#like the writers didn’t really know what they wanted to portray…

[evertidings]

— DECEMBER 2024.

Accomplishments.

I thought I was forgetting something and then I realized it was my monthly update. Oops. So even though we’re a third into the month, here’s what I did in December.

To be quite honest, most (if not all) of what I did throughout the month was work on the Holiday Special. I’m really glad to see that it was well received (honestly, even though I’ve been doing this for a while, putting anything out is stressful so it’s always great to see positive feedback). I’m a bit of a slow writer so it took me a while, but I’m glad it paid off. I always love writing extra content for you guys anyway.

In terms of Chapter 12, I’m back at it this month and slowly chipping away at it. Still no estimated time for when it’ll be released, but I’m hoping Q1 of 2025. Of course, the break last month didn’t help in terms of productivity and word count, but at least it refreshed my mind. I had just finished up writing a big branch (probably close to 15,000 words) so I was pretty exhausted and tired of the content. That happened a lot when I was writing Chapter 11, which eventually led to a big burnout that I am trying to prevent this time around, because, well, it was not fun. But now that I’ve stayed away from Chapter 12 for a bit, I feel excited enough to go back.

I’m currently writing Eliana’s initial meeting with the Hunter and am trying to pinpoint how I want her to come off. Of course, I have a set personality for her, but determining character traits is one thing—actually making sure they are portrayed in writing is another. It’s been a bit challenging so far, but I do usually say that I like a challenge, so I think it’ll be fun.

I’m estimating the final chapter word count to be somewhere around 45-50k—possibly more if I decide to torture myself with another branch—so I’m at least halfway or a third of the way there. None of the chapters have ever surpassed 70k and I doubt this will, so I don’t have to worry there.

For the rest of January, I’m focusing on just getting as much done as possible. My four year anniversary (wtf) is also coming up for this game, so I’m trying to decide what to do for it. I want to write another short, but that would delay Chapter 12 even further so I’m not sure. Perhaps just a set of drabbles? Let me know if anyone has any ideas. As always, take care of yourselves <3

Stats.

Chapter Total: 21,850 words (+1640)

Game Total: ~533,280 words

[joongsheartx]

mingi hard thought

pairing: best friend!mingi x photographer!reader

warnings: suggestive | mdni

a/n: these calvin klein pics of mingi have been stuck in my mind all day. also it’s 2 am so my eyes are two seconds away from closing so if there’s typos im sorry.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

with you and mingi being best friends, you both heavily supported each others passion and motivated each other. mingi knew how much you loved photography and how serious you were about becoming a freelance photographer and hopefully building a career off that. so when you asked to take some pictures of him for your website and socials, he was happy to help.

at first you didn’t know the vibe you wanted to go for. so you decided to ask mingi what he’d be interested in and to your surprise he showed you some picture of different calvin klein photos.

“nothing too much though, just the sexy vibe could be fun. only if you’re comfortable of course.” he said to you.

“n-no yeah…” you stutter “i could definitely do something like this.”

when mingi showed up to your mini studio, the nerves really started to kick in. you didn’t know why you were so nervous cause it was just mingi, your best friend. but why was the thought of seeing and portraying him in a sexy light in a photoshoot affecting you so much?

as the shoot went on and the flow of the music from his playlist filled the air, your nerves started to lessen. you took picture after picture but they just weren’t to your liking.

mingi stood before you posing as you look at him in thought.

“maybe unbutton your shirt.” you suggest.

he looks down at his buttoned shirt and back up at you with a smirk. and when his hands started to move it was like time started to slow down. each button coming undone made your heart beat a little faster.

he opened up his shirt, his underwear peaking through his pants making you gulp softly. he moved on his own accord, sitting down on the couch and started posing again.

quickly snapping out of your thoughts you bring your camera to your eye and snap a photo. looking at the monitoring screen you smile.

“much better.”

as the shoot went on you couldn’t help but feel the burning desire start to grow within you.

“could you lay on the couch, arm resting on the back, and face your face towards me�� place your other hand on your thigh. perfect.”

mingi followed your instructions perfectly. he loved seeing you in your own world doing what you loved most.

when the shoot was done you sat on the couch beside him. the growing tension between you two the whole time had him feeling on edge.

“min you know you can button up your shirt now.” you giggled.

he didn’t say anything. eyeing you, he smiled. “i feel sexy like this. i wanna live in it just a little longer.”

“you’re always sexy min.” you laugh not thinking too much about the words coming out of your mouth.

“you’re always sexy too.”

his words made you sober up a little. “you’re just saying that.”

he shook his head and looked into your eyes then down to your lips. “i’ve always thought you were sexy. even right now.”

“min-“

“you’re beautiful.”

you don��t know what to say. his hands reach out to pull your body on top of him. your body flush against his as you straddle him. there are no words shared between you two.

your finger drags down his exposed skin, stopping just above where his underwear is peaking out of his jeans.

his hips buck into you causing both of you to lets out gasps.

“i’ve wanted you for so long.” he whispers softly.

“then take me,” your lips brush against his. “right now.”

i give full permission for writers to use my hard thoughts as inspiration to write (with credit ofc)

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

A couple things I didn’t like about Arcane S2’s ending are:

1. All of Vi’s remaining family either fake dying or actually dying so that she’s forced to let go of the past and move on. Instead of actually, you know, giving her a proper season-long arc where she learns to let go.

2. Vi being forced to stop being a protector so that she can focus on herself for once. Look, taking a break to focus on oneself and heal is a great message, but the way it’s portrayed and talked about in interview(s), it feels like the writers are telling us that Vi’s identity as a protector is bad and that she should let go of it completely, when what she really needed was to develop a healthier attitude to being a protector.

Also, “Vi can only fall in love when she has nothing to protect” is a fucked up thought and makes no sense at all.

3. The narrative punishing Vi and Jinx for wanting to help their werewolf dad regain himself and be a family again. We get it, they needed to leave the past behind them and build something new, but Jesus Christ, making them watch their dad get killed multiple times was way too cruel, to the point where it became misery porn. It also felt like the narrative was punishing Vi for daring to be grief-stricken at seeing her dad get killed again during the final battle.

[shadamyheadcanons]

i love that you don’t put sonic as a jerk in your headcannons but rather supportive! this is so cool, because sonic really wants all of his friends to be happy and with amy wouldn’t be different, specially since they’ve known each other since they were children and sonic himself said that she is a special/dear person to him so i agree he would be happy if amy and shadow got together. as much as i love sonamy, i also love shadamy (sorry for the long ask it’s just that is not that common seeing sonic being portrayed like this in some ffs)

Thanks for the compliment! This one means a lot because I think I’m actually harsher toward Sonic sometimes than a lot of modern shadamy writers are. I say “modern” because new “Amy goes for Shadow because Sonic is a jerk” stories are actually few and far between. It’s easy to think they’re all over the place because there absolutely are a lot of them, but the ones I run into are usually from, like...2012. If you sort by Date Updated on AO3, it tells a different story, pun intended. I believe there are three main reasons for this:

1. Since half of shadamy fans started shipping them in SA2 two and a half decades ago, a ton of us are in our 30s now, writing more mature stories with more fine-tuned characterization. This is one of the advantages of having an ancient ship.

2. It’s a tired trope. We’ve all read a million of them. Most people don’t like how Sonic acts in them for his sake, but my biggest gripe is that they undersell what Shadow has to offer. He’s not just good for Amy because he’s Not Sonic, he’s good for her because of who he is.

3. Sonic treats Amy much better than he used to. The reason “Sonic is a jerk” fics were so common 10-20 years ago is because he was a jerk, almost exclusively to Amy.

These fics exist because no other character works better than Shadow as an arbiter of justice for something that bothered a lot of Amy fans at the time.

More on this under the cut. Lots more. I got kind of carried away.

It’s easy to forget how bad Sonic was when we have games like Frontiers and comics like IDW and Mega Drive now:

Between new fans who aren’t as familiar with older games, longtime fans who haven’t looked at their history in a while, and fans who love Sonic and just don’t want to see him in a bad light, tons of people sweep his old behavior under the rug without even realizing it.

I don’t think any of that is fair to Amy.

A brief reminder of their dynamic in the past:

1. Constant abandonment. He ran from her in Sonic Adventure...

...Sonic Heroes...

And four times in SA2 alone! More on that later.

2. Standing her up on dates. This mostly happened in Sonix X...

[Episode 42, episode 45]

...but there was also Sonic and the Black Knight, where he didn’t show up, didn’t apologize, never made it up to her, and made no attempt to reschedule.

3. Uh...literally hurting her, for some reason...?

At the end of Sonic Riders, when he didn’t feel like properly handling a hostage situation:

Oh, welcome back, episode 42! Didn’t expect to see you again:

The new version of Sonic Generations altered this cutscene, thank god, but back in 2011, players saw this:

4. And the worst part of this, to me, is that he lets her get her hopes up. It’s not just the almost-dates he skips. Knuckles teases Sonic in Heroes, saying, “Are you playing with that girl’s heart again, Sonic?” It’s intended as a joke, but then he does things like this:

Sonic X, episode 52. You know what roses are, Sonic, you know how she’ll interpret this, and you know you won’t follow through.

I know I’m picking on Sonic X a lot, but it was pretty popular at the time, even among fans who didn’t touch the games or comics. This was how they saw these characters growing up, and it made its way into countless fics.

But even after all these years, no matter which continuity you work with...he still won’t give her a solid “no.”

Not liking someone back is fine. Not being interested in a relationship is fine. But letting her believe she’ll win you over if she chases you long enough isn’t, and that’s what he’s doing to this day.

Fans throw around the same tired old “justifications” over and over for why he is/was like this to Amy, but they don’t hold water. People say he’s mean because he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for her, but he liked Elise, too, and he was nothing but kind to her.

(Putting this here because although fans don’t like to admit it, Elise was indeed intended to be a love interest. She and Amy are presented on par here, so if you think he likes Amy, then he liked Elise, too. You get exactly the same result regardless of who you choose for this trial.)

The other frequent “justification” is that he ran and lashed out because he was afraid of her, often accompanied by awful Amy hate (“stalker,” “psycho,” etc.). This also doesn’t work because Sonic was always harsh to Amy no matter how gentle she was. Classic Amy is the sweetest, most adorable little munchkin in the world...

...and he still ran away.

^ These are from the same exact comic, by the way: IDW Sonic’s 30th anniversary. Five pages apart. How in the world could anyone not want her around?

Amy had more spunk in Adventure and Adventure 2, but she was just as sweet, and he still treated her like a pest to be swatted. The ending of her story in SA1 is this:

But...why should she have to? He treats everyone else with the same baseline of respect, at least until they give him a reason not to. Why is it just Amy? He wasn’t just mean to her, he was uniquely mean to her. She didn’t act out until Heroes in 2003, when she’d already been ignored for years. Standing on the sidelines wasn’t working, so she tried being more “proactive.” Was it the right way to do things? No...but I honestly can’t hold it against her. It makes sense in context. She was a kid, and kids act out when they’re neglected.

And this is where Sonic Adventure 2 comes in.

SA2 was pivotal for Amy. Nearly everyone tossed her aside; Sonic left her behind four separate times in this game alone. First was right after she broke him out of jail on Prison Island. He ran off the second her back was turned:

Second, he and Tails both walked away from her after Eggman blew up the moon. She easily could’ve gotten arrested here.

Third, Sonic and Tails made a plan to stop Eggman right in front of her, blatantly leaving her out of it as if she wasn’t even there:

...which, if you’ll recall, led to Eggman holding her at gunpoint:

...and when Sonic set out to rescue her, this was his recap:

This does not work as a joke given how they treat her. He pretends she doesn’t exist to her face, then says this behind her back.

And immediately after that, when it was time for them to save the world, they left her alone again.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was furious by that point.

But then...something interesting happened.

A photoset or gifset can’t do this scene justice, but I think most shadamy fans have already seen it plenty of times. For the few who haven’t, you can watch it here.

The contrast between Shadow and Sonic is impossible to ignore. By building up this moment the way they did, the writers primed us to notice it.

