#massive mess of a franchise

[familyparadox]

Just found out Dark Shadows is canon to Doctor Who and not in a parallel universe way like Star Trek but in the same Universe like Blake’s 7 and and The works of Gerry Anderson.

The White Rabbit showed up in a Dark Shadows audio and the same Dorian Grey who has met Bernice Summerfield shows up in it as well. What do you mean I now have to integrate a 1000 odd episode fantasy soap opera into my Doctor Who mindset.

The only place it can work due to the two aforementioned crossovers both being set in the post war universe is thus to place it all in the post war universe. Which would explain how it’s weird time Travel and Vampires can fit into Doctor Who. It unfortunately that means that once I finish Blake’s 7 I am going to have to watch all 1200 odd episodes of Dark Shadows to once more say I have watched all of Doctor Who!!!! Stop getting bigger you stupid franchise!!!

[aroaceleovaldez]

full on feel like pjo tv s2 is not gonna hold up so they need to drag as much attention to the series as they can by using nico as a sock puppet w tsats2

im fully expecting the show to go the way of the movies. it doesnt help Sea of Monsters is almost unanimously the least favorite book of the first series. People frequently forget it even exists or what happens in it, especially more casual fans.

Heck, just look at how little fanfare the second season has gotten so far as compared to the build up to s1. I wouldn't be surprised if s2 totally flops. It would be a little funny.

[mariocki]

The Evil Dead (1981)

"Why have you disturbed our sleep, awakened us from our ancient slumber? You will die! Like the others before you, one by one, we will take you."

[analog-mothman]

May Queen; or, Nine Hairs from Crusader Kings 3

binned and familied; 1024x1024 textures with RGB normal maps; six natural colors, two grey swatches for elders binned to red; smooth bones where applicable; compressed and tooltipped

Download Everything: SFS | MF Pick & Choose: SFS | MF

I return from "hiatus" bearing clay from an entirely different franchise. These were a massive learning curve, but I think I'm pretty happy with the end result. There will be more CK3 conversions in the future if I don't get distracted again... But, more information below the cut!

Unedited Lineup

Hyacinthe V2 is repo'd to and requires V1, and there are 5 ribbon recolors: red, blue, purple, green and white. The textures for the ribbons are in the mesh file.

One big, I guess very important note is that these hairs use full RGB normal maps (as opposed to black and white bump maps TS2 clothes use).

This means if you have normal maps turned off in your game, the hairs might look noticeably different, because the CK3 hair meshes are kind of a beautiful mess under the hood.

The texture for the normal maps is in the mesh files; TS2 saves them in RAW24Bit so they're slightly chunky, hence repo'ing all of the recolors to one mormal map texture. My game ran fine with them, but I guess just a vague all games run different warning.

I'm like positive I'm forgetting something, so this will probably be updated. It's been a while since I've written one of these...

Credits to Paradox for Crusaders Kings 3 and the original hair meshes!

[artbyblastweave]

So I recently had the thought that Superman as depicted in the DCAU canon probably has the best-articulated-by-the-narrative and most-consistent character flaws of any Superman I’ve seen, in a way that’s enabled by the long-formedness and consistent creative vision of the series.

He’s got an Atlas complex that grinds the gears of his equally-durable, equally-capable colleagues in the Justice League. He has deep-seated fears of moving the wrong way and breaking something or someone, which is then upstream of some moderate control issues. He’s got anger problems, although it’s rare for someone to push him far enough that this takes center stage; you see this with Prof. Hamilton in the series finale of STAS, but also in a number of fights against opponents strong enough that he starts getting frustrated. When the stakes are lower, he can be cocky bordering on genuinely vindictive; there are lots of examples of him rubbing his opponents' noses in it when he finally gets them on the back foot, and it’s shown in flashbacks that he was genuinely kind of a dick when he was a teenager and hadn’t completely sorted out what proportional responses looked like. He doesn’t always think through the implications of his grand projects, be that the implicit threat-escalation posed by the expanded JLU, or the massive disarmament project he spearheaded that turned out to be part of an alien invasion scheme. There are probably more of these that I’m forgetting. The final roundup here is that he’s a good guy. He’s far and away from a perfect guy, with perfect judgement. All of this amounts to something that’s more coherent and specific than the contradictory, subject-to-eternal-revision mess you could assemble from his 60-something year publication history in the comics, but nonetheless with a substantial-enough runtime that all of these traits can be put on display again and again.

In turn, this allowed the collective DCAU continuity to get away with at least three “what if Superman went rogue” plots- four if you count the mind-control situation in Legacy- specifically because they did the legwork to establish the concrete neuroses and psychological vulnerabilities that might cause this specific version of Superman to go rogue. It was never completely insane that Luthor might figure out the exact set of words, actions, and personal losses necessary to coax this depiction of Superman into an authoritarian partnership for the supposed greater good. It’s not completely insane that this depiction of Superman, if pushed far enough, might lose faith in the collective judgement of humanity and decide to put the world and all his loved ones in a bottle. And when the Cadmus plot rolls around in JLU, it’s as effective as it is because they’ve already advanced two roads-not-taken, established what levers you need to pull to make this specific version of this guy cross the line, and that Cadmus and Luthor are pulling all of them. 

I emphasize the specificity here, because the flipside of this are Superman-gone-rogue narratives that jump right to that as the cornerstone of the continuity, with no real opportunities for juxtaposition. A major issue I eventually developed with the Injustice franchise is that despite its pretenses of being an alternate universe, there’s no established continuity that it’s deviating from, bar its own. To some extent I feel as though it’s banking on the audience transposing their gestalt-understanding of Superman and the broader DCU- hell, their understanding of the Justice Lords arc in particular- in order to elide that they’re playing extremely fast-and-loose with the specifics of what has and hasn’t happened to Superman in this continuity. The DCEU is a runner-up- jumping right to the Damocles-sword of a bad-future after two movies is jumping the gun, in the same way everything about the 2010s DCEU was jumping the gun. I think you could plausibly attack TDKR’s portrayal of Superman under this logic, although I personally wouldn’t- but that’s its own post.

Point being that you can’t sell me the upset of a paradigm if you never established it-you need to set up the pins before you can bowl worth a damn.

[lurkingshan]

hi there i hope you don't mind me asking for recs! this might be a bit too specific but do you know any (good) bls with age gap? i've only watched old fashion cupcake and minato's laundromat and i'd love to see more of that dynamic. have a good day!

Hi anon! I am delighted to talk about age gap bls with you. A few notes about how I define this:

I think of a true age gap romance as one where the narrative is at least in part driven by the age difference, not one where the characters are just incidentally different ages but it doesn't really matter to the story

The age gap needs to be significant enough that it puts the characters in different phases of life, so something like a college freshman dating a senior doesn't count

I also don't count supernatural stories where there's a massive age gap as a function of one of the characters being immortal, that's a totally different genre and narrative intent IMO

I will only include a show in this list if the age gap is between the main pair or a very significant side pair who has a lot of story time

So this means I would not be including shows like My Tooth Your Love or The New Employee where there is technically an age gap but everyone is adults and it doesn't really matter to the story. Or shows like Cutie Pie and Love in the Air, which do play with power dynamics somewhat based in age but where the actual gap is negligible and the story isn't about their age difference. Or something like Ossan's Love where there is an age gap pairing in contention but it's not actually the core romance of the story. Then there are shows where on paper there is an age gap between the main characters but the production cast actors the same age, so it never actually feels like an age gap story no matter how many times they write in dialogue trying to convince me that 28 year old is 40 (I love you dearly, Moonlight Chicken but please be serious).

