#she turned out sooooooooooo. I love her

[handthattakes]

BLUEJEANS FOREVER

matching Lup

[alia-schlatt]

Moustache || Ted Nivison || Pt2

a/n: I don't really know where this story is going tbh, but I love it!

Also, link to the first part!!

tednivison: I heard you have a thing for guys with moustaches?

I stare at the message in shock before screaming; "ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!!!".

"I swear on my life one of these days I'm going to have a heart attack because of you and all the screaming you do. How do your own ears not huuuurtt-" her voice drops as I turn around and look at her. My face must say a million things because she's immediately putting down the hot chocolates that I note she's put whipped cream and marshmallows on.

"What happened?" She says, crossing her legs and sitting back onto her chair. I pass her my phone, and her mouth drops before she starts laughing. "Ooooooooooooo, someone has a crush on youuuuuuu," she says in a sing-song way.

"He does not!" I say, pushing her and grabbing my phone back. I run a hand through my hair. "What am I supposed to respond? Do I even respond? Do I just like the message?" I start freaking out. My sister grabs my phone and starts typing. I tried taking it back, but she turns her chair around.

"Heyyyyyy Ted!! Can't believe you messaged me! I'm literally sooooooooooo in love with you! I can't wait to get married and have ten million of your children. Love youuuu" She says outloud before letting the phone and pressing send on a message.

"Oh my fucken god you did not!" I say standing and grabbing the phone, holding my breather. No way she just did that!

I look at what she actually red and let put a breath.

bluelilies: Only when they have a nice smile to go with it.

I look up at my sister as she sips her hot chocolate. She smiles, stands up, and walks out the door shouting, "You're welcome!!".

I look down at the screen as another message comes through.

tednivison: I've been told I have a nice smile

bluelilies: I wouldn't be surprised. You have a beautiful smile.

tednivison: Beautiful? Can say that's the first time I've been called that.

bluelilies: Now I'm surprised, surely someone had told you just how beautiful you are

tednivison: I can't say so

bluelilies: Also, I should have probably said this from the beginning, but I'm sorry if my comments on stream today made you uncomfortable. Have to say I was shocked you were even watching. I mean, it's a sims play though, while answering questions.

tednivison: Of course not! And hey, it led to us flirting now, so, no complaints from me. And I'll admit I often have you and your sisters streams on in the background.

bluelilies: You call this flirting?

tednivison: What would you call it?

bluelilies: chatting...playfully?

tednivison: If you call this chatting, I need to pull my socks up if I want to blow you away. And playful? What is this a game of sims?

bluelilies: If this is a game of sims, I hope you're taking me to the Studio PBP Lounge.

tednivison: If that means you want me to take you on a date, I'm sure we can make that happen.

[nalyra-dreaming]

daniel got the journalist dream in a full archive of information about his subjects. made me giggle when he stopped listening to loumand’s love story to get a look at the files.

since 2x01 i’ve been thinking about who is buying the Bacon triptych, thought it would come back into play and it did. now i can’t shake the feeling an important character will make an introduction in present day through that acquisition, and clearly they’re not alone.

could this be lestat or marius? who knows, but i got this inkling the past coming for loumand.

my heart breaks for claudia. everyone, including louis, is withholding information from her.

she has done so much for louis, helping him survive and now even telling him what happened with bruce and he hasn’t told her about dreamstat. that’s the painful, if not also abusive(?) side of their relationship. he takes but doesn’t give back in equal measure. he loves her but not enough to save her.

The lawyer in the video call says "the buyer wants it for her husband, she probably googled what questions she should ask".

That could, of course, be a deflection.

If it isn't I do wonder who that buyer will turn out to be, because I agree it will be important.

I do not agree with your assessment of Louis and Claudia.

Claudia can literally see Lestat in Louis' mind if she so chooses, and her behavior (and remarks) towards him make me believe that she can. He does not need to tell her.

And she only told him about Bruce when she was using that experience (and, oh damn, the parallels!!) to form an origin story for the two of them. That was no opening up for them to get closer, she was using what she had experienced (which is her good right, no shade here, but it was not for Louis).

Also... she may have helped him survive, but she also dragged him onto that quest he did not want to go on, he wanted to go home (and back to Lestat). He did not want to kill Lestat in the first place.

And as per your last comment - did we watch the same show? Rewatch the sewer scene and then that kiss and the discussion after.

Because Louis is literally throwing himself into that relationship as a bargaining chip on her behalf there (and his own), because Armand almost killed him there (and he even pulled out the promise Armand had made!!) and has said quite plainly that Claudia would not be around for long.

Look at his face there before

and after the kiss

Enthusiasm is something else. And then that little exchange:

"You wanna come upstairs" "Are you inviting me in?" "Depends… are you gonna kill me?"

And then him waiting for Armand:

Look at his face (unfortunately the image itself is very small there).

Look at him. The way he holds his body. Lips pressed together, jaw clenched.

He's sooooooooooo hApPy - not. 💀

It's no wonder AMC did not promote Loumand, honestly, though I had not expected them to go this dark, this soon. Holy shit.

And, btw, this takes another spin onto the "Judas Kiss" painting and actual kiss later - because it ties it with this one, and the promise inherent in it.

Because I think when that little kiss onto Louis' cheek happens Claudia's protection... will be revoked.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

sooooooooooo for the NRC family day interactions, i'm curious to see what would happen if riddle and step-dad ashengrotto met in the wild, because riddle has expressed that recently he's gotten interested in law. it would b cool for him to chat with the canon lawyer who taught azul about laws n contracts.

plus the whole, riddle being unsure actually because his whole life his parents had plans for him and planned for him on becoming a healer like them, but now he's interested in something else. n while i kno he reads about law, it would give him a lot of insight to actually, speak to someone who does this for a living, who maybe even suggests ideas of finding a way to combine both medicine and law, like medical law (branch of law) or medical jurisprudence (branch of medicine).

and other stuff too.

idk i just think a conversation between the two could be interesting, even outside of like, riddle's own interest in law; like another interesting thing would b his whole, family/homelife situation & the fact that riddle hints that his parents don't really get along that well + knowing that step-dad ashengrotto met mama ashengrotto while she was filing for divorce... just lots of ideas in me brain i think.

idk hopefully this isn't unintelligible sdfjsdklfd thank youuuuuuu

Thank you for submitting this really interesting idea ^^ This one is really long compared to the others, so I slapped a cut in to make scrolling by easier. This fic borrows ideas from a theory that I talked about a few days ago?

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I think it's cool that Azul not only has a stepdad, but actually gets along with him. Rarely do I see divorce portrayed as a positive thing (I mean, how often do we see wicked stepparents or a child that refuses to accept the stepparent), so Azul's family was really refreshing to see.

Not me taking inspiration from the divorce lawyer in Enchanted and various characters from Ace Attorney for stepdaddy Ashengrotto—

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

The cafeteria was packed, and the ghost chefs were working overtime to feed the influx of hungry guests. Staff, students, and their family members had been coming in and out throughout the day, leaving not many tables open and the food line long. Some had taken to sitting cross-legged on the floor or spilling out into the hallway to make space for new arrivals.

One look at the gaggle of people along the walls and on the ground, and Mrs. Rosehearts had turned up her nose. "I won't have you sitting like a barbarian, Riddle. We'll find you a proper seat. Look, there’s one now. You sit—I’ll see what they have available on the menu and fetch you an appropriate meal.”

“Yes, mother.”

Riddle shifted uncomfortably at a cramped table. He dared not falter in his posture. Back straight, head high, hands neatly folded in his lap. He was a rose among those deemed the weeds called riffraff.

… It’s noisy, Riddle noted.

Indeed, it was. The cafeteria buzzed with activity, students exchanging chatter and laughter with their loved ones. Sharing bites of food and stories, nourishing their bellies and their souls.

A memory clad in flowers filled his mind.

“Riddle!”

He was back in the Heartslabyul gardens, colorful decorations and card soldiers in every direction. Flamingos and hedgehogs at the ready, the roses painted red, a dormouse in the tea pot. Cakes, tarts, and finger sandwiches sliced up and served with tea.

Ace and Deuce were arguing over something silly again. By the sumptuous spread of snacks, Cater was snagging pictures before so much as a bite. In the memory, Riddle made to tell them off, only to be stopped by the vice dorm leader at his side.

