#his first wife didnt have any complaints

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Technique: Charlie & Lucifer

Lucifer: (muffled and strained) Ho-kkkay, scho, you schart dike dis.

Charlie: (also muffled and very garbled) 'Kay....dike....dat?

Lucifer: (gives a thumbs up) Perfec! Wow! Ho-chkay! Dow you dus do dis-

Vaggie: What are you two goobers doing?

Charlie: (holds up a finger and finishes the last bit of instruction before squealing and pulling a tied off cherry stem from her lips) Look what I did, Vaggie!!!

Vaggie: (blinks as a few feathers threaten to escape from her back) That's... uh... very good, hun. But, why?

Lucifer: (proudly while holding his tied cherry stem between his teeth like a cigarette) Charlie was looking for a few good pointers on how to (eyebrow wiggle) please a lady. So! I figured the good ol' tie a knot in a cherry stem would be ample practice for proper technique.

Vaggie: (wings pop out in a feathery boner)

Charlie: (mortified) DAD!!!!

Lucifer: (holds hands up in a weird shrug) What?! You've already gone down half a long stem length. A couple more of these, and you should be able to maneuver a normal stem. And THEN!!! (pulls a long, red stem out of a jar on the coffee table) You can go Advanced Mode!!! (puts stem in his mouth, and his cheeks squirm as he teases the stem before opening his mouth and revealing a Celtic knot balanced on his tongue) TA-DAAAA!!!

Charlie: (jaw drop) How the fuck????

Vaggie: Can I see one of those?

Lucifer: (still balancing his tied knot) Schure!

Vaggie: Thanks. (Pulls a long cherry stem and pops it in her mouth)

Charlie: (watches intently at the subdued bulges in Vaggie's cheeks as she works the stem)

Lucifer: (teasing) Charlie, don't forget to breathe.

Charlie: (gasps in a breath)

Vaggie: (finishes her work and pulls the tied stem from her lips, revealing a perfect, double figure eight heart knot. She kisses Charlie's cheek and places the tied stem in her hands) Love you, hun.

Charlie: (flushed bright red with a tail and horns boner as she silent screams)

Lucifer: Ha-HA!!! THAT'S MY FUTURE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!!!!!

[wildshona]

Making Contact

About a week after I was told that Richard's friends had tracked down Amelia she phoned. It was a long conversation after we had spent about an hour sobbing in each others ears. I mean my sis and i had had no contact for 3 years and so much had happened. we have spoken lots of times since butt i bet we still havent told one another everything.

one thing i remember is how i sobbed AFTER the call with all the guilt i felt. i had to get an emergency appointment with my therapist.

of course dad went off the roof when i ran away. i had fucked up whatever plans he had and one thing about my dad was he didnt like not getting his way and he certainly didnt like an escapee from his carefully crafted system of the roles assigned to my sister and me.

my dad had a view - or excuse - that there were basically two types of women - wives and whores. A good wife was obedient, dressed demurely to the instructions of her man, was a good homemaker, had babies and was satisfied with vanilla sex and maybe the occasional blowjob. A whore was obedient and dressed as her master told her, could stand in on domestic things if the wife was tired and took any type of sex that the man wanted - however humiliating, degrading, rough or whatever. Oh yeah she was a resource for friends as well cos she didnt have any worth.

dad had it all sorted. Amelia was clearly a good wife so I clearly was, well you can guess.

the trouble was when i ran away he was a whore short. Amelia said he was distracted from that when the first moved to the US cos he had a new community to fit in to and a new job to get up to speed on. so while he was buying a gun, joining an evangelical church, and getting in with the work hierarchy it was fine especially as Amelia was getting bigger and bigger with the soon to be Zoe.

but then things started to change. dad started to buy her the sort of underwear that he used to buy for me. not he white or pink cotton but the black or red lacy. and he suggested that she started to wear stockings - only round the house of course. then he bought her toys. not dildoes or vibes. butt plugs. Amelia had nver had anything up her butt - that had been my job. she did it of course - she was a good girl and a good wife. and a good wife and a good girl does what her man tells her without discussion or complaint. she knew it was only a matter of time before it was something else and not just a plug.

she was so shocked about my time on the streets and other things that had happened tp me. she did say that i wouldn;t have had too put up with that if i had only stayed obedient. so it was sort of my fault. well i have always accepted that all that was aconsequnce of me running away but that was ok. my decision - my outcomes.

but i now had this massive guilt that Amelia had taken on some of the whore role for which she was untrained and unprepared. i should say that didnt happen til after Zoe was born but stll. i mean she wasn't supposed to suffer cos of me. but she did. we love one another so she didnt say it was my fault tho maybe we will have some sort of conversation about that one day.

at that time we were happy to be in contact again and could tell one another how much we loved one another. tho she still didnt understand how i couldnt love daddy. I mean Jesus...she still didn't get it. She went to church on Sundays and listened while the preacher talked about jezebels and boys who wanted to be girls and the threats of white women having black babies and then went home and did what her man told her to do even tho now she was being told to be a jezebel - well once the lunch was cooked anyway.

i don't know what we are going to do with her.

[famousfilmsfan]

Continuation of Jons mental issue

Vindi had asked for a meeting with Jon.

Vindi: Good you finally decided to meet with me.

Jon: I’m lucky to be here. So what did you wanna talk about?

Vindi; Well legally I have to discuss your departure from the business it seemed rather rash.

Jon: Yeah, with Bryan dying, and apparently my mental issues I sort of snapped.

Vindi: Yes, and legally I need to read out all the complaints made against you, and sign them to make sure you acknowledged them.

He slams a large box on his desk.

Jon: Okay.

He then puts another box onto the first, then another then there was another pile, then a third and a fourth.

Vindi: Should we start chronically or start alphabetically?

Vindi: You threatened to call ICE on the Custodial staff if they didn't wax your car?

Jon: well I assumed that they would see it as a joke.

Vindi: They did not, also they’re white Americans so that Ice statement made no sense.

Vindi: Your idea man thought It was very rude you never let him finish talking.

Jon: His ideas were terrible.

Vindi: Of course they were but at least let him finish.

Vindi: The cafeteria staff found your inconsistent changes in diet concerning, and everytime they didnt have a product you wanted, you threw stale muffins at them.

Jon; I vaguely remember that.

Vindi: You also called them ‘Stepford wife knock offs. I don't understand that reference.

Vindi: You once punched an employee in the face and said ‘You had a mosquito on your face’

Jon: Did he?

Vindi: You really think it would be a complaint if he did?

After all six boxes Jon sighs.

Jon; hell it’d been five hours glad that’s over

Vindi: Oh no that was just from employees in the building.

He grabbed a box from a Dolley.

Vindi: These are from business owners.

He grabs a random one

Vindi: ‘Jon once pushed me down the stairs after calling me a knock off slender man, and told me to go back to the woods’

Jon:.....Goddamn bipolar.

(put any other complaints in the comments)

[colourful-void]

ALRIGHT CLOSING UP FOR THE NIGHT: UPDATE (its long)

oh mizuki my darling my sweetie gravy i missed you so much hi mizuki hi mizuki missed youuuu

nothin on ryuki but man she's so fun to play as. it's alos just. nice that she and aiba act a lot friendlier to each other. dont get me wrong tama and ryuki's dyanmic is fun, and i know they really care about each other, but like. doing the crime scene investigation and aiba cheering mizuki on with her acting was really sweet. i loved it.

the mizuki boss daughter mother thing ramble starts here.: so i read all the profiles and glossary stuff pretty religiously, and i know that in Boss's glossary for her current profile, it says she adopted Mizuki. and if not for that it would be impossible to tell. come on gangggg that's so insanely interesting as a concept can anyone mention it like even vaguely in passing im BEGGING. i also nEED to know more on bosses First daughter, who i suspect is missing now? maybe she's related in some way to kizzy's first Big Sis?

but srsly its bugging me so bad, like that tracks w/ how casual mizuki is to her but !! it drives me insane there's a literal interaction in which boss says 'dont act like my daughter' and the take away is that mizuki SOMEHOW didnt know about bosses FIRST daughter bcs it NEVER came up?? im assuming boss just lied there and the daughter thing slipped out, (more points for boss daughter and kizzy sister same girl, both remind them of mizuki), so despite the fact that, i dont know, adopting a girl after already adopting one kind of feels like the sort of thing that would end up being mentioned somewhere in there, paticulartly considering that boss's daughter was still living with her as of one day before date died, like. she didnt come home that night and im assumin gshe never did, ran away or something??

i can't tell if the game is just setting breadcrumbs in a weird way or if they just decided boss should be a mom now and then never actually do anythin w/ it. AND SECONDLY, how is THAT the wtake away when 'dont act like my daughter' is a legitimately insane thing to say to the GIRL YOU ADOPTED. SHE LITERALLY IS YOUR DAUGHTER THAT IS HOW ADOPTION WORKS AM I LOSING MY MIND.

the mizuki boss mother daughter rant is now over. you are safe.

so putting that aside: hilarious they didn't model lien any differently. i like to think this is a repersentation of his inabilty to move on. im just. im choosing to believe that. i'm not a wheelchair user, so I can't speak to much on the whole arc kizuna's got going on here, i'm just kind of... carefully watching it. it could be... alright? but it could also drift into some territory i feel is kind of. stereotype-y?

haven't found shoma yet, on a note semi related to the mizuki boss thing. his house is identical to how it was 6 years ago down to whats been left on the floor and you're telling me he still lives there. does aitsf suddenly take place in a world where children over the age of 11 can just chill out on their own-- I SWEAR THIS MANS WIFE LEFT HIM. WHO IS WATCHING THIS CHILD. HELLO?? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?? being buddies with lien is not a legal guardian!!!!!

NOW. COMPLAINTS ASIDE> ima ctually having a lot of fun. inverted controls is a . im mixed on it on one hand it's a litttttle cheap making it physically harder instead of making more complex puzzles. on the other hand it fits so so well and its just the right level of challenge for me so i kinda love it.

but i love mizuki and aiba hanging out they're really really fun. i love what we're building with what im calling 'kanji madness ryuki'. lots of questions w/ the masked woman and the iron mask man. why does everyone hate date personally who knows.

current predictions/observations/questions: i suspect time travel. i really think time travel is involved or morphogentic fields or something i really do. this could be good or bad. idk. i could be totally wrong here, but. there's a lot more. explict stuff in teh other timelines i shouldn't know that i do. PATICULARLY WITH DAHLIA BOAT AND ALL. stupid name i love it. i wonder if its an anagram but im shit at those. its a little suspect how much mizuki route stuff i've seen actually, if we cant pull in timelines seperately.... w/ the first aitsf it wasnt rlly timelines as much as it was like 'getting date's memories back' i played zero escape im down for timeline hopping bull. lets do it!!. pelase i need mizuki roue continuation. very curious about what aiba was doing.

hopes for the future: the videos are really cool i want to do a somnium like that. pleaseee please let me do a somnium like that. i know im totally mizuki biased but. plelpelaspleaspleaseeee plEASE let me do her somnium proper you cannNOTT tease me with that mizuki route somnium with the stew and everything and the bird cage and horse GODDDD its so cool pLEASE let me play it im BEGGING. i. i want more mizuki date interactions. i want them to have another good emtional moment. like mizuki route. i dont know if u can tell i really like mizuki route. i dont know HOW we do that if we even can but. please. im begging. can we get a proper aiba and date interaction b4 the end as well. liek i know he's not the pov character anymore but after the way the last game ended you cannot just have them come back and only fight on screen thats absurd.

but yeah feelign good enjoying the game rn! im. a little worried about some stuff but in general... i hold hope.

