#i KNOW them bitches are worth watching. i know i will LOVE the new seasons. i know ill be obsessed with them

[teplejtrouba]

i have no idea what's wrong with me but i can't start watching the new ofmd season. like i want to watch it, more than anything, it's one of my very favourite shows. i couldn't wait to see it. but now?? i just can't start. it's so infuriating.

[harrysfolklore]

how is piastri sis feeling with this being carlos last ferrari race? cuz i’m feeling emotional

AHHH CARLOS' LAST RACE WITH FERRARI 🥺 im so emo but also really really proud of him. and so is our girl piastri sis. enjoy!

READ LITTLE BITCH HERE

The motorhome is quiet, the usual post-race bustle muted by the weight of finality. Carlos sits on the couch, still in his race suit with the Ferrari logo that's no longer his, staring at nothing. You watch him from the doorway, heart aching at the emotion written across his face.

"I can hear you thinking from here," he says softly, not looking up.

You move to sit beside him, taking his hand. His fingers automatically intertwine with yours, a habit now.

"I keep thinking about what I said," your voice is barely a whisper. "At the beginning of the season. About hoping you wouldn't find a seat."

"Mi amor-"

"No, let me finish," you squeeze his hand. "Seeing you now, knowing how much the Ferrari exit hurt... I was so cruel. So insensitive. Just because I was angry about Oscar-"

"You apologized months ago," he turns to face you, eyes soft. "Went we grabbed sushi and said you were sorry for being harsh."

"I know, but..." you touch his face. "Watching you take that last lap today, seeing how emotional you were on team radio... it just hit me again how horrible those words were. How much you were already hurting when I said them."

He catches your hand, kissing your palm. "I wasn't exactly kind to you either back then. Or to Oscar on track."

"Still-"

"No, listen," he pulls you closer. "That comment? It led to our first real conversation. When you apologized, I knew something had shifted. And now look at us."

You lean into him, remembering how that sushi outing led to him kissing you after, and changing everything forever.

"Besides," he continues with a small smile, "I did find a seat. Williams is excited to have me. And more importantly..." he kisses your forehead, "I found you."

"Smooth little bitch," you murmur against his chest.

"It's true though," his voice gets serious. "Leaving Ferrari hurts, yes. But this year? Getting to know you, falling in love with you? It's worth every painful moment."

"Even when I was being a protective sister?"

"Even then," he chuckles. "Though I prefer when you're being a protective girlfriend now."

You look up at him. "I'm so proud of how you handled everything this year. The Ferrari news, the criticism, the uncertainty... you stayed professional through it all."

"Had someone pretty amazing supporting me," he pulls you into his lap. "Someone who went from hating me to loving me."

"I never really hated you," you protest. "I just... strongly disliked your on-track decisions."

He laughs properly then, the sound chasing away some of the melancholy. "And now?"

"Now I strongly like everything about you," you kiss him softly. "Even your questionable racing moves."

"Hey!"

"Kidding," you stroke his cheek. "I'm so excited to see you at Williams. They're lucky to have you."

He holds you tighter. "Will you wear their merch next year?"

"Of course. But I'm keeping one Ferrari shirt."

"Oh?"

"Your race-worn one from today," you smile. "For memories."

His eyes get emotional again. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too," you rest your forehead against his. "Ferrari chapter is closing, but we're just getting started."

He kisses you deeply, pouring everything he can't say into it.

Later, Oscar sends a photo to the group chat Of Carlos's last Ferrari lap with you watching from the garage, wearing his team shirt.

"From enemies to this. Still wild."

Carlos saves it immediately because sometimes the best endings lead to better beginnings. And sometimes "I hope you don't find a seat" turns into "I hope you never leave my side"

[bigblab-talktotalk1]

I feel a lot of people misunderstand Portia in why she ask about Colin's love

One thing I find really disheartening about reactions/opinions on this episode is the conceptual clap backs of "Did Debling love her?!?!"

🙄😮‍💨

Because that response makes me feel someone is missing something in the storytelling. As a response, it has never made sense to me, because.... he never had to!

'Lord Debling was a reasonable match." This guy has acted in every single way The Gentleman. This guy has money, this guy came to Lady Featherington like a respectable adult and asked for Penelope's hand, this guy will be absent, and so THIS guy also Won't Hurt Her! She laid this out in episode 4, To Portia he is an IDEAL catch.

Then comes this news of Bitch-boy Colin (painting from a Portia-esque perspective), that she read IN WHISTLEDOWN!! He does not hold water with her 🚫 This Season, all she has seen of this dude is that he is a flirt. "The most desired man of the season." Regardless of what she thinks Penelope's feelings likely are, she only sees that Colin is NOT serious about her. Freshly back from galavanting across the sea, she does see Colin as serious PERIOD. All the letters Pen wrote, All the teas at Bridgerton house....for years Portia has watched him NEVER WANTING HER! Yet somehow an engagement occurred some time between her daughter leaving a party and family breakfast the next morning... 🤨🧐 Chat shit right?? Her mind must be screaming: HELP ME UNDERSTAND! (In a snarky, passive aggressive way - because she's the one)

---

Portia has a right to feel awful disrespected that Colin "I'm a gentleman" Bridgerton didn't come to her first. Like they don't have beef!! 😳 He's been engaged to someone from the Featherington household before, yet... there was no wedding. But Pen (who she thinks of is having less attractions than Marina) somehow is different?

You know who extended the olive branch to the Featherington name to help saved them from drowning in the social ruin of the reveal of Marina's pregnancy? DAPHNE! He was mad at Marina sure, but you know who he showed he didn't care what happened to while he turned his back? You Penelope!! 🤷🏻‍♂️He could have helped soften the blow like Kate, Edwina, and Anthony tried to do after their failed wedding. But he didn't. And that's who Pen threw away an entire future to gamble on?? 🫨😣

---

And while Portia doesn't know it yet, the fault for them being in that super precarious social is the SAME EXACT fucking person who is standing in front of her like she don't smell her own shit!! (personal mad when sitting in Portia's perspective)

---

THAT 'S the guy Pen wants Portia to celebrate, who Pen believes is a better choice. Portia's looking for the better. "What more can you ask for?" she says an episode 4. The only thing Penelope seemed to believe held her back from commiting to Debling as her husband is this 'Love' nonsense. So if Colin is the Superior choice, he must be giving her what she thought was missing from a marriage, something she thought Debling couldn't provide!

"You have it?" - Portia.

Penelope says she's SURE he CARES about her. But 'care' wasn't the exceptional parameter? To be so certain that you just threw away a good 90% qualification-meeting gentleman, you must have heard this truth that gives you that 10% to match the fantasy were "LOVE"(which Big P don't believe in) is. Right? You thought, you know, but what did he say it??? Has he told you he's giving you what makes choosing him over Debling worth it? Are you getting what you gambled for?!

Portia looks DEFEATED because Pen is betting on fantasies and wishes, without even the vocalized proof of Colin's feelings!!!!!!

"Oh Penelope"= "Girl I feel bad for you", "you sweet summer child." She's repulsed that Pen was SO short-sighted.

I feel like while her reaction is extreme and harsh, it really isn't too difficult to imagine a semi-reasonable parent (with Portia's trauma) may be distraught hearing that their daughter chose to follow a career in ..... like the Arts, that she loves (Colin), when she already had a place at Yale law School (Debby). Without Colin's declaration it's like she mailed in her withdrawal letter and is packing to move into an artist collective commune -- without a lease! Not even guaranteed a spot, setting fire to your previous life plans! It is not right, and it is not okay to treat your children as if they need to live their life as you would. However, for someone who holds security above all Pen has thrown away her last chance at a good life. Pen has shattered a chance at bedrock that Portia knows Pen don't even understand how much she should value! Portia has shielded her from how it feels to watch the ground you've built your life on crumble from underneath her. The fear of having no husband, no son, and no money. Which I think adds to the anger in her tone.

Debling never NEEDED to love Penelope. Why he was a better, more secure match than Colin was everything BESIDES love. What makes Debling a valuable prospect has a very little overlap with what makes Colin Penelope's first choice. Therefore trying to grade them on the same standard..... it doesn't matter if Portia cares about love, it doesn't matter if Debling would EVER say he loves Penelope. So while it matters if Colin has told her that he loves her, he's the only one who has to.

---

I do not think she is right all the time, or even often. But one can likely tell from the above that I'm a Portia Featherington fan. I'm a fan of food in tummies and shoes on feet. Did she decide she needed big bucks to eat and dress the way she wanted.......👀🙄

---

As someone who looks at Colin as an insecure 23-year-old male... He is my baby. I defend all his big emotions. When he's having a temper-tantrum, I let him kick himself tired. I'm never villainizing him for basically anything he says or does because..... I know he's really a soft boy. And I know Pen doesn't mind. But that doesn't mean we can blame Portia (without having the audience view) for seeing him differently.

[sapphire-writes]

Thin Ice (modern!HOTD series)

pairing: Aegon x Reader & Cregan Stark x Reader

summary: Aegon Targaryen is a hockey-playing, party-loving, self-centered player. You've sworn off guys like that. But fate intervenes and suddenly you're thrown into a partnership with him, a quid pro quo of sorts.

word count: 4.0k

warnings: 18+ series (language, mentions of sex, sex toys), college AU, hockey AU

note: here it is my loves! I can't wait to see what you think 😘

series masterlist

Ch. 1: The Deal next chapter >

You swore to yourself you were done hooking up with athletes. You’re doing pretty well so far, a month into the fall semester, and still painfully celibate. And it wasn’t easy, especially when your toxic ex-friend with benefits kept blowing up your phone. 

During your freshman year at King’s Landing University, you had a fling with Jason Lannister, a lacrosse-playing, business major who had you in tears more times than he ever managed to make you come. It was a very long semester.

The asshole still had the nerve to hit you up every now and then via text.

“Look at this,” you say, shoving your phone in Sara’s face. 

The brunette glances up at you, stopping mid-bite of her panini, eyes widening at the messages. You’re sitting at your usual table for lunch at the north campus dining hall with Sara Snow and Helaena Targaryen, two of your best friends. It’s make your own panini day on Tuesdays, something Sara insists can never be missed. 

“Block him,” she says swallowing, as you flip your phone upside down on the table. 

Helaena nods her head, agreeing with Sara, not looking up from the biology notes she’s scrambling to complete before her class. 

