#the other is his wife who does not like me

[partiallysame]

Ok i wanna talk about price's lil wife some more because im obsessed with it obviously

Ik a friend who often joke about getting a divorce for something stupid (her husband was ok with it, they just joke like that, like to make ppl concerned)

But like, imagine if reader does that. Like, oh- dirty laundry on the floor 🤨? Divorce. One dirty cup left in the sink? Divorce. Hogging the blanket? A bit too late te reply text? D I V O R C E.

Of course reader didn't actually mean it and probably giggled as it was said it but i feel like their reaction wont always be what reader expected

These are my fave types of jokes. Nothing like a good running bit

You weren’t even married yet the first time you said it. John brought you the wrong flavor coffee “so you want a divorce?” Was your reaction and suddenly he’s panicked. Looking around for the cameras that have to be recording his reaction. How fast and sincere he apologizes almost made you feel bad but after that he was in on the joke. He doesn’t want take out that night? Divorce. You don’t want to watch the game with him? Divorce. Forgot something on the shopping list? divorce for real. Now you have 3 other husbands. That means 3 times the causes for divorce. Price had been waiting for you to finally pull this joke on his men. He knew they’d panic just like he did the first time. Poor Kyle. He just had to be the one to mess up first. You had asked him to grab you a drink from the fridge when he went in the kitchen and he forgot. “Kyle I think we should get divorced.” Voice monotone and face serious. He is sprinting back to the fridge. He’s on his knees holding the drink out for you like that one knight holding a sword meme. He’s never been so sorry in his life. And now he’s in on the joke. Next is Sweet Innocent Johnny. Accidentally sat on the remote and changed the channel in the middle of your show (you had already seen this episode and it wasn’t even an exciting part). “Oop sorry love let me change it back” “Johnny I think we should get a divorce.” He’s crying. Literal tears pouring from his face. Snot dripping. How did that even happen so fast. Took an hour of you holding him and reassuring it was a joke for him to calm down. Mental note not to play this game with Johnny. Now lastly was Ever Stoic Simon. You were proud of your boys for keeping the joke a secret until you could get Simon too. He made steak and it was a little more rare than you had asked. “Simon I think we should get a divorce.” He turned to look at you and just stared for a moment before responding. “I understand. I’ll clean up and be out in an hour.” Immediately started packing up his things. WAIT for Christ sake Simon it was a joke. Now you’re the one crying like Johnny did. Simon then got a talking to from the rest of the group even tho he still wasn’t sure what he did wrong. “Can’t just leave the missus, Riley!” “It’s what the missus said to do!!”

[22ayla21]

Hi! First of all I wanted to say that I love your stories. And i have a request as well.

I know how you already wrote about the Amphoreus trio’s reaction to their wife getting flirted with. But how about the opposite, because these men would have fan clubs no doubt. I’d think that the women would know they’re off limite but still, they’re hot. So like imagine a woman just starts to flirt with them while their wife is right there. Would she be used to it by now and let her husband take care of it or just give the woman a death stare/ tell her to fuck off(✨politely✨)

Quiet jealousy

How would his wife react when other girls hit on him.

She never doubts her husband. Mydei is not one of those who cast glances at others, especially when he has her. She knows that he is indifferent to other people's attention and does not tolerate obsession.

If a fan is too persistent, Mydei's wife does not make scenes. She will simply look at her with such a look that the latter will immediately lose the desire to approach. Without words, but extremely eloquently.

She does not even take them seriously. Someone can sigh languidly, looking at her husband, but at the end of the day, it is she who falls asleep in his arms.

If someone dares to go too far and try to touch Mydei, his wife will literally make the rival realize with one phrase ("Are you really that stupid?") that it was a huge mistake.

She does not experience fierce jealousy, but if she sees someone looking too admiringly into her husband's eyes, she can demonstratively take his hand, cuddle up to him, or even give him a kiss, just to show that this is her man.

He does not like fanatical attention. If he sees that his wife is even a little offended by it, he will definitely say something, making it clear that only she is important to him. He can even deliberately lean over and whisper something intimate to her, causing embarrassment and laughter.

Yes, if she really gets tired of someone, then her look will say more than any words. If the fan still does not get the hint - well, let him try to meet a woman who is not afraid to put even Mydei in her place.

The wife knows very well that despite his outward attractiveness and cold aristocratic appearance, Anaxa shows no interest in his fans. He is too rational to waste time on such people, and she understands this. So, jealousy? No, thank you.

If someone crosses the line of what is permitted, starts flirting or, God forbid, touching her husband, she is no longer so calm. Steel appears in her gaze, and an icy warning in her smile.

If someone is too persistent, the wife will not make a scene. She will simply look at the fan in such a way that she will want to disappear. These are not hysterics, not scandals - this is a calm, murderous look, after which the man immediately loses the desire to test her patience.

She does not need to prove anything. She is already his wife, they already have a family. Sometimes it's even funny for her to watch how some try to get his attention, not realizing that it's useless.

But if someone goes too far. For example, if someone decides to question their relationship or says something like "Anaxa's wife? I don't think he's worthy of just one woman...", she will act very decisively. And perhaps Anaxa will have to intervene before his wife sends someone to the hospital.

It's not about insecurity, but about territoriality. She doesn't doubt her husband, but if someone sticks his nose into her family too persistently, he gets a silent but very eloquent warning: "Go to hell."

And Anaxa? He rarely even notices these women. But he likes to see how his wife calmly puts them in their place. Sometimes he even smirks when she gives him another murderous look.

Once he asked her if she was jealous. She just shrugged: "Who could have you but me?" It was not a question, but a fact. And Anaxa agreed with this fact.

Phainon is charming, of course, but his wife is confident in his devotion. She doesn't waste her nerves on jealousy and simply chuckles when someone sighs for her husband.

But if someone goes too far... Admiration is one thing, and outright pestering is another. If some fan starts to behave too persistently, his wife will give her an icy look and calmly but firmly make it clear: "Try again - you'll regret it."

In public, she smiles, remains polite, but as soon as the fan goes too far, her smile becomes predatory: "Oh, you love my husband? How sweet. But, unfortunately, he's mine." She likes to watch Phainon's reaction when someone hits on him. He can play the role of a sweet and polite person, but she knows how much he gets offended by excessive attention, especially when he's married and has three kids.

She can approach Phainon, take his hand or even hug him when someone is staring at him too brazenly. Her look at this moment speaks for itself: "He's mine. Envy him silently." Sometimes he deliberately flirts a little (within the bounds of decency) to see how his wife will react. And when she looks at him with the expression "Are you serious?", he only smirks.

She understands perfectly well that he has his own army of fans, but in the end he always comes home only to her. She is not one of those who are jealous without reason, but if someone dares to seriously try to take her husband away, then the fan will very quickly understand that she has no chance.

In general, she does not worry about his popularity, but if someone is too brazenly pestering - her look says more than any words: "Step aside, girl, while I'm kind."

[mangooes]

Skincares and A Touch

Sylus Qin was a man feared by many.

A powerful criminal mafia lord boss, draped in wealth and authority, known for his ruthless efficiency and cold demeanor toward those who wronged him. He was a man who could make everything crumble with a mere flick of his fingers.

And yet—

Here he was.

Standing in the middle of a skincare aisle.

A very pink, very fragrant skincare aisle.

Dressed in his usual all-black attire—leather jacket, gloves tucked into his hand, a long black pants, a watch worth more than the store itself—he stuck out like a sore thumb among the pastel shelves of moisturizers, serums, and face masks.

The sales assistant, a young woman barely holding back a squeak, hesitantly approached him, trembling.

"Uh… sir? Can I help you find something?"

Sylus didn’t even hesitate. "My wife uses this brand," he said, pointing at a neatly arranged set of glass bottles. "Which ones are new?"

The saleswoman blinked. "Um… does your wife have a specific preference?"

Sylus didn’t miss a beat. "She likes the datura-scented overnight mask but only uses it twice a week. The rose tea essence serum is a must, but she doesn’t like the lavender one because it’s too strong. She prefers gel moisturizers over cream-based ones, and if you’re out of the honey lip balm, I need a similar alternative—preferably with natural ingredients."

A beat of silence.

The saleswoman just stared.

The other customers in the store also stared, wondering who on philos would marry such a scary looking man?

Sylus arched a brow. "Well?"

"…Sir, are you a dermatologist?"

"No," he said flatly, picking up a pack of under-eye masks. "I’m just a very devoted husband."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Sylus got home, the smell of lemon tarts and fresh baked scallops greeted him—his sweet wife, (Name), lazily strolling through the kitchen in one of his oversized shirts, flipping through her sizzling pan.

She glanced up as Sylus walked in, helmet in hand, a small bag of purchases in the other.

Her brows lifted. "Ah welcome home Sysy!...What’s that?"

Sylus smirked, tossing the bag onto the kitchen counter. "Your favorites." As he leaned against it admiring his wife from the distance.

She perked up, leaving the now half baked scallops on the pan, peeking inside—only to find her exact preferred brands, neatly arranged in the bag. Her very specific products, some of which were even hard to find.

She looked up at him, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Sylus… did you just go out and buy me skincare?"

"I do it all the time," he said casually, shrugging off his jacket, hanging it before walking towards her "I like to keep my wife looking radiant."

She gawked at him, then turned back towards the now baked scallops on the pan. "I never even told you what I use."

Sylus smirked. "Sweetie, I memorized the way you sigh when something smells too strong. You think I wouldn’t memorize your skincare routine?"

He strides closer, both hands wrapped around her imidietly, as he snuggled inhaling the sweet scent of his wife and his favourite dish.

"Mhmm, i smell baked scallops...how romantic of you, kitten."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere husband, this is your favourite after all, do you think i would forget?"

Sylus lets out an amused laughed, he leans in to capture a kiss on the lips, as a reward.

She giggles in respond, enjoying the affection that is centered towards her, then she blinked. "Remembering my skin care details...that's, oddly romantic don't you think?"

"I’m an attentive husband sweetie, you wound me."

She huffed a laugh, shaking her head, her hand leaving the pan handle for a moment to hold her husband's much more larger hand, intertwining it.

"Alright, alright, My sweet Attentive Husband. Since you memorize my skincare so much, let’s put it to good use later."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that was how Sylus Qin, feared criminal mafia lord boss, ruler of an Onychinus, a man who had taken lives without blinking—

Found himself lying on their shared bed, a white facemask plastered onto his eye skin.

She giggled beside him, applying serum to his face with gentle strokes. "You have really good skin for someone who never does this," she mused. "I swear, it’s unfair."

Sylus, eyes closed, let out a pleased hum. "It’s because my wife keeps touching me all the time. I absorb your glow."

She snorted. "That’s not how skincare works, Sysy."

"It is if I say it is."

She laughed, trailing her fingers over his cheek, smoothing the mask in place. He looked so content, his usual sharp, dangerous demeanour completely replaced with lazy, pampered bliss.

(Name) grinned, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "You, my love, are the most ridiculous husband in existence."

Sylus smirked, cracking open one crimson eye. "And yet, you’re the one putting skincare on me."

"Because I love you."

His smirk softened, fingers reaching to lazily trail over her wrist. "And that, sweetie, is exactly why I let you touch me so freely."

In every world and every life, no one else could reach him—no one but his beloved, the only one who could touch him, tease him, challenge him, and claim his heart in every lifetime.

ANOTHERR MAGNUM OPUS INSPIRED CHAPTERRR i love magnum opus so sos os ososo much guys help its concerning, i'll publish the inlaws fic tmrw because i need to revise sum *sigh

[andy-wm]

i feel like i missed a chapter somewhere lol whats with the itaewon house? i know nothing about this, did one of them build a house?

Hey Anon

Yup, JK built a house

A few years back (2020? 2021?) He bought a very fancy property in the same neighbourhood as the embassies and Chaebol mansions - in the most expensive part of Itaewon.

