#the ships cook was probably my favorite character

[lightningarmour]

Last Voyage of the Demeter(spoilers)

This was a movie I was really excited about because I really love the premise for it. Like many people on tumblr I experienced Dracula by Bram Stoker for the first time through the viral phenomenon of "Dracula Daily" so I don't have any kind of long love of the book or any particularly deep, personal feelings towards it or anything, but when I first heard about Last Voyage of the Demeter I thought it was a tremendous idea for a movie, and a pretty interesting and novel approach to a vampire story, generally and a very neat idea to take such a zoomed in look at the events of Dracula.

The way the Log of the Demeter is told in the book is obviously a classic example of a horror story. It's like how in every survival horror game you find some journal entry or email or whatever of someone saying "Has anyone else heard the strange noises coming from the vents? oh well, hope it's nothing!" in a room where there's a streak of blood running down the wall from a torn open air duct. You are being given piece by piece the terror and dread of a crew of sailors you already know are doomed to a horrendous death, seeing little by little how the horrors unfold, knowing they can't stop it, and it's all made the more tragic that they (or at least the captain) never know what it is that is doing this to them.

It's prime territory for a slow burn kind of psychological horror movie, where the mystery slowly unfolds and as more and more of the crew go missing, the tensions amongst those remaining grows and they start to turn on each other and yadda yadda.

While overall, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a fine movie, it's certainly not the movie I went in expecting. I understand, of course, that adapting a single chapter, written basically in point-form, into a feature length film would require not an insignificant amount of padding. I think, though that this movie ended up a bit overstuffed.

It's an aggressively average film, ultimately. I have no real complaints about the technical aspects. It's shot well, all of the sets and costumes and such look good, the soundtrack really pops, and frankly I think almost all of the performances were really quite good. The problem, broadly is the very banal kind of Hollywoodification of the story. The movie I envisioned this being is definitely in the script somewhere, but the edges get sanded off in rewrites, they want the movie to be more marketable, and gradually it becomes a middling action thriller. Still competently made, but not scary enough to really be a horror movie, or suspenseful enough to really keep you engaged with what's left.

It exists, in my mind, in a similar space as the 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Both period piece movies about mysterious deaths, but neither really feel confident enough in themselves to just be a mystery or a horror movie, so they try and punch it up a bit and throw in some action and spend a lot of time getting to know a colourful cast of characters who ultimately don't matter that much, and it all results in a kind of genre mush where the stakes never feel particularly important and I find myself nitpicking details rather than enjoying the story.

Much of the bloat this movie suffers from comes in the form of 3 characters. The protagonist of the film, Mr. Clemens, Anna the exposition machine, and Toby the precious baby boy who exists solely to inject an emotional hook into the story. I don't want to sound like a reactionary and complain about "wokeness" in movies because that's not a real thing, but it's probably going to sound like I am. From a marketing perspective, a film studio does not feel confident in having a non-franchise, niche-interest kind of movie with a cast of solely white men. Not that this particular movie would even necessarily have to be full of white people. The Demeter is specified as being a russian ship, and there was mention of russian and romanian crewmen but boats were crewed by all kinds of men so it's a simple liberty to take in making the crew multi-ethnic. It could have worked quite well if it were more of an ensemble cast, rather than having a specific protagonist. So much time is spent on Clemens that it makes the rest of the crew feel incredibly dull and one dimensional.

One reason I think in similar ways about this and Murder on the Orient Express is that both suffer from a very modern Hollywood trend of inserting a lot of very liberal values into movies set in the past in a way that does nothing to try and like, sincerely address the issues of sex, race, class, etc. discrimination and prejudice that existed in the time periods they are set in, but honestly as a way to kind of coddle the audience and assure them that while people may have been racist in the past, we, the studio and filmmakers, and whoever do not agree with such prejudices, and everyone can rest easy after seeing the film and not have to feel uncomfortable about any of that.

So Clemens is presented to us as a Doctor who is eager to return to England, and as we find out later, he was the second black man to ever graduate Oxford or wherever with a medical degree, but he couldn't find work anywhere because he's black. This information serves no real purpose to the story, nor to really understanding who he is as a person or anything. He plays the Agent Scully of the movie. It's sort of like he's there to dispel any mystery or suspense the movie might otherwise have. instead of a bunch of superstitious sailors succumbing to fear, Clemens is there to smartly tell them that their instincts are irrational and whatever. The result is that the movie follows all the same tropes and trappings of it's genre but in a way that is deflated by a guy constantly pointing out said tropes while not being genre savvy enough to prevent all of it from occurring.

Anna is in the movie explicitly to explain to the audience who the character of Dracula is, for those who might have missed the last 150 years of vampire fiction. She's introduced as having been stuffed in one of Dracula's boxes of dirt as a little snack for him on his boat ride. She' unconscious for a third of the movie but once she wakes up she just very directly tells everyone that there's an evil demon on board named Dracula and he's going to eat us all. I really hate her inclusion in the film because similar to Clemens, she exists to drain any suspense or mystery out of the story. There's no longer any fear of the unknown because she tells them exactly what's happening. Yet despite this, it still takes them like 3 days to finally get the bright idea to open up the crates in the cargo hold to see if maybe that's where Dracula is hiding. Again it's doing this almost meta narrative thing where now the characters realize what story they're in, but because that story already has a predetermined end, they can't actually use this knowledge to their advantage, the tropes still play out the same anyway.

I don't want to use the term mary sue to describe her but her and Clemens both have Protagonist power. They're seemingly the only ones on this boat who are smart and capable enough to get anything done, and they do quite explicitly just give Anna super powers. She's been fed on by Dracula so she has a special connection that lets her sense his presence and blah blah whatever. It's all very gimmicky, especially for a character we know is not going to survive and has no greater impact on the story of Dracula.

Toby is the grandson of the Demeter's Captain. He's like an eight year old boy or something and I kind of hate him. He's an utterly nothing character who serves no narrative purpose. At some point when going over the script they realized that there's no reason to really give a shit about any of the characters in the movie because pretty much none of them have any depth, and they figured the audience wouldn't be engaged. So they put a kid in it so that people would feel sad at least once during the movie.

There's honestly nothing to the kid. He's like unbelievably plucky and happy-go-lucky, to the point where I think the actor's performance is undermined by how exaggerated his boyishness is played up, but aside from just being happy and cute or whatever there's nothing to him. Again you're supposed to instinctively feel protective for him because he's a child, and then inevitably when he gets his shit sucked by Dracula, it's supposed to be the like, one tragic part of the whole movie, but it's just hollow. And whats more is that any sense of sadness or loss you get from precious little Toby's death is wrung out because they have a fucking scene where they're going to dump his corpse in the ocean but the Captain is like "No wait, he's still alive!" and you get a really shitty jump scare moment where the kid opens his eyes but now he's a vampire and then he immediately goes up in flames in the sunlight and I laughed out loud in the theatre because it was so fucking stupid.

The new characters are just too out of place because they all feel like hollywood blockbuster protagonists haphazardly tacked onto an otherwise kind of low-key horror story, and I think that the movie would have worked much better if you kept the Captain as the focal character. In the movie he's present but kind of as a side character which feels odd. It also really robs him of his agency. The final log entry in the book has him resolutely sacrificing himself for the sake of his ship and his diligent commitment to his duty as the Captain, so he ties his hands to the wheel, ensuring that he will never be derelict even if it means his death, whereas in the movie it's fucking Dracula who ties him to the wheel as a weird flex, but he's dead before the climax so that the characters invented for the movie can have an epic action movie showdown with Dracula.

And given that the whole dang thing roots itself so adamantly as being part of the greater story of Dracula, it then kind of results as this very silly contrivance where all the stuff about a man eating creature, a dude literally bursting into flames, a woman who explicitly told them about Count Dracula being a horrible demon, just gets conveniently left out of the Captain's log.

I feel like there were some more nitpicks and quibbles I had about the movie but none of it is particularly important. Again, as much as I've just spent like 2000 words whining about it, overall I didn't really hate the movie. It's fine! It was a decent enough movie to go see, even if I left feeling a bit disappointed. I'm having strong feelings towards it because it's one of those movies that is worse than just being shitty. A just awful bad movie can be dismissed outright and I could just say yeah it sucks ass. But this one is so close to being good. There's a lot I did like about it, but it's off by such a small margin that all the things keeping it from being really great feel much more pronounced.

Also I kind of love that Clemens just survives and I guess becomes a Dracula hunter? They should have done a post-credits scene where he shows up 5 minutes after the main characters from the book have slain Dracula and been like "god damn it"

[skyland2703]

It’s 3 AM, but fuck it, we’re being domestic | Prompts

Alternatively, just some fluffy domestic romance prompts, but they feel more cute when they’re in the middle of the night because one or both of the ship characters are insomniacs.

Dancing together in the kitchen, in the refrigerator light, and then sitting on the kitchen counter, eating ice-cream directly from the carton.

Walking barefoot on the dew covered grass, hand in hand, under the stars.

Sitting on the floor trying to piece together IKEA furniture because one person got obsessed with finishing it the same day.

Middle of the night cooking, except it’s making the weirdest most absurd dishes imaginable, just for fun.

Making love, except it’s on the bedroom floor.

Cleaning cupboards or attics and finding lpppittle mementos, childhood pictures, etc and talking about memories.

Midnight drives with street food pit-stops and making out with the car radio playing in the background.

Tossing a smiley stress ball around the house watching it knock into furniture— Bonus, if one person is tossing it and another is scrambling around trying to make sure no furniture falls over, causing squabbles.

Gossiping about annoying relatives/friends, parents etc.

Making each other coffee, except the rule is: adding all of the other person’s favorite ingredients PLUS one mystery ingredient which might be good bad or ugly. For funs~

Late night massage sessions because they’re old (they’re not even thirty. Maybe they are.) and their back huuurts.

Ramp Walk/Modelling sessions where one person tries out every single outfit in their closet, and the other one rates or judges them all and gives (mostly useless) opinions.

Doing laundry except they can’t put the clothes out for drying because there’s no sun, so they spread them all over the furniture (only the stuff that doesn’t go bad with the water-) and switch on all the fans.

Weird selfie poses and filming random tiktok dances.

Alternately, sitting side by side on the bed (or the floor—) deleting old pictures from their phones to make storage and laughing about embarrassing old pictures. (A “my phone might die of lack of storage but that super embarrassing picture of yours from six years ago isn’t going anywhere!”)

