#this one was really good. imo it would have been ELITE if i had had some more passionfruit guava yogurt but i made do

[wewontbesleeping]

yummmmm i love smoothies !!!

[isagrimorie]

It’s always frustrating whenever the BAU tackles a case where either the victimology or UnSub has similarities to Prentiss’s background/upbringing but the writers rarely use it to give insights on Prentiss or have Prentiss’s background provide some insights into a case.

As an example, The Performer is an episode featuring Gavin Rossdale as a rockstar whose kayfabe was being a Vampire ala Lestat but fake.

The show could have dove a little into the goth community, a community Emily Prentiss used to be a part of. Did they do that? Unfortunately, no, they hung a lantern on it. The writers had Penelope tease Emily about how she used to dress Goth. Even though, Emily still dressed like one but corporate style.

In the episode, Pleasure is My Business. The UnSub grew up around wealth and privilege and then used sex work to lure her victims.

We discover in Lauren that Prentiss was in a similar enough situation re: Operation Valhalla.

Ala The Americans show, Prentiss used intimacy to get close to Ian Doyle.

Emily Prentiss became Lauren Reynolds because she matched Doyle’s type.

I know the writers had a vague idea of Prentiss’ past only that the writers had breadcrumbs pointing to a rich, mysterious past. They don’t have a crystal ball, but the privileged background could have been a jumping off point for a discussion, an insight to the UnSub’s thoughts.

In the season 16 episode, Orpheus Wrecks, the writers could have again used that case as a way to get more insight into Prentiss’ hidden personal life. As a Politician’s kid, and a somewhat savvy political operator herself, Prentiss would have been as familiar, if more, to the DC wonk space as Bailey was.

Prentiss would also be familiar with the Beltway Elite app even if she didn’t use it herself.

(As a former Spook, the idea of having an app like that in her phone would give Prentiss OpSec paranoia. She would not want her photo distributed everywhere. Being on Politico was enough of a headache for her tbh).

I know Prentiss’ whole thing is she wanted to distance herself from her mother’s political life but she would still have friends and would have known more people as she climbed up the ladder in the FBI.

Other shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Elementary, and Person of Interest almost always use a kernel of similarity/parallelism in their various cases of the week as a jumping-off point to tell a richer story about their characters.

Criminal Minds does but selectively.

This is what makes the show frustrating. You can always tell when the show could have threaded the Case/Monster of the Week and connected the case to one of the characters.

Morgan and JJ also needed more exploration. The only one the writers they consistently use this with is Reid.

To the writer’s credit they have vaguely gestured at Emily’s mysterious past— setting up Emily’s existential crisis about her morality in the face of what she’s done while she worked for CIA and JTF-12.

But then the show goes several episodes mentioning the problem, an arc villain, and it’s frustrating!

(I sometimes lowkey wish some Whedon trained writers joined Criminal Minds to establish a good character-to-case ratio. Like, Jane Espenson. Or someone from Person of Interest writers room joining the Evolution writers team. The idea of Denise Thé writing for the CM ladies makes me yearn because delicious character development + inventive messed up twists. Erica Messer does a good job showrunning— a different job altogether than just writing for the show. But also— I yearn! Think about a POI caliber writer in a CM writers room! It would be so good to have, IMO. Not that PoI was entirely perfect either, I have my frustrations too!)

——

Chris Mundy seemed interested in delving into the internal lives of the characters, especially Emily’s. Demonology was really important for our understanding of Emily Prentiss.

Her guilt, her low-key self-loathing— the way she runs from the people she loves because she thinks she’s not worth it. The way she can conform to be anyone to fit into a situation and not stand out.

Her casual regard for sex as a tool to help her get accepted. All things that were helpful for Prentiss when she became a spy.

As Michael Westen from Burn Notice said: “People with happy families don’t become spies. A bad childhood is the perfect background for covert ops.”

TLDR— It’s just frustrating because they’re always nearly at the cusp of a great character driven procedural but then almost always back off from giving us really good food.

[trohpi]

rating regulus black ships!!

jegulus | 11/10 - i love them so much. when i rejoined the fandom in 2022 and saw how the ship had blown up in the years id been gone i was really confused, but then i read just lovers and was immediately convinced lmao. they are the epitome of sunshine x grumpy and i adore them both

bartylus | 5/10 - theyre not very compelling to me, but theyre not bad by any means. i think they work better as friends but i understand why people ship them. i just prefer other ships personally, but ive read many great fics with them too!

jegulily | 20/10 - im obsessed with them. i love regulus, james, and lily separately, but together they balance each other out. plus it helps that its a combination of my two most favorite monoamorous ships (jegulus and regulily), like whats not to like? theyre definitely a top tier ship

moonwater | 10/10 - they are so cute and so overhated! theres so much potential here, like they could be friends to lovers or enemies to lovers or rivals to lovers, basically any trope you can think of lol. and think of the angst! the drama! i love them dearly

regulily | 1000/10 - yall already know how i feel about these two! they are literal soulmates and i love them to bits. their personalities mesh so well and, this might be a controversial take, but they make more canonical sense than jegulus does imo (not that canon really matters in this fandom lmao). i could wax literal poetry about this ship i love them so much

rosewater | 6/10 - i have other ships i prefer for both of them but theyre still cute and i can see why people ship them. honestly its a similar situation to bartylus, except they intrigue me just the slightest bit more lol

regumary | 4/10 - im sorry i just cant see this ship. i can see their relationship being platonic but not romantic. i also think mary is a lesbian, which doesnt really mean much considering i also love the trans girl regulus headcanon, but most of the time when i see this ship its very cishet and just not my thing. sorry yall!

regdora | 2/10 - i just cant see this ship either. its not bad necessarily, i just see the relationship between regulus and pandora as that of a sibling relationship. no hate to people who ship them, its just not for me lol

rosestarkillerchaser | 6/10 - i understand why people ship them, its combining three popular ships (jegulus, bartylus, and rosekiller), but im sorry i just cannot see james dating barty and evan. im not hating on people who ship them and its not bad by any means (i like them more than most other ships involving evan & barty) i just dont actively ship them. ive read some good fics tho!

rosestarkiller | 5/10 - similar situation to bartylus yet again, its just not compelling to me. i think regulus works better with evan & barty as his friends rather than lovers which you can probably tell given my other ratings lol

blackeclipse | 10/10 - ooooo i love them. all the best aspects of jegulus, moonchaser, and moonwater in one, its elite. james brings the buoyancy that regulus & remus need while regulus & remus help keep him tethered. they work so well together and i love them all dearly

xenoreg | 8/10 - a crackship ive come to enjoy recently! definitely a weird x weirder kind of ship which is the best. oh to be a fly on the wall of the slytherin common room when regulus told barty, evan, and dorcas that he was dating xenophilius lestrange, ravenclaws resident conspiracy theorist (pandora, of course, would have been overjoyed to have someone to trade ideas with)

regulene | 7/10 - they intrigue me tbh, like marlenes brashness and regulus’ coldness contrast in just the right ways. theyre like fire and water and i love that. plus the potential for a quidditch rivalry is phenomenal, especially considering that they could both be the seekers for their respective teams. theyre kinda similar to dorlene imo

regulilylene | 9/10 - im gonna be honest here i think i made this ship up, but i really like their dynamic. marlene and regulus are on the opposite extremes of hot and cold and lilys right there in the middle to keep them grounded, she evens them out

[grantmentis]

I have no idea who to cheer for in the new league. I loved the Boston Pride but I cannot bring myself to root for the new Boston team right now because of their captain. My NHL team isn't close enough to any of the teams for me to have any geographical reason to follow.

If you had one reason to follow any of the teams, what would it be? Like if someone said "why should I root for this team?" what would you tell them to try to sell them on it?

I might break the one reason thing a little bit my apologies in advance but I’ll keep it brief!

