#the weakest link wants some payback.

[terrifyingstories]

it was not long ago emily herself was admitting she was not so overjoyed with alison's return into their lives - but what does joy have to do with it? what relevance could something as frivolous as joy have when emily has guilt? she does not have alison's teeth, nor her claws, and yet the steely look she gives @serendpitous is enough to sink anyone's heart like a stone. "what were you thinking?" she accuses, "how could you help alison leave?"

[terrifyingstories3]

@lingeringscars: i'm having trouble breathing. i'm really scared.

it's a different side of thea mays than emily knows to expect. thea's a champion at cultivating a certain image, ever-capable and ambitious and powerful without bounds, and there's little room in that image for the vulnerability emily can see in her now. of course, emily knows from experience that that's probably a part of the problem. "hey, easy," she says gently, crouching down in front of thea. "let's slow it all down. just take a breath. one at a time. listen to my voice."

with a soft touch to her arm, she finds herself saying, "you know, i used to be an athlete, too?"

maybe for the sake of distracting thea, maybe for finding common ground, maybe just emily finding the courage to face the way she doesn't feel like much of anything anymore.

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 2x14

The one where Spencer throws a trash bag at Emily

Because she does do that, and the bag splits open on Emily. Do you think Spencer and Emily discussed boundaries for this fight? Because I think they were just like HELL YEAH WE’LL GO ALL OUT ON EACH OTHER and Hanna and Aria shrugged since they don’t gotta do shit

Anw I love that they decide a brawl is necessary for the scheme.

Ashley must be so bewildered by the cold war going in her own house...did Hanna and Emily talk to each other normally in their bedroom or not even there?

Ezra is walking out of a bike shop and instead of paying attention to anything he is saying I am thinking about whether Paige goes to this bike shop and has had to run into her former teacher who had to de-escalate her dad that one time

Garrett: “You keep saying things to me like they’re supposed to mean something.” LMAO a classic Spencer Hastings experience. 

In googling to confirm the spelling of his name, I’ve learned there is an actual person called Garrett Reynolds. He’s a BMX rider.

She reveals to him that she knows about the NAT club of creepy spying on high schoolers. God does she love poking an enemy

1 month timeskip! I believe we’re in January. No one is dressed for January in Pennsylvania. 

Emily is once more denied swim team because of her community service record D: How much swim team time is she missing her junior year, she should be worried about getting any scholarships tbh.

Emily smacks Spencer’s Carson McCullers book out of her hands. To me this is foreshadowing.

Is it just me, or is Ella noticeably cool towards Spencer before this moment? Is that supposed to about the inter-liar fighting or because of her suspicion of Spencer/Ezra, because I’m a hell of a lot judgier about that if it’s the latter. Ella: very bad mandatory reporter.

Spencer prints PROPERTY OF SPENCER HASTINGS on the top corner of her book. Dork. 

Toby is :( about the girls fighting and :( :( about Spencer’s refusal of his rocking chair gift which I’m sure she would appreciate at literally any other time

Spencer’s parents are out of town because Melissa has a medical thing. They really do not believe in parenting their teenage daughter huh.

The girls are so :D to see each other in the greenhouse and plot. Hanna is the one to express concern on using Emily as bait. Spencer and Emily are most into the plan.

I swear, Emily says “The weakest link wants some payback” with the sweetest smile in her face.

Later I’ll go “I wish the weakest link took some self-defense classes, or at least brought some pepper spray. Maybe a taser.”

Wow, a Toby-Emily interaction. I would maybe sympathize with him going “Don’t you shut me out too 🙁” if it wasn’t for the implication he’s spent the last month trying to reach out to Spencer while this is his first interaction with Emily since the 2A finale.

Love that all the boys are going ???? during this liar fight at the swim meet. Spencer is pretending to go full Ali here....I wonder how she feels about that...does she introspect about this or does she not realize till Toby mentions later

Why are swim meets the social scene of Rosewood High? I’m guessing the school is really fucking good at swimming, probably multiple D1 offers every year.

And not to judge but...why would Jenna go to a swim meet. That has to be one of the less interesting sports for a blind person, right, there's minimally interesting commentary if they even do that for high school meets.

My off-screen opinions of Paige is that even she cannot escape this gossip about the liars because (1) They literally got arrested and had to do community service (2) Emily and Spencer have been fighting in public for a month (3) They do this fight right outside the swim meet

One of her swim teammates is going to ask Paige hey what’s up with Fields weren’t you hanging out with her for a bit last semester and she’s going to BSOD.

Okay I have beef with Aria. She knows they have plans to meet up at the greenhouse. She knows they are using Emily as bait. She does not even think to tell Ezra to wait one more fucking day??? Did she think her parents were gonna throw her a goddamn parade for this news?

Probably, it’s Aria. 

I do enjoy all the Montgomery’s reactions to the Ezria reveal though. Ella goes speechless and grabs on to Byron like she cannot process the information, Byron wants to beat up Ezra so bad, Mike does not want his dad to get in trouble and hey he’s the fuck up anyway, might as well punch Ezra.

Like, you know Ezra has not even been slapped in the face before, let alone punched. 

Oh....it’s the beginning of my Toby dislike...it’s here...

I have a visceral hatred of him grabbing on to Spencer’s wrists and physically not letting her go while she’s begging for him to. Like yeah, I’m sure it sucks dude but you are actually broken up now! Even if you were together you don’t get to limit where she goes with your strength! Fuck off!!!

It’s the start of them making Toby more alpha bc I guess that’s hot to the teenage girls or whatever. 

When I was a teenage girl and on this rewatch, the more alpha they made him the more I hated him.

There’s a great sequence before this when Spencer’s on the phone pondering if she needs anything, her gaze flitting from kitchen knives to fireplace pokers, and then going no, I’m good. Fantastic, no notes.