One of them randomly googling super random shit and telling those facts to the other person, and the other one, super sleepy, just nodding along to everything.

Painting dates where either both of them are amazing artists or neither of them are, (or one is and the other isn’t) and they switch canvases periodically to finish each other’s paintings. (Chaos for the ones who can’t paint, and two beautiful art pieces for the ones who can~)

Alternatively, one is an artist and the other models for them while being utterly sleepy bc Artist has insomnia :D

One is a musician and keeps the other up all night with the music. Or alternately, the partner has insomnia and the sleepy musician plays them something to pass the night (and what if it turns out to be a lullaby-)

Turning the junk, broken and useless stuff in their house into a rage room for the night.

Learning crocheting from YouTube and making each other weird little woollen mementos. (Could go for anything really. Learning shit with esch other in the middle of the night from YouTube—)

Annnnd that’s about all I got :3 I’ll probably be back with more! Prompts welcome~

[amerricanartwork]

RW Headcanon: How Arti Gives Back

In the RW community on this site, I’ve heard quite a few Artimand thoughts about how Gourmand would help Artificer heal from her trauma and grief. And while that’s all good, something that’s continuously puzzled me when shipping Artimand romantically is, “but how would Artificer help Gourmand?”

Let me tell you, one of my all-time favorite qualities in a ship is the characters helping each other improve themselves, especially in ways no other character pairing can. And while it’s easy to see Gourmand helping Artificer improve, given the vast amount of grief and lust for vengeance she has to overcome, and since Gourmand probably has a natural inclination to help others in need, what would she give to him in return? And to add to that, why would Gourmand fall in love with her and choose her as a mate, as opposed to just casually looking out for her and straight pitying her at worst, especially when she’d most-likely appear very un-qualified for romance initially?

Well, I’ve developed some thoughts and headcanons for that, and I’ll put them below the cut! Please let me know if anything could be improved, or if you can add to it! I’d love more reasons to think of these two sweethearts!

Option 1: Combat

Arti would help Gourmand improve his combat skills. The way I see it, Gourmand is a very strong warrior, but doesn’t often engage in combat simply because he doesn’t see a need for it outside of defense. Even then, due to his kind nature, he typically only fights back enough to deter predators, not kill them. However, with Arti being a carnivore, and having LOTS of experience with more complex combat situations than just defense (mostly from scav encounters), I like to think that Arti would give Gourm more combat tips and they may even end up bonding on occasional hunting trips together. And it would circle back to Arti because Gourm, with his cooking skills, would make the resulting meals from their hunts taste SO much better than what Arti is used to, allowing her to slow down and really enjoy food in a way she hasn’t been able to with her warrior lifestyle!

Option 2: Motherhood

This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Given Arti was a mother once, and Gourmand’s story ends with him getting 2 pups, I could easily see him wanting Arti to stay around to act as a mother for them. Not only would that give her the chance to embrace motherhood again, but it would take some pressure from Gourmand because he has a partner (and an experienced one at that) to help him with parenting! I mean, don’t get me wrong, Gourmand is undoubtedly great with pups, but even so it’s good to have some help! Even more so since (depending on what general age you headcanon the pups as) he’d likely have to leave his pups alone while getting food; it’d be nice to have someone with her own experience caring for pups who can look after them during those times and, to add onto the first option, even help teach them how to hunt and survive on their own!

And heck, I personally actually like to imagine that, a little later, after she gets comfortable enough and fully overcomes her grief, Artificer would actually have a second litter with Gourmand (naratively-speaking, this would signify the completion of her character arc)! Of course it’d be a big deal for Arti, but just imagine how much fun Gourm would have exploring the new experience of getting to raise biological pups this time! And I can just see him being so, so thankful that Arti somehow managed to give him even more family to love!

Option 3: Passion

So this one’s the most personal-headcanon-based, and built off my personal depiction of Gourmand as a character. In my headcanon, Gourmand starts out as a rather reluctant leader of his colony. I have this whole idea of what specific event led to him becoming the leader, but to summarize, it seemed like a very sudden chance event at the time, yet from it he was more-or-less unanimously chosen to lead by the other Outer Expanse slugcats due to him having shown great creativity, survival skills, and protectiveness. Gourmand himself, however, doesn’t really feel he’s fit to be a leader; he’s used to an easygoing life just peacefully surviving and doing his own thing, not managing and defending an entire colony! He’s so used to seeing the simple parts of the world that he often underestimates himself, so something as “grand” as leadership often appears too great for him.

That’s where Arti comes in. I like to imagine that Artificer is extremely passionate, but that for a long time after her pups’ deaths, that passion was manifested almost exclusively as immense rage, grief, and desire for revenge against their killers. But imagine if, once she gets comfortable with Gourmand’s colony, she begins to show that passion in positive emotions! Not only would she, after seeing what he’s capable of in hunts, help him see that he IS the perfect leader for his colony, but just IMAGINE: Arti hyping Gourm up as the biggest, strongest warrior in the Expanse, just before the two prepare to take down a king vulture; or Arti patching him up after a really tough battle and assuring him he’ll be even better next time; or Arti teasing Gourm and them chasing each other around as they spar together in the OE fields; or Arti getting all dramatic as she recites tales of her epic scavenger battles to his eager pups; or Arti showering Gourm with kisses after he makes a REALLY good meal with her favorite meats!  There are SO many possibilities for hypeman Arti, and I figure that, once Gourm sees her fiery spirit used in a positive way, especially to help him and his family, he can’t help but fall for her! And this idea is part of why I like the Spicybun ship name so much - while Gourmand helps Arti mellow out, Arti literally spices up his life! They just compliment each other so perfectly!!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

MAN do I love these two so much! This is about all I have right now on this subject, but again, I’d LOVE to hear any other ideas for how Artificer would help Gourmand, or additions to these ideas! I just adore the “opposites attract” ship trope (although I personally prefer to call it “inverses attract”), and I think Artimand is easily one of the best examples of that in Rain World! 

Thank you to anyone who made it to the end of this wall of text! And let me know if I should share any more Rain World headcanons, because I’ve definitely got more!

Oh, and if you've found this, @melissa-titanium, hope you like it again! Let me know if you ever want me to stop @-ing you with these Artimand headcanons, by the way!

[alexbrunn]

Throughout my time in the fandom, I've made canon ares for myself in my head. The ones that by default apply to all my ideas to one degree or another. Not all of them I love as endlessly as Pavcoh, rather they are exactly the ones that form my standard of perception of the game.

Let's start with my second favorite ship. Abella and Henryk. Henryk is one of my favorite characters, his problems are close to me, the fact that he is a failure in all his endeavors in art and love is so close to me... the fact that he will find support in a human gives me hope, because Abella can really give it. She is kind loving and understanding, but she also has a strength that Henryk lacks with his nature (all the times he tries to become strong from different sides: whether it be being a van in art, winning terms or at least confronting for Caligura just breaks down to reality). Well, and of course the dynamics of Henryk's male-wife who cooks and keeps an eye on the house and the female-husband (does anyone even say that?) Abella who works in an important scientific field and can repair anything is kind of cute to me.

Tanaka and Olivia appeared first as an extension of Marcoh and Pav and then they started to flesh out their own ship. Tanaka has always seemed to me to be a young, impressionable guy (he doesn't have a canonical age, but I don't think he's more than 25) who has just gotten out of his father's control and wants to see the world on his own (as much as possible). He is overly concerned with the great responsibility that has been thrust upon him, and he watches Marcoh's fighting skills with rapt attention. For him, who sees the world without the confines of family control for the first time and love appears for the first time. Sweet, humble and smart, just like himself, with equally obnoxious parents. He's willing to do anything to help her, with his shitty luck for trouble he's willing to go to town, even if a strong ally isn't around. Olivia feels for the first time that people are interested in her specifically and not her sister, which comes as a real pleasant shock to her. This is probably the best ship for the future, which will definitely have a happy ending.

I'll be sincere and honest with you. I don't like Karin. I have a hard time accepting her heavy character, which made me dislike this ship at first. However, I just can't deny how many canon interactions she has with Daan. Their dynamic is endearing in their heated discussions and disdain for each other. I want to see more and more of it.

Samarina - I don't want to pick sides in the big shippers wars. Both Samarina and Marilevi have a reason to exist and enjoy popularity. It's just that to me, Levi is a character who is alien to love and romance in general. He needs a friend, not a partner. So Samarina seems like a more logical option to me, especially after she can be rescued and put on a train. I think she could have made it, after a long time of rehabilitation.

[harmoniouseclipse]

Woe fankids be upon ye

Doing a little series where I took some ship requests on my instagram to make them fankids, this one is for me tho (jeanlisa to kick it off whoo 🙌🏻) The lineup so far is Cytham, Kavetham, Lionfish (aka Freminet x Gaming aged up probably idk how old they are canonically), Cynonari, Jealuc, and Beiguang, and feel free to send me some other pairings you wanna see (as long as they are legal pls otherwise I will ignore it 👎)

I'm gonna ramble about some headcanons and lore for them under the cut, continue with caution bc I'm insane

These two are my brainrot rn, don't even joke lad. And I wanna tell yall their name meanings too bc I like them a lot 🥹 Zephra's means "west wind" derived from Greek, and it's the feminine version of Zephyr. Tyrian was a type of purple dye used by the Ancient Phoenicians, huge huge HUGE thanks to my pookie bear @miothefish for helping me out with his name!!! Also he has Lisa's butterfly earring and you can't see bc of the angle but Zephra has the rose that went in her hair holding her ponytail <3

I'm also making a massive family tree for the characters as a go along, and just the jeanlisa tree is taking up half of the canvas bc of the KoF and Sumeru characters since Cyno is their uncle and the rest of the gang are their honorary uncles 😭 I'll be posting that once the series is done/all the requests are finished/I run out of ships and otps I enjoy

Here's an alternative version with some more info on most of the characters I wanted to briefly mention in their relation to them; Tyrian likes calling Eula his aunt too even though she was never really considered one for them so it's kind of like her unofficial title she pretends to dislike but she loves it and dotes on Tyrian 🤭 She and Diluc also helped train Zephra with a claymore and Diluc kind of became a parental figure to her in her teen years after Lisa's passing 🥺 She also feels like she's outshined by Jean and that she's not smart or powerful enough to follow in Lisa's footsteps (something that Lisa wouldn't want anyways bc it led her to her death 😔) rip zephra she's just like me fr

And yeah some Kaeya angst bc he's still going thru it I fear, and Jean is single mombossing but she's worried for zephra which me too dawg, im afraid to say she might be cooked 😦 Zephra is also kind of like a weird mix of Lisa when she was her age and Jean, where overall she's well-mannered and kind but she can be competitive and feel the need to push herself too much and pull a few strings to get what she wants from time to time. Tyrian is a ray of sunshine tho, he has not yet witnessed the horrors 💔 I do think that Jean is also a lot easier on him than her mom was with her so that also helps. He's very shy tho and wants to stick with Zephra or Razor most of the time, and they both have some nasty tan lines from going out with Razor and Klee and Fischl a lot 😔 Cyno also freaking loves them and dotes on them and Tyrian is getting a TCG addiction because of it smh, Cyno is also one of Zephra's favorite people and when she's in Sumeru she stays with him and Alhaitham (bc in my universe they are married ough I love cytham)

And (I think?) Klee physically and mentally ages slower than humans so I think she'd be technically 9 or 10, and Zephra is left with babysitting duty most of the time if she's home on break or smth 😭 Klee really looks up to her tho

Also, I wrote Tyrian's last bullet point like he was super young when Lisa died, but I think he was around 7 so he actually remembers Lisa better than I intended it to sound, he was just younger than Zephra (who was 11 at the time) and just didn't have as much time with her as Zeph did, but his most fond memory of Lisa was reading with her and she probably taught them some potion-making skills too.