I remember at the time, news sites were frothing over the house and how it reflected Jungkook's excellent taste. The common thread was that the prestige of the property showed how urbane he had become. It clearly indicated that he had grown into an astute and mature investor.

There was a lot of chatter about it being a fine family home in an exclusive locale.

I mean, it definitely was a flex. A freestanding house on a 6ooM2 allotment in Seoul? Please, the man clearly has a bottomless well of money. And even more impressive than the hefty price was the fact that he paid cash for it.

Of course, the straight-boy-JK brigade were ecstatic about his pretty new house. To them it was demonstrable proof that he had plans to find himself a pretty wife who would pump out pretty children for him. They were very smug about the hereronormative imagery his picturesque little cottage conjured up.

It was all very tiresome.

But what came next is my favourite part of the story. We all woke up one day to discover...

He unceremoniously flattened that house

Yup, the news broke one morning that the house was... gone. Bulldozed. He clearly had zero regard for its prestige, refinement, or family friendliness. I love that about him. He really does follow his own compass.

I was secretly delighted interested to see what would replace it, and Anon, I have not been disappointed.

Can a house have sex appeal?

This one does.

Where that frankly underwhelming red brick meh once stood, we now have a gloriously ominous and uncompromising statement that looms over the street.

Jungkook has built a neobrutalist fortress.

It is a thing of beauty. Sophisticated and dominant in a way that makes me feel just a little bit breathless, the fine balance of weight and lightness is magnificent. It has charisma, refinement, and a hint of malice. If it could speak, I imagine it would tell the people who try to impose their values on him to fuck off in several different languages.

Anon, on my honour I had absolutely no intention of going anywhere near his house before I saw it complete. Now I'm afraid that the desire to gaze at it in person it might outweigh my distaste for lurking near the home of a celebrity like a sasaeng. I'd die of mortification of he was actually at home. Maybe I can go when I know he isn't there?

Ugh i hate this for me. I just wanna see the bloody fluted concrete walls for myself.

But lets move on from my whining...

I find myself appraising the aesthetic and stylistic choices he's made with this building and truthfully I'm seeing Jeon Jungkook in a new light.

I am pretty fucking impressed with what he's doing here. This house shows far more finesse, maturity, and sophistication than the gable-roofed clipart homestead ever could. It's the absolute antithesis of that twee vision of traditional values and domestic boredom bliss.

This monstrosity is dark, brooding, and beautiful. And I'm a little bit in love with it.

Yes, i admit that some of the images come from tiktok accounts that have been stalking the build.

Yes, i am aware of my double standards.

Other photos come from the architect who posted progress shots on his insta, and he's quite entitled to do so since this is his work. He never mentioned whose house it was or anything else that could compromise our boy.

[kestrel-of-herran]

severance season three hints from interviews

take these with a grain of salt as the season is still being written, but i think we can sense some patterns here...

helly interacting with gemma

The moment that was important to me that stayed in the edit, which I’m proud of, is Helly seeing Gemma. Mark pulls her, she lingers, and she’s really connecting with Gemma for the first time. That moment is really essential for what comes next. [...] The whole scene is a reckoning for all of them. Helly is reckoning with this other person who loves the same person she loves, but on the outside. (Britt)

innie rights

All of the Innies are waking up to their own humanity and free will. Dylan is on that journey and even the marching band, another department, is now. Helly’s just like, “Maybe we have more people on our side than we think, and maybe there’s a chance for us down here to figure out something.” (Britt)

mark's development

Outie Mark makes a clear case for what he wants, which is to see his wife again, and Innie Mark makes a strong case for what he wants. That conflict will create a lot of story and tension moving forward, because both of these characters have a very compelling case to make for themselves. [...] Outie Mark’s motivation is very pure — he wants to be with Gemma — but he’s missing the fact that he’s created this other part of himself that he doesn’t want to accept. I don’t think Outie Mark understands that this is part of him, this is who he is. He wants to deny that. It’s obviously a weird, complicated situation that is theoretical, but I do feel like both of these parts of him represent parts that we have in ourselves. (Ben)

Mark’s choice to reintegrate represents a willingness to destroy himself, because he is so desperate to get his wife back. First of all, there’s the question of whether reintegration is survivable, because, so far, the survival rate of it is zero on the show. And then secondly, there’s this question of to what degree you will still be yourself by the time it’s done. [...] Is this something that will fade once they have stopped doing the procedure, or will he continue to see these flashes from his other life? That’s a question that we have going forward.(Dan)

With Mark, we leave him in this place now, where he’s having these flashes between his innie and outie life, he’s not fully reintegrated, but he’s getting these glimpses, and that makes him different from any other severed person on the show. We ultimately want to just live in that world for a while, and that was something we decided not to resolve this season. (Dan)

[The finale] shows innie Mark, having gone through the growth to see himself as an individual worthy of life and worthy of protection, he no longer feels that he is an appendage of his outie or an offshoot of his outie. He, through his love of Helly and his time on the floor, sees himself as a person. But it’s going to drive a hell of a wedge between him and outie Mark, I’ll tell you that much, because while innie Mark did get her to safety, he didn’t follow her and so he has robbed his outie of that reunion, which is what he’s been wanting the entire series, is to be back with his wife who he lost. I would imagine that to outie Mark, that feels like an extreme betrayal. (Dan)

helena's development ft. lumon

For someone to have inside of her a really strong rebellion, how does that affect the company for the greater good? On a personal level, how does the wilder, fiercer, and freer part of this woman — which she has lost touch with — affect her moving forward? What does she have to learn from that? How can she grow and expand? [...] I think she, much like Helly, is on a journey of self-discovery and answering the question Who am I? (Britt)

Of all the outie characters, Helena is the one who is the most masked. I think that she was raised with a very specific purpose, which is to be the best Lumon leader that she can be. I like to think that when she was young, there was a lot more Helly in her. And a lot of that got stamped out. So she’s walking around, playing this character, without even realizing it, that she has been forced to craft. So I think that if Helly seems really different from her, that’s why. (Dan)

As for Lumon, it’s another question that relates to corporate culture. You have Kier, who founded the company, and then all these different CEOs who put their own agenda onto what the company is. That’s an interesting question too — the difference between the core idea of a company and what it evolves into. (Ben)

fade to deepest red

It’s something we haven’t seen before. The colors have been pretty specific in the show. It’s an indication that we’re going to another place now. With red, you think of heart, and love. Things are changing. It’s a different tone. (Ben)

[leashybebes]

However— well, is Tommy a reliable narrator to himself? Sure, Eddie basically stopped talking to him, but what about Tommy? Did he also delay replying to the 118 so that the time between messages stretched out? Did he think they were only trying to be nice by keeping in touch with their teammates’ ex (never mind that he was Hen and Howie’s teammate first) and he’d prefer to not have their ‘pity’ and cut them off (again)? Did he cut them off preemptively and doesn’t see it that way because if he did then he’d have to also face the fact that he’s a little messed up? We probably don’t have time for them to delve into all of this on screen but it’s interesting to chew on. For reasons.

(Chim gets a pass for the post-throat slashing time of no contact because he was… let’s say preoccupied.)

oh 100% hang on let me get my coffee

okay, SO. mr unreliable narrator over here, mr enjoy it while it lasts, is never going to be the one with the full picture, because he sets it up that way - intentional or not, i feel like tommy is someone who has his view of the world and his role in it and just quietly, fatalistically makes that happen.

so i can totally see a world where no one from the 118 reaches out, full stop. but, y'know, phones work both ways, thomas. BUT. for tommy, that's buck's family. they're buck's people. (and look, my wife has a much closer relationship with her family than i do, and a much larger circle of friends, and it took me WAY longer than six months to start feeling like they were our people, not her people i got to hang out with through her.)

we know that tommy's a jealous guy, and we also get the sense that he's pretty fatalistic, so if no one reaches out, i can see that landing for him as "well, obviously. they never really wanted me around, of course i was never gonna be part of that" and just exacerbating his envy, but also his sense that that chapter of his life is Over Now. i can see the lack of contact from hen and chim actually not stinging that much (or tommy telling himself it doesn't sting that much, genuinely believing that, my king of unexamined feelings) because they're not friends, right? chim calls him when he needs a favour, but they're not close. he's not on hen's christmas card list (and that's genuinely fine, i mean zero shade to anyone involved here. they were friends by the time he left the 118 but for all we know they were mostly or entirely work friends). so i can see his internal monologue about that, his confirmed belief being 'well, hell, i wasn't enough for them to want around on my own merits before, why would i be now'. (again, this is not shade on hen or chim. phones work both ways and my special little guy is fucked in the head.)

eddie's gotta sting a little more because they were friends, right? actual friends. but if we're taking tommy at face value, then we have to assume he feels some kinda way about being friends with eddie once he and buck are together. i don't think he actually thinks anything is happening/has happened/will happen with buck and eddie, but we do get this delicious hint with that little scoff about eddie's straightness that maybe tommy has experience of that queer classic - losing years of your life being besotted with your ride or die straight bestie (sal!!!! but uh. that's a separate post.).

i lost my thought. wait. okay, so i think one of the fundamental mismatches is that for six months buck was in an x-rated rom-com and tommy was navigating something unbelievably fucking complicated because talking? communicating? who does that when you can just make up a scenario and stick to it like your life depends on it. (worth noting there's no way that scenario ends well for him, but uh, that's why i love him. go listen to settle for me from crazy ex girlfriend lol)

i can ALSO see the other part of what you said. tommy says eddie 'pretty much' or 'basically' (can't remember the wording right now and not in a position to check) stopped talking to him which does leave room for some contact. (it could also be read as a kind of deflection of the ouch of it all but ymmv.) so i can see a world where eddie sends a 'man wtf happened?' message which...tommy's not going to reply to that. he's just not. but changing the subject immediately is too obvious so he has to wait a while to say something innocuous, and it just kind of fizzles out.

whatever happens, whether it was zero contact or intermittent, declining contact, my special little guy, my world champion runner, my sad sad man was 100% thinking 'yeah, that tracks'. we definitely don't have time for the show to delve into that, and honestly it's not really that kind of show so i wouldn't expect it, but rest assured i am C H E W I N G

[hootyhoowoo]

ah! I totally get keeping your ao3 private! in any case, do you have any svsss fic recs you’d shout out? any ships is fine! bingqiu, Liujiu, 79, Liushen, I’ll take it!

Okay i'm sorry this took so long!! I was trying to look through my fics and see what would be appropriate to post bwaahahah

So disclaimer, i'm more of a one-shot type of reader for the most part, I really enjoy a nice hearty and wordy piece. I'm also a whore so I enjoy a lot of pwps!! I delve into omegaverse and some dead dove fics a lot too so please READ THE TAGS before reading

Also, these are more of my own personal reviews of the fics? You can read the summaries +tags to find out more :D I'm sure the authors can summarize better than I can

but anyway, I'll start out with the fics recommended to me by others, and ones that are so widely loved by the fandom!

These are multi-chaptered:

"I Wish You Were My Husband"- Feynite; Bingqiu, Liushen, and Qijiu all in one!

This fic was recommended by a good friend of mine, and it is sooo good anon. It's got wife stealing, love triangles, and is sooo hilariously funny it's made me genuinely laugh out loud while reading. There was times where I felt like I was just reading canon content and had to remind myself this wasn't mxtx writing. The author does a wonderful job in delving into Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan's inner mental gymnastics, and the complicated history and relationships between the different pairings is so tangible and well done. Not to mention the dialogue between SQQ and SQH made me CACKLE.

"Like A Tooth From a Mouth (I Leave A Hole)- Anonymous; Bingyuan (?)