Sonic runs from Amy’s hugs, while Shadow would like more of them, please and thank you.

Sonic pretends she doesn’t exist, while Shadow’s moved to tears and changes the course of his life because he values what she has to say.

Anytime they’ve interacted since then, he’s been uniquely respectful and gentle with her. It’s what she deserves, and for a long time, this was all we had. He was all we had.

The other half of the equation is that it is very, very easy to picture Shadow taking Sonic and the others to task for their mistreatment of her. As a blunt person who’s not afraid to confront Sonic, Shadow is the most believable candidate to this day. The only person to fully respect her from the start also happens to clash with the person who hurts her most often? Of course those fics exist. It’s a perfect storm.

And it’s no wonder that this attitude persists somewhat even now, because Sonic is still doing this, even if he’s “nicer” about it. That prison escape from SA2? The one he never thanked her for? He still gives all the credit to Tails for that, even up through Frontiers:

Amy. Amy broke you out of prison. Tails broke in, and then she snuck through a maximum-security prison, somehow stole a card key, and saved your life. We’re in the 2020s, but he’s still disrespecting her. And don’t get me started on the TailsTube Secret Santa episode.

It feels like Sega wants us to forget all of this ever happened, and it has some very confusing results. From that same Sonic 30th anniversary comic from above, the one where he and the others abandoned her:

Like...this? This is lying. He’s just lying to her. I can’t tell if they think we all collectively have amnesia or if it’s some weird, mean-spirited joke at her expense. I genuinely don’t know what they’re trying to say.

It’s not enough to pretend it never happened and move on, not to me. Sonic should be held responsible for what he canonically did. Him supposedly being bad with feelings didn’t make it hurt her any less, and he’s older than Amy, so he should’ve been the mature one.

The longer the writers keep this up, the worse Sonic looks, and I don’t think that’s what they’re aiming for. Ignoring the problem is not a solution. Amy might forgive, but I’ll never forget.

I just want to see a canon apology so I can reason out why she put up with it for so long. I want to at least be able to buy her having a crush on him. I can do that when he’s being selfless and heroic. I can’t do that when he treats her like the plague, and pretending he never did doesn’t match the Sonic I legitimately like. I bet a lot of s0namy fans would like to see a resolution like that, too.

Sorry to turn your thoughtful compliment into a rant. I really do appreciate it, and I’m glad you enjoy the stories!

[ornii]

Bitterly Beautiful: Tame The Stress 🍋

Writers Block was a serious detriment to artists of literary all over the world. It even hampers the writing of Wednesday Addams, as invincible as she portrays herself. You sat gingerly on her bed, listening to her type away on the machine she uses near on her desk, you gently polished your cane, feeling the smooth wood along your palm and the slight sleek feel of the rag in your other. You were fairly content with how you spend your time with Wednesday.

She was the definition of Anti-social but you weren’t necessarily a people person either, that made spending time together just effortless. You both stayed in the room but mostly did your own thing, it’s the company she had is what made you so enthralled.

Your Blindness made reading her novel basically impossible, but it didn’t stop you from asking her to read it to you, still wanting to listen to your Girlfriends work. Knowing her in and out, you could always sense if something was up, the Octave in her vocal ranges goes up or down a pitch, her increased heartbeat, telltales of stress or anxiety. You could almost feel her scowling at the Typewriter as she stoped and typed spastically. You heard a sigh of annoyance and you knew she was hitting a block.

“Having trouble?” You asked, placing the cane down to prop yourself up on it. Wednesday wasn’t one for expressing feeling or even discomfort, she always kept aloof and distant. But lying to you was nearly impossible. Wednesday kept her nightly clothing simple, a pair of short black shorts and a desk black nightgown that lacked any flair, it looked more like an oversized t-shirt, but you obviously didn’t complain.

“It seems I’ve hit what weak minded writers call a “writers Block” she explained, she raised her hand to type once more and you could sense it just from her body movements.

“It isn’t Weak minded to be mentally stumped. Take a break, talk with me, or play your Cello.” You approach and knelt down slightly to be on her level. Wednesday turns her head to you, you could never truly understand what Wednesday looked like but you always had a general idea and sense, regardless she was beautiful.

“I don’t need your pity. especially from a blind man.” She huffed and went back to her work. But Wednesday wasn’t going to listen to your advice. There was always one thing that did really take off the stress from people, and it was your Boyfriend duties to make sure Wednesday was accurately taken care of. You calmly got down on all fours as she ignored you, and slipped under her desk. She continued to fumble with her writing, your hands gently poked her foot. She ignored it until you gently traced it along her shin and up to her knee, and softly kissed it.

“(Y/n), I’m not in the mood for your—“ she attempted to reprimand you, but you casually and gently placed your head on one of her legs. “Babe, just enjoy yourself.” You said in a loving whisper, you used both palms to softy grip her thighs, right below the Shorts, her skin was always soft and well taken care of.

You slowly and carefully went up her legs, feeling the tensing of her body. She was trying to ignore you, ignore your hands but it was slowly melting her icy resolve. Your fingertips gently brushed higher and higher right to her thighs, and trickled back down her shorts. You felt a sudden shift and you slowly crept closer and closer, palms gently closing in to her underwear. You felt her toes curl and a sigh of slight surprise come from her nose.

“Just relax, and enjoy yourself, Enids not here.” You spoke so softly but deeply, something about it almost made her shift switches in her brain. Your palms felt her legs spread a bit almost inviting you to get her off.

Wednesdays brain began to flow a bit more, this time typing on the Story she’s doing, your fingers reached slightly under her gown and to the waistband of her shorts and underwear, with a little pull you felt her clothes slip off. Your warm breath gently brushing up against her slightly aroused clit. You heard a slight shiver from your Girlfriend as she typed. More aggressive.

“You only have a few minutes before I— ooooh~” You leaned your head in and didn’t hesitate to give her inner lips a warm wet greeting. The suddenly shift of your warm wet tongue on her body made her demeanor shift to a woman in actual pleasure. You lapped your tongue all over and made sure to gently nudge her clitoris every time to tease her.

You shifted your body lower, letting Wednesday rest her legs on your shoulder as you worked your way inside her. Oral wasn’t something you both did since she viewed normal sex as more than satisfactory, and you didn’t particularly complain about it either. Being with her was more than enough, she obviously underappreciated how good you were, Wednesday at this time had completely abandoned her story and leaned on her arm, trying to hold it together as she felt you breath, tongue, saliva, all over her exposed privates. Her other hand rushed under the table to grip your hair. Wednesday wasn’t an aggressive lover on purpose, she just didn’t know how to be gentle.

“Move your.. tongue an inch to the right, yes.. there.” Wednesday was breathing much heavier than expected, she began to lean back, slowly coming to an orgasm.

“Keep going, don’t you dare stop..” she ordered, but it didn’t sound like authority, more like a woman telling you how to make the next few moments really matter. Your tongue slipped inside and the slightest gasp of air from her were music to your ears.

“There, I feel it, coming… I… I feel it…” Wednesday cocked her head back, gripping your scalp she wrapped her legs around your head and neck, pulling your tongue and face in deep, feeling her pussy convulse and drip right on your face, slowly trailing down your chin.

Her legs were shaky, exhausted from getting a very good workout. She finally relented and let your breath as you pulled back, taking a deep breath. You couldn’t see it but the sound of dripping on the door and Wednesday silence but heavy breath told you that you were doing just fine. Coming back from the desk you crept back up behind her, your face next to hers. “Feeling better?” You said into her ear, all of this intensity caused your cock to harden like stone and make it pretty obvious what’s next.

Standing up your bulge was nudged against her face, Wednesday looked up at you, and attempted to stand up but got a bit wobbly. She didn’t hesitate to shove her lips on yours. They wrestled for control as her hand pressed firmly on the outline of your cock. With a fumble and tumble with your clothes you both stripped down, taking a break, you felt the girl yank you to her bed, getting on all fours and bending over, she looked back at you.

“Do not make me beg..” she said, but you didn’t have to ask. Your hands grip her waist.

“Don’t hesitate to— Fuck!~” Wednesday tried not to make that kind of sound but it was too late, the sudden impact of your cock drilling into her made her cry out in please. She gripped the bed as you pulled out of her wet insides and went back in for good measure, giving her a heavy hammer to her insides as you thrust away.

Wednesday didn’t try to fight you in this, she wanted to be taken, to let you give it to her the way you wanted, the way you knew you both liked it. The way her insides squeezed around you, the way the sweat dripped off your chest and onto her back, the sounds she makes when you give her slightly pale ass a good slap. Her face buried into the pillows as she gasped and tried to hold on to some control but it wasn’t easy for her.

“I’m, gonna cum.”

“Do it… inside me… p-please… I can’t take it anymore.” Wednesday for the first time begged so softly for it. You gave her exactly what she asked, you gripped her pigtails and yanked as your legs grew numb, hitting the climax you let as much of it inside as you could. Reorganizing her insides to only fit you. Panting like a dog you almost fell on top of her, you held yourself up as she slide off your cock and collapsed into her bed, you fell next to her, feeling her breath brush against your neck as you slept.

You had woken tired, But somehow also more lightweight. Like you really took a load off, you sat up to sense where and what was going on. You felt something along your stomach and chest, a body, Wednesday was sleeping on you. Well she was awake.

“Hey sleepyhead?” You joked, Wednesday was silent, until she tilted her head to face you.

“Thank you for, letting me see reason, I needed to relax and you gave me what I needed, even though I thought I knew better.” She admits, your hand softly caressed her head as she put it back down to sleep.

“It’s okay, you were stressed, at least you tamed it.” You reassured her, and she sighed.

“No, you tamed it.”

[biibini]

Hi! I was wondering if you could try out headcanons for Modern Mizu, but Y/N would be a singer songwriter who like playing guitar and stuff lol, doesn't matter if Y/N would be famous or not, it's completely fine if it doesn't really fit your interests i had another writer try this out i just wanted to see your take on it because i love your writing style and how your portray Mizu <3

tugging at my heartstrings ➶-͙˚ ༘✶

modern!mizu x singer!reader (request)

tags: reader in indie rock band, college!au, modern au, singer reader, banter banter banta, drinking, taigen being frat brother at sigma chi since that’s the modern equivalent of the shindo dojo, random bandmate names , mizu with pretty eyes, sweet modern mizu i just love her sm

a/n: thank u to those who voted! i was struggling how to write this since i’ve seen a lot of bassist!mizu. i’ve never been asked the reverse :0

singer!reader is a part of an indie rock band called across oceans at mizu’s college. the title is a loose term, but you make it work.

mizu never heard of her or her band until ringo and akemi brought mizu to another typical “rager” (coined by taigen). she knows what typically happens at these parties, the usual frat dj aka a glorified person on aux, people drunk dancing, someone playing fein or mo bamba that gets the house shaking. what mizu doesn’t expect is an actual band: drums, keyboard, bassist, and a very pretty girl on the mic.

singer!reader didn’t expect this gig to ever follow through. it was the first time a frat brother asked for you to play, especially from sigma chi, one of the biggest fraternity houses on campus. it was an odd request when one of your band members brought it up, but nonetheless, your band accepted. a gig is a gig and if was better than some random stage.

“So you’re telling me, our next gig, could probably potentially be Sigma Chi? The Sigma Chi?”, you question, appalled with the request.

Sigma Chi was a completely different demographic from your usual sets. You didn’t play any popular songs besides an Artic Monkey, Her’s or a TV Girl song here and there.

Your keyboardist shrugs, “Look, a guy in my class asked me if I was a part of Across Oceans and if we could play at their next party. Apparently, it was one of the brother’s girlfriend’s birthday that night, and they’re more into indie pop and rock so…”

“Who was the guy anyway?”, your drumist interrupted.

“Some guy named Tiger or Tyler Ren, I don’t know.”

You huffed in frustration.

A small band such as yours don’t really have the best turn outs at your college, unless a lot of people you know come and bring their best energy in support.

Why waste time for a bored audience?

“Point is, we have a gig and they’re paying well.”

“How well?”, you asked, debating whether or not to take the unusual gig.

