork Chop

Salutations! Here we are with a quick run of episode 1 - which we can all charitably say was a hot mess, right?

The queens gathered, split into pairs - and one three (would it be Drag Race without one ill-thought-out extra large or extra small team?) to lipsync for their lives in Episode 1 with... no eliminations, because the fandom loves a no-win no-elim premiere, amirite? ...

And of course with this format where they could go all out with gaggery, the producers of course chose... to protect their favorite queens at all costs and clearly signpost to the audience from the first minute exactly who they want us to care about and root for.

Is this the moment the show jumped the shark? Full lipsync review after the jump.

First lipsync is between obvious Vanjie/Shangie-esque life and soul of the party Kandy Muse who blasts into the werkroom with energy at 11, and self-described ‘filler queen’ Joey Jay who boasted in her Meet the Queens of never wearing a wig yet showed up looking like 2001 Christina Aguilera in her entrance look and a notably more subdued 2021 Pink in her confessional.

They lipsync to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe. Joey gives us all the right showgirl tricks and follows the song hitting every beat and word, while Kandy plays up a schtick and comedy with a few dance moves thrown in for good measure. All in all, it was a pretty equal start in my view from two queens neither of whom are likely lipsync assassins. However, the producers had a different idea, and Kandy is given the first shantay while Joey sashays away.

The second lipsync features ice skater (did you know she skates? It was only hammered home about 8 times in the 3 minutes of screentime she got) Denali vs dancer and seeded-not-the-best-look-queen LaLa Ri, who is very high energy in the confessionals compared to Denali’s slightly more subdued and cautious remarks. Want to guess who wins without even watching it?

Yes, once again, despite Denali pulling an amazing performance out of the bag to the PussyCat Dolls’ When I Grow Up in full-on ice skates on a normal floor including  a Naomi-Smalls-esque full body back bend and a cartwheel, you’ve guessed it, the louder confessional queen wins the second lipsync too, and Denali is sent out back to the loser queens’ holding room.

The third lipsync is between young look queen Symone wearing a dress made of photographs of herself (choices) and cancer-surviving well-established queen mother Tamisha Iman. They’ll perform to Janet Jackson’s The Pleasure Principle. To reiterate, a young, confident, beautiful looks queen - who is friends with Gigi Goode, from the last season - versus an older queen who has been doing drag for 30 years and has tried to get on many years previously. Gosh, wonder who the producers will favor.

If you guessed Symone... you’d be right. Despite Tamisha giving us a near-perfect rendition of Janet-esque choreography with handography the house down boots in a Janet-esque colored suit with shoulderpads, the shantay goes to Symone for...I guess waving her hands in the air a bit and strutting. In truth, Symone did not do badly in the lipsync, but did she win it? Not in my book.

Our resident two kooky queens are up next; Gottmik who is inspired by clowns, and Utica Queen who is inspired by colors and patterns mixed up and blended together. Gottmik is also the franchise’s first trans man competitor.

The two queens give it all they’ve got to Rumors - by Lindsay Lohan. This one’s pretty even, but of course, there was no way they were going to let RuPaul eliminate a trans contestant on the first episode after her past controversies - although, given the number of contestants, a double shantay would be perfectly doable AND would probably build early rapport between the pair - so it’s instead a shantay for Gottmik only and a sashay for Utica.

Fifth lipsync with only one to go gives the floor to Rosé, the drag sister of Jan, from season 12, and Olivia Lux, a young queen who admires and has always looked up to Rosé. Does anyone smell a storyline here?

Rosé is asked by the judges before the lipsync - to Elle King’s Ex’s & Oh’s - starts if she expects to do better than Jan did. Ru has a nasty twinkle in her eye that suggests that no matter how Rosé answers, she’ll make sure it doesn’t come true. Once again, Olivia and Rosé perform quite evenly matched. Olivia arguably gets a bit more into the song, but equally, she breaks into some non-drag-esque air guitar moments that previously saw contestants like Yuhua Hamasaki eliminated. In any case, once again, the typical happens, and it’s bye bye to Rosé while Olivia is given the win.

And finally, we have a three-way lipsync, and the first time I was personally even a little gooped because this resulted in only one queen winning rather than only one sashaying away, meaning that as of the end of episode 1, Season 13 has eliminated over half of its cast. Choices. (Although as if they won’t be back in some way...)

The final three queens into the werkroom are the slightly wallflower-esque yet shady Kahmora Hall, confident-but-perhaps-deluded Elliott with Two T’s, and the big girl winner stereotype the show has clearly been trying to capture for four seasons now, hostess, actress, and comedy queen Tina Burner, a mainstay of the New York drag scene.