I think there will be some abyss angst in here too at some point, since I hc Lisa to be probably an Abyss Lector/Harold (I forget which is which) um so thinking that Zeph and Tyrian experiencing some not normal things happening and Jean doesn't know what to do since Lisa also didn't really know what that dog in her was until it was too late 😔 That's what Kaeya's for tho since he's like the heir of the abyss???? Go off king. Also some touchy ragbros angst bc Kaeya is scared for Zeph knowing how close she is with Luc and he doesn't want him to push her away because of her being from the abyss or smth (they mostly made up but it's still a fear in Kaeya's mind both for him and Jean's kids)

I think that's all I wanted to touch on for now?? Mainly just thinking about domestic fluff and angst all the time now 🥺 Zeph not being able to be open with Jean bc she feels like a disappointment but Jean would literally actually die for her and shes proud of her no matter what ough im going to lose my freak dawg guess who my favorite fankid is it's super hard ik

Send me asks or dms or whatever for more ship requests!!! I'm having so much fun with this dawg 🫶🏻

[moronkyne]

David and Asher Headcanons

(not a ship post…yet)

🐺David;

- Always stood with his hands crossed. It doesn’t help that he has an RBF and a scar on his lip. He looks hella intimidating. (Asher and Milo mock him for it)

- I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but hey, ima be so honest rn…David gets me views. David and his black slicked back hair—Falls two inches over his shoulders, strands loose and slightly waved (Assuming he has straight hair)

- Has some grey hair. Angel begs him not to dye it and RIGHTFULLY SO! He has shines of silver in his facial hair

- Has learned a thing or two from Milo’s cooking though he will never admit it.

- “No. I won’t peel the crust off—” and he does it anyways

- Sideburns. He’s a hairy man (/pos) so. Yeah.

- His favorite high school class happened to be Home EC. Or Business and Marketing strategies. He took these by his own free will.

(you guys used up all my David juice…I can’t think of any rn)

Asher under the cut;

🍊Asher;

- Would/Has played “Wolves life” (or whatever it’s called) on Roblox with Angel (His wolf is neon colors and is probably named “Shadow”, he likes to mock David’s voice and very loudly RP with Angel instead of using the chat.)

- Genuinely loves Lady Gaga.

- He’s actually got a very healthy thing going on with his family. (I see him as adopted and or a surrogate baby <3)

- Amazing at Just Dance, I gotta say it.

- Has a lot of hair. Not necessarily that he’s hairy, but I think he does have QUITE A BIT head hair…yet struggles to grow facial hair

- Long ass nails that he needs to trim.

- Tie-Dyd shirts 24/7 or the button ups that have the pattern of a roller rinks flooring.

- I’ve seen a lot of Vitiligo Asher and I ADORE IT SO MUCH but also, imagine if it’s a birth mark? It slowly fades as he gets older and he used to hate it…bad as he grows he begins to miss it.

- Smells like citrus and clean laundry (bonus; calls it “Laundry Sauce”)

- Gets hella lightheaded 24/7 (DRINK WATER YOU FUCKING IDIOT.)

Random;

Asher; “Are we about to k—”

Asher Talbot was killed by David Shaw

THESE ARE DEPICTIONS OF A CHARACTER NAMED “XADEN RIORSON” FROM THE BOOKS FOURTH WING AND IRON FLAME. THIS IS MOSTLY HOW I SEE DAVID SHAW.

[anistarrose]

It's a little thing, and an underdiscussed thing — because it's a choice I appreciate their story for not doing, rather than one of the cherished wonderful things that it does do — but one of my favorite things about Barry and Lup's love story is this:

It's a mutual pining story that doesn't pull the "no platonic explanation for this" card.

It doesn't mock the mere concept of caring, devoted gestures possibly being platonic.

No one insists to Lup or Barry that their crush must like them back romantically, because "they wouldn't do X for just a friend."

Barry and Lup take their time getting together, take their time feeling comfortable and confident getting together... and it's fine. It's sweet, and it's the right choice for them. It's not a laughingstock.

Perhaps, you could argue that The Stolen Century just doesn't use this trope because of how tight the pacing is. Because Lup and Barry are technically supporting characters; because there just wasn't time for scenes like that. But I would counter that the lack of this trope also makes profound, thematic, characterization-level sense.

Because who gives Barry romantic advice, in canon? Who's obviously Lup's closest emotional confidante? Taako. Who has incredibly close, intense platonic relationships of his own with Lup and Barry. He'd hug them, he'd cook for them, he'd always be looking to spend more time with them, he'd teach them things with the utmost patience! He'd save their ass in a fight, and worry about them while they recovered from their injuries! He'd do it in distinctly Taako ways, not the Barry way or the Lup way — and crucially, they'd do the same for him!

So, why would Taako insist on fitting acts of care and devotion into a strictly romantic mold, when he performs them platonically, and sees them returned platonically? Increasingly with Barry, but especially and always with Lup — his heart? I truly can't see him pulling a "friends don't do that" for any reason other than his own potential insecurity, about the strength of his platonic bonds — a fascinating concept to explore, but one that his sister and dear friend are uniquely equipped to see through, and call out.

We don't just have to focus on Taako. I don't think the argument is even exclusive to him — the Starblaster as a whole is full of intense platonic and familial bonds. By the time that the Blupjeans pining is in full swing, 17-plus cycles in, everyone on that ship has grown indescribably close with people that they hold no romantic feelings for. I mean, come on — the platonic cuddle-pile game onboard has got to be insane.

A "no platonic explanation for that" from any of them would be... well, weird, and would draw attention! And probably say more about their own mental state than it would say about Lup and Barry's relationship! What it wouldn't say is that "friends don't do that" is by any means true.

It probably goes without saying: among mutual pining stories where at least one other character acts as a wingperson, Blupjeans is so unique in this regard. And personally, as an aromantic person who's passionate and loud about the platonic love that I experience — or more broadly, as someone who just doesn't like people making assumptions about my relationships — the lack of this trope is so refreshing, honestly. Truthfully, a really understated complement to the way that Lup, while loving Barry with her whole heart, reaffirms that Taako is her heart — defying that norm that platonic, familial relationships be placed below romantic ones.

[dazais-secret-smut-stash]

10 Seroroki Fic Recs

Reviving this account to share some Seroroki fic recs, since us rarepair shippers are always in desperate need of more! This is also unofficially for @girlkiss3rr since they were asking for Seroroki fic recs a while back :)

Talk Nerdy to Me by Madame_Hatter and octobot

E | 20k | 10/10 | fluff and humor, smut, modern au, college au, sero is a tech support guy, shouto is horrible with technology, cue the romance

This is probably my favorite Seroroki fic ever. I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve reread it several times and it brings me joy every time. My original review: It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s fluffier than cotton candy… I read the whole thing in one sitting. I regret nothing.

Sticky Fingers by Bellamia

E | 53k | 13/13 | modern au, camboy Sero, virgin Shouto, lots of smut

I’ve reread this fic a couple times and it never disappoints. There’s a bit of angst later in the fic but it gets resolved quickly. There’s also a lot of smut and daddy kink so if that’s not your thing, maybe try a different fic on the list.

Want To Ruin Christmas? by kerosenecrushh

T | 7k | one shot | modern au, college au, fake dating, pure fluff, gay panic

Full disclosure, this is my fic. I just finished writing it today! Features Sero and Shouto fake-dating for Christmas to piss off Enji.

Five times Hanta wore what he wanted and one time he wore what Shouto wanted by cat_and_dog_by_txt_is_literally_iconic

E | 18k | 6/6 | crossdressing, 5+1 things, smut, light angst (about the crossdressing)

Very well-written Hanta-centric fic. I love that top Todoroki is implied since I hardly ever see that with this ship. My only gripe is that they never got to actual penetrative sex even though it was hinted at a few times, but other than that the fic was incredible. In particular, the reactions from other characters about Hanta wearing more “feminine” clothes were really realistic and captured the range of responses other than “boys don’t wear that!!!!!!” His internal conflict was really well-done too— even though he never got the negative response he was always bracing himself for (to the best of my memory), I like that those insecurities that society as a whole gave him were still present. All around amazing fic, highly recommend.

4 A.M. and You’re Smokin’ Hot by octobot

E | 5k | one shot | modern au, bad cooking, they’re neighbors, smut

Can confirm, burnt kale chips are sent directly from hell itself. This was adorable, awkward, and hot all in one.

talk dirty to me by arxaris

E | 10k | one shot | dirty talk, smut, humor and smut

Todoroki playing dumb for sexy reasons is so genius of him ong. I keep rereading this, send help.