It couldn’t be that high, right?

“Better than the Four Fangs Bar.”, he answered.

Your eyes widen as your guitarist whistle to the number. Never knew frats threw money around like that.

You leaned back in your chair, anticipating your bandmates’ reactions. You weren’t opposed, but… pay is pay, right?

At this time, you guys are typically practicing a new song or hashing out an upcoming setlist. Instead, silence fills the room, all band members in thought. You hear the quiet hum of the A/C mixes with the murmurs from students in the hallway, waiting for any objections.

“Fuck it, let’s do the gig.”, you announce.

singer!reader isn’t the official leader… but when the rest of the members can’t make a decision, they end up turning to you as the decision maker.

singer!reader , the main singer and songwriter of the band. it gets difficult balancing school and this, but you make it work with your schedule. besides, what’s better than the flow of your voice playing along to the strums of your guitar?

singer!reader ‘s band name originates from the fact that your bassist, Paul, and keyboardist, Janine, were international students: one from across the pacific, and the other across the atlantic. regardless of their origin, they were one of the best players your drumist, Owen, found.

the night of the gig, singer!reader and your bandmates meet the host, a frat brother named taigen. he’s nice and welcoming. was he a little egotistical? maybe. but was he just happy to help a brother? yeah, even if they didn’t know too many of your songs… or the genre itself…

however, they do request a song, his friend’s girlfriend’s favorite song: lover’s rock by tv girl. across oceans has basically perfected that song due to it being a popular request.

“Could you play my girlfriend’s favorite song?”, the frat brother asks.

You nod, “Sure, what song is it?”

“Lover’s Rock by TV Girl? Did I get the name right?”

You hear your band members sigh. The one song they know all too well.

“Did I get it wrong? Bro, I’m so sorry-”

“No no no, it’s fine.”, you interject, “It’s perfect! We have that song down.”

“For real bro?“, he says in awe.

“For. Real.”, your Janine answers, putting an open hand in front of the frat brother.

You watch the guy go in for a dap up, patting your Janine’s back a little too hard. He pulls back and waves goodbye.

“I’m so hyped, bro. Let’s go Across Oceans!”, he yells as he goes inside the house.

You hear your drumist, Owen, scoff, teasing your band member, “Let’s set up, bruh.”

“Hey! Without me, we wouldn’t be here!”, she objects.

“He’s right, sorry bro.”, you tease back at him.

“Hey!”

as the party starts, singer!reader plays some more popular indie songs along the realms of beebadobee, the marias, mac de marco, clairo, etc. it’s not so bad, considering that the students are actively cheering and whistling after every song.

your band plays along with the positive energy of the crowd, as some drunk people sing along, jump to the beat, even scream the lyrics with singer!reader. it’s such a blast being able to relay the same vibe with an interactive crowd, despite the amount of alcohol they’ve consumed.

singer!reader may have also consumed a cup or two of beer, kudos to taigen for keeping the band “hydrated”.

with every song that played, singer!reader watches the house’s backyard fill up, almost to the brim. watching a sea of partygoers vibe to the songs satisfied you, hell, it energized you to keep singing, despite the slight slur of your words.

as singer!reader watched the crowd, a few have stood out. there’s always the usual non-listener here and there, a couple or two pairs making out by the house walls, and the one that’s typically wannabe-cool and nonchalant.

now those type of people are the best to watch, slowly get their attention with eye-contact as you finding the right song to play, hoping to get them further interested.

and singer!reader did spot one of those in the crowd, whilst playing looking out for you again by joy again. you don’t remember recalling her name, yet she looked so familiar.

“It’s just the way you’re glancing at me…”, you sing into the mic, hoping to get another sight of the girl again.

“Something about you just makes me feel guilty for liking you…”

You finally spot her far in the back with her raven hair up in a bun, standing next to a guy, much bigger than her and completely jamming out to your band. On the other hand, she’s just blankly staring, carefully watching your performance, as her hands are in her navy jacket’s pockets.

“When you’re with him…”

You make eye-contact with the girl again, getting a chance to look at her features more. You watch as the little curl of the strand of her dark jet-black hair waving against the breeze.

“When you’re with him.”

The way her eyes glisten a deep ocean blue from absurd amount of fairy lights a frat house can put up keeps your attention on her, never wavering.

“This is a long song for a girl who will never know its about her,”

She smiles gently, close enough to notice but too far for you to call out. You feel the blood rush to your cheeks. You tell your mind to blame it on the alcohol.

“I know it’s pretty stupid, but I’m much too shy to tell her…

A soft grin stays on her face, now fully listening to your singing. Her blue eyes fixate on yours, never breaking the connection. You wouldn’t admit it on stage, but god it felt good getting their attention.

“She’s beaming with that smile, all the while…”

You smile back, nodding to the rhythm.

God, you could get lost in those eyes.

Thin, soft, yet filled with so much depth the more you stare into the ocean blue orbs.

“I’m all choked up on my own throat,”

You watch her head mimic yours, her little curl bopping along to the music.

“I guess there is noooo hope.”

singer!reader ‘s band takes a break, letting the member’s fight who wants control of the aux. you let them beef.

on the other hand, singer!reader needed to find that girl, stat. red solo cup in hand, you rush to where you last saw her but found no traces. that is, until, you spot her alone in the kitchen.

“You go to these often?”, you say, getting her attention.

She walks closer to you, leaning on the kitchen counter next to you, as people start to fill the kitchen. She shrugs, sipping on the bright blue liquid in her cup. You also sip on your cup, drinking up the mysterious alcohol.

“It’s not my usual scene. My friends kinda, uh, dragged me here.”, she said.

“Ah… I see.”, you say as you looked down into your cup, hiding your gaze from the girl.

You don’t know what was poured in your cup, but it needed to hit you in the head right now.

“But I really liked your set.”, she says, while your head peeps up.

“It’s not the usual stuff they play here, but I’m sure it was because of Ise.”

“That’s the name of the birthday girl?”

Her eyes widened, dryly laughing at your response,“You didn’t know??”

“She didn’t ask us! Her boyfriend’s friend asked us to come here. He was practically begging.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. We thought he was pranking us or something. His name was like, Tiger Ren, or something like that.”

“Ok, you’ve got to be pranking me.”, she jokingly accuses you, chuckling at the accusation.

“I swear I’m not! I promise!”, you defend yourself, pulling your free hand up as if you got caught red handed.

The blue-eyed girl inches closer to you, smiling as she whispers in your ear, “I know Taigen and he’d rather kill himself than beg.”

Her breath tickles your ear, smiling along as well. You pull her closer, her arm next to yours, as if to share a forbidden secret.

“Well, I’m glad he didn’t jump.”

Both of you laugh together, side by side, shoulders against one another. You feel the warmth of the alcohol heat up your face, making you feel light and giggly. You lean on the counter to stay stable.

“I guess you learn something new everyday.”, you laugh. You tell her your name.

You watch her lean close to your ear again, her pink lips inches away from touching your flushed cheek.

“I guess you really do. My name is Mi-”

You hear your name get called out from the backyard.

“It’s birthday song time!”, Owen called out.

Shit.

“I’ll be out there in a sec!”

“I gotta get back up there but I’ll see you around, Miiii?”

“Mizu.”

“See you, Mizu!”

You push yourself out of the crowded kitchen yelling, “Who’s ready to sing for the birthday girl?”

The whole room cheers in unison, pushing themselves outside with you.

singing happy birthday to a half drunk sorority girl and an even drunker pack of sorority sisters and brothers was a sight to see. after playing another set, your band packs up for the night.

singer!reader never got anything besides a name: mizu. after ise’s birthday bash, your band got very popular with the frats and other clubs that filled your schedule with gigs and performances. excited, you took them all.

with every college gig you played at, you always noticed the same blue-eyed girl at the back, the little curl in her bangs bouncing to rhythm. with every break, you would find the chance to talk to her again.

with every break, singer!reader relished in the small talks you would have with mizu about school, life, new songs, anything. every conversation was physically close, every touch fluttering your heart, the red in your cheeks flaring up.

singer!reader blamed it on the alcohol and hope mizu doesn’t see through it.

singer!reader and mizu swap spotifys, sharing music and playlists mixed with each of your own tastes.

Mizu 🎧

do you have spotify?

yeah

wsp?

[Invite Link to Create a Blend]

you should click on this hehe

istg if u dox me…

aw u dont trust me ?? :(

no.

boooooo 👎🍅

besides being a supporter of your sets, singer!reader finds herself asking mizu and some friends to come over and watch across oceans rehearse so everything sounds clear and perfect, especially before a big party. it usually goes well for the most part, except the instances when you get a glimpse of mizu and forget a lyric or two. its typically paired with banter between your band mates.

You hear your keyboardist, Janine, groan your name.

“Girl, the lyrics!”

“Sorry!”

The blood rushes to your cheeks, showing off your embarrassment.

“It’s okay, I think I was off-key anyways.”, your bassist, Paul, claims. He starts fine-tuning his bass, focusing on the instrument. As for you, you look back on the lyrics online, hoping to ingrain the words before this week’s gig.

Fortunately, it was another high paying gig from a sorority. Unfortunately, they were requesting Chappell Roan and there were barely any sheet music for her songs, let alone her song Casual.

“Okay, gameplan. We finish the main chorus done and we can finish the final bridge and outro tomorrow.”, you claim.

Your band agrees.

“Just remember, it’s two ‘Is it casual now?’ and then its the duplicates.”, your keyboardist stresses.

“Yes Janine, we know you love her.”, Owen sighs.

“No hard feelings to Y/N, I just wanted to set the record straight.”, Janine protests, reading her hands on the keys.

You hear Paul scoff, “As if you are.”

Janine’s jaw drops, shocked as if Paul just dropped a bomb on her face.

“Says you, you fruit!”

“What did you just call me??”

“You heard me!”

“Hey!”, you interject, clapping your hands together, “You guys can have a fruit-off after this. Let’s just get this done please.”

singer!reader is thankful that despite their attitudes, they get along with banter and forgiveness at the end of the day.

singer!reader deep down hopes that they don’t kill each other about being called a fruit (fingers crossed).

singer!reader also finds herself inviting mizu over a few times for a listening party aka you writing and practicing songs while she actively listens, maybe critiques, or simply be there doing homework together

singer!reader is surprised to find more people asking if the band played x song or y song. although most requests come from popular songs, you implement a few into the rehearsal mix.

after finishing a set at one of taigen’s so-called ragers, your band packs up for the dj coming soon. although this meant the end of your set, taigen agreed that the band should stay afterwards and enjoy the party while it lasted. it was before midterms after all.

once your band finished packing up the equipment into your keyboardist’s van, the four of you were left with a decision: stay at the party or leave. as nice as it is for taigen to invite you guys back to play, it was getting late and your drumist had a shift tomorrow morning.

until you hear janine call your name from the van.

“Are you heading home too?”, you pout, cup in hand.

“Yeah, I figured your girlfriend wants to talk with you again.”, Janine giggles.

“For the last time, Mizu’s just a friend!”

“And I’m totally not delusional!”, Paul teases, mocking your voice.

You laugh nervously, checking your surroundings for any sight of her. After the set, you know she tends to disappear into the kitchen or a hallway upstairs.

“Anyways, lover girl, we’ll let you shoot your shot.”

“I-“

“Ah ah ah,” Janine waves a finger in front of you as she starts the car, “Don’t miss!”

singer!reader tries to find her at her usual spot in the kitchen. you end up finding her on a balcony upstairs, overseeing the houses next to the frats. only a dim porch light reveals mizu’s shadow, quietly sipping a drink in her cup.

“There you are.”, you greet, sliding open the balcony door.

“Heyy.”, Mizu greets back, softly smiling at you.

“You weren’t in the kitchen like you always are.”

“Just felt like getting fresh air. Some peace and quiet from the noise.”

You chuckle as you hear the rhythm and bass of the DJ set vibrate the house.

“I don’t blame you.”

You look out, swishing your cup with whatever mixer Ise poured in your cup. You’re unsure but you take a sip, hoping it’s strong enough to keep you sane around Mizu.

