#how did you expect him to be? a good fairy godmother??

[aleksanderscult]

After 400 years of existence full of war, blood, killings, a mother who manipulated him and emotionally abused him, watching his lovers and friends die constantly before him, witnessing his people getting murdered, tortured and being spit on and seeing useless Kings and Queens come and go lounging on their chairs without improving the situation of his beloved country, I think Aleksander Morozova had every bit of a right to go into some psycho mode eventually, don't you think?🙂

[i-will-cry-you-a-river]

Based on this post

The Proud Immortal Demon Way was a clusterfuck. Master Airplane was a fucking hack of an author who should never ever be allowed to write papapa. The characters were complete idiots, so blind and stupid and Shen Yuan suspected the close proximity to the abundance of aphrodisiacs was to be blamed for the lack of intelligence points. The plot was nonexistent, the fantastic flora and fauna was forgotten for more pointless papapa. However!

However…

Shen Yuan had to admit. The fanarts and fan merch did not do justice to the beauties residing in the universe.

That hack of an author could not write porn. But his characters really were peerless beauties. One would think if the beauty standards were this high that everyone was a peerless beauty, they should be considered as normal.

One would think it wrong. If he could, he would take back his comments on this specific topic; their beauties really were peerless.

One, like the blooming peach blossom, charming and deceptively sweet; another like the oak tree, tall and reliable; and another like the prettiest blue iris, knowledgeable and lovely. It was a disaster.

Back then it was only the blackened protagonist and his life sized body pillow that made him go through a sexuality crisis. As a shut-in, the people he met with never really made him feel warm under the collar, so being gay was only a theoretical experience for him, only having crushes on fictional people. Now, on the other hand, it was a completely different experience.

He couldn't even step outside of his bedroom without feeling like an emotional wreck. The minute he does that-

“This discipline made breakfast for Shizun!”

The radiant halo of the protagonist blinded him day after day; his precious white lotus is just the cutest and purest, fluffiest sheep ever. Shen Yuan can see the future Emperor in him, the husband of hundreds of pretty flowers, but he was still just his 17 years old discipline, so filial and full of wonder.

Ah, Binghe, such a good boy for this master…

“This master is thankful. Go along now, your shijie is waiting for you,” Shen Qingqiu waved his fan. His little white lotus pouted as if Shen Qingqiu would believe he wasn't excited to spend time with his future wife. He encouraged the two of them to spend time together, and he was certain that the sweet and touching young love bloomed under his careful watch. He was like a fairy godmother…

[-10 protagonist satisfaction points]

Shen Qingqiu sighed behind his open fan. Luo Binghe started to become a homebody, which, as a past homebody himself, knew was a slippery slope and even with all the lost points, he had to make sure his white sheep left the bamboo house. Staying home was great, but when you were the future Emperor of the Three Realms, defeater of countless monsters and husband of a triple digits harem, you just had to learn how to be open to new experiences. Sorry, Binghe…

“Yes, Shizun! This discipline will leave now.” Luo Binghe bows, and it takes everything not to touch and pat his fluffy head.

“Good. This master expects excellence from his disciples.”

“Yes, Shizun. This discipline understands and will do everything to exceed Shizun���s expectations.”

Such a filial discipline! Such a sweet white lotus! This one is truly a scum villain to do what he needs to do.

[Host is-]

I know I know! You don't have to remind me![(⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)]

Shen Qingqiu sighed, hiding his shame and regret behind his mask. He really was just a scum villain.

With a conscious decision to not think about the future, he ate his breakfast instead, noting the protagonist’s amazing cooking powers. He would miss this after Luo Binghe gets married and starts to cook for his wives instead.

Maybe the guy he finds for himself will be good at cooking… nothing compared to the protagonist, of course, but nobody can be compared to him. That would be unfair for his potential partner.

However, even though he'd been Shen Qingqiu for three years, he hasn't yet found anybody for himself. He tried to flirt, he tried to see who might be gay other than him - statistically, there should be SOMEONE, right?! -, but no results.

The Sect Leader immediately brother-zoned Shen Qingqiu through his and the original good's past bond, which was quite unfair in Shen Yuan's opinion. Yue Qingyuan was a fine specimen of a man. Strong and reliable, just the kindest man Shen Qingqiu ever met. He was the perfect man, THE husband material. Yet, the original good has been so cold to him, cruelly causing his death, even though they were like brothers. Shen Yuan wouldn't have minded the Sect Leader as his husband; someone loyal and powerful, someone who could protect him from his blackened lotus. So unfair…

His Liu-shidi, the prettiest man alive, was so straight, only the protagonist was straighter than him. Shen Qingqiu was honestly sad for him; all the women in PiDW belonged to the Emperor. He was quite tempted to find a way to punch Airplane Shooting Towards Sky in his face for making Liu Qingge straight. Look. Shen Yuan was a weak, weak man; if Liu Qingge would show the slightest inclination to be at least bi-curious, he would be all over his shidi in a heartbeat. That man, honestly… it was no wonder the author killed him before the plot. Liu Qingge was typically the Second Male Lead, who was the boyfriend of all readers. (He definitely would have been Shen Yuan's fictional boyfriend, that's for sure. Maybe if he would have stayed alive in the novel, Shen Yuan wouldn't have minded the lack of plot that much. Liu Qingge would have definitely made the whole thing a thousand times better just by being alive. Like he did it now. The best times of the week were when his shidi visited him to spar or to cleanse his meridians.)

Shen Qingqiu had high hopes for Mu Qingfang. The doctor was quite queer in the sense of being weird. He hoped he was queer as in gay as well. However, the only time Shen Qingqiu tried to flirt with him, resulted in a two day stay at Cang Qiong mountain under constant supervision. That was a quite humiliating result, if he could say so.

Shen Qingqiu bit back a groan. No matter; that was just the peak lords he kept close contact with. He had the whole universe to find that one (1) gay person who would be happy to spend that depressingly short amount of time with him until he was still alive. He might have only five years to live, before he would become a human stick, but he would NOT die as a virgin disaster gay. He would remain a disaster gay forever, but he would lose his virginity before his death, damnit!

Now, volunteer, where are you?

Here they are

[thegoldencontracts]

RAHHHRAHHRAHHH

Overblotters with a MC/Yuu who’s got a magic wand? Like fairy godmother’s wand from descendants or the live action Cinderella (powerful yet elegant and graceful, bonus if she is a healer or if there’s butterflies)

Tyyy for the request mootie (i'm sorry this took me so long RAHHH *unleashes wolf form)

Overblotters With a Fairy-Godmother!MC

Riddle Rosehearts ♡:

Shocked, that's for sure.

Before the overblot, he did definitely judge you a tad. He saw you as weak, a pushover.

Now he sees you're anything but that. Especially after recalling your high-level magic during the overblot.

Afterwards, he definitely appreciates you're friendship. You're kind and willing to forgive him for his mistakes, but you're defiant and willing to tell him when he's overstepped. For someone who's suffered as much as he has due to a lack of others being willing to be honest with him, it's rather refreshing.

Sometimes, he can't help but instinctually lean on you, or expect your kind words. It's embarrassing for him, but rather sweet, how he's grown used to your companionship.

Leona Kingscholar ✩:

He kind of saw this coming.

He's smart, and he's pretty observant, too. He would tell that something else was going on with you.

And then, the overblot comes, and... yep! You're strong.

Still, you're stronger than he thought. Especially considering how sweet you act most of the time.

What he doesn't expect, though, is for you to tell him that, though you can't excuse his actions, he seems kind inside, and you're here if he needs anything.

He's annoyed at first, but with time, your company becomes something that just brightens up his day,

Don't tease him about it, please (Or do, if you want to see the cutest reaction ever).

Azul Ashengrotto ✧:

He can't particularly think about it at the moment.

All he can feel is, well- pathetic. you've beaten him so easily. Was it fun? Are you laughing? Seven, it stings.

And yet, you don't laugh. You don't jeer with the rest as pictures of his horrendously fat childhood self are shown.

During the museum visit, you ask him if he's alright. Although it's clear you haven't forgotten what he's done to you, nor do you intend to, but you're trying to see where he's coming from.

Though he's certainly standoffish at first, he can't help but grow all too fond of your kindness, your firm yet comforting nature.

