#i'm so grateful it has such an amazing cast because they really do carry it so far

[gi-nathlam-hi]

After watching the new episodes of rings of power, I was honestly a bit… disappointed. Don’t get me wrong I liked it! (and have high hopes for the rest of the season) But I also liked the last season and it felt like they had improved on some things and other things (cough writing cough pacing) not at all. HOWEVER, a huge improvement for me was Gil Galad and I am now completely sold on him. I’m not even sure what the change is, maybe simply just more screen time, but he feels like a new character, and I’m super excited to see him through the next seasons!! Nothing substantial to say here just wanted to rant about rings of power lol

Also Adar is the sexiest character on the show…

Take my opinions with a grain of salt because I have only seen ep 1-2 so far, but I do agree. I raised my expectations a bit for season 2 (and I'm still holding out tentative hope and my expectations remain high for the eregion plot, because it seems like the strongest one out of all of them. Partially just for Charlie and Charlie's performances and chemistry!), but I lowered them right back down. I love the show! It's enjoyable to watch. But really I enjoy it the way I enjoy some soft-serve ice cream or a light novel, you know? I'm pretty gentle with it. The trouble with it is that when it's good, it's really good, but when it's bad it's really bad and there's no in-between.

That being said there have been some noticeable improvements! I'm really happy to see that the worldbuilding has filled out, and that the costuming and hair/makeup departments seem to have gotten more time and budget. The costumes are fire this season! It also seems they consulted some language experts in between seasons (ignoring the Mirdania name kerfuffle...), because the elves are now speaking Sindarin, which is a massive fix which just should not have even been a problem in the first place. And yeah, Gil-Galad is much more dynamic and complex. I think part of that is that Ben seems a little less stiff in his performance. For some reason more of his natural charisma is coming through that I felt was missing in S1. It helps, I think, that we have more scenes with him -- and especially more scenes of him interacting with Galadriel. Ben and Morfydd have such great screen chemistry, and it felt like their scenes together had some of the best script writing overall (aside from the Charlie and Charlie scenes -- but honestly Charlie and Charlie could carry even an incredibly disastrous script on their backs and make it enjoyable, I think).

Adar was a character I was very fond with in S1, but I'm insane about him in S2. He's so fucking good. I love what they're doing with him.

[dotthings]

So this is it. Last episode of Gotham Knights.

Thank you to James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash for a fantastic finale. And to all the writers and cast and crew who made this beautiful DC series.

Season one gave us a taste of all the places this could go and what this show could be and it was SO GOOD I'm sorry there won't be more of it. There's only a few DC live action TV series that have worked for me over the years, Gotham Knights is among them.

"Batman chose well. Gotham needs its Robin." I LOVE this. Carrie's mom trusting her to look after herself, to stay alive, having seen her daughter in action as Robin, and asking her daughter to go save lives and trusting her to survive in return.

Commissioner Soto!! Knew!!! So...maybe she was the Gordon analogue in this continuity. All this time.

What finally made Harvey give himself over to the Two Face personality, what finally made him fully snap -- HE DID IT TO SAVE HIS DAUGHTER AND THOUSANDS OF LIVES IN GOTHAM. This is a really brilliant re-imagining.

With Turner's parents, I got that there was more to the story. Batman was defending himself from assassins. I didn't expect this version to have Batman actually have killed them, because the Batman doesn't kill idea is so seminal in most continuities including this one--this Batman also had the do not kill code.

He's a precise highly trained fighter, who has a strong code about not killing. So in that fight, something went wrong, he was in deadly peril, or, in defending himself, did something he didn't intend to be a kill, but wound up killing them.

Misha Collins and Olivia Rose-Keegan are hitting it out of the park in all their scenes. Duela with Harvey, Duela with Two Face, two very different dynamics and both riveting.

Misha getting to play Harvey as a regretful father who wants to save his daughter and thousands of lives and make amends and then Misha getting to play completely unhinged scarred, murderous Two Face and Misha floors it in both directions.

GIVE HIM AWARDS I'M NOT KIDDING HE DESERVES NOMINATIONS.

Sadly, because it's the CW network and a superhero show, the critical awards people won't even look at it. But I'm betting industry folks will take note anyway. Bravo, Misha.

I didn't expect Turner to actually be dead, and that tactical team had French accents so I expected Henri Ducard. Still enjoyed that reveal at the end. Guessing they're going with the comics background as inspiration (and would put their own twists on it--and not Nolanverse.) Henri Ducard trained Bruce Wayne. He's not a good guy, but he helped Bruce. I like how this show's plan was to have him train his son too.

And Turner, who wants to live up to his father's legacy, becomes a legacy and inspiration for his friends, to Duela, to keep fighting for Gotham, like Bruce did, like Turner wanted.

I can only guess what the S2 plans were. It's hinting Turner becoming a new kind of Batman eventually, not sure by S2.

The Knights are going to be pissed he didn't tell them he's alive.

The Two Face and Duela stories I'm sure would be riveting.

Steph/Harper and Duela/Turner getting more development and drama. Harper enrolling at Gotham Academy. Cullen would get a boyfriend.

Beyond that, it's a wild card. Two Face likely as a significant villain, but perhaps one who goes after other villains, who ultimately acts to preserve Gotham. Maybe some Owl remnants would be in play?

