#she also grew up with ra moon but does not like him

[silvertherogue715]

Arc 1

[paintedscales]

BAYARMAA SAGAHL

Tagged by @lal-ffxiv! Thank you! Sorry it took me so long; sick + moving = not a great time to sit down and devote time to this. I did one for Nomin a good while back that can be found here, so did it for Bayarmaa. :>

Tagging: @elliewiltarwyn, @amalthea-felsblood, @naejlas-axe, @idalenn, @airis-ray, and anyone else who would want to do this!

B A S I C S

Name: Bayarmaa of Sagahl

Nicknames: Doesn't really have one; is called 'Mama' by her son.

Age: Thirty and five summers (Endwalker)

Nameday: 12th Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon

Race: Xaela Au Ra

Gender: Cis Female

Orientation: Demi/Demi

Profession: Teacher, morin khuur player

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: Long and naturally straight. Bayarmaa wears her hair in relatively high twin-tails. Her hair is violet in color, and there are some lighter streaks of pink here and there.

Eyes: Red with pink limbal rings and black sclera.

Skin: A gentle sage in color, protected by obsidian scales, horns, and tail that run with very prominent emerald green markings.

Tattoos/scars: The only scars that Bayarmaa has are emotional scars.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Passed away.

Siblings: Esenaij is Bayarmaa's elder brother, biologically. Nomin is her little sister, adopted.

Grandparents: Passed away.

In-laws and Other: Bayarmaa has a son named Ankhbayar that she has with Kuzhuk of Oroq.

Bayarmaa is more than happy to accept Estinien as her brother-in-law once she meets him and knows how much it seems Nomin is happy with him. Bayarmaa also has her nieces and nephew from Nomin and Estinien: Bayarmaa/Cyrielle, Chotan/Fleurette Varlineau, Esenaij/Hamignant Varlineau.

Pets: None. It goes against the culture and beliefs she grew up with among the Sagahl.

S K I L L S

Abilities: Playing the morin khuur; it was something her mother did a lot when she was younger. She was never taught by her mother, making her purely self taught. She plays by horn, and has kept with it long enough to feel like she can replicate the songs her mother played and sang.

Archery; both Bayarmaa and Esenaij were taught how to use a bow and arrow growing up. Though Bayarmaa is not necessarily a hunter like her father nor her brother, she still has the ability to use a bow and arrow in order to defend herself and her people if needed.

Botany; being part of the Sagahl and not partaking in the consumption of beastkin, Bayarmaa is very in tune with the flora of the Steppe, as well as the conditions that best influence the growth of the natural bounty of. From their migration patterns that they need to abide by seasonally, to varying weather conditions that would behoove them.

Hobbies: Playing the morin khuur, painting, reading, gardening.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Patience. Bayarmaa is very patient, and it serves her well in having to teach those that would like it, as well as dealing with fussy children.

Most Negative Trait: Spaces out. Bayarmaa tends to get lost in her own thoughts a lot as a result of the trauma she experienced in losing both of her parents. She claims it's more like a meditation, but that's not always the truth. There are a lot of times where people are trying to talk to her or get her attention where she's really just kind of not entirely there. She does combat this a bit whenever Nomin came into hers and Esenaij's lives, and especially more after she is wed to Kuzhuk and they have their son together.

L I K E S

Colors: Orange, yellow.

Smells: Fried dough, the land after a rainstorm, magnolia.

Textures: Soft grass, basket weave, smooth scales.

Drinks: Chatsarganii shuus, dandelion tea.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Nope…

Drinks: Bayarmaa does not mind too much partaking in some wine. The Sagahl do not drink airag because it is made with milk, so anything that is fermented by the Sagahl, Bayarmaa is willing to try out at times.

Drugs: No.

Been Arrested: Nope!

[mk-wizard]

Comic and VG Fangirl turned Mother's Message

After hearing the latest news in entertainment and how far companies obsession with ESG and DEI has gone, I feel compelled to say this. Not just because I'm a fan of superheroes, comics, anime, video games and even happen to be the author of several webcomics myself, I'm something else that goes far beyond all of that: a mother.

The legacy superheroes that are being beaten down, replaced, disrespected and at times, humiliated like Spider-Man, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Solid Snake, Chris Redfield, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Son Goku, Sailor Moon, She-Ra, He-Man, The Incredible Hulk and more... These are the heroes I grew up with. The heroes who inspired me not just in my career choice, but also in being the person I am and how they shaped my views on ethics. Namely human rights, free speech and how goodness is proactive not passive. You should always do the right thing if you can and perhaps that is why I feel compelled to speak up now.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am for being sensitive, inclusive and getting with the times, but not at the cost of artistic freedom, the integrity of the superheroes and icons who founded the lore we have inherited and the beauty of the art itself. And yes, last point does matter in art and the art of comics, video games and film are not the exception. For a lot of characters including female ones, their physical beauty is a part of their character. It is what makes them iconic, recognizable and visually inspiring. Believe or not, their beauty, athletic physiques and composure is more than just eye candy. It makes them look godlike, powerful and like they actually are heroic. And if you argue with me that I am exaggerating, answer me this; could you ever picture Superman having the same emotional impact with just his mere presence in the room while having a receding hairline, a beer gut, average height, less muscle and a plain face? No, of course not because Superman looking like an angel is a part of his character and adds to his heroic persona.

The point is that the watering down of fantasy, the beauty of fictional characters of any gender and making everything realistic is bad and concerning for the modern audience. And I know this better as do a lot of adult fans alongside me in my generation than any of these companies ever will because one simple, but end all reason: we are parents of the modern audience. We know our own children. We know what is best for them. We know from our own life experience that imagination, escapism and the importance of heroes and fictional ones are in a child's life. Companies may think they're giving the modern audience what it wants, but we the fans-turned-parents, know what our children need.

We don't want our children to have politically correct heroes who shame one group in order to uplift another, incompetent heroes who never take a situation seriously or passive heroes who hand over the bigger responsibilities to someone else. We want them to have heroic heroes who inspire them, who teach them that doing good can make a difference, that we're all in this together, that how you react to danger or a bad situation matters, and that even fighting with your words needs to be proactive in that you should never be afraid to tell the truth or say what you mean.

In short, us legacy fans are not angry because of what you're taking from us. It's what you're denying our beloved children. The same children you claim to be catering to, but you're really not. Children have no hope of ever becoming wonderful adults if they cannot enjoy being children while they are children and imagination is a part of that. A child's imagination tends to be ideal and fantastical while being free from the bounds of reality and real world politics.

With that in mind, my child doesn't need a lecture from these companies. It's my job to give him lectures and mine alone as his mother. The job of Disney, DC, Marvel, Sony and all the other companies creating the media my son is indulging is simple yet important... your job is to give him a hero that he can be immersed in and inspired by.

Make that hero bold, beautiful and truly super.

PS: Keep in mind that equality is a side effect of quality. Write well and the rest will happen naturally. Don't forget that comics, video games and superheroes have always been naturally progressive mediums.

[literaphobe]

season 2 of she-ra rated by catradora content

the frozen forest: “aw, cute, you can turn your sword into stuff.” very interesting how adora has to literally train not by fighting any real soldiers in the horde just... catra. light hope scanned her brain and knew she wouldn’t bother to run after anyone else :/ which. is true. call her out!! she fights bots too but she has more or less no issues with them even though she’s no expert with turning her sword into stuff yet, but then catra comes out, and suddenly adora can’t even block a single punch because catra laughed at her :( AND suddenly her sword can’t turn into anything but a cup. why adora? are you thirsty? it’s even funnier because none of this is real, and adora KNOWS that none of this is real, but she’s still Affected when fake catra says her seductive “hey adora” and she decides oh i know! i’ll turn my sword into a d*ldo with holes! oh wait never mind, is that a flute? damn it now she wants to Serenade catra. that’s even gayer than wanting to have sex with her. “did you mean to do that? because if you did it’s a terrible weapon.” “is not! >:(“ adora’s comebacks are like. kindergarten quality shit. i would make fun of catra’s insult too but in her defense that’s not actually catra. so adora tries to hit fake catra with her musical instrument and it doesn’t really work so she tackles fake catra and pins her to the ground. and looks,,, low key aroused as she does it okay adora.... she’s not real please remember that.... ur already a furry please don’t also be a bot fucker “what are you waiting for? you gonna play me a song on that thing?” yes she WAS catra! that’s what i’ve been SAYING don’t be mean to your girlfriend when she’s trying to serenade you :( adora gets angry after this latest act of oppression so she raises her hand, about to hit fake catra, but she stops right before the weapon can make contact, and her face softens. “i knew you couldn’t do it.” fake catra fades and the audience finds out something adora already knew. none of this was real, and even if she had hit fake catra and killed her, real catra would be fine. And Yet,,,,, big fucking sigh bros. haha y’all ever so hung up on a chick that you can’t even kill a fake simulation of her? even though she’s your enemy? lmaoooooo anyway the training simulation ends and adora is so depressed she transforms out of her she-ra form and asks “did you have to make her so mean? :(“ even tho light hope is about to come out and yell gay slurs at her. light hope shows up and is very confused. is catra... not mean? was my catra ooc miss adora? :/ did this catra hit different? too hostile? not like what ur used to? :/ go to hell adora if you made catra into a sim and picked her defining trait it WOULD be MEAN god everyone’s a critic. and then adora is like ok ur right :( catra is mean.... but have you considered making your simulation’s fake catra one that will hold me gently in her arms? have you considered that maybe i don’t want to fight her and that i want to kiss her instead? god damn it light hope you bitch. you fucking homophobe.

light hope is like okay cool. this latest performance was ur worst one btw and adora is like why do you THINK and is like i wanna be the very best :( like no one ever was :( and protecc etheria :( “but catra, she’s just in my head” ;) oh yeah i bet she is adora JFJSJDJSJD “when you grow up with someone, they know how to push your buttons :(” that’s very true adora. but you also grew up with many people such as lonnie, rogelio, and kyle. and you don’t seem to give a shit about them :/ so i guess “grow up with someone” really means “be in love” huh. i love you but do NOT lie to me ever again. after this, we see the real catra :’) she’s back at the horde training kyle, lonnie, and rogelio. “she-ra is too strong to defeat with force alone. but she’s slow and easily manipulated.” yeah maybe for you! maybe she slows down when she fights you because ur pretty and ur voice is sexy! way to flex ur privilege :( not everyone can manipulate she-ra because she’s not in love with all of them ok :( just u :( later on, we’re back at the war meeting in bright moon. bow says “we’re defeating the bots, but more keep coming. while we’re using our resources to hold our borders, the horde hasn’t had to deploy a single soldier.” hey! that’s a perfectly normal statement right! one that does not mention any specific person. there should be no reason for anyone to respond to this by bringing up any individual. guess what adora says. guess what she fucking says. i’m so fucking done oh my god. “typical catra >:(“ did... did bow MENTION catfkakdjsjdjsjs????? i’m fucking WHEEZING. adora. baby. could u. like. chill out? :/ re catra? for like one second? no? okay guess i’ll have to live with it. adora is so hung up over the “hey adora ;)” she heard from fake catra during training that she has to repay the favor when she fights entrapta’s upgraded bots. adora looks into the camera of one of the bots and just. she just KNOWS catra is watching and she’s correct. and she’s like “hey catra ;)” before punching the camera and cutting the live stream. catra’s response isn’t to immediately ditch the horde and go kiss adora (booooooo) but to. try and explode she-ra using one of the other bots. okay. i guess we all cope with arousal in different ways :/ when the bot explodes and adora realizes her attempt at seduction did not work out the way she intended (press f to pay respects), she gets all “>:( catra” which is very cute and iconic of her. and it’s apparently her way of coping with the situation so i’ll just let her be! 9/10

ties that bind: fuck you swift wind. what the FUCK. i can’t believe adora had to go on some stupid quest with the horse all because she would be fiFTy sEVeN pERcenT mOrE eFFeCtivE with him. who gives a shit. catra getting kidnapped and tied up is clearly the superior plot here and adora wasn’t there for it?? which, i know is the whole point, but also, why did they have to put her with the horse. would’ve rather seen adora with literally any of the princesses instead. haha jk. but also, am i? it is important that adora gets over her hatred of swift wind and bonds with him. but also, is it? sigh, let’s get on with the show. bow and glimmer set out to go bring back entrapta. “let’s go get adora!” bow baby. u r so woke. i love that attitude. yes y’all should’ve absolutely brought adora along. no she was not doing anything important. “adora’s training!!!!” glimmer baby i love u but why :( why would u do this :( anyway, bow and glimmer get tricked into thinking the horde is torturing entrapta so they (accidentally) kidnap catra. bow is an absolute sweetheart who just. is sweet to everyone so he tries bonding w catra and is like “come on, i bet even the horde has friends. what about adora? :3 you two grew up together. what was she like as a kid? :3” because adora is bow’s best friend and he wants to know more about her <3 best boy <3 and catra just hisses at him because if she spoke she would probably say. adora was everything to me. adora made me laugh, she played with me, she took care of me, she protected me even when everyone else looked the other way. just seeing her would put a smile on my face. she held my hand. she hugged me. she was my shoulder to cry on. adora was the only good thing in my life at the horde. i have been in love with her my entire life. and now she’s she-ra. anyway. catra decides to annoy glimmer into letting her go, and glimmer gets so frustrated that she says “how did adora take years of this? she didn’t run away from the horde. she ran away from YOU” which. is about the most horrifying thing you could say to catra since she like. really believes that. and adora’s not even there to defend herself :( and say shit like. Well It Helped That I Was In Love With Catra And That Every Moment We Spent Together Was Filled With Laughter And Joy Because No One Else Has Ever Made Me This Happy Even When We Were Stuck Together In The Worst Place On Etheria—stuff like that u know? :/ anyway catra is like :’( —> >:’( “adora’s gonna dump u one day too glimmer!!” + “you and adora are perfect for each other, i’ll give you that. earnest, naive, ridiculously easy to manipulate. it’s adorable!” wow catra. u think…… adora…. is…. adorable? wow…. :’) djdjdjdjdjdj but yeah. she really said my gf is cute! my gf is earnest! and that’s pretty much it on the catradora front. notice how i didn’t say a word about the horse plot. yeah. :) i mean i physically couldn’t because this is a catradora based evaluation post. but ya. u get the point. 7/10

signals: huh! nothing! except when glimmer says “catra was right!” and adora’s face is like... u kno. u know how she gets when catra is suddenly brought up. 2/10 but the whole ghosts thing is cute. adora believing and wholeheartedly being scared of ghosts makes me think... catradora buzzfeed unsolved AU

roll with it: the absolute RIGHTS of this episode. adora planning obsessively because “you’re not taking the biggest variable into account :( catra </3 she’s been behind every horde plan, she led the attack on bright moon, she’s devious, she’s very cute—“ and everyone is like omg adora calm down,,,, okay fine we’ll fantasize about ur gf. so everyone is all: this is my catra headcanon <3 glimmer is like. catra is a sexy femme fatale. bow is like. catra and i would make so many sick fucking puns. and adora is like :( y’all are all headcanoning catra WRONG :( she’s sexy and funny and cute the Way She Is :( why mess with the original recipe? :( except she’s wrong because season 4 and 5 will exist one day. but she is not wrong because season 1-3 catra is also very good. adora u do u. have fun laughing at everyone’s interpretations of ur gf. go ahead and brag about how uve been in love w her ur entire life. adora is like. all ur plans suck. obviously catra would block or duck or jump up really high or look really cute or smile and dazzle u with her charms. how DARE you underestimate my enemy gf. and then everyone devolves into their cool plans again and adora is like CATRA CATRA CATRA >:( so everyone is like ok fine we are going 2 bully her. and we get this epic scene where they do impressions of catra, but it is visualized like: different versions of catra keep flanking adora, and she in that scene is clearly very seriously considering having a fourway with femme fatale catra, prom catra, and punny og catra. but in like uh.... a cool platonic way. anyway, everyone is like. hey adora. we know ur paranoid and obsessed with ur gf. but can we just attack the horde now? could you chill the fuck out? and adora is like. u wanna know the worst that could happen? fine. “i’m the heaviest hitter, so catra will separate me right away. trap me, take my sword, do Something so i’m helpless when she turns on you. she knows Everything about me, EXACTLY what i’ll do, EXACTLY how to take me out. they’ll overwhelm frosta and mermista with bots, they’ll fire on perfuma, and use her to draw bow out into the open, pinning him between the bots and the horde soldiers. glimmer will teleport in to save him, but she won’t have enough magic left to get out, trapping them both. catra will make me watch all of it before she Finishes Me Off.” which..... weirdly kinky, but okay, and also weirdly sweet if u think about it? like catra grew up thinking she was never as good as adora but adora even with her new she-ra powers now is convinced that catra is so good that she can predict and counter and overpower anything adora throws at her, even with her super-powered friends and allies <3 and she...... lets it paralyze her with fear and blames herself for anything that could possibly go wrong which is really sad and not good :( but stuff can be two things! and. we’re kind of trying to be gay here so let’s continue on the gay train <3 the princess alliance realizes that adora has major issues and give her love and support so adora is like oh nice!!! time to run in without a plan and stay true to my brute strength colors <3 and she’s so excited to see her gf..... only to find out, her gf isn’t there?????? the fuck???? she spent hours planning their fight date only to get stood the fuck up??????? she’s so distraught over it as she fights scorpia she goes through the five stages of grief. she’s like... catra’s really not here?? and she left you in charge???? and babe i get that ur jealous and upset that ur gf didn’t show up but hey :( don’t hate crime scorpia like that :( 8/10