[attourney-at-lycan]

You have mentioned before your idea that the Divine Warriors may have destroyed or taken the place of the previous "gods" before them, which is an interesting idea because it sounds a lot like what happens in Theogony, a.k.a. the Greek creation myth (the channel Overly Sarcastic Productions has a nice short video on the subject). 

Basically, the myth is a never-ending cycle of powerful entities being usurped by their children due to the previous generations' transgressions (the titan Kronos overthrew his primordial father Ouranos for locking his more "monstrous" children away, then Zues, with the eventual help of the other Greek gods, would go on to overthrow Kronos himself due to the mistreatment of his own children in an attempt to keep himself in power after learning one of his children would also overthrow him, Zeus gets almost the exact same prophecy that Kronos got and tries to prevent it by absorbing his first wife so she doesn’t bear that supposed son, etc.)

The Greeks would also tend to base their pantheon around concepts they deemed important during that time period, and although the Divine Warriors were given admittedly vague titles, it's safe to say that they are supposed to represent... something. And, to be honest, I'm fine with these titles (aside from the fact that they were apparently lifted from Final Fantasy, like so much of Jess' world building); the only real issue is that the titles never stop being vague. For example, if Shad is given the title "Destroyer," this would be fine if we were told more clearly what it's supposed to mean because "Destroyer" could mean and represent so many things. He’s clearly represented by some kind of underworld? (Seriously, though, what even is the Nether? It can’t be an afterlife or purgatory of any kind because Irene created the dimension), and his shadow knights can be very destructive, but he was given the title of destroyer before all of that. An idea could be that he was supposed to be a kind of war god. He came from the era of monarchs, so it could make sense that kingdoms would find it important to gain the favor of someone strong enough to sway one of these violent conflicts in their favor. Maybe that is one of the reasons he and Irene fell apart. Irene is a natural healer; it would only make sense that despite her feelings, she would grow to detest a being whose existence brings about conflict.

Also, from a narrative and worldbuilding standpoint, viewing the Divine Warriors as these temperamental beings that represent the worst and best of humanity, such as with the Greek pantheon, would make a lot more sense than viewing them as perfect beings that we should strive to imitate, as Christianity does with the Holy Trinity. Because we are shown throughout MC: Diaries and most of the Aphmau cinematic universe that the Warriors (particularly Irene) were very flawed individuals who would act on their own personal desires even if it meant endangering innocent parties. The cruel actions of the Divine Warriors can be obvious, like Irene murdering her daughter in order to create her relic, or in a more subtle way, like with how they left the world. The whole "Lord system," as you have pointed out before yourself, is a very flawed form of government and doesn’t in any way stop the rise of a monarchy (as shown in the series with O'khasis).

dude… i just woke up.

anyway i took a minute to read all of this and how far did u go to find out all my lore ideas/complaints???

but the idea of theogony placed in the setting of mcd is such a fucking smart idea because it’s almost as if you’re just seeing it happen in real time while the story is going on. you can just see history basically repeat itself with the possibility of aphmau, garroth, laurance, katelyn etc etc being ones next up to claim the role of being the next pantheon (??? i took intro to religion but we didnt touch up on polytheism much wkfsbawh)

even if they dont become gods, with the way that they save the world multiple times and how famous they are, you’d think they’d be seen as some sort of godly beings or next gen divine warriors by people who just watched on the sidelines

for me, i feel like the names of the titles make sense mostly because there are only a handful of them- keep them vague for a way to generalize their reach on concepts? however what DOES bother me is that why is there no origin story for the world that they live in. what is the reason the people of mcd live for? do theh believe in an afterlife? do they have a reason why the sun exists or why they exist? where they come from? because irene and the divine warriors cannot be the reason they exist if they had people living before they popped up-

ALSO YES I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF FLAWED GODLY BEINGS!!!!! it makes sense especially for them because they’re not even gods technically, yes they were the most powerful being at the time, but that’s because they had the relics, even irene used to be a human before she got her relic, or so wiki says. (which SUCKS BC WHERE DO THE RELICS COME FROM???) therefore they’re just as flawed as humans, have just as much desire as humans but much more dangerous because they can do so much damage, exhibit a, shad’s heartbreak for irene

[misterradio]

okay here are some tron 2.0 thoughts TEE HEE....... you have been Spoiler Warned for REAL!

tron fans talk abt this game with me okay 🥺

THIS GAME IS BEAUTIFUL .... MWWWWWAH!!!!!! i just love all the different environment designs, the color coding that went into the different computer systems was really cool too. my main takeaway is that the visuals Rule.

the npc designs were cool too but i kind of wish there was More variety (visually as well as voice acting)... but i really enjoy the design direction here ::-) why so many bald antagonist though? lol (AND WHY SO MANY MEN?)

In regards to gameplay i felt like it was pretty standard? i ended up using the basic disc weapon for most of the game because switching weapons takes Way too long if youre actively fighting, which is kind of a shame cuz there are so many weapon options... i did really enjoy the energy claw though 👍also the light cycle racing SUCKED and there was a graphical glitch that made it so that a bunch of visuals to my cycle were missing so i couldnt even enjoy the new design that was hyped up lol. as complicated as gameplay felt up front it definitely felt much better as it went on so it was pretty good.

game progression was very straightforward which i didnt expect..? go do this and then do that, etc. i thought it would be more open. this isnt rlly a complaint bc at least i wasnt lost or anything.

finding all the build notes was thankfully not hard but i enjoy poking around as much as i can in games already... and i liked the mechanics of searching archive boxes and being able to read emails between people ::-) YAY NOSINESS !!! despite finding all the build notes i still didnt end with the highest version i couldve...🤔 no idea how that works then...

moving on 2 story...

all the characters felt a bit flat so that was unfortunate... i wouldve liked to see some more emotions from everyone, bit more personality, etc...

i dont rlly know where jet's attachment to mercury came from, is he in love with this girl, if so why?? im thinking that since she was the first program to really reach out and help jet, that he latched on to her. but as the player i was kind of neutral on her SORRY although her design is cool

i was in disbelief that lora died and i was thinking she would just have been digitized and b in the computer somewhere? and there are allusions to her at least being superficially present in the program ma3a/ma2a etc (they have the same actress ^^__^^) but neither jet nor alan mention this which really shocks me??!!!??? thats your deceased mom or wife can u show a bit of tenderness or something..... maybe this can be cooked up more in an AU or something . idk i was really hoping she (and yori) would be around. i held on to hope for so long ✊️

OBVIOUSLY WISHING TRON WAS THERE... but omg alan being in the digital world shocked me so much i really liked that HEHE. him wearing tron's outfit was fun. i saw someone else in the tag say this, but if tron is "retired" then where is he?? INQUIRING MINDS WANNA KNOW !! he and jet werent very fazed by being digitized which surprised me buuut they also have to adapt fast given the urgency of their situation..

i felt rlly bad that thorne died SNIFFLE SNIFFLE jet and alan just watched a real guy die in front of them thats MESSED UP!! he was really cool too i enjoyed the corruption concept ::-) i was really worried the three fcon employees were gonna die too but im glad they implied that they could be repaired and manifested again.. (what is the word for un-digitized..?)

evil ma3a was really cool 👍 tbh all the antagonists are cool except im neutral on the kernel. i was confused that he was red i thought he was evil like in the original movie with the MCP's soldiers.. but i think hes just a guy who happens to be red. and also trying to kill u but just bc you (jet) are a freak of computer nature and should not be there. thats fair. i enjoyed his boss fight too.

THE FCON MONSTER WAS RLLY COOL HOW AM I NOT SEEING ANY FANART OF THEM.... ::-( i have to fix this... ALSO I WISH they had dialogue. like are they even aware of their situation. missed opportunity !!

okay thats all i can think of now.

WAIT UM I READ THE COMIC CONTINUATION(?) the ghost in the machine AS WELL and i dont have many thoughts on it bc it was really confusing BUT i did enjoy the layers of horror and unreality which i really did not expect. was also expecting the titular ghost to have more to do with lora (SIGH I REALLY WANNA SEE HER AGAIN) but it didnt but thats okay. i really liked the art of the first book specificaly.....

do any tron fans also like soma (2015) haha just wondering [TWIRLS MY HAIR

[gallavictorious]

So, chances are good that that's Mickey's money and weed Frank helps himself to, isn't it? Not sure if we've got any leads on anyone wearing that particular jacket (does it look like it's made of leather? Is it Ian's?) but let's face it: Mickey, like the Gallaghers, has exactly zero qualms about casually approrpriating someone else's clothes, so it can belong to anyone and still be his stuff in those pockets. And out of all the people in the house, he seems the most likely to carry around cash and pot nowadays, right?

Right.

So yeah, Frank has now robbed Mickey Milkovich, and while I can imagine Mickey just swearing up a blue streak and then letting it go because it's fucking Frank, right, what the hell can you do, I can also imagine him not taking at all kindly to this, and that's way more fun.

See, when Mickey first discovers the theft, I don't think he'll intially be too upset. He'll come ambling down the stairs to a bustling kitchen on a Sunday morning, yawning and jonesing for a joint, but alas! There's none to be found!

”The fuck's my weed?” he asks the room at large, and then, once he's put his hand down the other pocket, ”The fuck's my fucking money?” He glares at the Gallaghers gathered around the kitchen table: ”Any of you jokers went through my pockets? Gonna want that stuff back.” As I said, not too upset; it's family, it's whatever.

”Not me,” Debbie says.

”I'm ten!” Liam says (which Mickey doesn't actually think clears him as a suspect, but okay).

”C'mon, man, I'm a cop,” Carl says, and Mickey would ask him what the hell that's got to do with anything, but Ian interupts him, coming down the stairs and saying, ”It's probably Frank, I think I heard him yelling downstairs last night.”

And that's not whatever, because Frank ain't family, he's a fucking predatory worm, and if he think he can go through Mickey's stuff and take whatever, he's got another thing coming.

”He's a fucking dead man,” Mickey announces with great finality. ”Where is he?”

”Alibi opened about two minutes ago, so there probably,” Carl offers, then gives Mickey a meaningful look. ”You kill him, don't tell me about it.”

”Won't,” Mickey promises easily – as if he'd ever tell a fucking pig anything anyway – and grabs his (whoever's) jacket and heads out for a little terrify and retrieve.

