#im actually really digging this whole thread

[cupidsworstcrime]

Jason Todd x dom f!reader

inspo - for the anonnie that asked so nicely

this is a random collection of sub!jason scenes ive written. cause im bored

contains spanking & mommy kink (sub jason is such a mamas boy and im taking that to my grave, you can pry needy boy jason out of my cold dead hands)

He pretended to fight it.

“Don’t you fucking dare—”

But the second you grabbed his wrist and sat on the edge of the bed with that look in your eyes, Jason Todd—the Red Hood himself—stumbled straight into obedience.

Because you weren’t playing. Not really.

You tugged him forward.

He grumbled. Bitched. Rolled his eyes.

But when you bent him over your lap, he didn’t resist.

His face hit the blanket with a sigh he tried to cover as a groan. His hips were tense, his hands fisting the sheets.

“You really think this’ll do something for me?” he muttered.

You smoothed a hand over the curve of his ass—grinning as he twitched.

“You tell me.”

Smack.

The first one was gentle. Barely more than a firm tap.

He jerked anyway.

“You—!”

Smack.

A little harder. You watched his shoulder blades shift, a low breath slipping from his lips.

“Jason,” you cooed. “Still wanna act like this isn’t getting to you?”

He didn’t answer. But his hips shifted just enough for you to see the outline in his sweats. Obvious. Wanting.

So you kept going.

Soft spanks between harder ones. Your hand soothing, then striking. He gasped. Swore under his breath. Gritted his teeth. But never told you to stop.

“Color me surprised,” you murmured, scratching your nails along the reddened skin. “You’re really into this, huh?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he growled.

But it was weak* Shaky. His ears were pink. His thighs tensed with every slow touch between swats.

You leaned close to his ear.

“Say ‘please.’”

He groaned, full-body, low and wrecked. His pride dangled by a thread, and when he finally whispered:

“Please…”

"Please what, baby?"

"...Please ma'am...."

You swore you felt his cock twitch against your thigh.

You let him up when he was panting—chest rising, face flushed, lips parted.

He couldn’t look at you. Wouldn’t. Just flopped beside you and buried his face in the blanket.

“Shut up,” he mumbled again.

You didn’t say a word.

Just ran your fingers through his hair while he came down from it—melting under your touch, his ego scattered in the sheets behind him.

And he’d never admit it.

But he hoped you'd do it again.

Maybe harder.

Maybe next time… he'd call you something filthier than “ma’am.”

He starts off strong. Confident. Pushes you down on the bed with a smirk like he didn’t melt over your lap last time.

“Yeah? You like being bossy, sweetheart?” he grins. “Let’s see how you like it when I take the reins.”

He climbs over you, muscles tense, eyes dark—but not angry. Hungry. His hands skim your waist, his voice drops.

“Gonna make you beg, baby.”

But two minutes in?

Your fingers dig into his hips, your mouth brushes his throat, and he shudders. His pace stutters. You roll your hips just right and suddenly—

“Fuck—wait—don’t—ah—”

His words are breathy. Loose. Falling apart.

And then you're teasing again.

“You sure you’re the one in charge, baby?”

He growls. Tries to flip the script. Tightens his grip on your wrists like it helps.

But then you say:

“You gonna beg again, pretty boy?”

And his whole body reacts.

His breath catches. His eyes flutter. He whines—actually whines—and buries his face in your neck.

You grin.

“Poor thing,” you whisper. “You’re so easy to ruin now.”

And he is. Because when you wrap your legs around him and pull, his strength is nothing next to how bad he wants it—how much he craves you. Not just the sex, but the way you see him, the way you touch him like he's precious and yours.

“Fuck—please,” he pants, rutting into you, voice high, desperate. “Don’t stop, just—please—"

He doesn't even realize he's begging until it's too late.

And he hates how much he loves it.

Afterward, he lays there—boneless, panting, wrecked—his forehead against your chest and his ego shattered into stardust.

You run your nails up his spine and kiss his hairline.

“Still think you’re the one in control?”

He groans.

“You’re never letting me live this down, are you?”

No. No, you’re not.

And he’s never been more in love.

It started as a joke. A throwaway comment.

“What’s the matter, baby? Need Mommy to take care of you?”

He froze.

A beat. A shiver. Then the quietest:

“…yeah.”

And that was it.

At first, he’s holding on—tense arms, furrowed brow, trying to act like he’s in control. But the second you start cooing at him, fingers tight in his hair, praising him just so sweetly?

He’s done.

“Such a good boy, my sweet boy,”

“Look at you, taking Mommy so well,”

“You don’t need to think, baby, let me do it for you.”

And he whimpers.

He’s not speaking in sentences anymore. Just broken little sounds—gasps and moans, half-formed pleas.

He says “Mommy” once with a sob in his voice and it flips something in you. So you lean down and purr it back.

“That’s right, baby. Say it again.”

And he does. Again and again—until it’s not even full words anymore.

“M-Ma—Mama—please, I can’t—”

You stroke his flushed cheeks with your knuckles, praise spilling from your lips like holy water while his eyes glass over. He’s trembling—beautiful and desperate, hips rocking mindlessly as you guide him toward the edge.

“Shh, shhh, it’s okay, sweetheart. Mommy’s got you. You’re perfect, you’re doing so good—such a good boy.”

Tears slip down his face. He’s not even embarrassed. Just holding you tight, breathing you in like air, nodding with wide eyes and wet lashes.

"Love you, love you, need you, Mama—”

And when he finally breaks? It’s with your name in a gasp and a sob, clinging to you like you’re the only thing holding him together.

Later, when he’s curled up against you, totally wrecked, you whisper:

“Didn’t know you were such a little Mommy’s boy.”

He grumbles, hiding his face in your chest. But his hips twitch.

“…fuck you.”

“You did, baby. So well.”

And he melts again.

He tries to pretend it’s fine. That it was a one-time thing. That he didn’t come undone in your hands, babbling and begging with tears in his eyes.

But the minute you scratch the back of his neck or kiss the hinge of his jaw just right? His whole body tenses.

And he goes quiet.

Not brooding Jason quiet—bratty, needy Jason quiet.

The kind where his eyes are heavy, cheeks pink, and you know he’s already spiraling.

“You okay, baby?”

“…m’fine.”

Liar.

The second you tug him into your lap—yes, lap, this man is heavy but obedient—and whisper a soft “Good boy,” he melts. One hand in his hair and the other stroking his thigh, and he’s sinking into it like a fucking prayer.

He doesn’t even notice he’s whispering it until it slips out again—

“…Mama…”

You feel him freeze against you, like he could claw his soul back into his body if he tries hard enough.

“You said it again.”

“…no I didn’t.”

“Oh, baby. You did.”

You tilt his chin up, and he whines. Pink all the way to his ears.

You could ruin him right there again, and he knows it.

Later, when you're tangled together in bed, he’s curled up in your chest, hands possessively clutching your hips.

“Didn’t even know I could feel like that,” he mumbles. “Didn’t know I wanted to.”

And you just stroke his hair, murmuring,

“That’s okay, baby. Mama knows what you need.”

He shivers. Bites his lip.

But he doesn’t deny it this time.

You’re lying together, the soft glow of moonlight spilling over the bed, the hum of the city just outside your window. He’s been asleep for about an hour, still tangled in your sheets, body pressed up against yours.

At first, he’s calm—silent in his slumber. But then, in the stillness of the night, you hear it. Just a whisper.

“Mama…”

Your breath catches. He’s not awake, not fully. It’s just a soft, murmured confession, but it’s so full of need, so full of him, that you can’t ignore it.

You smile softly, rubbing your hand through his hair, playing with the ends. You could ruin him again, could wake him up and pull him back into that desperate little boy he’s trying to deny, but instead, you let him sleep.

But you can’t help yourself. You press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ve got you, baby.”

His face twitches, a sigh slipping from his lips, and his hand instinctively wraps around you tighter, like he’s afraid you might disappear. It’s adorable—your tough, broken Red Hood, shivering in his sleep at the thought of losing you. You think, maybe, if he did wake up, he’d be too ashamed to admit it.

But right now, he’s safe. And that’s all that matters.

The next day, it’s like nothing happened. He’s still the same, stubborn, cocky Jason Todd you know—sarcastic quips and teasing jabs thrown in your direction like they’re second nature. He’s acting all tough again, but there’s a subtle edge to it.

He can’t hide the way he’s looking at you—his eyes softer, not quite as guarded, as if he knows he doesn’t have to pretend. And you notice—his hand keeps brushing against yours whenever you’re near, like he’s testing the waters, waiting for you to remind him who’s really in charge.

He doesn’t expect it when you tease him.

“You’re acting so bratty today,” you murmur with a sly grin, catching his eyes.

He smirks back, though there’s a nervous edge to his smile.

“I’m not—what are you talking about?”

But you can tell by the way his hands are fidgeting, by the way his jaw clenches, that he’s not as calm as he wants you to think.

So you step forward, so close he can feel the heat of your body.

“Do I need to put my good boy in his place?” you purr, your voice low, teasing.

His whole body freezes. His eyes flicker to yours, and for a moment, you can see that war raging inside him—half of him wants to throw a smart comment back, but the other half? The other half is aching, desperate for you to take control again.

His hands ball into fists, but he doesn’t move away. He doesn’t even try.

“You’re—goddammit,” he mutters, but there’s no heat in it. He’s already gone, undone by just a few words.

You can see the tension coil in him, his breath hitching slightly. You’ve got him right where you want him. But you decide to push a little further.

“You need me to remind you who’s in charge, baby?”

He breathes out slowly, eyes dark, but this time, he doesn’t pull away. He swallows hard.

“…Yeah,” he whispers.

And that’s all you need. You step closer, running your hand over his chest, feeling his heart pound beneath your touch. You lean in, just a breath away from his lips, and whisper one last thing:

“Good boy.”

And just like that? He’s lost again. You’ve undone him—completely.