white out: adora is upset that she hasn’t seen her enemy gf in a while so when the squad finds out that the horde is doing stuff in the north(?) adora decides that they must immediately go there in case the horde (catra) is doing stuff that she must stop the horde (catra) from doing immediately. and it works! they bump into the super pal trio! but before that, we see entrapta show catra the red disk that makes she-ra go RAGE and adora go floop. it’s basically a Make Adora Delirious/Drunk Crystal <3 catra gets an evil hate boner when she hears that the disk “takes away she-ra’s powers” and is like damn entrapta ;) why didn’t you tell me about that sooner ;) later on, the best friend squad bumps into the super pal trio! adora sees catra and is like. hey remember last episode? what the fuck was that babe. step the FUCK up. run away with me? <3 but here’s a more literal break down of what really happened: catra is threatening entrapta as she... tends to do when she’s interrupted by adora who says “catra! >:(“ completely ignoring that there are other people there who she should also greet. i mean it’s just manners u know? “it’s been a while.” is not an excuse. u haven’t seen entrapta either for an even longer time. and u had nothing to say to her? i get that ur gay and in love but have some respect okay :( catra is happy and decides it’s time to seduce her. we get yet another “heyyy adora ;)” for the books. adora starts to ignore everyone present again and banters pettily with catra about how catra lost the battle of bright moon, because you know :( she hasn’t seen her gf in a while :( and she didn’t get to rub things like that in her face :( and catra is like haha lmaooooo loserrrrr and it really pisses adora off so she’s like okay down to business then! go away >:( and catra’s like oh u want me to go away? make me ;) and so they literally. run away from everyone else. i’m not making this shit up they literally said those things and just ditched the group. and both groups, who have not said a fucking word to each other since this confrontation began because the lesbians are so fucking loud and clearly everything they discuss is personal and not an invitation for group convo, they’re all left there to be like..... i guess we should fight each other now? and scorpia is like UGHHH goddamn it. and u really feel for her u know? :/ u try and u try to ask a girl out and she’s so stupid she doesn’t know ur asking her out on a date, but her stupid ex walks in and all she has to do is run and catra runs in front of her ready to go on a date. what the fuck. anyway, catra and adora are also fighting. adora’s better at transforming her sword into stuff now so she summons a rope (ok kinkster) to grab catra’s leg and pull her towards her and she threatens catra with her sword, saying “don’t move.” catra’s response? “oh, please. you’d never have the guts.” and god damn it catra it’s not that she doesn’t have the guts! :( it’s that she loves you and doesn’t want to hurt you! and also she’s not into necrophilia! catra continues with “you know, as much as i love our fights, it’s way too cold for this.” i hate them so fucking much. they really do get off on this shit!!! i hate them but also mood!!!! stop flirting with each other ur both so goddamn annoying omg. “why don’t we try something new? ;)” yeah. something new like hmm what if y’all kissed? haha, just a suggestion! but no, catra decides to use the red crystal thingy :( haha SIKE i’m not :( at all i’m very much :) because we’ve been WAITING for drunk adora. i love that delirious baby. what a fucking cutie. but because she-ra’s sword is the one who gets poisoned, she-ra goes all angry and evil and catra is like that’s hot! but it’s not what i signed up for but also... oh lmao she’s fighting her friends? nice. this is hot again. complacently, catra goes “this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened!” causing evil!she-ra to realize she exists and trying to kill catra for real, and catra is like NEVER MIND I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS and she’s like “adora wait :(“ which is like. babe no :( babe u were supposed to turn evil in a sexy way :( we could be sexy and evil together baby :( babe :( thankfully for catra adora’s not the only one who has a crush on her so scorpia tackles she-ra, separating her from her sword, and she goes back to adora. catra gets the sword, laughs, and says “that went so much better than i could’ve ever hoped.” did it?????? ur so stupid ur gf was about to murder u and u were ready to simp for ur life. then she goes “looks like you’re mine now, adora. >;)” and like. lifts adora’s face up by the chin with the tail end of the sword. and. let me just take a deep breath here. uh. What The Fuck Is That. HELLO?????? why is that. okay. HHHHHH. why!!!! good god!!!!! i hate sexual tension. anyway, catra tells scorpia to carry adora inside bc adora’s not wearing enough layers and she doesn’t want her gf to get cold :( jk but uh, they get adora inside, and catra is once again obsessed with her. she sits right next to her and pines like “always so perfect.... look at you now.... (i HATE how sexual this sounds) you’re coming back to the horde under my command.....” like. COME ON. why is she like this. ur allowed to be evil but i draw the LINE at u flirting with adora she’s not even AWAKE. and scorpia is like. could u. could u not be obsessed w adora for one second? it’s kinda harshing my vibe :/ and catra is like hehe she ra go >:( haha funney. we can turn the rebellion’s own hero against them. That’s Good™ i wonder which of your friends i’ll have you annihilate first... and then she giggles to herself and it’s so cute but babe. once again. stop flirting with adora while she’s out cold she won’t be able to flirt back :( and then the most. upsetting part of the ep happens. catra LEAVES and makes scorpia watch over adora before adora even wakes up so we don’t get! to see! catra with drunk/delirious adora!!!!!! what the FUCK. what is the POINT. i am DISTRAUGHT. hello?????? why were we robbed. whatever. it’s still good but come on not even one scene? :( scorpia is annoyed as she should be and is like UGH just wanted to be alone with catra but nooooo im stuck babysitting her “”””””ex-best friend””””””” which we all know is code for just. ex. LMAO fkdkdkdk like this isn’t even reaching we BEEN knew. anyway adora is being. so cute. so goddamn cute i am in love. adora barely even remembers her name but when scorpia is like hm what’s the passcode to the lab? adora goes BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP BOOP and puts in catra’s super long fave number. that is so fucking cute that she knows and remembers that and thinks that catra would use it even tho she’s not even. in the right state of mind. and scorpia gets jealous obviously like ohhhh u know catra’s favorite number and i don’t! u grew up with catra and she’s been in love with you her whole life and i don’t have that! fuck u adora. even when u and catra are fighting each other tryna kill each other u can tell there’s a real bond there :( and like scorpia I’m so sorry baby I know :( they’re in love and it’s very annoying :( and i know adora is very annoying but have you also considered that she is very cute? that she is so lovely? and yeah that’s why catra is in love with her and shit :( seahawk and scorpia fight over adora and adora is like. hehe. catra mean <3 she’s so mean <3 and so hot and cute and sexy <3 omg im gonna marry her hehehehe <3 both sides reconvene to fight the bug, and adora finds glimmer vaguely familiar but doesn’t recognize who she is exactly. but she’ll remember catra’s long ass fave number. ok whore. catra, who’s also stupid, sees adora and is like guess I’ll drop all other priorities to get her! and tells scorpia to find the sword because she’s going after adora again. she’s so determined to keep adora that she.... catches a moving arrow. and throws it away. fjdjdjdjddj DAMN ok sheer gay determination is THAT strong huh. but it’s also sad because catra’s so busy fighting she doesn’t get to see adora being super cute :( it’s fucking wasted and not FAIR. catra thinks it’s funny that anyone would expect her to willingly give the disk up, because she’s got control of adora now, and control of adora means that adora won’t leave her.... which is not healthy :( but also HHHHHH but also it’s okay because their relationship gets healthy in the future and that’s very sexy of them <3 the disk is broken by scorpia in the end, and as adora regains.... conscious???ness????? idk??? her sense of reality??? sobers up???? anyway she and catra exchange this one last very heavy look, right before catra is grabbed by scorpia 9/10, except i want to take away so many points because of the wasted potential, but also i wanna add back so many points because of “looks like you’re mine now, adora ;)”

light spinner: ewwww shadow weaver ewwwww hordak i’m so sorry catra baby so sorry u had to interact with them instead of adora :( 0/10 </3

reunion: I AM SO SORRY. I AM SO FUCKING SORRY. THIS EP IS SO GOOD. BUT. I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE TO SAY THIS. THIS IS ONLY BECAUSE THIS IS A CATRADORA EVALUATION OK. therefore the rating is.... is..... :( 0/10 :( i know i am distraught too. :( despite what a masterpiece it was... there was no catradora :(

[codynaomiswire]

TTS/RTA Egyptian Mythology AU

Also known as the Uraeus AU!

Several months ago, I made a post about a developing idea for an Egyptian mythology AU for TTS/RTA. The idea was prompted in large part by the snake-hair Varian (“Snakian”) scene from the series’ finale, and the concept of the uraeus in Egyptian mythology. Since first posting about this AU, Xiel and I have really been developing the idea further on the Discord, and here’s what we’ve come up with so far. Hope you all enjoy it!

Note: As a fan AU, this is of course subject to change and variations, so things may change or develop differently as time goes on and more new ideas spring up. This is just what we have in mind so far!  :D

Champions and Friends:

Varian - The kingdom’s seer and champion of Wadjet (aka “the Uraeus”). In this AU, Varian was born to Quirin and Ulla with his “twin brother” Ka - a living uraeus bestowed upon him by the snake goddess Wadjet. (More on Ka and Wadjet down below.) Having grown up with Ka, Varian is not (usually) bothered with having a snake attached to his head, and sees Ka as being like a brother to him. Varian also grew up being told by Quirin and Ulla to keep Ka a secret, as the family was worried Varian and Ka would be taken away from them if anyone knew about them. So for many years, whenever Varian would go outside, he would wear a head covering so Ka would remain hidden from the world. Once he did try to show Ka to some of the kids in his village, but they all ran away screaming, and he got in trouble with the parents for “pulling a mean prank with a snake.” So he and Ka never tried that again. However, things start to get trickier as Varian enters his early teens, and he starts to get visions about events to come, and has a couple episodes of sleepwalking in the middle of the night. Despite Quirin’s best efforts to keep the two safe, things finally come to a head when some kidnappers (led by Andrew) are hired by Set’s cult to capture Varian and Ka, and bring them back to be dealt with. Out of self-defense, Ka ends up landing a venomous bite on Andrew, who nearly dies from the poison. However, Varian has also taken an interest in alchemy by this time in his life, and learned how to create an antivenom for Ka’s bites. (While Varian himself is immune to snake venom due to his connection with Ka and Wadjet, he learned how to make it in case there was ever an accident involving someone else.) Varian manages to make the antivenom in time and save Andrew’s life, but this incident ended up taking place out in the open, and thus Varian and Ka have their cover blown. Quirin tries to prevent Varian and Ka from being taken away, but the next day the pharaoh’s soldiers come and take Varian and Ka to live in the palace, as the priests of Wadjet are certain that the time has come for the seer to step into his duties for the kingdom. Varian is at first very unhappy with being forced to live at the palace, but is befriended my Rapunzel quite quickly. And when his visions start coming on with even greater intensity, Varian must do what he can to help protect the people from Set’s plans and Apep’s impending return.

Ka - A living uraeus and Wadjet’s other champion. (Note: In this AU, “the Uraeus” refers to Ka, Varian, or the two taken together. The term applies to all three.) His character is inspired by the snake-hair character in the RTA series finale (though Ka has the added feature of a cobra hood), and his name is inspired in large part by the “ka” aspect of the soul in ancient Egyptian philosophy (meaning “double” and known as the protective aspect of the soul). His name is also reminiscent of Kaa from The Jungle Book, though it’s spelled differently. Given to Varian by Wadjet upon his birth, Ka has been with Varian since the beginning. While he and Varian are the same age, Ka grows up faster than Varian mentally, so he tends to be the more mature of the two. However, he isn’t adverse to causing some mischief from time to time. Growing up, Ka was pretty readily accepted by Ulla, but Quirin...was more leery of him. Especially given Quirin’s own past (more on that below), he first saw Ka as an interloper on what was supposed to be a peaceful family life. Despite this attitude, Quirin and Ka did have their moments of reliability from time to time, and Ka grew up seeing Quirin and Ulla as his parents (calling them “Father” and “Mother” respectively). For years Ka had to hide his existence from the outside world, and thus could get very lonely. It seemed that he would have to resign himself to a life of obscurity...until Varian started getting weird visions of things to come, and Ka started getting his own premonitions of things to come in the short term (i.e. waking visions of things close at hand). Ka also learned through his premonitions how to hypnotize people, which he would use mostly for therapeutic purposes, or to compel people to tell the truth if need be (though this function especially can take a lot out of him, so he’s not OP with this ability). Things take the most drastic turn for Ka when he lashes out at would-be kidnappers (as told in Varian’s description above), he becomes known to the wider world, and is then thrust into the champions’ efforts to save the kingdom from ruin. Ka also does that snake thing of prolonging his ‘s’ sounds when he talks, and when he first has the experience of talking to new people he takes to referring to himself in the third person. Just to be fancy I guess.  xP

Quirin - Varian and Ka’s father, member of the Brotherhood, and champion of Khonsu. Quirin spent a good portion of his adult life as a member of the Brotherhood in Karnak who - in this AU - are a warrior guild with allegiance to Khonsu, Egyptian god of the moon and time. While serving under Khonsu, Quirin acquired the ability to manipulate time in certain small ways - i.e. stopping time within a certain radius (usually a few yards), or around a certain person or object. This ability is very risky though, as if it’s used too often or too intensely it can have the side affect of “taking time” from the one wielding it (hence why Quirin appears a bit older than Adira and Hector, who are only a few years younger than he). After a good many years of service in the Brotherhood, Quirin decides to leave his service and settles down with his wife Ulla to start a family. However, upon the birth of their son Varian, Quirin is shocked to find that Varian was born with a living uraeus attached to his head (whom Ulla names Ka). After his dealings with the gods while serving Khonsu, Quirin is afraid of what Ka’s presence means for Varian, and does all he can to keep Ka a secret from the wider world. At first, Quirin is very leery of Ka, which does not go unnoticed by the rest of the family. Quirin is never cruel to Ka, never ignores him, nor dotes upon Varian while leaving Ka out of it, but it is clear that he sees Ka differently from Varian. Things become especially hard when Ulla dies when Varian and Ka are about ten years old, and Quirin has to raise the two on his own. Eventually, Quirin and Ka begin to grow closer, and Quirin does all he can to make sure he and Varian don’t get taken away from him. But after their cover is blown, Quirin is left worrying about his sons after they are taken away to live in the palace. As Quirin prays to Khonsu one night asking what can be done, he is informed that his duty as the Uraeus’s protector is not over, and that he will also be called upon to join in the effort to stop Set and Apep in the days to come.

Rapunzel - The princess of Egypt and the champion of Ra. Rapunzel was kidnapped by Mother Gothel as a baby, and was raised learning how to use her sun powers. However, when the champion of Horus comes to save her, Mother Gothel is defeated by her own evil designs, and Rapunzel loses connection with her healing powers in the ensuing struggle. After returning home, life is happy for the princess, and she quickly befriends many in her kingdom. However, when news comes to the palace that Wadjet’s seer has appeared in the land, Rapunzel begins her real journey to find her destiny, and must use her powers to save the land from its deadliest threat yet.

Eugene - The prince of one of Egypt’s major cities, and the champion of Horus. (Naturally, this was inspired by Eugene’s birth name being Horace in the canon series. xD) The son of King Edmund of Karnak, Eugene actually grew up in his family’s palace in this AU. When he was born, Eugene bore a birthmark on his shoulder blades that resembled wings. After consulting with the local priests, Edmund learned that the birthmark was a sign of the blessing of Horus, and that Eugene would come to wield great powers. Afraid for his son, however, Edmund has a hieroglyph painted onto Eugene’s back every few weeks or so to keep the power of the mark at bay. Eventually though, when Eugene is in his early teens, Horus’s blessing breaks through the barrier induced by the hieroglyph, and after a painful first transformation, Eugene has found that he has sprouted giant hawk’s wings from his back. After the initial shock, Eugene learns how to use and control this ability, and after some of Horus’s guidance, he manages to find the lost princess of Egypt and rescues her (while also falling in love of course ^^). After rescuing Rapunzel, Eugene decides to remain living in the capitol at the palace, though he keeps in contact with his family and home city.

Cassandra - Mother Gothel’s daughter, Rapunzel’s best friend and champion of Sekhmet. After being born to Mother Gothel, Cassandra grew up as a child servant in the cult of Set, and was left entirely on her own after Mother Gothel left her to horde Rapunzel’s sun powers for herself. Being miserable in her life situation, Cassandra eventually called out to the other gods asking for their help (she was probably about six or seven years old at this stage). Sekhmet heard her, and gave Cassandra some of her powers so she could don a lioness form and bust her way out. (Although, this blessing also left its mark on Cassandra, as she now permanently sports cat-like eyes, even when not in her lioness form.) After fleeing the cult of Set, Cassandra wanders around for a while until she is found by the Captain of the Guard, who came after he heard reports of a dangerous feral child wandering the desert near the outer villages. The Captain takes pity on Cassandra when he finds her, and takes her in as his own and teaches her how to fight and how to have discipline so she can control her powers. In addition to transforming into a human-lioness hybrid, Cass can also talk to felines and request favors from them, like spying on enemies and scouting and stuff. After gaining the trust of everyone in the capitol, Cass also came to be known by the revered title, The Lioness.

Lance - Eugene’s best friend and fellow resident of Karnak. While Lance is not a chosen champion, he is still a gifted member of the group, and is invaluable as a supportive friend and skilled wordsmith. When Kiera and Catalina travel to the capitol after Catalina becomes a champion, it’s Lance who is the first in the group to befriend the girls. Lance also has a background in being a treasure hunter, which comes in handy when the group needs to locate legendary artifacts, ancient temples and other things that will be vital to the success of their mission.

Catalina - Sister to Kiera/Angry, and Champion of Anubis. (A quick thank you to the Anon who prompted us to consider Catalina as a fellow champion!) Like Cassandra, Catalina’s blessing from Anubis allows her to don a feral form (this time in the form of a werewolf/werejackal) to help fight against the agents of Set and Apep. However, Catalina was chosen to wield Anubis’s blessing specifically because her heart was the only one judged by the scales of Anubis to be able to balance the powers contained within his blessing. As the son of Set and a god of death, Anubis’s blessing is extremely powerful and volatile, and only a certain kind of heart can learn how to balance it and avoid being destroyed by it. While Catalina still struggles with her power (especially during the first few transformations), she is able to gain great control over it with time. While she is considered an outcast from most of the rest of society, Kiera stays by Catalina’s side, and together they travel to the capitol to join the other champions in their mission to stop Set and Apep from destroying the world.

Kiera/Angry - Catalina’s sister. While Kiera/Angry is not a chosen champion, she is still skilled and is a beloved member of the group. After her sister Catalina receives the blessing of Anubis, Kiera stays by her side and travels with her to the capitol to join the rest of the group to help save Egypt and the world from impending doom.

Adira and Hector - Members of the Brotherhood, Quirin’s honorary siblings, and Varian’s “aunt” and “uncle”. While Hector and Adira were also servants of Khonsu like Quirin, neither were given special powers by the deity. Nevertheless, their work as members of the Brotherhood proves invaluable for the group, and they are more than ready to help with their skills and knowledge for whatever may come their way. When Hector isn’t serving at Khonsu’s temple in Karnak, he is the more adventurous of the two, and spends a good chunk of his time being a sellsword for the caravans traveling across the desert. He also has an affinity for animals, and thus relates to Ka very well upon meeting him for the first time.

King Edmund - Ruler of Karnak, head of the Brotherhood, and father of Eugene. A lot of his role was already laid out in Eugene’s description.

Frederic and Arianna - The pharaoh and queen of Egypt in this AU.

Egyptian Deities:

Wadjet - A snake goddess of protection and healing, Wadjet is the deity who chooses Varian and Ka for the mission to stop Set and Apep. In this AU, Wadjet is also a goddess of farsight, and thus allows Varian and Ka to be her seers on earth. While a powerful and graceful deity, Wadjet also has a “soccer mom” kind of personality to her as well. In this AU she has the form of a naga - i.e. human upper body with her lower body being a long snake’s tail.