Jamil Viper ✮:

Jamil is rather shocked.

You, of all people? You? But you're... well...

It comes as quite the blow when you beat him at his full potential, to be frank.

He'd never really thought much of you. That proved to be a mistake.

However, what shocked him even more was that you seemed understanding. You wanted to know him, the real him.

And, though he's standoffish, and he can sometimes be even a bit too harsh with you, well-

He appreciates your company.

Vil Schoenheit ☾:

Vil is consumed in his own guilt during the overblot. How could he poison Neige? How could he do something so- ugly?

He's wracked by his own grief afterwards, when you approach him, asking if he's okay.

You seem a tad disappointed with his behavior, but, overall, understanding.

You truly do seem to admire him, though. It's a lovely sentiment.

He can't help but grow to cherish your company.

That, and, you have a very good sense of fashion. He approves.

Idia Shroud ✺:

He's a bit shocked, but he also kind of saw this coming. Ortho saw it while checking up on your stats.

Afterwards, you can't help but hold a grudge against him for kidnapping Grim. That's okay. He doesn't like you either.

He can't stand how nice you are, how everyone seems to enjoy your company, how you socialize with the normies-

Okay, he's definitely a bit envious. You're kind, and sociable, and, well, he's not. Sure, as much as he wishes everything he says about the normies was true, deep down, he can't help but wish he could talk to others more.

After the overblot, you still try to be nice to him, though there's still a bit of tension due to the fact that he put Grim in harm's way.

Malleus Draconia ❂:

He's rather impressed. He could sense your underlying power.

Regardless, he's rather fond of you. You're kind, willing to talk to him like normal even once you find out his identity as Malleus Draconia.

After his overblot, you're rather stern with him, but also rather concerned. Is he alright? Overblot is quite the taxing experience, after all.

Though you give him quite the talking-to, you still help tend to his wounds, asking him why he felt the need to bottle up his emotions.

Overall, you truly are one of Malleus's favorite humans.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hello fellow,, I just wanted to say I think you're very pretty— And I'd love to watch one of your shows !!

What's your favorite part about your job?

So tell me, do you wanna go?

“Thank you, thank you for the compliment! Aren’t you a flatterer,” Fellow chuckled as he adjusted his lapels. “You, my good spectator, have an excellent eye. And if you’re looking to see far more beautiful things in your life, then have I got the item for you!!”

With the flick of his wrist, he produced a pink shard from his coat pocket. Its clarity was broken by a few scratches, resulting in a color closer to rose fog. The sea glass appeared to be ordinary in every sense of the word.

“This,” Fellow declared, presenting the shard with a flourish, “is rose-tinted glass. Have you heard of it? It’s a special material that was blessed by a fairy godmother! It may look like an ordinary lump now, but refine it, polish it--" He pantomimed cleaning it off with his sleeve. "--and you'll have yourself some fine material for a mirror, glasses, whatever you wish! Anything you see through its face will have its beauty enhanced a hundred-fold!"

"Oooooh." You politely clapped for him. "So that's how your scams--er, I mean shows--work. You butter people up and sell them impossible dreams."

"... That wasn't a demonstration just now, I really was trying to scam you, kid!!" Fellow groaned, letting his smile drop. He dropped the sea glass back into his pocket, then folded his arms. "Don't let it spread, or I could be losin' out on some potential marks."

"Alright, but only if you answer my question too."

"What my favorite part of the job is?" Fellow barked a laugh, but there was no joy to be found in it. "It pays the bills. It lets us survive. It puts snobs in their place. I can be my own boss, go where I like, make my own hours."

"That's it?"

"What, did you expect something flashier?" Fellow angled his hat, allowing the brim to shadow his eyes. "Get your head out of the clouds, kid."

Then he lifted his head and looked out. Past the main building of the school, to the front gates and beyond it. The town below, the sky above, the sea surrounding.

"... Stayin' put in one place never suited me," he said quietly. "There's a whole wide world out there, waiting for my grand ol' shows to come along and wow'm. They'll look at me with stars in their eyes, the crowd alive with sound."

A smile had taken shape on his lips. Not a sneer, not a smirk. A real smile, soft as a baby bird's down feathers.

It dawned on you.

I get it. What he likes the most is... seeing the joy he can bring to others, even if that joy is just a lie.

"Ah, but enough of that!" Fellow swept his top hat off and, inverting it, held it out to you. He beamed expectantly. "In exchange for my time and well-thought-out responses...!"

"Huh? But the deal was I wouldn't let your plot slip if you answered, not money on top of that. I'm barely managing to get by myself on the headmaster's monthly allowance..."

"I have to support myself and Gidel, don't I?" Fellow rattled the hat. "Payment, if you please!!"

You sighed but began digging for loose change.

[plant-lesbian569]

Finally got round to watching Cinderellas Castle

Bryce was absolutely incredible as Ella, I knew she could sing but her voice blew me away. Ella is such a great character too, you can see that she is deeply traumatised with hopes and dreams and Bryce conveyed that brilliantly.

James as the Prince was honestly one of the highlights for me. Going in I wasn’t sure that I’d enjoy his character but from the moment we first saw him I was hooked, he was so funny.

Angela is such a good villain. The Stepmother commanded the stage. There were moments that I completely forgot it was Angela because she was so different from how we’ve seen her before. Girlie has range.

Lauren and Mariah were amazing as a duo. Justine and Lucy were lovely and then the contrast to Puttice and Rancilda. So glad Rancilda got to live under her bridge in the end.

I really wish we could have seen more of Kim as the fairy queen of sweet dreams, although I fear it is common in Cinderella adaptations for the fairy godmother to be a brief character. Either way her voice was incredible and I loved how they did her multiple arms.

Curt as Tadius was as great as I expected. You could really tell how increasingly done he was with the Prince throughout the show.

Jon and Joey really brought those puppets to life. Crumb and Sir Hop A Lot I love you both forever.

And Jeff Slayed as the narrator, what more can I say.

Overall I loved the show. I cannot wait to listen to the soundtrack and see the proshot. I think the last few songs at the end of act 1 were probably my favourite but that view might be different on rewatching

[duchessdulce]

“Draco, are you gay?”

Draco’s head snapped up. Greg Goyle, large and solid as a pile of boulders, was sitting on the bed next to his, looking at him. Draco had been sitting on his own bed, leafing through a pile of library books, but he let the book in his hands drop now as he quickly scanned the dormitory. He and Greg were alone.

“What?” Draco said.

“I asked if you’re gay,” Greg said.

“What do you think?” Draco said, his tone tetchy. This was a forbidden topic of conversation. It was an unspoken rule. Draco had thought Greg would know this without being told.

“I think you’re kinda gay,” Greg said.

“That was a rhetorical question,” Draco said. “That means I didn’t really want you to answer.”

“Are you attracted to me?” Greg asked.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Draco snapped. “You’re not that attractive.”

There was a silence, and Draco winced.

“That’s not — You’re asking upsetting questions. You can’t expect me not to —”

Greg just sat there looking at him, solid and impassive as always.

Draco took a deep breath and started again.

“You’re a good looking young man, Goyle. You’ve got a sort of rugged, mountain man thing going on. I think you should grow a beard when we get older.��

“Yeah?” Greg said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“You’re just not my type,” Draco finished.

“You want someone scrawny like you,” Greg said knowingly.

“Well, maybe,” Draco said. Then, indignant, “Hey! Did you just call me scrawny?”

“I get it,” Goyle said. “I like scrawny girls.”

“I am not scrawny,” Draco said. “I know you kept the copy of our fashion magazine that Pansy and I gave you.”

“I kept that for Pansy’s legs, not yours,” Greg said.

“How dare you, Goyle. I have excellent legs. Some people would say they’re my best asset. And those people…” Draco added as an afterthought, “have forgotten to look at my face. And my hair.”

“You do spend a lot of time on your hair. And it looks pretty okay, I guess. Any bloke who also likes other blokes would be lucky to get you,” Greg added generously.

“Thank you, Goyle,” Draco said stiffly.

—from Narcissa Malfoy, Fairy Godmother (a Drarry fic)

Read more here

Chapter 14 is up!