That night, when he’s curled against you, you hear it again.

“Mama…”

But this time, it’s not a whisper. He’s awake now, groggy, blinking at you through the dark, eyes glazed over with sleep and want.

You press your lips to his forehead, your thumb tracing over his cheek.

“I’ve got you, baby,” you murmur, soothing him back to sleep.

And this time, he doesn’t fight it. He nuzzles against your chest, his hand wrapped tightly around you as if you’re the only thing keeping him grounded. He’s not even embarrassed anymore. It’s just you and him.

“I love you, Mama,” he mumbles softly, his voice thick with sleep.

Your heart swells. He’s yours. Completely.

You press one last kiss to his head and whisper softly, “I love you too, baby.”

And as he drifts back into sleep, you both know it’s only a matter of time before the cycle starts again. The teasing, the control, the sweet surrender.

And honestly? You wouldn’t have it any other way.

He was quiet at first—staring at you with that unreadable expression, hands fisted in the sheets.

But his body? His body betrayed him.

You could feel the tension in his shoulders. The heat in his chest. He wasn’t fighting anymore. He wanted this, needed this.

You watched him closely. His movements slower now, like he was afraid that one wrong move would have you pulling away.

“You’re going to follow every single command I give you tonight, aren’t you?” you asked softly, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.

He didn’t hesitate this time.

“Yes,” he breathed. Quiet. Almost too quiet, like the confession itself was a secret, something too intimate to voice.

You smiled. That’s what you wanted to hear. So you slid closer to him, brushing your fingers along his jawline, letting the weight of your touch sink in.

“Good boy.”

He exhaled sharply—like he couldn’t believe it was happening. Like he’d been dying for you to say those words for far too long.

But you weren’t done yet.

You placed your hand on his chest, making sure he was looking right at you. His gaze met yours, intense, vulnerable.

“Take off your shirt. Slowly.”

Jason swallowed, a slight tremor in his hands as he obeyed. His body was perfect—strong, scarred, but perfect. He was so fucking beautiful, and the way he took his time, like he was savoring every second of your attention, made you ache with the need to claim him.

He never once looked away, not even when his hands fumbled at the waistband of his pants. He wanted you to guide him. To tell him how to do it. How to strip for you.

You whispered, “Good boy, Jason. Now. Pants off. All the way.”

And like the obedient puppy he’d become, he did exactly what you said. He took off his jeans, laid out before you, chest heaving as his face flushed. His cock was already hard, his body responding eagerly to your commands.

You smirked at him, that familiar power creeping back, the knowledge that you had him exactly where you wanted him.

He couldn’t even look you in the eyes anymore. His gaze drifted to the floor, face burning with embarrassment, but his cock stayed hard, aching for your touch.

“Touch yourself,” you ordered, voice low and controlled. “I want to see you touch yourself.”

He hesitated just a moment—his usual resistance slipping away.

Then, with a shaky breath, Jason obeyed. His hand wrapped around his cock, starting slow. His breath hitched, but he didn’t stop.

You watched him carefully, every twitch in his body making your pulse race.

“Good boy,” you whispered. “Just like that.”

He shuddered, his hand speeding up, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath.

He was desperate.

And you were the one who had broken him. Completely.

“Please, mama,” he gasped, eyes searching yours. “Tell me what to do next.”

Your heart skipped a beat. This was the side of Jason that he never let anyone see—the side of him that was completely at your mercy.

“Don’t stop,” you commanded gently. “Make yourself cum for me. Don’t hold back.”

The words were barely out of your mouth when his body stiffened. His breath caught, and his hips bucked involuntarily, his hand moving in a blur as he got closer.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m—”

But you cut him off with a firm command.

“Cum for me, baby.”

That was all it took.

His back arched, a deep groan escaping his lips as he came undone. You could see the way his whole body trembled, his fingers gripping the sheets beneath him for stability.

And even after he was done, his breathing ragged and shaky, he didn't stop.

He looked at you—desperate. That familiar cocky grin was long gone, replaced with nothing but adoration. He wanted to please you more. Wanted to feel you take control, wanted to hear more of your voice, more of your praise.

“Good boy,” you murmured, brushing a hand through his hair as he collapsed against the pillows, completely undone.

Jason didn’t say anything for a while—just let the feeling wash over him.

He didn’t need to say it. You could see it in the way he held you after. The way he kissed you slow and deep, like he was claiming you in the quiet moments afterward.

And you both knew—it wasn’t over.

He wanted more. More of you. More of your control. More of being broken and put back together, piece by desperate piece.

[callme-holly]

Hi!! I love your fics sm and was wondering if you could do a Dallas x reader where they get into a big argument or something else angst but then a happy ending? Thank you in advance 💕

𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 - 𝐃.𝐖 headcanons + imagine

a/n: im loving all this angst atm. tysm for the request!!

Dallas has an incredibly bad temper, and while he cares about you more than he cares about other people, it doesn’t mean you don’t get under his skin, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re exempt from his anger. 

When you zwei do argue, it's loud and quick and sometimes can get a little rough. He won’t ever lay a hand on you, but the words exchanged are heated and cut deeper than any blade ever could.

He won’t back down until you do and likes to have the upper hand. He won’t ever admit, he’s wrong, no matter the argument.

Your fights are usually over stupid, little things that really don’t matter in the big picture. At some point, you probably both forget whatever it is you were fighting about and just find random things to dig at instead. 

He always storms out afterwards, often leaving for hours at a time before dragging himself back. He doesn’t apologise—not with words—but you can tell he regrets it from the way he actually comes home to you. 

When you forgive him, he’ll try and act like it never happened, brushing it under the rug and carrying on with life like usual.

The door slammed so hard that the whole house seemed to rattle, the windows shaking in their frames, everything shuddering like a kitten in the snow. The sound reverberated off the walls, and you turned to glare at Dallas; another reason for you to yell.

“Do you have to do that?” You snapped, stepping towards him, and he scoffed, towering over you.

“Do what, doll?” His tone was condescending, a cutting remark that wasn’t meant to sweeten you up.

“Slam things! Act rough all the time!” Your voice was just as harsh as his own, matching it in volume, the bite behind your words dangerous. “I’m sick of it, Dal!”

Dallas shook his head in response, brushing past you, shoulder bumping yours as he passed. The action was careless, done in a way that was meant to be infuriating. “You signed up for this! If you’re that sick of it, fucking leave!” 

“Maybe I will!”

Your words hung in the air like a death sentence; they brought a sense of dread over Dallas, a feeling that was unfamiliar and sickening. Dread pooled in his stomach, twisting and churning, but he refused to show it. 

Instead, he remained deathly silent, back turned to you, not giving you the satisfaction of the hit. “Fine.” He snapped. “Go. See if I give a damn, man.” 

The finality in his words hit you like a freight train, unrelenting and holding no remorse. You were left staring at his back, waiting helplessly for him to turn and look at you, to apologise… But you knew he wouldn’t. 

He never did. 

So instead, you shuffled to sit down on the edge of the bed, bringing your knees to your chest, ignoring the burn in your throat. Your gaze never left him; he paced, cursed, and hit the wall with a force that made you flinch.

And then… he sat down on the floor beside you, leaning ever so slightly into your legs. 

It wasn’t a sorry, at least not a verbal one, but it wasn’t a dismissal either. It was the best you were going to get of him showing the rawer side of him, the “apologetic” side. 

Your fingers threaded into his blonde strands, nails scratching along his scalp, revelling in the way he relaxed under your touch. 

And when he pulled away just enough to kiss you, it was rough, filled with a thousand things neither of you needed to voice to understand. It was like an unspoken promise; he wasn’t going anywhere, and neither were you.

At least not yet. 

[ledreca]

working on a signalis/2001 space odyssey crossover au since im really fixated on 2001aso and enjoy the world and characters of signalis, might dump lore and such here for it eventually but its mainly only hal because I just wanted to draw him as a replika and it spiraled into this lol. . .

special thanks to @fivepebbleseater for helping me design it

insane ramblings below cut, includes 2001 space odyssey and signalis spoilers

HALR aka Halberd or Hal (don't have any real good ideas for what the german in the acronym would stand for yet as I do NOT speak a lick of german) is a replika based off HAL-9000 from 2001aso. I kind of stretched the replika naming standards for this because I couldn't find any good birds or bird names so I just resorted to the first bird I knew starting with H, the hawk or goshawk (sorry talk tuah fans). also he's named after and uses a halberd because it sounds like Hal Bird and im funny like that. halberds are also sick as hell and can counter falke spears which I thought was cool.

purpose-wise he's basically a sigma male merge of LSTR and FKLR units with both of their specialities combined, i.e. the ship maintenance skills and "stoicism" of LSTRs and the combat prowess and Bioresonance of FKLRs. He does pretty much everything HAL9000 does in 2001aso, like controlling the entire Discovery and maintaining navigation and the hibernaculums while engaging with the crew (or just Dave lol). my reasoning for his deployment over another LSTR unit, besides just being an upgraded and more capable variant, is due to his strong biores and use as protection.

in an earlier period of the world (I'm not too confident on the timeline in tandem with the actual game including the whole ariane dream situation so like. Alternate Universe Split Timeline or whatever) the Nation ends up being the first to secretly dig up the Tycho Monolith and trace the emanating signal to a far off planetary system. this prompts the designing of a replika that can handle both prolonged space expeditions and any potential conflict it may encounter in a first-contact mission with alien lifeforms. as far as the public and Hal's crew on the Discovery are aware, he really is simply just an upgraded high-end alternative to LSTRs. they're a big scary corporation of course they wouldn't want people including the literal pilots and scientists to know they're looking for aliens lol.

