#her poor hair lol so much product

[michelle-yim]

Coma | 大昏迷 [RTV, 1981]

Very early 80s. It’s actually quite well written and the stories really stick with you, with a lot of questions on morality and mortality.

[sgiandubh]

OMG! I can practically see her pulling at her pearls in indignation and fury! I wonder how many wet dreams he rejected her to result in this anger 🙃🙄😜 https://www.tumblr.com/maximumwobblerbanditdonut/747779411400671232/public-intoxication-sh-was-invited-to-the-landcon?source=share

Dear Pearl Clutching Anon,

This woman is the worst mythomaniac and the most pathetic know-it-all of the entire fandom. Mark me: probably a sock account of one of the Mordor sopranos, who'd like to play it cool otherwise. She is an impostor, pretending to be a Scot. But her grammar and spelling recurrent mistakes point to anything else but an English native speaker.

Prized and praised as she is by the dim-witted, she is living proof of the fact that you cannot reasonably and endlessly pretend to be an expert in hair implants, cocktails/bartending, audiovisual production, copyright, alcohol sales and pretty much everything in between. To me, she is at her most pathetic when she pretends to analyze the legal intricacies of the French regulations applicable to public alcohol tasting events.

What happened, in fact, at the Landcon 6 whisky tasting?

Ok. So, this was announced by the French organizers on March 5th and presented as a limited audience event, priced at 350 euros.

This idiot's comment is absolutely priceless:

She would be surprised to find out that, unlike the US, there has never been any Prohibition decreed in France (Hell would have frozen). Even more interestingly, the only venues where French law specifically prohibits alcohol tastings and sales are enumerated very clearly in regulations far above her intellectual abilities:

The main idea is that you cannot sell/organize alcohol tastings in public health venues (hospitals, clinics, etc), rehabilitation clinics (d'oh!) - both for alcohol and drug addictions -, schools, youth summer camps, sports arenas, swimming pools or any other public or private sports venues.

(Source: French Public Health Code, https://www.dalloz.fr/documentation/Document?id=CODE_CSPU_ARTI_D3335-1&scrll=CSPU022225&FromId=CODES_SECS_CSPU_TALPHA)

To these limitations, the French national professional organizations add, as best practice, the following: churches, cemeteries, prisons, military barracks, railway/public transport facilities (including depots).

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la dégustation/Tasting Legal Guide - https://www.syndicat-cotesdurhone.com/upload/article/file/202103guidejuridiquedeladegustation-60658bb9468b4.pdf)

To my knowledge, Landcon's venue was neither a cemetery, nor a church (the latter could be, however discussed: wee & lame joke, btw). And for that poor woman's information, you would not need an exemption, but a permit, or licence. In current French law, there are four such sale permits, ranked from I (soft drinks, such as Orangina) to IV (all drinks, including spirits). The fabled Licence IV (also the name of a beloved 90s French kitschy music group, LOL) is now impossible to obtain and if you want to have one, you have to buy the venue (cafe, nightclub, bar, bistro, restaurant or buvette) that had it issued first, many moons ago.

That problem solved, we would have to further analyze the type of event hosted by the Landcon. Was it a tasting or a sale, according to French regulations?

If it was a tasting, no licence is needed. If it was a sale, you might need a temporary licence, granted by the Mayor, provided you have notified them at least 3 months before the event. These are also famously hard to get and very sparingly granted, too.

Because tastings are an exception, they are strictly defined by French regulations as 'free alcohol consumption' and their regulations are excruciatingly detailed. Procedures and limitations vary according to the type of event: sports, tourism promotion, markets and fairs, public gatherings or cultural events (which is the one that seemed the closest to our situation). But a cultural event-cum-tasting would have to be completely free of charge (no paying access tickets), in order to be exempt from any legal obligation. This was not the case, as we know there was a rather steep, 350 euros fee, to be able to attend it:

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la dégustation/Tasting Legal Guide - https://www.syndicat-cotesdurhone.com/upload/article/file/202103guidejuridiquedeladegustation-60658bb9468b4.pdf)

That new activity was certainly not a tasting, as defined by French law. An amateur could then conclude, that S's event was, in fact, a disguised sale and that he is either a sinister fool or a filthy conman.

The trouble is, French legislation tolerates one single, overruling exception to everything I wrote above: sale by the producer of said alcohol. It is to be found (or rather interpreted - and it has been so by myself AND the French professional organizations), in the Code Général des Impôts/ French Tax Code:

To avoid a tedious legal translation, the idea is that if you do not sell your own produced booze, you are automatically considered as a stockist/trader and as such, subject to alcohol sales' regulations. If the Landcon organizers would have sold/promoted Laphroaig, for example, they would have needed the permit. But hosting a paying tasting event organized by SRH, promoting SRH's whisky and which profits entirely belonged to SRH is a sale by the producer, as defined by French law, not needing a permit:

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la vente/Sales Legal Guide - https://fgvb.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Vin-et-Societe-Guide-juridique-de-la-vente-19042021.pdf)

So: even if the tasting event was, in fact, a sale, French law allows a producer to sell his own alcohol, for promotion purposes as a side event, with no further need to obtain a permit. And this is exactly what their legal team rightfully advised them to do and completely what I would advised them to do, too.

That woman is so often and in so many ways completely wrong, that she is absolutely ridiculous. She (and also her other Big Friend) should perhaps stop pretending to be whatever they are not. Infantilizing, bullying and snarling at people does not help with their credibility.

Such women are genuine Frauds and absolutely despicable. People spend years fucking their eyesight in law school and we do not joke about interpreting and reading legalese. Ever. But to see idiots pretending to know just because they fucking used Google for ten minutes is just infuriating: it took me two hours to find the exception and another two to write this comment.

I hope this long, tedious answer was helpful, Anon.

[eemcintyre]

Surprise Me (Tom Cruise)

I've been pondering on this absolute unit for a while. Please appreciate the amount of time, energy, and NYC restaurant research I had to do, lol

TW- none

Summary- One of your friends, after a poor track record of setting you up on blind dates, gets one more chance and makes the most of it. You meet the date for dinner at an elegant NYC restaurant to discover that your friend has set you up with Tom Cruise.

Y/N was one of those people who had told herself, her whole life, that she would never go on a blind date. No matter how many months or years went by of being single, she had refused to stoop to what she perceived to be such a desperate level. Moreover, she was not actively looking for a relationship, as she was generally happy on her own, living a full life of work, hobbies, travel, and friendship.

However, one lapse- one lonely, alcohol-induced, self-pitying night of self-disclosure with a friend later, and that friend, Nikki, had become obsessed with setting her up. Nikki had arranged a number of dates for her with a number of men, who despite Nikki’s good intentions, mostly turned out to be questionable at best, and occasionally were potential serial killers at worst. Tonight was Nikki’s last chance- she promised that this time would be different and would make up for all of the other terrible evenings and to just trust her. Promises, promises.

Y/N exited the taxi that had taken her to La Grande Boucherie, the restaurant that she and her date had agreed on for the evening. It was an open-air French establishment situated in an alley between two avenues. From across the street where the taxi had dropped her off, she could see fairy lights wrapped around several small trees inside the restaurant, twinkling in the descending dusk.

All she knew about her date, from their text conversations spanning the last few days and the description of Nikki, was that his name was Tom, he was handsome with dark hair, fun and energetic, and that he worked in the filmmaking business. As Y/N lived in New York, it was not at all unusual to run into people in the film industry rather frequently- even she herself had worked in costume design, and currently production design. Although, he and Nikki were both a bit vague when she asked what exactly it was that he did. She figured that meant he was probably one of those “aspiring actors” who really make their living doing guided NYC tours or waiting tables and had a bit part in a B movie once.  

Y/N had never been to La Grande Boucherie before, and it looked a little more high-end than she had anticipated. Elaborate fixtures of spherical lights hung from the vaulted ceiling, and large tropical plants provided a small canopy by one of the walls. Although “Tom” had mentioned that the place was on the elegant side, she almost wondered if she was underdressed, in a simple, mid-length, classic black dress. But she figured the date wouldn’t last a particularly long time anyway.

If tonight’s a disaster, this is the last time you set me up and I swear I’ll key your car in revenge, she texted her friend a final time before slipping her phone into her purse and crossing the busy street. She wondered why she was feeling a bit nervous when she had been on so many unsuccessful dates and her expectations had become so low. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, it appeared that a miniscule part of her remained hopeful about finding someone. And at this point, she really had no idea what to expect, as this was a much nicer place than where her previous dates had invited her. Though, of course, men with money had just as much potential to be terrible dates as those without, she was terribly curious, and equally intimidated. What had her friend gotten her into this time?

Upon reaching the front of the restaurant, she briefly scanned her reflection in the window, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder and shrugging. She also took a moment to evaluate the atmosphere of the restaurant up close. Soft jazz music glided through the entryway, and the building smelled of a combination of rich, sizzling French meats and soups, and the luxury perfumes and colognes of the affluent people who dined there. She was not necessarily worried about the dinner being expensive- she made enough money to be able to splurge on something nice from time to time- but doubted that the overall night’s experience would be worth it, no matter how good the meal was.

Her gaze roved over the occupants of each table, but none of them appeared to be the mysterious “Tom,” either not fitting the description or already accompanied by other guests. Luckily, “Tom” had texted her a table number to look for. Approaching the hostess’ podium, Y/N inquired “Hi. Can you point me in the direction of Table 16?”

The hostess answered with a knowing smile that puzzled Y/N. “Good evening. Of course. It’s the one in the far-right corner by that display of pink flowers.”

“Thank you,” Y/N murmured, spotting the table and the back of the head of the man sitting in one of the chairs.

“Enjoy your night, ma’am.”

“You too.”

Y/N crept slowly across the tiled restaurant floor to Table 16, frustrated with herself at how on-edge she was. Feeling like she was being observed by everyone she passed, she almost tripped on a chair leg. Rounding the last corner and reaching her destination, she braced herself to greet “Tom” and finally see what he looked like.

Sitting at the table was a man in a simple black suit and white dress shirt with the first two buttons undone. He had short, dark brown hair, a few strands brushing his forehead, with green eyes that stood out against his pale skin, and a distinctive mole on his left cheek. Y/N froze, momentarily forgetting everything about what she was going to say, where she was, what she was doing there, and how to talk.

From his seat at the table, Tom Cruise grinned and said “Hello.”

“Oh gosh… wait- oh my gosh, you’re…”

“I am,” he grinned wider and shrugged. He was about to say more, when Y/N continued:

“I am so sorry, I- I must be at the wrong table. They told me Table 16 and pointed me this way-” she gestured frantically, feeling her face grow hot.

“Well, you found it,” Tom confirmed, gesturing to the small sign on the tabletop. “This is Table 16.”

“Oh, um, well, he must have texted me the wrong number… I am so, so sorry, this is embarrassing. I was supposed to meet someone here, and…”

“Wait, hold on- is your name Y/N?” Tom inquired, cocking his head to the side.

“…Yes, it is,” she answered slowly, feeling lightheaded.

“Do you know Nikki?” He leaned toward her from his chair. The look on her face was her answer. “I think we’re supposed to go on a date tonight,” he stated matter-of-factly, beckoning to the chair across from him. “Sit down.”

“Oh, there’s got to be a mistake here somewhere…” Y/N said, her stomach performing feats of acrobatics as she stood rooted to her spot.

“You won’t even give me a chance?” he teased, fixing her with puppy-dog eyes. “I thought we got along pretty well over text.”

“No- I mean, it’s not that, I just…” Y/N brought her hands to her head in embarrassment as she stammered, finally managing to move and take a step back from the table. “I’ll be right back; I just need to- I just need to use the restroom- I’ll just be a minute.”

“You will come back, right?” he joked, although his eyes betrayed genuine concern that she was about to make an escape.