[misscherry-26]

Cinderella - Andy Barber

Pairing: Prince!Andy Barber x Cinderella!reader

Warnings: SMUT! ORAL SEX (F)

Author's note: second fic of the AU. Big thanks to my friend @cevans-1981 for helping me with this one! It took me a lot to finish it since I kinda lost inspiration in the way. I hope all of you like it!

Taglist: (Open) @optimisticallygarbage @smile1318 @she-wolf09231982 @alessandraavengers @octobers-snow @imrandomstuffsblog @sizzlingfurydeer @dollylottie

You couldn't believe it. The dress you worked on so much time, to wear tonight, was ripped, and destroyed.

You can't believe how cruel your stepmother is. After everything your father did for her, and her daughters – your stepsisters. They were always jealous of you.

But you are not going to lay on bed and cry. Oh no.

Sitting on the chair of your small desk, in your room, in the attic, you draw a new design. Something that attracts attention. Yes, something that will make you stand out from everyone at the dance, even make your stepmother realize who you are.

"Do you think we will be able to make that on time?" Jaq asks you while checking your design.

"We cou-could call her! The lady!" Gus exclaims.

"What lady, Gus?" You stop drawing and look at the little mouse, who eats a little cheese.

"Oh yeah! Gus and I read it in an old book" Jaq jumps from the desk and runs fast to find something.

"But you guys can't read!"

"We–we saw the drawings!!" Gus says.

He, then, comes back with a book, sliding it on the floor. You get up and take it, relieving a lot of help from him. You know this book. It's the one your father used to read to you every night.

Once you set the book on the desk, Gus and Jaq open it to find the drawing they are talking about. When they do, they step on it, “this one, look!”

You pay attention to the drawing and understand what they were trying to say to you. The fairy Godmother.

“We need to call her!” gus states

But how do I do that guys?

"Well, we don't know, we-we can't read it" Gus lowers his little head.

"Yeah but we do know that whatever you say, she will appear here and help you with whatever you want or need. She only does it with people like you. Good people."

You think for a second. Gus and Jaq are right. You need to do this fast if you want to go. In a few minutes the dance is about to start.

You called her. You did what's written in the story, not exactly expecting it to come true. But it did. The fairy godmother was kind to you and helped you, claiming that you are a good person. But she also asked if she could make some changes to your dress, claiming that you will catch the prince's eyes as soon as you make a step in the palace. And not only that, but she also made Gus and Jaq humans, very handsome men, you can't deny that, and a beautiful carriage, but only until twelve o'clock the spell will last, the fairy reminded you. After that hour, your dress, your friends, the carriage, everything will vanish.

“We are here Cinderella” Gus lets you know. Jaq opens the carriage door and you step out of it, getting out with a little help, since the dress is too big.

“You look beautiful Cinderella” Your two, now humans, friends praise.

The dress is a beautiful light blue color, with a thin layer of glitter that illuminates every part of it. Your hair is styled in a simple but elegant bun, and on your feet, you wear dainty heels in the same color as the dress.

“You will definitely catch the prince's eyes. You truly look like a princess. Now go!”

"And don't forget to enjoy the ball!" Gus reminds you.”

"Of course! Thank you guys!" You say before they leave you alone at the entrance of the palace.

~A couple of minutes later ~

Turning around to find something to eat, you bump into someone, their drink falls on your beautiful dress, dyeing it red.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Your eyes drift to the person who spilled the drink on your dress. It hit you. It was Prince Andrew.

"Oh it's alright." He says smiling.

You give him a soft smile in return.

A soft slow dance song came on. “May I have this dance?” The prince asked.

“Yes, you may.” You nod in response.

He picked up your hand and placed one on your waist as the two of you danced the night away. You tried to avoid his gaze from him through the dance but Andrew took you by your chin, raising your gaze, "You have a beautiful face."

You giggle, nervous, "than-thank you"

It seems time has passed because people around you and him were clapping. The song ended.

He then let you go while looking at you with a smirk “Can I show you something?”

“Of course.” You are a bit confused. Not understanding the meaning of the question. What could possibly want him to show you? Maybe he already knows who you are.

He takes your hand and leads the way to the unknown, for you at least…

"Here we are." He steps aside to let you see a beautiful garden, Illuminated by nothing but moonlight. Flowers of all kinds and colors adorn each little square of land.

"It's…it's beautiful" you say amazed.

"It is, isn't it?" Andrew responds as he stands behind you, gently taking you around the waist and pulling you towards him. "Beautiful like you" he whispers in your ear.

He turns you around. His look now is different. It's filled with passion, and desire. Truth is, since you put a foot inside the room, he was amazed by you. He saw that you were…unique in a way the others weren't. Like those two sisters with their mother, for example, the poor woman was desperate to pair one, or both daughters with him.

But no. You were made for him. He already knows that.

Slowly Andy begins to leave kisses on your neck. He does it slowly, so as not to bother or scare you, but seeing that you don't object, he continues.

Grabbing your waist again, he turns you around so you're face to face with him, and without warning, he engulfs you in a fiery kiss, leaving you half stunned at how to react.

But the problem was not only that. So concentrated thinking about whether to continue the kiss or not, you didn't hear how the bells began to ring.

You quickly move away from him and, without issuing any dialogue, you run away.

You have to find your friends, mentally you ask that it is not too late. But it is.

Suddenly you find yourself walking barefoot. But what... your hair now falls on your shoulders, I have to hurry, I have to hurry...

So focused, you didn't realize that Andy was behind you, trying to stop you.

Your dress begins to fade, you notice as you run, so you stop for a bit. Your body is only adorned by lingerie. The one you drew in the sketchbook.

Why would the fairy godmother leave me alone with this one? Unless…

You jump when you feel someone grab your arm. Andrew stops you and notices your new outfit.

“What–” but you cut him off by kissing him. He doesn't need to know the truth, not yet at least.

“My… you're even more impressive than ever,” Andy blurts out those words, growling between the kiss as his cock twitches in his pants. He stops the kiss just to look at you for a few seconds, as if he wants your consent to what is about to happen.

You are both alone, probably in one of the many acres of the great castle. Andy's home.

You nod, and Andy doesn't wait another second and he kisses you hungrily again. You claw at his hair as you moan between kisses.

Andy takes you by the legs and lifts you up, you grab hold of his neck and wrap your legs around him, feeling how he squeeze your butt.

You can feel how hard Andy is, and he feels how wet you are.

“Already wet from just this?” he stops and smirks as you nod while biting your lip.

"Baby, I haven't even started yet"

“Then start. Now” you hinted.

“Like this? He holds you tight as he starts walking to a tree. Your back hits the three, he devours your mouth again and starts to lower to your neck, your hands get lost in his short hair from him, grabbing some strands due to what he is making you feel.

"You like this, huh?" he asks you but you can't answer, so instead you let out a moan.

Andy smirks. “I will take that as a yes, sweetheart” He plops you down on the floor, but stops you with one hand, telling you to stay like that. He lowers himself till he reaches his favorite part of him.

“Can I?” He traces a finger over your pantie. You nod.

He puts one of your legs over his shoulder and sinks his face between your sweet femininity. Grabbing the fine fabric in his teeth and running to the side, just long enough for him to taste your sensitive little bell.

At this moment you appreciate being away from everyone, because your moans cause a lot of noise.

“Scream all you want, no one will hear us” He says, as if he just read your mind.

With one hand you hold on to Andy's head, from time to time generating more pressure between your sweet and wet pussy and his face. Andy's tongue moves in a thousand different ways, your mind can't process which way it goes every second.

Andy takes a scant second to insert his fingers into your mouth, you accept and lubricate them, a fine line of saliva sticking to your mouth as he removes them.

Andy smirks, and proceeds to grope your vaginal entrance while continuing to savor you. Andy never inserts his fingers, but god, you never knew that action alone would turn you on so much. You gasp as Andy enjoys eating you. Your body begins to express it, your grip is stronger, your abdomen contracts, feeling as if a knot is forming.

Are you going to cum? huh?”

You're not quick. He intensifies his movements, adding more pressure with his tongue on your clit as he also has all his mouth in there, as if he were drinking from her.

"C'mon...c'mon"

"Please, please, please!" you say in between the moans and when you can't hold it anymore, you give up letting out a long ah!, feeling how your juices descend to end up in Andy's mouth, who sighs when he feels you reaching your climax.