“He didn’t even add a question mark,” you continue, “I’m not even worth proper punctuation.”

Sara snickers at that, taking a sip from her drink as you lean forward, head in your hands. Helaena and Sara lock eyes as you do so, sharing a knowing look between them. 

“He’s so annoying,” you groan, rubbing your temples.

“Who is?” Baela asks as she arrives, plopping into the seat to your right.

“Jay Lannister,” Sara tells her, and Baela glares at you. 

“Do not fuck him,” Baela warns fire in her violet eyes, pointing her finger at you to emphasize her words. 

Your mouth drops open in shock. She’s always calling you out, Baela can read you like a book.

“I’m not going to!” you tell her, but Baela shakes her head. 

“You are a horny bitch,” Baela says, still pointing, “get a vibrator, get a dildo please-”

“Baela, oh my god we’re in public,” you tell her, moving to cover her mouth.

She swats your hand away.

“Do you think I care?” she says, smiling.

“You’re the worst and I hate you,” you tell her, “and I love you, please keep reality-checking me.”

“That’s a lot of feelings,” Sara comments.

“What do I do about Jason, seriously?” you ask once more.

“Block him!” is the unanimous response. 

You sigh, but open your phone, deleting the text and blocking his contact. You hold the phone out to your friends, showing your dirty work. 

“There? Happy?” you tell them.

“I am,” Baela says, and Sara and Helaena nod in agreement. 

“You just need someone new to get under,” Sara comments, “and it’s the best time of year to do so.”

You blink at your best friend.

“I don’t follow.”

Sara sighs, as though you should know exactly what she’s talking about.

“Cuffing season?” she says, earning a blank stare.

Her eyes glance behind you, a smirk coming on her lips.

“And more importantly,” she says, head tilting to the side, tongue between her teeth, “hockey season.”

You turn in your seat, watching as the boys' hockey team enters the dining hall. Clearly, they’ve come from practice, all half-dressed, all freshly showered messes of men with shaggy hair framing their faces. They all sit together, like a pack of wolves, at the same table. Team bonding at its finest. 

“Gods do I love a hockey flow,” Sara groans, biting her lip. 

From October to April, the King’s Landing Knights own the ice. They own the entire college campus if you’re being completely honest. Most of the team lives together, throwing exclusive parties throughout the season at the so-called hockey house. 

Sara hums in appreciation, watching as Jace Velaryon brushes some damp hair from his face, t-shirt riding up to expose his midriff. You can’t see her face, but you know Sara looks like she’s ready to sink her teeth into him. You know Jace from class, he’s a nice guy. Sara would be the death of him. 

You turn back toward your friends. 

“Is this why we came to north campus?” you ask and Sara shrugs.

“It’s an added bonus to panini day,” she tells you, earning a laugh from Helaena.

“I told you, I’m done with college athletes,” you tell them, “they’re all the same. No offense, Hel.”

You nod to Helaena who simply shrugs. Her brother Aegon plays hockey after all.

“No, you should speak your truth,” Helaena encourages. 

Sara opens her mouth in shock, eyebrows knitting together as she brings a hand to her throat clutching imaginary pearls. 

“Don’t talk about my Jacaerys that way!”

You laugh, nearly snorting your drink out through your nose.

“Your Jacaerys?” you ask through a laugh.

Though you suppose Jace should be exempt from the athlete slander. 

“Well not mine yet, but soon,” she tells you, causing Helaena to raise an eyebrow.

“You’re going to bang my cousin?” Hel asks and Sara shrugs.

“It’s not my fault your entire family tree goes here,” Sara argues, causing Helaena to laugh.

“They've got a game this week. Come with me!” Sara begs, taking your hand in hers, “We’ll score invites to the afterparty at the hockey house!”

You tilt your head at Sara giving her an incredulous look, before turning to Baela and Helaena.

“It’s like she’s tuning me out on purpose,” you tell them, eliciting laughter.

“I am,” Sara agrees, “you need to get laid. Hard. Bed and bred, if you will.”

You choke on your drink again. A group of your peers at a nearby table glance in your direction and you’re sure they’ve heard Sara. 

“Bred!?”

“Chill, you’re on birth control!”

“Not everyone has a breeding kink, Sara!”

“Don’t you kink shame me in this sacred dining hall-”

As soon as the words leave Sara’s lips, Rhaena arrives at the table, backpack slung over her shoulders, eyebrows knitting together.

“What did I just walk into?” she asks.

You turn in your seat, grabbing her hand. 

“Save yourself,” you tell her dramatically, “it’s too late for us but there’s still hope for you.”

“Why are we talking about kink shaming at lunch?” Rhaena asks, sitting down. 

Sara leans forward as though sharing a secret. 

“Because I should be the one shaming our dear nerdy love here for not exploring her own,” Sara informs her, “Y/N doesn’t know what she’s missing out on.”  

“I don’t need to get laid,” you inform them, pointing at Baela, “as Bae said, I am simply going to use my vibrator more often.”

“You need a human dick,” Sara scolds, “or else you’ll be fantasizing about Jason the whole time you buzz buzz.”

Your friends know you too well. 

“I can’t even fantasize?” you ask pouting.

“I literally can’t with you,” Baela says, rolling her eyes, “Jason is a douche.”

“He once made you throw up from crying so hard,” Sara scolds, trying to bring you back to reality.

“He made you pay for takeout and didn’t order you any,” Helaena adds.

“He told you his-”

“Okay! Okay, I get it!” you tell them.

You know they’re right. But Jason is the friends-with-benefits situation you feel like you can’t let go of. Even though he was such an asshole to you. 

“But if I’m getting a guy, I want someone sweet, someone nice, and loyal,” you tell your friends, setting some ground rules. 

“You’re describing a dog,” Baela tells you, but Sara nods in agreement with you.

She bites her lip in encouragement. The conversation is going in her favor. 

“Someone who can dick you down, degrade you a little, explore some hidden parts of your sexual psyche,” she adds, wiggling her fingers. 

“Someone-”

“Someone like him,” Rhaena says, nodding back toward the hockey players. 

You all turn, watching as someone joins the team. Your eyes widen watching him strut over to where the rest of his teammates sit. He’s big, totally jacked, with shaggy brown hair that matches the color of his closely shaved beard, despite a small patch that appears more auburn than brown. 

His eyes are warm, the color of melted chocolate. He grins wolfishly taking his seat. Even though he’s wearing sweats you can tell his thighs are massive, matching the bulging biceps on display as he stretches. You let your eyes wander to another bulge you’re interested in, thoughts turning to mush in your head.

“Yeah,” you say, watching as he sits with the rest of the team.

“You know why his beard is like that, right?” Sara asks, eyes sparkling.

“Huh?”

“From eating too much pussy.”

“Sara!”

“What?” 

“That’s Cregan Stark,” Baela answers the unspoken question in the room.

Sara claps her hands excitedly.

“I know him, I saw his name on the online roster,” Sara says, “he’s 6’3, plays goalie, loves dogs-”

“You’ve been studying the hockey roster?” Rhaena asks, laughing.

Sara nods enthusiastically. 

“He’s a political science major,” Baela adds, “Cregan’s nice, I’ve had a couple of classes with him. Cool dude. Used to date Aly but I heard they broke up.”

“Which one?” you ask for clarification.

“Aly with a Y, not Ali with an I,” Baela adds, making the clarification between Alysanne Blackwood and Aliandra Martell. 

“This is it,” Sara tells you, her face serious, “he’s the one.”

You look at Cregan again and watch him laugh as Jace says something. You find yourself smiling watching them talk, watching Cregan’s smile light up his whole face.

“And look! They’re besties too, it's perfect,” Sara says, gasping and making a pouty face. 

“When is the game?” you ask, and Sara cheers. 

“I’ll find out the details,” she says, smiling. 

It’s a Tuesday, and you only have one afternoon class, thank the gods. Philosophy. Not the worst, not one of your all-time favorites. Luckily, being one of Helaena’s best friends meant access to her brother’s study guides. Aemond was seriously a philosophical genius. 

You have no friends in this elective, so you sit toward the front and try not to doze off as your professor drones on about Kant and Decarte. Your phone buzzes on your desk and you glance at the text that appears.

“I have your papers from last week,” your professor says, holding a stack of papers in the air, “some of you impressed me,” he says beginning to hand them out, “others may need to stop by the academic resource center.”

Professor Orwylle stops in front of you placing your paper face down before smiling.

“Well done,” he murmurs, continuing around the room.

You turn the paper over revealing your perfect score. A shiver of pride rolls through you. Academic validation always feels so good.

“Fuck,” a deep voice says, causing you to turn. 

Aegon Targaryen sits a few rows behind you, looking very displeased with the grade on his paper. You didn’t realize Aegon was in this class, though it's rather large to be fair, not your fault for not noticing him.

You have only spoken to Aegon a handful of times. Being friends with his sister and acquaintances with his brother, you’d bumped into him once or twice. He’s the eldest of his siblings, though they have an older half-sister they don’t really talk to. 

Aegon is slumped in his seat, silver hair pushed off of his face. He looks like he just rolled out of bed, dressed in a clean white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. His eyes have dark circles underneath them, and two earrings dangle from his left earlobe. 

He’s heartbreakingly handsome, truly the definition of a pretty boy with those pouty lips, dead violet eyes, and cherubic face. But he’s not your type. He’s a heartbreaker too, so you’ve heard, with a solid rotation of gorgeous girls on his arm.

Aegon Targaryen is a player. 

Aegon Targaryen is a party boy. 

Aegon Targaryen is an asshole. And you’ve sworn off guys like that. 

“What’s good bro?” you hear Arryx Cargyll ask him as you turn back to face the front.

“This class is a fucking nightmare,” Aegon groans.

“I did alright,” Arryx tells him, smiling.

“Fuck you,” Aegon tells his friend, “why did I choose this elective.”

“Can’t your grandfather just donate more money? Get you out of it?” Arryx asks him, shoving his papers into his backpack.

“Yeah that’s not going to happen,” Aegon says shaking his head. 

While Aemond and Helaena had no trouble getting into university, Aegon’s transcripts weren’t the best. He had a rough time during his teen years, in and out of programs. The only consistency was hockey, truly the only reason Aegon attended school at all. Even now. His grandfather spent a fortune donating to the school, funding the restoration of the library to have Aegon accepted. 

“Don’t forget, the midterm exam is only 2 weeks away, if you haven’t started studying, you’re already behind,” your professor tells you, dismissing the class. 