So all that said, there are not as many proper age gap bls as you'd think! You'll note that this rec list is dominated by Japan and Taiwan, the absolute rulers of this trope. Productions in these countries love to dig into an uncomfortable taboo, and a true age gap romance fits nicely in that niche. Thailand doesn't play much in this space thanks to their branded pairs system that puts close-in-age actors together (and the couple times they tried large age gap romances were so terrible that I shan't speak of it). Korea has surprisingly done very little on this despite noona romance being one of the most popular kdrama subgenres. Where are all the hyung romances, I ask you??

With all that rambling out of the way, onto the list of age gap bls I recommend checking out.

History 2: Right or Wrong

An under appreciated entry in the HIStory franchise that pairs an overworked single father who is neglecting his parenting duties and the student he hires to help look after his kid.

History 3: Make Our Days Count

These two are technically a side couple, but they get near equal story time to the mains and they are an exemplar of a great age gap romance that gets the character dynamics exactly right to mitigate the uncomfortable power differential when one is an adult and the other is still growing up. My personal favorite age gap bl pair.

History 4: Close To You

This one's for the girls who like to tackle multiple taboos at once. Not only age gap, but also stepbrothers, with a bit of personality disorder thrown in for flare! And somehow with all that mess, they tell the story so well and make you believe. Do not @ me, I said what I said!

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I know many folks remember this show primarily for the side couple, but the mains actually have a very well done age gap romance between a gangster and a high school student he accidentally drags into hell with him. The plot of this show is absolutely not to be taken too seriously, just have fun and go with it!

Lovely Writer

The only Thai bl I think qualifies under the definition above and actually tells its story very well. This one is interesting because you get to see them both as kids and as adults and see how their age difference and its effect on their relationship shifts over time.

Minato's Laundromat

You already mentioned this one, anon, but I'm putting it on this list for posterity. A classic age gap bl with a romance between a repressed older man and the persistent teenager who worships him.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Winner for most significant age gap in terms of years, this show is about a mid-20s editor who falls for a writer twice his age after meeting him on the job. So much glorious food and sexual tension.

Old Fashion Cupcake

Another one you've already seen going on the list for posterity. A workplace age gap romance with a younger man pursuing his mentor via foodie dates. One of the best Japanese BLs ever made, period.

The Pornographer

A maladjusted (to put it mildly!) man gets hit by a young student on a bicycle, and uses the situation to bring him into his home as a writing assistant. Things get pretty fucked up from there. This is one of my favorites and very under appreciated in part because you have to chase the story across two series, two shorts, and a movie to get the full narrative. Trust me, it's worth it!

[thatmooncake]

To be honest and these are all personal interpretations but Sun has always read as kind of more on the sassy and short-tempered side to me, he’s never been fond of letting people move around too freely, from the start he’s always made sure things work a particular way and you go in a particular place and he’s always been super pernickety about how and where things should go and how they should work, he’s always been panicky like that for as long as we’ve seen him because he’s endlessly stressed and has a million things to take care of otherwise he’ll get in trouble and if he’s referencing keeping the lights on he has Moon to hold at bay too and has likely seen the terrible outcome of not keeping Moon in check given the way he panics so much in response to any chance the lights might go out. The implications that he knows how limited his ability to fix the problem is and yet so desperately wants to but is left basically helpless at the mercy of the lights going off at any given time is also pretty horrific and it’s no wonder he has some issues trusting others to keep themselves out of danger with that in mind.

I don’t think he’s massively different personality-wise between games, just the circumstances are different and he is under varying levels of stress in each setting which is contributing to how much or little he may be acting out or trying to control what’s going on around him (and if the daycare has been shut for a while in Security Breach he’s got an extra good reason to want to keep a new friend around despite the potential danger because he must be going stir crazy).

Also I don’t think Sun is particularly mean or a bully, I think he has his reasons to get snarky with people who are going out of their way to mess up in his space and he already has enough on his plate as it is, the guy is trying his best. I think his enthusiasm and creativity is genuine and he is sincerely trying his best but to be honest in the FNAF franchise not a single character has really been programmed perfectly to do their job in all scenarios and I don’t think he’s any exception to that. However I also think you can feel free to write anything off in fanon as being due to the virus, or due to circumstance, and basically end up with whatever version of the character sparks joy. Fanon is fanon after all, we’re all just guessing here and that isn’t a bad thing.

[mekatrio]

cuz at first ajaa wasnt even meant to exist it was just meant to be the trilogy and thats it, then while theyre porting it over to the nintendo ds capcom gives them the green light to go nuts with a bonus pseudo-dlc case and By God Do They, making the longest case yet of RFTA with fully animated 3d cutscenes + an incredibly convoluted plot that makes the most out of aa1's 3 day trial system + fully modelled 3d rotational evidence, hitting heavy themes of police corruption and evidence forgery and whatnot like they went INSANE, cuz this was supposed to be IT. this was supposed to be ace attorneys big finale and farewell but SIKE oh my god the actual Ministry Of Justice has knocked on capcoms door and told them hey can you make some propaganda for us. so now the aa team has to make propaganda for them. right after burning themselves the fuck out from creating rfta. all that time spent on rfta which couldve been development time for ajaa.... too late. cant be taken back. apollo justice is designed in less than a week and theyre marketing this game while the team is still making it, takumi crazed madman that he is decides to not rely on old characters which while that is an artistic slay, sets up the stage for a marketing failure, and a new artistic team of infinite ambition goes nuts with creating derangedly detailed animations

⬆️ like oh my god are you insane. thank you so much BUT ARE YOU INSANE? all while still making 3d renders of evidence and random 3d animations and it looks so awesome BUT THERES NOT ENOUGH TIME, 3 wonderful cases are made but 4-4 falls on its face. 6 hours long instead of the usual 10 and only one cross-examination in the final trial and 2 whole main characters with no backstory like its bad. its going to be bad. but its too late. the most incomplete ace attorney game has to be rushed out of the gates and the sales are made But The Reception Is Bad. Real Bad. 2000s hater gamer crowds were the first of its kind, being massively fuelled by the internet, haters back then could sink their teeth deep into a company, which is what got nintendo scrambling away from their wind waker art direction to appease the gamers w twilight princess. so similarly when the hate for ajaa came on, cuz whattt phoenix disbarred and no 😤 old characters 😤😤, capcom scrambled to appease the masses. but oh oh whats this? takumi says 'yeahhhh Nah' and says he wants to make a game about his dog. OK. cant persuade him away from that. might as well let some new blood handle the franchise in takumi's place then, but for The Love Of God do not make an ajaa followup. the gamers will kill us. and so the aai duology was born....... cool........ first one's reception was so bad that localization plans were dropped entirely for the sequel. wow. takumi is fresh off from ghost trick but fucking what, 5 years has passed now, and the new hot console is the nintendo THREE ds. 3ds. wowwww. fucking... PROFESSOR LAYTON kidnaps takumi to make plvpwaa and ajaa continues to be left in the dust. fucking nobody wants him. poor orphaned kitten left in the street. all while the trilogy gets 9584948 million adaptations. and yamazaki twiddles his thumbs thinking abt making aai3 but after thinking it over hes like yeah ill try making aa5. capcom lets him and.......... its over........ they tell him sure go for it But Do Not Follow Up On Apollo Everyone Hates Him please make phoenix the protag. a recipe for disaster. and a disaster aa5 is. juggling THREE protags a complete mess and they do a popularity poll and wow would u look at who came first, fucking APOLLO. JUSTICEEEEEEE. its almost like.... gamers opinions..... are not valuable in the long run.. and popular opinion has never signified artistic understanding.... aa6 comes chugging along and yamazaki addicted to racism cranks out something even worse. both aa56 makes the sales it needs but mindless fanservice can only get u so far... its been nearly 10 years since the ajaa 'trilogy' titles released and the general consensus is that Aaja Was Good and aa56 Not So Much but what can you do now? heres the apollo justice trilogy please buy it and deeply lower ur expectations for coherent and cohesive narratives which have basis in reality thank u. bc u will not be finding that here. ajaa never stood a chance.. they werent doomed by the narrative. its worse. they were doomed by STUPID FUCKING GAMERS AND STUPID EXECUTIVE DECISIONS 😭😭😭

[comicaurora]

What are your thoughts on guardians vol.3? (If you have watched it) I went into it, expecting it went to the garbage like the rest of the mcu, but I was pleasantly surprised by its creativity, trope subversion, and how it wrapped up the previously unresolved arks of its characters.