He stays there for a minute, waiting for you to come back to reality.

He gets up when he sees that your breathing is back to normal and kisses you passionately, you tasting your own juices in his mouth.

And this is how Prince Andrew found her Princess, Cinderella…

THE END.

[allaboutcinderella]

The Adventures of Cinderella’s Daughter (2000)

Starring: Laurie Sheirs as the title role

Yes this is really something that exists!

And it is… something. 😅

This mini series follows, you guessed it, Cinderella’s daughter, on some of her adventures as a teenage princess. 💁🏼‍♀️

✨SPOILERS AHEAD✨

Our main character, CINDY (super clever name…) narrates the entire series which right off the bat makes me cringe a bit. She talks about how she just wants to be “like a normal teen” and constantly points out what a drag it is to be royal and the daughter of the most “perfect storybook romance ever.” 🤦🏼‍♀️

First I have to say that even though this mini series looks like it had a budget of maybe $50, the acting was… not great, IT’S SEVERE LACK OF HOOP SKIRTS and the writing was extremely cheesy… it had a surprising cast!

Including STAN LEE!! What?!

He makes a cameo is the priest. That kinda blew my mind 🤯.

Also Jim Wise as Fred the “Fairy God-Brother.”

Now, I will give credit where credit is due, not all the episodes are bad. They’re not great, but I was enjoying some moments of it. (Then the acting got bad again and my attention would shift…)

• The first episode is pretty much what you’d expect of this kind of sequel. It’s a reverse Cinderella story. Cindy wishes to attend the jamboree being held in the village, but her father forbids her to mingle with commoners. She argues that he’s a hypocrite seeing as her mother used to be one and he still loved her. His mind isn’t changed, so cue in Fred, the Fairy Godmother’s… son? (Ok) His magic powers aren’t amazing but he somehow manages to supply Cindy with some ✨magic peasant clothes✨ to wear to the jamboree. She is excited mainly because there’s a peasant boy she thinks is cute, Gaven 👦🏻🤎 and hopes to dance with him. And wouldn’t you know it, she gets her wish… after beating him at… arm wrestling. 👀 However, unlike her mom, she stays past curfew therefore breaking the magic spell, revealing a ballgown and crown to show AHHH SHE’S A PRINCESS! The embarrassment! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Gaven accuses her of “playing a peasant” to make fun of them, causing Cindy run off. He realizes then that she is a teenage like him who wants friends and to have fun, so he finds her and makes up. 💁🏻‍♂️

• The second episode is about how Cindy wants to compete to be on her ye old high school’s jousting team. The this episode was so bad I had to skip forward, but it’s all to show Gaven “she’s tough even if she’s a princess.” Done. 🤺

• The third, possibly the better of the episodes, is one where we see that Cinderella almost didn’t marry the Prince due to her stepsister finding a wicked fairy godfather to trick her into not marrying the Prince. (Sound familiar…?) This kind of blew my mind because this came before Cinderella 3 and Twice Charmed, which have similar plots. The Prince even JUMPS OFF A BALCONY down to Cinderella… reminded me of the Prince jumping out the window.

• The final episode is more of a Cinderella story… for Gaven! 🤴🏻

Cindy finds herself trapped in an almost arranged engagement to a stuck up Prince who is basically just an ass. He makes fun of Gaven for being poor and does other weird things like tell Cindy to be more ladylike if she’s going to marry him. He even gives her a dress he wants her to wear to the ball because it’s what his queen would wear. ✨Yikes✨

Gaven manages to get the help of Fred for himself and disguise himself as the asshole Prince to dance with Cindy. But seeing as Cindy thinks he’s the other guy, she doesn’t enjoy their time. Of course she finds out it’s been him all along and boom! Happy ending!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It’s a silly series and it’s painfully 2000’s - cheap 2000’s. But did I still sit and watch it? Yep.

I think the acting of Jim Wise (Fred) and Liz Lavoie (Cinderella) saved this series for me. Their acting was good. And of course Shirley Jones (the fairy godmother) was good as well.

•• Do I recommend watching it? ••

Well… I think it’s so crazy someone had the idea to make this. It’s honestly so wacky I think people should watch it just to see it with their own eyes. I know my curiosity got the better of me and now that I’ve watched it once I can say confidently that I never have to again 😆

I did also find it insane that Cinderella 3 and the stage show Twice Charmed must have gotten inspiration from this series. Some things were just way too similar…

But if you still don’t watch it… your life will go on just fine. 👍🏻

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you guys watch this series and what you think!

[tropes-and-tales]

Fairy Godmother

December 18:  Gifts/Fluffy - Single parent (Santiago Garcia x F!reader)

(From the winter prompts found here)

CW:  Angst; mutual pining; idiots in love; the same sorta plot to an earlier piece I did

Word Count:  2146

AN:  Requested by anon!

AN2:  There is a sequel here!

The doorbell rings twenty minutes sooner than Santiago expected, which shouldn’t surprise him:  you always show up early.

Sophie answers the door.  His daughter has no concept of time (he’d been trying to explain when you’d arrive, but finally got exasperated and settled on ‘soon’).  She’s been hovering by the front door for hours, hopping around like a bunny high on sugar, and when the doorbell finally chimes, Soph lets out an ear-piercing shriek.

“She’s here!” she screams, and she’s opening the door without checking out the window, but of course it’s you.  Twenty minutes early.  Like always.

And like always the first five minutes of your arrival is just you and Sophie—hugging each other, you twirling her around, the two of you exclaiming over each other.  Santi is just an afterthought.

Still, when you finally turn to him and give him that soft smile…when you walk over to him and hug him, when you murmur that he looks good…he doesn’t feel like an afterthought at all.  He feels, for a bright moment, like he’s the center of your world.

-----

He’s only known you for about as long as Soph’s been alive, so five years.  When Santi’s girlfriend, Julia, got pregnant, she had chosen you to be the godmother.  Best friends from college, she said, and the best woman for the job.

Santi can’t deny that fact, five years later.

None of it went down the way he thought.  He had a ring ready to go, ready to propose after Julia gave birth to Sophie.  When she started disappearing for days at a time, Santi had thought it post-partum depression.  

You had helped so much in those first months—him trying to juggle a newborn and a wayward girlfriend.  You took leave from work, crashed on his couch.  Took the night shifts when Sophie was colicky so he could sleep.  Listened to Santi rant about the situation.  Listened with grace and understanding, even though he was ranting about your best friend.

Julia returned only to disappear again.  When she was home, she barely even looked at Sophie, preferred to hand her off to you or him.  She disappeared for good—moved out west, took up with a new man—when Sophie was six months old, and you helped him then too.

“I love Julie like a sister,” you had told him.  “But she’s always been like this.  Flighty.  Unreliable.  She ghosts on everyone and everything.”

“Even her own daughter?”  His voice had cracked on the last word, the weight of the situation pressing down on him until he felt like he’d be bowed underneath the burden for the rest of his life.

“Even her own daughter,” you agreed.  “I thought she might change once she gave birth but…I guess people can’t really change who they are.”

“Look.”  You reached out, put your hand on his shoulder, peered at him earnestly.  “You can do this, Santiago.  You have people who can help.  The guys.  Me.”

You were right.  He was able to do it.  He is doing it.  He does it every day:  parents his daughter as best he can, and given how happy and healthy Sophie seems, he guesses he’s doing okay.

-----

You stuck around for a long while, but when Sophie turned four and started in preschool, you backed off.  Took a job that had you traveling all the time.  It had come out of nowhere, and the sudden loss of you felt like a punch to the gut after so many years of having you there…

“Thought you had a handle on things now,” you had told him at the time.  “Don’t need me hanging around anymore.”

He had tried to tell you then—of course he needs you.  He knows he’d be in a far different place—darker, sadder—if it hadn’t been for you.  

But you stay in touch, as much for your goddaughter as for him.  You call, you send colorful letters for him to read to Sophie.  You send souvenirs from your travels around the world—usually for his daughter but sometimes for him too.

And now you’re here for the holidays.  He had asked if you wanted to come and was surprised when you accepted.  He had been a flurry of activity to get the house extra-clean, extra-decorated.  He wanted to make it magical for both Sophie and you, because by then—five years after the fact and for no other reason than because he loves you, even if in secret—he thought of you as his.