He does find Frank at the Alibi, where he's already putting the stolen cash to good – bad – use by ordering a third shot of whiskey to go with his second beer. Mickey slams the door open, and he's got his full-on murder face on, grinning in horrible threat as he calls: ”Frank!”

And Frank looks up, startled, and he sees the jacket on Mickey and fuck.

”Oh shit,” he says, and he'd try to talk his way out of this – they're related now for God's sake, doesn't that count for anything?! – but he sees the look on Mickey's face and yeah, there'll be no talking if he lets Milkovich get hold of him, so he quickly downs the rest of his shot and rushes straight for the back door.

”It wasn't me! I swear to God, Mickey, it wasn't me!” he calls over his shoulder as he runs, and, ”It's just a loan! I'm going to pay you back!”

Now, Frank's got a few skills and running away is certainly one of them, so he actually manages to out-leg Mickey, turning corners and jumping fences until he's gained enough of a lead that he dares make it back to the Gallagher house. He storms through the door and finds – as he had hoped – Ian eating cereal on the couch.

”Your husband is trying to kill me!” Frank tells him indignantly. ”You have to call him off.” It's supposed to be a command but comes out mostly a pleading whine.

Normally, Ian's all about calling his husband off – or, more commonly, physically holding him back – before he does something violent and stupid, but this is Frank, so he doesn't even look up from his breakfast. ”Nah. Don't think so.”

And Frank groans because this is so unfair. How the hell was he supposed to know that stuff belonged to Mickey and not to one of his unloving and ungrateful but far less violent kids? This is Ian's goddamned fault, for marrying a fucking Milkovich... Typical Ian, always so inconsiderate, really takes after Clayton in that regard, and now he's going to stand by and do nothing while his man wife beats Frank to a pulp and leave him for dead in an alley?

He'd let Ian know exactly how unimpressed he is with his lack of proper respect and fidelity but for the second time that day a door slams open to reveal the deadly form of a homocidal Mickey Milkovich. Frank swallows his complaints and rushes towards and out the kitchen door.

”Hey,” Ian calls casually. ”So Frank's still alive, huh?”

”Slippery fucker,” Mickey tells him, flopping down next to him on the couch. He'll give up the chase for now; let Frank run himself ragged for fear of his vengeance while Mickey chills with his husband, that sounds about fucking right.

”Mm.” Ian pauses around a spoonful of Froot Loops, and gives Mickey a sideway glance. ”Just for the record, you're not actually going to kill him, right?”

Mickey raises an eyebrow. ”You'd have a problem with it if I did?”

”Told you, don't wanna be a prison widow.”

”Uh-huh.” He gets up and head for the fridge to fetch a couple of beers, calling over his shoulder as he goes, ”Didnt murder him when I thought he'd blab about us to my dad, not gonna off him over some fucking weed and a couple of twenties.” Returning to the couch and handing one of the bottles to Ian (who accepts it because yeah, it's only noon, but it is Sunday), Mickey adds. ” Asshole's not fucking stealing from me again, though. Gonna let him stew for a bit, then find him and have a few words, real friendly like.”

Ian hums noncommittally. Frank's been stealing everything he can lay his hands on for as long as Ian can remember, so he doubts he'll stop now – but then again, Mickey can be very persuasive and very scary when he wants to be, so who knows?

They drink in companionable silenece, enjoying the rare moment of quiet in the Gallagher household.

”Don't know how I feel about you chasing after another Gallagher with every intention of beating the crap out of them,” Ian notes suddenly, throwing a small grin Mickey's way. ”Thought that was our thing.”

Mickey grins right back at him, cocky and flirty and amused. ”Yeah? Want me running after you, Usain Bolt?”

”Wouldn't mind.” And Ian jumps up from the couch, snatching Mickey's beer out of his hand as he goes. He runs for the stairs, laughing at his husband's outraged protests, followed by the sound of feet in furious pursuit, because quiet moments on the couch are all very good and well but there's other fun to be had too, when you have the whole house to yourself and you're young and happy and stupidly in love with a man who’s rough and tough in all the right ways but still draws the line at murder.

[davethot]

Aysha is homophobic but more so in the realm of being lesbophobic. Remember that she completely removed all Rosemary interactions from Pesterquest for more Davekat, decided to push for Yiffy the cuckhold child to be forced into the narrative during Lesbian Visibility Day and has made sure to demean any positive Rosemary interactions in lieu of Davekat which she is solely invested in. Her being transphobic more relates to her poor handling of Jade (dog dicked sex fiend isn't good transfem rep)

You do realize you sound fucking insane right???? This is literally what I’m fucking talking about when I mentioned people in my og post about hs2 pointing fingers and giving someone a really harsh label such as LESBOPHOBIC because they didnt quite handle a lesbian couple EXACTLY how you would have.

First of all i want to mention that Aysha is non-binary poc and is married to a woman. This doesnt exempt her from possibly writing some shitty things, but its good to have perspective here. Shes not some cishet white person writing these characters.

So are you going to ignore the literal thousands of pages of the original comic where we had a PLETHORA of Rosemary interactions??? And absolutely no davekat? And if you remember Kanaya was still having hang ups with Vriska, so it only made sense that that was explored a bit in Pesterquest rather than jumping straight to Rose and Kanaya cuddling on a couch and spewing gay poetics at each other. Like I genuinely dont know what you fucking want.

Also i would like to point out that romance wasnt even the fucking focus of Pesterquest. Dave and Karkat’s interactions were barely anything more than characters mentioning them and them being in the same place together for one single ending and mspar implying that they had a feeling they were supposed to be good friends. Tbh it sounds like you and the people who often have this complaint are way more fucking obsessed with what’s going on with Davekat than Aysha or the rest of the team will ever be. Maybe you should redirect your efforts into creating more wlw content for Homestuck since you think the new team is so lesbophobic for portraying two grown ass women having some marital problems (and acting like that cant happen in the real world with real people literally every day).

You and tons of other people fucking love to point to Kanaya and Rose’s issues in hs2 and preach that it’s suddenly lesbophobic that theyre not happy go lucky 24/7. Again, Davekat didnt even fucking happen in the og comic. We had one flash where Dave rests his head on Karkat’s lap and they’re playing hopscotch on a poorly drawn dick on the ground, meanwhile Rose and Kanaya had comfortably been together for Awhile at that point. I just don’t understand how Dave and Karkat finally having a semi-functional and happy relationship in hs2 is promoting lesbophobia. Also we didnt even get to see the comic FINISH!! We dont KNOW what exactly was going to happen with Rose and Kanaya, and we arent going to for a long fucking time because it’s people like you who are perpetuating this narrative of the team and that theyre horrible awful people because they did two fucking things you dont agree with. It’s honestly fucking exhausting. And you know I can throw this right back at you right? Like, pretty homophobic of you to only be focusing on wlw ships and invalidating Davekat, one of the only healthy relationships PERIOD in Homestuck, not just a healthy mlm relationship. Like, pretty shitty of you anon :/ kind of homophobic of you fr.

And this isnt even mentioning the genuinely nice interactions we have seen with Kanaya and Rose in Homestuck 2. Everyone’s really fucking eager to forget that in meat Kanaya was wistfully looking out at the stars missing her wife and told Dave she’d do anything to get her back, esp since it’s implied that Rose was being manipulated pretty heavily by Dirk. But no, according to yall that never happened and Aysha + the rest of the team are just spitting on all wlw folks.

Also again I feel like youre coming to insane conclusions. You think it was a purposeful move that Aysha and the team introduced Yiffy on lesbian visibility day??? Like???? Also pretty lesbophobic of you to invalidate a child born from two women. Like hm pretty shitty of you anon. Rose and Jade explained why they did what they did, and tbh, again, we could have had more information if people like you didnt indirectly harass the creators and cause it to go on indefinite hiatus.

As for the Jade dog dick thing, I have multiple friends who are trans women who have issues with people blowing it out of proportion. Its important to remember that every trans woman is going to have a different opinion on this, and we shouldnt invalidate any of them, but at the same time what one trans woman says about it isnt the end all be all of the situation. Some trans women think this portrayal is transphobic, while plenty others think it isnt, and that people are making way too big of a deal out of it. Therefore I’m going to leave it at that. Personally I dont know if how Aysha and the team wrote Jade is transphobic and its not for me to decide. However, my trans friend would like to be quoted saying this:

“People claiming that the writers intended for Jade’s dick to be the driving force in her emotional and sexul appetite shows someone’s willingness to ignore Jade’s actual reasons for doing these things that she STATES in the actual text. All in favor of projecting their own transmisogynist reading onto the writers.”

This probably ended up being longer than my og post lmfao but fr anon im sick of people like you. Even if you didnt directly contact the creators of hs2, you’re literally the problem here. I wish you and others would stop throwing around these terms like lesbophobic, homophobic, transphobic, etc, because it literally makes those words lose meaning. Someone writing a lesbian couple having marital problems, especially in the context of Homestuck, is not fucking lesbophobic. And i hope i helped you understand that by throwing the terms back at you because tbh, im sure youre a good person with good intentions, and I would never seriously call you homophobic for this. But i hope you can have some fucking perspective and stop targeting marginalized authors and creators moving forward. Its embarrassing fr.

[zhuhongs]

Upon rereading tgcf, one of the biggest complaints I have is how lackluster all the extra chapters were. literally none of them were good and all contained rlly gross and harmful sentiments (like the amnesia one which.. yea.. or all the things implying xl should get pregnant for hc thus equating gay relationships with hetero ones and playing into the wife thing and just GOD I HATE MXTX) 

There were a lot of little plot points i wish that had been further elaborated on more in the extras as opposed to hualian being ... like that. I had enough. Like mdzs had actaully good extras (minus the incense burners) that were nice side stories that elaborated more on the characters. Like the hook one with the juniors was so cute and i loved seeing them grow more. Or the lotus pod extras omg.. im such a lotus pod extra stan. those were so cute and gave us a lot of good insight into just how lovestruck lwj was during the times when he didn’t see wwx. mxtx should've stuck to those sorta extras in tgcf but NOOO. SO I have a list of so many other more interesting things those chapters couldve been spent on like:

A resolution on He Xuan’s revenge and his character arc. Bc its implied He Xuan is still hanging out and watching over sqx and that taking revenge didn’t fully satisfy him bc ok.. yea shi wudu is dead but he xuans family will never come back. Now what does he have to live for?? i wish we couldve seen a look into his life during the entire ordeal. like a chapter from his perspective while he was posing as Ming Yi  and maybe a look at a conversation btw he xuan and the real ming yi or a chapter after SQX was banished to see what he’s doing now. Also what did he xuan owe hua cheng money for anyways?? Like ik not every little thing has to be explained but I Want to Know. PLEASE more goth boyfriend content now I just wanna see him :,((

a better resolution of yin yu and quan yizhens storyline. im still mad abt how that plot point was split btw books 3 and 5  when it was rlly out of place and  there were other more pressing plot matters and it just rlly deserved more time. Also i thought yin yu died!?!?!? but apparently one of the extras says he’s alive and man... i;m not reading any more of the extras to see that, give me a full yin yu and quan yizhen chapter.. fuck.