PWHL New York - they’re underdogs and the most blank slate team, not having many nearby college programs. Very fast team with a lot of snipers. Their defense is very fun because it’s all players 26 and younger and then 33 year old SDHL legend Johanna Fällman who made the team out of camp who I think will really be an anchor on a d core with a lot of players who have no/little pro experience. I think this team is also the meanest team (affectionate) if you love some grit. And of course, Corinne Schroeder.

PWHL Minnesota - team for if you like to see prospects turn into stars (or continue to be stars Lol.) As the only Midwest team at the moment I think they’ll have the most foster consistency In the first few years if that is important to you even for players on one year deals. So many players like buchbinder, heise, zumwinkle who’ve been deservedly hyped and performed well in college/internationally making their debut and Minnesota will likely have an advantage getting some of those WCHA players even with the draft. If you’re big into college hockey, this should be your pick.

PWHL Ottawa - if you’re a fan of the global game, this is the team for you. Germany, Japan, Hungary, czechia all represented on this team. With all due respect to Jenner who is fantastic, this will probably heavily be a scoring by committee team and I think has the most balanced forward group in terms of most lines will probably be interchangeable which is something I find very fun. Lexie adzija also is very funny on tiktok

PWHL Toronto - if you’re a big team Canada fan, this is the team for you. Besides having the gm and coaches who were in charge of team Canada, all but two players on their team are Canadian and most have spent some time on either the junior or senior national team. If you’re big into puck moving defenders with good stick handling skills, this team has a lot of them between Flanagan / poulin-labelle / larocque / munroe. This may also be the best dressed team between nurse / Jackson / Flanagan / maltais

PWHL Montreal - if you’re a big analytics nerd and love crazy forechecking and two way forwards, this team is for you. This team is full of beloved veterans and I think both them and Ottawa have a lot of former phf players. Dominika lásková on top of being elite is a bundle of joy

PWHL Boston - I know you said you’re unlikely to root for them but I’ll include em anyway. I’ll admit this is the team that I have the hardest time grasping the identity of, despite all the talent on the roster, but they do look like a team that’s posed to be very consistent throughout the year with some of the best goaltending in the league. That said, my reason for watching them is going to deviate from my other teams. Alina Müller Is a reason to watch on her own, imo, she is the most exciting player in the league and every time she touches the ice is much watch tv.

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week? Also merry Christmas

A late Happy New Year to all of you as well. Small haul this week and I finally got around to reading Superman #21 and Absolute Wonder Woman #3 from last week too.

Absolute Wonder Woman #3 - Wow. I said I wasn’t sure if Thompson was going to make this Diana feel enough like her own and boy was I wrong. After this issue she is definitely a different creature from her mainline counterpart. Not in personality, everything Diana does still feels “true�� to how Earth 0 Diana would act if she had to, but the caveat being that Thompson takes advantage of this being an Elseworld story to challenge Wonder Woman in a way the mainline version never can be. Absolute Wondy has presumably lost her arm for good whereas 0 Wondy will inevitably revert back to norm after a while. This is what makes Elseworlds exciting, imagine if that story where Diana blinds herself in Rucka’s run left her permanently blind. That can happen here! I finally see how this Wonder Woman is an underdog, and that cliffhanger where she deafens an entire city has me eager to see what comes next.

Absolute Superman #3 - Elites of the world being all too aware of the environmental degradation and planning to escape to New Zealand Mars the stars, while leaving the lower classes to die? Now where have I heard that before? Seeing that the Law Guild has Zod’s symbol, I think it’s a safe bet that Zod is going to be one of those elites. Easy to see how he will be in a stronger position in the AU than he usually is, instead of being exiled with a small band of loyal followers, his army might number in the hundreds or even thousands this time around. Viltrumite comparisons incoming! I’ve been adamant that Lara should be the one that Kal gets his fighting spirit from, so I’m pleased that Absolute Lara is the clear “superhero” of the Els and the one who Kal is following in the footsteps of as Superman. I agree with Aaron, after seeing how beautiful Krypton as drawn by Sandoval is I am almost sad to see it go. That scene of a red crystalline Fortress or when Kal was investigating the extend of planetary decay was gorgeously illustrated. This was a nice character focused issue for Kal, we see him doing some journalism that manages to expose the elite’s plot with the caveat that it only worked because they don’t care enough to hide it. Lara also mentioned that they plan on taking a ship to safety and going with their cousins and neighbors, Absolute Kara possibly showing up soon? And then of course we have Ma Kent shown to be alive and in a nursing home. This has me convinced that Brainiac is a possessed Jonathan Kent.

Superman #21 - A fun “date” filler issue that riffed on Morrison All-Star and actually landed for me unlike Williamson’s previous attempts elsewhere at riffing on Morrison. Think what made him succeed here was that he wasn’t trying to do big ideas as much as smaller character moments which Morrison is underrated for imo. Really keen to find out what the deal is with the Armada of Doomsday survivors.

Ultimates #8 - A second Morrison riff that actually landed? Will wonders never cease! Now Camp unlike Williamson actually can match Morrison when it comes to big ideas and what I saw here really drove home how despicable Maker is for robbing this world of its future. Especially when it seems like the Ultimates are destined to lose. Yeah I’m wondering how the Ultimates could possibly win, they’re woefully underprepared to beat Maker at this point and I don’t know how they could turn the tide. Perhaps that’s what pushes Tony or Reed into becoming Kang? An army of Iron Men with Immortus Engines is terrifying.

[crehador]

shangri-la frontier is actually doing something very interesting imo, we're eight eps in and so far there are like... no real-world stakes whatsoever (and tl;dr i kinda dig it)

the bulk of the show is set inside a vrmmo the mc is playing, and that's where the "story" actually takes place. in the real world, mc isn't really depicted as having any problems that could drive a narrative. he seems to have a perfectly ordinary home and school life, and just comes off as an all-around average gamer guy

and that's surprisingly very refreshing to me?

like the story itself is not without stakes, they're just all tied to the game. an elite player is trying to pk him, but no one is trying to kill him in real life. he's stumbled upon a rare side quest that he's trying to gatekeep, but no one's trying to dox him or anything (at least not yet lmao)

the game seems, so far, to be just an ordinary, albeit very good, game. there was one kind of ominous shot of the game makers' hq, which i thought might lead into some sort of... the game is Secretly Evil In Real Life plot (though i was probably reading too much into it because i've had an origfic idea along those lines brewing in my head for a long time lol)

but that shot didn't really lead to anything, and might have been a way to emphasize just how diabolically difficult a certain in-game encounter would be

for a while i thought the story would maybe get stale if it was "just" about the game, but honestly? it's still a fun ride, and i'm finding that i actually like how what happens in the game stays in the game (more or less)

if it keeps going like this, it might never be the most tense show (for me) because you never really forget that, well, everything that's happening is just a game. mc might die and lose some exp but he's not at risk of dying in real life

but it's still enjoyable! and imo compelling. i think it's an especially fun watch if you play mmos, or ever played them (some of mc's in-game struggles are muuuch too relatable lmao)

the only sort of irl touch that comes into the game is the girl who's mc's classmate, who has a massive crush on him and can't bring herself to approach him in real life and is trying to approach him in the game

girl inexplicably has crush on average gamer guy is such a tired trope (and this season's bokuame is doing it the worst i've ever seen it) but here? here i actually find it deeply charming and fun

it definitely helps that her in-game character is completely jacked and decked out in alphonse elric gear, which i think i've already rambled about but yeah. still enjoying that

anyway, compared to good night world (another vrmmo show from this season) where the game definitely did spill over into real life, i don't think shangri-la frontier is any less interesting. good night world had much bigger conflicts and ideas, sure, and the execution was pretty good if imperfect. shangri-la is just overall a much easier, though not necessarily less good, watch

[roamingtigress]

More things I learned playing Dutch on RDO:

-He'll SALIVATE (?) when he gets into something involving excitement; I just noticed this with the bounty role. Mind you it could have been from the wind while riding (realistic), or some anticipation of EXCITEMENT. It kind of ruined what I wanted to be a cool screenshot, turned out to be an 'oh wow, that's realistic, but ew' moment :P

-He'll look to the moon/stars for what I assume to be navigation, which seems very IMMERSIVE as it seems like something that'd happen in that era (maps are a bit tricky to read in the dark while on horseback). I've hit cinematic mode when he does this and it he usually keeps moving in that direction, very cool. He might not always follow the waypoint but he'll follow the moon/stars.