Isabel must have no self-respect. Why would you still marry a guy who slept with his ex-wife in the last couple of months before your wedding, and worse yet, move to the same fucking town as his ex-wife?? Why would you agree to this??

Then again we saw that original wedding dress, her having no self-respect would not be a surprise.

Emily is the most punctual of the liars. I bet this is not the first or last time this is true for her, given the other three, but this definitely ranks among one of the worst times.

Loved Hanna hitting A with the car, I completely forgot about that payback.

Damn A, you should use a hoodie with zipper pockets. Skill issue.

[yukiakaren]

My top kpop albums of 2023

This year I've actually listened through more albums than probably ever. I actively chose to check out more than just my top favorite artists albums and it definitely was a great thing to do as I did find some great b-sides. However, that doesn't mean I actually would've liked all the songs enough for all of the albums to make it to the list. So, here are the ones that I liked multiple songs of or perhaps even the whole album.

INFINITE - 13egin Album of the year? Not unfair thing to say. Just the fact that Infinite came back is huge to me but I genuinely do like all the songs. Surprisingly the intro is the weakest link on the album, as traditionally I've loved Infinite intros. Despite that the highs are high enough to forgive that. New Emotions was unarguably my most listened song of the year and Time Difference wasn't too far behind. I Got You and Find Me are lovely too and I love my instrumental versions. It really is a great album.

Key - Killer - The 2nd Album Repackage I mean I had Gasoline up in this list last year and this is just Gasoline with Killer (Key's best song to date), Easy (that I also really like) and Heartless added to it, so it does belong here, doesn't it? Also, the fact that I do have this album now probably tells all that needs to be told.

TRENDZ - BLUE SET Chapter. New Dayz This one has the short length on its side, as it's a single album. However, the songs are top notch, so I can't ignore it. Nightmare is illegally good to be just an intro. Fantasy is incredible. Honestly the title track New Dayz is the least my thing but even that is a great song, and if it hadn't been I wouldn't have check the whole album. The thing with TRENDZ seems to be that they like to put rap parts at the end of the songs, which I have to say I don't really like, but these songs are too good that I could even fault that enough to not mention this album.

ZEROBASEONE - Melting point Melting Point, Crush and Take My Hand have been in heavy rotation recently. But the rest of the album is also good enough for me to be able to confidently mention the album here.

IVE - I'VE MINE This is such a solid album. No wonder why they couldn't pick only one song to promote. Next to the title tracks I really enjoy Holy Moly. It is sooo addicting! OTT also ended up getting in my IVE playlist so that's surely a nice one too. Only Payback wasn't quite for me even though it's pretty good one too.

ONEUS - Pygmalion & La Dolce Vita I have to mention ONEUS, don't I? I do have to be honest and say that the albums this year haven't been as big hits with me as the previous ones. And that is so so unfortunate as I love ONEUS. I just have to hope that next year brings more songs for me to love from ONEUS. Just the length of the albums is disappointing - LDV having only 3 full length unique songs. Of the songs on these two albums: Unforgettable is absolutely lovely, LETHE is illegally good to be an intro and Baila Conmigo is so so catchy, a perfect title track. The rest of the songs are nice but not to the level I hope from them. Truly hoping next year to be a better ONEUS year for me.

Honorable mentions:

SHINee - HARD HARD is such a mix for me as a full album. I absolutely adore Identity, Sweet Misery and Like It, truly the SHINee that I want and need. 10X, Satellite and Insomnia are great songs, as expected from SHINee, but they were heavily overshadowed by the three mentioned before. Then we had The Feeling and Gravity that didn't do much for me. And then there are HARD and Juice... Just no. So, I guess this leaves the album as an honorable mention even though I wanted it to be a genuine favorite of the year. Big hits but also unfortunately couple of big misses that I can't ignore.

ZEROBASEONE - Youth in the shadow In Bloom and New Kids On The Block are hanging out in my often played ZB1 playlist, so I couldn't leave this album unmentioned.

ODD EYE CIRCLE - Version Up Very solid album, all the songs are good. I just personally didn't listen to the others as much as Air Force One despite them being good. Hence, only an honorable mention.

KEY - Good&Great Another great album from Key this year. Just again one song heavily overshadowed the others and I did not really end up listening to the others after the first listen. The one overshadowing others was Live Without You, one of the best songs of the year.

VIXX - Amnesia VIXX IS BACK!! Honestly at some point I was pretty certain that it wouldn't happen, but I'm happy I was wrong. Savage is such a vibe and Amnesia is very cool title track. The rest don't do much for me again, but honorable mention is definitely earned.

fromis_9 - Unlock My World Again, a very solid album. Attitude is the only song I ended up going back to and really liking. I'm happy it got some performances too. #menow is a solid title track from them. Of the rest of the b-sides In The Mirror, Prom Night, Don’t Care and What I Want are solid songs and the rest are also good but don't do much for me.

Nam Woohyun - WHITREE Lastly, I just have to mention Woohyun. I was being harsh on Baby Baby, but seeing him perform it... How can I say no to cutie-concept Woohyun? Nope, there is no way. I can't. The album is also very Woohyun. For the most part it just isn't quite for me. But then there is Save Us, which is great! And then there is DONE, which is amazing! Honestly, just having him here making music despite the recent hardships he has had is so respectable and incredible. And DONE making it to my top 15 favorite songs of the year is truly making me so happy.

