#i'm gone like a whole year and I come back with all these aesthetic feels!!

[monstersinthecosmos]

So I'm a newbie in the VC universe that discovered the books only a few months ago through the series and I have a question regarding Louis character so I came here because I believe it's a safe space for that. Well, to begin with, I'm not really into the vampire lore before so the show was okay to me and since I'm more of the reading type, I plan on reading the books after watching the movie too because I kinda like the aesthetic of that century. And oh gosh, that was the best decision I ever made because I am madly in love with it especially with Louis whom I find so relatable, but then that's when I realised that though I find myself relatable in Book Louis, that never came across me with Show Louis and I wonder what could be the main reason for it. Is it my lack of understanding the story in the show or the show doesn't show me the side of that Louis? I suppressed this thought for a long time because of the constant fandom war going around regarding the book vs movie vs show on Twitter and I only upload Tumblr not long ago so I really got no one to ask at that time. Sorry if my question is hard to understand/lacking in any sense, I'm not really good in voicing out my thoughts.

Hi! So like, TLDR; they are two completely different stories and two completely different sets of characters that happen to share names. I don't think it's a big mystery that one resonates with you and the other doesn't, that's just how it goes! And I hesitate to compare & contrast the two canons too deeply because I don't need any drama lol. But I'll try to parse some of this: I don't think you're missing something in the show. Unless I missed it too. 😅 But truly the show has a completely new character, and while I think they have some things in common, and I definitely really SAW LOUIS a couple times, they really aren't the same. And even in moments where I think I see Louis (ie: thoughtful, brooding, spiritually tortured) I think some of the decisions the show made to change the story just really narratively don't work for the book character. I really think these two pieces are best enjoyed as completely unrelated series, because we can tie ourselves in knots trying to make the book fit what we're watching, and vice versa, and every character on the show is essentially an OC. Of all the characters we've met on the show, I don't think ANY of them feel like the book counterparts. (Lestat is the worst offender for me personally LOL.)

The book I think also is about grief and Anne Rice often discussed using "the vampire as the other" as a means to write stories about feeling isolated. I think that's a huge reason why the books are so successful and why they reach so many people! It's such a broad theme and using vampires as a symbolic conversation means that we can make it about anything when we're reading. And especially like IWTV being written IN GRIEF I think makes that theme so so powerful like not just the pain but like, how disorienting it is, how lost you feel, how small and powerless. And feelings of grief come up over and over in the series, and not just literally about people, but about the sun, about life, about things we lose when we're forced to go on without. And I don't think the show really got into that topic; even using vampirism as a conversation the timeline of the canon is so short it doesn't really stick the landing. We get some brief glimpses of the life Louis had before, but by the end of the season his family is still alive. Barely any time has gone by. If this will be sort of an overarching theme over the longevity of the whole series we shall see, but tbh S1 was so absolutely unrecognizable to me as a book fan that I'm not super interested in following up lol. You'll have to get back to me in a few years and let me know how it went. 😂

ANYWAY. I outsourced this ask to a couple friends because admittedly I've never been a huge Louis fucker so some of the show changes were lost on me and I hesitate to speak deeply on either version of him for that reason but!

@somevagrantchild says: [...] the tv show created a whole new character in Louis’s place, in a different century with different values and a different background that gave him his own unique personality and struggles that are very different from book Louis. Which means the decisions and choices he makes are also very different as well as the way he relates to Lestat.

An example is show Louis using his vampire powers to get revenge on people from his mortal life vs book vampires becoming detached and not caring about those things anymore Also show Louis being selective about who he kills (coming up with the evildoer idea on his own) vs book Louis just never wanting to know, so being the most indiscriminate killer of them all @covenofthearticulate says: i mean god the whole goddamn point of louis' character is that he only really values humanity after losing it, so after being turned he's like desperately grappling to find some sense of humanity and identity and goodness and i think that's something that resonated with a lot of readers who feel Othered………whereas the show gave him vampire powers that were basically an excuse for gore porn and weird revenge power fantasy @covenofthearticulate also wrote this post (in her @sangcreole blog) about the decision to have Louis kill Lestat rather than Claudia and I think it sums up a lot of the dissonance as well.

Anyway yeah the fandom can be a nightmare about this topic because I think people can be very defensive and emotional, and unfortunately there's a lot of cult behavior and bullying when people step out of the party line, and it makes it difficult to discuss these as two pieces of media which are different from each other, without saying that one or the other is bad. And we all relate to characters differently, and for random reasons, and we often DO NOT PICK OUR BLORBOS LOL, so like it makes sense that a book character might resonate with you when the TV character didn't, because they aren't the same character, and they are acting from different backgrounds, they are being used for completely different narrative functions, and their relationships to the people & places & centuries around them are totally different stories.

[crehador]

brother crab's winter 2024 parting thoughts: high card s2

WHAT THE HELL

HIGH CARD IS GOOD?!

tl;dr very flashy and aesthetic, consistently good in that regard, but the story was not always gripping to me. however, with the ultimate payoff in the last three eps, totally worth it imo

full review:

wow wow wow i'm kind of glad i fell way behind on anime and had the last three eps of s2 to binge all at once because hoooly shit i enjoyed that immensely

at no point did i think high card was bad, but it definitely had moments where it didn't fully grab me. there were times when it felt like all flash, no substance

and it's definitely not perfect, i have some serious and fairly significant gripes with it. mainly i'm really bummed that leo, wendy, and vijay never really got fully fleshed out. i mean i get it, finn's the main character and chris is the thinly veiled love interest also important so obviously they're going to take up most of the time, but i really feel like the other members of the crew had so much unexplored potential (especially wendy and vijay, because leo did sort of get his moment as a factor in the old man yaoi situation)

speaking of which THE OLD MAN YAOI!! man there were a lot of moving pieces in this show, and sometimes they came together in messy ways (or didn't really come together at all... some bits do still feel pretty disjointed and jumpy to me, tbh)

but overall the payoff of the s2 finale was absolutely worth it to me, particularly since it dealt with my favorites of those moving pieces: the old man yaoi and the sudden YANDERE ONIISAN ARC

i find myself really wishing the show had gone harder on both of those threads sooner, but like... honestly i'm not disappointed with how they played out. the whole theodore and ban thing could not have been more tropey (YEARS of loathing only for a "the one i wanted to protect all along was... you" and then dying for each other like HELLO yes an absolute tropefest BUT TROPES THAT I LOVE. GOOD FOR THOSE TOXIC DOOMED YAOI MFERS)

tilt has always been fascinating to me right from the character design and i am more or less satisfied with how things played out for him too, though i kind of wish we'd had more of this development spread throughout the series. i guess it was there, but... i dunno. in some ways feels like there could have been More (but i may be biased)

like you gotta feel bad for him, it's a sad story, but also that extreeemely creepy unhinged yandere oniisan "i have been stalking you i literally have a wall with giant blown up photos of you i hate the other guy who is calling himself your brother" sequence was SO FUCKING DELICIOUS LIKE WTF??? stunned and absolutely blown away by how hard they went on that, what a delight

(ironically it makes me think about how unhinged matakara in bucchigiri?! just doesn't work while unhinged tilt in high card works super well, but this is not about bucchigiri?! so i won't get too into that)

i am still admittedly just. kind of like. idk. i go back and forth on finn and chris, as characters and as partners. i don't dislike them but they aren't always all that compelling to me. sometimes they definitely are, but sometimes they just fall a bit flat to me. this probably isn't an issue with them as characters, though, just a matter of taste. i occasionally found the chemistry between them lacking as well, but sometimes it was really on point

same feeling about the crew dynamics in general. i looove a good like heist crew or spy agency crew, whatever it is, when the dynamics just click. and sometimes they didn't, here. i am too sleepy to articulate it properly right now but it just felt like there was something missing, some pieces not really fitting together. i didn't dislike any of the characters, but just... i guess wanted more team shenanigans? maybe there was no time for that but it would have been nice (like this is one show that could have done with a few filler and/or fluff episodes, imo!)

anyway. christ. my eye emoji-ing at tilt based solely on his character design finally paid off after two gay ass seasons lmao. good night

[caityjay13]

I just alluded to this in the tags of a post I just queued but I'm gonna at least TRY to articulate some of it y'know for posterity I guess but holy crap y'all

So for background, I've been identifying as ace for ten years. I haven't been on a date in even longer. Last serious relationship was around 15 years ago. I have been pretty certain that my ability to develop crushes/feel attraction/whatever was more or less gone for the majority of my adult life.

Tuesday morning. I board a plane to this work retreat I don't want to go on. See a cute guy sitting in first class. Note the cute guy. Move on with my life. This is a normal occurrence (see my entire life commuting in Beijing where I was aesthetically attracted to like 80% of the population rip me).

Tuesday afternoon. At the work retreat. See the cute guy from the plane. Note that this is somewhat odd, since we are a "remote first" company and we're located all over the country.

Tuesday evening. Mention to some of my teammates that I was on the same plane here with someone. Mention that the reason I noticed is because I had found him attractive at the time. Merciless teasing begins (affectionate).

The next day proceeds and by the time we're having our end-of-retreat party dinner, I'm having a full-on crisis. Not only are my teammates tryna wingman me SO hard, but I have realized that he is a DOCTOR whose name I come across at work on a daily basis. Eventually, and only after much teasing, wingmanning, and three drinks (I had told my manager I wasn't planning on drinking, rip), I manage to introduce myself.

Let me tell y'all, I am FUCKED. I am so fucked. He is so friendly. We had such a lovely chat. I want to go on a date with this man. There is no way he is single (there was a whole thing on Tuesday evening where one of my teammates noted his lack of ring, but this means Nothing). I can't stop my brain from forming wild fantasies about him. I can—and I cannot stress enough how absolutely buck-wild this is for me—imagine myself having sex with him while feeling only slight body dysphoria. What. Is. Happening.

Anyway. I'm dying. I am viscerally reminded of the way my bestie was freaking out when she met her now-husband. It freaks me out SO much. I do not know how to be normal about this. I literally just managed to stop thinking about him for maybe half an hour today before I was plunged back in by just tryna do my job and there's his name in front of my face. My coworker wingmen are doing their best. I am Struggling.

At the very least, if nothing else comes of this, it is something of a relief to know that I am capable of feeling these feelings after all. When I had thought they were gone. I've never been particularly at peace with my ace identity so. It's kind of nice.

BUT ALSO FUCKING NOT NICE HOW DO I LIVE LIKE THIS

The bestie has been very supportive of my screeching. But holy christ. I don't recall it being like this when I was 16. I don't know how to be normal. Send help.

[cactusblossom]

Thank you @charmingmushroom for tagging me in this! I'm honestly excited to get to my answers because I loved yours so much! To anyone I tag, please don't feel pressure to complete this, especially if you have already been tagged, or honestly just don't want to! 💜 I tag @ohthesefaces, @kissalopa, @theworstsimblr, @simsdada, @igglemouse, @faeriefrolic, @lunelfy, @dragonplumbobs All of my answers are under the cut!

What’s your favorite sims death? This is a hard one for me, honestly, because I usually play with aging off because I don't want to deal with my Sims dying. Much like @charmingmushroom said about cowplants being a classic, I gotta say, I love that and death by meteor. I'm so glad that finally came back into the Sims 4 with the normal-sized telescope!

