#let me cook up a great plotline for it!

[sillygoofyqueer]

P-PART TWO. (Part one here) PART TWO OF LIU QINGGE AND LEVIATHYUAN. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD-

So Liu Qingge has just woken up, swaddled in the skin of an animal that Leviathyuan had easily tossed around like a toy, and he's obviously disoriented. Cheng Luan is laid down beside him, blood mostly wiped off it (did Leviathyuan lick it off?....................NO. He used his raggedy-ass robes. Probably), and very pleased that its master is awake and alive right now.

In the background, Leviathyuan is pattering around with raw meat and random plants he found in The Depths, trying to remember everything that other creatures from The Depths had told him about humans and what they needed to survive. They needed to eat, they needed to sleep (the human was already doing that!) and....they liked being warm! Obviously, having something leaking out from their body was also bad - although, this human's blood was a strange colour. Whatever!!

The plants that help him when he's being attacked in his humane form by some cocky land demons should be able to help the human. They taste funky though, so the human can wash it down with the meat from the beast - surely humans can eat meat, right? It's really plain as well, he's pretty sure that there isn't any poison with this beast; they like to roam around The Cavern sometimes, so he gets into scuffles with them when he's bored, and they do basically no damage.

Liu Qingge is being hand fed by this demon creature thing that has not once tried to kill him, and is even grinning at him (with blood-soaked teeth. No, this does not affect him in any way). It's hard to have any sort of conversation with it because the creature doesn't seem to understand his language, trying to communicate through different sounds instead of forming words - which is fine, because he hates talking. He's also swooning because like "...dude....you're providing for me and helping me?" He immediately asks Leviathyuan to come back to CQM with him, and the creature is just like "aight bet" (<- he has no idea what's going on).

Something something, they get back to CQM and everyone is like "Liu-shidi, is that a fucking DEMON?!?!" and he's just like "yeah" and then goes about showing Leviathyuan the sect and doing whatever is necessary to accommodate him. This creature needs to eat? They have a lot of interesting times trying to figure out what he can eat. The creature likes to watch the disciples and clap for them? Let him join in the training sessions! The creature needs somewhere big enough to accommodate his leviathan form?....SHANG-SHIXIONG!!!!!!!!

Oh god, someone's- someone's gotta stop Liu Qingge, he's lost his mind!! Surely Zhangmen-Shixiong- no...no, he seems far too pleased that Liu Qingge is learning what it's like to have to keep a feral person on a leash when they just accidentally destroy everything and want to go everywhere. Plus, it keeps Liu Qingge on the mountain more, so he's in meetings and actually training his disciples, even if it's just so this strange demon will smile and pat his head.

What about Shen Qingqiu? He seems to despise demons, so surely he'll have something to say about this?- Ah, no, no, he was irritated by the demon at first, but then he found himself getting frustrated that nobody was trying to forge communication with this demon that Liu Qingge had KIDNAPPED (in his eyes). After some taunting from a certain source when he points it out (Qi Qingqi), he becomes determined to teach Leviathyuan how to speak and read and learn-

Okay, but like, Mu Qingfang can think about the dangers of having a demon in the mountain sect??? Oh, he's far too busy following the demon around and trying to figure out how the fuck this creature works. He cries with each new baffling discovery he makes because he just wants to learn more about the other species that live in their world with them but nooooo, of course they have to be super confusing and make him want to give up and have a tantrum all at once.

[ermesskiss]

mhm. . . thinking about writing Choso fics inspired by some of Montell's fish songs

angst, smut, both?! why not get the best of both worlds!!

[mossi-dreams]

happy holidays great day to tell everyone about the plotline in my head where john got snippy with jacob ( bc in my head, jacob is not a huge holidays person ) and told him he should, and I quote, "bring the deputy with him to keep him company" and jacob took that literally ( knowing john was being facetious ) and showed up with salome in tow.

the worst part? salome went half-willingly. she thought jacob was fucking joking when he said over the radio "you're coming with me to christmas dinner, whether you like it or not". but SURE ENOUGH he was not, and she showed up to the rendezvous point like an IDIOT, got kidnapped, and plopped on john's ranch as jacob's plus one ( of sorts ).

bonus points for her probably cooking part of the dinner bc she heard the horror stories of the watery mac and cheese and was NOT going to let the cult ruin her christmas even more.

[herrenxenoberg]

Fandorm Showcase #4 - The Emperor's New Groove

Okay, a bit of a funny thing I did with these dorms is that they're made to be a kind of parallel to the main seven dorms in terms of vibe or theme. So, the fact this would have a similar plotline to Scarabia's story is just too good to not bring it up.

Presenting the magnificent dorm inspired by the Emperor's New Groove...

Aztesurco!

The name is taken from Aztec (the overall ethnicity of the movie) and surco (which is groove in quechuan), and it's mostly inspired by Yzma, the main villain of the movie.

"Heh, really rolls off the tongue huh?"

This dorm centers around having eccentricity and flair, as well the intelligence and strategic mind to boot. They also specializes in transfiguration potionology and spells, which requires skilled alchemy knowledge or magical prowess to achieve in order to become the housewarden. However...that rule doesn't seem to apply with the current presiding housewarden.

"Why do you even need to meet the requirements? Clearly only one dude gets the job done, and it's yours truly!"

"A dorm founded on the eccentric advisor's spirit of ambition. Students in this dorm all have their own groove and ambitions to be on top."

"Oh sure, make it all about that wrinkly old fossil of a woman, as if she's any greater..."

Requirements and Traits:

"Someone get me a marker, I'm making some changes to this list!"

Have knowledge in alchemy and advanced spellcasting No need for all that mumbo-jumbo

Eccentric and full of personal groove Eh, I'll let this one slide.

Able to handle responsibilities and tasks properly with careful planning Boooooorrrring~

Just be as cool as I am!

Be the greatest future emperor!

Onto the dorm uniform desigsn:

For this dorm, I wanted to keep the color palette close to Yzma as possible while also incorporating some designs of Kuzco into the main housewarden fit. (Cuz spoilers, the housewarden is the Kuzco of this dorm)

"Not a bad fit, if I do say so myself~"

Now introducing the character roster...

The ever-so-amazing housewarden of Aztesurco...

"Boom baby! It is yours truly!"

Khuno Nisqa! (Twisted off Emperor Kuzco)

Future emperor of the sun empire!

Khuno is...a very eccentric kid his whole life. Everything he can ask for is served on a silver platter due to his background of the only remaining royal heir of the Nisqa family after the previous emperor (his late father) of the Sun Empire passed away due to illness. Because of this spoiled lifestyle, he has prided himself of always be in charge of everything and everyone else under his jurisdiction. He is the first ever NRC student to be a housewarden on the first semester, which is freshmen year. He didn't have to do anything or follow a rule, he was simply given the role by flaunting his wealth and status to Crowley. Unlike Kalim, he's very self-absorbed and prideful in his rich and royal status, and would abuse said status to get what he wants. Because, clearly, nobody gets that he will be on top no matter the costs. But it did gain a seething hatred from his second-hand advisor and vice housewarden...

"A bit of a complex way to say it, but yeah, I'm great!...What was that last part?"

Notable Members:

Yves Pocion (Vice Housewarden, Junior) - Khuno's long-time royal advisor for the Nisqa family for years...until Khuno's dismissal of his advisor role to someone new due to the fact he's "passed his prime", causing a deep-seeded hatred for the young heir. (Twisted off Yzma)

Masi Yanuy (Sophomore) - A thick-headed bimbo who is Yves's friend and loyal servant that can always cook up nice meals for any occasion despite his lack of brains. (Twisted off Kronk)

Miyu Donna (Sophomore) - A venomous individual that spites anyone who irritates them in the slightest, but shows a side of interest for Yves's ideas. (Twisted off the llama extract/poison for Kuzco)

"Hah hah, what a cast, amirite?"

Synopsis:

Winter break is almost over (and thankfully another Overblot crisis averted in Scarabia), our main protagonists have stepped into another problem before school officially reopens in spring. Their Ramshackle building is at risk of being turned into a summer home thanks to the spoiled brat of a housewarden of Aztesurco, Khuno Nisqa, and have to do whatever it takes to protect their only accommodation. Meanwhile, the vice housewarden of Aztesurco, Yves Pocion, is plotting in the background to take down the spoiled heir because of his disregard for his years of wasted life with the help of his bumbling friend, Masi Yanuy.