[terrifyingstories2]

ali - you may not like to hear what i have to say, but i need to get something off my chest. you’re not afraid of hurting me, so i wonder why i’m so afraid of hurting you. i am, but that’s not enough of a reason not to tell you how i feel. so here goes… sometimes i feel so close to you, and then something changes, a look in your eyes, and i feel so stupid. it’s like you can read every thought in my head, and you find it all so hilarious. like after we kissed, and i thought it might happen again, and you just laughed in my face. but it’s not hilarious to me. maybe you think a kiss is just a kiss, and that i’m just practice. but the way you act, it feels more like target practice. i don’t know how you can go from kissing me one minute to hating me the next, except that i’m starting to catch on. i’m starting to understand what’s it’s like to […] minute, and hate […] i’m not your […] at least not […]

emily’s letter to alison, 3 days before she went missing (“the perfect storm,” s1ep9) 

[terrifyingstories1]

remember that time caleb went from playing on emily’s desperation to make cash to.. Not Starve to comforting her after one of the most traumatic events of her life and subsequently taking a bullet for her (also hanging around at the brew afterwards fighting customers who give her trouble and eating leftover food but that’s not canon apparently?) i love character development 

[loveisaviolence3]

aria is such a good listener and has so much love and compassion for those she cares for and i? Love Her So Much okay. 

she has such a calm, reassuring presence and never pushes the other girls to talk when she senses discomfort or hesitance. while she can certainly get caught up in her own thoughts and drift out of touch with the people in her life, she’s always 100% present when people confide in her and never judgmental or dismissive, always lending a shoulder to cry on and offering unconditional support to the injured party. 

though she admits to being a “fixer” and feeling responsible for smoothing over conflict within both of her families (the liars as well as her parents and brother), she understands that sometimes people just need someone to sit with them and hear them out and knows when to prioritize empathy over guidance (sometimes you don’t want solutions or advice, just someone to tell you that you’re okay and what you’re feeling is okay and aria has that down pat.) i just.. really admire this about her and think that it’s a really impressive quality, a skill that i would like to improve in myself (when the people you love are suffering, it’s easy to get lost in potential problem-solving measures and forget what the person’s needs are: support.) 

aria is naturally a mediator who dislikes comfort and wants everyone she loves to coexist in perfect harmony (her idealism can breed naivety) , but she has learned to cope with her own limitations and has done a beautiful job of offering the exact kind of support her friends need at the time she gives it (and is working on achieving this with her biological family, though i think a lot of her feeling as if it is her responsibility to resolve conflict within its dynamic is byron involving her in he and ella’s marriage by asking her to keep his infidelity a secret). 

i think it says so much aria is the first person emily, who spent the year after alison’s disappearance mostly if not entirely isolated (disconnected from hanna and spencer who, granted, were not close but still kept in touch), opens up to. 

emily, much like aria, feels things so very deeply and has difficulty sharing her emotions and struggles with other people – aria at least has art, in all of its forms, to express herself with, but emily’s pain is held very closely to herself. she seeks out aria’s support in particular, regularly venting to her and expressing her questions, doubts, fears, confusions, etc. 

i think this is in part because aria and emily may miss alison the most out of the liars, but mostly i think it’s because emily finds aria easy to talk to. she doesn’t feel judged or forced to open up more than she’s ready to. their conversations are always very quiet and understated, flowing easily and naturally. there’s a sense of comfort and unconditional, constant acceptance that emily doesn’t have with the other girls at the beginning of season one, and certainly doesn’t have with her mother at this point in time. 

it’s aria who knows doesn’t miss a beat in reassuring emily that alison did love her even if it wasn’t in the way that emily loved alison and expresses that she wishes emily would have shared the weight of the secret she’s been carrying with her so that she wouldn’t have to bear it alone. emily can have difficulty sharing with hanna and spencer due to their forcefulness, having grown up under pam’s extremely forceful, controlling thumb, and aria is perfect opposite of emily’s mother, having inherited ella’s gentle and understanding nature, much more similar to emily’s father who emily always felt much closer to.  

[byakugoseal]

⟶ SEMI-PLOTTED STARTER // @onusanbu​

It had been a few weeks since they had entered and survived the Chūnin Exams. There had been a single moment in which she had to stand on her own two feet in order to keep Naruto and Sasuke safe — but that still hadn't been enough; in the end, she still needed to be saved. The outcome had been weighing on her mind ever since she failed; the first week had been spent in quiet introspection. She was tired of reflecting back on all the times she needed to be saved, all the times she could do nothing. She realized that this path had started back in the land of waves when she could do nothing in their fight against Zabuza besides telling herself she was a true ninja. She wasn't, though; it was just a pretty lie she told herself over and over again. 

The time for wallowing was over. She knew the only way to get strong was to work on it and seek guidance actively — and who better to help with that than her sensei? It was by chance that she found him ❝ Sensei.....Kakashi-sensei can I — can I talk to you? ❞ She inquired after a moment, hesitation lacing her words not because she was afraid he would say no but because she was nervous about herself. She was nervous and uncertain regarding herself. Her history taught her that her mind was her greatest weapon, but she also needed to enhance her physical strength more than anyone she knew; she knew that she was the weakest link in their team. ❝ I want to grow stronger! I felt so helpless during the exam; I am always watching Naruto and Sasuke grow stronger and rely on them. ❞ She exclaimed, her hands curling into fists in front of her.

❝ Could you please teach me some ninjutsu or anything, really? I know that I need to get stronger, and I don't want to rely on Naruto and Sasuke-kun forever. ❞ She stated with determination. Her dreams that were only spoken in giggles upon their graduation and team assignments were long since gone. They were childish dreams of a schoolyard crush. Now? Now she wanted to become stronger and make something of herself. Now she wanted to be able to keep her friends and comrades safe. After all, Ino and the others risked it all for her. That was a debt she could never payback. 