As it stands, I'm grateful. I got to have this, as a DC fan. I didn't go into this solely as a Misha fan. The bulk of my perspective of this show was as a DC fan, and it was good and I am going to keep saying it was good.

I love the team, I love its beautiful, candle-lit, aged, gothic, old stones and hidden dark corners and dirigibles and pre-war towers Gotham style. It gave, in my opinion, what is the best filmed take on Harvey Dent I've ever seen. The most nuanced and compassionate and unhinged and heartwrenching and frightening and gloriously fun to watch.

And it gave me this amazing and wonderful version of Carrie Kelley's Robin and I think I will miss her most of all.

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek TNG Part 2

Season 1 Ep 8- Season 2 Ep 1

I didn't do a very good job of keeping notes for most of this (and I might not until I'm Actually Watching again vs having it on while I work).

"There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute." More "woke garbage" that conservatives (and shatner) missed the first time around, I guess lmao.

16- Why not just cast actual old people-- oh, it's another de-aging plot. Carry on.

17- Knowing that Frakes had a back injury makes it really easy to spot. Poor guy.

23- ok ffs, if the captain calls down to Engineering, it's because he needs to know something, probably quickly. you don't delay that by giving him your full first, middle initial, last name and title when you answer the phone, you just say "Engineering".

Skipping things and doing them by hand because the _computer_ is too slow?? Are you INSANE?? It's amazing these ships don't blow up more.

RIP Yar. Does everyone just... record themselves saying goodbye to everyone just in case? brb gonna go write a letter then make sure never to update it so the things i say will be weirdly out of context.

25- Data trying to understand jokes and faking laughter is A+, no notes, I totally see why he is the autistic posterchild.

"no logs" except those needed for the narrative I guess.

Still cutting from close-ups to wide angle, from the back, stunt fight shots, huh? Even more jarring in this one with how frequently it cuts back and forth so the old admiral can kick riker in the chin.

And Season 2's opener... I have a few feelings about this one.

1- the captain outing troi's pregnancy to everyone... nice tact, cap. but the hilarious part is that he's like Picard- Counselor Troi is pregnant Riker- no reaction Picard- She's going to have a baby. Riker- :shocked_pikachu: A BABY?! yes, Riker, that's what pregnant means.

I hate pregnancy storylines (and apparently Troi's actress did too, or at least this was listed on IMDB as her least favorite ep)

I do not like the new doctor. Maybe it's bias bc I saw something about how Beverly was removed bc the actress fought against the sexist storyline last season, but she makes a mockery of Data's 'bruised feelings' when he corrects her pronunciation of his name (One is my name, the other is not.) and when he leaves, she has the parting blow of 'Day-ta. Whatever.' like his feelings, his NAME, don't matter to her. There was something else too, but I didn't write it down and now I've forgotten. She's just... grating on me for some reason.

However, the highlight of this episode is Worf volunteering to 'tuck Wesley in at night.' It was a cute scene about making sure that Wesley doesn't feel isolated if he stays onboard without his mom, that he still has people to act as his family aboard, looking out for him and acknowledging that even if he is an acting ensign, he's still a child.

[sneakysmediacorner]

Just saw Hamilton in Bristol and woah..... So good...

My biggest complaint is the guy playing hamilton, he was weirdly emotionally constrained, he delivered his lines in a flat way, like the punchline to a dry joke. This randomly got a lot better starting from "one last time", so it kind of feels like he treated everything before that point as a comedy?? Really weird vibe - Hamilton's defining trait is his unrestrained passion and drive, his too-strong ideals - it's what separates him from burr! He also kept doing weird things with his hands - sort of a constrained, awkward gesture that mayyyybe could have made sense for early hamilton but certainly not later on. Luckily, burr was DIVINE. Definitely a close interpretation to the Broadway original, but it didn't feel like a total copy, his delivery was just unique enough to set him apart. "The room where it happens" was amazing, and his rapid descent after losing the election even more so.

Eliza was also INCREDIBLE. seeing this live definitely made me pay wayyyy more attention to eliza and her and Alexander's drama than ever before when just listening to the album, and part of that was definitely her performance. She did that sliding up-and-down thing with her voice that i would in isolation find kind of grating, but in her early songs it really emphasised her youth and cheerful naivete - but then, starting with "I'm not sorry", the gradual transition into a more serious and thoughtful - and assertive! - character was executed beautifully. "Burn" was incredible, the way she begins by reminiscing on her lovesick youth - you've just seen hamilton descend from that giddy state all the way into his lowest moment, but here is a sharp contrast of eliza keeping his letters all these years, identifying with and maintaining that first moment of adoration this whole time. It makes her burning the letters hit all the harder. And when she goes "you, you, you" - it drives home Alexander's egocentrism and cruelty all the more.

Angelica had a very different voice from Broadway, and i felt like she struggled a little during the faster moments, but her singing parts were lovely. Her voice and the way she often stood still while singing gave her a very imposing, serious air.

Maria Reynolds had the voice of an ANGEL. HOLY SHIT

Lawrence and Lafayette didn't make that much of an impression on me, but philip was delightful and Jefferson was fantastic as well. Jefferson has always been my favourite performance and daveed d diggs is a hard act to follow - and this guy did do a slightly different take on Jefferson i think! Diggs' Jefferson has a sort of... Predatory note to him, like under the joviality there's someone formidable and aggressive, ready to spring into action. This Jefferson felt more... Laid back, but still threatening in his own way. This might just be from the addition of visual performance but i thought he was a bit more foppish and dandyish, bordering on camp at times, and this combined with his delivery of some lines - "and I'm already senate approved!", for example - gave me the impression of someone defined by his privilege, who embodies this threat that hamilton will NEVER be accepted by the members of this upper class no matter how hard he works, precisely because this caste is defined by their not having to work hard for anything. A lot of the time he seemed so laid back that it worked to strengthen the impression of his danger.