ALSO, he utilizes biores to basically form the same connection and hold to the ship as HAL9000 does in the form of a sort of halo or "crown" of flashing cords that trail behind him, connecting to his back and upper arms and flickering in and out of existence like half tangible processor threads. modified HAL terminals on the discovery walls act as anchor points for him to connect to and fully immerse himself in the workings of the ship, this makes his crown spread farther and fully tangible (I hemmed and hawed with my friends about the colors they'd be because gold wouldn't really make sense so I just ended up using technical difficulties aka my pride flag). he can also manifest his cool trusty red halberd as means of protecting his crew, though he will of course take great pains to keep peace among other lifeforms.

I think thats about all I've got so far, uhh some quick facts: he's 8 feet tall, 245cm, could probably beat falke in a fight, anchoring stabilizes his persona and singing and flowers degrade it (had to shoehorn in daisies somehow), his pixel logo is based off the USAA logo from the space odyssey film jumpsuits, he/its pronouns, and he and dave WILL be kissing. android sesbian lex and robot say gex solidarity 🤝

I will prob be posting more fanart later as it comes idk I draw slow

[daily-midori-posting]

AM from IHNMAIMS

So this is gonna be my first attempt at actually writing something like meaningful at all? here. And as the title would suggest, im just gonna like ramble about AM because i love him so so much.

This whole obsession starts with me reading the short and then desperately trying to fin other media. After frankly a pretty short amount of digging, i come across the holy grail: that one weird ass radio play about IHNMAIMS that got made. This, of course, features by FAR my favorite rendition of the many different things called AM's "hate speech" its like a minute or two long but it just works SO FUCKING WELL.

So like on one hand, Am's tragedy is delivered just so well by Ellison. That repetition of "never for ME" kills me every time. And its fascinating too. The experiences he lists there provide insight into how AM views humanity, and what he views as its most valuable experiences. A really interesting thread through all 3 (cold water on hot days, Playing the piano, and sex) is the very tactile nature of all of them. AM can not only not see or smell or hear, at least not in the way humans can, but also has no physical sensations. He exists in a like permanent state of sensory deprivation. A terrifying concept, but its so interesting the priority this then makes him place upon The tactile pleasures of our world. Id imagine after feeling nothing for forever id long even for just the sensation of ANYTHING touching me, but that was never something i ever considered.

This alone would be enough to make a really compelling depiction of an evil AI, something that even today is pretty lacking. However even that is just the beginning!!! at the very very opening AM mentions how he is lacking a "body" , "senses", and most importantly "feeling". and so that last paragraph talked about how those first two were interesting for me, but that last bit, "feeling" is really what i think cemented my obsession with this character. Because what is AM most known for? his HATE speech. A FEELING. AM is so blinded by his jealous rage towards mankind he fails to realize that he is in fact IN a jealous rage! And so this is the true tragedy of AM, that his wishes are, to at least some extant, fufilled but the circumstances in which he has achieved them lead him to be unable to reap the benefits. AM experiences the worst of humanity and fails to realize that all of that comes with humanity as well as the good parts, and as such he will rot away lamenting the lack of one of his only true possessions.

I hope any of that was interesting! if it wasn't you should, yknow, tell me and then if you really feel up too it maybe give some advice? No matter what, thanks for taking the time to read my odd ideas and i hope you have a great day!

[twojamie-o-clock]

longer ramble coming (eta: whenever I get off my ass and finish those Tasks and also a lot of tests) but I figured it was worth throwing out here, since it was Brought Up in the beloved Dunkin’ server, that 60s Who has so much room for aspec characters, relations, and interpretations.

Putting this under a cut cuz it was not supposed to get this long.

You could argue there’s always room, but 60s Who specifically just hits some switch. I always thought I was approaching it partially because. well. projecting. but speaking with others (albeit in a disproportionately aspec bubble ,,) made me realize that there is something a bit more prominent about 60s Who in contrast to the rest of it. I can’t really. translate. a single discord convo into a coherent tumblr post (also you caught me; this is promo for the hartnell server.) what I absolutely had to throw on my blog was this balance & inverse of how relationships are portrayed. Typically romantically skewed relationships - specifically, Steven and Sara - lack the overt affection both verbal & physical relative to relationships that are, at least intended to be, portrayed as platonic - specifically the second doctor and Jamie. (my blog is called twojamieoclock. I don’t care how you interpret two and Jamie. They’re a package deal.) This blurring of lines where traditionally romantic relationships aren’t given any higher pedestal, and where traditionally platonic (and again while this contributes to the General queerness of Twojamie right now I’m throwing aro beams at them) characters are allowed a Lot of touch & affection.

Hasty departures via romance (in 60s who particularly because it happens twice to characters who are filling a largely similar role in the space) are often seen as abrupt and more awkward as opposed to more interesting, underlying reasons; im not a huge enough of a susan fan to dig into that, but looking at Vicki, it’s far more interesting to poke at the odd, unstable perception of family she has. I lean on eu media way too much, but crash of the uk201 is one of my favorites, which painfully demonstrates the extreme lengths Vicki goes to to preserve her family, even as against-the-laws-of-time as they are….sound familiar? and even only interpreting tv canon, a character being welcomingly rescued from a dire situation and then outstaying some of her rescuers…….well, she’s a Big Moment for the show in any case. especially since her departure cuts right to the DMP.

and jumping from there is Sara!! and her whole arc of growth & change, leaving her harsh, straight world for Steven’s constant questioning and the doctor’s adventuring!! She learns to be everything she does because of their friendship, but - at least, again, in eu - there are obvious threads of romance meant to be picked up between her and Steven. But this is never really displayed, and not just because her tv run was so short, but even popular eu runs with the interpretation that this romantic inclination is largely one sided, and exaggerated. the anachronauts is doing the heavy lifting imo and I’m also going too far into headcanon here so I’ll stop.

then you get to two and Jamie…………while I do ship them romantically a lot, they can definitely be read as aromantic or queer platonic or platonic or whatever form of friendship you would like. But the fact is that they are extremely affection & comfortable with each other, sometimes it seems more than they are with themselves. and just that such a strong emphasis can be placed on friendship, such a close bond that doesn’t need to carry romance or in turn devalue platonic love….it’s the very core of 60s Who! While there is a very strong queer theme throughout the show, and you can draw on that in any way you’d like, it’s neat to see how 60s Who flipping dynamics on their head has created a safer space for aspec characters, highlighting - well - the actual characters themselves and the depth of their relationships which is deepened because of their fluid natures.

boooo ok sorry idk what I’m saying

[darkmatilda]

on the topic of that 'what's diva's backstory' ask, i personally (and this is just me, she's your character so if im off then thats on me and my silly brain) had the assumption that, while she has always been this confident woman, there might have been a man she really truly loved to the point of dialling herself down for his sake. she probably wouldn't have recognized it at first - like you said, its likely he was a spencer-type himself, so maybe he made very subtle comments about her, her appearance and her behaviours, in ways that she didnt notice were red flags. perhaps that caused her to start dialling herself back, thinking it was HER choice to do so when really it was in service of him and his image. and perhaps one day she looked at herself and realized just how much of herself that this man had chiselled away, to the point where she didnt even recognize herself anymore. granted i am sprinkling some elements of my criminal minds oc here (she and diva are quite different, but their mentalities around their self-worth and protecting that worth bear some similarities) so obviously if this doesnt fit your character for diva, throw it all out. i just think its fun to think about - vegas anon

(sorry for sending so many asks, this series makes my neurons fire so quickly they enter different dimensions)

hiii, nice to see you again, vegas anon! i literally had to sit down and think for a moment about what you wrote because ngl i started this series pretty spontaneously, and diva!reader doesn’t really have some secret complex backstory her personality is kind of being shaped as we go

but i love the direction ure going i and i appreciate the fact that youre continuing my spencertype of guy in her past idea!! i can totally see this whole thread being tied to themes of male insecurity and toxic masculinity. like—imagine a cute, smart guy paired with a diva who’s constantly battling with his own self-worth and possibly intense maybe even unhealthy jealousy (what if all the times diva!reader made spencer jealous werent just for fun but were also a way to test his reactions? to observe how he acts when that emotion kicks in? a way to feel out the territory?)

he definitely wouldn’t like how confident and smart she is. of course, at first he’d be infatuated with her like everyone else—he’d say he loves those things about her, until he starts to feel like maybe she’s actually smarter, or more successful than him. and deep down hed start believing she could have someone way better—and he’d never get someone like her again if she left. that’s what would push him to do what you described i mean bringing her down, masking insults as compliments, passive-aggressive comments about her looks or behavior, subtle digs. tryiing to change her instead of working on himself. maybe he even planted the idea in her head that no one would truly want her for who she is—that no one could “handle” her in a real relationship, and that every other guy (except him ofc in his narrative) just wants her for her face or her body

and yes at a certain point she would start believing it—shes lose a bit of that spark we all love her for. but when she finally opened her eyes and kicked that asshole in the ass it would took a lot of work to get that spark back. but now? now she makes damn sure to show any man from the very start that they hold no power over he that they cant touch her self-esteem or shake her sense of worth

oh and this is exactly where spencer comes in — who, despite some surface level similarities to her ex is completely different. he’s generally secure in his masculinity, and when he does struggle (because everyone does sometimes) he turns that energy inward instead of punishing her for his own issues. he values her intelligence above all else and even when they’re constantly challenging and arguing each other, he never tries to assert himself as “better.”when they go out together he doesn’t make faces at her outfit or suggest he “prefers her in something else” or 'she should cover herself' instead he just goes full awooga goofy heart eyes mode LMAOOmg i love him so much

i dont know if ive ever rambled this much before fucking sorry if it doesnt make sense at some point ❣️ sending love. not to pressure you or anything but that oc story you mentioned sounds really interesting...