Chaos ensues on both sides of the situation, all because of a simple potion mix-up...

(Occurs between after Book 4 and before Book 5)

As I said before, the plotline for this one is similar to Scarabia's but involves a lot more risks, which is like the perfect parallel.

"Hey, don't just ignore me!"

That is all for Aztesurco's introduction! See you in the next fandorm showcase!

"I'm still relevant, right?"

Next Up: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(This will be explained when the showcase post is up)

[pillowfriends]

my thoughts on the WoT characters after book 5

before I start posting Lord of Chaos thoughts, I wanted to sum up what I think of the characters after The Fires of Heaven (and New Spring) so I can look back on it later. I’m sure I’m missing some, just listing everyone I have thoughts on.

Alanna: I have my eye on her after those sus forced bonding comments… time will tell but I don’t trust her at all. I like her though, she’s fun.

Asmodean: he was funny as hell, what a pathetic guy, and had objectively the most hilarious death in the series so far.

Aviendha: this is probably the character I have the least complicated feelings about. I just like her. she’s funny, she’s badass, her relationship with Rand is great.

Birgitte: a hot bicon. every word that comes out of her mouth is gold. she’s such a bro.

Egeanin: standout side character to me I love her so much. yes girl unlearn your cultural biases! and be unhinged and horny on main!! she better come back!!

Egwene: girl I want to like you but you're making it so hard 😭 as a character she's great. as a person I'm struggling with her dumbassery and her superiority complex and the way she's treating Nynaeve.

Elaida: she’s cringe and bad at her job but I kind of stan. she’s doing her best and it is absolutely not good enough and she’s being puppeted by the Black Ajah and only succeeded at deposing Siuan because a bunch of teenage boys stabbed people for her. I can’t even be angry at her tbh.

Elayne: book 5 was so great for Elayne. she's maturing a lot and she really shot up the list for me. her interpersonal relationships are so funny and I love how excited she is about making ter'angreal.

Faile: maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder but I miss her and want her back. she was so silly but also loved Perrin so much and I’m such a hopeless romantic that I loved the sappy parts.

Gareth Bryne: this man is a CREEP!! Siuan get AWAY from him! ugh ugh ugh. and I know it’s only going to get worse.

Galad: unfortunately this man is one of my favorite character archetypes. I didn’t vibe with him at first but now I really do.

Gawyn: I want to put him in a paper shredder. I am so angry at this man even after a full book to cool down post-coup. please let me deck him. I do think my feelings will change but right now I’m still angry as shit.

Graendal: problematic queen. do I think RJ will do anything interesting with her, probably not, but am I intrigued, yes.

Lan: THIS MAN BREAKS MY HEART DAILY. ohhhhh my god. not normal about him.

Lanfear: hmmm complicated feelings about book Lanfear. I found her introduction painful and annoying - it’s way too obvious - but she improved and I do love how crazy she is. it didn’t really sink in for me until her conversation with Rand in Tear that she’s delusional and obsessed with LTT to the point of being completely out of touch with reality, and therefore v scary. TLDR I love her now. RIP gone too soon.

Leane: I have no idea what’s cooking with her, I just have to RAFO. I’m either going to think she’s an icon or get angry at RJ for being sexist and I don’t know which.

Liandrin: the balls on this woman are actually insane, trying to Compel Moggy. she’s way too cartoonishly evil to be really interesting though. but she makes so many sexually charged dog references which I love tbh.

Logain: he’s fine I guess. hard to tell where his story is heading and he kind of hasn’t done anything.

Loial: he has never done anything wrong in his entire life, he's perfect and I love him.

Mat: I've come around and I like him now. his memory stuff is really interesting and so is the way he interacts with fate/the Pattern.

Melaine: best Wise One I love her so much.

Min: she’s never clicked with me as a character and I think her motivation is kind of dumb and repetitive. I also really dislike how salty and disrespectful she is towards Siuan but that has to do with my personal issues about the Siuan plotline so I can’t totally blame her for that.

Moghedien: I NEED to put her in a petri dish and poke her with a stick. girl you are not subtle about your petplay kink. somehow she’s scary and pathetic at the same time and I just love her a lot.

Moiraine: I can’t even put it into words. she’s my everything.

Morgase: I feel so fucking bad for her, her POVs were horrific, what a survivor. I'm excited for when she gets a bigger plotline.

Nynaeve: my favorite character who’s on page at present. first of all she has a Forsaken collared. second of all she’s so angry and I love angry women. also she has no self awareness which makes her POVs very amusing, but also sometimes devastating — I love her struggling with fear and her perceived cowardice in TFOH.

Perrin: I constantly forget he exists. not in a bad way but not really in a good way either - he’s just bland to me.

Rand: he is my idiot baby boy. go insane faster please it’s interesting.

Rahvin: good riddance you creepy fuck. not even awful in a compelling way to me, just awful. good as a character, well-written, but AAAA.

Siuan: her arc after being stilled is distressing to me and I don’t like reading it - her loss of power and influence, the way the other Aes Sedai all treat her, the sexual harassment… so I have a hard time separating that out from Siuan herself. I’m… torn. I love some of her scenes and some feel very out of left field. we’ll RAFO again.

Suroth: GIVE ME MORE. her POV was fascinating and she’s so awful.

Thom: against my best wishes, I actually like him now. he’s so dad coded and protective of Nynaeve and Elayne, and a badass, and has a good sense of humor.

Verin: what an icon!! favorite Aes Sedai bar none now that Moiraine is gone.

[inevitably there will be a part 2 when I realize I forgot some really obvious people]

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

4/5. Releases 8/1/2023.

For when you're vibing with... classic snappy romcom moments, a plus size heroine who gets shit done while having vulnerabilities, casual kink, and long distance relationship cuteness.

It's up to Bobbi Kaur to make her best friend's wedding perfect. Unfortunately, she's dealing not only with a mysterious wedding saboteur, but the groom's best friend--highly irritating chef Benjamin "Bunty" Padda. Bobbi's future at her family's event planning business is at stake, and she's not going to let anything ruin this wedding. As the saboteur becomes serious, however, Bobbi has no choice but to team up with Benjamin... despite their attraction.

Quick Takes:

--I often struggle with traditionally published romcoms, so it was such a relief to be so engaged in one from the start. And I do think this book is a great example of how someone should begin a book like this. We immediately see Bobbi and Benjamin sparring, we immediately feel the sexual tension between them, and we immediately sense the miscommunication (and missed opportunities) that keep them apart. And then we lurch forward in time a little, and the beef! Is still real!

--One thing I really appreciate was how the intersection between Bobbi's body, food, and her sexuality worked. Bobbi is plus size (as you see on the cover, which is nice), and while she is confident and competent and bold, she still has moments of insecurity. In fact, that insecurity (and a miscommunication) is a big part of why she and Benjamin get off on the wrong foot. (Before really getting off on the right foot if you know what I mean.) That moment felt so painfully real to me. I completely got where she was coming from and why she reacted so strongly, even though I also got that he absolutely did not mean for her to interpret his words or actions the way she did. It's a hypersensitivity that comes with navigating the world with a body that isn't promoted as beautiful in the mainstream, this predetermined sense that you must be seen as unattractive.

At the same time, Benjamin's attraction to Bobbi and specifically her body is so remarkably clear and carnal and delicious. As is his attraction watching Bobbi eat. Food and cooking in romance is something I enjoy seeing. The food here is vividly described, and it all sounds amazing, but I've also personally been a bit weird about food lately, and I was a little worried about how it would come off to me. Seeing Bobbi have insecurities re: her body, while also enjoying food, and her enjoyment of food being so arousing to Benjamin, was super lovely. None of this is handled in an over the top, preachy way, either. Bobbi also has some moments of body positivity that are unique to her cultural background; and some of her insecurities are also unique in that sense. That really does a lot of work to add to the book and its world.

--I wouldn't actually call this enemies to lovers, as Bobbi and Benjamin get over their bullshit and become a couple fairly early on. What unfolds is really you seeing them work through a real relationship, complete with long distance. I love the epistolary aspects of this book, which is unusual for me, and I enjoyed seeing how easy it would be for either one of them to withdraw. They just couldn't, not all the way. Because love.

