#that whole scene was just absolutely incredible beginning to end

[communist-hatsunemiku]

I hope all the weird dunmeshi fans had a conniption when dragon falin crushed that person and her tits bounced while she did it

[coryosbaby]

warning: stalkish behavior, mutual masturbation, humping to get off ig, overstimulation, cum play, excessive breeding kink towards the end, baby trapping but consensual? 😭, Perv! virgin! Ethan, dom! Reader, both are fucked up people tbh

Neighbor! Ethan watches you through your window every night because your apartments are right across from each other </3

He doesn’t know if you mean to leave your blinds open every time you change, doesn’t know if you mean to lotion your whole body, completely naked, in front of the fucking window, and honestly, he really doesn’t care. All he knows is that every single night before bed he watches you through his slightly uncovered curtains, and touches himself.

And maybe in class he doesn’t stop staring, maybe he gets hard and touches himself behind his desk. And maybe he memorizes your whole schedule, just so he can see you at different angles, doing different things.

Maybe it’s wrong. But what you know can’t hurt you, right?

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

It’s the weekend, which means that you’re finally off of work, and have no classes. Your hair is strewn around you in a halo as you lay on your round pink bed. You just want to lounge, relax, and do absolutely nothing.

Until you see the neighbor boy peek through his window.

You smile to yourself when you catch his eye through it, your body lifted up with your elbows.

You’ve seen Ethan around, waving to him whenever you’re out, sending him a small smile as you walk down to the apartment lobby to get the mail. You also have a few classes together, and he sits near you in them. You’ve only talked a handful of times, but he’s been always incredibly sweet. He’s a pretty boy, with dark brown hair and puppy dog eyes, and everytime he sees you he gives you a gorgeous smile and looks away shyly. You’ve also seen the way he looks through his curtains a LOT more than a person normally would, knows that his eyes are set on your window.

You aren’t dumb. You know when someone is watching you, and you know that the most appropriate response is to close your blinds and call the fucking cops. But where’s the fun in that?

Besides, he’s just too cute to send to jail :((

Your hands begin to knead your tits. You moan when your sensitive nipples get hard, your legs spreading to show your white lacey thong underneath your silky pink robe. You see the eyes on you again, see him peek through the curtains even more.

Ethan blushes, watching the scene before him. You seem to be looking right at him. Maybe he’s just crazy. But regardless, he can’t help but palm his cock through his briefs. He whines, hand squeezing himself harder, as he watches you bite your lip and look at him with a dazed smile. You begin to move up, onto your knees. You open your robe, letting it fall down off your shoulders. Your tits are exposed now, and you giggle as you jiggle them lightly in your palms.

Ethan’s seen you do more. And he’s definitely seen you do worse. But the way you’re looking through the window now, looking dead at him, it makes his pretty virgin cock flush a deep burgundy red and makes him clench his teeth hard. You’re so beautiful, absolutely fucking stunning. He doesn’t know why he feels so hot now, so desperate for your touch, but it’s making his cock throb. He takes it out of his pajama pants, begins stroking the thick head of it, as warm wet fluid dribbles out. He whines, closing his sharp teeth around his fist, thrusting his poor achy prick into his own hand.

You can see how his eyes grow more lidded, now, can see that hes bringing the curtains more to the side. He doesn’t care if he’s revealed. And that’s immediately shown when he exposes himself. You moan at the sight of him, cock out in his fist, his handsome face flushed and red. He finally looks at you, fully. And the tension is so hot between that long distance between the two of you, that it makes you gush down your thighs. You bring your hand down to your clit, one hand kneading your breast. Without even thinking you begin to rock up and down, thinking about the gigantic cock in front of you and what it could do to your tight cunt.

Ethan is going fucking insane, he really is. Everything in him is trying to stop himself from placing a knock on your door, shoving you against the nearest wall when you answer and just pummeling your pussy. He wants this to play out, though. He wants to be teased and played with, wants you to keep bouncing up and down and making him crave to split you open.

His cock is drenched, and he brings his shirt up in between his teeth to expose his toned stomach. He doesn’t know where all the confidence is coming from; all he knows is that his cock hurts, and he needs it to cum, regardless of how much he loves the edging.

And when he finally does, you’re both drenched in sweat and smiling from across your rooms. you put on your robe, effortlessly.

You blow the boy a kiss, and then, for the first time in months, you close your blinds.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

It’s been two days since you and Ethan’s last encounter. And since then, your blinds have stayed closed.

Ethan is fucking dying. He doesn’t know why you haven’t talked to him, doesn’t know why your window is covered. Hopefully it’s teasing.

But some part of him thinks he really fucked up.

It’s time for you to go get the mail. Not that you haven’t been doing that the past two days, it’s just that Ethan is actually home when you have to today. So now you can finally have your fun. And how coincidental that his mail just happens to land in your mailbox. The mail lady must’ve been mixed up, that’s all. But it gives you an excuse to knock on the boy’s door.

You adjust your mini skirt and your top as you approach, your heels clicking against the hardwood. He has a doorbell, and you ring it. No answer for a moment, but then the boy opens the door. He looks like he’s busy; he’s wearing jeans and a flannel, and you can see behind him that there are papers and textbook strewn everywhere. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees you, and his poor cock begins moving to half hardness when he sees your nipples poking through your shirt.

You glance at the table full of work, and fake frown.

“I’m sorry, were you busy?” Your voice is airy, and sweet.

Ethan can smell your perfume from where he’s standing, all citrusy and vanilla. He wants to smell that smell all day and all night.

Noticing you looking into the apartment at the full table, Ethan’s eyes widen in realization and he stutters.

“O-Oh! I was, but.. I’m not anymore.” He nervously laughs, and you smile at his anxiety ridden voice. He’s too cute.

“That’s great! I have your mail for you. The mail lady must’ve gotten it mixed up.” You lift up the paper envelopes to show him.

He blushes, going to reach for them. When he grabs them from you your fingers brush against his, softly. Just enough for him to feel the slow scrape of your acrylic nails, the softness of your skin. You’re entrancing him, and you know that he won’t be able to resist anything you do.

“Thank you.” He replies. His eyes wonder down to your tits, soft lips scraping over his teeth. You giggle, stepping towards the boy.

“You have a staring problem, y’know.”

He snaps out of his thoughts to rub his neck and avert from your gaze.

“Sorry..”

“Don’t apologize.” You reach out to stroke his strong arm with your nails, and he shivers, eyes going up to yours, pupils dilated. He looks incredibly shy. You move closer, so close that he can feel your body heat radiating onto him. He exhales shakily.

“Do you wanna invite me in, stalker boy?”

He doesn’t answer. He just looks at you, eyes full of wonder and lust. Then he leans in, and presses his lips to yours in a shy, inexperienced kiss. He pulls away quickly, afraid that he may have made a mistake. But then you pull him back in, let him moan into your mouth, let him feel your ass in the middle of the hallway. And then you shove him inside, remove your lips from his, and shut and lock the door.

“Can I see your room?”

He nods, and grabs your hand to pull you into it. You giggle at the sight of the star wars posters on the wall, the innocent display of action figures in the far corner.

“It’s cute.” You say. “I like it a lot.”

“T-Thank you..”

You kiss him again, hands grasping his hair and making him whine. You pull away, teasingly biting the tip of his nose. His plush mouth is stained with your pink lipstick, perfectly beautiful and kiss bitten.

“Such good manners, sweet boy.”

Ethan smiles, all teeth, his eyes shining. Your heart surges with something you’ve never felt before.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since forever.”

“I know, baby. I’ve known for months.” You kiss his cheek (the lipstick stains again). And then you sit down on his bed, hands reaching out to beckon him over. His cock is painfully hard, throbbing against his zipper. You grab his upper thighs to move his crotch closer to your face, and you reach out to run your tongue along the fabric. He gasps, hands going down to your hair and his hips thrusting against you.

“Needy.” You mumble quietly. Ethan whines.

You move your hands to his zipper, and begin to open his fly. His boxers are soft, and on the front the fabric is stained with a wet patch.

“Awww, baby…” you pout. “You should’ve come to me sooner. You’re ruining your underwear.”

“I’m-” he gasps when you begin to touch his cock, running your tongue along the fabric of his boxers, tasting the wet spot there. He tastes so good, it makes you drool. “‘M sorry!”

You breathe out a laugh, and look up at him.

“Do you want me to put it in my mouth?” You ask innocently. He nods, and you reach in to pull his length out. It’s incredibly large, even larger up close, and dripping with precum.

“You’re so big.” You comment. Then you take his tip into your mouth, lick up his salty precum. He cries out, hips thrusting into you. You pull away, making him create a noise of displeasure. You bring your palm to his member, slowly moving up and down from the base to the tip. He moans, and you begin taunting him.

“Poor baby. You just can’t control this thing, can you?” You spit harshly on his cock, and he whimpers. “Gotta watch me to get off? Huh, you little perv?” Your hand speeds up, the sound of his wet prick loud in the room.

“Nnngh… please.. please let me fuck you!”

“No. You take what I give you, Ethan. Or you get nothing at all.” And then you’re shoving your mouth all the way to his base, choking on his delicious cock, and he practically yells as he orgasms, his cock shooting warm, creamy ropes down your hot throat. You moan, swallowing him down and bobbing your head harshly. He starts to cry, wet tears cascading down the boys cheeks.

“Thank you! Oh god…” the overstimulation begins to get to him and he can’t even breathe.

“Mm, I think.. think ‘m gonna cum again…”

You pull off of him, and begin stroking him more. Tears begin to cascade down his cheeks, and you lean in to kiss his hipbones as he cums for a second time. He rides it out, face incredibly hot, and you rise up to kiss him on his lips. He shoves his head into your shoulder as you stroke him one more time. Your hand is dripping with his cum, and you bring it up to his mouth and tell him to lick it up. He shivers, obeying your command and licking your whole hand clean. He breathes into your neck, swallowing himself down, as his body goes limp in your arms.