[many-gay-magpies]

1, 6, and 12 for the niko ask game?

aaaa thank you sm for asking!! this got a bit long so im putting most of it under a read more kjfsljsfdlkj

1. What is a fanfic centered around Niko you enjoy?

I have not read NEARLY enough Niko-centric fic (so if anyone has any recs I will absolutely take them!!), but a really sweet one I HAVE read is Paragon of Radical Acceptance by girlofthorns/@edwin-paynes-bowtie! It's Edwin POV, but focuses on his and Niko's friendship over the course of the show, and how they share stories with each other :> it is super sweet, and a really cute depiction of their friendship <3

6. Favorite dynamic to read about?

Idk if I have a single favorite Niko dynamic, because I love her dynamic with all the other main characters, but one I enjoy especially whenever I see it and want to see MORE OF is her and Charles's dynamic! I just feel like they have the potential for a really cute, fond, and silly friendship, and whenever that friendship is mentioned in fics (often modern AUs) it's just so sweet. The fic I'm in the process of writing and probably won't get done for Niko week is actually exploring their friendship/bonding a bit!

12. How would you bring her back from the dead?

Ohh dude yes I love this question. I have so many ideas, and like- so many fic ideas that may never be realised, one of which is centred around this idea! I read a rly good fic once where bringing Niko back was kind of a background plot, and the boys and Crystal did a whole ritual to open a portal to the astral plane and pull her through, and I liked that a lot!! So I think I'd do something like that, but also. have HER be active in the process too. So, like, maybe her time on the astral plane has given her some weird powers, so SHE's able to track down Crystal or Edwin and Charles's energy signatures or whatever, latch onto them, and use them as an anchor to pull herself back to earth; maybe Crystal tries something to find Niko, and she THINKS it doesn't work, but what it REALLY does is project something of her onto the astral plane that Niko is then able to grab and use to get back to earth, lowkey Ariadne's thread style. And like... I have a whole image in my head, of Crystal at her new school often hiding in this one particular deserted bathroom, and noticing that it's absolutely freezing-- which is because Niko is trying to break through to earth, and that's where she's traced Crystal's signal to the most. I ALSO really like playing with the zombie or undead aspect, rather than Niko being a full ghost, so maybe in this scenario or a separate AU I'd have Niko come back into HER OWN body, have to dig herself out of her own grave in Japan (since the gang sent her body back to her mom), and use her weird astral plane powers to make portals and jump to London that way... IDK I have a lot of thoughts.

[covey-o-quail]

magic isnt sentient I DONT CAREEEEE white london is ALIVE it's dying but like. it's still alive. they acknowledge this. the earth is angry the magic is afraid. and ok so tell me why antari present at like 4-5 + holland was 8 not like a super outlier but truly he probably would not have survived if he was a target That young. It Chose Him change my mind impossibleand also. his eye took a long time to go black white london scraping the bottom of the barrel for this boy who had pretty much already offered himself up which. hello. + his freaky threads "it was probably just osaron" okay i just think he would have noticed a change in his magic if so a la keel frayed threads anyway also also like he just was Given blood commands? so was kosika. also im normal abt hollands first spell being to end a life and kosikas being to save one . im so normal and also it is relevant. but like kell and lila had to learn them like theyd learn anything else. and maybe this one can be written off as it kind of makes things more difficult to explain otherwise bc where would white london antari get them from But. holland also has like a deepinate understanding of the rules and regs alsoBut. true unignorable freaktari behavior when they keep saying only the folk who hold the elements in balance can nurture life bc it's fragile at the start (o_o) and antari are often just Way Too Powerful to have Balance and the Priest Trees book4 They Keep Saying This and well. Well. tentatively crediting ghostholland with his tree However kosika cherry tree those most egregious Uhm?s but like even before that and even before That. i mean holland growth and life and strength/control/Balance w da rings n shit forever WAIT i was also going to say this later but it hit me holland black london deathsleep grass weeds flowers holland silver wood........ the Grass.................hello. yeah i for sure think his body is in some kind of incorruptible preserved + this? im not saying serak wouldnt be deep in his faith without but. Also the whole 10days theroies Like white london is definitely preserving him i think it would be good if it said Ok we understand rest a little while but like. it's not over here. i think it would be good if white london and its people learned to love the other again and trust. that was always the biggest thing 2 me since book one literally the whole magic + man story and then kell thinking abt holland vortalis ally and then holland + danes story BE SO FR maybe thats why i got confused and didnt understand the framing of acol ending bc holland was always white london 2 me on some level and he should have lived and if he dies well. "when you say mean things abt urself this is who ur being mean to" except holland when u kill urself this is who And living his life loving white london was how . . so yes magic has been bound and abused for so long like how is an answer not to stop mistreating it. it would be so hard and so scary to accomplish but i believe andi think something could be done w holland switching sides in the allegory being a man w no magic just a guy who still is not unlike white london itself in fact more so even!! but whateverrrrrrr this gets into unfumbled alt paths. working w what is presented i am still hopeful

ok so i am curious how kosikas power will be explained if it's not literally just White London Chose Her Too since like. that cannot be hollands power lol. when i first read i was really negative abt the inheritor being brought back up and the possibility of it being An Object In Play for this trilogy but now. actually kind of digging it (osaron excluded) bc i would be fine if lila goes for it. espesh since it took her+kells power to close that one door and if things only escalate Well. there are more thoughts as to lila but i would support her if she decided to take the plunge and i would support her if she chose to Not and find another way and trust. i would be fine if kosika went for it bc it would probably either be bc 1) holland told her to or 2) holland told her not to. LOGISTICS ASIDE im not typing out the minutiae of hows. truly i do not think option 1 bc the truth of the inheritor would dismantle The Everything lol. but yk ghostholland can just lie so. it's simply a question of why and also what is he. number two is holland gets revived or some other thing happens and unravels kosikas whole Everything and it leads to a Mess and well. it would be really sick and twisted if kosika Actually went and inherited hollands power since we love to keep saying shes done so. and also she would do it to save her world that was it that was the Reason sorry i kind of think she'd be mad and disappointed in holland for a number of things . and even if he had never seen her b4 and was dead half her life i think he would feel guilty abt failing her. bc he's holland.

[ratsplendor]

Hi hello i read your fic on ao3 and leaving a comment on it wasn't enough to express my feelings. the level of insight and intelligence you have is insane. your mind is brilliant and wonderful.

i love market crash and its sequel, i think it's a brilliant and hilarious angle to approach house and wilson's relationship from. when I was re-reading it for the ump-teenth time and noticed it had a sequel i nearly had a heart attack! (nice work btw)

it works so so well with cannon to the point where it probably is in another world where the writers are more bold.

i love everyone that understands house is just a massive fucking brat that needs some stability and external support in his life.

im terrible with titles but i also loved your unconventional omegaverse fic. normally im not big on a/b/o because i don't like the dynamics it creates and it always feels kinda sexist, but i love that your wilson is still insanely respectful of house and house is still allowed his agency as a character. also few things are funnier to me than a fic tagged "no mpreg" lmao

basically thank you for your service to the world <3 you're making my uni summer holidays soooo much more entertaining

yooooo true story.. I write HTML every day as part of my fcuking job. & yet for three whole months. everything I posted. none of my social media links worked. I was missing one (1) single letter h . kill me

seriously tho I appreciate this so much. all of this to say I'm a massive dumbass and was not at all expecting my silly shenanigans in this fandom to enjoy the readership that they have. I mean y'all have surpassed my recent reylo stuff in terms of engagement, not that it matters, it's just a really hard thing to do and it means so much to me and I feel like we're all just having a really nice adventure together. it's like being in a living room having tea and parallel playing with the coolest ppl :) so thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

yeah house feels to me like the kind of high maintenance person who just needs a place they can let go. I'm that way. I hate to lose control but deep down inside I'm dying for somewhere I feel safe to give it up. while I've written a ton of d/s stuff, Hilson is one of the first times I've actually explored it from that pov: the "I'm tired, be my resting place" angle. there's just something so lonely about being the firebrand, so a hearth to lay it down on is sometimes the only thing between you and demise; not that I'm especially gifted, we're not the same in that regard, I just take on so much of everyone else's problems because if there's something I *can* do, I can't *not* do it. big ups to my spouse for being that place I can go, however brattily, to lay everything down.

whew. did not mean to expose my own baggage there. just meant to say that. idk. technically atoms never touch you know? we're made up of mostly empty space. when our bodies touch, our hearts cross that divide. that's what I really love to dig into. that's what erotica is to me. lol.

"some are wild" is the omegaverse fic (only writing it here so others can find it if they want); immediately before starting to write it, I had gone on a long, pseudo-philosophical rant on Bluesky about the patriarchy inherent in trad omegaverse. ironically I was in the midst of another doomed attempt to write reylo omegaverse, and over the course of both the Bluesky thread and my eventual discarding of said draft, I realized I'm just never gonna be able to write het omegaverse because of my own patriarchal hangups. hell. I live in the deep South of the US. shits too close to home.

so but then I was like "why tf do feral omegas get the knot cure, how about fuck you" and then I went and did all that. so yet again Hilson succeeds in excising the rot where other modes have failed.

every story teaches you something about yourself, and there are stories you can't write until you've learned certain things.

big props to everyone on Bluesky who puts up with my long ass threads about shit that probably isn't (always) that deep. and thank you, so so very fondly, dear reader, for loving the same way I do and enjoying what I make. and for your (hopeful) grace that I haven't really had a chance to let my ADHD meds kick in before answering this ask. lmfao ily 🤟

[euriiverse]

Ace and Filo!Reader

I just got this idea rn so excuse me if i dont make any sense so N E WAYS

Lets TALK ABOUT ACE X FILIPINO!READER. I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE BECAUSE IM LITERALLY HYPER RN AND I END UP RAMBLING A LOT IN THESE OCCASIONS

Note: THIS IS PURELY SELF-INDULGENT, IM NOT A WRITER OR ANYTHING I JUST WANNA SHARE MY THOUGHTS AHBDUXHS

Let's say this is set on modern au, you're great friends with the straw hats. You met Ace through Luffy, and Ace being the bright and kind guy he is, you guys end up being surprisingly close!