--A huge part of the novel is Bobbi and Benjamin dealing with not only expectations, but managing their families. To me, it was nice to see this kind of clash (which Nisha Sharma discusses more in her author's note, super worth reading) be significant without coming off as intensely abusive or life-wrecking. There's a middle ground between "healthy" and "toxic".

--I kind of felt wary about the wedding saboteur thing, just because I'm not a huuuuge fan of those types of plotlines. They often come off as gimmicky. But in this case, it was cute, it was funny, it didn't take over the key parts of the plot (Bobbi and Benjamin's love story and their family conflicts). There was a great amount of balance in this book, and I really appreciated it.

The Sex Stuff:

Um, so well done? First off, not super often that we see fat women (not like, hourglass bodacious, but women with actual thick thighs) depicted in kinky sex scenes. Second, there was kink! It's not super hardcore; but Benjamin is into bondage, Bobbi is into the fact that he's into bondage, and it's discussed upfront, without shame. They check in, there are safe words, it's all really good!

I also super loved the way Benjamin was a very lovely, sweet boyfriend, but also.... put it down? You get some shit I don't often see in trad contemporary romcoms right now (a straddle bj? Okay!). It's a great time.

While I can always use a bit more drama, I found Tastes Like Shakkar entertaining, sweet, and and hot. Like I said earlier, this subgenre has let me down a lot, but here we have a real success.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[agentnico]

Barbie (2023) Review

Snyderverse fans are going to be peed off after seeing this movie, just saying.

Plot: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colourful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

There are many who would roll their eyes at me for looking forward to the Barbie movie, however I like the cast and the trailers looked like silly fun, so of course I was going to see it. Conveniently my dear fiancée was super excited too, so we went together and as such I could act in front of other cinemagoers as the partner who was dragged by his misses to see a chick-flick, when in reality I was like “c’mon Barbie let’s go party!!”. And turns out Barbie is indeed silly fun. It’s extremely funny, and in fact may be the most hilarious comedy of this year. It’s bright and colourful and so so pink, with dance numbers and glitter and sparkles everywhere, a cast that is so over-the-top yet so in on the joke, and a good load of feminist themes in there too to bring home the movie’s main message.

First off the look - I’m sure most have read the article where production designer Sarah Greenwood spoke of this film causing a worldwide shortage of pink paint due to the sets of Barbieland and its really evident in the final result. There is so much pink, from the dollhouses to the beaches to the clouds in the sky - everything is so pink. But also not only pink, but any bright colours such as yellow and green are all present on the various costumes of the Barbies and Kens. Greta Gerwig really goes for it when it comes to bringing this world to life, and it looks amazing. Accompanied by a flashy soundtrack featuring some famous pop icons, and if you like pop music I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj, however I myself more enjoyed the inclusion of the psychedelic notes of Tame Impala and the original song sung by Ryan Gosling’s Ken. But yes, from a technical stand-point Barbie is actually fairly impressive. Even the opening homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey deserves applause.

Right, from a positive I’m going to temporarily sway into a negative, and that’s in the movie’s messy plotline and messages. So the story on its own is decent, however there are so many character dynamics to balance that some end up being left unexplained or wasted. For example, in the movie’s real world America Ferrera’s daughter at the beginning acts like a spoiled mean brat who hates everyone and thing. That would have been alright if they kept that going and then maybe gave her a redemption arc at the end. But no, she is mean at the start but then randomly becomes super nice and kind to her mother and Barbie, and I’m like how did that happen? Also, I applaud Mattel for allowing this movie to poke fun at the corporate execs of its own company, and when they are introduced led by Will Ferrell it’s all fun and games, however later on we have these execs follow Barbie into Barbie-land and at that point the movie forgets about them only to randomly have them feature in scenes without them serving a purpose. I felt like they were unnecessary in the end of the movie. As for the movie’s feminist thematic, the messages are very muddled. At one point the movie goes fully into the idea that all men are pigs and women are all oppressed, and at other points it strives for giving the message of the importance of equality, and it jumps between the two and I’m like - what message are you giving here? Luckily in the end the movie does settle on the decision, but the journey there is a messy one. And last complaint - what the hell have they done to the ‘Barbie Girl’ song? Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice remix it in such a techno-heavy messy pop style and it’s such a disservice to the original song.

Where the movie excels most at is the comedy. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach cooked up a very funny script with some great one-liners, however it’s evident there was a lot of improv happening from the cast, especially from the likes of Will Ferrell and Kate McKinnon. But also it was the use of slapstick humour that really got me. The amount of times I’d notice various characters in the background pulling some hilarious expressions, with Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa especially standing out in that regard. Margot Robbie is on top form as the central Barbie, showcasing that gullible innocent outlook on the world and then providing the necessary emotional gravitas we know Robbie does so well. Michael Cera pops in throughout as Allen, and his awkward self fits in perfectly into that role. But the real MVP of this movie is without a doubt Ryan Gosling, who may have that rare opportunity to get an Oscar nomination for a comedic performance. Gosling indeed discovers his inner-Ken, and is so outrageously silly as he scene-steals every moment by showing his Ken’s himbo frailty. He goes from Barbie's needy beau to a swaggering, macho doofus as he throws himself headlong into how he thinks a real man should behave. Gosling sells his square-jawed character's earnestness and gets to tap into his "All New Mickey Mouse Club" musical theatre roots simultaneously. He's a total hoot. Oh, and the opening that features the parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey - the girl with the glasses in that segment had some of the funniest expressions - she was great in her short part.

My fiancée also enjoyed all the endless references to the various previous Barbie dolls, so the nostalgia factor is definitely there. Overall Barbie is a super entertaining cinema going experience that will have you belly laughing as long as you are willing to embrace the crazy eccentric world Greta Gerwig has built. Makes me look forward to her Narnia movies. Everyone needs that little bit of Gerwig flavouring, and that is more than Kenough.

Overall score: 7/10

[litsnobconfessions]

Disney Double Feature: Sleeping Beauty

Date: January 31, 2025

Day: 31

Content Watched: Sleeping Beauty

Year: 1959

Rating: G

Run Time: 1 hr. 15 mins.

The Swan Princess reminded me a lot of Sleeping Beauty. The prince and princess are betrothed. He has to rescue her with a profression of love, she has a lot of animal friends (what princess doesn't?), and the bad guy transforms into a giant monster. Fortunately, Sleeping Beauty is a significantly better film... which isn't saying much. Let's get into it.

Again, this movie is an example of why Disney is a powerhouse of animation and has been for so long. The animation here is downright gorgeous. It really think it's a step up from Dumbo, but it still doesn't feel occupied the way Persepolis or Zootopia does. And Aurora's hair is always perfectly styled, no matter how much she moves, but the individual illustrations are just beautiful to look at. It's like ATLA. You could take a still of more or less any wide-shot, and you'd have a piece of artwork for your wall. I particularly like the detail when the fairies are in the box. The inside of the box and the cups they're sitting on are all ornately decorated, as I would expect of a 14th century king. In some scenes, the castle walls even look real, making it kind of jarring to have animated characters sweep into frame.

My favorite animation is probably all the fire, which looks very cool, and I suspect was groundbreaking at the time it was done. I did notice that the shadows on the wall move when the goblins are dancing around the fire, which makes that scene as frightening as I'm sure it was when I was a kid, but I didn't notice if the fire casts shadows anywhere else in the movie. I'm also not sure if they storybook is a real book on a wooden table surrounded by animated elements, like the candle, or just exquisitely animated. Either way, color me impressed.

My favorite scene is probably the bit at the end where the prince fights the dragon because I kind of just don't care about this movie. Nevertheless, where The Swan Princess was a poor movie with mediocre animation that improved it a bit, I feel like Sleeping Beauty is an okay movie with great animation that improves it a lot.

Remember what I said about classic literature having stupid plotlines? Well, here it is: Aurora meets a dude once in the forest, and he's her true love that can break the spell. Nevertheless, I still count this plotline as better than The Swan Princess because Aurora doesn't complain that she doesn't know if the prince loves her, only to decide she does because of a curse and Maleficent is evil for the sake of being evil, so I don't have to waste time questioning whether or not her plan makes sense. Does it wreak havoc? Will it make the king and queen sad?

