#me when real romance and relationships: 🤢

[softcocoa]

My craziest most unreal radioapple scenario is that they're deeply in love

[margareth-lv]

🏳️‍🌈 Every girl needs a gay best friend 🏳️‍🌈

Last week, I wrote a post here about the morbid shyness of a certain music manager.

My text was based on an interview Caitríona gave in mid-February 2018, shortly after her so-called 'engagement' and after she'd just won the Irish IFTA for her work on Outlander.

In the interview, Caitríona talked about how she met her fake fiancé. In the February 2018 version, Caitríona met her PA through one of her best friends.

So I decided to look into the subject of this "best friend" who brought the unfortunate music manager to Caitriona.

What I'm going to write today is, I think, 100% obvious to veterans of the fandom. But for those just starting out, I hope it'll be news. And I, well, I'm somewhere in the middle, between newbie status and more than three years of wading through the facts and the myths.

For me, the fun part has been reconstructing the chronology of events. The dates are interesting.

*** *** ***

The beginning of my story is quite surprising. Because we reach Caitríona's 'best friend' by clicking on a link in an article published in 'People Magazine' on 15 August 2019.

The article is entitled: 'Everything to Know About Caitriona Balfe's Super Private Relationship with Husband Tony McGill' and it tells us that: 'the couple tied the knot in England last weekend'.

😱

What excellent investigative journalists People Magazine have (bravo, bravo!), that in a twelve sentence article they could link to a post from Donal Brophy's Instagram.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

And look at this description:

"It’s unclear exactly when Balfe and McGill started dating, but the earliest evidence of their romance dates back to 2015, when a friend posted a video of her sitting on his lap at a bar in Ireland on Instagram. (McGill was not tagged and does not appear to have any social media accounts of his own.)"

🤯

Isn't that brilliant work from Starz/TPTB/whatever's PR Dept?

*** **** *** From the above it seems fair to conclude that the 'best friend' who brought Caitriona bad luck in the form of an unfulfilling music manager was Donal Brophy, because who else could it be?

*** *** ***

And now, let's take a quick look at the Instagram post (dated 1 January 2015) linked to the 'People Magazine' article. We all know it, of course! Here is the irrefutable proof of the passion between our two lovebirds: the rhythmic (and how sexy!) patting on the hip.

🥱

Well, hip-slapping is boring (and not at all sexy).

Far less boring, however, is the look on the music manager's face, the look that seeks Donal's approval (tell me I'm patting her well, do tell!). Could it be that, like the People Magazine link, this video was made to show? I wouldn't rule it out.

*** *** *** Now let's talk about dates: the sexy (not 🤢) slap on the hip was posted by Donal with a date of 1 January 2015, but two days earlier, on 30 December 2014, Donal shared another photo on Instagram featuring both the hapless music manager and Caitríona. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Perhaps the decidedly less seductive and sensual appearance of the 'fiancée' in the December photo was the deciding factor in "People Magazine" not publishing a link to it?

Who could know?

*** *** ***

It certainly wasn't love at first sight. The new boyfriend seems rather tired of Caitriona's presence. 😉

I know this is a mischievous conclusion. I am so, so sorry, my friends.

❓

But one thing is for sure: Donal is an old friend of Caitríona.

I haven't done too much in-depth research, but the oldest photo I've been able to find of both Caitríona and Donal is… a photo in a Flickr album belonging to Caitríona's ex-boyfriend, Dave Milone. The photo is dated… 2002.

😨

You get the idea - Caitríona's ex (and real) boyfriend, Dave, Donal, and after many, many years a new 'fiancé'. It feels like my brain is exploding. 🤯🤯🤯

*** *** ***

But back to Donal: I have a feeling that Donal may have been Caitríona's +1 at times when she did not have an official boyfriend.

*** *** *** And let's not forget: Caitríona has a sweet and tender relationship with Donal.

June 2013, Miss you babe!

December 2013, Caitríona on IG:

December 2013, Donal on IG:

April 2014: They even went hiking together in the Scottish Highlands.

I wonder, by the way, who was their mountain guide? Was it an unfortunate music manager? I think not.

I would rather point to someone else, someone who loves (and knows!) the (S)cottish (H)ighlands. But I won't name him.

⛰️🧗🏻‍♂️

*** *** ***

For those who are unfamiliar with the name Donal Brophy, here are a few words about his professional profile:

You know, it works for me: "While in New York, Donal was also known for epic parties. Everything he organized automatically became a “must-attend” event for New York’s most with-it residents."

You know, that kind of vibe (2007):

😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

*** *** ***

Had he been Caitríona's false fiancé, it would have been easy for us to believe in the beautiful, loving bond that existed between them. But he was only the messenger of bad news. What wouldn't you do for your best friend?

❓

PS. Unless something has changed, Donal was married to Emrhys Cooper, a British actor, singer, dancer, and filmmaker. Together they run Idyllwild Pictures, an entertainment company.

Taken in July 2023:

[January 23, 2024]

[melfinawins]

I'm going to write a longish post on this, but yeah.

Also, if you're not down for vague dooming, don't read this lmao

For me, The Bear is a Hallmark movie with more swearing and more teeth. It'll end in the same spot as a Hallmark movie. Carmy will find balance and either be on his way to healing those open wounds from his childhood or will have healed them. He'll be self satisfied. Balanced. Home is Where the Heart Is type shit with a dash of All the Answers I was Searching for was Here all Along!

The question of romance on the show for me was about which romance trope was being used.