“Yes, I’ll be back.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” She spun around and took several rapid steps in the opposite direction of the table before she heard him call out “It’s the other way.”

~

“Wow. I can’t believe you; I mean, what the fu-” Y/N hissed into her phone, holed up in one of the women’s bathroom stalls of La Grande Boucherie.

“-What?” Nikki’s voice sounded from the phone speaker innocently.

“You know exactly what you did-”

“-Are you actually calling me right now to complain about being set up with Tom Cruise? I told you that I was coming in clutch for you this time.”

“What the hell are you trying to do to me?? I am not prepared for this!” She snapped, detecting the footsteps of whoever else had also been in the bathroom as they exited rapidly.

“What do you mean? I’m sure you’re wearing something nice, you always do, and I know you know how to eat…”

“YOU SAID HE WORKED IN THE FILMMAKING BUSINESS, NOT THAT HE’S THE MOST FAMOUS ACTOR IN THE WORLD.”

“Okay, okay, calm down…”

“Why didn’t you tell me??” Y/N groaned, emerging from the stall to examine her hair, makeup, and outfit, which seemed to have gone from “possibly slightly underdressed” to totally inadequate.

“You know you never would have gone if I’d told you. You would have either thought I was trying to prank you or you would have had the aneurysm that you’re having right now.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Y/N snapped defeatedly.

“Act like yourself? Do what you would normally do?” Nikki replied, exasperated. “He was interested in you just off of my description and you guys’ texting.”

A pink tint rose to Y/N’s face. “He was? You’re not just telling me that?”

“Hey, I’m a little crafty, but I’m not evil.”

“…What did he say?”

“He thought it was cool that you’ve done production design and costume work, he liked that you’re kind of outdoorsy… he was interested, okay? Get out there and talk to him instead of talking to me!”

“We are going to have a serious talk about this…” Y/N muttered, straightening the wrinkles in her outfit and heading for the door.

“You can tell me all about it tomorrow. Trust me, I’ll want to know every detail.” Nikki paused. “And you said I’d never set you up with anyone good.” Y/N could hear the triumphant smirk in Nikki’s voice and hung up, rolling her eyes.

“Be calm. He’s just a person. He’s just a guy,” she said to herself as she neared Table 16 once again, relieved to see that Tom still sat there.

“I told you I would come back,” she managed a smile, moving to slide into the other empty chair, when Tom rose from his place to pull it out for her.

“I’m glad you did,” he added, smiling back and looking equally relieved as they finally faced each other at the table. “I ordered us an appetizer and some drinks while you were gone. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so hopefully it’s all okay…”

“Oh, I’m not picky.” Silence fell briefly, and before it could become too awkward, Y/N decided to address what was certainly weighing heavily on both of them. “So, you and I got off on the wrong foot and I want to apologize. I was just totally caught off-guard…”

“Nikki didn’t tell you?”

“No- well, she knew I never would have gone if I’d known-”

“Do you really hate me that much?” he chuckled. “I mean, I know not all of my movies have been great…”

“Not at all, it’s not that, I just would have been too scared.” Y/N dropped her gaze to her hands, twisted tightly together in her lap.

“Well, it’s normal to be nervous, but come on, I’m not so scary now, am I?” He leaned forward with his elbows on the table, smirking.

Y/N gathered the courage to meet his gaze. “No,” she admitted, with a grin. “I just feel out of place here, in this restaurant, in this whole situation.”

“I think you fit right in,” Tom assured her. “Actually, before our conversation went off the rails earlier, I was going to say that you look stunning.”

“T-thank you, you do too,” she stammered, feeling the blush creeping over her face again, cringing at her reply. He laughed, but it was a good-natured laugh, not seeming to be at her expense.

“Thanks. I tried.”

Y/N finally took a sip of the drink that Tom had ordered for her, a sparkling cocktail that tasted of cranberry and lemon. “This is good,” she nodded.

“I made a good choice?”

“Yes, you did, thank you.”

Soon after, the appetizers arrived- a roasted beet and endive salad. As they started to eat, Tom suggested:

“Now, why don’t we just start the night over? Hi, I’m Tom.”

“I’m Y/N,” she replied, and they both laughed between mouthfuls.

“You mentioned that you do behind-the-scenes work for film projects- what are you working on right now?”

“Oh, just a local documentary thing. Street art and its origins, styles, and cultural significance. Terribly exciting, I know.”

“Of course it is. But you’d rather be doing something else?”

“Like everyone else around here, I have higher aspirations. I know everyone has to work their way up- you know that better than anyone- but I also know that not everyone who puts the work in ends up making it, and it usually just comes down to chance and luck- being in the right place at the right time or knowing the right people. I’m just afraid that my miracle is never gonna happen, y’know?”

“Well, I really believe that if it’s what you’re meant to do, as long as you stay dedicated and a step ahead of everyone else, it’ll happen. We’re just not all on the same timetable. It happened early on for me, but for a lot of other people, they didn’t ‘make it’ until they were in their thirties, forties, hell, fifties…” He took a taste of his own drink- a non-alcoholic cocktail.

“I hope I don’t have to wait that long,” she said, half joking and half serious. “But what projects are you involved in at the moment?”

He obliged to the change in topic. “I have a lot going on with this action-movie satire piece. It’s one of those ones that’s been stuck in development hell for a few years, so there’s just a lot of negotiating back and forth; it gets tedious after a while, but I think we’re finally getting things nailed down. It’s looking like it’ll be a lot of fun once we get past the initial stages.”

During the course of this conversation, they realized that they should begin perusing the menu and decide on their main courses. As she examined the options, Y/N reminded herself that she could afford to spend a bit extra once in a while, yet the prices still managed to stun her. It must have been visible on her face, because Tom said “Order whatever looks good. I’m buying tonight.”

As Y/N opened her mouth to strongly protest, he held up his hand. “Nikki said you’d complain, but you can’t change my mind. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out, I want us to have a good time, and besides, it’s the way I was raised.” He shrugged, folding his hands in front of him on the tabletop. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect anything, and I know you’re capable of paying if I let you, I just want to. Okay?”

~  

When the server appeared with their entrees, the dusk had long since turned to nighttime darkness, allowing the fairy lights and orb ceiling fixtures to bathe all of the restaurant’s occupants in a warm glow. Y/N had ended up deciding on a mushroom ravioli dish, while Tom ordered a filet, and they shared a portion of seafood that he insisted she try. She was surprised to admit that she was feeling remarkably more at-ease.

“I am obsessed with this place,” he said offhandedly, having made it about halfway through his steak.

“I can see why,” Y/N giggled. “So, tell me: what is it you like to do when you’re not sword-fighting people or scaling the sides of buildings?”

Tom laughed, using one hand to smooth his hair back. “On those rare occasions, I like to do things like rock-climb, fly…”

She coughed on her food. “Fly? Oh yeah, that’s right.”

“Or cook, watch sports... I can have fun with both feet on the ground too. I’m down for just about anything.” He cocked an eyebrow. “What do you get into when you’re not designing the aesthetics of local documentaries?”

“Well, I enjoy a good hike or some skating, and I can be a bit arts and crafts-y when I want to. I do some drawing and painting when I’m between big work projects.”

She was amazed at how attentively he listened, and how he didn’t do it just to respond, but to ask questions as well. She was used to enduring her date’s life story without getting more than a few words in edgewise. She reminded herself that his entire job was to be a convincing actor, and so to not become too optimistic or believing of how he appeared. But damn, if it wasn’t difficult the longer they maintained eye contact and sat so closely and laughed with each other amidst the dim, cozy lighting and the soft jazz piano. Maybe she wouldn’t totally eviscerate Nikki after all.

~

After making it to the end of dinner, standing on the street outside, they prepared to part ways.

“You can ride along with me and my driver can drop you off,” he proposed.

“No, that’s extremely sweet of you, but you’ve done more than enough,” Y/N insisted. “You can’t change my mind.” Her eyes gleamed mischievously at him as she referenced their conversation near the beginning of the evening.

“Well, Y/N,” Tom sighed, “I’ve got to admit that tonight was the best time I’ve had in a while. You didn’t think it turned out so bad, right?”

“Not bad at all,” she replied, clutching her coat in both hands as a soft breeze passed.

“Good enough to do it again sometime? Soon?” he asked, eying her expectantly as the two of them shifted awkwardly back and forth on the pavement.

“Oh, I suppose,” she teased, though her expression was beaming. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a while too.”

A limousine pulled up to the curb next to them. She deduced that it was Tom’s aforementioned ride, but he was determined to stay until she flagged down a taxi, uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her on the street alone at night.

“You’ll have to think about what you’d like to do next. Maybe we could go flying,” he joked, as she eventually caught a passing cab driver’s attention.

“Maybe,” she chuckled as she approached the taxi. Tom opened the door for her, and before she slid inside, he placed a hand on her shoulder and murmured “Have a good night. Be safe.”

“Goodbye, Tom,” she slid into the backseat of the cab, smiling at him and then to herself as the cab started on its path to her home. Basking in the feeling of his touch on her shoulder and the slight giddiness that the earlier cocktail afforded, she lost herself in contemplation of the evening’s events, wondering where they might lead.

[pluto-murphy-writes]

hey guys! I'm watching Lisa Frankenstein so here are my notes!

I already love the black and white opening credits/prologue

nice match cut to...not the modern day but you know, when the story is taking place

oooooh pretty animated title

GREAT soundtrack already

god i love the fashion

the WORK it takes to make Kathryn Newton even mildly unattractive

ngl I wish there was somewhere outside I could go to be alone. like a cemetary

I love Lisa so much

oh ok Taffy is stepsis

jfc what a backstory

lol the growing audience to Taffy's story

honey nooooooo don't chug the party beer

haha smooching teens

thank you Zelda Williams for not showing puke

Murder. Murrrrrrder Doug

this feels like a stage production and I'm so here for it

oh I am loving the style change

haha! Man in the moon!

AAAAAAH IT'S CARLA GUGINO

tf is up with Lisa's boss lol

"we have to spend more time together" then don't be a bit-

hahaha such an accurate depiction of how I walk around when I'm home alone

"the ✨other girl✨"

aww he lost a hand

just chilling with a zombie it's cool

"are you going to talk?" *horrible groaning* "copy that"

I love that she's 1000% chill with a zombie as long as he isn't killing her

Dale is just. 100% just wants to get out of here

noooooot at all worrying about what she's gonna DO with the zombie in her closet

I am enjoying Manic Pixie Dream Zombie tho

please kill Janet

awww piano. oh his poor fingies

that was such a great long take

oh my god I think she actually ate a worm

Oscar Wilde vs Oscar the Grouch lol

Dammit Janet (100% why her name is Janet)

not the grippy socks! 😱

side note: love the peach ring rings

I love an unapologetic angry teen girl

oooooh he gets upgrades with the tanning bed, that's clever

"...crimper accident ☺️"

ngl Lisa and The Creature are both my type

i love that he gets slowly more alive-looking

oh they're so cute together

i have legit only heard this song from Horton Hears a Who

they had so much fun with this movie I'm cackling

ohhhhhh no they're figuring out the lieeee

pffft the vibe-back-massager

pffffft "other places" I can never watch this with my in-laws

"time is the wound" ....damn

i could kill for those eyebrows on Cole tbh

lisa do you know how to drive

"dress code violation" bitch how

of cooourse that's who her sister was sleeping with

ooohoohoho flying peen

I feel so bad for Taffy tbh

HE JUST DUMPED A COP IN A GRAVE acab

aww return of the peach ring ring

this is so cute fuuuuuuck

i wanna fuck cole sprouse Who said that?

I am crying. about a tanning bed

this whole fucking movie is practical effects and I love that

oh good they did find Janet

he can TALK! And his hair looks so nice!

okay, final verdict: it was a bit violent, but that's not really a bad thing. some of the dialogue felt a bit stiff but all the actors seemed to enjoy being there! Super funny, too!