a day in the life of the guoshi fangxin or general hua PLEASE especially like one where hua cheng was SO CLOSE to meeting xie lian but had no clue that xie lian was there at the time but the two did smth that inadvertantly helped the other and they still were connected even though they hadnt met omg pls that’d be so nice. like imagine Hua cheng catching a glimpse of the guoshi in public in yong’an while he’s trying to follow some lead that points to xie lian or maybe following a lead to capture qi rong bc he said he knew qi rong was a part of the yong’an stuff and originally thought the guoshi was one of qi rongs pawns. like can you IMAGINE him getting so close. but at the last second he did smth small that impacted xie lian. like they bumped into eachother on the street or smth. god i’d go crazy

OR vice versa.. like a day in the life of the young ghost king hua cheng. Like again, one of my biggest issues was that hua cheng just knew everything and its never really explained how he got all of that info. like yes he’s been alive very long and has eyes and ppl working for him everywhere but like... how did he build that network?? I’d love to see a chapter of young ghost king hua cheng travelling around trying to learn as much as he can abt the world and how it can help bring him to xie lian. and the two maybe are in the same kingdom for a bit and they don’t meet exactly but hua cheng stops some fight or something and helps xie lian indirectly or maybe xie lian is performing on the street in some costume and hua cheng doesn’t recognize him and smiles and gives him a coin or smth. idk i’m just dying for any sorta extra chapter or fic like that. i’m honestly so tempted to write my own but i cant write

also!! we’ve seen how xie lian picks up people down on their luck near him and show them kindness (like banyue, lang ying, xiao ying, he tried to with san lang but we know how that ended lmao) so i’d love to see another little vignette of him doing that on his travels and how every person he meets teaches him smth about life and being a good person and idk, i just think it’d be rlly sweet. i love this facet of his character and feel like we didn’t see enough of it towards the end.

ALSO hua cheng only seems to respect one heavenly official besides xie lian and thats yushi huang.. i assume thats mostly bc she was the only one to help xie lian and let him use the rain master hat to bring water to yong’an. I was thinking maybe when he was a new supreme he had run into trouble and maybe was picked up by the rain master and helped him heal and in return he promised to help protect her village from harm in the future. Like i know a heavenly official wouldn’t cooperate with a ghost like that but yushi huang is different and doesn’t really care about the heavens so i think she would protect him if he could do something to benefit her village. ik this is kinda far fetched but when he first became a supreme I’m sure a bunch of ppl probably tried to mess with him and didn’t rlly believe him to be undefeatable bc he hadn’t proved himself yet also i doubt all his power came overnight. he had to learn how to use it once he escaped the kiln. and some group probably thought they could weaken him somehow. I’m thinking maybe a rlly well formed group of ghosts actually caught him off guard once and he had to retreat and was picked up by the rain master and stayed with her and learned from her a bit. i think it’d be a cool concept also i just rlly want more yushi huang content and i’m on their friendship agenda bc he rlly did seem to actually respect her when she first appeared and i think it’d be cool if the two had some history together.

Also idrc if this was addressed I couldve missed it But!! Did xie lian ever tell Hua cheng that the reason he got the curse shackles and was banished again in the first place wasnt bc jun wu wanted to punish him, but because he requested it. And specifically requested it bc he felt guilty abt letting wu ming take the human face disease and disperse for his sake. So he took the shackles and descended to atone for that?? Bc I dont recall hua cheng learning that bc his soul was already dispersed at that point so it didnt follow him and xie lian didnt say anything so uhhh... someone should tell hua cheng that. Like I dont think xie lian rlly said how much hua cheng meant to him and didnt show him he was loved in grand ways. Like xie lian did always care for bc in other ways but I think if hua cheng learned abt this on screen it wouldve been such a great moment and I'm rlly surprised mxtx didnt address this iirc!?!? Like imagine jun wu telling Hua cheng this in the kiln bc xie lian wouldnt say it himself. Imagine how cool that would be.

Also a small thing adding into the whole young ghost king Hua cheng stuff. Its implied and p much stated that hua cheng isnt his real name. That he likely doesnt have a real name bc his parents died? (It's not clear. I'm still mad at mxtx for not making his childhood clearer). So I'd like to see when and why hua cheng chose that name for himself. The new tgcf ending song kinda hints at its meaning with the lyrics "for you I'd fill a city of flowers" as xie lian is the flower wielding martial god so it's probably inspired by that. Also xie lian saved hua cheng from leaping off the city walls but I'd love to hear him say it bc the implication of his name didnt dawn on me for quite a bit and I dont know if everyone made the connection. Again I sure as hell didnt. So itd be cool to see a chapter that takes place in his past after just ascending as a supreme

Overall I rlly think tgcf had a lot more potential to be even better and a lot of that comes down to fleshing out the side characters and letting hualian have more of a storyline independent of one another. like i know the appeal and message of tgcf is that through love, people can overcome anything, but fuck man. i just wanna see what these two (mostly hua cheng) where like in the absence of each others presence. Part of what I really liked abt mdzs is that we got to see that longing develop btw wangxian when the two weren’t together and how they thought about each other and did things in thei others spirit bc they knew the other wouldve done the same thing. but whatever, mxtx was too consumed by her own unhealthy idea of what devotion and true love looks like but still. i rlly think the extras couldve helped the story be better rather than be fujoshi fuel that i try to bleach from my mind -_-

[misterbitches]

was v miserable so i rewatched blih

the consensus is that his ex bf is an abuser right even tho the little prince goes a bit diff and i don't love the interpretation (as of rn) as they see fit.

who is the prince or fox? the rose is the narcissistic one who preys off the prince—in the end the prince apologizes just like st exupery to his real wife essentially saying "i just have realized the pain you caused me was part of your way of loving. i should have spent more time appreciating it" idr if i read if st. exupery got back together w/ his wife who was apparently emotionally terrible but he loved her fiercely. for the prince he was willing to go back to justify the "different" love

which is why "the fox and the rose just showed love differently" i really like st. exupery's thoughts and style of writing in french and english and he had a really tranquil mind (and anti-nazism!!! shocking bc france esp at that time) i feel and while TLP is a critique of like growing up too fast, stifling the minds of kids, love, life, mortality. like a kid who goes to make the same mistakes. even if b612 fails to exist he had to go back and find the rose even though that could have made him well...die

we'll see how it goes but i think it would be sad to see his actions justified in any way which i dnt think they will. it's weird, the idea of the rose fills me with a lot more dread as i grow up knowing the relationship with my parents was that codependency and entrapment, that i didnt understand their love, and emotionally immature, non empathetic, toxic people will drain that out of you even with the nicest of intent.

it makes me sad that they (prince, exupery) viewed it that way although the narrator—perhaps the author in a literal sense—seems to know that he's heading first into danger. he's in awe but confused why someone would sacrifice like that esp when they know it will fail

the really beautiful ending about mortality or w/e doesnt have anything to do with this but mostly like a child, like me, you keep going back trying to win their love. it doesnt feel good, something is off, and you know it's wrong and maybe you're going to tell them. they can't leave you they'll love you. you need them.

ANYWAYS it's a v specific parallel but i dont think the prince, exupery, and certainly not jin yu zhen think staying/leaving discredits the love they had but you realize that something isn't right

also i have 1 complaint abt the show well 2 but these are nitpicks but f-r-ankly i think the alienation from the nickel allergy is a bit....i kinda wish they researchedit more../bc i did...and it doesnt work that way thru food lmao like ur body has a systemic reaction via the food which encourages a literal reaction or buildup over time...but....not immediately... 2nd complaint: THE FUCKING SOUND AND EDITING OF THE SOUND. AND EDITING SOMETIMSE TOO. CLEAN UP THE FUCKING SOUND, FADE THAT SHIT, AND MAKE YOUR EDIT TIGHTER SO WE DONT' HAVE TO SEE SOMEONE DOING THE SAME THING TWICE BC OF ANOTHER TAKE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

this has been bugging the fuck out of me there arent many glaring mistakes and i'm fine with certain things i wish had more weight to them IE insecurity via allergy instead of something a bit more substantial or indicative of someone shaming him and making other ppl make fun of bc ya know...abuse but anyways look.

it's clear their editors are fine. but i cannot believe you would allow yourself to not pay attention enough that EYE CAN HEAR THE AUDIO CUTS WITHOUT MY EARPHONES ON. how do you not put a fade in between that? even if it doesn't work you cannot do that it takes you out of the fucking scene

and i'm sorry the action doesnt work if your'e repeatedly not cutting at the right point. these consistent issues show me there's a rush job and people are not fully checking these cuts or are like "LOL NO TIME" for the most part everything else is fine other than some unmotivated techniques but i love it tbh (like a zoom out is a fav even tho they didnt need to do that in the show where yu zhen and shi lei meet up in teh street and t zooms out why did they do that? who knows but i liked it. didnt fit tho)

[inctlife]

when wayv know they wanted to marry you

kun:

so,,, things had been kinda rough for kun :( like he was practising 24/7 and he was also on a pretty strict diet so he was just physically and mentally EXHAUSTED and like there’d just been a really tiring day at practise and all the boys started to go home, but kun was like ‘nah i’m gonna stay’

ANd tHen after like 4 hours (it was late at this point,, like almost midnight??) and he came home and there was just an overwhelming smell of delicious food and he could hear the boys laughing and talking lovingly and when he walked in he saw that you had made dinner for the members and now were talking about their day while you stroked xiaojun’s hair to help him sleep and kun almost started crying

like where tf else would he find someone that loves him AND cares for his members THIS MUCH dude

and that night you left after having lots of kisses from ur bf and kun brought it up to the boys and they were all cheering and were just so supportive :(

ten:

sO,, ten and winwin were doing this new extravagant dance like they do and they were adding So Many New Parts to Impress The Fans but !!! dundun!! while doing a funky jump turn thing ten fell and landed STRAIGHT on his injured knee

he was in AGONY,, like screaming and tears AGONY and winwin calls an ambulance and then calls you because he doesnt know what else to do lol and you’re like ‘wHAT’ because that’s ur baby and he’s in AGONY

so you get the hospital and you see ten waiting with winwin and he’s in a wheelchair bent over and clutching his knee and when he sees you he almost cries and is like ‘my love!!! help!!!’ and you just walk over and slap him round the head

winwin is shook tbh,, like proper :O,, but ten just starts laughing and his heart swells as you start pouring out complaints and nagging him about his safety bc he knew he’s been injured before!! what makes him think it wouldnt happen this time!! and he just smiles and thinks ‘i have to marry this person’

winwin:

so y’all were invited to kun’s wedding (ofc?) and you had been invited to be kun’s wife’s bridesmaid!!! you and ten’s and lucas’s girlfriends!! and so, you and winwin (after eating breakfast together) didnt see each other for the whole morning as you were rushed off to kun’s wife’s room to get ready and the boys stayed with kun

and you had your hair and makeup done and you got into your bridesmaids dress and you were a bit pouty because ??look how fucking beautiful the rest of these girls are???? and you wanted to get married and wear a vale!!!!