-He seems a bit . . . BOWLEGGED?? Like idk why I didn't notice it in single player but do notice it Online, particularly when watching him walk from behind.

-He has FACIAL TICS that come and go

-If I'm not careful, when there's a lot of excitement around he'll do things like pull lawmen off of their horses if he's close enough. Without my control. It's how he got his first bounty on his head. He requires ELITE HANDLING.

-He rides like an EXPERIENCED RIDER, with a nice straight, balanced posture, which seems realistic; lots of subtle little animations while he's riding too; swats to flies, rolls his head around to get rid of neck stiffness, occasionally adjusting/playing about with the reins, and sometimes fingernail chewing (?), but all the while keeping the horse balanced. My ponies generally have nice perky ears, and they rarely spook under him (not the case with me smh), particularly under gunfire. My horses would always dump my ass for gunfire. They think they're warhorses under him. He looks best IMO on taller horses like TBs, Standardbreds, Kladruber, and Turkoman, though I like him on Mustangs; I haven't tried him on an MFT and a few others); he's too leggy for the smaller horses like Morgans and Arabians and yet looks too small for the bigger draught breeds.

-WOLVES. I've never encountered so many wolves before. Is it the smell of hair pomade? My OC is a chonk and they didn't come after her as much. He's a magnet for them. I've never seen wolves in Scarlet Meadows before.

-I encountered a new (?) ambush; OIL REFINERY GUARDS. Never seen this before and I've been playing since 2020, never seen that one before.

-In addition to the spurs, you can hear the fabric of his clothes and even his chains crinkle as he moves, if the music is low/off. DETAILS! -SNOW DADDY DUTCH is sensibly so, the most cold-resistant Dutch. Colter!Dutch still isn't warm enough. Fancy Dutch, fuhgetaboutit. I still need to give Snow Daddy a tonic but he's like, w/e, I'll still get the bounty

(he and Johnny Marston had some funny back-to-back arguing in this family bounty hunting trip where they only managed to get one bounty because Snow Daddy drove in the wrong direction on Cinematic Mode (because waypoints are subjective even if they're drawn up apparently) and John kept ordering him to get back on the right path; nothing goes smoothly on the family bounty missions, I miss out on getting some screenshots featuring really funny family feud dialogue because I'm fully lmao because something always gets awry and usually involves Marston or Hosea killing the bounty; Arthur seems to target just the other raspberries and not the strawberries that are needed; good boah)

[legy]

media tag 2024

#13. Runescape

oh yeah i guess i can put this here since i got quest cape, which i would personally qualify as "any%". im still playing runescape lol im afking ghouls for the champion's scroll on my second monitor

i really like runescape 3. i think nearly anyone who dunks on it hasnt actually played it lol. at its core, mechanically, it's this fascinating outsider art mmo because it inherits many of the traits that it had in its inception 22 years ago. even the stuff that's changed is so fully outside of what every other mmo does it kinda rules

that said they were sick in the head for requiring level 95 in the newest skill to get quest cape. if i just shotgunned quests when i first started this account (2019) it would have been so much faster lmao. i like necro and its my preferred combat skill rn so it definitely wasnt a bad investment but god DAMN

i would still like to go for trimmed completionist cape (which is why im currently grinding for champion's challenge, IMO likely the worst requirement) but i'm also interested in going for cape in OSRS too. ive put a couple dozen hours on the OSRS side of this account (at like 25 qp or something? all the easy stuff. running bronzeman mode) but im kinda stuck b/c i cant log into both games at the same time and im not interested in paying two subscriptions. so i have to pick between the two. and rn rs3 is still very much holding my attention

favorite skill: archaeology. its peak. i love the worldbuilding in runescape + questing and this is just the dedicated questing skill. i do kinda feel like it shouldve been an elite skill like invention or have a higher quest barrier to entry because otherwise you just barely know wtf you are digging up but whatever. it rules

least favorite skill: summoning? tbh? it drives me insane that the only way to level summoning is by crafting pouches, and one of the pouch components is untradable so i have to compulsively hoard these fucking charms for whenever i next decide to level summoning. the rewards are obviously worth it but good fucking god. followup is hunter before bgh dropped and i also have not been enjoying my time leveling invention very much

[markantonys]

Hi! What are your thoughts on the first two Domina episodes?

i'm liking the season so far! it's bringing ALL the messy drama and beautiful costumes that i loved in s1, and i love that it feels like even more of an ensemble show now that the kids are older and we're getting to see more of them, especially marcella and the antonias who were mostly background characters in s1. the downside is that there isn't enough time for every character - my beloved julia was barely in these two episodes, but hopefully she'll have time to shine later in the season.

my beloved iullus continues to be rome's #1 himbo and i love that for him and for julia and for me <3 my beloved octavia continues to slay every scene she's in, and i feel like this season has been more equitable in the julian vs. claudian conflict, which makes me happy. my impression in s1 was that they were trying to sell livia as our righteous girlboss heroine whose detractors are all villainous, and correspondingly livia's kids as victims and octavia's as bullies, whereas this season shows livia in a more neutral light and offers a lot of sympathy to the victims of her ambitions (octavia's grief for marcellus, gemina's whole storyline). i think that since last season ended with livia's moral tipping point (killing marcellus), that naturally allows the narrative in this season to acknowledge and lean into her moral ambiguity and to really question whether her ends justify her means, which is great. of course, it could just be that i was in a different frame of mind when i watched s1 several years ago rather than an actual change in the show, so take this point of comparison with a grain of salt!

speaking of gemina, so far i quite like that storyline! i was expecting her to be treated by the narrative as an object in the way of livia's goals and for us to never see her again after she was sold in ep1, so i was very pleasantly surprised when she cropped up again and when ep2 focused on her emotions rather than just making her a sexy lamp for augustus to fuck. our elite protagonists talk a big game about Rome and The Republic but don't actually give a shit about the people who live there, and gemina's storyline is a good way to counteract the propaganda the main characters spout and to show how lower classes and conquered peoples are harmed by the roman elite. i'm really intrigued to see where her storyline goes, especially now that scribonia is involved, but i remember that (imo) s1 had an appalling lack of empathy for scribonia's shitty treatment by augustus and just painted her as a high school mean girl, so i'm also a little nervous to see what they do with this duo lmao

marcella is also a high school mean girl so far, which is disappointing but not surprising given her few scenes in s1. i would love for them to allow her more depth later on, but i'm not sure how likely that is (and, i mean, fair play if they want to show that the richest kids in rome are plain ol spoiled brats and there's nothing deeper to it haha). i guess that's how i'd sum up my main problem with s1, that it fell into the trap of pitting women against each other in a patriarchal society where men are the ones oppressing them. s2 does this too, but so far it's been in a way that seems more self-aware and seems to be putting the blame more on the patriarchy than on the women fighting and hurting each other for power (livia's rant to antonia about being a woman in rome comes to mind), so we will see!

oh, the last thing i wanted to mention is how funny this show is at times! i really love when period dramas let themselves be funny rather than taking themselves super seriously all the time and acting like people in ye olden days never swore or made jokes.