Okay I started this fic but still haven't gotten through all of it, but the first chapter (first few paragraphs really) captivated me so much I was instantly hooked. Actually, I may draw this out at some point bc I really love the beginning of this fic. So angsty. So well written- especially once Liu Qingge gets introduced, he's so cute and I really like the dynamics of everyone in this one. Disciple!Shen yuan with his system and Shizun!Luo Binghe will always be messy and i'm here for it <3

"Shen Yuan of No Relation"- Gemi ; Bingyuan, Qijiu (i'll probably come back and edit if needed)

Ahhh. Ze fic of all time. OKAY so I haven't actually finished this one yet, i'm currently still reading. BUT I WILL SAY: It is so good so far. So good. The author's writing feels so hearty and their descriptions of the setting is something I fell in love with immediately. The way they write the characters is very endearing and i'm giddy with excitement to continue to read c: This fic was very very recommended by multiple friends so i'm happy to finally start it!!

"Love in Another Shape"- Celardor ; Starts Liushen -> Bingliu -> Bingliushen

Okay this fic was recommended to me by the same person who recommended IWYWMH so you know this shit is bangin. I have not read this yet, but I have had many people gush about it to me and had the lovely opportunity to chat w the author and they are the sweetest person so I'm very excited to start it next!!

'Satisfaction'- Raiiskaim ; Bingjiu

ohohoho ok- can I just say I love Raiiskaim's works, but this one is soooo delicious. It's got dead-dove like elements so be warned, but ahhh the follow up to this fic is "Discontent, and the spaces inbetween" and dude omg the ending literally made me gasp. Can't recommend this enough if it's your flavor.

"Blessing in disguise" - chamsie; ...implied Qijiu?

yeah i like omegaverse and i will not be shamed about it on my own blog. BUT this one is not...your typical pwp omegaverse fic. It's very shen jiu centered around him and his babby- shen yuan! it's very cute and good and I quite enjoyed it when I read it a whiiiile ago. Actually, I think it's time for a re-read. heh

-

These next ones are one shots

"We Should Stick Together" and "You're My Best Friend, I'll Love You Forever" - Pennydaniels; Liujiu

ohhhh my god. OHHHH MY GOOOOODDDD. Do you ever read a fic and have it touch something so deeply in you and it's like a soothing balm to a really rough aching burn? yeah so that's how these two fics are to me. I vividly remember reading them on an airplane and literally crying my eyes out I had to ask the flight attendant for tissues- and got side eyed by the other passengers. Specifically YMBF,ILYF.... this fic definitely shaped the way I would like to be loved. Excellent works, definitely recommend, read tags, as always. Pennydaniels is one of my fav ao3 authors, so definitely recommend checking out their other stuff too!

"Through the Widening Circles"- ancient_moonshine ; Bingjiu

Please read tags. It didn't bother me but ik it may not be everyone's flavor- but trust me when I say that this fic also made me sob like a baby, especially towards the end. The author does a great job of navigating through trauma and healing in such a touching way, but it is a pretty heavy fic because of these delicate topics. Such a good read, and I think one of my first SVSSS fanfics too!

"Vedaniya" - ancient_moonshine ; Bingjiu

Once again another fic by this amazing author, this one is a little more kinky ehehe but it's still very good and there's a gut wrenching scene that gets me every time near the beginning.

Anyways I hope this list satisfies! I can't wait to read more and get recommended more as we keep going on this scummy adventure :D if you have any recs, please be sure to drop them down below or in my inbox :3 always happy to add to my queue of reads.

[honeyscovet]

Kiss The Villian Review

My rating: 5⭐

My unhinged rating: ♾️⭐

!!!!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!!!!

Read the trigger warnings before picking up this book. Don’t yap later about things you don’t like.

My Thoughts:

First, I did not expect Gareth to be like this. The first chapter??? His internal thoughts?? He is so fucking funny by the way. I didn’t expect him to have ASPD or have narcissistic tendencies OR be sadistic (and a secret masochist).

BUT I LOVE HIM.

Be warned though. If you go into reading this and think Gareth is like Bran (personality wise, especially), please remove that thought. They are two different characters.

Then the way Kayden entered at the end of the chapter??? Gun to Gaz’s head?? chef’s kiss

The 2nd chapter was just 🥵��� That’s all I gotta say!!

Second, I did not expect Kayden to be at the Initiation because it was laughable to imagine him as a participant but well, Kayden was immaculate ways. The feminization kink?? 🤭🤭 I love knowing I was right about it and that Gaz is pillow princess AND loves praise.

Their push-and-pull was soo good and actually got over faster than in GOF.

AND!! KAYDEN HAS TWO MOMS!! Rachel and Jina 🥹 I love you two so much!! I am so glad RK included an older sapphic couple. This is progress people!!

Gareth gave me second hand embarrassment with his denial though. Gaz, you love having dick in your ass. You are anything but straight.

KaydenGaz’s domestic moments and Moka were EVERYTHING. Gaz’s obsession with strawberries needs to be studied though.

Also, Morgan needed that reality check from Gareth. Like WHY would you use Zara like that while pushing yourself at Gaz 😒 (Morgan reminds me of a girl in my department who does this same shit with another girl who clearly has a crush on her).

The ‘wife’ reveal in chapter 19 had me like 😶 I was like, “Kayden, you better not be cheating on her!!” I suspected the wife was either dead or they separated. I was hoping on the latter, alas, she IS dead 😔 Her last moments were really gruesome and she deserved better. Like that Senator could not take ‘no’ for an answer (yeah, Cassandra responded to his flirting but a no is a no, you dumb piece of shit) but what was difficult to swallow about Cassandra’s end was how it mirrored the real world. It got real. Because this does happen to women every other minute.

I’m soo glad Kayden killed them all!!

Harper is the same. She was a victim of CSA by her own father. She was taken advantage of by her father, her family (yeah, that part hit a little too close to home because I went through the same thing during her age by a family member), someone who was supposed to protect her. Gareth was really the last safe place she had. Her father is absolutely disgusting and vile, like she is gone. Let her rest in peace, fucker. But nooo, he was doing that on her childhood bed.

Both of their endings were too real. I was sobbing while reading it.

Third, when they put Gareth in a straitjacket and beat him up but he felt nothing of that. He felt so betrayed by Kayden’s lies. The way he was bashing his head watching the videos 😭😭 I WAS SOBBING THROUGH IT. HIS THOUGHTS WERE SO PAINFUL 😣😭

Gaz’s protective and possessive streak though 🙂‍↕️ He was ready to kill a boy for tripping Kill AS A KID!! Kill is his and no one gets to hurt him. What was hilarious is the fact that while Killian was looking at the insides of mice, Gaz was actually getting things done 😂 Almost killing that boy, fooling EVERYBODY including Kill, first murder at 15. Even Kill was impressed.

Someone on Twitter said, “Gareth Carson is who Killian Carson thinks he is.” THAT’S FACTS. Go argue with a wall if you disagree. I love them both but GARETH WAS IT!!! HE WAS BRAT, A PRINCESS AND THE MOMENT!! 💚

I also get Gaz’s need for approval. Like, pretty boy, I get you.

Kayden Lockwood (or Davenport). THE MAN YOU ARE. He took a bullet for him. No hesitation. Nothing.

I love him, Your Honour 🛐🛐

The way he counted every freckle on his face and body 🥹 The way he loves to kiss Gareth’s dimples 🥹 OH HOW HE LOVES HIM!!

Lastly, I loved the book. I loved KaydenGaz. They are EVERYTHING. They are sick, toxic, and unhealthily attached to each other but they made me love them. They can NEVER make me hate this couple or this book.

I adore Mr. and Mr. Davenport 🫶💚

Side Note:

Don’t go reading this into thinking this is going to be NikoBran 2.0. KaydenGaz was very toxic, violent and unhinged. There is dub-con and CNC in this, including kinks like BDSM, feminization, impact play (hand & belt), rough sex and bondage.

There is self-harm as well—involving Gareth. He uses a knife on himself many times AND bashes his head on a wall.

Mentions of rape and CSA—involving Cassandra and Harper.

Mentions of murder, on & off page—Harrod Davenport, Senator and his friends, Harper’s dad and Cassandra’s brother.

Ready for Hunt The Villian (VaughnYulian’s book) 🫶🤍

[zalrb]

Severance finale spoilers: Okay so, yes, thematically I get what they’re trying to say about the relationship between innies and outies. How outies don’t see their innies as people but they are. And innie Mark did his duty to his outie and got outie Mark’s wife out. On paper I do get that they both chose the woman they love. But I just need to say that MarkGemma just had the juice and I really don’t care about MarkHelly - not in the sense that I don’t get it, don’t understand the magnitude of innie Mark’s feelings. I just don’t believe them! And Mark and Gemma subverting Orpheus and Eurydice! Both being each other’s Orpheus and Eurydice!

100% agree. I get it, Innie!Mark is choosing his life, choosing autonomy, choosing himself, fighting for his right to make decisions and to love who he wants, he has an allegiance to himself and Helly is a part of that. I objectively get that. I just don't care about the MarkHelly aspect of it all. Like, I get the writing. I get that it's technically earned, I just don't think it is emotionally. The writers and the actors have yet to make me invested in that relationship, and I get the frustration that some people have around certain viewers boiling everything down to a ship war, but frankly, the writers tied the themes of autonomy and free will and personhood with Mark and Helly's romantic relationship. So, it makes sense to me that if you don't buy that romantic relationship, if you don't have an investment in that dynamic then that will be what you talk about because it impacts everything else, considering that, again, the wider, more existential themes for the Innies are delivered through that relationship. So, I'm left being like, I get it, does it have the same impact on me as Outie!Mark being so deeply in love with his wife and choosing to sever himself to get some relief from the grief he was drowning in only for his Innie to be working on her literal consciousness, and how she yearns for him with as much as intensity as he's been yearning for her and how the two of them will fight to get back to each other, and what that says about the bonds of love? No.

[roots-symphony]

Devon slander is going to be my villain origin story I stg

Why did she call Cobel?

Okay, well let’s take a moment to actually think of things from her point of view with the extremely limited amount of information she has managed to claw away at instead of assuming she knows the same as us and reading everything she does with bad intentions:

Starting with the otc, she and innie Mark are able to talk for a limited time, during which Mark tells her that lumon is treating them poorly and doing shady shit (or something along those lines because unfortunately it was not a conversation we were privy to). The only part of the conversation we do get to see is at the end. Devon tells iMark why it would be a bad idea to go to the police and instead says they can talk to journalists Ricken knows* who can break the story. And it’s only then, as an afterthought, that Mark brings up Cobel.

And the way he asks makes it sound like confused and vaguely concerned but not in ‘hey this lady abuses me on the daily’ way but more like ‘that’s weird wtf??’ And when Devon doesn’t know what he’s talking about, her voice gets more freaked out while she comprehends that information while his voice is much more neutral. So, the take away from that (from Devon’s point of view) is that in all the time talking (limited as it was) Cobel while a contributor is not what is torturing her brother.

Unfortunately she can’t find out more information because she’s (rightfully) concerned for the life of her child. Only to find out that not only did Cobel calm Eleanor down, she placed her safely in her car seat so she couldn’t get into trouble and out of the way of Ricken’s friends (i would not trust them with a baby either) before leaving.

After the otc, when they are trying to piece together the night, I don’t see oMark not mentioning that right before it happened he told Cobel he was quitting and she was not only glad, but told him to ‘get away from them.’ I mean, maybe he didn’t say it that night because Ricken was there and then Milchick came, but I have no doubt this information was relayed to Devon at some point, maybe while they were trying to get a message to his innie even. The second conversation Mark had with Cobel before she took off, I think could go either way in whether he told Devon or not. I mean, I think no matter what he kept the end part to himself even if he told her about how Cobel was disappointed in him for going back. But even if he didn’t tell her about, I absolutely believe he told her about the one right before the otc.