“They have so much energy,” Trey had remarked. “It’s livelier than usual today.”

Yes, that was the right word for it. Not noisy, but lively.

How curious that dining at Night Raven College is like this. At home…

There was a lone platter set for him, a sad, limp little square of food in the center. His mother, arms folded, to the right. His father, trembling in his chair, to the lift. Raised voices and scathing remarks.

Some days the dining room was empty altogether, save for himself and stacks of textbooks. When he did crossword puzzles and sudoku, the vocabulary and the numbers kept him company.

His heart twinged. Riddle frowned and curled a hand over his chest, as if trying to soothe the pain.

What is this? Why… do I feel this way?

"Excuse me, young man."

He jolted upright.

An older gentleman in glasses was beside him. His hair, peppered with streaks of white, was neat, and he was dressed in an even neater suit. He smelled like salt wrapped in a sea breeze, faint citrus and sunshine.

The stranger gestured to the spot beside Riddle. “Pardon me if I disturbed your train of thought. I wanted to ask if this seat was taken. I need a quick place to rest my legs, then I’ll be out of your way.”

Riddle took a quick glance at the line—which still snaked around the room, but at least his mother had vanished from view. Relief. “It’s open. Please, sit.”

“Thank you.” The man slipped in next to Riddle. He sighed, just as relieved as the boy was. “Much appreciated. I hope I’m not stealing this seat from one of your parents.”

“Not to worry, sir. Only my mother is with me today, and it seems like it will be quite a while before she returns," Riddle reassured him. “My father is preoccupied with work, so he was unable to attend."

It was partially true. Whenever possible, his parents actively avoided each other. Strategically taking specific hospital shifts just so happened to be a means to that end.

"I'm here with my wife and son myself, they're perusing the food. A shame about your father. Really. Perhaps he'll be able to attend next year."

"Perhaps."

Riddle hoped not.

He looked away, dodging the man's eyes. Fearing that his own would betray him.

A glint of gold snagged his sight, and Riddle's heart leapt. Pinned to the stranger's lapel was a small pin depicting the scales of justice.

The man took notice. "I see you've spotted my bar association badge."

"You're a lawyer, sir?" Riddle's question came out small.

"That's right." He tilted his head to one side. His smile was slight, yet encouraging. "Might you have an interest in law, young man?"

"Ah, well..." Riddle instinctively looked to the line again before his gaze darted back to his conversational partner. "Y-Yes, I suppose you could say that. However, I'm aware that it is a big commitment, and I have already resolved to pursue magical medicine."

"A career like that can be fulfilling as well," the man said kindly. "I have colleagues that specialize in medical malpractice and negligence. We also sometimes work with forensic scientists for certain cases.

"There is most certainly crossover between the legal and healthcare sectors. You could consider looking into those fields as a middle ground between your two interests."

Riddle blinked.

"Did I overstep my bounds?"

"No, I just..." Hesitation. "I'm not used to speaking like this."

"About your future?"

No, Riddle wanted to correct him, it's being given advice and suggestions, rather than expectations and orders.

"About straying from the path," he said, a quick half-truth. "It's difficult to compromise, even if the options exist out there."

"Hmm." The man nodded understandingly. "Changing course can be scary, yes. I don't fault you for thinking that way. If it would help in any way, you are free to ask me questions about my own experience. I'm no medical lawyer, but hearing it from the horse's mouth has helped some of my clients before."

"You would offer such a thing...?"

The man's eyes shone with the trace of a contained laugh. "I don't charge for the first consultation," he joked.

"Then..." Hope crept into Riddle's voice. "Could you tell me about your own specialization?"

"My firm mainly deals with cases of divorce."

Divorce.

The word was bitter on Riddle's tongue as he swallowed it. But the lawyer spoke it with such ease, like it was nothing more than the weather forecast for the day.

Divorce, divorce.

It had always been an option for Riddle's parents since the first problems had started between them, but never seriously considered, never discussed. His mother would sooner die than confess she was anything but right, that she had made the mistake of choosing the wrong man. And what would the community think? What would they say?

As a child most foolish, Riddle had prayed to the Queen of Hearts to share her secret to a successful marriage. No answer ever came, and it was then that he realized: divorce was never in the cards for his parents.

The man carefully took in Riddle's frozen expression. "It happens. I see it a lot in my line of work—and it is one hundred percent normal. People are like castles in the sand, you see. They change, their feelings change. They fall out of love. Part of my job is to ensure that the separation occurs smoothly.

"There is stigma attached to the concept of divorce, that it ruins families and brings them great shame. But sometimes a family is better apart than together, and they can find new happiness once they've picked up the pieces. Cutting ties can be the most liberating feeling in the entire world.

"I speak from experience myself. I met a lovely, bright-minded woman while she was going through her own divorce proceedings. Now that woman is my wife, and her son, my own."

Riddle's brows knitted. Disbelief and confusion crowned his features. "It almost sounds like a fairy tale. Can such a drastic change truly lead to happiness?"

"For me, it did. It may not be the case for you, because you and I are different people."

"Th-Then tell me!!" Riddle stood, slamming his hands on the table. Food and silverware rattled, people stared. He didn't care, his volume spiking. "How? How do I do that...? Please tell me. I don't... I don't know how to do it myself."

"That, I cannot say."

"Why not?! You... You said you would help me!"

"I did say that, didn't I? I said I would help you by talking about my own experiences. Tricky thing, wording. It's easy to overlook the fine print." The man pointed at him. "The rest is in your hands."

"I can't do a single thing," Riddle protested. It felt like roses were choking him. "My hands are tied. My path was determined a long time ago. Change is absolutely unacceptable."

The lawyer regarded him coolly. "Let me tell you something, young man. The law is the law because there is a human element to it, no matter how impartial, how black and white, we try to be. We write the laws, act on them, and interpret them. Likewise, you, too, are responsible for that interpretation.

"What is right, what is wrong, and what role you must play therein... these are things you alone determine, whether that be in career, in love, or in life. You are your own judge, and the decider of your own destiny. It is something only you are capable of, and no one else but you."

Riddle reeled his head, reacting as though he'd just been decked.

Right and wrong... The role I must play... Something only I can do?

Someone had told him something similar not too long ago. The words harsher then, and paired with a sound punch to the face.

"Is that all you are?!" Ace had demanded, fist clenched, still raw from making contact with his dorm leader's cheek. "An extension of your mom? Can't you think for yourself?"

The twinge to his chest had returned. Stronger, sharper. Like thorns tearing into his skin.

"... I see," Riddle said slowly. "I think I understand it a little better now."

"I'm glad to hear it." The man's smile broadened. He looked at something beyond Riddle, then rose from his seat. "Well, if you'll excuse me... It seems my family has finished their business. We should get going now."

"Of course. Thank you very much for speaking with me, sir." He humbly lowered his head to the man,

A voice came from behind the redhead. "Oya, what a surprise. If it isn't Riddle-san."

He immediately bolted up in horror. The dorm leader of Octavinelle stood before him, lips cocked into a smirk. A woman with the same silvery hair was next to him, cut in a sleek black gown and with seashells in her jewelry.

"Wha--?! Azul...?! What are you..." Riddle faltered with both his words and his calm.

"Oh? Is it a crime to come collect one's stepfather?" The merman sighed dramatically. "I was going to come over sooner, you know—but it looked as though you two were having quite the engaging conversation. I thought it rude to interrupt and cut it short."

Riddle's head whipped back to the lawyer. "Th-This is your stepfather?!"

"Azul, I didn't realize this lad was your friend. We were just having a nice talk about career goals."

"Career goals, you say? My, that sounds so interesting." There was something unsavory, slimy even, about the way Azul emphasized his interest. "I'm jealous, Riddle-san. We've shared our dreams with one another before, but never on such an intimate level."

"And just who in their right mind do you think would willingly divulge that information to you? Don't act as though we're friends."

Azul smiled wryly. "Aren't we? After all, we've been through both hell and high water together."

"It sounds to me like you boys are good chums," Mr. Ashengrotto remarked, exchanging raised eyebrows with his wife, "though you certainly have a strange way of showing it."

"Why haven't you told us about him, Azul?" his mother asked. "I'd love to have him over for dinner."

"Riddle-san can be surprisingly shy. I wouldn't wish to cast a spotlight on him."