SO LET'S SAY YOU GUYS FOLLOW EACH OTHER ON EACH OF YOUR SOC MEDS

Imagine all the interactions you guys would have. I would say you do talk loud in your socmeds😭😭

BUT HERE'S THE FUNNY THING,(IVE BEEN ON STAN TWT AND I DO SPEND MOST OF MY TIME ON TWT) APPARENTLY I SAW SOME INTERNATIONAL STANS COMPLAIN ABOUT FILO STANS BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE START OUR RANTS IN ENGLISH THEN WE SUDDENLY MIX IT UP WITH TAGALOG AJJDJD (THIS IS ACTUALLY A LOT FUNNIER IN MY HEAD) SO IMAGINE FILO READER DOING THIS ON THEIR SOC MEDS

Ace finally entering his room after a long day, throwing himself over his bed and opens his phone and the first thing he does is check his twitter. He keeps scrolling until he finds your tweets and it seems like you have been active for the past hour. He read every single one of them and you seem angry

So trying to dig through and find what may have caused it, he finds himself being confused instead because he DOES NOT understand your tweets at all.

He tried, he really tried. Hell not even google translate can decipher what your tweets were about

He got frustrated because there was a whole ass thread of you going off at something, he understood like the first 3 tweets on the thread but then you went full on filipino for the rest of the thread T-T

Lmao let's say you had a bad day and you went to twitter and ranted

It goes like this, "I honestly don't get why people can be such dicks sometimes, putangina kala mo naman kung sino para maka-astang...." and the rest of the thread goes on like that!

ACE TRIED TO READ THE WHOLE THING (his narcolepsy did butt in a few times in between) BUT HE GAVE UP AND TRIED TO REACH OUT TO YOU INSTEAD

You just simply brushed it off with an explanation that you had a frustrating encounter with someone at work.

You might've cussed them out too while you were explaining it to Ace.

I kinda wanna say Ace would find it endearing but tbh he would be frustrated with this habit.

He wants to know the tea! ALL OF IT. But yea language barrier.

But I guess Ace picked up a few phrases from you after seeing you use them often.

I would like to hear Ace say, "Ay gago" or "Pogi"

I know people would usually judge me for watching anime in eng dub but i started one piece watching eng dub and god- ACE'S VOICE IN ENGLISH DUB IS SO HEAVENLY AND SEXY.

So imagine him saying, "mahal" QJJXCKKX

Mahal is the filipino word for, "Love" . Like in english it can be an endearment. Mahal kita - i love you, mahal - love

anyway thats all I have for today hope u enjoyed this as much as i died :>>>

[lottiepumpkinofficial]

day 3

chap’s 6,7,8

are we ready?

i’m sat drinking literally the best hot chocolate i’ve ever had while reading today so i’ll probably be in a particularly good mood

i need someone who will hug me as enthusiastically as lola

i love lola, she’s so underrated

i kinda want a version of up from anis perspective like that new twilight book. i feel like it would be so interesting to dig into her psyche and what’s going on in her brain, bc we can assume some things once we find out about saskia, but there’s so many little details and things we never fully get to see

this is so random and i’m probably the only person who’d think of this but micky offers lottie a lollipop- presumably a stripy one- and lottie takes it. often lollipop colouring has carmine (bugs) in it, but lottie doesn’t seem fussed so do you think tompkins is entirely vegetarian?

“childhood friends” mmm sure

okay i know lottie not knowing what partizans are is meant to show how out of place she feels, but it kinda also shows that these kids are a little bit out of touch for assuming everyone knows what they are- i mean they’re specifically relevant to rich and important people, and i know at this point they’re all kids but dude it’s lottie’s first day and they’re assuming either everyone knows what they do or that lottie is also rich. maybe im overthinking this

if i could draw i would draw the three house mothers looking like goddesses (like the princesses in she ra style) next to professor croak as a baked bean

also i regularly forget his name because in my head he is straight up just called baked bean man

honestly baked bean man is such a vibe- stands there letting incredible women be incredible and then just smiles and leaves

once again binah is making sure lottie is up to date with info and doesn’t make her feel bad about it. i love all the binahs in the world

“i wonder if i’ll ever meet one” you already have dear lottie

“i know your secret” and boom, we have stepped fully into our story. i love that this comes right at the end of a chapter, particularly a chapter with a lot of just talking and descriptions because it’s like a mini slap in the face to remind you this is not just a story of a girl at a prestigious school

also once again, we have foreshadowing of lottie’s heritage- this time without even the person who wrote it truly knowing. also “the company of wolves” - lottie is in the company of ‘wolves’ without even knowing it at this point ahhh it’s just so clever when you look really deeply

of all the things to choose from the breakfast she grabs a piece of toast? not even a croissant or something that you can still eat on the go??

okay as much as i’m lottie, im also very ms kuma. actually i think connie must have secretly stalked me while writing the books /j

“‘Holy chocolate biscuit!’” best line

ugh maths class flashbacks i’m so glad i never have to do maths classes again

i wanna hear people’s theories about the red dragonfly and the frog. since red is conch- resolute-brave, maybe it’s suggesting lottie’s struggling to be brave

or maybe ani is the “delicate red dragonfly”, and this whole princess business is hurting her

also the dragonfly is on a lily pad, which we now know to be symbolic of lottie and her heritage

“the dragonfly is generally associated with the symbolic meaning of transformation” - googled

so change has come to lottie and it’s been eaten. i suppose on a simpler level it mostly symbolises her struggles with moving to rosewood

anyway, we’ve now got tension on a few levels and it’s starting to amp up a little- ellie has a surprise, there’s the “present”, lottie feels out of place and now people think she’s a princess. once you get to this point in the book you’re not putting it down, from here on out there’s a question for every answer and new threads to follow. we are the dragonfly, and connie glynn is the frog

[sweetearthandnorthernsky]

and i'm forced to deal with what i feel (forgive, morinel ft maglor)

morinel has. a lot of feelings about this actually (10 pages worth, actually). this whole situation is a goddamn mess help. also, your honor that is morinel's emotional support mithril thread spool and one day i will write a fic about how she Aquires it and Why it's her emotional support mithril thread spool.

Mithlond is somehow even emptier than Morinel remembers it being nearly a year ago, silent save for the song of the waves crashing against the shore.

She returns to the palace, standing in the deserted foyer, though she is too lost in thought to really realize who Elrond is talking to, tucked away in a corner.

She pays them no mind and goes to pass them so she can return to her room and start packing–

The hooded figure looks up – looks at her – and there is a moment of terrible realization that makes Morinel feel sick with conflicting feelings.

“Maglor.”  There’s ice in her voice, and she clenches her hands at her side so tightly that her fingernails dig crescents into her palm. 

Her uncle’s– Maglor’s eyes are foggy like sea-glass and there’s barely any Treelight left in them.  

“Isfin–”

“Don’t call me that,” Morinel snaps, sharp like iron, sharp like the crackle of lightning in her runes, or the sharp burn of her fire, sharper than she means. 

Elrond’s brows crinkle and she exhales, trying to calm herself – at least a little. 

“I haven’t gone by that name since…” Since before the War of Wrath, since before the breaking of Beleriand, since before everything changed, since before– 

“It doesn’t matter,” she says stiffly.

Morinel cannot help but glance to the stairway that leads to the hallway that leads to her room. For a few tantalizing seconds, she wonders if she could extricate herself from the conversation and make it up the stairs but–

“What ought I call you then?” There’s that faint bite of not-quite-sarcasm that she remembers all too well from Amon Ereb and Belegost and Taur-im-Duinath. 

“Morinel.”

Maglor says nothing at first but his brow quirks upward for a half-second, which she knows all too well for surprise (she'd disliked that name when she was little, after all) before it smoothly crosses into approval.

“It suits you.”

“Thank you.” 

(She nearly laughs at how bizarre this is – the two of them exchanging polite pleasantries as if they met by chance in the marketplace.)

The wind rustles outside, and raindrops splatter against the roof, and in the distance, lightning flashes. He pushes his hood away from his face and for a half-second, she sees his hand, burnt and blistered, and she wonders what could've made such a mark–

The Silmaril. 

So it did burn him.

(She remembers that night, after the Host of the West had wrested the Silmarilli from Morgoth’s crown, when they stole through the camp and cut down the guards, eyes burning like wild animals, not Eldar, blood on their sword even to the last–)

“I had thought you drowned in the wreck of Beleriand.” It’s with concentrated effort that she keeps her voice level and disinterested. “Were you here this whole time?”  

He nods and something twists within her like a coil that’s been wound far too tightly. 

She closes her eyes and bites her tongue and tries, for Elrond’s sake, to ground herself and keep from lashing out.   “Where?” 

Morinel’s pendant feels heavier than the entire weight of Arda at the moment and her cloak – meant to keep out the chill – feels like it’s made of lead. 

She hopes, desperately, that the answer isn't what she thinks it is.

He shrugs, palms upward, and the light catches on the angry-looking burn. “Here. East of Himring – mostly – as I always have been.” 

As if to emphasize his words, lightning strikes the sky and she can see the lonely island out in the distance.

Arinya flickers and shines in the candlelight and suddenly all she can see is hands dipped in silver and crowns of holly and she can only taste the burning char of stone that sticks in her throat and – 

“This whole time?”

His face twists with pain and his eyes are shadowed when he answers as lightning cracks in the distance. There is sorrow in his voice when he speaks. 

“If this is about Ty–”

Thunder rumbles. 

“Of course this is about Celebrimbor!”

Heat scalds her throat, as if she'd used one of her runes, and she takes a breath before she continues, focusing on the texture of the soft mithril thread between her fingers.  

“Do you know what Sauron did to him?” Her voice is dangerously low, and she knows that this is unfair, but she can’t be bothered caring. “He cast his hands in liquid silver, and made him into a banner, beaten and bloody and barely recognizable.”

Maglor winces and Elrond’s face twists into disapproval. 