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

I finished the second episode of Heartstopper last night (wanted to post about it yesterday, but I was too tired from work), so here are some of my thoughts in no particular order for you now.

Good on Nick for checking up on Charlie after what happened. I found it odd, though, that he seemed more emotional about it than Charlie, but I guess they're in two very different places, mentally. One being 'why do I seem to like this guy way more than my other friends?' & the other being 'omg stop being so nice to me, your straight!' lol. Plus, I get that everyone deals with stuff in their own way & poor Charlie is probably so used to being mistreated that he might just be repressing the full weight of how his feeling as a copeing mechanism. It was also probably very cathartic to finally tell someone everything that happened between him & Ben (as I'm guessing he kept most if not all of it a secret from his friends & sister).

WE FINALLY MEET NELLIE!!!! And she is as cute as I'd hoped (though for some reason I expected her to be a different colour).

Sorry, Charlie, but Tori's right. Your hair looks exactly the same. Also, love that they kept the gag from the novel about her scaring him with her, always showing up suddenly without warning.

Nice to see that the outfits are on point for our boys so far with the plaid/black jeans (trying to impress someone, I see Charlie) & T-shirt/joggers (also what product is Miss Nelson using coz Nick's tops look soft as hell).

Wait, what season is it supposed to be because it looked really sunny when Charlie was walking to Nick's house (I know he was wearing a coat & hat but Charlie is always cold) but then suddenly it's snowing? Idk when Alice first came up with this story, but as a Brit, I haven't seen proper full on Snow since I was probably around eight years old. But hey, maybe in the Heartstopper universe, global warming doesn't exist.

I don’t care what anyone says, I will never get the fun of a snowball fight. If I go somewhere with a friend & they start throwing stuff at me, I'm leaving! Also, picking it up with your bare hands? One, it's been on the ground 🤢, and two, where are your gloves? Do you not feel the cold? Snow angles do look fun until I think about how my entire behind would be frozen/damp. Sorry if that makes me a "stick in the mud", I don't care 😝.

Damn, that is one photogenic dog & and aww, they already look like a couple. Also, give it up for Nick's freckles, the real star of the show 👏.

Omg, being in the same group as someone you hate must be so hard, but I get why Nick can't really say anything about what Ben did, at least not right now. Also, what is up with that Imogen girl? Mind your damn business.

I think it's good we get to see Elle longing for a bond with other girls that she just can't get from her male friend group. Makes her transition feel more fleshed out (for lack of a better word), you know?

Yay, we finally meet Tara & Darcy & they're exactly how I thought they'd be (except I imagined Darcy with brown hair for some reason). Ooh I didn't know Elle was artistic. I wanna decorate pencil cases now. Tara's pink puffa coat is so cute. What is up with adults dictating how long kids' hair can be? Like who gives a fuck! Also "gal pals" had me 😆.

Oh, thank god, it's just misinformation. For a second, I thought Tao was making shit up just to make Charlie get over his crush. Are kids really like that, though? I can't imagine kissing someone once & having people insist, I'm madly in love with them to this day, like move on already.

Ok, I officially really like the gay teacher, lol.

Love Charlie's sweater & Nick's coats are also very nice. Where are these kids getting their clothes? Coz I'm embarrassed by most of the stuff I wore as a teenager.

The big hoodie moment should be cute, but I just can't help thinking about how skinny Charlie is, which makes me ☹️.

Ok, so I didn't care much for the leaf animation in the first episode, but omg, the little fire crackles when Nick was trying to hold Charlie's hand? Screaming, crying, throwing up!!!!!!! & the hug before he left? Fucking crops watered for life, bitch!

Was digging Elle's outfit, very 70's vibes.

Ah, so their "secret" is out. Also obligatory: 🗣 LET'S GO LESBIANS LET'S GO 🗣

Can't wait for the next episode, but I practically passed out after watching episode 2 (manual labour is hard, kids 😭), so maybe I hallucinated, but did that Imogen girl ask Nick out? I thought she was daiting Ben? Or is that a different girl?

PS. I found out Aled won't be in the show, which I accept & the only reason I haven't talked about Isaac is because he hasn't really done much yet

[hel-the-growl]

Nezha Reborn annotations - Part 1

Since New Gods: Yang Jian is about to enter NA theaters this week, and before I do a huge information dump about that movie, I wanted to write about its prequel - Nezha Reborn.

I've already seen Yang Jian twice in cinemas here in Australia, and the animation has markedly improved in the one year since Nezha came out - it's definitely worth seeing on the big screen. You don’t need to watch Nezha before Yang Jian but if you’re interested in the lore, then you should lol. It's on netflix.

My original thread on twitter.

Background

Nezha is one of the most well-known characters from the 16th Century Chinese Novel Investiture of the Gods (IOTG), with countless adaptations based on his legend.

New Gods: Nezha Reborn is one of the latest portrayals of the character, and is the first move in Light Chaser Animation Studios' attempt at establishing a New Gods cinematic universe.

Nezha’s origin story

Nezha was born as a round ball of flesh after his mother Lady Yin was pregnant for three years. His dad Li Jing thought he was demon spawn, so tried to kill him but was spared by the immortal Taiyi Zhenren who became his master. At seven years old, he caused a lot of trouble like accidentally killing a demon from 1000 miles away and killing the dragon king Ao Guang’s third son Ao Bing as well as his right hand man the Yaksa Li Gen. When Ao Guang demanded retribution from Li Jing, Nezha chose to sacrifice himself instead. His master later resurrected him using lotus roots to construct a human body, and he came back more powerful than ever. 3000 years later...

Breakdown

Donghai (East Sea). It was the mythical underwater city that Nezha once conquered, now depleted of all its water resources. Set design is inspired by Republican-era Shanghai and Manhattan in the 1920s and 1930s. The poor Chinese style backdrop is contrasted against the glitz of the Western style architecture in the rich area. Rickshaws were commonplace on the streets.

Fashion is also blend of east and west, like the guy wearing kung fu shoes with a denim jacket.

The qipao was a favored dress among women at the time, popularized by Chinese socialites and high society women in Shanghai. Flapper fashion also influenced Kasha’s outfit, blending eastern and western styles.

Li Yunxiang shares the same surname as the original Nezha. His brother Jinxiang’s name is also similar to Nezha’s eldest brother Jinzha. Jinxiang’s look is very typical of the republican era - complete with his center-parted hair and round glasses.

Old Li has the same temperament as Nezha’s dad, The Pagoda Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing.

Who is Yunxiang’s adoptive sister Kasha? She’s an orphan of Belarusian descent, however not much else is known about her past. Her name means porridge in Belarusian. It might be a corruption of Katyusha (喀秋莎) with middle character removed in order to follow Chinese naming conventions idk.

If you know the history of the Republic of China, there were many girls like Kasha in that era. Her father was a soldier and left Kasha and her mother after the war.

✨Princess✨ Ao Bing～～ and the Yaksa Li Gen. Ao Bing is the third son of the Dragon King of the East Sea. The Yaksa Li Gen is the dragon king’s right hand man.

The four big clans - De, Li, Shun, Song (德家、利家、顺家、松家) - actually corresponds to the titles of dragon kings of the four seas. King De, Dragon King of the East Sea; King Li, Dragon King of the South Sea; King Shun, Dragon King of the West Sea, King Song, Dragon King of the North Sea.

A netizen looked this up and really wanted to kneel to Light Chaser for their worldbuilding.

Fun fact: the white horse from Journey to the West is the third son from the Song family.

H*rley-D*vidson Darrley-Hudson product displacement on the arm of Kasha’s jacket:

Actually the film has left some hints about her past. There are some Soviet-style badges pinned to her jacket, along with some small badges that Kasha herself added as well. Since this jacket is huge, it can be assumed that it was left to Kasha by her biological father.

The giant buddha statue is reminiscent of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan.

Daddy! Ao Guang, the dragon king of the East Sea.

Art deco details on the hood ornament, decals and invitation card.

Monkey’s suit is basically a hot pink version of the Zhongshan suit, a style of menswear introduced by Sun Yat-sen during the republican era, adapted from Japanese student wear. The four pockets are said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty, and shame. He's blinged up his prayer beads too.

Does this mean Dr. Su is a descendent of Su Daji, the femme fatale of IOTG? Or could she actually be Daji’s reincarnation? Now I don’t know whether to trust her or not.

All these sea creature demons. Why? Chinese dragons are aquatic. They live underwater, and command water-based attacks, unlike western dragons who breathe fire. So it makes sense for them to control an army of demons that came from the deep.

So this is the crystal palace.

After Nezha’s death, Li Jing found out that Nezha’s mother had built a temple in his honor and burned it down because he was still angry at his son for all the trouble he caused to the family. The soul of Nezha was pissed and after his reincarnation, began to pursue his dad with the intent to kill. It took several parties to step in before matters were resolved.

Looks like monkey likes to listen to Peking Opera.

The Pukui fan, commonly known as the cattail fan, is a fan made from palm leaves and stalks. Lightweight and cheap, it is the most widely used fan in China.

Part 2｜Part 3

[boyslit]

actually did i ever ramble on here about my 'fake'/fan hsr region? aside from posting Maraschino's combat kit and lines because he's my special 4★ princess

it all kicked off bc of this picrew 👇 my friend found and i loved making little elves with pink hair and then they started putting a story together in my head without my say-so lol

The Stellaron affecting Celarys is actually a half of one and its slowly going mad trying to find it's other half (which is also trying to get home to its counterpart).

The planet itself is largely agriculture and manufacturing for an extremely large confectionary conglomerate, and millennia of farming the land and consuming food grown on it has eventually changed the populaces' hair and skin to be tinted bright pink :3 there's some kind of harmless chemical that does this, don't worry too much about it

So that Stellaron half that's out and about was originally harvested as a gemstone, used to decorate an intricate clock and sold far away for like a bajillion dollars. But the Stellaron half wants to go home, and so anyone who has it ends up wanting to visit Celarys...

Previous owners had either had the clock stolen from them or ended up visiting Celarys without the clock, suddenly couldn't remember why they'd wanted to come here so bad and identified the clock as a cursed item and promptly got rid of it, and eventually it ends up in the stash of a rare antiques dealer. The Stellaron half is fed the fuck up at this point, and is basically making this poor man lose his mind, filling his head with nightmares and threats of her doesn't take this fucking clock to some pink little planet at the edge of some galaxy. He finds someone there interested in strange antiques and sells it to the CEO of the confectionary company, President Marinelo Rousseau, who delights in it's cursed history bc he's a weirdo and displays it with his collection of other histories strange antiques.

And where there's a Stellaron, there's mental manipulation and disaster, and also often the Astral Express :3

The president's mental focus and emotional stability take a major hit, and his son Marcelle who's being groomed to take over his position when he retires in a few hundred years starts worrying big time. Between him and the trusted CFO they manage to get him to take a leave of health, but his condition worsens, he starts slipping in the middle of the night to god knows where and returning with wild eyes and dirt under his fingernails. (The Stellaron is making him dig to find his other half buried in the mountainside. He really should have just asked the local miners about it but both halves are half-mad with the grief of not being whole and desperation to reunite, so neither the Stellaron pieces nor the president are making good choices)

Meanwhile, since this is a Stellaron we're talking about, there's all sorts of shit going haywire. The president's recent insistence on increased production and potential deal with the ipc, the stress on the agricultural and manufacturing workers leading to dissatisfaction and organizing in both factors, lobbies in the government from not only ag and manu but also mining because they're also in proximity to the buried Stellaron half and are feeling a desperate need to expand their tunnels unconnected to production directives

The face of the agriculture union movement is a tough rancher named Anaïs who honestly didn't mean to be the driving force behind all this but increased demands are putting stress on her beloved dairy cattle and thus must be stopped.