He wants to make it magical for his girls.

-----

It takes two hours longer than usual to get Sophie to bed that night because there’s double the excitement:  it’s Christmas Eve and you’re here for the week.  You do the bedtime duties and read her a book, and then a second and a third until Santi uses his stern voice and tells his daughter that Santa won’t stop at their house if she’s not asleep.

-----

“Want a beer?” he asks, and you say you do.  He hooks a few from the fridge, hands yours to you.  Cracks the cap on his and takes a sip.

“The place looks wonderful, Santi.”  You gesture to the tree, the swags of pine festooned on the mantle.  The lights, the stockings, including the one he got for you.  “Really good work.”

“Thanks.”

“Need any help with anything?”

He nods, fixes you with a grin.  “Wanna help me put the presents under the tree?”

-----

He didn’t go overboard.  Or at least, he tried not to.  He’s mindful that Soph, as an only child to a single father, is at high risk of being spoiled.  So he took her wish list for Santa and halved it.  It doesn’t hurt a child to want things, he guesses.

“Jesus,” you say, your voice laced with awe as he carries in another box of wrapped gifts.  “Did you leave any for the other kids?”

He sets the box down on the floor where you’re settled, trying to rearrange the pile of presents he’s already brought out.  He joins you on the floor.  

“That’s the last of it.”  A beat.  “Is it that bad?”

You reach for your beer and take a drink.  “I mean, she’s one little girl…”

“Okay, but some of this is from my mom.  The guys each sent a gift…”  He tries not to sound defensive and realizes he’s failing.

“I already put my gift under there.”  You point to a large present wrapped in silvery paper near the back.  “It’s a stuffed dog.  Extremely fluffy.”

“She’ll love it.”

“And your gift is there too.”  You point in the same direction, to a flat box wrapped in the same silvery paper.

“Not a stuffed dog?”

You smile.  “It is not.”

He turns to the box of gifts, starts placing them under the tree.  He doesn’t look at you when he says, “you just being here is gift enough.”

You take a gift from his hand, place it carefully on top of another.  “Fatherhood’s turned you sappy,” you tease.

“I’m serious.”

“I’m serious too.  I’m the one who should be thanking you.  For inviting me.  For letting me crash during the holidays.”

He rolls his eyes, turns to face you.  “Are you serious?  You never need an invitation to come here.”

You reach out, pluck another gift from the box, but you toy with the edge of the wrapping paper, tracing your thumbnail over the seam.  “I guess.”

It’s been a strange evening.  You were chatty, playful with Soph over dinner and during bedtime, but you seem different with him.  Subdued.  Formal, almost.  

As if you hadn’t seen him cry from exhaustion and worry.  As if you hadn’t pulled him from the edge of a nervous breakdown years ago.

“What’s going on?” he asks, gentle.  “Have you been away so long that we’re strangers now?”

“…no.”

“Then what’s up?”

You don’t say anything for a long while.  You turn the wrapped gift over and over in your hands, fiddling with it.  Before Sophie, Santi would have lost his patience, would have snapped and asked you to stop stalling.  Now that he’s a parent of a young child, though, his patience is boundless.  

“A year’s a long time,” is all you offer at first.

He takes the gift out of your hands, sets it under the tree.  “Not that long.”

There’s another long stretch of quiet before you say, “I didn’t want to step on any toes, I guess.”

“Whose toes?”

You inhale, push the words out quick.  “If you were seeing someone.  Their toes.”

Santi laughs at the idea of him seeing someone.  He has no time whatsoever.  His job, taking care of Soph…he’s lucky he has time to breathe.  And anyway, you’re the only person he wants to see, and you’re here now, so—

His laughter hits you wrong because you push your shoulders up near your ears and mumble something he can’t make out.

“I’m not seeing anyone.  Hell, I don’t have time for that.  Or the desire for it.”  He takes the laughter out of his voice, and he lays a hand on your arm.  Waits until you glance at him before he asks, “why would you think that?”

A shrug.  “Tom said something.”

It surprises Santi.  “When did you talk to Tom?”

“Before I left.  Before I took the job.”

“Wait…what?”  He had no idea you talked to Tom all the way back then.  He reaches back and finds no memory at all of you talking to Tom, though he can find plenty of you talking with the other guys, with Frankie and the Miller brothers…

Another shrug, so terse it’s more like a twitch of your shoulders.  “Sophie’s fourth birthday.  Tom made a joke that didn’t really sound like a joke, once I thought about it.”

He feels his stomach drop to the floor.  “What did he say?” he asks, and he keeps his voice low, level, even though he can already guess.  Tom is a champion asshole.  

“I don’t…it’s fine, Santi.”

He squeezes your arm lightly.  “What did he say?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

Another squeeze to your arm, reassuring.  “Oh, spare me.  You’ve seen me bawling my eyes out because I was melting down.  Hell, remember when I had the flu and food poisoning that time?  We’re past anything being embarrassing.”

You pull your arm away, glance at him, then turn away.  “He insinuated that I was just hanging around to step into Julie’s shoes.  Joked and said I was lazy, trying to get a ready-made family.”

“Shit.  I mean…shit.”  It makes sense now, far too late:  why you suddenly pivoted away from him and Sophie, took that job that kept you away from him.  Why you are so unlike yourself now, no longer comfortable with him.  

“I wasn’t, you know.”  Without a present in your hands, you twist your hands in your lap, bend your head to study your nails.  “Trying to take over for her.”

“Oh, sweetheart.”  Santi can hear the misery in your tone.  The defensiveness.  He knows how rough Tom’s version of joking can be, and he realizes too late that the damned idiot sent you on a spiral that sent you away from them.  From him.  Kept the dumb joke festering in you, even a year later.

He scooches over to you, puts an arm around your shoulders.  You resist him for a second, then sigh and lean your head against him.  He rests his chin in your head, and he takes in a deep breath of the scent of you.  A green, earthy scent like the outdoors after a rain shower.

“You could never take over for her,” he says quietly.  “She walked out on us.  You stayed here and took care of us.  Why would you take over when you’ve already done so much more?”

“I guess.”

“I know.  And Tom’s a dick.”

“He does give off especially dickish vibes.”

He chuckles, holds you tighter to him.  He’s angry at Tom, but he can deal with that later.  He’s angry at the lost time, that you never said anything to him.  That you obviously have your own feelings that you’re dealing with, and he wonders at how closely they hew to his own feelings.

He brings up none of that now.  He can try to tease it out tomorrow, after Sophie has unwrapped her gifts and collapsed in a post-morning nap on the couch.  Or maybe tomorrow evening, the two of you can have some of his famous laced eggnog and talk.  Maybe he can plumb the depths of unspoken things between you and the resultant year apart.

“Glad you’re here now,” he murmurs.  “Christmas wouldn’t be the same without you.”

You burrow your head against him a little more.  “I’m glad I’m here too.”

[cherry-flavored-sigh]

i got to see cinderella's castle on friday night! so i looked back at this post by @cindytoast404 and decided to fill out the bingo card! let's see if we get a bingo, shall we?

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!!!!!!! DO NOT LOOK IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR CINDERELLA'S CASTLE!

we DO have a bingo! hooray! (assuming the middle is the usual Free Space)

let's go through it square by square:

`1. the prince is absolutely the horniest person in the show. putrice gets sort of close, but she's really the only one in my opinion who does.

2. sir hop a lot does NOT die, but there is a point where he transforms back into a regular frog and putrice eats him. he later becomes a knight again once the magic is restored and escapes her stomach.

3. the prince is hot but he is just too stupid for ella to actually be attracted to. sorry! she needs a man who thinks about more than cunny all day!

4. no arson... unless you count the metaphorical "burning" of the ashmore family's legacy

5. the Narrator chided us a bit because when ella came on stage, we cheered for her, and he snapped and said "you don't even know anything about her yet!" so kind of? he also has help from ragweed (i believe that was the old man puppet's name), who comments on how the story progresses and argues that he doesn't like the results at one point. so there's a decent amount of acknowledging that a fairy tale is being told to an audience.

6. i would say rancilda is semi-redeemed because she defies her mother's wishes and wants to follow her own dreams that don't necessarily involving killing and eating people

7. ella does not kill a man, sadly :( but her loyal knight whoops some corrupt guards' asses!