Khonsu - The god of the moon and time, and the deity served by the Brotherhood. Khonsu is a rather mysterious figure, and while he can see through time and its various possible outcomes, he does not have direct control over how events play out. However, he does impart the ability to manipulate time in small ways to Quirin, though the ability does comes with a price if used to excessively. Khonsu’s personality is quiet, stern, yet also with a touch of levity here and there.

Ra - The god of the sun, and giver of Rapunzel’s powers. Unlike the other deities in this AU, Ra seems strangely absent, despite his sun constantly moving through the sky overhead, and Rapunzel serving as his emissary. He only speaks to her very sparingly throughout their adventure, but when he does it’s always at key moments.

Horus - The son of Ra, protector of the sun, and arch nemesis of Set. Horus chose Eugene to be his champion on earth, and gifted the prince with his wings and ability to fly. (Haven’t really ironed out more of his personality yet to be honest. More may come later!)

Sekhmet - A lion goddess and protector of Egypt. Like Ra, Sekhmet doesn’t make too many appearances in this AU, but she does give Cassandra her incredible lioness warrior powers.

Anubis - A god of death, judgment and the son of Set. Despite commanding a lot of respect, Anubis is a deity that many Egyptians fear and don’t like to talk about. He has a very serious personality (given his job that only seems natural), and really doesn’t like the idea of Set and Apep wreaking havoc on the world and making his job as psychopomp all the harder. (Basically, one of his motivations for wanting to stop the end of the world is so he doesn’t have a ton of more work to do with all the death and destruction that would result. ...Yeah, not the most altruistic reasoning, but guess the guy’s just being practical. xP) When choosing his champion, he weighed the hearts of all in the kingdom to determine which one could balance his powers best, and the scales determined that it would be Catalina, hence him bestowing her with his blessing.

Villains:

Mother Gothel - A former priestess of Set. After learning about the princess’s sun powers, Mother Gothel kidnaps the princess in order to use her powers so that she may remain young forever and never die. However, her evil plans collapse in on her when the champion of Horus comes to save Rapunzel, and Mother Gothel is destroyed in the process. (This is pretty much the extent of Mother Gothel’s role in the story.)

Zhan Tiri - High priestess of Set, and one of the main antagonists of this AU. For many years, Zhan Tiri ran the cult of Set from the underground, and kept her identity as high priestess hidden while posing as an advisor to the pharaoh’s court. However, after her attempt to eliminate the Uraeus fails, Varian and Ka see through her disguise, and she is forced to flee from the capitol and run the cult of Set from the underground in the temples and caves in the Egyptian wilderness. She’s pretty much a generic villain like in the series, where she just kinda craves revenge and destruction because...evil.

Set - The “big bad” of the AU alongside Apep. Where Apep is the brawn of the evil duo, Set is the brains. Set plans on using his cult to help release him and Apep onto the mortal plane, basically wreak as much havoc as possible, and take over the world.

Apep - The “big bad” of the AU alongside Set. Where Set is the brains of the evil duo, Apep is the brawn. As the giant serpent of chaos, Apep’s one goal in life is to destroy the world and all living things. He’s kind of the antithesis of Ka in this AU. His voice sounds a lot like Smaug from The Hobbit movies, and while big, strong and scary, he isn’t super clever.

Aaaaaand I think I’ll leave this post at that for now. Whew! I’ll probably make another post a bit later concerning a general outline of events, and maybe also some other posts with some dialogue snippets that Xiel and I have come up with if there’s enough interest.

[followthestars]

So playing FFXIV has given me ideas for a reincarnation AU. Just. Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, Luna, and Nyx, all being reincarnated into the distant future where Eos is now called Hydaelyn.

Noctis and Nyx are Miqo’te siblings, Nyx the older brother. Born into the Keepers of the Moon, they have all the features.

Noctis doesn’t remember being Noctis and ironically was named Sol as a joke by Nyx when he was born. Their parents had promised to let their eldest name his new sibling after all.

Nyx remembers everything though, of Galahad, the Glaives, his sacrifice. He recognizes the magic curling under his sibling’s skin and knows he was his prince in that life. He also decides to let Sol live in ignorance for as long a possible, wanting his brother to have a good childhood first.

Sol does feel like something is missing, and as a child kept demanding to know where his ‘Specs, Shield, and Quicksilver’ were. Nyx knows what he’s asking for an it hurts because he knows that his brother wants his retinue back and the kid doesn’t know it.

Prompto, he’s a Hyur, grew up in Ul’dah and had a hard life, his parents were poor, but they were there with him. An improvement over his adoptive ones in his last life. He’s loved, but they never have much gil for what’s needed, his parents sacrificing their needs to ensure he’s got food and clothes.

He loses them when he’s only 10 to debt collectors. He manages to flee the city and sneak into caravan heading to Gridania. Someone from the archers guild takes him in due to how good his aim is.

Prompto remembers everything, has since he was 5. He misses Ignis, Gladio, and Noctis everyday and believes he’ll find them once he’s ready to head out into the world.

Ignis, I love the idea of him being an Au Ra. His parents travel a lot and bring him with. He enjoys finding ingredients to inspire new recipes. Recipes he hopes he can one day share with the others and his king. Of course, the travelling allows him to meet Sol and Nyx. The younger Miqo’te gluing to his side in an instant and actually throwing a tantrum when his family has to leave. They reunite in Ul’dah.

Gladio, I’m stuck between Hyur, Roegadyn, or, as a joke, Lalafell. The idea of a Lalafell ripping up a stone pillar and beating monsters with it is so hilarious. But I do plan that he and Prompto actually run into each other in Gridania, though when they leave, they head to Limsa Lominsa and find Luna.

Luna, I decided is gonna be Elezen, and dual class with conjurer and  Marauder. She is gonna swing around a greataxe and she will kick your ass. Gladio trains with her a lot, though he prefers greatswords.

[dramapic]

MASTERLIST

I update this list everytime I watch and review a show. 

Disclaimer: These reviews are subjective and only reflect my opinions. There are no drama on that list that I’ve turned off and all are worthy of a watch. 

Recs welcome!

#1 Crash landing on you 

(사랑의 불시착)

Grade: A++

Genre: Modern, Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Son Ye-jin (who plays Yoon Se-ri) and Hyun Bin (Ri Jeong-hyeok) have amazing chemistry and every episode plays out like the chapters of an excellent fanfiction. Classic romantic tropes, humour, angst, action, CLOY has it all. Moreover, if you’ve never watched a Kdrama in your life, CLOY is a great starting point—not only will it introduce you to Korean culture but also to popular tropes and codes of the genre.

#2 Rookie historian Goo Hae-ryung 

(신입사관 구해령)

Grade: A++

Genre: Historical, Age gap

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Delightful from end to end, with lots of humour and an engaging story. The romance between Goo Hae-ryung and himbo-prince Dowon will make your heart go soft, especially if you’re into reverse gender dynamics (she’s older and kisses him first *le gasp*)

#3 Memories of the Alhambra 

(알함브라 궁전의 추억)

Grade: B+

Genre: Modern; Sci-fi; Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Intriguing premise, great cast and tons of special effects but the romance between Jin-woo (Hyun Bin) and Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye) won't go down in history. On top of that, the ending is a bit wishy-washy in that annoying “maybe there’s more to come” kind of way. Give us a clear cut ending, damnit!

#4 Good doctor 

(굿 닥터)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Modern, Medical drama

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Good heart but the writing is really clumsy at times and the hospital politics don’t make an awful lot of sense. On the bright side, Joo Won is great in the role of Park Si-on.

Note: I haven’t watched the American remake so can’t compare. 

#5 My love from the star/ You from the stars

(별에서 온 그대)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Sci-fi, fantasy, Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 21

Happy Ending: Yes-ish

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Jun Ji-hyun is absolutely stellar in the role of Cheon Seong-yi, a ditzy Hallyu* star whose career is going south while Kim Soo-hyun plays the emotionally closed-off alien to perfection. Lots of pinning, a dose of angst mixed with a pinch of wacky humor. 

*Hallyu means “Korean wave” in Chinese and refers to the popularity and spreading of Korean pop-culture outside of Korea. 

#6 Hwarang The Poet Warrior Youth 

(화랑)

Grade: B

Genre: Historical, Coming of age, fake siblings who catch feels

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Cute boys and interesting lore rooted in true facts (the bone rank system and the real Hwarang, the “Flowering Knights” of the Silla kingdom) but the story drags. I guess I expected more bromance and frolicking and less angst. Lastly, the main girl starts off quirky and fun but they quickly transform her into a sobbing mess which becomes real annoying real fast. 

#7 Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (구르미 그린 달빛)

Grade: A 

Genre: Historical, Romance, Coming of age, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 18

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

A classic tale of a girl raised as a boy who ends up in a situation where she needs to do her best to not blow her cover while catching feels (As someone raised on Versailles no bara and Ribbon no Kishi, it remains one of my favourite tropes)

Sweet romance and good characters. The fact that Crown prince Lee Yeong doesn't turn emo when he starts developing feelings for Eunuch Ra-on before discovering she's a girl is the cherry on top of the cake. 

#8 Something in the rain

(밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나)

Grade: C 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes, but it still doesn't make you happy

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Wasted potential! 

Great start but the characterization falls apart quickly and you end up wondering why the main characters keep sabotaging their lives. By the end, despite their reunion, you're left with the impression they've learned nothing and that their relationship is doomed to fall apart. 

On top of it all, watching Jin-ah fight sexism in the workplace and gaining nothing is depressing af (I don’t need realism in my escapism, thank you very much).

Too bad because Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in look really good together and the acting is top-notch. My advice is to watch the first 8 episodes then make up your own ending in your head.

#9 Moon embracing the sun 

(해를 품은 달)

Grade: B+

Genre: Historical,Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 22

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

A traditional historical drama with all the tropes that go with the genre + a hint of esoterism.

If you love ill-fated relationships, tragic love triangle, evil queens, and amnesia, this is the show for you. Beware, the interrogation/torture scenes are rather brutal. 

#10 My sassy girl 

(엽기적인 그녀)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Historical, Rom-Com

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Cute and lighthearted but easily forgettable. Still worth a watch thanks to Joo Won & Oh Yeon-seo's chemistry. 

#11 Coffee Prince 

(커피프린스 1호점)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Solid story, great cast but be ready for a lot of bickering. 

Yoon Eun-hye is a precious bean who manages to sell the story of Eun-chan, a struggling androgynous working-class girl who mistakenly gets hired by a rich guy to play his boyfriend, then becomes his employee, then falls for him while not correcting his assumptions about her gender. Opposite her, Gong Yoo (from Train to Busan fame) is 🥰🥰🥰

Sidenote: Despite Han-kyul's struggle to accept his feelings for Eun-chan, homosexuality isn't treated as a joke or a shameful thing. The one time he goes seek “medical help”, the doctor is depicted as an old, clueless idiot. And honestly, the story would work too if Eun-chan was a guy. 

#12 My girlfriend is a Gumiho/My girlfriend is a Nine-tailed fox 

(내 여자친구는 구미호)

Grade: B+

Genre: Modern; Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki - Available on Netflix (FR) too

Campy and goofy. It does look a bit dated (it’s from 2010) and the story is a little predictable but Lee Seung-gi as Cha Dae-woong, an aspiring action film actor and Shin Min-ah as “Gu Mi-ho” the nine-tailed fox looking for a mate are super cute. The show is also a good introduction to Korean folklore.

#13 Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God / The Lonely and Great God – Goblin 

(쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비)

Grade: A+ 

Genre:  Modern, Historical, Fantasy, bromance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes-ish

Watched on: Viki 

Unpopular opinion but since I’m not into older guys, I wasn’t invested in the romance between Bride and Goblin until late in the series. I loved everything else though. The show has such a unique tone and atmosphere. It goes from super serious to goofy in no time. The cinematography is gorgeous (especially the historical sets) and you'll cry your eyes out.

#14 Healer 

(힐러)

Grade: A 

Genre:  Modern

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

If you're into toll broody guys and fearless smoll girls, you’ll love Healer. The story is great, the characters are great and the way Jung-hu (played by Ji Chang-wook) and Ji-an (Park Min-young) are horny for each other is peak drama! *chef kiss*

#15 Kangchi the beginning/Gu family book 

(구가의 서)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Historical, Fantasy

Episodes:

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Engaging coming of age story of a half-human half-gumiho looking for his place in this world. If it wasn't for the wishy-washy ending it could have been the perfect mix of action fantasy and romance. 

Special mention for Dam Yeo-wool (played by Suzie Bae) who is a female character who's allowed to be a bit of everything at the same time (strong, kick-ass, funny, cute, romantic) 

#16 Queen for seven days 

(7일의 왕비)

Grade: A 

Genre:  Historical, Romance, Villainous crush

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

With that title don’t expect a HEA but there are plenty of sweet moments along the way to make you appreciate the journey. 

Chae-kyung loves the Prince and the Prince loves Chae-kyung but the King wants to kill the Prince and Chae-kyung is loyal to the King but the King is a tyrant and everyone wants the Prince to take his throne. On top of that the King wants Chae-kyung. Big mess. Lots of feels.

The story is (very) loosely based on real-life Queen Dangyeong, which makes it even more poignant. I cried my eyes out at the end because I’m a big softy.   

#17 Korean Odyssey

(화유기)

Grade: A-

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Kinda

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The show (very loosely based on Journey to the West) has its faults including the wishy-washy ending and the fact that Jin Seon-mi/Sam-jang starts off as a doormat but I ended up liking the relationship developing between the assholish Monkey god and the naive human girl more than I expected.

The side characters are compelling, and the banter and bickering between the deities work really well. If you grew up with Dragon ball, you’ll have a blast trying to match-up the Japanese and Korean names of everyone without looking up Wikipedia.

Lastly, not something I imagined saying after seeing him in Gumiho and Gu family book but Lee Seung-gi as Son Oh-gong = BDE *fans herself* 🥵

#18 Strong Girl Bong-soon 

(힘쎈여자 도봉순)

Grade: A- 

Genre:  Modern, Super-Heroine

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning: Graphic depiction of violence against women

A++ super-heroine story, bad side characters 

First, every girl should aspire to find a Min-hyuk in their life. Someone who'll love them because of their strength, and support them unconditionally. Someone who won't ask them to change or pretend to be somebody else.

Second, western media should learn that a super-heroine can HAVE IT ALL—the superpowers AND the love AND the family. 

My only complaint with the show (and that's why I gave A- instead of A++) is the inclusion of many cringy side characters/situations that spoiled my overall enjoyment (see the caricatural flamboyant gay co-worker, Bong-soon’s mom hitting her dad, the mobsters...)

#19 The K2 

(더 케이투)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Modern, Political

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The romance is bad and the political story far-fetched but Ji Chang-wook is 🔥🔥PEAK HOTTIE🔥🔥

That being said, I didn’t completely dislike the political intrigue and it was interesting to see the good guy working for the villains (sort of). 

#20 Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok-joo 

(역도요정 김복주)

Grade: A+ 

Genre:  Modern, Coming of age

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Uplifting coming of age story and super sweet romance. Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) & Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) are precious children on top of being cutie-patooties. Bok-joo’s insecurities hit hard, especially if you’ve ever been outside the norm of beauty standards.

I liked how the show normalizes therapy and taking care of your mental health.

In one word…

SWAG! 

#21 The scholar who walks the night 

(밤을 걷는 선비)

Grade: B 

Genre:  Historical, Fantasy, Vampire, posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Guilty pleasure. 

Don’t ask me about the details of the main storyline, I’ve already forgotten most of it. Sometimes all you need is a show where a hundred-something years old good vampire with a sad backstory and the main girl who is thirsty for the good vampire are fighting a sexy evil vampire. 

PS: Did I mention the sexy evil vampire?

#22 Romance is a bonus book 

(로맨스는 별책부록)

Grade: A+ 

Genre: Modern, Friends to lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Imagine reading a relaxing book under a cozy blanket while sipping hot cocoa. That’s how that series made me feel. 

Everything is sweet and soft from the characters' fluffy jumpers to the soft palette of color used for the sets. People make books and love books. There’s a mystery but no unnecessary angst. If you need a break from everything, jump in that ship. 

#23 Hotel Del Luna 

(호텔 델루나)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Sorta

Watched on: Viki - Available on Netflix (FR) too

Interesting world-building and a good cast of side characters but the romance lacks a bit of oomph. 

On the + side, the hotel sets are gorgeous and Man-wol's wardrobe is to kill for.

#24 Suspicious Partner 

(수상한 파트너)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Star-crossed lovers in an office

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Toll serious who hates criminal falls for smoll weirdo falsely accused of murder. A must watch for anyone in search of a quirky romance.

#25 Touch your heart 

(진심이 닿다)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Tooth rotting sweetness. The series is just a pretext to watch two good looking people (Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na) being nice and awkward around each other. What do you need more? 0

Note: If you watched Goblin you can also pretend it's a spin-off series about the reincarnations of Grim Reaper and Sunny. 💡

#26 Because this is my first life 

(이번 생은 처음이라)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Fake marriage

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The Fake Marriage AU you’re looking for, mixed with slices of modern, messy, complicated life. 

The main storyline revolves around Ji-ho an assistant drama screenwriter who struggles to find her place within the patriarchal structure of Korean society, and Se-hee, a socially incompetent computer designer who only cares for his cat and his mortgage. The way they end up in a fake marriage as well as the development of their relationship feels organic and doesn’t rely too heavily on comedy like it’s often the case with that trope.

The show also follows the stories of Ji-ho’s friends, Su-ji and Ho-rang who have different aspirations in life—Su-ji’s goal is to become CEO while Ho-rang only cares about becoming a housewife. I loved that the show makes a point to not pit women against each other and advocate living your life the way YOU want rather than trying to follow societal expectations of what love, work and marriage should look like. 

Also they have the cutest cat.

#27 What's wrong with Secretary Kim? 

(김비서가 왜 그럴까 )

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

I wish Secretary Kim had more agency in certain situations but the romance develops well and the horny moments are caliente 🥵🔥 

#28 Where your eyes linger 

(너의 시선이 머무는 곳에)

Grade: A++ 

Genre: Modern, BL, Coming of age, Friends to lovers

Episodes: 8

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Bite-size BL gem to devour in one sitting. 

Stellar acting from the two leads and the balance between fluff and angst is just right. There's no graphic violence that sometimes plagues yaoi and BL and the story is believable. I got emo remembering my first love. 

#29 Live up to your name 

(명불허전)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Historical, Time travel, Star-crossed lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning for graphic depiction of violence

Big surprise. I was looking for a cheesy comedy but it was actually a thoughtful story about humanism. I even teared up a little. 

Trigger warning for needles. They do some pretty impressive procedures with those acupuncture needles. 