After many gigs, you’ve seen her and met with her, talking in between sets, and after sets before you leave. Although it’s short and sweet, you can’t help wanting to know more. Unintentionally, the thought of her consumes your mind: the way her voice gets raspy after a drink or two as you talk about your favorite artists, her touch behind your back when you’re trying to get out of a packed room, the way her eyes seem to shine sapphire every time you locked eyes with her while you’re playing.

Unfortunately, your band members weren’t complete idiots and tease you at every college gig. They come from a good place, but your mind can’t stop thinking about her voice when you’re trying to focus on writing a new song.

You try to drown your busy mind with another sip. The liquid goes down smooth with a peach aftertaste.

“Oh god, did they put soju in this?”, you cry out.

“Maybe. You know how Ise likes her drinks.”

You stare at your cup, the liquid filling to the halfway point. Mizu puts down hers on the table, holding onto something that crumples from her grasp.

Mizu steps closer to you and hands you a small bouquet of tulips, a delicate mix of pinks, whites, and reds tied together with newspaper. Its barely visible but Mizu’s hand was shaking from the nerves. And maybe a little wobbly from the alcohol.

“For your successful set and for surviving midterms as well.”

In shock, you accept the gesture, letting her place the bouquet in your hands. It smells so sweet, a contrasting smell from the puffs of nicotine, sweet, and strong alcohol downstairs. It was the first time you’ve received flowers on the behalf of your band’s talent and success, let alone, surviving school.

“Mizu, this is so sweet. You didn’t have to.”, you say, looking down at the flowers. You feel the blood rush to your cheeks, tinting them red. Thankfully, it’s barely visible from the dim lighting.

“I wanted to. Because… well…”

“Because?”

“I… um…”, she stammered,

You hear the rhythm of her breath quicken. You look up to find her inches away, biting the inner corner of her lip, her eyes finding the right words.

You pull a hand out to Mizu’s arm, comforting her.

“It’s okay, Mizu, thank you for—”

“Sorry, I just… can’t stop watching you when you perform.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you.”, you slip out,

Both of you look at each other with a stunned look, dumbfounded at both of your tipsy confessions.

Mizu pulls you close, moving the bouquet out of the way, as her lips are merely inches away from yours. You were fine with the closeness when it came to whispering, but this was different.

“May I?”

You nod, as the gap closed between the two of you. The taste of peach hits your lips, as you feel the softness of her lips push against yours.

Mizu pulls back, her breath staggering against yours. You place your cup to the side before reaching for her cheek, pulling her even closer to you, sealing the gap with a kiss once again.

You thank Ise for whatever shot(s) of liquid courage she put in both of your drinks.

[tommykinard6]

This blog is here to stay. It will remain a Tommy Kinard and BuckTommy blog.

I’m pissed. I’m grieving. 9-1-1 is my favorite show and now they’ve pulled this shit.

If Lou had left the show because the death threats were too much, his mental health was suffering, or he just couldn’t take it anymore, I would absolutely understand. I’d blame a certain part of the fandom, but I’d respect his decision. But he didn’t even want this. He loves Tommy and Tevan. I don’t know what Tim is thinking.

I know it all feels like a waste right now, but it’s not. Let me recount really quick:

• Buck is bisexual.

• There have been some really important scenes to come out of his discovering his sexuality, including Josh’s speech and his own lesson in fighting for his relationship.

• Tommy Kinard will be a character you pry from my cold dead hands. A gay man who discovered himself late in life and is still living his life genuinely. A man who made mistakes and acknowledges them, but has grown far past them. What a wonderfully rounded character.

• Excepting the end of 806, the beauty of their relationship. They did so much with so little screen time.

It’s not a waste, even though the ending absolutely trashed the progress made.

Resolutely, I do not believe this is the end. I know, I know, “the interviews”. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they’re misdirecting. Also, they haven’t even written the rest of the season yet. The storyline is fixable if there’s a make up.

Not telling anyone how to feel about Oliver’s comments, but I would caution about using TVline’s article as the Bible. It was a terribly written, heavily biased interview and frankly it’s an insult that it was even conducted.

Even if it is the end, no one has to stop shipping. No one has to leave the fandom. We did not lose. We still got our canon ship and it will forever be an irrevocable fact that it was canon. BuckTommy is endgame for me. I may be disappointed by expectations, but I will never be in the wrong for sticking by that.

Make your displeasure known to Tim and ABC, but do not lose your dignity doing so. Do not engage with the haters. No harassing Lou. You can hold Oliver accountable for his remarks, but no harassment of him. You can call him out without making him the fandom whipping boy. I’ve seen many people latching onto him as the outlet for their feelings on this. Do not harass or bully the writers or actors, but make sure the producers and showrunners know they fucked up.

And most importantly, look after yourselves and each other. We’re still a community and we’re here to stay. This week is one of the worst ever, but we will come out of it.

Thank you, Tommy Kinard, for the hope you gave us, the representation you presented, and the character you were. Thank you Lou for portraying such a character and being such a sweetheart. BuckTommy will forever be in our hearts, endgame or not.

As a reminder, BuckTommy is not the be all end all of the show for queer rep. Hen and Karen, our fabulous queens, and Josh will still always be there. Buck is still bi, no matter what’s next in store for him. Tommy, even if gone forever, is still a significant moment of gay rep. And that’s not even counting the small characters that come in and out. It’s not always done well, but it’s there.

[thatchmanger]

Listen Mel was already one of my favorite characters in season one but season two took her and made her even more amazing which is something I didn’t think was possible.

In season one the thing that really stood out to me about me was the way she is written. She’s the cunning, manipulative politician that works in the shadows to achieve her goals, an archetype that is often portrayed as villainous. But Mel isn’t a villain, I’m not even sure if she would be classified as an anti-hero but she is shown to be kind, caring and most importantly she is empathetic(more on that shortly)

She is a subversion of a classic villainous archetype and yet her kindness does not weaken her but rather is an essential aspect of her cunning and her goals. She isn’t a warmonger like her mother and she doesn’t want power just for the sake of it, she wants to build the kingdom of her dreams, a kingdom of opportunity and progress that is not gained through bloodshed. That being said she is not above doing what she has to in order to protect that vision, even if it means manipulating and going behind peoples backs.

With the reveal of her being an arcane mage in season we are shown that once again her empathy is shown as a strength rather than a weakness. Not only does it allow her to connect to and understand people, which is why she’s so good at manipulating them, but it is also the foundation of her magical power.

While we don’t know the full extent of what this makes her capable of doing we know that it primarily allows her to shield those she cares about and see through lies and deception, another sign of how caring she is while not deterring her cunning.

The writers really made something special when they wrote Mel, they took a traditionally villainous role and made it built around empathy

These writers are on another level

[carlottawllms]

Trustfall

Mason Mount x Reader Angst-ish / Fluff Word Count: 5.4K

Flashbacks in cursive TW: brief mentions of toxic relationships (nothing graphic or detailed)

My writer’s block makes me question every single thing I write atm, so I’m not entirely sure what to think of this one, but I’m hoping you’ll like it!

As always, feedback is very much appreciated! And now, enjoy 🩷

You’d never thought that a single person could change not only your whole life, but also you as a person. But then, you’d experienced it twice.

The first relationship you’d ever been in had been a toxic one. Not straight from the beginning, no, cause when you’d met Arthur, he’d been a gentleman, a total sweetheart. He’d made you fall for his charms and good looks; he’d worshipped the ground you walked in and showered you in love. Until he hadn’t anymore.

You hadn't really noticed it for a long time. Or rather simply ignored the red flags and tried to convince yourself that it would change again, that he only did it because he loved you and was scared of losing you. Your family and friends had voiced their concerns, but you hadn't listened to them. And just like that, Arthur had changed you over the timespan of weeks and months. Made you into someone you weren't.

It had taken a very long time until you’d understood that things couldn’t keep going that way and with the help of friends and family, you’d broken up with him.

But even after that break-up, your nightmare had been far from over. Distraught by everything that had happened, you’d had huge problems building trust with people. You’d even distrusted friends who’d been by your side for years, and even if they understood why, you could feel how hurt they’d been.

A year after you’d ended things with Arthur and had made amends with your friends, you’d met Mason. He’d been a good friend of a friend of yours and said person had introduced you to him at a birthday party.

Mason had been nothing, but kind and he’d never made the impression of having bad intentions, but your guard had been so high up, you’d distrusted him from the very first second. He was a footballer and although nothing was wrong with that, their reputations weren’t the best. It was superficial and probably nothing but magazines begging for attention, but his species was constantly portrayed as notorious cheaters.

You’d had a small argument that same evening as you’d said things you regretted today, and Mason had felt judged prematurely. But one of your friends had taken him to the side and explained briefly why you’d reacted that way and from the corner of your eye you’d observed how his gaze had softened.

After that birthday, he’d asked you out a couple of times, but you’d said no every single time. You’d rejected him over and over again, but Mason had never given up. He’d been persistent and eventually, you’d agreed to going out with him for a coffee.

Despite your hesitation, you’d gotten along well and whilst part of you’d wanted to go out with him again, you’d known you couldn’t. Mason was big on PDA; his love language was touch and that had scared the shit out of you.

Arthur had used it for manipulation. He’d never physically hurt you, but with his touches he’d more often than not managed to convince you of things you’d never actually wanted.

One afternoon, after you’d ghosted Mason a little, he’d shown up in front of your door and at the sight of him with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand and a fond smile on his face, you’d crumbled:

“Mason?” To say you were surprised to see him in front of your door would be an understatement. You’d ignored him – well his messages – for the past three days for a reason and you’d thought he’d gotten the hint, but apparently, he hadn’t.

“Hi, y/n.”, he greeted you quietly, a small version of his beautiful signature smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “I erm…I know you never messaged me back, but we got along so well, and I didn’t want to just give up on you, you know?”

“Mason, I erm…” You didn’t know how you were supposed to even begin to explain what was going on and with him right in front of you know, your heart was beating out of your chest.

The hope was visible in his big brown eyes, but you could also detect a hint of disappointment at your lack of happiness about seeing him and it broke your heart. He was a sweetheart, deep down you knew that, but after building your walls so high, it wasn’t that easy anymore.

“I brought you these, too.” Hesitantly, Mason took another step until he was right in front of you. A small bouquet of your favourite flowers in all your favourite colours in his hand. “I was hoping maybe we could talk and- y/n, hey, don’t cry please.”

“I…I…I can’t do this Mason.”, you choked as tears fell down your cheeks. “Plea...please just…leave.”

“What? No. y/n, I’m not leaving you like this. C’mon, talk to me, what’s wrong?” Mason reached out in an attempt to comfort you, but when you immediately took a step away from him, he pulled his hand back in an instant.

“I…I…Mason…I don’t…”, you tried, but the sobs wrecking your body were too powerful to fight and despite you pushing him away, Mason carefully stepped past you and managed to slowly pull you along into your living room where you eventually flopped onto your sofa.

With your face hidden away in your hands, you tried to regain your composure, but the fact Mason was sitting right next to you, leaving a deliberate space between the two of you, made it incredibly difficult. He’d come here despite you ignoring him, he respected your space and yet, he hadn’t left you on your own when you were at your worst.

“I…I’m not what…what you’re looking for.”, you sobbed. “I…I can’t do all…all these touchy things, I…Mason I have so much baggage and…and I don’t want…I’d be a burden and…”

“Hey, don’t say that y/n.”, Mason whispered. He carefully got up from his position beside you and knelt down in front of you, dying to touch you, but after what you’d said it would probably upset you even further, so he kept his hands in his lap. “C’mon, love, look at me.”

When your teary gaze eventually found his, Mason’s heart dropped into his stomach. Pure sadness and fear shone in your beautiful eyes, pulling at his heartstrings.

You hadn't told him much about your past that had made you the person you were today, but he had enough pieces of the puzzle together to understand that things that seemed so easy for him were incredibly challenging for you. But the time he’d spent with you – even if it hadn’t been much so far – had taught him that you were worth it.

You were worth fighting for, you were worthy of an easy life full of love and he wouldn’t give up trying for you.