[birlwrites]

what's wizarding music like in the ttdl universe? i've almost always got music on in the background and especially when i'm studying, but all of your characters are just. they're just sitting there studying and doing homework in silence! that would drive me insane!! so i was wondering what wizarding music is like, how available (? accessable? idk) it is in day-to-day life, and if you know, what are the 5th year slytherins' musical preferences? :)

anon you have hit on something that i think about a LOT and still don't have a totally developed 100% this-is-ttdl-canon answer for, so you're going to get a ramble!! and also INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN DOWLAND

(note from the birl who has completed her ramble - actually, less about john dowland than i anticipated, because i had Restraint because there was too much other stuff to talk about. i also haven't really read anything about dowland in like 2 months so WHAT IF MY INFORMATION ABOUT SOMEONE WHO DIED IN 1626 IS OUTDATED)

i generally think of wizarding technology as being behind muggle technology, for the obvious reason that it is. in the 1990s, they've got radio, but they don't have telephones, television, CD players, or computers

some of this is explained by the 'magic and electricity don't mix!!' principle but i'm a little suspicious of this principle bc... well, because i am afjslkghsjkdf. mostly because of 'how do the radios work then'

so imo the REAL reason wizarding technology is behind is because of, as with many things, Blood Purity Mentality. they're not really inspired to figure out how to adopt these things

so, where are they at in the 1970s? there's still radio - it operates on a ~magical frequency~ that manages to get down into the dungeons of hogwarts, so go magic. i think they have gramophones and even vinyl (just in time for muggles to figure out cassette tapes ajfslkghkjldsf), but a certain class of pureblood will sometimes sneer at vinyl for being Too Muggle.

if we think of wizarding culture as being, say, 15-20 years behind, then vinyl's been around for about 10-15 years, so it's been adopted pretty successfully in wizarding culture, but it's viewed as inferior to live performance (create an idea of scarcity and exclusivity!!!!)

like, with things like pensieves and enchanted art, the idea of recording a song so you can play it again without needing to go to a concert where they happen to play it is less special. can you afford a reasonably-sized enchanted oil painting of a string quartet? if you commission one with a list of your favorite pieces etched into the back of the canvas so it's guaranteed that they'll know the pieces you want to hear, you're good to go, no record player needed

so record players definitely aren't ubiquitous, and they tend to be a little unwieldy, so the only people who are going to be lugging those to hogwarts are people who really care about being able to listen to Specific Music. radios are more common. (people also generally aren't lugging oil paintings of musicians to hogwarts ajfskhgskf - wealthy students interested in music might have a miniature- to medium-sized painting with one to three musicians and up to 8 pieces on their 'setlist')

the rosiers have like. over a dozen small portraits of john dowland with his lute the dream and OH MY GOD i don't have room to talk about this on this post this post is already long and hhhhhhhh ANYWAY. if your family ever acted as patrons for a musician, you've probably got at least a couple of paintings of them lying around

but live music is still definitely viewed as Elite. ghost ensembles are popular to hire for events - they have basically infinite time to practice and learn new pieces, and they really don't ask for much in return beyond an audience and applause. live music performed by live people is Especially elite, bc exclusivity mindset

lucinda grew up listening to popular music on the radio and she got maeve into pop with her - there's definitely a radio in the girls' room, i just can't decide which of the two of them it belongs to ajfslkghlksjdf. charlotte will start pulling her hair out if people are playing music while she's trying to think, so they have a lot of Quiet Hours, but charlotte does a lot of her homework in the library anyway so it's not a huge restriction. emma will beg and plead and bribe people with candy to listen to as many quidditch matches as she can possibly manage - lucinda's usually down to listen to pro matches, but sometimes she'll go 'emma i have literally never heard of those teams' and emma goes 'THEY'RE THE FARM TEAMS FOR THE BRITISH LEAGUE' and that's usually when the bribery starts happening, because lucinda likes quidditch but she doesn't like it That much

(maeve gracefully avoids being dragged into those discussions. she's down for whatever :) which means she does not actually want to listen to an exhibition match between farm teams but emma does so)

evan's got a radio stuffed into his wardrobe somewhere - he usually listens to quidditch matches in the girls' room with emma and other than that he doesn't really care ajfslghsjdkf

barty's family has a ton of records thanks to his mom, spanning a wIDE range of genres - he doesn't really bring any of that with him to school (his trunk is already full of books and, you know, unimportant things like his uniform) but he knows a surprising amount about random things here and there. lots of information from liner notes his mom read aloud. he's a mars the bringer of war basic bitch but i forgive him because it is a banger and aren't we all, and also mars the bringer of war is significantly less basic in wizarding culture because it's a Muggle Composition

and regulus fjslghslkdghjsljk. regulus LOVES his peace and quiet. there's a reason he used to do almost all of his work in their dorm room and only moved out into the common room to be Seen. like charlotte, he would lose his mind a little if he was trying to listen to music and do work at the same time - he'd have to block the music out. no radios or enchanted oil paintings for him

so for regulus, listening to music is an Activity all by itself. he's been to a handful of (classical) concerts, and heard plenty of live music at the more salon-y high society gatherings, but his education in pop music (or other genres of commercial music) is,,,, sub-minimal ajglshkgjsldf. (evan's not much better tbh - lots of those salons are In His House, he's just as immersed in art music as regulus is, except for when he happens to be in the girls' room when they're not listening to quidditch)

i haven't put much thought into the development of magical instruments or techniques, because tbqh i am a singer and things like the mechanics of instruments often totally fail to enter my mind as a thing that should be thought about - now i'm having thoughts about dark arts applied to vocal abilities to build quite literally superhuman voices

but i think that one of the reasons that regulus doesn't listen to a lot of music is because it affects him too much. that boy is repressing so much shit and if he listens to too much beethoven or tchaikovsky or dowland or god forbid a REQUIEM MASS (other than like. fauré's) it's all going to come out

[moominquartz]

nobody asked but here’s my helluva boss s2b predictions. under the cut because this got long and out of hand.

1. full moon

- the easiest one to predict imo

- i think the sex shop happens after the duet but before they actually meet up. blitzø maybe buys gifts for stolas as a way to get back into stolas’s good graces. (not that he actually fell out, but that it’s been so long that blitzø believes he has.) he goes to fizz for guidance, which is how they wind up in the sex shop -- blitzø is still only thinking of the sexual side of the relationship.

- i can't figure out what the giant heart-shaped mirror with wings is for, but it's definitely from the sex shop sequence. it's almost certainly got some sort of magical properties, but whatever it reveals to blitzø, i'm sure he immediately represses.

- then stolas refuses or maybe awkwardly accepts the gifts, then reciprocates with the asmodean crystal, and makes the proposal to end their transactional relationship. blitzø does NOT take this well. he assumes this means an end to the relationship period. and stolas cannot convince him otherwise, the episode ends with them in a "breakup arc" that will be resolved further down the road.

- also the sequences that show them as kids, then adults, then stolas pulls his hand away, and then blitzø walks ... that's definitely also from this episode

- the scene that shows blitzø with his mother will appear as a flashback in this episode and show why blitzø has a specific hangup about "elites" looking down on imps. i think whatever happened to his mother is tied into this. i think this flashback will end up as close to a b-plot as we get this episode.

2. apology tour

- however full moon ends (badly), stolas decides to commiserate with verosika. she is probably the only ex stolas knows because she was at ozzie’s. i imagine she isn’t thrilled with the idea of hanging with a royal, but takes pity on him (because… he has also suffered blitzø) and ends up really liking him. it will be good for stolas to see that blitzø has issues that go beyond just him — he’s always sabotaged his relationships.

- obviously all the trailer scenes that include verosika go in this episode. also, the scene where stolas is singing on stage (the one without her there), and the scene where we see someone decapitate a plush that looks similar to blitzø.

