#these things deserve to be met with concern. and/or even some criticism.

[supahstarrr]

i have to admit that i'm kind of scared to say this. i've held this thought to myself for a bit but. honestly, i'm unsure how i feel about people demonizing the concept of voicing & having criticism towards fanganronpas as a response to proclaimed fans of fanganronpas who have criticism rooted in bad-faith that is expressed disrespectfully. to say criticism, even when it is constructive, is less needed due to fangans being "less established" is—although understandable to an extent—simplistic thinking to me as it disregards context.

fanganronpas aren't established media—they may not have much impact to the general population as they are not promoted in established industries. yet there will be impact that is noteworthy regardless as not only it has its roots and inspiration from already established media, but also its apart of a niche community that is an extension of a larger community (danganronpa). let alone a niche community that is built on taking inspiration from other projects that are established or not.

criticizing fanganronpas extends to being criticism towards danganronpa, then to tropes the series uses which exists outside of that series. and what i'd argue is the most important—criticism towards fanganronpas act as inspiration for other fanganronpa creators and can be an expression of your love towards the series. for people to demean all criticism as unneeded and a character flaw of somebody, to just group up criticisms rooted in love or concerns for representation with ones fundamentally in bad-faith, and to just disregard the complexities of criticism by reducing it to one form—is harmful.

this thinking towards criticism leans towards being exclusive when at times they can also be concerns for how a fangan may use tropes that perpetuate harmful beliefs ingrained in society and/or contribute to (common) limiting tropes attached to minorities in media . i feel wary to voice or even have criticisms towards my own representation that is commonly disregarded or stereotypical (with those stereotypes stemming from harmful and dehumanizing beliefs) in fanganronpas and danganronpa. my concerns of how black, tanned & brown or women, girls, & femmes or how queer characters are represented in fanganronpas don't just stop there. they don't just stop at danganronpa either. they extend to the representation outside of that art, because both fanganronpas (and danganronpa) are impacted by media (and society) outside of danganronpa.

i don't know how to feel really. i don't always have criticism, all of my spaces (like this blog) is not built from my criticisms on fangans, i don't always feel the desire or need to attempt at spreading my criticism around with tags and all, i don't always desire or need to attempt at bringing significant impact with my criticisms. yet still, i partially feel unwelcomed in the fanganronpa community just for having criticisms sometimes, even towards things that really matter. seeing how my race and skintone is represented in both danganronpa & fangans AND how fans in both of their communities respond to that representation & people who voice their concerns of that respresentation have made me disillusioned to the concept of a total "positive" space that doesn't allow criticism for the sake of comforting those who might not even be affected by the representation that *needs* to be criticized.

i feel too complicated about the discussion. i also dont think this way of thinking towards criticism also gets to the root of those proclaimed fans of fanganronpas who express their nonconstructive criticisms in harshness—which is entitlement, at times unhealthy parasocial relationships with the creator, and wanting to feel "owed" by the creator that is so insanely common in fandoms. its not that theyre voicing or having criticisms in the first place, its how they voice it or have criticisms based on negative attitudes with no valid depth behind it (which may disregard the narrative for the sake of personal tastes). instead, this thinking towards criticism risk shutting down vaild criticisms and concerns about the harm fangans may perpetuate and how they can contribute to regressive representation of minorities.

[itsphoenix0724]

Hold Me Gently (Azriel x Reader)

Summary: Azriel knew exactly what he signed up for when he became the court's spymaster, but sometimes everything gets too much for him to handle.

Warnings: Smut, angsty, negative thoughts about oneself, some dark stuff mentally

Word count: 1.6k

Bonus Chapter!

A/N: Hi loves! I'm excited to put this out for you guys I've been working on it for kind of a hot minute. Please read the tags carefully. I hope you all enjoy it, and as always constructive criticism is welcome. Plus I've got a special surprise coming in December that I may announce later this week so keep a look out. <3

Azriel swore sometimes he could still hear the screams that echoed off the stone walls of the Hewn City rattle around in his brain for days. Rhys had been clear this time. 

Get the information through whatever means necessary, no matter what. 

So that’s exactly what he had done, and it had taken hours. He sent Rhys a message with the information and winnowed directly into your bedroom. He knew you were downstairs in the kitchen because he had sent his shadows earlier to watch you, but he couldn’t bear to have you look at him right now. To have you look at him like he was the most amazing thing in the universe when you had no idea what horrors he committed just an hour earlier. Azriel hides his shame from the portrait of his mating ceremony, turning away from even your painted adoration. He is not the smiling male in that picture. He is not the male who deserves to put his blood-stained hands around your waist. He doesn’t deserve any of it. Not your kindness, not your comfort, not your kiss, or your smile. Not when he spent half the day ripping a man apart. 

Maybe that male had a mate waiting at home too. 

He sneaks carefully into the bathroom, turning the bathtub's faucet to boiling and letting the tub fill. Az peels off his leathers layer by layer, and they hit the clean white tile with a sickeningly wet sound, none of the blood is his. As he watches the red slowly seep onto the floor he knows that the tile’s just another thing he’s ruined. 

He wishes he could peel his skin off as well. 

Azriel sinks slowly into the tub, letting the sting of the hot water work every muscle. He wanted to erase everything, to let the water cleanse away his disgusting actions. His shadows send a whisper of you humming quietly from the kitchen and he almost bursts into tears. How had the cauldron given him someone someone so gentle? How did you wake up in their bed every day and not know you slept next to a monster? Az sinks under the surface, unable to bear the rushing in his head, and doesn’t come back up until his lungs are screaming for air. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You knew something was wrong when your mate didn’t immediately come to see you after returning from his mission. You had heard the faucet start to run while chopping vegetables for dinner, and you assumed Az was quickly rinsing off before he joined you. After half an hour had passed you started to become concerned. You knew your mate, and even though he never told you specifics, he sometimes needed time after his return from the Hewn City. You silently creep up the stairs of your home, avoiding all the creaking floorboards that might tip Azriel off. You swing open the bedroom door, but he is nowhere to be found the only evidence of him is a trail of blood that sends your heart into overdrive. You follow it to your bathroom door, now more worried about his safety than anything. The bond beating in your chest is dark, and it has been since Az left your bed this morning. Throwing open the door you’re met with a wall of crushing darkness. You fight through the swirling blackness, trying to call Azriel’s name, but you can’t see two feet in front of you. A rouge shadow comes to circle your wrist dragging you to your mate’s hunched form in the bathtub, base instinct takes over as you climb into the water hissing as the burning water scalds your thighs. “Azriel,” You call his name, taking his head in your hands. His hazel eyes seem unfocused like he’s looking through you than at you. “Az,”  you rush out again. “Are you bleeding? Are you hurt?” You tilt his head this way and that way before scanning the rest of his body. You shake him at the shoulders trying to get him to see you. Finally, as if Az just realized you were there, he looks at you. 

“The blood isn’t mine.” is all he says before his head thumps back against the porcelain as if it’s too heavy to hold on his own. Your shoulders sag in relief. “You shouldn’t be in here. Go back downstairs I’ll be there in a minute.” He runs the wet silk of your nightgown in between his fingers. You have no intention of leaving this bathtub until you figure out what's wrong with your mate.

“What’s happened?” You push running your fingers through the threads of his inky black hair. “Did the mission not go well?” Azriel scoffs, looking unbothered, but you can see the muscles in his throat tightening with effort to keep something hidden. You try to pull at the bond again, begging him to lower the obsidian shields he builds around himself, his hands shake with the effort of keeping them impenetrable. He still avoids your eyes, yet you try again refusing to yield. “Sweetheart…” you whisper softly and the Shadowsinger cracks before you. His walls rush down and crash against you like a tsunami, the wave of self-hatred that he had been holding in barrels against you with enough force to bring down the mountains. Silver lines his hazel eyes and your heart almost cracks in two. Wrapping your arms around Azriel you cradle him to your body, his hands tighten around your waist seeming torn between pulling you closer and pushing you away. His shoulders shake with the force of his sobs and all you can do is keep stroking his hair and make soothing sounds, trying to calm him down enough to speak. Az takes a shuddering breath, but the tears still stream down his face. You chase them away with the pads of your fingers. 

 “I do not deserve you,” he grinds out, voice rusty from the tears. You rub soothing circles into the joints of his shoulders and it makes Azriel want to throw up. “I am the monster mothers warn their children about at night. I’ve committed horrors that should make you run away in terror” You shake your head with feverance. 

“I would never run from you Azriel. There is nothing too dark or too ugly that would make me love you any less. I promise you I can handle it.” Azriel does nothing but collapse back against you shaking his head back and forth. “Just talk to me please.” He takes a deep inhale, trying to calm his racing heart. 

“I bled a male dry today. Rhys needed information, and he was harder to break than anticipated.” It’s all the information Az is willing to give. You have to stamp down the fury rising in your own chest. Both at Rhysand for putting your mate through this and at the Hewn City itself. 

You’d tear this court apart brick by brick for making Azriel feel like he’s less than deserving of his life. 

You’ll have to talk with Rhys later because for now, your focus is Az and Az alone. You refuse to allow him to continue to carry on like this, cursing yourself for not realizing the effects of this position wearing on him sooner. 

“Look at me.” You pull his jaw towards you, forcing him to meet your eyes “There is no universe where you are not deserving of happiness. You have a job to do, and I understood that when I accepted this bond. I do not fear you, I do not balk from you, and I do not love you any less because of that.” The bond sings with light as the weight finally starts to leave your mate's shoulders. Golden eyes study you intensely before he hauls you against him in one fluid motion and crashes his lips to yours. He tastes like burning whiskey, and kisses you so fiercely you’re afraid your lips might bruise. You hold him together the best you can, afraid that if you let him go he will shatter into pieces before you. “Are you sure you want this right now?” You ask, you’ll give Az whatever he needs, and if he needs a distraction from his head then you’re happy to provide it to him. He nods, leaning down to press his lips to your collarbone. You run your hands along his back grinding yourself into him, and pour love and devotion down your side of the bond to him. His hardness presses against you as he nudges aside the scraps of lace before sheathing himself into the hilt. You let Azriel take what he needs, fucking you on his length, rocking you back and forth. He’s hitting the spot inside you that makes you see stars with such force water sloshes over the edge of the tub, washing away the blood from Azriel’s leathers. You run your hands along the edge of his wing and he roars, one hand almost cracking the porcelain of the bathtub. He changes his pace to pure brutality, using you like no more than a toy. Your thighs shake with the effort to keep yourself upright. He’s ruthless in the way he moves like a hungry predator finally tearing into its kill. Your orgasm tears through you with blinding energy, and you unravel faster than you’d like to admit, but Az always manages to have that effect on you. He loses himself soon after you, tumbling over the edge with so much force he rips the bottom of your nightgown into ribbons. You stare at each other for a long moment, relishing in the afterglow and grateful for the hot water in the tub. 