Merrweather is definitely the most practical of the fairies (also, considering we have Flora and Fauna, wouldn't it have been more appropriate to name her Fungi?) I know she's played for laughs, but let's think about this for a moment. She's the only one who thinks they shouldn't raise a child having had no experience in child care. But if they've been living without wands all this time, someone must have been doing the cooking and sewing for the last sixteen years. Considering Flora and Fauna have no idea how to do this and Merryweather's the only one who knows what a teaspoon is, she's clearly been the one doing it. Also, she tells Flora, "I've never made a fancy cake," in a way that implies she's made simple ones. This is why Merryweather is my favorite character (her and the sassy horse.) 

In conclusion, I would watch Sleeping Beauty because it's beautifully animated, but not because it's a good movie.

[tsuki-sennin]

A Level 10 Chemy has fallen into the hands of the Dark Sisters! What sort of terrifying scheme do they cook up in the lab? And what is the purpose of the inspectors' visit?

Spoilers, I guess...

-"One UFO, for you sis."

-Yu-foe...

-...are those CPU fans.

-Oh, this show is adorable.

-Guess he didn't like that very much.

-"Oh. ...I guess that didn't work. :>"

-Clotho instantly decided this was personal.

-Geryon, of course, being a three-headed giant from Greek myth.

-I'm assuming he wants to be Kamen Rider too.

-Chemy catchin' in the woods.

-A beetle!

-This is fun :)

-Aww, even Kudoh's having a good time :)

-BUNNY

-We'll have a complete collection in no time~!

-Friends~!

-The incident.

-Oh fuck, inspectors.

-Spy...

-What did this spider guy even want?

-Spy... der...

-Oh, crap

-Naruhodo.

-Bakuon Televi.

-StagMirror~! Mirror, mirror

-These Wild Forms are getting wacky as hell.

-Oh they're just mocking us now jhjlkhb

-These effects must be insane to work with.

-Goodnight, spider guy.

-Gotcha~!

-Catchula...

-So uh... not gonna talk to him? No? Okay.

-Victory obtained!

-Come now Lachesis, all she wants is a solid victory, she doesn't need to hear about your foreplay.

-Fun times~!

-That's all Atropos really needs outta life, yeah?

-Summoning...

-The elusive Occult Category! The other one compatible with the Valvarusher!

-The grand mac daddy of

-It's all Sabi really wants :)

-Poor Rinne

-No gettin' out of here, Kudoh!

-Behold... the Sabi Riser~!

-I believe~!

-Ohhhhhh, Isaac ain't an AI at all, is he

-"Get your asses back to class."

-THE UFO

-Kajikiiiii!

-Hello, inspectors.

-Oh, you're cute~!

-A saboteur.

-"Hello, Kamen Rider. ...or rather, Ichinose-kun."

-Wow, that's subtle.

-"Fork it over, kid."

-Yeah!

-Yeah, fuck you!

-OH

-Isaac...

-Even Kurogane...

-Ah gee, it's almost like you built this place in a high school or something.

-"Hello, Rinne."

-"Ten episodes in the friend squad made you a wimp."

-Hello, Valvarad~!

-Damn, kid, you're mean.

-"Ohhhhhhhhhh, thank god!"

-The Chemy!

-Not even the laws of physics can stop Hotaro-kun. ...I mean, Wrestler G broke his spine like five times and he landed perfectly fine as a bicycle whale while fighting Daddy Dragonfly, so...

-No spider!

-LightningJungle~!

-Goddamn, you are huge.

-Run, UFO-X!

-Oh my god

-He really is the spy-der!

-...wait a sec...

-Oh

-Yeah, that's how science works, I think.

-Bye, UFO-X, hope I see you again.

-OH

-Okay, she's our guy then. Fuck me, I guess.

-Get Connect Ringed.

-OH

-That's the new Driver.

-Kamen Rider Dread...

-Who the hell is that

-Quite a wild episode. The rapid-fire Wild Forms were fun and the stakes are raised thanks to the introduction of the traitor plotline, but the Dark Sisters were probably my favorite part. Let Clotho pound down, guys. Lachesis continuing to be this absolute freak was also welcome, but the kid who plays Atropos did a great job making her properly menacing.

-Anyways, can't wait to meet Kamen Rider Dread, who could be literally anyone~! It could be you, it could be me, it could even be-

[longroadstonowhere]

man, i am so glad i took vacation days to play tears of the kingdom - did a dentist thing so i didn’t start playing until the afternoon, but got some solid work done

... what did i even do today

oh, right

so obviously i picked up where i left off yesterday, with constructing a new... construct body for mineru, and then we went off into the depths to find the spirit temple, and like, i know the construct factory was basically the trials of a dungeon, and the trip over to the spirit temple was the ‘here’s how to utilize mineru’ thing that the other temples got, but i was still kinda hoping it would be more than just a boss fight

but, well, that’s what it was, and it was a decent fight, so i was okay with how that all turned out, especially with mineru pulling together the threads of the story - i’m interested now in seeing how the dialogue changes in these things depending on whether you’ve gotten the master sword or not, because i got it before finishing the sage stuff and therefore got and completed a quest in the same moment, and also mineru talks a lot about it, so it seems like they put a lot of work into making the dialogue understandable while also being dynamic

anyway, did all that, get back to lookout landing cuz i figure okay now we get to go fight the big bad, right?

nope

that whole master kohga plotline that i’ve had on the backburner since like the beginning of the game, i actually have to do it

so most of today’s main quest progress was in fact hunting around for master kohga in various parts of the depths, with a very long detour during the hebra one cuz i had absolutely no idea where the chasm they wanted me to find would be, so i ended up going into the depths and activating all the lightroots in a circle around the hebra mine so that i could focus my attention on where the chasm would have to be

after finally finding the chasm, the final kohga fight went okay - tried to treat it the same as the spirit temple boss fight but i quickly realized mineru wasn’t set up for it and it was way easier to just fight on foot, so i did (managed to finish him off with a rizu thunderbolt which felt extremely cool)

after all that, i have the destroy ganondorf goal all set to go, but i decided to run around and unlock all the great fairies and do the tarrey town quest so that i could get myself a home to put my precious weapons in (cuz i found the biggoron sword, the white sword from skyward sword, and the boomerang from wind waker, and like hell i was gonna let any of them get damaged - i know i can buy them back with poes, but still)

but now i have turned in all my current light blessings, i’ve gotten all the energy cells i can manage, and i’ve done a helluva lot of cooking to prepare myself for what is to come

so tomorrow i can finish this (for the third and final time, hahahaha)

for posterity’s sake: i have twenty one hearts (mostly because i needed to know that was when the next row would start, and holy shit you have the capacity for forty hearts in this one???), two rings and a fifth for stamina wheel, and i believe four full energy cells (very small chance it’s five, but i’ve managed to get away from the game so i can sleep, no way am i checking now, hahaha)

[uhyeahmaybenoidk]

Welcome to part 1 of ‘I’ve connected the two dots’ the Gilded Age edition. Basically, I decided to make this sort of post after each episode because I want to ramble about this show but I don’t know anyone who watches it too so I share my thoughts here instead. Fair notice to everyone: I most certainly suck at making predictions, I fully aware of it, later on I’ll be laughing at my own dumbness and you all are free to laugh at me too. Considering that I’m about to make some sort of conclusions after just one episode when we know next to nothing about the plot, it’s bound to end bad. That never stopped me though so let’s go.

I’m not sure whether I like Marian Brook as protagonist so far to be honest. She’s nice but a little bit bland. I got this feeling based on that scene with Agnes and Oscar that she’s supposed to have the wow factor but… nah? I just don’t see this sort of charisma in her. 

However, I absolutely adore Larry Russell. He’s this golden retriever kind of character. I just want to hug him and hurt everyone who hurts him. I’m curious how he’ll manage to work with his father because he doesn’t have this ruthlessness in him to conduct the business in the same way. I expect some sort of existenatial crisis to happen when Larry gets more familiar with the world outside of ‘greenhouse’ he was raised in.

Love triangle is coming, right? Or maybe even love square so to speak.