That's what I've heard!

The thing is, Guardians 3 could be the most transcendent work of cinema ever made, and I'd probably still feel little to no motivation to watch it at this point. It's not Guardians's fault - it's just suffering from the same problem that superhero comics have been struggling with for decades: no matter how good an individual arc or run is, absolutely nothing good lasts or matters in the long term, and the stories are shaped in such a way that "the long term" is the only thing anyone gets to build towards.

Whenever I complain about the MCU I get a handful of people loudly complaining about my complaining, with the general thesis that if I don't like it I shouldn't watch it or talk about it - if I'm not having fun, just stop engaging with it. And the thing is, I have. I am intellectually interested in why this massive franchise is fumbling the bag so hard, which is why I still check in on it sometimes, but I've long since stopped turning to the MCU for uncritical entertainment. And even the good movies or shows with a lot of interesting ideas - good character arcs, fun concepts, interesting planting for future payoff - don't draw me in anymore, because they're hooked into a massive moneymaking machine that will scrap and squander anything if they think it'll make them more in the quarter. It doesn't matter how good the writing is, because the writers are not allowed to tell a complete, finished story, and they have no control over what happens to their characters outside of their own script.

Captain America's arc was set up from literally minute one to answer one burning question at the core of his character: does a world without a war still need Captain America? After that incredibly basic tee-up at the end of First Avenger, half a dozen movies failed to come up with a reason to say "yes," and now Steve is retired for good after getting fumbled through four different storylines that couldn't even pretend that they needed him (the unused Chekhov's Phone from the end of Civil War still haunts me). The foundational arc of his entire character never happened because nobody bothered to keep track of it past a single movie.

Taika did something interesting with Thor in Ragnarok - take away Mjolnir, force him to recognize what it means to be the god of thunder, give him a very Odin-y missing eye - and the very next movie undid all of it. Just kidding, never mind, here's an eye and a new weapon and also his old weapon again, and in one more movie we're even gonna give him his hair back, probably as an apology for all the completely unironic fatphobia we're gonna slather him in for two and a half hours. I'm not even surprised Love And Thunder was such an overblown mess that barely took itself seriously - why would Taika bother trying to give Thor another arc when the powers that be will just roll it back in six months anyway?

I hear Rocket Raccoon has a fantastic arc in this movie. That's great, and demonstrates that he's being written by a writer that deeply cares about him. But he's part of the MCU, and the MCU doesn't let anything end, so if current patterns hold, Rocket is going to continue to serve as quippy plushie-bait for the next dozen movies and none of that depth is going to come through in the long term. Hell, since they're making Kang noises for the Next Big Threat and Kang's entire gimmick is rewriting timelines, literally none of this is guaranteed to matter. By next year, it might not have even happened anymore.

The MCU has successfully shaped itself into a paradigm where the bright spots of good writing are overridden and lost as soon as the writers room turns over, and that makes it really hard for me to muster up the enthusiasm to watch even a really good movie that's locked into the exact same grist mill as everything else. I'm glad people liked it, I hope it gets to stay good this time - I just have no desire to watch it.

[justpoliteconversations]

Comfort [Yandere!Chain + Isekai!Reader]

You're part of the family now, and everything that entails.

I have fallen deeper into the abyss. Just exploring the new, untested dynamics of this latest indulgence. It's a hot mess, so be warned before you read.

Masterlist

Sky Route

Four Route

TW: Yandere nonesense. Be warned.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

Meeting the Chain had seemed like a dream come true at first. Of course, there had been the pain and disorientation of being ripped from everything you knew without warning, but meeting the boys and procuring thier promise for aid had calmed you significantly.

So, rather than despairing and falling into the throes of depression, you instead set your mind to learning of the world around you. And of course, you spent a lot of that time observing the boys and their behaviors (curious as to what so many fans had gotten right or wrong).

You wished you hadn't. You wished you'd kept to yourself. Ignored their very existences and just stayed focused on getting home. Wished you'd never been found by them.

You wish you'd set boundries sooner. If you had, maybe none of this would be happening. Maybe you'd be free.

"Hey. It's going to be okay." Twilight whispered softly from behind you, voice low and sorrowful as his large, warm hand pet you carefully upon the back. As though that would somehow bring you comfort after what he did.

You couldn't face him. You refused to meet any of their eyes. The bandages on your back burned against your torn skin where Hyrule had been prevented from properly healing you.

'A reminder', Wars had said, eyes cold and unforgiving, and Time had stayed quiet, only offering your cowering form a disappointed frown. Hyrule had wailed and snarled at the thought of leaving you in pain, but Legend had quieted him with soothing whispers (though he himself looked borderline rebellious too).

Wind had grit his teeth, eyes blazing hellfire, and looked ready to tell Wars off for that, but Time had placed a gentle hand on his head and given him a sad, rueful smile. To which Wind had huffed but remained silent, but not before casting (Big Brother) Wars a look that promised many unfortunate incidents in the near future.

Twilight had continued to hold you upright as your punishment was handed down. Calloused fingers caressing lightly, possessively, over the still bleeding wounds along your torn back. You swear you saw pride in his face as the verdict was decided that since he caught you, until you recovered you'd be his responsibility.

At the memory of that smug glint in his eyes, you curled further away from his soft, comforting (frightening, blood-chilling) touch, and he pulled back obligingly. A heartbroken sigh left his lips, torn so raw at the seams it almost broke your resolve to ignore him right then. Until you reminded yourself of what he (what they) were capable of despite their sweet, adoring smiles and soft attentions.

Twilight had been so damned gentle with you since that night, relieved and apologetic both. And terribly guilty. Nothing like the feral beast that had chased you down without regard for your fear or wellbeing. Took you down like thrashing, wailing, vulnerable prey when you bolted for the bright, shining portal that whispered home, comfort, safety (and freedom) that had appeared so suddenly.

Nothing like the monster that had torn into the back of your shirt (and flesh) with savage teeth, snarling and growling, ripping you away from salvation with punishing strength. Desperate, predatory eyes shining like death in the portal light, the hairs lining his powerful back standing on end and lost to the shadows that clung to his massive form.

Nothing like the man who had come after, large, burning, painfully tight hand shackled around your wrist. Cruelly dragging you on your knees from escape, shadowed eyes glowing unnatural, eerie blue in the dim light of a waning moon. No different from the creature that had drawn blood upon your defenseless skin, merely wearing a more familiar face.

And the way he had stared upon you once the light of promised safety had faded entirely. Eyes dark and bright and sharp with the threat of violence. Of sanity lost. Watching down at your whimpering, shivering, pain-racked form with quiet possession, dark promise.

The moment for escape had been so perfect, that night. You had finally managed to convince Wild to give you a moment of privacy. Convinced Time that you just wanted an hour of peace from Red's needy whines and Hyrule's obsessive tending. Managed to distract Warrior's keen eyes with a word of praise in Wind's ear and the promise of stories from your homeland. Sidestepped Sky's soft, curious eyes as you walked passed.

You had been alone. For the first time in three months. And it had been liberating.

And then the portal had appeared, and you hadn't thought of anything else after that. Not of consequences. Not of the Chain's anger or the darkness that hid behind soft, adorning gazes. And not of the way their eyes watched you always.

Not of the eyes on you even then. For you had forgotten that you are never truly alone. Not until you were reminded.

Not until that first, bone chilling howl of rage.