"Who's shy here?! All you've been doing since you showed up is put me on the spot!"

Mrs. Ashengrotto put a hand over her mouth, stifling a chuckle. “If you visit us, Azul could invite his other friends—do you know them? The Leech twins. You could all get to know each other, and that could help you get out of your shell.”

“N-No thank you, ma’am!!” Riddle said (perhaps a little too loudly, and too quickly). The farther away I stay from those sketchy brothers, the better!! I wouldn’t be caught dead trying to cozy up to them!

“No? Maybe another time then. The offer is always there. Come to us when you're comfortable with it, dear.

"I guarantee you won't regret it," Mr. Ashengrotto chimed in. "She makes the best food I've ever had under the sea. Azul could pack away an entire bucket of her fried..."

Azul loudly cleared his throat. "While this chat has been amusing, I believe it's time we stopped hounding the poor, unfortunate soul and moved to the next item on our itinerary. I'm sure that Riddle-san is busy with his own matters as well."

"Yes, my mother will be back soon with lunch."

"That so? We'll be on our way then. Wouldn't want to disrupt your time together." Mr. Ashengrotto tenderly squeezed his wife's arm. His other hand found its way onto Azul's shoulder. "Have a happy Family Day, Riddle."

"Happy family day to you too."

With that, Azul and his parents departed. Their mouths moved, their expressions changed, playing off of one another. Saying things Riddle couldn't hear, nor understand even if he could hear.

The rose-red ruler, entrenched in a sea of people, was left with many thoughts racing through his head. Those gathered in the cafeteria, Heartslabyul, the Ashengrottos...

One question lingered like the last vestiges of sunlight on a lazy summer day.

Are these... what families are meant to be like?

[tennessoui]

each time you share something about the cheating au (even the tiniest snippet or a sentence) i inhale it like i’m a starving man, it’s sooooooooooo good you don’t understand

I can’t wait for anakin to pull out the typical “happy people don’t cheat” and Padmé to yell back “yes and I didn’t!!!”

and anakin just collapses back into his chair and sort of shrugs wordlessly because she didn’t MEAN to but she did find the crux of the issue itself which is that she may have been happy and fulfilled by their relationship (or forcing herself to think she was) until the moment she found out anakin was having an affair, but anakin stopped being really actually happy before Padmé dragged him to the party where he met obi-wan.

that’s the way his love works—he wouldn’t have actually looked at obi-wan twice if he’d been fully committed to his relationship with his wife. He thought he was, but he was chafing at the edges of being her husband. Not that it was her fault, but that they turned out to be a bad match. Or not that they turned out to be a bad match, but that the timing was wrong.

and the timing with obi-wan was perfect

[featherwingfox]

Chapter 1 Everyday Life

Maya could hear her younger brother singing down the hallway.

“Wakey wakey eggs and bacy! I made your favorite pancakes! Happy birthday, Maya!” he came in through the door, kicking it open and strutting the plate of pancakes over to her bed.

“Why isn’t my alarm the one waking me up?” Maya got up groggily.

“Would you rather that annoying thing have the honor of getting you up on your birthday? I don’t think so! Not when you have me around!” He sat the plate of breakfast at a side table by Maya’s bed on her left. “You’re nineteen now, I was making nineteen pancakes when I realized that's a lot, even for your appetite. I couldn’t risk giving you that many today. So I just put nineteen different berries that I thought would taste good with pancakes instead.”

“You underestimate how many pancakes I can eat and then some,” Maya told him as she sat up to eat. “Where did you get that many berries anyway??”

“Oh, Uncle Arthur came by to help!” Cornelius smiled brightly.

“I see, so… other than that, did you have that nightmare again?” She asked, picking up her fork and butter knife to cut a piece of her food. Cornelius halted and his shoulders hunched up. She startled him.

“I thought I did a good job hiding it. How did you know?” He turned around.

“You never wake up early with this much energy.” Maya ate off her fork.

“I do on special occasions!” He replied in an almost astonished way. “And you call yourself my sister. Here I thought you knew me.”

“It was only a guess until you just admitted it.” Maya smiled.

“Well, I can’t say that I’d call it a nightmare.”

“I think repeatedly seeing someone you don't know in your dreams is creepy enough to be called a nightmare.” Maya replied.

“Yes, but he doesn't do anything, just stands there. Surely I've seen him before. I heard from my friends that sometimes we dream of the people we’ve seen whether we know them or not. So I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“Or,” Maya chewed. “Perhaps you just imagined it. Sometimes dreams make stuff up. You've never seen his face so it could easily be in your own mind.”

“Anyway, get up! Or else you’ll be late for college and drop me off at school. I already ate and put away the leftovers.”

“Leftovers?”

“I told you I made nineteen pancakes. You had three and I had two.” Cornelius told her as he left the room.

Later, Maya grabbed her bag and Cornelius put on his backpack. As he ran over to the door, Maya grabbed his bag and picked him up.

“Where is your school stuff?” She asked him.

“In my bag, I have everything this time, I won’t forget my stuff anymore. I made a checklist!” He pulled out a small notebook. Everything he needed was checked.

“Alright then...” They went to the car and drove to a nice elementary school. “Okay. You know the rules, you know what to do if there is an emergency, and don’t forget your homework if you have any.”

“Love you, Maya!” Cornelius hugged her through the window before leaving.

“Love you too Corey!”

“Have a nice day!” Cornelius yelled back as he ran to his friends. Maya went to her college next. Greeting her friends, they walked towards their classrooms.

“Sooooooooooo!” The taller of the two with long black hair leaned down to Maya.

“Yeeeeeeeeeees, Ki?” Maya replied similarly.

“Happy birthday!” Ki pulled out a party popper and pulled the string, confetti blown into the air. Some of it landed in Maya's bangs.

“Happy birthday Maya!” Her other friend with half circle glasses clapped her hands.

“Why thank you girls.” Maya brushed the confetti from her hair.

“Have any plans after our classes today?” The one with the glasses and short white hair asked.

“So far it's just hanging out with you girls at the party. Why do you ask?”

Ki grinned. “Oh, I just have something mildly interesting is all.”

“Does Latte know it too?” Maya turned to the friend with glasses. She shrugged.

“Nope!” Ki was smiling so much with excitement. “Coffee-lover over here knows as much as you do. The only thing I will say, is make sure you bring your little brother too. This is something for all of us to enjoy.” and with that Ki didn't say anything else about the surprise for the entire day.

The clock rang gently in the courtyard as the sun was past the middle of the sky. Classes were dismissed. Maya’s teacher stood up quickly and stiffly. Pushing up his rectangular glasses he held up a clipboard of paper.

“Hold up! Students! I have something for you! They are for the internships you have tomorrow at the Lab! Make sure you sign your name on it if you want to go!” Maya signed her name on the paper and left with her friends.

“Maya, we'll pick you and Corey up at your house in an hour. Make sure you both use the bathroom before leaving!” Ki waved a temporary goodbye as Maya got in the passenger seat of her own car.

“Friends have a surprise for you?” said Maya's uncle. He was a positive with black hair and sharp eyes.

“Did you use your First Factor to hear that?” Maya clicked her seatbelt in.

“Maaaaaybeeeee…“ Arthur began to drive to the elementary school.

⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫

Cornelius was sitting on a bench in front of his school. It was a cloudy day, and he watched other kids getting picked up by their mothers and fathers to go home. He was swinging his legs back and forth while thinking about them. A mother and a father… he wondered what it was like having them. He only knew his Uncle and sister ever since he could remember. Maya knew what their mother looked like, sounded like, how she used to smile or cry or get angry or tired, she knew all these things. She was alive for Maya. He felt a little sad thinking about this, so he looked around for a distraction. The sky was getting cloudier, making blotches of dark shadows on the ground.

“It's probably going to rain later I guess.” He thought to himself aloud. Something then moved in the corner of his eyes. He looked to his left across the street. Nothing but a tree… he got up from the bench, feeling like he was being watched. Crossing the street he peeked behind the tree. Nothing was there… No one was there…

I must be seeing things again. He sighed to himself, feeling silly.

“Cornelius!” Arthur honked the car horn. A cute BEE BEEP sounded from the red vehicle. Cornelius ran over and got in the car.

“What were you doing over there Cornelius?” Maya asked him as they went on their way home.