“I’m sorry for ripping your nightgown,” Azriel rumbles and you laugh a beautiful golden sound. 

“You can buy me a new one later,” you promise, “but for now let me wash your hair.” 

[atlantahammy]

This is my, uhhh, I guess, last entry for the @tmnt-ocxcanon-comp (Wedding). I wanted to continue the prompts, but work really got in the way, because, of course, it did. I may make the other prompts in the future once I get some of that work handled.

Now, for some real talk and musings under the cut, so if you're here for the art, can just enjoy~ Also thanks to @honeylief for helping me figure out the snoot kiss!

Donnie is in a traditional Japanese wedding yukata for men, while Astra is in more a American styled wedding dress, I wanted to mix their attire to match their ethnicities. (Even though Donnie is Japanese/American)

Astra originally also had star clips in her hair, but I forgot them, and maybe it's for the best, it came out okay!

———————————– My Commissions | .Carrd | Ko-Fi

This was my first competition, and admirably, I don't know if I'll be joining anymore or again next year due to how it was… kind of a mess.

I get that the runner was new to this, so mistakes were going to happen.

It was an okay experience overall, despite my own breakdowns from my depression and anxiety (Which I kept largely to myself, that's my baggage) I also have my criticisms, especially with how I was treated regarding concerns, and having them brushed off, only to have that exact topic to come up separately and blow up publicly. That made things hella awkward.

(I'm not upset Tomiko won, we all knew it was gonna happen, and they deserve it! I'm just upset with how it was gone about.)

I do think I met some kind people and left a good impression, but IDK if any of them would want to associate with me. Only time will tell, yeah?~

Maybe if some things are changed around, or idk I'm feeling confident, I'll enter again or go to another contest, for now, my emotions need time to recover, Avoidant personality disorder is a bit of a bitch when it comes to things like this. /lh

[maladaptiveobsession]

yandere adam headcanons

contains: brief dubcon mention, manipulation, emotional/mental abuse, degradation

yandere adam

who, under all the false bravado, is insecure. cuckolded twice—and by the same man no less—how could he not be? the overwhelming anxiety of losing you haunts him. try as he might, loud vulgarities make terrible compensation for confidence.

who sabotages any meaningful relationships. what do you mean you’re lonely? this is heaven; you’re surrounded by others! the company you keep never satisfies your desire for connection, seemingly close yet just out of reach. despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to form any deep attachments. the mental isolation will wear you down and warp your thoughts. were you even worth keeping around? distraught and rejected, adam will pull you out of the depths of your despair. who needs those stains? they don’t appreciate you like he does; don’t care for you like he does. you can see it now, can’t you? he’s the only one for you.

who openly tears you down with stinging criticism, finding fault in all that you do. his denigrations are no more than projected insecurities. though he casts a confident image, he is doubtful and hesitant. his harassment is subtle; any concerns you bring up brushed off and met with admonishment. don’t be so sensitive! that’s just how he is! you must be misunderstanding him. adam himself hardly recognizes his arraignment, sending crude remarks your way merely out of habit. he’s never meant any of it, often leaving himself wondering why he pressures you so much. it’s not that he takes pleasure in your dejection, but rather that he subconsciously recognizes his own faults. he knows he’s no good for you and that you deserve better. so he tears you down as he does himself, hoping that if you have no confidence in yourself, you’ll settle for him. though he means none of what he says, don’t expect any apologies. he’s convinced himself he’s above apologies, above you.

who takes what he wants, always pushing your boundaries, never asking for permission. it’s only natural; you belong to him. i mean, who asks their toys for consent to play? things would be so much simpler if you just cooperated. who cares if he plays a little rough? you can take it. that being said, adam views you less as an object and more as an extension of him.

who’s never far. what do you mean you’re going out? don’t go anywhere just yet; he’s coming with. no matter the destination or occasion, he’ll be there. what if you never come back? what if you leave him?

who’s entitled. he was the first soul to enter heaven; he’s earned this! you think you’re too good for him or something? you should be happy that he chose you! he has plenty of sluts lined up to ride the original dick; he could easily replace you. empty threats, yet stinging all the same.

who craves your worship. paradoxical as it is, he is annoyingly conceited yet also self-deprecating. having been divorced twice, he often worries he’s inadequate. so he overcompensates confidence to the point of arrogance. his doubt in your faithfulness connects to his past trauma, so compliment his features, praise his accomplishments, and let him know just how much you appreciate and enjoy being around him. he may not say thank you, but you can tell just how much he values your opinions.

who demands your attention. evading him is nearly impossible. he’ll take offense, of course, but ultimately see it as a challenge. clearly you were ignoring him because you wanted his attention! why else would you avoid him? no worries, babe! he’s all yours! isn’t he so generous?

who shows you off, proudly announcing your relation to everyone you meet. all of heaven, perhaps even some of hell, will know of you. whether you’re with adam or not, crowds will whisper, point, and goggle as you wander. you’re his bitch, hot stuff! get used to it! he wants everyone to see just how out of reach you are. you’re his, only his

who derives no pleasure from hurting you. adam will never physically harm you. underneath that crude exterior, he truly does care for you. he can give you everything, anything! just don’t abandon him. to keep you by his side, nothing is above him.

[lemonlover1110]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄

Levi Ackerman

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x f!Reader

Warnings: MDNI, smut, vaginal fingering, oral sex (f. receiving), vaginal sex (most likely forgot to add some warnings)

I found this old oneshot from like two years ago and just wanted to share here. I didn't read through it bc that's just embarrassing but it's almost 4k words that deserve to see light of day, anyway enjoy

Discord +18 - Twitter - Ko-Fi

It was Thursday afternoon, and you were just finishing practice. Finally, after a long day of hard work. You were being watched the whole time. He watched you like a hawk, while you trained. Not bothering to pay attention to anyone else, just you.

His attitude towards you was always so nasty. He hated you, there was no doubt in your mind; but why? You were an excellent cadet, always obeying orders and treating others with respect. The idea of acting up never crossed your mind, yet he treated you as if you were the most mischievous in the group. 

You went over to talk to your group of friends, laughing and giggling while his eyes bore into the back of your head. You had brought up the situation many times to your friends, but they always responded with a “Really? I haven’t noticed him staring at you” or a “I think you’re overreacting.” But you weren’t overreacting, you felt targeted by him. It made you upset how you were singled out. Levi Ackerman was a person you looked up to, but sadly he didn’t seem to like you. 

“Hey, Captain Levi wants to speak with you.” Eren informed you, as he walked over to the group. A sigh escaped your lips, as you were expecting to get scolded. You walked away from the group of people and walked over to where Levi was. 

“You wished to speak with me, Captain?” You spoke up, but he remained quiet and expressionless. 

“You’ve been doing horrible during training, are you sure you’re cut out for this?” He started, and you listened in on his criticism. He talked about how you needed to improve so much more on your hand-to-hand combat skills, which you found kind of useless in the scout regiment since you weren’t planning on killing titans with your fists. Regardless, he was right about your poor skills in that area. He talked about how much more you needed to work on your omni-directional mobility skills, you nodded as you listened even if you were a bit confused since you excelled in that area. He pointed out many things you needed to improve with, but didn’t give out a single tip. 

He had finally dismissed you, as people were already going back to their dormitories, and preparing for dinner. You rushed to the showers to clean yourself up, and not be too late for the last meal of the day. The women were already getting out and putting on their clothes, as you arrived and took off yours. 

“We’ll wait for you.” Sasha announced as she walked out with Mikasa. 

You walked into the shower stall and began cleaning yourself, as women continued walking out of the place, until the last one left and you were left alone. As the cold water hit your skin, all you could think about was Captain Levi. You never did anything to upset him, so why was he so tough on you. You could handle criticism, but he always singled you out, even if people were doing so much worse than you. 

The bathroom door opened, and you wondered if someone had forgotten something, since you were the last to leave the training grounds and to shower. You didn’t say anything, though, since it didn’t concern you. You continued scrubbing yourself while the footsteps got louder and louder, until they came to a sudden stop. You slightly turned your head, for your eyes to be met with the man you were just thinking about. Quickly, you grabbed the towel that hung over the stall, and wrapped it around your body. 

“Captain, what are you doing here?” You turned off the water, and turned to face Levi who looked mortified. Levi was nearly naked, only a towel covering his lower region. 

“My private bathroom is getting fixed, so I was going to the boy’s bathroom to take a shower, I thought this one was it. Apparently not.” He explained and your eyes couldn’t help but to go to his torso, and take in how good he looked. 

“It used to be this one, but I guess they changed it.” He added.

“Mhmm... I guess they did.” You hummed as your eyes were glued on his abs. You wished the towel would magically drop to find out if Levi’s height went somewhere else. He noticed it, and he was enjoying the way you looked at him. He walked towards you, grabbing you and pushing you against the wall.

“What’s on your mind, cadet?” He raised an eyebrow, and you remained speechless, as you took in the situation. Levi had you against the wall. “Don’t be shy, I don’t bite.”

“Well, only if you ask me to.” He smirked. You grabbed the back of his head and pulled it towards you, pressing his lips against yours. Within an instant he kissed you back. His lips felt oddly soft, something you definitely weren’t expecting. He bit your bottom lip, making you gasp. He used the opportunity to enter his tongue into your mouth and press it against yours. 

He pulled away from your mouth, and began pressing open-mouthed kisses on your jaw, before moving down to your neck and doing the same. Not doing much more to your neck, he moved to your collar bones, and began marking that area.With one tug your towel was on the floor and Levi kept moving down, till he reached your pussy. He grabbed your leg, and placed it on top of his shoulder as he ran his tongue through your folds before flicking your clit. Soft moans escaped your lips as he continued. 

You ran your hand through his hair as he continued sucking on your clit. Levi took two fingers, and slowly pushed inside of you. His fingers weren’t that big but he sure did know how to use them. His fingers were hitting all the right spots as he licked your clit. He somehow knew exactly how to please you. 

“Oh Captain-” You moaned out as he gently bit your clit. He detached his mouth from your pussy, to look at you as he continued fingering you. A smug look was painted across his face, as he watched how your eyes rolled to the back of your head due to his fingers that were thrusting in and out of you. The face of pleasure your face projected satisfied him. 