#30 W - Two Worlds Apart 

(더블유)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Imaginary men > Real men, especially when they're played by Lee Jong-suk. Nuf’ said.

Imaginary men > Real men, especially when they're played by Lee Jong-suk.

The silly premise hides a solid story that keeps you on your toes and I was suprised by the rollercoaster of emotions I went through.

“Option 3″

“That’s 4 fingers”

#31 Life 

(라이프)

Grade: C 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Kinda

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Unless you want to learn how fucked up the private health sector is becoming in Korea, there's not much to gain watching this show. 

The story starts off well though. The problem is that by the middle of the series the writers have dropped the main mystery (the circumstances surrounding the death of the director) to deliver an exposé on the political machinations of big corporations, and then shoehorn an explanation at the last minute (“it was all but a misunderstanding”). Very underwhelming.

The relationship between the two brothers played by Lee Dong-wook and Lee Kyu-hyung is the only bright spot.

#32 Pinocchio 

(피노키오)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Fake family members who catch feels

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

On paper, the story sounds a little crazy but it all comes together nicely.

Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye have great chemistry and deliver a stellar performance as “uncle” and “niece” (not related by blood) who can’t fight the romantic feelings they harbor for one another. The main storyline has enough twists to keep you entertained and surprised. 

My only complaint is that it drags a little. 16 episodes would have been enough. 

#33 My Holo Love 

(나 홀로 그대)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Sci-fi

Episodes: 12

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Fake men > Real men 

Imagine a Black Mirror episode about a love triangle between a woman suffering from face blindness, an emotionally supportive AI boyfriend and the disenchanted creator of said AI, minus the nihilism. *chef kiss*

#34 Legend of the blue sea 

(푸른 바다의 전설)

Grade: B++ 

Genre: Modern, Fantasy, Fairy tale, Star-crossed lovers

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Park Ji-eu (the writer) read the little mermaid and decided to give her a happy ending. Great chemistry between Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun but the spark is missing for me. 

The antics of modern-day mermaid Shim Cheong are a little predictable and Joon-jae needs to be less of a control freak at times but the story remains enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised to see Shim Cheong’s character grow, making the power imbalance between the clueless mermaid and the con-artist less pronounced by the end of the series. 

The side characters are interesting but underused, and I wish Tae-oh was more developed. On the other hand, the Joseon area sets and costumes are absolutely gorgeous (Don’t tell anyone but Joseon!Lee Min-ho is hotter than Modern!Lee Min-ho 🥵)

#35 Tale of Arang / Arang and the Magistrate 

(아랑사또전)

Grade: B 

Genre: Historical, Fantasy,

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

One word: Campy.

Interesting lore but the pacing is a little off—there’s a lot of back and forth between the characters and the locations and the love triangle doesn't add much. 

#36 My ID is Gangnam Beauty / Gangnam Beauty  

(내 아이디는 강남미인)

Grade: A+ 

Genre: Modern, Coming of age

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

If you’ve ever been bullied for your looks, you’re gonna bawl your eyes out. 

The show does a great job of calling out the unhealthy beauty standards imposed on Korean women but the topic is universal enough for the story to resonate with everyone. I love that you never see Mi-rae’s old face because it’s not our perception of her lack of beauty that matters but the fact she suffers greatly. Don’t you hate in western shows when they take a beautiful actress, give her a pair of glasses or a fat suit and call her ugly, making sure the audience feels shittier about themselves? Here, the writers concentrate on Mi-rae’s transformation and her coping with the consequences of her decision to do plastic surgery. 

It’s also not a revenge fantasy where the ugly duckling suddenly becomes the most popular girl at school. Being a “Gangnam beauty” leads to a new form of suffering. 

Romance-wise, it’s the slowest burn of slow burns because Mi-rae and Do Kyung-seok are the most socially awkward beans on the planet. I love them, Your Honor. 

#37 Tale of Nokdu 

(조선로코-녹두전)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 32 x 30mns

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki - Now available on Netflix (FR)

Fun and lighthearted all the way through.

The story of a guy who puts on a dress to investigate a village of widows could have gone very wrong but it was well handled. It’s refreshing to see the classic trope of posing as the opposite sex reversed and Jang Dong-yoon is never cringy when he’s pretending to be Lady Kim Nok-soon.

#38 Bride of Habaek / Bride of the Water God

(하백의 신부 2017)

Grade: B

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Content warning: Crime against fashion

Promising premise and lore (I'm interested in reading the original comics now) but the writing fails to deliver an epic romance and a cathartic ending. Moreover, the sets lack imagination (or money?) and in the end I failed to ever feel immersed in a fantasy world.

The unfortunate consequence of the clumsy writing is that the male characters who are meant to be arrogant/confident Gods (Habaek and By-ryeom) sound like they're negging their love interests more than wooing them, and the relationship between Mu-ra and By-ryeom particularly irked me.

#39 Strangers from Hell / Hell is other people 

(타인은 지옥이다) 

Grade: A+

Genre: Modern, Psychological Thriller

Episodes: 10

Happy Ending: Spoiler

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Content warning: Violence 

What a departure from everything else in that list! Absolutely worth a watch if you enjoy thrillers and shows like Hannibal. If psychological horror isn’t your cup of tea though, you might give it a pass. 

The storyline and the characters are a little cliché (it goes with the genre) but the cinematography and photography are fantastic. You can notice how the pension becomes more and more sinister throughout the series via the use of dark greens and browns and pale yellows, as opposed to the mundanity and coldness of the city (greys, and cold blues).

Last but not least, the acting is top-tiers. Im Siwan does a great job at portraying Jong-woo, an aspiring crime novelist who slowly loses his marbles but the true revelation for me is Lee Dong-wook. After seeing him so many times in roles where he plays awkward yet charming men who can barely express emotions, I was intrigued to see him take on the role of a serial killer, and holy cow, he's the perfect mix of sinister and alluring. Towards the end of the series, his character Moon-jo acts like a black-hole whenever he appears in a scene—a towering, dark presence who sucks the light out of the room (If he carries any of that darkness in the upcoming Tale of Gumiho, it’s gonna be *chef kiss*).

#40 Empress Ki 

(기황후)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 51

Happy Ending: From a certain point of view

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning for violence against women (not graphic but implied)

51 episodes.

Fifty.One.Episodes.

That's a lot of episodes considering the story starts with the ending. 

Did I enjoy this show? Yes, very much so. Do I think it's for everyone? Nope. 

You'll enjoy Empress Ki if you're into old-school historical sagas or you wished Game of thrones had no gratuitous nudity and violence. If you’re looking for an historically accurate biography of the real empress Ki though, then look away because Empress Ki is basically a lengthy fanfiction trying to justify how the Goryeo native Seung-nyang married the wimpy Emperor of the Yuan dynasty whilst trying to portray her as loyal to her motherland and to her first love, the Crown Prince of Goryeo. 

Personally, I didn’t care for the love triangle formed by Seung-nyang (Ha Ji-won), Wang-yoo (Joo Jin-mo) and Toghon Temür (Ji Chang-wook) but I liked the politics and the backstabbing. Also, contrary to GoT, the bad guys get their comeuppance at the end so it makes watching the side characters die less painful.

#41 Meow, the secret boy / Welcome 

(어서와)

Grade: B-

Genre: Modern, Modern fantasy

Episodes: 24 x 35mns 

Happy Ending: I guess

Watched on: Viki

How do I put it? It's not *terribad* but it's not *good* either. 

I was super on board with the concept—if Lee Seung-gi can bang a nine-tailed fox in My girlfriend is a gumiho, I have zero issues with Sol ah, our heroine, falling in love with Hong-jo the cat-person after being dumped for no reason by Jae-sun her boyfriend—but it didn’t exactly develop that way, and as soon as they explained why Jae-sun had broken up with Sol-ah, the writers lost me because I like when things happen for a reason. 

#42 Clean with a passion for now 

(일단 뜨겁게 청소하라!!)

Grade: A-

Genre: Modern, Rom-Com

Episodes: 16 

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Super zany and tropey but that’s why it works so well. The only reason I’m giving it a minus is because it’s trying to be woke but in the end there’s still a lot of unsolicited grabbing and some iffy remarks/pick-up lines said by every male characters (IRL that’s the kind of story that ends up with a restraining order and a lawsuit for sexual harassment).

#43 Mystic pop-up bar 

(쌍갑포차)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 12

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning: Heavy themes (miscarriage, pregnancy, loss of a child, death of loved ones)

You know how the meme goes... Sometimes a family is a hot-tempered bar owner, a cursed kid and an ex-Afterlife-Police officer with a secret past. 

It took me a few episodes to get into it, but once the characters were established it became really enjoyable. 

The tone of the series leans toward wacky but the core of the story is actually pretty dark if you look into it. Every grudge they solve for their “clients” gives a clue about Wol-joo’s personal story and by the last episode I was crying my eyes out.

Last but not least, Wol-joo’s collection of modernized hanboks is *chef kiss*

#44 My secret Terrius 

(내 뒤에 테리우스)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Action, Comedy, Bromance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

An enjoyable action drama to watch with your family or your significant other.

Koreans prove that you can write a story about a black ops agent on the run who becomes a childminder without reeking of toxic masculinity. Contrary to American comedies where the manly-man-hero working undercover is incompetent and believes that working with children is a woman’s job and a waste of his manly-man talents until he has an epiphany of some sorts, Kim Bon (played by So Ji-sub) never once expresses discomfort to the idea of looking after two kids. In spite of his sober demeanor, he’s a caring and attentive person from the start and watching him gradually becoming a part of this spunky family while investigating a national security threat made my heart go awww.

Opposite him, fearless and resourceful mom Go Ae-rin (played Jung In-sun) brings a lot of energy, and the twins are absolutely adorable.

#45 Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

(달의 연인 - 보보경심 려)

Grade: A--

Genre: Historical  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Random streaming site

Don’t get attached—Moon Lovers is the missing link between Empress Ki and Boys over flowers, but with a sad ending.

I did binge watch the series but there are some frustrating aspects to it that prevented me from giving a perfect score, notably the fact that Wang So remains possessive and demanding with Hae Soo throughout the years—for instance “You’re my person” is a romantic statement until it evolves into “You can never leave me.”

The other problem of the series is that Lee Ji-eun (UI) does cute and goofy really well, but she doesn’t have the emotional range needed to portray a character who goes through many heartbreaks and betrayals. As a result, Hae Soo appears a little fickle in her infatuations with the princes.  

That being said if you’re a sucker for tragic romance and you believe that power corrupts even the purest of love, you’ll have a blast.

#46 Forest 

(포레스트)

Grade: B++

Genre: Modern, Romance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

UST in the woods (Dat first kiss 🥵🥵🥵)

The characters and the story are a little cliché but who doesn’t love a story where the protagonists are clearly attracted to each other but can’t act on their desires because their moral values are opposite?

*slams fist*

San Hyeok is your typical heartless businessman who refuses to confront his childhood trauma, and Yeong Jae is a surgeon who suffers from panic attacks and cares too much about other people. They’re both good looking and fate brings them to a remote village in the middle of the forest where they have to share a house. Really, I wonder what’s gonna happen?

#47 100 Days My Prince / Hundred days husband

(백일의 낭군님)

Grade: B+

Genre: Historical

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki 

Trigger warning: Important character death.

Cute and charming but also very annoying at times. Obviously, the story is tropey af (fake marriage doubled with amnesia, you can’t really beat that) but it also includes elements I’ve never seen in any other dramas like the fact that the Crown Princess is pregnant with another man’s child (le gasp!). The things that annoy me the most were the unnecessary flip-flopping of the heroine towards the end of the show for the sake of creating artificial drama (just let them be together FFS!) and the fact that the male characters take a lot of decisions for Yeon Hong-shim.

Romance wise, Do Kyung-soo and Nam Ji-hyun are really cute together but in the end I found myself more interested in the political intrigue and the side characters than the main romance because slow burn has its limit. In essence, it’s the perfect drama to watch with your conservative family because whilst the main couple is living under the same roof and is technically married they don’t get frisky. 

#48 I Am Not A Robot (로봇이 아니야)

Grade: A++

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Angsty with a good pay-off.

With a premise like that, things could have gone wrong really quickly but the writers managed to write a story that isn’t a man wanting to fuck a robot because real women are scary so big kudos for them. Seeing Min-kyu celebrating his Roomba’s birthday because he has no other friends will instantly melt your heart and from that point on you’ll cheer for his recovery. The show has the right amount of angst without becoming a mess and they handle the big reveal very well, making sure to show how hurt both Min-kyu and Ji-ah are by the situation, without making you doubt that they can find each other again. The other strong point of the show is that it’s not just about romance, it’s also about friendship and learning to let other people in your life. 

The acting is incredible to the point that by the end I wondered if Yoo Seung-ho and Chae Soo-bin were making out in front of my salad or if I was still watching the characters Min-kyu and Ji-ah being lovey dovey. 

#49 Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관 스캔들)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, Posing as the opposite gender

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Hana zakari no kimi tachi he with gats.

This show checks so many boxes when it comes to my favourite tropes story-wise and character-wise that I instantly fell in love with it. It might feel a little dated for a younger audience and it definitely suffers from the second male lead syndrome (who wants unseasoned boiled chicken when there are not just one but two juicy rotisserie chickens on the table next to you?!) but it’s still very much enjoyable. Also, they don’t shy away from using the word “homosexuality” and having one of the second lead confessing to having romantic feelings for his friend (I’ll take any scrap of bi-representation, okay?)

#50 It’s Okay to not be okay  (사이코지만 괜찮아)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Found family. 

In spite of one ridiculous plot twist (that I was aware of when I started the show) this show has made me feel all the feelz. The three main actors all did a phenomenal job portraying their characters in all their complexity and fragility and I ended up crying so many cathartic tears in the second to last & the last episodes.The relationship between Sang-tae and Gang-tae is one of the best sibling relationships I’ve seen on-screen in a long time while the romance between Moon-yeong and Gang-tae blends perfectly elements of comedy and melodrama. Mental illness isn’t treated as something to be ashamed of, whilst showing that you can grow and recover from trauma and finding your own happiness.

PSA from my boyfriend, who dropped the show before the end: 

The plot twist is so stupid that it takes away from the rest of the series. In my opinion it negated the positive portrayal of mental illness built up until then. They completely lost me.

^ We discussed a lot about it which is why I wanted to share his POV to balance my own review.

#51 coming soon

[avengersassemble-fics]

Ashes

part 01/?? “i’ll always be here”

master list

next part

Summary: What does it mean to be lost? To lose yourself to the one thing you trained most of your life to defeat? To succumb to the darkness? To lose those you loved the most? Anakin Skywalker was, and always will be the Chosen one. But he fell, and the galaxy and the Force felt it all at once. Everyone around him felt it - Anakin Skywalker was lost. The Jedi Order is purged. The Republic has fallen, and the Empire rises from its ashes. The Force is unbalanced, but only he can bring back the peace - only he can defeat the Emperor. But with Anakin Skywalker lost, and his connection to the Force severed, hope seems to be lost. But the Force works in mysterious ways. There's one person out there who can save him; bring Anakin Skywalker back. And the time is coming. The balance in the Force needs to be fixed. Anakin Skywalker must be found so the Emperor's tyrannous and evil reign can be stopped. Hope is out there, in hiding, but it's there. Darth Vader (Anakin) just doesn't know it yet.

word count 4.3k

an: this literally PAINED me to write. like i literally cried. anyways... enjoy

The Empire stood for many things. None of those things included peace, freedom, justice, and security. Crime was rampant on every world, every dark alley you dared to walk down you ran the risk of being jumped, and the fear that spread through people when they saw the white of the Stormtroopers armour would make the bravest of hearts cower out of sight. The thought would make anyone who saw the days before these weep in remembrance.

Before the fall of the Republic. Before the Jedi were purged. Before the Chancellor became the Emperor. Before Anakin Skywalker was lost to the dark side. Before the rise of Lord Vader.

The name instilled fear into the hearts of many. Common people didn’t know what Darth Vader looked like, they just heard the whispers amongst them. He wasn’t a man, but a machine dressed in black. Tall and intimidating. You could hear his breathing before you saw him, but even then it was too late. He was unstoppable. He was deadly. And he didn’t care who he struck down.

That’s what the galaxy turned into. It had been three years since the fall of the Republic, since the Jedi were killed off, and each day the future grew more bleak than the one before. Every corner you turned there were Stormtroopers enforcing some kind of unheard law. Even here, in the blandest of places, they were here too.

Tatooine didn’t change through the years. The hot desert planet with two suns would never change. It truly was a desolate world. How it still stood would always make one wonder. After the rise of the Empire, the Hutts Cartel seemed to only grow in number. The drought that was taking seed in Tatooine was lucrative for the Hutts, as they had just implemented a water tax. The fact the Empire let it happen was laughable, but what really surprised you anymore?

That surprise and guilt never filled your mind anymore. The last three years have taken a toll on your heart and morals. Having to re-settle into life on Tatooine took a bit of time, but establishing yourself had to happen quickly. With bounty hunting becoming more popular, you had the idea of capitalizing off of it. It was a good cover anyway, and you could keep an eye on things from afar. Building your gang was what took the most time, since you had easily beaten respect into anyone who challenged you. Fairly, of course.

You often frequented this disgusting cantina and sat in the farthest booth in the back with your feet kicked onto the table. Arms crossed, you just listened to your members talk and fight amongst themselves. They had become almost your second family after you lost. . You stopped the thought from entering your mind, instead taking a sip at the beer that was in your fingers. It had been a rather slow week for the bounty hunting clan, but you narrowed your sight on a man who entered the cantina.

“Ras,” you called out to one of your followers, gaining the attention of the male Twi’lek. You nodded your head at the lost soul who was searching for you, and Ras’ eyes darted over in realization, before tossing you a knowing grin. He stood from the booth and walked over to the man, throwing his hands behind the man's shoulders. You didn’t know what he said to him, but when he faced the human your way and began to lead him over, the noticeable lack of color made you guess a couple of possibilities.

Ras sat the man down in a single chair that was opposite the rounded booth. Ras grinned and walked behind the booth so he stood directly behind you, and stepped back into the darkness. He was for the theatrics today it seemed, and you kept your eye on the bottle in your hand.

“I was told you have a puck for me,” you started, finally looking over to the man across from you. You saw him look you over before raising a brow.

“You’re Trace?” He asked. You chuckled a bit, finally lowering your legs and turning to the table fully, leaning your arms on the table to stare him down.

“Do you have a puck for me, or not.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. You didn’t lift your stare until the man reached into his jacket and threw a puck down onto the table. Even then you held your look on him for a couple more seconds until you grabbed the puck in your palm. As soon as you did Ras was grabbing the man by his jacket and pulling him back to the exit. You sat back against the rough cushions and turned the puck on to show the groups next target.