finaLLY it came time for kun’s wife to walk down the aisle, and you were walking with lucas’s girlfriend behind the bride and while kun had his moment,, so did winwin.

his jaw just dropped, but you didn’t even notice because you were giggling (and tearing up) at kun’s reaction to his wife but what you didnt even know!! ur fucking boyfriend was sat there wiping subtle tears away because he KNOWS now, he’s gonna marry you.

lucas:

sO. your boy. the visual KING that he is. was invited to another one of these foreign fashion events and he was like ‘alright ig🤪🤪’ and you went with him cause they were offering him a +1 and free holiday?? yes please???? but what you Did Not sign up for was being at lucas’s hip through all these events????????????

so NeWay, yeah you had to do that. and lucas was pretty nervous because he will just never get over the shock of being invited to something big like this, but this time he was just slightly less nervous because ur by his side🥺

but. in true xuxi/yukhei/lucas fashion. he does something a lil embarrassing :(,, and as he slowly starts to realise what’s just happened (you being on exactly the same wavelength) he gets a lil red in the face and you just thunk ‘fuck it’ and do the same thing so he is nOT ALONE. it’s US. in this shit for the RIDE OR DIE.

and lucas is shocked but as the two of you start giggling literally everyone else in the room disappears and he just thinks ‘i can’t wait to marry her’🥺

xiaojun:

sO,, you and dejun had been together for a WHILE, like i mean a full hot minute,, but he’d always been kinda secretive about his family?? like you’d met them several times but both they and dejun never told you anything much about them??? and you just kinda let it slide cause there was obviously smth that he didnt want you knowing and you werent about to poke

and THEN,, one day,, you’re in dejun’s hometown and he’s like ‘get dressed nice and pretty! going to a concert’ and you’re like ‘WOOO!! LETS GO’ and you get dressed up and you and xiaojun walk to this kinda small venue and get drinks and shit and xiaojun’s looking kinda nervous?? so ur like ‘babe its okay,, i’m sure i’ll enjoy it’

and then!! the person comes on stage and you realise it’s a drag act,, very entertaining!! and then, after looking closer,, you realised it was dejun’s dad, as in,, the one you’ve had dinner with MULTIPLE TIMES and you just turned to ur boyfriend and were like ‘your dad!!!!!!’ and he smiled because you looked so excited!!!!

and dejun almost cried because you were so supportive and that was the one thing for him bc if you didnt support his dad’s career than this would not have worked and for him this was like something in his heart just going ‘she’s the one!!’

hendery:

so similar to xiaojun,, for hendery family was really important!! not that he was hiding anything about them? but you’d only met his family a couple of times and never all together, so when kunhang invited you to come to his mum’s birthday where EVERYONE was gonna be there,,, you were highkey nervous

but so was he lmao he aint gonna lie.. so!! you two flew out to macau a couple days before her birthday so you could settled and the first thing that happened was his sisters wanted to take you guys out for dinner!!! and you went to quite a posh restaurant,, cause that’s the kinda family they are😎 so you were kinda bricking it,, but at the same time the food was GOOD and kunhang’s hand stayed on your knee the WHOLE time

not that he needed that though because his sisters LOVED YOU like he literally got pushed to hang out with his sisters’ boyfriends bc you and his sisters were all gossiping so much and then when you finished your meal you went and had a little photoshoot under the moon and the pretty city lights and later that night as you were asleep next to him,, kunhang looked back over the photos and was just like “wow. my love”

and that was IT he decided RIGHT THERE to marry you.

yangyang:

so you and yangyang had recently moved in with each other,, him finally being the last one to move out the shitty dorm,, and so this was only around the 2nd week that he was coming home from practise to you and your dog and your two cats!!!

when he walked through the door, your dog, finneas, ran up to yangyang and was all happy like dogs are and yangyang was happy too!! and he could smell the dinner that was ready but you weren’t in the living room like you normally were and instead,, yangyang heard your proper, real, ugly laugh coming from the bedroom and he ran over and was like ‘i am home!!!’

and you were laying on the bed, practically in tears and he was like ‘what’s so funny😂😂’ cause he’s like that. and you were like ROLLING AROUND but when yangyang got over to you,, it was a tiktok of someone reacting to a comment that said ‘hi peepeehead’ but you know? he had to laugh because that shit was making you SCREAM and that alone was funny to him

and he just couldnt help but wonder how much more joy you’d bring him,, and he was not about to be left with any regrets😤,, took his boys and bought himself a ring the next week

[tolstoyamericanrevolution]

Turn Christmas:  Hidden in Finery

A Robert Townsend & Arielle Nathan story I was meant to publish awhile back but forgot about so happy late December 17th!! 

The problem of forgetting you are trapped is when the trap twists itself around your ankle, and you dare to show your distress.                                                     At Rivington’s, she had forgotten about it all, the redcoats and the beatings from Captain Hennely’s wife. In the daze of candlelight and a humorous conversation, she forgot about the war outside her door. She forgot about her role as prisoner & friend, governess & respectable guest she forgot about all the titles given to her when James Rivington made a joke or John André mused a poem out loud.

Arielle forgot about her family being miles away in Philadelphia when Robert smiled at her.

That rare secret smiles that she tugged close to her chest.  Robert Townsend had many ways of smiling- the polite line for drunk customers who ranted about everything and nothing, that reserved smile of amusement when Rivington would refer to him as “Robby Boy” or her favourite- well favourite two.

The sly one that would catch the glint in his eyes when something amused him- genuinely unrefined. It could be a joke or a complaint made by a person, or perhaps it was a thought that crossed his mind. Those rare melancholic free thoughts as he laughed to himself about a uniform three sizes too big on a young officer or the invisible ink debacle. Arielle liked those smiles.

The one she loved, was that gentle smile unaided by a raise of his eyebrows or a slant of his chin. No, instead it draped over his lips in momentary content. His witty smiles were regular affairs that fluttered her chest- these gentle ones; a rarer variety as if budgeted and allotted in his monthly account books—emerging when he felt in control when the world stopped spinning, when everything felt in order- as if Robert had not sacrificed all his prospects in a high stakes gamble. That of a spy; that of life and death.

When he first gave her that smile, her heart melted. She realised that the love she thought she had felt previously was nothing because she wanted to imprint this moment in her very being. She was longing for some reception, for some encouragement. Arielle could still recall the way his eyes softened when the coffeehouse was closing, and he glanced up from his books and smiled—not seeing her as out of place in this world of his but rather a comforting part of it, amongst the candles burning low and the day's numbers recorded.

This sense of belonging was not here tonight. Andre was away at dinner and Rivington was entertaining a table of ladies. The one man she did care about was tending to his wares—streets away which at this table felt like oceans away.

Bitterness coursed her chest, gripped at her tongue, forcing her to taste anxiety in her bones and the resentment of this cage. This cage that had deceived her so well until the cards were laid in front of her. Numbers racked up in debt, the men around her smelt like gin and rum, like a pulsing wound under bandages. Toxic and jaundiced.

Captain Hennely, the fool, was in debt and racking it up fast as he insisted on another betting coin. Arielle watched him with abject horror- leading him to snap at her “Shut your damn eyes constantly!” “Judas of a woman!” the two alternating every two minutes. When he lost a round, he slammed his fist down in front of her. If he chose not to bring it down on the table, he could quickly bring it down on her, to her stomach and thighs, causing her heart to patter in her throat.

Arielle could not just leave, to find another table even when she longed for anyone else's company. For if she tried to move he would snap about having to keep an eye on her. That someone should see his victory should learn the value of coin over-etching it out in budget plans.

The man he gambled against was a wolf of a man. Conniving and greedy for anything that glittered. Rivington once told her that he got violent with anyone who tried to cheat him. Oft, dragging them to the nearest alleyway to crash bone against bone. Townsend’s nod told Arielle this wasn't just James’s typical exaggerations. This man focused his gaze on her neck, on her necklace like a fox upon a goose.

Upon the pearl and aquamarine choker, a gift from her parents, the first necklace of significance she was allowed to own; Not to share the diamonds and pearls with her sister or mother from the family safe. Not the gold chains of girlhood. This necklace was her sixteenth birthday present, a present that told her she was now allowed her safekeeping items. The pearls were small white river pearls that circles her neck in singular role while in the center was a cushion-cut aquamarine secured in gold plated brass while hanging from it was a baroque seawater pearl, with its pear shape, that felt like a tear, the size of her thumbnail- small, delicate yet strong.

This necklace may not have been the most costly, but it had sentimental value, it demonstrated when Arielle has first trusted with value herself and now this man wanted it. Hennley failed his bet and had no money to give. Taking the opportunity, the man demanded her necklace to settle all debt- so he could play another night again.

She began to refuse, this was not his to give it was hers- it was her possession. “I apologise sir but this is mine, it is not for sale”. It was then she realised she was still entrapped that she was the property of the crown, that a last-minute cry saying it belonged to her father meant nothing.

He slammed his hand in front of her, the same way Hennley did. Demanding it outright or else that captain would be no longer, and she wouldn’t want that. Oh, see how I care Arielle thought spitefully, at first. Drag him by his guts for all I care this is mine. Her barred teeth in a snarl meant nothing. For every time, her emotions began to get out of check, that another guest may notice- this same captain pinched her hand. “It doesn't belong to you, it belong to the Crown and as you’re exchequer I demand you hand it over”

Protests died on Arielle’s lips as tears pricked her eyes. Her neck felt cold as her possession was stored safely in the man’s hand. “It will fetch for a fair price” he murmured as he passed her. Straight to the market. Away from her hands. Standing sharpley she demanded a coin- a carriage she was going home. Henley handed her a coin reluctantly “be prudent with your travel” he had such a nerve.

No one met her eye, Rivington continued chatting, Andre was still gone and Robert was far away while she was left feeling like a bartered whore- none of her possessions bound to her by ownership let alone honor. Her anxiety fretted- what else will they take from her?

The accounts were in check, the stock for the Christmastide sales was prepared. When Robert Townsend came back to Rivington’s the following day everything felt alright. He was prepared for last minute officers trying to barter the price of rum. He had everything from second hand goods to newer ones. Abraham often critiqued him for his loyalty to his business. Accusing him of not engaging with the Ring fully in order to save his own income. Fool.

That was the only answer Robert would give to it. It is not like he spent nights awake pondering if there was any merit in his words.

There was one thing out of place, however, Miss Nathan’s regular expression of glee, often smiling with some wit on her tongue. Her choleric rants. Her general ability to hold court in the room. That is what made her and Rivington work so well. He would work one half of the room and her th either. Yet while James was intentional- Robert thought it was just Arielle’s nature to challenge, twist, debate and laugh.