Ice Cold by kerosenecrushh

E | 3k | one shot | kinktober, temperature play, blindfolds, switching, smut

Another one of mine! I wrote this for Kinktober with the premise of temperature play. Takes place post sports festival.

like a good neighbor by arxaris

E | 60k | 7/? | phone sex operator au, lots of smut, humor, dumbass gays (affectionate)

Although it’s incomplete, this fic is so cute and sexy. I was screaming at my phone so many times while reading it. Dumbass x dumbass slow burn <3

Manga and Chill by kerosenecrushh

M | 2k | one shot | shotgunning, making out, miscommunication for humor purposes, almost smut but not quite

I wrote this one too! Features an invitation to “manga and chill” and a pining Shouto who doesn’t pick up on the hint

Send Nudes by arxaris

E | 12k | one shot | chatfic, sexting, humor, fluff, smut

Ah, the fic that got me into Seroroki. My original review: Stayed up until like 5 am reading this, giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. I’m not usually a fan of chatfics, but man. This one was adorable.

[theshippirate22]

I have a theory

listen up bitches (gender neutral) (affectionate) i’ve been cooking this for an incredibly long time and i’m very very excited to share it but it is gonna be long so i’m putting it under a cut

my theory is that there has been a new set of archetypes created by popular m/m media either in canon or coding and i would love if it was more widely recognized by a distinct name so here we go:

I present to you: The Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill Boyfriends™️ Theory

i need to preface this by saying that i am absolutely not an english major or expert but i have done so much analysis that i’m 98% positive i’m on to something here

so usually mlm ships- at least in my experience- get boiled down into typical Grumpy x Sunshine, Golden Retriever x Black Cat, or like. Babygirl x Badass. and i hate that because those are like really watered down hetero romance stereotypes and i think queer people deserve to get our own archetypes instead of trying to force queer characters into prepaid boxes but that’s a story for another day so:

basically, all content with widely accepted mlm ships (even if they are more in coding than in canon) has this pattern with the ship that fits into Mirrorball x Running Up That Hill

(name pending- open to suggestions)

Boyfriend No.1 of course is the epitome of Mirrorball by Taylor Swift (i know, i know. bear with me here). He’s constantly trying to prove himself and his worth and usually he’s driven to hide or overcome 1-3 specific and intense insecurities/character flaws. He often has innate loyalty to a system or person who has repeatedly abused/neglected/abandoned him and thinks that this treatment is a result of his own character rather than a reflection of the abuser. In relation to the plot and audience, this is the “more dangerous” of the two because he’s so desperate to hold onto the status quo that he’ll often act in a way that makes things more difficult for himself, often by leaving Boyfriend No. 2, sacrificing himself, or doing “the wrong thing.” He also commonly has an older male figure that is breathing down his neck constantly, haunting his perceived inadequacies, and fueling his self-loathing. He’s constantly mischaracterized because he’s either boiled down to “the silly one” or a visage of his trauma and the people that relate to love these characters are usually extremely sad people. Usually this character is also the “mean girl” of the couple.

Examples of the Mirrorball boyfriend: Dean Winchester, Aziraphale, Stede Bonnet, Lucius Spriggs, Sherlock Holmes, Eddie Munson, Mike Wheeler, Prince Rupert, etc.

Boyfriend No. 2 then, is the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend, based of course, on the song by the same name by the perfect Kate Bush. He’s the one that’s seen The Horrors™️ and gained a layer of cynicism that Mirrorball doesn’t have. He was once loyal to something that used/hurt him but he rejected it and used his newfound freedom to restructure his entire personality and reach his much higher potential. Usually, he has passed so far from having a few insecurities to perceiving himself as utterly worthless and unlovable but he’s so convinced that it doesn’t even haunt him, he just goes with it and usually comes off looking overly-confident or cocky. This is The Bitch (affectionate)™️. There’s probably a scene of him covered in blood. This is The Girls’ favorite blorbo and ultimate whump. He tends to be really good with kids and he’s the kind of character that would and often has to CLAW a life out for himself by his fingernails.

Examples of the Running Up That Hill Boyfriend: Castiel, Crowley, Ed Teach, Black Pete, John Watson, Steve Harrington, Will Byers, Prince Amir, etc.

unfortunately i haven’t seen a lot of popular queer stuff so if you can think of other mlm or mlm shaped characters that fit into these archetypes please please please tell me

i’m specifically curious about:

-Hannigram (Hannibal)

-Buddy (911) (@criminally-obsessed if you would mind weighing in but obviously no pressure)

-Lokius (Loki) (@henderdads same thing)

-Any of the marauders but specifically WolfStar

-Stucky (MCU)

-RWRB (i’m so sorry i don’t remember the guys’ names)

-Nick and Charlie (Heartstopper)

-What We Do In the Shadows has one I think?

-literally anyone else please and thank you 🙏🙏 love you all

if you want like explicit examples of each piece for a character lmk for sure because i could talk about this all day long

[literallyjusthereformods]

Mod folder's cooked still, sharing photos of my sims from my gallery.

Not my preferred method, but I'm dying to share them! So anyways here's a mega photo dump.

Cade E Cherrypop! (Normal/Ruined)

My love for sentient entertainment animatronics is one that will forever remain unshaken. Cade E Cherrypop is the sentient android mascot of Cade E Arcade! (Thx to the new chibi preset by @sdmsims, another little mascot will be along shortly as a friend)

After society collapses due to a zombie-apocalypse-plus, the arcade falls into ruin, and Cade E eventually reawakens in the ruins in her second withered form, sun-bleached, dirty and damaged.

Xelleen Wisher

Xelleen Wisher's a gaming streamer in this world's analog to Twitch! Despite his anxiety disorder, he does his best to put up an optimistic and energetic persona for his audience. He really loves cute things, especially cats and small collectibles! He's also very, very good at videogames, dabbling in speed runs and challenge runs.

Xelleen was created by me as a very positive character. He combines physical traits that are painted as a stereotypical "neckbeard" image (acne, overweightness) with features of the "gamergirl" aesthetic (cute clothes, makeup, lots of pink.) He stands as his own person, defined by neither stereotype.

The bottom/last pic of the three shows his face without his makeup on!!

Steelie Buzzkill

(Wouldn't Be Possible Without @sdmsims's Anime Mod!!!)

Ordered as an Incarnate (an Incarnate is a special type of android commissioned to be a real-word version of a fictional character) of somebody's OC, Steelie's shipment was intercepted after the law recognizing android sentience was passed. His company dumped him and his peers on the side of the road near a rural town.

Since he was freed before artificial memories were programmed into him, he doesn't know what character he's intended to be, and he really doesn't WANT to know.

He works at IHopTopic, the compound store that exists because in this universe, IHop and Hot Topic had some sort of business deal from hell that led to a combined location.

(Between you and me, his design SOMEBODY's fannon ship child OC, but I won't say more than that, nor do the medias his parents are from exist irl.)

The rest will just be character images with short descriptions. I'll likely make individual posts later on going in more depth!!

Torren's a model! He models both clothes and makeup.

Torren's photographer, and general voice of reason. They're bascially buddies.

Aniyo loves hanging out in malls and drawing fanart for their favorite animes. Above all though, they love animals!! Their aspiration is to be a rescue caretaker for animals that need them.

A small trunked rodent I created called a 'rummager.'

It's too bad I'm missing the cc for this one, because I'd love to show their whole design in CAS. I really like this one. They have a lot to do with a certain collapse plotline.

Owner of a tattoo shop. VERY supportive of their artists, and probably one of the best bosses ever.

Tattoo artist working for Crim.

Another one of Crim's hired tattoo artists!

Third tattoo artist out of four in Crim's tattoo shop. (The fourth one's too short to show in gallery, sorry.)

Runaway teen after something really bad happened at home. Navigating the post-collapse hellscape with her horse.

Apex Zombie who's territory spans an entire abandoned city. It's antenna syncs up to the abandoned traffic cams, giving it eyes all over the urban ruins. As a side effect, the old digital billboards flicker to life in monochromatic imagery when it approaches.

@ssspringroll because I definitely used some of your CC in this. Idr where, but I DEFINETELY did. Also, you're one of my favorite creators, thank you for existing <3

[fumifooms]

i know you aren't really into marcille/laios any longer, but since you went looking online for dungeon meshi doujins, did you happen to find any other marcille/laios ones? (funnily enough at the convention i was at a couple weeks back they had like five, but they were extremely over-exaggerated and personally i prefer my fan content relatively in character...)

Ok first of all: Yeah listen laimar doesn’t have a grip on me anymore but I still quite enjoy it! Just more passively… Altho I do have an analysis that focuses a lot on the importance they hold to each other in my early stage wips drafts, and listen in canon I do think they’re queerplatonic flavored, call me an ot3 qpr truther because Laios Marcille and Falin have a something going on and it transcends being put into a box. But hey hey I reblog laimar artworks I bought that recent doujin I put laimar fics in my -checks- 106 pages long to-read list… Also I have like 5 pages of fanfic prompts for them I may or may not get to writing. Though yeah I do feel bad whenever I notice people following after liking all my laimar posts haha

Sadly to get to the meat of the topic, not really… I don’t go to cons for lack of opportunity so whatever I find is through online. The one I got is The Fourth Basement Floor, it has an english ver and seems so so very in character I can’t wait to get it! Otherwise I’ve looked on Otakurepublic & Doujinrepublic since I use their services for merch from Japan, warning if you click on the link, there are 18+ ones and covers can be pretty explicit. I don’t remember any other laimar one except the one nsfw one I think, but on the plus side there are a lot of gen no ships doujins. I’m bothered because looking back I feel like the catalogue of doujins was wider when I looked all those months ago and it feels like I’m forgetting something hmm… I wish I could help more, but yeah 😔 Pixiv has many laimar comics up (in japanese) if that sates the hunger any

As consolation since I’m already here, why not show some of my laimar things laying around gathering dust I’m fond of. Don’t look if you don’t want to be spoiled for fics I may or may not write I guess? All down below is just laimar prompts

I spoke about some various ones and esp my timeline where she gets him into Daltian Clan here. "Laios… I was wondering, because you enjoy fantasy stories right? I was wondering if you’d like to give my favorite book series a go… It has monsters!" I love love love post-canon laimar where he gets the habit of chewing on her hair because he’s stimming and hungry. Like a goat.