Now on to when Milchick showed up to talk to all of them. His reassurances are that it won’t happen again, to blame Cobel, and to say she was fired. Except Devon talked to iMark and it wasn’t Cobel he was telling her about, it was lumon as a whole. So it’s very clear to Devon that not only is he lying but that Cobel is being made to be the scapegoat.

All that plus Cobel has spent two years ingratiating herself with the Scout siblings. Mainly oMark, but Devon would have been a part of that as well because not just because they’re already close but also oMark just lost his wife so she would have been there even more often. It was shown to us in season 1 that she was really the driving force that would get him to go out and socialize (that terrible dinner, setting him up with Alexa) so Cobel would have definitely been friendly already with her and, considering oMark does not have memories of about 40 hours each week, she would’ve probably heard a lot about her from oMark. And yes, it’s was all a lie, but it’s also clear, especially with all the other evidence, that there is some kind of actual care there.

So Devon continued to find a way to communicate with iMark, not just accepting that the light thing would work, which is where she got the idea of using the birthing cabin. The only thing is to do that she would need the help of someone from Lumon. Unfortunately her only two connections to Lumon are her brother (who is only slightly less in the dark than her) and Cobel who had been ousted and scapegoated. She was already thinking of calling Cobel before oMark collapsed, before she even stepped foot in his house honestly because with the limited and terrible options available to her, it was literally the best one, the only one that made sense. She came that night with the intention to argue her case to oMark because obviously she wouldn’t just do it without his consent (unless something wild happened like a seizure that he then wouldn’t wake up from after).

Now why did she actually call Cobel when Reghabi was already there?

I feel like this should be obvious but she does not know Reghabi, all she knows is that she won’t answer her questions, she’s clearly used oMark’s grief and desire for Gemma to agree to experimental basement brain surgery (kinda like Lumon did), she has or had some connection to Lumon, but most importantly: she leaves. Like Reghabi doesn’t even give her an ultimatum, the minute Devon said she would call Cobel, she started gathering her stuff to leave. I mean I don’t blame her, Reghabi told oMark she was the only one who could do reintegration and if that’s the case, then unfortunately for oMark, she cannot take risks with her life. Reghabi already had to kill in cold blood and she may not want to leave Mark (her face was genuinely so worried when she looked back at Mark) but it’s bigger than just him or her or Petey, so she leaves. Which just leaves Devon with an unconscious brother with a hole in his head and she can’t take him to the hospital and she has no one to lean on or who can help. Literally there was no other option. She may not trust Cobel, but she had to trust in her instincts that Cobel would at least not wish Mark’s death.

Last thing I want to talk about is the birthing cabin scene with iMark because I’ve seen multiple times now people talking about how she’s using him or she’s being condescending or she’s why he shouldn’t trust outies, and like all other kinds of nonsense and I’m over it so here goes:

*First let me bring this back because she had said to iMark they would go to Ricken’s journalist friends before the whole ‘she’s alive’ moment. However I do not think that is an avenue that’s actually open to her any longer because Ricken is buying into the Lumon bullshit. Which means while worrying for Gemma and oMark and her newborn baby (which I swear we don’t talk enough about how she’s doing all this as a brand new mom which is already a very stressful thing), she’s now also worrying for iMark and what’s happening to him and if he’s being punished. She told him she would help him and she hasn’t been able to do anything except try to find a new way to communicate with, which she finally did.

She’s probably feeling so guilty and afraid for him and she doesn’t know what he’s been through, so she talks soft and reassuring and is gentle because he’s her brother and she wants him to know he’s safe and he’s okay.

The tragedy is that even though the love is there, she doesn’t know what he’s been through actually so she has no way of knowing how triggering her words are when she tells him if he leaves oMark will come right back in. But she knows her brother and when confronted with negative/overwhelming feelings, his m.o. is to distance himself either physically (getting out of the car after reghabi confirmed gemma was alive; leaving Irving’s funeral as soon as he can) or emotionally (both having said ‘[theyre] not dead, just not here,’ shredding Petey’s map, tearing Gemma’s photo, his confrontation with Helly in the bathroom after the ortbo) or both (attacking Devon at pip’s after she claimed Gemma as her family too and then immediately leaving). So she knows in this situation that he’s going to want to move, to go out the door and just have a moment, which is something he was able to do at the otc, so she’s telling him that it’s not something he can do here because if he goes out the door instead of getting the moment to breathe, he’ll just turn off and then turn on right back in the same spot.

Like Devon so clearly does care for iMark and she did her best to take her cues from him (reaching for him but immediately pulling back and apologizing when he moved away), and while their time may not be as limited as it was during the otc, they still don’t have a lot of it. So, she makes sure he seems good then leads him upstairs to where Cobel is.

Why didn’t she warn him about Cobel?

Because with the limited information she has, she did not know nearly enough to know that it could be potentially upsetting for him as it probably was. Because she knows Cobel cares about oMark so why wouldn’t that extend to iMark because it’s the same for her, Devon. Plus the fact iMark did not seem traumatized by her when they lasted talked and was just neutral (as I already explained), and because she was scapegoated so who knows how much power or control she actually had since she was so expendable. Like if Devon had any idea of how Cobel truly treated iMark, she would’ve gone about the whole thing differently but she doesn’t know.

Also, she had no idea Cobel was going to be auditioning for a role in a new shining movie when they got up there. But also after 2 years of hearing about Mrs. Selvig’s nonsense, I do think she chose to just roll with it.

————

Tldr: put some respect on Devon’s name, she knows the least out of everyone and is doing the absolute best she can for everyone with what she does know. And by everyone, I mean both oMark and iMark and Gemma. She loves them all and just wants them to be safe and happy.

[butterflydm]

Wheel of Time 3x03 Deep Dive (show spoilers)

Spoilers only for the show in this one, through 3x04, because some of what we learn there gives us insight into bits of this episode.

Our first Forsaken meeting post-Ishamael's death.

Let's go, Forsaken Meeting!

I really like the way they introduced this by having us follow Rahvin to the meeting location, and the show-only people would wonder what Prince-Consort Gaebril is up to but have that shock of surprise when Lanfear comes to speak with him. Loved it!

We get to see four Forsaken here -- Lanfear, Rahvin, Sammael, and Moghedien (hiding from all the others except Rahvin). We also get mention of the deceased Ishamael, and learn that Rahvin has been talking to two other Forsaken named Graendal and Semirhage, who were not invited to Lanfear's meeting. Lanfear mentioned Graendal last season ("vain idiot") but did not mention Semirhage.

So, to all appearances, this would seem to be Lanfear's first meeting with any of the other Forsaken since she spoke with Moghedien (a month and some change ago). She does have a different agenda from the other Forsaken, as far as we're aware -- Ishamael wanted to turn the Dragon and his friends to the Shadow; Lanfear wants the Dragon for herself and is fine if his friends just fuck off forever and never contact him again; and she claims that all the other Forsaken just want Rand & co dead. Her opinion of "the boys" last season was that they "couldn't carry out a plan if they were under Compulsion", but we don't know how accurate any of Lanfear's opinions about her coworkers are.

So if Rahvin is dressed as a noble, though less fancy than when he's around Morgase, Sammael is dressed up military, and fancy enough that I'll say 'general'. And Lanfear is wearing clothes that remind me of the more 'modern' style that we saw in the Age of Legends.

"According to her, and anyone who meets us, we've been hopelessly in love for more than a decade." Terrifying! Gaebril's cheerful affable stepdad vibes from the last episode revealed here as a facade.

"You always were an artist with compulsion" - this from Lanfear does let us know that this is sort of Rahvin's "speciality" and potentially none of the other Forsaken are able to compel as easily and as quickly as he does.

Sammael just wants to get down to the business of the meeting. He wants to know where the Dragon is.

But she doesn't want to talk about that.

"You didn't learn your lesson last time, did you? You were so in love with Lews Therin, you'd have stretched out at his feet if he'd said "Rug"."

We have an interesting set of observations when it comes to Lews Therin and Lanfear's past relationship. According to legend (Moiraine), Lanfear was in love with the Dragon and turned to the Shadow after he broke her heart and left her to marry his wife. According to 'Selene', her ex-boyfriend judged her after he saw who she really was and broke things off with her.

Lanfear's main angle in seducing Rand appears to be isolating him as much as possible and trying to get him to admit that he's just as dark on the inside as she is, and that she's the only one who will ever see that and understand and love him all the same.

Ishamael also blamed the Dragon for both himself and Lanfear turning to the Shadow (but that was part of his ploy to try to convince Rand to turn). And Sammael paints the picture of a woman pathetically eager and desperate for a man who doesn't respect her.

What's the truth about Lanfear and Lews Therin's previous relationship?

I think that the most obvious signs of the truth lie in how Lanfear is seeking to mold Rand, presumably so that things between the two of them don't go the same way that they did with Lews Therin. And what is Lanfear doing with Rand? She wants to isolate him from everyone else who cares about him and convince him that he has darkness inside him that no one but her is capable of loving.

So, I think that Lews Therin did glimpse the darkness inside Lanfear, went "um, fuck no!" and went off to fall in love with someone he liked better, but Lanfear doesn't want to think about what that means.

The fault can't be in Lanfear. And she doesn't want the 'fault' to be in Lews Therin either. She wants to be able to blame it on external influences that are tearing him away from her, or else on him denying his true nature. Because that would mean that her desperate and possessive love for him isn't in vain.

Lanfear and Sammael seem close to starting a fight, but Rahvin cools the temperature of the room down by reminding them that it was all their in-fighting last time that let Lews Therin trap them in the seals, and we get to the actual point of the meeting that Lanfear called.

What is the purpose of Lanfear's meeting? She wants them to gang up and kill Moghedien (doesn't mention that this is because Moghedien was just threatening Rand by sending a Gray Man to his inn in 3x01). She dresses it up by pretending that she's worried that Moghedien is going to start taking each of them out so that she can be Nae'Blis herself, and the implication is that Nae'Blis was previously Ishamael, who was particularly favored by the Dark One before his death in 2x08.

Lanfear calls out Sammael as "the weakest of us", which maybe explains why he fronts as so aggressive. She also tells us that Moghedien tends to work by targeting the weakest in the group and picking them off one by one until she reaches the top. In the case of the Forsaken, that would be Lanfear, she says, now that Ishamael is gone. I like that the show has leveled out the power levels between men and women, and so Lanfear, instead of being the strongest of the female Forsaken, is now currently just flat-out the strongest Forsaken.

This also gives us some information about Nynaeve being the first to be targeted by Moghedien in 3x01 -- she's currently the weakest of the group (but has the potential to be very strong if she breaks her block), so going after her is the least risky option at the moment.

"If you're so strong, why isn't our Great Lord speaking to you? And why aren't you Nae'Blis? Why aren't you our leader?" Sammael asks, after Lanfear positions herself as the top of the power pyramid, the person that Moghedien would kill last.

"Maybe he mourns Ishamael still," Lanfear says. I do think it's possible that Lanfear really does want to kill the Dark One (as she claims to Rand later on) but I don't think she wants to stop doing horrible things, which is what Rand would actually want from her.

Rahvin says that he'll consider presenting Lanfear's idea of an alliance to two of the other Forsaken, Graendal and Semirhage, making it clear that he has already made some alliances of his own.

It's interesting to think about how Ishamael and Lanfear so often wore clothes that tied them to the Age of Legends, to the past. They are also the two Forsaken who remain the most concerned with the past incarnation of the Dragon, Lews Therin. Meanwhile, Rahvin and Sammael both appear to have adopted the clothing of the place where they're currently living.

After Lanfear & Sammael leave, we get the reveal that Moghedien was hiding and watching. Moghedien states here that she doesn't want to make the same mistakes as last time, and doesn't plan to end up in a cage again. Very interesting considering that we see her at the end of the episode playacting as Liandrin & co's servant as they learn that the object of power that they stole from the White Tower is a male version of the sul'dam bracelet and they are here in Tanchico to find the matching collar. She talks about wanting to avoid being caged and ends up finding out about a potential way to cage the person who locked her up last time.