He began scissoring his fingers, as he took his other hand and rubbed your clit. You began squeezing around his fingers, and he couldn’t help but wonder how good that would feel around his cock. You held on to the stall wall for support as your body spasmed, reaching you high. Levi took his fingers out, and pressed a soft kiss on your pussy before standing up. He helped you balance yourself before speaking.

“You should probably head to the mess hall, people might be wondering where you’re at.” 

-

Following his orders, you were now in the mess hall sitting between Mikasa and Armin, across from Jean, Sasha and Connie. The table was mostly quiet as everyone enjoyed their food in silence, well most of the table, Sasha stuffed her mouth and made sure everyone could hear her; and you, well you were thinking about what just happened. Levi was always picked on you, and he seemed to despise you so what just happened in the bathroom was unexpected. 

“What made you take so long in the bathroom?” Sasha finished eating, finally speaking. You tried to remain neutral as you thought of an excuse. You remained quiet as nothing good came up.

“It’s none of our business.” Mikasa responded for you, and you agreed with her. Nobody really cared, but Sasha became suspicious. You noticed it, and hoped she wouldn’t bring it up again. In hopes that she’d forget, you gave her the bread that you weren’t planning on eating. She looked happy, which you hoped meant that she’d let it go. But she wouldn’t let it go, the fact that you gave her food made her even more suspicious. 

“What did Captain Levi want?” Jean cocked his eyebrow, curious on why Levi wanted to talk to you. The mention of his name made your face heat up, however you managed to answer his question, making it seem believable as you sighed, “Just the same old thing, criticizing me for poor work during training.”

Mikasa clicked her tongue as she heard the response. She had seen how Levi always picked on you, so she believed you when you spoke to them about the issue. 

“What is his issue with you?” Mikasa huffed, and you shrugged. You were still curious on why he was always rude, but you had a general idea in mind. 

“Where’s Eren?” You changed the topic, which thankfully worked. 

“Hange is running some experiments on him.” Armin answered. Mikasa looked annoyed, since she knew that the experiments Hange was doing weren’t safe for anybody. 

The rest of the dinner was filled with jokes (mostly from Connie), giggles, and some conversation about Scout topics. Mikasa, Sasha and you said goodbye to the boys before walking to your dorm room you shared. 

-

“Wake up!” Sasha aggressively shook you, making you open your eyes. You sat up, and looked around confused. Until you saw the sunlight in the room, you ran to get your uniform. 

Training usually started so early, that the sun wouldn’t be out which meant you were late. You also made Sasha late, who apparently spent time trying to wake you up. You tried your best to put on the uniform quickly, which was a difficult task to do. Sasha continued waiting for you, which made you feel bad since she was already late. You made a mental note to give her your bread for at least a week. 

After putting on the uniform, which was most likely messed up, you two ran out to the training area. Everyone was already busy, Levi was overlooking the training for the week and he made sure the soldiers were always busy with something. You tried to sneak in with the soldiers, but when he locked eyes with you he signaled you to come over. You did and stood in front of him, while Sasha still tried to sneak in. 

“Braus, come here!” He yelled. He crossed his arms as Sasha walked towards the two of you.

“Care to explain why you two are late?” He looked back and forth between Sasha and you. You bit your lip feeling guilty for getting her in trouble.

“It was my fault sir, I was feeling sick and she took care of me.” You lied, and Levi raised an eyebrow. He knew you were lying, but he still let Sasha go. 

“Lying is not a very good quality. He stated, and you looked at the ground in shame. Levi rolled his eyes before speaking again, “You’re coming with me to my office.”

Levi began walking towards the building, and you followed. The walk was silent and awkward, since there wasn’t much to talk about. Screw that. There was much to talk about but it would be too weird to bring it up in broad daylight. 

He opened the door to his office, and let you enter first. You stood in the middle of his office awkwardly as he closed the door, locking it, before walking to his chair and sitting down. He patted his lap, wanting you to sit on it and you hesitated before walking over.

You sat on his lap, waiting for him to speak up. You knew he had something to say, he always did. He just looked into your eyes, and even though he pretended to be mad his eyes told otherwise. He cleared his throat before speaking, “You know, cadet, you’re a very good liar. Too bad I can read you like a book. You could’ve fooled me. Now what actually happened?”

“I overslept and Sasha waited for me.” You told the truth. He wasn’t planning on punishing you, since you were always really responsible and obedient. This was the first incident and most likely the last. He tried fighting off a smile after an idea came into mind. He couldn’t hide it so instead he began kissing along your jaw. 

“You know, I can’t let this go just like that.” He moved to your lips, where he immediately slid his tongue in and pressed it against yours. You wrapped your arms around him, as the kiss deepened. He pulled away to speak again, “All of next week you’re going to be in here, cleaning the filthy office.”

You smiled before pulling him into a kiss again. The office was anything but filthy, so he was most likely just going to fuck you all of next week. He pulled away,  picked you up and set you down on his desk table. He looked down at your uniform and cocked an eyebrow.

“Thought that you knew how to put on your uniform properly, but apparently not.” He began unbuckling the belts of the uniform one by one, before grabbing one and ordering you to, “Hold your wrists above your head.”

He took the belt and tied your wrists together, restraining you from touching him. He began unbuttoning the buttons of your shirt, commenting on how the shirt was messed up. After unbuttoning the shirt, he took in the sight in front of him, “You really are one sexy woman.”

He took off the waistcloth and your boots, before pulling down your pants and leaving you in your underwear. He began rubbing you through your panties. 

“Aren’t you excited?” He commented after feeling the damp fabric, you rolled your eyes even if you knew he was right. He pushed the panties to the side and began playing with your clit. Without a warning he entered two fingers, making you gasp and shut your legs close. 

“Now, now, don’t be shy.” He spread them once again, getting a full view. He began prepping you, by scissoring his fingers. 

You watched as he focused on your pussy. You doubted you had ever seen him so concentrated even during training. 

He kept pumping his two fingers in and out for a minute, before adding another since he knew that just two fingers weren’t enough. You moaned, surprised at the new finger. He loved seeing how good you felt under his touch, and the erotic faces you made as he played with your cunt. 

He wasn’t planning on spending too much time on prepping, since the soldiers training would finish soon with their task and need instructions. He had locked the door as a safety precaution, but it would also seem suspicious if they tried to come in and the door was locked. 

He took his fingers out, and leaned in, kissing your lips. He pulled away and unbuckled his belt, pulling down his pants along with his boxers making his dick spring out. Your eyes widened at the sight, his height certainly went somewhere else.

“Have you ever done this before?” He asked, making sure this wasn’t your first time. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of taking your virginity, but he didn’t want to take it in his office. He should’ve asked the question last night, but he got too caught up in the moment. 

“I have, don’t worry.” You responded. You were eager for him to fuck you, a bit scared though since you had never been with someone as big as him.  With your response, he spit on your cunt, as he pumped his cock.

He aligned himself with your entrance and slowly pushed himself in. Your eyes filled up with tears, as his cock stretched you out. He looked up to see your face, and noticed your glassy eyes, so he made sure to go in slower. He was halfway in and stopped, to make sure you were okay.

“Can you handle more?” The tone of his voice seemed caring, and if the situation were a bit different you would smile. “I’ll be fine.”

He continued going in at the same pace as before, he made sure he didn’t hurt you. When he was all the way in, he didn’t move, letting you adjust to the size. 

“Tell me when to move.” Levi was desperate to move, you were clenching around him and you just felt so good that he was afraid he was going to come in a minute, but he wanted to make sure you were comfortable before moving. You felt as if you could never get used to him so you just decided to let him move.

“You can move.” You informed him. He started off slow, still making sure you were okay. 

You digged your nails into your palms, and bit your lip stopping cries from escaping your lips as he fucked you. You wished you could’ve been marking his back but he wanted to tie your hands up, you’d get him next time. 

The pleasure overtook the pain as he continued his steady thrusts. One of his hands squeezed your cheeks and brought you up to kiss him. The nastiest kiss you had ever shared with anyone. He pulled away, wanting to hear your moans and cries again. “You’re taking me so well. Who knew a little slut like you could handle my cock.” 

“Fuck- your pussy feels so good.” He continued praising, as he felt how much it turned you on by the way your pussy clenched around him while he spoke.

You kept clenching around him, making him take out his cock knowing that if he didn’t he’d come soon. He entered you, once again, this time hitting your sweet spot making you moan even louder. 

Taking his cock out was useless since his thrusts were becoming sloppy, as he was about to come again. You just felt too good around him, and he couldn’t contain himself. He didn’t want to come before you, so his thumb found your clit and began massaging it. 

“Captain-” You moaned as he continued hitting your sweet spot, and massaging your clit. You were about to come at any second and he knew it. He didn’t stop making sure that you would come before him.

“Come on my cock, baby.” As he spoke, your eyes rolled back and your body spasmed while you came on his cock. Levi quickly took his cock out and released his cum on your stomach. 

He took in the sight in front of him, once again. Your arms were above your head with your wrists tied up, you were covered in sweat and his cum was in your stomach; you looked like a mess but he couldn’t find you even more beautiful. He didn’t doubt that he looked like a mess, too but nothing compared to you, at least he thought. He undid the belt and let your hands free before finding something to help you clean the cum on your stomach. You remained on the desk, knowing your legs wouldn’t work to support yourself for a while. 

He passed you some paper towels that he kept hidden and you thanked him. As you were cleaning yourself up a loud knock on the door made you panic. Levi remained calm, knowing he was in a position of authority and he could tell anyone to fuck off. 

“What do you need?” An annoyed tone was clear in his voice. 

“Captain, we finished what you told us to do. What else do you need?” Mikasa’s voice was clear on the other side of the door, which made you panic even more. Levi was planning on going back out, but he needed to do some paperwork, not only that he didn’t want to let you leave just yet. 

“Just do whatever you think is necessary. Now leave.” He answered, sitting down on his chair. You hurried putting on the uniform, just in case she dared opening the door. He held your hand and tried stopping himself from laughing, while he pointed at the door showing you it was locked. He made you sit on his lap again, as he looked over some paperwork. 

It was weird how yesterday you thought he hated you. Still, you wanted to ask why he was always so rude to you, wanting to confirm if the idea you had in mind was true. You didn’t want to interrupt his concentration but curiosity was killing you. You cleared your throat and his gaze shifted over to you.

“I have a question…” You started. Levi shifted his whole attention to you, as you spoke. “So why were you always so rude to me?”