"We should move them closer to the fire." Came Hyrule's concerned voice, hovering just on the other side of Twilight (he must have escaped Legend's clutches. the man had been keeping Hyrule under strict supervision after The Incident). "They may be cold from blood loss."

Before Twilight could reassure his obsessively worried brother (once again) that all was well and that you were just upset, Four spoke up. Sounding just as ragged and agitated as you felt. "The Incident was three days ago. There was never issues with blood loss to begin with." He sounded done, tired. Pissed even.

You didn't doubt it. After the chaos that had ensued that night, it was decided (by Green and Vio and reluctantly Red) that merging was the most viable option to ensure a safe (quiet) and stress free environment for you to recover in.

Blue had come to blows with Twilight three times before the night had even ended after The Incident (he'd fought Legend twice. had only been prevented from triggering the sociopath that is Wars by Time's intervention). Red have been crying nonstop since you were first carried back to camp by a shame-faced Twilight. Green was running damage control to keep Wars from challenging Twilight for rights to safekeep you. And Vio had dutifully sacrificed his body to cuddles, forehead kisses and soft (distressed) cooing to placate the ticking time bomb that was Sky's protective instincts.

You almost pitied the small smith. Until you remembered how Blue had wanted to take your legs, and Vio had gotten a calculated glint in his eyes. And then you didn't feel bad for him anymore, even with the memory of Red sobbing his eyes out and Green talking Blue down before Wild got it in his head to put himself (and thus Twilight) between the Colors and you protectively.

At some point during Twilight's, Four's and Hyrule's discussion (argument) Wild had arrived with his characteristic brashness. Breezing past all of them, as usual, and putting himself squarely into your space. And Twilight let him, because Wild was one of his, and now (for the time being) so were you.

The scarred man took you in his arms (so easily, as though you weighed nothing at all), careful not to touch the tender wounds on your back, and made his way towards Sky. Hyrule made to protest, but by the low familiar hum of expectancy that sounded out, it looked like Legend had finally caught up to his wayward (stupidly determined to play mother cucco) charge.

You ignored them after that, but not before catching a glimpse of Four apologetically carding a hand through Legend's feather soft hair, cupping his vulnerable nape with tender care. Small, forge roughened fingers gripping lovingly as he whispered heartfelt apologies, eyes flashing red and speckled green and even blue at the edges. Witnessed how Legend melted under the touch, and how Hyrule had leaned into Legend's side with equal affection (and desperation for comfort. attention).

You wished you hadn't seen it. So you wouldn't have to remember the good that resided within these men, as well as the bad. About how much these men truly loved each other, and you, despite all the hurt they put you through that night.

Quiet sobbing caught your attention, and Sky was before you suddenly, though he was not the one making such heartbroken sounds. You had been lost in your head and hadn't even noticed how Wild had kissed into your hair in relief. Shedding tears of gratefulness that you hadn't screamed and thrashed at his touch (like that first night he tried to give comfort. before he sacrificed himself to Sky's doting).

Wild went to his knees before the sleeping Skyloft knight (crying silently in fitful slumber) and whispered warmly through soft sniffles. "Sky. They're right here, safe. See." He gently placed you down beside the tearfully sleeping man, and you let him. Too tired and overwhelmed by your own emotions to fight.

And too fearful. Because Sky was an enigma. Seemingly the most docile of all the boys, even Red and Hyrule, and yet Time, Wars and Vio all catered to him with due diligence (the three who knew the most, and controlled the most). Conceded to his every demand when it was made (rare as they were) and sacrificed any whom Sky called to for comfort and reassurance. Including themselves.

Claims did not matter when Sky wanted to hold you through the night. If Sky wanted to cuddle Wind, Wars would have to concede (even if it took Time and Green's combined efforts to keep him subdued). If he desired to brush Wild's hair into traditional skyloftian braids or spoon feed Hyrule sweet pumpkin soup like an infant, Twilight and Legend were made to step aside. If Sky wanted Time to sit beside him and speak of their beloveds, then it would be so. Even if it meant setting up camp early for the night. Even if it meant Blue, Legend and Wars bitched for hours afterwards (amongst themselves, of course).

In the eyes of the Chain, Sky was an outlier to the established hierarchy, and you had a feeling you knew why. You remembered the first time you felt the fear of wrongness amongst the men you called your friends (family). The moment of clarity.

You'd never forget the smell of smoke and iron reek hanging thick in the air, fanning out across the wasteland that was Hyrule's homeland. The blank and distant looks in the heroes' eyes as they emerged from the treeline. And Sky, covered in red, red, red. Like an ocean sunset dripping into calm waters. Like fresh berry juice between overzealous fingers.

He'd been crying then.

Sky rarely cries.

Sky had called for Hyrule for days after. Had kept him by his side as they walked and slept and ate. Had babied and coddled and smothered him with fierce devotion. And the chain had let him. Kept Legend and Twilight in check. Kept Blue forcibly subdued when Red riled him into a protective fury over his most vulnerable, sensitive brother's pitiful, longing tears for his Rulie.

So, when Wild had set you beside Sky, you remained quiet. Because you were afraid. And because you owed WIld.

Because when Sky called for you that night (still raw and shaking), Wild had straightened his back, looked Time in the eye and told him that you needed space. And then had given himself over to Sky's obsessive coddling, enduring the man's frantic petting and overbearing smothering.

For three days. After Vio had been merged back into Four. Wild had endured the babying for three days. Wild, the man who may have hated being tied down more than anyone else in the Chain.

You owed him, and if he thought time was up for your sulking. Well, there was nothing you could do. Especially not when Sky was in tears (dangerous, unstable).

The moment you were pressed into Sky's side, he immediately latched onto you (you were saved from pain only by Wild's arm sheltering your back), reddened eyes opening to reveal a tearful, shattered, truly unhinged gaze. "You came. You tried to leave us." He sobbed, burying his sleepy, splotchy face into your neck. His hands (so strong, enough to crush your windpipe if he wanted) gripping into the fabric of your shirt like a child seeking comfort. "I thought you hated me."

You wanted to snap that of course you hated him. That you hated them all for forcing you to stay here when home had been so close. Right there, you could feel it. You wanted to scream that you despised them for being silently complicit with your captivity, even if they weren't always the ones to physically hold you down.

You wanted to do a lot of things. Rage. Cry. Break something. Find words, accusations, demands, anything to make them understand the depths of your hurt and betrayal. To see how much they had taken from you.

And yet, frustratingly, you couldn't. The fight had been sucked right out of you at the sight of Sky's hurt, his soul-deep suffering. Because you loved these boys still, despite all the horribly broken affections they saw fit to shower upon you and each other. Genuine, but ultimately flawed and damaged (and damaging).

With Wild snuggling in from behind to sniff your hair contently (the creep), and a glimpse of Wind hovering longingly at the sidelines, unsure of his welcome. You felt your resolve breaking ever further.

In the firelight, Time leaned down to kiss Wars along the temple, ruffling his fluffy (beautiful) hair before retreating towards Twilight. He gathered the saddened, guilt ridden man in his arms and laid them both down for sleep, speaking soft reassurances into his descendant's dark hair. Warm, paternal smile on his lips.

Closest to the fire pit, Legend and Hyrule had Four trapped between them, Four resting his head peacefully on Legend's shoulder, and Hyrule sandwiching him from the back. Legend's arm draped over Four's small form to rest his hand possessively (protectively) on Hyrule's waist.

Warriors watched over this all with sharp, but quietly adoring, eyes. Scanning over you and the others around you with just as much of that overwhelmingly intense (too intense) devotion. Ensuring all was well and safe under his domain, before turning away to ensure nothing came from outside to disturb his peacefully resting family. Shield at his side and sword on his back. Loyalty corded into every line of his lithe form.