Well, it was easy enough. You could give it to Chorda, she was busting your ass for work just a few days ago. She was even eyeing you now, and you rolled your eyes and tossed it her way. The Rhodian caught it and let out a small noise in anticipation.

The cantina door opened and in walked a hooded figure. The sudden burst of sunlight made your eyes land on the person who walked in. The more you watched them, and the fact they didn’t remove their cover made you slide your hand down your side to the holster tucked on your leg and flick it open. Something about their presence made your skin itch, and they moved closer and closer. Ras sat in the chair the human had just evicted and saw your stare and followed your eyes to the hood covered being and stood up tall, gaining the attention of the other bounty hunters. Four more of your crew stood up in defense which started to gain the attention of other cantina dwellers. Ras stuck his hand out to the hooded being to stop them.

“Is there something we can help you with hoss?” Ras asked. You could see the hooded figures head tip up, but Ras’s body blocked them from your view. You could at the very least make out their hand lift in a way you also couldn’t see too clearly, but you saw Ras falter a bit. You carefully stood from your seat and kept your hand placed on your blaster. Ras took a step backwards, and your crew parted down the middle. The mysterious figure reached up and peeled back their hood, and you were faced with someone you hadn’t seen since you left Coruscant all those moons ago.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood just feet from you, not looking like he aged a day from that time. His hair was grown out and his beard still looked the same, but you could see the change in his eyes. He didn’t greet you with his familiar smile, and you didn’t either. You had to do your best in concealing the shock you felt. It was something you hadn’t felt in a long time.

A few moments passed until you nodded to Ras. Your crew backed off from the two of you and went to the other cantina occupants. One by one they grabbed and threw people towards the door, and you stood there to stare at your old companion. One by one the cantina emptied until it was just you and him.

You locked your holster and sat back into the booth you so often sat in. Obi-Wan Kenobi sat across from you and still, neither of you said a word to one another. He was gauging you just like you were doing to him.

“It looks like you’ve set yourself up well,” he spoke. That familiar drawl almost made you smile. Almost. You shrugged your shoulders.

“Good money. Gives them work,” you offered.

“Is that how it works? They do the deed and you get paid?”

“Oh don’t patronize me,” you threw back. “They do the work? They make the money from it. I have the pleasure of dealing with the Guild by myself, and they aren’t nice people.”

Obi-wan studied you, before he spoke next. “I heard stories about this infamous hunter, Trace they called her,” he paused as you reached for your almost finished beer and let out a chuckle before you took a sip. “Had one of the biggest clans on Tatooine, favored by the Hutts-”

“Well,” you cut him off before placing the bottle aggressively on the table. “Guilty as charged. . Let’s cut the shit, what are you doing here O-”

“Ben,” he cut you off this time. You couldn’t help the grin on your face after that.

“Sorry, Ben. What do you want.”

He frowned at you and sighed. “What happened to you? You used to be so-”

“So what,” you pressed, feeling your jaw tighten. “Hopeful? Charismatic? Lovely to be around?” You scoffed and shook your head as a sad smile formed on your lips. But Obi-Wan-- Ben nodded at you.

“At least yourself,” he said quietly. Your smile fell and you felt a lump form in your throat.

“Yeah, well,” you whispered, averting your eyes from his gaze to look at your hands. “That part of me died three years ago. . With him.”

Ben looked at you with sad eyes, noticing the tears that began to form in yours. You squeezed your eyes shut when you felt it and reopened them to give him that same stoney look. Ben shook his head and sighed.

“I was hoping that you would be interested in helping me with something,” he said carefully. You laughed a bit, of course he didn’t come here to check in on you. He wanted something. That’s all the Jedi wanted from you. The only reason they kept you around.

“And here I was thinking I was getting a visit from an old friend,” you smiled at him in a light scoff. “What are you proposing. I may have someone I can lend-”

“No,” he cut you off. “Only you.”

It caught your attention, and you leaned forward to rest your arms on the table. “What are you proposing, Ben.”

“I need help looking over Luke,” he said. You raised a brow at him, not knowing the name.

“Who?”

Ben let out a deep sigh, still not answering you. You narrowed your brows in concentration until it finally dawned on you. You look softened, and you leaned backwards until your back hit the hard cushions.

“She had the baby,” you whispered. He shook his head.

“She had twins,” he told you. You gaped a bit at him as you tried to search for words, but nothing came out, so he continued with. “But only the boy is hidden here.”

“There’s a girl,” you said matter of factly to yourself, and he nodded again. “Where is he-”

“With his family,” Ben confirmed. Right. His family. There was a moisture farm a bit of ways away. You didn’t avert your gaze from his soft blue eyes, almost afraid that he was tricking you. You had never thought that the Senator had the baby, you heard of her death and just assumed. Your heart grew heavy. For the first time in years it grew heavy. But you shook your head.

“No,” you suddenly said, standing abruptly from the booth. Ben watched in shock but was quick on his feet as you were headed for the door. He grabbed onto your arm and spun you back to face him.

“Let go of me-” you started and he cut you off.

“You need to snap out of it, (Y/N),” he said, grabbing hold of your shoulders.

“Don’t call me-”

“What?” He cut you off once more, raising his voice at you. “Don’t call you by your name?”

You shoved his arms off, glaring him down as he planted his feet into the ground. He had never stared at you in such anger, but you matched it just as easily. He shook his head.

“You act like you’re the only one who lost someone that day,” he started, and then pointed to himself. “All my friends are gone. . and I lost my brother. I loved him just as much as you did.”

“I know,” you spat out at him. “I know what you lost. I know what the galaxy lost. I had to feel it all, I had to. . I had to see it all.”

His glare softened and he glanced down at your fist that was tightened at your side. “I saw every Jedi fall that day. I felt all of their cries, every shot that split through their bodies,” you paused as tears threatened to fall down your face. “I felt their light leave me. And then I felt,” you had to stop at the name, not being able to bring yourself to say it when a tear slid down your cheek. “I felt him get pulled from me. It was like he was torn right from my side.”

Ben watched as you began to shake, and the tears just continued to fall, and he took a step closer to you as you just talked. “I had to watch him kill all of those younglings, and I. . I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop him,” you shook your head as the man in front of you carefully grabbed your arms. “The pure anger he felt. The hatred he held for you, I felt it all. I saw it all. I saw the fight, and I had to watch as his body melted before me. I had to hear his screams when they put him into that suit,” a sob left your lips. “I couldn’t help him.”

He pulled you into his arms as the tears poured down your face. Your arms went around his neck as he held you and you cried. You could feel his hands on your back and the way they rubbed you slowly. Ben shed a couple of tears on his own, though you would never see it, and just held you against his body until you calmed down.

This was the woman he remembered. The one who cared about something and doing the right thing. Strong, but still confident enough to share these moments with people. Often that was with. . Him, but he saw it a few times. It never made you weak, no never. It was often something he admired, even if it was against the Jedi way, your ability to express your emotions was something he always looked at as one of your qualities. Because he could never have admitted that. Maybe not even now.

Your cries had quieted and he slowly peeled his head from atop yours. Your eyes were glued onto something to his side so he carefully released you. No your eyes weren’t glued to something, they looked like they were dull again. You glanced at him and shook your head.

“I don’t know if you actually want my help, Ben. I’m not as helpful as I once was.”

He raised a brow. “I doubt that, but. . What is it you mean?”

You sighed, taking a seat on one of the barstools nearby, and lacing your fingers together on your lap. “Before I fled here I cut myself off from the Force.”

He blinked at you until you looked his way again, and offered him a small smile. No wonder tracking you down was so hard, and no wonder he didn’t feel any sort of connection just now. He settled himself onto the barstool and laced his hands together as well.

“Did they tell you to do it?”

You nodded, knowing who he was talking about. “If I didn’t he would’ve found me,” you glanced at him. “Sidious would’ve found me first. They said that it was for my safety, but when the time was right they’d be back. I haven’t had any visions since then.”

Ben nodded beside you, and sighed deeply which made you raise a brow at him. “Well. I guess it’s a good thing.”

“Good thing?” You asked. And then he smiled at you.

“Well it’s not like we can just go around using lightsabers anymore, and I’ve heard your quite an aim with that,” he motioned to the blaster that hung on your leg. You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips.

“What exactly are you needing help with?” You asked.

“I’ve taken residence a fair ways from here, and the Raiders are getting more and more antsy with my presence. I’m afraid our peace is coming to an end if I don’t meet with their Chieftain.”

“You want to meet with the Chieftain?” You exclaimed, only earning a nod from him. You rolled your eyes and mumbled. “You’re turning out to be quite that surprise, Ben.”

“Is that a yes?” He asked, looking over your face for any kind of answer. It wasn’t until the corner of your lips lifted in a smile did he smile wide.

“I’m in.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Heavy steps filled the corridor. Each boot met the shiny floor and those around cowered. Power was the one thing Lord Vader feasted on. Fear was just something he admired. The aversion of people’s eyes, the way they held their breaths as he towered before them, it made his presence that more powerful. As he marched his way down the corridors of his Star Destroyer to his chambers, Vader was met with the inkling of a familiar sensation. He didn’t stop to ponder this feeling until the door to his chambers slid shut. With the grip of his hand he looked through his mechanical helmet at the environment around him.

Vader could not seem to forget the time before he killed Anakin Skywalker. He often imagined the faces of the pesky Jedi he once served with, and cursed them from his mind. But there were a few images he never pushed away. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. But Vader squashed his rememberings, and moved towards his meditation pod.

This is where Vader often tried to retune himself with the Force. He could climb inside and have his helmet removed so he could breathe the filtered air on his own. And that is what he did now. He sat himself on the throne-like seat and the pod closed him inside, and something lowered from above to remove his helmet. The sizzle it released was a comforting sound, and Vader blinked at the sights before him. Before his very own eyes.

He cursed his old Master for doing this to him, for putting him in this state. He often struggled to reconnect with the Force after long periods of time, and he also couldn’t function like he used to on his own. One day he would make his old Master pay for what he’s done to him. He will make him suffer like he has for the last three years.

Vader closed his eyes to calm his thoughts. He reached out before him for that connection he so desperately sought, and his mind wandered onto the abyss of darkness.

Vader’s eyes opened once more, but he wasn’t in his pod. Now he was laid in a bed, and he could feel the cool silk sheets under his back. His flesh back. His flesh hand and mechanical one too. This was before the Purge, a memory. He couldn’t help his heart swell as he realized where he was.

Something moved against him, a quiet murmur filled his ear, and a head came up near his. He fought the urge to look their way, but his desperation won this battle. On his chest a hand rested and on top of that was a chin. His eyes took in the sight of the body who laid with him, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread over his lips.

“Have you been up long,” the voice nearly whispered. Vader nodded, running that unfamiliar flesh hand up the unforgettable skin of another.

“A long time,” he murmured. His voice was different. It was filled with. . Something. He hadn’t heard it this way in so long. But then again, he hadn’t seen you in just as long.

You were still beautiful. The way your eyes shined when they looked at him, the way your smile made his heart ache, the little way you bit your lip in anticipation. He longed to see this again. But then he frowned, and your face scrunched up, and the hand that rested on his chest went to hold his cheek. It shocked him how soft your hand still was against him.

“What is it, Ani?” You whispered. His eye twitched at the name. He hadn’t heard it in so long. But he didn’t detest it when he heard it from your lips.

“I miss you,” he quietly admitted. A small smile fell upon your lips, and you pulled yourself up more so you hovered over him. Oh to see once again how you crawled on top of him, legs wrapping around him in such a familiar and intimate way, and fully cupping his face in your hands, it made something swell up in his chest, and burn behind his throat. It was all wrong. But Vader he. . He didn’t care right now. It had been too long since he saw you.

You brushed some hair from his forehead, he could feel the familiar strands under your fingers and he nuzzled his face into your hand, his metal one coming above yours. His eyes closed and he let this moment settle in his mind. Just one more memory of you, he could at least allow himself to have that. Your giggle made his eyes reopen and you were looking down at him in curiosity.

“Ani,” you said again, but this time he didn’t flinch. “You’re so touch starved.”

Vader couldn’t help but nod. “I am,” his raspy voice admitted.

Your smile fell a bit and your eyes softened. You lowered yourself and caught his lips with yours. It felt so real, you felt so warm above him, and you rubbed his cheek with your thumb before separating from his lips.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you whispered to him, and before he knew it you had leaned down to place a kiss against his forehead. You locked your eyes with him again. “I’ll always be here.”

That’s when his hands crumbled into a fist. It was a lie. You weren’t here with him. You were gone. He couldn’t save you. As anger filled his body your face fell before him, and that pained look was the last thing he saw before you disappeared again. He growled and his eyes shot open with the tension re-entered his body. Vader was back in the present, the real world, and swore he wouldn’t let another empty memory like that cloud his mind again.

You were dead. There was no coming back to him. There was nothing for him to hold on to. He let you go years ago, and that’s how it would stay. As his helmet was put back onto him his hand formed back into a fist, and he could hear the metal of something on the other side of the pod clench with his power.

There was an eerie feeling that passed over your skin, and you paused on your journey back to your hideout. Night had finally fallen on the desolate planet, and you had said your goodbyes to Ben ours before. But as you made your way back to your hideout, something made you pause. The sand you kicked up left a mark on your boots, but you glanced around for an answer. Whatever it was made that sting form behind your eyes, and you rolled your neck a bit as you started your walk again. As you made your way around the corner of one of the alleys, you stopped in your tracks at the sight before you.

You had never seen ones before, though you did hear the stories. But what were a pair of Inquisitors doing so far in the Outer Rim? And here of all places? You slithered back around the corner and pressed your back to the wall. Whatever their business was here, you wanted no part in it. The last thing you needed was to be recognized by anyone. You felt around for the comm link Ben had given you and stared at the familiar piece of tech. With a roll of your eyes, you started back towards the direction of the cantina. All you’d need was a speeder.

“Ben, are you there?” You asked into the piece of metal. You continued past the cantina towards the furthest point of Mos Eisley, until that familiar green blip blinked at you.

“I’m here,” his voice rang out. “Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know,” you paused when a couple Stormtroopers passed you, but you offered them a flirty smile and they kept on their way. This would be easy enough, you climbed onto a basic speeder and started to hotwire it, as you spoke lowly again. “There’s Inquisitors here. Figured my best bet would be to avoid them.”

“You would be correct on that,” his voice rang, though it paused when the speeder roared to life, and you hesitated when he didn’t say anything. “I’ll send you my coordinates.”

He cut out but you received his message either way. You gripped the throttle, but something made you pause. You sat back in the seat and reached for something in your pocket, desperate to feel it in this instance. You pulled the all too familiar japor ivory pendant from your pocket and turned it over in your hand. The last thought you had before you sped away from Mos Eisley was that constant voice in the back of your head. A question you couldn’t shake.

When exactly was it going to be the right time?

- - - - - - - - - - 

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[ningdungi]

fairy prince!yeonjun

this has been in my draft for so long since CYSM i decided to just post it...lengthy and messy because originally it was just a prompt :D also inspired by she-ra and the princesses of power lol i love that show

pairing: yeonjun x reader (fem)

genre: fantasy, a little angsty

summary: you got captured by yeonjun, the crown prince of the fairy kingdom in the magic forest

choi yeonjun, the crown prince of the fairy kingdom deep in the magic forest

the fairy kingdom has been one of the greatest protectors of the forest for thousands of years, along with other kingdoms in the magic island

the island being covered almost 1/3 by the forest, the fairy kingdom remains one of the biggest and strongest kingdom to ever exist

however, it is also not the friendliest kingdom as it is hidden deep in the forest to protect the ancient magic and stones

the foreign organization exploits the hell out of the island but never get to touch the forest as it is protected by magic and ancient spirit of the ecosystems

the leader of the evil interstellar organization wasn’t so dumb either, they waited for years preparing the best strategy to get what they want: the ancient magic and (said to be) stolen stones to combine with their crazy technology so they can conquer the universe

the leader of the evil interstellar organization wasn’t so dumb either, they waited for years preparing the best strategy to get what they want: the ancient magic and (said to be) stolen stones to combine with their crazy technology so they can conquer the universe

mistaken for a new kingdom, the evil organization is known for their evil sinister king. When rlly he’s just a capitalist asshole that only cares abt money and power... and his precious daughter—or what the locals call—the evil princess, you

he also has a younger son, prince taehyun, your half-brother, who happens to be a genius and good with technologies. But his father wanted him to be a warrior, not some nerd. So he’s never really fond of him :(

one day you grew tired of being seen as a delicate doll that needs protection, you’re a trained warrior that’s always at least on the top 3 in class. Plus you’re older than taehyun so you need to prove yourself to your father if you want to be force captain and to take the throne one day (yes i’ve been watching a lot of she-ra) but your father just couldn’t risk it

one day, the your kingdom poisoned the forest and unlike any previous failed attempt, this time it finally worked

the day the invasion occurred, you sneaked out of the evil kingdom to join the force that your half-brother co-lead... i mean, you have lots of knowledge about the history and ecosystem of the magic forest, thanks to the help of your best friend, healer elf prince!soobin, whose kingdom had been corrupted by your father (but he still hangs around bc they did no harm to the elf kingdom, just taking over the whole region)

i mean, what could possibly go wrong?

well thee answer is: everything

you got captured IMMEDIATELY by the fairies

even better, you’re captured by the fairy prince!yeonjun himself. you were sneaking in the trees under the moon light, in the dark dark forest. and thats how you ended up being strangled by the prince himself and tied up with vines and thorns

you were in an awe the entire time bc you had no idea that the fairy prince would be this beautiful and ethereal. he just looks so... delicate and magical and soft, despite the fact that he almost choked you to death

you’ve just never seen any creature as beautiful as him, all glowing and sparkling softly under the moonlight

the glimmering luxurious pastel dress that he wore fits him perfectly, and the flower crown on his blonde locks made little butterflies fly upon him. His eyes cold but shines brightly, and everywhere he goes, he leaves trails of fairy dust and sparkles

but to your surprise, he’s kinda mean and short tempered. A frown never leaves his soft peachy lips

one look at you and he goes "... and what could the infamous little princess of the evil kingdom be doing in MY land? doing MEAN and EVIL stuff? hm??”

you’ve heard about the fairies not being the most friendly creature but you thhought they were just vicious, not sarcastic and seems angry all the time

and strangely enough, unlike other fairies, he didn’t have wings. And the flower crown on his blonde hair looked more like horns growing out of his head

he grew impatient from your lack of response but he couldn’t kill you yet, he needed you to get back at the evil kingdom

so he brought you to his kingdom—the kingdom’s prison, to be exact. But it’s just a beautiful chamber filled with wild plants and flowers and glowing fireflies underneath the moonlight, you were kinda confused when he said it’s a prison since the concept of prison that you grew up with is practically just a cold dark chamber of torture

“THIS is your PRISON? you sure you’re not taking me on a fairy date just now? to meet your pretty little fairy friends?” you said with a smug on your face, knowing that he wouldnt dare to intentionally hurt you, as he is a creature of natural protector despite his short temper

so you use this opportunity to annoy the hell out of him

“pretty flower crowns you got there” “btw where are your wings? aren’t all fairies supposed to have sparkly translucent wings?” “honestly i thought prisons are supposed to be a little more dark and intimidating you know, not like this pretty fairy garden”

you’d give him headache and the urge to use some forbidden magic curse on you but he didn’t because your corpse wouldn’t do any good

“these are HORNS! and not every fairy have the same physical features, stop stereotyping us! it’s disrespectful” he snapped

you were just complimenting him why is he always so cranky

i mean his horns look so beautiful they could easily be mistaken as a crown...

after gathering some information, you broke out of the prison with the help of the dying forest and weakening magic force

but you didn’t want to return just yet. you needed to gather more information as the forest started to heal

also you’re kinda lost your way back home lol

your father was FURIOUS, he blamed everyone for your abduction. even your little brother got enough beating for that

as days gone by, you feel like you’re getting closer to the secrets of the island, and also the fairy prince

and every encounter with him it’s just consist of a lot of bickering and sword fighting and being angry at each other

one time your faces were far too close to each other it made you let your guards down, but you snapped out of it quickly and proceed to strangle him

for some reason he never try to actually kill you and you never seem to get the right chance to kill him. it’s weird coming from you bc that’s literally what’s you’re trained for, to kill the prince. you still gotta prove yourself, remember?

but you’re getting used to each other’s presence so much that it became amusing for him

“wow (y/n) this is actually a fun date idea. I’m giving it a 4/10. could’ve been a solid 10 if you didn’t try to stab me in the ribs tho :/“ he said in the middle of a sword fight

one day you’re battling in some strange part in the forest, you were spying on him but got caught

but little did you know, it was one of the forest’s sacred sites. It’s filled with the strongest magic and ancient technology and guarded by forces you don’t know yet

you got struck by some ancient magic, resulting in some strange event to happen. which led you to be captured by the fairy prince yeonjun himself, again

you were kinda weak from the struck so most of the time he’s the one guarding you in the prison, keeping an eye on you and limiting your suspicious moves

so all you can do in the meantime is to either insult his annoyingly beautiful prison or annoy the prince himself

he always seems pissed and suspicious for no reason so it’s kinda fun to you

“are you in pain or something? did you get struck by some strange magic too? why are you always so mean and angry?? are you hurting somewhere ??"