There are of course weather disturbances affecting crops and livestock and also daily life on the planet. The governor and her assistant are running around putting out fires, so to speak, regarding these issues, especially because the agricultural and livestock products are a huge part of their economy. There are a few Senators looking to take advantage of the chaos but they're less fleshed out lol

eventually the Astral Express crew gets wind of this, March and the trailblazer get excited about the snacks they'll be able to find there, and they arrive to help root out the Stellaron

Marcelle has called his older brother (Lieutenant) Marinelo (Junior) back to Celarys to help. Marinelo arrives about when the express does, recognizes the big train and knows they might be able to help, after news of all the places they've helped out with great disasters.

The dock where the express starts isn't that far from the heart of the main city Rosaire, but Marcelle sets them up in the guest manor on their grounds both as an apology for having to beg their help and to station them closer to important spots in Rosaire and the surrounding land. Let the investigation begin!

Marcelle begrudgingly allows them to contact his little brother Maraschino who is, for most appearances, a drunken philanderer wasting his father's money on personal pleasure... but the truth is that he's got a masterful network of connections and information and has been keeping an eye on the goings-on around the city ever since his dad went off the deep end. He does try to hit on Himeko though and March and the TB close ranks to remind him in no uncertain terms that their mom that himeko is off limits! especially to *you.*

Dan Heng assists with information on stellarons and previvous encounters, Lt Marinelo allows him access to the Rousseau family library which is quite extensive. also. there is a mutual crush there. :3c and Marinelo is worried about acting on it because humans live such a short time compared to Sucrelves which is on average 500 or so years

during the investigation they cross paths with a journalism student who's trying to track down these weird rumors about the Rousseau Confectionary Company's president and his mysterious illness. Laurent Vivier is also keeping tabs on, and writing articles about, the work the governor is doing and the workplace organizing, but this has been his secret passion project ever since he heard the rumor about the president sneaking out at night to go digging in the mountainside with his hands.

anyway that's kind of where i've gotten to with it. but it just keeps kind of expanding on its own, and when I get stuck sometimes I go back to the picrew and play around with character ideas lol

pink hair is fun :) but also dangerous, because sometimes you end up with an entire new region for your favorite game in your head

[a-trick-or-two-with-lepers]

I finally watched Swedish Christ Superstar

Remember how I did a whole deep dive into the 2018 one? Yeah well, I was gonna try to do that with this version, but it is so unbelievably, completely, utterly, insanely unhinged that I just had to have my post about it match the energy. So without further ado, here are my literal first reaction notes to Jesus Christ Superstar (2014 Swedish Arena Tour).

Overture-

• Ooh the stuttering guitar is so metal

• Love the outfits, give me more apocalyptic leather headbanging nonsense

• Love how the choreo goes with the music rather than pure immediate chaos

• Admittedly the orchestra could be a bit better, but not terrible

• The shopping cart is my favorite character

• This feels almost interpretive

• Ok. Jesus is hot

• Draculacore

• Is he orgasming?

• I think that's an appropriate tone to be set

• I will say, I like productions with more color, but I see the style they're going for and I don't dislike it

Heaven on their minds-

• I like how they translated the lyrics to sound good in Swedish

• Also gives extra context and connotation to the words

• Love judas' mesh top!

• Really good singer wow

• This is how the song is supposed to be sung!!!

• I like boys with long hair hehehehe

• Symbolic that jesus is sleeping while judas is trying to get him to listen. Shows how closed off and resigned to his fate he was

• And also how no matter how hard judas tried he would never really be heard

• Painted nails!

• The subtitles said fuck? Lol

• I seriously love this guy's voice

• Oh my god they're so boyfriends

What's the buzz/Strange thing mystifying-

• Jesus is serving so much cunt

• So. Much. Touching.

• AHAHAHAHAGSVSBAZHDVWH THEYRE SO BOYFRIENDS HWWGGA

• Yes Maria feed him that orange

• "A man like him" you mean... 💅?

Everythings alright-

• I really like Mary's voice and look

• Mommy vibes fs

• He's in the shopping cart hhahahaha

• The masculine urge to sleep in a shopping cart while wearing shades

This jesus must die-

• Caiaphas sounds like a toad LMAO

• "It's seduction! It's blasphemy!" -Christians watching this 😭

• Caiaphas saying "STOP" such a jumpscare

• They kept the jesus is cool line and for that this is now one of my favorite productions

• AND THEY SAID IT TWICE AM I IN HEAVEN??

• Well I won't be after watching this 😌

• Caiaphas has a pretty cool voice ngl, my timbers are shivered

• HELIKOPTER 🚁 HELIKOPTER 🚁

Hosanna-

• A bit faster rendition that's neat

• Interesting how judas is participating in the fray

• It's so nice to see his character happy for once though

• The jesus balloons are killing me

Simon zealotes/poor jerusalem-

• Ooh it's a fight

• The ladies are sangin and dancin 💃

• THEY SAID FUCK AGAIN

• Well okay I'm just gonna give up on the notion that this play will be family appropriate in any manner, it's better that way anyway

• Pretty cool how the choreo is militaristic, as well as the costuming

• They way Simon is pronounced 😃

• I am unilingual my brain is incapable of not making a joke about that

• Jesus your nail polish is chipping baby fix that

Pilates dream-

• Love pilates robe, very pretty

• Ok but the sparkly suit is better

The temple-

• Fuck counter: 3

• They have a bit more speaking in this version which I really don't mind

• The lyrics make it really clear how the crowds used their connection to God to justify their actions, an issue which is still prevalent today

• Annas shaking that tail go off

• Jesus jumpscare

• He called it "A whorehouse" 💀

• The beggars all have little hand lights, that creates a really cool effect

• Wow the music got really fast

I don't know how to love him-

• Yayy Mary hi Mary hi 😍🥰👋

• Da smoochy???

• Judas ain't gonna be happy bout this

• Her voice is so good!!

• Interesting how jesus is awake for this

• ITS JUDAS HE'S PEEKING

• Uh oh

Damned for all time/blood money-

• OH NO

• MY BOY GOT SLAPPED

• HE JUST WANTED A SMOOCH

• Ok now it just feels like he's betraying him cause he got rejected 😭

• Annas is such a little shit oh my god

• He's giving Draco Malfoy vibes somehow

The last supper-

• Act 2 baby here we go

• Okay so he's dragging them to absolute hell, love that for you jesus

• The girls are FIGHTING!

• "Tell us what happened to the good vibes" I'm loving this translation

• Judas actor once again killing it, he has a really lovely rock voice

• The apostles throwing shade at judas and planning to blame him in the gospels 😙🤌

• This shit crazy

Gethsemane-

• Ok I'm gonna try to be serious for this once

• So far pretty good

• The lyrics are hitting the important parts of the song I feel

• HE GOT THE NOTE!

• Pretty damn good

• My bias still lies with Neeley but that wasn't gonna change really

• I like how he made the g5 actually part of the song rather than separating it. This whole performance is actually very natural and easy to watch

• The last verse goes so incredibly hard

• *rips shirt open*

• 👌

The arrest-

• Here it is the kiss

• Here we go

• Literally the only part of this play I'd seen before

• Okay that's just. So romantic. JESUS kissed JUDAS! What a twist!

• "Why did you date a whore" goddamn

Peter's denial-

• Annas is basically the main character he's in so many songs

Pilate and christ-

• "Yeah we know you're 'hot'" I mean 😏

• Fuck counter: 4

• My notes are seriously lacking I apologize

King herods song-

• Herod is me I am Herod

• Me in my robe on a Monday morning imposing judgement onto others:

• Did they just use a slide whistle?

• Goofy ahh sound effects 💀

• "Fine I'll do it myself- look, no hands 😚"

• He's my favorite

• Herod being silly and goofy:🤪

• Jesus: 😐

• Loved that

Could we start again please-

• Fuck counter: 5

• Not the song I expected it to be in tbh

• Maybe it doesn't hold the same weight in Sweden

• "How are we going to explain it so it looks good on paper?" This is a new angle that is actually really interesting, and reminds me that the Bible is pretty much ancient RPF

• Yay they included the ensemble

Judas death-

• "For one measly kiss" I'd call that kiss a lot of things but measly does not come to mind

• He is talking to jesus instead of christ

• Something tells me this production is not very religious 🤔

• Which I am very ok with

• He's goin through it

• He's got the rock screams going on 🤘love it

• RIP Judas, too gay to live 😔

Trial before pilate-

• He called Jesus a clown, bitch this isn't Godspell

• Ouchie

• That's a lot of blood

• It's easy to overact in the role of pilate and this guy isn't doing that, which is good

Superstar-

• I prefer when Judas is wearing white in this song, but the glittery red robe kinda slays ngl

• And once again judas is a pretty boy

• They kept the "jesus christ, Jesus christ, who are you what have you sacrificed" line in English

• Oop the robe is off

• Get those dance moves judas damn

• This is insane

• What is happening

• Why am I turned on

John 19:41-

• Ooh this is rather scary

• The way its literally just him on stage suffering is pretty intense

• IT IS FINISHED

Hope you enjoyed sluts

[expectiations]

*rolls into your asks.* Hello again kababayan >w< You seem like a great person to yap to when it comes to Alex Kingston, I watched her new movie The Killer's Game and I love her character and her Husband(I think their names are Sharon and Zvi). Personally, they kind of give off 12 and River, they're the "OA x Nonchalant" type of couple. Now *cough.cough* would you like to add to my headcanon(it's probably canon) that 12 got his fluffy hair because River taught him a hair care routine, washed his hair herself, and took him shopping for hair care products. (Also love this dialogue between Sharon and Zvi: Zvi: You'll kill the poor man, you'll snap his neck... Sharon: I know what I'm doing. You met me at a massage parlour! Zvi: I didn't go there for a massage.... Sharon: Well Haha! That was your mistake. *proceeds to almost snap their poor son figure's neck.*)

Eyy kababayan. Wala ka bang class? Hahahaha

Oh I love yapping about the Kingston!! Though I haven't gotten around to watch the entirety of The Killer's Game yet lol I just sped through it looking for her scenes 😆

Yeah, I agree. From the little I'd seen, very very 12River coded. Except 12 is bald 😂

Oh yes! That headcanon is *very* close to my heart. I just know 11 would've been so interested in her hair. Well canonically he is lol but the older versions of him that got a bit more domestic became interested in how River maintained her hair. He's amazed at how much work goes into maintaining the curls he loves so much.

Then we get to 12 and his cropped hair at the start. By the time he meets up with River again, it's grown a bit. By the time we see him post-Darillium, it looks *reaaally* soft and fluffy. So yes, River def taught them hair care routine. Even 11 too. That smooth hair of his definitely still needed maintenance lol

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how she looked so smug in this 😂 three apple tall babygirl for real

Note: these caps were taken when the vid was still in CAM mode. Might have a better quality version by now.

[ophiespeaks]

Pleeaaassse tell me what you're changing😃 I'm always up to discuss stuff for my Star Wars DR cuz I know barely anything😂

oh my gosh yes!!!

so essentially, my main problem with the sequel films is that they made rey way too overpowered way too quickly because of poor choices made by the directors and writers. i could ramble for hours about JJ Abram’s negative impact on the star wars canon and how passion for a project doesn’t always equal a polished product, but that’s a whole other thing lol.

so, pretty much everything from episodes 1-6 is canon in my dr. anakin’s turn to the dark side, luke skywalker’s mastery of the force, etc. but— everything after that is sort of my own interpretation! Basically, I’m the sole survivor of a planet that was destroyed by the Empire years ago. My parents sent me to the Jedi temple because of my force abilities and i was taken on as a youngling pretty much immediately because luke didn’t want to be the last of a dying species. I was the first youngling after the fall of the empire, but he’d slowly get more and more young force users to build up a school of jedi younglings. In my dr but not necessarily in canon, a youngling is slightly different from a padawan. younglings are taught the force basics. history of the jedi, stories of the sith, midichlorians, all that boring stuff. Then, when they’re older, they’re taken on as an official padawan to begin their actual jedi training. essentially i don’t think 5 year olds should be wielding lightsabers and have the weight of the world on their shoulders so i made younglings and padawans different things!!!