Wind had shuffled closer. Big (wondrously big) blue eyes locked on you and waiting. Wild's hand was on your hip, resting as he too waited patiently. Content to let you speak in your own time.

Sky's love stricken, adoring, grieving eyes locked with yours. Searching, waiting. A blade ready to drop across his heart and everything in it at the slightest of provocation.

And you broke. Because what else could you do.

"I don't hate you, Sky. I'm just so angry." You forced out, bitter for the truth of those words. "I just need time to forgive and heal."

Those shattered eyes lightened, the ragged edges softened, and suddenly you were looking at Sky again. Tender-hearted, fiercely protective but forever hopeful Sky. The Sky you trusted still with your life, for all you feared the zealous protectiveness that cast a very long shadow across his path.

"I understand. Twilight was so rough with you, and Warriors so harsh with your punishment." He said, and Wild huffed in agreement behind you. "It's only natural you'd want to return home. So they should have been more understanding of your feelings."

Wind, now at Wild's back, was on his knees with hands on Wild's waist as he leaned forward. "I'll put rocks in their boots every day 'til they say they're sorry! The small ones ya don't feel 'til it's too late!" He vowed, and you didn't doubt that. You'd seen Wars wincing and Twilight limping for a few days now, and now you knew why.

Your heart lightened, for all it felt shackled and confused and broken too. "Thank you guys." And you meant it.

As strange as it seemed. You really did mean every word of it. Truly and wholely.

Maybe you were a little broken too, after all. And as Wind settled behind your back, helped by Wild so he didn't agitate your injuries (he placed a gentle kiss on the bandages, so light you nearly missed it), you found you almost didn't mind.

Things were always complicated with family, after all.

---

Off I go. Back to the shadows to rest this one off.

[absolutebl]

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

This is just me with my analysis hat on. 

1. 2023 = the year EVERYONE went outside their lanes

Everything went topsy-turvy this year in BL. 

For example, Korea gave us agonized yearning and outright queerness (The 8th Sense, The New Employee) while Japan served up soft office workers and tender family (Our Dining Table). 

The BL world went askew for a while, especially in the spring of 2023. 

Not that we still didn’t still get Korea’s soft angsty bubbles or Japan’s “what are you doing and why does it hurt?” kink-fests. But there were quite a few BLs that made us chronic watchers sit up in confusion and wonder if Korea was dabbling in Taiwan’s territory or Japan in Thailand’s. Then they fudged the kisses and we were like... okay, back in familiar territory. 

In contrast, Thailand stayed course-correcting for the damage they’ve done in the past with tropes (2022) and self referential meta criticism (2021), but also almost aggressively returned to their BL roots after last year’s series of shockers. Certainly, they are reexamining those roots, transplanting some, aerating others. But they really went back to classic Thai university and high school BL and pulps in a big way in 2023. 

Taiwan is always difficult to gage because they produce so few but they seem to have stuck with what they do best with no deviation while producing more this year than they have in ages. I’m happy for that, why change a good thing? But there is a tiny part of me that really wants them to hit it out of the part with a quality piece soon. For me, We Best Love still reigns supreme, but I would really like the HIStory franchise to give us that level but longer - like a happy version of Your Name Engraved Herein. I think Taiwan has the chops to give us something as good as The 8th Sense or Old Fashion Cupcake but in their style, and I would like to see them exercise their talent for good rather than just profit. 

I know, what a very odd thing for me to say. But if any BL is going to break into the mainstream American market, I genuinely think it’s most likely come from Taiwan. 

Vietnam and the Philippines are falling behind, in general. They just didn’t bring out very many shows in 2023, and what the brought out tended to fub the endings. This is forgivable in Japan (because of their style and quality) but not what watchers want in the lower production value propositions. In other words, if you do a pulp, you can’t mess up the ending (by romance standards). that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. 

2. The Office Romance Dominated

After years of Thailand serving us an endless (and slightly bland) buffet of university (and a few high school) BLs, this year Korea was basically like...

Ofiice. We like the Office. It’s cheap to film we can use grown up actors, acting (mostly) their actual age. 

And yeah... it totally worked. 

To be fair, Japan has always given us office live action yaoi from the beginning (they had the source material) but this year everyone else, including Thailand, seriously started playing in this setting. 

3. Boys Danced with Boys

The darling @heretherebedork​ was a big fan of this one, and I rather like it myself. Prior to this boys dancing together was very very rare in BL, but this year we got way more than our fair share. It was lovely. 

Never Let me Go

My School President 

Bed Friend 

The Day I Loved You 

Step by Step

Be Mine Superstar

Tie the Not 

Dangerous Romance

I think there were a few more. These are the ones I remembered to write down. 

4. Getting (even more) Meta With Tropes 

BL has been getting more and more meta over the past few years but this year they really focused in on tropes specifically. Calling out their own biggest and most favorite tropes in a massive way, especially Thailand and especially GMMTV. 

Like they tunneled in on damaging tropes with Bad Buddy and the like over the past 2 years, and now they are just having fun with us. 

I mean they just started the dancing trope and already they are calling it out? That’s like rapid-fire regurgitated meta there, GMMTV. 

5. Cameos are the norm now 

Taiwan has always loved cameos but in the past the other countries have been show and steady with only one or two a year. (Unless Japan does a parody.) 

This year Korea got in on the game.

Korea rarely starts trends but they do adopt smaller and lesser known existing ones and make them super popular. 

This year they did that with cameo couple appearances, even borrowing a few of Thailand’s pairs (TutorYim and MaxNat traveled north). They did it so much I stopped tracking. Love Class 2, Why R U?, and Jun & Jun were the heaviest hitters. 

Taiwan, of course, came back swinging. Kiseki was the gum-ball machine of pair cameos. (In Taiwan mafia = gay.) 

6. We are entering the cross pollination age

The number of remakes picked up or started this year was startling, not just countries revisiting their own content (Thailand, Japan) but countries revisiting OTHER countries stuff.

Lemme explain...

Korea has started remaking Thai content (Why R U?) alongside cameo'ing Thai pairs.

Thailand is doing Korean IP (My Dear Gagster Oppa) and has 2 Chinese ones slated for next year. 

GMMTV acquired a lot of Japanese IP (Cherry Magic, Ossen, and My Love Mix Up) - and then had problems distributing it. 

This is probably the most surprising trend for me. Especially the Japanese stuff. I would have thought these properties well outside of Thailand's price range (even GMMTV's) not to mention Japan’s legendary IP issues (I swear I typed this pout before the pulled TayNew’s excellent Cherry Magic). 

Also why not option some of the older popular manga instead? Bet that's much cheeper. (I did see a NEW Thai translation of Finder into Thai, which is 90s yaoi, so I have my fingers crossed on that front.)

I shouldn't be too surprised. 

Thailand is running out of y-novel content. Their publication industry is just not robust enough (I was just talking to a friend about this at length recently). But I didn't think they had the funds to option, especially from Japan. 

Perhaps the option deals are for peanuts?

7. Korea got cheeky

I’m not sure quite how else to put this. 

After finally figuring out boys can kiss, Korea started to do not just higher heat but playful higher heat, with more aggressive word play and linguistic innuendo, like they are entering their racy rom-com teenage years (Why R U? Love Class 2 and Jun & Jun in particular.) 

I guess: Welcome to your BL teens, Korea? 

It’s cute of them. I am very much enjoying it. 

And now that comedy is warming them up, we get to see them play with actual queer burgeoning physicality in shows like The 8th Sense. 

It’s nice. I like seeing Korea stretch its wings. They still stick to their bubble, but that bubble seems to be expanding. 

8. The Amnesia Trope is back

And I, for one, would prefer to forget about it. 

9. BL got trendy 

I’m not quite sure how to articulate this category but basically we started seeing a lot of “modern” romance trends out of the west (like a/b/o) show up in our BL. Not a ton and sometimes quite small, but there has a been a steady rise of things like: no seme/uke, femme gay, out gay, condom use, messy gay. 