Marian and Larry make almost too much sense for me. IMO they would be ideal end game. It’s not important that she is technically poor because his family is so damn rich that money are not an issue for them. If they end up together, her family would have to accept his family into society. It would be sort of win-win situation. She gets financial security, he gets status. Also, both of them seem to be too naïve for their own good. They think they know life but they don’t know shit. So I expect it to be used against them and cause all sort of drama.

I slightly dislike Tom Raikes. Please don’t @ me. I have no objective reason. It’s just a gut feeling that he will cause the drama mentioned above.

Another source of drama can and will be Bertha Russell. Maaaan, that promise to make everyone who rejects her regret it one day will cause lots of tears. And I fear that it’s the innocent ones who will be crying the most.

Speaking of innocent. Gladys Russell must be protected at all cost and I have a feeling she’ll need that.

Agnes van Rhijn is a mood. I really don’t want to make any comparisons with Downtown Abbey and bring up Dowager Countess of Grantham so I’ll just say this: Julian Fellowes sure does know how to write sassy characters. I love Agnes and how everyone seems to be terrified of her. I also appreciate that even though she’s The Bitch™, she is nice to Peggy and recognises her cleverness and talent.

Ada Brook is weird. She creeps me out. That’s it. I said it. I’m not sure whether it was intended or the acting is to blame here.

As much as I like watching glitter, glitz and petty fights, I’m really curious about Peggy Scott plotline. I think that there’s a lot of potential.

Also, Peggy’s mom saying ‘I’m your mother, I’m allowed to give you money’ is such heartwarming moment. It reminded me of my mom who gives me food so I don’t need to cook and my granny who puts money in my pocket and whispers that it’s for me to buy candies every time I visit her. Mothers being mothers no matter what era you live in.

I’m F1 fan so I couldn’t help myself giggling every time George Russell was mentioned.

Screw Bertha’s maid. Me and my homies hate her.

Was that corset comment truly necessary?!

As usual the visuals are gorgeous. I just love love looove watching period dramas and this one is an eye candy. I’m not an expert on historical costumes and I’m sure there are screw ups here and there but overall I think it does the job. It looks great to me. Although, jewellery occasionally looks kinda cheap.

Ahh that’s it. I think that I said everything that I wanted to. I’d like to chat with others so pretty please share your thoughts about the show.

Have a nice day ☺️

[eltramuffinz]

Bennett X Reader Fluffy Arrietty AU Brainrot

Two brainrot posts in a row, what wild times. Back to Bennett content we go. These past few days I’ve been binging Studio Ghibli movies (I had seen a couple but not many), and I’m happy I finally did because I really like them! One thing about me is that I end up thinking of Bennett x Reader AUs for fun almost on reflex, and one ghibli movie that did it for me this time was Arrietty. So, under the cut I’ll be putting my brainrot for this AU (like my Zhongli thing I posted before this, it’s not anything properly polished, it’s just ramblings really).

For context if you haven’t seen the movie, Borrowers are tiny people who ‘borrow’ things from the house they live in and aren’t meant to be seen (that’s basically the premise lol).

Word count under the cut: 3.2k, uses they/them pronouns and some second person POV as well

Okay so this is the plotline my brain came up with:

Bennett is chilling in his home in the city when one day he gets contacted by one of his grandfathers. His grandfathers are unique in the sense both his blood grandfathers and a lot of those grandfathers’ friends all live together in this big retirement mansion thing in the rural forest area, away from the stress of the city. The men all decided it would be better than retiring separately, this way they could be less alone.

The grandads had a live-in carer, but in the letter Bennett gets, he learns said carer has just retired. The bottom line is they ask Bennett to come stand in as the carer, because there’s too many of them with too many weaknesses to be able to live in the mansion without help for even a short amount of time. The letter insists it will only be until they find a new formal carer, and they’d even pay him for it.

Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to visit his grandads and their friends which were basically also his grandads, Bennett packs up for a bit and heads out to the countryside. It’s a ways out from anything (let’s assume he drives albeit very carefully), and when he reaches the forest, he notices said forest is extremely dense and wild.

The mansion is located in a clearing in the forest, nature growing almost wildly on and around everything in sight.

Bennett is welcomed warmly by the grandads and settles in, getting used to the routine for the next few days. The house is large and multi-storeyed; his room as carer is one of the spare guest rooms towards the top, and it’s quite expensively furnished.

Bennett is cautious though, because he has and has had remarkably bad luck all his life, which has caused him many great woes…

He also meets the few other staff, such as the cook and the groundskeeper (who don’t have identities because I didn’t get that far).

Everything is going fine enough when one day, Bennett is serving the dads food but drops a plate. In his haste to clean it up he cuts his finger. Assuring everyone he’s fine, he tells them he’ll just pop back upstairs and get one of his bandaids.

So, he rushes up to his room, swings open the door and looks at the low table he’d left his bag of medical supplies, only to see…

A tiny person. A tiny person who was holding one of his bandaids with both hands, staring at him with wide eyes.

Welp, the tiny person made a sound like a squeak and immediately darted away, abandoning the band-aid, leaping to the floor and sprinting under furniture while Bennett panicked and thought he was hallucinating. He was frozen for a long while before running and putting his head to the floor to peek under the furniture, but there was nothing but dust.

Of course, he told his dads immediately in his shocked stupor, wondering what had even just happened. He didn’t expect them to burst out laughing.

“Why, the house’s spell has fallen on Benny boy too!” He was still completely confused, and one grandad finally explained to him. “These woods aren’t just regular woods, they’re magic woods! We believe the woodland spirits have cast a spell on this very house! Makes us see things and messes with our heads!”

The grandads nod in agreement. “Rarely, once every few years, one of us swears something goes missing. But we can never prove it for certain. Like a single tissue or a cube of sugar… Then, one of us swore he saw, late at night, the shadow of a tiny person no bigger than your finger, jumping out the window. The thing was gone before we could even get a second look. Haven’t seen it since then, but those disappearances keep happening… So! The second best guess we got is that there’s a spell on the house. Because otherwise… Well, tiny people! Who’d believe that!”

They’re dismissive even when Bennett continues to claim he saw a tiny person. “We’re old, our minds can’t always be trusted. Maybe being around us has impacted your mind too, Benny. Anyway, I’m hungry!”

Sighing but finally letting it go, Bennett gets back to work. Although that night he kept looking at the windowsill, eyes peeled for little people. He knew what he saw, he was sure of it now that the shock had worn off. He had already looked at the Band-Aid, but it looked exactly the same as any other.

The only curious thing was that it had been resting on the table rather than in his bag with the rest of them.

Days passed, and Bennett, while quiet to his dads about the incident, couldn’t stop thinking about the tiny person he had been trying to take one of his bandaids. Why had they been trying to take it?

Did they… need it?

The thought latched itself into his mind. So, he thought he’d try something. One night after everyone went to bed, he placed the Band-Aid at the edge of the furniture the tiny person had run under, along with a note. It had been hard to write that small.

‘Please take it if you need it!’ That was what he had written.

Alas, his spirits fell when the next morning the Band-Aid and note were untouched. He decided to leave it there… just in case.

In the meantime, every night in bed, Bennett would talk quietly. He didn’t know if the little person was even listening, but on the chance they were, he kept at it. He talked about who he was, why he was here, what his dads had said about little people. The only thing he didn’t mention was his luck.

“My grandads don’t believe you’re real, but I think you are... We kind of both freaked out when we saw each other, huh? I’ve never seen a little person like you before, and I must be a giant to you, but please don’t be scared! I think you’re amazing, and I just want to talk to you.”

Silence was his rely, and he sighed. “Well, if you’re listening, goodnight. Sleep well.”

In the morning Bennett almost bypassed it, but he did a double take and gawked at what he saw. Falling to his knees to confirm it, it was true.

The Band-Aid and note were gone.

Bennett sprinted downstairs to tell his dads, but they simply shook their heads. “Must have been a mouse. Honestly Bennett, we shouldn’t have told you about the spell! It’s working it’s magic, getting you obsessed!”

It was clear to Bennett that short of producing a tiny person in the flesh, his dads wouldn’t believe him.