Instead she appeared late; strange. Her dress plainer than her regular vibrant colours or patterns. No jewellery around her neck. The most telling was the way she sulked around the room. Eyes dark refuting anyone who came near her. Watery and untrusting. Perhaps that was what concerned him, Arielle was as volatile as he was. One minute light hearted next minute serious, melancholic then temperamental. While he was private however; her face was a stage informing everyone of her mood. Robert didnt know how he felt about the twisting in his chest when he caught her eye.

It felt strange not to have a presence by his elbow, peering down at whatever he was working on. It was all very strange indeed.

Yet; Mr Townsend could not go and talk to her. Risk showing the world their closeness. No instead he would have to make inquiries. The hint came when Captain Hennley- he never bothered to catch his first name, scoffed past her and she scowled, teeth bare like a fox disturbed.

Pouring a glass of port, he delicately placed it next to the man.

“Gambling good, sir?”

“Could be better,”

“is that so?”

“Aye, some wolf like bastard bet me out of my money” Robert cringed but continued.

“I hope you found a way to remedy it” He tried to sound neutral, not generally given to inquiries.

“Oh I did- he wanted the girl’s necklace, she has been in a wicked temper ever since, the King doesn’t pay me enough for this”

Over the next couple of days, Arielle felt herself go from bad to worse. It was not the material object of the gif that mattered. It was this idea of not having any grounding of being trapped. She suddenly became more aware of her limits, of her confinements. Of how much she missed her family. The necklace was a symbol.

Who was her ally?

The bustle of officers, actresses and curious traders made for decent observing; they were like headless chickens on the 24th. Arielle failed to take notice of the man behind her. His hand dropped to her shoulder, startling her with a squeak. “Hush now” came Mr Townsend’s voice “Do not startle all of York City.”

Even now, she felt herself chuckling. “Come”. He was gesturing to the cellar. Leaving first; curious Arielle disappeared from the crowd into the back. Two seconds later, he held out his arm. “Where are you escorting me to, Mr Townsend?” “You will see.”

Robert guided her to his room and with the wit she had left she turned “Now this is not very proper”.

“Look what is on the bed.”

There was a small brown paper package wrapped neatly in twine. It was not very thick, and she could tell there was cloth under it. “Am I to open it” “Well it is a gift, I believe that is what you do with them” Too curious to retort Arielle undid the tie and noted underneath one of his handkerchiefs- the one subtly embroidered with white cross-stitch. Unfolding it, she felt something cold. By God, it was impossible.

Sparkling back at her was her necklace.

“It is not a replica; it is the same one...I traced down Captain Hennley’s contact and made some inquiries the man he sold it to is in debt to me for sharing stock so in exchange for settling our debts I got it back” Robert explained, each word gave her this urge to embrace the living daylights out of him and never let go.

“Before you ask why you were far too miserable for this establishment and I could not have it affecting business” “business? What one?” “the one of my mental state.”

So he was concerned about her. She had an ally.

“I suppose it is a Christmas present.”

“Don’t tell any of the other Quakers” Robert cooed with an amused expression.

“Now, let me put that on for you” gently moving her hair out of the way he clasped it around her neck, his breath warm against it. If Arielle could have melted, she would have. Then he knelt down placing an intense, warm kiss to the back of her neck.

The gesture made her think of customs. In Sephardi culture, a groom as a sign of engagement would gift anything of value, a coin, a ring or a necklace. It was a sign of the marriage that he could support them. It was not limited to the Ashkenazi ring or coin. It could be earrings, or it could be the hunting down of the string of pearls around her neck.

“I won’t tell the Quakers if you won’t tell the Jews.”

With a grin, she added “or else we might be engaged.”

Startled, Robert sharply inhaled before laughing “I think I could think of worse things.”

“Run along, go light up the room again.”

Instead of moving, Arielle sprung up and embraced him. Her head in his shoulder, arms tight around him. Robert’s arms were soon around her. A quiet, warm embrace. Murmuring a thank you,  she caught the sight of him.

Robert Townsend was smiling, gentle and unaided.

[littleblackqrow]

((I think the most frustrating part of watching people analyze the actions of characters in vol8 is that the biggest complaint is that logic is thrown out the window and I would argue that’s the point. Especially because of the perspective of the show. I really hate to keep picking on Ironwood, Qrow, and RWBY, but those characters are the ones driving the plot, so I guess we gotta.

Lets start with RWBY. They’re kids first off. WBY are all about 19-20 years old and Ruby is 17. Lets start off by saying those are ages not exactly known for smart, long term decision making. Most people that age are trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives, struggling with college, dates, drinking, sex for the first time. They’re stumbling around in adult bodies while still having more or less the mind of a teenager because society has suddenly stopped treating them like a kid and expects them to be an adult. Except instead of having to struggle with decisions about their near future, RWBY is being asked to save the world. If you think you could handle that pressure well at 17-19, you’re lying. 

Does it make their decisions right though? No. The way they treated Ozpin for hiding the worst of his abuse and the fact that his ex-wife was an insane bitch who is functionally immortal is wrong. But again, I ask you, could you handle having all that dumped into your lap in an already stressful situation? The person who should be (and rightly is) condemned for his reaction is Qrow for throwing a punch. No matter how upset you are no hitting. Once you throw a punch in that situation, you’re the bad guy. And until he makes an effort of an apology he’s the bad guy in that situation. 

The biggest problem that team RWBY has is that all of their terrible decisions throughout the show have either been rewarded, or the got bailed out from having to see the real consequences. 

Ozpin allowed Blake to hide her White Fang past and therefore missed the least subtle component of the Fall of Beacon. Things could have been significantly less bad if he’d known about their involvement and was able to send Qrow in to spy on their operations. Maybe he could have figured out what Roman or Adam was up to, realized they were working for Cinder and by extension Salem.

Ozpin allowed team RWBY to do a mission that was a couple grades too advanced for them because he knew they’d break the rules otherwise. That was a tacit acknowledgement that he thought whatever they were up to was alright, and that they had his blessings on whatever it was that they wanted to do.

The best example of terrible decision after terrible decision that RWBYJNR makes is Argus. They have no idea how they’re getting the Relic to Atlas, and they seem road blocked. Jaune suggests stealing an airship, and Qrow, the adult in the room tells them that this is a bad idea, and if it goes bad it has the potential to screw up their entire life. He’s right. The problem is that he’d run off on his bender, and therefore the kids, and we in the audience, are supposed to see this as an unreasonable suggestion. 

However, it plays out as him being right. The incredibly complicated plan did go wrong. Now, they had no reason to suspect at the time that Adam was stalking Blake at the time (and I could go into why thats perfectly ic for him at another date), but there were a lot of moving parts in this plan and literally any of them could have broken. Everything that happened after they put this plan into motion was reactionary. Cordovan, obsessed with showing the Might of Atlas (TM), jumped into the mech suit. At that point, Ruby didnt really have a choice of not breaking it. But the ensuing fight created enough general unease that it summoned a Grimm hoard.

By rights, Argus should have fallen because of their bad decisions and in spire of their best efforts. Instead, Cordovan had a change of heart at the last moment and bailed them out.

This just reinforced the flawed idea that RWBY is always in the right and directly lead to s7′s climax. They are the unstoppable force.

Now you have Ironwood, quite literally the unmovable object, which I now realize is sort of his name. Ha.

Ironwood’s behavior does not come out of nowhere. Since his appearance, he’s had problem stamped all over him. He showed up with an entire goddamn army to a supposedly peaceful event that is to promote unity and the excellence of each kingdom. His rationale is that the people are going to be impressed with his big guns and feel safe. Ozpin gently points out that those big guns also signal to people that there is something out there that those big guns are designed to shoot. 

If its not a Grimm, could it mean that Atlas intends to shoot people?

Remember we’re not even 100 years out from the last World War, one that was basically started by Atlas. People are nervous. There are still grandparents and great grandparents alive today that were kids when the Great War was happening. Not only that but we’re also made aware that Atlas has rolled in the apolitical protectors of the people, the Huntsmen, into its military. This elite fighting force that is basically above the law and can go to any country in the world whenever they want, is now part of the military. The ONLY standing military that Remnant seems to have.

All of this has obviously caused friction in the Inner Circle. Qrow is not quite and never has been quiet about his disdain for James’ heavy handed techniques. Glynda calls James’ actions a dick measuring competition, and Ozpin was trying to be gentle about it, but he was clearly telling Ironwood to get his army off his fucking front lawn. And what did Ironwood do? He’d gone around Ozpin and talked to the Vale council.  They were threatening to remove Oz fro his position because they agreed with Ironwood: he was being too passive. Ironwood even tells Glynda that he cant believe that a man he trusted for so long would just sit by and stand to the side instead of meeting the problem head on. He didnt seem to understand why Qrow would want to go gather intelligence on an operation before sending in the big guns. 

Ironwood has never been a man to put a well thought out plan with all his ducks in a row into motion. This is a man who plows through opposition at every opportunity.

And when we see him again, we can see him steamrolling through opposition again. Somehow he got himself two seats on the council. That gives him an enormous amount of power. And his position as general means that at any point he can declare an emergency and become the de facto dictator of Atlas if he deems it fit. The problem is that he’s having these arguments against Jacques Schnee a man that the audience rightly hates, so he seems reasonable. Who gives a fuck about Jacques loosing business, he’s a dickhead. We’re not noticing the fact that James is consolidating power, or that he’s using that power to make unilateral decisions with no one telling him no.

There’s no one left in the room who is able or willing to tell him that these are bad ideas, that there will be consequences that he cant foresee. His  bullish behavior lead to both Robyn Hill and Jacques Schnee running for an empty council seat, and that created the environment that we walked into in s7.

Now, not all James’ ideas are bad. The Amity Project is actually a really good one, and James is right in wanting to keep it from the general public until its near completion. But you know who should have known? The other fucking council members. Probably the candidates. Playing your cards too close to the chest when you clearly need help and allies is a bad thing. But again, James didnt even trust Ozpin to be able to run his own kingdom, so durr hurr of course he’s the only one who can take care of Amity. And run a kingdom. And run an academy. And protect an ageing, ailing Maiden. And of course he doesnt have time to treat his horrific PTSD from the Fall of Beacon.

So when things go tits up because again, of course they will with a plan that complex James Ironwood doubles the fuck down on his terrible solo decision making. Clearly, non of this is his fault. No one is listening to him. He cannot trust others to make decisions so he’s going to make all of them. There’s no one around him to tell him no, especially because the first person that tried was publicly executed. 

James is scared. He’s had a mental break because of that fear. His paranoia, his PTSD, and the fact that there’s nothing there to help him back to stability means that he’s just going to be bouncing from one terrible choice to the next. He’s Hamlet in the throes of paranoia, heading down a road that is going to get everyone, including himself killed. He is King Lear as the world crumbles around him, acting cruel and making unreasonable, horrible demands of those around him. 

Working with Watts seems like an absolutely terrible idea, but to someone who thinks that he is in control of the situation because he has to be in order to keep functioning, there’s no way that this can bite him in the ass. For James, if no one is willing to follow his orders, he’s going to make them. This attitude is probably exactly why Watts did what he did and joined Salem in the first place. 