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? It depends on the version of Sims I'm playing! If it's Sims 4, I love the big, round, clay-looking CC. If it's Sims 3, I want the sharper, thinner, structured style of CC. I would say that Sims 2 is kind of in the middle of both styles. So honestly, I just try to match the aesthetics of the world and game around my Sims.

Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? Not at all! I try to match their lifestyle and character choices.

Do you use move objects? Oh yeah. I honestly couldn't play without it.

Favorite mod? More columns in CAS. It took me way too long to get on this train, but the more berry palettes I collected, the more out of control my hair and eyebrow swatches got. And as a tie for second, I absolutely could not play without brntwaffles' SweetFx or softerhaze's Sunblind in my game.

First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? So… I'm one of the people that got Sims 4 a few months after its launch. At the time, I was playing on a 2011 MacBook Pro, not made for gaming, and I was desperately playing The Sims 3 in Windowed Mode and restarting every 30 minutes to avoid crashing. If you guys know anything about Sims 3 and Macs, they were not made to go together. It was a whole thing. I've gotten the packs as they come out in order, which the exception of kits and Journey to Batuu. (I have that now, but I waited for a 1/2 off sale.) So my first was Outdoor Retreat, which is still one of my faves!

Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? I used to always pronounce it like aLIVE mode, but since Sims Youtube blew up, I now say LIVing mode out of habit of what I hear.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? At this time, Mentha from my Not So Berry (But Berry) challenge. This happened in the first version of her that I wasn't documenting before I lost my saves because of some of the updates, but after she made her freeze-ray, she walked up behind a coworker who was sitting and had no idea she was there, pointed the ray and whispered, "Dag-dag". Literally the highlight of my gameplay. She is WILD. I hope she does more things like this in this iteration of her!

Have you made a simself? I have! And I update her regularly. She's always a Witch or a Spellcaster, too! I'm planning to take some pictures of her and my wife's (@ohthesefaces) simselves for Pride this month! 💜 They're some of my favorite private gameplay that I have!

What sim traits did you give yourself? I also have a Simself in Sims 3, so I've got a few different traits. Sims 3: Neurotic, Light Sleeper, Loves the Cold, Avant Garde, Green Thumb Sims 4: Art Lover, Perfectionist, Squeamish It's a lot harder in Sims 4 with only three trait slots to start with.

What is your favorite EA hair color? cheese hair. Classic, iconic, weird. I love it!

Favorite EA hair? Honestly, this is tough for me because some of my favorite hairs are not EA. Shoutout to ClumsyAlien and Miiko who make CC I can't play without! But I have to say some of the updated Afro-textured hairs. Since I had Sims 4 when it first came out, not only were the options for Afro-textured hair basically non-existent, but they were carelessly made. Over the years, since they've gone in and redone some of those earlier textures and worked with creators to make new ones, I've really appreciated having those in my game. Guys, it wasn't always like this. lmao

Favorite life stage? I hate to be that guy since Sims 4 is basically a Young Adult simulator, but like, Young Adult. I'm closing in on the Adult life stage of my own life, and it's scary.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? When I first had Sims 4, and because I played on Mac and was trying to limit my CC (aka, play CC free), I was strictly a builder. I didn't play as much as I built, but now that I have a PC and the space for my 50GB of CC (yes, that's right), I play too! And honestly, I don't even have lag. A lot of it is recolors, and I have limited actual mods, so my game runs beautifully still! I have really been into renovating EA lots lately, though.

Are you a CC creator? no. I wish, though. It's something I feel like I could get into, I just haven't put in all the extra effort to learn how to do it.

Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? I don't think I do--no disrespect to anyone who thinks otherwise! I just feel very new, still, and on the outside. Thank you again to @charmingmushroom for tagging me in something like this! It's so much fun and gives me warm fuzzies! 💜

What’s your favorite game? This is a huge category for me because I play a lot of other things besides The Sims! I'll just list some of my current favorites in no particular order that are part of my rotation right now. The Sims (obviously, and if we're talking strictly gameplay, it's Sims 2 all day, baby), No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Stardew Valley, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Sims Medieval.

Do you have any Sims merch? I do, actually. I have a print from the game that I still haven't found the right frame for that my wife, @ohthesefaces, got for me for my birthday one year!

Do you have a YouTube for sims? No! I don't think I would be entertaining enough, tbh. And my god, how horrible would it be to hear my own voice??

How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? Since my CC explosion in the Sims 4, I've really gotten into Berry Sims! I can't believe I didn't know about it before when I played the Sims 3, but I wasn't on the Simblr side of Tumblr.

What’s your Origin ID? Pass on this, as I share it with my household.

Who’s your favorite CC creator? I have WAY too many, but there are definitely some I couldn't live without. I mentioned the lighting and overall color correction mods I play with earlier, but for some of the CC, I 100% always need tainoodles Sorbet Remix, anything and everything by miiko, anything and everything by clumsyalien, anything and everything by teekalu, anything and everything by treefish, and honestly, so many more that I can't think of right now. But those come to my head right away!

How long have you had a simblr? Only since August of 2022, but I've been on Tumblr since 2010. My other Tumblr is just art aesthetic though.

How do you edit your pictures? I don't have or use reshade/gshade, so all of my editing is done manually with the strong arms done by SweetFx and Sunblind. But I'm currently obsessed with Kaleeko's Clean & Clear, and early-grape's Glowe Kit.

What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? I'll do one from each. EP: Get To Work. I love the active careers, ESPECIALLY the Scientist Career. Plus, aliens, helloooo. GP: Though I'm an Occult simmer, I have to say StrangerVille is by far my favorite. I love the storyline and having the tasks to do! Like most things with Sims 4, I only wish there were more. SP: Paranormal, hands down. With Tiny Living as a close second. They really nailed it with both of these Stuff packs and they were only $10?! As insane as them giving away Desert Luxe for free, honestly. Kit: Pastel Pop, 100%. That pack was made for me and I use everything from it way too often.

What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? Give me Faeries and/or give me Futuristic. But whatever they give me, please just give me gameplay.

[aonokumura]

disney song lyric aesthetics!

BOLD all that apply to your muse. — change pronouns as needed

( repost, don’t reblog! )

All those years, outside looking in / All that time, never even knowing just how blind I've been / Standing here, it's, oh, so clear: I'm where I'm meant to be /  All those days chasing down a daydream/ All at once, everything looks different now that I see you / Look at you, as fragile as a flower / Mother knows best / On your own, you won't survive / When will my life begin? / And violence-wise, my hands are not the cleanest / You can count me with the dreamers / This is why you never should have left / They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch / Yes, I've had the odd complaint, but on the whole I've been a saint / And don't underestimate the importance of body language / Wish I could be part of that world / She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her / He's become a a one-man rise in crime / You ain’t never had a friend like me! / When did you last let your heart decide? / Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling through an endless diamond sky / I can't go back to where I used to be / I wish I could be the perfect daughter / If I go there's just no telling how far I'll go /  I can lead with pride, I can make us strong / All the time wondering where I need to be is behind me / I'm on my own, to worlds unknown / Well, it's nice to see that humans never change / So, what can I say except ‘You're welcome’? / I will sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck / Send your armies, but they'll never be enough / You try to be tough, but your armor's just not hard enough / Sometimes the world seems against you / The journey may leave a scar / The people you love will change you / And nothing on earth can silence the quiet voice still inside you / I will carry you here in my heart / Come what may, I know the way / I have crossed the horizon to find you / They have stolen the heart from inside you / Born of cold and winter air / Strike for love and strike for fear / There’s beauty and there’s danger here / It's like you've gone away / They say, ‘Have courage’,  and I'm trying to / 'Cause for the first time in forever, I won't be alone / Don't let them in, don't let them see / Be the good girl you always have to be / Conceal, don't feel, put on a show / Make one wrong move and everyone will know / All my life has been a series of doors in my face / But with you, I found my place / I’ve been searching my whole life to find my own place / A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I’m the queen / The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside / Couldn’t keep it in... Heaven knows I tried / Don’t let them in. Don’t let them see / Be the good girl you always have to be / Conceal, don’t feel / The cold never bothered me anyway / The fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all / No right, no wrong, no rules for me / You'll never see me cry / I'm never going back, the past is in the past / I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls / I've had my adventure, I don't need something new / I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you / Every day's a little harder as I feel my power grow / I have always been a fortress, cold secrets deep inside / I will never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter / Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart / Why is my reflection someone I don't know? / Tranquil as a forest, but on fire within / Mysterious as the dark side of the moon / You're unsuited for the rage of war

[anarchotolkienist]

1 - what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

24 - what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

1) If I can pick only three moments and be a bit indulgent (it's under a readmore, it's that indulgent) in talking about them, I'd probably do it chronologically and say that

a) reading and having Tolkien read to me as a small child deeply affected my future development and sensibilities in more ways than I can count. It is deeply intertwined, to the degree where I don't think it could be unwound if you tried, with my aesthetic sensibilities, with a sense of justice, and with a fairly basic longing for something else, something greater or more whole than the world presented by modernity.

b) At the age of fifteen I picked up David Graeber's book The Democracy Project, his account of the movement of the squares, on a whim. I read it enraptured, and found the word "anarchism" for the first time, and I found out that there are other people who thought like me, who also were socialists but rejected the political party and the state. There was a movement there, a history, and there were others like me. A few months later I joined the anarcho-syndicalist youth federation in the city near my village, and I have never looked back in the ten years that have gone past since I first read that book.

Lastly, c) I first accepted Holy Communion a year or so ago, after having seriously attended church almost every week for eight months or so. In the bread and the wine I had an extremely intense spiritual experience, a meeting with God as I see it, and felt a very strong sense of connection with Creation and my fellow creatures all around me, and I fell to my knees at the pews - from then onwards I have described and viewed myself as a Christian, which is now a very important part of my intellectual and emotional life. It is rooted not in any argument or engagement, but in that experience of meeting God incarnate in bread and wine.

24) Why, avoiding the sin of pride, of course! In a more serious response (that I hate giving, I don't like enumerating things I like about myself, it feels somewhat gauche), I'm proud of my ability to act as an organisational and social engine, coming up with and driving new ideas in action, and making sure they keep happening until they have a life of their own, where they no longer need me. This has been incredibly helpful both for Gaelic and anarchist things in and around Glasgow.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 4, Episode 4. Quantum Leap 2022 Eulogy

Gone too soon! Quantum Leap (2022-2024) has been canceled and Ron and Mon aren't taking it well. We share our thoughts about the show, what we loved, what could have been improved, and we run through a list of our favourite episodes.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Hello, and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

I'm Mon.

And I'm Ron.

This is our Eulogy to Quantum Leap 2022-2024.

Rest in Peace.

Can I just say, I did not see this coming, but I feel like you had an inkling that this would happen.

The first season was renewed almost immediately, and this one, it came, it went, no one talked about it.

And then I got that feeling, you know, it's like, you just know it's doomed.

And I was right.

I know that there are going to be no more seasons, we only got the two, but we still want people to watch it wherever they can find it, which is why we're doing this episode.

So a little bit about the show.

Quantum Leap is not exactly a remake, more like a half sequel to the 80s Quantum Leap show.

It was extremely popular.

2022, we heard about Quantum Leap.

We thought, let's give it a try.

We quite quickly fell in love with the show.

First season went absolutely brilliantly.

We were excited for the second season.

And yeah, now, alas.

So let's take a look at the cast.

We have Dr. Ben Song, played by Raymond Lee.

His fiancee, Addison Augustine, played by Caitlin Bassett.