You gather your things, eager to leave the classroom. You text Sara as you leave the room, as Aegon remains seated. 

“Mr. Targaryen,” Professor Orwylle says, beckoning him forward.

Aegon stands and makes his way toward the desk.

“I assume your wish is not to fail my class,” he asks as Aegon taps his foot nervously.

“Coach has already threatened to bench me,” Aegon tells him, “I need a good grade on this midterm or it’s fucking over for me-shit sorry- just over.”

Professor Orwyelle smiles tightly at him, a pitying look in his eye. Aegon’s had a lot of stress from home, he knows how hard this semester has been on him. 

“Tell you what,” Orwylle says, “I suggest you reach out to one of your classmates, see if anyone can help you study, maybe do some tutoring. We can meet during my office hours, but I think you’ll need some additional support.”

Aegon nods, running a hand through his platinum hair. 

“My brother took this class,” Aegon tells Orwyelle, who smiles remembering him, “he’ll have to help me.”

“I’m not helping you,” Aemond says, his voice soft, but firm in the library.

Aegon groans, earning several glares from nearby students trying to study. He drops into the seat across from Aemond.

“You’re a twat,” he whispers to his younger brother, “Aem, please, don’t make me beg.”

Aemond closes the book he’s reading, a massive historical textbook, before rubbing the scarred tissue above his eyebrow. Aegon watches him wince, unsure if Aemond’s eye is paining him or simply Aegon’s presence. The injury happened years ago that caused Aemond to lose his eye, their cousin is still in juvenile detention due to the incident. 

“I can’t help you,” he tells Aegon, “I gave away all my study materials already.”

Aegon’s eyebrows furrow.

“To who?”

“One of Helaena’s friends.”

“Baela?”

“No.”

“Rhaena?”

“Nope.”

Helaena has so many friends they’re all blurring together. For an introverted STEM student, she’s quite popular. 

“Who then?”

Aemond sighs at Aegon’s pestering, rubbing his eyes. 

“Y/N,” he tells Aegon.

Aegon pauses for a moment, frowning. All the faces that Helaena surrounds herself with flash in his mind but he struggles to match a face to the name. 

“Which one is that?”

Aemond glares at him.

“Aegon-”

“What? Helaena has a lot of friends,” Aegon argues.

“She came on the ski trip last year,” Aemond reminds him.

Oh.

He did remember you. The annual Targaryen family ski trip, Hel brought you along as her plus-one. Aegon remembered you in a skimpy little bathing suit at the ski lodge spending most of the day cooped up in the hot tub reading a book than actually skiing. Helaena had nearly plucked Aegon’s eyes from his skull. Cruel of her really, to bring along a hot friend and then demand Aegon leave her be. 

“I know her,” Aegon says, “I didn’t realize she’s in my class.” 

“You’re very unobservant,” Aemond comments, beginning to pack his things, “don’t bother her, she’s a nice girl.”

Aegon frowns, motioning to himself.

“And I’m not a nice guy?”

“Aegon.”

“I just need help with studying,” Aegon promises, “that’s all. Seriously, I cannot get benched this season. I can’t ask for another bailout.”

Aemond watches him closely.

“Helaena will kill you if you mess with one of her friends,” Aemond warns him.

“I know,” Aegon agrees, “it’s just for studying, I swear.”

He motions across his chest, crossing his heart. Aemond stares and raises an eyebrow at him. Nothing with Aegon is ever that simple. 

“Hel is at the registrar’s office,” Aemond tells him, “if you want to ask her for Y/N’s number.”

Aegon clasps his hands together in appreciation.

“You’re a good brother,” he tells Aemond, standing.

“Mhmm,” Aemond says, going back to his work.

Aegon hurries across campus, luckily the registrar's office isn’t too far. He bumps into his sister as she’s leaving, frowning at her new schedule.

She looks up, noticing Aegon. 

“I can’t switch to Medieval Archeology,” Helaena complains to her brother, “there’s a waitlist. Now I’m stuck in the History of Valyria. As if Dad didn’t quiz us incessantly as kids on our own culture.” 

“I need a favor,” Aegon says following as Helaena walks down the hallway.

“Don’t you always?” she grumbles, taking out her phone. 

“I need your friend Y/N’s number,” he says and Helaena freezes. 

“Stupid question Egg,” she tells him, quirking an eyebrow, “No, I’m not giving you her number.”

“Please, I just-”

“Aegon,” Helaena says sharply, “Cassandra Baratheon doesn’t even speak to me anymore.”

Aegon winces dramatically.

“That was years ago,” he argues as Helaena refers to her high school best friend. 

“My friends are off limits,” she tells him, “capiche?”

“I just need some study-”

“CAPICHE?” Helaena says, louder this time, with more authority in her normally soft voice.

“ALRIGHT!” Aegon says sighing, “I get it, seriously. I just need a tutor. That’s it.”

Helaena narrows her eyes. 

“Fine. But I’m not giving you her number. You’re not getting easy access,” she says getting out her phone, “I’ll text her.”

Aegon sighs.

“Thank you,” he says and Helaena hums in response, sounding an awful lot like Aemond.

She says nothing as she texts and Aegon tries to peek over her shoulder causing her to glare at him. He reaches to turn her phone and she slaps his hand away. 

“She’s on the quad,” Hel tells him.

“Perfect, you’re a lifesaver Hel,” he says before leaving.

You sigh dramatically as Helaena leaves you on read. You tilt your head back looking up toward the sky enjoying the feeling of the cool fall air on your face. The sun is still warm, it's early October and summer is just starting to truly slip away. You’re still basking in the sun when Aegon Targaryen sits down in front of you. 

“What do you want, Aegon?” you ask, already annoyed by his presence. 

He leans forward, smiling, cradling his chin in his palms. He bats his lashes at you, looking ever so innocent. You raise an eyebrow at him. 

“The pleasure of your company,” he teases.

“Mhmm,” you answer, looking at him.

“I need a tutor,” he tells you, “I’m failing philosophy, and if I fail this semester I’ll be benched for the rest of the season”

Of course, it all comes back to hockey for Aegon.

“Why don’t you ask Aemond to tutor you?”

“He said no,” Aegon tells you, “I figured you’d be more open to my begging.”

Your cheeks turn red. 

“Well you thought wrong,” you tell him, “I don’t have time for tutoring this semester.”

“C’mon, I know you tutored last semester,” he tells you, pouting, “And midterms are coming up! What’s more important than sharing your knowledge with those less fortunate?”

Getting dicked down by Cregan Stark, you think to yourself but bite your tongue.

Aegon’s brows knit together, noticing the blush on your cheeks, the pause in your train of thought. 

“There has to be something I can do,” he says, “something I can help you with, tell me.”

“There’s nothing,” you insist, shaking your head.

“Come on, don’t be shy,” Aegon says again, “Tell me, what’s a guy got to do to earn your help?”

Sara would kill me if I waste this opportunity.

“Okay,” you say with a sigh, “I want invites to the party at the hockey house on Friday. Guaranteed entrance.”

Aegon raises a brow.

“Tutor girl has a thing for hockey guys now, huh?”

The blush on your cheeks darkens. Aegon smirks, giving you a once-over.

“You know Jace, why don’t you ask him to hook you up?”

“We’re not close.”

Aegon’s eyes narrow.

“Who do you have your eye on?” he asks, curiously.

“No one,” you lie to him, and he sighs, leaning back in his chair.

“Can’t help you if you’re not honest with me, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that,” you insist, “and I just want the invite.”

“C’mon give me a hint,” Aegon says, relentlessly, “What’s your type? What position, forward? Center? Left-wing? Goalie?”

Your treacherous body gives you away, breath-catching as he says the word and your lower lip gets caught between your teeth. Aegon grins triumphantly. 

“Goooalie,” he says, elongating the word.

He releases a boyish giggle as you turn red. He’s enjoying this too fucking much.

“Cregan Stark, huh?” Aegon chuckles, “Never took you for a puck bunny.”

You glare at him, snapping your book closed. 

“Are you going to help me, or should I direct you toward the academic resource center?” you snap, feeling all too embarrassed for even admitting to Aegon you have a crush on Cregan.

“Relax, bunny,” he teases, holding his hands up in surrender, “I’ll help you.”

He holds a hand out toward you. You glance at his outstretched hand, at the silver rings on his thumb and index finger. Aegon wiggles his fingers at you, expectantly. You raise an eyebrow at him and he sighs. 

“You want to fuck Stark or not?” Aegon asks, causing your eyes to widen, “cause he’s an enigma, you’ll need my help.”

“Enigma,” you say pursing your lips, “that’s a big word for you, Aegon.”

“Not the only thing that’s big,” Aegon answers, like it’s a preprogrammed response.

Your eyebrows shoot up to your hairline and you give him a disapproving glare.

“Sorry,” Aegon chuckles, “force of habit.”

“This alliance is time-limited,” you tell him, firmly setting a boundary, “I help you pass, you help me talk to Cregan.”

Aegon’s eyebrows raise, an amused smile on his face. You feel as though you’re selling your soul to the devil himself, the way he’s impishly grinning at you. 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” he tells you.

You reach across the table, extending your hand for him to shake. With a smirk, Aegon takes your hand in his, the cool metal from his rings pressing against your fingers in juxtaposition to the warmth of his rough palm. A shiver rolls down your spine as he squeezes your hand. 

“It’s a deal.”

note: as always comments, likes, & reblogs are always appreciated, I hope this sets up the story for you and I'm excited to share where it goes! MWAH LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! 😘

I'm tagging my HOTD taglist, but will create a separate tag for this fic as well so comment below if you would like to be tagged in future parts!

HOTD taglist:

@bluevxnuss, @thattargboy, @xlilacfrostx, @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed, @marvelescape, @geminithrone, @deltamoon666, @i-killed-ramsey, @tempt-ress, @eddiemadmunson, @zillahvathek, @hangmanscoming, @jojoesq, @f4ll-for-you, @rwdkarla, @cc13723things, @filipiniamultifandom, @watercolorskyy @alexxavicry @sachafirebringer @polireader @jamespotterismydaddy @grv7ay9In35s @sofiaadler @sophielangdonx @doublesparrows, @sophielangdonx, @alitaar, @castellomargot, @paodemorangol1l1, @nik2blog, @arkainea @eddiemadmunson, @malfoytargaryen, @eudximoniax, @targaryen-world, @ghostheartbeat @savagemickey03, @aemondsdaemons, @candypurplebutterfly, @eddiemadmunson, @xxnaly2, @ghostheartbeat, @savagemickey03, @dieg0brandos-wife, @paodemorangol1l1, @hb8301, @padfooteyes, @valeskafics

bold means I could not tag!