- my hope is that we get more insight into verosika’s character beyond just “blitzø’s ex.” please, god, flesh her out

- we also see blitzø & verosika talking and i would Kill for some closure between them, as well as to learn what actually happened. she literally had his name tattooed on her body, seems like it was pretty serious

- the flashback scenes we see that are colored green are probably from this episode, as well as the shot of blitzø with the sheet over him looking longingly at stolas. blitzø starts to realize the changes he needs to make. hence the title.

- i’m also predicting that the street fight we see snippets of is from the b-plot in this ep, since we only see m&m and not blitzø even once. also potentially the scene of loona in front of the cocks comb resort, since that might be the same street fight.

3. ghostfuckers

- very obviously this is the real-world hotel but from the trailer but there are a few specific predictions for this one i gotta get out.

- blitzø & millie solo mission. not sure where loona & moxxie are but i'd love for them to have a b-plot together.

- the proprietor of this hotel gets possessed by leviathan, the personification of envy. may or may not be because this was a setup to attack IMP, but i would really prefer if it was a coincidence and they just happened to piss off a deadly sin.

- i don't think leviathan is physically present, i think IMP is too low on their priority list to manifest.

- since leviathan is fish (or rather, sea monster) themed, it may be that they're more capable of possession & other attacks in water. i believe blitzø somehow falls into the pool and comes out possessed, resulting in the blitzø & millie fight.

- i think the image of millie appearing from the mirror with the shards of glass in her eye & the gunshot wound isn't real. i think we'll get shots of what blitzø is seeing during his possession and that this is part of it, including her line.

- this episode will also have a flashback to show how blitzø & millie met. i'll admit that i'm so fucking hyped for this. please give this episode some much needed millie focus, PLEASE.

4. mastermind

- dhorks and cherub team up

- seems like dhorks have gotten a budget increase since their last episode, judging by their new equipment. i think they've found a way to track the portals from hell and will use this to track IMP. maybe in using this technology they accidentally find they can track heavenly portals as well, resulting in the capture of the cherubs. (who, while no longer "of heaven", still use that power to travel)

- the opening scene in the trailer that involves them "on the run" with the hooded figures could be from this episode. the new tech + help from the cherubs = portal to hell? my only hesitation with this is that it just doesn't make sense to me. why would they risk traveling to hell to find one group of demons? (maybe it's a test to see if they're capable of infiltrating hell without detection, as well as to see if they've got what it takes to actually deal damage to demons?)

-but... that would bring a lot of negative attention to IMP from some of the higher beings in hell, which would lead to my predictions for the sinsmas episode. :)

- my hope for this episode is that we get some clarification on the purpose of dhorks. we know they seem to be trying to capture hellish creatures and gain information on them, but not to what end. do they want to eliminate all demonkind? do they want to eliminate IMP specifically, because of their mass murder of humans?

- i'm predicting that the one scene that shows them using the portal to return to the office is also from this episode, as it might be that they lose the asmodean crystal or the crystal is otherwise temporarily disabled to prevent their escape.

5. sinsmas

- i'm excited about this one :)

- andrealphus + vassago + the whole court scene are the main plot here. IMP is officially in huge shit because humans figured out how to travel to hell because of them. which means that they had to investigate just how IMP was able to travel to earth ("less than legally," as stolas admitted in the very first episode). which means, stolas gets in huge shit too.

- stolas is summoned to court. i imagine a lot of the sins are present for this because this is a huge deal, which is why mammon is there. i think satan (incarnation of wrath) is also in this scene, with his line being directed at stolas. not for fucking an imp, but for allowing hell to be compromised for an imp.

- a lot of the imagery we see of stolas in front of the mirrors showing blitzø that then shatter, as well as via's line, are from this episode. during the hearing i imagine it's mentioned that stolas & stella's marriage was arranged, and that stolas did all this for blitzø, which results in via's comment.

- maybe asmodeus speaks up in stolas's defense, which results in a lighter sentence. this angers andrealphus & stella both because they'd been intending to use this to undermine stolas's status as royalty, potentially giving them a loophole to make stella the heir in the event of death rather than via.

- stolas in loungewear being bitchy to blitzø... i fully believe this happens after the court case. stolas is trying to relax by reading some trashy romance. blitzø shows up and is pissed that maybe he was trying to reach stolas but couldn't. and because blitzø, even when he's trying, expresses his emotions horribly, it reads as anger rather than concern, and they still are resolving their "breakup arc" that began in full moon. and stolas bitches right back at him, having lost his patience. but also he may actually tell blitzø that there's trouble in store for him, and that'll be resolved in the next season.

ok i think that's all the scenes accounted for lol. can't wait to be proven wrong! i think that's just as exciting as being proven right :D

[heyyallitsbeth]

I know it would disappoint people but honestly I'd prefer for Pokemon to scale back and make smaller and shorter games instead of pushing themselves to the brink of self destruction like Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet.

#1 Make a solid engine, keep it simple with a clean aesthetic.

With the right tweaks and lighting, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl couldve looked great and would've been a good basis for a scaled back 3D model approach. I still think the mix of Chibi Overworld and Full Scale in battle and cutscene is really good, and it fits with the game look from gens 1-5.

But speaking of gens 1-5, maybe going back to sprite based would be a good idea. GameFreak has genuinely always been masters at making incredible at sprite art since day 1. Maybe animated sprites like gen 5 would be a good direction to go in.

#2 Try to keep each game's pokedex count to around 150.

Trying to fit 1000 pokemon into each game is entirely unsustainable, as we've seen with the Switch games. I think getting a large number of new additions with 150 and then 30-50 returning pokemon from previous games would be perfect, and fairly reasonable. One of the best parts about gen 5 was that until the endgame you saw nothing but NEW pokemon.

In terms of keeping pokemon around with them limited in the main games, I'd genuinely just suggest an official Pokemon Showdown. Just bring back Pokemon Stadium and make it so that every time a new generation comes around you have an update that adds in the new creatures and mechanics. Plus this would allow for more fun battle opportunities, like the ability to chose between megas, z moves, dynamax and terrastylzation in one match.

#3 The game should be designed more like its roots.

I know people are on a "gen 1 is garbage" bandwagon rn, but the relative openness and pure adventure of gen 1 and it's remakes is still entirely unmatched. The fact you can catch ~120 out of ~155 pokemon in Lets Go with only 2 badges shows just how open the kanto games are. You can really approach them however you want after Misty. You can fight nearly any gym whenever you want from there, or focus on the pokedex. That should 100% be a design priority. That's also one of the best features of Scarlet and Violet imo.

#4 The game should have variety in its goal.

Ever since i was a girl watching the Diamond and Pearl anime as a kid I was always kinda upset that Dawn and Jessie had their goals of becoming Contest Stars, but in the games, all you ever focus on is battling. You're supposed to be filling in the Pokedex, but you always end up beating the elite four. Why not have more tasks and quests focused around being a pokemon research assistant or contest star?

and most importantly

#5 BRING BACK VOLTORB FLIP

[tuulikki]

I scrolled through the notes to see if anyone else had mentioned The Heliand and I’m so glad I found @papervolcano’s addition.

The Heliand is one of the greatest medieval Northern epics, imo, because it’s batshit crazy to modern inheritors of European Christianity who think they know what “European Christianity” means. It was written in Old Saxon by someone (a monk, possibly a former warrior) who seems to have lived through the upheavals of Charlemagne’s conquering conversions. Whoever the author was, he created a dazzling and unlikely syncretisation of the values of the Germanic warrior-elite society and Christianity.

I’m gonna quote at length, including footnotes!