Then we have the kind of tech genius, Ian Wright, played by Mason Alexander Park.

The security chief, Jen Chu, played by Nanrisa Lee.

The head of the Quantum Leap division is Magic, played by Ernie Hudson.

In season two, we had a recurring character, Hannah Carson, played by Eliza Taylor, and also Tom Westfall, played by Peter Gaddio.

I'm probably pronouncing that wrong.

We also have, throughout the two seasons, a few appearances by a character called Janice, played by Georgina Riley.

Not too much into her because spoilers.

I'll also shout out some notable guest stars.

We had Brandon Routh, aka Superman. Obviously not playing Superman here, but still.

Lou Diamond Phillips, a veteran of Hollywood.

Melissa Roxborough, who we recently saw in Manifest.

Justin Hartley, who's been in a lot of stuff, but I believe most people know him from This Is Us.

Jewel Staite, who most Canadians know because she's a Canadian actor.

Deborah Ann Woll, who's coming back as her character Karen in the Daredevil series.

Robert Picardo, who obviously we know very well because he was the doctor on Voyager.

And James Frain, who is in everything, like he's James Frain.

Season one had 18 episodes.

Good, solid season.

Season two had 13 episodes.

I guess the signs are already there.

I really think so.

I mean, we didn't realize it, but anyway, this is a celebratory episode.

We're never going to see these characters again.

But yeah, this is the goodest time of the year to just get in there, watch these two seasons, enjoy a really heartfelt, rousing show about finding the best in humanity.

Let's get into it.

We never got around to watching the original Quantum Leap.

They didn't show it where we were.

It's a bit hard to now get into it.

80s aesthetics, some of the sensibilities.

I hear that the original Quantum Leap was way ahead of its time.

You know, people are fans even now.

Even though we went in cold, one of the most exciting parts about Quantum Leap in general is time travel.

And this reboot, remake, reimagining definitely stuck to a lot of time travel.

Yeah, I love time travel in any of its forms.

I have seen some shockingly bad films because they were apparently about time travel.

Anyway, I think the reason why the Quantum Leap concept is so fun is because generally with time travel, you don't want to change the past.

That's a bad thing.

Butterfly effect and all that.

But in Quantum Leap, the whole purpose is to change the past because that's what's going to make things better.

Yeah, absolutely.

And it makes things a lot better for characters who are queer, especially in this show.

And that's actually one of the things that I really like about the show being made in 2022.

Love how all the show's characters are just unabashedly allies of the queer community.

It's like not even a second thought.

No one's fighting that battle.

And it's especially great because Ian, played by Mason Alexander Park, is a queer character, and they are queer in real life as well.

So this just feels so much more layered.

They don't go on and on about it, and all of Ian's storylines are not about them being queer, but they're definitely the center of it, when that's the episodic storyline.

I thought all the characters were really interesting.

It's a very diverse cast.

The dynamics among the characters are very interesting, but each character also has an arc of their own.

It wasn't just, you know, Ben and Addison's romance, but you know, in the background, you have Ian, Jen, and Magic.

Like they're this trio of heroes that are making things happen and trying to save Ben.

Speaking of Ben, this show lives and dies by the fact that he's not only played very carefully and sweetly, I would say, by Raymond Lee, but he's also really well written.

He's purposefully written as this very kind-hearted person.

He believes in the best of people.

He knows that, yes, sometimes you're in a situation that is absolutely terrible.

You've done something or you could be doing something, which is horrible, but there's something to redeem you.

I just love that so much.

And that plays into how each episode is structured, because it's all about the rousing speeches at the end that Ben gives.

He wins the heart of whoever he's talking to, but he also wins the heart of the viewer.

Absolutely.

Ben so easily sees the best in people, and that's why when he makes a sincere appeal to their humanity, they listen.

And we as the viewers are also listening.

And I feel like after every episode, we just felt like better people.

Yeah, if there's one major grouse with the show, it's that we only get two seasons of it.

Exactly.

I mean, we're definitely upset the show is canceled because Raymond Lee was so game to do anything in this show.

Like he was a flight stewardess in one episode.

He was a lady bounty hunter in another.

It could have gone so many different places.

And we probably would have seen more opportunities of him hanging out with his other teammates because they would have been the holograms instead of just Addison.

We got to see that a little bit, but season three, they kind of promised that that would actually happen.

And now we never get to see it.

Yeah, exactly.

The first few times that the others got to be holograms, it was a lot of fun.

Like Jen was singing about it, which was absolutely hilarious to watch.

Like when magic got to be a hologram, so much emotion, just so much emotion.

But yeah, now we'll never get to see that.

But is there anything that didn't work for you?

I think the one major thing that didn't work for me at all was the whole Janice plot line in season one.

I think it needed to be fleshed out a lot more.

They were trying to be very cagey and keep things under their hats, but I feel like maybe they went overboard.

Or if they'd been able to stretch it out a little bit more over two or three seasons, we would have really felt, I think, the stakes of exactly what was happening and why a little bit better.

For me, I think season two, the Addison-Tom relationship, it didn't work for me.

I couldn't really see the chemistry between them.

And for some bizarre reason, I just couldn't trust Tom.

I still don't trust him, and we'll never know if our concerns were warranted or not.

Since this is a celebration, let's chat about some of our favorite episodes.

It was really tempting to put all 18 of the first season and all 13 of the second, but you know what?

We need to be tempered in our view.

So if you are wondering if you want to invest so much time into the show, maybe start with just these faves.

Kicking off with season one, one of the episodes that I really found quite emotionally stunning was episode three, Somebody Up There Likes Ben.

First of all, there's a lot of physicality in this episode because Ben leaps into the body of a boxer.

There are a lot of stakes.

It's an emotional roller coaster, and it also has a really powerful message about mental health.

It was so lovely.

It will definitely have you quite emotional by the end of it.

The first two episodes of the first season got you hooked.

Episode three was when I realized this was a great show.

And they tried different things.

They weren't just formulaic or one-note.

With episode seven, for example, Oh Ye of Little Faith, it was a Halloween episode, and it was completely a horror genre.

And how they made it work and made it plausible within the context of the story was fantastic.

But this was so good.

This was…

It was hilarious.

It was kind of scary.

And Ben Song was an absolute delight in this one.

To make the horror elements work within the world, it was very impressive.

They could have done so much more.

And there was another genre episode that I was really impressed by.

That was the 10th episode of the first season, Paging Doctor Song.

It's a medical episode.

Generally, I don't like medical shows.

They make me feel ill.

But even though this episode is kind of gory at times, it's so unexpected and unpredictable plot-wise.

And again, the emotional beats, they just come out of nowhere.

Well, I think this particular episode for me was a reminder that the show is about people.

It's about how we interact and live with each other.

And that's what makes us come back for more.

And we would have come back for a season three if they hadn't canceled it.

And literally the next episode is probably one of the best.

It's called Leap Die Repeat.

Look, time loop episodes are a mainstay of the time travel genre.

They are also some of my favorite tropes.

I can't think of a single time loop episode that was bad.

But there is also so much danger in this episode.

The stakes are insanely high.

Ben could die at any time, but he's cycling through these time loops and he is actually running out of time as well.

There's always, you know, there's got to be some deadline to your obstacles.

Also Robert Picardo is in it.

It's a banger.

Yeah, I have to say that was edge of your seat stuff.

And the next episode after that is also our favorite.

This is odd.

All we can say is that middle part of season one was really good.

So episode 12, Let Them Play, it's a chance manifesto.

We won't get into the details, but it is so full of feels.

There's a lot more of the episode characters rather than the main characters, but also a focus on Ian and how they're bringing the queer perspective and the queer lived experience to what the story is about.

Mason Alexander Park really brings a lot of emotionality and depth to Ian's storyline there.

Some great scenes about being trans, about being queer.

It's really, really a very good episode and absolutely a joker.

Oh yeah, that one just, it really does bring so much emotion.

It's a really powerful story as well.

And also an interesting mystery.

And really relevant to the current situation, even two years on, in the US and the UK especially, and now maybe in Canada.

Well, moving on to episode 13 of season one, that middle bunch of episodes was just spectacular.

Family style, it's an Indian episode.

We gotta shout it out.

But there are so many lovely little moments about this episode that made it stand out for me.

Ben loves to cook.

Like in the previous episode, he is overjoyed because he gets to be a basketball coach and he's a basketball fan.

But he is in his element in the kitchen.

He is losing his mind because he gets to cook this amazing food.

And also there are all these family dynamics that you and I recognized.

It's a top favorite for me.

Yeah, this one had probably one of my favorite closing scenes.

It was just like all the fields, all the fields.

But you know what I really liked about this one?

We live in a multicultural society.

Like the whole world is multicultural right now.

You can't imagine a time when we were growing up where you would have watched something where the main character of an American TV show would just be super excited to be in an Indian restaurant trying out this amazing Indian food and getting deep into actually trying to cook it.

And here's Ben just enjoying himself.

Like he's just having the time of his life and this is food that he's familiar with and he likes.

It's just so good.

It was just, it was heartwarming.

And so on to season two, I will say I was a little bit concerned when it started.

The first two or three episodes were a little off and it really was because of Ben.

Story wise, it made sense why he wasn't himself, but it didn't pick up till Ben was kind of back to his usual self.

And I think the turning point was really episode five of season two, One Night in Koreatown.

This one had so many feels.

I did not know what to expect.

It was so layered and nuanced and said a lot about racism in the US especially.

Racism among communities, about other communities.

It's not something that a lot of people are comfortable talking about.

But I think also what made it special was the fact that magic got to be the hologram.

And he's part of an event that he originally experienced as well.

I just found that Ben and magic's relationship, their dynamic, along with the dynamic of the family that Ben is involved with in the story, it was so incredible.

This was my favorite episode of the entire show.

This was a real standout.

I had actually heard an entire podcast series about this particular event.

So when I saw the title, I was like, oh my gosh.

I have to say I was a bit nervous because I was like, this is an event that it's left a mark on people.

They still talk about it.

And I wasn't quite sure how the show was going to handle it.

I think they went in the right direction.

They went ground level.

They hyper-focused on one small family, and the result was very relatable and as you said, a real tear-jerker.

Great stuff.

So moving on to something else, which would you believe it, I had just listened to a podcast series about.

Episode 7 of season 2, A Kind of Magic.

It was all about witch trials.

And as I said, I heard a podcast series, and then I heard two separate episodes of two different podcasts, which were both about witch trials.

One of them was about the American witch trials.

Another was about the European ones.

So I had a lot of information in my head when I went into this.

Again, this show does such a great job.

It just goes ground level.

Ben is in the body of this young girl, who is of course accused of being a witch.

And a lot of the stuff that I was reading about, it was super accurate in this episode.

I was very impressed.

And despite the nightmare situation, somehow Ben finds the positivity to inspire the people around him.

I just love that about this character.

Yeah, witch trials for me, every time I come across any storylines like that, they just make me so angry.

And the writers of the show just know how to calm you down.

Because you can't do anything with that misplaced anger.

This happened years ago.

So this episode felt a little bit cathartic for those of us who just are needlessly angry about something that has nothing to do with us.

Cathartic is the word.

We are just living constantly with impotent rage.

When you watch something like Quantum Leap, and you see Ben going into these situations, and you know that you can't do anything, and all the horrible stuff has already happened, and we are living through a time when there is more horrible stuff happening, and you get to feel some amount of positivity because Ben can fix the situation.