It was all the encouragement he needed to to keep talking each night, telling stories of his times in the city, and placing another Band-Aid and note in the same spot. He also put a cube of sugar next to it too, recalling how that was one thing his dads noted had once gone missing mysteriously.

‘Please, can I see you again?’ That was what the note said this time.

Days more passed, and the Band-Aid and note remained in place. Although… on about the fourth day since then, the sugar cube vanished.

The grandads also had a calm dog who roamed the grounds, and it was there for therapy mostly. Bennett liked to play outside with the dog in his downtime. One day he was following the dog, when abruptly his bad luck struck. He tripped on a hidden root, and smacked his face right into a rock on the way down.

Groaning as he lay in the grass with his eyes closed, he clutched his nose and tried to take deep breaths.

“… Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

That was not his voice, and the dog couldn’t talk so…

Bennett’s eyes shot open and he bolted into a sitting position, frantically looking around.

“It-it’s you! Little person! Oh, ah, don’t worry about this!” He moved his hand, only to wince as blood dripped down his face. “It’s fine I swear! But where are you? Can I see you?!”

He shuffled towards where he thought he heard the voice, hand feeling around under the layer of greenery covering the land. He yelped when something sharp jabbed his skin, and he wrenched his hand back to look at it.

A sewing pin…? It was sticking into his palm only slightly, and he plucked it out with ease.

“Stay back! Don’t try find me! I have more of those, and I can jab you much harder, Bean Bennett!”

He frowned and realised he had messed up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just got so happy that you’re talking to me! I won’t do that again, so please don’t leave!”

There was a minute of silence and Bennett’s heart sank. Boy, he’d blown his chance by being rash, letting his excitement get the better of him and now he’d scared the tiny person off and probably never hear them again-

“You’re still bleeding.”

He gasped, and then beamed in the general direction of the voice. “You didn’t leave! I’m so happy, heheh! Don’t worry about my face, I get cuts and bruises like this almost every day. I’ll bounce back just fine!”

He asked the question burning in his mind. “Why can’t you show yourself to me, little person? Oh I’m dumb, I didn’t even ask your name!”

You told him your name, and he repeated it to himself.

“Got it! Hey why am I not allowed to see you? I kind of saw you already when you were taking that Band-Aid, but you were behind it and I only saw your face.”

“That should never have happened. It was just bad luck is all. And Beans aren’t allowed to see Borrowers, that’s the rules! If you were staying here any longer I’d have to leave the house and find a new home.”

He was mulling over your choice of language about luck, cringing when his mind told him of course it was bad luck, he was there and he was a magnet for it. But, he quickly exclaimed in concern.

“Find a new home?! The next house isn’t for ages away, and that’s for someone my size! For you- gah! I’m sorry! I keep making things worse- but why would you have to leave if I was staying here longer?”

You spent the next however long engaged in conversation, explaining and answering his questions as best you could.

You were a Borrower, a little person who ‘borrowed’ from the human beings or ‘Beans’ as you called them, who lived in the house. But it was well known amongst Borrowers to never let humans know they exist, because Beans were dangerous. They could try trap or kill the Borrowers, despite even meaning well like Bennett.

You told Bennett in a harsh tone that you had listened to his conversations sometimes with his dads, that he had been trying to convince them he saw you and that you were real.

“You haven’t been here since your grandads moved in, Bean Bennett. I’ve heard their conversations. Some of them are just the type of Bean who’d try sell me for some money, or keep me in a jar like a specimen. The only reason I’m even talking to you is to say… thank you for the Band-Aid and sugar, and that you don’t need to give me anything else. Just forget this ever happened, honestly. You’ll be going soon anyway. The old Beans said they found someone to fill the job you’re doing. You can go back home and go to all the places you told me about.”

Bennett was in shock from the news his grandads had found a proper carer, but shook his head vehemently.

“I can’t ever forget meeting someone like you! And- and my grandads wouldn’t do stuff like what you said if you told them not to!”

Your voice was quiet, and sad. “You have too big a heart and see only the good in people. Your world is entirely different to mine… and you can’t change my mind. Your old Bean grandfathers can never meet me.”

Bennett was hurt and still didn’t entirely understand, lost for words. He was finally about to reply, but was called back to the house to help with dinner. He stood, looking at the patch of grass.

“… Fine. Ill stop talking to them about you, even if I don’t believe what you think of them. But if I’m really going to leave soon, can I see you before then?”

He got no response, and he called your name. “Please?”

His own name was called again from the house, and he hung his head. “I have to go. If you’re still listening, I… really do want to meet you. Even just once.”

And back to the house he went. Under the greenery next to the rock he had hit his face on, you were leaning against a stem, looking sadly at nothing in particular.

It was hard being the only Borrower in the house. It was… so terribly lonely. Bennett was the first Bean you’d spoken this openly to in forever, and listening to his stories while sitting under his windowsill outside, staring at the sky, had been so nice…

It was so lonely but also so dangerous to disregard the rules…

“Tsk.” You started making your way back to your own home under house’s floor, a humble collection of wooden furniture and simple appliances you had both crafted and raided from around the house. An old lighter for heat, a matchbox stuffed with cotton for a bed…

It was made much nicer by the plethora of nature you had decorated the space with.

At dinner that night, Bennett had indeed been told by his grandads they had found a formal carer, expecting Bennett to be relieved, but instead he just looked forlorn. That was until, another grandad came in and shared that the carer was going to be delayed in getting here due to sudden unfortunate events, so Bennett would be staying for another week at least.

For once he was thankful for his luck, and that night, even though he was dismayed to see no little person waiting for him, he retold this new information, only to chuckle and murmur you probably already knew this since you seemed to listen into conversations through the walls.

“You’re overestimating the time I spend listening to you Beans. I have my own things to do, you know.”

He had been lying in bed with his eyes shut, but they flew open and looked at his windowsill.

Looking down at him from the window, with an unimpressed expression, was you!

He froze, eyes wide and locked onto you, marveling at everything you were and how you had decided to show yourself to him. He called your name, and beamed as bright as the stars. “You- you’re here!“

He didn’t dare move, since you didn’t like when he got close last time. He noted you had another long sewing pin threaded into your clothing, like a tiny spear of sorts.

You spent some time talking to him on the sill. Apparently if he was to leave in roughly a week, you could settle with him seeing you. In turn, you wanted to know more about life outside of here, and he was happy to stay up into the late night storytelling.

When he yawned for the third time in five minutes, you told him it was time for him to sleep. He sulked and wanted to keep chatting, but you wished him a good night. He asked hurriedly if he would see you again as you made to leave, and you grunted an affirmative and leapt off the sill. Finally he moved, sitting up and watching the greenery of the vines under the sill rustle from your retreating form.

(General rambling time because from here on out it’s just snippets of plot)

- One night he’d be talking to you on the sill and finally talk about his luck, how it meant he was often on his own. He’d have an arm over his eyes and the other splayed out, and then suddenly he feels a little weight on his palm.

- You had climbed into his hand and looking at him sympathetically, and oh he was so careful to not make any sudden movements. You hugged his finger and told him you were sad for him because of his bad luck, and his heart wanted to burst from how much he wished he could hug you.

- He couldn’t see you much any other time besides at night since he was busy with his grandads, but you’d stand on his shoulder and he’d climb out onto the roof (recklessly) to show you the wonderful view

- Reader snuggling into his neck for warmth as the night is cold and him giggling about how that was ticklish

- Reader learning a way to comfort him is to scratch the back of his neck where his hair starts

- When he gets the rare time off in the day, they walk around the forest together with Reader on his shoulder or head. If a bird mistakes Reader for food, Bennett panics and holds them in his palms and runs away to safety.

- Reader sitting on a flower while Bennett lies in the grass and they chat about anything and everything

- Reader giving him little forehead kisses goodnight

- Fischl being a nice witch in the forest who can make Bennett Reader’s size for a night in exchange for a story of the outside world since she cannot leave the forest. Good thing he’s got plenty of those, and always been a natural storyteller.

Now there’s 3 possible routes this could take overall:

1. One of his dads notices something is up with Bennett, one that was the type of Bean you talked about… One day he follows Bennett and spots him talking to you, drama ensues when the man captures you and Bennett has to be led by the therapy dog to find where you were being held captive. It all works out but now you really have to leave the house. Bennett insists he takes you with him. You either agree or refuse, because the city is so widely different to the forest. Either way, Bennett will be there to help as much as he can!