I was the oldest youngling and the first padawan luke took on (besides Leia, but she left for the same reasons she does in canon— she’s told if she becomes a Jedi then her son will fall to the dark side). In the prequels, we see padawan braids— and i thought the idea was so cool that i took some inspiration from canon and made the braids way more complicated than they needed to be.

they’re broken down into two types of markers: bands (like rubber bands to hold the hair together!) and beads (decorative colored cylinders) that each have meaning!

bands:

bands signify the steps on the journey, mostly the passage of time.

Black - Black is the initial band that is given to start the braid, given to younglings when they’re accepted into the temple.

Yellow - Yellow is the band given when a jedi master takes on the youngling as a Padawan. It marks their first steps to becoming a Jedi.

Purple - Purple is the band given with each year of progression. I imagine the Jedi used to have a ceremony each year where every youngling/padawan gained a new purple band.

White - Completion of Jedi training. Will always be the last marker of the braid, meant to signify that the padawan is ready to take the trials to become a Jedi.

beads:

beads signify the completion of a task, or the mastery of an area of force learning.

White - Force Healing

Blue - Mechanics (technical force abilities, lightsaber creation, droid work, engines, it kind of encompasses ALL mechanics)

Red - Piloting

Green - Living Force (Meditiation, force visions, etc.)

Yellow - Weapons (typically lightsabers)

Black - Completion of covert operation (think of obi-wan and qui-gon being tasked with protecting padme in episode 1, that’s a “covert operation”)

A padawan has to get all of their beads and bands to be able to qualify to take on the trials. However, I never got that far: here’s some more lore from my dr!

So, I was taken on as a padawan at 10. After living my whole life at the temple and learning jedi teachings since like 1 year old. While I am inherently powerful with the Force, years of discipline were in order before I could just go out and have cool lightsaber fights with bad guys. All the while— the New Republic is slowly falling to the First Order. The way the old empire had established itself was through careful politics. But, since the New Republic had barely been established after the fall of the empire, the First Order uses much more brutality and forceful tactics to win sections of the galaxy. At 12, I convinced Luke to let me help with the New Republic/Rebellion. He thought that i’d be safe in Leia’s hands, and it would count as covert operations for obtaining my black padawan bead, so it’s allowed. But I do have to maintain Jedi code. A big portion of which is focused on steering clear of attachments and being selfless. So, I’m essentially an advisor to Leia on behalf of what’s left of the Jedi order. Around this same time Leia and Han notice that Ben’s force capabilities are too much for them to handle, so they send him to the temple with Luke. It’s almost like we swap places, which is cool. Leia really likes me and because he’s gone, I’m almost like a surrogate kid to her. All the while I’m just trying my best to help the rebellion and complete my Jedi training. My teachings still go on— Luke uses force projection usually, or if we’re not busy we meet on an outer-rim planet. But it’s too dangerous to go back and forth all the time because the First Order might find the Jedi temple.

I turn 18 and realize that I’ve kinda got to make a choice. The Rebellion is in the midst of what is essentially an ongoing war with the First Order, but if I’m going to become a Jedi I’d need to go back to the temple soon for the more intensive parts of finishing up my training. Unfortunately, the choice is kind of made for me not too long afterwards. I sense a disturbance and immediately pull together Han, Leia, and some of the Rebellion to return to the Jedi temple. And it’s…empty. It becomes apparent that Ben Solo sold the temple out and it was raided by First Order, who took the younglings to become the knights of Ren. And Luke is nowhere to be found. So, I dedicate myself to finding him. Han and Leia give me the falcon to go out and search for him, and I do. Living by myself and hopping from planet to planet, usually doing some good deeds here or there. A kill order is placed on my head by Kylo Ren, who I’ve come to gather is the lost Ben Solo.

So, that’s where my dr actually starts lmao. I’m marooned in Jakuu until I can trade enough to patch up the falcon. Finn’s still a defector because that’s such a cool plot line, Poe Dameron still crashes, and essentially I replace Rey because she’s boring 🤭 but I actually have a REASON to be powerful.

Main changes to what actually happens is that this isn’t really a war dr, at least not really. The New Order and the Rebellion kinda have to team-up against giant force monsters (they’re a thing in comics/expanded universe content it’s so difficult to explain what the hell I’m talking about so just trust me). So, Kylo and I actually have to work directly together as a Jedi Padawan and Sith Apprentice because that’s such a cool idea in my head. Meanwhile, I’m still looking for Luke AND I’ve also started training a force-sensitive Finn as a Padawan. There’s kind of a lot going on lol.

sorry i like yapping you don’t have to read allat🙏

[mamamittens]

As much as I want to get work done for my event, I'm liable to pass TF out soon so I'll just have a bit of fun musing about my OC more like the giant nerd I am.

I work Sunday again, 6-4 though, which is better than this whole week, 6-5. Holiday season is great for my bank account but hell on my sleep lol

There is a small problem about having humans born with wings. And that's mainly how that specifically works. You know. In birth and all that. Bird have the benefit of eggs but I'm not writing them all laying eggs as procreation lmao

I imagine most of them are born with bald wings. They're stuck to the back and very small at birth, only coming loose as they peel from the sudden change from all wet to not. They won't move very much at first, for maybe the first few months in fact. Usually by the time they grow down feathers the wings flutter clumsily. As a response to emotion or the environment. A baby's reflex is the wings spreading out when you blow on their face, it's automatic. They literally can't help it. Usually they grow out of it by about three or so.

Though until recently none could fly, it's still considered healthy to encourage movement. Usually through mirroring the family's movements. Stretches, flexes, and preening.

In terms of hygiene, it's a lot like hair care. Some wash daily and some space it out a bit more depending on how dirty they get daily with some consideration to their environment. Washing can get a little tricky with wings, but at least a rinse for debris on the surface every other day is normal. There are care products exclusive to wings but typically requires assistance to utilize. It's hard to reach back there on your own after all. Brushes, picks, shampoos, and conditioners depending on the preference.

Some wings produce more oil like in their avian counterparts and can get away with less strict bathing to keep them clean and tidy in exchange for frequent preening to distribute the oils. But for most it's more like their hair. On Summer Island, it's common for wings to get quite dirty quickly unless you work exclusively indoors. Typically sand and grass find their way between feathers, as well as some pests, which is rarely met with enthusiasm.

On Winter Island frequent wing bathing is incidental due to the popular hot springs rather than an inherent issue with debris. Since few want to bathe in one with their back arched like a pissed cat, keeping them tidy is a matter of courtesy to others. So they're more thorough out of habit since it's poor manners to dirty a hot spring. It also keeps their wings in good condition for heat preservation since unkempt wings lose heat faster.

Nikia bathes totally every day, making sure to dry off thoroughly by the fire. Keeping an eye on her feathers for damage in the harsh, unpredictable downdrafts from her patrols. Though you'd think this would be a hazard if she was called in, she's hardly the only elite ranger and typically only goes out on short notice in the beginning of a blizzard to retrieve lost hikers. It helps that drying off is faster with some manipulation of her size.

Her molts, about twice a year for two weeks, are the only times she is never called on due to her ability to retain heat being compromised. Nearly all of her feathers will be replaced during this time and it leads to some irritability from the itching.

Though she's thorough with her cleaning routine, sharp eyes notice the feathers on her back between her wings are rarely as tidy as the rest. Common for those living away from home without a partner. It would be worse if she couldn't shrink her wings to reach between them easier.

[mlobsters]

supernatural s9e21 king of the damned (w. eugenie ross-leming, brad buckner)

LOL cas you can let go now

dear lord i'm tired after just the recap. angels, metatron/gadreel, abaddon, crowley and his addiction, hellhounds, etc etc

angel handcuffed, slow clompy walk, "is that him??" cas appears. i giggled, not gonna lie

CASTIEL That brings me to why you're here. We have a prisoner. It's an angel from Metatron's inner circle. I need to know what they're planning, but so far, he's revealed nothing. DEAN So, you're done with the rough stuff, and you want us to be your goons? CASTIEL Well, you've had success at these situations before. If you don't want to do it, I understand. DEAN Who says I don't want to do it?

blegh. you know how i feel about the torture stuff, especially in relation to dean. and cas calling them in specifically just to torture information out of this angel. for a just cause though, of course, that makes it okay :|

truly enjoying sam's hair this season combined with very proportionately sized sideburns and now that we're finally less orange looking consistently. lookin good mister padalecki. dean looks like a slight wreck and like he's dissociating

wow show and boys, solving a problem without torture???? i am impressed! (seriously thank you eugenie and brad)

so much smiling and getting to put on this manipulative little show for the dude, fun to watch

cute cute (ignoring this whole abaddon bringing his son from the 1700s thing to force his hand is.... whatever this is)

GAVIN You sold your soul?! Sold it?! For an extra three inches of willy?!

did we know this? i feel like maybe but i can't remeber lol

so i wonder how much was shaved, he has enough hair i think he could have an undercut there and still have more than enough. wonder if that's part of why i like it so much more. i know i've seen him with it up in a bun a couple times so i could go see when that was but that's waaaay too much effort

oh, dean and his slice and dice mark of cain flashback. again, fic gave me the impression the mark was going to be central to goings on but there's just so many subplots nothing really is central

maybe they should just keep a couple pairs of nitrile gloves on hand so, for example, they don't have to raw dog rifling through a corpse. a very slimy corpse

okay so crowley used sam and dean's go word and dean isn't telling sam because? (because he's not making good decisions either) and being all shifty

CASTIEL Just as poor judgement undid you all those centuries ago, your mistaken trust in Metatron will bring you down again.

rich coming from you, cas 😂

okay weird fake solid blue birds. twitter product placement?? LOL

CROWLEY Hello, Dean. Love the crazy bloodlust in your eyes.

must be really smitten now. bye abaddon, you were moderately fun and very beautiful to look at

CROWLEY You owe me. Do I get no credit for warning you this was a trap? [SAM looks perplexed.] CROWLEY "Poughkeepsie" ring a bell? I sense drama.

his gleeful little laugh was cute

DEAN Well, I don't know what to tell you. Them's the rules. He goes back. SAM The lore all says the same thing -- you change any one thing in the past, the ripple effect impacts everything that follows. CROWLEY Please. No one bends the rules like you two bend the rules.

made me laugh, points being made!

CROWLEY I'll cheer the day when the last trace of humanity leaves me. Feelings.

relatable

DEAN First time I touched that Blade...I knew. I knew that I wouldn't be stopped. I knew I would take down Abaddon and anything else if I had to. And it wasn't a hero thing. You know, it wasn't... It was just calm. I knew. And I had to go it alone, Sammy. SAM Oh. Of course. So it was just another time where you had to protect me. DEAN You could've gotten nabbed by Abaddon, and she could've bargained her way out. We couldn't afford to screw this up.

okay but dean how about you have that conversation beforehand instead. asking for permission/begging for forgiveness

also can't remember sam turning in his seat like that before in one of these feelings-laden chats, really means business. so... effusive in his concern and everything lately

sam's soaking up all the empathy leaking out of dean

SAM Look...I'm glad it worked out, okay? I am. And I'm glad the Blade gives you strength or calm or whatever, but, Dean, I got to say... I'm starting to think the Blade is doing something else, too. DEAN Yeah? Like what? SAM I don't know. Like, something to you. Look... I'm thinking until we know for sure that we're gonna kill off Crowley, why don't we store the Blade somewhere distant? Lock it up somewhere safe? Okay? DEAN No.

well i'm glad we get to hear about the effects of the mark/blade combo finally. it's really been the backburner plotline. again i know what it leads to, but not how we get there

this episode made the angel politics about as tolerable/interesting as i think they can get, so woo for that (missing the days of cas popping in and getting irritated because he's in the middle of an offscreen war)

[bean-in-dice]

Journey to Love Thoughts

Ep 2

1. The opening theme song starts out giving CLJ and LY7T opening theme vibes.

2. Ooh here comes the didi-shaped sidekick in poor health issues with fluffy bangs and sass for days.

3. I'm like so confused isn't returning home from army when your freaking leader the King is held hostage and stuff considered deserting? In ep 1 I thought he's going to live a runaway life in hiding from now on! But he's here out in the open and rocking babygirl hair and white night robes? I guess he's really that privileged.