Lady Marmalade is the lipsync song this time. Kahmora is a little outclassed by the other two, Elliott especially, who pulls out a number of tricks, flips, and a full side split - even in not the best outfit for the showgirl classic in her half-tank and cargo pants. Tina Burner holds her own with a comedy lipsync playing on her height and age, but it’s quite obvious that she would have been given this win almost no matter how she did. And she does - shantay you stay Tina Burner, and you other two, get off my stage! - was the vibe.

And so we go into episode 2 with six of the 13 queens clearly marked out as The Winners. Do we need any clearer demarcation of who the producers’ favorites will be this season? Is that guaranteed the top 6 - or maybe, at least, most of the places within the top 7 or 8?

I’d love to be gagged by changes as the season goes along, but this premiere had an almost-but-not-quite self-aware vibe to it that left me feeling uneasy in a way I haven’t since season 11. The eliminated queens looked - perhaps unsurprisingly, given the stressful nature of 2020, when this was filmed - genuinely devastated to be put into the losers group on their first episode, only to be told that they can only save themselves by Survivor-esque voting off themselves one of their number - a trick that works better on All Stars because we know by then all the queens competing are wealthy and already well-established, and have just come back for the game, rather than to make or break their livelihood.

I’m very cautious as to how this season will go now, and, to be honest, it’s not quite a death knell, but this did feel like the first steps into a new - and not necessarily better - era for the franchise.

But on the plus side, after this episode, I have a new and unexpected fan favorite queen - Justice for Tamisha Iman!

[sprinklesandsugarcubes]

Pick Your Poison: Part One

Fandom: Riverdale Pairing: Malachai (Ghoulie Leader) x Fem!OC (Faelynne Penthia Jones) Rating: Mature/Explicit Warnings: Language/Cursing, Slight Violence

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She pulled on her arm, squirming in the firm grip, hissing through her teeth when the fingers that were digging into the soft underside of her elbow only tightened, no doubt bruising her pale skin even further. The boy holding onto her couldn’t have been more than nineteen but still, his grip was decently strong, no doubt aided by the cocktail of drugs running rampant throughout his system. He tugged her along behind him, ignoring her protests and the snapped warnings from the dark haired girl being yanked around in front of him, her own arm caught in the firm grasp of yet another Ghoulie who had been guarding their operation.

Groaning in exasperation, she dropped her head back, tugging once more in hopes to free her arm, despite knowing it was futile.

“Stop struggling, Serpent bitch!” The boy snapped, twisting to scowl at her.

Huffing, she nearly stomped her foot, childish as it may be.

She had told both Betty and Veronica that their plan was terrible, and yet, she had gone along with it anyway. Now she was being thrust deeper into Ghoulie territory than she ever wanted to experience; listening to Toni and Sweet Pea tell stories of their nastiness had put a permanently bad taste in her mouth.

She wasn’t looking forward to gaining firsthand experience on rather or not their tales had been true.

“You don’t have to keep yanking my arm out of the socket, asshole!” She snarled, scrabbling at his bare forearm with her free hand. “I’m fucking following-!”

The slam of a door echoed in front of them, and she could hear both Betty and Veronica as they raised their voices, protesting about something she had yet to be able to see.

In her distraction, she had failed to notice her grip on the Ghoulie’s forearm tighten, leaving her nails to dig sharply into his tanned skin. Small bubbles of blood welled to the surface, staining the underside of her nails as she snatched her hand back, wincing when she took note of his murderous expression. His teeth were gritted together and bared at her, glinting in the light as he yanked her toward him, his stature overpowering even her best efforts. His arm raised in the air, the back of his palm primed to make contact with the side of her face, and she had little doubt that he wouldn’t just knock her right the hell out. Despite not being half bad at getting out of troublesome situations, she was still tiny compared to his six-foot stature with her minimal five-three.

Yeah, this was going to hurt.

She squeezed her eyes closed, turning her head to the side in hopes that it might dull the impact if her cheek was already turned.

“Yo, Rooster! Let’s go man, what’s the hold up?”

The Ghoulie, Rooster apparently, snarled beneath his breath, muttering something along the lines of how she was lucky he didn’t have time to do as he pleased. A rippling chill of slight fear traced phantom fingers down her spine, and she only just barely managed to suppress the shiver it produced.

She didn’t fight his harsh grip a second time.