Laios goes to Marcille for love advice.  "You like someone?! Do I know them?" She eagerly asked. "Erm… Yes…?" // Post-canon. He’s so nervous and puts his foot in his mouth n lets things slip out that he thought would give him away. (Comic) "You like someone??! What are they like? Who are they?" And he’s like "Well… She’s a half-elf." He’s like shit she’ll probably know right away. And she goes still. "I’ve never met another half-elf!! We’re so rare! You’re saying you met one and didn’t tell me???!" She’s shaking him. And then she goes still again, contempt drawing on her face. "Wait… Are you asking me for advice because I’m a half-elf?" Laios runs with it "Yes!! And because you’re so savvy with romance and what people like…? If, uh, if you were a half-elf, what would you like to get as a gift? What sort of confession would you want?" "… You saved it there. Okay so since I’m so knowledgeable on romance, tell me what is she like?" "-describes Marcille-" She nods, smug yet oblivious. "Aah I can already tell we’d be great friends. Good taste." (then Thinking bubble with him giving her flowers at a restaurant "Did you know roses are edible and used in recipes", candlelit dinner, or wait maybe the most romantic is cooking together alone at home, chocolate! It’s expensive though… Wait I’m king now!)

Lil comic, Laios wakes up snuggled against Marcille’s back then promptly falls off the bed. The noise makes Marcille wake up and she’s like omg are u ok?? Laios is so sweaty and panicked and in denial about her being special to him.  She explains, disgruntled at the memory "Izutsumi is bunking in with Chilchuck again, they’re taking the whole bedrolls." Pause. "Sorry, I should have told you, but you like sleeping with Izutsumi too so I figured…" She looked sheepish. "Between you and Senshi, I much prefer sleeping with you. It feels sort of nostalgic, like a sleepover, no?" He relaxes and gets in the bed again, smiling. "But… We’ve never had a sleepover?" She chuckles "I guess not. I must be getting that impression because of Falin…" And the air between them is warm yet bittersweet now, as she smiles like that and his eyes and smile cloud over. The earlier instinctive reluctance to touch is gone now. She snuggles into his arms and is like "Hug me?" "Okay." And he does, wraps his arms around her and tucks his chin over her head.

Post canon, marcille takes him to a squid restaurant. Cute lighthearted hehe. He sulks "If there are any parasites in this I will ban squid from this kingdom or so help me…"

Short post canon fluff marcille pov about laios gaining weight n becoming chubby. She used to dream of chiseled abs and angular elves, laios in every way, shape and form is so far from the beauty standards she idealized so. And yet… She loves how soft sleeping against him is, how much there’s more of him for her to hug and nuzzle her face in. She loves seeing him and seeing someone strong, who isn’t malnourished or underweight, someone healthy with color in their skin. An healthy appetite. He used to look more like a rectangle, severe and strict, but now he looked rounder, and seeing him smile at her always made her feel like that roundness suited him. She smiled back, and melted thinking about how her boyfriend was the sweetest in the world. ^I still wanna do this one really bad. Sometimes a fic premise comes from nowhere and puts you in a chokehold and you must finish it to obtain catharsis

Short oneshot about laios musing about Marcille’s smile, how important it is to him in subtle ways etc: Ends with Laios being like wait there’s something off (succubus). Then he grabbed her throat. Or smth

Laios seeing her dungeon like "this is so wrong Marcille you can’t run a dungeon for shit" and also "WHAT ARE THESE HORRORS OF MONSTERS NOO THEY CAN’T BE EFFECTIVE LIKE THAT"

Dinner for two: Very warm. Marcille and Laios are meeting up and cooking a dinner just for them both, no one else is there. They’re being so domestic and it’s light. Laios pauses at some point, doing the dishes, saying… I’ve always worried, thinking doing things like these would remind me of my parents.

Laios doesn’t know what to do when he realizes he actually *likes* likes Marcille, so he avoids her. Everyone notices and is disapproving of him.

Her mana acts up and she shares her dream with someone, kinda like with Izutsumi. Listen the premise could be smutty but I think it’d be more fun if they just hanged out n were silly, like the nightmares chapter without the nightmare

Laimar pining but from the view of Chilchuck, his love hatred sensing a storm brewing. The giggling, the looks. Ugh! It reminded him of himself and his wife when they were young and newly dating.

I love Laios and Izu being worsties so. Laios sees izutsumi rubbing her scent on marcille’s clothes and gets possessive. Maybe Golden Kingdom maybe something else I have no clue but Laios being ridiculous and cheek rubbing or something <3

I might want to do an AU where Laios gets into werebeast ring fighting, before canon and the split happens after he deserts the military. So he’s alone, has nothing going for him and stumbles into that sphere and gets werebeast tattoos done. It doesn’t make him happier at all and fighting sucks actually, but it brings money and he likes being a beast and being cheered by a crowd aka illusion of being liked, and money brings food and eating is the privilege of the living etc etc. So then when he goes to check on Falin at the academy it’s a big AU where he has a whole other reputation and look to him, and when he meets izutsumi their relationship is different and aaaaaa… He’s freeer in this au, lets himself be animalistic and weird, even though ofc the arc is him letting himself be more human as well and connecting with humans, through talking and infodumping n shit. Oh I went off but the laimar is because it’s inspired by cool laimar art here (warning tho it’s an art dump with toudencest also 😔) but werewolf Laios laimar AUs… A lotta fun stuff there idk idk

[sauron-kraut]

Get to know your Mutuals

Thank you for tagging me @perlen-gold! 🖤

What's the origin of your blog's title? @lvsifer and I were talking about a certain Middle-Earth cookbook with some truly funky recipes, unfortunately there were none for Mairon so we were like... What would he eat? He would definitely be into eating raw meat. Mettbrötchen are a German specialty, basically a bread roll with butter and minced raw pork (yes, you heard that right), preferably with pepper and red onions. So Mairon's Mettbrötchen was born - doesn't it just fuck phonetically?

Favorite Fandoms: The Silm fandom 🖤 I have never been truly active in any other fandom.

OTP(s) + shipname: Angbang (Mairon/Melkor). Most other ships I love/like are fucked up in a way that makes OTP sound wrong to describe them (not that an OTP can't have a fucked up dynamic of course!).

Favorite color: red, black, gold, rusty colors, yellow

Favorite game: Not a a gamer person.

Song stuck in your head:

Weirdest habit/trait? Super randomly talking to myself when I'm alone at home? Could be pieces of dialogue I'm planning for a fic, could be imaginary discussion scenarios with friends or coworkers... you name it.

Hobbies: Writing.

If you work, what's your profession? I'm a linguist specializing in language change, particularly grammatical change. I don't currently work in that field though; I work at a technical university in event management and student recruiting.

If you could have any job you wish what would it be? I'd work as a linguist and teach at university again.

Something you're good at: Learning languages quickly, imitating native accents in languages (other than English, probably due to my idgaf attitude when it comes to that, so have a weird mix of different accents in English mixed with a very slight German and Dutch accent. lol), teaching, public speaking, being thoughtful with gifts, cooking

Something you're bad at: Remembering birthdays, sometimes texting back, sometimes cleaning, MATH (oh god)

Something you excel at: being anxious, overthinking, understanding how languages are structured and applying this to learning them

Something you love: reading, poetry, writing, my apartment, partying, various altered states of consciousness from time to time, dancing, 80s music, techno, prosecco, cooking, food, Berlin, fandom, my mom, my friends, traveling

Something you could talk about for hours without off the cuff: linguistics, language change, The Silm

Something you hate: coriander and water melon

Something you collect: Nothing really that comes to mind.

Something you forget: birthdays, appointments

What's your love language? The concept of love languages has its problems but if I just use this to describe how I do express my love: giving cute gifts, cooking for people, listening to them, open communication, spending quality time together

Favorite movie/show: LOTR and MANY more, show: DARK, Sense8, The Sinner

Favorite food: so many different soups, kebap, pizza, STEAK, schnitzel, peruvian food, birria tacos

Favorite animal: three-toed sloth

Are you musical? I know how to play the saxophone and I did so decently. But I wouldn't say I'm musical.

What were you like as a child? I have to quote @perlen-gold here: An insufferable know-it-all.

Favorite subject at school? German, English, philosophy, biology

Least favorite subject? MATHS. And PE.

What's your best character trait? I'm honest and good at communicating openly.

What's your worst character trait? Avoidant behavior, procrastinating literally everything

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? I would make the sun rise again so it doesn't feel like another of those depressing winter nights.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? I can't think of anyone I'd genuinely want to meet.

Recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!):

elektra by @lvsifer. What a masterpiece. Also please have a look at the fanfics I recommended here!

Last but not least, show your favorite fanart of your favorite character(s) (please remember to credit/add links!):

Mairon by @lvsifer

So many more art from talented and skilled artists that I love, but I had to make a decision here and this one will haunt me forever 🖤

✨Tagging @crackinthecup, @cilil, @elevenelvenswords, @admirably-abhorrent, @tauw-nu-fuin, @peasant-player, @blauerregen and @lvsifer

[quill-firefly]

The Sight of Stars Through a Gilded Cage (SG TFOne AU Fanfic)

I have finished all the training to secure my job so I am officially employed now, yippee.

I am very tired skskks I am writing this after an entire day of job training, which isn't good cause my brain is very tired and words are hard. But I wanted to write something that will make me at least a little happy (as a treat for the long exhausting day).

To help in reading, essentially there's three sections. First section is the present, second section is the past, and third section is like really far back in the past. So it's chronologically backwards.

Anyway, as can be apparent from most of my Shattered Glass fics which feature Starscream, I am a father/mentor-figure Starscream truther (at least for TFOne and thank you storyboards for feeding that agenda hahaha). On Tumblr, since I did receive two new writing requests about platonic yanderes, I'm writing this fic as a sort of indulgence for myself and to help practice writing platonic yanderes (cause different vibes from romantic yanderes). Now, why did I write this in the Shattered Glass AU instead of just the normal universe? Because I like making SG!Megatron suffer (this is what happens to my favorite characters lmao). Also I need to practice in writing SG!Starscream because I prefer to have my SG TFOne AU keep some semblance of their canonical personality and I feel I might be leaning too much into the SG comics for inspiration instead of the TFOne characters themselves.