Mulligan was an incredible presence - totally delivered on his character archetype of loud, brash and in your face. I loved his showing off his leg after Hamilton's "i think your pants look hot". I did think he maybe carried a bit too much of this presence into madison, who didn't come across as quite so diminutive as he should have.

Washington was wonderful as well, very close to his Broadway version except maybe a touch more down to earth and pragmatic. I thought it was really impressive how much was conveyed about his and Hamilton's relationship in "one more time" just by tone of voice, body language and general rapport.

I've always found it a bit distasteful how king george gets a disproportionate amount of attention compared to all the other roles - I don't dislike his songs but they don't do THAT much for me. I will say tho, he had some impressive lungs on him.

Lee was kind of a snack ngl

Most of what i have to say about the story is not really based on the specifics of this particular production but just the experience of watching Hamilton on stage after years of memorising every lyric from the album... Like i said, the drama of eliza and Alexander hit so much harder for me - only now do i kind of get the impression that it IS the core of the story. It feels like the Reynolds pamphlet is where Hamilton breaks and irreversibly fucks up his life, and everything from there is a slow, inevitable descent into his unavoidable death... And the sheer cruelty of his actions towards eliza hit way harder. Seeing him standing there during the end of the Reynolds pamphlet, feebly and pathetically insisting "at least i was honest with my money" after it has been specifically said that he received maria in his own house - somehow that brought home just how humiliating and horrible this moment would have been for eliza. And then Philip's duel, with the emphasis on how he did exactly as Alexander had told him... And then the torturous process of reconciliation between Alexander and eliza, the way they end up clinging to each other again in their grief - and best of wives and best of women, where you can see so clearly the cruelty of this action. You can see that Alexander knows he won't be coming back, and how much it pains him to be setting Eliza up for this new heartbreak, how he can't let go of her hand and yet he still goes through with it... The actions of a man so resigned to his fate he doesn't seriously consider trying to change it. Heartbreaking. I cried like crazy

[un-petit-sanctuaire]

Call Your Name

Fandom: Attack on Titan | Shingeki No Kyojin

Pairing: Levi x Petra (rivetra)

Genre: Angst

Rating: General

Word Count: 1400+

Summary: Levi took some time of his day to visit Petra’s family... and Petra.

Disclaimer: The characters and the world of AoT belong to Hajime Isayama. I only borrowed them and added some elements according to my imagination.

Author's Note: This fic was inspired by Hiroyuki Sawano's song, Call Your Name, one of the OST of Attack on Titan. I hope you guys enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy pouring my emotions to it. ;_; Please excuse any grammar mistake (or point it out, if you don't mind!) as English is not my first language. Sorry if it's rusty, I hadn't written in a while. I'd really appreciate your feedbacks so that I could write better in the future! Last but not least, happy reading. <3

(p.s.: if you could, try reading this fic while listening to Call Your Name for extra feels)

______________________________

She lost her brother months ago

His picture on the wall

And it reminds me

When she brings me coffee, her smile

I wish I could be with her 'til my last day

He found himself walking into the living room of a small, quaint house. The fireplace was burning low, casting warmth around the room. Across him stood a slightly wrinkly man with shaggy brown hair, looking weary and somewhat nervous. However, the man flashed a kind smile before he spoke softly,

“We’re honored to welcome you back in our home, Captain Levi. Please, have a seat.”

A woman walked in, carrying a tray of teacups and cookies, and placed them on the table. Her ginger hair was falling behind her back, reminding him of the girl he had once hand-picked as one of his Special Operations Squad members. It happened years ago, yet it felt like yesterday. Like he had just applauded her for her skills yesterday, just fought in battles together with her and his other comrades yesterday, just saw her bringing his favorite coffee into his office yesterday,

just told her parents of her passing yesterday...

“Thank you, Mr and Mrs Ral,” Levi Ackerman finally spoke after what felt like a long silence in his head. “But I couldn’t stay long. I’m only here to give you this.”

He put down a big box he brought with him on the floor. Mr and Mrs Ral glanced at each other apprehensively before making their way towards the box and opening it. He could see that they were shaking, but they didn’t utter any word as they found the things inside: books, clothes, some other personal stuff belonging to her. There was a vase of dried iris, her favorite flower. He knew because he often caught her tending to the bushes on the headquaters' yard on their peaceful days.

Her voice was ringing in his ears and the words she spoke back then were repeating themselves clearly,

“Once everything is over, these iris bushes will grow beautifully, Captain! You’ll see! I’ll always come back to take care of them!”

That was how she had always been. She always cared for others. For her closest friends, for her comrades, for her subordinates... for her captain.

But he couldn’t take care of her in her last moments.

He couldn’t save her.

She said she gave all her love to me

We dreamt a new life

Some place to be at peace

But things changed, suddenly

I lost my dreams in this disaster

“Those are what left of her things that we could retrieve,” he said hoarsely. “... I’m really sorry.”