I definitely understand picking slightly more time in the episodes over using the credits but they are so pretty and I am always happy to see them. And the way that the gold threads first burst out at Josha's (the Dragon's) name just hit me so hard from the first time that we saw them.

Our first major plotline in this episode is Elayne and Nynaeve's investigation into where Liandrin might have gone, which starts with the interrogation of Amico and Joiya, who both pretend to break and who are both lying liars who lie, as Elayne and Nynaeve figured out by the end of the episode.

Nynaeve and Elayne remind us that they do not trust anyone else in the White Tower, even the people like Verin who Siuan trusts (even Siuan herself). Nynaeve has a lot of reason to be wary -- Liandrin really did connect with her before betraying her, plus she and potentially Elayne also know about Siuan trying to cage Rand. The one other Aes Sedai that they might trust, Alanna, is not currently in the Tower. Nynaeve did get along really well with Maksim, so might have been willing to trust the pair of them, if they'd been around.

Unfortunately, we know that Elayne already may have trusted the wrong person -- with the reveal that Gaebril is really the Forsaken Rahvin, it's possible that every word that she said to her mother was repeated directly to Rahvin.

The information that we get from Amico and Joiya:

The Black Ajah work in hearts, where women only know three other BA Sisters (the two others of their heart and one outside of it). this protects the full BA from being revealed if any single BA sister gets caught

Liandrin somehow knew about the rest of them (because of Lanfear? or because of Ishy?) despite that breaking the heart structure, though she was actually Amico's "outside her heart" connection

Amico's lie about Liandrin's location is that she's gone to Tear, to help one of the Forsaken claim Callandor

Joiya's lie is that Liandrin has gone to find Mazrim Taim, the false Dragon in Saldaea

We shift to Elaida, who appears to have some health issues going on that make her hands shake. Or, well, hand. It appears to be only the one hand, where she wears a gold and red bracelet that appears to have a snake on it. And I can't tell if she sweeps the items off her vanity out of frustration or if she literally loses control of her hand and it sweeps the items off against her will.

She calls for a servant but instead of getting the one she's used to, she gets Min. The shot in the mirror showing Min, and then Min hurrying out of shot to go clean up the broken glass... I really like it. We also see a perfect red rose next to the mirror, which is a very nice nod to a piece of Elaida's characterization in the books. We know from Verin that she's sending Min around to look at various Sisters and try to get viewings from them. Now that Min has been handed off to Siuan, it makes a lot of sense that Siuan would want to see if Elaida might potentially be causing trouble in the Tower.

Elayne's hairstyle is a rose! The back of her hair is a rose! That's so cute. <3

Also, Nynaeve feels like Verin and Siuan are too focused on Joiya and Amico, and Nynaeve figures that they're both lying, and that the best way to suss out the truth is to do their own independent investigation, out from under the watchful eye of Siuan. This continues the trend we've been seeing this season of the 'kids' bucking against authority and going their own way -- Rand telling Moiraine "You don't tell me what to do anymore"; Egwene getting the Accepted ring and then immediately bouncing from the Tower, Elayne standing up to her mother last episode and telling her that she would be staying in the Tower and not going home, and now Nynaeve deciding that Siuan isn't investigating the right things and that she needs to take charge of things herself.

If we expand the theme to forging their own way and finding authority in themselves, then this also extends to what we're seeing from Perrin and Mat in this episode -- Mat being able to harness his memories to kick the princes' asses, and Perrin beginning the process of organizing his people in their defense against the Trollocs.

The kids are all coming into their own this season.

Nynaeve has the inside scoop on Liandrin, from having followed her last season (also, I spotted the Gray Man following them here) and takes us back to the room where she found Liandrin with her son, which is empty now. We do get it acknowledged here that Nynaeve has been telling Elayne things off-screen, so if Elayne didn't previously know about Siuan trying to cage Rand, I expect that Nynaeve has told her about that by now.

Elayne and Mat really would have a lot in common if they get the chance to sit down for a chat because just like Mat is always the one to take the emotional temperature of his friends, Elayne reaches out here to Nynaeve and opens the door to a conversation with a non-judgmental, "You liked her, didn't you?" to Nynaeve about Liandrin, which gives Nynaeve the space and safety to talk about her complicated feelings about Liandrin.

I love the continuation of us getting all these different funeral rites and rituals. The chalk and salt symbol at the place of someone's birth and death. Wearing your loved one's ashes until the grief finally wears off your face. Just the variety of human ritual that we've gotten in the show, and what it tells us about the different people and places that have been shaped by this world. Love it.

Elaida wants to talk to Siuan and gets blocked by Leane and Verin. She is... uh, not pleased. The sort to keep a grudge forever, it would appear! Elaida learns here that she won't get her private talk with the Amrylin unless she can get a Sitter to request the audience for her, so now Elaida has a goal, which she will attempt to solve in a couple of different ways.

Attempt #1: flattering and bribing one of the current Sitters into requesting the audience for her. Contrary to Verin's words last episode, Elaida does not seem particularly well-liked. At least not by the Red Sitters.

For the Red Sitter named Galina, Elaida brings a gift of wild strawberries from Andor, which brings with it the information that Morgase keeps a royal forest.

For Tsutama, who is a Sitter and also the Highest of the Red Ajah, Elaida brings a necklace. It is not much like what Tsutama is already wearing, and Tsutama promptly rejects it and just as promptly calls Elaida out on her attempts at bribery.

We also see here what lesson Tsutama took from what happened in 3x01 -- basically, that the Reds fucked things up by managing to be so untrusted by the Amrylin Seat and that they need to earn that trust back, after Liandrin betrayed the Tower in such a spectacular fashion.

Elaida wants to "return the Reds to where they belong, at the heart of the Tower." She says that because the Dragon Reborn has been revealed, and confirmed to be a man, it is time for the Red Ajah to take the lead on how to handle him, since they are the ones who have practice dealing with men who can channel.

I really like this because it shows us exactly what Siuan and Moiraine were afraid of, exactly why their search for the Dragon Reborn had to be kept a secret. But we also see the dangers of that secret, because Siuan has not been able to prepare the White Tower for the Dragon's arrival. The weight of Tower Law and Tower tradition has proved too weighty to overcome, especially since Siuan not feeling like she could trust anyone also likely contributed to the factionalism in the Tower.

Elaida wants them to call for a vote to send a team of eight Sisters to find Rand and cage him. Tsutama shoots the idea down. Elaida is not happy about continuing to be thwarted.

Rand and co have arrived in the Aiel Waste. Cracks me up to see Aes Sedai level secrecy turned on an Aes Sedai. "That's Wise Ones' business." lol

We get clarification here that Egwene managed to pull herself out of her (Lanfear-induced) nightmare and put herself into Bair's dream -- where Bair was carrying spears instead of being dressed as a Wise One.

They find a burned caravan of the Tuatha'an, with their dead, so we're able to learn what the Aiel perspective on them is. "It's forbidden to harm the Lost Ones" (and we'll learn why in 3x04).

"The only thing with less honor than refusing to defend yourself is killing someone who won't defend themselves".

It really is fascinating how ji'e'toh was built out of the Way of the Leaf and how Lewin & the others coped with breaking their oaths to peace, and how they tried to chart a narrow path where they were still keeping to some of their ways while knowing that they were barred from others because of their violence. No swords, because swords are viewed as inherently violent against other people while spears or arrows can also be used to hunt game for food. The way to most honor is to touch an enemy without killing them (from 3x04). Bits and pieces of the Way of the Leaf still surviving in the present-day Aiel.

We get our first mention of the Shaido, in context of how they might be willing to break Aiel tradition by killing the Tuatha'an (Lan notes that what look like sword wounds could be spear wounds disguised to look like swords). I have some thoughts on the Shaido, but I think that's better for when we actually meet them. The main thing to note here is that they have a blood feud with the Taardad.

Egwene tells Rhuarc that they need to bury the dead Tuatha'an, and Melaine shoots back "they are not worth the time or the stones. It's their own fault they're dead" but Rhuarc agrees to stay behind to bury them. We also get our first "Shade of my heart" between Rhuarc and Bair here. <3 This endearment always gets to me because it's just so personal and specific to the Aiel as a people.

In the first steps of a "you two don't belong together" campaign that Bair will continue in the next episode, Bair calls Egwene to come along with her, while Rand stays behind with Rhuarc as he covers the bodies with stones in their burial ritual (which we can see in 3x04 comes down to them from the time of their trek eastward, as Jonai buries his daughter this way as well). I have some thoughts on Bair's motives re: Egwene, mostly revolving around Bair wanting Rand to be able to focus his attention on becoming the Car'a'carn and not get distracted by wetlander Aes Sedai, even if they are capable of learning how to use the dream, but I feel like we may get more answers on her motives when 3x05 airs. Bair does mention in 3x04 that the Wise Ones did not see Egwene coming along with Rand, and that may contribute to her belief that Rand and Egwene's paths do not align.

"You know too much and too little." Yeah, this ties back to Chiad and Bain's reaction when Aviendha mentions the Trial of Rhuidean to Rand in 3x01 -- they were startled and talked to each other when Aviendha said it to Rand. Living as someone who was raised outside their culture, Rand will never fully understand (as he admits to Aviendha in 3x04, after the columns) and it also seems that Rhuarc & the Wise Ones were of the mind that the less information given to Rand about what he needed to face to become the Car'a'carn, the better.

We get a really lovely scene here of Perrin burying his wife's ring, and we continue the "funeral rite" theme from the previous scene, as we learn how the Aybara family buries their dead -- holding an apple tree seed, to add to the orchard and thus feed their descendants for generations to come. That feels so perfect for the Two Rivers (I wonder if different families have slightly different versions but that they all 'contribute' to the future in some way). And Alanna shares her people's way with Perrin -- that the markings on her face are Ihvon's ashes with clay and water. The music here is gorgeous.

"It hurts and comforts me to see how her tree has thrived in my absence." That is such a beautiful line. It made me tear up.

"We wear the grief until it seeps in... becomes a part of you." And how stripped down and vulnerable Alanna is in this scene. "When one half of a couple dies, the other one is left to grieve. When one of three departs, who owns that grief?"

So, we've seen that different cultures all have their own funeral practices. Maksim does not seem to be from the same culture as Alanna -- did he object to Ihvon's body being burned to create the ash for Alanna's funeral rites, because it conflicted with his own rites that he wanted to carry out (which may have been the Warder rites or his own cultural rites)? Who owns the grief when they both loved Ihvon?

Bain teasingly says that "losing" Maidens' Kiss means that you'll be dead, so Mat was doing fairly okay by only getting a few nicks! I do think that Maidens' Kiss does a good job of showing us how casual and ingrained violence is in the Aiel culture -- even their kissing games have violence woven in.

Anyway, Chaid and Bain get no takers for their game today, but we do get to check in with Maksim, via them asking him to play, about his own grief over Ihvon - "the only man I ever loved". Much like Alanna is wearing her grief on her face, Maksim carries his grief as well -- Ihvon's blood is still on the sword that killed him, and Maksim carries it still.

We also learn that Loial is writing a chapter on Manetheren, and he seems to be quite a few pages into the book that he's writing (he did have a month on a boat to take some time to sit and write out what he's experienced and what he might have learned by talking to the others).

We meet a group of people, being led by "Lord Luc" (a hunter for the Horn, who stuck around after he learned about the Whitecloaks and Trollocs). The woman that we are later introduced to first as Mandarb and then as Faile, is also there but we don't get her name at this time. We learn that Natti Cauthon & Mat's sisters have been captured by the Whitecloaks, making Perrin's internal conflict nudge up another degree or so.