4. I like how the characters with so much confidence and presence a second ago just drop off dead in the very next in this show. Yeah, death in brutal and absolutely unexpected like that I guess.

5. Mmmm the An kingdom's Marquis Changqing is a tsundere

6. Here comes the lil meimei character whom all the characters AND the viewers swear on protecting! Goodness she holds so much raw willpower but is going to get put through absolute wringer isn’t she

Ep 3

7. Hell yeah she is. Prayer circle for her starts now 🙏

8. FL, ML and ML's didi guy's dynamic feels like MJTY's SGQ, GSJ and GYZ dynamic but made more reasonable, grounded, leaning comparatively more towards bite side in bite/bark spectrum AND with less bling blings. (Also I have to say I'm more biased towards Yuanzhi didi regardless 😂 The only person I could tolerate the over-the-top ness in that show)

Really, Journey to Love keeps giving me feels like it's the show I wanted MJTY be, which was all surface level glamor and barely anything underneath.

If Journey to Love could have some of MJTY's sleek production values it would've looked really good (seriously it bothers me why JTL isn't on movie-scale screen, the full screen scale doesn't seem to bring out that extra *something* that needs to be the there. It seems awfully cramped? Especially with all the action scenes and TaLL that's going on?

9. I have never seen a more honest antagonist Prime minister character. I support him. Very cool. (Granted he keeps his principles)

10. Ning ge (lol I'm loving we can legit keep calling him that, as his character is also Ning) has started winking for every minor thing and I'm not sure if I like that. I sense a major off-balancing of the tone of the show!

11. Didi flies a drone!!!

12. Ey what was that look in Shisan's eyes when he saw Ning ge lol. I'm loving Shisan already!! All the badass teams in the world need their laidback heartthrob boy.

SO many actors I already know and love are in this show! 😍😍😍

13. Errr the tone has shifted from Serious historical vibe political detective adventure to Wuxie team-travel adventure with Politics like in Sword Snow Stride and I'm starting to feel this role is more like Zhang Ruoyun's forte..... it's not the easiest to sell if you keep jumping among personalities and not stick with one... stop winking and crossing arms like you own the place! You were different just one ep ago!

14. OK it has officially gone off the rails.

What the heck was that. It's giving the polar opposite genre of what I thought you were going to be, show!!!

I'm officially confused. Dreading clicking on ep 4 now.

[kanonavi]