“That was your first time, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm,” he looks down at you and frowns. “I’m sorry I came too early.”

“It’s okay,” you assure him, and kiss his forehead. “Do you think you can do it one more time for me?”

He bites his lip, eyes unsure.

“Maybe..”

“It’s okay if you can’t, okay?” You kiss him again. He nods, and you turn him around to sit him in the spot you were previously at, only a bit more pushed back. You move to straddle him, and his eyes widen.

You kiss him again, sweet and slow. And then you pull your top up over your head and throw it somewhere in the floor. Ethan’s mouth is agape now, and he looks at your tits in awe.

“Something wrong?” You tease.

“You’re so beautiful, momma.” He looks up at you as he leans in to ghost his lips over your tits. You flush at the name, and it makes that heat in your stomach intensify. “I’ve always thought so. I… I stare at you in class all the time. Just because you’re so beautiful.” You smile at his confession, stroke his soft face, and lean down to kiss him. You guide him to your chest, and he takes one of your nipples into his mouth. You cry out, hands going up to his hair as you hold him closer to you. You can feel his cock getting hard again. His hands wrap around your waist and he moans into your skin, thrusting his member up into your heated pussy.

His teeth scrape against you harshly, and you take his wrists from around your waist and push him down onto the bed. His hands are above his head now. He smiles.

“You are so gorgeous.” You murmur. “Mommy’s good little boy…”

You take the hem of his shirt and lift it above his head to kiss his pecs. He makes a sound of pleasure, and you suck a hickey onto his collar bone.

“I wanna keep being a good boy for you, momma. Wanna make you feel good.” He gasps out, and you smile.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” you note. “Could you take them off?”

He slips off his flannel and lifts his shirt above his head at your command, and then pulls off his jeans and boxers. He’s not that shy anymore, having already came at the hands of you twice. But the same submissive, obsessed boy is still there, and it’s prominent when he stutters out a question.

“Could you.. could you take yours off, too?”

And then you’re unzipping your skirt. The boy aids in the task, helping you pull it down your legs at the awkward angle you’re both at. Your heels go next, slipping off of your feet and onto the floor. And then, lastly, you slip off your panties. The smell of your arousal hits Ethan. He keens, lifting up to watch your cunt be revealed to him. You’re beautiful, your pussy swollen and throbbing.

You hold his cock down as you slide it between your folds, and his eyes roll to the back of his head at this new found type of contact. Your wetness drips on his already drenched cock, makes him mewl and begin fucking his prick in between your swollen lips. You bring his fingers to your clit and instruct him on what feels good. He catches on immediately, and he runs tight circles onto you. His cock aches, from orgasming twice and from your wet pussy.

“Can you please put it in, momma? Please?” He asks, hips rutting.

“Just rub on me, sweet boy. You can fuck me next time.”

Although he won’t get to fuck you today, he looks giddy, and he looks hopeful.

“There’s gonna be a next time?”

“Of course there is, baby,” you reply. “Or I wouldn’t have came all the way over here.”

He hugs you to him, breathing into your skin and gripping your hips to grind you down onto his prick. It’s engorged, so hard that it hurts, but your sweet cunt brings it relief. Ethan begins talking, his precious voice laced with pleasure.

“You’re so perfect, so fuckin’ gorgeous.” He gasps out.

“I know, baby... fuck. It feels so good, doesn’t it?”

He nods, his cock glistening with wetness, and he can feel himself approaching his third orgasm of the day. But he wants to make this one last, wants to make you cum first. He brings his fingers back up to your clit, rubs it harshly, in the way you like. You practically scream, beginning to instead bounce on his cock. The pressure makes him groan, makes his toes curl and near his awaiting orgasm.

“Yeah, momma. C’mon, use me.” your wetness is so prominent that his rough fingers make your juices splatter onto your thighs. You’re squirming, pussy throbbing and almost ready to let go. You don’t know how he’s so good at this, with his inexperience, but he is. “Want you to cream all over my cock. Please, baby? Don’t you wanna cum like I did?”

“Yeah. Yeah, baby!” You grab onto his shoulders, and you feel that tension in your gut snap. “‘M cumming! Oh, shitshitshitshit-“

He giggles, eyes bright, as he watches you cum on him. The way he sounds is a little psychotic, a little unsettling. Not quite like him. But it makes your legs shake and makes you gasp out his name as you come down from your high. And then he moves his hips in tandem, begins to move in harsh circles so he can cum on you for a third time. And you let him, regardless of the stimulation and the pain it leaves. And when he cums, his fingernails harshly dig into your hips, make you fall onto him and try to catch your breath as he cums all over your pussy lips and throbbing clit. His cum is warm on your skin, and you bring Ethan’s fingers up to your hole to push all of it inside you. His eyes grow as big as saucers, and he watches as his sticky load gets pushed into your womb.

“Gonna make me a real mommy, aren’t you, baby?” You ask. Your eyes are darker, if not completely black, and you want to break the boy in front of you.

Your real plan is finally coming into play, your possessiveness beginning to take over. And for a moment Ethan processes that you may have been watching him too, this whole time. That maybe, you had been planning to make him bonded to you forever.

But Ethan shakes this thought off. You’re too sweet, too precious. You wouldn’t do that, would you?

(You would).

Ethan bites his lip as you take his tip and rub the excess cum onto your hole.

“Yeah,” he breathes in reply, eyes never leaving your filled pussy. “Gonna fill you up, momma.”

He’s all yours, now. Ruined.

“Gonna give you a baby. Wan’ you to make me a daddy…”

You smile.

Your little stalker is so precious.

[lornaka]

My five cents on Tech’s fate in TBB

It’s been over three weeks since the show ended and I’ve been writing this in my head ever since, mostly to have it summed up in one post for posterity lol. I considered letting it go at this point but I know it’ll drive me crazy if I don’t get it out of my system so might as well.

So here we go, some of my rambly post-finale thoughts on Tech’s death (and a few other issues) under the cut!

Disclaimer: while this post is in critical spirit (because that’s how my brain works), I want to make clear that I have nothing but respect and gratitude towards everyone who’s worked on the show. My criticisms are of the final story as a whole as I interpret it (art is art, everything is subjective, you know the drill), but one never knows what goes into the process of making it behind the scenes, so I’m not holding anything against the creative team. I love this show dearly and am in awe of how good it is at its best, despite certain things I wish they did differently.

To begin, if I had to sum up the biggest problem that TBB writing suffers from, it would be lack of closure, and too many red herrings. Not just for Tech, but many things. Major plot threads as well as little character moments are cultivated or thrown in just to never culminate in anything or to be immediately discarded after serving the plot, some of them incredibly misleading. Some of the top examples:

- Crosshair’s chip. We never get an exploration of how the trauma of his chip activating and being left behind not only affected his motivation and choice to stay with the Empire, but his relationship with his brothers. While it was made fairly obvious, if subtly, that Crosshair became free of the chip’s influence after getting hit by the ion engine on Bracca, the narrative treated this change as if it didn’t matter at that point, while it obviously mattered a lot within the context of Crosshair’s character. Add to that all these little details with him clutching his head in s1 finale, Omega expressing her disappointment in him, and Tech’s comment on how “it is just his nature” (as if it matters!!! See what I mean about the narrative treating Cross’s chip as if it didn’t play the key part in his trajectory? They throw in this line, like we are supposed to take away that it’s simply Crosshair being Crosshair and not like, the results of brainwashing and abandonment), Wrecker blaming Crosshair for not going back to them, all while we as the audience have been shown and told repeatedly how these chips work (and so were the Batch), we ended up with an incredibly confusing situation with lots of mixed signals from the writers. And once Crosshair makes his choice to stay with the Empire in s1 finale, his chip and the confusion it brought to his relationship with his brothers is never brought up again, because the plot simply moves on.

- Cid’s betrayal. After her being a major character for two seasons with a continuous relationship build-up with Omega in particular, she is discarded as soon as her betrayal serves the plot, with all that character development getting thrown out of the window. You can be mad at Cid all you want, but to me it’s incredibly weird and wasteful to end two seasons worth of build up on that note without it having any closure for the characters, especially Omega whose whole theme is trusting people and bringing out the best in them. It’s fine if they decided to make Cid exactly what she appeared on the surface (untrustworthy and self-serving) after playing around with her potentially growing through her fondness of Omega, but then at the very least the betrayal should’ve had an impact on the characters, Omega most of all. Even just one casual line from Omega in s3 about how Cid’s betrayal impacted her emotionally, however minimally, would have solved that problem. And no, CX-2 mentioning how he extracted info on Phee from her off screen absolutely doesn’t count as closure, because I’m talking about emotional closure for the main pov characters as well as the audience. Cid had a presence for two seasons, then as soon as she executed her role as a traitor to further the plot, she was discarded like she was a random extra.

- Emerie’s relationship with Hemlock. We are led to believe that he basically raised her, instilling in her the idea that she had no chance without him and owed her purpose and “safety” to him. You can’t tell me that this didn’t deeply affect her struggle and eventual decision to break away from all that and choose to help the kids, basically betraying Hemlock. I get that the show only had so much screen time and Emerie is a supporting character in season 3 at best, but common, she has more tension with Dr. Scalder than Hemlock while the potential for this rich deep conflict between them is right there.

I can probably list more smaller examples but this is getting long and I don’t want to go on any more tangents, so, finally, the biggest example of lack of closure and tendency of TBB writing to display foreshadowing that leads nowhere:

Tech’s death.