“Oh, nothing, just looking at bugs. I drew a really cool butterfly today!” He pulled out a piece of paper from his backpack.

“That masterpiece should go in an art gallery!” Arthur complimented before driving again.

“Were you seeing shadows again too?” Maya asked suspiciously.

“Again? Too?” Arthur repeated, oblivious.

“Was not! I said I was looking at bugs!” Cornelius insisted.

“Huh???” Their uncle was confused.

“Uncle Arthur, you should take Cornelius to the doctor as soon as possible, he's having nightmares again and now he's seeing the shadows too.”

“I am not Maya!”

“You avoid eye contact when you lie, Cornelius.” Maya replied simply.

“Ugh…” he folded his arms and turned away.

“The nightmares I've known about for years, but the shadows are news to me. When did this first start?” Arthur asked the two. Maya answered him.

“Last year, in the spring. Cornelius said he thought he saw something just out of sight often. I thought they'd gone away since he hasn't seen them in a month but I guess not. He's been acting weird for the past few days so I figured it was happening again.”

“You should become a detective like Uncle Arthur at this rate Maya.” Cornelius spoke up for a moment.

“Corey, bud, you can't hide these things, you shouldn't. We're family, you know you can tell us these things.” Arthur spoke kindly to his nephew, making Cornelius ease up.

“Well, it's like I told Maya this morning, I don't consider the dreams as nightmares. Nothing there is scary or feels bad. It's just dark, a little cold, and usually there's a couple specks of dust.”

“And the person standing in the darkness, ominously.” Maya added.

“I’ll schedule an appointment for him just in case. You know what I like to say, better safe than sorry!”

“But I really am fine…” Cornelius muttered.

“My friends are going to pick me and Corey up for a surprise, so we gotta hurry up, okay Corey?” Maya turned in her seat to look back at him.

“I'm coming with you?”

“Ki said it was something you'd want to see.”

“Ah, Maya, don't go in the kitchen. I have stuff in there.” Their uncle told her as the car pulled up into the driveway.

“Oooooh, Uncle Arthur has Maya's birthday stuff ready!” Cornelius jumped out of the car and ran inside.

“Kind of, it's not done yet!” Entering the house Maya walked past the kitchen without looking. Arthur hung up his jacket on the coat rack and followed down the hallway. “Have you guys ever thought of taking the mirrors in this hallway down?” He asked while fixing his hair in a golden framed one.

“No, why?” Maya came back after putting away her school things.

“Oh, it's just about Sebastian. You know…”

“Ohhhh, is that why he doesn't come by here often?”

“Most likely.”

“I wonder what happened in that mirror maze. How did he become afraid of these anyway?” Maya certainly didn't understand, all a mirror could do is reflect what's in front of it.

“He never said why, looked a little angry too. Best not ask him I think.”

“Hm, mom liked these here so I'm not removing them.” Maya turned away and headed for the door. “My friends will be here any second.”

Cornelius ran down the hall to his sister as a blue van pulled up in front of the house.

“You kids be careful and have fun now! Text me when you get there and when you're done!” Arthur called after them.

“We will sir!” Ki yelled back as everyone waved goodbye.

Closing the door Arthur walked to the kitchen. On the island we're ingredients. He found a pink apron and washed his hands. He gathered all his enthusiasm…

“Alright! Time to tackle my first cake!”

[acotars]

never read an emily henry book before but after reading your tags i’m interested! which one would you recommend?

this is the highest honor !!! i love all of her books so i can’t rec just one, but they’re all different enough that i always recommend you reach for the one that sounds the most intriguing to you!

beach read has a very prominent grief narrative — both main characters are grappling with feelings of abandonment in different ways and end up working together researching a cult that ended in a mass murder-suicide. it’s such a surprising story in so many ways. it tells the story of having the rug ripped out from under you and then just having to stand back up and keep going. beach read may be my personal favorite.

people we meet on vacation is a non-linear account of two people who met in college, became best friends against all odds, and are now barely on speaking terms. more than that, it’s a story about feeling like you were made wrong, like there’s no one else like you in the world, then finding that person. it’s a story about feeling one of a kind (derogatory), and asking the world to prove you wrong. and it does!! and then you’re alone again!!! it tugs.

book lovers is for eldest daughters. like i don’t know how else to say it!!! it’s about being guarded and closed-off and appearing cold and uncaring because the world demanded you be that way, and then it turned around and called you unlovable for it!!! book lovers is sooooooooooo. i just get her and she gets me idk. it’s for the girls who are kind of a bitch idk what else to say.

happy place is for the delulu girls! it’s for the kinds of people who will hold broken glass in their hands and try to fit the pieces back together and ignore all the blood and the pain and smile and say it’s okay!! it’s okay!! and it’s NOT okay? that’s happy place except the broken glass is actually a relationship of a decade that ended months ago and you didn’t tell your friends and now you’re all at the beach house pretending you’re still engaged to him and everything’s sooooo fine <3

if any of those interest you then GREAT! i highly recommend !!! emily henry is known to me and my friends for writing really, really complicated grief narratives and telling stories about dads that make me SOB so just fair warning for that <3

[aqueeracademic]

morse being queer (and other commentary) pt 6:

season 2, episode 2, “Nocturne”:

TW: discusses d*ath of a child

- this episode is all kinds of fucked up so brace yourselves for what i’m about to say

- little kids are creepy as shit don’t come for me

- jakes sitting in the chair closest to morse

- no shot he’s actually paying attention to the sports game

- i missed this show aww

- lucy boynton AND anya taylor joy in this episode is so wild

- i understand he’s dying but there was no reason to mess up priceless artifacts w his blood tbh

- once again NO SUBTITLES so i have 0 clue what thursday is saying

- morse’s panic™️ when joan jokes about going on a date

- morse doesn’t know anything about sports which means he’s gay

- but he DOES recognize indian style daggers

- morse likes bugs (i, too, am autistic)

- strange <33333333333

- i feel really bad for this girl given that her uncle is dead and all but she really needs to reconsider her dye job

- i love lucy boynton but this character makes me want to pull my hair out

- morse connecting w the Weird™️ girl at the school is smth that can be so personal

- “this is a very happy school” girl r u tryna be suspicious?????

- i know that this is a serious tv show but i was rooting for it to be an actual ghost the entire time

- them talking about morse is so 😐

- like they’re RIGHT but they shouldn’t say it

- “snuggle down spit spot” ok didn’t realize mary poppins was present in this episode

- lowkey this episode is scary as shit and i’m tired of pretending it isn’t

- don’t try and tell me u weren’t scared watching this

- debryn and morse!

- perfectly unbroken eye contact this entire scene

- try and name and single person morse is more comfortable around you can’t

- this museum curator is sooooooooooo

- if i speak.

- morse lying about being interested in football just to please jakes is so crazy to me

- literally the definition of pretending to like something for a crush

- frazil supremacy

- “a feeling of” -dramatic ass pause- “dread.”

- brother? just say it?

- monica 🥰🥰🥰

- every girl in this episode has absolutely atrocious hair i’m living for it (not u martha ur perfect)

- opening a girls school in a mansion famed for a gruesome and unsolved murder is perhaps a terrible idea and they should have thought twice about it

- thursdays tie is so tight wtf is he doing

- morse is obviously gorgeous but there are some angles where he’s so stunning it makes me sick

- the county police are so 🤮

- morse guessing immediately it was a prank and being shot down despite being right is 😐😐😐

- thursday will defend morse to the ends of the earth

- lady has a cane AND a broken arm she needs to catch a break

- morse just stealing the book is wild i would be so mad

- this lady telling him about the ghost and leading him to where she saw it and then insisting he don’t go there is so weird

- like don’t talk about potential evidence of an intruder and then tell the COP to not go up there

- can u guess whether i believe in ghosts yet?