2. This is the non dramatic plot line but Bennett’s stay comes to an end and he has to leave and go back to the city. He’s very very sad to leave Reader and they are sad he’s leaving too. Reader gives him one of their long spear-like sewing pins. They ask to get on his palm and bring them close to his face, and they give him a tiny peck on the cheek goodbye. He visits every summer since, and they have fluffy times together.

3. The new carer actually can’t take the job after all and Bennett jumps at the good luck to take the job properly. It would be a big shift to live in the forest but he didn’t have any solid reason to stay in the city anyway. And now he gets to live in the house permanently and then there’s plot or they just all live happily ever after, you the reader decide.

Aaaaand that’s all! I think this AU is very cute but kinda hard to really make into a non-bittersweet story due to someone usually having to leave 😭

[devinwolfi]

ohhhh my god ok pls keep in mind that i watched angel one (1) time ????? years ago (more than 10, time is fake, etc) and immediately turned off the tv at the end like “wow what the fuck was that. anyway” so lots of this may be misremembered or made up so please accept this salt shaker 🧂 and let’s fucking goooo

so this happened in one of the later seasons iirc? 4 maybe? anyway cordy and angel either had a big dramatic breakup or he cheated on her, i can’t remember. but either way he fucked (drum roll) darla??? yes that darla, his sire who for sure died in buffy s1, but we don’t deal in continuity here, this is angel. so she’s??? back??? somehow??? and they fuck which ok whatever except!!! she gets pregananant! which again, theoretically not possible, but this is basically fanfiction so what the fuck.

so she’s knocked up with her vampire zombie spawn thing, and i can’t remember if she sticks around for a bit while the baby cooks and ups the angst factor with cordelia? or it might just be a magical uncle ben’s 2 minute baby situation. either way she dies in childbirth (like she dusts out and there’s just?? an infant???) so angel is left to raise this monstrosity alone. sad.

but then! the babby! is…kidnapped. to hell, for some reason? unclear. so angel has to go to hell to get his child back, except OH NO time dilation shenanigans, the baby is all grown up now even though he was just born last week! he’s a moody teenager and angel is a deadbeat dad, oops

so he brings this understandably angsty and resentful teenage boy (i wanna say connor? don’t quote me) home to his weird bunker thing with all his monster hunting friends, which like. good job, a+ parenting. and it’s rough and the kid hates him for abandoning him in hell (fair) and it’s all very the first half of a steve martin movie where the divorced dad tries to bond with the kid he doesn’t know, yk?

but then. THEN. cordelia decides this is her moment. her friend/ex/whatever is struggling! he is trying to bond with his child! cordy can help! by….fucking him. yeah, she fucks this traumatized 16yo monster baby who was literally born last week, because that’s a responsible adult choice. reliving her queen of sunnydale high glory days??? literally who knows

and if you think that’s the worst bit about this nightmare plotline, strap in! we’re not done! guess who else gets pragnet? that’s right babeyyy, cordelia is having *checks notes* angel’s grandchild????

who turns out to be, i shit you not, gina torres. fully grown gina torres who is also god, for some reason? and this whole thing starting with darla mysteriously coming back from the dead all the way to connor being raised in hell (where angel couldn’t influence him to be uhhhhh a normal well adjusted child ig??? didn’t seem to be a huge risk all things considered but what do i know) was part of the great ineffable plan to get cordy to give birth to gina torres in white robes and return god to the world

except she turns out evil (obv) bc she’s like some alien thing idk and they have to kill her. but yeah. that’s the most fucked up thing i remember from angel? also the only thing rly. pretty sure cordelia and angel get back together in the end? there might be another love triangle with spike, which like, can a guy catch a break? goddamn

what in the twilightriverdalesupernatualvampirediaries

the only part of this that makes any sense is gina torres is god bc that just feels right

but seriously every modern monster show wishes they were buffy(& co(angel(through gritted teeth))) no one will ever have what they had

also assuming xander has been brutually killed by this point which, i hope so, i wonder how he feels about cordy and angel bc his type in women is women who are into angel

[felikatze]

talking abt The Beach Episode of a webnovel i like cuz why not. sure man let's make The Beach Episode about the protagonist trying to cope with the trauma he endured in the previous arc. sure man

like goddamn i love The Beach Episode of the demon prince goes to the academy cuz it just. the contrast to the previous arc being the darklands arc

like in the previous arc reinhardt and ellen are in a harsh environment with few resources and these two schoolkids are forced to kill. yeah, this is a fantasy novel, but the previous darkest moment of the series was the beginning, where reinhardt fled the demon castle to not get killed, but even THAT didn't have any on-screen murders

when reinhardt and ellen wipe out the bandits in the badlands arc, the narration (reinhardt's narration, in first person) points out how disgusted and scared he is. he has to do this or fifty innocent people will be ruthlessly slaughtered. but he can hear the bandits scream. he can smell their blood and bodies.

the motion reminds him of cooking. take the knife, and make the cut.

the zombies don't help. taking those you've killed and killing them again.

ellen and him can barely sleep. after they return to temple, they have nightmares, constantly. they cling to each other because nobody gets it.

they're literally offered therapy by the school! the novel literally says this experience traumatized them, badly! and they refuse the offer because of course

they're kids!!! ellen is seventeen!! sure, she's stoic, and she's strong, but she was still scared. and she has to face that she was ready to lay down her life. just like her brother.

AND THEN COMES THE BEACH EPISODE!!!! let's go hang out at liana's beach house, everybody!!! let's go swim!!

like. oh my fucking god. the novel took the beach episode and made it abt how trauma alienates reinhardt and ellen from their peers.

like. let's make silly small talk! what did you do on your vacation? i heard you went to the darklands? how was it?

and ellen and reinhardt don't want to tell "look at me wrong and i'll cry" harriet about That Time An Insane Quasi-Immortal Zombie Almost Killed Them, so they lie about it and say nothing happened

because they wish nothing happened. the experience made them stronger, and they hate it. they went there of their own volition, and they regret it.

so everyone else is like, seriously? nothing happened?

everyone goes swimming but ellen can't enjoy the wonder of the ocean anymore. reinhardt sits out on most activities. he just wants to rest.

everybody else is not stupid, though. they can tell something happened! why are ellen and reinhardt so goddamn moody? why are they refusing to talk? harriet may be sensitive but she's smart. liana is a people person. just heinrich is an asshole

and like. you're gonna resolve this plotline of the two traumatized kids refusing to tell anybody anything by having everyone get drunk and have an asshat yell at reinhardt for being moody despite "nothing having happened?" bruh

ellen really deserved to snap and threaten to kill heinrich. casually invalidating all her recent trauma!! great!! of course she's super mad!!

i just. hrgjth. i could go on but i was just so pleasantly suprised that the series actually went and addressed how traumatizing experiences affect the characters in casual life. something else i'm thinking abt is how charlotte is said to be a picky eater, because nothing is ever gonna be as delicious as the one biscuit she ate while she was starving

a fantasy isekai webnovel making the protag do fucked up shit and then dedicating the beach episode to just. pointing at him + ellen going look at that bitch he got ptsd now!!!

[btwxsixesandsevens]

Once you get this you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly, and send it to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable). SPREAD POSITIVITY! ♥

Monday morning self-gratitude time. @rebellconquerer out here making sure I get some self-care ...

This isn't actually that hard for me, I'm a self-confident person, perhaps even into the realm of vanity/conceitedness. I like lots of things about me:

I'm a great writer. Characters. Action. Emotional tension. Creative plotlines. All that. I work at it, I practice, and I improve.

I'm a cheerleader. I really enjoy pumping other people up and helping them, encouraging them, etc.

I'm a great cook. It is fun. I can walk into the kitchen and spend an hour, or 15 minutes, and come up with something tasty.

I set clear boundaries. There's some shit I don't abide by. I don't make people guess what that shit is.

I have great breasts. Perfect size for my frame. Round and heavy. No, you can't see them.

Ten followers? That's a lot.