Also, it's not that important but I do ship Starscream and Megatronus Prime now (even though they never interact in the movie because one of them is dead HAHAHA) because I don't know I feel like those two probably worked closely together before Megatronus Prime died (and because there's no Skyfire in TFOne so I can't go to my automatic ship HAHAHA). I only point this out cause it's in the tags, and also Starscream can't help but see Megatronus Prime in Dee (mostly because I keep seeing those silly posts on Tumblr where people joke Dee is Megatronus Prime's secret love child and it makes me laugh at the thought - and it isn't helped that my SG!Megatron could fly and technically modelled his transformation cog after Starscream's… so ya know the accidental implication I have made is funny). Also also, I saw a Tumblr post (WHICH I LOST DAMNIT BUT GOD WHOEVER POSTED THAT COOKED) where like they compared Startronus as Rose x Pearl and Megatron as Steven and it was so good skskksksk

Also this is somewhat related to "The Prime from Another Universe" but not really, I'm just using the same concept of Dee wanting to leave Cybertron and just travel the stars - but here he's guilt-tripped into staying.

TW: Platonic Yandere Stuff

When you are banished from the only home you’ve ever known, where do you go?

Dee thought he had a home.

Pax had been his home.

Then he met Prime, and Dee realized he never had a home. 

He had carved a place for himself inside Pax’s spark and called it home, but to the other mech, Dee would never have been enough. He had wanted more, not that Dee could resent him for it now. It was for the best that they parted.

Pax could have his dream, and Dee could have his.

Yet even now, the stars continue to slip through his digits.

Was it the moral core in his processor that grounded him, or the golden cage he’d willingly chosen to enter?

Now… Dee thought that wasn’t fair.

After he had fruitlessly battled Pax to save a mech Dee didn’t think deserved to live anyway, Starscream had generously taken him in knowing that the rough terrain of the surface would have eventually killed him.

Dee was not a survivor. Never had been.

He had followed Sentinel’s words without doubt. He kept his helm low, and never questioned the system they had been placed within.

Pax was the survivor.

That’s why Primus chose him.

And it’s why Pax would never have stayed with Dee. He would have never settled for a life he thought he didn’t deserve.

Even with the rule of a new Prime, there was nothing stopping Dee from leaving. The Quintessons had been defeated. All that remained was Optimus Prime and the tyranny he posed.

He couldn’t leave though.

He owed too much to the High Guard to abandon them.

He owed it to Starscream. After everything, he owed it to him the most…

Besides, he already asked Starscream once.

He tried to ask.

Once.

—

Starscream couldn’t help but keep both his optics on his new responsibility.

Starscream had been older than Dee when he had first applied to the High Guard. It had been a decision he had made, and a choice he would never regret. He had chosen to fight for the planet he loved.

A war was no place for a mech so young.

When Starscream could force his anger down, even he felt sorry for the new Prime. Ambitious as Orion Pax may have been, Starscream knew the young mech was not ready for the responsibility of being a Prime and the Matrix-holder.

The Thirteen Primes had been vastly older and Starscream had to deal with their tantrums.

Well not all of them.

Megatronus had been…

He had been wonderful.

The kindest and strongest mech he had ever known. A true warrior of both the body and the spark. Starscream would have laid down his life for his Prime if Megatronus had ever allowed him to.

How many lunar cycles did they spend together? Megatronus Prime would always whisper to him - as though it was their secret - that he wished his fellow Primes were not so wrathful and so power hungry.

Starscream missed him—

“Starscream?”

He shook his helm, forcing a scowl to his faceplate as he turned to the younger mech. They were both in the medical bay, and if Dee hadn’t been the medic assigned during this particular joor, Starscream might have put up more of a fight. He never did like being grounded. Also, it didn’t help that the only other medic around was Shockwave who would have fussed over Starscream as if he was a sparkling and not the Commander of the High Guard.

“What? I told you and those pain-in-the-aft trine brothers of mine that the scratches in my wings did not need repairs!” It had been nothing more than a scuffle between him and one of the Prime’s scouts. Really, Thundercracker and Skywarp had given him more pain by dragging him to the medical bay. “This is a waste of medical resources—”

“...That wasn’t what I was going to say.” Dee muttered, the words low in his vocoder that Starscream’s audials nearly missed it.

“Is your shift over? If it is then let me out, I don’t want to deal with Shockwave.” He rolled his optics. Shockwave’s high empathy was the reason why Starscream made him medic… but Primus knows that the other mech meddled too much.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say but… Starscream, as the leader of the High Guard, I don’t think it’s a waste to use our medical resources on you.” The younger mech’s blue optics met his own, a hardness in his eyes. “When I was a miner, medical supplies were abundant but it would cost us our energon rations if we were to be sent to the medical bay. I know you want to keep the High Guard functioning by conserving resources, but I don’t think depriving anyone of medical assistance will help. Especially if you deprive yourself, Commander.”

“Is that anyway to talk to your superior officer?” A growl tore through his vocoder, though both mechs knew it held no threat. 

He held too much of a softspark for his new responsibility.

“Starscream, you deserve to live for yourself too.”

‘You shouldn’t throw your life away for mine.’

Starscream nearly fell off the medical berth. He placed a servo to his helm, surprised to hear the voice of a mech long dead. Slowly, he turned his optics to a startled Dee, who watched him with a concerned gaze.

He hated that this wasn’t the first time Megatronus Prime’s ghost had come to haunt him.

He had spent fifty cycles trying to forget what he had lost, and yet all of that effort was thrown away the moment this… this…

Starscream hated how the young mech reminded him too much of Megatronus.

Maybe it was the stupid helm shape. 

But mostly it was the personality, and that they both had wanted a world where they could live in peace.

What Starscream hated the most was that he had allowed Dee to study his transformation cog, because now—

“Starscream?”

His processor halted in its thoughts, and Starscream remembered himself. He focused all his attention back on the younger mech - whose blue optics had lowered, as though the ground was suddenly interesting.

“What?” He couldn’t stop the irritation from seeping into his voice, though they both knew it was never real.

“Now that the war with the Quintessons is over… and if only because of you that I have the ability to transform and fly… I wanted…” The young mech finally met his optics, and a sense of dread made the spark in his chassis grow cold. “Forgive me, but I wish to leave Cybertron—”

“Have you lost your processor?!” His voice went shrill and before he knew it, his servos were gripping onto the younger mech’s shoulder pads, the metal creaking underneath his strength. “The Quintessons may not be attacking the surface of Cybertron, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t waiting in orbit!”

“You heard the decree they sent out. They won’t be coming back. Not after everything that Prime did.” Dee shuddered in his hold, though Starscream truly couldn’t tell if it was fear of the horrors they had witnessed the new Prime commit or if he was… scared of Starscream himself.

He loosened his grip, guilt already gnawing at his spark.

“We don’t know that.”

But Starscream did.

The death of the Thirteen Primes had incentivized the Quintessons into staying and forcing Sentinel into serving them. But with the return of a new Prime, one somehow worse than all thirteen combined, the Quintessons wouldn’t dare to come back. 

After all, they only forced Sentinel into serving their needs as penance for what the Thirteen Primes had done to them.

The Quintessons had never started the war, they weren’t about to stay for another one.

“Listen to me.” Starscream took his servos off of Dee’s shoulder, though he wanted nothing more to keep the younger mech close. “The Quintessons may have left, but they may still be lurking in Cybertronian airspace. You cannot leave Cybertron.”

“Starscream, with all due respect, I don’t believe that and I know you don’t either.”

At that comment, Starscream can’t help but sympathize with Prime. It was wrong, but Starscream did miss when the younger mech had been more agreeable and willing to go along with his words.

The confrontation with Sentinel had taught the young mech to be doubtful.

And that was good!

Starscream just… wished the younger didn’t show the same scrutiny towards his own authority.

“You want me to tell the truth? Then I will.” Starscream stood up from the medical berth, approaching the younger mech who held his ground.

There was no fear in Dee’s eyes, and Starscream was grateful for that. 

Even now, there was still some trust.

“The High Guard cannot afford to lose more mechs.”

Blue optics widened, surprise meeting the coldness that Starscream forced into his gaze.

Right now, he couldn’t be Dee’s friend.

He couldn’t even be a mentor.

Right now, if he wanted to ensure the younger mech stayed, then he needed to be a Commander.

“We have had our losses during our battle with the Quintessons, and while some Iaconians have defected to our side, we cannot afford to lose anymore.” He could feel guilt at using his dead comrades as his excuse, but Starscream could not let Dee leave. “You’re one of two medics right now. While we have new ones in training, we cannot lose you. Remember what it was like back when you were a miner, imagine what would have happened if they didn’t have a medic that could attend to you?”

It was a low blow, and from the horror in the younger mech’s optics, Starscream knew the question he had posed was not a hypothetical.

He let out a soft vent, reaching out to place a servo on the younger mech.

“The High Guard needs you.”

His grip tightened.

Megatronus would hate him for this.

But what had Dee said?

‘You deserve to live for yourself too.’

He had lost Megatronus cycles ago.

He was not about to lose his new ward too.

Starscream didn’t miss the flash of fear in Dee’s blue optics.

“I’ll stay.”

—

Optimus didn’t know loss until he had lost Dee.

That’s why when he had learned the bitterness of that feeling did he only recognize the look in that pathetic High Guard leader’s optics.

Loss.

Optimus knew the mech’s story.

The Thirteen Primes rarely kept records of their personal thoughts, but Optimus had been lucky enough to find one of Megatronus’ in the archives. Probably the only Prime who had the time since he was the weakest out of all of them.

There was a lot of information about that High Guard Commander in those records.

Perhaps, a bit too much.

The realization of the similar loss they both shared had only come when Optimus had accidentally come across Starscream and Dee on the surface.

He would usually send scouts, but Optimus had wanted to find the High Guard base for himself.

Optimus had hidden himself before the two mechs could spot him.

His spark had ached at the sight of Dee, but mostly he was confused because Dee looked different.

He wasn’t cogless for a start.

Optimus didn’t even have the time to wonder how that had happened - though his processor fleetingly recalled a conversation they had about replicating transformation technology - before his attention had been pulled towards Starscream.

Each time Dee’s optics would wander away from Starscream, the older mech would look at him with such affection that Optimus wanted to tear his helm from his frame.

But no, it was a different kind of affection.

It was one he had never really known. Cogless bots had grown up in the cold and dark of the mines, but Optimus recognized this affection from other mechs that had had the privilege of not being cogless.

It was the affection of a sire for their sparkling.

…He needed to save Dee.

[benny-the-spaceman]

DO YOU HAVE ANY LEGO MOVIE 1&2 CHARACTER HEADCANONS!?

HI ANON. YES. YES I DO.