- PLOT TWIST I DO

- the face he made when he saw it was a bible was so fucking funny

- bro was 🫤

- PLEASE why is this episode so scary

- had to turn all the damn lights on in my room

- “morse says he saw a child u can take him at his word”

- GO THURSDAY GO

- morse in a wife beater

- why tf didn’t he close his door all the way if he was gonna start taking clothes off

- look at his freckles i’m so sick

- “i got a mate over at county says u saw something”

- this translates directly to “i have a friend at the department you were teamed up with today and i asked him about you because i’m in love with you”

- i forgot how long these episodes are

- these americans are so fucking sweet i want justice for them asap

- it’s time for me to confess that i actually don’t understand a single case in this show

- i never understand the solution tbh

- i’m j watching bc it’s pretty

- thursday’s son asking morse if they were “going to do it tonight” and morse getting absolutely terrified

- “gonna do what” 😨😨

- babe calm down

- had to switch to the tv bc i cannot understand a word thursday is saying

- need the captioning

- jakes just smiling at morse while watching him walk away is so 💅

- this girl using the word “breeding” when referring to building a family definitely suggests a little fruitiness i fear

- sexy curator taking his glasses off seductively to look at morse™️

- the one thing this episode got right was how shit morse is with women

- them realizing it’s joan on the date is so fucking funny

- “where would you like your ashes scattered?” (morse doesn’t believe in burials?????)

- it is so bizarre to me that this teacher would be showering anywhere near a classroom and even more bizarre that she’s walking the hallway in a nightie and barefoot

- how does she think gently tapping the window is gonna get his attention when he’s already halfway across the field???

- this is why all the women die in horror movies

- joan literally saying they should kiss and him being like “that would never happen bc coffee is gross” is so real of him

- her lashing out insanely at the girl playing the piano and then being like “what’s happening to us” like you fucking psychopath that was ALL YOU who is “us”????

- “they were of their time” = racist

- “all women together? it’s against nature” sir what the fuck do u mean by that

- this episode is not nearly gay enough for my tastes 🫤

- STOP WHY AM I SCARED

- him thinking it was bunty and being upset about it makes me physically sick

- if you pay attention to jakes during the scene they’re discussing how the little girl got killed you’ll cry just like i did!

- his reaction to it is so visceral

- “gently, please” FINAL STRAW

- debryn fully relying on morse to solve the case is so personal

- the way that morse is spurred by debryn’s faith in him???

- morse has been awake for more than 36 hours how is that even possible

- morse is so good for telling bunty it wasn’t her fault and insisting she believe him

- morse absolutely LOVES it when the heterosexuals are at fault for something

- “haven’t you ever been lonely?” and then the camera focusing on morse ILL BE SICK

- jakes also absolutely loves blaming the hets

- “and you didn’t think to offer that up before now?” 😑

- get him!

- an entire phone call to a police station was MISSED because morse had an Epiphany™️ and never answered

- the way shaun evans has to deliver the explanation monologue 4-5 times in a row perfectly?? THATS acting

- they are driving WAYYYYY TOOOOO SLOWWWWWWW

- guys there is a murderer in the house RIGHT. NOW.

- go faster.

- ok i lied earlier this episode makes sense

- but most of the time i have 0 clue what’s going on

- i also lied when i said the curator was sexy he’s a murderer so i hate him and he’s gross

- maud being the only child who didn’t know who he was and also the only child who was a victim of him is so fucking sickening

- “don’t mind me, just make sure the girls are alright.” jakes i love you

- how did that fall take Black out but not kill morse??? is morse indestructible?

- i’m never gonna recover from the knowledge that the surviving child was blamed for the muders and hidden away because she had Down syndrome

- episode gets a 7/10 from me for being really good but not gay at all

[ahaura]

ok i have to go to bed now BUT i need to talk about one of the cats... cat no. 3 (the possibly feral or abandoned one that my grandma got from the shelter and then gave us when she got too old to care for her, aka the raccoon and the scary kitty) might be sick again we're not sure why n like. she's untrusting and can be hostile and its frustrating but mostly its sad but anyway last time she wasnt feeling well i did my best to baby her to show her that she could trust us and she hung out w me a lot and NOW shes been in my room quite a bit and this morning i woke up and expected cats 1 or 2 to appear but THIS giant crazy baby climbed up and i lifted the covers for her and she not only lay next to me but like. let me let part of my head rest against part of her head and she was sooooooooooo happy like she was purring nonstop it was so sweet and eventually i turned onto my other side and she fell asleep for a bit before leaving n now tonight she is on my bed next to me snoring away... like we have no idea what goes thru her little head or what she does or doesnt know about us or where she is but. theres a lot to be thankful for when a lil creature (who has been thru a lot) trusts u enough to hang out while they sleep. like she used to sleep downstairs by herself but now she at least sleeps on the same floor as us a lot of the time. idk i just love her a lot and hope that we are making her happy and comfortable

[lydiaas]

i can’t wait to see jiara being domestic like i love jiara sooooooooooo much and their romantic chemistry is fire , like they give me butterflies specially in that scene in the airplane in ep9 after their kiss <3

what’s the things u want to see jiara do as a domestic couple ??

I like angst so I don't want them to be purely rainbows and sunshine in S4 but I'd like if we started the season by seeing a snapshot of what their life is like together. I'd love to see them waking up together and getting ready for the day, hanging out on his boat or surfing at Rixon's, Kie cooking dinner + JJ being a nuisance, them bickering about something which turns to them being all handsy and giggly.

I mostly just want them to remain very much like they are now but with a new flirty edge. That scene in the plane is perfect. The way she looks at him and the way he reassures her 🤌

It's kind of hard at the moment to imagine it because I'm undecided on what the lives will look like now with them being adults with their own lives and jobs.

[comebackali]

🔥 + those new star wars shows

i feel like it's not an unpopular opinion that disney star wars is like, bad, and we're very over saturated with sw content rn. but let's go one by one for disney era sw shows, yeah?

rebels (2014-2018): okay i love rebels. nuthin to say here. it's not perfect but overall, a good fun time. good fun characters. love it.

forces of destiny (2017-2018): meh. the animation is meh, but i liked most of the padme ones, and i liked the ones where the girls from different franchises interact, like leia and sabine and jyn. i like the concept, but overall was underwhelmed. but for what it was it's fine.

resistance (2018-2020): i don't really have an opinion on resistance. i watched a few episodes when it first came out but it didn't really pull me in. so i'm neutral on it, but it's sequel era so auto hate i guess. but not really. it's fine.

galaxy of adventures (2018-2020): best animation in star wars. oh and it's narrated by dante basco? incredible. love it.

the mandalorian (2019-present): hate. i liked the first season cuz i liked baby yoda (he's cute!), and i liked pedro pascal becoming daddy™, but then season 2 was just bad. the best part was them getting temuera morrison back as boba fett, but we all know how that turned out. and season 3 was simply intolerable. even characters i used to sort of like i now hate with a firey passion. like bo katan?? hate her. why is she so young?? and here's the real unpopular opinion, i HATE baby yoda. like he's not even cute to me anymore i literally just hate him with the passion of a thousand firey suns. i think it's the combo of over saturation plus the absolute STUPIDNESS that was his "arc" in the book of boba fett, but kill that little green old man with fiiiiiire 🔥🔥🔥. i didn't even care about the order 66 stuff with him, it was just so stupid. the best part was my boy kelleran beq. but i do respect the hell out of pedro pascal for being like, the highest paid voice actor in hollywood. like he's barely in the suit anymore but literally get that bread 🤑🤑🤑

jedi temple challenge (2020): i cannot belieeeeeeeeeve that when i look up "star wars shows" wikipedia has every fucking show listed EXCEPT jedi temple challenge. THE AUDACITY. THE DISRESPECT. jedi temple challenge is a star wars game show based on game shows like "legends of the hidden temple" from back in the day, and it's an absolute delight. AND it brought ahmed best (jar jar binks) back into star wars. and he did such a good job and you can tell he had such a fun time doing it. kelleran beq my absolute BELOVED. y'all think you love him but none of you love him like i do. also SAM WITWER??! frank oz?? zakai "the dark side is a little bitch" you absolute fucking legend? incredible, no notes. i wish there were a thousand seasons.

the bad batch (2021-present): hate. #unwhitewashthebadbatch. also, it's boring. i just don't care.

visions (2021-present): best thing that's happened to star wars in 20 years. love forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

the book of boba fett (2021-2022): HATE. IT'S JUST SOOOOOOOO BAD. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO MY BOY????? temuera morrison deserved sooooooooooo much better. and don't even TALK to me about what they've done to my son, luke jskywalker. fake luke skywalker. jake skywalker. terrible. hate hate hate.