First of all, I’ll die on the hill that it wasn’t denial or delusion that led to such a big portion of the audience to believe that Tech didn’t really die in s2. If we look at the facts:

- there was no body

- it’s the finale of season 2 out of 3, pretty early for one of the main titular characters to get killed off

- the only/last character to allegedly see Tech after his fall is a villainous scientist who is known to experiment on clones specifically

- not a fact but: the whole scene with Hemlock presenting Tech’s goggles to Hunter was incredibly suspicious. In hindsight, I think the whole purpose of it was so that the Batch got Tech’s goggles back in their possession as a memento (and to show how evil Hemlock is to rub it into Hunter’s face like that) but it was executed in a way that read as something much more. It read as if Hemlock was going out of his way to convince us/Hunter of Tech’s death, but with us knowing who Hemlock is, his background in experimenting on clones, everything screams at us to not trust a word he says. Is it really so surprising that so many of the viewers immediately jumped at the conclusion that something more was going on there?

- Hunter’s (lack of) reaction/immediate narrative fall-out. More on that later as I address lack of emotional impact of Tech’s death in s3.

- it’s Star Wars. And there was no body.

So yeah, to me, it is completely justified that so many people read that whole thing as open to speculation at the very least, foreshadowing Tech’s survival at most.

Personally, I was 70% sure Tech was truly dead prior to s3, but not because the text told me so, but because at that point I was used to the show’s writing regularly sending out mixed signals, and a part of me was resigned to Tech’s death becoming another example of the writer’s intent clashing with their accidental empty foreshadowing.

As season 3 aired and the whole CX-2 plot was unfolding alongside continued lack of closure for Tech’s fate, my hope for Tech Lives reveal grew and grew, but in the end my initial doubt was proven right, unfortunately.

Oh, CX-2.. what a mess. You can’t tell me the creators went over all of these scenes, all of these lines, looked at the whole picture and *didn’t* see how it was incredibly easy to interpret CX-2 as potentially being Tech with all these little potential parallels. “Domicile” alone.

If they didn’t want us to entertain the idea that it could be Tech, they could’ve done it differently, but for some reason, they chose to leave that space for speculation. My question is, why?

If they truly wanted us to believe Plan 99 was it, Tech’s Noble End that we were supposed to take as this dramatic super emotional ultimate sacrifice and all that, then why would they not make it clear that CX-2 couldn’t be Tech? Why breed confusion? And breed confusion they did. It’s hard for me to believe they didn’t foresee the “ohh is it Tech?” speculation.

When so many members of the audience immediately and individually jump at a theory or have the same take away from the story they are being told, yet the authors say it wasn’t meant to be taken that way, something went seriously wrong with the writing.

I don’t like to speculate on such things because we will probably never know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had at some point considered CX-2 being Tech or at least something more for the whole CX plot thread, but changed and reshuffled things at the last minute for whatever reasons.

Which is fine and understandable. But it brings me to the heart of my biggest issue with how Tech’s fate was handled:

lack of impact and closure.

Let’s disregard all the Tech Lives theories for a moment and focus on what we did get: Tech, one of the main characters, getting killed off at the end of s2 out of 3, for stakes and consequences and NOTHING else. When I say nothing, I mean nothing.

Imagine, for a moment, he survived and stayed with the Batch. Nothing would have changed, in the grand scheme of things. Nothing. We wouldn’t have had a few obligatory “Tech mention, everyone feel sad now” throwaway lines/goggle shots and whatnot, sure, but that’s it.

Tech dying didn’t change the trajectory of the plot in any way, nor did it affect any of the other characters in a way that changed their trajectory. And anything less is simply not enough to justify killing one of your main characters. Stakes and consequences ain’t it.

Consider Mayday, for example: a supporting character, but his death in s2 affected Crosshair in such a way it completely redirected his journey, AND in s3 we got an episode that cemented the impact Mayday had on Crosshair and provided emotional closure for them. That’s a narratively meaningful death.

Tech’s death was not meaningful to the narrative beyond removing him from it. That’s why so many Tech fans insist he deserved better treatment: not only was he not present in one third of the show physically, but he lacked any sort of presence even in death. His absence was never processed or grieved by any of the main characters and so by extension by the audience.

And before anyone starts with the whole ‘they are soldiers/they had no time to grieve/etc’ arguments, it is the responsibility of the writers to provide the space for all of that emotional impact. It they don’t, there is no impact.

A few reactions here and there, moments of missing Tech as a person and a brother, not an asset, anything would have made this whole thing easier to accept.

The lines that we did get, from Omega mentioning the stuff Tech taught her to Echo commenting on how decryption would be easier if Tech was with them to “Clone Force 99 died with Tech” from Crosshair - each and every single one of those lines linked to Tech’s functions as part of the squad, his usefulness, but we didn’t get a single line in remembrance of him as a person of his own, no one missed or remembered him for himself or his personal impact on them.

Just one line from Omega about how he taught her about change being a constant part of life or whatever, or Wrecker making a comment on how Tech used to info dump about stuff, anything would have instantly provided that much needed sense of “he was here, he was a person and is still a part of us”. Instead, Tech was killed off to show that messing with the Empire is dangerous and risks are real, I guess, and immediately lost any and all presence within the story.

We never even got to see Crosshair’s or Phee’s reactions to losing him.

Speaking of Crosshair, that’s a whole other example of complete lack of closure: they never closed the loop on the family being reunited again after initially leaving Crosshair behind, and with Tech dead, it’ll forever stay broken.

They could’ve given this a bittersweet yet meaningful spin if they developed the angle of Tech dying on a mission to bring Crosshair home, making a sacrifice so Crosshair had a chance.

Instead, the moment Tech dies, we get Hunter (and through him, the narrative) immediately abandon the idea/plot thread of going to rescue Cross all while saying “let’s not waste Tech’s sacrifice”. Sacrifice for what? Clearly Hunter doesn’t see it as a sacrifice for Crosshair’s sake, so, what, to make sure the rest of them makes it from the mission? The mission to save Crosshair. That mission. Right.

I see people talking about Tech’s noble sacrifice that ensured his family got to live and eventually have their happy ending, but all I can think about is how the creators chose to have him die on a mission that was immediately abandoned and the only take away from that whole sub plot was Tech’s own demise.

And after Crosshair is back with the Batch, his reaction to Tech’s death is never explored at all.

So yes, to me Tech deserved so much better. If you are going to kill off a major character, it must be necessary to be compelling. The way I see it, Tech’s death was not necessary at all because it didn’t change anything. And if it was meant to, the creators failed to communicate that by choosing not to explore the emotional impact of it and not structuring certain story beats in a more precise manner.

To wrap this up, if the way Tech’s death was handled was satisfying for you, that’s valid and I’m glad for you. For me, unfortunately, it’s completely the opposite and will forever remain the biggest and most unfortunate low point in the story.

And while I welcome anyone to share their own perspective if they wish, please don’t take this post as an invitation for debate, since there is no one right or wrong way to interpret or be affected by art.

[heytherecentaurs]

Burrow's End is an absolute masterpiece.

In the span of ten episodes Aabria and Co. weave an exciting and emotional adventure story about a family of sentient stoats. It delivers huge laughs, interesting societal criticism, remarkably emotional and well-acted scenes and concludes with a series of epilogue scenes that feel appropriate for each character, some heartfelt and subdued and others bigger than life and all the funnier for it.

Siobhan and Izzy play the perfect pair of siblings. They fight and argue but they also love each other. Jaysohn (Siobhan) looks up to Lila (Izzy) and believes she's the smartest stoat in the world (and by the end she probably is) and Lila hypes up her little brother's athletic skills. They both fully embodied these kids and I could watch them do fun stuff for more episodes. Give me a version of Saved by the Bell with them. Stoat by the Bell.

Brennan and Rashawn, playing sisters, also knock it outta the park, showing a more mature sibling dynamic. Brennan portrays Tula as the quintessential overtired single mother of excitable kids, and Rashawn as younger sister Viola straddles a very interesting line of being intimidating to outsiders but very much more naive and looking to her older sister when she starts a family.

Jasper as Thorn, a guy everyone just lets be a cult leader because he really wanted to, is fantastic. His is a difficult role as the only non-blood relative. Jasper plays Thorn with such real humanity of a guy in over his head and letting his ambition wife call the shots, but also one who agrees with her goal, really loves her and has moments of real menace. He has some very funny scenes, his big speech is perfect, and I just enjoy him.

Erika is wonderful. They play the epitome of generational trauma as many have said but as much trauma as Ava has, she is also loving and willing to learn. The fact Erika took this adversarial role is incredible. The tense dramatic scene primarily between Ava, Tula and Viola is amazing. They act their asses off and make hard choices that I imagine are difficult even for such an experienced player.

Aabria's DMing always feels fun. She doesn't get bogged down in the rules. She knows them. She plays by them. But as a master, she knows how and when to break them too. Her seasons on Dimension 20 have all had a tenseness, a particular edge to them that can give me anxiety during dramatic scenes between two characters. It always feel like one of her NPCs may say something devastating and the tension between characters reaches really thrilling heights. This is present in other seasons, but I don't think anyone does it as well as she does. The first season of hers to have battle maps, Aabria really swung for the fences and gave us some of the wildest maps to date.

Shout out to Carlos Luna's voice acting. He did an incredible job. And shout out to the whole crew who have put together one of the best seasons of D20. They keep finding ways to build on what's come before and they should be commended for it.

Dimension 20 is most successful when the concept is very streamlined. They don't do huge 100 episode campaigns capable of handling huge winding complex narrative, but short focused D&D stories, which is why many of the Side Quests have been so fantastic. They embody this philosophy most clearly, but it's apparent in the most beloved Intrepid Heroes seasons as well—John Hughes/High Fantasy, Game of Thrones/Candyland, Retrofuturism, Film Noir but in a Brain... Burrow's End fits this perfectly. It's streamlined concept paired with great storytellers and great chemistry sets it up to be a smash hit before it begins. And goddamn does it deliver.

Thanks Stupendous Stoats!

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL Edition

Richonne = Radiant. Resplendent. Riveting. And truly Revel-worthy.