✨ click here to be added to taglist ✨

[bridgerteon]

Although I'm a multi shipper, I wanna join Polin Week as tribute and support. And I think I'm late for favourite show quote. :)))

[I can't make gifs (I don't know how to), write fanfics (I'm a horrible storyteller) nor create mood boards (I'm more of an analytical person than creative, since I'm a STEM person). Instead I would provide an essay as I'm pretty good at it.]

My favourite from Penelope is from The Choice (Season 2 Ep 6) when she chats with Colin about purposes:

"I am certain you will find your purpose one day. Everyone must eventually... [About her own purpose] Of course not. But I imagine it to be something both animating and satisfying. The type of venture that speaks to not who I am but rather who I am to be. My purpose will challenge me to be brave and witty. My purpose will propel me far beyond the watchful glare of my mama. My purpose shall set me free."

It explains that everyone has a purpose, even for women in a regency era. Though she is technically Lady Whistledown, she wants to have her own goals in life and wants to achieve it by herself. Fortunately she does in the end. She presents herself to the whole Ton that she is Lady Whistledown and that she wants them to know how awesome she is. This actually makes me feel so proud of her for her journey from meek to confident. I also evoke with her as I also share the same sentiment.

As for Colin, my favourite quote from him is short, but made my heart break for him. It's in Joining of Hands (Season 3 ep 7):

"Then what good am I to you?!"

It displays his vulnerability. It displays his self-doubt and thinking pessimistically how anyone could ever love him. Just him, as a emotionally intelligent, soft, and caring person. From the beginning Colin wants to be taken seriously or want others to see him for who he truly is. But ever since Marina's Deceptive Engagement Scandal and his Boring Travel Stories, no one ever respects or listens to him, except for Violet and Penelope.

Penelope is the one who sees and loves him as he is, and she doesn't want him to change. But ever since she is LW, he is spiralling in self-doubts and lack of self-esteem. He realises that Penelope has a purpose, she knows who she is, and knows what she wants (link back with Pen's quote above), while he doesn't. He thinks that out of all the men in the Ton, why him? Why does she choose him? As a pawn like Marina? Payback for kicking Lord Debling out? Out of spite? What does she see in him worth loving? Would Pen ever take him seriously? Would she ever be his partner? Would she ever love him?

Luckily Penelope helps alleviate his doubts by confessing that she loves him (during the Modiste Bitch Off), and that she tells the Ton that she is LW. She is doing it because Pen loves Colin and his family. She is doing it out of love. She doesn't want to keep secrets anymore and is free to be with him proudly. Now he realises that she loves him unconditionally and without judgement, hence his love confession. It makes me feel so elated that Colin has finally found a partner, where both will love and support each other in anything.

Overall, I love the journey of friends-to-lovers in Polin. It does give me the satisfaction that they are FINALLY TOGETHER! I'm excited to see their new journey together as a married writer couple. :))

[bengiyo]

Don't Care for an Old Man's Underwear Ep 11 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

This watch made possible by @isaksbestpillow.

Last time, Daichi's dad came back into the picture and dumped a heaping pile of homophobia right on top of our favorite boy. Daichi, despite all his courage and conviction, balked before his father. No one was able to say much to Daichi; not Madoka, not Makoto. Makoto wasn't sure how to interject himself in this situation, and hesitated because he wanted to move properly. At work, there was discussion about people being downsized and laid off, and how that ruined relationships once a man could no longer provide. Meanwhile, Kakeru is struggling with the ethics of makeup after he helped his friend pretend to be a kind of girl she isn't. Finally, when no one else seemed like they could talk to Daichi, Kakeru reminded us that he's Makoto's son and meddled directly. We left at Daichi's dad being horrible to Kakeru, and Makoto stormed off to confront the man once he found out.

I really like how vile this final villain is with his presentation as reasonable and principled. He uses a soft tone, but he's constantly turning things around to be cruel. He made his son suffer, and he was rude to Kakeru. I almost wonder if he provoked Kakeru just so he had the leverage to demand the Okita family stay away from Daichi. He's an excellent villain, because you have to use all the empathy and compassion the show brought out of you to resist this man's flawed logic.

Wow, Makoto gets it. I am gonna cry because I'm so proud of him for not losing his conviction.

Madoka, my guy, what are you doing? This is a big problem you should face together.

Oh, Kakeru, you were so harsh to everyone all season about how they talked to you. It's hard to talk to people isn't it?

OOF Mor is also dealing with the expectations of society at large. We're really building to a finale.

And now Mika might be losing her job!

My family is in crisis!

Truly so special that Makoto has finally reached an understanding with his family that he realized what was wrong with each of them.

No! Don't ruin the sanctity of the park!! Gays, get it together!!

"Why are there so many obstacles to overcome if you're gay?" Bitch, me too, the fuck!!

It did feel like a barrier had formed between Daichi and Makoto. I'm sad and frustrated.

Y'all are gonna kill this old man.

Okay, what bad news did Furuike get, because my man just reiterated that when you grow up your heart dies?

Oh, Furuike, you've come along as well. Responding to the info that Shimura realized what was going on with him that she should be promoted is excellent growth. I also love him reminding Makoto that he's not dead yet. Life is still worth living.

I love Makoto recognizing that he was asked to be the matchmaker. He needs to know that the rules of the society can be turned for the betterment of people even in the modern age.

KAKERU'S TELLING SHIZUKA HIS FEELINGS OVER MAKEUP

"Making noise to help you forget is also what friends are for." Y'all I'm overwhelmed.

"If I'm ever unsure of myself, I'll ask Kakeru-tan to do my makeup." STOP MAKING ME CRY.

Actually so important that this show reiterates that even straight people get rejected constantly by others for failing to be what others want them to be

Of course Moe's full pen name is Pectoralis Major Huge Melons. I love her.

I'm so happy to see Makoto and Mika talking about things over chores together. I'm so proud of Mika, too.

Save us, Carlos!!!

YES, MEDDLE!!

Wow, this is the best show I've ever seen. The Okita family showed up exactly as themselves, with their passions plain, and stood before Daichi in front of this cruel man. Makoto demolished that man entirely, and said plainly that he is cruel to his son.

Daichi said it! If I change myself like that then I won't be myself!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!

So thankful that this show gave us that scene between Mihoko and Daichi. Sometimes we have to accept that people important to us won't accept us, but we must remember that we have those who will.

Way to release the tension with an old man's underwear and his kids dunking on him.

THEY SAID THE NAME OF THE SHOW! FINISH YOUR DRINKS!!

Of course Makoto is a crying, sloppy mess during the wedding. I love him.

What a beautiful finish.

Final Verdict: 11, Television Can Still Be Good. Truly, I don't know how else to describe this other than as one of the most important things I've ever watched in the last 20 years of engaging with stories about queer people. Seeing the Okita family reveal their passions and blast Daichi's dad like Care Bears as Makoto tells him he's a cruel asshole jumping to the front of the line to beat him up. This show earned every single beat it hit, and it was so lovely to watch a show where every character had goals and challenges. It wasn't just about making sure two guys have sex. This was a story about friendship and community, and it had strong ideas about how we make ourselves suffer for the betterment of others and yet no one is happy. This is one of the best things I've ever seen. Please go watch it.

[what-gs-watching]

“Well, I was made of snow, and now I’m made of….not snow.”

So I finally got to see my nephews last week and it was wonderful and they’re so cute and I squeezed the shit out of them but my sister and I were incredibly disappointed that I ended up heading back home the day before HOT FROSTY premiered on Netflix.

Friends. I love Christmas movies (did I write a post about my favorites last year? Yes). I love TERRIBLE Christmas movies. We watched a bunch of the new Hallmark ones while the kiddos took their naps and they were awful and predictable and I love that about them. But I don’t have the Hallmark channel at home, so instead,  every year I get excited about the new ones my various streaming platforms have decided to cook up.  

There are some gems out there honestly (no seriously, go read the old post) and then there are some that are on the bad side of absurd. I’m struggling to decide where Hot Frosty lands.

Wherein, a creepily buff snowman comes to life in an idyllic small town (Ted from Schitt’s Creek!!!) after a cute diner-owning widow Kathy (it’s obviously Lacey Chabert, OBVIOUSLY) wraps a scarf around his neck. That’s it. That’s the entire premise. 

Kathy meets the snowman, who decides to call himself Jack because he stole an outfit with the name stitched on it, and then they just, do a bunch of random stuff while Jack tries not to melt? And he says he needs to keep the scarf on at all times because he thinks it’s keeping him alive but like, that’s never tested? And she’s trying to keep him away from the town’s Sheriff because to get the clothes he’d accidentally shattered a window to the second-hand store, and had streaked naked by an old couple while doing so, which is apparently the height of crime in this town. 

Which means I’m leaning more toward the bad side of absurd. But it’s worth a watch wherein you’re doing something else and it’s on in the background, mainly because:

There’s Craig Robinson! And Joe Lo Truglio! (The sheriff and his deputy.)  And a bunch of references to other Netflix Christmas movies that were giving me life. At one point, Kathy scoffs about the idea that Jack is actually a snowman by saying  “yeah and I’m the queen of Aldovia” which is A Christmas Prince call out.

Later, she sets Jack up at her house to watch tv to keep him out of trouble and when she turns it on, it’s playing Lindsay Lohan’s Falling for Christmas and Kathy says something like “she looks just like a girl I went to high school with” which Y’ALL, I will take any Mean Girls reference anywhere anyday anytime I absolutely fucking love it.

They also sneak in a scene from Single All The Way into the tv background so yeah, I’m a geek for all of that. I’m never not gonna be charmed by random easter eggs of things I enjoy. Netflix really knows who the fuck is watching this movie. Which I’m a little offended by. But oh well.

HERE’S the thing though. Maybe I’m getting crotechy in my old age but like, I’m starting to be offended by these storylines where a dude magically comes to life and then falls in love with the first girl he encounters. Like, they make it a whole thing to keep talking about how Jack has only been alive for a few days and at one point he tells her he loves her and shes’ like “yeah no that’s not possible” but then at the end they’re in love??! She also makes a big speech about how she hasn’t been taking care of herself since her husband died of cancer and she can’t really love anyone else until she starts loving herself but then LIKE A WEEK LATER, they’re in love. 