Levi’s cheeks slowly turned pink as he heard your question. He was a bit ashamed of his reasoning, but he didn’t want to lie or dismiss your question. He stayed quiet as he built up the courage to get the words out of his mouth. He placed a chaste kiss on your lips before speaking, “Well I simply just wanted you to leave the survey corps…”

He expected you to get mad, but to his surprise you were smiling. You were right about his reasoning. 

“And why is that?” You managed to ask, your voice showing you were a bit too happy. He cleared his throat before explaining, “When I first saw you I was drawn to you, and ever since that day I’ve desired you. I couldn’t act out on my feelings since I’m in a position of authority and it would’ve been wrong. Even what we just did was wrong. I just… didn’t want to act out on my feelings and do something I’d regret, so I tried making you leave for maybe one day you’d forgive me and allow me to take you out on a date.”

“I’m sorry… I hope you can forgive me.” You watched his grey eyes filled with regret. You pecked his lips, in hopes of making him feel better.

“I’m not mad.” You reassured him.

You looked into each other's eyes for a minute, and a warm feeling overtook you. You couldn’t help but smile at his cold gray eyes that warmed up the minute they saw you. He smiled too, the same warm feeling overtaking him. 

[kathrahender]

This is the actual fic, the other post was the background story to understand this better. This is the second part (2/2), if you want to read the first part (1/2), read the previous post.

Eventually, Tom Kazanky and Pete Mitchell met in Top Gun, but they were a little more hostile towards each other. After all, Tom always saw Konstantin's hurt expression when people mentioned Duke Mitchell, and Pete always saw the pain and betrayal in Duke's eyes when he heard the name "Konstantin Kazansky". Iceman and Maverick's rivalry was similar to the movie, except that the hate they felt for each other was more obvious than in the movie. Their jokes actually meant to hurt the other, and every time they criticized the other, they were meaner than in the canon.

But- like in every Top Gun AU, Iceman became more compassionate after Goose's death, and although Iceman didn't like Mitchell's family, seeing how damaged Maverick was made him realize that he was hating Maverick for the wrong reasons. It wasn't because he was a bad pilot, it was because Duke was his father, and he couldn't stand that. But the pain in his eyes made him think Maverick didn't deserve to pay for Duke's bad actions. That's why he stood by his side. First he was just a teammate who supported him, but after Layton's mission, they became wingmen. The same year they decided to teach at Top Gun together, and they became more than allies or wingmen. They became friends.

At some moment, Maverick realize Iceman made him feel things he didn't feel with his past girlfriends, not even Penny or Charlie. When he saw Iceman at Top Gun, he couldn't help but smile. When Iceman smiled at him during a lesson, it warmed his heart. When some days Iceman decided to stay at his home, and he woke up screaming and crying in his bed, Iceman held him and it made him feel safe. Iceman was always there for him. To help him. To protect him. To catch him when he fell apart. Every time, Tom was there, saying with and without words "I'm here, I'm not going to leave you". So it wasn't a surprise when he realized he liked Iceman (or even loved because his feelings towards him were so intense).

Maverick repressed his feelings, because after all that happened between them, after all the rivalry, after Goose's death, and after Iceman supported him when he needed more help, he wouldn't bear losing him. He knew Iceman was straight, and if he told him he felt something for him, he would leave him, like everyone else (except his father). And he already lost his mother, Goose, Carole and Bradley. He couldn't lose Iceman too. What he didn't expect was how hard it would be to hold back his feelings. A lot of times he avoided Iceman, pretending he was busy with Top Gun's work, because he didn't want him to know the truth. How could he look at his face and say "I like you"? Iceman was his wingman and his friend, but nothing assured him that Iceman wouldn't leave him if he found out he was in love with a guy. Much less if he himself was that guy.

One day, in the afternoon, Iceman knocked at the door of his house, and although Maverick wanted to tell him to get out, he let him in. They stood silent for a moment, and Maverick expected Iceman yelling at him or being angry for ignoring him, but he didn't do that. He talked to him nicely, with a soft tone, like always. And he could deal with Iceman being angry, but Ice was there, looking at him with concern and pain, not forcing him to say anything, holding his arm or wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He got up to stay away from him, trying to hold back his emotions, because he couldn't bear it. It was Iceman's hand in his shoulder and him saying "I'm here for you, Mav, for anything" what broke him. He almost fell to the ground, nearly having a panic attack, but like always, Iceman was there to catch him, to comfort him. Maverick clung to him, as if he was a lifeline. He knew it was probably the last time Iceman would hug him, and he knew Iceman would abandon him, but during that moment, he imagined Iceman staying with him, he imagined he wouldn't be shattered in pieces after Tom left him.

After a few minutes, he slightly got away from Iceman, keeping his hands in his waist, while Iceman was holding his face in his hands, wiping away the tears. "What's happening, Pete?". Maverick closed his eyes, and he muttured, trembling. "I love you". Iceman got paralyzed, and Maverick felt tears in his eyes again "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ice" he said. Before he could see Iceman looking at him with anger, hate or disgust, he went to his bedroom, but Iceman stopped him, hugging him from behind. "You idiot. You don't have to be sorry. You're not mentally ill and you're not disgusting, Maverick" he held him tighter, and when he heard the following Iceman's words, he sobbed. "I'm your wingman, Pete, I will never leave you. And I will always be here for you. I love you too, Mav"

After that, and even after knowing their life would be hard, they decided to be together. They only lived once, and they wouldn't be cowards and let go of each other. Although they would have to hide from the society, and act like friends in front of everyone, their life would be harder if they weren't dating.

Years later, when people knew the truth about Duke's "betrayal", and when the Navy finally allowed them to date people of their same gender, Iceman and Maverick could finally have their happy ending, and Duke and Konstantin couldn't be more happy for them, because their sons were enough strong and brave to fight for their love, and they succeeded.

Additional information about the fic.

Duke is still considered a traitor because Pete needs to be the same Maverick he was in the movie, and that can only happen if the name "Mitchell" still means "problems" and he is not accepted in Annapolis. He's seen as "the son of a traitor", that's why Goose is his only friend here too.

In this AU, Maverick's mother still dies (when he's... 10 years old more or less), so Pete is raised by his father. Almost the same thing happens to Iceman, because her mother also died when he was a kid.

Iceman doesn't have siblings. Sarah is one of his friends, but she isn't his biological sister.

When talking about people leaving Maverick, he mentioned Carole and Bradley because he is convinced they left him and not the place that reminded them of Goose (after Goose's death, Carole decided to move to another city because she couldn't bear being in Miramar without Goose. She didn't do that because she blamed Maverick for Goose's death and wanted to stay away from him)

With them having a happy ending, I mean them having a happy ending. So I'm just ggnna pretend that Top Gun Maverick's scene didn't happen.

[theoreticallysensible]

The Power and Purpose of Strikes

Simone Weil, the philosopher/anarchist/mystic, describing an ideal political future for France after WW2, lamented that trade unions have become primarily concerned with wages. This might seem strange to us now, when even this activity is so contested by conservatives, but Weil saw it as playing too much into the capitalist spirit.

She saw this as just one of trade unions’, and the worst of the lot, because it encourages workers to think about personal monetary gain rather than justice, solidarity, and even their own needs beyond the material. It also risks the union becoming institutionalised through frequent direct interactions with established economic forces. Again, this will sound weird today, given how unions fighting for wages represent one of the few remaining avenues for working class justice, and yeah Weil was a Catholic with strong convictions about the importance of moralism, but I think fundamentally she had higher hopes than we can easily imagine today.

I think a lot of people sense the truth of what she says today - though unfortunately it’s usually conservatives, who would turn back on it immediately if they recognised what it was they were saying. You see it when they say “Why are train drivers striking? Why are writers striking? Why do they think they deserve more than nurses, or posties, or actors?” And of course, the answer is: “They should strike too!” (As some of them now are 🎉). But it’s true that the narrow focus on wages does foster a sort of competitive individualism which can undermine solidarity with other industries. This means that a more revolutionary conception of unions is needed, which is not what these critics have in mind, but it is what Simone Weil has in mind.

What Weil sees in trade unions is the potential for fostering community, freedom of intellectual and spiritual thought, and a degree of independence from capitalism, all of which amount to a greater degree of what she calls ‘rootedness’ - something involving confidence in truth, having material needs met, security in community, and relative freedom (among other things). She saw them as being able to foster solidarity to meet workers’ need for community, free them from the corrupting influence of monetary concerns, and fight for justice as a group. She also hoped that they could provide a space for freedom of thought, to avoid the fetishisation of community she saw in both the French and Russian revolutions.

Trade unions then should not merely concern themselves with accumulating resources, but also with accumulating time and freedom - with the expansion of what Henri Lefebvre called everyday life, the time in which we are free to do what we want and create new types of experiences. When we have enough of it, we can build our own institutions free from capitalist influence which can form the infrastructure for disruptive situations. This can be mutual aid groups, creative projects, intellectual and spiritual communities, and reimaginings of what it means to work, through permablitzing, learning crafts, and starting co-operatives.

The ideal version of this is the general strike. Walter Benjamin described the general strike as a form of divine violence, violence which acts instantaneously, bloodlessly, without coercion. Rather than sort of blackmailing capitalists, as most strikes do, the general strike is (ideally) a complete disengagement with the entire capitalist system. It asks nothing of it, and simply makes it irrelevant by building entirely new social relations in its place. This is not at all feasible with where we are at the moment, but I like to think that it can be used as an inspiration for incorporating more utopian ideas into our more limited actions, all of which are still so radical in this current climate.

[havenofcybele]

Some thoughts on feminism from a trans perspective

What has feminism done for trans people? This is, surprisingly, a question that isn’t often asked. But the answer is quite revealing: nothing, unless one wants to include negatives, in which case, a lot of bad things.

There’s an expectation for trans women that you’re supposed to be a feminist. So much as questioning feminism, or even expressing indifference to it, is frequently met by vitriol and hostility, typically expressed through misgendering, whether covert or overt. I’ve even had trans women say I deserve transphobia for not being a feminist. ‘Vitriol and hostility’ are really understatements of how tense other trans women can get when you don’t have the right opinion on this subject. The only possible outlet for criticism of feminism is criticism of TERFs, and transfeminists are extremely eager to point out that the TERFs are supposedly a minority, and hell, they’re probably not even real feminists anyway!

But again, my mind just returns to that question. What has feminism done for trans people? If you actually pose that to a transfeminist, they begin to stumble. They’ll stop talking to you, or they’ll deflect, or they’ll ignore the question and focus on something else you’ve said, or they’ll claim that somehow feminism laid the foundations for trans rights and that we don’t owe trans rights to the trans men and trans women who fought for them, or even to the researchers and surgeons who developed lifesaving transition-related care, but instead to activists who were fighting for unrelated concerns and who, by and large, were and are hostile to us.