The Ones Who Live further cemented Rick and Michonne Grimes' love story as one of the all-time best in media. And 2024 has felt like the year of Richonne. 🤩 From all the memorable promo and panels at the start of the year, the incredible TOWL miniseries in spring, the great ongoing reactions and reviews after, the TOWL dvd coming in autumn, and more. This is Richonne’s year. And the celebration of Richonne continues all summer 🥳…

I’m very happy to finally return to doing one of my absolute favorite things — reveling in Richonne and sharing in-depth thoughts on whatever is beautiful about The Ones Who Live. Which basically means analyzing and breaking down every scene in the show, from beginning to end. 😊

I’m still in awe over the fact that we got blessed with a whole show dedicated to Rick and Michonne's epic love story. 🥰 TOWL is sincerely a dream come true. And the performances Andy & Danai gave were out of this world excellent. 👏🏽🔥 This miniseries really did make it feel like we love a ship that loves us back. So if I used to go all out analyzing Richonne scenes even when they were few and far between in TWD, naturally, it’s only right that I get extra extra when reveling in Richonne: TOWL edition. 

I tried my best to leave no stone unturned with these breakdowns, y’all. These posts are one; for anyone who wants to revel over every TOWL detail with a friend. And two; for anyone who wants to essentially read The Ones Who Live: The Novel. Because that’s how extensive these revelings ended up being lol. (Richonne makes me obsessed like no other, I’ve simply had to embrace this about myself. 😅)

There’s already been so many excellent insights and commentary shared about TOWL within this thoughtful richonne fandom, so I’m just glad to add to it. And these ‘dissertations’ are gonna include recapping all the details, reacting, reflecting, reveling, and cutting up a little too. It’s how it’s always been over here and how it’s gonna stay. 😌

So starting tomorrow, I’m excited to break it all down daily and dissect everything as promised. 👌🏽😊 Sending thanks to all those who messaged and encouraged me to keep at it when writing these breakdowns. It helped me. 🙏🏽

I hope these TOWL observations and reflections bring an enjoyable daily dose of Richonne and just further affirm that Rick and Michonne’s love story is so very special. 

This should be fun. 😌

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Rose Recaps 2023 - Korea

I started with Japan because this year it gave me everything I could possibly want. Korea gave me some very nice surprises. Let's go.

The one that had me question if watching it was good for my mental health.

The Eighth Sense

Much like what I said about Tokyo in April is... it was not a good decision on my part to watch this one live. I related way too much to Jae Won and I wasn't in a specially good place at the time. However, I love it so much. I have rewatched it since then and it's such an incredible journey.

I think they used the time very efficiently and they didn't try to skip too many steps to make it a happy ending. I would be okay without any redemption for those two but on the plus side the other friends were brilliant.

Favourite Moment

The one that came out of nowhere

Sing My Crush

This show came out all at once and I had no idea it was coming. But I'm so glad it did. There were I think 4 kbls that came out all at once this year. And with the exception of this one, they were all worse because of it. First of all I fell in love with the song instantly and Han Tae immediately after. He's so cute and in love and it takes him way too long to realise it, but his devotion to Ba Ram is unquestionable from the beginning.

Favourite Moment:

The one that was a sequel but not really

Love Class 2

The first couple of episodes I wasn't sure about this one. The first couple of episodes were kinda of confusing, starting with such a dark scene on the roof, and so many different types of relationships to keep track of.

Joo Hyuk was my instant favourite from the beginning. The way he was instantly smitten and committed from the first moment he saw the TA was delightful.

It took me longer to warm up to Min Woo and Maru. But I love their arc. Even the jealousy experiment didn't bother me, Maru needed a push. Much like Lee Hyun said, it was so obvious.

Lee Hyun and Kim An were the last ones to reach me. I think the whole backstory around Kim An muddied the waters a bit and I'm not sure it was necessary to have so much of it, but I did love that when Kim An gave in, he did so with no reservations.

Favourite Moments:

The one that had me considering moving to a farm

Love Tractor

Ok. Not really, But look how pretty. Funny story, I actually rewatched part of this show in an orchard not that much different from the one here. I was on holiday in the countryside and just thought it would be incredibly amusing.

Anyway. I love Ye Chan an unreasonable amount. He's so dramatic and so earnest. And honestly if I ever had to move to a place like this I think I would pretty much have the same reaction as Seon Yul. I just want my peace and quiet.

But I really like their dynamic all throughout and considering the time restraints I thought that the development of Yul's feelings was done quite well.

Favourite Moment:

The other one with Love in the title

Love Mate

There was absolutely no reason for me to like this show has much as I did. Ha Ram should've bothered me. This whole concept should've annoyed me. The whole separation bit should've made me angry. Why didn't it? I have no clue. But I loved it. I've watched it more than once and love it every time.

Favourite Moment

The one with coffee and pottery

Unintentional Love Story

I adore this show. Pick an episode, any episode, I love it. Was it perfect? No. Was the kissing the thing that made it not perfect? Perhaps. I love it nonetheless.

[Confession time. Is there one thing about this show that bothers me no matter how many times I rewatch it? Yes. Is it the kissing? No. Is it something absolutely and stupidly tiny that only I could possibly be that bothered by it? Yes. What is it? " Let me at least do this." It's such a great moment. But why did whoever was in charge of the editing felt the need to show us the scene that we saw 17 minutes before? (it's really 17 minutes and 40 seconds, I checked because I'm nowhere near sane). Did they thing we forgot about it in that time? It lessens the moment and it insults the audience. I hate it an unreasonable amount. ]

There are so many moments in this show that I love. The four mains are amazing, the confession scene by HoTae in the coffee shop floored me, the writing in the sand moment was delightful and the soundtrack is my favourite of the year.

Favourite Moment:

The one that was perfect

Our Dating Sim

What's there to say. There's nothing wrong here. They are delightful, I had a great time with the video game format at the end of the episodes, their chemistry was amazing, and Ki Tae is my favourite boy. Also, my second favourite soundtrack this year.

Favourite Moment

See you next time with Thailand I think.

Thanks for reading💜

[melbatron5000]

More crap about story rules

I dunno if this is helpful, but I read somewhere that Tumblr is just talking to yourself until someone goes, "Oh, I like this," so here goes. It helps me to get this sort of stuff out and be able to reference back to it.

I'm a novelist. I write speculative fiction, primarily urban fantasy with a dollop of mythopoeia (wanting to lean more towards the mythopoeia, but anyway). Neil is definitely a role model of mine, and has been since I was 19. Terry came a little later for me, in my mid-twenties. I'd read Good Omens by then, but believed Neil had a heavier hand in it than Terry did (Ha!). Once I finally picked up some Discworld, I was hooked for life.

I also recently learned I have ADHD, so not only is traditional institutional academia not my thing, I also have trouble sussing out meaning and details from things unless I have specific instructions on where to look. Once I have that in hand, I often go on a tear and find things that I never imagined were there, and frequently surprise not only myself but others. But I absolutely have to have that first step laid out for me in order to make more of my own.

When I first started writing in the 80s (yes, I'm old), I started looking around for the elusive "story structure" I'd heard about vaguely from other writers. I really couldn't find anything written down about what constitutes the steps of a story, the journey a hero must take for a story to be told start to finish. The other writers I'd heard discuss it didn't have concrete ideas for me (lots of hand-waving and "oh, you know"s), so I figured I'd find it in a book somewhere.

I found a little something about structure from Greek philosophy, but that mainly boiled down to stories needing a "beginning, middle, and end," like, duh, and not a lot about what made those three parts up. As a very basic story-telling model, it is incredibly concrete and important, but it's something we've known for thousands of years by now so it doesn't exactly light up the night sky with insight anymore. It's become such common knowledge that it almost doesn't seem like knowledge. I found more from Joseph Campbell, but a lot of what I found written by him was very airy and sort of dream-like, and hard to follow. So I gave up and muddled along the best I could.

About ten years ago now, I decided to try again, and found a whole ton of stuff written about story structure, from Greek philosophy decoded to Shakespear's five-act structure to The Hero's Journey first talked about by Joseph Campbell to modern Hollywood 3-act structure. Around about 2010 there was an explosion of work done on story structure, and damn if it wasn't eye-opening.

My favorite book so far on structure is The Story Grid by Shawn Coyle, because he has broken down all the various types of structure into very concrete, easy-to-comprehend steps that make sense. He talks about exactly where there is wiggle room, exactly where there is not, the general shape of a story in comparison to the general shape of the five stages of grief, what precisely constitutes a scene and what the sequence of scenes has to be to tell a whole, complete story. (In case you're interested, my next favorite book on structure is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. It fills in a few holes that The Story Grid misses, and together they make a beautifully complete map of how to tell a good story.)

My favorite, in particular, are the Five Commandments of Storytelling. Each scene, each act (however many you want, I like 4), and the story as a whole, all have to follow the Five Commandments. These are elements that have to be present for a scene to work, and for a story to reach its beginning, middle, and end satisfactorily.

Inciting incident. This is something that happens that forces the main character to change course, take action. It has to be either an Act of God, or another character acting on the main character.

Progressive complications. The main character forms a plan to put life back in order and tries it, but is blocked. They have to regroup and form a new plan. Threes in storytelling are always good, but the main character must be blocked until they reach the Turning Point Complication, where they realize that in order to move forward and have a hope of getting where they want, they must make a hard choice. Often the hard choice is that they must do The One Thing They Didn't Want to Do, though the introduction of new information will drive this decision as well. New information can come from another character, or be realized by the main character as a result of the action.

Crisis. They reach the decision point, where they must choose one thing over another. The decision must be between two irreconcilable good things, where they can't have both; or the lesser of two evils, where they can't escape both. The Crisis can also be boiled down to a "what will they do?" question. They're going to have to pick, but they're going to resist before they choose, and that creates tension which keeps the reader invested.

Climax. They make their choice. It's really that simple. They pick.

Resolution. The consequences of their choice are laid out. In a scene, this means the inciting incident of the next scene is introduced because of the character's choice; in an overall story, this leads to the end of the tale where our hero emerges, having learned whatever it was that the author deemed they needed to learn.