He could barely hear his own voice. It was as if something was choking him as he saw her parents lay their hands on the stuff inside the box, tears brimming in their eyes.

“Oh, no, no,” Mrs Ral walked towards him and took his hand in her palms. Despite her gentle tone, he could see the pain in her watery eyes. “Please, don’t be sorry... We’re grateful for this. Our Petra... she would love to have these things back in her bedroom. Thank you for bringing some parts of her home, Captain Levi.”

Some parts, he thought. Only some parts got home. She didn’t get home.

Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come here and brought Petra’s old stuff with him. He only reminded her parents of the pain and agony that they felt for losing their daughter all over again. And above all those, he reminded himself of his own pain. Of the incredible person Petra Ral was once. Of the shoulder-length, ginger-haired girl who now was so out of reach.

He felt the pair of Mr Ral’s arms embracing him into a hug. “Thank you so much, Captain,” the man whispered in his ears, fighting the tears, “for—looking after her all this time. She—”

Mr Ral began sobbing and had to pull away. Mrs Ral slowly patted her husband’s back, trying to calm him down. But Levi just stood there, frozen, his feet glued to the floor. He wanted to say something, to tell them the amazing things Petra did while she was doing her duty—but no words escaped his lips. Oh, what had he done to this family? After years without her presence, her parents must’ve missed her so much.

And so did he.

People called him humanity’s strongest soldier. But what good would it be if he couldn’t even use his strength to protect his friends, to protect her?

I'm crying

Missing my lover

I don't have the power

On my side forever

He decided to leave the Ral’s house sooner than he thought. Mr and Mrs Ral were trying to convince him to stay for dinner, but he couldn’t bear looking at their crestfallen expression every time they talked about her. He had to excuse himself and told them he needed to return to his office.

But before then, he had to make a stop somewhere.

Despite hundreds of graves, the cemetery that evening was quiet and almost empty. There were some people in a distance, mourning over a tombstone he couldn’t recognize. He ignored them as he walked in alone. On his hands was now a bouquet of iris that he had bought on the market as he passed through on his way here. Yes, iris, her favorite flowers. He almost wished he kept the flowers to himself so he would have something to remind him of her. He even nearly, shamelessly, asked Mr and Mrs Ral if he could take one of her things as a memento. He didn't, though. Perhaps he hoped that they would just read his mind and willingly give something of hers to him.

He stopped and kneeled down at one particular tombstone with ‘Petra Ral’ engraved on it. He stared at the name for a few seconds before laying down the bouquet of iris next to the other bouquets he had left on his previous visits. He knew there wasn’t any body buried underneath, yet he felt that this was one of the places he could be closest to her.

His hand unconsciously touched the engraved name as he leaned closer. As if something was stuck in his throat, he suddenly felt out of breath. He could feel his cheeks were starting to get wet. Was he crying? Was he, after everything he had been through, actually not the strongest soldier, not as strong as everyone called him?

His fingers brushed her name on the tombstone. Lord, he would kill to be in her arms right now. To have her by his side.

Petra, are you there?

Oh, where is my lover?

And I got no power

I'm standing alone, no way

Calling out your name

If life was normal—if life could happen according to his will, perhaps he was sitting in the headquarters now, laughing with his comrades. Laughing with her. No, they probably wouldn’t be soldiers. There would be no Survey Corps. No battles. No war. No titans. And then he might just be a normal man living a normal life. There would be every possibility to see his friends grow old together with him. To see himself surrounded by his closest ones. Perhaps he would even get married and start his own little family... Who knows?

Yet there he was, alone, silently crying over an empty grave.

“Petra...”

Could he save her if he acted fast enough? If there was another universe, could he be with her? Would he be given a second chance to hold her, to spend every minute he has with her? To keep her safe from the harm in this world? To be in peace together? Could they become—something else?

“Petra... Please....”

He didn’t know what he was pleading for. Perhaps he wanted her to come back, to tell him everything would be okay. But he knew it was just wishful thinking. Everything that he thought of was too good to be true. Life was a mess, and Petra was already gone. There was no use to cry like this. It wouldn’t bring her back. It wouldn’t bring everyone back. Even if there was another life, it wouldn’t guarantee that they would be safe. That she would be safe.

Everyone he loved got taken away from him.

Perhaps that’s just how it is.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t know how long he had been crying before he pulled his hands from the cold tombstone. Eventually, he stood up, straightening his shirt and tightened his coat.

After giving the tombstone a last glance, Levi Ackerman then began walking away, out of the cemetery and into the cold night.

I’ll see you soon, Petra.

We don't know what is wrong tonight

Everybody's got no place to hide

No one's left and there's no one to go on

All I know is my life is gone

________________________________

[savrenim]

omg i can't believe you replied-- i'm so starstruck right now! and wow, your reply is so long, like i said i would have been perfectly happy if you'd just said: "no" but you actually put in the effort to write such a long reply?? so thank you. alright now: i had no idea about ur original book, and I am so excited to read Opus I will buy it as soon as I can. 'm really excited for it now too, lol! will recommend it to all of my friends. running out space will add more on another ask

ok its me again. hi! i want to read honestly everything you said you'll write in your list of projects, but mostly Opus and witch-queen! actually sounds amazing! i will definitly try out ur book, esp if it's free-- and i have NO doubts that lots of other people will too! i'd buy it. and thank you-- for being so nice to your readers and writing projects that have literally make all the difference in people's lives and still carrying on even though there's not a lot of response. --carried on--

thank you for offering a bit of closure for itfmlam and all in all just being an amazing person. thank you thank you thank you! i... don't know what to say anymore, i'm not very good with words but, yeah. thank you. (and i expect that i WILL love opus-- gay and ploitics and Seers - yes! - all sound like they make a wonderful novel!)