A Faulty Product, Marked for Disposal

Originally drafted 2/23/2023, Revised 5/5/2023

The first of the stories I wrote for my fiction workshop, which I then revised for the final. I’d still very much call this a draft though, so please bear that in mind lol

~~~

When Rhosyn first saw the boy, she could have sworn she was seeing a ghost out in broad daylight. Porcelain skin and snow white hair were nearly blinding in the sunlight, and the way he stood motionless outside the neighboring bakery made his appearance resemble a trick of the light rather than a living being. That was until Rhosyn tried to step closer, and eyes pale grey like overcast skies whipped towards her. Then in a blink, he had disappeared down an alleyway.

“Ah yes, that wouldn’t be the first time.” The baker says the following day, when Rhosyn delivers her coffee along with a question about the strange figure, “He showed up last week, and I’ve caught him gawking at my window display almost every day since. At this rate, I’m going to call in the guard to get him off my property for good. He’s going to start scaring away my customers.”

Rhosyn offers a smile and a platitude in return, even as the idea of having the village guard called on a child turns her stomach. The town is blessedly small enough that in her few centuries of life, she’s never seen a child made a street urchin like the ones hidden away in the underbelly of the Capital. A few orphans have been made in the aftermath of illness or some other tragedy, but each of them were swiftly taken under the wings of another family and raised as if they were their own.

Elven pride isn’t something that Rhosyn is immune to, nor is the protectiveness one feels for the place in which they were born and raised. Yet, she simply cannot fathom the idea that a child, even one so clearly foreign to their little community, would not be treated with sympathy.

~

She sees him again the very next day, when she steps outside in the morning to set up the signboard with the day’s specials. The boy is so enraptured with the bakery window that he doesn’t even notice her, and Rhosyn takes the opportunity to study his expression. Even partially obscured by his grown-out bangs, the longing there is so obvious that she feels a pang of sympathy all over again.

“Hey, kid,” She calls over to him, and the boy practically jumps out of his skin. Violet eyes turn towards her, and though she had made no move to step closer, he shuffles a few steps away from her.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop looking,” Before she can say anything else, the boy speaks in a rush, so softly she can barely hear. Rhosyn opens her mouth to object, to tell him that it’s alright, but then he’s gone again before she can get the words out.

Poor thing must have gotten an earful already if he’s acting like this… Frustration boils in her chest as she again thinks of her neighbor treating a person who’s clearly so hungry with such scorn. This cannot stand, not in Rhosyn’s good conscience, so instead of going back into the café, she follows the boy down the alleyway.

As she slips between the buildings, there’s no sign of the boy himself. He must have taken off running as soon as he was out of sight. A person isn’t a stray cat, however. They’re bound to leave behind signs of life one way or another, and Rhosyn finds that very sign right at the edge of the village’s little shopping district.

Right out back of the butcher’s shop, she finds an open and abandoned crate tipped onto its side, with a burlap sack draped over the top as if in an attempt to hide the opening. Inside the crate, more sacks are piled up as if to form a bed. It would be an easy fit for that boy, small as he was, and the rancid smell of discarded meat from the shop is powerful enough to deter most people from poking around back here. That would explain some of the off-color stains on the otherwise white clothes that the boy wore.

Rhosyn decides to retreat from the back alley before the stench of blood and gristle makes her vomit, and right then and there she vows to do whatever she can to get that boy off the streets. That determination follows her throughout the day, as just about every customer that comes in has some sort of comment about the “intense look” in her eyes, and she’s barely able to hide her true anticipation with the awkward laughs and excuses that she gives in reply.

The evening can’t come soon enough, and once her final customers leave, Rhosyn is right on their heels to turn the sign on the door over to ‘CLOSED’. Then she gets right to work preparing a small basket with a serving-sized pot of the day’s soup and a sandwich. This kind of delivery isn’t anything new, it’s just the first time she’s made it to an empty crate rather than a home with an appreciative occupant. She can only hope that her guess was correct, and that the boy will find her gift.

~

What she certainly doesn’t expect is to find the basket at her doorstep the next morning, emptied of its contents and with the cloth that had covered it folded neatly inside. The gratitude in the gesture is so clear that it easily brings a smile to her face. Maybe this mission won’t actually be as difficult as she’d anticipated.

The return of the basket also marks the establishment of a routine, in which Rhosyn makes evening deliveries to the little shelter and finds her basket returned in the morning. A few days later, the baker is thanking the stars over her coffee that the little “rascal” had stopped haunting her establishment, and Rhosyn has to bite back a snide comment about it not being through any effort on her part to improve the situation.

The boy’s absence from the baker’s window does present a bit of a problem, however, since Rhosyn no longer has any idea where to find him. The back alley is always devoid of life whenever she makes her deliveries, so he must have figured out when she comes by in order to avoid her. Several times, she considers making her delivery at an irregular time to see if she could catch him, but each time she decides that doing so would be more likely to scare him away then actually bring about any progress.

It’s an issue that Rhosyn continues to puzzle over for the next few days, until one morning it suddenly solves itself when she opens her front door and is greeted with a yelp of shock.

“I’m sorry!” The boy flinches back apologizes before she’s even said anything, hands held up defensively in front of his face as if his mere presence is enough to make her lash out.

“Why are you apologizing, kid?  You’re the one doing me a favor here.” Rhosyn says, as she notices her basket clutched tightly in one of the boy’s hands. Burnt orange eyes blink open and the boy looks up at her in confusion as she gently pulls the basket out of his hold, “Thank you, by the way, for returning this.”

“I just didn’t want to get caught.” He replies, arms wrapping tight around himself as he lowers his gaze, “I understand that I’m an eyesore, and I’ve already troubled you enough.”

All over again, Rhosyn feels a flash of anger that almost makes her nauseous as she realizes just how much of an impact the scorn of her neighbors has had on this boy. There’s simply no excuse for it. “You haven’t troubled anyone.” She tells him, completely no-nonsense, “Now, would you like to come in for some breakfast?”

“I couldn’t possibly… I don’t even really need to eat that much, you don’t need to worry yourself over me…” The boy stammers, but his momentum peters out at the sound of Rhosyn’s sigh as she steps aside and motions for him to step into the café.

“Don’t lie to me, kid. I understand what hunger looks like.” She says, and apparently her tired expression alone is enough to cow the boy into accepting her invitation, as he lowers his eyes to the ground and slips past her through the open door.

Rhosyn directs the boy to sit at the counter while she goes into the kitchen to prepare his food. A few slices of fresh bread go onto a plate with a small bowl of whipped butter, and a larger bowl is filled with the day’s soup that she’d finished only half an hour ago. It’s hardly more glamorous than what she usually offers, but the fact that it’s not simply leftovers makes her feel quite a bit better about it.

The feeling compounds when she sets the food down in front of the boy and watches his face light up in delight. So brightly in fact, that Rhosyn catches the color of his eyes changing right before her, from a soft lavender to a dandelion yellow.

“They really do change color…” She muses aloud, which causes the boy’s head to jerk up from where he’d been focused on spreading butter onto a slice of bread. Now that she’s looking for it, she can see new colors swirling within the yellow of his irises, especially with the way his eyes have widened, “Your eyes, I mean. I thought I was just seeing things before, what’s the deal with that?”

“Oh, that…” Distantly, he lifts a hand to touch his cheek, just below his eye, “It’s just the way that I was made, that’s all. Supposedly the color of my eyes reflects my emotional state, it’s the same for all the others. Call it a gimmick, if you will.”

Made? The others? A gimmick? Suddenly, Rhosyn is struck with the feeling that she’s stumbled into something out of her depth, but she has to persist. It’s all for the sake of good will, “I’m not sure I really get any of that, I’m going to be honest.” She admits with a short chuckle, “But tell me kid, what’s your name, where are you from? Not from anywhere around here, I’m guessing.”

The question seems to catch the boy off guard, as he fully freezes with his buttered bread lifted halfway to his mouth. Then the situation gets even stranger when he gets up from his seat altogether and offers her some kind of salute, as if he’s a tiny soldier.

“Color Guard Unit 500, servant to none. Name: None.” He says, in complete monotone, like that string of words had been branded so deeply into his mind that he could say them automatically. Rhosyn’s shock must have shown on her face, since once his greeting is done the boy sheepishly adds, “That is who I am.”

“Oookay…” As the child climbs back onto his stool and properly digs into his meal, Rhosyn tries her best to process what she’d just heard. Most of it was complete nonsense, as she’s never heard of anything like a “Color Guard”, even in the Capital, so she ultimately decides to disregard that part entirely.

What’s more comprehensible, but also more worrying, is the talk of servants. The use of child servants is one of the worst-kept secrets of the Capital’s ruling class, and it would certainly explain this boy’s well-spoken and polite manner. “Kid, just give it to me straight, none of that weird introduction business.” She eventually says, “Did you escape from the Capital?”

“The Capital?” He responds, tilting his head inquisitively, “No, I didn’t come from there. I’m from another world, and was discarded here. When I picked a direction and started walking, this was the first sign of civilization that I found.”

“Right…” By now Rhosyn can feel a headache coming on, so she starts preparing herself a cup of coffee in the feeble hope that being more awake will somehow help her understand any of this better, “So you were “made” in another world, and then “discarded” here. Are those your words, or your parents’ words?”

“I have no parents.” The boy replies easily, “The technicians and instructors made it quite clear that we were never to view them that way. Though they’re the ones who said in no uncertain terms that I was to be discarded. I am a faulty product, unfit to be sold.”

“How can you stand being aware of that? Does it not tear you up inside??” Although this child is clearly not the human that Rhosyn once assumed he was, to hear any person speak of themself in such a dehumanizing way is still unbelievable to hear. Still, the boy is unfazed.

“It is simply the reality of things. My apologies, but I cannot say I understand what warrants getting this upset.” Whoever those technician people were had clearly gotten deep into this boy’s head, if his nonchalance about this entire subject says anything at all.

There’s still so much that Rhosyn simply doesn’t understand, especially the concern of what this boy even is, but in the here and now she feels like it doesn’t really matter. He’d won her sympathy weeks ago, when she first saw the scorn that he was being treated with by her neighbors, but now she knows that the scorn he’s faced runs far deeper than that ever could. It’s a wrong that she is going to right, no matter what.

“Here kid, I’ll tell you what. Let’s start over.” She reaches her hand across the counter, offering it to the boy, “My name is Rhosyn Reese. It’s nice to meet you.”

Eyes now tinged with lavender once again, the boy looks between her hand and face a couple of times before reaching out to take it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Reese. I’m sorry that I don’t have a name to give you in return.”

“Just call me Rhosyn. We don’t do formality here.” She tells him, “Now, would you like a name? It would be nicer than me having to keep calling you “kid” all the time.”

“Would I like a name?” He echoes, “I suppose a name would be nice… but I can’t choose a name for myself.”

Rhosyn suspects that it has to do with the whole servant thing that this boy was set up for, and though she’s tempted to ask about it she’d rather not get lost in the weeds again. “Alright, I’ll try to think of some. But if you don’t actually like it, you need to tell me. Got it?”

Although he still looks doubtful, the boy nods, and Rhosyn starts picking her brain for names. None of the common ones that come to mind just don’t seem to fit, and many of them already belong to people that she knows. Choosing names might not be her forte, she realizes belatedly, but then out of the depths of her mind comes a name from a little bit closer to home that might just be perfect.

“How about Carwyn?” She asks. The boy tilts his head again as he thinks it over, and Rhosyn closely watches for any sign of dissatisfaction that he might try to hide. But to her delight, she watches as he actually smiles for the first time.

“I think I like that name. Carwyn…” The boy repeats it, and though it sounds a bit different in his foreign accent it makes him smile even wider, “Yes, I love it!”

“I’m glad. That name is actually what my parents would have called me if I were a boy. A bit cheesy, I know, but I’ve always liked it.” Rhosyn admits, “But with that out of the way… Carwyn, would you like to stay here? This village is small, I can’t say we have a lot to offer, but it’s better than wandering the countryside feeling like you’ve been discarded.”

I want to show you that you’re allowed to be a person, rather than a servant or a product, if only you’ll let me.

Carwyn blinks up at her, golden eyes innocent as anything, with an expression so placid that for a moment Rhosyn is scared that he’ll just reject her on principle, as if he was programmed against it. But then that smile of his returns and he nods his head, “Thank you, Rhosyn. I think that I’ll accept your offer.”

 ~

A year later, Carwyn is nearly unrecognizable from the boy that Rhosyn had taken in all those months ago. Not because his appearance had changed in any way, “Chances are I’ll look like this forever,” he’d explained to her at one point when she’d asked about his youthful appearance. Rather, in the past year Carwyn’s confidence had blossomed, leaving the nervous, apologetic person that he used to be as a relic of the past.

Once he was pulled off the streets, he’d endeared himself to the rest of the village easily, with his gentle, polite manner. Even the baker who once spoke so harshly of the young man ended up coming around after receiving an apology for the trouble that he’d caused. It was an apology that Rhosyn believed was soundly undeserved, but Carwyn had insisted on offering it as a sign of good faith.

It certainly took time for Carwyn to get used to the idea that people wouldn’t despise him on sight, a preconception that Rhosyn worked very hard to dispel, but she was proud of the fact that he seemed to put just as much effort into trying to grow.

When the first year passed them by, Rhosyn had always known that it would be an excuse for celebration, and it was remarkably easy to convince just about everyone in the village to pack themselves into her little café for the surprise party that she’d planned. Carwyn had been incredibly embarrassed by the whole thing, insisting that it was way too much of a fuss for his sake, but just about every person in the room had brushed his words off as nonsense.

After that, he’d been swept away by the crowd, everyone wanting their turn to wish him well or pass him gifts that they’d prepared. Rhosyn had left him to the whims of their friends and neighbors, she could offer up her own gift later on, but after some time preparing drinks for anyone who wanders over to the counter, she notices someone standing off to the side on their own.

The man was a childhood friend of hers, who had been studying in the Capital until just a few weeks ago. He was always the reclusive sort, and Rhosyn had invited him not only as a means for him to get to know Carwyn, but as a way to get him to be social at all. But the plan seems to be backfiring, based on the way he’s lingering on the party’s fringes and warily eyeing the crowd.

“Is the ruckus too much for your fragile constitution, or what?” Rhosyn teases as she sidles up to her friend, but the man only gives her a dry look before his gaze turns back to the crowd, still bunched around Carwyn in the café’s center.

“You know how I feel about large gatherings, Rhos.” He replies, his brows furrowing the longer he watches the group, “But it’s not really that… I’m curious, if it’s not rude of me to ask, do you really know what your new friend actually is?”

“Do I know what he is?” Rhosyn echoes, one of her brows rising in confusion, “That’s kind of a weird question, but if you’re asking if he’s human, he’s definitely not.”

“That much is rather obvious, based on his eyes.” Her friend says, before shaking his head, “Maybe I’m just overthinking this, but there were some rumors circulating in the Capital a while ago. I’d forgotten about them, but seeing Carwyn brought them to mind.”

“What were the rumors?” Rhosyn asks. Any mention of the Capital is enough to put anyone on edge, with the near-tyrannical direction that their world’s Head God had taken in the past century or so. Rumors are simply rumors, and her friend has surely never been close enough to the top to hear anything of substance, but the curiosity is already eating away at her.

“Apparently the Knights were ordered to search for some kind of “False God” that had appeared in this world.” Of all things that her friend could have said, Rhosyn definitely wasn’t expecting that, “I’m not saying that it could be him, but… he definitely doesn’t seem like someone from this world to me. I know that the Capital hardly seems to remember our little hamlet even exists, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried for you, Rhos.”

Naturally, all Rhosyn could think back to in that moment were the various scraps of information Carwyn had offered her over the past year, particularly the bit about being sent here from another world. The word “God” had never left his lips, but if the Capital was truly looking for interlopers… they’ve never been known for being very discriminant in their searches.

“I can’t just abandon him.” Despite the very real fear that had burrowed its way into her heart, Rhosyn doesn’t hesitate with her response, “He’s like a brother to me now, I’m not about to turn him away to save my own skin. If the Capital wants to come for him, let them come.”

“Why did I know you would say something foolish like that?” Shaking his head, her friend heaves a sigh, “I’m not here to tell you what to do, I just thought I’d let you know.”

They let the subject drop after that, and after a while Rhosyn manages to get her friend to join the party, letting her take her place back at the bar. Everything seems to go smoothly, as she later spots him chatting amicably with Carwyn. Perhaps everything would be fine. She certainly wanted to hope that they would be.

It’s only once the partygoers have all filtered out that Carwyn finally makes his way back over to her, where he slumps onto one of the barstools with what might be the heaviest sigh Rhosyn has ever heard from him.

“It’s tough being so popular, huh?” She asks, her lips quirked up into a teasing smirk, and she has to stop herself from laughing at the dead-tired look that Carwyn gives her.

“It’s not that, truly. People are so kind, it’s just so much to handle…” He explains, clearly disgruntled by her attempt to tease, “I’ve never had so many people all trying to talk to me at once before.”

“I get it, I really do.” Rhosyn replies, allowing herself a short laugh at his expense, “But do you think you have the energy for one more? It’s not much, but I’ve prepared a little gift of my own for you.”

“I think we both know that you’re different, Rhosyn.” Carwyn says with a warm smile, sitting up a little straighter as if he somehow needs to look more proper in order to receive her gift, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s that much, the fact that anyone has done anything for me at all today is far more than enough.”

“Alright then, I’m not expecting any kind of disappointment.” Rhosyn jokes. But instead of pulling out any kinds of packages from her person, she simply leans forward and rests her elbows on the countertop, “So you’ve been here for a year now, Carwyn, and I’m being honest when I say that I can hardly imagine life without you anymore. I’ve been alive for a while now, so that’s nothing to sneeze at. But to cut to the chase here, I’ve considered you my family for a while now, so I wanted to offer you my family name. To make all those jokes people make about you being my little brother official.”

For several moments, Carwyn just stares at her with his mouth hanging slack in shock, and then in a matter of seconds his hands have flown up to cover his mouth as tears gather in his eyes. Even without the color of his eyes (a gold so brilliant that it nearly glows) giving him away, Rhosyn couldn’t have mistaken the joy on his face for anything else. It’s in seeing that expression that she knows she’s made the right choice.

“Rhosyn, I… It would be an honor! I’m sorry for crying, I just… I never thought that anyone would ever actually consider me to be their family.” Carwyn stammers out, and Rhosyn nearly rolls her eyes as he starts apologizing to her, of all things.

“Don’t apologize, you sap. Here, hold on.” Looping around to the other side of the counter, Rhosyn wipes away Carwyn’s tears before pulling him into a hug, “I don’t know how much of an “honor” this really is, but I’m glad you’re happy. Plus, Carwyn Reese has a nice ring to it too, don’t you think?”

From the way that he started to cry even harder in her arms, Rhosyn liked to think that he agreed with her.

 ~

If only times could have stayed as good as that forever.

The morning that turned Rhosyn’s life upside down was like any other, getting cleaned and dressed while Carwyn slept in in the opposite bedroom. The shutters of the café were raised, and she stepped outside with the signboard, only for her peaceful routine to be shattered by a commotion from up the street.

Curiosity coaxes her to follow the noise to its source, only to find a group of her friends and neighbors gathered around a small group of soldiers. Each one is clad head to foot in white and gold, the colors of their God. Knights from the Capital, there’s no mistaking them.

“Our Lord’s patience runs thin!” One of the men, the one with the longest plume extending from the top of his helmet announces as Rhosyn joins the very back of the crowd, “Reveal the False God harbored within this township, or we will exercise our right to search private property in order to unearth it!”

In front of her, several of the elves look at each other in confusion. There’s no God being harbored within their village. At least, in their minds. Meanwhile, Rhosyn’s eyes widen when she hears those words. The conversation with her scholar friend from two years ago floats back to her mind, of the Capital’s search for a False God and his suspicions towards her younger brother, which had later been confirmed by the young man himself.

“I’ve begun to suspect that I was abandoned here so that I would be killed.” Carwyn had confessed to her one night a little over a year ago while they were preparing the next day’s pastries, as casually as if he was commenting on the weather, “An immortal being with the capacity to be called a God is difficult to create, but even more difficult to kill. They may not have had the means to put me out of their own misery.”

“After all, they never expected anything less than perfection.”

“You, there!” Rhosyn is jerked back to reality by a shout, and her head snaps up to meet the gaze of the long-plumed man, “Do you know something about the False God??”

For a moment, fear pulses through Rhosyn’s chest as the crowd in front of her parts and the knight begins to stride towards her, but then she recalls the way that they’d spoken about Carwyn, about her brother, and that fear coalesces into pure rage.

“There are no False Gods in this village, Sir.” Rhosyn snaps, her voice dripping with venom, “I have no idea where you Capital-types get off thinking that you can show up whenever you please and make these accusations, but I won’t hear of it–!”

“Rhosyn, stop.”

From behind comes a voice, clear and firm, and the crowd turns as one to see Carwyn approaching, violet eyes trained directly on the plumed knight as he announces, “I am the False God that you’re looking for.”

“Carwyn, you can’t do this!” Rhosyn protests, but as Carwyn reaches her side he shakes his head and offers a reassuring smile as if everything is alright. As if she can’t see the fear in his eyes.

“No Rhosyn, I must do this.” He whispers in return, before stepping past her to stand in front of the knight. He’s so painfully small next to the towering man, and Rhosyn thinks it a miracle that he’s able to hold this bold façade as well as he as. Especially when he lifts his arm in that salute that she hasn’t seen in over three years.

“Color Guard Unit 500, servant to none. Name: Carwyn.” In that mechanical drone, Rhosyn hears him discard her family’s name in what could only be an act of protection that nonetheless feels like a dagger being driven into her chest, “As I said, I am the False God that you seek. Do with me what you will, for I lack the power and ability to defend myself.”

“Three years of searching… for this?” The knight’s lips curl into a sneer of disgust as he stares down his nose at the petite God still staring up at him. Rhosyn can’t see the expression on Carwyn’s face, but as the knight roughly grabs his arm and yanks, forcing him to follow, she hears a soft noise of pain. That’s when she truly can’t stand to watch anymore.

“Unhand him, you bastard!” She shrieks, lunging forward and grabbing Carwyn’s other arm and yanking him free from the knight’s hold, pulling him tight against her chest, “How dare you treat him this way? What harm has he brought to anyone in this world??”

“Unhand the False God, foolish woman.” The knight growls as he turns back to fix Rhosyn with that glare that never seems to leave his face, “If you continue resisting, you will be arrested for treason.”

“I don’t give a damn about that! I—” Again, Rhosyn tries to protest, but this time she’s met with a pair of hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.

“Please, Rhos. Don’t ruin your life for me.” Carwyn says, his lips curved into a rueful smile, “These past few years that you’ve given me, they’ve been more than I ever could have hoped for. But they’re enough, Rhosyn. You’ve done enough.”

Tears begin to gather in Rhosyn’s eyes as she listens to his words, and they begin to fall as Carwyn leans closer to press his cheek to hers, tender as ever, even when she can see the hues of sorrow swirling in his eyes.

“Thank you, for everything.”

Those are the last words that Carwyn speaks to her before he pulls away completely and returns to the waiting knight, who had watched their exchange with his usual disgust. “She’s lucky that you’re wise enough to know your place.” He says, again seizing the small God’s arm, “If you keep that up, maybe she won’t suffer the consequences for harboring a False God for three years.”

With that emphasis, the plumed knight looks over his shoulder one last time, but Rhosyn doesn’t even notice the glance. She can’t bear to watch her family be taken away while the words “you’ve done enough” are still ringing in her ears.

It’s nowhere near enough.

Three years means nothing to a century of isolation and neglect.

Three centuries could pass and she would still be kept up at night wondering if she had done enough for him.

But that time is a luxury that Rhosyn would not be allowed, for the realm of the gods was never hers to touch.