For example, Aziraphale is listening to music when a knock comes at the door. (Inciting incident) He forms and enacts a plan -- answer the door, probably hoping to get rid of whoever it is quickly. It's Gabriel. (Complication) He forms and enacts a new plan -- find out what Gabriel is doing here. Gabriel says he doesn't know. (Complication) Gabriel asks to come in. (Complication) Aziraphale forms and enacts a new plan -- tell Gabriel no. Gabriel says oh-kay and turns to the people on the street. (Turning point complication) Now Aziraphale has two bad choices -- bring Gabriel inside, or leave him to wander naked around Whickber street doing God only knows what. (Crisis) He chooses what he thinks is the lesser of two evils -- he tells Gabriel to get in. (Climax) Now Gabriel, possibly Aziraphale's worst enemy, is inside his home, the book shop. (Resolution) And because this is a scene, this Resolution is also the inciting incident of the next scene.

This can go different routes, as when the inciting incident rouses curiosity or creates a promise of something the character wants, instead of inflicting discomfort -- although if a character wants something bad enough, deciding to say no to pursuing it could inflict discomfort, so that counts, too. The inciting incident just means that something happens so that the main character can no longer keep living life as it was. Something has to change, and they have to change it. In the end, it all boils down to something outside the main character knocking them off course, them deciding how to try to get back on course and failing, and what happens as a result. (Beginning, middle, end!)

A good way to create a mystery is to hide the Inciting Incident from the readers/viewers. Or at least, the Inciting Incidents of certain character and scenes. In the above example, we see Aziraphale's Inciting Incident, but we don't see Gabriel's until episode six.

I believe we haven't seen the Inciting Incident of Crowley and Aziraphale's storyline for season 2. It seems like Gabriel showing up is the Inciting Incident for the entire season, but I believe his arrival is a Complication, not the Inciting Incident. As far as what the original Inciting Incident was, well, first and foremost, the Resolution of season 1 would naturally lead into the Inciting Incident of season 2, just as a scene would do for the scene following it. So there's one Clue. As for the answer -- we just have to keep looking where the furniture isn't.

I hope this story breakdown was interesting to someone. I find it completely fascinating, but I am a story nerd, so maybe what I like and find interesting isn't up everyone's alley.

Cheers!

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Don't you think it's funny cause actual canon gay characters in BL manga will say "I love you" but only the shounen bromance can spew out some of the most romantic shit akin to a 19th century poet writing a letter expressing his surpressed love for his lover 😭.....

Genuniely can't tell if it's bait or not, but I'm going to treat this ask seriously anyway.

Here, have some examples of beautiful and poetic expressions of love in BL media!

I'm going to start with my favourite murder husbands, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu from Word of Honor/Faraway Wanderers!

This happens in episode nine, less than one third into the story- it's that early, they've known each other for like a week and are already able to tell they're meant to be. They've made their decision to be together, and over the course of the story:

They defend each other multiple times and fight side by side in multiple episodes, sometimes protecting their adopted kid/mentee Chengling as well

Zhou Zishu is willing to go against the whole martial arts society for his boyfriend. With zero hesistation, might I add.

They both know the other has done horrible things (lots of murder on both sides here) and that's not only okay, it's a big part of why they're soulmates and get each other so well!

Zhou Zishu is slowly dying (poisoned nails in his chest, long story) and Wen Kexing can and will risk his life to save him. Don't worry, they get a happy ending both in the show and the novel even if the show's last episode is behind a paywall and Netflix didn't even include it for some reason?

But enough about them, let's move on to the immortal fantasy genre boyfriends Hua Cheng and Xie Lian from Heaven Official's Blessing!

Please note how Hua Cheng is ready to accept Xie Lian in whatever state he's currently in- as a god, a fallen outcast, even grieving and angry and at his absolute lowest. He's stood by Xie Lian in his worst moments, even if at the time Xie Lian had no idea it was him.

Hua Cheng has loved Xie Lian for 800 years, ever since he was a boy Xie Lian saved from falling to his death during a procession.

Xie Lian became a god, then fell due to horrible circumstances, almost committed a war crime against another nation that destroyed his country, spend 800 years wandering the mortal realm as a poor cultivator with his powers greatly reduced, and eventually ascended to become a god again. Throughout it all, Hua Cheng loved him and did his best to help him and then find him.

They're both adorable and the definition of a power couple once they're reunited- no spoilers, but they eventually fight an incredibly powerful god side by side and win & the last scene in the story is them reuniting for good since there's no more obstacles to their immortal love.

Let's move on to my favourite Japanese BL, Our Dining Table (also available as a series that came out semi-recently, but the examples below are from the manga.)

Yutaka is a lonely salesman who meets Minoru, a restaurant worker and his much younger brother Tane grieving the death of their mother.

Yutaka and Minoru hit it off by bonding through food they cook and share. The series is incredibly heartwarming, and as seen above Yutaka becomes a much happier person thanks to both his new relationship and big brother-like bond with little Tane.

As a little bonus, the whole found family together!

This post can't be complete without Golden Stage (or Golden Terrace, as the English official translation calls it).

Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan aren't even in love at this point! This is at the beginning of the story, when their marriage has just been arranged by the emperor and they're still bitter rivals.

Yan Xiaohan is already protective of his future husband- later on, he also builds him a mansion meant to accommodate his disability (nerve damage in both legs, which requires a wheelchair and/or crutches). They're both incredibly powerful military generals, and the emperor was an idiot thinking an arranged marriage would humiliate them.

Of course they fall in love, of course they're a power couple, of course they send each other letters through trained geese when they're separated during the war, of course they run to each other as fast as they can across a wide cold river when they're finally reunited! Of course they're important to me!

....Aaand how about some Wangxian to wrap up this post? They need no introduction, an absolutely wonderful and complex relationship in a complex fantasy/intrigue story available in several forms - the books, the animated series (as seen above), the live action series, the audio drama, there's so much!

Some of their most beautiful moments:

Lan Wangji writing a song for Wei Wuxian and naming it Wangxian. Years after it's composed, Wei Wuxian plays it and LWJ is able to recognise him even in a different body.

LWJ begs WWX to come with him to Cloud Recesses, to safety, after WWX makes himself an enemy of the whole cultivation world for protecting innocent people.

They confront the final villain together, and work together to expose his crimes. This is also when their final love confession happens, and it's hilarious- in front of everyone's salad, WWX declares he also wanted to sleep with LWJ.

Despite censorship, the animated series was still able to allude to their wedding, showing them in red wedding robes (unfortunately can't find a gif rn)

Respectfully, if you genuinely think BL doesn't have beautiful love confessions and displays of romance, you need to find better BL.

[babyangelsky]

Color Moments in Two Worlds Episode 8

WHEN I SPECULATED WITH @negrowhat ABOUT WHAT DANGERS THIS SHOW COULD THROW AT US NEXT THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT, SHOW! I GOT A COLOR EXCHANGE AND A WEDDING BUT AT WHAT COST?!

*takes a brief moment to scream*

This week the love triangle was love triangling and boy howdy do I wish that's all we'd gotten thrown at us but I'll get to that soon. Phupha is having dreams about his alternate self and Kram being in love and has been for a while. As he talks to Kram about it and finally learns the truth, he is in blue and my boy is in his warm yellow.

But of course, Tai is also in his usual cool blue. His is more of a grayish blue but it's still blue. Also take note this shirt because we ain't done with it.

Tai takes Kram to their cave and here is where the colors really start coloring. Tai asks Kram to paint a portrait of him since he did the same for Phupha back in his world.

Before we get there, however, we check in with Wayu and Jao. Jao has learned that Tai proposed to Kram and he's very in his feelings about it and well...

@respectthepetty ESTE PAYASO BORRACHO IS OUT HERE MATCHING THE GARBAGE CANS INSTEAD OF WAYU! (For now)

At the cave, Kram tells Tai that the portrait he did of alternate Phupha was a nude and so of course this one has to be a nude as well. And not only that, as this portrait is being worked on, WE GET TO SEE TAI WITH KRAM'S YELLOW ON THAT INCREDIBLE BODY OF HIS!

Also do please enjoy the moment Kram's gaze shifts from artist to lover.

We get another absolutely beautiful intimate love scene that ends with a lovely afterglow color exchange.

But because this show won't let us have a love scene without the looming spectre of danger, Kram then begins coughing up blood and his nose starts bleeding and he passes out.

We learn that Kram somehow contracted a fUCKING VIRUS THAT EATS UP HIS INTERNAL ORGANS AND CANNOT BE FULLY CURED CALLED LUMANA AND I MUST ASK IF THIS WAS NECESSARY. I could sense the forced separation coming with every fiber of my being but this was NOT how I imagined it being set up!

The prognosis is grim and although I'd like to believe you, mystical auntie, I cannot ignore that you're wearing black as you try to reassure Kram.

The straits may be dire (again) but the colors are still coloring. Just as we got to see Tai with Kram's yellow on his body, we get to see Kram with Tai's blue on his body. And not just any blue! He's wearing the same shirt I made a note of earlier.

And that matters a lot, because after Tai goes to run some errands, Phupha rocks up wearing blue to bring Kram some food.

Yes it's blue, yes the shade is very similar, and yes, on the surface they seem to match but it's not that simple. Kram isn't just wearing blue, he's wearing Tai's blue. Tai's shirt. The love triangle may be triangling but it's only in one direction because Kram's choice has already been made.

What Kram wears continues being very significant the next day when Phupha returns to see him. Despite his efforts, Phupha was unable to get it up for his fiancee because he kept thinking about his alternate self kissing all over Kram and he shows up wearing Kram's yellow.

And although it appears that Kram isn't matching Tai, this is how he is framed when he and Phupha are in the art gallery.

Not only is he in Tai's blue, the orange in the painting matches his shirt. Phupha may be framed in Kram's warm yellow but Kram is framed in his warmth and Tai's coolness.