obi wan kenobi (2022): my beloved. has done nothing wrong in their life, i know this and i love them. (except for what they've done to my boy the grand inquisitor. and fifth brother. but we don't talk about that.) genuinely so surprised that it was as good as it was, seeing the state of star wars live action before it. but i've never been so grateful that dave felony does not care about obi wan as a character, and therefore does not feel the need to rub his greedy little hands all over him. deborah chow did such a good job protecting the integrity of the characters imo. i would have been happier if it was just sad man alone in the desert, hallucinating anakin and house hunting with force ghost qui gon, but i've since gotten over that. i loved baby leia and the organas. also i don't think this is an unpopular opinion but KATHLEEN KENNEDY IS A LITTLE BITCH FOR CANCELLING S2 BUT GREENLIGHTING A REY MOVIE THAT NO ONE WANTS. ESPECIALLY when ewan/hayden/jimmy were all on board. she's number one on my hit list tbh. but if that was all we had it was enough. better to die a hero than live long enough to see yourself become a villain, and all that.

andor (2022-present): rogue one is the best thing that star wars has ever done imo, and andor is andor: a rogue one story, so it's great. but i fucking hate polldark cereal man. he's so fucking annoying. every time he is on screen i am throwing things at my tv. i don't even know his name, sibil, maybe? anyway, he's fucking stupid. taking away valuable screen time from my beloveds and for what? and he's just so boring. he's not even an interesting fascist like dedra (who i really only like because of the actress's incredible performance in "under the banner of heaven"). but anyway he's the worst. unpopular opinion is that mon mothma is sooo valid for selling her daughter to satan for one corn chip. go off queen.

tales of the jedi (2022-present): stupid. you can't even have continuity in your own canon? get it together dave, christ alive. i wanted to like it but, meh. i did like the rex, ahsoka, anakin one, because it's peak anakinnuttery and he's literally so insane i love it.

young jedi adventures (2023-present): adorable. you're killing it babies. high republic is fun. all the gold drip is fun. and the little riyo chuchi pantoran with the purple lightsaber is adorable. the eps are whatever, but it's literally made for 3 year olds, so it's great.

ahsoka (2023): it's so terrible i can't even speak. my expectations were low but man they wow'd me with how bad it was. first bitchy thing: ewan's new wife as hera was even more terrible than i was expecting. i can't think of a single thing i liked, except sabine a little, but that is for lesbian reasons and i cannot be held accountable for that. the rampant love for shin is soooooooo transparent. like i don't even dislike her, i like her just fine, but come on. and cgi hayden?? are you kidding me?? he looked SOOOOOOOO terrible are y'all for real?? i knew it was gonna be bad but damn. biggest takeaway was that whoever was in charge of the sound editing should be SHOT. it was so bad and sooooooo distracting. it took me right out.

huh. i guess overall i don't hate as many as i thought. but still, the ones i hate i really hate, and waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many. i'd sell them all to satan (except kenobi) for one corn chip.

[whoslaurapalmer]

glass onion glass onion glass onion

-i liked it a lot!!! but i do agree it’s not as stellar as knives out was. -for me it’s bc like.......the Stakes are different. in a personal family murder, the stakes are confined to the family. in RICH PEOPLE WORLD TECHNOLOGY MURDER the stakes are just bigger bc it’s not confined to one group of people, and those kinds of murders just always feel, unsatisfying to me, IN MY OWN PERSONAL ONION, they just don’t feel as tight as when it’s on a smaller scale. -like, for me, as a comparison, hitchcock’s least successful movies, in my eyes, are his ones about, big government things and politics. i enjoy north by northwest but even that one falls kind of flat for me in terms of, like, shadow of a doubt and rope (-i also watched it for the first time at age, 10, so did i grasp it?? not at all. i don’t think i really did until. uh. this year. but anyway) -yes the murder is confined to the group of people but it’s like.......there’s more worldly implications around it. which i just don’t dig personally -but i liked that it went so different, too, like that!! -and it does make sense with the Rich People vibe, i do have to give it that. (-oh, you could call the uh.......what was it. the science, chip, thing. its own macguffin, re: hitchcock’s mysteries)

-first hour was a bit slow, but once helen came in it REALLY PICKED UP and i loved where it went!!! -i loved helen, what a delight -her sister’s diary that she uses as her clue notebook saving her life from the gunshot..........andi protecting her sister, even while dead, their connection still existing no matter what happened

-cassandra sharing her name with the woman who told the truth and no one believed......

-shout out to hugh grant in an apron with a little sourdough starter jar. i love a random hugh grant -and as benoit’s partner?? i liked it -give me more of them

-ANGELA LANSBURY MY BELOVED OH MY GOD. ANGELA LANSBURY PLAYING AMONG US WITH THE USERNAME ‘MSHESOLVED’ -ANGELA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -angela 💖 -the greatest detective hanging out with the woman who played one of the most recognizable and famous fictional detectives.........💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 -and sondheim!! and kareem abdul-jabbar!! and natasha lyonne!! -very excited for that peacock series next year w natasha btw

-i love the ‘character with profession is not good at games relating to the profession’ trope. benoit being terrible at among us and hating clue is delightful

-it has the true murder mystery optimistic ending, i thought, with everyone turning on miles and admitting the actual truth on the steps, but we also have no reason to believe.......they’ll stay that way -them destroying the glass too was sooooooooooo tone deaf of them and great. like it mattered that like........they don’t immediately destroy it with helen. they’re still removed from her. they don’t understand why she’s really doing it, where that calm, glittering anger and vengeance comes from, what it means to her, what these people did to her sister and how it destroyed her and how they let it, how they were culpable, and they can’t untangle their lives from miles and money, even in one brief moment of anger and frustration or one brief singular moment of understanding, they still can’t really truly do it -but it is nice to think that they could be better people. but like ultimately, they do really suck, too. like, damn

-me: /googling derol’s actor me: .......TROOPER WAGNER?? my mom: ????? TROOPER WAGNER?????? me: my god. what a guy

-so back in september i watched the last of sheila, bc it was on tcm and they said it was a big influence on this, and i’m SO GLAD I WATCHED IT YOU CAN SEE IT SOOOOOOOO MUCH IN GLASS ONION AND IT WAS FASCINATING -you can see pieces of it in knives out, too, along with of course sleuth and, in my onion, 44 laura -i do recommend watching sheila if you can, it’s a fucking time. -stephen sondheim co-wrote the script of sheila, btw, with ANTHONY PERKINS, based on their mystery parties

-benoit monologuing in knives out to solve the case vs benoit monologuing to give helen time to search the glass onion

-shout out to JACKIE HOFFMAN she’s so delightful

-i might have more to say when i roll it around a little more but i did really like it a lot, and i think it was very successful though will not quite have a place in my heart like knives out does. will watch again, hope more people start making more murder mysteries bc they’re always so much fun and my favorite

[ashensdotcom]

REALLYYYYYYYYY LONG RAMBLE ABOUT ASHENS INBOUND!!!!!

crossposted from my spacehey

so one of my favorite youtubers Ashens is making a new movie and it looks reallyyyyyy cool and I'm so excited for it!!!! he's done two other movies before, but both of them are comedies, and this upcoming one is a horror so I'm excited to see what it's gonna be like!!! and I love love love horror movies also, so even unrelated to ashens I'm excited to see it!! :D 

it's called Turn Back and it's a folk horror (I LOOOOOOVE FOLK HORROR AAHHHHH IM SO EXCITED IM SO EXCITED i need to watch way more folk horror movies for sure) and it's TOLD IN REVERSE it's gonna be so cool to see how that's gonna be executed, I love movies that you have to sit on and think about and then watch again and only Then do you only Start to get the full picture aaahhskgjjss that's what the wicker man is like to me (WHICH IS ANOTHER EXCELLENT FOLK HORROR FILM) and that's one of my favorite favorite favorite movies of all timeeeee and it's really funny to reflect on it because on my first watching of it I actually didn't like it very much but then I gave it another chance and THAT'S when it really clicked in my brain hehehe

if the movie sounds interesting to you it's doing crowdfunding rn on turnbackmovie.com !!! there's some really cool perks I'M SO EXCITED TO GET MINE AHHHHHH 

the ETA on the movie is late 2024 / early 2025 SO IT GIVES ME SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!!! :D it's like a christmas gift hehehe!! 