“You, y/n, could never be a burden, okay? You are this incredible and beautiful person and I get that you don’t like yourself very much right now, but it doesn’t have to be like this forever. I know you don’t really trust me and that’s okay, y/n, but please give me the chance to prove, that I mean it. I want to earn your trust and I don’t care how long it takes, you know?”

With the sleeves of your hoodie, you wiped the tears from your face. His words sparked a tiny something deep inside of you, but you couldn’t convince yourself to give in.

“Mason, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”, you sighed as fresh tears welled up in your eyes. “You’re so into touch and I can’t give you that, I just…it’s difficult for me and I can’t just snap my fingers, and everything is fine. It might never be fine, I might never be okay with everything you need and-“

“I don’t think it’s you who gets to decide what I need, hm?”, he chuckled quietly. “I told you I’m willing to wait, y/n, to give you all the time you need and to earn your trust until you’re ready for touch and whatever else there is.”

“But you love touch.”, you pouted sadly, knowing how natural it came to him.

“Yeah, I do, but is that more important than spending time with you and talking to you and getting to know you? Obviously not, y/n. It might take me a moment to get used to it, cause it’s so natural to me, but I can live without all of that. But in a few years’ time, I don’t want to look back, thinking what if, you know? We can take it slow. As slow as you want to, okay? Please don’t push me away, y/n. Give me the chance to be what you deserve.”

It hadn't been easy for you because everything in your head had been screaming don't do it, but a little part of your heart had fallen in love with Mason's words and his caring nature and as crazy as it sounded, that little part had actually won, and you’d agreed to another date with him.

Parts of Mason reminded you of Arthur and the way he’d charmed his way into your heart, but then there was this big chunk of Mason that was so incredibly different to your ex. Arthur would’ve never gone through so much trouble for you. He would’ve never tried again if you’d ignored him like that. He would’ve left the moment you'd made it as difficult for him as for Mason now.

And for the date, Mason had made it one out of the public eye. With the ulterior motive of showing you more of himself and starting his mission to prove himself to you, he’d invited you to his home and cooked for you.

The second date was followed by a third and that quickly turned into a fourth. And even in between those days, you’d kept in touch; talked a lot on facetime, shared messages and from day to day it became easier to let him in.

It had still taken you a while, but not as long as you’d thought because Mason had made it easy for you. He’d never pressured you; never tried anything, but instead he’d given you all the time in the world. He’d waited for you to make the first step and then he’d simply followed.

You could vividly remember the first time you’d grabbed his hand in public:

Over the month you’d been dating already, Mason and you had developed the habit of taking walks in the late afternoons to watch the sun set on the horizon and spend some quality time together without being watched by too many eyes.

It was a bit of a chilly afternoon as, after a rather long walk, you sat down on one of the benches around the small lake in Painshill Park.

“It’s so beautiful.”, you sighed as you let your gaze wander over the landscape. The setting sun was reflected in the water, the surface of which was becoming increasingly turbulent as the wind picked up and although you felt a little cold, you weren’t ready to leave yet.   

Mason was bound to leave for an away game in the Champions League and whilst you couldn’t really place the feeling yet, you knew you didn’t like the idea of him being that far away and too busy to talk to you as much as he normally would.

“It really is.”

From the corner of your eye, you observed Mason for a moment. The way he sat there, staring at the water and enjoying the time he got to spend with you with a soft smile on his lips. He was handsome at the best of times, but when he looked like this, peaceful and at ease, he was just absolutely gorgeous.

It was something that made you feel a little insecure at times. He could have anyone, so why you of all people? But then again, you reminded yourself that he was making as much time as possible for you and not for anyone else. He could have had it easy, but he had chosen the difficult path and had never deviated from it.

You didn't know why you out of all people, but you knew that he deserved an honest chance.

Your heart was racing in your chest, threatening to burst your ribcage and you were close to chickening out, but this one time, you wanted to be brave. You wanted him to know that it was worth it, that you were indeed worth it.

And with one final deep breath, you reached your shaking hand out and grabbed his.

Mason froze on the spot, his heart skipping a few beats before it appeared to be bursting in his chest. Slowly, he turned his head, gaze settled on your joined hands before he locked his eyes on yours and when you smiled at him timidly, almost unsure of yourself, he threaded his fingers through yours and squeezed your hand.

For everyone else, it probably seemed to be a tiny thing, nothing more than a couple holding hands, but for you it was a huge deal and Mason knew that and for the first time it felt as if you were slowly, but surely accepting and reciprocating his love language.  

“Thank you, Mase.”, you whispered, leaning your head against his shoulder. “For accepting me the way I am and giving me the time I need. I really appreciate it.”

Mason just squeezed your hand, too overwhelmed to actually say something and despite fearing he was pushing his luck, he brushed a barely-there kiss on top of your head.

After that evening in the park, things had relaxed further between you two. Not in the sense that you’d been constantly touching him, but ever since that first time, it had felt natural to hold his hand while watching TV or playing with his fingers whenever you had the chance to and one evening, you’d even been brave enough to snuggle into his side, searching for more of the calmness his touch and presence brought.

However, up until that point, you’d kept it behind closed doors. Not because you didn’t want other to see or because you wanted to hide your relationship, but because you were terrified of the others picking up on it and starting to be more open with touching you too.

But only a few days after the moment in the park, even that would change. Not that you’d had that on your bingo card, but the feeling of safety he provided gave you the bravery you needed to get over yourself and do things that had always seemed impossible.

You’d both been invited to a small gathering with friends at Luke’s and whilst you’d been hesitant to go, Mason had assured you it would be fine. He hadn’t told you specifically, but you were sure he’d told his friends that touch was a big deal for you, meaning hugs and everything coming close to it were off the table and whilst at first it had made you feel a little more at ease, now that you were about to knock at Luke’s front door, it made you feel a little uncomfortable.

What if his friends thought you were all weird? What if they-

The way Mason’s hand tightened around yours pulled you from your thoughts. “y/n?”

“Yeah?” With a brave smile on your lips, you tilted your head up to look at him.

“We can leave whenever you want to, okay?”

His big brown eyes stared straight into yours, worry and concern clearly visible on his features, and the way his lips were pulled into a fond smile had warmth rushing through your body.

“Thank you, Mase.”, you whispered, a little overwhelmed from the loving expression in his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be.”, he chuckled quietly before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. You froze for a second, still not used to how affectionate he was with you, but quickly reminded yourself that it was Mason and that it was okay. “But come and find me when you want to, okay?”

“I promise you.”, you smiled and in a split-second decision, you pushed yourself onto your tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Now let’s knock. Otherwise, they’ll think I’m even weirder than I already am."

“No one thinks you’re weird.”, Mason laughed, pulling you into his side before knocking. “Well, maybe I do, but they don’t have to know that.”

“Hey!”, you complained jokingly as you hit his chest in jest, noticing once again how easy it was to be with him.

Your worries that Mason's friends might not like you were quickly put to rest, as the moment you’d been introduced to everyone, Anouska had simply whisked you away and integrated you into her girl friend’s circle as if you’d always been part of it.

Her friends were incredibly welcoming and happy to get to know you and whilst normally you struggled with opening up and making friends, you found yourself enjoying the evening way more than you’d thought you would. Your little group talked about everything and nothing, joked about how difficult their boyfriends could be and although they probably didn’t know anything about your and Mason’s relationship, they didn’t prod, but waited for you to tell things on your own accord.

It had been a long time that you’d felt this at ease around so many and especially new people.

For the majority of the evening, you hung out with the girls. Mason had come over once or twice under the guise of wanting to ‘be part of the girl’s stuff’, whilst actually he’d just wanted to make sure you were okay.

He’d shot you an apologising look when you’d whispered to him that he didn’t have to mother you, but by the cheeky smile on your face, he’d been able to tell that you’d simply been messing with him a little as you did appreciate the way he so openly cared about you.

The clock was close to striking 11 when you started to get a little tired. Everything about today had been new and whilst it had been more than exciting, it was becoming a little exhausting too and you needed a bit of a break.

“I’ll join Mase for a bit.”, you announced with a smile and when they all nodded and told you to speak again later, you got up and slowly walked over to where Mason seemed to be in deep conversation with Luke.

You didn’t really want to interrupt them, as their time off the pitch was limited as well, but after having spent all evening with new people, you longed for some familiarity and Mason’s calming presence and whilst you were still debating whether of not to go over, Mason had noticed you already.

He could see the uncertainty in your eyes, clocking on to how unsure you were if he was okay with you interrupting his conversation, so with his head tilted a little, he sent you a reassuring smile. And like just about always, it made your heart skip a few beats.

His smile was one of your favourite features of his. It could light up any room – especially your heart though – and whenever it grazed his lips, he radiated that little bit more warmth than he did anyway.

“Hello you.”, he said softly the moment you found your spot in front of him. “You’re alright?”

“Yeah, just a little tired.”, you nodded, not noticing how Luke discreetly moved away to give you some space. “They’re all very nice, just needed a bit of a break for a moment.”

Mason, who, in a constant need of knowing you were okay, hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of you the whole evening, breathed out in relief. Deep down he’d realised very early on that you were enjoying yourself but hearing it from you and seeing the happiness shining in your eyes relieved a heavy weight from his chest.

He focused on the way your eyes crinkled as you smiled up at him, your cheeks slightly rosy from the tiredness taking over, but the way you looked so happy made him all giddy. He’d known you’d get along well with his friends and their partners, but to see it with his own eyes was something else.

When you’d come over, you’d simply wanted to talk to him a little, to ease the exhaustion in your mind, but now that he was right in front of you, you couldn’t help but long for something else. After everything he’d done; after the weeks he’d spent earning your trust by giving you the time and space you needed, without ever putting any kind of pressure on you, he deserved a little more too.

He deserved something that showed him just how much you appreciated everything he’d done and how much you trusted him already. Not once had he given you the feeling of not being good enough and now it was on you to show him that he was good enough too.

Mason froze to the spot when you stepped closer and it took him a moment to wrap his head around what was happening as you cuddled into his body, arms circling his waist and head finding a home on his chest, but the moment you let out a deep breath of relief and snuggled further into his shirt, he eventually reciprocated the hug and pulled you flush against him.

His heart was beating out of his chest, threatening to burst his ribcage and he was sure you could feel it thundering against your cheek, but you simply melted a little more into him as one of his hands began to run up and down your spine.

Cuddling had become somewhat normal over the last couple of days, but he’d never thought you were comfortable enough to show it with other people around.

For a while you simply stood there, wrapped up in each other’s arms and enjoying the embrace and the comfort it brought you both.

A couple of months back, you’d never thought you’d open up to anyone ever again, thinking you’d stay by yourself to safe yourself from heartbreak, but Mason had put it all into perspective. It had been one bad guy, one person who’d broken your heart and used you, but that didn’t mean that everyone was like that.

He had been a lesson. A lesson to be more careful, to recognise your own worth and to choose carefully who was worth being a part of your life.

And when there was one person worth of being in your life, then it was Mason. The most thoughtful, patient, caring and loving person you’d ever met. The epitome of a good person.

Your person.

Filled with comfort and love, you carefully tipped your head back and rested your chin on his chest to look at him and when his eyes locked on yours and you could spot the shimmer of tears in his, you squeezed him gently.

You were about to say something, when a jaw escaping your lips caused Mason to laugh quietly. “Want me to bring you home?”

“I erm…”, you dropped your gaze to his chest in hesitation. There was nothing to worry about, but the thought of him saying no was still nagging in the furthest corner of your brain. “Do you think I could stay at yours?”

It was as if you’d dropped a bomb, leaving Mason speechless. You watched his lips part in surprise and the way he gulped was nothing short of heavy and made you feel a little anxious, but his arms squeezing you tightly reassured you that little bit.

Mason felt pathetic when you reached out to wipe the stray tear that rolled down his cheek, but you staying over at his was such a big deal and the fact you’d asked him to out of nowhere had simply overwhelmed him in the best way possible. It meant that you trusted him enough to let your guard down completely, to be at your most vulnerable around him and he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d eventually made it to the summit of your heart.  