Was it going to be Carmy reconnecting with an old flame from his past? Or was it Carmy meets a person who changes his life for the better, but they're quirky/awkward and even though she drives him crazy, she drives him crazy.

I've seen the BTS from S4. I'm of two minds on this. Either Storer and co decided to resolve the romance aspect of the show a season early (weird, but I kind of like that?? That's certainly not as common these days) and it's about other things in s4 pertaining to the suspicions some of us have about Syd's job prospects. And then s4 is about either getting her back or a rivalry or just connecting on a personal level again. There are more options I'm sure, but those are the ones I'm thinking about currently.

Or, Claire is really just the cold prep as @chefkids and @thoughtfulchaos773 and others have more eloquently said, and Carmy will realize he wants Syd at the end of the series and breaks up with Claire.

The part of me who loves interesting stories and unexpected turns wants the romance part to be resolved because that's fun to me. But the black woman that I am who is so fucking sick and tired of seeing black characters support and lift up white characters is like, over it.

Another way I can see this going on the romance part is really what Joanna Calo said about Syd and Carmy: they really are just platonic and messy! So Carmy gets the best of two women. Cool. 🤢

Anyway!

I like to keep in mind that The Bear is a story about Chris, Gillian and his sister. The show is biographical in nature and when I think about SydCarmy not happening, it's more because Chris is like ew, Syd represents my sister and that's gross and less I don't value the stories of black women.

Like, Claire is a doctor and I kinda hate that her position in Carmy's life is so on the nose and I want for men to fucking stop treating the women in their lives like their therapists and parents/bangmaids Jesus fucking Christ. But Storer is a man, and a white man at that, so. 🙃 Like, Carmy has real issues that need a professional. No pussy is gonna cure that, not even Syd's!

If Carmy is the literal worst in s3 and nukes all his relationships because he refuses to get therapy and deal with his issues, I hope he and Claire end up together and stay together because damn, Syd deserves more than that dysfunction because she really is already too good for him.

But he hasn't done anything that's not salvageable. Yet.

Anyway, thanks for attending my Ted Talk!

[albywritesfiction]

Wow I'm loving the premise of this IF 👏, and I saw in a previous ask that you took some inspiration from Remarried Empress 🥰, which I'm also a huge fan of 😍, so I have quite a few questions 😅😁

1. So does this mean we can also end up having our EX begging, pleading, pining and fighting for us at some point in the story like Sovieshit? Because I'd love to rub my new romance in their face 😈, especially when MC is looking even better at a ball or something when we make an entrance or dance 💃🕺

2. And how capable and popular is MC with the nobility and the public, I understand we won't be as popular as Helene *coughs* trashta *coughs* 🤢🤮 with regards to the public, but I hope we can still be a capable and well liked figure and in not just our own territory📚👸?

3. If we choose to go home does it block us from romance with the 2nd Prince? and vice versa with the best friend 🤔

4. and will the two paths converge at some point, because I wouldn't mind having a choice at any point through a path to travel back and forth between home and the capital 🤭

5. I dont know if its been asked but what about MCs parents or siblings or family, do we have any and how's their relationship with MC ☺

Sorry its quite a few asks 😅 but I'm too invested, good luck with your work and wishing you the best

Hello wayflame!

This was a fun ask! Answers under the cut 😊

Hmm you’ll just have to wait and see! Would be pretty satisfying though for him to come crawling back only to be slapped in the face by your new relationship with his brother… *cue innocent whistling*

This is also kinda within spoiler territory 😅 I can tell you though that just because Helene’s more popular with the people doesn’t mean that they’ve forgotten about MC’s accomplishments. They still acknowledge that MC is a very capable individual and treat MC with respect (and not just because they’re the heir of House Argentius), it’s just that a lot of them are a little too into real-life fairytales 😅

Yes. Ædric is needed at the capital while Cyfrin is needed at the duchy, so you won’t be able to spend enough time with Ædric if you go home or with Cyfrin if you stay.

Unfortunately, no. You’ll be pretty busy wherever you choose to go, so you won’t have time to travel back and forth within the story 😅

MC is an only child and their mother died when they were pretty young, but their father has never been shy in letting them know just how much he loves them. He’s a good balance between “I’ll dote on my child by getting them everything they want! Oh, you want to have the neighboring empire, my dear? Hold on, Daddy’s going to go on a little war conquest 🥰,” and “No. You can’t have anything if you’re not 100% perfect. How else are you going to take that empire you want so badly with your own hands? 100 laps around the duchy, now!”

I’m glad you like the premise! I don’t mind how many questions you had, as long as you don’t mind that it took a while for me to answer them 😅 Thank you for the well wishes!

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Part 3 in my Choices recs ig.....

Why are the MC & LI from (choices) Crimes of Passion literally just this, respectively:

Ok but I absolutely love how Crimes of Passion is written???

There's only one LI and it's one of those books where the romance isn't optional and in choices those books usually always focus on either the romantic relationship or are just softcore porn and it gets boring

But,

The first book of crimes of passion has the least amount of romantic options I've seen from a Choices book, specially when you consider the fact that the MC & LI spend almost 100% of their time together. Instead it focuses on the actual story/murder mystery. (Though the MC & LI's dynamic is very important to the story) And all of this allows the MC & LIs relationship to develop much more naturally than in any other book.