Faile challenges Perrin's presence, which leads to all the villagers noting his changed eyes, while Perrin challenges Lord Luc ("Lord of what, exactly?" we don't get an answer.

We do shift over to get a view of the Whitecloak camp (on Watch Hill, Faile helpfully lets us know in the previous scene). We see that Natti & the girls are, indeed, captured. That Dain is conflicted over the idea of harming them in order to question them about Perrin but willing to bend his morals if it starts to take too long for Perrin to show up in the Two Rivers, and that Child Valda is as much of an asshole as ever.

Also, it really does disturb me so much seeing kids with the Whitecloaks. Training them up young. Dain was one of those kids once.

Cutting from Mat's family to Mat having his memories that are keeping him awake -- inspired. The transition choices in the show have always been great, even back in s1, but they flow so well this season especially.

Min showing up in Mat's bedroom again late at night (but once again not for that reason). This time, she actually is there to talk to Mat, instead of acting as Siuan's messenger. What Min tells Mat here -- that she is haunted by visions of her visions of the future and wanted a chance to be rid of them, may resonate with Mat whether he wants them to or not, because he is currently being haunted by visions of the past.

Elayne and Nynaeve continue their investigation -- Nynaeve found the symbol and Elayne figures out the meaning. Together, they figure out that Liandrin has likely gone to Tanchico.

"What if everything they said was a lie? We should be looking at what they didn't say." Elayne and Nynaeve study the catalogue that Verin has created of the stolen items, and they find the drawing of the bracer, immediately recognizing it as similar to the sul'dam bracelet. Elayne's knowledge of history and politics comes in handy again -- she knows that Tanchico is near Falme, where the Seanchan originally left from centuries ago, so Nynaeve puts together that the collar that goes to this bracer might be located in Tanchico. That there is a clear and present danger to Rand.

The Gray Man tries to kill them - Nynaeve gets them both out of the way physically, while Elayne pushes him back with the One Power. When they go out into the corridor, they find that he's already dead. Stabbed to death.

From where his bolt flew, it does look like the Gray Man was aiming at Elayne, which is interesting, since it was Nynaeve that Moghedien was targeting before. I do think that Elayne wasn't considered an important part of things before 3x01, but since we know that Moghedien and Rahvin are talking to each other, and Rahvin likely learned from Morgase that Elayne healed the Dragon Reborn at Falme... Elayne may now also be a target, at least for Rahvin and Moghedien, though perhaps still unknown to the other Forsaken.

Verin strolls around the corner with a book, asking the girls what happened. She is able to tell them a little bit about Gray Man, but Nynaeve notes (after she leaves) that she never wondered who killed the Gray Man. As Elayne said about Joiya and Amico -- it's good to pay as much attention to what people don't say as what they do.

Everything is too suspicious for our detective agency now and they've just learned of a clear and imminent threat to Rand (and they now both consider themselves Protectors of the Dragon Reborn, the way that Egwene does, I think), so they figure it's time to book it and get out of dodge before the Forsaken can send another assassin after them.

We shift over to Tanchico to cover Liandrin & co's arrival and to check out the new outfits on the Black Ajah. Jeaine slaying, as always (they all have fun outfits - I also really like Ispan's braids). This is the part of town where Liandrin is from, and these are the people who raised her. Liandrin wears a veil when outside here, and she slips into a different accent when she speaks to the locals.

There's some big information about Tanchico (or this part of it) that's given to us here, information that validates and reinforces what we learned about Liandrin's past in previous episodes, the things that created the way she feels about men and the trauma that led her to the Shadow, to have enough power that no one would ever be able to abuse her like that again.

Tanchico practices child-bride marriages, and it sounds like it's normal practice for the girls to get married very young, so that their husbands can "mold" them into being the perfect little wife. The show has done a really good job of giving Darkfriends relatable reasons why they would choose to become Darkfriends, and seeing Liandrin's backstory really helps explain the person that she is, and why she acts the way that she does.

We shift over the Elaida and it's time for Plan B -- she's figured out who Min is and why Min was sent to be her servant, and she puts into motion her plan to get Tsutama out of the way so that she can do what Tsutama refuses to do when it comes to the Dragon Reborn. And she uses Min to do it.

Step 1: bond with Min over having visions of the future (helpfully also telling the audience that Elaida shares this with Min).

Step 2: offer her advice on how to handle her burden in a way that will make her feel agency over it. She tells Min that they can find their power in what leads up to the moment that they see, and what they do afterwards.

Step 3: now that you've created this sense of kinship between you, pretend to share a secret with her, knowing that she will pass the information on to Verin & Siuan, in order to get you what you want. Elaida is good at manipulating people into doing what she wants (if the people don't already know her - Tsutama caught on to her pretty quickly). And Min passes it along because she knows that Elaida can't lie -- but if Elaida saw in a Foretelling that she would become the Highest again, then that could explain how she could tell Min this and not have it be a lie.

"Many years ago, I had a Foretelling that the queendom of Andor would play a key role in the Last Battle." And that led to her supporting and advising Morgase in her campaign to win the Succession War. She touches her bracelet after this, and Min asks about it, and Elaida does coyly admit that it's part of a Foretelling "of a sort". Very intriguing!

Bair and Egwene talk about Dreamwalking and how rare it is. Also, Bair calls Egwene "Egwene Sedai" and Egwene does not correct her.

Egwene does confide in Bair about her dreams, and Bair tells her that someone hurting her in the dream world and the hurts following her into the waking world means that the person hurting her is truly also there in the dream world, and alive. Bair promises to teach Egwene how to protect herself... after Rhuidean.

We go from Egwene talking about the person hurting her, to us seeing that person.

Lanfear claims here to Rand that he's the one that brought them here this time and not her -- he doesn't buy it and neither do I. We've never seen any evidence that Rand can move himself around in TAR the way that Lanfear can and the way that Egwene was able to do in the last episode.

She is playing up her vulnerability hard in this talk with Rand. Oh, you were so right to make the choices that you did. I made so many mistakes. I can't do this on my own. You need to help me, Rand. You need to save me from myself and my own poor choices. Don't you want to save me, Rand? (remember how it felt when you saved me from that Fade? didn't it feel good to save me? I'm here to make you feel like a grown man, capable of protecting the woman that he loves -- you remember that you told me that you loved me, right?) You need to find this incredibly powerful object for me so that you can help save me from the bad choices that I've made.

The fact that she is still playing Selene here -- that she has soft hair and a soft attitude -- really exposes that she's not being honest. Her most honest moments with Rand, imo, were their desert talks last season, after he'd found out the truth. But she realized that they weren't effective, so she switched gears.

The bait-and-switch of the sweat tent scene is interesting. Because Lan encouraging Moiraine here could mean one of two different things: either he feels like she's open to the idea and he wants her to have some happiness even if she's not still with Siuan, or she isn't open to the idea and he doesn't want her to trap herself into the past.

We learn here that the Taardad Aiel, at least, do take in refugees sometimes, as they took in Melindhra as a small child and raised her as their own. We don't know about the other clans.

This plotline of exploring Lan's feelings about his heritage feels very well-timed, since it means he can bond with Rand over it (which we see a little of in the next episode).

"Aiel do not have tattoos" - given what we learn in the next episode, this is likely because they are sacred, as the marker of leadership. They don't get other tattoos because of the marking that Rhuidean gives the clan chiefs.

"Have you forgotten your duty?" Duty has been another big theme so far this season -- taking up the duty left to you by your ancestors. Elayne struggles with this in 3x02, Lan is questioned over it here, Perrin will take up a duty regarding the Two Rivers, and both Rand and Aviendha will accept their duty to the Aiel people in 3x04 (and the burden of duty through the generations is a huge theme we explore in 3x04).

Two Rivers town meeting! Perrin volunteers to turn himself in to save the Cauthons, and the vast majority of the village says "fuck no. we defend our own".

A heartbreaking thing that we learn in the conversation between Maksim and Alanna is that Alanna is now keeping secrets from him -- she hasn't told him why they came to the Two Rivers. He's just as much in the dark as everyone else.

"Mandarb" and Perrin have their first conversation here, where she comes over to poke at him over that moment of attempting to turn himself in. "I've never seen someone try to turn themselves in... and fail." She has been watching him a lot and definitely finds him intriguing. They have a bit of (understandable) miscommunication -- Perrin is amused by her being here to look for the Horn (because he knows it was found already) and then amused by her name (because it was what Lan called his horse) and puts her back up with his amusement until she gets up and leaves with one last barb ("try again to turn yourself in").

She definitely thought Perrin was going to make a dick joke about her name ("It's what my friend calls his..." and it means 'blade'). But that was not his intention, of course. Still, she leaves prickly and he remains amused by the conversation.

Turning himself in failed, so we learn that Perrin's Plan B is to go in and save Natti & the girls.

Mat spots Min, and wants to clear the air between, now that he's had a chance to think about it, but now she's the one who isn't feeling great. I'm guessing she might be coming back from telling Siuan and/or Verin about her conversation with Elaida.

Mat apologizes to Min, and he begins to explain about what he's been dealing with, and we learn that Mat's memories are common knowledge around the Tower. Then Min gets another viewing of Mat -- a twisted doorframe behind him, and his body hanging from a noose. She's worried over it and Mat immediately clocks her reaction, as this is not the first time she's had a scary viewing about him.

Galad swoops in to 'save' Min (she doesn't need it), and even after Min says that she's fine, he stays and keeps bothering Mat anyway. This kinda goes with what we saw in his introduction about treating Elayne like she was young and needed his protection -- he seems to extend this outwards to all women, not only his little sister (who doesn't need his protection either).

Mat's extremely sarcastic "praise" of Galad here is very funny. The show definitely puts a lot into building up Mat's irritation towards the brothers (but especially Galad) before we get the sparring later on.

Yes, the fact that Leane goes now to give the Amyrlin's orders that are designed to get Tsutama out of the Tower confirms to me that Min was just in reporting to Siuan, and then Siuan takes immediate action to try to get what she views as her greatest danger out of the way. And Elaida talked plainly enough that I can understand why Min believed her (I just think she was able to speak so confidently because she's had a Foretelling that gives her the knowledge that the moment she's talking about will happen). But it means that Siuan was tricked into forcing out the Red Sitter & the Head of the Ajah who actually was dedicated to earning back the trust of the Amrylin and who wasn't inclined to make hasty moves with regards to the Dragon Reborn.

I'm guessing that part of the reason that Mazrim Taim is the goal that is given to Tsutama is because of the lies told by Joiya. Siuan thinks that Liandrin might already be there. While she may be less suspicious of Tsutama being Black Ajah now (because of her actions in 3x01), she's still worried about her as a potential challenge to what Siuan believes she needs to do in the Tower, so she gets her out of the way.

Since Elaida fully thinks of herself as the once and future Highest of the Reds, her words here are actually her saying that she needs to stay in the Tower to complete her work (though she's the only one who will understand it that way).

Now Perrin returns the favor of protection -- as the Two Rivers defended him against the idea of turning himself in, Perrin uses his personal knowledge of the Trollocs to convince the villages to hold together here, and not scatter back to their own farms. He takes up a position of inspirational leadership in the village, without realizing that he's doing it.

Mat trains with a quarterstaff, perhaps trying to do as Min suggested, and find the Hero from Falme inside himself again. The princes show up and twit Mat about his fighting skills, but Mat doesn't yet take the bait, faking a laugh.

Galad, uh, offers to show Mat how to handle his sword, but Mat rejects that offer.

Nynaeve shows up, after having sought Mat out to say goodbye to him -- Mat is understandably upset at the idea that Nynaeve is just going to leave without him after she promised to help him.

And, once again, Galad swoops in to rescue a woman who neither wants nor needs his help (and Nynaeve is the one who came to speak with Mat! not the other way around).