At Gethsemane:

Then He told His followers to wait there, up on the mountain. He said that He wanted to climb up higher on the slope to pray, and told three thanes to go with Him: James and John and good Peter—daring warriors. They went gladly, together with their Commander. Up on the mountain God's Son asked them to bow themselves in prayer and to speak to God, asking Him sincerely to hold in check the strength of the tempters, the will of the evil ones, so that the opponent, the vicious injurer, could not bring doubt to their feelings. The powerful Son of the Chieftain bowed, the most Powerful of Kings, and knelt down on the earth. He spoke to the good Father of all peoples, He said words of lamentation and grief. His mind was clouded and afraid; in His humanness His feelings were upset, His flesh was frightened. His tears fell,* His precious sweat dripped down just as blood comes welling out of wounds.**

* Tears have been added by the Heliand author. It is interesting that not only has none of Christ's fear of losing His life 'in battle' been suppressed, but the scene of the Agony in the Garden has been intensified by the author. Presumably, he felt the extreme realism of this part of the gospel story would be well understood by men who had already been on real battlefields.

** The bloody sweat of the Agony is used by the author to draw an implicit comparison to battle wounds. Christ's "battle" to save mankind has begun, he is already "wounded" and bleeding.

There’s a lingering, 16th–19th century, primly Protestant miasma that hangs around modern conversations about the history of Christianity in Europe. It holds that the Europeans who converted “didn’t really understand” real Christianity. We might ask, who gets to decide what real Christianity is? The traditional answer is that only wealthy educated classes, post-printing press, were sophisticated enough to judge what “real” religion is. Spoilers: the right version of Christianity is their version, and everyone else’s Christianity is just ignorant superstition. But that’s where we get this idea that people were “tricked” into converting to Christianity.

You can feel how shallow and untrue that is when you read The Heliand, where all these lines just brim full of conviction. This was the author’s truth. He interpreted and understood the message according to his own values, very deftly rejecting and accepting different ideas by turn, and he expressed it with wonderful creativity.

But also even battle-hardened medieval Saxon warriors knew it’s normal for men to cry—to the point that they added Jesus crying to their version of the Gospel. So shitty little modern Christofascist nutjobs can shut the hell up!!!

@inneskeeper this seems relevant to your interests

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! SHE DOIBLES DOWN!

[moononastring]

this year had me getting into mafia books too. and i have read some really great ones, but there's also some seriously unhinged wtf is happening books too lol. the sinners anonymous books have been on my tbr list so i'm glad to see they're good. will definitely be checking them out soon. i was rec'd by my friends to try cora reilly and really enjoyed her books, especially the camorra chronicles series. also loved the made series by danielle lori. one series i was kind of meh about because of how dark it got was the beauty in lies and bellandi crime syndicate books by adelaide forrest. those get pretty intense so if you were interested i would definitely check the trigger warnings. another friend told me to try rina kent the other day and i started with one of her less dark series (empire series) as a introduction - mostly it's cause the royal elite series is like high school age and i'm not here for that tbh - and it was an experience. i will say the empire series is super light on any mafia stuff, like only 2 out of the 4 mention anything mafia related it's mostly following these partners at a law firm. anyway i really loved 3/4 of the books so for that alone i would rec, but book 1 was really not it for me. i'm surprised i continued with the series tbh cause the couple imo was gross. and it's not about the age gap or the fact it was a girl falling for her dad's best friend it was the fact that this man knew her since the day she was born and was called "uncle" for years. that alone just skeeved me out and i wish i had skipped that book cause the rest were really really good.

Mafia romance books are truly a hit or miss because if the characters can pull me in, I can handle terrible writing but if the characters suck AND it's bad writing? Why????

I definitely think Sinners Anonymous is pretty well written and engaging (not to mention pretty hot tbh). I'm excited to continue with it because I heard the next books get even better!

I read the Born in Blood series (1-5) for Cora Reilly and at the time I read them, I kid you not, I was o b s e s s e d even though IMO, they were not well-written haha. But idk what it was! It had a chokehold on me even though I remember nothing now HAHA. I'm interested in maybe reading the Camorra Chronicles. Twisted Emotions gets a lot of hype so if anything, I'd probably read book one to get to it and then see if I like it enough to continue. I enjoyed the Made series too! Books 1 and 2 more than book 3 but interested enough to read the 4th book if it ever comes out lol.

I also read the Brutal Birthright series which is very, very light on mafia that I wouldn't really call it that. They're just criminals I GUESS LOL. It was entertaining to an extent but I didn't love it. Books 4 and 6 ruined it for me.

I've heard mixed reviews about Rina Kent books! I can't read anything that has HS ages in anymore so I don't think I'd go near that series just for that. Plus that little tidbit you just shared makes me wanna vomit so PASS lol.

Another series I heard is well-loved and well-written is the Dark Verse by RuNyx! I haven't read it yet but I'm definitely interested and will likely after I finish Sinners Anonymous! If you've read it already, let me know!!

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Hiii! First of all I want you to know that I love your blog. I have a question about something I saw on twitter about Stephane not being a good coach because of the Rika situation and something that happened with Dennis, but like, i really don't understand and i really dont know what they mean i haven't hear anything bad about Stephane before and now i am curious. Do you know anything about that?

Thank you

Thanks for liking this blog. 😊

I think to put Stephane Lambiel on a pedestal is wrong because no human - skater or coach - is perfect and without flaws.

One thing is for sure there is no skater who ever has come forward with any allegations against Stephane, but tbf that doesn't say much. I think though that we actually don't know that much about how he is in training behind closed doors. We know a lot about abusive methods when skaters or coaches are open about it like Team Tutberidze and don't even find fault in that, but with Stephane we know his approach which I find no fault in and the outside view he gives off at events

That being said first I don't know what situation exactly the "Deniss situation" is referring to, but Deniss has been coached by Stephane Lambiel for the most of his senior career and I know perspectives that say that Stephane is maybe too invested into his skaters to not have the best coach-student professional distance and I can understand this perspective from an educator point of view. For example to let a skater live at your home even if it is shorttime. I have no direct example with Deniss Vasiljews I could name that was problematic, so I can't help much with that.

Rika Kihira is a different case in my opinion. The criticism is that Stephane contributed to aggravating Rika's injury by letting her train and compete when she was under Stephane's supervision. Some also said his methods were wrong like practicing with weights. I think there was no explicit discription of her training though, so it's hard to judge whether those weight lifting methods harmed her or not. Rika fans give Stephane fault for her poor outcome at Worlds 2021 and competing at WTT 2021 with an injury.

Rika came to Champery for a training camp, it was never meant to be a long time solution, it happened because of the pandemic and Stephane was just an interim coach for Rika. Mie Hamada was still her coach and imo still the one with the most say in decisions and until this day she is still listed as her coach. Rika was already injured when she went to Stephane for that camp. And injuries don't just disappear. Did Mie Hamada let her rest and recover from her injuries before she went to Stephane? No she didn't. Rika has been dealing with injuries for all of her senior career. So at this point I don't how much you can blame her injuries aggravating on Stephane. Still training with this much load certainly didn't help but show me any skater who isn't dealing with some kind of injury, it's a side effect of elite sports. It doesn't make it better though or excuses that the injury couldn't heal.

But I think we have to consider some things. Here comes the part with unpopular stuff that lots of ppl don't mention, that I do think have played a big part as well and makes putting blame not that easy: Rika is not a child who can't decide for herself. Rika has always emphasized how much she decides on her own about her training, a thing many Rika fans are proud of btw. It was her decision this season also to return to competition despite doctors telling her she would need 6 months off ice to heal. Now she is with Brian Orser and I don't see those complaints ppl had with Stephane with Brian. It's the same situation. I don't say that because I want ppl to blame Brian as well, but because she is making her own decision despite knowing the doctors advise. So it's on you to decide whether Stephane would have had to keep her off ice and if he would have been able to do that. 2nd and this is something that a lot of ppl don't even ever adress, she didn't spend much time in Champery between Japanese Nationals which she won with the first quad by a Japanese women (and she didn't seem to be badly prepared or more injured than before) and Worlds 2021. After JNats she stayed in Japan to do ice shows, she went to a training camp in the US with Mie Hamada, she just returned to Champery one week before Worlds. So who was in charge of her well being at this point and for her preparation, Stephane? Well...partly... We know the outcome at Worlds and it was pure heartbreak. She really didn't seem to be herself at all in the free skate. Rika, just like the other Japanese competitors, had to go to Japan right after Worlds because of the covid protocols. Stephane didn't accompany them, but came later with the rest of the teams. She should have withdrawn from that competition, but I am not sure if she was able to because she would have had to make that decision directly after Worlds to let someone else take her place. Already at the event it was impossible due to the covid protocols to just bring someone else in. So I am almost sure she wouldn't have wanted for Japan to place last because they would get 0 points for one women. It's a team competition you cannot just think about yourself. There's also a lot of money at stake for everyone competing there. We also don't know if she got pressure by sponsors etc. So again the question remains how much influence Stephane really had on those decisions about withdrawals.