There's no instant moment of attraction that makes the MC want to jump the LI's bones from the second they lock eyes (which is annoyingly common in choices)

What makes it funnier is the way they met compared to the way other MCs meet their LIs, because like:

Other Choices MCs meeting a LI in at least 3 layers of clothes: 😳🥵🥴❤️🍆🍑💦💦💦

Crimes of Passion MC meeting their dripping wet, only in a towel LI: 😡🤬😤🥱🤢😴🙄🙄🙄

It was also really nice getting a more serious, focused on their job, all the walls up, sarcastic but still fun MC with a cocky, flirty, puppy dog energy, comic relief but still vulnerable LI

They're also very protective of each other, which makes sense because they're both dealing with similar grief

There's also a lot of forehead touching in both books, even while they're still in a "will they won't they" stage and it's just something they do when the other is upset which is really sweet what the hell

+ actual story wise, I did not see the Book 1 killer coming at all until the reveal but I figured out who the Book 2 killer from the second they were introduced😭 but the characters in Book 2 didn't figure out who it was till the very end so I spent a lot of Book 2 screaming at the screen, and trying to push MC away from their suspects towards the real killer - so anytime the game gave us an opportunity to look a little more closely at the real killer it went like this:

MC: hmm I wonder how X is doing?

X: here's a very clear motive for why I'm the murderer

MC: huh. So B is definitely our murderer

Me: NO.

Though to be fair X only started giving a clear motive near the end and B being the killer did have a lot of evidence backing it up. But if you're used to the tropes then you can instantly tell who it is

Anyway Book 2 is also really good, MC is literally the best partner ever and deserves a sainthood for all the bullshit they put up with. And even if you know you're going to get a happy ending there's this feeling of angst that hovers over the whole thing and colours all of MC & LI's interactions which adds a lil' flavour to the story. Also Alice is the best girl! And book 3 is coming this year??

[youremyheaven]

Do you think it’s possible for a solar man to be loyal? My ex turned boyfriend and I are going long distance and it’s not that I don’t trust him but like…gulp. He’s a Krittika sun and his atmakaraka is in Mrigashira he’s also a revati rising😶. He said he’s committed but we can’t see each other for three years😭 he was a senior when I met him as a freshman(in college) and now I’m entering sophomore year and he’s graduated. Apparently when I graduate, moving in together and marriage is what he wants. I’m just scared tho😞 like he’s super blunt and honest sometimes to a fault so if he did anything he’d tell me?? Idk 😭

i think anybody regardless of their naks can be a good, honourable person who is loyal, faithful etc. what naks show us and what their purpose is, is to reveal the innate tendencies of a person. anybody can attain self-mastery and rise above their nature though. (yk the whole enlightenment business hehe)

that saiiiiidd,

i dont think a combination of krittika + mrigashira + revati sounds like husband material stuff to me. thats my honest opinion.

idk what your placements are and how ya'lls synastry looks like but you clearly already have your doubts, which is why you're telling me about it 👀

this isn't only tied to astrology but as a psychic-intuitive person, im getting bad vibes from this man. 🫢🫢

you can make any decision you'd like to and its up to you. im not trying to fearmonger or falsely accuse a man i dont know of anything.

BUT

as a grown woman, i'll tell you that seniors who hit on freshmen and get into relationships with them are more often than not, predators. he was in that uni for a good 4-5 years and yet he was single in his final year and the only suitable woman was a girl right out of highschool???

if you're in your 20s you would know how hard we find it to connect to someone in their teens. a 21-22yr old is entering the work force/studying further etc and is an actual adult with real responsibilities whose life looks vastly different from an 18yr old fresh out of highschool. this is not a relationship of "equals". there is a power dynamic here (and with that krittika + mrigashira + revati 💀💀💀the power is most definitely in his hands)

i say this as someone who has male friends who have done the same thing and dated freshmen. they've all talked about how "innocent" the girls are and how "naive and cute" they are 🤢🤢🤢🤮 i would never let my daughters around these men. so that should tell you something.

idk how many relationships you've had but trust me, the guy you meet in your first year of university is not The One

another thing that reallyyyy bothers me is how, he expects you to wait for him for 3 years. it SCREAMS revati + krittika/solar influence. he's had a whole college experience and is now graduated and onto other things but he wants you to remain committed to him until you graduate college even though he knows there's no way you can see each other for THREE YEARS???

my june talking stage (Venusian man) was Revati Sun & Venus and him & i used to run in the same circles in school etc and reconnected after nearly a decade. after days of flirting, proposing marriage, him wanting me to have his babies etc he "accidentally" revealed that he's planning on migrating abroad in the next several months 💀💀💀 and i asked him why tf would u then plan ur entire life with me and he said "bc it would be nice to have a plan ready when we meet again in the future" 💀💀💀bro was basically trying to make me hopeful for a life with him, give him my time and energy and stay waiting for the day that may or may not come lmao

its different when a guy who is already your boyfriend promises these things (marriage, moving in etc) but you're 19 baby, you have your whole life ahead of you. do you really believe that this man is the love of your life? do you think you can put up with him every day until the day you die?

at 19, love and romance will feel very do or die and intense af,, you think this is your only shot at true love but that's not true. there is SOOO much wonderful stuff waiting for you in your future and you shouldn't throw it all to the side for a Solar/Martian/Mercurial man 🤢🤢🤢

life changes so dramatically after u graduate college, u have no idea!!! u will become an entirely different human being. you're still a kid right now and you should be focusing on yourself, having fun and doing well in college. men come and go but this degree can change your life!!!

as someone who has been in long distance relationships, lemme tell u that it takes A LOT of time and energy. and at 19, i think that time and energy will be better spent elsewhere. i also generally dont think long distance relationships work except in veryyyy rare cases.