Stumbling over her feet, cursing Veronica quietly for suggesting four inch heels with the leather shorts that were wrapped tight around her ass (and refusing to take no for an answer), she only just managed not to fall flat on her face after the brute shoved her through the doorway. The bottoms of her heels scuffed against cement floors and her hands shot out, catching herself on the shoulder of Veronica and righting herself using the back of Betty’s jacket, which was firmly twisted between her fingers. She’d feel bad about stretching the material, but then she remembered her once-friend’s nasty words to her the day before.

Honestly, she was sad she didn’t at least rip it a little.

“-your bitches?!”

“-beg your misogynistic pardon?”

The girl huffed quietly, glancing down to find the darkening bruises that marred her inner elbow, and the slight smudge of gray against the once perfectly shined, inky black high heel.

“Fucking seriously?!” She hissed, unable to keep her mouth shut as she turned fiery eyes toward her previous captor. “You couldn’t have been the slightest bit more careful, you raging dick!”

Rooster’s eyes were so wide with his sudden rage; it was hard to tell where pupil and iris began.

He lunged forward, clearly intent on beating her ass, there was little doubt. The shrill tone of a whistle echoed throughout the room, however, cutting across the low thrum of music coming out of speakers and dull chatter. The Ghoulie froze in place, his nostrils flaring and his fists clenched, but no longer actively trying to lay hands on her. She had stepped backward until her back was flush with Veronica’s, refusing to take her eyes from the threat and inwardly chastising herself for once more provoking the unstable teenager.

Slow clapping stole away her attention though, and her bourbon brown eyes swung toward the source of the sound, growing in size by just the smallest amount when they fell on a barely clothed boy.

His hair was dark, though rather it was a dark shade of brown or actually black, she couldn’t tell in the dim light. It was cut shorter on bottom and left longer on top, spilling out in a mess of fluffy curls that her fingers itched to teasingly pull at. His eyes were just as dark, pools of near blackness in the light, and fixed firmly upon her. A thin line of dark facial hair covered his upper lip, drawing attention to his mouth, where surprisingly straight and white teeth peeked out between his smirk, gleaming in the low light. His complexion was a beautiful tanned hue, and she couldn’t help but swallow as her eyes followed along the view of unblemished skin that was pulled tight across a solid chest and obvious muscles, left bare by the carelessly knotted lapels of a sheer robe that was covered in nothing but black and skulls. His chest was smooth and utterly tempting, though not half as tempting as the tiny trail of dark hair that she could just see, disappearing down into inky black, and quite possibly silk, boxers. His feet were bare, but a thin chain laid pillowed between his pectorals, and his left forearm was encased in a band with shiny, silver studs all upon it. Another armband decorated his right wrist, and the glint of metal rings caught her eyes more than once.

“Well, well, well…”

He finally spoke, allowing the girl to catch her eyeful with an overly pleased smirk twisting at his lips.

“If it isn’t Daddy’s little Serpent Princess.”

Her teeth sunk down sharply into her bottom lip as she desperately squashed the urge to shiver, or close her eyes, when his rich, velvet tone washed over her. It was like…dark chocolate, smooth and decadently flavorful, with the perfect balance of both sweet and bitter sin.

There was a grunt suddenly, and then a body had moved out of the way, giving her sudden clarity as her twin brother stepped forward, his features rearranged into an impressively furious expression.

“Faelynne, what the hell are you-“

A large, perfectly bronzed hand clapped down on Jughead’s shoulder, easily maneuvering the newest Southside Serpent to the opposite side as one of the Ghoulie’s, this time the one that had been dragging Veronica along, twisted his arm to keep him in place. Her lips parted, concern for her twin near the forefront of her mind as she took a single step forward, only to bump into that same bare chest, a ripple of heat surging up through her arm as they made skin-to-skin contact when her palm pressed to his thick chest for balance. She gasped quietly as her dark eyes snapped up, connecting with pools of deep, fathomless brown that were peering down at her, much as a predator does its prey.

“Tell me, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing in Spooktown,” He rumbled lowly, one thick finger lifting to nudge her chin upward. “Kitten.”

No sound left her mouth.

There were about fifteen different comebacks circling rapidly through her mind, each one more snarky than the next, and she couldn’t get a single one to leave her tongue.

She was too concerned with his hand; callouses on the palm and a faint hint of grease under the nail, as his fingers spread out across her throat, arranging themselves in a cup to take hold of her chin. Each time she tried to look away, to make eye-contact with Jughead (who was struggling violently against the hands holding him back), he would turn her eyes back to his, tutting softly under his breath.

Waiting.

“I…I don’t-“ Her words tapered off, every single excuse she could possibly form, lost in the swirling abyss that were his eyes.