That's why we need this show.

You are making me sad now that we don't get more.

Let's talk about another favorite.

Well, literally the next episode, episode 8, it's called Nomads Egypt.

It's set in Egypt.

Who doesn't love Egypt and spies?

That is a fantastic combo.

And what really worked was that they shot on location.

You feel that.

One of the things that a lot of people complain about, a lot of entertainment media nowadays, is that everything looks flat.

You can tell that they shot on VFX.

Now listen, VFX, when done right, looks great and looks seamless.

But the people who work behind the scenes on post-production need time.

Guess what a lot of people don't give them?

Time.

And the other thing nowadays, everybody wants to cut budgets.

Hence, no location shooting.

So, what do you get?

Everything looks the same.

Thankfully, this episode, I don't know how they had the money to do it, but there they were in Egypt and it looked great.

It has this really nice, old-timey, heist spy movie sort of feel to it.

I love that.

Love that episode.

And in a similar vein, we have episode 10, The Family Treasure.

This was a stellar episode.

It's essentially Indiana Jones.

But it focuses on three siblings.

Ben is one of them.

And they are so wildly different from one another and have very, very different relationships with their dearly departed parents.

And all this comes to the fore because they're on a treasure hunt.

I love treasure.

I love adventure.

And this was only part of what this story is about.

We won't even go into the rest again.

It was just so heartfelt.

Ben is the best ally in all of TV history as far as I'm concerned.

Truly, truly, like Ben brings people together and really helps them see perspectives because they can't.

I mean, he just goes out of his way to see the best in people, and he shows them the good things about themselves that they're missing, which is exemplified in the episode right after that, The Outsider.

Honestly, the end of the season just bangers one after the other.

So Ben's unwavering positivity changes a journalist's mind about her own abilities because she had a bad situation and she let it get to her head.

But Ben would not let her doubt herself.

Honestly, we all need a champion like Ben in our lives.

This episode was sort of going one way, and then it just hits you in the feels because Ben just is like a dog with a bone when it comes to redeeming a person.

I felt very heartened when I watched this episode.

And then on to the finale.

You know, finales can be hit and miss.

The first season finale I thought was one of the weaker episodes of that season.

And with season 2, I was really wondering, where are they going with this?

Lots of twists and turns, quite epic, very tense and intense as well.

But again, that cathartic feeling because Ben is appealing to the best of humanity, even when all seems lost.

You can't even imagine that this man is going to win.

How is he going to win?

There's no way.

Despite all these twists and turns, you can't predict what will happen next.

And somehow Ben is like hanging on and telling you to hang on.

Because yeah, humanity is worth saving.

Yeah, Ben just constantly believes that humanity is good and that when the chips are down, we will do our best.

Apparently, he did not live through the pandemic.

But yeah, this was an epic season finale.

Very, very tense moments.

Some really quite shocking plot twists.

But the biggest plot twist of course was that we couldn't have predicted that they would cancel the damn show.

We are not at all bitter.

Spoiler alert, we are very bitter.

Alright, so that's our episode on Quantum Leap.

I know that it's gone.

It only lasted two seasons, but it was two fantastic seasons.

I'm so glad we got to meet these characters, hang out with them, even though it was only for two years, but they made us feel so much better.

Tuning in every week sparked a little bit of joy in all our lives.

We're going to miss you, Quantum Leap.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[yesyourstalker]

Neta: so I take the slices of carrot cake and I kind of put it together and they make a whole cake

Warabi: so what you're making a wedding cake out of frozen carrot cake that's been in your freezer for 2 years?

Neta: no! I hate carrot cake. I don't like the texture but whatever he wants I do for him. I don't even know if we're going to get married. Honestly, I don't think I want to get married anymore. I was married. It wasn't great at the time but what kind of settled made peace............. Wow! So as if she knew I was talking about her.

Warabi: I'm going on break

Neta: hey syl.

Sylvia: hey Net........ How are you

Neta: I'm alive and medicated. How's your eye?

Sylvia: you know it's still glass. How's your ear?

Neta: still gone. Hehehehe.... But really how are you?

Sylvia: I'm good alive and medicated I heheheh.... I'm actually doing great! I'm engaged!

Neta: That's amazing! Sylvia, finally marrying Rift. He seems like a good guy. Cirrina seems to like him.

Sylvia: yeah... Of course he can't replace her actual dad. How is she?

Neta: doing good. She's at a turf war game right now. She's been going frequently. I think she might want to be on a team maybe when she gets to high school.

Sylvia:hmmm You know I hate those things. All it does is just glorify war and romanticize the shit that we've been through....... I swear surface culture........they have no respect for anything. They treat everything like it's a game.

Neta: come on Syl lighting up. It's different up here.... It's......... *sigh* I don't know. I should feel the same way too, but seeing her play. Hanging around with friends and acting normal. Having a childhood....... I don't want to take me away from her like it was taking away from us....... Just seeing her smile and laugh and I can't take that away from my little girl.

Sylvia: *sigh* I guess you're right......... As long as she's safe and happy. How is surface world anyway?

Neta: It's good, I got tanner hehe.... It's great! I'm really happy up here.... Got a nice store. Working my own business....the apartments are kind of small but I don't think I'm going to be staying there for long.

Sylvia: you still seen that metalopod guy? Hehehehe you two look very happy. It's kind of weird seeing you in a magazine. Was not a good picture. Terrible angle.

Neta: they never get my good side............. It's complicated right now. It's not bad complicated....... It's kind of like a waiting game right now...... You should meet him you'd like him............ Do you ever think of coming up to the surface??

Sylvia: no, I'm not going back. It's too much for me. I only went up there for missions. That's all I associate it with now. Every time I'm up there my guard is up and everybody is a threat I-......I can't..... I'm sorry

Neta: I feel the same way about the bunkers.... I can't go back down there............ever.... Is it different down there since the war is over?

Sylvia: It's really different! I wouldn't even call them bunkers anymore. We have shops, we can legally purchase and enjoy surface media now! Better plumbing, better homes. We have nicer light panels now! Of course the nicer areas have glass! Apparently they're working with jelly-co installing glass sheets so we can actually see the sun without going out to the surface!...... Which honestly is ridiculous because glass is a lot cheaper than artificial sunlight

Neta: *pffth*........I guess they're still treating sunlight as a luxury now and not as a right........typical....

Sylvia: Don't try to make this political. We'll be here all day hehehe...... I just wanted to catch up and ask if I'm able to have Cirrina over for a week. It's next year to be at the wedding and maybe....... Do you want to come too?

Neta: I think we can arrange that to happen. She'd love to see you get married....... I don't know about me though. It may change of aesthetically but........... It will always be a prison for me.............*sigh*..... I-

Sylvia: I get it. I completely understand Neta............ This place was not kind to you or anyone at that time

Neta:...............*sigh*................ Maybe I'll try going down there for a visit........ I want to see what music they have I can put in my shop.

Sylvia: whenever you saaay........... Maybe I can try going to the surface just to see cirrina play....... I also want to see how small your apartment is.

Neta: hahahahah shut up. See I knew you were going to do this. You always have to make fun of me about something!

Sylvia:wah wah wah.......... you shut up! If you're coming underground you better wear something nice not ugly clothes they wear up to the surface. They're like walking billboards. It's tacky, everything has to be branded. It's crazy.

Neta: RIGHT???. We used to just take blank shirts and draw pictures and shit. These kids have to have name brands. Do you know how much Toni kensa cost? It's like 100Gs for a pair of black and white shoes not the sales price!

Sylvia: I'm telling you surface dwellers don't take anything seriously. They don't know the value of money. They don't know the value of anything they just-

Neta: I thought you said we weren't going to be political.

Sylvia: be quiet............ The baby's crying. I got to go. Bye Net.

Neta: I got to pick up cirrina and see you later syl........... She's getting married. Maybe I should reconsider..

Mahi: she sounds nice. I can run the store If you're going to be underground for a while.

Neta: yeah thanks no problem. It'll be next year I have enough time to prepare myself and just to ......... mahi.... Were you listening to my conversation?

Mahi: just snippets of it You're next to the cash register. I couldn't help it here.

Neta: no, not that part. The fact that you can understand it. When were you going to tell me you know octarian?

Mahi: You never asked.

Neta: ..................................

Mahi: also, if you don't like carrot cake, you can just like get spice cake which is like carrot cake without the carrots but similar flavor

Neta:.......... Go on your break. I can't. I can't deal with you right now. Hahaha You're ridiculous hehehe You knew everything I was saying? what if I was talking shit huh?

Mahi belongs to @fish-at-fish-fish-resort

[koolkat9]

7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 41, 42

Hey babe, Hetalia ask game dropped!

7. Food-related headcanon? (im hungry)

Afonso has been giving lessons to Arthur on how to cook. Because Arthur is tired of relying on other's for proper food.

Alternatively, Arthur's significant other making meals for him that he can heat up over the week when they're apart so he doesn't starve.

---

10. How long have you been in the fandom? What's your lore?

I've been in the fandom I think about six years? I got into it winter of 2016. Basically I watched a top 10 video regarding anime Christmas episodes and the concept sounded interesting so I added it to my watch list. I actually almost dropped the series 3 episodes in because I was watch the dub and certain jokes rubbed me the wrong way, but I'm glad I came back.

As problematic as the early content was its a series I deeply love and owe a lot to. And its a rare case where no one really cares about canon and the fandom has been able to make it something beyond just canon and I think that's beautiful.

---

11. What book gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

Hmm...Books don't really get me thinking about hetalia tbh.

---

12. What film gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

Hmm, I'd have to go with either Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Treasure Planet.

Chitty Chitty Bang Band has GerEng written all over it. Arthur as Caractacus Potts, inventor and single father working hard to give his kid(s) the world. Ludwig as Truly Scrumptious, heir to a big candy company and a non-nonsense person who ends up running into the little Potts' family and coming along on an adventure in their flying car. I've literally casted the whole thing and picture the musical numbers casted as the hetalia characters.

Tresure Planet is perfect Atlantic bros au. Alfred as Jim Hawkins, a troubled kid who comes to possess the map to the elusive Treasure Planet. Arthur as Long John Silver, feared pirate captain who disguises himself and his crew to get onto the crew embarking to Treasure Planet. In the process however he grows close to Al/Jim and they develop something of a father-son relationship with Silver/Arthur being one of the first people to see Jim/Al's potential. Great for angst and sweet moments. Also pirate Arthur my beloved + steampunk like aesthetes.

---

13. What song gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

Hmm...There are so many. But one of my favourites is "Doll on a Music Box" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Because I love imaging GerEng disguised as dolls and doing the duet at the end.

Also almost any Beatles songs, specifically from the Sgt. Pepper album makes me thinking of GerEng and just them being cute listening to records together and going to concerts. But "Maratha my Dear" gives me a particular images of Ludwig singing it but replacing 'Martha' with 'Arthur.' And Arthur is jus so smitten.

---

41. Something positive the Hetalia fandom has done for your life?

Finally made me realize just how much I love writing. If it weren't for fanfiction writing, I don't know if I would have gone down the route of Creative Writing for University.

---

42. Any Hetalia merch (og or fan-made) rave-worthy?

The Alice Merch standees I got. My most valued piece of merch because I love how you can so easily turn that au into GerEng.

I also have a sticker of pixel GerEng for my computer that I just got.

Lastly, my hetalia shirt from hottopic. I don't know it makes me feeling much more comfortable wearing it. Probably because Hetalia is a big comfort for me.