A LOT ACTUALLY. I'll leave it the characters I do the most with for now BUT YES ANON I HAVE MANY HEADCANONS

Emmet:

Wasian (specifically japanese and white [totes not projecting])

Everything he likes is the most average response possible (basically canon) and people do use this constantly. If you want to know the most basic, agreeable sandwich to buy for someone you don't know, ask Emmet.

After TLM2, Emmet takes up gardening as a hobby. Of course he always had planty, but now he has an entire front garden. His favorite flowers are sunflowers and daisies.

Emmet is a surprisingly good singer! He doesn't sing much unless someone asks him too though. He was definitely in choir during high school.

Speaking of high school, Emmet was on the wrestling team. He never medalled or anything, but he was there.

Emmet has tried to learn other languages. That's the end of that conversation. He's monolingual.

The type of guy to make the most awkward jokes. Not in a weird way, just in an unfunny way. He tells those rly boring jokes that u at most half chuckle at but otherwise u just kinda stand there awkwardly and the conversation falls flat.

This isn't to say he *isn't* funny, he's just not funny when it comes to jokes. When he's just naturally speaking he's very entertaining to have conversations with.

Emmet is the master of pointless small talk.

Emmet's favorite food is waffles with whip cream and strawberries!

He secretly doesn't have his ACI certification but still handles concrete anyway. Tsk tsk

He's been in charge of a lot of reconstruction efforts after armamageddeon, really putting that construction background to use.

Emmet is wicked good at monopoly and uno but no one knows why.

He's tall and buff. this man is like pushing 6'7" and is jacked, that's hidden under a bit of chub though.

Emmet is a heavyweight drinker. No one knows why this is either. He can keep going for ages and he'll still act completely sober. Doesn't really like drinking though.

Benny:

Vietnamese

Youngest sibling haha, point and laugh

Not young though, this guy is like in his 50's

I am a firm believer in non-conventionally attractive Benny. Hair's a tangled mess, horrible fashion sense, you name it. Also he smells bad. No one has or probably will dissuade me from this. Sorry to mars specifically

Often spends days at a time working on projects, often with little to no sleep. When he focuses he *focuses*. This ties back to the previous statement about him.

Absolutely stacked education. Phd in aerospace engineering and a certified welder, mahcinist, pilot, and avionic technician. He does it all.

He may be smart but he is not a good cook. If he serves you glop do not eat it you will get the worst food poisoning of your life, Lord knows how he survives.

Has a pet miniature automated mirror cart named Castor. This is how he gets food and drink during his several day work periods.

Metalbeard is his best friend! They have Tuesday draft reviewing sessions where they show their latest ideas and critique each other. Despite the major differences in what they do, these critique sessions help both of them improve.

They also have tea parties with Unikitty. Unikitty tends to convince Metalbeard to participate in shenanigans and Metalbeard tends to force Benny into those same shenanigans. When those 3 are together it's an omen.

Metalbeard:

He's my favorite. The URL wouldn't make you think so but he is.

Wicked good dancer. The robotic body does not hinder his ability to do a fun little jig.

Metalbeard has had 3 ships, his parent's old ship, the first ship he built himself, and the sea cow.

He's stubborn as a mule. Once his head is set on something you will not convince him out of it.

Does not have any official education. He's a 15th century pirate for crying out loud.

Swears...Surprisingly little? He's a pirate so you'd expect him to have a pretty bad sailor mouth but no. He's pretty tame in that regard.

His favorite food is pineapple

Not a big risk-taker. Firm believer of calculated decision making. I mean it's in the rules of the sea: Always abandon a lost cause. He isn't looking for fights all willy nilly.

Old as shit. I covered it in my thread on Metalbeard's ship but based on the age of it he's several centuries old.

Unlike Benny, Metalbeard is quite good with and also quite likes newer technology. His 15th century currack has a steampipe coming out of it for a reason.

Knows Spanish and Portuguese.

When he was younger, he used to go fishing with his parents very often. He doesn't get to go as much now, but he tries to go fishing with them at least a couple times a year.

The one thing he misses the most about having his limbs is swimming. His present-day body being made of wood and metal doesn't it make it very amicable to swimming. He'd kill to paddle around in the ocean again.

Unikitty:

Incredibly mischievous. Has a habit of roping people into little pranks or games.

Eats mostly sugar

Misses her homeland often. She doesn't talk about it much, but she wishes constantly to have Cloud Cuckooland back. As much as she tries not to hold it against GCBC and Lord Business, she does.

Surprisingly strong. She can lift Metalbeard in his full robotic body like it's nothing.

Impromptu cuddles are her jam. If Unikitty is rushing towards you, it's a 50/50 shot of whether if she wants a hug or if she wants to tackle you like a linebacker.

Has a diary that she does not let anyone touch. Except Wyldstyle.

Her, Wyldstyle, and Mayhem have girls nights where they mostly just hang out build stuff together. They more or less are used for talking about their feelings, Wyldstyle started them after she realized none of them had particularly good outlets for their emotions.

Unikitty's tail is edible.

Sometimes Unikitty will glow if she's having a good day.

Unikitty can speak every language. She was just born that way.

Sometimes Unikitty feels as if people don't take her seriously, mostly on account of being a cat. This does bug her a lot but she tries not to let it get to her.

Unikitty's favorite thing to do is make people happy (:

She gives Benny haircare tips constantly and he ignores most of them much to her dismay.

Business:

Mr. Money Launderer

Wears really stupid graphic t-shirts with dad or golfing or fishing jokes on them.

His first name is Jolly! (I stole this one from superpeeboy, lol)

Cares A LOT about his appearance and is very meticulous. Wakes up at least an hour early to get ready.

OCD king. He really should do ERP therapy but he won't because there's absolutely nothing wrong with him how could you dare imply that.

Cheats at golf.

Gets all of his clothes ironed and drycleaned.

Absolutely not gay. Never. He'd never be gay. He doesn't know what you're talking about. He's normal. Not to say being gay isn't normal but he's not that. Totally. 100%. He isn't in denial

Does the white mom thing when they go to a restaurant and are like yknow what? I'm gonna be *bad* today.

Says he's 50 years young (I also stole this from superpeeboy)

Picky ass eater. Doesn't like spice and also really likes how mayo tastes but don't put too much mayo and his sandwich shouldn't have too much bread and why is the steak cooked so little and why does the meal have flavor but also why doesn't the meal have flavor.

Also here's some other posts of mine related to hcs I have. I really like. making headcanons.

How Masterbuilders Draft

Emmet Construction Certifications

One of My Favorite Post Chains Ever Please Look at All the Reblogs on This

Metalbeard's Ship

Emmet's Internal Clock

.

[mixed-imagination]

can you do a sfw alphabet for nikolai please??? there are not enough stuff to soothe my nikolai fixation. if you can't do a sfw alphabet, i would like to hear about any headcanons you have about him too. thank you in advance x

Nikolai Lantsov SFW Alphabet

PAIRING: Nikolai Lantsov x reader ♡

WARNINGS: I haven't read the second and third Shadow and Bone books yet, so this is purely based on my perception of his character in Shadow and Bone season 2.

*** Beautiful heart divider created by @saradika ♡♡♡

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

♡ When Nikolai is with his one true love he is super affectionate. He's super comfortable around his love and loves physical touch. Physical touch is definitely one of his love languages. He's not afraid of PDA but he's respectful. A simple touch on the waist as you pass each other, a squeeze on the shoulder, or a kiss on the hand is how he would show you affection around higher-ups. But in private, he's handsy. He loves the way your skin feels and loves to smother you with kisses constantly. A kiss attack is one of his favorite moves.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

♡ Nikolai is a loyal, honest, trustworthy person. He's friendly and kind and anything but evil. Any person who reaches the best friend level with him is very lucky. He would give up his life to save a friend. Nikolai's also super funny, a cheeky bastard. Being best friends with him would involve being on the other end of his cheeky and sarcastic statements. He definitely likes to banter and tease, in a playful, innocent way of course. He would never hurt his best friend intentionally.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

♡ Nikolai is a big cuddler. At the end of a hard day of being King of Ravka or Captain Sturmhond, he loves to undress and snuggle up in bed under the covers with you. He loves to lay close to you and brush your cheek with his thumb while watching you snooze. Falling asleep with your head squished against his chest and your body in his arms is his favorite cuddle position. He also likes to keep his feet by yours even if they're cold. He likes to warm them up hehe.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

♡ Nikolai can't wait to settle down and have a partner and kids. (only after unifying Ravka, of course.) He's all about adventure, and for him, love is the biggest adventure of them all. Nikolai loves to cook - or at least he loves to try. He's not the best cook due to living in a palace for most of his life. As Sturmhond on his ship, he loves to cook his "best" recipes for you. Regardless of his pirate privateer life, Nikolai is also a relatively neat person. In the palace, servants rarely ever have to clean up after him.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

♡ Of course, it goes without saying that Nikolai would never want to leave you, his true love. But if he had to, it must be for heavy circumstances. At first, he'd avoid you and the act of breaking up. But eventually, he'd do it and probably give a breakup speech that would definitely end in tears between the two of you. Breaking up with you would mean he was breaking his own heart.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

♡ Again, once he unifies Ravka, Nikolai is suuuper down to marry. He can't wait to put a ring on it. He would get married to his true love as soon as possible. But he also wouldn't mind if you, his love, wanted to wait. He would wait forever for you.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

♡ Nikolai isn't normally gentle. He honestly can't keep his hands off of you. He's no stranger to snatching you back toward him or firmly grabbing your face to pull you in for a kiss. However, Nikolai is very gentle when necessary. When he's feeling romantic, his softer side comes out. He would hold you like you were the most fragile thing in the world. And when you're sad, he would embrace you and gently wipe your tears. It's you who brings out his gentleness, no one else has the privilege of seeing it but you.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

♡ Heck yea, Nikolai is a happy hugger. When he's feeling enthusiastic and having a good day he would grab you, squeeze you, and then maybe spin you around. He also loves to embrace you lovingly and hug you from behind while pecking at your neck.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

♡ Nikolai is a romantic. As soon as he feels it, he will tell you he loves you without hesitating. He's not afraid of wearing his heart on his sleeve when he's with you.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

♡ Nikolai is a confident man and he's not really the jealous type. He doesn't mind any attention his love gets if it's within reason - he's an openly flirty guy himself. But if it gets too much, and another person got close to you, you know damn well he'll be feeling some type of way. Nikolai's honest and he will let you know how he feels. It's well-known that he loves a bit of dramatics, and he is all for showing up or challenging anyone who hits on you.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