yeah the tumblr ask system is ridiculous but also it is very fun to receive a bunch of asks in a row because The Ask System Is Ridiculous, it's almost a big "DnD joke sending Sending and running out of the 25 words because you don't plan your message ahead of time and keep babbling so keep re-casting the spell" sort of mood and I love it

I am really really glad that there is Someone out there who will give Opus a try which if you've read a beating heart of stone you've already met Saes and Luka which abhos is already so funny because, like. they're both in character for their circumstances but Saes will appear so different in the novel bc her circumstances are that different in the novel but I am. so, so excited about it. there are just so many tiny things that I love. it has The Gay. it has Enemies To Ride Or Die BFFs Speedrun. it has both Actual Intricate Fun Backroom Deals Backstabbing Politics and also Dramatic Duels To Settle Things a la “You know, I can hear you thinking that our government is fucked up and archaic. You can say it to my face.” “I was trying to be polite.” “You are forgetting one very very important detail. We have the defense of ‘we will beat you in a fistfight, therefore we are right and you are wrong.’” “Your government is incredibly convenient to me in particular and also fucked up and archaic.” it has 'so many of these characters are sassy little shits' as evidenced by the previous dialogue. it has 'if I've done this right it will start out feeling like okay fast-paced fun action and then you get like ten chapters in and PSYCHE there are Feelings shit just got Real'. it has such a weird fun civilization and culture that I made from scratch with a conlang where pronouns are not gendered but instead assigned by the speaker to the person that they're talking about based on the amount of respect the speaker has for that person and New Fun Verb Moods like not you've heard of the indicative but consider: the aggressive-indicative. it has the red/blue/gold system. it has an actual really cool looking cover that I commissioned from a friend bc they do that, they do the art thing professionally, so even though this is a self-published and ebook-free-I'll-probably-set-up-a-paperback-on-lulu-or-something-which-obvi-isn't-free-but'll-be-the-cheapest-it-can sort of deal it looks really cool and looks real and makes me feel like a real writer. and you just. aaaaah. have no idea how excited it makes me to hear that There Is An Audience Outside My Friends Who Have Had To Live With Me Ranting About This Nonstop For Four Years That Is Willing To Read This.

(also thrilled that someone will give witch-queen a try, it's weird and so few people like 2nd person writing but it is definitely a project that I am very excited about. given that it's probably going to be under 20k words it is also the sort of thing that will be finished very quickly the moment that I sit down to actually write it. the premise is intensely funny to me bc it is 1000% my reaction to watching an old B-list movie again that was a fave as a kid that I will probably admit to what said movie was on my patreon eventually but not out here in public and then finding in Wikipedia that it had a whole knock-off franchise except they totally in between movies 1 and 2 fridged the main love interest off-screen not even for angst just to I guess replace her with a new love interest and I was like. okay. what if. what if I write a revenge piece of fiction. where you have someone in her exact setup except then instead of being fridged offscreen through sheer spite and genre-savviness you have this queen who is just. aggressively avoiding the attempts of the narrative to assassinate her via refusing to participate in tropes that would end up with her dead and actually being scarily competent and it's weird but I also love it as a concept and do somewhat miss writing in 2nd person, I used to do it all the time when I worked at gay theater camp and wrote hundreds of thousands of words of character sheets for larps and anyways I'm ranting but witch-queen is fun and I'm ridiculous and self-indulgent enough and stubborn enough to bring it into the world)

and!! yeah!! very glad to have been able to answer!! I try to answer all of my asks, especially because they are currently at a Very Reasonable Volume, I am super grateful to receive them and so long as I have time I try to answer!!

[moiraineswife]

Hey! I've been looking at your short stories and I think it's amazing so I thought you could do something about Philippa and Sheala, please? Something like Sheala comforting Philippa about something ³ haha I'm already grateful ❤️

As it happens I’m on another witcher/Philippa kick atm. so pls take this from me. (I haven’t read the books in a little bit, some of this might not be strictly canon but like, we will all just deal with this for The Lesbians) 

                                             All The World’s Escapes

The evening was quiet, peaceful, precisely the way that Sheala liked it. There were many reasons that she chose to live at the very top of a very tall tower, and the silence was just one of them. All that could be heard was the soft scratching of her favourite pen against her favourite parchment, and the crackling of the fire she had lit in the background for warmth. 

All of it was shattered by the sound of smashing glass, and instant cursing. She recognised the cursing at once as Philippa, naturally, as there was no-one else present in her tower, save the ghosts that would never leave it, and they rarely made sounds. Though she thought she might hear them now. 

Getting to her feet and leaving her present research, she moved into Philippa’s study. 

The moment she had known they were simply perfect for each other, was the moment Philippa had requested the construction of her own space. 

Sheala couldn’t abide living on top of other people all the time, even a person she happened to be very much in love with. It was simply too much. 

Everyone needed their own time, and their own space, in Sheala’s view. The mistake other couples made was believing they had to live in one another’s pockets all day, every day, in order to somehow prove their devotion to each other. 