This framing persists throughout this whole scene with Phupha always in the yellow and Kram always in the blue. The only time Phupha is in the blue is when he asks Kram to stay, presenting him with a choice.

But let's get back to my clown son and Wayu. Jao is still drunk and in his feelings and Wayu's just about had it up to here with him when said drunken clown son falls into the river. Please enjoy this action shot.

Wayu jumps in to save him because he is a good man and brings Jao home, and it is at this point that nature begins to heal because they start matching again! The lil yellow bananas on Jao's panties match Wayu's yellow towel!

Jao is being a prickly little cactus and after Wayu asks just why the hell he has such a huge torch burning for Tai, Jao tells him about how he and Tai met. Five years ago Tai saved him a guy that was about to stab him and Jao fell in love with him immediately.

And that's all well and good, but you know who's saved you most recently, Jao? WAYU! Make like Elsa, let it Tai go, and MAKE. OUT. WITH. WAYU!

If you need ANOTHER reason to do so, how about the fact that as Wayu leaves he puts on his blue shirt which matches the blue in the plaid you were wearing when he gave your drunk ass CPR!?

At this rate, they'll be making out in the last ten minutes of the finale. -_-

Thank god these two are here to save me with ANOTHER COLOR EXCHANGE! WITH LIGHT AND WITH CLOTHING! Just look at Tai standing in the warm light in Kram's yellow while he faces Kram wearing his blue backed by all that cool blue light!

Kram tells Tai all about his conversation with Phupha and that Phupha asked him to stay. Tai looks uncertain for a moment but the colors already told us what Kram's choice is.

Kram gives Tai the completed portrait and there in the corner is his answer to Tai's proposal. His choice is Tai and only Tai.

They get to have their ash exchange ceremony, Kram's mom gets to see him get married, Wayu and Jao are still matching, everything is lovely.

They look beautiful.

Absolutely nothing goes wrong whatsoever. 🙂

Everything is fine. 🙂🙂

Not a single hitch or hiccup to be found anywhere. 🙂🙂🙂

*rocks back and forth in the corner* Color coded boys in love get happy endings color coded boys in love get happy endings color coded boys in love get happy endings color coded boys in love...

[candied-cae]

Okay... I finished OFMD S2...

And yeah, as much as it breaks my heart, this season disappointed me in so many different ways. There are a few things I absolutely adored, but a lot of it felt like a disservice to a lot of the work S1 did to establish the universe and its characters.

Oluwande gave Stede advice like one whole time this season, even though that was a big part of the first. Him consistently being supportive was such a light, and it was pretty much replaced with him just being generally bubbly (and I fucking loved watching him be bubbly and joyful, might I add, but it's different).

Jim's complicated relationship with the idea of taking vengeance wasn't brought up at all. Jim's relationship with Oluwande was absolutely shifted, even now, I cannot watch S1 with the knowledge that they're going to be played off as "best friends who hooked up once" and see it, they HAD to have been intended as an endgame couple in the beginning.

Frenchie didn't sing even once, despite the fact that the very first scene opens to his voice! Frenchie as a character was shrunken a ton, in general. Ed leaned on him a lot in S1, that was gone. Wee John was shown as his best friend, but how many words did they even exchange this season? They let him do another grift, but it didn't include Oluwande so (personally) it felt cheapened.

Wee John didn't make a single fucking joke about fire! Even though there was a lot of fire this season, and he made like three separate comments about arson in the previous one?!?!?! And, again, he barely even talks to Frenchie at all!

The Swede was benched for half the episodes, Buttons became a bird halfway through and possibly won't be coming back at all, Ivan was killed off with a one-liner, and Izzy died as a completely backwards version of himself that we were given almost no show of him transitioning into.

Izzy, who practically stole a bunch of other character's "moments" while they rushed through his redemption so they could kill him at the end and hope they got everyone attached to him enough to care. Izzy got to sing, Izzy got to play advisor to Stede, Izzy got to do drag with John, Izzy whittled a gift for Lucius instead of Pete, Izzy pretty much interrupted every single scene Gentlebeard had... It's just... frustrating.

Season 1 was revolutionary to me, but Season 2 just felt far more average in comparison. I don't know, I was so excited, and rewatching season 1 is still exhilarating, but season 2 just doesn't do as much for me. I really feel like it was the wrong choice to spend as much time as they did with Izzy when they still skipped almost the entirety of his "redemption," condense so many of the other characters to make for time, but still make sure we could fit in some incredible jokes.

One of the only things that didn't change for me, was the humor.

But about half of my favorite things just didn't exist these last 8 episodes, so I need to go drown myself in some fanfics.

[mlsofh]

Theory Five - Alastor and Lilith

Hello Wayward Sinners! I HAVE AN EARLY ACCESS TO EPISODES ONE AND TWO. THIS HAS SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!!

Oh my god I cannot begin to tell you all how much the gears in my head have been absolutely turning. I noticed in the second episode of Hazbin Hotel that Vox mentions in him and Alastor's song that he's also been conveniently gone for seven years. The same amount of time that Lilith has been gone. Of course, this could be a stretch, but I think Lilith and Alastor have a deal together. Lets get into my super theory. The first theory I had was the fact that I think Alastor isn't just there at the Hotel for entertainment. I think he's actually there to stay protected for the most part. He knows how powerful Charlie must be, she's the princess of hell, and if he makes himself useful to her then he'll be protected. We heard that Vox almost got beat by Alastor. Alastor then supposedly fled the scene (My thought being from Vox's line "The demon is a coward.") I think Alastor may have bitten off more than he could chew against the three V's and fled. Alastor knows modern media is incredibly strong. We know Vox can traverse through technology, and seven years ago in Hazbin Hotel (2021) would be 2014. 2007-2014 was the age where we saw technology skyrocket. Especially in tablets, computers, smart TVs, etc. Hell seems to only just now be really getting caught up to what's happening on Earth technology wise. Vox probably gained quite a bit of power and Alastor knew he had to be wise with what he did. I think that's why Alastor can't be recorded. I think it will end up messing with his power. Maybe that's how Vox got him last time, was by basically thrusting technology onto Alastor like high tech cameras. Alastor destroys any new technology on sight that has Vox labeled on it. In the scene where Vaggie and Alastor are talking and she almost films him, the lighting is blue. Almost Vox blue. This whole debacle with getting a commercial makes him think of Vox. He's more irritable in this episode than he is in the next. Regarding the background of the situation also, Valentino says "He almost beat you" in their last fight, then Alastor supposedly fled. I think it's more than that too. I think Alastor, while also wanting some safety from the hotel, was given help from Lilith. In turn, he is sent to silently help Charlie. Alastor may have recieved sustainable injuries. Lilith, seeing the power and passion Alastor held, saves his damned soul. Maybe Vox had access to a heavenly weapon of some sort temporarily and did almost kill Alastor. Lilith seeing how powerful Alastor was drags him back to the soil to be made anew. In turn, Alastor made a deal with her. Alastor is in fact not there just for entertainment, he's there to protect Lilith's daughters dream. We now know that Lilith was a loving mother, and a loving queen to hell. She likely put in a safety net for her daughters dreams in case things hit the fan. She saw passion in Alastor and decided he should help. I'd like to also point out Alastor has enough connections to get a commercial on the air, especially whenever Vox seems to own a lot of the overal TV/Electronics industry. Anyway, that's all I have for now. What do you think? Stay Tuned!

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Pack parents done in PUBLIC???!??!!!?!

Please pls pls pls would you share that scene 🥹🥹🥹

this ask has been in my inbox since the beginning of june lol.

i'm honestly glad i kept it bc i can finally share this lil drabble with y'all. hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Werewolf!Chan x Human!F.Reader (one of the main pairings of my WereRoomies series. you don’t really need to read any other instalment to understand/enjoy this piece). | Word Count: ~1k | Themes & Warnings: fantasy/supernatural AU · smut · established relationship · unprotected penetration (piv. no barrier method, but the reader is presumed to be on birth control) · public shenanigans · interruptions.

minors do not interact.

‘I’ll be quick’, Chris said…

‘Just wanna feel you, pretty… Please? Hm?’ Chris said…

And you, of course, said yes. Because why wouldn’t you?

Of course you let him pull you out of your very private room, and to the very public outdoor barbeque of his house in the woods this very early in the morning. 

The area was far to the side of the house, with no windows above it, so in theory, if you were careful, no one would find you.

A little while ago, as soon as you gave him the go-ahead, Chris took you right here, and sat you on the brick counter next to the grill–right after he placed a folded tablecloth for your bare bum to not rub against the coarse surface, of course.

“You’re so… fucking… warm…” With a hand on the bricks and the other on your lower back, Chris emphasised each word with his sharp thrusts, mumbling right in your ear, doing his absolute best to keep his volume to a minimum.

“Fuck, Chris… That’s so… good…” You whispered in his ear, whimpering, tightening your grip on his hair and the hold of your legs around his waist.

Your dress gave him easy access to most of the areas he loved to provide attention to. Your centre, your thighs, your neck, your cleavage… Even then, you opted to not let your tits out, just in case.

You’d discovered recently that your boyfriend had a thing for fucking you right in the open, and the more you tried it, the more you started to warm up to it yourself. Maybe a little too much…

There was something exhilarating about the possibility of getting caught… It gave you a sense of urgency and desperation that just couldn’t be matched. Chris always got so needy, he always fucked you hard and fast regardless of the setting, just to make sure he got you to come and so he could blow his load either in your mouth, deep within your warmth, or anywhere he could, really.

“Fuck… One day, I’m gonna have you right in the forest. Hm? So you don’t need to keep a single sound to yourself…” Chris mumbled, his pace relentless as he kept drilling into you. “Want to hear you scream my name so, so bad, baby…”

You couldn’t help but whine, digging your nails on his shoulder. You, too, wanted to scream his name so badly… But you knew better. You were a bit cock-drunk, yes, but you were still coherent enough to know that if you got too loud, you’d never hear the end of it from your pack mates.