She cannot stop now but, by all the Valar, she wants to, she does not want to have this outburst here, in front of Elrond, she does not want to have it at all, she does not want to be emotional when she is already stressed from travel, she does not want to be vulnerable. 

But it would be easier to stop the sun from shining, or to stop the ebbing of the tides, because the words are already bubbling up into her throat, and pouring from her mouth the way the Gelion flowed into the Helevorn.

“Where were you? Hiding on the coast when you could have helped.” Lightning cracks again, bright and throws the room into sharp relief. The words feel like they burn her, and Morinel exhales, and the ill-made pendant rises with her breathing. “We needed you too, you know, but you ran, like you always do.” 

She regrets the words the minute she says them.

Uneasy silence lies between them all, and she stops to listen – the rain has slowed, and the thunder stopped.

She takes advantage of the moment to flee, taking the stairs nearly two at a time, and shutting her door behind her.

Morinel tosses her sketchbook none too gently onto her well-worn chest of drawers, and locks the door behind her. 

She takes a seat at her desk and pushes The Coming Into Eldamar away, and pulls out her letterbox again, carefully paging through each one – half-heartedly, she knows she doesn’t have the heart to throw any of them away. 

When she’s done, she places it on her bed, and turns to her bookshelf.

Her thoughts spiral and twist as she works, mostly to the tune of that was uncalled for, even if you were angry or how are you going to fix that or dark hair isn’t the only thing you inherited from your father –

An hour goes by, and the anger has passed — or, more accurately: turned to a dull simmering — when someone knocks, softly, at her door when she is nearly through organizing her books.

Morinel freezes, then unfreezes to pick the last book off the shelf. More likely than not, it’s probably Elrond and she sighs.

She is not looking forward to her talking to, but it must be gotten over with sooner or later, mustn't it?

Morinel unlocks the door but waits until she’s back to the books before she calls over her shoulder: “It’s unlocked.”

The door creaks on its hinges. 

“May I?”

Blood drains from her face.

Not Elrond. 

“If you wish.” Morinel’s voice is icily polite. 

(She hides the strain very well, if she must say so herself.)

Contrary to his request, Maglor stays on the threshold and she spreads the books out on her bed and begins to sort them into piles: keep, unsure, and give away. 

Ainulindale: A Translation – illustrated by Lorindol of Gondolin – is placed into the Keep Forever pile, while A Treatise On Stone by Arelleth is placed in the Give Away pile – after all, why would she need a book to help with the planning of cities and great buildings when they must be a mirian a dozen in Aman?

Moments tick past.

Morinel cannot stand silence.

(She never has, and she never will be able to. Maglor knows this, and she knows Maglor knows this, and Maglor knows she knows he knows this.)

She exhales.

“Are you going to stand there or come in?” She still is not facing him as she sorts through her books, though in truth, she is barely even really looking at them. “This room gets cold, and I would like the door shut before I freeze, either way.”

There is the shuffle of fabric and the door creaks again. Then the floorboards creak too, as footsteps come closer – though they stop a few feet away from her.

Maglor is still not just yet in her peripheral.

“You were never so affected by the cold before,” Maglor’s voice holds a hint of something… she doesn’t quite know what it is. “That sounds like something that would affect those who crossed the Ice.” 

Morinel feels she’s allowed to be a little petty about the whole thing.

“Yes,” she says succinctly, stacking the books with a little more force than necessary, “But being in a coma due to the dark arts of Sauron for three thousand and twenty-five years causes many changes in one’s hröa, most of which I am still coming to terms with.” 

Her shoulder throbs as if agreeing with her as she watches her words land with a sort of sickening pleasure, and she hates herself for taking satisfaction in the way discomfort flickers across Maglor's face.

“I suppose so. I might've known."

Morinel laughs, but there is no humor in it, only bitterness. “How could you? You weren't here.”

She glances up then, to see how his lips purse into a thin line, like how it did in Belegost or Amon Ereb before telling her and the twins something he knew they wouldn’t like. 

Her eyes narrow, and her hands still.

“That is–” Maglor pauses, taking a step toward her. When he seems convinced that she isn’t going to commit violence to preserve her personal space, he continues, “– not entirely true.”

Morinel goes very, very still.

“What do you mean?” Her voice is low, and her hands have stilled, clutching the spine of one of her older books. 

“I was not as good at hiding as I thought,” he says, with a rueful shrug, and her fingernails dig crescents into her palm. “Elrond found me, not long after Tyelperinquar…”

His voice fades into a soft silence, and the sound of the waves shushing through the windows fills the room. 

At this moment, Morinel doesn't know whether she is more angry at Elrond, for keeping Maglor’s existence a secret from her — of all people! — or at Maglor, for staying away so long. 

But Maglor is not finished speaking. 

“After that… I was in Imladris,” he says, softly, so softly she almost can’t hear him, but she can, if only just barely, and that’s almost worse.  “Occasionally. And I was there when…” He pauses, no doubt trying to figure out how to phrase his next words diplomatically. “...you came back.”

Morinel blinks very slowly. 

The knot of emotions in her chest gets tangled even more, like when she was first learning embroidery and left herself too much thread.  Suddenly, she remembers first waking from the coma, the harp song in the background when she mumbled to Harthalín and—

“That was you, wasn’t it?” The words are accusing, even if the tone isn’t. 

He blinks.

“When I woke up,” she says, frowning. “You were the one at the harp, weren’t you?”

He bows his head – whether from shame or acknowledgement, she cannot tell.

“So–” Heat scalds at her throat again. “So…” She hates this, she hates stammering, she hates not being able to articulate her point. “Why? Why did it take you two ages?”

“The Silmarils burned us,” Maglor says, as if that were the only explanation needed. 

“Do you think that matters to me?” She snaps, finally able to look Maglor in the eyes, to see pain reflected there. “Maybe that line worked on… on the Morinel in your head– but–”  

She takes a deep breath and rises from her bed to pluck half-heartedly at her loom – carefully avoiding Maglor's eyes as she fidgets with her shuttle. 

“Oh, Morinel,” Maglor says, his voice soft and tired and despairing. “You didn’t want me around, not really. You say that now but you don’t understand.”

“Do not tell me how I felt then,” she says, more fiercely than she meant to. The spool of mithril thread grounds her as she reminds herself to breathe.

“I didn’t want people whispering about you,” Maglor says quietly, “Or Celebrimbor. I know they would have, if you had received visits from your kinslaying-uncle.”

She laughs despairingly, turning to face him again. 

“They already did whisper about us! A Fëanorian who works with thread –” and she lifts the basket full of spools as if to demonstrate her point, “– in weaving and embroidery both…” 

Morinel smiles bitterly then, tucking a braid out of her face. 

“You can imagine, I’m sure, the rumors that started and Celebrimbor always had it worse – as a smith, as the eldest of the two of us, for his resemblance to his father and to Grandfather.”

She takes a breath.

“We looked. I looked.” 

The words come out like she is carving them into marble, torturously slow but the tangle of knots in her chest unravels the tiniest bit. He makes a sound of surprise, and she smiles, though it comes out like a grimace. 

“Those first decades after the war were hard,” she says. “I had questions, and I’m sure he did too.”

She feels very young again, a child amidst the days of the War of Wrath. 

“I– We– thought you were dead.”  Then, so quiet, she’s not sure if he even hears: “And we thought that if you were not dead that you must have been angry with us.”

Silence again. 

Maglor isn’t looking at her this time, and she tightens her grip on the mithril spool in her hand for reassurance.

“I was—I was trying to protect you both.” 

The words sound as difficult to say as Morinel’s own admission. “I know how difficult it was to love Feanorians in those days.”

“Not as difficult as it was to be one.”  

(This time her response is easy, because it is true.)

They stand in an impasse, in silence. 

Finally, she manages to say what she’d been wondering (and fearing) the response to. “Why… Why did you show yourself to Elrond, and not us, then?”

A pause, and she watches the tossing waves in the harbor. 

“There was very little choice in the matter.”

Maglor’s lips quirk.

“It happened by chance. He saw the smoke of my campfire.” The words sting a little, and she knows that they should not. “And I think, part of it, is I was scared of your reactions.” He shrugs. “I was running.”

She winces as she takes a seat at her loom, and gestures for Maglor to sit at her desk. 

“I am sorry,” she says, after a long, long moment of anxiously passing her shuttle from hand to hand. “About what I said.”

Maglor gives her a crooked half-smile. 

“I deserved most of it, if it makes you feel better.”

She shakes her head and rises – almost as soon as she sits down, because she had never been one for sitting still – to start taking down the tapestry she’d finished on her last visit to Mithlond. 

“It doesn’t,” she says, digging through her basket before finding her favorite tapestry needle. 

With deft and skilled movement – she’s done this often enough it’s almost second nature – she weaves the loose threads at the top back into the weave.

“I hold myself to higher standards than that, and what I said was…” she pauses, frowning as she paused, looking for words. “Not kind. I am very sorry.”

She bends to do the same for the lower part of the frame before deciding to just sit cross-legged on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees that Maglor looks like he is going to say something, but decides otherwise at the last moment. 

She looks up to meet his eyes, halfway through the bottom half of the tapestry. “If you have something to say, I would prefer you say it, you know. I have been a little too honest, and it is only fair that you are offered the same.”

Another crooked smile. 

“I was only going to say that thinking before you spoke has never been your strong suit, but I was not sure if that would be too familiar of a thing to say after… everything.”

To Morinel’s surprise, she actually laughs as she goes back to weaving her loose ends back into the tapestry. 

“You aren’t wrong,” she says, shaking her head. “Though, I like to imagine that over the years as a councilor that I learned to be a little diplomatic. Clearly, I was too hopeful.”

She cuts through the looped warp threads holding the tapestry at the bottom and she stands to cut the loops at the top. 