He snickered quietly, bending down from his taller height to brush his lips across her ear, his whisper low enough that only she could hear, and overwhelmingly inviting.

“Looking to take a ride on the wild side, Princess?”

Faelynne squeaked.

All too suddenly, the overly smug Ghoulie soon found himself stumbling backward, just moments after there was an echoing thud and a pained grunt.

Her brother had thrown his elbow into the stomach of the one holding him back, successfully knocking the wind from the boy’s chest and freeing himself. He took a mere two steps with his enraged stride, palms connecting heavily with his enemy’s chest, shoving the older boy back aggressively. Her eyes widened in surprise, her mind whirling as she tried to keep up with each new turn of events, and to douse the sudden heat that had grown to life within the pit of her stomach.

“Keep your fucking hands, off my sister!” Jughead snarled, all traces of her typically levelheaded twin disappeared, leaving only a wrathful, overly protective brother in its wake.

Faelynne grabbed onto his arm, her free hand settling on his stomach, the tension rolling off of him in waves as she whispered to soothe him.

“Jug…Juggie, it’s okay! I’m okay, we’re okay.”

The eldest Jones sibling latched onto his sister while the Ghoulie leader snorted in derision, thumbing over his nose as he backed up a step, holding his hands up in the air, as if to pacify the Serpent Heir. Despite the gesture, his eyes remained glued to the one he had deemed Princess, sweeping over her figure in lazy strokes, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips when they trailed up the length of her thighs. As for the girl, she would swear to her dying day, she could almost feel it.

“Look, why don’t you take your skanks,” He groaned, waving his hand idly over toward Betty and Veronica. “And just get the hell out of here. Until you make me a better offer,” At this, his gaze flicked back toward Faelynne once more, practically leering.

Jughead gripped her hand over his stomach, the hold tight enough that she barely held back the wince.

“There’ll be no race.”

He was already turning away, flashing a wink toward Faelynne, when Jughead suddenly shouted out, the words spilling from his lips before he could stop them.

“If you win-!” He snapped, pushing his sister behind his back as he crossed the space between them. “We’ll give you the Whyte Wyrm-“

In that moment, she thought her heart might stutter to a stop.

Her lips parted and a gasp left her, all as she scrambled to close the space between herself and her twin, grappling with the sleeve of the leather jacket he had earned in an attempt to yank him backwards.

“Jughead, what the fuck are you do-!”

He shook her off, much to the Ghoulie’s amusement and her irritation, continuing with his offer. “You can expand your drug dealing horizons and upgrade out of this literal hellhole.”

Faelynne punched her brother’s arm, her features twisted sharply in an expression of fury and betrayal; that he would even consider giving up their father’s bar, the home turf of the Southside Serpents that had been around before they had even drawn breath, igniting a flame within her blood that was impossible to extinguish.

The Ghoulie’s dark eyes watched her, and for a moment he regretted being clad in nothing but a revealing pair of boxers as such a dark look flashed across her face. It made him hungry, and the only thing he was interested in to satisfy his craving, was her.

“We’ll take The Wyrm,” He agreed abruptly, before his voice dropped in pitch, and he reveled in the way a shudder visibly rippled down her spine, despite her best attempts to mask it. “And Sunnyside Trailer Park.”

“No!”

Her cry echoed off the walls, shrill and pained, like music to his ears. The mere sparks that had reflected in her eyes transformed, turning them into a searing inferno, and he couldn’t think of a better way to burn.

She lunged forward from her place in the redhead’s arms where her brother had passed her off to, her flailing more than he could handle. Her glare burned along his skin as she came charging forward, and he actually braced himself, preparing to find himself with an armful of utterly enraged female. Instead, she whipped herself between both him and her brother, placing her palms flat against Jughead’s chest, peering up at him with pleading eyes.

They just couldn’t take a chance on losing Sunnyside.

Not only was it their childhood home, as tough as it had sometimes been, there were still beautiful memories there; but it was the only place for some of the residents to live. Things were rough on the Southside, and the trailer park was home to more than one struggling family, some Serpents and some not. Either way, it was a haven compared to the streets, and she refused to part with it. She would not let her father come home to nothing.

“Jug, please!” She begged, her voice taking on a soft, almost heartbreaking tone. “We can’t, we can’t risk this!”

Her brother wouldn’t even look at her, his eyes squeezing shut for a breath in time. It felt like hours to her. But when he blinked his eyes back open, they were filled with a grim resignation and a flare of determination.

And he nodded.

“Fuckin’ great!” The Ghoulie’s leader clapped, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “There’s just one more thing…”