Finally, she stopped speaking; having said her piece, she would leave it up to him to decide. She figured that even if there wasn't a whole lot he could teach her as he has for Sasuke, even one thing would be better than nothing. ❝ I want to rely on my own strength from here on out. ❞

[roscoe-me-and-this-fuckin-kid]

My Ryden Recs

not in any particular order

The Heart Rate of a Mouse Series (11/10)

~513k words

Ryan "Heterosexual" Ross and his incredibly popular prog rock band, The Followers, start their summer tour for their new hit album "Boneless" in June of 1974. However, Ryan begins to take a shine to their new roadie, the ever mysterious Brendon No-Last-Name-Given, who dodges questions about his past and flaunts his flamboyant homosexuality. After an assault by a member of the supporting act, Brendon and Ryan get their payback, and begin to bond. But much to Ryan's confusion and alarm, he starts to want something he can't let himself have, starts to feel something he can't let himself feel.

--Okay I kinda lied. This list is in no particular order EXCEPT for this one. This one is the best. Anna Green owns my ass. I'm not someone who's picky about first vs third person, but if you are, then just this once throw that out the window and read this utter masterpiece. Ryan's character development throughout is so touching, but my god he fucks up a lot. One of my friends who has gone through the process of buying the physical copies and annotating them says that Ryan majorly fucks up over 50 times. Emotional rollercoaster straight ahead!--

Freaks (7/10)

~45k words

Ryan's face was permanently disfigured when he was 12 years old, and since then, the only person who has ever stood by his side is his best friend Spencer. After earning the nickname "Freak" in high school, he finally accepts that nobody will ever want him, or ever treat him normally again. But after an accident that lands him temporarily in the hospital, he meets Brendon. They get along great, and Ryan begins to fall in love. One small problem though:

Brendon had been recently blinded. Neither of them know if it's permanent, and Ryan is sure that if Brendon knew about his face, he would leave him forever.

--I really liked this one. It makes you sit on edge and every single time you think that Ryan will finally confess and tell the truth, he blue balls you like an asshole. This story is so sad and so sweet, I definitely recommend. Also, there's some background Joncer, which is really cute. Definitely a worthy read if you're looking for some angsty fluff. Oh, and a little aside: the author, spazzyskittles on LJ, actually beta-ed a lot of Anna Green's Ryden fics, including THROAM! So do with that what you will ;)--

The Red Eyed Owl Series (10/10)

~403k words

As one of the best players of one of the best National Hockey League teams, the Chicago Hounds, Ryan Ross has everything he could ever want. Young, famous, and free to do whatever he damn well pleases, the world either wants him or wants to be him. But after a leg injury that could potentially ruin his career, Ryan begins to realise that perhaps he doesn't have everything. Perhaps some things can mean so much more than women throwing themselves at you every chance they get and receiving bottomless drinks at sports bars. Perhaps he could fall in love.

--This was actually recommended to me by @wandering-verses and it was 100% worth the read. I broke out crying in the middle of class during the second book, and I cried again at 3 am when I stayed up all night to finish it. It's one of those that fucks you up so bad that you can't read anything else for a little while after finishing. Now, both the authors are from Spain, so English isn't their native tongue, but it's so well written that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the notes at the very beginning. An all time Ryden fave.--

Missing In Action (10/10)

~204k words

In where the American Civil War goes differently, the nation once known as the United States of America is instead separated into two: DURA and Beauregia. The latter didn't change much in terms of their economy. Slavery is still legal, and the kingdom is ruled under a tight, Christian monarchy. Their king is Boyd Beauregard. His only son, crown Prince Brendon Beauregard, heir to the throne, resides in the highly respected Saint Francis' Academy. DURA on the other hand developed quickly, a democracy founded on new technology and equitable ideals.

Everyday, bipartisanship seems farther away from grasp, and DURA, realising that cooperation is impossible, creates the DURA investigative bureau. Identifying the crown prince as the Royal Family's weakest link, they realise that he could become an infinitely invaluable asset to them. Agent Ross, under the pseudonym "Ryan Hastings", is chosen to go undercover, enroll in Saint Francis' boarding school, infiltrate the Prince's friend group, and gain his trust by any means necessary.

--I'm ashamed to admit that I let this one pass me by for a while. I read the words "American Civil War" and I automatically assumed that this would be a mid 1800's Civil War fic about closeted gay soilders, and I'm not against that, but the premise didn't really interest me. But once I finally caved and started reading, I quickly realised not only was the premise entirely different, but it was really fuckin' good. Read this!!!!--

Esoteric Contagion (8/10)

~18k words

He wakes up with a note stuck to his forehead that reads, “You traded your memory in a spell. It was worth it.” The note is signed George Ross. He wonders if that’s his name.

In which things are lost and gained and remembered and forgotten, in that order.

--Despite being the shortest on this list, I loved it to death. You will cry so hard, I promise. This story is so sad. The author can deal so many shocking blows in less than 20,000 words, and you will be completely invested. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's massively underrated, and it will fuck you up.--

Two Vatos Locos Series (7/10)

~311k words

When you have your first dream with your soulmate, everything changes. But after years and years of watching all his friends have their dreams and fall in love, Ryan started to wonder if he would ever has his dream. At twenty, Ryan started to get desperate. He went to doctors, therapists, even a fucking palm reader. No one could tell him what was wrong with him. There was only one explanation: his soulmate had to be dead.

Ryan spent endless hours laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, begging, wishing, praying to have his dream and meet his soulmate. One day, with blood gushing down his face and vomit coating his tongue, his prayers were finally answered.

And now, as he stares at this scared, helpless boy, with bloodied rope burns around his wrists and tears staining his cheeks, he wishes that they never were.