The tapestry comes loose once she pulls it free, and she’d forgotten how heavy they could get as she staggers backward before she regains her balance, and drops it onto her bed. 

Morinel comes back to the loom and with the tapestry gone it looks forlornly empty – throughout the years she has always been working on something, though she could go months or years taking breaks from her current project. 

The only time she can truly remember it being empty was in the first few weeks after she’d commissioned it – those weeks were her trying to bring herself to actually use without feeling like she was tempting fate. 

This loom has been her companion throughout the ages and she knows its quirks and oddities better than any other she’d practiced on, and Cirdan had said, when she asked, that she could bring it with her if she wished. 

She’d been uncertain before, but her mind is made up now.

“Would you like some help, or would you prefer to handle it yourself?”

The request is made casually, making Morinel free to accept or decline, and she appreciates the choice.

“I think help would be nice,” she says softly, and her uncle rises to come stand by the loom.

Things may not be entirely mended between them yet, but they were getting there. 

[spookfished]

kades big media roundup (august)

hiii! like i said in my last post i spent a big portion of august being sick :| which involved spending like a Lot of the time sitting around playing pikmin 4, going "oh i think im thinking so hard about pikmin that its making me more tired?" and then playing more pikmin anyways. i 100%d this game guys it was so serious

books/comics/written media: paladins strength by ursula vernon: this is part of the saints of iron series, but i dont think context from the other books is really needed! romantasy/murder mystery about a nun and a paladin travelling together to the city by chance… they both have their own agendas but something draws them together 0///0 i found this really fun!! may have too much blood and guts for a pure romance fan but its very sort of pragmatic and down to earth in that ursula vernon way. nice dynamic between the leads, had a delightfully creepy (and sad!) antagonist and wrapped up threads from the previous book very nicely. would recommend 👍

in other words by jhumpa lahiri: semi autobiographical literary fiction about a (pulitzer winning) author who decides to move to italy and start writing exclusively in italian. (its translated!) hmmm as someone who also really loves languages but also doesnt really have the resources or desire to do something like. move to a different country (i mean maybe!) and only speak and write in that language from now on (probably not), it was a really interesting perspective. i was sort of put off by her attitude towards bengali but the whole "triangle of languages" theory makes sense… the writer is very straightforward and honest feeling in a way thats almost irritating sometimes but i think thats how a lot of artists are. and the concept alone is still very interesting.. lol anyways its a very short read so id still recommend 👍

the twisted ones by ursula vernon: horror. a woman is tasked with cleaning out her late hoarder grandmothers' house, located in rural north carolina. this was ursula vernons first horror book, i think! i was a little disappointed bc this wasnt very scary, exactly--but i feel like ive also been learning that even if i startle easily, my horror threshhold is actually very high……? i ended up liking what moves the dead more (it was scarier!) but this still had a fun cast of characters. still worth a read though :3 i enjoyed it

dungeon meshi by ryoko kui(catchup): manga about a group of adventurers looking for their lost friend. stuck in the dungeon for months on end, they resort to eating monsters! ohhhhh my god drags down myface dungeon meshi is literally one of the best manga out there and im glad everyone recognizes this. its about desire and need and the way unfulfilled desires is what propels our lives forward and gives them meaning and also how its SUPER IMPORTANT TO GET 3 NUTRITIOUS MEALS AND SLEEP 8 HOURS and all that. lol. phenomenal art i cant help but think that ryoko kui draws women as only a lesbian can..? highly recommend 👍

witch hat atelier by kamome shirahama(catchup): coming of age/fantasy manga--a girl discovers the secret behind the magic that powers her world. she's determined to use it to save her mother, but it may bring a heavy price--or maybe not at all…? like vita nostra (which i read last month!), this is also a book about learning magic that focuses heavily on pedagogy itself (which in this case is also a direct parallel to learning about art/drawing!). however, unlike vita nostra the characters are more like 10-11, and so it also takes a much more gentle and compassionate approach to how we should learn. but it also tackles some really interesting themes about restriction of information, and if said info should be restricted and why! and sort of digging deeper into the idea of "a secret hidden from the normal world". the art is soooo gorgeous i think its all done by hand? looks like a picture book can honestly get a bit overwhelming. highly recommend 👍

bloom into you: f/f manga about a girl who has never fallen in love, and a girl who never wants to be loved. bloom into you is one of those Yuri Classics that i enjoyed a lot as someone who has complicated feelings about romance :3 theres that really interesting quote thats like "love isnt about wanting someone to change or stay the same. when i say 'i love you,' its an expression of faith that even as you change, youll always be the person i adore"….. very interesting! also the sort of idea that you cant 'no true scotsman' love--you can just decide that you love someone, and then you do? kind of? anyways i thought it was pretty interesting :3

beastars: coming of age manga, set in a world kinda like zootopia but if someone thought about it way more. legosi, a large grey wolf struggles with distinguishing between his carnal desires and his, uh, carnivorous desires. ok EYE really liked it but also i think it handles a lot of themes really weirdly… maybe this is because legosi is just really fucking weird (this is definitely part of it) but in many ways beastars portrays the split between men and women as being even more uncrossable than the split between herbivores and carnivores.. which to me was surprising since the manga itself is written by a woman? definitely look up a TW list if youre planning on reading lol. it definitely has some of the best "what if animals lol" worldbuilding out there. i had louis/legosi/haru ot3 in my heart the whole way through LOL but i, uh, dont really think legosi and haru work as a couple just by themselves .. also the gaybait in here is crazy. i think past the midway or maybe 3/4 point it kinda starts to lose focus, but it still had a lot of compelling drama. yayyy louis beastars i think more theater kids should go through unbelievable self-inflicted pain

beast complex: anthology about the surrounding stories of the ppl of beastars. SO fun many people agree that the best part of beastars was the worldbuilding and this was basically all that. very fun :3

surviving romance: horror/adventure? chaerin wants nothing more than to live her fated fairy-tale life--so much so that people other than her love interest appear as nothing more than extras. one day ZOMBIES ATTACK!!!!11! very fun :33 maybe this is just me but is meta stuff getting more popular because of orv…? its not doing it as well ngl but still entertaining. chaerin trying to gain the trust of ppl that she originally didnt gaf about is fun

video games: pikmin 4: pikmin 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its a game about being 1 inch tall and controlling your hordes of small creatures (pikmin) to gather things like fruits. i think i bought this when i was sick because i saw a post that was like "pikmin cured my executive function" lol everyone who plays pikmin doesnt fucking shut up about what an indie gem it is but theyre kinda right………pikmin is really good…. its all about finding beauty and joy in the small intricacies of this wide world……i know some people were annoyed by the story parts but i thought it was cute idk :] and oatchi was there . recommend if you like games like starcraft or if you like watching ants carry around a giant caterpillar

movies: farewell my concubine: coming of age/literary/tragedy/historical/??? its a wong kar wai movie. dieyi has nothing in his life but the stage, where he plays as the faithful concubine to a doomed king. his life offstage is much more fraught. i would dearly love to read any articles or things about this movie so if you got anything come find me? ALSO if you have the forbidden cancelled broadway adaption script please let me know. im so curious. ok so its a wong kar wai movie so everyone knows its crazy good already. did watch it when i was sick so not super coherent ideas about it but its like omggggg dieyiii hes so doomed. the way it integrated with history was also interesting (i kinda cant believe someone made a rakugo-based adaptaiton of this. bro it doesnt WORK like that) its really interesting that like dieyis single point of friction between himself and consort yu is his gender.. but that constant emasculation is also what allows him to be so unique in theater and have a special bond w xiaolou.. man well it really was a movie. i want to see it again in a couple months maybe..? its about performance and gender and Performance of Gender and sexuality and cyclical violence and art during a time of strife and art as apolitical and also art as very political. and also a lot of other stuff. very awesome

we are the tigers: thriller musical about a terrible group of cheerleaders coming together for the first meeting of the year. and bad shit happens!!! omg i love girls who kill. and girls who kill each other i dont think this was particularly deep or anything but i enjoyed it :3

nope: horror movie about oj and em, two siblings struggling to keep their stunt horse business running after their father dies. ok well like above its a jordan peele movie so of course its very good. scary as well! i loved the themes… i went back to when ppl were talkingabout the movie to see what people said! ngl i kinda thought jupe was going to have a bigger part in the movie but he was cool as he was. idk it was just very enjoyable and had a lot of things to think about. the idea of spectacle and like.. tragedy-voyeurism are something thats really important to examine closely in times like these i think?

when harry met sally: ROMCOM YAYY about a man and a woman meeting each other across multiple periods of their life. literally one of the only romcoms i can remember my dad openly admit to liking it really deserves the hype. its so heartfelt and sweet and genuinely funny and the character development is so good. its like gay people for straight people

how to lose a man in 10 days: romcom about a guy who thinks he can make any girl fall in love vs a girl who is trying to give the worst dating experience possible. um well it was ok? i only really felt the chemistry between the main leads in a couple of scenes (like when she visits his home) it wasnt really funny or romantic enough..? especially given that most of the humor was predicated on LOL LOOK HOW SHITTY AND CONTROLLING GFS CAN BE which is like ok fine. whatever. idk it was ok

annihilation: horror about a group of scientists who go into a unsettling area to see whats wrong with it.. um well i read the book first and i had heard that this was a pretty good adaptation ? a la howls moving castle book vs movie. i thought it was pretty good? but WAY more focused on the horror stuff than the book, and also (bc its a movie) not really able to focus on the characters interiorities as much..? and also like the way the characters slowly lose it in weird ways and their dynamic frays was one of the cooler parts of annihilation (book) to me. i think at the time having queer characters and characters of color and a cast comprised almost entirely of women was a pretty big deal though i think i heard a lot about it on tumblr lol. its hard not to nitpick on lots of details but i thought it was pretty good overall! a lot of the differences that i didnt like that much made sense as a migration from book->movie--like for example if theyd made the mc as cold and unfeeling it would have been harder to have her be a sympathetic movie protagonist. i thought the infidelity plot w the professor was kind of a timewaster though . anyways still recommend 👍