your man loves the idea of you saving yourself for him, waiting for him, needing him, belonging to him. he loves to gives you ideas, fill you up with images of a future together because he relishes having that power over you. this is literally what Solar men are like. sprinkle some Mercurial manipulation on top of it. Martian men can be reallyyy violent and abusive (if imbalanced). he's already harsh with his words as you say, do you really want to stick around and find out what else might happen???

again, not trying to fear monger but i dont get good vibes from this guy

plenty of girls i knew in my first year of college started dating seniors and entered into the most destructive and life changing relationships.

none of them are still together. and this is coming from an indian pov where people still used to date to marry.

all im saying is, this looks bad from many different angles and i dont want you to ruin your college experience caught up with some guy who isn't even there. your friends will be out there making memories of a lifetime, acing their classes and you'll be arguing with him on face time and crying yourself to sleep

ik that sounds dramatic but im trying to be realistic here

cut this man out babe , you can do so much better<3333

[witheredoffherwitch]

Alysmond bullying Helaemond is nothing new. But you see, we have A LOT more fanfictions, our Fanart are always beautiful, the fandom are Bigger (hotd instagram, daemyra, lucemond, team black, even Phia herself approved!). But do you see any alysmond being advertise? None. Not today and Never will be famous 💘

Okay I am indulging some because it's funny and I have nothing else to do here. So, here we go -

Helaemond being bigger than Team Black - 💀💀

Helaemond being bigger than Daemyra - 😂😆🤭

Helaemond being bigger than Lucemond - 🤪🫣🤣😂😂😭🤢🤮😖😣😩😨😝😂😂😭

It's absurd because the biggest fic in the fandom has over 17K kudos and it happens to be a Lucemond fic. I hold nothing against Helaemond; on the contrary, some of my close online friends happen to be Helaemond shippers, and I've gone through many of their fics with great pleasure.

But, do I personally want this ship included in the show? NO! I don't know why you're coming at me for shipping Alysmond when Helaemond doesn't make for any relationship 'goals' either -- especially when you consider how Aemond's story will end according to canon. If Helaemond turns out to be real, it would mean he left Helaena alone and vulnerable, only to run off with another woman. I am sorry but this isn't going to be some idealised romance like Jamie and Cersei's where he betrays Brienne in the end to get back to his one true 'love'. No, instead he stays with Alys till the last minute, and kisses her passionately before marching to his death. He was besotted with her! The only missing part of their dynamic is her feelings towards him--did she love him or push him to his death? Either way, we know for sure that Aemond was truly and madly in love with her.

[neverlearnedtoread]

Midnight in Everwood

⭐⭐; reading this book is like letting a kid explain their drawing to you - 'this is the cotton candy castle with a prince and princess and their 29 dogs and cats', they say, pointing to a wobbly blue squiggle and a patch of snot. all you can do is smile and nod and let it happen

Oh?? 👌😉😏

the narration, while over the top, fit the atmosphere the book wanted to create (confectionary sugar world). its probably annoying to listen to as the descriptions dont let up but im good at skimming so i could swim my way through the syrup just fine

i liked the beginning, before the author's hand became too glaringly obvious to ignore later in the plot - while marietta was never entertaining as a main character to follow, she felt more 'real' in her home environment, more believable as a character. i liked her relationship with her brother

I'll say this: finishing this book made me want to rewatch Barbie in the Nutcracker, just to feel something. what a classic! unlike this book 😭

No.. ❌🤢🤮

oversaturated with metaphors and flowery language - enough synonyms, hoity-toity French vocabularié and verbiage to rot your teeth out. it's also an 'oh?? 👌😉😏' point because i do think the author did it on purpose to create a certain tone, but it's A LOT.

i get the distinct sense that the author understands on a surface level that her character is a privileged whiny baby, but doesn't have the writing prowess to make her compelling OR put her through her paces of a satisfying character arc.

#girlboss #modernfeminism #womenarejustasstrongasmen played completely straight. a main female character who stays entirely, pretentiously convinced of their own girlbossery the whole time, despite doing NOTHING to earn it, and an author who reshapes the story to meet those expectations. anything for her #slay #girlboss #queen!!!!!

stuff constantly gets introduced just to not add anything to the story - the mouse king equivalent has in his castle a captured FAIRY and WARRIOR PRINCESS as part of his menagerie of women marietta finds herself a part of, and we just leave it at that. the guard captain is revealed as part of a SECRET REBELLION and all that happens is marietta gets weirdly horny about it.

the romance develops at the most annoying moments - they even decide to fuck in the snow (their bare asses!! in the SNOW!!! and not even a hint of pneumonia to show for it 🥶) before marietta returns to her world. i expected her to be hornt up, but the guy?? my brother in butterscotch we have got to get you better standards in women

Summary: Marietta Stelle wants to dance but she's too damn privileged to be allowed to pursue it as a viable career - she needs to get married to some creepy old man for the sake of her family's ambition, damnit! As her last performance draws near, Marietta is pushed into accepting the marriage proposal of the creepiest man in town, a mysterious toymaker named Dr. Drosselmeier. Of course, she's a #strongfemalecharacter, so she vehemently rejects him - only to fall victim to his (very heavy-handedly hidden) magic, which transports her in a magical world made of sugar, full of hidden dangers.

Concept: 💭💭💭 The Nutcracker isn't my favourite story ever, but I'm a sucker for a good fairytale - and for good music! I think it's a story that lends itself very heavily to a specific kind of whimsical, airy aesthetic - while allowing for darker themes or storytelling aspects to lurk in the shadows. A friend whose taste I trust recommended this book to me, and while I was skeptical that the summary (mostly because the blurb included a list of #tropes, which is a bookish red flag for me) would really deliver on its vague promises, I've done more for less.