What they’ll never do is actually name something substantive. I’m not saying individual feminists have never done anything substantive for trans people, but I can’t think of a single thing, and seemingly even transfeminists can’t either, otherwise they’d tell me. I can think of a large number of bad things feminists have and continue to do in regards to trans rights. Janice Raymond contributing to the removal of trans healthcare coverage under the Ronald Reagan administration of the United States, resulting almost certainly in the deaths of trans people, for example. Or the fact that gender recognition reform in the UK has been utterly derailed by feminists, or the fact that feminists have effectively destroyed youth transition resources in the UK. Or how about the time Sheila Jeffreys called trans people parasites to the Houses of Parliament? Feminists have been calling for the elimination of trans people since at least the second wave, constructing glossy looking pieces of academic tripe from The Transsexual Empire in 1979 to the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights in 2019. In my own homecountry, the people spearheading the anti-trans movement aren’t a bunch of far-right Handmaid’s Tale larpers, dreaming of a Gilead knock-off they hope to institute one day–they’re feminists.

Of course, I’m ready to hear the cry of ‘those are TERFs!’ or ‘those aren’t real feminists!’, well, where precisely are the real feminists? Again, what have feminists done that is good for trans people? Can you blame me for being antifeminist, when all the feminists I see having any influence on my life and the lives of my people, both now and in the past, are ones who want to eliminate us? At the very best, most feminists are utterly indifferent to trans issues, in which case, why should I support a movement indifferent to my suffering? At worst, most of them harbour transphobic viewpoints–not, perhaps, as toxic as your average TERF’s, but transphobic nonetheless, and such a conclusion is the one I lean to, considering how prevalent transphobic attitudes are in all areas of society, and my own anecdotal experiences.

What is interesting though, is that even if the correct choice is to support feminism despite its sordid history, the response to antifeminist or even just feminist-sceptical trans women is still insane. You think a movement which has been tarnished so badly by transphobia would be a little bit more understanding to those trans women who are reticent to interact with it, but instead all they receive is shaming, misgendering, and outright hostility. There aren’t even attempts to create dialogue around this issue, unless you first kiss the feminist ring and swear undying allegiance, in which case any dialogue you do attempt to make will be neutered from the start, set out entirely according to the terms of cis feminists. 

A retort might be that feminism means equal opportunity for women, or ending oppressive structures against women, or gender equality, or whatever else, and so the only reason you could be opposed to it is due to being a misogynist who hates women. This is a specious argument. Movements are defined by their members’ actions, goals, and political stances–not by a pithy, idealised definition which floats in a vacuum. Unless you transfeminists think that the only reason one might be opposed to MRAs is simply because one thinks men should have no rights?

In sum, I see no reason to support a movement that hates me and wants me gone, nor do I see any reason for my sisters to support it either. Antifeminism is the only path to true liberation for trans people, and I dream of the day most trans women shed this unhelpful ideology.

[mariacallous]

When a new episode of AMC’s Interview With the Vampire aired the Sunday before last, a particular sort of fuse was lit in online conversations around the show. The fifth installment of the second season, “Don’t Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape,” was an impeccably written and acted horror film in miniature—the sort of thing you watch with your mouth hanging open, before pointing at your TV and saying, “Are you seeing this, too?!?!”

Yet when thousands took to social media to ask that very question, much of the commentary was underscored by confusion, even concern, that people were, in fact, not seeing it, too—that they weren’t seeing Interview With the Vampire at all. For a show so good, many said, it was criminal that more people weren’t watching and discussing it, and that more critics weren’t covering it. “This is the best show on TV right now,” New York Times culture reporter Kyle Buchanan wrote in one widely shared tweet. “I feel gaslit that you’d all rather talk about mid or bad shows rather than watch the golden standard!”

Some fans had already noticed the diminished critical coverage compared to the first season, which was met with near-universal acclaim and earned the show and the performances of its lead actors, Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid, places on many end-of-year best-of lists. If anything, the show’s sophomore season had received an even higher percentage of glowing reviews, but the big splashy event coverage that other lauded shows often receive (and are receiving as we speak) was absent from notable mainstream outlets.

Plugged-in fans had also noticed a drop in viewership from the first season, at least according to publicly available metrics, and in advance of the June 9 episode, Slate published an article titled, “Interview With the Vampire Is the Best Show Almost Nobody Is Watching,” which laid out the those numbers plainly. Word started to spread—especially on up-to-the-minute platforms like X but also fanning out to places like Reddit, TikTok, and even my home base, Tumblr, which is far more likely to host gifsets, shitposts, or graduate-seminar-level analyses of the show than discussions of terrestrial television ratings.

AMC had announced IWTV’s second season before the first even aired, but halfway through the second there hadn’t been a peep about a third—and with a narrative brewing about “the best show nobody’s watching,” especially in the wake of an episode that so many were raving over, fan anxiety started to ratchet up about its fate. On X in particular, that groundswell quickly started to focus on AMC’s marketing efforts—and fans’ accusations that the network wasn’t doing enough to promote its own show set off a firestorm that brewed for days. “The marketing choices AMC is doing with Interview With the Vampire is self destructive,” one fan wrote. Or, in the words of another: “So mad they got me googling who is head of marketing at AMC.”

There can be a huge range of reasons why a show in 2024—this one or any other—doesn’t have the reach it deserves; endless pixels have been spilled on streamer fatigue and fractured audiences in the past few years. AMC, a darling of the prestige-TV-on-cable era, is in an especially strange position: Even when Interview’s first season was a hit on its streaming service, AMC+, it was still held up as an example of a troubled industry in transition. Two years and two Hollywood strikes later, the situation is even more complicated. As the industry restructures and changes who can watch what where, a disconnect has emerged between what viewers like and what critics do. At the same time, social media platforms—the loci of 21st-century word of mouth—continue to implode, fracturing the conversation of an already dispersed audience.

Amidst this, IWTV faces specific hurdles due to the nature of the show. An adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1976 novel that pulls heavily from the many Vampire Chronicles books that followed, the show racebends many of its leads—its titular vampire, Louis du Pointe du Lac, is now Black—and goes all in on the queerness of the books. And it is, of course, about vampires—specifically, vampires who do terrible things. “IWTV has so much that a modern audience could want from a series but, unfortunately, some people won’t receive it solely because it’s a queer horror show with majority BIPOC leads,” says Bobbi Miller, a culture critic who recaps the show on her YouTube channel. “Genre TV is always going to have to jump through more hoops for success than a standard drama.”

For the converted, the idea that more people aren’t watching Interview is maddening. One could certainly argue that the show, with its dark, twisted Gothicness and emotional maximalism, isn’t for everyone. But in an era of unceremonious cancellations—even of shows that execs touted as hits—and with an absence of information about the show’s future, it’s understandable that its most dedicated fans would be pushing for more viewers. Interview isn’t the only show whose fans question its marketing efforts; it’s a common accusation leveled at streamers of all sorts, especially when a show is canceled. But in this conversation, Interview fans pointed at specific decisions made by the network that many feel have made this season’s rollout feel so much more muted than the last.

“It’s been a conversation that fans have been talking about for a while now, but I think what really set them off was the comment made by Film Updates,” says Rei Gorrei, a fan who dubs herself the “Unofficial Vampire Chronicles Spokesperson.” A pop-culture aggregation account with nearly a million followers, Film Updates revealed they had been denied interview requests with the show’s talent—and since fans were worried no one was hearing about IWTV, they couldn’t understand why that reach wasn’t being capitalized on. “I think the combination of these things along with little marketing leaves fans in a word-of-mouth scenario where we now feel like it’s up to us to campaign for the season three renewal,” Gorrei says.

Many questioned the promotion the network had been implementing, too, like the decision to never have Anderson and Assad Zaman, whose characters’ romance is one of the main focuses of the season, interviewed together. Episode five in particular, with its explosive fight scene between the two, would have been a prime opportunity. (AMC did not respond to emails seeking comment for this story.) Other fans raised concerns about the unceremonious cancelation of the widely admired official podcast, whose Black female host, Naomi Ekperigin, felt like the perfect interviewer for a show with Black leads and nuanced racial storylines. Then there was the fact that too few episodes would air in time for Emmy consideration—not the fault of marketing, but yet one more source of fan worry.

As the conversation directed at the official X account got heated, the AMC social team replied, sparking a dust-up that evoked the heady days of mid-2010s Twitter fandom, which regularly saw official accounts (remember Teen Wolf?) doing battle with—and sometimes capitalizing on the rancor of—contentious fans.

To be clear, AMC’s team did not engage the way those accounts once did—they instead wound up spinning it as a joke, poking fun at itself with a series of memes riffing on a line from the latest episode. But some fans continued to make comments about wanting to “take away” the show from the network, invoking one of the common paradoxes of modern fandom, where fans seek to divorce the thing they love by from the thing they think is harming it, like a showrunner, a director, or a network (the people who are, of course, the reason the thing they love exists).

“It is complicated,” says Bobbi Miller. She understands both sides of the equation: She's a fan, but she has also worked on social campaigns for film and TV. “I do think some of what the fans want from social [media] for this show is not always realistic.” Based on her experience, she says it’s likely that posts are part of a specific plan with approval processes—and it’s usually done by a whole team, not some lone intern as people on social media always suggest. “Not to mention that some things,” she adds, “especially ones that involve talent directly, aren’t always possible.” And in the flurry of conversation about the show’s promotion, many fans did acknowledge this—suggesting the social team was being stymied by the network itself.

Even with her sympathetic eye, Miller has also been confused by some of the decisions—though she stresses it’s all still a part of this balancing act. “Ultimately, no one’s ever going to be happy with the social coverage of the show because the objectives of a social campaign for a series are different than the objectives of the fandom,” she says. “I do want the show to get the major social and promotional push that it deserves and I’m not totally sure why that hasn’t happened, but I hope the network is taking note that the audience does want to see this show and its cast everywhere.”

That sort of symbiotic relationship between marketing and fans—where acolytes essentially act as ambassadors for their thing—is a thorny part of the fan labor conversation. But while some of Interview’s devotees worry that there’s too heavy a reliance on word-of-mouth, a lot of fans are still spreading the word—some even treat it like a full-time job. A lifelong Vampire Chronicles fan, Gorrei had watched AMC’s struggles with The Walking Dead fanbase and some of its smaller franchises, and decided to do whatever she could to help IWTV succeed. “I had basically made my own personal marketing strategy for this show,” she says.