We also got an increasing range of sub genre frameworks (like mafia, office setting) that’s moved BL pretty firmly (even in Thailand) out of school and into the workplace, whether actual working is involved or not. 

It’s not to the point where it feels like we get more non-school BL than school BL (if I include all countries in this assessment).

Japan, in classic Japanese fashion, quietly started moving in the opposite direction. It’s what they do. 

10. The Vampires are coming 

This is an announcement trend, which I don’t usually report on but it’s so CLEAR. 

So last year we had a spate of announcements of possible Omegaverse (2 from China, 1 from Japan, 1 from Thailand - the only one that’s happened). 

This year we got 5 Vampire (or vampire-esk) Thai BLs announced including one from GMMTV. 

Whether all 5 will actually get made is unlikely, but having had (basically) none prior to this (Kissable Lips), I’m pretty confident that we will get at least 2 of them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one other country made one as well. (Side eyes Taiwan with interest.) 

Final thoughts

It feels like we are also seeing a decline in BL (both by quantity and quality) from Vietnam and the Philippines. As you all know, I don’t track or really watch either of these two very closely. But it feels like, now, no one else is either. 

I think we have likely seen the BL heyday already in both places and their industries are now on the decline. 

We might be witnessing a thinning in the players in the BL field. 

FYI we had approximately 

136 BLs in 2023

Previous Years

2022: 117

2021: 95

2020: 62

2019: 40

2018: 30 

2017: 44 (China’s last gasp)

2016: 27

2015: 17 (50% micro)

2014: 17 (50% micro)

And that’s it! Let me know in the comments if you’ve spotted any additional trends you want to call out.

Last year, 2022′s trend report

2021′s Trend report

Last Year’s Stats & Predictions

(source) 

[soulprompts]

THE SURPRISING HERO ( A PROMPT LIST! )

hello my beloveds!!! an absolutely incredible nonnie sent in a request for prompts based on the idea of someone becoming a vital part of saving the world through unanticipated events, and i hope i managed to achieve what they wanted in this list! basically i got a tonne of inspiration from comic book movies and the more fantastical vibes of high fantasy franchises, and i was going to make these more amusing, but i think there's something so hard-hitting about the concept of being thrust into greatness and heroism when you feel you aren't ready for it! anyway! enjoy, and as always: DO NOT ADD TO OR EDIT THIS LIST, AND DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN!

FROM THE UNEXPECTED HERO:

“ i’m not supposed to be here. i’m not like the rest of you; i’m not special, or blessed, or gifted. i’m just… me. “

“ you’ve got to be joking! i can’t save the world! i’m just an ordinary person! “

“ it’s funny. all these years, i’ve wanted so badly to see the world. now… i think i’ve never wanted anything so much as to go back home. “

“ so that’s it, then? i’m just supposed to sacrifice everything to save the world, all because some ancient prophecy says so? “

“ i still can’t quite believe we were doing laundry yesterday. now our biggest chore is traveling across the world to save it. “

“ i miss home. i miss how safe and boring and fine it all was. i never would’ve wanted adventures if i thought they’d be as scary and dangerous as this. “

“ they’re right to be angry, you know. everyone has a purpose here; i’m only joining you all because of some insane twist of fate. “

“ surprised? don’t worry, so was i. i don’t think it’s a normal occurrence for people like me to be part of massive quests like this. “

“ look. i’m not the chosen one, alright? i don’t want any part in any prophecy or ancient dictation. i just want to live an ordinary, safe, boring life. “

“ you think i don’t acknowledge what’s happening?! every mistake i make has costs, and those costs are often the lives of innocent people! “

“ you know, last year my idea of a grand adventure was going up the mountains for a picnic with my friends. funny how fast things change, isn’t it? “

“ i’m not a hero! i don’t know how to fight! heroes are special and unique and trained, and i’m none of those things. “

“ everyone looks at me like i’ve got the answers, but i don’t. i was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. “

“ you ever stop to question the solidity of this prophecy? because if the wording is that vague that it could name me as the savior of the world, then maybe we ought to revise it. “

“ this is stupid! putting the fate of the universe on some million-year-old prophecy! “

“ i’m not what you think i am. i’m not a hero. i’m sorry, i know you want me to be one, but… i’m just not. “

“ so you’re telling me, because i happened to overhear some weird out of context conversation, that the safety of the world relies entirely on me? “

“ don’t you see how daft this whole thing is?! i’ve got to save the world now because i happened to take a wrong turn on my way home! “

“ why can’t i just give you guys what i found, and you can go and rescue the world yourselves? “

“ i want to clarify that i’m not a coward. okay? i’m not running away from this. but i’m not exactly save-the-world material. so thank you for the opportunity, but… i think i’ll stay at home. “

TO THE UNEXPECTED HERO:

“ i get it, you know. it’s a huge responsibility for someone who’s only just realized what’s at stake. “

“ the others think i’m utterly mad for even considering you for this task. but the fact is, you’re the only person i genuinely believe to be capable of fixing this mess. “

“ would you like to know the mark of a true hero? it’s courage. not an absence of fear, not an ignorance of it, but rather, the choice to persevere in spite of it. you’re still here. that makes you one of the bravest people on the planet. “

“ don’t let anyone else tell you what you are and aren’t capable of. everything happens for a reason, and it wasn’t dumb luck that put you in our path. “

“ i don’t believe in prophecies, personally. i think the universe is far too chaotic for them to survive thousands of years. but i do believe that you being here is not a coincidence. “

“ fate only accounts for part of what happens in our lives. the rest of it is all choices. and despite how scared and inexperienced you are… you’ve chosen to stay. that tells me an awful lot about you. “

“ how selfish can you be?! running away from this destiny, this task! the world will fall into darkness if you don’t step up, and here you are, hiding from your fate like a coward! “

“ you need to learn to ignore the opinions of others if you’re going to stand a chance at doing this. this is the cost of being a hero. people will judge, not based on truth, but on a limited perspective. “

“ don’t be stupid. we’re not special or talented either; i was trained from childhood, i can fight men twice my size, but that’s not the mark of a hero. “

“ if you like, i could teach you how to fight? you may find it useful. even if it’s just to comfort yourself against these ridiculous self-doubts. “

“ heroes aren’t always massive muscle types. the inventor of new defense measures against attacks, or someone who discovered a cure for a disease, or perhaps someone clever enough to use new fuel sources in the winter… heroism isn’t always found in warzones, you know. “

“ fine. don’t do it for the fate of the world. do it for your family. your friends. do it for the ones you’ll return to once we settle this for good. save this world, not for the world itself, but for the ones you love, so that they may live on. “

“ you should know some things. most people, if you somehow perform outside of the very specific expectations they have for you, will be very quick and harsh in their judgment. it’s not something one can avoid. but you can learn to rise above those critics. remember. they don’t know the real you. “

" fear is normal. okay? we all fear things. the real killer is when you try to fight that fear. you're no lesser a hero for fearing things. expect it. accept it. embrace it. and once it's with you, work with it to fight even more. "

" you keep saying you're not a hero. tell me. what exactly is it that you believe a hero to be? "

" people make the error of assuming heroes to be golden, flawless, immaculate in both thought and strategy. it's never the case. heroes are the most flawed of all. that's what makes us admire them so. "

[kaciidubs]

G’Morning | Bang Chan x Reader

❣ Summary: A short thing about waking up in the morning to a sleep-dazed Chris, since everyone says how cute he is when he wakes up - and his tornado hair is just adorable to think about. ❣ ❣ Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff and implied relationships. ❣ ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | She/Her pronouns ❣ ❣ Additional Tags: Reader is referred to as baby and pretty, Chan is referred to as Chris, mention of snoring ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist ❣

The dull sound of vibration dragged her from the calm sea of sleep; a deep breath filling her lungs as the world slowly settled in around her. Eventually it stopped, and she was ready to press the side of her face deeper into her pillow until it happened again - this time, the telltale sound of her morning alarm filling the air.