Execution: 💥 This book should come with a 'NO DIVING! THIS POOL IS ONLY LESS THAN 1M DEEP' warning - it's so shallow I was encouraging my own reflection to keep going after every chapter. Bafflingly, this issue actually worsens when Marietta gets to the magical isekai world of Everwood - which is the OPPOSITE of what is supposed to happen! You would think a world governed by an evil mouse king (who is not a mouse, just a guy. he has enchanted mice running up and down his coat, ooh scary) and literally made of sweets would be fun, but we only get TOLD the names of its stories and legends and then the book is like 'next chapter! marietta felt more at home because her new friends told her stuff!' Plus, in the latter half of the book you really chafe against the author's lack of skill - like watching a puppet show while clearly being able to see the fingers / hands of the puppeteers, her characters are angry, awestruck, and miserable in the most wooden of ways as the author stomps on the next bullet point in her outline with all the subtlety of an elephant.

Personal Enjoyment: ❤❤ I can't say I enjoyed reading this book, because I really didn't - at one point I had to put the book down after SIX PAGES because marietta was getting on my nerves with her badly timed horniness (which she didn't know was horniness, because that builds ~~tension~~). But I had a LOT of fun recounting this book to my friend (the one who recommended it to me, who then gave up less than 20% in) and my sister. Everything that happened WAS frustrating, but in a way that made me laugh - which is the reason why I kept reading. It was like watching a collision in slow-mo - I had to know where it ended.

Favourite Moment: this entire book was painful but i had a good laugh when marietta and the captain fuck in the snow - and i do mean fuck. ass fully out behaviour. everwood is supposed to be stuck in a forever winter and they were all 'we'll just lay our coats down, it'll be fine'. like, i am absolutely sure it will NOT be fine, but you do you! it's not like marietta 'damn this feminism shit is easy' stelle is gonna listen to anyone anyway. that would be non-feminist! a ho never gets cold!

Favourite Character: Dellara, AKA the remains of a Sugar Plum Fairy equivalent stripped of every possible interesting thing and left on the floor to bleed out as a 'mean girl'. Don't get me wrong, Pirlipata was a fascinatingly underused character too, but Dellara actually snapped at Marietta multiple times (didn't amount to anything, but A+ for effort) and we simply have to stan her for that. Also she endures torture for the sake of others and is an otherworldly immortal being who becomes Queen at the end. I would gladly have thrown Marietta into the path of an oncoming bus to follow Dellara's storyline instead.

[bisluthq]

I get how the “secret relationship” stuff in reputation is going to appeal to queer people, because straight people outside of the spotlight don’t have to hide their relationships (unless you’re in a Romeo and Juliet situation I guess). But we know Taylor was dating Joe and we know exactly why she was hiding.

I get relating to a lot of the themes of the album as a queer person, but I don’t get why people need that interpretation to be the “correct” or “real” one. You can relate to the album even if Taylor wrote it about a man, your interpretation can be different from Taylor’s

This is exactly what I said dude. There is no such thing as a correct interpretation of art. There is what Taylor was thinking about (usually autobiographical although she does fantasize and make stuff up because again, she is not a dick powered jukebox). There is what you think about. Things we think about when listening to her songs can change over time (as I said, this applies to what Taylor thinks about them too because it is HER CREATIVE WORK). I guarantee you End Game is giving her a little thrill now that she’s with a professional athlete but she didn’t write it with him in mind.

An interpretation is just that - one way to read something. It’s not limited to sexuality btw like people read things differently all the time. I’ve shared this before: CLM is like the most romantic song I’ve ever heard FOR ME. My current situation actually fits that really perfectly. I played it for my bf a few months into us dating expecting him to love it and he found it depressing and tragic. He didn’t get the romance at all. He didn’t hate the song as like… a song lol like he thinks it’s pretty but he fails to see how it’s romantic. That same day - we were sharing like what our most romantic song is about the other person because it was early days and we were vom cute ew 🤢 - he chose Patience by Guns ‘N Roses and I had the same reaction. Like, cool song ngl but I don’t get how it’s like a grand statement on romance. Idk what the fuck Axl was thinking when he wrote Patience (I suspect very little because he would’ve been high as shit but ok) but for my bf that’s like the grandest statement on love and fits us and for me it’s a little confusing and tbh it sounds like they’ve broken up when he’s singing it??? And that’s his same point on CLM lol. So like yeah people interpret things differently guys. This is what I’ve been trying to say.

Saying “I pick up queer themes in Dress” is fair play. Saying “Taylor didn’t write Dress about Joe, she’s a big fat liar who lies, it’s about supermodel Karlie Kloss- no wait it’s about supermodel Lily Donaldson because there’s a picture of them at a party in a bathtub with like 50 other people and she mentions that public moment in her song and ergo this song is about Lily/Karlie/the homophobic violinist from her first band and who cares what it means to me because I never go outside but Taylor is gay and this is the proof” is just unhinged.

Also there are a host of other reasons to want to be secretive in mf relationships other than Romeo and Juliet or super famous vibes just btw. Hookups within friend groups or intermixed friend groups often have to be kept on the DL. Hookups at work - unless it’s proven to be serious - should be kept on the DL. Dating while in the midst of a divorce or serious longterm breakup has to be kept on the DL. If you’ve got kids, dating has to be kept on the DL unless you’re a messy bitch who lives for drama or until you know it’s serious. Reconnecting with exes has to mostly be kept on the DL until you know it’s serious. I can go on. Being gay or being in a truly forbidden situation aren’t the only two valid reasons to want to know places you won’t be found.