I get that this is the whole point. I get it. Bitches want Christmas magic love stories where absolutely ridiculously unrealistic things happen because that soothes us, I guess? It’s supposed to scratch some weird thing deep in our estrogen-soaked brains?  But like, I’m finding I can’t stomach it like I used to.

Is it weird that I’d rather see them be friends for awhile? Like, why can’t he come alive during one Christmas season, she decides to help him get a life together once he becomes human (even though he only became human because she kissed him, whatever we can write around that) and then after a few more Christmas seasons where they do a montage of them like being friends and working on themselves and whatever else, THEN they fall in love?

I was strangely hopeful when she gave that speech about needing to take care of herself but JUST KIDDING, YOU GUYS! You can ignore all of your problems when you meet a snowman/turned jacked dude because he somehow teaches himself how to fix your roof. He’s handy, so everything is gonna be fine and it’s not weird at all that you guys jump into a relationship even though he’s never had A REAL LIFE before! That’s what gets me. It’s like, you can have the perfect boyfriend as long as he has absolutely no other life experience and you can just encourage him to be whatever person you want. 

It’s not Stockholm syndrome but it kind of is? Why is this romantic, again? 

Though I have to shout out Lacey Chabert’s eye fluttering - DAMN that girl can flutter them lashes. Like, wow.

I probably should have waited to watch this until I was in a more blissed-out-Christmas state of mind. That’s on me. It’s good eye candy and it’s good for seasonal background noise and it’s KIND of cute, like it’s ALMOST cute and maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood. 

Basically, if you’re wondering if Ted from Schitt’s Creek has gotten hotter, you’re in for a treat, and that’s just gonna have to be enough (spoiler alert: he erotically helps get a car unstuck from a snowbank. Enjoy!)

I'm just glad it's that time of year again. Hello, Christmas movie season!

[solar-wing]

Generally speaking, I'm anti live-action anything. That includes the Winx Club reboot.

I did see the OG from season 1 up to 3 where I think I left mid season. But I was mostly watching it for Sky, Brandon and Timmy.

I only know that Sky is in there, and probably Brandon. So my question is if it's worth watching it

BTW, this ask came mostly out of the fact that I read your story and I'm intrigued.

oh gurl.

where do I start? First, Brandon and Timmy are actually not in the show. I added them in myself because it personally just did not make sense why they weren't a part of it. Riven is in the show, and as far as cute as Sky? It depends. Do I think he's cute? Sure… would I personally consider him attractive enough to write a story about him…😬 probably not.

and let me be clear! that is not shade or meant to be shady in any way. He's handsome, just not my kind of handsome. as far as my review…oooh I feel I might get mixed reviews on this one, cause I actually watched all the original version of Winx (cinelume or RAI English, 4Kids and Nickelodeon) and the Nickelodeon adaptations up to season 6.

yall…i liked it.

WAIT! WAIT!! WAIT!!! LEMME EXPLAIN MYSELF!

I'll start with what I didn't like.

both Bloom and Stella are tied for my favorite characters in the animated series, each for different reasons. so I was very unhappy seeing how Stella was a bitch for like a majority of the first season (expectedly…I literally predicted this from watching the previews of the show) HOWEVER… this also ties into one of the things I actually loved about the show so I won't harp on this too much.

I didn't like that Tecna wasn't added to the show. Kind of feels incomplete without her, but then when I see the context of the show and the plotline, I see the reasoning behind why she wasn't added.

Now, this is also in the same boat as the first one, but the new character they added, Terra, which I saw as a somewhat replacement for Tecna as compensation I also have mixed feelings about. Cause do I like Terra as a character? Yes. Her storyline is also good but it wasn't really strong enough in my opinion, but she definitely grew on me from the first episode cause I related to her a lot. Some people see her as a cheap way to show their being inclusive and diverse with her being a plus-sized character, but I didn't really see it that way. I just feel they could've done a much better job with her character, especially considering they were essentially replacing both Tecna and Flora with her in the first season. Thankfully, Flora was added as a main character to the first season after only being mentioned in the first.

This could be a spoiler so I won't say too much, but what they did with Headmistress Farah Dowling (who's basically the equivalent of Ms. Faragonda in the animated series) was foul and so infuriating. I actually was pissed at that cause she really did become one of my favorite characters and the way they did her at the end of the first season, only to pull that lame-ass bs in the second season as compensation. absolutely not. in fact, they'll be hearing from my lawyers with that one.

truthfully, if I'm being honest, Sky's storyline almost didn't make sense to me at times. LIke there were literally moments where I was like, if it wasn't for Bloom and Stella, literally what are you here for? that could be a niche opinion, but it did make doing his end of the story when I was writing it a bit harder cause I basically had to fill in a lot of gaps for myself.

Now, this one. This is probably in my top two dislikes of the show. So we all know that the transformation sequences are a big part of the animated series? Right? …right right. Okay, making sure we're on the same page. So, I can't lie and say I wasn't expecting them to do some kind of ode to it at some point. bro… to this day, I can not watch that one scene from the final episode of the first season with Bloom without VISCERALLY cringing on the inside and out. even writing about it at this moment is making my skin jump. girl… the build-up to the scene. the silent moment as Aisha surrounded Bloom with the water from the fountain or pond, or wherever the hell she got it from, THE BEGINNING NOTES OF THE MUSIC…I damn near punched my computer screen when I was watching it the first time, that shit spooked the fuck out of me so bad, I literally had to pause the show and wait 10 more minutes before I could keep watching it. and here's the thing! it doesn't necessarily have the whole thing of putting them into different outfits or anything, but what's crazy is… the whole transformation sequence is not even that bad. like they low-key did have an impossible task cause trying to recreate the transformation sequences from the animated Winx series (charmix, enchantix, believix) in a dramatic and serious tone like this show, preventing World War II would have been easier. Cause how am I supposed to be all in on this serious, intense drama, sucked into the story and intensity of it all, and while sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my fingernails and whatnot, I'm suddenly blasted with: IT'S THE POWER OF CHARMIX, THE MAGICAL LIGHT…🧚🏽‍♀️🌈✨🌟☀️💫🔥💦🫧THE POWER OF CHARMIX, AND YOU WILL SHINE BRIGHT!🔥💫🌟🌈💥🧚🏽‍♀️🫧SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY! LIGHT IT UP THE SKY! 🔥🪽💥🌈💦🌙🧚🏽‍♀️✨☀️IT'S EASY IF YOU TRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!🔥💫💥🌟🌈🫧💦🌙🧚🏽‍♀️ like it really was not an easy feat, and while I applaud them for their effort…that shit was still cringe and triggers me to this day. The one in season two was better in my opinion, but still cringe, just less than the first one.

lastly, and this is kind of my gripe with a lot of shows nowadays, it felt way too rushed. like 6 episodes??? to go through that much plot??? I feel like I didn't get enough time to soak the world in, really get into the magic and feel of it. I didn't get enough time to see the characters develop their relationships more with each other cause they were so busy trying to push the story forward in six episodes. what I strongly hate about this new modern age of TV compared to what I grew up with is how we've gone from a place of creating context, filling in details, giving seeds planted in the show and from the show to the audience space and room to grow. Now, it's all about a "less is more" mindset. And from a technical and budget mindset, I understand, the show is heavily dependent on 3d animations, CGI, video and audio effects, etc. which cost money, on top of other production-related costs. but when you have shows like Supernatural, Once Upon A Time, CHARMED, literally doing MORE with LESS, there's absolutely no excuse. Of course, I'm aware, that a lot of it comes back to corporate profit and greed, but it's still very sad to see. truthfully, it's my opinion that with some rewrites and edits to the script, plot, and some characters, if the cast and production team had been given the dedication, time, and room they needed with a show like this being a live remake, truly it could've been a smash hit not only for the generation that grew up with it, but the generation currently growing up with it.

now as far as things that I liked/loved.

immediate top three from my list was Stella's storyline which is why I wasn't too mad at her being made into a bitch compared to her animated version. at first, I was thinking like, ah rich, pretty, spoiled princess is a total bitch and completely jealous of the new girl stealing her man…typical and lazy. But then they expanded more on her story, I saw hints of the different dimensions of Stella early on, they brought in her MOM instead of her dad as her main influence, showed that dynamic and relationship between them, AND baby, I was damn near sobbing with Stella at one point. I went from being at her to being right beside her, ready to knock anybody that came at her sideways left and loose. like literally everything I described earlier about things I miss from TV they did back in the day with shows I had growing up, they somehow managed to do with Stella in those six episodes, and girl, I was rooting for her from that point forward.

continuing from there, and this is not a shock, I really love Terra as a character. I feel like I related with her a lot because me and her are sort of the same. We're sweet, and fun, and go extremely out of our way to serve and please other people, a lot of the times to our own detriment. We're both from jump very loyal people who will fight tooth and nail for the people that we love. And where I struggled for a long time was learning how to stick up for myself the way she did. How to protect and stand up for me and not allow myself to be manipulated, taken advantage of, or mistreated. One of my favorite moments was (spoiler alert ahead) when Musa went to Terra to admit she was interested and dating her brother, and Terra was like girl, please. I question your judgement but girl…please. Like Terra did not give a fuck that they were dating, but the thing she appreciated was that Musa was upfront with her and didn't lie or try to be sneaky behind her back (at least from that point. Or even when (another spoiler alert ahead) when she confronted her dad about him lying to her, and literally said, bitch I got you in a logic trap, don't try and gaslight or pull the parent/instructor card on me…will forever give her ones and flowers for that. I literally tell people over and over. I'm a direct person by nature. I don't do well with subliminal, shady, or behind-the-scenes shit. And when you do subliminal, shady, behind-the-scenes shit to me or at me, not only will I lose all respect for you immediately, I will 100% retaliate in a way that is not very sweet, fun, and self-sacrificing as you may be used to. you push me far enough and gone is the kind and friendly person you're used to. nope, now I'm about to be a bitch, a petty one at that too, and it shocks people every time because they don't expect it from me. and that's what I feel is the same from Terra and I love her for it.

this was a major one for me…but I loved, LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEDDD when I realized they dropped the gender dynamics from the animated series, opening the door to both girls and BOYS being able to be fairies and both boys and GIRLS able to be specialists. I could have screamed, cause that was one thing that lowkey always pissed me off with the animated show. I get it was a show made for girls and at the time (early 2000s), obviously, that kind of stuff wouldn't have flown over well, so to see it now was literally like a breath of fresh air.

obviously, this is something big for me. The overall storyline they were going towards with Bloom, the mystery behind her power. her family, and the Dragon Flame paired with everything else happening around them was very enticing and I was very invested in it. Actually, if you pay close attention to how I'm writing out stuff in this first installment with this story, and future parts, you may get hints or ideas at where I'm going with the overall plot of my story.

obviously, them bringing Flora in the second season was a big thing for me. I felt like if you weren't going to have Tecna, at least bring in Flora, even though she lowkey is like one of my least favorite of the 6 winx girls in the animated series. which is a bit ironic and funny when you think about it because in the live-action version, she's actually one of my top favorites compared to the other characters. I can hear the flora stans organizing now...