[blackparadecd]

transcript under cut for those who want it:

Announcer: Gametap presents! My Chemical Romance! On tour!

Ray: This is the front lounge. It's cool, it's got this slide out thing that expands when the bus is parked, so it feels like a nice big living room.

Ray: (picking up food) Bread, bagels, you know, what you would have at home we try to keep out on the road here, so. Just kind of keep it more comfortable. I mean, you go to all these crazy places, you're meeting, I mean, places that you never envision yourself going to. And we've really lived a few lifetimes' worth of experiences in just a few years, you know?

Ray: Let me show you guys my bunk, cause this is what happens when people stay out on the road too long. I bought this, this 19-inch monitor. I got my PlayStation 3 Velcro-ed to the side here, Velcro is a tour must.

Ray: (leaving bus) I think now we're gonna head inside the venue and show you some of our dressing rooms and stuff like that. All right, so we're just gonna show you the costumes that we wear onstage real quick.

Gerard: You know, we needed to be another band, and the record was called Black Parade, the band was named Black Parade, and you know, that's kind of a black parade jacket. [clip of Welcome to the Black Parade music video]

Gerard: This band's had a visual aesthetic to go along with what it does, and the music that it makes. Right now, we'll do, we'll do a whole set as the Black Parade, but after this tour and after we're done with the Black Parade, we'll never really go back to that. We'll never be the Black Parade again.

Ray: Very important room to have is the game room. We're huge video gamers. We kind of finagled the label to get us this big-ass TV.

Ray: Beyond the graphics and stuff I think the storylines of games have just gotten much, much better because of, you know, just the quality of writing has gone up.

Ray: (holding Guitar Hero controller) Now this is one of the coolest things for us now, when we found out that we had one, a song on here.

Gerard: I always pick Axel Steel, cause he looks just like Andy Williams.

Ray: It's, it's always weird for me though, I'm often like playing the rhythms and doing the fingerings of the actual song and I end up just blowing it, so. We'll see how I do.

(Ray and Gerard playing Dead! in Guitar Hero 2)

Gerard: It's the attention to detail that's really awesome. A lot of these clubs are clubs we've played.

Ray: See, the guy just did that spin jump kick, I actually do that in real life sometimes.

Gerard: They're all kind of rock cliches too, like there's a guy who looks like he's in Motley Crue, there's a guy that looks like he's in a black metal band. You can hear the horns really good there.

Ray: We're My Chemical Romance, and we just wanted to thank you guys for coming and hanging out and the bus, and uh, thanks for watching. Take care.

if you haven't seen the ray toro talks about gaming on tour video you simply must

[pulchpop]

✧*✰ ｡*♡˖꒰ᵕ༚ᵕ⑅꒱ Starry Night ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡* ｡✰*✧

[thewiglesswonder]

I'm sending you three characters because I'm a menace: Warden Wrath, Hunter, and Bel.

You call yourself a menace, yet all you have done is given me an excuse to talk about my THREE FAVORITE BOYS.

Warden Wrath

First impression

It went something like, and I quote, "Hough. Now that's a good design." Like, I saw the plague doctor mask and he met most, if not all, of my standards. His voice just sealed the deal for me.

Impression now

I've used the phrase "Beefy Rules Dad" to describe him a couple times, so I think it's apt to use now. I still love him, I think he's a bit underutilized, and feel bad that the cards cast him as a level one villain.

Favorite moment

"You've always evaded our capture, you were always the one that got away. I found that alluring." He actually sounds genuine at the first part, and Luz's disgusted reaction to the second always makes me chuckle.

Idea for a story

I want to see him and Eda interact. Not in a fight setting or attempted-arrest kind of way, just a semi-awkward conversation between two people. Maybe they talk a little bit about being forcibly transformed (I found her "Wrath? You still in there, buddy?" unnecessarily kind).

Unpopular opinion

I'd say this is "unpopular" just by the fact that I have never seen it anywhere before, but you will pry the idea that he is a great dad from my cold, dead hands after sentient life has developed on my corpse.

Favorite relationship

I cannot get over how supportive his guards were in the first episode, so the notion of this weird relationship with them that includes "boss and subordinates" and "they will give him relationship advice and cheer him on when the time comes" is pretty stellar.

Favorite headcanon

You ended up being right about this, but Wrath being a control freak! It adds a lot to the base of "imposing warden" in a way that just scratches my brain.

Putting the other two under a cut to avoid too much scrolling:

Hunter:

Thoughts on our favorite ramet have been given here!

Belos (HOOH BOY):

First impression

Captivated. Entranced. Utterly fascinated by this guy. Back in season one, when we knew literally nothing about him, this air of mystery coupled with an insanely cool aesthetic (which I could write a whole separate post about) just drew me in instantly. I've been a villain enjoyer my whole life, and now is no exception.

Impression now

He is one of the few characters that I would refer to as "blorbo from my shows". I still have the same level of fascination, but it's gone from a kind of "mystery novel reader chortling and going along with the plot" to a "crazed conspiracy theorist who has covered the walls in paper and red string" thing. My love for him has only grown. I am the living embodiment of this video.

Favorite moment

It's a tie. Number 1 is "Okay. I'll play." because come ON. WHAT a way to kick off a boss fight in the season finale, no less! He isn't angry that Luz has been disrupting his plans, or caught off guard by her in any way, he sounds amused by her threat. That, and the fact that it's coupled with him melting and rearranging himself behind her to teleport. Number 2 is his face reveal and subsequent conversation with Hunter. I love it because it's exactly the opposite of the terrifying Emperor we saw fight Luz. He reminisces fondly about the Human Realm, even lightly jokes with Hunter, all while that music box tune plays in the background. Man, I just... the RANGE-

Idea for a story

Where do I even start with this one. I've definitely been on a Brothers Wittebane kick recently, so a flashback into their childhood rife with foreshadowing about their future would do nicely. Like several subsequent punches to the stomach.

Unpopular opinion

I think that his mental state is way worse than anybody seems to think. Like, yes, on the surface and aside from the curse, he's the picture of a calm, collected leader with a definitive plan, but I really think upwards of four hundred years of isolation and God knows what else has him a little crazier than anybody seems to suspect. I can't imagine also having Hunter around would do him much good, as he grows to look more and more like the brother that abandoned Philip so many years ago.

Favorite relationship

You know. You know damn well.

Favorite headcanon

Although it's wonderfully angsty, I like that headcanon of yours that he picks and tears at his wood-rot. It kind of seems like just the unnerving, neurotic thing that would lie under such a composed surface.

[talkfantasytome]

Model Students

12 Days of Rowaelin - Day 9: First Holiday Season Together

Rowan, Aelin, and their friends come together for a small celebration before the big party and they all go home for the holidays.

Warnings: Fluff; Innuendo | Word Count: 2,322 | Read on AO3

Previous Part | Model Students Masterlist | ToG Masterlist

a/n: Shhh...yes...it's still day 9. 👀 (I don't like to follow calendars.)

There's soooo much I could do here in this AU for this prompt. And maybe I'll do more next year for them. XD But, for now, happy holidays from the model students!

Also, going to stop numbering these, because with this, pretty sure I'm no longer writing them in chronological order. 😂 We'll see what happens next year if I hit stuff I didn't this.

I'll do aesthetic changes for the other ones another time.

"What are you doing?"

Lysandra paused, her fist raised and just a few inches from the door to Stag Senate. "Knocking on the door?"

Aelin rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked past Lysandra and just opened it. Elide followed quickly behind her, Lysandra seeming far more tentative even as Aelin shouted out, "Hello!"

It was fair. Lysandra didn't know the house as well, or its occupants. But after about three months of dating Rowan, Aelin came over far too often to wait on someone opening the door. Rowan had even given her a key, for when the door was actually locked - something so rare Aelin still hadn't needed to use it. Apparently it caused a brutal discussion among the housemates when Rowan first brought it up, but Lorcan finally agreed when Rowan told him that he could also give Elide a key.

"HO HO HO!" a voice boomed behind a cheap, white beard that appeared in the entrance to the living area. Aelin couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Fenrys donning a full Santa Claus outfit. He'd even stuffed the pants and jacket to give himself a larger stomach. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

"Merry Christmas, Santa," Aelin replied as she, Lysandra, and Elide all hung up their coats on the coat rack.

"Before you go any further, you ladies have to kiss." Fenrys stopped with the falsely deep voice, pointing up at a sprig of mistletoe hung right above their heads.

Looking around, Aelin saw another one hung in the center of the archway into the living area, and one just over the base of the stairs, and another over the door to the bathroom. She had a feeling there might be one every five feet.

Elide huffed out a loud sigh, crossing her arms. "It doesn't count when you cover the whole house in it, Fen."

"Tell me that again when it's you and Lorcan finding yourselves under each sprig."

Elide blushed softly and Aelin had to roll her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing.

"Don't worry girls, Fenrys forgets that mistletoe can only be forced on a person once per party." Lysandra flung her arms around Elide and Aelin's shoulders, giving them each a big kiss on the cheek. "Now he can't trap any of us."

Fenrys narrowed his eyes, mischief flashing through them. "Well played, Ennar. Well played." He turned and started to lead them into the room, the three girls picking up their gifts from where they left them on the bench. "It's mostly set up for tomorrow night anyway."

Of course it was. The big, end of term holiday party. Fenrys had been planning it since Halloween and it was likely going to get crazy.

It was why they were all meeting for this smaller celebration the day before, instead of doing it the day after like originally suggested. No one expected to be out of bed before dinner that Sunday, though Aelin likely for a different reason than some of the others.

Thinking of, as she stepped into the living area her eyes fell on that exact reason, her heart picking up its pace as she met pine green eyes. The same ones she hadn't gone a day without seeing since September, and never planned to again. Except the upcoming two weeks of their holiday break before Rowan came back from Doranelle.

It was going to be hell, being away from him. She'd gotten used to having him around. And, knowing that come the end of the year they'd likely face far longer times apart with his work in the Air Force, she really didn't want to waste the time they could be together.

Thank the gods he was also close with Aedion. Her cousin would be hosting Rowan for the second two weeks of their break while Aelin and her family hosted Lysandra. Living right next door to each other would definitely have its perks.

Rowan smiled widely at her, walking around the counter and out of the kitchen to greet her.

"Ah! Before you two smush it, Secret Santa present in here," Fenrys demanded, holding out the large sack Aelin hadn't realized he was carrying.

With a small snort, Aelin placed the long, thinner wrapped box she was carrying into the bag, keeping the other, more square-like one in her hands. Once he had the gift, Fenrys stepped away to get Lysandra and Elide's and Rowan strode forward.

Just two steps and he was enveloping her in his arms. She wrapped her own around his waist and looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you as well," he chuckled, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He tried to pull his head back, but Aelin was too fast. She brought her free hand up to the nape of his neck and pulled him down for a deeper kiss. He didn't seem to object. Rowan tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her as close as physically possible.

It didn't last long and Aelin found herself pouting as Rowan successfully pulled himself away.

He chuckled softly, flicking her pushed out lip. "Later. We have company now."

"I am the company," Aelin argued as he dragged her toward the sitting area.

"Barely." Rowan sat down on one end of the couch and pulled Aelin into the spot next to him, so close she was practically on his lap.

Luckily for them, Lysandra was nestled across Aedion where he sat in one of the arm chairs, distracting him enough he didn't mind Aelin's more public display as she tilted her head and started to kiss his neck.