“excuse YOU? am i supposed NOT TO ?? maybe i wouldn’t be so mean and angry all the time if the evil kingdom DON’T try to exploit the forest ALL THE TIME, every think of that? does that ring a bell? here's a hint: i’m talking about YOU, princess (y/n)” he’d roll his eyes, angrily walking in circles. kinda mad at his dad for making him guard you

i mean... there should be enough guards in this castle, right?

little did you know, the magic is actually weakening... leaving the royal bloods’ magic the only force that can protect the forest, for now

“for the hundreth time, i am NOT a princess! i’m a fucking warrior, so stop calling me that!” sometimes you get pissed for his sarcastic remarks and his attitudes in general too. also this time you’re not really feeling well after the struck

“whatever you say, my princess” he’d blow flower petals on your face before giving you a smirk, dancing away gracefully as he picks flowers and tuck them into his flower crown... dozens of flowers immediately grows back for every single flower he picks from the ground, what a sight

you’d blush and try to look away. he never used his magic and charms for this type of things, usually it’s just for some silly pranks or weak attempts temporary torture in the battlefield (bc using magic drains his energy quickly)... so why now? was he really using magic or was is it just you?

after so many encounters and chances of being alone together, you sure know how to get on each other’s nerves... and each other’s head

you were there for a couple days, it’s kinda weird that you didn’t try to escape

turned out you were kinda sick, the strange magic struck weakened your senses and abilities. but you didnt want to admit it nor let him know that you’re literally vulnerable right now

you were smart enough to use this opportunity to get close to him, telling lies about how pitiful your life’s been as a princess and how you just want to prove yourself to your father, you don’t even care about conquering the universe

he didn’t buy that at first, not until you told him about how the evil kingdom sees the forest. you’d say your father thinks the fairies are the bad guys bc they stole the stones from the ancestors of your father’s planet thousands of years ago and that they’re just trying to get it back to heal their dying planet

you didn’t lie at that part, it was true... at least for the invaders. that’s how he kinda get surprised he had to tell the fairies’ version of the story

turned out that it’s all just a misunderstanding between the two parties, but unlike yeonjun being the democratic soon-to-be leader that he is, you still want approval

which you can only get by killing the fairy crown prince yeonjun before his coronation

but jokes on you, you kinda have feelings for him too. you didnt even try to kill him when he fell asleep holding you in his arms... you’d always say to yourself that ‘it wasn’t the right time’ to kill him just yet

of course it wasn’t. there never was, and never will be. you love him, dumbass. even the moon shining upon you the two of you could easily tell

he’d start to tell you secrets... secrets of the forest, his ancestors and families, the kingdom, the magic island, everything

you knew the forest is dying, but what you didn’t know is that he never wanted to be king,, he doesn’t feel like he’s qualified to be one. hell, he doesn’t even have wings, and he’s got horns growing out of his head. no fairy king or queen written in history of the magic island to not have wings, ever

“but it’s not required, right? literally nobody said you’ve got to be born with wings in order to be a fairy king. it’s already in your blood, yeonjun.” you would reassure him as you lift his chin so you can clearly see his eyes... all shaky and scared

he’d kiss you and you swore you almost forgot about your personal mission of luring and getting him into your trap

he told you about when he was just a fairy child... other young fairies and forest creatures bullied him for having horns and no wings,, i mean... he’s a fairy after all. it’s actually really natural, it’s just unusual among the immature creatures

one day he ran away way too far out of the forest... to the giant thorned vine bushes that looked like a cavern... it was dark and scary, he’s never seen this part of the island before

he didn’t know that it’s an entrance to the darker side of the island, where your father landed the ship and invaded a whole region of natural resources and innocent creatures, including the elf kingdom

and then he met a little girl, holding a basket full of flowers and wild berries, with a messy flower crown made of wild flowers on her head. she approached him and asked him softly if he’s lost and why is he crying

he was scared at first because she’s dressed like human, but after a while he learned that she’s harmless. he told her he’s scared that one day he’s gonna turn into a monster bc of his growing horns

“horns? i thought these were a crown... a very peculiar one, i must admit. but didn’t you say you’re a prince? a prince is supposed to wear a crown, right?” the little girl said brightly

“here, let me tuck these flowers in between your hairs and horns... now it’s a flower crown! it’s always been a crown, but now you have flowers!” she would jump around happily, which made the little prince smiled a little too

the story kinda shocked you... could it be that...?

no, snap out of it! it’s not even important nor relevant to your current circumstances

but you never thought that the crown that he proudly wore all the time has been... a growing pain for him

speaking of pain, the part of your back that’s got struck by the strange magic the other day keeps hurting you, and that night it started to get worse, two vertical scars started to form, followed by black liquid running down from each one

“you’re hurt! why didn’t you tell me?” he snapped, his voice filled with worries and anger. maybe it’s because of the fact that black blood could only mean one thing... dark magic

he took care of you and looked after you all the time

and yet you’d still tell him lies... and giving him false hopes

“let’s run away, together... to somewhere far, somewhere safe, we can build our own forever...”

[meg-noel-art]

Luna, Ash, and Willow for that ask thing!

KDFHGLDHG RJ!!! Thank you for enabling me to talk about my fankids, this is gonna be a long ass post, let’s go!!!!!!!!

1.) 2-4 songs that are probably on their iPod:

Luna: I am definitely just taking songs from the playlist @athetos made for Luna, so “Ghost” “Numb” “Perfect” “Stuck in the Mud” Classic angsty teen anthems

Willow: She listens to a bunch of indie artists I can feel it. “Creature Fear” by Bon Iver, “Backwards Walk” Frightened Rabbit, “Skinny Love” the Birdy cover. A soft baby.

Ash: I feel like Ash isn’t actually a big music person. He maybe has a few tunes that catch his attention but doesn’t have ‘playlists’ per say. He likes instrumentals/scores more than lyrical music, pop ballads and what not

2.) the one place they sometimes end up falling asleep – where they’re not supposed to:

Luna: Probably the roof....mfhgksdhgkl I like to think she literally climbs Bright Moons towers to sulk on the rooftops and watch sunsets and sunrises and such. But she also definitely just falls asleep on the shingles--hundreds of feet above the ground. 

Willow: Not sure there’s anywhere she’d ever be forbidden from falling asleep? But perhaps on nights she’s anxious, she slips out of her house and falls asleep in Plumeria’s flower patches. Maybe a tree if she wants to see the stars better.

Ash: Not necessarily forbidden, again, but Luna’s room. Falls asleep in weird, cat like places like her closet or underneath the bed, or on top of the canvas. Beyond that, when traveling, I imagine he likes to also climb into a good tree--when he’s not curled up with Melog.

3.) the game they'd destroy everyone else at:

Luna: Chess (or the Etherian equivelant). Luna is smart and actually enjoys strategy games, and I think chess would be the one thing that would get her to slow down and process her choices before making them.

Willow: I get the vibes that Willow is very good at Monopoly. She’s so quiet that no one notices she’s taken over the entire board until there’s nowhere to run.

Ash: Black jack or hide-and-seek (if it’s a game other than like... a board game) Also Uno, he’s got card games on lock.

4.) the emoticon they’d use most often:

Luna: 💖 <--she stole this one from Glimmer

Willow: A combo pack of 🙏🏻😌

Ash: 🥵 because it freaks the other two out

5.) what they act like when they haven’t had enough sleep:

Luna: Cranky, prone to tears and emotional break downs. But like Adora before her, refuses to sleep out of absolute stubborn pride that her body shouldn’t stop until she says it can.

Willow: More reserved than usual if she doesn’t get enough sleep (not that that ever happens) Less inclined to follow along with her friends antics. Also a mite grumpy.

Ash: Forget show to speak in anything other than hisses and growls. His sleeplessness is 100% visible in how he carries himself. Sluggish and grumpy.

6.) their preferred hot beverage on really cold nights. or mornings. or whenever:

Luna: Undoubtedly hot chocolate or something similar. Both her moms have a sweet tooth, she did not escape it.

Willow: Tea! Of probably many varieties, but because I’m biased, her favorite is Chamomile.

Ash: This is a hot cider kid, through and through.

7.) how they like to comfort/care for themselves when they’re in a slump:

Luna: Despite her angst, Luna definitely does better when with other people if she’s in a slump. If she was truly feeling down, she’d spend the day just doing something lazy with her friends. Watching movies, reading/telling stories, playing games--they never leave her room. Extended sleepover. As a younger kid/baby, hanging with the moms achieved the same effect ;;; particularly getting she-ra piggyback rides.

Willow: She goes all out with a nice bath, floral scents, candles, followed by meditation and relaxing stretches.

Ash: He takes walks--let’s himself absorb nature and the larger world. Melog always goes with him. A comforting presence, therapy pet style but---giant panther creature.

7.) what they wanted to be when they grew up:

Luna: The next She-Ra. The responsibility of the role has never really hit her, she just wants to be a super kickass magical warrior Princess. Queen is okay too...

Willow: She just wants to do/be whatever will most help her people/ the people of Etheria. She doesn’t actually like traveling much beyond Bright Moon and Plumeria. Her future is a little foggy, but she’s not too pressed about it, her moms are calm and gently guide her through any uncertainties anyway.

Ash: Mostly he just wants to travel and explore and adventure. Wherever that takes him, or whatever it leads him to become--he’s okay with!

8.) their favorite kind of weather:

Luna: Cold months, when snow falls and she can curl up in front of the fireplace. When the world goes still and quiet and the existential thoughts fully settle in.

Willow: Spring!! New life, not too hot! All the animals come out of hiding, the flowers bloom. the air is crisp, the sun is out longer... Peaceful vibes.

Ash: Summer time. The sun is always warm, meaning there are plenty of moments to catch a catnap. Beyond that, he likes not having to deal with snow or rain.

9.) thoughts on their singing voice (decent? terrible? soprano? alto?)

Luna: She’s a decent singer. but you’d never know it from the way she caterwauls in the shower.

Willow: Beautiful voice! Often too shy to show it though...She picked up playing ukulele to write songs and play for Luna (who is always wildly impressed)

Ash: This boy cannot sing.

10.) how/what they like to draw or doodle:

Luna: she drew so many pictures as a child. Wild stick figure scenes, self portraits, her friends and family, retraced the murals in Bright Moon. Stopped drawing once she hit her teens and has not since, but she can.

Willow: Doodles hearts and flowers in her diary, beyond that, she sometimes does like ‘life studies; of the flowers around Plumeria. She’s good! But doesn’t show off her talent.

Ash: Ash doesn’t really draw. But I imagine he crafts/carves, which is an artistic talent in and of itself. He might doodle the occasional rune or something into something he creates, but beyond that...

THANK YOU!!

[acephysicskarkat]

So someone who wished to remain anonymous reached out to me in DMs with some ideas for a larger-scale She-Ra rewrite than my fix-it suggestions for dealing with S5′s questionable writing.

These are all interesting ideas, but both they and I have other projects that mean neither of us can really do anything with them. So after some discussion and their encouragement I’m just going to post them up in case anyone finds inspiration in here.

Please note that this is quoted mostly verbatim; I’ve made some minor edits just to clarify points so you don’t need to seek out the posts being referred to.

What I wanted to do was that, given that Noelle *apparently* wanted Catradora from the start (which, given how it was ultimately handled and just how fucking gross Noelle as a person really is besides that is just... urrgghhhh), was to *completely rewrite how Adora and Catra would grow up, starting with this change:

Have Adora been found by Queen Angela somewhere near Bright Moon (after being inexplicably left/abandoned there by Hordak, based upon a scene in S5, in what would be a later plot twist point that would retroactively plant the seeds for his kindness and redemption), and end up growing up with her and Princess Glimmer, whilst Catra would’ve been with the Horde and grew up with (and was abused by) Shadow Weaver. Adora and Catra would’ve meet as teens by chance – not in the Horde base, not on the battlefield, but in a large, secluded forest. They would’ve become secret friends who meet there until circumstances forced Adora to stop meeting with Catra, who’d latter become bitter and enraged at her because of this. Something like that.

Maybe, as another rewrite idea, Shadow Weaver was looking for the lost Adora for many years, having been obsessed with the First Ones (and being banished from the Hall of Sorcerers for it, and slowly learning black magic and becoming corrupted because of it), and once she realizes that Catra had been seeing her, SW’s abuse becomes much more severe, thereby making Catra further hate Adora.

I also wanted Catra to start her road to redemption WAY earlier – like, *second season earlier* – to even remotely facilitate a Catradora end. Her slowly realizing what she’s become, and becoming internally frightened with that realization dawning upon her. You might be asking, “well what about the whole Portal thing and also Catra tasing Entrapta unconscious and sending her to Beast Island?” That’s easy.

I wanted *Shadow Weaver* be the one to do those things, out of spite and desperation over Adora and the Rebellion. Shadow Weaver would knock Entrapta cold, and have the Horde soldiers (since in this rewrite she’d still be a part of the Horde until the end) send her over to Beast Island, all while Catra (who’d be there but does nothing) watches silently in horror, plating further seeds for her redemption. Maybe even have SW berate Catra for not having done [what she canonically does in the asinine show we got].

It’d be much better to give *SW* those moments for Catradora to be at all viable. (Maybe another rewrite idea would be that, to tie better with SW’s semi-new backstory and goals, the Portal and the Heart of Etheria would be one and the same? I’m just spitballing ideas at this point.)

Oh yeah also, after the portal business, Shadow Weaver *would fucking die*, never to be seen for the remainder of the series ever again.

I think both of your ideas [for giving Hordak a better redemption arc] would work great together, but one thing I wanted to add was I think “softening” Hordak’s character pre-Horde Prime reveal in terms of the imperialist war crimes/general atrocities he commits would *probably* go a long way into establishing *some* sorta good basis for people to be on board for a redemption arc. I do think Entrapdak is a good ship in some ways, it’s just that the road towards it is a bit rocky in terms of what we’d know of how much of a scumfuck Hordak is pre-Entrapta. Maybe, as another idea to add onto the ideas of rewriting Hordak that we already have, have Entrapta bring out the goodness in Hordak and make him be a bit more lenient with others?

(Also, these rewrite ideas for Hordak would make for great story beats when paired with my idea of having Hordak ‘abandoned’ Adora in Bright Moon) 

I really like 1 [”scene about what falling under his control is like”] and 3 [”have Adora actually react to his genocide of the First Ones“] of your HP rewrite ideas (I’m a bit on the fence for 2 [”give his religion actual dogma and true believers”], ‘cause on one hand it’d kinda makes sense in regard to it tying more to the “imperialist/colonialist Christianity” angle HP is going for, but on the other hand I’m not sure how well 2 would work in practice), but one other thing I’d like to add, and this is more of a “me” thing since I’m more of an “action” guy when it comes to this stuff, is:

Have Horde Prime actually be an intimidating fighter when forced to fight, being inhumanly fast, flying, having god-like/DBZ-like blasting powers, etc. I was kinda disappointed that S5... didn’t really give me that. That was kinda-sorta what I assumed HP would kinda-sorta be like, *along* with his creepy, manipulative and abusive characteristics

[dappercritter]

Random She-Ra Season 4 Thoughts:

After much thinking and suffering, here are some random thoughts I had about season 4 inbetween feel episodes.

Going into S4 be like.

Coming out of S4 be like.

Grief and failure to communicate. This season is off to a great start!

You know, I still like Swift Wind but I’m starting to see why most people, uh… don’t.

If you told me before I started the show that I would hate a sexy catgirl and feel sorry for a creepy-looking cyborg conqueror, I would have called you a liar, paused, then said, “No, wait. Yeah, that sounds like me.”

Queen Glimmer looks nice, but I’m definitely going miss her old Cutie Honey-esque hairstyle.

Shame that Huntara didn’t join the Rebellion full-time but it’s for the best. Not just so she can liberate the Crimson Wastes, but let’s face it, nobody in the Rebellion would be able to think straight with a butch Amazonian warrior goddess hanging around.

I really can’t give Double Trouble enough praise: they have so much personality, a fantastic design combining reptilian and theatre-kid traits (two of my favourite kind of characters!), are morally ambiguous but likeable, and help alleviate all the dramatic stress that this season is packed with.