I also love the idea the added notion they did of magic being emotion-based, and because of that, it's much easier to lose control and with that, much harder to reign it in because it's amplified by your emotions. again, like with Stella's story…ugh beautiful, 10 out of 10, five stars, and the academy goes to…type shit.

lastly, and this is kind of a repeated point, but the characters really did do it for me. I feel like they really had something special going where there was generally no character I ever disliked. like actually, Valtor from the second season, did a really good job of making me hate him, which is a good thing cause it just goes to show how much effort and dedication everyone put into this series, and I really wanted to see where they were going to take things. so all in all, there's definitely things I either didn't like or felt could be improved in the show, but I really did think it was a good show and was very excited to see what would come from season 3. I still got beef with whoever made that decision to play in my face talking about, for season two, we're gonna get extra crazy and give you guys a whole whooping SEVEN episodes… bitch…

don't fucking play with me. one extra episode? ONE?!?! ya'll couldn't even splurge for a least 10??? 10 really that hard to get to??? I can't with Netflix. and speaking of Netflix, they still need to meet me outside. They're literally one of the main reasons why I don't start shows until I see they're at least a few seasons in. CAUSE what you not finna do is think you gon leave me on a cliffhanger after only two seasons…

bitch I believe in violence. matter fact… IT'S THE POWER OF CHARMIX, THE MAGICAL LIGHT…🧚🏽‍♀️🌈✨🌟☀️💫🔥💦🫧 THE POWER OF CHARMIX, AND YOU WILL SHINE BRIGHT!🔥💫🌟🌈💥🧚🏽‍♀️🫧 SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY! LIGHT IT UP THE SKY!🔥🪽💥🌈💦🌙🧚🏽‍♀️✨☀️ IT'S EASY IF YOU TRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!🔥💫💥🌟🌈🫧💦🌙🧚🏽‍♀️

[mrsbsmooth]

So we know you love Lewie 💗💗 Any thoughts on the other islanders, the season so far, the twin twist? And what steamy fics can we expect from you 🔥🔥My request is for a threesome with Ozzy and Marshall 🥵👯‍♂️ Wait, am I Kat?! 🤣

tbf a LOT of the islanders are fire this season, so I’ll take them all! Ok, FB has turned me into thirsty Kat.

I MEANNNNNNNNNN

Honestly, thoughts are all over the place. But thank you so much for asking!!! Here they are as of today:

The Game:

The first 3 chapters - 8/10 I was going to give it a 7.5, because of the repeating dialogue and a few spelling mistakes, but so far, I think it's better written than Seasons 4 and 5- maybe on par with S3 which is a season I really enjoyed. I'm really liking how Amelia seems to be responding to how you treat her, especially if you look at the scripts. Whether or not that will affect her actions remains to be seen.

The MC - 8/10 I gotta say... she's pretty cute. It does take some fiddling to get her the way you want her, and some of her facial expressions make it look like she's had botched lip job, but overall, she's definitely prettier than S4 and S5. (Except your S5 MC ^^ wtf she's so pretty???)

The LIs - 9/10 So far, I'm really liking what I'm seeing. Yeah, some of their dialogue is the same. But I think they're different enough in personality and where it matters that it's not as noticeable as it was in say, Season 4, where James and Bruno shared a whole heap of the same dialogue, but it was clearly written with Bruno in mind, so it just seemed OOC for James. We've got a cocky dancer with a hopeless romantic streak; a golden retriever boyfriend with a soft spot for his Nan; a funny, cheeky skateboarder with a 'why-don't-you-make-me' level of flirt; and also Ryan is there. The personalities are distinct, the character designs are great, I'm really looking forward to finding out more about them

Overall design and concept- 7/10 I gotta say, I'm optimistic. It's starting out really strong for a new season. I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, as it's a little 'gimmicky', but that's the road Fusebox are going down with the past few seasons. They're not just doing an 'open play' like S1, 2 and 3 where you come in as an OG and play all the way through. 4,5, and 6 are all 'themed', and I think having a twin in the villa is a cool concept that'll be worth exploring. It's been easy in previous seasons to just play for yourself, and say 'fuck these hoes' and just take whatever LI you want. But when it's your own sister, I think it'll make it harder to go after what you want - a moral dilemma with a family flavour. I kinda love it. Plus, if you have an identical twin that's as hot as you are, I doubt this is the first time you've had men confused about which one of you to pick💀

The Islanders:

Bella - hot. flawlessly hot. incredible rack. Her character design is absolutely gorgeous, and she is gonna be a fan favourite for sure. She just seems so fun, similar to Cora from S4, but more mature and ready for a romantic relationship. Can't wait to watch her bloom.

Grace - FB I will never forgive you for not making her a LI. I want her, those curves just *chefs kiss*. But honestly, if anyone's gonna be my bestie, I'm feeling it ith Grace. Yeah, she seems to like Ozzy, but she doesn't seem like the type to get her claws in and latch on for dear life a la Kat or Hope. Let's just hope and pray and beg that they're not making a brown girl villain again.

Ivy - I told y'all from the moment I saw her that I didn't trust this bitch. She looks too much like my cousin and my cousin is a backstabbing skank. I'm loving the concept of her though, this super type-A girl who (I almost guarantee) is either going to a) get kicked out early for being too picky, or b) have the most beautiful redemption arc where she ends up with a guy who ticks exactly zero of her boxes but she falls for him anyway. However, given Fusebox's history, I'm gonna predict she's the villain for about 2 days, then gets booted, same as Lexi from S4.

Jamal - Boys with J names 🚩... but honestly he seems nice. He's my backup LI at the moment. I'll see how things go with my #1 and might start again with Jamal instead. I think you're gonna get some wonderfully steamy scenes with this one. He's giving Bobby x Arjun, and that is something that deeply appeals to me. Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky. He's a saucy little minx and he's gonna be trouble, I just know it. Love his design, love his character so far, really happy.

Lewie - I thought he was a little baby-faced to start with, but honestly, I look at him and my brain screams husband. I'm getting Bruno x Gary x Ciaran from this one, and oh dear me, if that's not a combo that makes me swoon IDK what is. Love him so far, he's such a sweetheart but I love a footy lad.

Ozzy - I'm suspicious. I know he's already captured a few peoples' attention, but I was a little dismissive with him and he seemed a bit... red flag-y. Just a little too arrogant, you know? A little too flirtatious for someone who's very aware of how into him Grace is. I did like that he'd never had a one night stand though, although not sure how that meshes with the celebrity he apparently hooked up with in the dance studio? Because in the challenge he said he'd never dated a celebrity, but he also said he's never had a one night stand, so did he have a celebrity FWB????? The stories just aren't adding up to me. I don't trust him. Also his jaw's too sharp. And his flirty face looks like Rocco from S2. This one:

🥴

Ryan - Literally who? I keep forgetting he exists. Take your Timothee Chalamet ass away. IDK why but I'm getting Nicolas vibes from this one. 0/10 do not trust. It's something about the face.

Fics:

You want steamy fics? The @litgwritersroom asks are open, just sayinnnn

[ninadove]

i can’t pick a snippet but whatever meta you want from sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall! and good morning, nina! 💗🦚

Good morning Noctie! 🌅

Yes, let’s talk about the sword-fighting fic while I procrastinate writing another fight scene.

Ask game here!

One thing about me is that I absolutely love short stories with a twist ending. Give me a reveal in the last few lines that reframes the entire work in a brand new light, and I will be giggling and kicking my feet uncontrollably.

Sometimes It’s Worth It All is my attempt at recreating this kind of narrative. And, of course, the twist comes from Felix.

By the time he enters the fray, Kagami is exhausted from twenty-four hours of fighting for her life… But also from months of watching her world crumble around her following her mother’s murder. She’s accepted that she spent her entire life tangled in an elaborate web of lies, and that she alone can see through the deception.

But… That’s not entirely true, is it. Like many abuse survivors, even as the fog progressively lifts from her eyes, she’s still held back by a few persistent convictions:

Before he even gets a chance to speak, Felix is introduced as a monster, and well. It doesn’t help that he’s been sent to kill her, does it. Yet, as soon as he opens his mouth, he warns her against her own prejudice:

In canon, too, Felix is constantly navigating others’ perception of him and proving them wrong. He’s a Sentibeing lost in a world that wants him dead, but also just a regular child; he has a PhD in identity theft; he’s a manipulative little bitch, but is constantly searching for the truth; he masqueraded as a hero, only to become one on his own terms.

But in the context of this fic — Kagami hasn’t seen season 5! She doesn’t know the themes! And so, her natural instinct is to believe he is trying to tear her newfound rebellious spirit to the ground before ultimately getting rid of her, 1984 style:

If Felix was genuinely trying to torture her, it would be easy for him to land a blow on an already exhausted target, to accompany his little rant with actual physical pain. Instead, he is careful to stay out of range of her blade, but never strikes back (Get it? Strikeback?), except to disarm her when she pierces through his fan.

What he’s actually doing here is trying to uncover who she is as a person, and pushing back against the wonky convictions she still has left.

Which of course culminates with the realisation that she is, in fact, just like him, and the decision to commit treason for her:

Because of course he would. As much as I leaned into Felix’s moral ambiguity earlier in the fic, this is the only option that makes sense for his character: he’s willing to put everything and everyone at risk to rescue his kind.