"Mate, take a day off!" is such a great, frustrated line from Mat. Just let him talk to his friend! He's a touchy-feely person and his friends know that about him. He's not bugging her!

It is also so funny to me that we get Elayne mentioning later that she didn't even tell her brothers that she was leaving and we definitely have Nynaeve here, not trusting Elayne's brothers with the knowledge that they're leaving.

Loved the fight. <3

I don't really have anything deep to say about it, just that I really loved it. Mat quoting the same Old Tongue line that he said before the fight at Falme. Nynaeve's concern turning to smug happiness over seeing him beat the snot out of the princes. The music! The times when we get the bits of slo-mo. Mat's very brief moment of choking Galad. It all really works for me.

Echoing Perrin, Mat also finds an authority in himself that he didn't know he had, but instead of it being outwards, it's inward. Control over himself.

Now we get a more personal and private conversation between Perrin and the woman who says now that her name is Faile. No jabs this time and no hidden amusement. She asks an honest question, gets an honest response back in turn, and they end on a nice note.

"Nobody's getting hurt. I'll make sure of it." Hmm, very similar to what we see with Randcestor Lewin in the next episode, which did not end up working well for him. Will it work better for Perrin? His people don't follow the Way of the Leaf, so they won't cast him out if he does end up causing violence.

Mat has joined Nynaeve and Elayne's trip by invitation, while Min is sneaking along behind them (but, hey, we don't see any Gray Men, so at least there's that!). Likely thinking about Elaida's advice about trying to turn her viewings into a gift.

We end on Liandrin finishing out the funeral rite for her son, including some flashbacks to holding her son after his birth. She goes upstairs and we get some Black Ajah lore dumps about how they are going after a way to cage the Dragon, and it's revealed to the audience that Moghedien is there, playacting as a servant and learning what Liandrin & co are up to, so that's all some nice set-up for the future episodes.

[shannonsketches]

Can I just yap to you for a tiny bit how much I love that small, beautiful moment of wordless communication between Bulma and Vegeta in Super Broly movie, when they talk to Trunks on the phone? It's SO perfectly parents-coded. And it's right after Vegeta nags her about weak security in her lab, which indicates he 1. hangs out in there a lot with her, and 2. is worried about her safety when he's not there to protect her. And lets just say that red leather couch that's sitting there has seen a lot of use, lol. 10/10

God I fucking love the Super Broly movie. Not just because it is an excellent animated film even outside of being a Dragon Ball fan, but also because as a fan it's just so focused on the characters and their relationships with themselves and each other, even during the fights!!

And also because I'm a lifelong Vegebul, yes, goddammit, all of that. Thank you for the excuse to spam small detail choices I love.

The board artist, animator, and director made the decision to have Bulma look down at Bulla when Whis posed this question to Vegeta. She knows he was about to go on sabbatical to be with his family before Goku brought Frieza back! She knows why he needs to be stronger!

Look at how cute this boy is. Baby boy. Baby. Happy to talk to mom even when it's not good news. He is so loved and so safe in his house.

Vegeta pausing his berating of the guy who brought Frieza back to life to see what Bulma's call is about.

You know this is a conversation they have every single time he leaves the planet because she's so used to having a super-powered apex predator sleeping next to her she keeps assuming everything will be fine until he gets back, and if that ain't a look that says "Boy do not start with me,"-

The "they were wearing armor like papa's" reaction kills me

Goku being the perfect vehicle for exposition because he's super forgetful about details, and has to have things explained to him, and letting the characters be a part of that reality is always my favorite choice:

Bulma: did u not sense these dudes, mr know-it-all? Vegeta: don't look at me, he's the one who brought Freeza back Bulma and Vegeta: why does he look conf-- oh for fucks sake he doesn't even know what's happening

but without any dialogue at all skldjalks Outstanding

and Bulma collecting herself to not misdirect her frustration at her child,,,I love them

Vegeta being right behind Goku but waiting for Bulma go first, and not just exiting on the same side Whis did to get boots on the ground faster... Great choice for the composition and also to tell you about the character's relationship!!

Stopping next to her instead of trying to get out ahead of Goku, but also--

Not being so overly protective that he can't allow old friends to play.

He moves away from her to engage the enemy and doesn't get near her again until Goku has the floor...and then my favorite bit that I got to point out to a friend who watched this and asks how Bulma survived the ice breaking,

Her hubband,,

He love him wife. Even if she's crazy. Especially 'cause she's crazy.

See... Toei's DBS mistake was painting Bulma as a nag when you know good and goddamn well it's Vegeta "Babysitting Grown Men My Whole Career" IV.

I just know he's the one, "Don't stand that close to the edge." "Don't leave all these wires laying the floor one of you is going to trip." "Pick up your clothes I just cleaned in here." "I don't care if it's the goddamn cat the next one to stuff this kitchen towel into the oven handle instead of folding it over like you found it is going to 1v1 me in the gravity room"

Bonus: My absolute favorite cap from the sub

Fascinating, my love, do go on.

[cerusee]

Chengqing propaganda! I’d like to qualify this by saying not only do I ship ChengQing in general, I specifically ship marriage for them in a way I don’t normally default to in other ships I enjoy, and I’m gonna frame all my answers on that premise.

* what existing problems does the ship solve?

This is easy mode. Jiang Cheng getting married to Wen Qing (especially in a social context where marriage normally entails also having children with your spouse) means he is fulfilling a bunch of social and filial obligations that would weigh heavily on him, as someone in a position of needing to both continue a family lineage and a political one. Also, very critically, he gets a new family member (Jiang Cheng wants family SO SO SO BAD) who is committed to him and will not up and fucking leave him on a whim, so he’s way less lonely, and also presumably she agreed because she actually likes him and wants to be here and isn’t just grimly sticking around out of a misplaced sense of duty. 30% of Jiang Cheng’s brainworms are evicted on the wedding night, and he sheds an additional .0004% of the mental tapeworm every day his wife doesn’t inexplicably abandon him or wildly gaslight him whenever he expresses concern for her if she seems like she’s under the weather.

Meanwhile, Wen Qing gets a stable home and a partner who I guarantee will never ever ever in a million years cheat on her or neglect her or abandon her, who really likes and admires her, and who somehow isn’t even carrying any grudges over her affiliation with the sect that destroyed his home and family. I personally think she is super hot for him (thanks, Meng Ziyi and your smoldering glances!) so she’s getting that, too, but her early life espec in CQL was implicitly unstable and put huge pressure her to lead her family and care for her brother when she was like. Eleven years old. I think Wen Qing would LOVE to have a spouse who prioritizes her comfort and happiness and eagerly jumps at the chance for low-stakes acts of devotion. (As in, helping her undress at the end of the day when she’s exhausted and wants to fall into bed to sleep, rather than jumping off a cliff for her.)

* what new problems does the ship create?

I don’t think it’s ever going to be politically neutral or socially really okay for Jiang Cheng to marry a woman whose family literally slaughtered his. That’s actually pretty bad by the cultural rules in play? It’s going to be an issue in the future! Also, all the in-law drama (see below). Also, also, I think married ChengQing will mean kids pretty soon, and Jiang Cheng probably both wants kids for a bunch of reasons and will freak the hell out about parenting as soon as it becomes a reality, because genuinely how could he not. We’ve met his parents! (Depending on the timing, he can also freak out about whether having a child of his own will impact his relationship with Jin Ling, a child he essentially co-parented from *mumbles* some early age.)

There is also, of course, the frickin fact that Wen Qing secretly took Wei Wuxian’s golden core out of him and put it into Jiang Cheng without his knowledge or consent (and this resulted in eight million consequences of terrible weight). This should probably be listed first, because it’s worse than the other problems, but I think they’d both rank it lower, because it’s a private problem instead of a public one, and half of this problem is Wei Wuxian, and I think as much as possible Jiang Cheng would prefer to keep WWX problems in a different category from Wen Qing problems, even if they’re kind of the same problems.

* what in-law drama does the ship cause?

Lots! Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng super-de-duper do NOT like one another. Detangling this dislike would take me a five thousand word essay and I’d rather just keep exploring it in fic, but I think it is mutual and it is fully justified on both sides, and not easily overcome just for the sake of their love for Wen Qing. It’s gonna be rough on Wen Qing to have her beloved baby brother, the person she’s dedicated her life to looking after, not getting along with or approving of her husband, the first and only person or thing she herself has ever chosen to pursue for her own happiness. (Bonus: there’s parallels here to Jiang Yanli marrying Jin Zixuan because she loved him and wanted to be with him, even though her beloved lil brothers hated his guts.) And of course also, her husband kind of resenting the fact that her brother needs to be present in their lives at all, to say nothing of her husband resenting her brother’s involvement with HIS brother. It’s a mess! A stew!

I also think Wei Wuxian will have problems with this, because he’s weird about Jiang Cheng having agency or making choices, and also like. He and Wen Qing were secret partners in messing around with Jiang Cheng’s internal organs without his knowledge or consent. Depending on when and how ChengQing happen, this is alarming and upsetting to Wei Wuxian in like three or four different, sometimes contradictory directions.

call for propaganda

looking to advance from the golden core brainrot stage to the nascent soul brainrot stage - in other words, looking to get into more jiang cheng ships lol

everyone please respond with propaganda for your favorite jiang cheng ship

for maximal propaganda effectiveness please follow this format:

what existing problems does the ship solve?

what new problems does the ship create?

what in-law drama does the ship cause?

imo an ideal ship has content for all 3 questions

please and thank yew

[echoes-of-a-dream]

blind instinct 0.1 | matt murdock

blind instinct masterlist | matt murdock masterlist

synopsis: when you find matt unconscious and bleeding out, your instinct is to take him to the e.r.: good instinct. when they won’t release information on his condition to anyone outside of kin, you lie and say you’re his wife: bad instinct. when matt wakes up from surgery with amnesia, believing when the doctors say you’re married, you play along to keep him safe: you don’t even know how to categorize that one.

amnesia | childhood best friends to lovers | marriage of convenience/fake marriage | slow burn | mutual pining

<- previous chapter

YOUR POV

You yawn as you check the time, blinking in surprise at the numbers staring back at you. “Oh, crap, I gotta go!”

Matt huffs a laugh, feeling at his tactile watch you got him for his law school graduation. “It’s barely nine.” 

“Exactly.” You stand, giving your best friend a hug, a little awkward considering he’s still sitting down. “Past my bedtime.” You two had finally found time to hang out—between Matt’s busy job as a lawyer, requiring him to work at all times of the day, including when a client is arrested at two a.m., and his busy nightlife as a vigilante, it feels like you never get to see each other. So, it was nice to have your schedules overlap—you caught up on each other’s lives (your failed dates, Matt’s successful cases), watched a movie (with audio descriptions on for Matt), ate dinner while you watched (courtesy of grateful clients from the aforementioned successful cases), and laid on his couch chatting for a little while—you snuggled under a blanket, Matt’s feet stubbornly resting on your lap no matter how many times you try to kick them off. 

“You know, when people call you an old soul they aren’t meaning you have to actually be old,” he teases.

“I have to be up early tomorrow!” You defend.

“No, you don’t,” he refutes easily, lips twitching up in a smug smile. You glare even though you know he can’t see it, although you know he can guess your expression judging by the way his smirk grows.

“Become best friends with a human lie detector, they said,” you mutter as you go to grab your shoes, well aware that he can hear you. “It’ll be fun, they said. You won’t want to murder him every time he calls you out, they said.”

“Murder?” Matt, who followed you to the entryway, raises an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“You know, you can get arrested for that.”

“Good thing I have an incredible lawyer friend.”

He chuckles. “You just said you would kill me.”