She was, frankly, too old for that bullshit. And Philippa was simply too frank for it. 

Pushing open the door she found her partner with both hands braced on her work bench, with a grip so tight Sheala was quite impressed it hadn’t splintered beneath it. Glass shards were littered across the floor, and Philippa was shaking, her teeth clenched to hold back the further stream of curses Sheala was quite certain were on the very tip of her tongue. 

Moving into the room, she placed a gentle hand on Philippa’s shoulder. It was thrown off almost at once, with enough force that, had she not known better, she might have thought indicated hate. 

Philippa would not look at her, let alone speak to her, but she did not really have to. Sheala was quite sure she know what had happened. 

“You’re expecting too much from yourself far too soon,” she told her quietly. “Come to bed with me now,” she offered.

She was not in the least bit tired and, if truth be told, was itching to return to her research. But this was a time she judged Philippa most certainly did not need to be alone. She needed someone. She needed Sheala. 

“Come on,” she coaxed, when Philippa neither moved nor answered her. 

“I cannot come to bed,” she gritted out, between clenched teeth. She turned on her, her expression twisted with fury and frustration. 

She had left her usual band from her face, and the empty pits of her eyes seemed to condemn her, and threatened to drown any who looked into them for too long in the hatred Philippa herself was bathed in these days. 

“I cannot see,” she hissed, “I cannot restore my eyes. I cannot perform a spell to rid myself of the pain of them,” she went on, and Sheala flinched slightly at the venom in her voice. She moved a little closer to her as she spoke, clawing her way along the bench like a feral cat stalking its prey. “I cannot mix a tonic for sleep as I used to. I cannot even cast a basic spell to light a candle, which a five year old could master, because I cannot do a thing in the state that he has left me in, and you wish me to come to bed?”

“Philippa-” Sheala began, though without any real hope of stopping her. There was no stopping this, and Sheala’s heart broke for her, and broke again with every word she spoke, but there was nothing to do but let her speak them.

“Is that supposed to fix everything, Sheala?” Philippa spat, viciously, “If I sleep tonight, will I wake tomorrow with my eyes? If I rest, will my hands stop shaking, the way they’ve been shaking since I left that place? The way they’ve been shaking for a week, so badly that I cannot work a single somatic spell? If I come to bed will I be myself again? Or will I be stuck this useless, powerless, weak creature that I have become until death takes me?”

Her voice rose to a shout with her last words, and she lashed out blindly. Bowls, mortars, delicate glass tubes, vials, and instruments were flung across the room as though tossed by a sudden hurricane, shattering, and causing Sheala to cover her ears from the sudden, deafening sound.

When Philippa spoke again, however, she would happily have lived the rest of her life with that unendurable noise, rather than the haunting silence left in the wake of her words.

“Because if so, she cannot come for me soon enough.” 

Sheala opened her mouth, to say what, she had no idea, but she never got a word out before Philippa had shifted into her owl form and bolted for the window. 

She had spent more time as owl than human, since she had returned. The owl did not have eyes, any more than she did, but the rest of its senses were far keener than her human ones, and there was no pressure to cast spells, no pressure to speak, no pressure to eat, or to sleep, or to care for herself, while she was in that form. It had become her crutch, and there was little Sheala could do to stop it. 

Sighing, she used magic to clean up the mess that Philippa had made. She repaired the instruments she could, and destroyed the ones that she could not. 

It would be some time before she saw Philippa again. She had become quite used to this, to Philippa fleeing this tower in a futile attempt to flee her frustration, and her problems, and had developed the perfect routine for it. 

She returned to her studies for as long as she could. When she judged it would be a little less than an hour before Philippa’s return, she used magic to begin warming their bed, went to select one of her favourite books from the library, before returning it again, cursing herself, then began to make Philippa’s favourite tea, infused with some lavender. 

Just as she was pouring that into two cups for them, a bright flash of light in Philippa’s study announced her return. 

She walked in, trembling from the cold now, not just her injuries, soaked to her skin. Sheala stood without a word, and helped her out of her clothes, and into the soft, dry ones she had looked out. Then she guided her towards the fire and sat her down. 

Her head was lowered in shame, and it was that, more than anything else, that showed Sheala how low she had sunk this night. 

She pushed the tea into her hands, but Philippa would not drink it. She simply sat, holding it between her frozen fingers, staring into a fire she could not see, but could no doubt feel the warmth of it upon her face. 

After a long moment, she spoke. 

“This world is so large, Sheala,” she said, her voice rasping a little from exhaustion. “It is so big, and getting bigger all the time. Yet no matter how far I fly, no matter how fast, or for how long, I can never escape the things he’s done to me.” 

“No,” Sheala replied, briskly, and brutally, as was her way. Philippa turned away from the fire, back towards her, frowning slightly. “You cannot run from your ghosts, Philippa, any more than you might run from your shadow, or your bones, or your soul. You must carry them with you, as must we all.” 

She reached out and took Philippa’s empty hand in her own, “The only place you can run is to your home. To me.” She squeezed her hand gently, “Where you will be reminded that all of your burdens, all of your demons, and all of your ghosts have a home here, too. They all belong to me as well. And you do not have to carry any of them alone.” 

Philippa was silent for a long moment. Then, more surely than Sheala had seen her move since her return, she set down her cup of tea, got to her feet, and held out her hand. 

Sheala took it. 