♡ Nikolai is a really good, sensual kisser. It's so easy to melt into his kiss. In fact, he is a kiss stealer. He loves to steal kisses from your lips whenever you least expect it. Whenever you're busy or walking by, he would firmly grab you for a long snogging sesh, and when he's in a particularly lovey-dovey mood he also likes to kiss attack you.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

♡ Nikolai's so good with children, especially toddlers. He has the natural ability to be goofy and fun with little ones. He likes to make silly faces and voices with them, and sometimes he would play pranks on you with their help. Nikolai really is a big kid at heart when he's around kids. He adores them and can't wait to be a father one day.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

♡ Nikolai always wakes up with a big, loud yawn and arm stretch, similar to a rising lion. He usually wakes up early before you do, and likes to take a shower to start his day. And like every other man, he also wakes up with morning glory (ó﹏ò｡)

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

♡ Evenings with Nikolai are always an interesting surprise. After really long, taxing days, he'd be so exhausted and would fall asleep as soon as his body hit the bed. On other days, he would take you on mini nighttime adventures around the town. Sometimes when he has nothing planned and is not too busy saving Ravka, he also likes to have a few drinks with his friends and crew. And on most nights, he likes to end the day in bed with you ;o

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

♡ Nikolai is only an open book to those he completely trusts. Only a few people know of his true identity, you being one of them.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

♡ Overall, Nikolai's very patient. He's a natural-born leader and strategist who knows the right moments to act. However, he has absolutely no patience when it comes to people hurting the ones he cares about or anyone getting in the way of saving Ravka.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

♡ Nikolai's pretty good at remembering details about you. He's memorized your facial features and how your body reacts to his touch or his voice when you find something he says funny. He remembers everything you've ever seriously said when opening up to him. However, he's no exception to forgetting some of the passing things you say. It's rare, but it happens, and he's only human.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

♡ Nikolai's favorite moment in your relationship was when you first kissed. It was a moment where you both finally came to your feelings. You both had been dodging the obvious connection between you, overlooking and doubting all the little touches and teasing words, until finally, you both gave in naturally and kissed. It was one of the most fulfilling and sweetest moments Nikolai's ever had.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

♡ You are Nikolai's weakness. He would never want you in harm's way, and he would defend you and protect you with his life.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

♡ Nikolai is a busy man, saving Ravka as king/prince, but he always puts in the effort to find time to spend quality time with you, his love. Every day he reassures you of his affection through physical touch, his love language. If he is unable to see you, he sends you romantic love notes and letters.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

♡ Nikolai has a habit of interrupting others, and every so often, he also bites his fingernails whenever he's under stress.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

♡ Nikolai isn't too concerned with his looks, but he does clean himself up well and knows how to present himself. He's confident and clearly knows he looks good, or dashingly handsome as he would put it.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

♡ Nikolai often gives tokens of himself to those who are parting ways with him, and you are no exception to that. Whenever he has to go away on a voyage, he would give you a meaningful belonging of his, like his ring or compass. This action meant that he was incomplete without you, and he would only be completely whole until you and the item returned to him.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

♡ Nikolai likes to dance and sing. He doesn't do it often, but after a few drinks on a night out at the pub, he loves to break out into song with his friends and crew. He would have the bard sing songs all night long and he would dance with you and spin you around until you were dizzy. If karaoke existed in this realm, he would kill it.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

♡ Nikolai doesn't like Debbie downers or when a person is too overly pessimistic or negative. He doesn't like hypocrites or people who are prejudiced. He absolutely hates lies. Also, bad hygiene is a big turn-off.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

♡ Nikolai doesn't get much sleep and tends to go to bed late due to stress. When he is able to have a good night's sleep, he is a light snorer and always has detailed dreams that cause him to talk in his sleep from time to time. When he's with you he sleeps much better.

gosh darn, nikolai lantsov really is prince charming. he's so dreamy.

I hope yall liked it! this was my first SFW alphabet :P Please support my writing by giving me a like, follow, and reblog! ♡♡♡

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

Favorite Movies of 2024

The Zone of Interest (2023)

First theatrical movie of this year and damn...this movie is an experience. Set during WWII, the movie follows the family of the Commandant of Auschwitz, while they live in the house next to the death camp. It is a way of looking at that time in history I don't think we've ever seen before...by not looking at it. We never see inside the camp, or witness any of the horrors that took place. But we see the Commandant's wife (played by the fantastic Sandra Huller) try on a new fur coat, or hand out clothing to her servants, and know exactly where they came from. We hear trains arriving as the children play in the yard. It is a very effective piece of filmmaking and a film I think everyone should see.

Don't Look Now (1973)

A fascinating look at grief and how it can differently affect people. After a couple (Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland) lose their daughter in an accident, they temporarily move to Venice while the husband is working. And slowly process the loss in different ways. Laura slowly finds some semblance of peace after speaking with a psychic, while John tends to bury his feelings and dismiss the spirituality his wife has embraced. This movie almost feels like a dream, with surreal moments sprinkled throughout where you start to wonder if John is losing his mind or if there is some sort of weird conspiracy or con set up by the aforementioned psychic. But if you think you know the answer...you're probably wrong, as this movie goes in such an unexpected direction with an ending that is both shocking and heartbreaking.

The Holdovers (2023)

I did not expect to like this movie as much as I did. Newer comedies don't tend to work for me...but what we have here is something that is timeless. I watched it again at the end of the year and I think I liked it more the second time around. Focusing on a teacher at a boarding school (played by Paul Giamatti doing some of his best work) who is forced to stay on campus to look after the students who are not going home for winter break. What follows is a cross between The Odd Couple and Dead Poets Society, as teacher and student spend the next two weeks together. They are joined by the school's cook (played by Da'vine Joy Randolph, who won a well-deserved Oscar for the role), who recently lost her son in Vietnam. This movie is funny and clever, as well as both heartbreaking and heartwarming...a perfect movie for the Christmas season or any time of year!

Lifeboat (1944)

This one had been on my list for a while, and I'm so glad I was finally able to see it! After a German submarine sinks their ship, several passengers take refuge in lone lifeboat and try to figure out how they can survive. This is by far Hitchcock's most claustrophobic film...there may be wide shots of the ocean, but that just makes the lifeboat that much smaller. Tensions rise pretty quickly, as you can imagine, but the dynamics between all the characters is very compelling. It's not an easy movie to find, but if it comes across your radar, it's one I would suggest checking out!

The Crow (1994)

If I had to pick one favorite movie for the year, it would probably be this one. I'm actually disappointed it took me this long to watch this one, because it is so up my alley. After he and his fiancée are murdered, Eric Draven (the incredible Brandon Lee) returns from the dead to avenge the wrongful deaths. Everything about this movie is iconic: the aesthetic, the music, the performances...I could gush about this one for a while, so I'll just say this: Brandon Lee was an absolute star. His performance is so good, I cannot take my eyes off of him when he's onscreen.

He Ran all the Way (1951)

While trying to add a few film noirs to my list, I came across this movie for free on YouTube and decided to give it a shot. After a payroll robbery goes wrong, Nick (played by John Garfield, in his last film) ends up taking refuge in the apartment of Peggy (Shelly Winters) and her family. John Garfield gives an excellent final performance in this film as a man who is in way over his head...he's someone who tries to be tough, but you can tell that it's really not who he is, but feels he has no choice but to go down that road. His dynamic with Shelly Winters is really interesting to watch, as you can tell she likes him, but is also trying to do the right thing to keep her parents and little brother safe. It's a really intimate story, as we spend about 3/4's of the movie in that apartment, and it seems to get smaller as Nick's paranoia starts to grow.

Heretic (2024)

I really enjoyed this movie. If you're looking for a dialogue-heavy, tense movie with a small cast...this is for you! When two Morman missionaries enter the home of Mr. Reed (played by the excellent Hugh Grant), they think they are going to convert him to the LDS church, when in fact, he has something different in mind. When I say dialogue-heavy, I mean it...Hugh Grant has some looong monologues in this movie, and they are fascinating to watch...and the dialogue between him and his guest is both interesting to listen to, as well as being incredibly tense. You spend a lot of the runtime just trying to figure out what his game is...what is he really trying to do? And I did find myself figuring it out right around the same time as the characters, which to me, shows that it's a well-crafted and engaging story. I really want to see this one again, to see if knowing the ending changes the viewing experience.

Wicked (2024)

I think this movie wins for being the most fun movie of the year. While potentially a bit too long, this movie is carried by the extraordinary performances of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. In telling "the untold story of the witches of Oz", these two created characters and a relationship that is so real and compelling, that audiences are mesmerized from start to finish. I've been a fan of this musical since the Broadway show opened in 2003 and I it was so wonderful seeing the story and songs brought to life on the big screen. And this film's production design? Outstanding. The dedication to creating a real world (rather than a digital one) for these characters to live in really touched my heart. It really felt like an old MGM musical for the modern age.

The Red Shoes (1948)

Another movie that I was retroactively mad at myself for not watching sooner. I had seen bits and pieces over the years, but had never sat down to watch the entire thing from start to finish. Fortunately, I bought the Blu-Ray during the last Criterion Sale and gave it a watch! This movie is absolutely stunning to look at, with beautiful cinematography and gorgeous saturated colors. And the story of the ballet dancer who must decide between a "normal life" with the man she loves and a prestigious career in the ballet with the man who discovered her is so engrossing, even though I knew where the movie was heading. And the dance sequence is breathtaking. Even though you watch it knowing that there's no way this would actually happen in a real theater (impossible costume changes, a stage that is seemingly never ending), you don't care because the storytelling is impeccable.

Nosferatu (2024)

And now we're at my final theatrical experience for the year! I don't know if I can put into words how good this movie is. I initially gave it an 8.5/10 after seeing it, but after thinking about it more, I'd probably rank it a bit higher. This really was a love letter to the horror fans who love the old, gothic movies...there was one short sequence that actually make me think of The Innocents and it made me so happy! And I appreciate that this movie did not rely on jump scares (though there were a few well-placed ones) but instead focused on the sense of dread and foreboding that fills both the characters and the city as Nosferatu draws near. Lily-Rose Depp gives an unbelievable performance as Ellen, the young woman with whom Nosferatu has fixated on...the physicality she brings to the role, as well as the raw emotion was very impressive. This one is still in theaters, and I think anyone who loves old horror movies needs to get their butt to the theater.