Any of those situations could have you relating to Dress. The best friend stuff makes it sound a bit gay to me (someone who has hooked up with a number of her female friends) but that’s not the only interpretation nor is it factual. It’s also not invalid.

My last thought is like… as fun as muse analysis is, I like Taylor Swift because she articulates thoughts about MY LIFE better than I can. I don’t imagine Taylor and Joe or Taylor and Jake or Taylor and Harry or Hiddleswift or whatever when I listen to my favorite songs. I imagine my own life. That’s what I love about her. It feels like she’s articulating feelings and experiences I’ve felt better than I ever could yk?

[deviljho]

oh ok but yeah my six of crows thoughts are

- the worldbuilding & magic stuff was fucking awesome. like yea maybe it’s a bit cringe steampunk YA edgy bullshit but idk it’s epic enough i can forgive that. i also think the politics and dynamics between the countries are really interesting too even though it has the all too common problem in fantasy settings where they’re like “here’s [FANTASY ASIA] and [FANTASY (vague nondescript middle eastern country)]” which is so reductive and boring lol but again unsurprising also :/ but anyways sorry i’m trying to not be a hater here so yeah like there was this specific moment where nina is walking through the fucking…nordic palace sorry i already forgot that country’s name and she clearly recognizes the architecture of the building as being magic manufactured where she speculates abt how different, historically, the relationship between them and other places might’ve been back before they started hunting and killing magic users and i was like damn. hell fucking yes bro. like there’s just a level of detail but also restraint to it

- um okay also i liked most of the characters but especially nina and inej and kaz. idk what else to say about them but yeah i really liked them

ok my hater moment incoming

1) it wasn’t really gay at all maybe i misunderstood but i thought it was? but also it sounds like future books are gayer so whatever *drops the rock i was holding*

2) i really hated matthias & nina’s relationship like i just hate when the whole dynamic between a guy and girl character is that he like actively thinks she’s disgusting and perverse and evil and subhuman and that he’s disgusting for being attracted to her like no amount of lore reasons could make it better for me every time they had a moment i was like 🤢🤢 GROSS….he kind of redeemed himself A LITTLE at the end but i’m still mad that this was the main romance in the book like please….straight women this is your teen fantasy?

3) in general i think it was wildly unrealistic for the characters to be fucking. 17 years old like sorry i’m just rejecting that entirely they’re 25 in my mind now

4) the last one isn’t rly about the book but i’m mad as fuck that nina is explicitly written as a fat character like ACTIVELY described that way multiple times (not negatively or anything but like….it is very much there in the text) but for whatever reason they cast some random skinny white girl to play her in the show like. be fucking for real rn!!!!! WHAT THE HELL

i give it 4 out of 5

[pftones3482]

Can I just say I am so happy you wrote that coming out fic and showed Phineas coming out as aro-ace? I think a small number of PnF fans actually do harbor that headcanon but it is very appreciated when I see it in fic. Especially when even less of those people seeing Phineas as ace and/or aro are writers too. I've seen Ace Phineas on at least one other fic besides yours and even then he's established as demi (which is also very appreciated) in that one (that same fic has Ace Stacy too!).

Ace-Aro Phineas should definitely be something explored more in PnF fandom - or in fact any fic where Phineas doesn't necessarily end up with someone if the main point of the fic a non-Phineas focused ship (I've seen multiple Ferbella and Bujeet fics with Phineas/Candace, Phineas/Adyson, Phineas/OC.) There's so much, let him be aspec!

I'm genuinely so happy people resonated with that part of the fic specifically - I'm not aro/ace myself, so it was the part I was most nervous to write bc it was so introspective (compared to Doof's scene, which was more observational about him being trans, and obviously it's well established that he's known for a long time). To hear that a lot of people liked it makes me feel so good.

In canon, Phineas is SO oblivious to any kind of romantic attraction directed towards him - he is well aware that it exists, and that it's real, but he never acknowledges it when it's directed at him and there is not ONE moment in the show (save for AYA, which ew, and the Star Wars special, which isn't canon) where he directs it at anyone else. And it's not even age - all of his friends and both his siblings at one point or another in the show have crushes or relationships.

I know Phinabella was always end goal, but with how disinterested they made Phineas in the concept of romance at all, it always just sat wrong with me. (Not to say ppl can't like it ofc, y'all do you, but it just never added up)

And yo honestly? I hate how many non-Phineas focused relationship fics have him in an incestuous relationship. I can't read half the Ferbella fics that exist bc they put him in a relationship with his sister 🤢🤢 Like there's already a severe lack of Ferbella fics in the fandom, and then they do THAT?? Before I really headcanoned Phineas as ace/aro, I usually headcanoned him as ace/gay, and would pair him with Django p frequently (still think they'd be fun in a queer platonic relationship tbh)

Anyway, that's all a long winded way to say I'm really happy you liked the fic, and I also wish more people would consider ace/aro Phineas. You don't need to be in a relationship to be an interesting character 🤷🏼‍♀️ that's honestly one of the biggest reasons I write so many family oriented/friendship oriented fics - there's a lack of good found-family/family tropes in every fandom that exists (the PnF fandom is esp bad with this, which is INSANE, bc their platonic/familial relationships are the core of the show - literally both movies were about family). And sometimes that's all you want to read.

[ratanslily]

Disgusted because of people defending damon on reddit! "He didn't take advantage of selena! She was obsessed with him! She only kissed him when she was 18! He tried to help her!" 🤢

Like that makes it even worse? He waited till she was of legal age to do things with her? Literally shouldn't have let their relationship develop beyond a customer and worker.