Rowan groaned. "Fireheart," he whispered, bringing up one hand to tangle into her hair and pull her head back. He leaned in and brushed his nose against hers. The closeness was like a blessed relief, like the taste of warmth after treading through snow. "Later."

"Fine." She practically threw her back against the couch and rolled her eyes.

"We have snacks!" Connall cheered, walking into the living room with three different bags of chips and a plate filled with a variety of cookies.

Lysandra huffed out a small laugh. "So classy."

"Trust me, this is better than asking one of us to try and make something." Connall placed everything on the coffee table and then started asking everyone what they wanted to drink.

Within another ten minutes they were all set up and ready to start the gift exchange. Fenrys stood, letting out another booming, "Ho ho ho!" He then reached in and handed the first gift to Aedion.

It was amusing, watching everyone open each other's gifts, though Aelin's favorite part was when they got to the one she was giving.

She'd pulled Lorcan. Go figure. But, with a little help and agreement from Elide, she'd thought of the perfect gift.

His face was priceless as he pulled out the skimpy, tiny, deep purple lingerie piece. "Um, Santa, I don't think this will fit me."

"No? I could've sworn that was your size," Aelin cooed, resting her chin on her hand and covering her mouth with it to hide the smile.

"Why the hell would you give me this?" he practically spat. Aelin didn't miss the way Rowan's arm tensed slightly where it rested around her back.

Aelin simply sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because the only way I could handle giving you a Christmas gift was if I made it a gift for a friend as well. But don't worry, she was in on it and gave me the okay to do this."

Satisfaction came in the form of pink ear tips on Lorcan, noticeable because he currently had his shoulder-length hair pulled into a bun. He grumbled his thanks and shoved the piece back into the box before leaning so far back into his seat Aelin thought he might disappear through it.

"That was wicked," Rowan purred in her ear. His breath caressed her cartilage and sent a chill down her back.

"Oh, please. It's one of the best gifts given so far and he's going to be extremely grateful tonight." Aelin smirked up at Rowan, savoring the glint in his eyes.

"But we may not be," Rowan chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple as Santa Fenrys continued to hand out the gifts.

Once all gifts were given the group broke apart for more private celebrations. Fenrys and Connall left first, heading out to one of the bars to meet up with friends and 'find somewhere else to sleep tonight'. Aedion and Lysandra didn't stay much longer, and to Aelin's surprise, Lorcan and Elide decided to leave with them and go to Elide's place. Leaving Rowan and her all alone in the house.

Aelin wasn't going to complain. Giving him her gift by the Christmas tree was so much nicer than doing it in his bedroom just to have some privacy.

Rowan poured them each another drink and then dimmed the lighting so that the tree could really shine.

When he returned to the couch, he also had a present tucked beneath one arm along with the drinks.

"Ooo, what's that?" she asked excitedly, looking at the neatly wrapped present. Green with a silver bow.

"Just something for Aedion I forgot about, hoping you could give it to him." Rowan beamed down at her as she scrunched her face, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "It's for you. Since I didn't pull you in Secret Santa."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. Now I get two gifts!" Rowan laughed with her as he handed her the package. It wasn't perfectly cornered like a box, and it felt both soft and hard.

Without waiting Aelin tore off the wrapping, finding herself holding a letter-sized book. It was spiral bound, but with thick spirals that wouldn't easily bend. The cover was like leather - or maybe real leather, she couldn't tell - a solid turquoise except in the center where Fireheart was engraved in gold.

"Rowan," she sighed softly, opening the book to find a year's worth of planner pages, one page per day and a month layout at the beginning of each one, exactly as she liked it. "This is amazing."

"Thought you might like a more elegant diary," he explained. "This one also includes goals pages, some list pages, and it comes with a bunch of stickers and flags you can use to emphasize certain events or for other reasons."

She smiled up at him, a warmth pooling in her eyes as she threw her arms around him. "I love it! It's absolutely perfect."

Aelin pulled back in time to see the soft flush on his cheeks. "It's refillable, too. So we can always order more pages and stickers and what not."

Laughing, she pressed her lips to his before he ran out of breath trying to explain the gift as if she didn't already cherish it.

He kissed her back, begging entry into her mouth with his tongue, but she only nipped at his lip and then pulled away.

"My turn." She grabbed the box from the console table behind them and handed it to him, her leg shaking slightly as she hugged the planner to her chest and watched him.

Rowan was smiling as he undid the giant bow she placed on it and then pulled apart the wrapping paper as if he were trying to save it.

The box inside was just a plain box, and it had him furrowing his brows a bit as he opened it to see what was inside. She didn't miss the way his eyes widened as he pulled out the little aircraft model and Air Force action figure.

Holding up the guy, Aelin's lips curved further upward at the sight of the figure's silver hair and tattooed forearm, the flight suit's sleeves rolled up on him. But Rowan was looking intently at the chest as he read out, "Buzzard."

She couldn't help but laugh as his eyes snapped to hers.

"It's me!" Aelin nodded excitedly, her smile only growing as Rowan's did. "And I have my own plane!"

"And you can even sit in it," she added, holding up the model so Rowan could bend the legs of his little action figure and slide him in.

He chuckled, taking the set from Aelin and looking at them closely. "This is great."

"Now you know what you'll look like when you're all suited up and ready for action."

Rowan's lips shifted into a crooked half-smile as he placed the model down on the coffee table. "And…what did you think about how I'll look?" He slung one arm over the back of the couch and slid closer to her.

"I liked the aviators," she offered, putting on as sultry of a tone as she could while still smiling like an idiot.

"Really?" He let his eyes roam over her body, taking the planner from her as he did and setting it next to his own gift.

Aelin nodded, moving her body closer to his. "And the way your hair was a bit tousled." She brought one hand up and brushed it through his hair, messing it up slightly.

"Both of those things can be arranged before I graduate." He leaned in, teasing his nose against her neck.

"Let's start with the hair. I need your eyesight at 100% for what I want to do with you." Rowan groaned gently against her throat and Aelin giggled, her entire body feeling light and warm and completely alive.

He lifted his head and caught her eyes, just a gentle curve now resting on his lips. He brought a hand up to her face, cupping it and caressing her cheek with his thumb as he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Merry Christmas, Aelin," he sighed, leaning his forehead on hers.

"Merry Christmas, Rowan."

@danibutterr @boredserpent @thestoriesyoutell @superspiritfestival @lemonade-coolattas @thegreyj @live-the-fangirl-life @morganofthewildfire @backtobl4ck @nesquik-arccheron @sayosdreams @autumnbabylon @charlizeed

If you'd like to be added to my tag list, let me know! 😄

[afictionalwhore]

Light as a Feather (Oh Baby pt 2)

A/N: There’s been a lot going on, but I finally got it! This was the original plot of “Oh Baby!”, that cuteness that was inspired by my little ones at the daycare, but I got sidetracked by smut. Alas, no smut in this one today, but you can find smut here in pt 1!

Pairing: Hawks x fem Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

TW: yandere Hawks, a bit of angst with a happy (?) ending

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

It was a clear night, where despite the hazy glow of the street lamps, Keigo could still make out the stars above. The full moon shone down on him, glimmering against his brilliant red wings. It was the perfect temperature: cool, but just warm enough that if Keigo were home with you, he’d have insisted you leave the window open for the crisp night air to breeze. 

As he made his way down the empty street, Keigo pouted. He didn’t understand why he had to be out on night patrol. Hawks can’t see at night. His avian eyes were useless at night. His mind wandered to you and your son at home, where he’s much rather be.

Keigo was determined to be the best father for his son (he just knew you would give him a son as soon as you told him you were expecting). He took a whole week off to spend time with you. Of course, the rumors flew about where the great Hawks was during this time, the most popular of them being that he was off having a secret love affair. The commission was able to shut them down almost as fast as they appeared. Hawks had a reputation as Japan's most eligible bachelor to uphold. If only they knew. 

When he begrudgingly returned to work, Keigo had grown paranoid about your safety. He knew, rationally, that no one would be able to find you. The most skilled hikers of Everest wouldn't be able to find their way to and from your secluded haven. He knew, rationally, that you would never leave him. You loved him too much for that, and now with your son on the way, you didn't just love Keigo, you needed him. 

Prior to his return from his "staycation", as he told the commision, Keigo had plucked a feather from his wings and fashioned it into a necklace. 

"Here," Keigo said as he sat you in front of your vanity mirror. He stood behind you to clasp the necklace around the back of your neck. The soft red feather lay tenderly on your collarbone. "I'll be able to sense where you are with this feather. Keep it on at all times. If you need anything, just squeeze it, and I'll drop whatever I'm doing for you."

To test his theory, you carefully ran your fingers over the feather, feeling every babule that made up the vane. Keigo shivered, and stretched out his wings. 

"That feels really nice, baby," he said, a pleasant smile stretching across his face. "Like you’re petting my wings. Do it again."

You caught a glimpse of him behind you in the mirror. His eyes sparkled with excitement, and he reminded you of an overgrown puppy. For a second, you could forget he ever kidnapped you in the first place.

Despite the lightness and softness of the feather, it felt heavy, like one more thing to chain you to Keigo, as though a baby weren't enough. For Keigo, however, not only did the feather help set his mind at ease (he didn't tell you he could sense vibrations and know when you were moving), filled him with a sense of pride to see you wearing his feather, as though it were a collar that declared him as your owner. You really were his, and nothing brought him more joy.

The sound of sirens blaring brought Keigo out of his reminiscing. Fire engines and an ambulance whizzed by. Hawks opened his wings, briefly stretching them out before flying after them.

He didn't have to follow for long when they came to an apartment complex on fire. Perhaps a small kitchen fire got out of hand. Smoke poured out the windows of the upper floors, some ten stories above. Firemen and ambulances lined up, and Hawks got to work scouring the apartment for trapped citizens.

Naturally, reporters were drawn to site. As the realization that Hawks was on the scene grew so did the amount of reports. The presence of Japan's Number Two bringing in all the news crews, both local and national. 

As Hawks carried out an elderly woman, he was overcome with pain. A pain so sharp, he thought he was dying. He felt as though something was squeezing his chest. A heart attack, maybe? He had never felt such pain in his life. A haunting revelation crossed his mind: the squeeze wasn't just coming from him, it was from you and your feather. There was only one other time you had squeezed the feather Keigo gave you, and that was when baby Takami was on the way.

You weren't exactly sure how you survived the birth. There was no way Keigo would allow a doctor, or even the old village midwife, to come up the mountain to visit you, much less allow you to go down yourself. 

It was the longest day of Keigo's life, an excruciating 20 hours as he watched you bring his child into the world. It was all worth it, as he gazed down at the tiny copy of him crying in his arms. Kiego turned to look down at you, your sweat sticking your hair to your face, chest heaving to gather air. Your voice, hoarse from the screaming, whispered the gentle command for Keigo to hand you your baby. Silently, he obeyed. Who was he to deny you the right to hold the child you gave him? 

Keigo's heart seized. He didn't think he could be any more in love with you as he was as he watched you with his son, brilliant red wings, a miniature version of Keigo’s own red wings, folded against your baby’s tiny back to fit in the crook of your arm and nuzzle against you. His feathers shifted and shook as he snuggled into you, gazing up at you with honey eyes full of awe. 