--The title "Dos Vatos Locos Lleno de Carnalismo y Inamorates" roughly translates to "Two Crazy Dudes Full of Carnality and Infatuation," which is definitely accurate. I did enjoy this fic; it was cute, sad, and very interesting, but if you are interested in reading, you will need to be patient at times. Some passages seem like filler and the writing in a few places is kinda dry or cringey. But it's still overall a good story though. WARNING: Brendon is underage for most of this fic, but nothing sexual happens until he is of age.--

The Way Home From Nowhere Series (9/10)

~158k words

After his parents find out about his relationship with another boy, Brendon Urie makes a snap decision to flee from his abusive home. After a quick makeover to hide his identity, he decides to thumb a ride. He starts living the life he never even dreamed he could. Talking openly about things like sex, condoms, and homosexuality- he's happier then he's ever been.

There's one problem though.

His new roommates, Ryan and Spencer, have no idea that he is the missing Mormon boy from the nearby town of Summerlin.

--Ladies and gents, welcome to my first ever Ryden fic! This will always be a favourite of mine. Both Brendon's arc and Ryan's are are so heartbreaking, and there were so many times that I wanted to reach into the story and give Dallon a hug. So many tragedies in this story, and not all of them solved. I don't have any empathy for Brendon's parents in this story, but I feel so hard for his siblings, and for Marc. I just wish they knew. This story is so heartbreaking and yet so happy. Will play with your emotions like they're a shiny new toy.--

Filthy Lucre (10/10)

~362k words

Ryan Ross is living the American wet dream. He’s rich, he’s good looking, he gets paid just to turn up at parties and he spends his days drinking, doing drugs and climbing into bed with eager and willing boys and girls. His parents and PA beg him to quit, and his brother turns up his noise at his destructive lifestyle, but Ryan is desperate to sink into the void, escape the memories of what his father's friend did to him when he was fifteen.

Brendon Urie is a man bordering on desperation. He whores himself out to millionaire bankers and CEOs to fund his boyfriend's heroin addiction and pay off his ungrateful father's medical bills. Things could be worse, though. He's lucky enough to have a roof over his head, to be living with the love of his life, to no longer have to hook on the street, but instead be privileged enough to turn tricks in the wealthy circles of Wall Street and Goldman Sachs.

Where a broken boy meets another broken boy, and falls in love.

--Normally, I would never recommend an unfinished fic, let alone fic that hasn't been updated in four years, unless it was it was so good and so engaging that it made me literally scream. Trust me when I say that you have not experienced true hatred until you read this fic. I have literally never hated a character more in my entire life, and I know who Dolores Umbridge is, for reference. The best thing about this fic, in my opinion, is that the characters, whether good guys or bad guys, do evil. And they do it on purpose. Because the characters feel and act as though they're real, and real people fucking suck.--

The Black Rose Season (8/10)

~158k words

Ryan Ross' life is essentially over when his scholarship is inexplicably cancelled and he will be forced to pay his way through school. As a young, broke college student, Ryan is desperate to find cash fast, but to no avail. Just when he thinks all hope is lost, a mysterious benefactor promises to pay his tuition in full, on one condition: Ryan is infiltrate Sigma Chi Beta, the most prestigious and cultish fraternity that Swan University has to offer. And if, by some miracle, Ryan succeeds, his mission is clear:

Befriend Brendon Urie, fellow Swan Sigma, and, more importantly, alleged leader of Sigma Chi Beta's secret society, which might not even exist. He is to document his findings, and send them to his benefactor. One small problem though: Brendon fucking hates his guts.

--Did I mention that Anna Green owns my ass? Because Anna Green owns my ass. This one is so fleshed out, and there are some moments where it really spikes you in the chest. Every time that Patrick comes onto the page, my interest piques, and I remember That One Scene™ that completely changed my perspective of him (You'll understand once you read). Besides... college AU? Secret societies? Betrayal? Enemies to lovers? Sexual tension? Need I say more?--

I have more fics to recommend if you guys like this list, so tell me if you want more fic recs

[calliecat93]

RvB17 Episode 8 Review: Finally

Well guys, after so many years, Donut finally gave the Reds and Blues a piece of his mind. While I felt that last week had the weakest episode so far, I can forgive it because it gave us Donut telling everyone off. It’s a week later and I still get so much satisfaction from that scene alone. With Wash sending everyone to apologize, and Huggins in Season 1 with Caboose, what’s going to happen now? Well, lets lake a looksie shall we?

The Reds and Blues have caught up to Donut and apologize, but he's not willing to accept it since... well saying your sorry and showing it are two different things. Considering that Donut went through all of time and space to fix what he did and make it right... yeah, point. Carolina asks if they can prove it by fixing the timeline, which he agrees with. So... that was resolved quickly. Everyone naturally has questions about the time travel, Doc's being about what's going on with Caboose right now. Donut explains that while their Caboose is somewhere else, the one with them is a different timeline Caboose, aka Season 5 Caboose. When Simmons questions how reliving their history is going to correct anything, Donut decides to jump them all ahead ten minutes. Since they'll lose Wash and Carolina, he instructs them to meet up and for Wash to give Carolina the explanation.

Donut jumps them all back ten minutes, where he's still crushed by Sister's ship and Tucker is recovering from childbirth. Church is understandably confused, but at this point, Caboose has returned and he sends Church to take a nap. But Caboose did not come alone. Huggins arrives, much to Grif's glee. Like... he sounds happier than I think he ever has. He's so happy and missed Huggins so much that her still being angry at him, to the point that she goes red, doesn't even phase him. Donut proceeds to explain about how they have to stop Genkins from creating paradoxes... but since they don't know where he's going to be, they have to relive their lives and make sure it goes exactly as it happens.