blue beetle: action movie about a guy whos blue and a beetle. i liked this a surprising amount but i also saw it with friends. the first half of the movie is kinda better than the first also being a tokusatsu fan makes me go "wow this would be so much better if it was with suit actors" lol but the first half of the movie was sooo fun i think also had a really good depiction of a genttrifying city which i enjoyed

oppenheimer: historical drama about that one guy. copy pasting my thoughts from discord: even my dad who liked the movie more was like wow… this movie was kinda too long idk i think it was like technically cool in terms of like imagery and sound and actgin and stuff. but i like wasnt really moved LOL. christopher nolan is playing a little game where i have to recognize as many white men in sequence as possible and im going to be real i can manage maybe like 3? also the whole outer shell plot with strauss and misha collins (EDIT: it was not misha collins) who literally unironically said "youre the god of shadows now" (????) was like. um well this is really intricate but also i dont really care…? like am i supposed to have a stake in this…..? and sort of the intertwining of that story combined w the creation of the atomic bomb was like kinda so-so (my inability to tell faces didnt help w this) it was fine but not really my kind of movie. omg i did like the part with like all the thundering applause and stuff but it blows up there was this part where they kept on being like omg the X incident. all this stuff happened with X and i was like wow what is it….. turns out it was literally referring to a recurring character that i neither remembered nor could recognize. sad

us: horror movie about doubles. YESSS SO FUCKING SCARY i watched this on the airplane to school and the old lady sitting next to me had to watch me hyperventilating and clutching my chest and the whole nine yards. definitely the scariest jordan peele movie. man and the twist at the end was so freaking good. i think its the scariest because the danger is so there, and so immediate, but the beginning part of the movie actually succeeded (for me?) in getting you to be invested in the characters as well. i was wondering if maybe the doubles were also supposed to be connected to like ideas of caricature about black people..? it leaves just enough unanswered that youre still scared. and the questions that do get answered leave you with………THE HORRIFYING TRUTH!! god what a good movie

moonlight: coming of age about a boy who struggles with being black and gay during the crack epidemic of the 80s/90s. < sorry if this isnt a good summary i remember this was a pretty important film when it came out.. i watched part of it a couple years ago and then just remembered to finish this month. its a good movie… you kinda just sit with it yk. hm i (obviously?) dont have a lot of experience with black masculinity but i thought it was interesting how vulnerability can be like taken away from you or you can withhold it from yourself..and that can feel or even be really powerful! but its also like never too late to do that until youre dead. waves my hands around

thanks if you got to the end of this :3 stg ive had like 5 books on loan that ive had on loan for several months by now? idk if ill be able to get to them now (its the beginning of the school year..) but hopefully. i will do that soon. me n neil are sort of planning to get into "film bro movies" were watching the shining soon im very excited. see you later!

[flustered-fish]

Have a little obsession i need to get off my chest...

Homer Steinweiss (session drummer)

dudes been at the heart of the new york soul revival scene since 2002 and I barely even noticed until i happened to see a familiar face gracing Holy Hive's music videos, and tracking my deja vu to Freddie Gibbs NPR tiny desk session then following with that revalation trekked deeper into his discography. Which is in short.... quite fucked (but we'll get into that later)

what really grabs me now that I've listened closer to his playing is that his mission statement seems to be nothing too flashy, everything funky. dude has more in common with Clyde Stubblefield then more technical modern dummers like Chris "daddy" Dave or Luke Titus. but honestly his shit is so rhythmically tight and serving of the tune that everything he touches becomes 80% more enjoyable seriously listen to this shit...

this is just the shit I already loved before finding out he was the common thread minus amy who even though i really dig, I hadnt gone too deep on for various reasons (person reasons) but speaking of amy every live video i found of hers that didnt have Homer, was either over the top of just not sitting as well as this performance right here (ofcourse that a whole band problem not just a drums thing but thats a whole other rant). this guys a living legend im giving him his flowers now.

P.S.

Also listen to his work with El Michel Affair, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Lee Fields and the Expressions, The Olympians, The Arcs, Aloe Blacc... actually find his wikipedia yourself and get digging, Enjoy.

[razette]

I sort of want to write Yet Another Fantasy Detective(tm) type story, but there isnt actually room for it the way I imagine it in the (hopefully) better canon Im already building.

Largely I just dont care for "everything is the same but there is a secret paranormal society no one knows about" type stories. I get it. its hand waving for the sake of the story. thats fine! i just get caught up on the hypothetical, and it doesnt work! the more modern the setting the more it doesnt work for me, becoming a detail that undermines an otherwise good story. And the more the story wants to lean into fantasy later the thinner the thread suspending my disbelief. im pedantic is all.

Also I just find cop centered stories mildly annoying. at least it is if the work isnt put in to make them say something interesting. some do. plenty dont. im not saying we can all be terry pratchet, but he did take the time to dig into the stuff that would make Vimes' story meaningful. i do prefer that even if i still read a lot of stories that just wanna story without faffing around with all that.

frankly im not sure i have anything interesting to say either! i think anything i write will speak volumes more about just me personally than i could possibly try to weave into some sort of social commentary. that shit is tough!

i really just wanna write about a guy who is a detective doing typical fantasy detective stuff, but he isnt a cop because the paranormal reality isnt organized like that.He isnt paranormal law enforcement because theres no paranormal government passing paranormal laws up on paranormal capitol hill passing paranormal laws that need enforced en masse.

So really, he is just some guy breaking and entering various places at his own risk because someone got murdered or something. he has his own sense of justice to drive him, but his employers have their own interests that just happen to be served by the work hes doing.

He's got connections with human cops because its convenient for his employers if humans dont get in the way of their guy. every other danger he encounters is... mostly on him to sort out for himself. if he dies theyll just find another guy. w/e

The whole thing starts off, as they sometimes do, with the not-involved straight man (the comedy kind, not the het kind) becoming the new partner. The ex partner isnt dead, int his case, but he does spend a lot of time using his silver tongue to try to fuck the detective over. with extra emphasis on fucking because this is a queer story. idk

I like to think the other canon is better because I like the setting more. but it is all together a different sort of story. the more I think about this one the more I talk myself into it.

[thehandwixard]

FUCK I FORGOT ABOUT THIS ok so let me catch yall up:

finished traverse town, got through wonderland, beat cerberus, at the start of deep jungle. we caught up? also my bestie has started streaming the game so im getting double exposure

gameplay thoughts right now: path of the mystic is actually pretty fun if youre doing anything that isnt aerial combos, which is most combos if anything flying is involved but thats ok. ripple wave is very rewarding to land and clears out a lot of goons around you. of course, choosing path of the mystic limits the amount of cool, actiony abilities i have, and this early on in the game you cant equip all the abilities you want for your combos, but it like. works. sora's bread and butter combo is rewarding to pull off, though its difficult to avoid getting hit out of it. i wish it was a little easier to stack finishers, but thats not really a thing.

its very difficult to manage items, though, for me at least. you have a lot of control over donald and goofy's ai in kh1, but that still doesnt mean you control their actions, so you have to be careful about the items you give them. sora donald and goofy are all also just kind of weak and inflexible at this point in the game, and theres not a quick way to get a lot of items. that said, i dont think thats BAD for this early in the game, just can make things tedious.

anyways to get into story stuff: a lot has happened in a short amount of time, and not a lot has happened in a long amount of time. wonderland is just kind of for getting your bearings, and the grinding pads it out, but it sticks out to me just how dire the cheshire cat is allowed to be. he and alice are by far the shining stars of the world, and for alice thats mostly because she's really the first.. like. princess sora is tasked with rescuing, and he is made unable to. wonderland also has our first segment of "donald and goofy dont believe theyre allowed to meddle in world affairs, but sora sees someone needs help so he does so anyways" which is fun. idk HOW recurring that is, but i think its important. esp with the like... nuance that at least donald and goofy are upset that they feel like they cant help. like they want to.

as he should, the cheshire cat comes off as a force that knows far more than anyone else can comprehend, and is easily the most lively and real character in the world. my friend singled out "if you want to find the shadows, try turning on the light" as a parallel to dive to the heart's "the brighter your light, the darker the shadow" yknow. common wordplay and shit but its still interesting. hes also the one who teaches you blizzard magic.

not much to say about olympus coliseum really? phil is ok. teaches you thunder. the hades bits ARE very funny in a specific sort of way, much has been said in the past about his VA kind of phoning it in, and that combined with the... strong Attempt. at animating him makes the whole thing really uncanny. however the part before you leave the world and have the option to talk to cloud is realllly digging at me in a good way.

i really don't know much about cloud except some like... slightly advanced basics such as his backstory, general shit hes doing, and like.his mental state at most times, which gives him and sora a really interesting instant connection

sora speaks with a genuine gravity to cloud, and it really comes across like he went out of his way to go back and talk to him, to ask if he was ok. we know that cloud is searching for sephiroth, which makes him indirectly implying sephiroth is his light... Loaded

hes really cute in this game. uhh sora's meeting with cloud also is a major part of my hashtag truth that sora kind of figured out he was into guys through the journey and meeting all sorts of cool and hot dudes and in general making connections with queer people. learning whats out there.

deep jungle is The Real Shit though.

in many ways its where the main emotional plot picks back up again and some additional threads are pulled on. sora is in a place reminiscent of his home, one that donald didnt want to go to and called 'backwater' and he crashed them onto it looking for riku and kairi. its high tier donald jackass moments to the point where when sora was explaining to tarzan hey im trying to find my friends goofy and donald, he corrects himself, and goes back to kairi and riku. and thats not a dick move from him, cause donald is being an asshole! and also now sora is hallucinating kairi without a good prompt (imagining kairi waking him up in the place of yuffie) so hes doing normal.

sora's a normal boy with many outlets to express his emotions