I think we should consider those things for a final judgment. Btw it's not about blaming Rika at all, even if it may sound like it, I am aware that Rika is influenced by her surroundings and upbringing and this sport expects you to perform even if you're unwell. The sport career is too short to wait for injuries to heal. So I do understand why Rika competed and practiced. I just think the plan for her 2020-2021 season - no matter who had the final say in that - was not a good one and mismanaged on all sides.

Was there mismanagement in Rika's case? For sure. On Stephane's part? I won't say it's got nothing to do with him. But I actually blame mostly Mie Hamada. She is the reason Rika never healed from injuries, she is the one who had most influence on Rika's mindset about competing while injured. Rika was in Stephane's care for a while, so he is not free of any faults, maybe he should have not agreed to be her coach or insisting on her rest. It's always easy to blame without all information on our part. I just think it's not as black and white and easy like "Stephane destroyed Rika" or "he's a bad coach"

Is Stephane a good coach? I think there is no entirely good coach anywhere. And not every coach no matter how good they are for one skater may do the same good coaching on another skater. I think certain styles and methods work for different ppl for some they are right and for some they are wrong. So I don't even have an opinion about if Stephane is a good coach. I just know that he is a good match and coach for Shoma,but that doesn't necessarily mean he is a good coach for everyone and it doesn't mean he couldn't have been a better coach for Rika. (Rika herself never said any bad word about Stephane and praised training in Champery, but I am not sure of the value of such statements as no one knows what is really going on between a skater and their coach behind closed doors unless your name is Eteri Tutberidze and your not even ashamed of your methods to even let camera film them

Not sure if this was the answer you were hoping for, but this at least is as far as I know about the situation with Rika and shows my not knowledge about a Deniss situation.

[sapphicwhxre]

ASTERIA'S 2.5K FOLLOWER FIC REC LIST

i read fics just as much as i write them so here are some of my favourites. tysmsm for this milestone, i love you all <3 quick note: i didn't re-tag anyone if i recommended more than one of your works because of the tag limit.

───────── girls ─────────

hermione granger

tuesdays - @stupxfy

probably one of my all time favs for hermione. it's just so well written and adorable and fluffy and yes.

if i could tell her - @hellounicorn

pining, pining, PINING. the way these emotions and hermione's described is just... art. perfection. there's a happy ending and it is so worth the build up.

darling dearest - @dracolvr

fluffy goodness. read to be hopelessly in love with hermione ─ which, let's be real, we all are.

november rain - @pansydaisy

uhm i love this one sm. it's so simple but amazing ─ everyone has their days like this and having hermione to cure them? it's what everyone needs.

i need more - @15-dogs

i sobbed the first time i read this. it'll break your heart but it's so amazingly written that it's worth the sadness. actual gut wrenching / mindblowing writing.

how the potter girls react to you in lingerie - @pottersanime

the title. need i say more?

honeyed eyes - @minty-malfoy

HEAVEN. being hermione's first kiss as friend? but both of you idiots liking each other? oh my god, sign me up.

hugging her from behind - @pastanest

again, the title. read to feel 🥺💙

grey days - @pepperimps01

PANSMIONE 😌😌 it's angsty with a happy ending and i love it sm. this does such a perfect job of capturing pansy and hermione's relationship growing and having its ups and downs with just a few paragraphs. honestly so good

grenade - @hellounicorn

another one that'll make your heart shatter. but in the best way. these are the fics i live for where the you can't help but feel like it's really happening to you and hermione and god it's so fucking powerful. underrated writing right here in general. and also pansmione is the loml so it hurts in that way.

honeybees - @pansydaisy

fluffy aesthetic heaven.

lead the way - @teacup-tai

more pansmione but this is pure filthy thinking and satisfies all the sexual tension dreams pansmione shippers have.

two queens in a king sized bed - @shysneeze

domestic christmas morning with hermione and it's angelic.

would you still love me if i turned into a worm? - @minty-malfoy

one of those blurbs i never imagined i'd read or love so much. not to mention it's spot on and adorable.

pansy parkinson

right and wrong - @starrkidmalfoy

a first kiss and the overdone trope that i will never get sick of, the bitch who's soft only for you. the descriptions in this are perfection and the writing is beautiful <3

messed up - @writseo

toxic, messed up love fics will be the death of me. insane how well you captured it all and i just yes damn fucking props.

pansy parkinson imagine - @moonlight-imagines

*screams* THE BEST FRIEND BANTER + THE ENDING OH MY GOD OH MY GOD ─ I SCREAMED WHEN I FIRST READ THIS. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

dating pansy would include - @lotsoffandomimagines

ABSOLUTE POWER COUPLE SHIT and to this day, pansy saying "jealous much?" when being scolded for pda remains iconic.

grey days - @pepperimps01

as i said before: PANSMIONE 😌😌 it's angsty with a happy ending and i love it sm. this does such a perfect job of capturing pansy and hermione's relationship growing and having its ups and downs with just a few paragraphs. honestly so good

new rules - @silversslytherin

excuse me this is immaculate ─ pansy is the best friend and the second you see that she's also the best s/o, you're done for. perfection.

study "dates" - @turning-dreams-into-chaos

the title is self explanatory and this whole thing is fluffy heaven <3

how the potter girls react to you in lingerie - @pottersanime

read the title, thank me later.

lead the way - @teacup-tai

more pansmione but this is pure filthy thinking and satisfies all the sexual tension dreams pansmione shippers have.

traitor - @hufflepuff-writings

a masterpiece where pansy chooses the wrong side in the battle of hogwarts. this ties up so well and the writing is so powerful.

back alley love potions - @a-simple-imagine

this actually hurts but in a beautiful way. watching pansy give draco a love potion is such a fucking concept and this is executed incredibly.

my little bunny - @emmamarie7708

pansy making you do this is so dirty yet she's slightly sweet and i am a sucker for it. god is a woman and her name is pansy fucking parkinson.

pansy parkinson imagine - @moonlight-imagines

i'll let pansy beat people up for me all day. they put me in madame pomfrey's, feel my girlfriend's wrath.

ginny weasley

blissful - @enyastasia

fluffy ginny goodness. the friends to lovers? the amazing kiss? 🥺🥺🥺💞💞 this fic lives in my heart <3

bubble pop electric - @hunnypot-imagines

this is hotter than a lot of actual smut and the chemistry is so... wow. ginny weasley owns me.

dear ginny - @alyssamalfoy

how does this short ass letter manage to make me feel so much. it's sorcery but i don't even care, it's beautiful.

wildflower - @pansydaisy

will i ever get tired of cheeky i love yous? not when loves like ginny weasley and ayli's so so pretty writing exist.

all i want - @hellounicorn

ouch. fuck you harry :) quite possibly the best ginny fic i have ever read. insanely talented writing, i genuinely feel every touch of emotion you put down and you need to know how amazing that is. keep breaking my heart.

linny hcs - @bluebirdlinginthenest

who doesn't need good linny content in their life?

how the potter girls react to you in lingerie - @pottersanime

sexy bitch, fuck me up.