With all your screaming the excruciating labor, you were for sure your fate as Keigo's wife locked up was sealed. There was no way anyone would come to your rescue, as your cries only served to further prove the local myths of the haunted forest. This, of course, brought Keigo a sense of ease, despite the agony he was in watching you writhe in pain. 

"Are you okay, young man?" the elderly woman Hawks was still holding asked. Keigo realized he must look as bad as felt. He smiled his signature Hawks smile and shook his head.

"I'm alright, ma'am," Hawks said. "Just some bad chicken for lunch. Are you okay?" Hawks set the woman down and flew off before giving her a chance to answer his question. He had to get to you. He had to get to his son. This pain was nothing like he'd felt before. Everything else could wait.

He heard the distant voices of reporters behind him.

“Where is Hawks going?”

“Why is Hawks leaving the scene?”

“That isn’t very hero-like of Hawks.”

Keigo was grateful for the woman asking how he felt. She would be a handy alibi in case the reporters asked around the scene before the commision was able to speak up about Hawk's sudden disappearance from the scene. 

"It wasn't like there were any villains around," they would say, "Just a small apartment fire and he happened to be in the neighborhood. Heroes are just like the rest of us. They can eat bad chicken too."

Keigo flew through the forest, branches brushing harshly against his face. Every possibility ran through his mind. The “what if”s assaulted him as he raced to reach you. 

What if there was an accident?

What if you fell and hurt yourself?

Hurt the baby?

What if someone found you?

Keigo’s heart froze. Your disappearance was gaining some fame on the news once again. It had been nearly a year ago that Keigo plucked you out of your dirty apartment in the dangerous part of town. You had no way of knowing the date, thanks to Keigo’s lack of calendars, and lived telling time passed solely based on the growth of your baby.

What if you left? 

Keigo shook his head. You didn’t really want to be rescued anymore, did you? Keigo didn’t think that was the case at all as he recalled the way you stare in wonder at your son, his son, the son that he gave you. You loved your baby, and you loved Keigo.

Keigo slowed as he approached your front yard, a small clearing, fenced in with thin logs that appealed to Keigo’s nesting aesthetic. Inside the fence, your garden proudly stood.

As time passed, Keigo noticed you grew restless. Keigo almost felt bad, grooming you into craving his affection. You didn't get much company outside the cardinals outside the window and the deer that roamed your forested backyard. You must have been so lonely during his long work hours. 

Keigo thought that coming home to a nice meal cooked by you, his beautiful, doting wife, was all a man could ask for. That was until he got the bright idea of giving you a garden to grow the food you cooked for him. Keigo battled with the garden, he saw how some of the women at his agency fawned over their plants, and while he wanted nothing less than your constant affection and couldn't stand the possibility that your garden would also earn your care. But he also thought you could use the company during his long and irregular work hours. His rationale was that the more of the groceries you grew the less time he would have to spend away from you at the store getting your weekly groceries. 

Keigo slowly made his way through your yard. On closer inspection, there was nothing amiss in your garden, save for the usual deer damage. He couldn’t relax yet. 

He walked through the front door, which was closed, he made note of, and was met with unnerving silence. Tucked away in the corner of your living room was the small, upright piano, a chip on the top corner from when Keigo hit the doorway while maneuvering the piano into your living room. The piano was closed, keys covered. Your sheet music was laying on the floor. A sign of struggle?

A vegetable garden wasn't going to last the winter, so Keigo decided to find other hobbies for you to take on while he was gone for an agonizing eight hours minimum. You sleepily waddled into your living room one morning on one of Hawk's rare days off to find him dragging a piano through your front door. 

"Do you like it?" Keigo beamed the moment he saw you and your round form from around the piano. "Your garden won't last the winter up here. So I thought you could pick up a few more hobbies indoors." Of course the fact that if you had things to do to keep you indoors and safe while Hawks was out at work would help ease his pain of having to leave you on your own remained unspoken. You knew, but you couldn't be mad. Music would be good for the baby.

Keigo cried out at the thought of never hearing you play again, never coming home to the sounds of your choppy notes as you learned new pieces. The window was open and a slight breeze blew through, billowing your curtains and ruffling your papers on the floor. Ah, just the wind. This revelation did nothing calm Keigo. Why was the window open on a night he had patrol?

He ran to the kitchen. Empty. A plate of food and a small rice bowl sat on the table, all wrapped in foil. A pair of chopsticks laying neatly beside them. Keigo’s heart fluttered. You had set a place for him. Dishes from dinner were stacked in the sink, waiting to be washed as you always stayed up for Keigo to finish with his before setting to washing. The faucet dripped slowly. Plink. Plink. Plink. The sound grew louder, ringing in Keigo’s ears until he screamed. The painful squeezing still holding on to him.

Keigo flew about your house, banging against the walls. He checked every room.The bathroom? Nothing. The bedroom? Nothing. Keigo groaned as he made his way to your neatly made, shared bed, falling on to it. Keigo wept. His head fell into his hands, and his wings trembled with every sob that wracked his body. 

After a few minutes, he realized there was only one place left to check. The throbbing pain had never subsided but was only overshadowed by his fear. Keigo felt his heart beat against his chest as he turned slowly to look at the one room he avoided searching out of fear: the nursery. The nursery was directly across from your bedroom. The door was cracked slightly, just enough to let the light inside filter into the hallway. 

 Keigo was afraid his heartbeat was too loud, that whatever was potentially in the room waiting for him would hear it. His muscles ached as he made his way to the door. As he approached the nursery, his heart grew louder until he was right outside the door. He held the knob in his grasp, clammy and slightly trembling, before giving a push. Keigo wasn’t ready for the sight that greeted him.

There you sat in the rocker with your baby in your arms, his chubby cheek pressed up against your breast. Both of you were fast asleep, the light rise and fall of your chests in sync. Milk dribbled off your baby’s chin like he had just finished drinking. In one pudgy hand, he held a vise grip on your finger. In his other hand, he held Keigo’s feather, as tight as he could as though it was just as much his lifeline as your milk.

Keigo ran to you and dropped to the floor, sobbing into your knees as he clung to your legs. You jumped awake at the weight of Keigo nearly collapsing on you, startling your baby.

You gently shushed your baby, holding him against you to calm him while running your hands through Keigo’s hair to soothe him. 

“Keigo, honey,” your crystalline voice rang. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were gone. I thought—” Keigo’s cries cut him off. He clutched at his chest, your baby still squeezing his feather hanging from your neck.

“Oh. Oh, Keigo. I’m so sorry,” you said as you realized what had happened. “Here.”

You pried your infant’s fingers off Keigo’s feather. The little red plumage slightly ruffled from being bent into the shape of the baby’s fist. You shook Keigo off you and stood up, adjusting your baby in your arms and turning to the door.

“Let’s go get you something to eat, okay?” You looked back at Keigo and smiled before turning back and walking out the door towards the kitchen. He hurriedly wiped his tears, in a fashion similar to a small child who had scraped their knee, and followed you.

Unseen by Keigo was the glow in your eyes. The first time you used his feather you were too distraught by labor to realize the power you held over Keigo. Rather than heavy chains binding you to Keigo, the feather acted more like a leash tied around his neck. The originally weight lifted, and the red feather hanging gracefully from around your neck finally felt as light as a feather.

[janiedean]

I feel bad for all the nice J*nsa shippers who like their ship for whatever reasons (tropes, pretty art, aesthetic appeal, whatever) and know it's not canon but get associated with the misogynistic Dany hating crowd who act like Jon being attracted to Ygritte is J*nsa foreshadowing because red hair (I guess Jon should fuck Edmure Tully too? Omg give me Dark!Jon getting revenge on Catelyn by seducing her brother!) Tell me something. I'm new to the fandom but was J*nsa popular before the show? And I've heard something about the OG J*nsa shippers being alienated by the new shippers who insisted it had to be canon and acted like the series is called, "A song of J*nsa #danysux." I don't find that hard to believe because I know people who are now ashamed of calling themselves J*nsa shippers. Like, at this point, it's not only rival shippers who hate it. Even Gendrya/Braime/Jon stans/etc have started disliking that ship. You know your fandom is a problem when people who have nothing to do with Jnsa have a problem with it.

me: reads this ask

me: iwastheregandalf.gif which I can't find now but

okay anon buckle up because I am sadly well-equipped to answer this ask but before I do lemme tell you dark jon seducing edmure to take revenge on cat is LITERALLY THE BEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD but *clears throat* ALL RIGHT THEN.

disclaimer: as anon says I have no issue with like the shippers mentioned by anon in the beginning and ngl I agree, I have ABSOLUTELY ZERO FUCKING STAKES in the j*nsa vs j*nerys war and the only het jon ship I gaf about is jon/ygritte and we all know where that ended up I just... have been here since 2011/adwd was over and all the fic around was just for the books under secret lj communities and asoiaf qualified for yuletide and I have... seen... things.... and I actually have like uh had... beef... with some people in there and I know things bc ppl who hated those others told me stuff so anyway *sigh* buckle up anon I'mma tell you the story of jon shipwars through the years

in order, the old gods help me here, under the cut bc this is long as fuck

when I got into fandom also given what numbers were on ao3 one ship was popular and it was sansan. no like sansan was lit. the only asoiaf ship on ao3 with more than 200 fics. jb had twenty when i checked first. jc had like around 100-ish because of the show but sansan dwarfed anything. I posted the first jon/ygritte fic on the ao3 tag and the fourth throbb fic and like the others were all reposts from lj kinkmemes. nothing was popular before the show except for sansan when it comes to huge numbers bc grrm doesn't like fic and it was all hush hush until the show made it impossible to control and that ship was the one with a huge enough fanbase it actually had numbers, so like... j*nsa wasn't popular in the way nothing else was popular until it got screentime on the show

now, that stated, j*nsa had a... fair amount of fic for a rareship which was mostly book-based and from og shippers that were there from before the show and liked it for what it was but literally none of them thought it was gonna be canon, like it wasn't huge or anything but it had a small but dedicated fanbase who did their own thing and thought it was fun/liked the idea but that was it

that fandom had their own niche of hcs that they cultivated and shit except that like... at the end of S5/beginning of S6 there was a surge in shipping for... well obvious reasons bc it was obv sansa was getting to the wall and that would have been all nice and good but a) it was the time puritanical shipping was starting to take root and the 'shipping sansa with sandor or tyrion is hella problematic' rhetoric had started to circle coming from sans*ery shippers mostly but I'mma not open that fucking can of worms here, b) while the ending of S5 had more of a theon/sansa spike, the j*nsa stuff started getting big

now here we have to mention my villain origin story ie: j*nsa fandom had this one stan whose name I won't make because honestly it's been years and if she's still around I don't want her to remember I exist who was a bnf, wrote for... the website that created the whole larry/carol thing etc who was really fixed on this thing that j*nsa was actually canon and started writing extremely popular meta about it. now you're gonna ask how do you know, I know because this person once wrote a meta named 'why robb stark is a dick' and I told her that it was really fucking bad meta and she took it so badly she kept on trash talking me on her blog/her podcast (I was apparently the insane robb stark fangirl l m a o good lord) and like that was when some sane ppl who argued with her informed me in pvt that she was basically harping on the CANON thing when they'd have been okay with like... it being crackshipping and that she was basically cultivating a hoarde of followers who were harping on them/the ogs and basically ostracizing them;