Didn't this author wrote SoS too? It also had lis who gr00med the mc

Tldr: Reddit is a shthole.

argh anon ikr! Actually, I have this sort of resentment towards season 2, because it feels icky. you have damon, sure he's a different guy here, but this is a fake AU! Selena hails from the real world, and do you think she'd romance damon after all she went thru because of him and the stains left on her because of their weird relationship?? yeah.. NO.

not only that, they make Liam and Bert relatives of selena. this is way too unfair towards their romancers (Liam is endgame for me so). I know I know, this is a fake world and all but seriously what was the need of this?

I really hope Arcanum brings back the charm it had on players while set in totspel in season 3. I'm sick of this human-dryad thing going on in s2.

[mprosperossprite]

🏆🤢😎

�� What do you wish more authors in your fandom would write about?

This is going to sound real salty, but I wish that more people would actually write about TOG's primary themes with any kind of nuance. I love a good romance, but questions of loneliness and family and friendship and culture and what it means to do the right thing? These are the things that absolutely light me on fire. And I wish we had both more fic that engages with the unimaginably long history of these characters and how the ways in which they confront war and history and oppression have changed! Joe alludes to the fact that sometimes they were the bad guys! When did they get it wrong? How do they live with those regrets?

Also, Nile is the main character. I wish more fandom authors treated her that way.

🤢 Who is your NoTP?

My exceptionally spicy take? Joe/Nicky in like 90% of the fanworks written about them.

There are lots of reasons for this. I think most fic interpretations of them vastly underplay their capacity for violence when they deem it righteous and overplay the softer aspects of their characters. I think most romantic fic between them plays up the "they're fated to be together" at the expense of actually grappling with the fact that 900+ year relationship takes hella work to maintain. I think that one of Joe and Nicky's primary functions in the film is to be stable and loving and boring but that makes most attempts at conflict between them feel forced. I could go on, but I shan't.

I love Joe & Nicky. I just don't love a lot of the fanon that's cropped up around them.

😎 Who is your BroTP?

It's definitely a three way tie between 1. Nile and Nicky, 2. Joe and Booker and 3. Quynh and any of the previous four.

TOG goes out of it's way to say that friendships are just as important as romantic relationships and I love thinking of the way that these characters grow and learn and laugh because of the love of their friends.

Send me Fic Reader Asks from here!

[akria23]

Alright I’m super late like always (I’m sick this time) - doesn’t matter I mainly talk to myself 😂

So Episode 11 teaser

Sooo It seems like Mame decided to go with a painful episode 11 - despite all my begging for the last 2-3 weeks 🤣

I’m not worried tho. I’m not even bothered. I guess because I’ve been saying for the entirety how many more crying scenes we have left, how we still have Kings return & the girl left. These were plot points that I was always aware was coming unless they chopped them (which is always highly unlikely). Plus mame loves a dramatic episode 11 😌 She made sure to serve a delicious episode 10 before the chaos 😪 That’s why I said ‘a deceptive episode 10 teaser’ last time.

The teaser for epi 11 did a lot of set up to make it look like two cheating storylines intertwining - Fiat saw Leo cheat so he cheats.

Fiat using s€x to deal with his emotions is very much in character (he still does this inside his relationship with Leo even), the real issue is that sleeping with someone else to deal with his emotional baggage with Leo is against his current character growth. Which is one of the reasons it’s not likely to happen quite that way.

My issue with the end of episode 10 & the teaser for episode 11 is Leo’s behavior. Leo kissing someone else is wildly against character. Even if it’s blackmail. It’s not about him being the type that ties physical intimacy with love it’s about the fact that cheating even under the guise of blackmail goes against his makeup. It’s something that would eat at him and it’s not how he deals with issues. The only way to cut this corner is to have it be something to do with Fiat but even then it’s still gonna be a strain to buy def this far in the game when the build of their relationship has been being open with one another, working together rather than sacrificing in the name of.

I fear that no matter the reason this decision will cheapen the entirety of what the story has built thus far. Only the reveal will tell. My other issue here is that the main focus is on Fiat’s supposed infidelity rather than Leo’s very much real one. Still hoping that little dialogue Leo gave us about his own internal guilt or some kind of ‘if’ space rather than some more shaming for Fiat - butttt I also won’t hold my breath on that bit.

Since the beginning I’ve been waiting on Curly’s (King 😑) scene that seems to finally be coming around. Earlier I had 2 theories on this, either than it would be a call back memory or a set up but given the teaser neither of those fit. Yet…

I said I wasn’t gonna go over theories anymore and I’m not. I’m not really worried about either to be honest - I still can’t imagine much actually happening with Curly 🤢 & Im sure ol’ girl will be put back in her place most likely by Fiat. I always think it’s a bad idea for antagonist to confront the main lead in these kind of setups. What might annoy me about this episode is the entire set up. If chaos doesn’t have a rhyme or reason I hate it. If mame undermines the characterization and the story itself at the very end I’ll be disappointed no matter if it’s a HEA. I love to appreciate the journey in a romance. I don’t wanna say these are things she will do they’re just not what I want. Like I said before, I usually lose sudden interest after viewing the episode right before the finale when it comes to Mame and I’m still hoping it’ll be different with DSN.Alright I’m supper late like always (I’m sick this time) - doesn’t matter I mainly talk to myself 😂 So Episode 10 - let’s make it quick Sooo It seems like Mame decided to go with a painful episode 11 - despite all my begging for the last 2-3 weeks 🤣 I’m not worried tho. I’m not even bothered. I guess because I’ve been saying for the entirety how many more crying episodes we have left, how we still have Kings return & the girl left. These were plot points that I was always aware was coming unless they chopped them (which is always highly unlikely). Plus mame loves a dramatic episode 11 😌