You could feel your arousal pooling in the pit of your stomach, Chris’ precise thrusts stimulating those sensitive areas within you had you incredibly close to your release, and if he kept going like this, you just knew you’d come.

“You’d have me–have me in the forest?” You tightened your grip on his hair, and readjusted your ankles to make sure they were locked with one another to keep your legs around his torso. Chris’ lips on your neck made it so you could barely think, and you shivered when his hair tickled your skin with the minute nod of his head. “Have the whole forest know I’m claimed by the–by the alpha wolf?”

“Mhm, all fucking mine…”

Before you knew it, Chris was kissing you, tugging your bottom lip with his teeth, getting his tongue inside your mouth, stealing the air straight out of your lungs. You felt dizzy, drunk on the taste of his lips, his tongue, and the feel of him ramming into you. 

One of his hands greedily palmed your thigh, squeezing it roughly, matching the pace of his lips and his hips. You held onto his shoulders, trying–and failing–to not make any sound. Your quiet whines and his muffled groans filtered between your lips with the motions of your kiss.

This angle was just perfect, Chris was hitting right where you needed him to, and that pool of desire in your belly was so, so ready to overflow. It wouldn’t be long now for sure before you finally got your relief, probably just a precise rub to your clit would be enough–

“Jesus Christ on a skateboard!”

Your skeleton almost jumped out of your body. The haze in your mind dissipated almost completely as soon as you registered the familiar voice. Chris had a similar reaction, he stopped his movements, but he remained inside you, and started swearing, loudly.

“For fuck’s sake, Seungmin!”

“Ew! Ew! Ew!” Seungmin was covering his eyes, pressing on his eye sockets with his fingertips as he walked in circles on the spot. “Why, why, why, why, why meee?”

All you could do was laugh, covering your mouth with your hand.

“Stop laughing! You’re just squeezing me harder if you do, god!” Chris held your hips tightly, but it only made you laugh harder.

“Noooooo! Why did you have to say that?! Oh, my God. I crave death”, Seungmin whined from where he was still walking in circles, still covering his eyes.

“Why the fuck are you still here?! Go away! Let me fuck my girlfriend in peace, will you?!” 

“I just came to tell you breakfast was ready!” Seungmin stopped walking, but he didn’t remove his hands from his face. “I didn’t think you’d be literally fucking right here. God, I need to pour bleach in my eyes…”

Had it been anyone else, the scent of sex, the sound of skin slapping against skin, and your quiet sounds of pleasure would’ve probably tipped them about what was going on here before they got too close. However, for a werewolf, Seungmin tended to get engrossed in his thoughts very often, enough to not perceive anything that surrounded him, so the poor boy had to unexpectedly witness this very intimate moment…

Chris sighed. “Seungmin!”

“Okay, okay! I’m leaving!” Still covering his eyes, Seungmin finally started to walk away. “Hope you know I’m gonna send you my therapy bill!”

By this point, your laugh fit had subsided, but you could still feel this need to chuckle bubbling deep within your chest. Although, to be fair, the sudden interruption and the whiplash of emotions had you feeling a bit lightheaded.

Chris sighed again, rolling his eyes and shaking his head from side to side. When he returned his eyes to yours, he looked at you for a few seconds, and the scowl that had come onto his face started to disappear. Very quickly, Chris started laughing himself, and it rubbed off on you, reigniting your laughter.

“Oh, my God”, Chris hugged your waist, and pressed a kiss on your temple. “I didn’t think we’d actually get caught. I didn’t even hear him coming…”

“What do you mean you didn’t think we’d get caught?” you chuckled, wiping the tears that had collected in your eyes before you pressed a kiss of your own on his temple. “Of course we were bound to get caught, baby, we’re literally right here instead of our room”.

“I know, I know… But I just… I don’t want anyone to see you”, Chris pouted, and you pushed his fringe away from his forehead so you could place a kiss right in the middle. 

“So, you don’t mind them hearing me, but you do mind them seeing me?”

“Precisely”, Chris chuckled, pecking your lips.

Unsurprisingly, Chris was still very much inside you, still hard–although probably not as hard as he could be. It amused you, truly.

As half animals, most pack members were really used to situations like these. Nudity and sex weren’t really something to shy away from, but everyone tried to keep certain things private whenever possible, mostly to avoid teasing…

“You do know they’re gonna be insufferable for a while now, right?” You combed your fingers through his hair, until you reached the back of his head where you could take a handful and pull him close to you for a kiss.

Chris hummed, caressing your thighs as you kissed.

“They will be, God… I’m so not looking forward to that”, he chuckled, pulling back a bit to brush the tip of his nose against yours. “Mood ruined?”

You shook your head, emphasising your words with a voluntary clench of your inner walls that had him biting his bottom lip.

“Well, if that’s the case… Come here”.

Chris finally pulled out, and he helped you to your feet. Your legs were a bit wobbly, but he was making sure to keep you steady by holding your waist. 

“I don’t think they’ll bother us now”, Chris cradled your face in his hands, and kissed you deeply, further feeding the butterflies in your belly. “Turn around, pretty”.

So you did. With your hands firm on the brick counter, your boyfriend stepped close to you, taking a hold of the hem of your dress to get it out of the way before he plunged himself right back in. You sighed, baring your neck further so Chris could have easier access to your neck when he pressed his chest to your back.

He kissed and sucked your skin, all as his hand made its way towards your front, and under your dress to find your clit. Sparks of pleasure immediately coursed through your body when he started to rub precise circles on the sensitive nub, right as he resumed his hips’ motions.

“C’mon, baby. Let’s finish what we started, hm?”

© therhythmafterthesummer 2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

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[lusthurts]

**SPOILER WARNING FOR THE RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE**

This movie was very entertaining. It hit all the beats of a great rom-com. I personally enjoyed the music a lot, even if it was at times very different from the music in the book. Nicholas Galitzine was a standout of the main cast for me - he really made me feel Henry’s angst just like the book did, and I think this is a character that the film truly did justice. My personal favorite character from the movie though was Zahra - Sarah Shahi was absolutely incredible. She had fantastic comedic timing and her dynamic with Alex, Henry, Shaan, and Ellen. I really enjoyed Bea, Nora, & Pez as well, although I think they were severely underused and I kinda hated how the Nora/Pez dynamic worked without June. I think the romance was beautiful - I particularly enjoyed the polo scene, the karaoke scene, the Texas stuff, and the V&A museum.

I also laughed out loud a ton during the movie. Zahra’s scenes were hilarious, and the royal wedding/cake debacle was handled perfectly. I miss June here a bit, but I generally was very satisfied with how it all went down. Also, despite many fans early fears of a lack of chemistry between Nick and Taylor, I thought their chemistry was fantastic. Maybe not the best I’ve ever seen, but it was definitely believable, entertaining, and one of the most compelling parts of the story.

I also liked that we got more of Henry’s POV than we did in the book. It didn’t add a ton in my opinion, but I do think it allowed Nicholas Galitzine to show off his acting chops. I think the heart of the book remains, and after the press/everything I’d heard about the movie going into it, I was pleasantly surprised with how the political stuff was handled. Alex’s arc with Texas in particular was beautiful, and I think the end of the movie left me with a similar feeling to the book.

As for things I didn’t love, and I will say there were kind of a lot of small things, I’ve made a list that I’m sure no one cares much to read.

I missed June a lot. I identify a lot with her character, and although I totally understand why she was cut out (I do think in the book she serves less plot purpose than Nora), I actually think the choice to exclude her made even less sense after seeing the movie than before seeing it. Nora and Alex’s relationship felt very underdeveloped in the movie, and none of the romantic elements that I thought made their relationship important to the book ended up mattering at all in the movie. He kisses a different girl on New Year’s, there’s no mention of a sexual history between them, there’s no fake dating setup to detract from Alex/Henry, and Nora’s just generally absent. I feel like June would’ve served that purpose fine if not better.

The romance felt kind of rushed. The whole Christmas phone call that imo is so crucial to Henry & Alex’s relationship and character development doesn’t happen at all (probably because his parents are still together), and I didn’t have like a timer or clock or anything but it felt like the 100 or so pages leading up to the NYE kiss was like less than 20 minutes.

I hated that Alex’s parents were happily married, and I think it massively takes away from his character development. His arc honestly fell very short for me which is disappointing since he’s a character I identify so closely with. I don’t feel like they do his like major anxiety justice, and I think he goes from kinda being an idealist, reckless dummy to being a heartfelt, romantic, ready for a big commitment guy in the span of a few minutes.

I honestly could’ve done without the sex scenes. They were good, and I could tell the intimacy coordinator slayed with this one, but they were more explicit than the book imo (especially the one in Paris), and while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, I would’ve much rather had more fade to black so as to save screen time to develop the romance more at the beginning.

I didn’t enjoy the Miguel character at all. He has no character development, and I do not at all understand how this character is the Luna/Liam blend he was promoted as. He functions as a ruthless journalist who despite being queer himself decides to out Henry and Alex to the entire world, and we NEVER get an explanation for why. It’s alluded to that maybe Miguel had feelings for Alex and did it because he resented Alex for not feeling the same? But like, he literally outed two prominent figures to the entire world at risk of benefitting a homophobic predator running for office. And he never apologizes? Or faces any repercussions???? Like this is just kind of there?? And that is NOT AT ALL Rafael Luna or Liam who are both generally speaking positive forces in Alex’s life. I just don’t get it at all.

This is a personal issue I had that most probably don’t care about, but I’m from Minnesota, and seeing Minnesota red in the movie was infuriating. MN is not a swing state, never really has been, and was basically the only state in the upper midwest to stay blue in the 2016 election. I’m biased because this is my home state, but MN would NEVER vote red and I’m kinda just annoyed at the implication that it did instead of them just choosing to blame it on all the actual swing states.