So when you combine the unstoppable force of Team RWBY, who’s been told they’re the child saviors of the world, and who’ve been either rewarded or bailed out of their bad decisions against the immovable object of Ironwood and his absolute conviction in himself, you have the mess Atlas is in now.

Honestly I find it kind of brilliant. 

[motherofbulldogs]

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: I know the efforts aides made to make Meghan welcome. She didn't want their help

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9334003/ALEXANDRA-SHULMAN-know-efforts-aides-make-Meghan-welcome-didnt-want-help.html

Before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex married, a professional creative, well used to the intricacies and diplomacy involved in working with Royal households, was interviewed for a role by Meghan.

A mutual friend ran into the candidate immediately after the interview and asked excitedly how the experience had been.

The reply did not sound encouraging. ‘Well. Let’s just say it was like The Devil Wears Prada. And I was not Meryl Streep.’

Judging by the bullying allegations that have now emerged in a leaked email from the Royal couple’s then communications secretary, Jason Knauf, this was not an uncommon reaction.

It turns out that Meghan did not want guidance or support, or certainly not of the kind she was getting. No, as we later learnt in her interview with Tom Bradby on the South Africa tour, she wanted to be asked how she felt

I have met Knauf many times and I have to say that he must have felt pretty hard-pushed to do something that could undermine any of his bosses.

With her beautiful son Archie, current pregnancy, dashing Prince, stonking commercial deals, Montecito mansion and now her global fame, you would think that the Duchess of Sussex might feel… job done.

What more could she possibly wish for? But as we will be hearing on her Oprah interview (and how I wish I was strong-willed enough not to watch it), that is very far from how she feels.

She is aggrieved. She is a woman much misunderstood. She was, until she was able to flee to Santa Barbara, a voiceless victim like so many of the abused women she constantly tells us she supports.

And who were these tormentors? Well, first up are, apparently, the British media, whom her husband has long also disliked. But a close second are those Royal courtiers and aides who peopled the world she was expected to operate in when she arrived to live here.

One of the striking things about Kensington Palace – the centre of ops for both the Cambridges and Harry when Meghan Markle moved in – is how very old-fashioned it is; think brick-walled cloisters, Jammie Dodgers and hunting prints, strangely muted and dim.

She is aggrieved. She is a woman much misunderstood. She was, until she was able to flee to Santa Barbara, a voiceless victim like so many of the abused women she constantly tells us she supports. Meghan is pictured above with Harry while the aide whose email exposed bullying claims is seen left

KP, as everyone calls it, is actually a labyrinth of small rooms and neatly proportioned apartments with battalions of young staff steering visitors around the corridors to their final destination.

Like many palaces, it is literally inward-looking with not much of a view and a little bit claustrophobic. As a confirmed California girl, Meghan no doubt found it so. And probably a bit depressing.

The staff who work at KP, like those at Clarence House and Buckingham Palace, are a hugely industrious bunch, happy to put in incredibly long hours for comparatively low salaries because they enjoy the status of working for the Royal Family. And they care. They care a great deal about protecting the Royals in every way, from organising the details of daily life to their image and security.

I remember meeting Knauf for the first time. He was a good-looking young American (a direct contemporary of Harry) wearing a formal grey suit and the requisite palace lanyard, and I found him quite daunting.

He didn’t seem big on small talk or even the smallest joke, and clearly took the view that this meeting was mine to lose. He was the one in control. As I got to know him better, I discovered he has a great sense of humour but, even off-duty, he was implacably loyal to his bosses.

The idea that he, or anyone working alongside him, would have had any interest in not supporting the incoming Meghan Markle as she tried to navigate this new world is simply not credible.

In truth, the opposite is true. Even before Meghan arrived, I know for a fact that the KP team were busy rallying a group of interesting and influential people who might be helpful and friendly to her in a new country.

They had learnt from the sad story of Princess Diana that letting a newcomer flounder in the somewhat archaic Royal pool, where they could feel isolated and unsupported, could be disastrous.

But herein lay the problem. It turns out that Meghan did not want guidance or support, or certainly not of the kind she was getting. No, as we later learnt in her interview with Tom Bradby on the South Africa tour, she wanted to be asked how she felt.

Knauf’s email raising concerns about Meghan’s intimidating behaviour came about after a growing number of complaints – all from women – in Kensington Palace.

At that time in 2018, the corporate world was finally beginning to take accusations of bullying and bad workplace practice seriously – and Knauf, an accomplished corporate professional, had his ear close enough to the ground to know that such things couldn’t be allowed to fester, even in a palace.

The decision to confront this toxic situation would have been nightmarish to make. The last thing Knauf would have wanted was the idea that he and his colleagues were ganging up against Meghan.

In addition, Harry and William were still linked by their joint foundation and a huge amount of behind-the-scenes work had been put into developing the notion of the two brothers as emotionally literate, empowering, modern Princes – and nobody wanted the whole thing to fall apart because of the new wife on the scene.

So, no doubt to begin with, allowances would have been made for Meghan being used to a different workplace culture. The serried ranks of polite young women in KP, with their unassuming clothes and understated make-up, all used to working quietly and cautiously in a certain way, may have appeared lacklustre to her.

But reports that staff were bothered by her sending 5am emails from her yoga mat, as if that were too demanding, would have been wide of the mark. Employees in the Royal offices know they have signed up for 24/7. Pretty well every day of the year. It’s less of a job than a vocation involving a big slurp of the Kool Aid and being prepared to put your own life on the back-burner.

Although we might think that we Brits have a more hierarchical culture than the Americans, the US workplace is far more status-led, with much more visible deference expected from juniors to seniors.

Meghan would have been used to the noisy can-do ethos of that arena in contrast to the measured but often more effective British approach.

In the States, at least until very recently, it was not uncommon for employers to scream and shout when they couldn’t get what they wanted – right now. Harry’s ‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets’ admonishment, so jarring to our ears, would have been an entirely acceptable mantra in many an American institution.

But perhaps more difficult than a clash over working styles for the team who worked for Meghan, and possibly for Meghan herself, is that they seemed unable to provide her with what she wanted. Or even to know what that was.

What was clear though was what she didn’t want: being told what she could and couldn’t do.

I have always thought that an American woman I know found me patronising because, on our first meeting when she was new in town, I suggested places and people she might be interested in. She lost no time in telling me that she knew it all already. Meghan clearly felt similarly.

One of the striking things about Kensington Palace – the centre of ops for both the Cambridges and Harry when Meghan Markle moved in – is how very old-fashioned it is; think brick-walled cloisters, Jammie Dodgers and hunting prints, strangely muted and dim

Unlike the Princess of Wales, Meghan arrived on the scene as a woman in her 30s, with friends and connections, experience and opinions all bedded in. She knew what she liked and wanted, and had no interest in anyone thinking there might be any gaps where she would appreciate a bit of advice.

And unlike Catherine Middleton, who, by the time she married Prince William, had experienced years of living in the Royal goldfish bowl with its oxygen of protocol and precedence, Meghan would have been confounded by what might seem ridiculous prohibitions and rules.

Maybe it’s not surprising that she shot the hapless messengers, venting frustration on the team trying to help, and drove them away. Her lawyers deny bullying ever took place, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bully acknowledge themselves as such. Often they don’t even recognise they are doing it.

You have only to hear the way Meghan refers to The Firm (Prince Philip’s term for the working Royals), as if it were a cross between the Cosa Nostra and the Scientologists, to know that Team Sussex will no doubt regard the timing of the release of these accusations as directly targeting Meghan in revenge for the Oprah interview. And they may well be right.

But such is the Oprah machine’s build-up of the revelations of this interview (and let’s not forget one being broadcast as Prince Philip lies in hospital, which unless the Sussexes had rubbish lawyers, they would have reserved the ability to postpone), it was probably too much too expect, of even our usually buttoned-up Royals, to sit back and take it.

After all, they, like Meghan, are only human.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

HIStory’s ranked (no one asked, but here i go)

so i was sittin here, talkin to myself about the HIStory series’ and was like ‘hey, i should rank them’ (which i’ve seen a few other people do, but mines a lot more rambling than there’s because i can’t shut up lol) 

so here’s my views lol (ordered from worst to best, imo):

6) My Hero (HIStory1) -

probably universally acknowledged as the worst episode, and i’d be inclined to agree with the masses on this lol... not only is the tone and humour of this series so weird and disjointed, but the entire story line literally makes no sense lol?? it’s unclear who the audience should be rooting for (especially as it goes out of it’s way to paint our protagonist as really unlikable lol, not to mention the love interest is the dullest character ever conceived like ???), as well as this the ending feels completely unrelated and bizarre... 

i think this concept /could/ have worked if the guy the woman was inhabiting (which sounds weird without context, but like she’s dead lol) was somehow also inside his head? or if she got to see his memories or whatever & tries to adjust her personality to match the guy’s, causing love interest!dude to fall in love with the guy... (like i could go into more detail, i basically hav an entire au written in my head lol, but yh...)... that way, her letting go of him in the end would feel so much more well set up? especially if she was generally more understanding and likeable.. 

i think overall this series just fails in telling a decent story lol... & the cringe is even beyond what i can handle lol

5) Obsessed (HIStory1) -

people might be surprised to see this one so low down, especially since i know a lot of people really love this series (& if u do, no hate to u btw, ur allowed to like whatever u want idc), but i realllllly don’t like this series... like at all ...

the plot is weird anyway, which isnt inherently a bad thing, but then u add on the really bad couple and it’s just...... bad lol... like everything about their relationship is built on lies and deceit, and even more so than that it’s built on a lack of mutual respect and fundamental trust for each other! tall guy (i don’t know names soz) feigns memory loss in order to get closer to short guy (btw, the scenes with them being domestic were really sweet, & i firmly believe this could have been an alright series for the actors if the story line wasn’t so bad), short guy’s whole existence in that universe was a lie lol (like i know there’s no easy way to tell someone ‘lol well i’m technically from the future’ but still), then there’s the whole resolution at the end & it’s just so ??? frustrating lol!

nothing bugs me more than seeing conflict in relationships (on screen or irl) that could be solved simply by TALKING TO EACH OTHER GODDAMNIT & isnt lol... my other issue with this series is the fact tall guy 100% forced himself upon short guy in the tent & like we’re just supposed to accept it cos ?? he’s saying no and pushing away but actually he wants it because he loves tall guy ?? like fuck no i’m not accepting that lol! 

basically, bad & bizarre story & characters, & gross tropes just makes this hard for me to watch and enjoy lol... i think, like in my hero, this could’ve done with being a different story altogether lol... (maybe tall guy actually did lose his memory & he falls for short guy all on his own with no predatory intentions?? idk something like that)

4) Right or Wrong (HIStory2)

this one & my number 3 are very much tied tbh, but this one is just slightly lower just because i’m not as big into the couple as i know a lot of people are... & it’s not necessarily the age gap, cos i dont actually mind age gaps in pairings (just as long as the younger one isnt a minor, obv... and also i think any gap that’s 30+ years is a bit weird lol..).. i think my big problem with this is i dont really see why younger guy (again, i have no idea of any of these characters’ names lol) would fall for the older guy? like the older guy is obvs going thru some issues, and hasnt been taking care of himself or his kid properly because of them, but like we dont rly see a lot of why he’s a great guy? like we get the sense young guy is attracted to him, but like love is more than just thinkin they’re hot lol... idk lol this might just be me tbh i just couldnt see why he’d be interested lol

i did like the whole family side though, and showing how a man who was previously with a woman can still end up with a guy (bisexualityyyyy (or some variation of that thereupon)) is something you dont always see in media, so i thought that was pretty cool! (even if the ex-wife thing was kinda lame lol...) 

i think overall i see what this series was going for, and that it actually did an alright job in some parts... the biggest problem is that it’s kinda just forgettable lol... maybe that’s why people like obsessed so much lol? maybe it was a train wreck but ohh boy at least u wont forget it in a hurry lol!