The broken fan is, of course, an allusion to Pretension, and how easily Felix rearranged his entire moral compass to stand by her side. In every universe, Kagami is his priority: he’s always going to choose her, whether it means abandoning the fight of his life or starting what is absolutely going to turn into a civil war.

Kagami has never been shown mercy in her life before, much less this level of insane devotion. From the moment he chooses to spare her, her worldview shifts entirely, and this is of course most visible in the way she refers to him: abandoning his title to call him by his name, and even catching a hint of Argos magenta in his eyes.

They see each other now. Everything is going to be OK.

[itsclydebitches]

With all the discussion of CRWBY/RT's apparent obsession with heroic sacrifices in RWBY as of late (and how poorly framed/managed they are), a part of me can't help but wonder if they're trying to chase the high of Epsilon/Church's sacrifice at the end of Red VS Blue Season 13. (Here's the scene in question for context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5jM_mrOqec) Which I will admit, I found to be a pretty good scene as a sendoff to the character and at the time thought it was a nice way to end the show. Though RT ended up souring it by continuing on with season 15.

Thank you for the clip! I obviously have no idea what RT's motivations might be regarding the prevalence of these sacrifices - is it "chasing the high" or is RvB just early evidence of a writing trend? - but regardless, I like this a whole lot more than what RWBY's been giving us. I think this has a nice balance between the somber, emotional soundtrack and the funny one-liners that sound like they're core summaries of many character's personalities (unlike Weiss who suddenly becomes the comic relief). I like that Church (if I'm right about how is speaking there) doesn't actually end with "...I hate you all the least!" but has his actual goodbye speech once he's privately recording. I'm missing a ton of the nuances of his argument, but I like that it at least comes across as thought out: he's reassuring the AI voice that he's sure about this, he lays out how the sacrifice will hopefully help the others survive, he acknowledges that he's only here in the first place because of them, and there's some element of being "held back" that this sacrifice would do away with. Finally, I LOVE the self-referential acknowledgement that heroes don't get to see if their sacrifice was worth it (which is one of the problems with having Penny die and then chat with Winter, or Ruby drinking the tea and then waking up fine in the tree: suicide presented as just a journey where you don't really lose your connection to life), ending with the blank screen. We don't get to know if they win either! We are emotionally connected to Church in this moment, experiencing the story through him, and like him we don't get the reassurance of knowing whether the others survived! (Well, until you hit Season 14, apparently lol). You've just gotta have faith that the sacrifice meant something - "aint that a bitch."

And all this, I want to stress, is coming from someone who has NEVER watched more than like two episodes of RvB,which I've now totally forgotten. This scene is the entirety of my context... and I enjoyed it. Which I bring up largely because of the Moistcritikal drama. Personally, I take issue with the idea that someone's negative opinion of a clip is unreliable because they haven't seen the rest of the show. Does that mean then that my enjoyment is unreliable too? Most RWBY fans wouldn't say so because, after all, why would you get mad about others agreeing with you? They're only up in arms because he was critical of the show, rather than praising it, despite both situations stemming from the same ignorance. To say nothing of the fact that criticism is dismissed even when fans (like me) do keep up with the canon, a ton of the side material, are immersed in fandom, and are present for every major development. Doing everything "right," apparently, still doesn't earn you any trust in your opinion, so... why was all that necessary again?

I do believe that context (for obvious reasons) can severely skew an opinion one way or another. For example, I recently saw a new Magnus Archives listener saying that although they were loving the podcast, it really took them out of it to try and believe that all these people just happened to write down perfectly composed, poetic narratives about their experiences. I so wanted to say that there was a reason for this. That, eventually, the podcast would reveal a canonical explanation for how this occurs, taking what's originally a huge aspect of suspension of disbelief - arguably to the point of annoyance - and reframing it as a major worldbuilding detail that enhances the enjoyment instead of detracting from it. So there are obviously cases like that, just like I might enjoy the RvB scene more or less depending on my experience with the rest of the show... but that doesn't mean my enjoyment now is wrong? Nor is Moistcritikal's lack of enjoyment wrong. I find the 'Oh, you just don't understand and you're willingness to speak on the topic without every scrap of information is insulting' to be, itself, a pretty insulting response. This desire to invalidate someone's honest opinion of what they've been given is an issue on its own, but beyond that, a good show should be able to read well even without the rest of the context. Hasn't anyone ever analyzed a clip of a show in school that they enjoyed? Gotten excited over an ambiguous moment in a trailer? Decided to watch something based on just a video/GIF-set here on tumblr with no other info? Good media is good even when you don't fully know what's going on and bad media will read badly without the distraction of already being emotionally connected to the show. Toss in the fact that people can pick up a fair bit of context from the scenes themselves and that Moistcritikal had fans in the chat explaining the situation. People can still look at a clip and think the dialogue is badly written, or the acting shoddy, or the animation poor, or the whole conflict - once explanations are given - to be pretty badly conveyed. None of this takes an intimate knowledge of nine Volumes to develop an opinion on. Moistcritikal might miss character dynamic details like Yang standing in front of a passive Blake to 'protect' her from her little sister, but he can still respond to the general gist of the situation and the ways in which it was executed.

[voxiiferous]

🎶 -We never have enough lol @shadowofthehost Astor and the boos!

You gave me two so in return you can get more than 1! (Also because I wasn't sure which I liked most!

(...okay so they're ALL sort of angsty...)

Be Mine - Tusks

I will like to know you better You linger unfamiliar It's 4 a.m. and I'm left wandering Tilt your lights I see your colours Slams me back to all I want A curious and unforgiven love Do you want to be mine

A bit of a repetitive song but the lyrics there are work well!!! Like this is them wayyy at the start. It's that first night, they don't know each other, but they can be pretty certain it's not a great idea. The lights, the colours??? That's Vox. And an 'unforgiven love', that's just Astor and Alastor about Vox. Like clearly something is there, but what?

Continuing from that I give you another one that lyrically FITS

Night Shift - Lucy Dacus

I mistakenly called them by your name I was let down it wasn't the same I'm doing fine, trying to derail my one track mind Regaining my self-worth in record time But I can't help but think of your other in the bed that was mine Am I a masochist, resisting urges to punch you in the teeth Call you a bitch and leave? Why did I come here? To sit and watch you stare at your feet?

This is giving me that like... immediate post that first night vibe. You know, where Astor is experimenting, sleeping with someone else. Because surely all electricity is the same right? ...And it's not. Like ideally it would be more sped up and high energy, but I had to go for the fact that the lyrics fit!

The last is more Vincent and Astor

Exile (No Going Home) - Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts

I feel a shadow passing over me That could stay for ever more Like a wave I'm breaking far at sea And there's no one to hear the roar And the days are drifting into seasons They're the hardest I have known A million spaces in the earth to fill

This is both Astor in New York-- especially verse 3 (the above is verse 1)-- when they think that they're on Earth and that was just... the choice they made.

And Vincent like... two months into his choice to stay in Hell. Like the shadow that could stay forevermore is clearly Astor, but it's the realization that he's staying in Hell. He's not going back to New York (because flaws or not, there is a part of Vox that will always adore it!) And not only is he staying but he's human, and having a moment where it all catches up seems to make sense! The fact that it's a duel only makes it work that bit better!

[chevelleneech]

I have only seen the clip thus far, but Eddie saying, “I think so.” to Kim after she asks him if Shannon was the love of his life!?!?!?!?

Not to be a bitch about it, but is Tim aware of what he and his staff are writing!? I don’t know if he was around when Eddie said going on dates with women feels like he’s being forced to perform, but the fact that instead of retconning that and having him say something like, “Yeah, she was, and I’ve been forcing myself to makeup for what I lost by pretending another woman could fill the hole she left.” he chose, “I think so, but I didn’t know it at the time.”

Bullshit. I’m calling bullshit. Yes, I may end up eating my words, but that answer only further adds to the canon fact that Eddie Diaz has no idea what his feelings for Shannon are or were. When Eddie first came into the show they had a chance to write them compelling and hash it out, but they killed Shannon off. Fair enough, it happens in most dramas anyway. But to then have Eddie go through relationship after relationship where he panics or feels like he has to fake it to make it through, then have him date his dead wife’s doppelgänger despite having a girlfriend!?!?!?

It’s giving “throw a dart at the board and see what sticks”. It’s giving no sensible resolution, because what do you mean Eddie thinks Shannon was the love of his life? Why doesn’t he know by now!? Him choosing to pursue Kim despite knowing she looks like Shannon, should have given him the answer. Why would they choose to make him unsure?

I’m rambling, and it could very well be pointless because again, I haven’t watched the episode yet, but that clip pissed me off, lol. Because if Eddie isn’t going to be queer and realize all his uncertainty is because he never loved Shannon to begin with, and was instead forcing himself to pretend to be in love since heterosexuality is what was expected of him, then I don’t know what to expect, and I’m not sure it’ll be worth all this drama.

Because Marisol will either forgive him or leave him, but it won’t be interesting either way. If she forgives him, then nothing changes, does it? He’s still in a poorly written relationship with a woman the writers don’t know what to do with. If she leaves him, he’ll be single and likely end up in a new relationship with a new woman by the end of s8. If Eddie does not end this season realizing he is also queer, even if he doesn’t act on it and chooses to continue pushing it down in s8, then his entire arc was pointless, because what is the other option?

Or are we supposed to pretend like spending an entire season on him finally moving on from Shannon was good writing, FIVE SEASONS AFTER HER DEATH? Don’t get me wrong, had they actually done it well, I’d be fine. Grief takes time and Tim was clearly pulling on past season threads, but an emotional affair with a doppelgänger that takes place over two and half episodes, only after he has a silly little heehee haha arc about not wanting to have sex with Marisol because she was a nun for like a hot second.

No, because even remembering that pisses me off! How did we go from “I have catholic guilt and can no longer fuck my hot girlfriend— whom invented already fucked at least once— because she was a wannabe nun some odd years ago.” to “I am broken inside and sought out my dead wife’s look-a-like to gain emotional closure.”

If this isn’t leading to a queer Eddie storyline, then he better be single and an absolute emotional disaster by the end of this episode and he struggles with something worthwhile. Losing Chris to his parents because Chris saw Kim and feels betrayed or something. Anything, I beg!

[vicky82gargoylesfan]

My Thoughts on X-Men 97 Episode Tolerance is Extinction Part 1

Another great episode, the action and fighting scenes were awesome. Nightcrawler was amazing in this episode.