8. as one would expect from a fairy tale, there is a lot of emphasis on wishes, desires, and happy endings. ella reflects on what she truly wants beyond revenge

9. sort of? the ball is the prince's way of choosing a bride. he clicks with rancilda at first (shared love of perverted jokes), then ella appears and steals his heart... then ella almost gets murdered by guards that the stepmother coerced into assassinating her and runs away, accidentally losing her magic in the process. so the prince does not end up with a bride that night and instead starts the search for the girl whose foot fits the glass slipper left behind.

10. if we assume sir hop-a-lot did not go off and chase her and kill her, then yes, rancilda does get to go live under a bridge and tell riddles for a living, just like she always dreamed. good for her!

11. the songs for the troll stepmother and sisters are BANGERS. they are evil, disgusting, and absolutely LOVING IT. hot troll girl summer is here, folks

12. the queen is pretty spooky and ethereal. her presence is far from "comforting fairy godmother" and more like "LET ME GIVE YOU THE POWER TO SMITE YOUR ENEMIES"

13. there is a skinning! two, actually! we meet two lovely girls that come to stay at the house and are set up to be ella's saviors... who are then promptly murdered by crossbow and then skinned to provide "outfits" for the troll stepsisters for the prince's ball (their whole picnic scene with ella gave huge "I love being alive!" vibes)

14. honestly, i can't recall any gay people. unless you count the Narrator, cuz he's a bit fruity, but he gives off big flamboyant fae vibes, which one could argue is just how fae are. you could sort of argue about the prince being a little gay with tadius (see the later square about homoeroticism), but no one seems to be explicitly referred to as homosexual. :(

15. everything is magic! ella's mother was burned for being a witch! the trolls use magic to stitch together their skin suits! the fairy queen of sweet dreams grants ella "starlight" to help her seek revenge. magic is what brings sir hop-a-lot and crumb to life as speaking creatures.

16. this one is debatable. the prince does not turn into a human (though if you want a humanized version of him, you can just look at jon's silly outfit while using the puppet lol). but he DOES sort of become a prince, because after the kingdom is saved, ella grants him a huge amount of land and tells him to sire many generations of tadpoles. so... close enough? he is not ella's prince, but he could be considered a prince now that he owns land, i guess?

17. again, the Narrator gets snippy when we cheer for ella without knowing who she is yet

18. almost! the evil stepmother threatens to begin a war with the trolls coming back to take over the kingdom once she steals the throne. thankfully, that doesn't come to pass

19. there sure is a castle. on a hill. as the story goes.

20. tadius quite literally has to wipe the prince's ass for him. and he also prepares "the wank couch" after the prince obtains ella's abandoned slipper.

21. ella ends up with tadius. he's the only man who can match her wits (and is human). though it would have been cute for sir hop-a-lot to become her human prince, i think that ella and tadius make a good couple. together, they have the smarts to properly rule the kingdom.

22. the prince does get murdered. tadius doesn't do it (though he really REALLY wants to), but instead, putrice gets a bit too rowdy after her wedding vows and rips the prince's head off. tadius runs away screaming in horror.

23. because putrice married the prince before she died (exploded by sir hop-a-lot when he became a knight again and busted out of her body) and the prince and king die/get killed (maybe the king smothered himself, who knows? tadius wasn't there), the crown goes to the next living ashmore... which is ella! yay!

24. ella does not get her own sword. sir hop-a-lot considered himself her sword since he is her protector and knight. but ella DOES get magical trappings made of pure starlight, so i honestly think that's a lot cooler.

aaaaaaaand that's that! feel free to argue with me if you've seen the show, too (or once you see the digital ticket version), cuz some of these are based more on opinion. i'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! just be kind and tag your spoilers! <3

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Vesuviella: Part 2

It’s afternoon now, and in the business of running a shop Julian’s late night visit has slipped your mind entirely. Until you see him strolling through your front door, looking slightly better rested and no less fired up.

“You ready to go, MC?”

“That depends on where you think we’re going.”

“Just up to the palace. I’m sure the shop won’t suffer too much if it’s closed a little early.”

You sigh and check the sun dial. You’ve had plenty of customers today, and it’s not too long from when you normally close. Besides, you need more details on what you’ve supposedly agreed to before it gets too far. “Give me ten minutes.”

When you make it out the door he’s already hailed a carriage for the two of you, holding out a gloved hand to help you in. You’re getting ready to ask your questions as soon as the coach lurches forward, but he’s beating you to it before you can open your mouth. “Now, if we can get Pasha to agree to this, it’ll make talking Nadia into it that much easier. They won’t mind the roles I’ve written for them once they get over the idea of acting for me.”

“And what story are we acting out?”

He startles and turns to you, one eye wide. “Did I forget to tell you? Ah – I must have been too caught up in the moment. We’re doing Cinderella. You’ll be Prince Charming, of course, Nadia will make an excellent King, and Pasha will be the evil stepmother. I thought of making her one of the mice, but you know how she loves to act out.”

“And the other roles?”

“You’ll ask Asra to be Cinderella. Then the two of you can convince that Muriel fellow to be the Queen. Don’t worry, I didn’t give him too many lines. And Lucio will be the Ugly Stepsister.”

“And you?”

“Well, I’m the director, the writer, the stage manager, and your Fairy Godmother, of course.” He leans across to you with a twinkle in his tired eye. “Any wishes you’d like me to grant, MC? The story doesn’t always have to end the same way.”

That last line catches your attention. “If you had to write it from scratch, how much of it did you change?”

He leans back with a shrug and a grimace. “Not much. I’ll work with you all to get a feel for the characters, but shows are always better with a few surprises. We’ll probably be improvising a good portion of it.”

The whole endeavor seems dubious at best, but you’ve just pictured Portia basing her Evil Stepmother off of one of Vesuvia’s more self-important courtiers, and now you’re mildly invested. “I’ll talk to whoever you want me to talk to, but the magic I practice is elemental. I can’t make any promises.”

“Of course not, you know I’d never expect anything ridiculous of you. Ah – here we are. Allow me, your majesty.” He trips out of the carriage and turns with a deep bow, offering you his arm once again to dismount. “Shall we?”

[youhavenoideahowbadiwantthis]

I watched a movie last night that I had a difficult time with. I didn't want to see it, but then I ended up enjoying it for the most part, but then I'm just a little annoyed with how much better it still could have been.

I'm talking about Wish. Spoilers ahead.

First, the things I liked:

Ariana DeBose was a very good lead with a great voice.

Chris Pine was wonderful, if not a little campy (which made him more wonderful). I would put, "This is the Thanks I Get," up against Bruno any day. Fight me.

The songs were mostly good with some stumbling here and there.

That fuckin' star sidekick is adorable.

The lore-building, especially with it being an, albeit heavily foreshadowed, twist, was surprisingly decent.

The runtime is an hour and a half. Perfect.

The things I did not like or was fairly indifferent to:

The performance of, frankly, any of the characters other than Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine.

Alan Tudyk as the obnoxious unfunny goat. My 4-year-old is more naturally funny than they wrote this character, who is played by an incredibly gifted, comedic actor.

The plot just wasn't interesting. Antagonist want more power; protagonist want stop bad guy. Obviously, I'm being reductive, and the concept of restoring people's lost dreams so they may pursue them for themselves rather than leave it up to an omnipotent being, is something I agree with wholeheartedly. I just feel it missed the mark in so many other ways that the plot suffered under the weight of terrible performances and animation.

The animation was bad.

Obviously, it's a technically marvel that they can create something like this just 30 years after Beauty and the Beast (which has objectively better animation). But parents might notice something uncanny about this movie. It's almost like a slightly more advanced cel-shading that they use in Disney Junior Shows like Myra the Royal Detective.

It feels lazy. Again, OBVIOUSLY work went into this, and I applaud the animators for doing something I couldn't dream of, but it just looks meh.

The performances of her seven-dwarf-analog, friends was fucking abysmal. The voices barely match the characters and were just obnoxious the whole movie. I appreciated what they did with Jennifer Kumiyama's character as far as representation, but it also felt like her voice was mixed really high in the audio and it was exhausting to listen to.