3) Stay Away From Me (HIStory1) -

i’m a bit torn about this one, cos there are parts of it i actually really like (them going from rivals/enemies to being good friends to being more), and other parts i really didnt (the stereotypical squealing yaoi fangirl friend)... & tbh, i kinda wish this had just been a show about the budding friendship between the 2 guys... it almost feels too forced to me that they’re made to ‘fall in love’ when i actually think them both becoming less selfish and learning to respect each other as step brothers & friends is actually already a really great story (& i know that it doesnt fit with the whole ‘HIStory’ thing, but stories of platonic brotherhood/’bromance’ are just as important as gay representation... isnt a /substitute/ for representation, don’t get me wrong, but it’s always so beautiful to see decently portrayed non-toxic friendships between guys... ok this is a rant for another day tho shhh)

i think maybe why i like this one more than the other HIStory1′s is because kinda nothing happens lol... it’s not overly complex with weird unexplained magic things happening, it’s just a simple story lol... is it still tropey as hell? of course lol! but i think the ‘realism’ of the world really helps, and i def think this was incorporated more into HIStory 2, which i’m really glad about...

overall, this is a relatively harmless series & is actually quite sweet at times... the kiss is awkward as fuck tho (there, i said it lol...)... it suffers the same forgetability as right or wrong tho... 

2) Crossing the Line (/Boundary Crossing) (HIStory2) -

ok, so here’s a series i 100% love & totally agree with the hype around lol! i hav no interest in volleyball (or any sports tbh), but the way this show handles the friendships and dynamics between the characters is really well done, especially for a series that’s only 8 episodes long! i also really love that none of the characters really fall into any stereotypes (which is a great improvement from HIStory1 i can tell u lol), and are given the space to actually have some growth & nuance at times?! 

(nuance? in MY HIStory series?? it’s more likely than you think!)

the main couple have really amazing chemistry, and the way they get together doesnt feel too out of place or that it’s going to fast, it just sorta flows really nicely... even the side couple are pretty well done (though i wasnt that big into them on my first watch, just cos the whole overbearing older brother thing was kinda annoying... i liked them more as the series went on tho...)

i kinda dont have any major complaints? which is bizarre cos i always hav complaints about things lol... maybe my complaint would be that they all look way too old and attractive to be whatever teenage age they’re supposed to be lol... (but tbh that doesnt take anything away from the story so i’ll forgive them lol...)... i think maybe i wouldnt consider it my favourite because the story line didnt grab me like the number 1... but i really cant fault it in terms of what it delivers lol, legit such a well put together series!

1) Trapped (HIStory3) -

lol i think anyone who’s been following me for the past few months aren’t in the slightest bit surprised this is my number one... i just love it too much lol!

from the incredibly well written and well acted characters, to the interesting and engaging (even if a bit ridiculous) plot, to the beautifully told romance , it really has it all doesn’t it!!! & i think even if this wasnt an enemies to lovers thing (aka one of the most godtier of all fanfic tropes), there’s so many things going for this series that make it worth watching! i have a few complains about editing choices and a few bad trope plot points which were just unnecessary (plus the fact we missed out on a lot of background info on some major characters lol...), but like despite everything this series rly struck a chord with me deep down in my soul lol

i could go waaay more into detail (and maybe i will one day lol... tho not rn, i’m v tired), but the gist of the matter is: i really love trapped lol

(conclusion)

Even though i’ve complained quite a bit here, i am so grateful for the HIStory series’ for bringing really interesting, and a little mad, stories with gay characters and story lines, with a big emphasis on happy endings! there are so many lgbt stories/characters in things that end up dying or just have bad endings, which just sends this horrible message that lgbt people aren’t worthy of having happy endings, which is completely untrue! 

So i look forward to future HIStory’s, even if some of them are gonna be bad (& maybe none will live up to the trapped!shaped bullet firmly lodged in my heart lol)

fin~

[yannfredericks]

g’day folks! It has just occurred to me that I never really spoke about the incredible yolly content I was blessed with in london this may and that is, quite frankly, a crime, so here we freaking GO

ok so I never fully explained my semi-relationship with sinead and jordan (who were playing yann and polly at the time) and I probably never will to both a) respect them and b) not embarrass myself by over exaggerating it but just know that I’ve spoken to them both several times, they’re lovely lovely people who were both fully aware of the yolly ship and just so hilarious about it all and such good sports and SPOILT THE FUCK OUT OF ME with content, so without further ado:

A List of Yolly Moments from May 2019

-yann and polly walk across stage as act 4 scene 14 begins and as they’re laughing together yann wraps his arm around her shoulder and tugs her into a hug as they walk (I very nearly screamed and unfortunately couldnt focus the rest of the show, a fact jordan and sinead found most amusing)

-spoke to sinead after the show and she said that jordan often did this sort of thing to mess with her???? hello??? where was I??? (exact words were “he’s always fannying around, sometimes he kisses me, etc...” EXCUSE ME HE WHAT????)

-jordan said he does it bc he “loves her” and was “sure they’ll be more yolly moments” to look forward to and BOY was he right

-bammy set out to murder me after that and I am forever grateful

-the night he knew I was in consisted of him wrapping an arm around her, standing by her, looking at her, talking to her ANY TIME HE WAS ON STAGE which, as an avid fan of both yolly and jordan and sinead, I can confirm was NOT NORMAL

-pretty sure in the EGM scene that sinead’s character got into an argument w someone and jordan wrapped his arm around her and started arguing too, part of me swears he called her his wife, either way it was incredibly amusing

-yann annoying the everloving fuck out of polly in the wand dance, teasing her and getting up in her space, playfully rubbing in that his spell worked before hers etc

-should mention that at one point karl wrapped his arm around polly (craig (who plays karl) ships karl and polly which is HILARIOUS to me) and she was so quick to shove him off...no such complaints when yann did it tho...I see you..

-so after wand dance polly always goes “oh poor little potter!” and craig goes “he’s so embarrassing” and that’s about it as everyone giggles and mocks albus but THIS TIME after those two comments, as they’re leaving the stage yann turned back and YELLED “POLLY!!!” and I DIED pretty sure my exact reaction was to squeak and hiss “FUCKING HELL” to my friend beside me, followed by “HES TRYING TO KILL ME” and I was not exaggerating in the slightest

-so anyway they’re in love we know this, I have never seen a boy more enraptured, no matter what they were doing on stage he was watching her

-IN THE TWT SCENE HE WAS HANGING OFF HER SHOULDERS AND HIDING HIS FACE IN HER NECK AND SCARF IT WAS SO CUTE

-so polly is exasperated with him in the funniest way that so clearly tells you that they’re best friends and yet she’s simultaneously hopelessly endeared and idk what to tell you if you don’t ship yolly bc it’s there!! it’s happening!

-I tweeted a bit about Yann’s handsy-ness and sinead openly stalks my acc on the odd occasion and tweeted jordan “don’t touch what you can’t afford x” which is SO HER POLLY I couldn’t believe it I love them

-the thing about jordan and sinead is that they’re best friends off stage and my god it shows in their onstage chemistry and I am so thrilled I got to see them

-continued to be husband and wife in the second EGM, incredible content and teamwork to push the staircases off stage, we stan a hardworking couple

-(unrelated but once when jordan was on as scorpius, during the godric’s hollow scene after the malfoy hug I saw sinead in the wings give him a little wave and I just-)

-at the end of this show they had their little walk and hug moment that filled my heart with love and I can’t thank them enough for going so above and beyond for me that day :’) and jordan agreed to pay for my funeral so high fives all round x

-this hug became a Thing for the last few shoes before cast change, and on the day itself I swear they just wrapped both their arms around eachother as they did the cross... :’( I’m emo and I miss them

-I will never be able to thank jordan and sinead enough for their kindness, their good sportsmanship about the whole thing, for playing along, for making me feel like a friend and for just embracing me as I am and, of course, for being the first to make yolly canon, truly the GOAT

-honourable mention goes to jordan the first time I met him for bringing up yolly and going “yesssss this is the ship!” he had my heart from the moment he was wheeled on stage and he’s had it every day since

-cast four brought us emma may and luke who are SUPERB and apparently decided to make yolly canon of their own accord, bc while I was still mourning my OG yolly legends for that first show I saw with them they ended the show crossing the stage with a HAND HOLD!!! A CANON HAND HOLD

-this was a lot to process and tbh I still cant believe that happens canonly every night

-they have such a fun relationship on stage, polly protects him as they walk past draco and they have a little gossip

-I’ve seen emma’s polly be incredibly excited when Yann’s spell works in the wand dance, I’ve also seen her throw a fit and ask why his worked and her’s didnt bc it’s “not fair” and I love both responses

-their characters also hold hands at the end of the pumpkin placing scene and they literally skip offstage holding hands?? pure

-polly is constantly trying to get yann’s attention during the DADA scene and it’s beautiful

-in many ways their yolly feels a lot younger than jordan and sineads and they seem to play a lot more games when it comes to their relationship, like real schoolgirl crushes on eachother

-I have a friend (@karl-jenkins) who described it as polly actively pursuing yann and yann playing hard to get until craig dies and they realise life is too short to not be together and that feels really fitting for them

-jordan and sinead were more two best friends who were as close as friends can be, knowing how to push each others buttons and tease eachother with all the true love and fondness bubbling just beneath the surface ready to spill and I am irrevocably in love with both of their versions

-stage door mentions of yolly include leah mentioning that she’d heard a lot about them recently and agreeing that polly doesnt NEED yann (bc shes a boss ass bitch on her own) but that they’d be a good couple so we stan her

-me telling ryan my yann’s backstory after he LIED to me about having one for him kssjsjs and jon overhearing and being more into it than any other person I’ve encountered 

-jon, out of absolutely nowhere, saying “tell me about your yann and polly fanfictions!!!” I mean...what?

-in summary, yolly is canon and the yolly shippers stay winning

-thank you for your time and please let me know if there’s any yolly moments that you have seen yourself!!!!