and speaking of movies ashens has made, my mom said she wants to watch ashens and the quest for the gamechild AND ashens and the polybius heist with me!!!! yaaaaay!!!!!! (also if you want to watch them they are free on tubi!!!!! at least here in the USA they are :P I know tubi isn't the same from country to country but HOPEFULLY it's available for free on there in your country too!!) (I learned that because my british friend wanted to watch The Saint starring roger moore and I was like ohh it's on tubi for free!! but she said it wasn't available in her country even though it was on mine :( which sux :,( aaa) 

I actually had totally forgotten I introduced my mom to ashens lol, my mom doesn't like youtubers who shout and scream and stuff, and tends to have an aversion towards high-energy stuff in general, (which is a lot of what I like ESP MUSIC but it's ok) so I was like ohh I have the perfect idea!! since ashens is very mellow in all his videos and stuff I can watch them with my mom and so I showed some of his stuff to her and she likes it!!!! 

which I had completely forgotten about when I was showing her the trailer for polybius heist xP I didn't think she knew who he was bc I forgot I showed him to her so I was like oooo you wanna watch this cool heist movie with me so bad oooooooo 

and she was like ok!! and i was like HUH WHAT REALLY ?! and then I told her about the quest for the gamechild n she said she wanted to watch that one first (since it came out first) so I'm soooo excited to watch both of them with her x3 

and then I came back later and I was like mamaaaa I need help making a financial decision :P which was y'know me buying a perk to support the funding for turn back . and TL;DR she was like "you should treat yourself" bc I don't buy things for myself very often.. she was like "it's almost valentine's day you can be your own valentine" WHICH.... TRUE!!!!!!!! I can't remember her wording but she said something like "imagine if you had a partner what you'd buy for them" and iwas like .......... ur right....... I am my own partner........ and I do buy things for my friends quite a bit so... xP might as well get something for myself ur right........ SO IM GETTING THE ASHENS RETRO DVD COLLECTION!!!!!! AAAAHHH!!!!!! IM SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! 

that's actually quite an emotional thing to me... (in a good way) 

because like y'know I haven't been an adult for very long, I graduated high school literally not that long ago and I haven't been in the workforce for super long y'know so I never really like.... idk I did get money as a gift sometimes and I'm not gonna act like I didn't bc I am grateful, but it's not the same as like... actually Consistently Making Money and Having Money To Spend y'know? so whenever I saw youtubers advertise their own merch I was always like "ohh this looks cool but I don't really have that kinda money to throw around this much" so it was always like "damn. looks cool" and left it at that

and I thought that was what was gonna happen with the retro dvd collection too!!! bc the perk to get it is freaking expensive!!!! BUT LIKE...!!! I'M AT A POINT IN MY LIFE WHERE I CAN SPEND THAT MONEY EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND IT NOT BEING A PROBLEM!!! WHICH IS CRAZYYYYYYYYYY LIKE I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GET IT. THIS REALLY COOL LIMITED MERCH THAT'S LIKE SUPER EXCLUSIVE AND IS GONNA BE REALLY COOL AND IT'S SIGNED BY ASHENS TOO AAAHHHH AND IT'S JSUT. IT'S SUCH A UNIQUE FEELING OF SEEING SOMETHING REALLY COOL AND KINDA VAGUELY DAYDREAMING ABOUT HAVING IT BUT JUST DISMISSING IT BC UR USED TO DISMISSING STUFF LIKE THAT BUT THEN YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'RE AT A POINT WHERE YOU ACTUALLY CAN GET IT. LIKE IT'S AN ACTUAL POSSIBILITY NOW. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH I have so much to look forward to which I'm really grateful for :,3 

LOOK I HAVE A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY EVER BACKED A CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN BEFORE EVER IN MY LIFE SO THIS IS A REALLY COOL FEELING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT ONLY AM I BUYING AND GETTING COOL STUFF BUT ALSO MY MONEY IS GOING DIRECTLY TO HELP THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAHHHH!!!!!!!! SUUUUUUCH A COOL FEELING!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK SORRY THAT WAS SOOOOOOO LONG!!!!!! I just love love love ashens' content so much I could talk about it for so many paragraphs more but I'm not gonna make this blog any longer x) I just needed to get all of this out of my system instead of sending it all into one of my friends' DMs lol!!

so excited for turn back!!!!! yay!!!!!!

[thunderheadfred]

Our flight back home leaves late, which has given me plenty of opportunities to kiss up to my mother-in-law (not bitterly, she deserves nice things)

so while she’s been at work, I got my husband on his feet and we washed all the guest sheets and towels, vacuumed several rooms, did a few loads of dishes, tidied the kitchen, threw out all the Christmas garbage, and went out and bought a brand-new XXL plastic tote for her artificial tree - since the cheap zip bag she wanted to store it in was in actual shreds and I wasn’t having that.

So yeah. Feeling pretty good.

[seyaryminamoto]

If Azula had defected from the fire nation along with Zuko, do you think she would have been crowned fire lord in the finale? Imo, she would've been better suited for that role since she was obviously much more surrounded by police than Zuko was since she was never banished, and she shows good leadership and decision making in the show. She's also a lot more level headed than Zuko is, which is something that I think a good ruler needs.

Well... it's a complicated situation tbh. As far as competence and preparation are concerned, I agree entirely that Azula is far more ready for the role of Fire Lord than Zuko is. I've mentioned in other asks that Zuko's growth was personal, and while it's okay that he was intended to become a better person, that's only the first step towards becoming a good leader. Azula's successes and achievements suggest she's, indeed, a mess as a person but a lot more aware of what it takes to be a leader than her brother is.

Other arguments can be made in Azula's favor, such as that the Fire Nation people, unless the Final Agni Kai was made public (and in this case, you're suggesting a setting where the Agni Kai doesn't happen, outright), would likely have a more favorable opinion of Azula than of Zuko for the reasons you bring up. Her public perception is bound to be much better than his, she's bound to be known by nobles and military figures, so yes, she has a lot in her favor.

This being said...

I admit that I wasn't sure what to do with this particular dilemma when I wrote a very similar setting to the one you're proposing. Azula indeed ended up defecting from the Fire Nation in one of my stories in Sokkla Saturdays, Matching Heartbeats #5 + Underneath Starlit Skies #3, where she initially becomes a prisoner of the Gaang and ends up turning her life around by bonding with four dorks (especially with a certain boomerang dork with a similar sense of humor to her own) and realizing her father stands no chance against Aang in the Avatar State. This, eventually, results in her also identifying and coming to terms with the indoctrination of the Fire Nation upon seeing similar situations of indoctrination in Ba Sing Se... and in the end, she is pretty much completely reformed, redeemed, on board with Team Avatar and practically leading it with Sokka.

But when things came to a head... I found myself in a bit of an awkward situation. While it made sense for Azula to be Fire Lord... it also made sense for her not to want to be Fire Lord, upon reaching this point in her journey. She knew she had much left to learn, and she found she had changed and improved things for other people while being out in the field, achieving far more things than she ever did back when she was only Ozai's preferred heir. The concept of continuing to travel with her friends and her boyfriend made so much sense to her, especially when there were three possible candidates for the throne at that point (Azula, Zuko and Iroh). Truth is... I do love me some Fire Lord Azula, but I can't shake off this wicked worm of wickedness that suggests Azula would probably be in a much healthier place if she's just not assuming that her sole purpose in life and in the world is becoming Fire Lord. She could do amazing growth away from the throne, just as she could do it on the throne too... but if she's not there, she gets to put more distance between herself and the toxicity of the Fire Nation. She gets to have much more of a life, I'd say, than Zuko would if he becomes Fire Lord while she gets to have more or less freedom from such pressures.

Sooooooooooo...

My ultimate answer is yes, of course Azula could be Fire Lord instead of Zuko. I don't know if Zuko would accept that easily because he's absolutely convinced this is his birthright (... which it's not, it was Lu Ten's, Zuko has only believed the throne would be his since he was 11, supposedly), but if you don't have Azula in the throes of a breakdown that drives her out of control, the likelihood is Azula would defeat him in an Agni Kai if they truly want to fight over a throne. But... is it what's best for Azula? I won't even pretend that I don't think it's not what's best for the Fire Nation, I do believe it would be x'D maybe some could argue that Azula being Zuko's advisor could be better? But frankly, if someone truly thinks she'd be a good advisor they're inadvertently admitting she would be a good ruler just as well, it's pretty naïve to pretend that being an advisor is the only role she could have. Still... is this what will be best for Azula in the end?