Let's see... @cathrynemoon, @pansexual-chocolate, @moodymillennialmom, @neshatriumphs, @melissalikesmagic, @blackfemmecharacterdependency, @blackgirlsimagines, ugh 3 more...@caaptainharley, @aahrtyeah, and @ginghampearlsnsweettea

There. It was harder to pick 10 followers than it was to answer the 5 things...

[venusluvrr]

The Psychological Horror Manhwa “Killing Stalking” is not a Romance, but an Emotional Series Depicting the Codependent Relationship Between Two Ill Individuals

Content Warning!!: contains mentions of sexual abuse (rape) and mental illness.

Killing Stalking is an immensely twisted webcomic series, mainly popular within the Yaoi community for its boy on boy focused plotline. The story follows characters Yoon Bum (Bum), a shy, scrawny young man with a haunting past filled with abuse, and Oh Sangwoo (Sangwoo), a younger man who also has a quite damaging upbringing but masks it perfectly with his vibrant, extroverted personality. After being saved from a rape attempt during his time serving in the military, Bum develops a crush on his saviour, Sangwoo, from which an unhealthy obsession starts to arise and he eventually finds himself locating and breaking into the man’s home one day when he’s out. When he does, he discovers a terribly injured woman being held captive in his basement, and with further evidence, soon comes to the realization that his crush is actually a serial killer -- hence the name “Killing Stalking,” as Sangwoo kills and Bum stalks. For a very specific reason though, Sangwoo decides not to kill the man that had been stalking him, and instead holds him hostage in his custody. From here, the story goes into exceeding depth of the abnormal, toxic, and manipulative relationship the two form during their time spent together. By just the mere description of it, it’s a bit concerning to know that a large portion of readers still support Sangwoo and Bum’s relationship. In other words, they believe they truly loved each other and that the story was not only horror fiction but a romance as well. One could easily come to this conclusion by basing their relationship on the few parts within the novel where they showed affection towards each other -- for example when Bum allows Sangwoo to hug him to sleep when he suffered through the night, or my personal favourite, when Sangwoo buys Bum a stuffed frog keychain after finding out that he had an affinity for such creatures. But we cannot simply dismiss the underlying factors of their relationship because of some cute things they did that made our heart melt -- Sangwoo still abused Bum at his leisure which makes those moments quite meaningless in the sense of it all. What Sangwoo and Yoonbum shared can’t be classified as “love,” because even with their peculiar bond and endearing moments, the psychological damage they both endured played a bigger part in the way they perceived each other.

Many toxic relationships start out lovely and glamorous until the couple have become comfortable enough to start revealing some bad habits, but in Sangwoo and Bum’s case, they were already off to a bad start, as the reason they remained with each other was solely for reasons pertaining to their poor mental health.

At the time Sangwoo saved Bum in the military, Bum still suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) -- a disorder he inferrably developed due to the fact that he grew up being constantly physically and sexually abused by the people around him. People with this illness may easily develop an infatuation for a person who shows them even the least bit of care; It can reach the point where they begin to idolize them and see them almost as a perfect human being -- which is exactly how Bum viewed Sangwoo after he helped him to escape a rape attempt. The likely specific term for what Sangwoo was to Bum is a Favourite Person (FP). To an individual suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, their FP is everything -- their self-worth, identity and emotional dependency all rely on this one person, making them the center of their lives. In contrast to this sincere fondness, the only reason Sangwoo kept Bum alive was because of the man’s resemblance to his late mother -- the one person in his life who he truly loved. While his father was abusive and negligent, his mother tried her best to care for her son even while her own mental stability wasn’t so great either. Even though it was implied that he was responsible for the murder of both his mother and father in high school -- getting away with it scotch-free because of how perfectly executed his plan was -- he still shared a special bond with the woman, allowing her existence follow and continue to torutue him mentally as he grew older. When he saw Yoonbum, he felt as if she had been somewhat resurrected, or at least he could pretend so by dressing him up in his mother’s clothes and making him cook and do the chores; He also played the husband role by abusing and assaulting Bum just as his father did to his mother -- mostly just out of his own nature. Sangwoo had his own issues, “mommy issues,” and he initially needed to keep Bum alive so he could fulfill his own longing desires. Knowing the man’s character though, things wouldn’t end there and instead headed down a very gruesome and frightful path.

The very reasons that the two were drawn to each other we’re even more evident the longer they lived under the same roof. While Yoonbum continued to recall the perfect image he had of Sangwoo in his head, Sangwoo continued to manipulate the man in order to satisfy his own needs. A healthy relationship cannot be based on deceit, because one person will end up victimized instead of loved.

Oh Sangwoo is a sadistic sociopath with a history of kidnapping, abusing, raping and torturing innocent people, and because of his illness, he shows feels and shows no remorse for his actions and even proceeds to kill off his victims as they pleaded in objection. What some people don’t understand is that when Sangwoo met Bum, the only reason he treated him differently was not because he thought of him as special, but because he had a personal agenda that included making Bum think that was the truth and that he was indeed the favoured victim among many. It’s no surprise with the man’s manipulative personality that he would enjoy planting a lie in Bum’s head to make him stay and continue to do as he says, and this is confirmed whenever he returned back to his old destructive habits even after showing the man acts of affection. Yes, Sangwoo spared Bum’s life, clothed him and fed him, but as their bond grew, his narcissistic attitude was still more apparent than ever.

Upon meeting Bum for the first time, Sangwoo didn’t hesitate to aggressively break his ankles to prevent his mobility, he left the man within the dark confinement of his basement for a certain period of time before letting him out only after he had gained his trust. He made him sit in a chair to wash dishes and make dinner because he could no longer stand. Sangwoo also constantly dragged Bum down with derogatory words and statements every chance he could get, this included calling him a “retard,” and referring to him as a “disgusting” and “filthy” human being. As confirmed by the author, Sangwoo is also heterosexual, which is further proved by the homophobic remarks he made towards a significantly older man who was sexually attracted to him while murdering him with Bum’s aid. This fact alone is another one that should justify a strong point that demonstrates the true hostility of their relationship -- Yoonbum never gave his consent to have sex with Sangwoo, nor did he allow it to happen because “he wanted it.” He specifically used phrases such as, “No,” “Stop,” and “It hurts,” implying that sometimes there was no mutual agreement when they had sex and Sangwoo had actually raped him several times.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder have been reported to have difficulties seeing the faults in their partner -- this explains why Bum still held on to him. He chose to stay when he had the chance to escape, and with tears rolling down his face from excruciating pain he still told Sangwoo he loved him. In a scene where Bum is left alone with the police as they investigate the suspicions they have surrounding him, he questions them saying, “Could you kiss somebody like me? Could you love somebody like me?” As he believes nobody but Sangwoo could answer yes to those two questions, convinced that Sangwoo really does have feelings for him. It’s saddening to know that the poor man had successfully been lured into a trap, and because of his mental health it would be much harder for him to realize it.

To the readers that think, “Sangwoo and Yoonbum needed each other,” -- You’re not completely wrong. They did need each other in the way that they found somewhat of a saneness from each other’s presence, each using one another to each other’s benefit. But being together at the same time built on their insanity, as the presence of Sangwoo’s mother seemed to grow even more prevalent with Bum, who resembled her, also in the picture, and Yoonbum growing so unhealthily attached to Sangwoo that he constantly feared of abandonment and turned the sociopath into the only source of his happiness. They needed each other, but not for the right reasons. They were attached to each other, but there was no love, otherwise it would reflect throughout the story. One of the most debate-worthy scenes that challenge this fact is when Sangwoo is reported by an old lady in the hospital, the one that had ended his life, that he was calling out Bum’s name throughout the night as he lay in his deathbed. Those were his final words, and Yoonbum’s final word was also Sangwoo’s name before he was very well implied to have been hit by a car while he chased an illusion of the man he “loved.” Even I almost felt that this was solid proof that even through the tough and terrible of their relationship, deep inside, the two really were in love but could not express it in the right way due to their mental health issues -- after all, what someone makes of their final moments before death is much more meaningful than most of what they've done in their life entirely. But I came to realize that the only way I could support this relationship would be if they had met in an alternate universe where they did not suffer from such dreadful childhood trauma that made them into the hurting individual they had become before meeting each other. As difficult as it is for me to picture the two with different partners, it would be best if the two had not met at all as they only fed into the severity of their conditions.