~~~

If you’ve actually read this far, I can’t thank you enough! I just thought it would be neat to share what I’ve been spending my creative braincells on over the course of the semester, when I was simply too dead to write any fic lol

Since this is a revision, I’d like to take note of what I actually changed based on the feedback that I received. The scene around the middle, the celebration of Carwyn’s first year in the village was added whole-cloth in the second draft and meant to hit several birds with one stone. The main critiques I received for this piece were that there wasn’t enough time spent with Carwyn and Rhosyn to make their separation hit the right emotional mark, and that I should expand more on this world that I had constructed. That new scene basically sought to restore some of the context I had to trim to fit within the original 15-page limit.

The deadline under which I had to write this is what I think led to most of its issues, as this is quite literally the skeleton of an idea that I dug out of my brain chest from when I was in high school and dressed it up in a sunglasses and a feather boa before presenting it at workshop. I’m hoping that I can work with this world more in the fall and continue building on these ideas, because I unfortunately think more of the holes will show in the other story that I wrote. I simply haven’t been able to give names and faces to people who may or may not be important characters, since I simply don’t know who most of the important characters will be aside from these two and perhaps a couple more. But I’m excited to continue working in that direction, and for what this is, which is a start, I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come as a writer since I came up with these characters and ideas in like, my freshman year of high school.

I’ll try to post the other story soon!

[coulsonlives]

Well that FNAF movie was, um.. not very good. Idk what I was expecting, but I was expecting a little more.

The production value was good overall, the music ruled and the animatronics were really well done. But Vanessa's dialogue and constant 'i am mysterious lady character, dun dun dun' deflections every other sentence made me wanna pull my hair out. Even though there was a reason behind her not intervening/warning Mike and his daughter about the springs, it really didn't come off like that, it just came off like she was an inept cop, like some random lady cosplaying as a cop instead. The movie was total garbage at showing any kind of genuine subtlety or ulterior motives, so everything just came off as the writers not being good at their jobs. The way the camera moved to Afton when he was a career counsellor also screamed 'i'm a villain twirling my moustache' and it was super corny.

And tbh, Josh Hutcherson wasn't on his a-game here lmao. There were scenes where we should have seen some kinda surprise or emotion, but legit ALL he could do was stare like a dead-eyed bass, and I was like cmon man.

Also, still super pissed that they totally RUINED the big payoff with the kids being the ghosts in the trailer, and the movie wasn't any better with revealing it, there was no real surprise or anything. And I'm just thinking, if someone didn't know the franchise, they would've just groaned like, 'i can see this coming a mile away'. Detective Pikachu wasn't that amazing either, but at least people who weren't into Pokemon didn't feel supremely ripped off like they saw the entire movie in the trailer. A lot of people I know didn't see the 'twist' in that movie coming. This one, it basically smacks you over the head with it and says 'enjoy, fool'.

Also, I can't remember which animatronic it was, but the person getting bitten in half was kinda unrealistic. It was way too fluid and smooth! Bitch be trying to get through bones and shit, human bodies come with a lot of resistance. There would be at least a lil bit of that, even for an animatronic with decent bite pressure.

The animatronic eyes didn't bother me as much as I expected them to, which I guess is another plus, but I'm still wondering if it would've been better with the creepy eyes. And some of the shots were good (Afton being dragged back into the closet oml?!), but it doesn't make up for the rest of the movie unfortunately. Except maybe the poor lawyer guy, he was amazing lol.

TLDR, it wasn't good. Probably worth a watch if you can see it for free.

[theharrowing]

Revisit Thoughts:

COLLATERAL CHAPTER 1, LET'S GOOOOOO!!!

a little background: as i am sure many are aware, this whole fic started more or less out of a joke. That, That came out, and i made this post about Boss Min coming to collect his payment (hint: it's you lolol.) it was cross-posted to twitter where people told me i needed to write it, and the rest was history. i never really read mafia fics or watch mafia movies, so the first chapter is pretty light and playful because i had absolutely no clue what i was doing.

and now, for the actual reread!!!

(under the cut, for the sake of spoilers!)

poor "boyfriend" never gets a name in this fic lmao. that's how truly useless he is.

i thought it would be fun to have mc be a fashion girlie, and i think it carries on through a few chapters (and pops up a little more) where i actually looked up designer outfits and did my best to describe them. that task became tedious tho, because i am not a fashion girlie, and i began to spend way too much time on designer websites, scouring through dresses lol.

This isn’t me, you think. This is a charade; I should be wearing sneakers and stuffing my face with fried nonsense in front of a food cart, not parading around the hallways of some bougie hotel like a distressed debutante.

this bit is so cute, and honestly, really does seem to highlight a lot about the mc, despite the fact that she almost never wears sneakers once she lives in the Min mansion lmao.

i actually do an okay job of foreshadowing the mc's background in the opening scene, showing how unamused she is by her boyfriend's worries about becoming a drug dealer, and i hadn't really had her backstory fleshed out, just yet. we don't know who she is yet, but there is a hint that she may be used to a world in which drug dealers are commonplace (but blames it on watching old gangster films, hehe.)

we also watch her case the street to see whether any cars look out of place, which is an instinct everyday citizens may not have, further adding to her unknown backstory.

oh man, i have always considered cutting out the conversation with the bar regular because it feels so corny, but i never have gotten the nerve to do it. i think i added it as filler, honestly, so the first chapter wouldn't be so short. (back then i wasn't writing the epics i do today.) i think i also added it to give her someone to relate to/talk to other than her boyfriend.

we need a bingo card for the things she calls her boyfriend, including idiot, annoying shithead, dingus, asshole...lolol.

The man is in a light tan suit with a leopard print shirt and studded belt. His dark brown hair is coiffed off his forehead and long in the back—just past his ears. He is a sight to behold with sharp eyes and a sharper smile, and you squint at him and scoff. Handsome as he is, he looks ridiculous—like he belongs in some low production wild west film—and you wonder if he has a light tan wide flat-brimmed hat with a feather sticking from it somewhere. Or, better yet, with a matching leopard print scarf tied around it. 

LMAOOOOO. this always makes me giggle. Yoongi is so sexy, i needed to have a bit of a go at him.

oh, we also need to keep a running tally of all of mc's nicknames throughout the fic, starting with darling.

i have also made 5 very tiny edits hehehe. 😅

Collateral 🗡️ 1: I know exactly who you are

Your ex-boyfriend gets in over his head working for the local mafia, and Boss Min has come to collect his payment: You.

But was it simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or has he always had his sights on you?

INDEX | NEXT

🗡️ Yoongi x Female Reader

🗡️ word count: 5.4k

🗡️ mafia au, strangers to lovers, graphic violence, major character injury, poly, smut, angst, fluff, nsfw, explicit 21+ 

🗡️ warnings: a hint of violence, mention of weapons, description of panic attack 🗡️ beta read by @neoneunnajimin​ 🗡️ posted may 2022 | read on ao3

“Where the fuck are we going?” you hiss, trying to keep up with your boyfriend, who is dragging you through the dining hall of your favorite restaurant—the skyrise wine bar overlooking the river that serves the best Caesar salad you have ever tasted. Like, seriously, whatever they put in that dressing, you need to know.

“Babe, please,” he huffs, “I’ll explain it later just hurry.”

Just hurry, he says, which is convenient for him considering he’s not wearing the latest hot chick scallop pointed-toe Louboutins which are currently squeezing the life out of your fucking toes. At least your legs have range of motion in the vintage Alexander McQueen mid-length black cocktail dress, but your faux fur leopard print knee-length jacket is turning you into a furnace. 

You scurry down the hallway asking yourself what you are even fucking doing here. This isn’t me, you think. This is a charade; I should be wearing sneakers and stuffing my face with fried nonsense in front of a food cart, not parading around the hallways of some bougie hotel like a distressed debutante.

It is not lost on you that, rather than taking the elevator that leads down to the lobby from the restaurant, your boyfriend has dragged you through the penthouse level of a hotel on top of which this restaurant sits, and you are now winding through a carpeted hallway away from the clattering of dishes toward an elevator meant for guests with rooms at that hotel. With the chance to pause and catch your breath, you turn to the man at your side.

“Mind telling me just what the fuck we’re doing?” you pant.

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