Also, having the seven dwarf friends that aren't dwarves is just weird when you consider everything else. Taken literally, this movie essentially acts as a lore-igin film for the enchanted mirror and Cinderella's Fairy Godmother. But the mirror is in Snow White. So...are these supposed to be the dwarves or just identical two-dimensional characters defined by literally the same traits as the dwarves or a multiverse thing or does it not matter at all?

Anyway, this was just a quick rant about a movie that I feel was unfairly, harshly judged. It's better than I expected, but worse than it should've been. 6.5/10.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello! How have you been lately? I hope you sleep well and eat tasty food!

I wanted to participate in your new blog event. I want to see interaction between ~deadbeat dad~ Crowley and our dear uncles, ghosts from Ramshackle dorm. You can decide which topic they will be talking about, I just wanna see ghosts more in twst fandom. They're so rare to see and it upsets me(ू˃̣̣̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣̣̣ ू) give more application to our ghosts! 👻👻👻

(I hope I wrote this right how it supposed to be wrote in this event. Sorry for grammar errors)

... I was going to include the Ramshackle Ghosts in the banner, but couldn't find any chibi sprites of them that were high res enough to use. That's it, that's my commentary 🙂

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

Ramshackle was a marked improvement from its sorry state in the autumn. The cobwebs, dust, and mildew had been cleared away, as if done by the hand of a benevolent fairy godmother. Rotting wood had been replaced with fresh panels, and the walls were coated with a glossy new color. The paintings and furniture had either been restored or replaced, antiques polished and set back up on display.

It's almost like Ramshackle before its ruin, Crowley noted, shutting the door behind him.

He strutted a few paces in, his cane clacking sharply against the floorboards. Crowley cleared his throat, the sound echoing in the foyer, then called out. "Ghosts?"

A reply came at once, accompanied by a cool sensation spiderwalking down Crowley's spine. This, he knew, was the telltale sign of a supernatural being's arrival.

Three pale bodies materialized before him. One tall and scrawny, the second small and compact, and the third wide and squat. Each ghost--A, B, and C--wore a top hat and a cloak.

"Mweeheehee... You rang, headmaster?"

"Aaah, there's my lovely Ramshackle trio!!" Crowley cooed, spreading his arms out with a flourish. "Good afternoon! I hope you're doing well."

"As well as we can be in the afterlife," Ghost A cackled.

"We weren't expecting visitors," C remarked.

"What brings ya here?" B floated around Crowley in a circle. "Rare for you to drop on by for a casual visit."

"Ah, that." He thoughtfully stroked at his chin. "Today is Family Day at Night Raven College and--well--I figure that you three upstanding gentlemen count as the guardians of our dear Prefect and Grim-kun. You live under the same roof, share household responsibilities, and have a deep bond. You may not be related by blood, but this arrangement could classify as a 'found family'. That would make you eligible to sit in at parent-teacher conferences."

"Oooh, are we being invited to the event?" Ghost A asked excitedly. "I was popular with the ladies back in my day, but I didn’t have the chance to do something like this. Never did manage settle down..."

"Can we really be where the people are?" B chimed in. "It's been a while since we got to stretch our ectoplasm. When was the last time? Halloween, was it?"

"But all those meetings sound like a bore," complained C. "You sure we can't just scare the daylights out of the parents and siblings instead?"

"There will be NO scaring the daylights out of anyone!" Crowley stopped himself and smoothed down his feathers. "As you can imagine, I'm a very busy man and I haven't got all day! Please make your decisions now."

The Ramshackle Ghosts glanced at one another. Murmurs passed between them.

"Well... They don't have anyone else but us, do they? Because Yuu-kun is from another world and Grimmy doesn't remember where he came from."

"They've always been there for us when we needed them the most. We've had so much fun together too. Keeping us company, playing magift, celebrating Halloween and the winter holidays..."

"It'd be sad if they were the only ones left out of Family Day. No one likes being excluded from the festivities."

Silence. Then mutual understanding lit up their eyes. The answer was staring at them right in the face this entire time.

"We'll do it!!" the ghosts cried in unison.

Crowley's lips curved upward. "A most excellent choice. Yuu-kun and Grim-kun are so very fortunate to have a family as loving as this."

[crudetautology]

Ghosts Christmas Special Thoughts (spoilers!):

Seeing as I accidentally spoiled myself for both the fact that Daley was going to be involved in some way and that there were going to be old footage of Pat shown I was expecting to find the episode a bit less emotional than I did. Everything re: Pat and Daley and family remembering those who've passed by repeating their words and phrases and family makes fun of each other but ultimately it's done with love. EVERYTHING in regards to Kitty and The Captain. And also just a feeling of pure love for all of these characters. I cheered when the plague ghosts showed up. The panto being so good and giving the same energy as the Sorry Song frankly. Might start a tradition to watch it annually. It just made me really, really happy! Utterly lovely and perfect episode. Less serious observations below:

- the Captain's got dance suggestions! - Mike trying to give his condolences to the departed ghost of the accident. "I'll just phone home- I'm ET." - breaking it to Robin that he would be playing the ugly stepsister and Robin sweetly holding hands with Humphrey's body - I did think "KISS!" at Thomas and Kitty when they hugged at the end, but alas it was not to be. Still utterly loved their dancing and Kitty throwing her shoe to him repeatedly. Cinderella and Prince Charming indeed! Also him pretty much only approving of Kitty's acting choices (and no one else's) i.e his satisfied little nod when she upped the ante of her line was so good.

- PATCAP! So many lovely moments from my favourite duo. Sitting together, watching and directing the rehearsals. Oh, and I felt like Pat was flat out looking at the Captain the most during his outburst and the Captain in turn looked hurt and confused. "Patrick!" Announcing the Captain as stage manager, the Captain complementing Daley, "Twist it!?" and them having an almost the Woodworm Men-level of understanding and togetherness throughout the entire episode. So lovely. - "Might be a bluey." "It's not a bluey!" - Mick getting fired up. "They're horrible to her!" - Fanny suggesting that The Captain play the fairy godmother! Julian and Thomas holding up the Captain during the fairy godmother introduction! "Bing bong!" the Captain showing up right next to Allison to get an exact time of her return was so fucking funny. - Also, Thomas shooting down the Captains dance suggestions and the Captain holding Humphrey's head. Love breadcrumbs for my two most far-fetched ships! - Fanny is a peeper-headcanon confirmed! - Every single ghosts being like yes Kitty is the best one! She'll never let us down, she's wonderful! Of course she'll play the lead etc. "I'm not an actress, just a girl!" Having the bear help her with practising lines for next time. Oh, how I love her. - And more singing! Them all singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and shuffling together at the end was amazing!

[fizzingwizard]

Time for some semi-ritual bitching about one of my favorite bitch-worthy topics, Yugioh

Why couldn't they have just done Memory World properly

Why make us suffer through Doma... and especially KC Grand Prix, a single episode of which is more boring than filler in any other fandom... and they made an entire filler arc out of it! Like Doma has lots of faults but at least it tried to do something interesting. It tried to develop characters, which proooobably shouldn't have been undertaken by a filler arc with no canon script to follow, but gold star for trying! Had a shitty finale not remotely worthy of its awesome beginning, but did we really expect any better? lol. KC Grand Prix tho, no. That's just there to Idk be mean to men with pink hair and dumb names?? In the ridiculous hair dumb names anime???

cut because Fizz has the curse of long-windedness thanks my evil fairy godmother

anyway back to Memory World, maybe the issue was the story in the manga still lagged behind where the anime was. I don't remember. If so I guess there was no choice but filler. Still, did they have to blow the budget on it? They lost most of their good animators during Doma, where they also introduced a couple new crap ones who stuck around till the end of course -___- And no doubt the animators were getting paid peanuts for long hours of work, and if they'd run out of budget to even pay that... well clearly the show should have been shorter. Like two whole filler arcs shorter. Just take a break, take a pause, come back when you're ready to do Memory World the way it should be done. Back then no one took breaks, "The fans will forget us," nowadays TV shows just up and away for multiple years at a time x'D before returning suddenly with a new season.