[neverlearnedtoread]

A Vow So Bold and Deadly

⭐⭐⭐; SHOUTOUT TO LILLITH FOR COMING THRU WITH THE TORTURE!!!! we love a heinous one-dimensional bitch who brings the drama and drives the plot forward with all the force of a charging bull

Oh?? 👌😉😏

cringefail!rhen is back from 2nd book purgatory in full force. ive said it before and i will always say it again: cringefail men are the cornerstone of good romance! the more desperate, hopeless, and despairing the man, the more impact it makes when his lover stands by his side to help him solve the plot, and i will love it every. single. time.

i really liked the scenes where rhen is alone in the castle being held captive by [redacted]. something about the muted horror and rhen's strength as a trauma survivor really gets me

character conflict that i can actually understand and believe in (eventually), without feeling the hand of the author concocting the drama, plus dynamic, interesting action scenes!

No.. ❌🤢🤮

not necessarily a dealbreaker, but the trauma survivor experience of rhen did make me feel like a content warning would have been appreciated (better safe than sorry!). there's also a spicy scene (with fade-to-black) where the characters sort of gloss over how sexual trauma might make things more complicated. there is enthusiastic verbal consent , but i do feel like the whole scene could have been taken as an opportunity to explore that topic at length instead of wriggled around to keep the sexiness going

i speedread all the grey and lia mara pov chapters up until the very very end when all the pov characters are in the same place. they were SO. BLAND. the fairytale of their romance was too boring!! like caricature cutouts of 'morally correct prince and princess who Want to Do the Right Thing and Still Be Monarchs'

Spoilers under the cut - this is the third book of the series!!

Summary: In fair Emberfall, we set the scene: two brothers who don't want to go against each other, reluctantly moving to go against each other and dragging two neighbouring countries into it. It's a whole thing! On one side of the border, Rhen waits for the axe to fall as Grey's ultimatum to give up Emberfall's throne to him as the rightful ruler draws ever closer; on the other side, Grey struggles to garner enough support in a foreign country that's dragging their feet over their new queen's calls for gentle kindness over harsh obedience, and find themselves thoroughly disgusted by the idea of a magesmith king. But the worst part of all this isn't the brewing unrest in both kingdoms, or the threat of brother-on-brother violence - the worst part is that Lillith isn't dead, and she's about to make that everyone else's problem.

Concept: 💭 It was clear to me by the middle of the second book that we were engineering Rhen and Grey to be ~in conflict~, and that was the stage the third book needed to open on. At this point, I was mostly just pulling myself to the finish line to know how the trilogy ended. The disappointment was real and I was ready to skim-read.

Execution: 💥💥💥 For better or worse, I definitely understand what Kemmerer was going for with Grey vs. Rhen, though I don't feel it was well-executed at all, and certainly not enough for me to get invested in it. Rhen and Harper's chemistry while rebuilding their trust and relationship with each other, however! I enjoyed the nuance of them pushing and pulling until they reached an equilibrium; it was heartfelt and well-earned. I also liked the buildup to and the actual action scenes at the climax very, very much - Kemmerer's craft shines best, I feel, when it comes to describing scenes of physical confrontations and building short-term tension.

Personal Enjoyment: ❤❤❤❤ (Harper/Rhen POVs); ❤❤ (Grey/Lia Mara POVs) Like I said Harper+Rhen as a couple (and as individual characters) appealed to me so much more than Grey+Lia Mara, mostly because I found their interactions and character conflicts much more interesting. Giving Grey and Lia Mara no conflict to overcome beyond 'golly gosh its hard to be monarchs', which, neither of them had to figure out anyway in this book, really stalled their development and left them feeling secondary in a book where they were POV characters. Arguably, the most important thing they did was have sex and (major spoilers!!) get pregnant. which, like, good for them! but not enough to hold my attention.

Favourite Moment: because they happen right after each other I'm picking two scenes for this: Harper dicking Rhen down and Lilith immediately showing up post-fade-to-black PISSED TO HIGH HEAVEN. the way she got so heated!! Now, do I think Rhen deserves to suffer traumatic unending torture at the hands of a vicious evil fairy? No. (am i vaguely squicked out over the way he and harper have sexytimes largely for the sake of YA plot over his own character's very understandable aversion to sex? yeah.) But does the plot becomes so much better when Lillith shows up? YOU FUCKING BET!! It perfectly showcased my favourite aspects of both characters - Harper's 'fuck it we ball' energy jumping out in Rhen's defense and Rhen's quick-thinking + selflessness to protect Harper in turn. no matter what else, we have Lillith's jealousy jumping out to thank for that.

Favourite Character: What's this?? It's Harper coming up with a steel chair to steal the top spot in the last round!! This book, to me, really drove the point home on why Harper was the girl to break Rhen's curse, out of all the others; she cuts through the heart of his fear and acts when he freezes in panic. she brings a knife to a fairy fight and gets a hit in! While I appreciate Rhen (my cringefail son) wholeheartedly for engineering those situations where Harper truly shines, she always rises to the occasion with gusto and never lets me down (cough, cough, grey). Honorary mention to Rhen, though: there is truly no romantic lead I appreciate more in fiction than a pathetic guy, and Rhen comes prepackaged already on his knees.