Huggins, however, points out that there's another way... just as Lopez has already jumped. Whoops. Anyways, since Huggins is made of light, she can go forward on her own, find alternate timelines, report back, and the guys can jump ahead to that point and make the event go as it's meant to. Sarge things that's too convoluted and will take too long... but Huggins proves it by going to and from the moon in a blink, plus she already did it with meeting with Caboose and it sounds like they already did it once. Grif is outright tearful that this means less bullshit before apologizing to her for fucking time up. Huggins... doesn't forgive him, but she can't stay mad at him right now due to time being fucked up. She therefore just tells him to fix reality before going off to get her scouting underway. Ouch.

Simmons repeats his question about exactly why they need to relive their lives to begin with. Caboose, therefore, proposes this analogy to explain it. You know how you can sometimes get a gap in your zipper? Apparently, it happened to Simmons in 6th Grade during Debate Class, but to the point. To fix the gap, the zipper has to go all the way down and then zipped back up to fix it. So that's what they have to do, go back through their lives to undo the gap and fix it again. Even Donut admits that the analogy makes things clearer. Yeah, the two former rookies are the ones figuring out how to fix shit. Who knew? Tucker is questioning if this will even work, to which Donut replies that the only way that they'll be able to find out all depends on them.

From there, we get a montage of the guys going back to events where Genkins is trying to strike. Sarge ends up at the day that they deleted the Blues, aka the best day of his life. When Genkins tries to interfere by hacking the computer, Simmons simply reboots it to get rid of him. Which keep in mind that isn't present!Simmons, that's Season Six Simmons doing it nonchalantly. Anyways, Sarge proceeds to relive the moment several times to make sure that ti worked... aka to relive the moment cause he can. We also get to see the end of Season 5, where Andy blows up the ship, which is where Grif ends up. Genkins tries to prevent the explosion and reveal the truth to Church, so Grif simply goes off, gets a rocket launcher, and does the job himself. He also makes it clear that this is him getting payback on Tex for the beatdown his balls got in Season 8. Hopefully, he jumped out after, since Church is understandably angry and ready to give Grif a beatdown.  

Our episode ends at one more moment. Tucker arrives at Crash Site Bravo in Season 11, the day where they lost and half their forces were captured... and when Felix was still faking being an ally. Well, shit.

Review

This was better than last week, but still not the best. Not to say I didn't like it though. As I kinda said in the overview, it felt like Donut... kinda forgave them all far too easily. I mean I guess something can come up later, but after how much last week's moment was built up and the payoff being amazing, this kinda felt like we were sweeping it back under the rug. Though to their credit, they listen to him... kinda hard when he's under a Pelican, but hey they're listening. And to his credit, Donut's not letting the emotions control his decision making, which really displays a lot of emotional maturity on his part. I really like that about him. I feel it's always been there, but now we can actually let it be on display. Bless Jason Weight for making Donut a character. Bless him so much.

So... let's do something a little different. We're gonna talk about Grif, and consequently how he's... kinda gotten the shaft, sadly. So last season and even S15, Grif got a lot of character development and focus. He realized he needed his friends, began to commit himself more, confronted his issues with the constant adventures, started to focus more to the point that he confronted Genkins and gave up on wanting the pizza he wanted the whole time to try and prevent the paradox. He failed, but the fact that he tried and that he became a more focused, more mature person was great... and that has been ignored so far. Mind you he spent half the season with his memory wiped and so far not a lot of time to show that development and I'll give them credit when I get to the positive side, but it still really feels like all the build-up and development that Grif got last time is just... gone. I mean you'd think he'd be more angry about Genkins considering, especially since Genkins outright told him everything right to his face just because he could, and that hasn't come up at all. It's just frustrating to a huge Grif fan like me. Is this how Tucker fans felt last season?

But with that said... I'm gonna be fair here. I think the reason why we can't do a lot with Grif, and probably others who could use development, is the 12 episode count. While the count is good for advancing the plot at a good pace and has a main focus to work on (in this case Donut, Wash, and the time travel) it sadly means a LOT of character opportunities get wasted or shafted as a result. Since those things need the focus for this story, those have to gain the focus and everything else falls by the wayside. Kinda like how in S12, Tucker got the majority of focus while others aside from the Freelancers and Church didn't get much. And that season had the standard 19 episodes, but the plot needed to advance so there just wasn't really time to do other things that I myself would have liked, like more focus on Grif, Simmons, and Caboose as Captains and not just Tucker. But that's a discussion for another day, but the point is the plot, as it is now, sadly means that Grif doesn't get the focus that I feel he should be getting. Which Simmons, Tucker, and even kinda Carolina are getting the short end of the stick too. Lopez is getting it really bad in comparison so... yeah. Production can suck sometimes.

Even with me feeling that Grif's focus is lacking after the build-up, I don't at all feel like his development is being outright forgotten though. Sure he's confused about what's going on and the time travel... but honestly I am too because GDI I don't understand time travel. So I can't get mad at something I don't get either and have kinda just resigned myself to. His reaction to seeing Huggins again was really, really cute. I don't think he's ever sounded that happy at any other point in the show. Sure Huggins is still angry at him, and it's not hard to fault her, but the fact that Grif was so happy that he wasn't even phased by it until near the end... it was really sweet especially compared to how volatile he was to her at first last season. And then once Grif understood, he committed to it, figured out rather quickly how to take Genkins down in S5, and blew them up with a rocket launcher with zero hesitation. The fact that after nine seasons he finally got payback on Tex for the brutal beat down was also satisfying as Hell. Sorry Tex, but Grif earned this moment. And even during the mindwipe, he was the only one who even considered believing DOnut and was weirdly motivated, even in places he normally wouldn't have been like during S13. So yeah, I wish that more was done after all the build-up prior, and I hope the next story arc will allow it, but I'm still enjoying Grif. I just wish we had more.