“I erm…”, he croaked, trying to keep the rest of his tears at bay. “Of course you can. I’d love for you to stay over, y/n.”

Carefully, he pushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear, the tips of his fingers just about brushing your soft skin and when goosebumps erupted all over it, he softly cupped your cheek.

From the way he was looking at you, you could tell that he really wanted to kiss you and whilst you’d envisioned a different place for your first kiss, you really wanted to feel him too, so instead of overthinking it like you always did, you made the first move, bringing your face a little closer to his, and when Mason dipped down to meet your lips, you didn’t pull away, but instead let him kiss you softly.

It was your first kiss in a rather long while, the very first one with Mason and it was the most perfect kiss you’d ever had. He was gentle, downright hesitant but when you kissed him back, he sighed softly, before applying a little more pressure.

His head was spinning, and he was sure that this one taste was enough to be addicted to you and the feeling of your lips against his, but from the way you didn’t part from him, he could tell that you felt the same.

After that evening, things had developed further, and things had become a lot easier for the both of you. Now that Mason knew you trusted him entirely, he was a lot more relaxed around you and the way you were more physical and open with him encouraged him to be the same around you.

Whilst he was still a little scared of overstepping and making you uncomfortable, he didn’t shy away from hugging you from behind when you were in the bathroom removing your make-up. Neither did he held back when it came to pinching your bum or kissing you randomly and you showing him the same amount of love kept reassuring him as the days went by.

And for you?

Well, after everything you’d been through with him, you could finally be sure that he wasn’t worthy of just your trust, but also your love. You’d told him you loved him a few weeks after that evening at Luke’s and ever since that moment, things were simply perfect.

You loved being around him, holding his hand, hugging and kissing him and whilst you’d never thought it was possible, sex with Mason was simply amazing too. He cared about your feelings, about you as a person and made sure to tell you every day.

He worshipped you as much as you worshipped him.

And now, four months into your relationship, you’d eventually asked him to meet your family. Mason had been bricking it ever since you’d told him, knowing that after your awful ex, your family had become wary when it came to men in your life.

When you’d arrived a few hours ago, your family had welcomed him kindly, but you’d both been able to read the hesitation in their eyes. Mason’s hand had tightened its hold on yours ever so slightly in fear, but after they’d all warmed up to each other, the doubts had slowly but surely been washed away.

Your dad had pulled you aside not too long ago and told you that he really liked Mason and that the way he looked at you like you’d hung the moon made it obvious just how much he cared about you. He smiled at you and pulled you into a hug and with a kiss to your head he’d said that he couldn’t have asked for a better person to be by your side.

Now it had gotten a little late and you’d moved to the living room. You were cuddled up to Mason, with his arm around you and your head on his chest as you listened in to him talking to your brother.

With the nerves having kept you on edge all day long, everything about today had been more exhausting that you’d thought it would be and you’d become a little sleepy, so you snuggled a little more into your boyfriend’s body, willing to pay attention to his and your brother’s conversation, but soon enough his steady heartbeat against your cheek and the soft rumbling of his chest whenever he chuckled, had your eyes growing all heavy and it didn’t take long for sleep to take over.  

Mason had noticed a while ago that you’d gone all soft on top of him, basically melted into his body and from your shallow breaths he could tell that you’d fallen asleep on him.

For the first time ever when others were around and as he looked down, a peaceful expression on your beautiful face, he couldn’t help but squeeze you a little. The realisation of how much he loved you was so overwhelming sometimes and he didn’t know where to put all of these huge emotions.

“Oh, look at her.”, your mum suddenly cooed. A smile grazing her features at the way her daughter had nodded off. “That’s never happened before, I think.”

“Hm?”

“She’s never fallen asleep on someone else before.”, she explained. “At least not when others are around. She never told me why, but she must trust you a lot, Mason. Otherwise, this would’ve never happened.”

Never having been good at accepting compliments, Mason dropped his head shily. In an attempt to hide his blushed cheeks, he dropped a kiss to your head and when you subconsciously snuggled even further into him, fuzziness spread through his whole body.

“I’m just so lucky to have her.”, he whispered, the tips of his fingers just about brushing the warm skin of your cheek. “I know it’s not been easy for her at all, but she’s so special and so wonderful and she deserves everything good in life. I’m so grateful I get to be in her life and I really hope it’ll stay like this forever. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

From the corner of his eye, he watched your mum wiping the tears from her cheeks. Her eyes were focussed on you and the way you looked so peaceful, but it wasn’t until you dad spoke up, that he realised just how much they approved of him.

“I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her, too.”, he said, voice slightly strained. “After everything that happened with Arthur, we didn’t think we’d ever get the old y/n back, but you, son, you brought her back and I don’t think we can ever thank you enough for that.”

Mason gulped. He’d only been able to guess how difficult it must’ve been for your family after all hell had broken loose, but to hear it himself now was something entirely different. It was harder and more emotional, and only made him want to be the one for you forever even more.

“There’s no need to thank me.”, he mumbled, a little overwhelmed himself now. “I just knew straight from the beginning how special she was and that I really wanted – and still want – to spend as long with her as she wants me to, but I’m glad I could have a bit of an impact on her after all the awful things she had to go through. I just want her to be happy.”

“Thank you for taking care of my little girl, Mason. Thank you for loving her the way she deserves to be loved.”

—————

I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this. You would make my day if you left a little feedback so I can see what you liked and what I can improve on 🩷

[zutarasbuff]

I watched the Netflix adaptation of ATLA today and being a hardcore fan of the OG series who knows every nook and cranny of the ATLA world, here’s my unbiased and truly honest review (It contains both the negatives and positives of the series, so dear reader please enter to read at your own risk).

Firstly, let’s talk about the wonderful additions to the already magical world of ATLA.

1. The depth of the genocide

Well, I always wanted to know how the air nomads were suddenly wiped out and how it would have been for them? Why didn’t they resist? I got my answers in the first episode where we explore how the unhinged power of the comet was “actually” used to create a genocide on a massive level. Before that, I had only heard about it in the OG series. Those few scenes were so powerful that they had left me sobbing uncontrollably and Gyatso’s concern regarding Aang had me bawling.

2. Suki’s Characterization

In the OG series, we do find our Suki the fiercest warrior, but here in the live action, she’s an absolute goddess. She is perfect in every sense. She understands the responsibilities she has being a non-bender and is fearless. Her character is what I believe to be was the strongest one of all.

3. Graphics & Music

We never talk about a film by M.Night (that didn’t happen), but this one is really a visual treat for you can readily set yourself up for some mind-blowing bending scenes, plus the fight scenes are quite impressive. It seems that the VFX team had really done their homework this time. Plus, both Momo and Appa are so freaking cute. I loved the fluffy Appa. Good work over there. The revival of the OG theme is also a highlight plus the sun warriors’ chanting in the end is given a new but intriguing twist. The background music especially in scenes where Aang unravels his Avatar powers is mystical in every aspect.

4. Life in motion

I don’t know about others, but I have always been a sucker for animation as well as live-action where characters are operating even in the direst of the circumstances. Life is there and even after they know what happened a hundred years ago, they are still trying to believe and regain their past confidence. This is beautifully portrayed and I was very much impressed by the way people are continuing their day-to-day activities even in the middle of a crisis.

Overall, the series serves the purpose of an adaptation carrying its unique colors (at least better than the previous live-action disaster that didn’t happen).

Now let’s move to the bad side, and when I say it’s honestly what I felt, you need to take my word on it being a hardcore Atla fan.

1. Weak writing & lots of exposition

ATLA remains at a 9.2 IMDB rating even after years because of its writing, strong plot, and very few plot holes. This time, the writers are the real amateur ones. Despite adding more to the already flourishing universe of ATLA, sadly, they killed the quest of the viewer to find answers. There is too much exposition. It seems that every character just wants to see the end of the war and keeps on revealing things after things. Plus, some of the OG moments that were the soul of the series are not even included. The way Aang finds Momo and then decides to keep it with him as a last remnant of their bygone air nomad civilization is nowhere to be found. In fact, the replacement of Roku with Kyoshi is the biggest disappointment. I love Kyoshi like no one else but that was unnecessary as per the cycle.

2. Bland acting

Even the worst writing shots can be digested only if the acting appears real good. Sadly, this is another issue that I found with the NETFLIXED version. No doubt the characters must have done a lot of hard work for this, yet, they lack the expressive power. Gordon as Aang is super cute but the goofiness is not even there. Katara seems a nerd who doesn’t like to talk much even when it’s necessary and Sokka’s jokes are forced. Meanwhile, Dallas seems to save the day at one point, but again his over-the-top angry young man attitude ruins it for me. Maybe the actors will learn from the criticism in the upcoming season (if Netflix plans to go with it).

3. Major changes

Yes, it’s okay to change the narrative while you are working on an adaptation, but targeting the loyal viewers who are OG fans of ATLA means that you have to be very careful when you are trying to implement your changes in scenes that are the real soul of the OG. You can’t change the Omashu myth as if it’s nothing when we actually see even the cute animated version of the folklore. You cannot portray Roku more as a perpetrator of the genocide and Bumi as the evil king when in truth he’s the mad king who’s known for his genius ways of teaching. I hated that. Plus, reducing Zhao’s authority and taking Uncle Iroh’s sarcastic attitude is just meh. Mai again doesn’t even seem perfect as a cast. Jet is good as far as the aesthetics are concerned but Jet being in Omashu doesn’t even sit right with me. The amalgamation of multiple storylines creates so much confusion and this persists till the end.

4. Bending at convenience

We all know how Katara’s bending progressed throughout the first season and it’s little effort each day. However, in series, one day she’s unable to bend even a droplet of water and the next day she is capable of producing ice crystals. This was unacceptable for me because I was anticipating her learning strategies. Besides, Aang doesn’t learn much water bending throughout this season and in the end, it’s him being the savior in Avatar state. Thoughtless bending sucks despite the great VFX and that’s one thing at which you can’t convince me otherwise.

5. Forced friendships

We all know how it took some time for Sokka to embrace Aang as a chum. However, here Sokka keeps on calling him “the kid” and remains mostly alienated from Aang. Talking to Katara, then she also seems more interested in helping Avatar fulfill his goal than being with a friend. I hated the scene where Aang comes into the Avatar state and instead of hugging him just like in the OG series, Katara runs along Sokka and keeps on calling his name. How is that going to build any organic friendship? I think the first mistake began right from the very moment when Aang was taken back to Wolf Cove on a boat in his unconscious state. Upon opening his eyes, the first person he finds near him is neither Katara nor Sokka but a tribesman who’s playing guessing games. Writers were really high when they wrote that.

6. Lack of the four nations’ biodiversity

Maybe in live action, it’s difficult to create all the marvels of the four nations when we talk about their natural biodiversity. In the OG series, it is indicated by Aang that even after 112 years, he has still not forgotten the animals that define different regions in the four kingdoms and that’s exactly why he wants to finish those “important tasks” alongside saving the world. His important tasks included keeping a check on the natural biodiversity of the lands and exploring whether the Hundred Years’ War had not damaged the majestic animals. Actually, his first dialogue right after regaining consciousness is to go for an otter penguin’s ride with Katara. When I thought about that I felt that somewhere in Aang’s mind he was always connected to nature and that’s why he wanted to regain that connection by being an avatar. Sadly we never see much of the biodiversity but I hoped that maybe they will.

Also, how come Aang had that silent whistle for one hundred years when in the series he only discovers that accidentally? I missed the OG Yip Yip for our Appa. There are lots and lots of problems with the Netflix version, and no I am not being a nitpicker. I appreciate how the current creators credited the original ones, but now I know why Bryan and Michael bade farewell to this project. On a scale of 10, it’s a 4 for me or 4.5 if I am being too generous.

If I am asked to review the live action in a single line, I would only say this:

“The Netflixed ATLA makes you go back to the OG series and you end up watching the animation to give your mind a much-needed respite from a carefully crafted artistic disaster aimed at the sensationalized generation.”