Flutterina and her village has thoroughly convinced me we need more moth people in fantasy.

Why? Simple. THEY’RE SO FLUFFY

I have some minor issues with the Flutterina controversy: yes, Adora and the Rebellion recruited a young girl to fight in a war and took her from her home and all that, which is a valid concern to have and indeed just a little hypocritical given that was how she was forced to grow up, but I feel like the fact that Flutterina is actually Double Trouble, a young adult spy with what I assume is a fair amount of combat and espionage training, makes it ring hollow for me.

Also, do we know if there’s a real Flutterine that Double Trouble impersonated or is she just a persona they made up?

Either way, it’s funny to imagine the Elberon locals trying to make sense of this little girl that just showed up out of nowhere, went off to war, and then the real one shows up right after and everyone just has to go along with it otherwise people will think they can’t keep track of their own kids.

Okay, so I’m not happy about Shadow Weaver slowly being treated as just another member of the cast, but I’m also sort of glad that it’s being implied that we’re still not supposed to trust her either.

That said, leave it to Shadow Weaver to go and potentially destroy Glimmadora on us.

Rogelio confirmed for best boyfriend.

Watching Kyle’s near sacrifice gave me some Chaos Vortex PTSD. (Pit-Truama Stress Disorder)

(If you understood that reference, you have earned my respect for life.)

Light Hope, you’re scaring the adults now, too.

Emily has a holographic projector and was at one point wanted by a ruthless conqueror of worlds. So I guess she qualifies as an astromech droid now?

Speaking of holograms, seeing Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta when they were all friends was the worst kind of bittersweet.

(After watching Scorpia leave her toxic friendship to embark with Emily on an adventure to save Entrapta) *on the verse of tears* Fricking superb you funky little lesbian! *sniff* Fricking superb…

That’s right, Catra. You reflect on the consequences of your actions like a good kitty-cat.

Sea Hawk surprisingly looks the part for a good noir protagonist.

In his own head, of course.

Is it just me, or is Frosta acting mature again? Hyperactive Little Sister Frosta is fun, but The Only Sane Person in the Room is a Literal Child Frosta would be a missed opportunity.

Oh no, Adora and Glimmer are fighting!

Yay, they were just pretending to catch Double Trouble!

Oh no…

“Boy’s Night Out” or, “How to Delight and Emotionally Destroy Your Audience At The Same Time”

Believe it or not, Sea Hawk possesses special abilities like the Princesses. Those being:

Great singing

Superhuman positivity

Nigh-invulnerability

I’m not sure if Madame Razz is a time-traveller, a Doctor, or just has some sort of Alzheimer’s, but regardless, I’m proud of how the crew handled it.

Swift Wind might be annoying at times but if showing concern for the elderly doesn’t make him a likeable character, I don’t what does.

Looks like I can add “Hero” to the list of She-Ra episodes that deserve an Emmy or Annie.

Words cannot describe how happy I was to see Scorpia pop-up in Bright Moon amid all the drama.

Glimmer is tip-toing the line between “pure-hearted character forced into morally grey responsibilities” and “grey-area wet wipe” and I am not loving it.

So between She-Ra, Huntara, and Scorpia, we all agree Perfuma has a type now, right?

I know it’s just Double Trouble making fun of her (and my love of Elvis Presley, Johnny Bravo, and Kishidan showing) but I think Adora looks pretty dang cool with a pompadour.

Beast Island: It’s Annihilation for Kids!

Yay, King Micha really is alive!

However, he still doesn’t have a wife to come back to and his daughter is making some poor life choices. Bummer.

Nice to see Bow’s still on the Hates Shadow Weaver bandwagon.

Entrapta’s got a Kamen Rider mask now and no one call me otherwise.

And she’s got a mecha that used Godzilla’s roar.

Well, even if my She-Ra-fan-heart is dying, my tokusatsu-geek-brain is happy.

How Entrapta adjusted to life on Beast Island is both nothing and everything I expected from her at the same time.

Well what do you know, Glimmadora saves lives!

BREAKING NEWS: Non-binary reptilian theatre-kid makes breakthrough with angry lesbian cat!

Light Hope, you’re breaking our hearts…

I’m glad that the show is hopping on the anti-power-up bandwagon as well. As someone who grew up with shows like Power Rangers where everything was immediately solved by new merchandise or powers, I get a sort of twisted satisfaction seeing that the shiny merchandisable new toy is more trouble than its worth.

Oh, and of course, it makes a for a good lesson on the danger of absolute power.

Before I started S4, I hated Horde Prime because he wasn’t a giant eldritch cyborg monster anymore, but I’ve actually gotten quite accustomed to his new design. Now I hate him for being a callous perfectionist world conqueror with no sense of personal space that may or may not be into selfcest.

(*praying intensely*) Please let Adora turn into She-ra through sheer-will power next season, please let Adora turn into She-ra through sheer-will power next season, please let

Yup, I was right! This season didn’t fix damn thing the last one broke!

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power S02E07 - Reunion

Season finale! But, I remember being told Season 2 and 3 are one season split apart so I'm not expecting anything too world shattering.

Last episode ended with the words Serenia, Portal and Mara. Serenia is a mystery (maybe a name?) but it's not the first time portals appear, first in Adora's visions and then with Hordak's research. Are they somehow all related? I still believe Mara had to have a good reason for whatever she did but I'm not sure how it all fits together considering the Horde apparently appeared centuries after Mara did her thing.

I doubt we're going to get answers to all of that since it feels more like material for a real season finale but who knows. There are many possible reunions in any case:

Shadow Weaver meeting Adora

Hordak succeeding with his portal and being able to communicate with someone from The... Big Horde.

Adora finally accepting that her real magical steed is the lizard she cursed with sentience and going looking for him.

Maybe something with Razz? For a weird old lady with prophetic powers, she's been less relevant to the plot than both sides' invisible soldiers, and that's an achievement.

Something to do with the radio communication, maybe they watch a hologram? Or Adora meets her real parents?

It could be anything so let's do this!

He actually got into the habit of recording himself!

I bet it's something completely unrelated to the plot, it wouldn't be so vague otherwise.

Holy shit she sleeps with a dagger under her pillow

which makes a lot of sense for her

Glimmer is like "A knife! Oh right, it's Adora, nevermind"

Maaaybe I was wrong? But I keep thinking that it has to be something silly like Makercon.

Glimmer VA's is already making me regret waiting so long to watch this episode.

I really, really like that quick glance at Adora while she's talking about "Mara" stuff. Touchy topic.

Huh. That's interesting. He is somewhat of an enigma considering he's a main character. Adora had a whole flashback episode and Glimmer has had some stuff revealed through the episodes but barely anything about Bow.

What is he hiding? And why?

I did wonder at the time why he had hearts on the soles of his shoes but I never expected it to be actually relevant to the plot of an episode.

Definitely not Makercon. Is he meeting people from his past that don't know what he does for a living?

Can't believe Bow is a secret princess.

Oh no, Bow is a secret nerd. Wait, he's very open about he being a nerd.

I'd say Glimmer is overreacting but Bow wearing an actual shirt is indeed something to freak out about.

Ooooooooh

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

2 seconds in and I already love them.

It has to have been a weird year for these kids, huh? Poor Lonnie, cursed to be the only one competent at her job.

Lonnie is so annoyed she's risking losing her mouth.

Good job Shadow Weaver, Catra was just starting to trust again and it all went poof.

I feel like I've seen mustachioed dad before but I'm not sure where. He looks a bit like Sea Hawk I guess?

I'm loling at Adora attending an academy with that name.

I wonder why Bow decided he had to hide he was part of the rebellion, or that he was friends with the Princess of Bright Moon.

Welp, how many episodes before this library gets invaded by Entrapta?

Wait, thirteen!?

I guess the "all historians like us" line solves the mystery of Bow's secret.

Oh god, Bow got the puns from him.

Ooh, this is getting interesting. Considering they have 13 children, maybe they adopt orphans from the war and blame the princesses? I kinda like that, if mostly because it'd provide a contrast to the orphans adopted by the horde.

(Also, I like the idea an AU of Adora being found and adopted by Bow's dads.)

First Ones tattoos?

aaaaaaa I love them

lmao

The one time Glimmer is genre-savvy and she gets it wrong.

Wait, how old was he when he did all of this?

yeah, really

Glimmer. You reaaaaally don't get to be judgy about this.

And I can't wait to see how it all falls apart.

At least he did mention them. I'm very glad he said Adora was an art major because that could have been an even bigger disaster.

I didn't know I wanted burrito catra but here we are.

Scorpia is just too good for this world.

This makes me wonder what makes her fight for the horde, do they (Scorpia and the other cadets) even have a vision to follow? Is it all just because of the princess propaganda? Or because they grew up there?

welp

I had a bit of dejavu here but it's because of another teenager refusing to talk with their parents in another show.

Adora is so proud of her pronunciation.

LIZARD FORESHADOWING

...this has to come up again in the future, right? Who was the princess attached to that rune shard? Why is it defunct? Also, this is getting stolen by either Shadow Weaver or Entrapta.

I'm facepalming here. But I can't blame the parents too much, if Bow has been hiding how he really is, what are they supposed to do?

Oooh, Mara's predecessor?

and you love it

holy shit best joke of the episode

aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Wait. Is this the superman capsule from the visions? ooo

...nope, not the capsule.

Thank you for that last misplaced word accent, show.

What an amazing way to save animation budget.

I can't believe the reveal of his secret identity is through a dramatic reveal of his abs.

This is where George says "you're indeed not a genius because that's incredibly dumb"?

This is going exactly the way I hoped it'd go and I love it.

They really nailed giving Bow's parents shared similarities with Bow.

oh no my heart, this is too wholesome

Another place from Adora's visions!

These cliffhangers have the subtlety of a truck. At least Catra's had some relation to the episode but Adora's is almost embarrassingly desperate.

Other than the cliffhangers, I loved this episode. Both George and Lance are incredible and really cute together. She-Ra keeps being great at including LGBT representation.

The constant "is this going to be serious business" -> "nope" twist joke was amusing the entire episode. There weren’t as many lore drops as I'd have liked but the reveal of the constellations was enough to tie the season's mystery into the already existing show plot in a neat way.

Even Bow's plot, which was something that I feel like I've seen way too many times didn't feel as tired as I'd expect it would, maybe because everything was handled in the most wholesome way possible.

It definitely didn't feel like a season finale but it did hit everything I'd expect from a mid-season "important" episode, like Shadows of Mystacor was.

The only thing I didn't like were the cliffhangers, especially Adora's, and that's mostly because they felt like a cheap way to give some tension to the "finale"

Oh well, at least I don't have to wait a year to start Season 3. I hope. I think that's all for now, until next time!

[fmdjoosungarchive]

【✧】━━━━━━━ ♥ t     s w i f t     p l a y l i s t ♥ ━━━━━━━【✧】

t swift i say. i mean red. this is sung’s ranking for taylor swift’s red album, since it came up on dash and i was Inspired. this is just the standard edition bc it’s already sixteen songs give me a bREAK. underneath the cut are explanations of why each song is in its position

16. the lucky one

when he first heard it, sung was a trainee, but not Famous. he didn’t get it. and after debuting and becoming some level of Famous... he still doesn’t get it. he doesn’t hate it, but he’d rather hear songs about love than fame

15. the last time

this would have been higher when he first heard the album. the meaning of it would hit, and he’d have liked their voices together. however, as he grew into an idol and producer, he’d come to dislike the pairing of their voices, as gary’s is much stronger, but to combat that, the mix of taylor’s voice in the studio version is much louder. sometimes a skip for him

14. i almost do

as much as sung gets the lyrics, experiences the feeling often, he doesn’t think it’s the best of the bunch sonically, or lyrically. he doesn’t skip the song by any means. he still quite enjoys it, however, if he Had to rank the songs (as i’m doing for him) he would put it here

13. i knew you were trouble

sung vc: pop perfection (for 2012) he loved the goat memes at the time. does he feel super close to the song? no. but it’s a single, and makes him wanna shake his little booty the second it starts

12. state of grace

mosaic broken hearts and achilles heels, sung Feels this song. sonically it’s not his favorite, as it has a bit of a slow middle, but it describes his kind of optimism well

11. we are never ever getting back together

sung vc: pop perfectioner. no, he doesn’t have an ex he will never get back together with, but he feels like taylor’s bestie cheering her on to roast his ass

10. holy ground

the thought of the song makes his heart leap a little, in a nice way. however, he’s not as connected to it as songs above it. the sonic side of it is what bumps it up for him, though, because it’s very easy, pleasant listening

9. everything has changed

this makes his heart pump even harder. as much of a sad sack as he can be, happiness and hope tickle his feathers with the force of she-ra. it’s one of those songs that makes him smile. and he thinks ed’s voice works better with taylor’s than gary’s

8. begin again

in famed, it lyrically doesn’t Hit sung the same as it would in aus, but it Almost does. mostly because sung is an empathetic beech, but it makes him feel so incredibly happy for t swift, and makes him feel Hopeful

7. red

as a dude who has never Actually lost a lover, he doesn’t get it. but damn if red doesn’t make him think he gets it. sonically, very into sung’s likes, And... sung single luver, so red has to have a higher spot because it makes him think of the album overall

6. 22

sung pre-debuted at 22 (intl), so he thinks of that as a pretty good time in his life, and 22 is the right song to celebrate that with. and, as a single lover, the song gets even higher marks. it makes him happy, makes him feel light, and he just loves it. he’ll play it at any friend’s 22nd birthday, don’t Test him

5. sad beautiful tragic

what can i say? boi loves sad shit. if he wants to steep in his sadness he can pull up this song and be like yes. i am sad. this is sadness i’m feeling. taylor swift is agreeing with me. we’re both sad right now, together

4. stay x3

sung probably read taylor saying this was a fictional desire in a relationship and sung would have felt that Hard when the album came out, even, which can’t be said for a lot of the album. the song makes him happy as hew, especially after getting into a relationship that gives him this Feeling

3. all too well

this song really appeals to the sentimental side of sung. he tends to have a bad habit of feeling romantically for every man he develops the slightest connection with, and could Feel a song like this for a dude he spent three hours with. also he has SOME taste and can realize the lyrical masterpiece of you call me up again just to break me like a promise so casually cruel in the name of being honest i’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here cos i rmr it all too well

2. treacherous

part of what sung loves about t swift is that she expresses his feelings even when the way they each interpret the music is different, and is a religious romantic. and for sung, this song feels like his connection to his sexuality. treacherous, but worth the drive

1. starlight

sappy motherfucker. sung would have thought this song was written by him. he says, who doesn’t want to be dancing like they’re made of starlight? he’s a big fan of star/moon allusions in music, because they Speak to him. he’s also a we could get married have ten kids and teach them how to dream type, especially since getting with a dude that wants six kids. he just wants his little fairytale

[azulann]

Character Basics Bio: J’thel

Bascis

Full Name: J’thel Tia

Nickname(s): Thellie

Title: (None)

Species: Miqo’te

Clan: Seeker of the Sun

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 164 lbs

Birthday: 6th Sun of the Third Umbral Moon

Nationality: Gyr Abanian

Patron Deity: Oschon, The Wanderer

Allegiance: The Scions of the Seventh Dawn

Job: Machinist

Occupation: Adventurer

Martial Status: Single

Personality

Traits: Enthusiastic, Creative, Spontaneous, Playful, Supportive, Optimistic, Perceptive, Down to Earth, Disorganized, Lazy, Somewhat Egotistical, Teasing, Tends to hide own problems, scattered

Upbeat and active, J’thel often comes across at first as a very sociable person always ready to take a dive into new activities, relationships and even problems. With the heart of an optimist, he tries his best to see the best in every situation, fishing for the positives among a sea of negative energy where he can. He tends to be very enthusiastic, as a result, about everything he and those close to him do. He likes to show his affections for those close to him, always giving them a reminder that he’s there for them even in darker times. A playful sort, he can also be very teasing and tends to be prone to causing as many problems as he seeks to rectify, especially since he is so easily bored. This can sometimes put him at odds with others, as his spontaneous and disorganized nature sometimes leave messes for others to clean up, though he tries his best not to burden people with the issues he causes. This also tends to be one of his greatest failings, as he often tries to hide his issues and negative emotions from others, his concerns maintaining that the world has it’s own problems and he should be the only one to worry about his own. His overall compassionate heart stems from his own struggles that forced him to leave home, as he would never wish the suffering he endured upon anyone else. He can also come across as somewhat Egotistical at times, those this tends to be a jest on his part. He is, however, confident in himself and his place in life.

Background

Born to a J tribe in the Peaks of Gyr Abania, J’thel was raised by a happy mother and a Nunh father who loved all his children dearly. J’thel was very close to four of his siblings in particular, three older brothers and a younger sister, with whom he often spent a great deal of time. Growing up, he was easily seen as a favorite child by a great many members of his tribe, enthusiastic and strong spirited, but also gentle and good hearted. Such traits remained even as he grew into a young man, remaining steadfast in his duties and his relationships with his friends and family. As he grew from a child to a teenager, however, J’thel became privy to visions and flashes of events of which he knew not, giving him burning headaches and glimpses of the past. It was through this that he learned of his father’s illness, as a dream spoke of the likelihood of dying soon. However, J’thel brushed these off as simple dreams, and allowed himself to continue in life. He had his friends, his family, and even found love, and was prepared to set out to one day make his own place in life with that love. This was, at least, until J’thel’s visions spoke true. 

Some weeks after witnessing his vision, J’thel’s father died, leaving the clan without a Nunh. With such a sudden passing and among the confusion of grief, no one was truly sure whom would be the one to take his place, and thus tensions began to rise among the remaining males in the tribe. There was talk that J’thel would like be the one to take the position, be it by popularity or by skill, despite his complete disinterest in the idea and dedication to the one woman he had found love with. However, the notion was enough to scare his own brothers, especially the eldest, J’vac. In a dishonorable attempt to rid himself of what he deemed his biggest threat, the brother once so close to J’thel attempted to have his brother killed, only to be thwarted by his second eldest brother, J’thaqe. J’thaqe did his best to fake his brothers passing before electing to leave the tribe with him, setting off for Eorzea in an attempt to start a newfound life while seeing his brother to a new start. Despite his losses and devastation, or perhaps because of them, J’thel maintained his lively attitude but began hiding a great deal of his grief and negative feelings, wanting to get on with the rest of his life despite all he lost. 