I think it really hinges on how a writer wants to develop Azula's character, more than anything. My take in that particular AU was for her to end up finding she had so much more to explore and see in the rest of the world, and to acknowledge that the Fire Nation actually had never been as fulfilling and grand for her as traveling with her friends became. None of her bonds with people in the Fire Nation proved as strong and true as the ones she built with people from other nations. Thus... it made sense for her to feel a strong pull towards something other than the throne.

I'd even argue it's healthy that she doesn't want the throne desperately xD it's one of my main complaints over Zuko, he barely ever seems to consider the possibility of a future beyond the throne, if he ever did. It makes me feel his growth would be best suited by making him find purpose OUTSIDE the throne too, but I don't even know if he'd ever accept that? Anyway, bottom line is both Zuko and Azula probably would be in healthier places away from the throne if you really think about it. Who's better suited for it? Azula is certainly a better leader and better perceived by their people than Zuko would be (realistically speaking, that is). Zuko is older so in virtue of being the traditional firstborn child, he has a claim on the throne, and he's supposed to be the better person between them, so some people could argue that, if Azula defects without proper build-up, he'd have grown more by then than she would have, I guess? And he'd be more ready to cut ties with Ozai's legacy than Azula? Hence why they'd argue he'd be the better choice...?

... But frankly, I would say that both of them, at optimal situations, would do well on the throne. Admittedly, I don't think Zuko is at his optimal situation as he is in canon. Azula, of course, isn't at all at an optimal place in canon either. Working together could be a nice compromise but it would be a very idealistic one, and one that would require the two of them to grow up A LOT, to not be so prone to conflict and to really work together for the greater good :'D so it would take not only a proper redemption from the two of them but a ton of extra growth in which they'd both learn to be better siblings.

So yes, I believe Azula would be a great Fire Lord if given the choice and chance. I do believe the Fire Nation would thrive under Azula's rule, I have absolute confidence in her ability to steer the Fire Nation in the right path. I'm also highly Zuko-critical as everyone knows, ergo, I don't believe he's "fated" for a throne, nor do I think that his development in the show entitles him to a throne, nor do I think he's grown in every sense he really had to... so I don't adscribe at all to the belief that the throne was only ever meant for him because that's a really boring way to interpret the world. Like I've said before, the throne should have gone to Iroh after Azulon dies. Then to Lu Ten. Then to Lu Ten's children, if he'd had any. I love me my chaotic and interesting Fire Nation Royal Family, but I don't believe either Azula or Zuko were fated for a throne: thus why it's much more important for me that they grow up enough to become proper leaders, capable of handling the pressures of the role and truly guiding the Fire Nation out of the gross mess it's in over the war. Either one could have been Fire Lord, both had arguments in their favor (unfortunately, I fear tradition would have demanded Zuko became Fire Lord solely because male firstborn, which... bleh), and I will always believe Azula would have been an excellent Fire Lord if she's redeemed and at her best.

Still, I'd very much love it if either one taking the throne would have a chance to find purpose BEYOND that throne, and to have an identity OUTSIDE that throne, before becoming Fire Lord. That, personally, would be my take on the matter :'D No idea if I'm not being clear enough but I'm saying that yes, Azula could have done it, someone could absolutely write a setting where that happens (hell, I nearly did XD), but I would prefer it if a throne is not her sole motivation in life. All in all, being king, emperor, Fire Lord or what-have-you is a major responsibility. It's only a reward if you're a privileged asshole who has no idea how much impact your every choice would have on thousands of people, or has some idea but outright doesn't care about that and only is focusing on their own advancement, titles and achievements :'D hence, I really believe Azula could do it, but I do think proper growth for her character would be best served by showing her that she can achieve great things whether there's a five-pronged hairpiece on her head or not.

[dayseternal-blog]

Hello, Days8! Could you tell us about your most favorite recent reads?

Oh? My personal favorite recent reads?!  Okay!  I have 5 I want to talk about!

So, in case I didn’t RAVE enough about these two socmed!AUs on Twitter, here we go again.

“Catalyst” by @himatauzumaki - Rated T, Celebrity AU, Socmed format, Ongoing.  Giant entertainment idols Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki are invited to the highest-profile performance of the year: MAMA, the Mnet Asian Music Awards.  With rising media attention, amid behind-the-scenes trouble brewing among friends, family, and ex-lovers, Hinata and Naruto need to somehow maintain their picture-perfect reputations.

“A Little White Lie” by Trinity (bakugousbby) - Rated M, High School AU, Socmed format, Ongoing. Hinata posts a picture of a boy to ward off her creepy stalker. The only problem? She chose the wrong boy.

I was obsessed with these for a solid two weeks, was completely considering how to stop ficcing like old news and create a social media au, and then I finally decided that it’s too much work.  I don’t have enough investment to go searching for the perfect photographs, edit them, create text threads and posts on top of creating a plot, writing the actual story, and figuring out how to post it.  But himatauzumaki and trinity are up for the challenge!!!  And they do it so beautifully!!

“Catalyst” has THICK plot.  As a fanfiction on its own, it would have been wonderful to read.  As a socmed AU, I feel like I’m watching a Jdrama or Kdrama???  It’s like watching a movie!!  The characterization feels beautiful and realistic, too!

“A Little White Lie” is literally the funniest NaruHina story I’ve ever read.  I’ve never laughed so much while reading a story.  I can just tell that Trinity has a lot of fun with her characters, and so it’s SO FUN to read.  Angst is just, like, not a thing??  The situations are stereotypically high school “angsty” but trinity resolves them with humor, and I love it!!!

Truly those are the best reads I’ve had recently.  They’re everything that I’ve ever wanted to see, combining my love for NaruHina with aesthetic photography and Asian models/musicians.  Reading those fics are like scrolling through my own Tumblr blog.

Since then, hmmmmmmm,,,,

I think my recent favorite reads were both by @badluckbrebis!

“A Shirt, a Neckerchief and my Bag on my Shoulders” - Rated E, High School Summer Camp AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Hinata is freezing cold as she washes up in a nearby stream despite the poor weather, until Naruto unexpectedly shows up to shelter her...

“Hold Me in Your Memory” - Rated E, Police/Crime/Time Travel AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. When 2008 rookie Detective Uzumaki Naruto discovers that he can communicate with 2019 Crime analyst Hyūga Hinata, they embark together on a manhunt that defies space and time. But, can the two of them really face the Rinnegan Killer, the serial killer that destroyed both their lives?

So the summer camp AU is totally up my ally.  Imanga really knew what she was doing when she gifted me that fic 😂💖

Thank you💘

It’s awkward teens pining and flirting ❤️, and I swear that half my own works are exactly that.  Still, it includes aspects of French/camping culture, so it’s something that’s completely different!!  It has that 🙊 kinkiness with the outdoor aspect, and the daring smut reminds me of bunnyhoodlum’s or breakfastinbed’s style.  Awkward & flirty first love + culture + kinky smut is the perfect combination to me!

I read “Hold Me in Your Memory” last night while answering the Time Travel AU recommendations ask, and time travel is not something that I’d normally read, but!  This story reminded me of utsus’ unfinished Detective AU “Stolen Beginnings”, but with the time travel twist, and of course, this time Naruto is one of the detectives rather than suspects.  It also reminded me of bunnyhoodlum’s “Powerless” because of the gruesome and high-stakes murders.  Like, Imanga really went there.  The plot is bold and the characterization of Naruto and Hinata is a little different from the usual, taking into account how the murders messed up their lives.  SOOOOOOooooo, yeah.  This one’s going to be on my mind....considering how I just compared it to two of my Top 5s, I’m looking forward to seeing how this story turns out!

Last, I came across a Boxer!Naruto and Nurse!Hinata AU :DDDDD  Ever since I read martial artist!Naruto in katarinahime’s “(common side effects)”, I’ve wanted to read more!  This one is very sweet!!!

“Seeing Stars” by Free Mentality - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. They had been attending the same boxing gym for months before he noticed her, and the first time they met was a bit of a disaster, to say the least.

Thank you for asking, anon!  I love talking about good fanfiction :D