[genericpuff]

So, I want to confess something. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that the SA in LO is not only poorly written but very mishandled and was unnecessary. I want to point out I am not a SA victim, so I can not say with experience how well the deception was. Though I do know people in real life that were victims, I also don’t want to disclose their stories either. But, here’s the thing. I personally don’t mind SA in the media, if it is handled with care and they portray it as a serious issue!

The problem I have with most media is that shows and stories will either use SA as A. A plot device for romance development. B. Shock value or C. A joke. So many media I’ve watched use SA as any of the three categories (13 Reasons Why and content from Vivziepop being a few that I can think of off the top of my head). The only show I can think of that actually portrays SA seriously and shows real life impact is Tuca and Bride. I also think it’s pretty hypocritical that the media will use SA as long as they fall into any of the three categories, but when you want to show the negative effects of it like in Moral Orel, suddenly you get canceled! Again, Hypocrites! I also don’t think first time writers should write this kind of stuff, and Rachel is no exception. You can tell she didn’t know what she was doing, based on how little importance the SA has on the plot or how it falls into said categories as well. (and the rumors that she didn’t even know it was SA doesn’t help).

Now, that being said I don’t think a SA plot line was a bad idea for this kind of story. Again, the original myth was “The abduction of Persephone” and in some versions, Hades did force himself onto Persephone. And considering Ancient Greece was rife with many stories of such heavy topics, I can see why they would include that. My personal issue with LO’s SA plotline… is Apollo! First of all, while Apollo may have had some questionable relationships in his myths, he never really forced himself on anyone. In fact, the most famous story of him chasing Daphne was only because he was under the influence of Eros, meaning Apollo had no agency in loving Daphne. Second, Apollo had nothing to do with Persephone. They never interacted in any myths. Sure, there was one myth where Apollo asked Demeter for her daughter’s hand and Demeter rejected, but that’s it. The two never had any relationship. So it makes the plot line even more convoluted because of their lack of historical and mythical connection. Though, I do admit I kind of like Apollo and Persephone as a couple (In Rekindled not Lore Olympus), but I know they don’t get together.

Honestly, if Rachel really wanted to do a SA story that would prop up Hades without demonizing anyone, she could have done that! By making Persephone’s assaulter be Zeus instead of Apollo! Hear me out, in some stories, Zeus actually disguised himself as Hades and slept with Persephone, thus it resulted in Zagerus. So, it is canon in a sense that Zeus did SA Persephone. Not only that, but given he had a role to play in the “Abduction of Persephone” where he sold his daughter off to Hades, this makes him even more impactful to the story. He could be the villain instead of Demeter, who wants to use Persephone. And considering Zeus’s love affairs and his god complex (no pun intended) he would believe he was entitled to Persephone and would want to have her as a secret concubine.

Maybe Zeus would be able to learn more about Persephone through Hera and he would decide to set his sights on her. He could try and get closer to her as she is naive and never met the King of Gods, and would use her trust to pounce on her (Because in SA cases, your attacker is more likely to be someone close to you rather than a stranger.) And maybe Zeus would blackmail Persephone so she would have to keep seeing him or else get kicked out of school and be a disgrace to her mother. Then, you could have Hades find out and he would rage against Zeus. Maybe Hades would get Demeter involved and they would team up to punish the King all for the sake of protecting Persephone. Hades would suggest making Persephone his queen for protection, and Demeter would make the world grow cold unless Zeus complies, thus explaining Winter. Zeus would agree to give Persephone to Hades, and she will be under Hades’s protection. But Persephone would still want to be with her mother, so Demeter and Hades make custody arrangements.

Bam! A SA plot line that A. Actually adds to the story and raises stakes. B. Makes a terrifying but complex villain for the story that we all can hate without assassinating his character. C. Have Hades and Demeter come out on top. D. Be historical and mythologically accurate. (I’m also not saying that I wanted SA in LO or LR, nor do I think this version would have made it better, but I personally believe this plot line makes way more sense than: Apollo meeting Persephone in one day and SA her in her sleep.)

I agree with a lot of this, thank you for sharing!! (sorry this is a late response, I didn't want this big analysis to go to waste fdjasklfdsajlk)

But yeah, in essence / on paper the SA plotline in LO would have been fine, especially considering SA is present in just about every Greek myth story, but I don't think Rachel was really cut out to tackle that subject yet, mostly as a writer as all of her writing is very baseless and doesn't have the necessary planning, research, and direction required to depict a subject like that. It takes a lot of sensitivity, self-awareness, and self control, none of which LO has as a narrative or Rachel as a writer.

IMO Apollo being the god of the sun made for a great springboard for him to be like, this self-centered god who was so delusional in his own ego that he couldn't believe Persephone wouldn't want him, that alone was enough to make him out to be a great villain - even with the use of SA, where he couldn't take no for an answer - but then we had to get into the whole "Apollo is gonna use Persephone to overthrow Zeus" crap and it all fell apart from there. Not to mention the story could never decide if Apollo was some nefarious puppet master or just a delusional dumbass, so all the flip-flopping on his motivations led to him becoming a very weak villain.

That said, I will cut her some slack for not having Zeus assault her. Because while it's more accurate to the myths (and character accurate) the story could barely handle Apollo and he's the canon Good Boytm in the myths, imagine it trying to handle an actual serial assaulter?

But that's not me saying it's necessarily a bad idea. I just don't think LO would be able to handle it with Rachel at the helm lol

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

Random thoughts on sexism and misogyny in Helluva Boss:

I think there’s this big misconception among people who dislike Stella Goetia, that her fans want to absolve her of everything bad she’s ever done.

And obviously I can only speak for myself, but I don’t like Stella because I think all of her actions are valid or anything like that—I like her because I see the potential for a more complex and flawed character, and that potential interests me.

I want her to be an actual CHARACTER instead of an obstacle—I want her flaws to be called out and I want to see her develop as a character, whether that’s for better or worse. Or, at the very least, if she’s going to be a villain, what kind of villain she’d be.

I used to even be kind of excited to see how she would develop as a villain! I wondered what sort of fun campy villainy she could get into? Maybe she would get a villain song or something. I thought she could at least be a FUN villain, or a villain that I’d love to hate, or that she would be entertaining.

But now it’s EXTREMELY evident that she is no longer going to be the main villain/focus, and that her brother will become the next big villain. (more below)

In a story where she exits SOLELY to be a villain, she doesn’t even really get to be the villain. Her brother does. (REALLY HOPING I’m wrong honestly b/c I’m so tired of HB women literally only existing in relation to the men in their lives. Women in HB are almost exclusively portrayed as either support beams or obstacles for their male counterparts)

Since Western Energy, Stella is not only a flat one-dimensional villain, but she’s also a useless one. Andrealphus is now the brains behind her villainy.

It’s just very frustrating. And I do believe it’s also just straight-up misogynistic writing.

I know people will try to counter that with the argument of “men can be abused too” and they’re absolutely right. I’m not denying that.

But I’m personally convinced Stella’s abuse was a writing choice made to absolve Stolas of wrong doing. Like. Literally to the point where Stolas just tells the audience that he didn’t hurt Stella, so he shouldn’t have to feel bad about cheating on her.

It’s so clear that the head writers of helluva boss just like. Do not know how to write a woman without giving her a man to revolve around—they’re always either supporting a man or tearing a man down—women characters in HB, with very few exceptions, are hardly ever allowed to just BE.

The most recent example of this is Verosika in “Apology Tour”. Prior to this episode, we only knew about her and interacted with her in the story through the lense of her being Blitzø’s ex, and being an obstacle for him. During “Apology Tour” though, we do get to see a new side of her…as a support for Stolas. Her involvement and importance to the plot once again hinges on her (barely present) relationship to man as a nurturing figure.

We don’t know anything about WHO Verosika is as a person outside of these relationships to Blitz and Stolas. Her only purpose in the narrative is to act as an antagonistic or supporting force towards the men in the story.

There’s just this very clear disdain for women characters in a lot of HB and HH’s writing, and I just don’t know what to make of it.

[the-fandom-finder]

It think my main problem with some Izzy fans is they straight up lie or have extreme cognitive dissonance for stuff. “Izzy is more popular than ed/stede” no you were just around people who like is he more than them? I promise you the average person fandom or not does not like him more than the main characters. Also, just because he’s popular in the fandom doesn’t mean he’s a better character. You how many fandom I’ve been where they sent her around the white male character more than any other character? So often it’s a dime a dozen. He talks about how crazy Ed is before we even meet the character and when we meet him, he’s just a little suicidal at very least at that point. honestly even if he did survive, it would not make sense for him to be the captain of the ship. It’s canon that he’s not good at running anything and only really good at violence. he’s an interesting character meant to represent toxic masculinity at least in season one and how breakable and fragile it is. Honestly, him and Zuko have a lot in common when it comes to fandoms. These characters are both flawed and I’ve done bad things, but for some reason, some fans wanna make them look perfect like they’ve done nothing wrong and excuse everything that comes with the cost of completely miss characterizing everyone else around them. Man called the British, which are basically the cop because he didn’t get what he wants and view himself as knowing Ed more than himself which is messed up, bro. and the story portrays this as bad like it should be. Also, why are all the tags that were created to criticize Izzy taking over by Izzy fans like you asked for a specific tag and then take it over and then get upset when people use it. I also have seen fans on Twitter called themselves Ofmd hater and then spend all their time talking about the show. It’s OK to move on. It is not the Izzy show and never was. I have to rewash the show to remember Izzy‘s and actually interesting character because his fans have changed him so much that I can’t stand him if I don’t watch the show. There is a reason why people were being rude against the phantom for some stupid reason reasons or only a small group of people they named them and that weird little list they had. Now I don’t think any of the Izzy fan should be attacked or doxxed because that’s just weird and wrong. That doesn’t mean you can’t criticize them and how weird they are about this white man. I think it’s time for some of you who just have so much hatred of everything else in the TV show. Make an OC That’s like 2 inches away from that character and leave you’ll be much happier. Another problem I have is how some people treat David he’s not a perfect man nor perfect writer, but to go out of your way to say you understand the story infinitely more than him is crazy. He is shown multiple times he loves the character. This is just how he wanted to take him in the story not out of malice,, not out of homophobia not of hatred for disabled people, but because that’s how his story was always going to end he just got to die slightly less full of hate and may be a little happy. Izzy and ed had no chance of ending up together. The story basically states that pretty early that it was one-sided and not entirely healthy on either side. Also celebrating the show knocking a third season and people losing their jobs even though you were probably going to see Izzy again in some form is crazy.  I promise you your hate did nothing or brothers was just being a cheap ass and canceled other diverse shows so it definitely wasn’t because of you. Either way, I guess I win in the end. I still love the show and not full of anger at least about this. I got a lot of other problems lol. This post is probably way too long about something that doesn’t really matter too much but it feels good to get it out especially with finals coming around. If you read this entire thing and hate me well thanks for reading. I guess. Hope you have a nice day and I mean that genuinely life‘s kind of sucks right now for everyone lol.

[sepublic]

            Looking back, a lot of us assumed the statues in Gravesfield depicting Caleb and Philip as adults was an example of in-universe historical inaccuracy, kind of like how Pocahontas is portrayed as an adult, when she was actually a child when everything happened. But in hindsight, I have to wonder if this adult depiction is even a discrepancy to begin with, and not a point of clarification for the timeline of events for these brothers?

         I think what contributed to the belief that Caleb and Philip were children when the former entered the isles forever is because of Belos’ memory portraits. But we know they don’t depict everything, such as how Philip arrived in the Boiling Isles; From a Doylist perspective, the writers want to leave in some ambiguity, some mystery, and there’s only room for so many memories in the background.

         But as we learn in Thanks to Them, Caleb and Evelyn communicated through hidden rebuses to meet up multiple times; So their interactions in the human world took place over time, and it wasn’t just an instant, one-off meeting and then Caleb disappeared, his brother in hot pursuit. Dana even clarified in a Post-Hoot that Evelyn initially presented herself as human to Caleb and the rest of Gravesfield, and revealed herself after Caleb earned her trust.