Groaning, she slid her hand underneath her pillow for the cursed device and blindly swiped across her phone’s screen until the alarm stopped; whether it was snoozed or turned off would be left up to mystery - it had already done its job of waking her up, anyways.

She stretched her legs, a low groan rumbling in her throat before sighing away the tension; finally blinking her eyes open to the darkened room.

It was strange how familiar she was with the tried and true layout of hotel rooms - no matter the franchise or location, the strategic design of a small nightstand beside a decorative corner chair hugging the same wall of a massive window never failed to be a staple showcase.

Her half-awake study was interrupted by an all-too-familiar snore beside her, making a tired smile tug at the corners of her lips. 

Turning her head, she was met with the sight of her sleeping boyfriend - fluffy black hair and puffy cheeks being the most of him that peeked out from underneath the white blanket. She tried not to giggle too hard at the wrinkles the pillowcase etched into his left cheek, or the slight remnants of drool at the corner of his parted lips - they were simply the signs of an overdue heavy sleep.

Though, said heavy sleep would have to be interrupted when another loud snore vibrated through him - a side effect of his nasal problem, she learned.

“Baby,” she hummed, shaking his shoulder lightly, “Chris, wake up.”

He let out a low grunt, face scrunching as he fought against the pull of his consciousness, shrinking further underneath the blanket before pulling it just below his nose - cracking one eye open and blinking dazedly at her.

“Morning, baby.” She smiled softly, tucking her arms underneath her pillow to prop her head up.

Pouty lips melted into a smile that mirrored hers, blinking open both eyes with a covered yawn, “G’mornin’ pretty-” The blanket shifted as he stretched, accidentally nudging her with his left arm before rolling onto his side to face her, “-did I wake you up?”

She shook her head, melting at his heavy morning accent while taking in the adorable look of his puffy face, “My alarm did - I woke you up in case you got stuck mid breath -  your snores were getting bad. You can go back to sleep if you’re still tired, I just wanted to check on you.”

Chris blinked up at her, and even though he had literally just woken up his eyes glittered with love and adoration that wrote symphonies.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they simply stared at each other, gazing with a softness that would put even the best memory foam mattress to shame.

“I love you.” He murmured, pulling the blanket down just enough for it to settle around his bare shoulders.

“I love you too,” she mirrored, her eyes squinting with humor, “you and your tornado hair.”

Groaning, he dug his face into his pillow, ears turning a light shade of pink, “Stop, I know I look like a mess!”

“No, no, you look like you got into a fight with a hairdryer and lost,” she brought her hand to his hair, letting her fingers run through the unruly strands, “but that doesn’t mean you look bad - it makes you look even cuter, actually.”

He hummed at her words, melting at the sensation of her gentle fingers against his scalp before lifting his head, a relaxed smile on his pink lips. “C’mere.”

It was easy for her to gravitate toward him, watching as he rolled onto his back once more and lifted the covers so that she could scoot her way over to his side; her head finding home on his shoulder as she draped her arm across his stomach and hooked her leg around his own. He wasted no time in tugging her just a bit closer, his right hand tracing non distinct shapes against her forearm as he reveled in the feeling of her warmth mingling with his.

“We’re gonna have to get up soon if we want to make the breakfast call.” Her voice was barely above a murmur, yet she didn’t show any sign of leaving his embrace.

“We can always order room service.”

She snorted out a laugh, peeking up at him through her eyelashes, “I didn’t know you wanted to vacation in Japan for the hotel food.”

“Baby,” he hummed, turning his head slightly to catch her gaze, “as long as I’m with you, I don’t care what the food is.”

Her lips pursed, eyes warm with love, “That was so cheesy.”

“You know you love it though.” Chris smirked before pressing a kiss to her forehead, settling himself back down with closed eyes.

Huffing out a short breath, she laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes the same as him. “Sure, but not as much as I love you.”

“Alright, but I love you even more.”

A comforting silence settled around them, not enough to lull them back to sleep, but enough to allow them to enjoy the morning with each other; snuggled up and filled with love.

❣ This was inspired purely based on the fact that Chris looks like he gets into fights in his sleep because his hair gets so wild - and the fact he's like 10% there, 90% still asleep. This man has my heart in the easiest way possible. Also, if anyone has any apps/tips on how to make better formatted picture collages please help a girl out! ❣ ❣ Any type of feedback is appreciated! Whether it be a simple like, reblog, or keyboard smash and the most essay-like comment, feel free to share your thoughts. ❣

[flower-boi16]

If it helps comfort you somewhat, word on the streets says that S3 of Helluva Boss won't happen because animators are leaving left and right and that even if it does it will get cut short due to money issues and what I referred to earlier.

I would have mixed feelings on that. Helluva Boss is a show that, despite how much I criticize and make fun of the writing, I was a genuine fan of. The first season despite some issues is very solid, featuring funny jokes, fast paced action, pretty looking animation, good songs and a lot of compelling and endearing characters. The premise was super interesting and the season left a lot of potential for season 2 to expand upon. In spite of its flaws, it’s a good season.

But season 2 has been a complete disappointment to me. It took all of the potential that season 1 left for it and threw it away, assassinated many of the show’s characters, and ruined Helluva Boss’ core identity, turning it from a fast paced black comedy show about some imps running a business with some character development and story thrown in to abandoning it’s premise in favor of becoming a romance drama centring around a relationship that isn’t even that well written at all.

The writing took a massive turn for the worst and the show has become a shell of its former self. The season drags the show down as a whole from a 8/10 to a 4.5/10 (maybe leaning more to a 5 but still). And it’s sad. It’s sad to see a show I liked devolve into this mess when it could have been so good. I’m glad that HB exists due to it being a massive achievement for indie animation, same for HH, but I would feel so much happier if the writhing was actually good..but it’s not.

I don’t want to dislike season 2 as much as I do, okay? I don’t want to go into every episode hating it. This is just how I genuinely feel about the current state of this show, and, by extension, this whole franchise.

So if season 2 is going to be the end with no chance of improvement, It’s gonna suck. It’s going to cement this season and this whole show as a disappointment for a lot of people, a show that could have been great but fell off.

So, at this point, if season 2 will be the end…let’s maybe hope the finale is at the very least decent. But even that won’t be enough to salvage this season.

[merrysithmas]

lol laughing bc disney already ditched mando4 for "a truncated disney+ movie" because of the wga/sag strike (as if movies dont also need writers and actors lmaoooo). saying itll take too long to release mando4 and ahsoka2 before filoni's "mando-verse" movie and they need to speed things up LMAO

honey .... we all know you nuclear bombed the entire star wars franchise with the abominable mando3 and now youre scrambling bc you know no one on earth wants to watch the Bo Karen Adventure Show Part 2

and we know that disney is failing and they cant make mando4 at all unless they get bought out lmaooo.

so basically i was right when i said mando wont have another season, ahsoka wont get continued, and i fucking guarantee we wont be seeing this BS mcu mando movie from filoni 😂

like .. maybe .. every single one of your projects shouldnt be a convoluted mess and depend on each other to be released?? maybe literally no one on earth wants the MCU-ification of star wars??? maybe you shouldnt have assumed you could bait n switch a worldwide audience??? maybe your writing shouldnt nosedive and depend solely on the insane whims of one awful writer (Favreau) and someone with a horrible track record (Filoni).

allegedly this movie wont come out til "after 2026" too 🤣. so theyre thinking that ppl, who they already massively alienated, are going to ... still... care at that point?

man it literally is like the Microsoft Paint version of creative thought is running star wars over at DLF now.