“I meant Foggy.” You sniff primly, allowing Matt to pull you into a real hug and easily returning it. In your normal tone, you admonish, “Eat food, drink water, I hope the case tomorrow goes well, and for the love of everything holy please do not die before I see you again, Murdock.” It’s almost a ritual for you two—slowly getting longer over the years. Back when you were in high-school, still living at St. Agnes, and Matt, two years older, had just started Columbia, it was drink water, Murdock, and for the love of everything holy don’t die of kidney failure. That quickly turned into remember to drink water and eat food, you’re all skin and bones; what are you doing, starving yourself to death for fun? (to which Matt would joke that you were not building a strong case against being a grandma in disguise), and then once he started interning at Landman & Zach it became eat food, drink water, you’re gonna kill it tomorrow in court as long as you don’t let your habits kill you first—please don’t do that, by the way, before you found out about Daredevil and it evolved into its current iteration.

“I’ll try my best,” Matt says, as he always does.

With that, you head out, making your way cheerily towards the subway station to take it back to your apartment. You’re aware of your surroundings, of course: only an idiot wouldn’t be, not when walking through Hell’s Kitchen at night. It’s a little early for Matt to start his patrol, he probably won’t for another hour or so, so you’re on higher alert as you walk.

You make it safely to the station before realizing with a jolt that you left your purse—including your MetroCard, your literal ID, everything you need to function as an adult—at Matt’s. Already tired, you head back, even more tense than you were before. Shadows seem to jump out at you and you more than once hold your breath in fear upon hearing footsteps, only for the person approaching to pass you or turn, either way paying you little to no mind at all. 

It’s a little while after you left and with a large sigh of relief that you return to Matt’s apartment, thankfully catching the door from the pizza guy before it can lock again. He’s on the sixth floor and the elevator is broken, so it takes you another little minute before you make it to his door, now panting and sweaty. You lean against the door for a minute, resting and catching your breath before calling out “Matt?”

No response. He’s definitely not asleep, he’s probably not on patrol, and you know he can hear you. You try knocking, but still nothing

“Matty? Sorry to come back, I walked all the way to the subway station before I realized I left my purse.”

Still no response. Horror stories begin playing through your head, your imagination still fully awake and active from the walk back to Matt’s apartment. Maybe someone figured out he was Daredevil. Maybe he had a heart attack and died. Maybe he hates you.

“Matt, I’m getting a little worried!” 

You force yourself to stop, breathe, rationalize. Maybe he heard something and went out as Daredevil a little early—you can’t hear sirens, but generally sirens come after Matt is done. Maybe he’s in the shower and can’t get out at the moment—you don’t have super hearing, you wouldn’t know. Yet, the fear, the panic clawing at your throat, the gut feeling telling you something is wrong, doesn’t let up, prompting you to pull out your phone and attempt to call his burner phone he takes out as Daredevil. There’s no response. He could be in the middle of a fight, you tell yourself, but can’t shake the feeling of off. 

“Matthew Michael Murdock! Open the door, please!”

There’s a sound of a crash that causes your heart to leap into your throat, hands shaking as you grab the spare key to the apartment—hidden in one of the potted plants outside his door, the ones you gave him because “this hallway is too drab, it makes me depressed every time I see it”—every fear confirmed. Matt Murdock isn’t clumsy. The only way that crash could happen is if he is injured or if someone else is either breaking in or fighting him. It takes a few tries to get the key in the lock and unlocked, panic causing your faculties to fail. Only a few steps in and you’re tripping over an unconscious guy—not Matt—and you flip on your phone flashlight so as not to overstimulate Matt with the sound of buzzing lights. At least, you hope he’s alive to avoid overstimulating. 

A few steps in, and you see him lying on the ground, coffee table split under him. His mouth is open as he mouths at the air, straining for breath and some kind of relief. He’s covered in blood and you can only hope most of it comes from the assailants. There’s a gasp that you belatedly realize comes from yourself as you rush to your best friend, hands hovering over him as you try to figure out what to do. 

911. Right. Call them. Smart.

Your hands are steadier now that you have given yourself direction, all emotion pushed aside as you focus on completing the task.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” The operator asks when they pick up.

“I’m- my- my friend is hurt. Home invasion.”

“How badly?”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of blood. At- at least some from his head, but head wounds bleed a lot, right? But- it’s all over. Torso, legs, arms, face. I don’t know what’s his and what isn’t.”

“Alright, ma’am, I have dispatched an ambulance and police to your location. Can I ask what happened?”

“I don’t know. Sorry, I’m saying that a lot. I left my purse in his apartment and didn’t realize until I made it to the subway station, so I came back to get it. When I left, he was fine, and he was alone, and then when I got here there’s two unconscious randos on the ground and Matt’s injured on the ground.”

“Alright, thank you. Do you know if he is conscious?”

You hesitate, unable to tell if his eyes are just closed and he’s out of it or if he’s genuinely unconscious. Tentatively, you reach out to cup his face, and he instinctively leans into it. You exhale in relief as you inform the operator, “He’s conscious.” Matt mumbles something you don’t quite catch. “Matty? Hey, Matt, buddy?” You whisper, soothingly stroking his cheek and trying to wipe away some of the blood. “Can you talk?”

Over the line, you hear the operator telling you to make sure he stays conscious. The ambulance is about seven minutes away still, can you manage for that long? You promise to do so, getting put on hold while the operator tends to another emergency.

“Matt?” You try again, his eyelids fluttering without really opening. Further concerned, you part his eyelids—there’s something about checking eyes in tv shows, right?—just in time to see it roll back into his head, only showing the whites. You grimace, grossed out, and quickly let go, moving to attempt to shake him awake in a move of blatant stupidity you will later look back on with deep regret.

And when nothing happens and Matt doesn’t wake, all you know to do is find his pulse—weak, but present, quick but regular—and sit there with 9-1-1 hold music blaring through your phone sneakers, crying and praying for the ambulance to please hurry up, please G-d please, wishing and hoping with everything in you.

next chapter ->

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[81pastrys]

hi coulsd you write something for dad lando where lila has a boyfriend, maybe other driver's son, and he doesn't know about it but her mom does. so one day lando and reader come back from a date night and they find lila with her boyfriend on the couch making out or something. this turns lando really protecive mode but reader reassures him and makes him apologize to lila for overreacting. thanks you hope you like it

When Worlds Collide

Summary— Lila and Carlo keep their relationship a secret from their dads until one night they’re interrupted

Warnings— teens making out ; Lando curses once ; protective dad Lando

A/N— I like this 🤭🤭

Lila had told her mum almost immediately when Carlo asked her out and she said yes. She was so excited to have a boyfriend. They were young, sure, but they really liked each other. Her only stipulation was no telling their dads.

Lando and Carlos were ever the clueless at races when they saw their kids getting along. Thinking they were like siblings.

After a triple header Lando told his wife there was a dinner and he wanted her to go. Carlos offered for Carlo to stay with Lila so she wasn’t alone. Lando loved the idea. They’re like siblings! The two 15 year olds were ecstatic their idea worked.

It started out innocent, putting on a movie and cuddling under the blankets. They ate snacks and giggled together at the movie. Towards the end of the movie they ended up kissing. It quickly escalated and Lila was on his lap asks they made out in the comfort of her home.

What they did not notice, was the door unlocking and her parents walking in on them. They stopped when they heard Lando. “What the actual fuck?” He threw his keys and lunged towards them. Lila jumped up and looked guilty.

“Babe, stop.” His wife said. “They’re teenagers, leave it alone.” Why was she so calm Lando thought. Lila sighed in relief her mum got him to stop halfway to the living room.

He sighed angrily that Carlos’s son was slobbering on his daughter, his little girl, his sweetheart. He called Carlos and dropped the bomb on him too. “Mate your son was just eating my daughter’s face.” Lando said staring at the two, now sitting at the island awkwardly as he talked.

“Dios Mio Carlo.” (My god) Carlos sighed in Spanish. “I’m on my way.” Carlos was around 10 minutes away.

“Lando, they’re kids.” His wife was rubbing his back as he looked defeated at what he not only witnessed, but found out. “Did you think she’d stay single her whole life?”

“No, but I hoped she’d tell me before I found them snogging on the couch!” He said waving a hand at her. “How long has this gone on?”

“2 months next week.” Lila spoke up hesitantly. Carlo has yet to say a word. He looked up to his dad and Lando, to disappoint them would be the last thing he wanted.

Carlos came in and saw them. They all looked to him and he went behind his son. “Did you know?” Lando asked. Carlos shook his head with a simple no. He didn’t look too phased by the situation.

“You’re the only one worked up Lando.” His wife noted. “What if we talk about this in private?” He nodded and they went to their bedroom.

“Did you know?” He asked. She nodded her head. He put a hand on his forehead and paced. “This absurd.” He said. “You approved of our little girl dating him?”

“It’s not some random boy Lando, it’s Carlo.” She reminded. Lando absolutely loved Carlo. Always thought he was a great kid, but dating his little girl?!

“I know, I haven’t decided if that’s good or not.” He shrugged. She got him to calm down and they go back to the other three. Once they figured everything out, Carlos left with his son.

“What else did we talk about lan?” His wife perked up. He looked to her and back to Lila. He sighed.

“I overreacted sweetheart, I’m sorry.” He said. He pulled her into a hug. “If he breaks your heart I’m breaking his wrist so he can’t race.” He mumbled. “Who said that?” He laughed. “But seriously, as long as you’re happy Lila, so am I.”

This adds some fuel to my fire of ideas, anyway

@il0vereadingstuff @kallanfiona

[surly-sara]

My thoughts on Caleb's new World Underneath story, Sketches vol. 13, spoilers ahead:

So I've read the new World Underneath story about Caleb since I'm trying to round off the Caleb fic that I've been working on since before his release (Sylus's new world underneath is next for me), and once again I'm reminded of why this game continues to have such a grip on me. For being a mobile gacha game, the writers are so talented in writing emotionally affecting, romantic stories while also exploring complex themes like the intersection of humanity, technology, catastrophe, space and time. And this story just reinforces my appreciation for how they're writing Caleb in particular. Seeing how he responds to people when MC is not around, in his role as and wearing the mask (?) of the colonel, raises so much doubt and more questions for the player about who he really is. In this story, he seems like a vicious bastard, a true, cold-hearted villain. The way he speaks to Liam's wife in such a condescending, disdainful manner is horrifying, in light of what the Farspace Fleet has done to her husband, to her and by extension, to her children. And what he's saying about the kite and support of letting go of one's past/current relationships presents such an obvious parallel to him and MC, and what Ever wants him to do in regard to MC--it makes the player wonder if what he's saying to Yvette about Liam is how he actually feels about what he should do with MC too, and if so, raises the question of what his long-game in staying in her life is (obviously, this is the least likely true possibility considering the nature of the game, but the seed of doubt remains there for the player). Or alternatively, is he so sociopathic that he applies this kite metaphor to everyone else except MC, and just does not care that the double standard results in the wreckage of other peoples' lives, while affording him the opportunity to cling to what he 'already has.' which brings him so much meaning and joy (in my opinion, a pretty decent possibility, and I'd actually love it if he were this heartless, because I like villains). Or, will it be shown that while the colonel, he simply says and does whatever it takes to maintain the illusion for his Ever masters that he's a true believer and a faithful minion, even if he doesn't believe in what he has to say and do (the most heroic direction Infold can take him in, and probably the most likely)? Which interpretation of Caleb is true here? The narrative tension this doubt creates is delicious and heartbreaking. I loved this story so much even as it felt like a punch to the face realizing who Yvette's ex husband is and how he now treats his children, and how Caleb, as Liam's commander, treats Yvette. If I were Yvette and they did this to my partner, I'm sorry Ever, but you'd find your colonel's body floating in the deepspace tunnel the first time I came home and he was zombified. Just, thanks Infold, I didn't necessarily need to have a these big feelings over fictional characters on this nice Friday afternoon. I love this game.