“Come to bed, Sheala,” Philippa said, softly, turning and leading them towards their rooms without another word. 

Philippa smiled softly and followed her without a word. 

The tower was quiet once more. Her peace had returned to her. But more importantly, Philippa had. 

[nu-l-o-v-e]

Hello! I'm so grateful for your kind effort to contribute something constructive to this fandom ^_^ On that note, may I request this? Name: Y/N (reader) Member: JR Genre: Hurt/Comfort Summary: She's been a long-time childhood friend of JR, the person who also realizes the amount of effort he's put in the industry for the past 9 years. So she can't help but worry for him, staring at their tv and seeing his name next to #14. She calls him after the broadcast and tries to cheer him up. Thank you!

@commuovereus

It was 4 am, you sat in front of your laptop starring at the blank screen that had been streaming the Produce 101 Season 2 finale. There was a heavy weight on your chest as you held back a your tears. An hour had ticked by without you even noticing; all you could think about is how Jonghyun must be feeling. Even though he smiled as they announced the 11th member of Wanna One, you could see the pain in his eyes as he looked up at Minhyun sitting alone. Never in your wildest dreams did you think that NU’EST would be separated like this. Your heart was breaking; as a ㄴㅇㅅㅌ the uncertainty of NU’EST’s future was suffocating. As Jonghyun’s childhood friend, the injustice that just occurred was infuriating. How could this have happened to him? Why was the world so against him being successful? Growing up together, he had never done anything that would warrant this kind of karma from the world. He was the kindest, most selfless person you had ever met; what could he have possibly done for luck to not be on his side?

The last time you had spoken to him was just before PD101 had started. He had called you; anxious about what the next 3 months were going to hold. You could still vividly remember being able to hear the fear in his voice as he stuttered over his words. You knew that he has been crying that day; he always did when he thought about NU’EST’s future. He blamed himself for their “failure” but you disagreed. You had been with him every step of the way: the day he got casted; the long bus rides to and from Seoul together, you studied while he practiced; the day he told you about meeting the members that would eventually become NU’EST; their debut day and all the practice and hard work that went into it; how excited he was when the first fan joined their fan café; all the extra time and effort he put into each comeback so that their fans wouldn’t regret loving them, and so that new fans would also like them. He was far from being a failure and with a leader like that, how could NU’EST possibly fail?

When you finally pulled yourself together your first instinct was to call and comfort him. You grabbed your phone off the nightstand and dialed his number, but hesitated. What if he was already asleep, you didn’t want to wake him. But what if he was awake, sad and alone in his room; blaming himself for what happened earlier that night? You hit dial before you could talk yourself out of it. You held your breath as the phone rang a couple times before going straight to voice mail, “Hi, it’s Jonghyun! Sorry I missed your call, but leave a message and I’ll call you back ASAP” *BEEP.* You hesitated again and hung up, as your lungs screamed for air. You didn’t even know what you were going to say to him when he picked up, how could you possibly leave him a message. If it had been that easy you would have just texted him. You thought about calling him again, but decided against it. Sighing you slipped under the covers and glared at the blinking red numbers on your alarm clock. It was almost 5am, you had to be up in 4 hours for work, but you were too angry and hurt to go to sleep. All you wanted to do was scream at the world for being so unfair.

Your eyes were just about to slip closed after an hour of tossing and turning when the vibrations from your phone woke you up. You reached over and angrily grabbed the annoying thing before shooting straight out of bed when you read the name on the caller ID: “K Jongie.”

“Hi Y/N, I’m sorry I missed your call earlier, we all went out for drinks.” His voice was a hoarse and he spoke quickly, though he didn’t sound drunk.  

“Jonghyun-ah… I’m…about tonight… are you…okay…?” Hours later and you still didn’t know what to say to him to make the situation any better. There was a long pause on the other end before he replied.

“Y/N…Of course I’m going to be okay. I wasn’t expecting to win…” The way he said your name broke your heart all over again; tears began brimming your eyes.

“I’m not asking if you’re going to be okay Jonghyun! I know that you will be. I’m asking if you’re okay RIGHT NOW?” The line was quiet so you continued, “ And don’t twist your words like that; I know you weren’t expecting to win, but you were expecting to make the top 11! We all were! What happened tonight wasn’t fai—-”

“We can’t doing anything about it Y/N!… the national producers made their choice. I just… fell short I guess.” He was searching for the right words; you knew he didn’t want to completely give away how he was feeling. However, you knew; he sounded sad, but more than anything he sounded tired. You realized in that moment no matter how strong he tried to be; everything was slowly starting to take its toll. The weight he had been carrying on his shoulder may have lessened due to the exposure from PD101, but it was still heavy. He, more than anyone, realized what the implications of the results could mean.

“Jonghy—-”

“But it’s okay,” He cut you off crisply, “at least Minhyun made it. One of us made it, and that’s more than I could ask for.” He was telling the truth, you knew that. A part of you wanted him to be angry, to let out all the hurt that was locked away. You wanted more than anything for him to be a little bit selfish and fight for the things he wanted. He wasn’t like that though, and he never would be.

“You should have been up there with him though…” You didn’t know why you were pleading with him like this; it was out of his hands too. You just wanted him to know that he wasn’t a failure, that none of this was his fault, that his hard work would pay off, and that no matter what he should keep fighting for his dream because he has everything it takes to be a great leader.