[captainremmington-13]

A Lady Made of Snow

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova and Enolio. I also do not condone the beliefs or actions of Coriolanus or Bellova.

SUMMARY: Knowing that she has to get away in order to remain her true self, Bellova makes a run for it.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: THIS IS A DARK CHAPTER. It contains violence, injury, mentions of death and torture, Coriolanus being scary and evil, swearing

A/n: this was really hard to write idek why💀i know it’s really short but the next chapters are gonna be much longer i promise

“Talk back to me again, and-“

“You’ll kill me, I assume.”

“Precisely. Now shut up and finish getting dressed.”

Bellova pursed her lips, refusing to show any fear, despite the fact that Coriolanus held a knife that he was willing to use at any moment.   He was standing in the doorway of her massive closet, which was now halfway taken over by him. Bellova would’ve screamed at him to leave her alone while she changed, but he had insisted on monitoring her.

“I don’t want you getting the idea that you can escape me, my dear,” he had said tauntingly.

The idea that Coriolanus had seen her undressed several times while she was completely brainwashed made her feel nauseous. But she suppressed the feeling of disgust, and slipped a simple white dress over her head. 

‘I look ridiculous, like a ditzy, naive little girl,’ she thought bitterly, staring at her reflection with contempt.

“Hurry up!” Coriolanus’s harsh tone snapped her out of her trance. Bellova quickly slid on a pair of white ballet flats and scrambled towards her “fiancé”. 

She had to obey him just long enough to find a way to escape.

Coriolanus’s icy eyes raked over her body, making her skin crawl. “Good,” he said, conveying his approval of her appearance. He took her hand forcefully, squeezing it painfully. Bellova kept a blank face, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her reaction.

Coriolanus practically dragged her out of the room. He lead her down the stairs and out the front doors. Bellova saw Enolio give her a sorrowful look, which nearly brought her to tears. But she bit the inside of her cheek and forced them to subside. 

Matching Bellova down the stairs, Coriolanus smirked to himself. Everything would be just fine, he was sure of it. He could fix the mess that had happened, and get his life (and Bellova) back under control.

Then, he felt someone tap him not-so gently on the shoulder.

Coriolanus whipped around, letting go of Bellova’s hand. “What do you want?” he sneered, looking down at Enolio, who didn’t flinch at all for once.

“Sir, there’s something important I need to tell you.”

“Spit it out, then,” Coriolanus barked.

Enolio took a long, deep breath, agitating him further. 

“There’s an emergency in the kitchen, and we need either you or Miss Reginelle to call a doctor to handle it.”

Coriolanus scoffed. “Why can’t you do it? Isn’t that your fucking job?”

Enolio glared at him. “Only the individual who has financial control of the estate has the authority to place the call-“

“Fine!” he snapped, turning his back to the butler. “Bellova, go handle it, and meet me out here-“

He stopped mid-sentence, his words dying in his throat.

Bellova was nowhere to be seen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bellova was thankful that the sun had not risen completely. It gave her a bit more cover as she raced through the orchard that grew behind her estate. 

She was exhausted, her head throbbing from the blow Coriolanus had hit her with the previous night. She wanted to collapse, but knew that if she stopped moving, Coriolanus would catch up to her. And she simply couldn’t allow that to happen.

She cursed herself for her own stupidity. Why hadn’t she tried running for the gates? Maybe she was afraid the guards wouldn’t let her through, and would turn her over to her “fiancé”. But it seemed like a better option than wandering blindly through the trees, with no end destination in mind.

Finally, her legs gave out. She crumpled to the ground, feeling the dirt cling to the bare skin of her legs. Her head spun, full of adrenaline and terror. What would Coriolanus do to Enolio once he realized he’d distracted him to allow her to escape? Would he have him killed, just like he did to her friends?

Bellova sobbed, much louder than she intended. Maybe she should just let Coriolanus win. That way, nobody else would get hurt.

But giving in would mean she’d live under his rule forever. She would never be allowed to have any autonomy or control. She would just be his puppet, a pretty but harmless shell of a human, who followed him around like a lost puppy. 

No. She couldn’t let that happen. 

The fury blooming in her chest helped her get back on her feet. She would succeed in getting away, or go down fighting.

She heard Coriolanus bellow her name from afar, making her jump. She tripped as she started sprinting again, and kicked off her ballet flats, knowing they were slowing her down. 

Mere moments later, Coriolanus stumbled across the abandoned pair of shoes. He knew he was gaining ground on her, but there was no guarantee that he could catch her before she completely slipped through his fingers. 

“Bellova!” he snarled loudly, expertly concealing the anxiety he was experiencing. He felt like he was back in District 12, desperately chasing after Lucy Gray. 

But this time, he wouldn’t stop pursuing his target.

Finally, he spotted a flash of white ahead of him. 

“Give up, Bellova!” he yelled. “You’re not getting away!”

Really, he was saying this more to reassure himself than to scare her.

He hoped that she was getting tired. He didn’t know how much longer he could go without getting extremely winded.

To his relief, he was soon able to see Bellova’s figure entirely, only a handful of yards in front of him. She glanced behind her and met his gaze for only a split second. He could tell she was afraid, but determined. 

Determined to escape him forever. 

She disappeared from his sight a moment later, but Coriolanus knew he was close to winning their little game of chase.

Bellova was steadily approaching the edge of the orchard. She didn’t know what was beyond that, as she’d never wandered this far into non-city terrain. The muscles in her legs twitched painfully, burning from overuse.

As she made a sharp right turn, a sharp branch sliced open the skin on the sole of her foot. She had to bite down on her lip to refrain from screaming. She could feel the blood gushing from the incision, and tried her best to ignore it. But when she tried taking another step, the pain became too much to bear. She sunk to the ground, putting a hand over the wound to try to stop the bleeding. 

She could hear her pursuer’s footsteps rapidly approaching, and quickly dove behind a nearby tree. 

This action elicited a cruel laugh from Coriolanus.

“Come out of hiding, and I’ll consider making this less painful for you,” he called out, making her shudder. “You know you’ve been beat, why not just surrender now and reap the benefits of a peaceful defeat?”

Bellova hugged her knees to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. She had never felt so much like prey, like a helpless rabbit awaiting an inevitable, brutal fate. 

Coriolanus truly was a heartless, relentless monster. 

A cold hand wrapped around her bicep, yanking her out of her hiding place. Bellova closed her eyes, refusing to look at the smug, triumphant look that Coriolanus undoubtedly wore. Her body was so limp that he had to hold her up, like a rag doll made of nothing but fabric and stuffing. 

“You’re pathetic,” Coriolanus said condescendingly, digging his nails into her flesh. She whimpered quietly, only amusing him further. “I bet you’re going to start begging for forgiveness any minute now.”

“Never,” Bellova whispered as defiantly as she could, despite feeling like her entire body had gone numb. 

Coriolanus’s gaze hardened, and his hands moved from her arms to wrap around her neck. Bellova shrieked, clawing at his forearms, which did nothing to deter him.

“There wouldn’t have been any point in begging anyway,” Coriolanus said, his grip around her throat getting tighter by the second.

“I never planned on giving you any mercy.”

Bellova’s vision began to fade, and she felt her conciseness slipping away. She tried to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. 

Coriolanus let go of her throat, smiling cruelly as she crumpled to the ground. 

As her mind faded to nothing, she came to a horrible realization:

He wasn’t going to kill her. That would be mercy, which he was clearly unwilling to give her. 

He was going to keep her alive as long as possible, torturing and altering her mind and body until it was exactly what he wanted. She’d never slip through the invisible cage he’d thrown her into.

She was his, until she took her dying breath.

Unless, of course, he took his first. 

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊

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Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments! So sorry guys, I changed my mind and added the chase for a bit more tension and action before stuff gets even darker. The next chapter will mostly take place in Dr. Gauls lab…

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