Okay those are my thoughts. I doubt anyone cares that much, but I needed to get it out of my system. I will say I really enjoyed the movie, and I can see why the bulk of reviews are positive. I think anyone who didn’t read the book won’t feel like anything is missing, and fans of the book will for the most part still really enjoy it. I will definitely be rewatching when it comes out officially on Amazon Prime tomorrow, and I can see myself rewatching hundreds more times in the future. But it sort of needs to exist independent of the book for me, I guess. And that’s okay! I think everyone involved did a great job with the adaptation, and I look forward to watching it again.

[another-day]

its time for to review something i’ve been waiting for for four years now

finally, i am very happy to say, we have EPISODE IN REVIEW for the fresh new episode of SEASON TWO EPISODE 15!!!!

spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched it already!!!!

i feel like i knew where this episode was going from the start, but we’ll get there ;]

first off; taco was such an interesting character in this episode, and i’m really glad they took the time to flesh her out!!!

obviously yeah she has a whole song about her desires and all, but even through dialogue and interactions she is taken care of very well and i really appreciate that!!

her desires are still humanised even though she’s the anti-hero of the season, and i think it really shows you that she was a contestant too at one point, and she had a negative experience with the show. does this mean i don’t think she was totally manipulating the final four? not in the slightest, but its still peculiar.

this time skip had me a little confused, because from paintbrush’s statement in regard to lightbulb “missing a lot”, one can assume that season three already ended

i’m hoping this’ll be explained at some point but i’m just confused!!!

i could essentially guarantee she was going to be eliminated from this line alone, probably by her own choice. lightbulb has a tendency to fixate somewhat on things she finds important in sentences, so i knew from here.

LOOOOOK AT HIIIIIM HE’S HERE!!!!

okay but for real; this was a masterful song, and i absolutely adored all of the musical progressions and just EVERYTHING. Rheagan Rizio’s vocals were amazing and the song was totally captivating, i love it.

this scene was incredibly interesting to me, this being the moment after suitcase says she genuinely befriended balloon and didn’t do it out of spite.

its like taco forgets people have different desires, and almost believes them to reason things the same way she does, because she knows that if she were in suitcase’s situation at that point that she would’ve done it out of spite, SO INTERESTING!!!!

this was one of my favourite scenes by far, because it brings to light an underlying storyline that has been there since the beginning

knife has been trying to be a better person throughout season two, and this is where that kind of comes crashing down for him. its something so rarely brought up, but bringing it into fruition like this was a fantastic choice, especially when his beliefs of “getting better” are immediately brought down, because his “better” may not be what actually is “better” overall.

ough,,,,,, season two episode twelve parallel save me i love these two so much i had to include it

i had a feeling after episode 14 that lightbulb would be out in this episode, because she was mentally at the weakest point she’d ever been in, but now i can see how much mental strength it must’ve taken to leave behind something that has been such a constant in her life for something that she found mattered to her much more.

she’s such a wonderful character, and i know people will be upset, but she’ll be far happier like this, and that’s already made very clear in later scenes

and to finish, there he is again !!!!

i’m so happy they’re canonically friends too!!!

but overall, taco’s development has been so interesting this episode. i really think she’s starting to fully understand what she wants now, and i suppose now i can only hope she’ll actually talk to them about it next episode

i freaked when i saw this

its not the fact that mephone has his name saved only as steve cobs, but the fact that he has it saved at all.

i understand that this could just be an embedded contact from creation, but i still feel that cobs wouldn’t just put his name in as such, and that mephone wouldn’t have just deleted it by his own accord.

also the fact that COBS is calling HIM. steve cobs has been shown to show little to no interest in mephone following season one, rather focusing on his newer phone models, so what triggered this? if the timeskip is correct, then i’d like to assume its the prime shimmer that influenced him to call mephone. i dunno why, but its a thought yknow!!!

but in conclusion, this was a spectacular episode. a friend of mine screen recorded the entirety of taco’s song so i am very excited to listen to that again, and i hope to see you all next time oooooon… episode in review!!!!

[mayasdeluca]

Top 5 Marina moments (and why?)

{pass along if you wish}

This is incredibly difficult and probably would change depending on when you ask me just because there's quite a few that make the top list but for now these come to mind. Also I've seen a lot of other answers and a lot of people had great ones!

5x07: "I want to hold a little you. I want another version of you that I can count my blessings on." This scene is just everything and so beautiful and I'll forever be upset that we never got to see Maya with her little Carina even if the alternative was cute too. The way Carina is looking at Maya throughout this whole scene too is 😭😍 It was probably the only time in Season 5 that them building a family was truly about just the two of them and I'm glad they had that moment regardless.

4x16: This has always been one of my favorites ever since it aired. Just seeing how happy they were the day of their wedding and so excited to get married that they were dancing in each other's arms in their kitchen. And the way Maya feels so at peace and happy in Carina's arms...I just love it so much.

6x15: This scene feels underrated (at least when it came to top 5 moments for some) and it's at the top for me no question. It was such an overdue conversation for them to have and it was so nice to hear them expressing their feelings to each other openly and being vulnerable with one another and Carina just seeking the comfort in Maya that she was so desperately missing all season long. The way Maya cradles Carina's face and Carina just buries herself in Maya's chest 😭 And this hug shot is truly one of my favorites of the series. So good. "Because I know from the first time I saw you in that bar, you are the person that I wanted to call." 🥰

5x17: This feels like the comfort scene for the fandom and them and it should be. It's everything we had always wanted to see for Marina and I wish we got more scenes like it. It was so simple but so satisfying at the same time. They also kissed so many times in it!!! Who knew that we would end up possibly taking that for granted after Season 7??? Anyways...from Carina sleeping on Maya's side of the bed while she's on shift to Maya waking her up with kisses to them being flirty while 'studying' to falling back into bed with one another and just staring at each other like no one else in the world matters....just perfection ❤️

5x01: This moment is so special because it also shows how incredibly magical Danielle and Stefania's chemistry is (which we all know it is but still) and how so in tune they are with one another that words don't even need to be spoken and their scene together can be so powerful. I'm really glad we got this scene of Carina comforting Maya after finding out she got demoted and being able to be sad about it in the comfort of her wife's arms and Carina showing her that it's okay to be sad about it, even on their wedding day because it's absolutely unfair that it happened to her and out of her control that it happened on one of the best days of her life.

And I just have to add in two bonus ones from Season 7 because it feels wrong to not include them.

7x04: The expressing fears discussion is another convo that was long overdue and I'm so glad we got it (directed by Stefania which was even better) and then getting to see Carina cuddle up to Maya as they go to sleep and basically attaching herself to her and not leaving an inch of space. 🥰 Also Maya looking at Liam and holding onto Carina as she prepares to go to sleep holding her wife was such a good moment too.

7x05: This was such a good scene from beginning to end. Maya seeing Carina's bloody shirt and freaking out, asking if Carina and Liam were okay in a panic to then having the tough discussion with Carina not being able to get pregnant with her eggs and Maya suggest her own so she can still live out that dream. And then we FINALLY get to hear Maya speak in Italian to her wife and call her amore mio. And Liam's precious self was there too. The perfect family moment ❤️

And while I was doing this I realized that the end scene in 6x10 is such a good one too but I don't know what I would take out to replace it with but just know that's also at the top because it's so Marina and Maya not wanting to leave Carina's side not knowing when she'd see her again and the forehead kiss 😭 I miss them so much already 😞

[blakbonnet]

[graphic by @ofmdlovelyletters]

AUTHOR OF THE WEEK @adamarks

The second featured author for this AOTW is the insanely talented Jay, who's a connoisseur of catboy!ed, chief peddler of "shit goes wrong with the inn while they're going at it", and, always and forever, "they love each other in every universe". Please bring out your best and more favourite scrunkly Ed faces for @adamarks who agreed to answer some questions about their writing process for me:

What's your writing process like? Do you start with the beginning or the end? Do you write in order or as the scenes come to you?

I always start at the beginning and have to work in chronological order. Sometimes things can end up on the page slightly differently than whatever was happening in your daydreaming, so skipping bits can mean losing important context that could completely change the next scene. I’m very character-focused in writing so I’m at mercy to whatever the morons get up to.

Favourite trope or headcanon you like to explore while writing?

Ed lays on Stede’s chest like a kitty cat (:

Whose voice is easier to write - Ed or Stede? Why?

STEDE. Absolutely Stede. Specifically his internal dialogue and narration. His motives and his anxieties are much more familiar to me and are easier to understand.

Your personal favourite thing you've written that you'd like more people to read

Hmm. Well, I’m not sure if I have a favorite. I’m particularly proud of There Is a Flower Within My Heart and A Little Haunting, Isn’t It? But I can’t say I’m disappointed with them having too few readers or something. I’m incredibly grateful that people seem to like those (: I put a lot of work into them.

What is the one word that you think you use a lot?

Squiggly. Just. Like. Fuck. Gently. I get so pissed off at my broken record brain. Learn new words!!!!

Do you have a beta reader? Have they made you a better writer?

For A Little Haunting I do!! Their name is Clev and he’s my best friend and I never shut up about them. I think having him read this fic, especially because it’s already the longest thing I’ve ever written, has had a huge effect on my writing. They just about have their masters in writing so I feel like I’m getting to take a writing class for free. It’s really helping me improve and understand my own writing on a deeper level (:

Why OFMD 🥹

Because I want to take Ed and stuff him in a blender with some ice cream and then drink whatever comes out. Also because… this show was made to make people feel seen. I think it’s just… idk how to express myself about it, but the love put into every minute is palpable, and I think that’s what touched my heart and what touched so many other people’s hearts. So, yeah (: Also I like Stede a whole bunch.

Please head over to @ofmdlovelyletters and send your love for Jay and all your favourite authors (and authors of the week 😈 watch that blog for some special letters coming your way)