willow - @padmeamiala

ginny is the loml. her brothers can cry about it.

bellatrix lestrange

attempting to bake with bellatrix - @carters-coffee

MY FAVOURITE BELLA FIC ─ there's not enough bellatrix fluff out there but this makes up for the lack of. heaven.

bellatrix prompt - @carters-coffee

this gives me chills. she knows she's a bad bitch and that's what we love about her.

change of plans - @dumb-sbian

why THE FUCK have i not had a rainy morning with bellatrix? she can sleep and mumble something just like this and i'm still head over heels for her.

being tortured as bellatrix's girlfriend - @writings-of-a-british-fangirl

definitely a concept BUT this makes me feel some type of way and i recommend giving it a minute of your time 😌

bellatrix finding out you're a muggleborn - @carters-coffee

the beauty, the nuance omg. this is art.

bellatrix prompt - @carters-coffee

yep jealous bella. trust me, im all yours mommy <3

sex with bellatrix would include - @onegayastronaut

so short but... sign. me. up.

luna lovegood

never leave - @/deactivated

luna smut is hard asf to come by and this is my favourite. it's so luna and the pain over her not knowing, not getting that closure about how you feel until this is an amazing rollercoaster.

she - @hunnypot-imagines

the beauty of falling in love with luna, through this majorly talented writing. ten out of fucking ten. i will not elaborate but there's also majorly good association in this imo.

silver berries and flickering fireflies - @duskgrangers

i love this fic so much. she's so herself and that is why we ✨ simp ✨ and the scene set just sounds so prettyy

how the potter girls react to you in lingerie - @pottersanime

luna + this title? yes please, ma'am i am simping.

would you still love me if i turned into a worm? - @minty-malfoy

put me in your pocket luna. im begging you.

dancing in the rain with luna - @/deactivated

only luna would get you a dress to go dancing in the rain and this is the stuff of blissful, fluffy dreams.

hugging her from behind - @pastanest

short and cute, do me a favour and read it :)

dating luna lovegood would go like - @glossymalfoy

life is NOT worth it if you don't read these cute little headcanons and imagine dating ravenclaw's baddest bitch.

linny hc - @bluebirdlinginthenest

like i said, who doesn't need good linny content?

cho chang

strawberry kisses - @pansydaisy

the only cho fic i've been able to find and it's SO WORTH IT. the cutest, it flows so well, and i absolutely love it. i need this with cho tbh.

fleur delacour

toutes les etoiles - @coffee--writes

im in love with fleur and this amazing writing. and for the first time since i started high school, my three years of taking french feel good for something.

being best friends with fleur would include - @harrypotter-imaginess

not romantic but actually so sweet pls. i want this friendship in my life so bad.

nymphadora tonks

dating nymphadora tonks would include - @imaginesforgirls

dating her + that warm little feeling of bliss that only HCs can give you

taking care of her after the war - @random-imagines-blog

this kind of hurts in that good ass way and i lovee it. they're simple hcs but i feel for tonks so much and then there's that warm lil feeling when you're the one to put her back together aand now my primary life goal is to help this woman heal.

───────── boys ─────────

harry potter

phosphenes - @minty-malfoy

ok shakespeare, the fuck?? this fic will never not get me right in the heart. the angst, holy fuck. and for once, the reader doesn't hurt harry and let draco walk all over them and it's just done so well. the transition from a toxic relationship to a sweet, loving one PLEASE. it's beautiful.

happy memories - @15-dogs

how does this manage to be so. smutty and fluffy at the same time? this is one of those short ones that has lived in my head, rent-free since i read it. and tbh any fic that includes expecto patronum is guaranteed to be good.

come back to me - @wondernimbus

right from the beginning, it's a mess of emotions both good and bad. that kind of good ass writing that hits you in the heart <3

making out with harry potter would include - @badfvith

read this title. done? now thank me later.

harry prompt - @thoseofgreatambition

harry x a sarcastic swooning bitch is an elite trope idc. short and sweet, i'm marrying this fic.

keep your eyes on the prize - @rowema-ravenclaw

first of all, showing harry up and second, pure fluff (and a little steam) right after. i also love how she writes harry in general because he's totally safe/in love with the relationship but still has that awkward lovable shyness and i just... *sighs*

always - @pansydaisy

uhm i will always love him and always reread this a thousand times so its a fit title + a good read.

late night studying - @lumosandnoxwriting

fuck studying, let his hand stay in my shirt. once again recommending fluffy bliss in the form of a short read that makes me feel things <3

would you still love me if i turned into a worm? - @minty-malfoy

he's so stupid. but he still loves you + this is from our resident perfectly talented writer so its a win.

cuddling after a rough quidditch practice - @badfvith

harry james potter is : b a b y

gryffindor's victory - @rowema-ravenclaw

make me gryffindors fucking cheerleader because HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT. AND THE WRITING IS IMMACULATE PLEASE. just read it, you won't regret it.

draco malfoy

silent treatment - @slytherinwh0re

andy's mad talented and this is just... insert a cheesy chefs kiss. unbelievably adorable but so fucking hot and an actually good smut plot (which is rare lmfao). remind me to give draco the silent treatment every time im upset.

rewards - @malfoysstilinski

so hot PLS. hype him up for the match and get your reward, bye. so good.

reading between the lines - @minty-malfoy

i've said this a thousand times but that's what happens when you've got a mad talented mutual BLESSING everyone with beauty like this. butterflies and warm feelings all around when i read this 💓

point of view - @draconisxcaput

its angst for hermione and fluff for you but overall ethereal writing. i am never going to recover from the pure talent that this is.

im not kidding im dying - @malfoysmatrioshka

i hate being sick with a passion but this... this would make it worth it.

hogwarts express - @/deactivated

draco fucking you because he knows harry's watching. the shit of legends and god is it hot.

draco laughing at you because you can't walk after sex - @glossymalfoy

*motions to the title* fluff with this loser 😌

the cheeseburger - @slytherinwh0re

really short read but this is one of those things i just. didn't know i needed. you're missing out and haven't even realised it if you haven't read about introducing him to cheeseburgers. and that ending is so funny/in character to me i fucking love it.

four am - @malfoysstilinski

domestic draco 🥺 but also sad draco 🥺 and then fluffy draco 🥺

hugging him from behind - @pastanest

real short and it'll brighten your day <3

would you still love me if i turned into a worm? - @minty-malfoy

how is it that this is so stupidly adorable. i love it 💘

ron weasley

heather - @hellounicorn

always making me cry with your fics i swearrr. this is a must-read. having someone but them not really being yours is a beautiful trope and this fic absolutely does it wonderful, poetic justice. your angst is addicting.

apple pie - @pregnant-piggy

ABSOLUTE DOMESTIC BLISS I AM IN LOVE. i don't even like kids or baking that much but this made me so soft. the whole cozy, heavenly vibes from this fic yes yes yes.

jealousy - @writeroutoftime

cliché jealousy turns friends to lovers and i am a sucker for it all over again <3

shaking and trembling - @ronsbadidea

if ron doesn't finger fuck me and then make a cheeky comment about it in class later then WHAT IS THE POINT :(

mixed signals - @iamthecabbage

i've always figured ron is this awkward idiot cutie with a crush and yea, this is it.

fred and george weasley

i love you, but you don't - @george-fabian-weasley

fred's a character i really don't read for often but goddamn. it's the saddest, most beautiful mix of rejection and pain and fred desperately caring but not in the way you want him to ─ an angsty masterpiece.

cockwarming george - @roonilwazlibimagines

because of this filthy gem, i one hundred thousand percent believe that he could make me cum without even fucking me and this is just... it's a good fucking read.

would you still love me if i turned into a worm? - @minty-malfoy

their responses are so wonderfully chaotic and adorable and GOD you're missing out if you haven't read these lil blurbs.

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