But even the most enthusiastic evangelists don’t actually work for the shows they love—and the entire push and pull of this situation underscores one of the biggest things plaguing television fandoms in 2024. Amidst the chaos of the industry and without the transparent signals of earlier eras like ratings or the seasonal calendar, fans don’t know the levers they need to pull to try to keep their favorite thing on the air—and sometimes, there aren’t any levers to pull at all. Long gone are the Bjo Trimble letter-writing campaigns of yore.

The broader atmosphere is one of fear and panic: After a decade of having the streamer rugs pulled out from under them, fans—and audiences more broadly—are afraid of getting invested in a show. Once invested, they’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Despite all the furor at the start of last week, fans did get some strong signs of hope by the end of it. While there still hasn’t been word that the show will be picked up for a third season, showrunner Rolin Jones re-upped a multiyear contract with the network on Friday. The next day, AMC announced a deal with Netflix to offer several of their titles on the streamer, Interview included. The show has always been framed as tentpole of a broader interconnected universe based on Anne Rice’s work, and despite the mixed signals of the past few weeks, it also seems like AMC is still all-in on that bet—the network also recently greenlit a third series based in the “Immortal Universe,” alongside The Mayfair Witches.

Miller agrees that these signals are very encouraging—and notes that AMC is famous for giving high-quality shows it believes in multiple seasons to find audience footing (see the eventual popularity of Breaking Bad or the continued renewal of Halt and Catch Fire—notably both projects of IWTV’s executive producer, Mark Johnson). And these sorts of investments go hand-in-hand with the dedication and commitment of long-term fans. “IWTV’s greatest allies,” Miller says, “are a dedicated fan base and a network that seems committed to giving the series time to blossom,” Miller says.

[shsl-fander]

Logince Week Day 4

Prompt: Block by burnout

Tw: Overworking, lack of sleep, burn out, insecurities, harsh criticism

Pairing: Roman/Logan

Description: Roman's been working himself to the max for the past week but despite all his efforts, he absolutely hates everything hes making. He finds himself exhausted, drowning in his insecurities. Logan has to come and talk some sense into him and let him sleep.

Read on ao3 or under read more

@loginceweek2024

Roman slammed his head against his desk, his groaning muffled as his face stayed against the wood, frowning deeply. Everything he was producing was awful, nothing great like he should be making, nothing good enough, nothing that made him deserve the title of creativity.

He lacked the energy needed to work his best, and without the energy motivation him to strive, Roman took longer to do each small project, leaving him to work non stop the few days before Thomas needed it from him.

Typically Roman would ask Logan to help him brainstorm when the negative thoughts were clouding his brain. Ever since he'd let Logan know about some of his insecurities when they had tried that whole puppet thing, the logical trait had made a huge effort to be less critical on his work. Additionally, he'd been including Roman in many of his studies as well.

It made Roman feel appreciated, as opposed to worrying if he met up to Logan's expectations before. Logan was just so perfect, Roman adored him and everything he represented, he wanted not only to match that level but also to impress him, to make Logan love Roman too.

However, he couldn't ask Logan for help right now since Logan was so busy with his own work, he surely wouldn't have any interest in Roman's struggles.

He just felt so tired, the weight of his own eyelids feeling heavy on his face as he attempting to stay awake. He'd barely even gotten anything done, and reading all the stuff he had written made Roman feel so awful about himself he'd wished to curl up in a ball and just quit right then and there. Why couldn't he just make something incredible, he'd done it before?! A prince is supposed to excell all the time, not be pathetic and drown in his own self hatred then once in a while create something spectacular.

Roman had nearly drifted off to sleep, slumping over on his desk when he heard gentle knocks coming from his door. A familiar knock pattern, two short knocks followed by one longer knock, only one person was sophisticated enough to think the personalize the way they knocked in a way that felt professional for them : Logan.

Roman jolted up, springing out of his seat, slurring his words as he responded, "You may enter!"

Roman ran his hand over his face, attemping to wake himself up enough to where his royally fucked up state wouldn't be too obvious to his visitor. "Thought you were still workin', Specs?" he comments as he watched the door open, biting back his yawn.

Logan shook his head, stepping further into the prince's room. His eyes darted around the place before they focussed on Roman sitting at his desk. "Falsehood, I finished around an hour ago," he corrected, "I assumed you were finished as well and was wondering if you wanted to compare, to see how my data would match your writing?" he offered.

Roman felt a wave of panic rush over him, he frantically slammed his laptop shut, chuckling uncomfortably. "Oh! Right, that! Obviously that was the plan, as that's what we've been doing for ages! Ahah..."

Logan blinked, "Correct," he stated simply, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Are you alright, Roman? You seem tense," he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Roman bit his tounge, while it was clear Logan cared about his wellbeing and all, he couldn't just admit to Logan that he wasn't finished. He wasn't going to make himself look stupid in front of him like that.

"Roman, you do not need to lie to me, I can tell you're stressed," Logan sighed, setting his folders down on the ground and walking closer to Roman, standing by his desk. "What's bothering you?"

Roman relented, slumping over on his chair, "I've been working non stop for the past week and yet I have absolutely nothing to show for it!" he grumbled, "I've made like 7 different full drafts but I keep scrapping them become they're all royally awful and I can't put something like that up, what will everyone think of me?! And I'm just so tired but I can't be tired without anything good to show from it," he rambled, just spilling out his guts.

Roman took a deep breath," and the absolute last thing I wanted to do was dissapoint you, Teach," he admitted quietly.

Logan's eyes grew wide and he frowned deeply, "Do you really think that lowly of me?" he asked.

Roman's head shot up and he frantically shook his hands, "What?! No I don't think lowly of you, I think the exact opposite-" he started to defend himself but Logan interrupted him.

"I meant assuming you could dissapoint me, you could never dissapoint me," Logan insisted, reaching out to touch Roman's hand before he froze, blushing slightly. He decided upon resting his hand next to it instead, "Especially not with something like this. However, I assume you're being extremely hard on yourself right now, I'm sure you're looking at your work with an unfair lense."

Logan cleared his throat before he spoke, hoping to god that the racing of his heartbeat and warmth spreading across his face wasn't obvious to Roman and also didn't mean anything about the crush he had been trying to deny. "I formally apologize if I don't say it enough, but you really impress me Roman, consistently. It saddens me to see you look at your own creativity with such harsh eyes, but it's even worse to think I would think of you like that as well."

Logan shook his head," I can't believe I'm saying this, but the work can wait, I can make adjustments in Thomas's schedule to allow for it. You need to give yourself a break before you burn yourself out any further, " he instructed, spinning Roman's chair to face him.

"You look like you are two minutes away from passing out," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

Roman stammeres, opening his mouth to protest but Logan just stared back at him, giving him an all too familiar look. "I hate when you're right," he muttered, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"I am always right, you just only sometimes admit it," Logan countered with an amused smirk. "Trust me, you'll thank me later when you can start again with fresh eyes and will create something wonderful, I just know it. If you want I can assist you as well, since I should actually be free the majority of tomorrow."

Roman headed over towards his bed, snapping his fingers to conjure up more comfortable clothes that he could sleep in, automatically appearing already wearing them. He flopped down onto his bed, exhaustion already getting the best of him. He'd been too busy non stop writing that he hadn't had a good nights sleep in nearly 2 weeks.

Logan smiled softly, and oh there was this tug at his chest that made him feel as if his stomach was turning. Roman looked so...adorable, which was an odd thought for Logan to have, but he was certainly having it. Not to mention the way his hair was much messier than usual, sticking up in parts, or the way his eyes were blinking closed every few second. It was oddly endearing, and it made Logan just wanted to cup his face and kiss him, feeling the taste of his lips against his own and the way they'd gently press and...

"Ahem, I'll be uhm leaving now," Logan mumbled, his face almost completely pink now. He headed towards Roman's lamp to shut off the light.

"Wait! Specs?" Roman called out drowsily, hugging onto his stitch stuffed animal.

"Yes, Roman?"

Roman glanced up at Logan, a tender smile spread across his face. "Thank you for everything you said today, and thank you for giving me more time."

Logan's gaze softended, "Of course, I care about you Roman, much more than any project, even the most important ones. I'd much rather be months behind schedule than let you hurt yourself, remember that please."

And it was true, Logan deeply cared about Roman, more than he even began to understand. And Roman cared about Logan too, deeper than just wanting to make good content for him.

They loved each other, and soon enough they'd learn to tell each other that. For now, Roman needed to rest, so Logan clicked off his lamp and slowly snuck out of his room, shaking his heas fondly.

He'd always be here to check up on him, always

[dundermisfits]

Andy Bernard

Pairing: Andy Bernard x reader

Warnings: None

Requested by: @applepie972

Request:

hello♡, could you make one of andy¿

***

• Shortly after you first met, you would be lying if you had said that you were never jealous when his attention would be focused on Angela Martin

• It gets a little more tense to have been able to stand to look at him with direct eye contact after he seems to be moving on from Angela to Erin

• After the engagement between Angela and Andy broke, that’s when you come out to share your own personal experience from that exact sticky situation, only it happened to you twice and with great honest, you mention that you were unsure if you could ever give love another chance

• Andy had become a better listener and had become less critical with his own opinions about anyone or anything

• Since you opened up to him a little, you both had become close, so much so that everybody in the office believed you two were secretly dating behind their backs and just didn’t want to admit/or share the “news”

• After forming a little bond between the two of you, you started taking lunch breaks at the same time

• During your lunch breaks, he would pull out his laptop and play a movie that one, you never heard of, and two, that was a supposedly illegal download of it he installed to watch with you

• You we’re concerned at first, but you eventually went along for the ride and watched it with him

• knowing Andy could play a number of instruments you had no knowledge of on how to play them, he will often teach you some tricks on whatever instrument you mention to him that you’ve been wanting to learn to play since a young age

• Movies during lunch breaks soon turned into guitar/banjo lessons and sometimes you both would sing along with the tune together

• Just as you started thinking things between you were getting a little more serious, you were nearly devastated after Erin showed up to replace Pam’s position as receptionist

• Jim was your best friend in the office, and when how upset you were about this, you both go in together to play a prank on Andy. Jim believed how Andy’s sudden change of heart seemed to be made for Erin now, he thought it was immature and came up with the idea to pull off the perfect prank on him

• There are times when Andy is the most vulnerable

• The prank was to fill a bucket of cold water and sneak up behind him to dump it on him, the both of you holding the bucket over his head couldn’t have gone any better than planned

• It was during Andy’s break, you and Jim took a break to do this and it wasn’t a boring reaction, it was better then expected

• Walking back inside, everyone was greeted with a soaked Andy and began questioning on what happened

• All he says is, “They both got me so good.” gesturing towards you and Jim

• Creed pulls his phone out and snaps a picture of Andy, which Andy takes notice in before making a comment

• “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Of course he says so in very noticeable sarcasm on his agitated voice

• After the breakup with Erin, Andy comes to you for consoling

• At first you wouldn’t listen to him. But after hearing him sigh in disappointment, you started feeling the guilt tripping on you before making your way out to follow him outside

• But first, you couldn’t go out there without coffee

• After getting the coffee cups, you find Andy sitting on a bench outside in the freezing cold and there, you sit quietly, sipping your coffee as you’re listening knowing full well that he possibly deserves your listening ears, you couldn’t find the heart to ignore Andy

• You both eventually get together in the end

• It’s a happy ending for you both after getting things worked out in your new relationship

• Andy trusts you completely as you do him, but Andy getting even the slightest jealous goes unnoticed by you

• You sometimes take the time to tease him about it and he playfully gets defensive about it

• While watching movies together, you sometimes have to hold him for comfort if it’s a sad film, seeing him cry was strange to you

***

@dundermisfits

Requests: open

Characters:

• Michael Scott

• Dwight Schrute

• Jim

• David Wallace

• Andy

• Pam

• Angela

[xanas-eye]

I've seen some people call Sun a "covert narcissist" despite the fact that his major goals in the story have revolved around helping or protecting Moon. His behavior doesn't fit the narcissist criteria:

• Self-centered?