I'm not sure what else I can say really. Some funny moments, like Sarge's utter glee at reliving deleting the Blues. Part of me feels like he should be past this by now... but hey, it was still funny. Also, the link that appears on the Delete Blues screen? Type it in. Trust me, you will NOT regret it... or you will and cry, but do it anyways. The fact that Donut could give a coherent explanation while being crushed under a ship is impressive... although shouldn't he have landed in the cavers by then? Meh, maybe he's just really good at throwing his voice. Simmons just rebooting the computer to get rid of Genkins, which again it wasn't present!Simmons who did it was an underrated badass moment imo. And of course, the ending. Tucker is with Felix again, back when he was still pretending to be an ally. And Tucker has to let the event go as it's supposed to, so not only does he have to deal with Genkins... but he's got to keep his own feelings in check. Because if he can't and tries to kill Felix here... that may very well be the kick that Chrovos needs to be set free.

Final Thoughts

Good episode. Nothing major happened, and I'm starting to see some cracks in the structure, but I still enjoyed it. We have a clear directive for now and we have a pretty damn promising lead-in for next week. With four episodes left, there's a lot to still do and not a lot of time left. How will it play out? Not sure, but it's gonna leave one Hell of an impression. In that, I have little doubt.

[lucifers-perfect-angel]

THIS EPISODE Season 13 episode 7

OKAY FIRST OF ALL. MY POOR LUCIFER BABY AHHHHH. I hate how many people are actually hating on him. Like shit man. He's actually one of the funny villains

On the show. He's sassy, sarcastic and yes he can be a bit childish

But he can also be charming! And all around adorable. (Mark is also very very adorable)

And when he's character is written constant and correctly! (Which the writers can't seem to do for a lot of characters!) He is also very intelligent! And manages to get himself out of a lot of shit. Sure he's unorthodox. And is corrupt-has anger issues (I can highly relate to this one), major daddy issues, he's narsassistic and well he is Satan. But he was also corrupted by the mark. Which means he wasn't always this way.

Now with the Lucifer cas team up? HOLY SHIT THIS IS MY JAM. My top two favorite characters teaming up (though reluctantly)

Cas was so completely done with Lucifer the whole time they were talking. It was so funny. Especially their banter- "what are you doing back in this world?" "what are you doing alive?" PRICELESS. "Sorry if I'm a bit on egde. Last time we were together you killed me" "last time we were together you stabbed me!" "I'm sorry!" I absolutely loved it!!

Now Lucifer being de-powered.....

That was completely unexpected. Honestly though the second Kevin said archangel Grace I was like.... Michael's never going to use his. Lucifer is NOT human. Just weak. Very weak. He stated to Castiel he needed time after being called the weakest link. Which means he thinks he can build his power back up. Which I think what truly made him THAT depowered was going through the portal. Lucifer only lost a bit of his Grace. Unless this truly shows us how different an archangel's grace is from a normal angel's grace in that in losing just that bit of grace it makes one of the most powerful beings in the universe basically have red glowing eyes as some sort of party favor. And saying that because Castiel lost all of his grace that Lucifer (a being who spent all of forever being pretty much all powerful and who's grace was pretty much ALL he had-no Winchester safety net, no friends, no family who doesnt hate him) shouldn't be allowed to be upset? That's Bullshit. He just lost a part of himself. A person's problem should not be invalidated just because someone else has a worse problem. Thats Like saying you are having major problems but because someone else has it worse that you should never say your problems bc other people have it worse. (I'm guilty of that. I don't share my problems bc I feel like other people have it worse so I shouldn't complain)

And Lucifer being tortured. "He's getting what he deserves." Okay first of all. Lucifer's has been getting the short end of the stick since Chuck slapped that mark on him. Instead of fixing Lucifer as he saw it corrupt him, Chuck decided to throw his problem away in a cage when it caused Lucifer to speak out against humans and rebel. (Being the first angel to express free will) (Which mind you. LUCIFER IS NOT THE ONLY ANGEL THAT LOOKED DOWN UPON HUMANS. THE APOCALYPSE LITERALLY SHOWED US THAT AND EVEN CHUCK WASNT TOO HAPPY WITH HUMANS WHEN METATRON HAD TO TALK SENSE INTO HIM!!) He got locked away and destined to die. Which he even said he didn't want to fight Michael (But he was prepared to fight) killing Gabriel we saw that he doesnt just feel rage or hatred (fueled by the corruption) but you also saw that he felt guilt. And sorrow. LIKE HE ACTUALLY CRIED AT LOSING HIS BABY BROTHER! The baby brother he raised! So no he's not a hate and anger fueled monster. He feels sorrow. He feels fear.

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS. LUCIFER ACTUALLY FLINCHING. He's weak. He knows this. He knows that he can't match up to Asmodeus in this state. And I think he fears that Asmodeus might take advantage of this and get payback for what Lucifer did to him. (Hey if a creature scares even Lucifer THEN THEY SHOULDNT BE LET OUT YOU DUMBASS PRINCE OF HELL. I BET YOU WERE THE RUNT) Lucifer just really needs a hug right now. *opens arms and is ready to give Satan a hug*

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT PROUD PAPA LUCIFER! People keep saying he just wants the kid for power but I don't think that's necessarily true..... I actually think he genuinely cares for Jack. I think he genuinely wants to be a father to Jack. I'm really hoping that this season's leads to a redemption arch for Lucifer. I think being de-powered and having Jack would be good for him and help him gain perspective on some things. Both Castiel and metatron gained perspective when they were human. As much as Mark said Lucifer would kill himself if he lost his grace. I think just de-powering him would be good. Plus it's a change up on the characters story. Instead of just....ya know. Getting locked up in hell with small moments of freedom in between before he's some how locked up again.

Anyways that's just my little rant about tonight. Agree, disagree I don't care. Just don't hate.