         Maybe this happened across one meeting, one day; But the likelihood is that Caleb and Evelyn interacted as ‘fellow humans’ a few times before the truth was revealed. And they continued to meet up, discreetly contacting one another with hidden rebuses for the other to find and decode.

         So if all this happened over an unspecified period of time, who’s to say it wasn’t across years? And that by the time Caleb made the decision to move to the Boiling Isles, it was when he and Philip were adults; In fact, he might’ve even waited until Philip was an adult who could take care of himself, before leaving him to live his own life!

         Likewise, there is a valid interpretation that Caleb hid the truth of Evelyn from Philip, and wasn’t aware he was watching when he went off to explore the Demon Realm a few times, before eventually making the permanent move. But I think the other interpretation works, too; That Caleb DOES know Philip is there and watching. And he never made Philip enter the Demon Realm with him, out of a misguided desire to not make his baby brother uncomfortable, force him out of his comfort zone, etc.

         Caleb might’ve told Philip to wait for him back home, if he didn’t want to enter the magical portal with him; He’d be back! And Caleb did return, multiple times. And Philip didn’t rat him and Evelyn out because he was still a child, and not as dead set into his hatred yet… But I’ve compared Philip to King, as little kids with delusions of grandeur involving their enemies being crushed beneath them.

         And remember Really Small Problems, when King initially tolerated Luz going off to be with Willow and Gus, due to her promise to come back for him? But after enough time of feeling neglected, King’s resentment began to build up? Within the span of just one night, King wasn’t yet ready to intentionally make Willow and Gus ‘temporarily disappear’, but when it happened, he took advantage of the situation anyway instead of bringing them back ASAP, and eventually owned up to this mistake.

         So imagine how Philip felt across years; He may have disliked Evelyn, but not enough to want her dead… But after enough time of feeling resentful over Caleb dedicating time to Evelyn instead of just him, Philip became selfish and entitled over the fact that his brother dared to have a life that didn’t revolve around Philip. Until he became angry enough at Evelyn to want her dead, and retroactively fell back on the belief of witches as inherently evil in order to morally justify these desires, instead of admitting he was just possessive of his older brother. Plus, exposing Evelyn could make him a hero in the eyes of the townsfolk!

         We know there was a big fire, and we know Evelyn was declared a witch by Gravesfield. This could’ve been in response to her, Caleb, and Philip all disappearing; But it’s also possible that realization occurred while they were still there. And that it in fact may have driven Evelyn out of the human world, with Caleb following because he potentially ousted himself by openly defending her. Seeing his brother commit a moral wrong he couldn’t stand by could’ve influenced Caleb to leave when the two of them were adults; As was the ‘reassurance’ that Philip was now accepted by the town as a witch hunter who exposed Evelyn and spearheaded her exile, whereas Caleb was even more of an outcast for his collaboration.

         Of course, the idea that Caleb was an adult when he moved out does raise the question? Why do we not see this progression of age in the memory portraits? And again, there’s what I said about ambiguity and whatnot, but there’s also the conventions of the time skip. Just as TOH ends on a time skip where we don’t see the gradual progression of the characters’ aging outside of some photos, for the Wittebanes, whose story is only told through photos, the framing skips over the years Caleb and Evelyn interacted. The turning point in which the two met and the latter revealed herself was enough…

         After all, the portraits already skip past Philip’s aging to bring us to his arrival in the Demon Realm as an adult; Who’s to say they didn’t skip past years of Caleb growing up in Gravesfield with Evelyn? Caleb entering the Boiling Isles with Evelyn as a child wasn’t the last Philip saw of his brother, until he himself entered years later; But it was the beginning of ‘the end’ in his eyes, the beginning of when he felt he lost Caleb.

         In the end, a lot of this is speculative. It’s possible Caleb was only portrayed as an adult in-universe because the townspeople correctly remembered Philip being an adult when they last saw him, so generations afterwards made the mistake of applying this to his older brother. History isn’t as well-documented as people would like to believe, even the famous stories are forgotten and picked up after a while; Major details people should’ve easily remembered fall through the holes of time. Entire cities have been lost and rediscovered.

        But ultimately, the fact that Belos’ memories DO portray a ‘timeskip’ based on what we see of them anyway, in addition to the confirmation that Caleb and Evelyn met up over time before the former moved… I think that solidifies my belief that yes, Caleb was an adult when he left Gravesfield, as was Philip. The statues in Yesterday’s Lie are among the very first indicators of Caleb’s existence, as is the episode itself acting as a ‘debut’ of sorts for him in the lore. So maybe Gravesfield’s depiction isn’t so inaccurate, after all…

[pinazee]

First season wrap up:

Okay, to start, i should mention my general opinion on first seasons for shows, especially cable shows, is not to read too much of it as canon. The writers, producers, actors- everyone- are all trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, so i give them latitude, particularly when it conflicts with later seasons. That being said, i do enjoy jumping through the hoops to make it all fit haha

So heres a few leftover notes i had as i revisited the eps to rank them:

I bet part of Lassie was craving the father figure in Henry, since we find out later his own father passed away when he was quite young. I wonder if thats part of the reason why he became a cop, as they are portrayed as the protectors and in the 80’s they were mainly men (i don’t really remember if he states his reason later, i suspect he did and im just not remembering). So when Henry didn’t meet up to the expectation he had in his mind, i bet it hurt a little more as it reminded him of what he lost :/

I think the other reason Shawn plays dumb so much, besides hiding his genius so ppl believe hes psychic, or for laughs, is because its how he gets people talking. Like in Shawn vs. the red phantom, he purposely guessed the wrong room number so the boys would correct him. My apologies if someones pointed this out before, i haven’t combed through the internet for everyone’s theories 😬 i only now noticed. I’m not the quickest at picking these things up lol

If i had to guess, Shawn didn’t want to be a cop for halloween, he probably wanted to be something star wars related to go with Gus’s Lando. So i wonder at what age Shawn stopped trying to please his dad. But also, why didn’t his mother ever stand up for him?? I’ll come back to her later -_-

I somehow missed it the first time, but shawn clearly asked Gus to come to the dinner and Gus even points out that it was a big deal for henry to reach out. Soo, yeah, shawn obviously didn’t wanna be alone with his dad, and even henry seemed nervous about it as hes pretty drunk.

Shawn has a right to be afraid of pointy things, his dad hid his easter eggs under glass when he was 6! Not to mention he later gets stabbed 3 times! (Also its just a legitimate fear???)

So far the list of Shawns knowledge (things i wouldn’t expect an average person to know) includes (beyond the obvious observational skills, deductive reasoning, reading people (poker), and all things police (marksmanship, police codes, etc.)):

Incredible spatial and physical reasoning skills (knowing how much money could fit in the duffle bag, knowing to rotate the water pitcher to catch the reflection from the tv)

Kurt Vonnegut (well, I didn’t know who he was at least)

How to spell aggiornamento (and probably all words because of his photographic memory)

Handwriting expert

Casually spoke and understood german

Has every road he’s driven mapped in his brain, and likely all of Santa Barbara

Familiar with paint (enough to know to mix latex enamel for no messy drips)

Animal tracks (i went back and forth on this but ultimately decided he must have known what to look for)

And heres a list of Gus’s niche interests:

Forensics

Spelling bee

Safe cracking

Historic rifles

Comic books

Astronomy (even though he was going to the planetarium for the girl)

Law

Local tennis

Online poker

Lastly, Ive decided instead of ranking them, im putting them in tiers. I feel like too many of them are hitting at the same level and I can’t differentiate:

Sweetest, Juiciest Golden Pineapple Tier

Scary Sherry, Biancas toast (ohmygod i just got the biancas toast 🤦🏽‍♀️)

Blue Psych Logo Tier

Weekend warriors

Forget me not

From the earth to starbucks

Poker? I hardly know her! (Sorry @pineapple-psychic!)

Pepto Bismo Pink Tier

Spelling bee

Pilot

She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me oops hes dead

Who ya gonna call?

Shawn vs the red phantom

Oops Canadian Flag Tier

Cloudy with a chance of murder

9 lives

Game set muuurder

Speak now or forever hold your piece

Woman seeking dead husband, smokers okay, no pets

[arcadianambivalence]

Monsters and Accountability - IWTV S2's Adaptational Choices for Claudia and Madeline

…..Guess now’s a good a time as any to wade into the discourse regarding the changes made to Claudia and Madeline when adapting season two.

I read in a reddit board that IWTV is the "sympathy for the devil" show, and looking at how this season has characters grappling with their traumas and their ability to harm others, I'd say it's an accurate description.

Take this Collider interview with showrunner Rolin Jones and executive producer Mark Johnson:

"As we talked around the room, we didn’t think the character that we had written at that point would settle for a doll maker pretending she was her mom. [...] It’s so easy to turn [Claudia] into a saint and go, 'Oh, she never wanted to be a vampire.' But her being accountable for some of her behavior is really important for this. It’s essentially something for every one of the vampires this season."

I've noticed a split in fandom reaction to this choice in companion for Claudia. I get it. It's a very hard sell.

Despite the shocking change in backstory, Madeline is still portrayed with a surprising amount of empathy from the cast and crew. The show keeps Madeline's level of complicity vague. There is the impulse to conflate an affair with an occupying soldier ("horizontal collaboration") with active collaboration, such as intentionally turning people over to the French police or to the Gestapo for murder, imprisonment, or deportation to the camps.

Whether or not Madeline took part in the latter is not revealed this episode, but if we are to believe her recounting of events and the memory montage, her collaboration started and ended in the bedroom. (We’ll save the betrayal of others for someone else this episode…)

So why write Madeline this way?       

Well….when has this show ever had heroes? Why would Claudia develop a relationship with someone accepted by the wider (human) community? Why would someone who resisted the German occupation and the Vichy regime agree to become a vampire that feeds on living humans?

As an audience who loves Claudia, we want someone good, moral, and kind for her. But why would a good, moral, and kind person want to be a vampire? How could a good person survive as a vampire and maintain their goodness, morality, and kindness? They can’t.

In this show, good people do not make good vampires.

So the writers have rewritten Madeline from a surrogate mother to a friend and potential lover. Claudia offers her an escape from a lifetime of shame. She has already been humiliated and shorn by an angry mob. Neighbors draw swastikas on her shop window (a reference to how Jewish shops were marked and vandalized by Nazis), as if she could forget her actions. She has no family to support her. Much like Louis being offered a way out of “this life of shame” in the pilot, only through vampirism can Madeline change her future.

She has had something of the womanly life Claudia wants for herself (independence, a consensual sexual experience) but also the isolation and self-preservation Claudia has known. Much like the shopkeeper across the street when Madeline is attacked during the episode, she herself stood and watched as her neighbors died during the war, seemingly as unmoved as Claudia was when she killed and drained the Romanian characters in episode one. They too had barely survived occupation, war, starvation, and political violence. Where was the compassion for them?

The greatest irony is that Claudia has spent so much of her extended life looking for a good vampire, when she and Louis are the closest she’ll ever get to knowing good vampires.

And they've killed thousands of people over the years.

As has been said by others, a vampire must inflict on others the same violence visited upon them in order to survive. Madeline and Claudia can't be precious, perfect, unproblematic lesbians. That's not what this story is. They still eat and murder people who do not want to die.

The circle will not be broken entirely.

Madeline’s plan to hunt as a vampire is to pick off those at the margins of society, people like the neighbor who starved to death or the one murdered by the Gestapo, people like her sister...and people like herself.

Even before she is bitten, Madeline is already aware she is a monster to history, but she is also a victim of monsters.

When the Théâtre des Vampires company attacks, they pull a sack over her head and drag her away with Louis and Claudia. Just like with the murder mansion in episode 2, their violent show of justice is (literally) performative. In parallel to Claudia's trial for breaking vampire law, Madeline will be put to trial in a court of public opinion.

But the vampires are more interested in Claudia than anyone else. It would hardly matter to the coven if Madeline were a resistance hero, a Holocaust survivor, or a collaborator. Her crime, to them, is merely her existence.

This episode may take place in 1949, but the echoes of WW2 continue to reverberate across the narrative. The next episode is going to be a heavy one.