Obviously not. ⬆️

• Constantly thinking about himself?

No. Other people tend to be on his mind. E.g., Moon, Eclipse, Bloodmoon...

• Focuses on getting his own needs met (often ignoring the needs of others)?

"I don't need therapy right now. I have something more pressing, matters [saving Moon] to concern myself with."

No. Sun's currently in a bad mental state because he couldn't help Moon.

• Sense of entitlement or superiority?

No. The guy constantly insults himself.

• Feels that he's always right?

No. Someone who thinks that way wouldn't have said this: "I don't know if what I did [killing Bloodmoon] was even a good idea. I mean, they were right. Maybe they could have been redeemed..."

• Feels that he's better or deserves better than other people?

No. Sun considers himself a screw-up. What's more, his Bloodmoon-shaped inner critical voice told him he should be called a "failure."

The hallucinations are him punishing himself because he feels that he deserves it. This is not someone who thinks he "deserves better than other people."

• Lack of empathy?

No.

• Manipulative or controlling?

No. Sun is not a schemer.

• Uses emotions to manipulate people?

No.

• Tendecy to be extremely jealous and controlling in relationships?

No. Sun doesn't keep Moon from having other friends, nor tells him how to live his life.

• Strong need for admiration?

No. I think Sun does want some praise (he doesn't get enough of it from the people in his life), but not to such an extent where he'd take things too far.

• Demands admiration and praise?

No. Doesn't ask for it, and tends to accept the criticism he gets.

• Likes to be center of attention?

No. For instance, Sun enjoys doing the show with his brother. There was the time he had a chance to do a few episodes alone, but he had Glamrock Freddy join him for a Teardown episode.

• Difficulty taking feedback?

No. He accepts it and learns from his mistakes.

• Overreacts to criticism?

Doesn't enjoy hearing it, but again: he accepts it anyway.

Sun accepting his own self-criticism:

Bloodmoon Hallucination (inner critical voice): As far as you know, he's dead. And it will be your fault.

Sun: It won't be my fault. It... It would be my fault.

• Has a hard time admitting when he is wrong?

No. He is constantly feeling guilty about/apologizing for his mistakes.

• Quick to feel hurt or angry?

No. Sun tends to let people get away with their bad behavior toward him until he's had enough and blows up at them.

But in the end, he usually forgives the people who have hurt him. Moon, Lunar, Monty, Roxanne... Lets bygones be bygones. Hell, he even tried to work things out with Eclipse back then (Sun Meets Eclipse). Not anymore, but still: Sun was willing to potentially forgive the person responsible for — from his POV; he didn't know about Bloodmoon — what happened on July 16th, and making Roxanne break his heart.

...

Look, Sun and Moon are both flawed individuals. I think we can all agree on that. However, it seems like people bring up Sun's flaws more than Moon's. In fact, I've done it as well! I have a post pointing out Sun's similarities to Eclipse in the works. It touches upon Sun's flaws and his asshole moments.

But that aside, why does pointing out Moon's flaws get people so worked up?

[theobsessiveloser18]

Headcanons of being best friends with Tory Nichols

•She was Miguel's girlfriend when you met her (as his best friend and almost older/younger sister, he think it was appropriate for you to meet her) she was too different from you, you don't know if because of that, or because she was an overly conscious teenager (unlike of Sam that you hated, maybe because she was too similar to you) you loved her and she loved you

•They became fast friends, spending time together without Miguel being involved.

•You were also Aisha's friend, so the 3 of them became the best friends of all time, it was weird for people not to see them together, they became the best-known trio of school friends (the karate girls and their chick the protected)

•Tory opens your eyes to the evil of the world, how important it was to develop character to survive, and since it's not bad to not always be the best person of the day (a topic that tormented you) you help her survive, you support her with your brother and his mother, looking for a way to have their pockets full at the end of the month, getting to work together (sometimes you give her part of your payment, she doesn't like it very much, but you don't need the money as much as she does), you are her greatest moral compass, she always comes to you for advice, comfort and a good listening ear, she knows that deep down you condemn her bad girl behavior, but also that you have never shown any double standards with her.

•If they aren't hanging out together, they'll be on long phone calls (with or without Aisha) so you were quite surprised one day when you texted her, at the time you knew she had left work and she didn't reply (After a day work, Tory needs to vent, but now the hard thing for her is not to survive the injustices of the world, the hard thing is to breathe in a world which is inhabited by Samantha Larusso

"It's a real pain in the womb, but I think the reason I can't stand her, is because I'm more like her than I'd like, 2 stupid girls who have never worked for what they have, and can't understand the behavior of a certain 'type of people' to whom life has treated them like a bag of garbage, and they do not deserve your attention, only your criticism for their 'troublesome' aura and 'low morality', so pathetic ”and the real Tory nichols was so upset you thought she was going to slap you

"Listen to me carefully, why if I have to repeat this to you again, when I finish speaking you will have a knife buried in your vagina, Larusso would beg to have some of your human decency in her fingernail" you swallowed dryly, she sighed tired and more calm she continued "It's not your fault that life has been fairer to you, in that sense I suppose 'Sweetys princess' isn't either, but the difference between you and her is that you listen to people, you try to understand them, and you're not only concerned about your point of view, you and Aisha are the best people I've met in 17 damn years of life, even my boyfriend doesn't make that list, don't torture yourself, you really are a good person”

"Thank you" was all you could say

Her confrontations with the princess make Tory feel like a mess, and you walk in to comfort her.

"Don't worry Tory, it wasn't your fault, Sam shouldn't have accused you of stealing her mom."

either

"I understand your anger, but I think that pushing Sam on the track was not the best option, his enmity will last longer, and Miguel can get angry with you"

"He was on my side, he's great"

"He is, but... sorry for saying this, but I think he still hasn't gotten over it" you noticed the pain in her voice when she said

"Someday he's going to have to get her out of her mind, right?"

"You shouldn't be the girl I used to get over her ex-girlfriend" she leaned back on your shoulder.

"I don't think she's going to get any better from the world"

"Believe me, you'll do it, you deserve it" you gave him a small kiss on the head)

Your suspicions were true when you found out about the fight at school the next day, you didn't know whether to thank God for missing, or curse under your breath , you could have stopped Tory

•You visited her while she was in juvie (also Robby, you were so upset that Johnny had almost abandoned him and so frustrated that they wouldn't let you bring her practically anything from the outside world) she appreciated visiting time, you told her a lot of things (minus the fact that Miguel and Sam seemed to have reunited, after the boy woke up, for obvious reasons) you brought him certain things and took care of his family until they released her

•You wanted Tory to have a party in case she came back but Aisha had recently moved away, and your friend is very sad about it, and she wasn't in the mood for noisy and lively moments even with you, but they took her brother to the park and ate liters of ice cream while watching the embarrassing romantic comedies of all time.

•Miguel was pretty mad at you for continuing to hang out with Tory, but you weren't abandoning the girl.

•you were quite surprised that he was still practicing karate after all that had happened, you thought Kreese was a cynical son of the devil, kyler was not right in the head, and the other students seemed like a horror comedy, but she was firm about it

"Karate is the only thing that motivates me not to give up now, neither this nor Sensei Kreese are to blame for what happened, Miguel and they are going to get what they deserve, everyone who bothers me is going to wish they had been aborted.” His words worried you, but then Robby entered the dojo and you caught a glimpse of peace.

•Sometimes you go to look at the keys, the sensei doesn't bother you, and the cobras have a neutral opinion about you

•You love watching robby try to make progress with tory

"He's fascinated with you, I'm serious Tory, if you don't care, when you least see him coming he'll steal a kiss from you"

"don't talk nonsense , no boy who cares a bit for his cheap ass would even think of trying to steal a kiss from me."

"You haven't seen how he looks at you, not even Mr. Darcy could look at such a passionate look, my holy God, It's sooo comely" your friend laughed a little at your attitude

"It's striking" she answered with a nervous smile, they both noticed it, and she changed the expression on her face to a stoic look that lately you've been seeing frequently "But I think she still doesn't surpass the princess, and sometimes he behaves way too pure to be a cobra definitely wouldn't notice me”

“believe me the girl left her mind a long time ago... and tory we all noticed you”

•You were the happiest person in the world when your friends started dating and when Tory won the championship, you waited for her to come out, you hugged and you rolled her in the air, you walked home in a side hug

"It was obvious that you were going to win, none of those fans had prepared as much as you"

“Thank you for staying until the end”

"Whenever you want... are you alright?"

"Just a little tired, mopping bitches is fun but exhausting. You know what I mean?" you laughed a little

"Yes, I think a little"

"But I do not reject a hamburger combo, you stay to sleep"

"Yes my lady" she gave you a kiss on the cheek, and rested her head on your shoulder

•Winning the championship did not bring any positive change in Tory, what's more, you could say that she made things a bit worse, she had never been so depressed, you didn't know what to do to help her

"Y/N believe me you have already done a lot for me, you are the person who has made me smile the most in life, and that will never change"

•Shortly after you found out about the problem she was having with Cobra Kai, and it all made sense to you.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I thought you might be hurt"

"Okay Tory, you did what you thought was best for everyone."