I would like to add that this person - before her tumblr got 'accidentally deleted' and remade it therefore deleted most receipts for, er, her so-called meta which included stuff like ned and cat raised sansa as a sexual object and only wanted to sell her like cattle - had at some point started a round robin fic thing where... some of the characters mocked openly said stuff that some of the og fans had said specifically targeting them and people in that side basically went harassing anyone who didn't agree with that specific notion

now never mind that this person basically coined an entire term to describe ppl who liked white guys and excused all their wrongdoings out of my conversation re robb basically lying about everything I said as if I didn't have the receipts and tried to sell shirts with it and it didn't work and like then she got kicked out of her own website because she was telling her commenters disagreeing pretty shitty insults (considering I was called psychotic for disagreeing with her that time I don't doubt it) I think at some point she stepped back from fandom bc idk wtf she's up to these days and I don't want to, but basically at that point the dam was broken and there was a bunch of puritanical shippers harping on anyone who didn't agree with j*nsa is canon endgame stuff

this also includes an incident when those ppl were like... passing themselves as throbb shippers and ended up trying to tell t*hramsay shippers off the theon tag based on moral reasons and I ended up arguing with all of them (and they were all from that crowd) which in turn landed me in contact with other og j*nsa shippers who were like detached from that fandom bc those same people harassed them away as well ssooooo fun

anyway when S6 happened everyone was high on it and whatnot but I wasn't gonna begrudge them that I mean... you shipped it for years, canon is delivering you, good for you, but then j*nerys happened

god j*nerys happened

aaand basically...... I mean personally I was there like are y'all seriously arguing about the best incest jon ship out there but like basically the j*nsa endgame side was like AH JON IS PLAYING DANY SEE IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, the j*nerys obv got defensive af and both sides were sort of alternatively shitting on jon/ygritte anyway and depicting any other romantic rship jon could have as abusive™ and during S8 it just got worse and like I tried to stay out of it but basically from what I'm seeing now idk how the j*neryses are doing but on the j*nsa one it's ah jon's gonna play dany anyway and she's going to go insane like in the show so SHOW TRUTHING EVERY OTHER WAY and like again denying that sandor exists or that tyrion exists and like I barely touch my corner (sansan) but I ended up arguing with j*nsa/th*nsa people on twitter who were antis and is2g it was white-hair inducing and I know for sure the sansa/tyrion shippers were harassed to hell and back throughout so FUN

and even if the show didn't go there now since everyone there banked on the jnsa endgame thing and admitting you're wrong is like... not a thing, they still haven't let go of it and attach to that ship any shred of evidence which honestly is grasping at straws half of the time (like... the sansa/alysanne parallels like guys please no) and which is why every other ship is starting to get fed up, attaching canon proof of stuff from other ships onto theirs see that batb argument and jb is platonic but jonsa is not nvm taking all the sansan stuff and throwing it on j*nsa but then denying that sansan has canon evidence (like guys I had to read sansa touching his shoulder when saying gregor wasn't a true knight wasn't meaningful and we were seeing things please) and blah blah blah

this also goes hand in hand with the fixation on like... villanizing dany at all costs and like is2g I have zero investment in dany or her storyline I don't even remember it and I don't particularly care abt her either way and sure af I'm not for j*nerys endgame but like.... some stuff I read is completely excessive esp when fixing on how she's a completely mad tyrant who's gonna have to be put down and like... guys no

(also there's some srs stannis hate in that corner which I honestly don't get why they even care abt stannis but I had to read stuff like ppl don't recognize that dany and stannis are the real villains in this saga and like........ idek)

I think most of the og shippers are gone or don't ship it openly bc they don't want to be attached to the drama but like I also think they're pissing off everyone else bc like... I mean a bunch of them also were down with sansa being paired with other ppl as long as it meant a good ending for her except those ppl were... like everyone but the ppl she has actual contact with in canon which meant that at some point sansa/gendry was a thing and like.... you can imagine why arya/gendry shippers & arya stans were fed up, and there's also this tendency to behave like sansa is the center of the entire saga which like these books is named a song of jon snow basically can we pls make peace with it and personally I've had it with both j*nsa and j*nerys people since they started with that dumbass JON/YGRITTE WAS AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP rhetoric but I'm also fed up with the total ignoring that sandor exists/depicting us as delusional and honestly I also was by proxy fed up from the harassing of the sansa/tyrion shippers soooooooooooo

there were also instances of 'well theon is an acceptable choice other than jon bc he can't threaten her' which... i mean we all know what that meant and I'm not even commenting it bc it's one AM and I have no force to but I don't have to explain why it's not a progressive take now do I

there were also metas about how cousin incest being legal in half of the world means that jondany is a worse incest and j*nsa doesn't count as such and I was basically there like guys please just fucking own up to it but honestly I chose to forgot where I read that and I couldn't find the link if I tried

tldr: no one wants to admit that it's not gonna be endgame which considering the amount of fic they have on ao3 is imvho useless bc they have more content than like.. anything I ship that's not jb or that's actually like canon *cries in joncon/rhaegar but I mean renly/loras is canon and has less fic than them* so idk what's the problem with enjoying that instead of insisting it's gonna be canon when not even the show validated it while show truthing anyway when the only show truthing that can be truthed is the small council made of minorities and possibly jon eventually fucking off with the wildlings but not like that but like most people who thought it wasn't gonna be endgame had left/were made to leave by the time S7 rolled by and at this point since wow isn't out yet everyone is fandom-grasping at straws to find stuff to discourse on and we're here beating dead horses *shrug*

so that's... how it is but I would again like to point out that I don't judge ppl on their shipping, I don't particularly care about this entire feud bc I only ship jon with ppl he's not related to in whichever way and I try to stay out of this mess bc I don't really care to argue with ppl who have already decided to bend canon to whatever they want and will have to realize that it's not what grrm wrote at some point but like I have a very good memory and the above rant is as objective as possible also bc again I don't literally have a stake in that race I just think romantic/endgame j*nsa is not a thing and that ppl should stay in their lane and not harping on other ppl who ship whatever in general but especially when their ship is the most popular thing in fandom in the first place /two cents

[sanstropfremir]

I'm curious for your take on a fashion trend that always has been hanging out in the wings, but seems to have really taken off in K-Pop in particular the last few years.

It seems like every way I look these days, we're getting hit with luxury "looks" that are legit just the luxury brand printed all over a bland or non-innovative item. This definitely isn't new (it makes me think of the prevalence of those stupid - and stupidly expensive - Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts in the US back in the 2000s), but I feel like it's now seeping into K-Pop album concept photos and stage outfits in addition to just their every day fashion/sponsored photo shoots. In some cases it doesn't bother me as much because its a small addition (like Sunmi's triangle Prada barrettes in some of her latest comeback photos - I don't like the barrettes, but they work because the wider concept is great) or its used unconventionally (like TxT's latest concept photos, where you can see some of the usual brands but thrown together with unconventional pieces so they feel fresh).

But in other cases, it feels like they're just phoning it in by picking luxury clothing so they can say "look, we're expensive" and calling it a day. I'd submit the examples of The Boyz in some of their latest teasers, the latest Stray Kids concept photos, and quite a few of Blackpink's albums/promotions since they all have their own brand sponsors that they stick to these days. A lot of American celebrities are guilty of this as well so its not just K-Pop, but I honestly just don't expect more from Hollywood like I do from K-Pop.

It's clear that you can have effective styling without defaulting to the luxury branding (A.C.E comes to mind immediately), and there are plenty of luxury pieces that don't have their branding all over it that often allow the same luxury feel without shoving the brand in your face. So this branded merchandise trend really ends up rubbing me the wrong way.

What are your thoughts? I think my stance is clear, but I'd love a different perspective from someone that has a lot more background in fashion, particularly stage fashion, than myself.

anon ilu i have many thoughts on this topic but i don't think i've ever mentioned it before so thank you thank you for somehow reading my single braincell and asking about it!

basically for anyone who doesn't want to read me going off about luxury branding the tldr is yes i agree, i personally don't like branding in general and luxury branding especially. i don't own a single item of clothing or accessory with an obvious/recognizable brand logo and i haven't for probably over a decade now. now let's get into some nitty gritty.

in the current fashion climate i think most of the time it's tacky to display wealth so openly and obviously and it is one of the main factors in driving the machine of fashion consumerist culture. i also think it's a weak styling choice because it only has one association: money. 99% of the time it does not contribute anything meaningful to the artistic vision of the work and it's just to brag. sm stylists pull off luxury branding better than most other groups because they tend to integrate it well into the overall aesthetics of the specific mvs, and it's usually pretty sparing. with sm they use it more as a confirmation of the quality of the sm brand than just boasting about money in general. notable examples where i think visible branding works are kun's supreme jacket in kick back, and taemin's balenciaga 2017 in day and night, because both well integrated into the aesthetics of the videos and they're also offset by other looks. i also like the styling in bambam's ribbon, because although the whole mv is designer looks, he only uses one actually logo-ed one (louis vuitton escale summer 2020), which gives a visual indication of expense to anyone who isn't familiar with fashion. the only time i can think of an idol using a brand ironically is taemin's supreme instagram bad bitch outfit in advice, because he's parodying a specific look.

most of the clothing from designer houses is absent of logos, with the exception of a few (lv, gucci are the main offenders). but, there is the caveat that it does tend to be the ready to wear collections that have that kind of design. (ready to wear is the stuff that is available for off the rack purchase). here's a few examples:

taemin and key in balenciaga menswear ss2018 for story of light, taemin and ten in louis vuitton menswear ss2021 for advice and paint me naked.

in my opinion there's only one house that can get away with the irony of its own branding and that's balenciaga, because they consistently do the weirdest shit you could possibly think of. they have a collaboration with crocs. no i am not joking. the shoes for their fall 2021 collection are platemail stilettos. yes like the medieval armour. they launched that collection as a video game. they recently cleared their entire instagram but prior to that they were just letting models post cryptid blurry shots with no captions. there are designers that are doing interesting things, but very rarely is it with the physical branding itself. it's difficult because like i said before, it locks the audience into an extremely specific connotation and honestly most kpop stylists are not deft enough to work around that in a truly meaningful way.

the important things to hit in any styling are colour, harmony, and silhouette. thank you for bringing up a.c.e because i would have done it anyways, because their stylist is probably the best in the business right now. i talk about the basics here (of styling and of a.c.e in particular), but anon you are correct, a.c.e uses very very little branded styling and they look great. good styling is not about looking expensive, it's about looking the best as befitting of the concept.

but here's where we come to an important point. like with most things about kpop and western pop culture as a whole, luxury branding and streetwear as a trend has been appropriated from black hiphop artists and black streetwear fashion in the 90s and 00s. it started in the hood as a reclamation of items that were meant to be 'outside their station' (luxury) and an elevation of plainclothes that were available to them. sportswear by and large was always cheaper and mass produced, in comparision to day to day wear, which used more expensive materials and had more complicated construction. and was activities based only. it wasn't until around the 1860s that sportwear even existed at all, and even then it was not what you would think of as sportwear by modern standards. there was, up until the 1980s, a pretty strict unspoken dress code that if you wanted to be taken seriously in polite (white) society, you had to dress according to the class standards at the time. (this still exists by the way, it hasn't gone away at all, especially in relation to workplaces and black/natural hair). streetwear at the time was a form of celebration of black excellence and a subversion of white society. but like all innovations by black people, it got jacked by white america and now it's lost the meaning behind its context. on black bodies and paired with black achievements, branding is an important and relevant styling choice. on kpop boys? they're already lifting second hand at this point. do better.