The reason I'm still salty and plan to be salty to my grave is just this. Memory World is the one and only YGO arc since season zero that was not explicitly about card games. They'd been dropping hints since the first that we could expect ancient Egypytian shenanigans in the finale. We were supposed to find out about Atem's lost memories and recover his name. That was the driving force behind everything that wasn't filler. I specifically became a fan as a kid because I enjoyed reading about Ancient Egypt and thought the idea of a millennia-old feud between a pharaoh and whoever Bakura really was sounded neat. So I watched hours and hours and hours of card games all for the sake of making it to Ancient Egypt.

(don't get me wrong I enjoyed the card games lol. Never ask a YGO fan to explain how watching characters stand around and yell "Pot of Greed allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" for hundreds of episodes somehow stayed fresh and interesting)

So we reach Memory World at loooooooong last and. And the animation is the worst. Atem falls off a cliff it's just like "ow." Bakura isn't have as intriguing anymore now that he's a poorly drawn anime guy with scars. He arrives toting Atem's father's mummy it should be scary. It should be shocking. But instead, for some reason we watched dancing girls of questionable historical accuracy repeat the same frame several times, while Atem makes a face like a baby trying his hardest to go number two in his diaper. In the manga this scene is really funny, with Siamun being Sugoroku in every way, and Atem in his awkwardness being more Yugi-like than we've ever seen him. In the anime they are just going through the motions. There's no life in anything.

The one thing the anime version got right was understanding that this was the one and only opportunity we'd have to learn about Atem. You know, half of the main character for the whole show. Even the manga is really so busy doing plot stuff it kind of forgets to make us care about the ancient Egyptian cast. The anime took advantage of the need for pacing to give us a couple low key moments about Atem & Friends, but for some reason it decided we should 1) know what Atem looked like falling flat on his nose as a toddler, and 2) show us that from a young age he was making grand progressive speeches about equality. Seeing Atem portrayed as a nice guy who cared about people gave me mixed emotions after watching him struggle for seasons with the possibility that he might have been a bad king and not remember it. Because we got a whole season of him making mistakes and disappointing fans in Doma, and now in Memory World the final answer to what kind of person Atem was is just "well he's a good guy in the modern sense of the word lol" and then we move on. Also, neither that speech, nor Doma, are manga canon, but fans on the whole remember Doma much better than they remember nice guy baby Atem. Which is so very nice -.-;

So Memory World could have been so much fun, exciting, adventurous in a way you can't always be when you have to stay put on a holo-duel stage (card games on motorcycles hasn't been invented yet!), and insightful about a character who has been the central point of everything yet whom we knew next to nothing about. Instead it was a poorly animated clusterfuck of battle scenes that were difficult to make sense of. The Bakura stuff was the best. The Kaiba-insert filler was the worst. I was disappointed with Set's arc in the manga as well, another thing that had been built up for years and years and ended up more about the mysterious waif-like dragon girl than Set vs Atem. If the anime changed something to add in Kaiba, I wish they'd have rewritten the Set vs Atem duel so it was mildly interesting, and Idk maybe Kaiba could have teamed up with Atem against his past self, which would have aggravated him to no end? Instead of just wandering around insisting none of this could really be happening. Or he should just not have been there at all. Personally I go the DSOD route and pretend Kaiba was never in Memory World, same as the manga. It's not like erasing him from the anime version has any impact on events bahahaha. He was included for MONEY MONEY MONEY popular character NEEDS to stick around even if he has abso-fucking-lutely nothing to do because MONEY MONEY MONEY

I love DSOD to pieces. But my own dream for the anniversary project was a remake of Memory World. Even if it had been a 90 min movie version instead of several episodes, as long as it was better quality, and invested in Atem as a character instead of simply as a pawn in a game, I would have enjoyed those 90 mins better than the entire Memory World season. Doma and KC Grand Prix were a mistake if they played a role in how awful Memory World was.

But they did the Millennium Duel well. Not astonishing, but really, except for useless Kaiba being there, it was more than adequate. (And although Kaiba himsefl was useless, it was cool seeing him rejected as an opponent for Atem in favor of Yugi. Actually I kinda wish they'd made a bigger deal out of that...) Kid me cried buckets (actually I must have been well into my teens by then bahahaha. I def cried though). Thanks to those final two episodes, the series send-off didn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. If it had ended with Memory World it would have been an even bigger disappointment to me than the finale of Bleach. And I despise the finale of Bleach x'D

[mermaidsirennikita]

what were your top 10 LEAST FAVORITE movies of 2023 (so far....)

Oh, OLIVIA. Off to your letterboxd I go!!!

But some immediate ... recent... additions:

Maestro--This is the most obnoxiously Oscar bait-y, vanity project-y movie I've seen in a long time. Like, I'm not inherently opposed to Oscar bait, I think a movie can be Oscar bait and also good. But this... I'm not super impressed by Carey or Bradley in general (I did love him with ASIB but I think he benefited from several external factors) and here??? Dry as a bone. She was better than him, but WHO WOULDN'T BE because he was giving the most try hard, bullshit performance. And cutting down Bernstein's sexuality to an OFFENSIVE and confusing degree. What even was Bernstein's relationship with Felicia? Where did that shit where she was all YOU'RE SO HATEFUL from??? I though she hated him because he was fucking around their entire marriage (even though the script implied she was... down? At one point?) and suddenly she's all YOU'RE HATEFUL AND YOU'RE GONNA DIE A LONELY OLD QUEEN. What??? And as someone who didn't know much about Bernstein going in beyond his sexuality, I feel like I still don't know much.

Priscilla--Similarly bad biopic anchored by a completely flat performance by a woman who's getting acclaim because she is the white girl of the week who everyone claims is so amazing and transformative because she has no distinguishing features and a flat affect everyone can project onto. Especially bad because Jacob Elordi can't maintain an accent to save his life and the movie was incapable of translating the incredible crush Priscilla would've felt underneath both his persona and his fame. I never got the sense of this guy's fame, and Elvis was INSANELY famous at his peak. I thought it was just bad, dude. And I frankly don't know why we felt the need for this liberation narrative when the sad truth is that Priscilla's entire career has been based on this idea that she's Elvis's widow (when they'd been divorced for years when he died and he was actually in a serious relationship with another woman when he died). And you know what? She has a right to that. I don't have an issue with that. I don't think she would've ever made as much money doing anything else, and he stole her childhood so go off. BUT. That does undermine a liberation narrative for me, and I can't get over it, especially because Priscilla has been so (willingly) in the press for the past couple of years.

Saltburn--Emerald Fennell cannot write a script and Emerald Fennell doesn't direct a super interesting movie, aside from some interesting (if not super original) visuals. I've already gone off about this movie. Barry gave a fun performance. Jacob gave him jack shit.

Anyone But You--I don't know if I'd even be as outraged about this if people didn't hype it up, but lol. It's dumb. It feels like a mid to bad romcom from 2005, which makes it worse in 2023. Finding out that the director/writer directed Easy A back in the day was suuuuch a reveal. He redid the retelling conceit, the Natasha Bedingfield deal, and the obnoxious vibes.

After Everything--Look, I didn't expect to like this, at all lol, but I did expect some laughs because I did in fact cry laughing at a couple of the other movies. BUT. TESSAH wasn't even in this for more than five minutes. Which, bless that actress, VALID. But this was like. Bad and not even bad with unintentionally funny moments??? It was mostly about Hardon??? No.

Your Place Or Mine--Can you believe this came out this year? They created a movie... so dry... and devoid of chemistry. A great example of why chemistry is important and how Hollywood has stopped caring.

Love Again--Sam Heughan. What happened. This is another one where I'm like you could've given me something. It was kind of a Celine Dion tribute piece with Celine as fairy godmother and I love Celine. But so boring. So forgettable.

Ghosted--Hideously bad. Ana de Armas is over for me lmao. I mean, she was already, but I was gonna give her a fun little romcom. Holy shit. Bad. Horrible. I kept waiting for a fun twist. NoPE!

What's Love Got to Do With It?--Bad, racist, I HATE its depiction of arranged marriage and the white bystanders gawking at it, ew ew ew hate.

Magic Mike's Last Dance--DUDE. DUDE WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS. WHAT THE FUCK. HE DIDN'T EVEN STRIP. WHERE WAS THE STRIPPING. WHAT HAPPENED. This movie, to me, is literally the perfect encapsulation of how bad sexlessness has become in media. Can't even fucking watching a fucking Magic Mike movie without some ass. Jesus Christ. What's happened to the world.