You paused before continuing, “Jonghyun-ah, you know that I love you, and I’m so sorry… I’m sorry that like always, people took you for granted. I’m sorry that even after proving yourself as an amazing leader, they still left you behind. I’m sorry that you even had to be on that stupid show to begin with. I’m sorry that—-” You were crying, practically on the verge of sobbing before he cut you off.

“Why are you apologizing Y/N?” You heard him sniffle on the other side and knew that he was holding back tears.

“I’m apologizing because as your friend I couldn’t do more for you and as a fan I couldn’t keep this situation from happening. You deserve so much more than this… NU’EST deserves so much more than this. I just want you to know that none of this is your fault; NU’EST couldn’t have asked for a better leader. You know that right? Most of the Wanna One members made it because they had your guidance, they will do well because they had you.” You could hear him shuffling around on the other end of the line, before you heard the familiar creaking of his bed.

The line was dead silent; you could hear faint breathing in the background, which you assumed was Ren, fast asleep. Jonghyun was quietly considering your words for what felt like hours. You wanted to say more, but he spoke before you could get started again.

“Y/N…Y/N…Y/N… what am I going to do with you? You are carrying more guilt than I am.” He let out a soft chuckle as he continued to sniffle. “Don’t feel guilty, and please don’t cry. You did everything you could have for me, and I’m so thankful that till the end I will always have you… as my friend and as my fan.”

“You know that I’ll always be here, your fans will always be here for you too.” There was silence on the other end again, but you could have sworn you heard him whisper, “I know.” You both sat in silence for a while longer, listening to the calming rhythm of each other’s breathing.

“Y/N, remember how I called you before the show started? I was scared and nervous.” You nodded along even though he couldn’t see you, “But I learned something while being on the show…” He took a deep breath before continuing, “some things are just out of my control, and blaming myself isn’t going to get me anywhere. I may not have made it, but I keep reminding myself that my goal wasn’t to be in that group. Do you remember why I said I wanted to be on the show?”

You thought back to the details of your last conversation. “To help get NU’EST recognition,” you whispered.

“That’s right, my goals was to help NU’EST get recognition. Good or bad, I think I was able to accomplish that. With Minhyun in Wanna One and the rest of us here, I think we can keep NU’EST alive a little bit longer.”

You wiped away your tears; for the first time all night you felt a little bit of hope. “So you’re really okay?” You were still a little doubtful, but you could hear a difference in his voice and the way he spoke about NU’EST’s future. He also seemed to have found a light, no matter how faint.

“I’m doing better than you gave me credit for!” He laughed his signature hearty laugh. “Y/N, how can NU’EST fail when all our fans are like you? Because of all of you we got this far. You may not know, but we love you just as much as you love us. Although I do love you more.”

You couldn’t help but smile, “I was just worried about you… that’s all. You’ve always been so hard on yourself, I was worried that this might break you…”

“I know. That’s why I was glad to see you had called. Talking to you always makes me feel better you know that right? I can say things to you that I can’t to the other members, and I also knew that you would be worried. I wanted to reassure you that I’m going to be okay.”  

“I should have been the one reassuring you. I called because I wanted to cheer you up.” You whined. He laughed at you, but a loud snore in the background and his own yawning cut him off.

“You really don’t get it do you? Just talking to you cheers me up. All my worries, sadness, whatever feel lighter after talking to you. Besides, you just spent this whole call telling me how amazing I am, I can’t possibly be sad after hearing all that.”

“Jonghyun-ah” You pouted.

“Okay, okay. If you really want to cheer me up, spend some time with me when I get back home. You’re always too busy with work; I need some time with my best friend too. I really, really miss you.”

“I miss you too. Okay, I promise! I’ll book off the whole time you’re here. We can catch up properly.”

“I’ll be there in a couple days! Remember you promised!” You sighed, he always gave you such short notice. This time however, you were defiantly going to make things work. Even though he didn’t explicitly say it, he needed to see you, and truthfully you needed to see him too.

“I promise! I promise!” You sombered up a bit before continuing, “Jonghyun-ah, I know you said you’re going to be okay, but I have to ask one more time. Right now…are you really okay?”

“Right now… I’m okay. I’m not going to think about the past or the future. So for right now, I’m okay. Trust me.” You just wanted to hold him, prove to yourself that his words were completely true. But since that wasn’t possible, you would just have to take his word for it.

“Okay, I trust you. I’ll let you get some sleep since you’ve had a long night. Good night Jonghyun…”

“Good night Y/N, sweet dreams.” You were just about to hang up the phone when you heard him yell into the speaker. “Wait, don’t hang up! Stay with me on the line until we fall asleep. I want to make sure that you’re okay too.”

Your lips curled up as you pulled the covers tighter around you, “Sure.” Neither of you spoke, but your breathing lulled him to sleep first and you followed shortly after.

-END-

I apologize for the wait my ㄴㅇㅅㅌ! But here it is, i’m sorry if this isn’t as cheerful as you were expecting, but I really got drawn into the emotions i felt the night of the finale. I would also like to apologize for any spelling or grammar errors, I’ve been staring at this for hours and everything all looks the same to me now haha I’m also a little rusty in the writing department, so again bare with me. Feel free to request again, i’ll look forward to it! Constructive Criticism is also always welcome, but please be polite (and nice). 

Until next time! 

With ㄴㅇㅅㅌ ❤️ , 

Hk