Spoilers

Oh Cool Professor X is back in the line up but no Storm yet.

Hmm, Jean has her hair up. I'm glad to see her and Scott are working things out now.

Cool cameo of future Polaris and Rachel.

Oh damn, so the Genosha Massacre had to happen, so they can't stop it with time travel.

Oh damn, Bastion leaked the news that Xavier is alive.

Oh no, Rogue is still out, possibly in a coma. I did have a feeling she would still be unconscious, as she wasn't seen in any of the new shots from the final trailer. It looks like she not physically injured, as Wolverine can heal her. But it looks like she's affected mentally.

I just love this interaction between Nightcrawler and Jean. Jean telling him that even though Cable is not her son but she has all of Madelyne Pryor's memories of being pregnant with him but he is Madelyne's blood and we can see her getting a bit teary eyed. Nightcrawler telling her Blood is Blood, family is choice, as he was abandoned by Mystique and says Rogue is his adopted sister and are close.

Erm, why is Magneto strapped to an X and in his underwear?

Oh you stupid Woman, Val Cooper is alive and working for Bastion but it does seem to not know what Bastion's plans are.

Trish arrives to apologise to Beast, i'm surprised she was allowed in the "basement area" of the Mansion.

Cyclops, Jean and Cable find out more about Bastion. Jean using Psychometry on finding out Bastion's backstory was awesome. His parent's were seen in the 2 part episode One Man's Worth.

Oh wow Dr Doom!!! With the speculation that we could be getting Onslaught, does this mean The Fantastic 4 could make an appearance in season 2.

Sorry I don't know much about Zemo.

Oh my gosh!!!!! Bastion has got prime Sentinels everywhere, he even changed his own Mother into one. So they are mostly sleeper cells, some people volunteered and most were done against there will.

Oh Damn!! even Trish is one and even took out Beast.

Love the transition between scenes.

Morph changing into Juggernaut was pretty cool.

Jubilee and Roberto being chased in the mall by these Prime Sentinels, is a little similar to Jubilee being chased by Sentinels in the 1st episode of the original series.

Wolverine fighting Prime Sentinels in the sky was great.

The Prime Sentinels watching Rogue was creepy

Wolverine and Nightcrawler fighting the Prime Sentinels was awesome, love seeing Nightcrawler using 3 swords. Also as the humans are robots, they can go nuts in slicing them up without being too graphic. But they are so tough they can put themselves back together.

Awww, Nightcrawler is protecting his sister and teleporting the Sentinels out the room.

Seeing inside Nightcrawler's teleportation was amazing.

Roberto has been using the Danger Room to control his powers and learn to fly, which is pretty cool since he doesn't live at the Mansion but is allowed use there facilities.

Lol at Jean being a parent and putting seatbelt on Cable.

Another Blackbird destroyed, love that Cyclops keeps his car in it.

Love the Summer's family moment here with Cable shooting the Sentinels, Jean controlling the car and Cyclops blasting through the mountain.

Love the fist bump between Father and Son

Oh man, Roberto's Mother is bitch, she let the Sentinels take her Son and Jubilee away.

Val let Magneto go, she knows that what Bastion is doing is wrong. I just love her monologue and says Magneto is Right.

LOL Magneto flying to the North Pole in his underwear is hilarious.

Oh wow!!! Magneto just used a EMP to shut down the world, which is actually bad, as it would kill millions of people.

Holy Crap!!! Spiderman!!!!!

Oh wow, Silver Samurai and Omega Red.

At least the Prime Sentinels have been taken down, I wonder if they will change back to humans again. I know they were in the comics but these ones are lot different.

I just love that Wolverine and Morph are drinking beer.

He's back, pretty funny that he crashes his spaceship into the mansion, making it even more destroyed.

Professor X "I hope, I'm not too late" LOL, yeah bit late yeah.

Love Morph's smiling at seeing Xavier back.

Xavier calling back his X-Men gave me goosebumps.

Can't wait for next episode and hopefully Storm will be back.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi dear librarian! 1/? I was wondering if there's a term to describe a phenomenon that plagues so many films nowadays and partially responsible for the downfall of BBC Sherlock and MCU: it appears that the creators/screenwriters are afraid of or uncomfortable dealing with strong negative emotions. It's very obvious in Sherlock S3,S4, and MCU after Infinity War. They immediately interrupt an emotional scene with a quip, joke, or a solution. It really disturbs the plot flow, emotional buildup,

2/? and the tension of the show. E.g., in Sherlock S3E1 the reunion scene and the underground scene, in S4 the ghost Mary non-stop quips before the emotional hug. In S2, they really shouldn't have revealed Irene or Sherlock survived immediately after the event. I don't know what the writers were afraid of. Without a proper buildup, the resolution doesn't feel satisfactory. I'm very happy that in GOTG 3 they avoided this problem and it's probably the only MCU film worth seeing recently. 3/3 Another example is the Thor series. I know Thor 1 has many plot flaws, but they got the aesthetics right and with a Prometheus type of self-sacrifice, it feels like a proper fusion of technology and mythology. But later they wrote Thor as a laughing stock for his depression and in his own 3rd and 4th film, every remotely serious emotional scene was undermined by something. Just why?! That's part of the reason people say MCU doesn't feel relatable anymore. Thx for reading and stay cool!

Hey Nonny *HUGS*

Thank you for this insightful ask, and my answer is essentially this: shareholders and studio meddling, and probably bad writing by people who think they know better. A lot of the MCU, for instance, is SO boring and repetitive right now because they're too afraid, it seems, to stray from "what is safe", stuff that won't have people bitching at them, or they're trying too hard to recapture what made the Infinity Saga so amazing. They spent TOO long being praised and in turn stopped trying so hard, and under Chapek, dude was a greedy bastard who worked Feige to stress. I'm glad that they pulled back, it seems, and I hope it stays that way, hopefully so they can make new movies up to the quality of GOTG 3 again. Studios like Dreamworks and Indie studios are taking risks, and it's paying off, because people are bored with the sanitization of Disney and Marvel. Everything has to have no true villain in Disney.

That's not to say I don't still enjoy Disney, I do, but Marvel as-of-late has put out more flops than fantastics. And I suspect some of it is studio and shareholder meddling. It's a miracle Gunn got to do what he wanted for GOTG3, and I'm glad he did. With Thor 3 I feel like Taika got raked over the coals because he had to follow whatever plan they wanted for his vision. I dunno. Marvel for me is so hit-and-miss these days.

As for Sherlock... I think part of it was BBC meddling and another was ego-tripping, because Mofftiss continually put out winner after winner of seasons, so they thought, because just the TWO of them got an Emmy for TAB, well, they're good enough to get it for a WHOLE SEASON! (which, for the record on my opinion, I think Mofftiss are better at ONE SHOT episodes, not an entire series on their own... they run out of ideas and then throw whatever their weird fanboy fantasies want, and without a third writer to reign them in, we get S4). So yeah, that's what I mean by bad writing as well. I BELIEVE Moffat or his wife owns Pinewood Studios that they film in, so like... it's literal studio meddling, LOL. But yeah sometimes a writer or director can also be too big in their britches, and whatever they say, goes.

So yeah, I dunno. It's honestly a mix of everything and fatigue with the unoriginality of content these days. I think that's why I don't really watch anything anymore unless a trailer REALLY grips me, or it's recommended to me by a Lovely. I stick mostly to old-faves because I know I won't be disappointed, or fandom-related content.

What do y'all think?

[kakusu-shipping]

1, 2, 4, 11, and 18 for the end of year asks? :0

Aaah thankyou Echo!!! This post might be long, please forgive me!

1. Did you add any F/Os to your list this year? Were they from new media or just a newly discovered love?

Here's every romantic F/O added to the list this year, or at least that I can remember adding this year. Years are long and my sense of time is very warped so it may not be fully accurate.

Most are from new media, or just new parts of media, like the end of the Owl House and the New Pokemon Games. The ones that are new loves from re-visits are Heracross, Smeargle, and Keckleon from Monster Mind, Mario and Luigi from Super Mario, Makarov from Fairy Tail, and Jill from The Wayward Children series.

Though Mario and Luigi are also what I consider my first F/Os, they weren't officially on the list until the movie came out, so I'm counting them in the 2023 yearly wrap.

2. Did you reconsume any of your F/Os’ source media this year? How did you feel about the rewatch/listen/read/etc?

I rewatch Assassination Classroom every year in March and it makes me cry every time. I also replay Hatoful Boyfriend and Holiday Star every December for Kazuaki and Hitori, watch Baka and Test sometime around late Summer most years to ease my seasonal depression, and rewatch Mushishi at least once a year.

Other than that, nothing super meaningful. I rewatched a few LPs of Mario games, replayed through Paper Mario myself, watched Romantic Killer again, Reread Manly Appetites every other month or so, watched The Cat Returns once or twice, played more Pokemon, Restarted Monster Mind (still haven't finished it), and skimmed the Ouran Manga at the library while waiting for them to replace the volume they're missing.

HOWever, this latest reread of Down Among the Sticks and Bones is what got me to finally put Jill on the F/O list, so that feels worth mentioning. I love that book <3

4. Was there anything on your blog that you were particularly proud of this year?

No, not really. My drawings were all very incomplete and sketchy this year with long gaps between them, and my writing really flaked off suddenly, I haven't written more than a paragraph at all this year.

I wouldn't say I'm particularly proud of them, but I did really enjoy making moodboards last month and am kind of waiting for my health to settle so I can get back to them. Making stuff for other self shippers is a lot more fun than writing/drawing for myself atm.

11. Was there new media for any of your F/Os this year? If so, what was your opinion on it?

Yes FNaF Help Wanted 2 came out and gave us New Sun Content and I LOVED IT!!!!! He's such a bitch!!!! A shit!!! A snobby theater kid!!! He's so controlling and harsh I LOVE him <3 So happy to know more about him honestly and that he's not all UwU Caregiver that the fandom made him. I like soft characters, but he's a HORROR character he needs to be a little fucked up!!

18. Did you have a favorite trend in the selfship community from the past year?

I'll be honest, I don't pay much attention to what other people in the selfship community are doing. I follow the tags but if there's like a popular trend thing going around, I miss it every time.

My LEAST favorite right now though is the whole "Stolen from an Anti" thing. I have no qualms about stealing posts it's whatever, but I hate when it's says that in text at the bottom of the post. Just tag it as such so I can filter it please