Arriving in Ul’dah, home to so many other refugees, the two men were not sure where their life was headed. It was also here that J’thel first encountered the Path of the Twelve, which offered an explanation for his ailments and visions in the form of the Echo, though he was too lost to find himself dedicating himself to anything he was told, feeling hatred for his initial visions and believing that maybe he could have stopped the mess as a whole if he had only headed them. Despite the pairs adamancy to remain on their own means and terms as they traveled, they soon found solace in company after meeting Zavre, the Veena leader of a traveling group of refugees bent on doing what they could to better their own lives and the lives of others. Joining for what was only to be a brief time, J’thel and his brother ended up staying with the woman for some years, and saw many new faces come and go, and took joy in being able to help others where he could not help himself. Not sure where he was going in life, he was content on living day by day. That was, at least, until a Young Au Ra was taken under the wing of their small caravan. Seeing the young sister he left behind in Yura, it didn’t take long for J’thel to take her under his wing, and eventually leaving with her to see her to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, not realizing that he would soon become her constant companion in coming conflicts of the world.

Relationships

Family:

J’vac: J’thel’s eldest brother. Despite being close as children, J’vac grew jealous of the younger boy with age and sought to remove him as an obstacle in life, fearful of losing his own place. Despite his actions, J’thel finds it hard to hate him.

J’thaqe: J’thel’s second eldest brother and the one to have saved his life, J’thel holds him in high esteem and is grateful for his ever-watchful eye. He does tend to be a very teasing and overbearing big brother at times, however.

J’shad: J’thel’s third eldest brother. They often spent a great deal of time together as children, and J’shad was greatly devastated by his brothers supposed death.

J’khoki: J’thel’s younger sister. The pair were especiall close as children, J’khoki being arguably the one closest to J’thel and the most devastated by his loss as a result

Allies:

Zavre: The woman who took J’thel, his brother, and so many other lost souls under her wing, J’thel cared greatly for Zavre and her compassion, and was ever grateful for her constant presence in his life while he was lost. He was devastated by her passing

Yura: A good friend and adoptive sister of J’thel, Yura reminds him a great deal of J’khoki which is why he initially took her under his own wing. He often watched out for her and even went as far as leaving with her when she chose to forge out on her own once more, eventually seeing her to the scions. He loves her dearly, though he tends to harass her as a big brother would

Kinara: The two have been known to clash quite frequently, Kinara’s serious and severe nature often clashing with J’thel’s more playful side. Despite this, they work well and care a great deal for one another.

Akiiyo: By far his favorite person to mess with, J’thel adores Akiiyo but finds it so easy to tease her to avoid doing so, though it often goes over her head.

Asta: The very person who keeps him grounded, J’thel sees a great deal of Zavre in Asta and respects her a great deal for it. He is ever dedicated to seeing her safe and ever prepared to leap into danger with her the moment she asks.

[howrry]

when you need me pt.2

a/n: its 4 am, i just got back from a SUPER lit house party, i'm lowkey dying, here’s part 2 of wynm. part 1 here. don't think i can write anymore of this because it just makes me hate y/n more. also this is my 10th piece yaaay! enjoy <3

w/c: 3.4k

warnings: smuuut, mild dub con

***

Lit homework had to be one of the biggest wastes of time Harry’s ever partaken in.

He’s a psychology major, for crying out loud! Why does blocking and typecasting and the use of the Stanislavsky system matter to him? It doesn’t! But his uni required him to take the class, and if nothing else, he could appreciate it for being a GPA booster.

The only sound in his dorm was the squeaking of his mechanical pencil on the homework and his roommate Ashton’s music softly beating out of his Alexa. He was playing some soft XXXtentacion, which repulsed Harry. Just because his songs were good doesn’t mean it excused the rapper’s behavior—but he digressed.

God, Harry and Ashton were so different, it’s insane how his school’s roommate matching algorithm put them together. At this point, he wonders if he’s even enrolled in the university—he’s never seen him study or go to a class. It’s not like Harry’s a purist or anything; he loves a party and a good beer like any other college student, but Ashton was just buck wild. He even tried to hit on Gemma when she visited for a weekend, but that was shut down when H threatened to castrate him.

"I'm going out," Ashton announced on his way to the door, checking in the hall mirror to see if his hair was up to snuff and fluffing out the collar of his coat.

Shocker. This didn’t even warrant a glance up from the homework. "Where?" Harry didn't really care, but it wouldn't hurt to pretend he did.

"Y'know Meghan from Kappa?" Ashton asked, twirling his keyring around his fingers.

"Yeah?"

"I'll be at her place," he explained simply.

This got Harry’s attention. "But isn't she dating that rugby player? Matthew, or whatever?"

Ashton laughed and clicked his tongue. "So naive! Cheat or be cheated on, Styles. What's that phrase about not hating the player?" He shot finger guns at his roommate and bounced, slamming the door behind him without turning off the music.

Gross.

“Alexa, turn that shit off,” H mumbled, and the robot obeyed, not bothered by the profanity.

So that's how Harry ended up in his dorm alone for the night. Once he was finished up with his lit homework, the raw boredom really kicked in. He supposed he could go out, but he wasn't really the solo type and finding someone to go with him was more trouble than it was worth. At one point he even eyed the Tijuana cigar box Ashton kept under its bed, thinking that he could probably raid its contents for a night and Ash wouldn't notice, but the risk of an RA busting him wasn't super appealing.

He accepted defeat, and decided to simply call it an early night. He changed into flannel pants to sleep in and was brushing his teeth when his phone started buzzing. It was Y/N.

Questions started flying through his brain. Why was she calling him? And at this hour? His anxious side flared up as a million nightmare scenarios flooded his thoughts. Once he’d rinsed the toothpaste out of his mouth, Harry scrambled to swipe his finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear.

"Y/N?" he tried to hide the urgency in his voice.

"Harry!" she blurted.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, not waiting for her to explain herself.

"Fuck, Harry I'm sorry," she started, "this is so weird to ask of you but I need your help."

A pit formed in his stomach. "What's wrong?"

"I'm in your city right now and my car broke down. Triple A is on their way and they're gonna fix it up tomorrow, but I totally don't have a place to stay. Can I crash at your place?"

Relief washed over him. Yeah, this wasn't exactly an ideal situation for her, but it was better than the kidnapping and murder scenarios he'd already painted in his head. "Of course. Y'know how to get to campus?"

"I've got a phone, don't I?"

Harry's eyebrow shot up involuntarily. Okay, bold. "Settle down, pet. I live in Taylor Hall, room 208."

"Taylor, 208," Y/N echoed. "Thank you so much, H. You're a lifesaver. I'll be there in 15 or so." She hung up without waiting for his goodbye, and Harry was left in his now-uncomfortably quiet room.

He scrambled around the dorm trying to hide any evidence that two boys lived there. Ashton was a bit of a disaster, but fortunately had an aversion to mold and other gross things so it was more about tidyingthe room than it was cleaning. Harry shoved dirty laundry into Ashton's closet and struggled to close the door on it before making both of their beds. He figured he could muss up the sheets after she left in the morning to avoid any taunting from his roommate. He practically broke a sweat struggling to make the room presentable, and managed to finish just in time before two solid knocks landed on his door.

"Harry! Long time no see!" She wasted no time stepping up and throwing her arms around his neck. He was taken aback by her affection, and paused for a minute before snaking his hands around her waist. "You sure look a lot better than the last time I saw you," she cheekily noted once she pulled back.

"Probably because m’not runnin’ around getting my arse kicked anymore," he bantered nervously. She looked great as well. Her face was a bit pink from the weather, and she seemed so much older despite it only being a year since he'd last seen her. Her black trench coat cinched gracefully at her waist and her jeans were tucked into also-black heeled boots. In all the years he'd known her, he couldn't think of one time she wore heels before now. What's changed?

Fortunately, she laughed at his awkwardness. (Since when did he feel so apprehensive around her?) "That's probably it." Y/N shrugged off her coat and hung it on one of the hooks by the door, leaving her in a plain red t-shirt. She fluffed her hair out and turned to him. "I thought ahead and grabbed some pajama shorts out of my car before the insurance people took it to the mechanic. Now I don't have to sleep in jeans." Sure enough, she pulled thin pair of shorts out of one of the coat pockets.

"Yeh just keep pajama shorts in your car?" he asked dubiously, sitting on his desk chair and rubbing his cold hands on his thighs.

"Yes! I keep plenty of spare clothes in my car for a situation just like this one!" she defended. "I'm gonna change real quick." She dipped into the bathroom and emerged shortly after wearing the shorts. Judging by the ball of clothing she haphazardly tossed in the corner, she'd taken off her bra, too.

Harry eyed her from his spot at the desk as she comfortably moved around the room, like she’d been there a hundred times. "Why are you here?" he asked suddenly, making her jump a little.

Her arms lifted to tie her hair up. "Have you already forgotten? You're a real nut, H. Car troubles? Ringing any bells?"

"No, no," he rubbed a hand down his face. "Why are yeh not at your own uni? Why are yeh in my city?"

"Oh." She hesitated before answering, climbing into his bed. "I'll be honest, it was a booty call. I called the other guy first when my car started acting up, but another girl answered. Figured he must have accidentally overbooked his evening and I remembered you go here, so here I am." Y/N sat cross legged and rested her chin in her palm, dazedly staring at Harry.

"Oh, wow. Sorry to hear that," he awkwardly mumbled.

She snorted. "I'll be okay. S'not like I had feelings for him."

This made something twist in Harry's stomach for some reason. Quiet, sweet Y/N that he'd known for years was just looking to get fucked and didn't care about feelings. This was a totally different person from the girl he grew up next door to. Who was she?!

"Either way, I really owe you one. I'll buy you a meal in the morning, but for right now, I'm exhausted." Y/N stood up and stretched an arm over her head. "Do you want me to take that bed?" She pointed towards Ashton's only recently made bed.

"No!" Harry barked suddenly and her eyes widened. "God only knows what's livin' in those sheets. I worry about what m’roommate does there when I'm not layin' in the same room next t'him."

"Gross," she responded around a laugh.

"My thoughts exactly. You can have my bed, and I'll just sleep on the floor," he decided, going to look for another blanket to lay on the ground.

Y/N scoffed. "You'd rather sleep on the ground than get in your roommate's bed?" Harry simply raised an eyebrow at her as an answer. "Again, gross. I wouldn't feel right kicking you to the floor. Are you trying to avoid sleeping with me?"

The wording threw Harry off, and he unfortunately stammered over his response. “I—no! I just—”

“Then we can share a bed.” She was matter-of-fact and didn't seem like she'd take no for an answer. It's not like he would've declined anyways, but she didn't even give him a chance before making herself right at home in his bed and patting the space next to her for him to join. He chortled and shut off the lamp, making his way in between his sheets by the light of the moon.

"Oh, and I'm a bit of a cuddler. Warning you now," she whispered with a wink before nuzzling into the pillow and falling fast asleep.

He couldn't complain.

***

Harry woke up in the middle of the night from the discomfort of not being alone.

It wasn't that Y/N was a bad person to sleep with, of course. He just was used to having the whole bed to himself and having a second human in his space made it hard to totally expand and take over the whole surface. Once he remembered specifically whowas with him, though, he didn't feel as bothered about not being asleep.

Y/N was tucked up closely to him, clearly having no problem making herself comfortable. He laid on his back, and she was on her stomach halfway on top of him. Her cheek was comfortably nestled on his chest, and her hand softly rested a few inches from her face. One of her legs was thrown over his own, and her mouth was popped open just a bit, breath fanning across his body. The two were laid up like they’d done it a million times. He smiled a little at how cute she was when she was sleeping; he couldn't help but gently rub a hand up and down her back. He was so cozy, he probably could've slipped right back into his doze if it weren't for her starting to talk.

Yes. Sleep talk.

"Harry," she drawled, almost whispering the name.

In his sleepy state it took a few seconds to make the connection that she was actuallydreamingabout Harry. In her defense, she was in his bed and called him for help after a mildly stressful situation, so it wasn’t totally weird that he’d be paying her a visit in her REM cycle. Regardless, a strange feeling swirled in his stomach at the mere thought of what was happening.

His ears were pricked up on full alert and his eyes snapped open to stare at the ceiling fan. He was too afraid to reply, and thus waited for her to say something else before he even dared breathing. "Let's... go," she finally finished.

He chuckled, chest rising a bit but not letting his gaze move from the fan. "Go where?" he whispered, humoring her sleep talk.

"I... I don't know. Wanna..." followed by a deep exhale.

Harry found this quite endearing. He allowed her to continue softly babbling little snippets of sentences, trying and failing to piece them together into coherent thoughts. Again, he almost let himself drift off again until one of her words had much more conviction than before.

"Please."

He could feel her lips ghosting across his body where her head lay. This felt different than her previous mumbling-- she knew what she was trying to say in her dream.

"Yes, Y/N?" Harry got out softly, eyes fixed steadily on the ceiling.

"I need--" She's still not super great at finishing her sentences while sleeping, apparently. "Harry, please."

Then talking just wasn't enough for her- she started to move. First her fingers dug into his chest a bit, nails intending to grip him but not quite enough to be felt through the cotton of his shirt. Then her lower body shifted where the apex of her legs was pressed against his hip, moving up and down ever so slightly without ever losing contact. Her breathing became heavier until it turned into an unabashed, shameless moan. A moan!

That's when it clicked. She was grinding on him, and the spot where the two of them were connected sent sparks through his entire body. "I-- Y/N, are you having a dirty dream about me?" he asked dumbfounded, even though he already knew the answer.

She let out a whine at the sound of his voice. "I need you," she said, dragging her nails down into his skin even harder than before. Her pathetic hip movements sped up as well. "Please touch me."

What the fuck? Is… Does… Would this even be ethical? She’s asleep! Can she even give consent? Does it matter if she’d already started grinding on him? Was this something she really wanted or was it just a snippet of her dream making its way into reality?

"I-I can't," he confessed. What the hell was he supposed to do? Not only did their relationship go too far back for this to not be weird, but his mum once told him something about not waking someone while they sleep walk or talk or it might give them sleep paralysis. He chose to stay stone fucking still, simply lying there and watching one of his childhood friends using his hip to make herself cum.

It was sloppy and desperate, her hips rocking against him. She stopped scratching to brush her hands against the swell of his chest muscles, separated only by the thin t-shirt. "P-pull my hair," she begged.

And he was fucking torn. Of coursehe wanted to give into her request, but what if he woke her up? How could he explain what he was doing, or the hard-on he was sporting? His lip was trapped between his teeth, gnawing away as he thought it over.

Screw it-- he could pretend to be asleep if she stirred. Harry creeped his hand up and threaded his hand into her hair, tugging at the roots and almost lifting her head. "Like that, baby?" he cooed. A porn star moan slipped from her lips and her movements faltered for a second. He feared he'd pulled too hard and stayed completely still, leaving his fingers bunched up until she slowly got back into the swing of her pitiful thrusts.

"Fuck… me harder," she whimpered, and Harry thought he was going to fucking die.

Honestly, he was a little pissed. Where the hell did she get off thinking she could kick him out of her home after kissing her, only to show up at his doorstep a year later and dry fuck his leg in her sleep? The audacity!

His thoughts were interrupted by her choking out a "g'na cum," and he pulled at her hair again. Oh right, this is where she got off.

"Yeah pet? G'na make a mess for me?" he spurred on. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, and he’d probably feel like garbage about it in the morning, but that sounded like a problem for morning Harry. He had to see what she looked like when she finally got her release.

She lost her smooth rhythm again and was now scrambling to hit her high—all he could do was watch. When she finally did cum, it was mesmerizing. She cried out his name before cutting herself off and freezing for a moment. Once the peak hit, her legs trembled as she continued dry humping him until she'd fully ridden out everything.

It was, without a doubt, one of the hottest fucking things Harry had ever seen. Her nails dug into him once more as she let her heart rate settle down. Eventually, she sighed and nuzzled her cheek into his body.

As if all of that wasn't torturous enough, she had to top that entire performance by mumbling out a soft, "Thank you... daddy," and Harry almost let out a fucking groan. Her breathing soon evened out as she drifted back into a dreamless sleep, and he guessed there wouldn't be any more speaking for the night.

So much for falling back asleep.

***

The next morning, Harry was perfectly content with pretending that the events from previous night had never happened.

By the time he’d woken up, Y/N had retreated to her side (well, not really her side—it was a twin sized bed, so more like her “corner”) and was facing the wall. She wasn’t asleep for much longer than that, as she soon stirred and moved to climb over Harry.

When she was fully straddling him, he froze and made awkward eye contact with her. “Settle down, tiger, I’m just getting up.” He almost laughed at the irony. If only she had any idea what she put him through the night before.

Y/N changed back into her jeans in the bathroom and swished some of Ashton’s mouthwash. Harry watched her fluff her hair in the mirror with his arm tucked behind his head.

“I want pancakes, thoughts?” she suggested, coming back in the room and plopping down on his desk chair.

Oh right. She’d offered to buy him breakfast last night. Harry wasn’t sure he could be around her any longer without things become suffocatingly awkward. “Oh, yeh don’t have to do tha’ for me,” he countered, shaking his head and getting out of bed.

She watched him scramble about the room, focusing on everything except her. Her eyebrows shot up when he shamelessly dropped his flannel pants to the ground and shoved on some dark jeans from his drawers. He couldn’t care less, though; the events from the night before had erased any modesty he may have felt in her presence. “Really? You’re gonna give up free breakfast just to kick me out?”

“I’m not kicking you out!” he protested, though she had no room to talk. Their last encounter ended with her literally slamming a door in his face. Before he could even argue with her, he was interrupted by keys in the lock. Fuck.

Ashton sauntered in with the confidence of a king, hair mussed and shirt obviously on backwards. “Hello, London, how are we doing this fine mor—” he stopped his weird greeting (a la Harry’s accent) when he realized his room had more occupants than just his roommate.

Harry wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Ash’s eyes drifted from Y/N in the chair, to Harry untimely zipping up his pants, to his own made-up bed, and everything clicked in his mind. The pieces didn’t go together but they made a puzzle nonetheless. A slow smile curled up on his face as he made a beeline for her and stuck out his hand. “Well hello, I’m Ashton, Harry’s roommate.”

“Y/N, charmed,” she deadpanned, extending out her own hand and grinning at Harry when Ashton kissed it. “I’ve heard plenty about you.”

“All bad, I hope,” he returned, making Harry snort.

Y/N stood up and retrieved her coat from the hooks near the door. She shrugged it on and tossed the hair that got stuck under the collar. “I’ll catch up with you later, H. It was nice meeting you, Ash.” She politely nodded to the boys and was out before Ashton could say a “likewise”.

The second the door slammed, the onslaught started. “I didn’t think you had it in you, Styles. I was almost starting to think you were a eunuch or something, but apparently not! She’s cute too, is she blind? Or did you pay her to come here?” Ashton poked and prodded at H as he undressed and went to take a shower.

Harry’s phone buzzed, and the text he received made his roommate’s taunts sound like rushing water in his ears. It was from Y/N.

Next time, don’t pull so hard.