[soul-music-is-life]

Thoughts Watching PLL “Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares”

1) How the hell do these girls look good in prison jumpsuits and I can’t even pull off a pretty sweater set?

2) Random inmate is right. The cops in Rosewood ARE stupid.

3) I love Emily vs. Spencer. They are both eating it up. It’s hilarious to see Troian and Shay battle one another.

4) The first time I watched this I knew they were faking and I loved every second of it.

5) I don’t like this new swim coach.

6) Tee hee. Those smug smiles the liars got when they met up.

7) “I’m the weakest link. And the weakest link wants some payback.” These girls and their plans, man.

8) Haleb feels. I’m so happy.

9) Awww, Toby thinks both Spencer and Emily are shutting him out. Double ouch!

10) Emily and Spencer are totally playing “A” and I love it.

11) Oh, shit! Is this the episode where Ezria comes out to her parents?!

12) Ella reaching over to Byron all slow like, “Um…this is real, right? Is this real?”

13) I like how Mike stepped in to protect Aria, and let’s be honest...every PLL knows Ezra had that punch coming.

14) Oh, dark Ezra is pissed at Jackie.

15) Toby jumping in against Spencer to protect his friend Emily. He’s such a sweetheart.

16) Emily stepping up to “A” with that “you wanna see what you’re afraid of?” speech is so badass.

17) There’s a certain kind of justice that I enjoyed about Hanna hitting A with her car.

18) A, you lost your phone, you dumbass.

[jacnaylor]

favourite fictional ladies

emily fields // pretty little liars

i’m the weakest link. and the weakest link wants some payback.

[spookyyrph-blog]

The Signs As Emily Fields Quotes

Aries: "These are not highlights, Hanna. This is glass in my hair."

Taurus: "I don't care how many beauty pageants she's won. She's an ugly person."

Gemini: "You're not paranoid if someone's really out to get you."

Cancer: "I'll show someone my boobs and we'll be news again."

Leo: "It's like trying to read a book, and someone keeps ripping out the pages."

Virgo: "Look, I don't want to be the person who ends up with a mushy squash."

Libra: "I didn't come out of the closet. I fell out... on my face."

Scorpio: "The weakest link wants some payback."

Sagittarius: "If lying was a crime, we would all be in jail."

Capricorn: "Mona may not be A, but she's definitely still a B."

Aquarius: "Wow. That sounded so much better in French"

Pisces: "Lying to Toby is like lying to the Dalai Lama."

[terrifyingstories2]

who is your favorite liar the world needs to know 🎤

oh. my god. CJ. you can't do this to me!!!!!!! you simply cannot!!!!! the way i yelled when i got this message because I CANNOT. god. listen. spencer, emily, aria, and hanna are just my children. i cannot choose between them! they're my children! you can't choose between your children! ot4: i trust these girls with my life! they're everything!

shout out to alison and mona who i also love dearly and consider liars but aren't quite at spencer/emily/aria/hanna levels of adoration.

but yeah gosh. i adore all of those girls and would go to bat for them any day. almost as fiercely as they do for each other.

spencer with her laser focus and deep-seated need to solve the puzzle and inability to step back or let go even when, especially when, she would be better off for it; spencer with her big, big tender heart that she wears on her sleeve just begging to be seen and loved and recognized as something other as the Smart One the Strong One because she's just so TIRED can't she just rest. spencer who is known for being sharp and confrontational but really is just the biggest sweetheart who cries if you look at her funny. she just makes my heart HURT so much sometimes it feels like it'll give out.

emily!!! angry protective romantic 'the weakest link wants some payback' emily with the most graphic and colorful descriptions of people having ungodly things done to them despite being mistaken for the nice sweet inoffensive liar. fiercely protective and loyal all the way down to her bones angel who has so much empathy for people who are misunderstood and who is so willing to open her heart despite everything. emily who wakes up 3 hours before the marins to make them a gourmet breakfast when she's staying with them and can't fathom the idea of calling people's parents by their first names because it's so ingrained in her to be polite. so goddamn relatable.

ARIA! oh my gosh my baby girl. i cannot get over aria. i have such incredible love for her and her love of romance and her pink streaks and how goddamn protective she is and absolutely fucking ruthless she can be in defense of the people that she loves. how closely she keeps things to her chest and how deeply she feels. i love her art and her writing and how she expresses herself and how independent she is and how hard she fights for love. imo the best dressed liar not to get CONTROVERSIAL. but just. oh my goth baby darling and her skirt made out of ties. SO many iconic lines. how do i say this nicely. MONA'S THE DEVIL. she just makes me so happy. she was so close to having such a powerful arc and i will fix it i will.

hanna banana who is so fucking self-aware and emotionally intelligent like oh my god. this girl could run circles around so many people i love how well she knows herself and how in tune she is with symbols and places and how intuitive she can be. how much compassion she has and how willing she is to risk everything for the people she loves. the marins in general are just so special to me i have so much love for this family. hanna who became rosewood's queen not through fear and intimidation but actual genuine likability.

if i like. absolutely HAD to choose.. probably emily or aria because i feel like they need me the most. @lingeringscars has spencer covered. but i feel like emily is so often written off as nice/boring or treated like a love interest in her own story and i'm just like do you not SEE her do you not SEE my daughter how do you not see that she is the best girl in the world.

and then aria i'm so protective of aria she's so often misunderstood and with the aria/ezra nonsense she NEEDS it you know. the show did her so dirty and so i have to fix it i will fix it i will do that for her. i will do anything for that baby.

i should also add that i told laura you sent this and before i said anything she told me my favorite "was aria probably but maybe emily but definitely aria" and she's very rarely wrong so there's also that.

[deztinywarriors]

The Linked Charms - Episode 24 (Multi Liverpool players)