"But it wasn't worth it, Silver and Kim continue to rot minds and Larusso ended up demotivating me, I don't know how I could have thought that he would help me, she is still a dancer in his glass box, instead my best friend would surely have encouraged me to leave this stupid plan long before, really sorry”

"Calm down Tory, I'm sure what you did will be worth it... in the meantime let's pawn our dresses and buy cheap land" Your friend smiled excitedly, game night for you

•After Silver fell you had the perfect idea, it was time for Tory to take a break from so much crap, 'Day off for Nichols', it was hard but you managed to convince her, Robby and Mrs. Larusso would take care of her brother and mom

•They started the trip in a car, you drive while your faithful co-pilot marveled looking out the window, it had been a long time since he had taken a trip, and he was definitely enjoying it, they sang the songs you had listed at the top of their lungs: try, Carreles whisper, i will suviver, Billie Jean, among others

•You hadn't told her where they were going so she was really excited, they walked a long time to their destination

"Here it is"

"Wow I don't know what to say, I was hoping for anything but you would buy me a house in Santa Barbara, 5 hours from where I currently live, you want me quite far from you, huh?" she gave you a mischievous look and you rolled your eyes "But hey who would protest in front of a Free house, so thank you" hug you

“Lummox, the gift is not the house, it is who is inside it”

"And who is there?"

"You will tell me" You knocked on the door before Tory's confused look, after several seconds, Aisha opened the door as surprised as the blonde, they both screamed and hugged each other, still with the girl in her arms, she said.

"When you said that they would visit me one day, I did not imagine that they would or that they would come without warning"

"Hey!, best friends never forget, also what is the point of surprises if you know they are going to happen"

"Come here arrogant genius" They pulled your hands, and you joined the now group hug

•They talked non-stop for hours, they had a lot to tell each other, they watched a movie, and they got to know Santa Bárbara, the most impressive thing... they did a lot of shopping, they wouldn't go home empty-handed

•They spent the night at Aisha's house, and after breakfast they began the return trip

"I love you"

"It's mutual, you know, Tory."

[weltonlasso]

What did Brendan do this time? 😭 I’m still not over his AMA tbh…

Sorry for being a confusing bitch who rehashes shit over and over and over. I don’t know how else to process my feelings. I’m in therapy. But like, she’s new-ish and idk if I’m at the point in our relationship where I’m ready to have deep conversations about television characters and the people who created them so here I am:

It’s just still the AMA responses from him. I thought I’d seen them all but there was a fucking grosssssss one that I had not seen about ethics and dr jacob where he basically ignored the part of the fan question that needed to be answered and doubled down on his obliviousness by saying:

actually you saw it as unethical BUT we actually wrote it as a loyal, normal, lovely thing because it had been more than 18 months and the statute of limitations on being fucking gross ended around that time and so it’s all good.

Hahaha OKAY like thanks for letting us know they didn’t actually choose DR Jacob. That the choice means nothing. ACTUALLY he is just a guy Michelle met at the grocery store. It was never supposed to be deeper than that—we saw what we wanted to see.

(Even tho they focused on it, made it something that shook up Ted and impacted the way he saw himself, his relationship with his ex, their relationship to therapy, Ted’s relationship to therapy in s3… I could go on).

Brendan can literally say the truth, “I’m glad you brought up the ethics of it all, we fumbled that a bit. I can see where that could have made some viewers uneasy. We didn’t mean it to hit quite so hard like that. I can see that was kind of a low blow to Ted. Our intention was to show Ted feeling replaced as a father and husband—to question his place in Richmond. This was a way we could do it with someone that already has a connection to both Michelle and Ted to really get Ted thinking about his home life and his role as a dad.

THE END.

Hahah him just actually laughing it off and turning it back around on the fan who asked that question with legit concerns. WHY CANT YALL even be critical of your own art??? FFS.

I just like???? see the succ fans and their guy being like ohhh fuck ya u liked that??? XYZ was such mess!?! Cool! I’m so glad you saw them that way!!! I never did!!! That’s so cool! Yeah we did THIS and you saw THAT and we went that way but it’s still cool that went that way and you saw THIS instead.

But it seems like TL creators aren’t open for any kind of discussion or criticism because they have already moved on to the new stories they are planning to tell with out Ted. And that’s lame as fuck!!!!!!

I don’t need an ending they threw together last min so that it can be “left open” for more. I needed an ending the show deserved— one that was true to all the stories and characters.

AND THEN.

THEN if they want to bring the show back in a few years it’s up to THEM to pick up their story where they want to have it at that point. But it’s really fucking unfair to fuck it over at the end so that there are loose threads for Apple to tie to new projects.

And then have the audacity to trash the fans who are tying to ask you about your characterizations and the decisions YOU decided on that suddenly didn’t jive with 85% of the larger story.

That kind of bullshit from the creator side makes me literally never want to engage with anything about this show again.

[cherienymphe]

No like I was NAWT exaggerating when I say his fans hate her and she hasn't even done anything 😭 and in truth, there is no such thing as a perfect victim. A percent victim is a dead victim but I don't see the point in criticizing her for whatever she did as an ADULT when we're discussing the things done to her as a child. Like I really do not care because nothing negates the fact that he met her at 14, pursued her, moved her in with him when she was still a teenager so she could finish school and be at Graceland, molded her into what he wanted in a partner (aka GROOMED), half raised her while literally dating her (bc you know she's a teenager), and proceeded to put her through hell bc he wanted a perfect virgin child bride waiting for him at home while he fucked women his own age

Right and I should’ve clarified that I didn’t mean she deserved what she got because she wasn’t perfect. I was just meaning she’s a normal person with her own flaws (just like all people) but that nothing she did is worthy of the criticism and hate she still gets. And nothing that happened to her should have. What young girl wouldn’t be enamored or excited about an older celebrity wanting them? We were all begging the one direction boys to marry us when we were teens but it should have never happened. Her parents needed to have had some common sense and morals, even if Elvis wanted her. You are her legal guardians and responsible for her.

I didn't say that to mean you were blaming her but just pointing out that no such thing exists and so his fans basically expecting that of her is ridiculous 😭 her parents were not concerned enough for me. It was there in the movie but it really did feel like everyone treated this man like a God

[happywitch416]

Food For the Dead

Old Life Festival is upon the province and with it remembering the dead. But when you have a child who is obsessed with that which is spooky, you can find yourself remembering more then just your ancestors. Elena is terrified of the dead but that means little in the face of parenting, especially when the children begin teaming up to do right by even the warriors of the dragon cult.

I am loosely basing Old Life on All Soul's Day which is a bit of artistic license but this is spawned by a very real conversation with my own spooky obsessed child and them wanting to light candles for all the dead because no one should be forgotten. They are a better person then I.

"Mama." Runa flopped on to the bar stool across the sink, waiting patiently for Elena to look up which caused Elena concern. "What are draugr?" 

"Oh. Uh." They tapped the spoon on the side of the skillet, wiggling their bare toes against the cold floor when it didn’t help them think. "Old Nords, ancient ones, but they were warriors of the dragon cults that are bound to serve their masters for eternity." 

"So, they speak Thu'um." 

Elena regarded her carefully; Runa’s brows were furrowed as she stared into a notebook after making a scribbled note. "Aye, some would." 

"So, if one came here you could talk to them?" 

"Little one, why are you worried draugr are going to come to the house?" 

"Lucia said there are draugr in the Halls of the Dead." 

"There are." 

"So, there is a dragon priest beneath the city?" 

Elena set down the spoon harder than they meant. "I would like to think there isn’t but there are many important people buried here. And the oldest catacombs they’ve found are supposedly older than the city. " 

"Potema isn’t even in those then." 

"Aye." Runa nodded hopped down from her chair and disappeared before Elena could say another word. Elena went back to cooking dinner, their brows furrowed, and jaw clenched as they hoped they wouldn’t be kept up all night worrying about draugr knocking on the door. 

It was Lucia who appeared for dinner first much to Elena’s relief, flipping through one of her latest magazines. "Lucia, why is Runa worrying about draugr?" 

Lucia’s pale brows furrowed a moment, chewing on her fingernail before brightening. "We are starting the Old Life Festival stuff at school." 

"Oh." Elena let out a sigh of relief. 

"I let her borrow my books though, they gave her baby stuff." Elena matched her scowl. "Why do some of the teachers treat her like that?"

"Because they think she isn’t capable." They snarled, pouring themselves a glass of water.

"Have they met her?" Lucia stomped her foot indignantly, the magazine in her hands crumbling in her fists. "She’s smarter than all of them, who cares if she doesn’t sit?!" 

"Well." Elena let out a tired chuckle then. "You aren’t wrong but it’s a bit more then not sitting still." 

"She only hits people that deserve it." She sniffed, setting aside the magazine to help Elena get dinner on the table. "I wish I could hit people like she does." 

Elena let out a tired sigh. "Save it until after they won’t call me to fix it okay?" Lucia laughed, ducking away when Elena ruffled her hair. "What’s the new one about? Anything interesting?" 

"Atmoran fashion is coming back into style." She grinned at her mother. "Aunt Oddie said I should dig through your closet to find some originals." 

"Ha ha, Aunt Oddie isn’t funny." She snorted. "And I’ve never been fashionable a day in my life." 

"Some of it would suit you." Lucia declared snagging the magazine to show Elena a picture. The woman was regal with the dark furs draped across her shoulders and shining metal at the clasps. "You already have the braids." 

"True." Elena gently dragged their finger down the figure, eyeing it critically. "I would not be caught dead in that floaty, not skirt thing." 

"Mama." Luci groaned. "It’s a tabard." She tapped her bright pink nail against it. "It’s not a skirt, it’s part of the shirt." 

"I’d still trip over it." Elena sang over their shoulder as they grabbed the macaroni from the stove. 

"It’d have to be shorter, or the hatchlings would get tangled in it." She narrowed her eyes watching her mother carefully. "Your favorite color is forest green, right?" 

"Aye?" Any further questioning was halted by the appearance of Sofie and Runa who were discussing the best offerings to leave for the draugr. "Why are we feeding the undead?" Elena’s heart gave a panicked flutter.

The four of them settled at the table, Runa and Sofie exchanging smiles before Sofie spoke. "Because they shouldn’t be forgotten while we remember the dead." 

Elena couldn’t decide if they were going to die from cuteness or terror because they knew children couldn’t go into the Halls of the Dead without a parent.

Elena Songschild Master List

The Witch Writes Master List