#which is a modern day tragedy because it has scenes like this

[spookberry]

i know this pic is pretty old and canon may have changed since then but do you have a more hd version of the lineup of the color guardian generations over the years? its from 2022 on your deviantart but dA compressed it! id love to hear about the older teams, like anita's first squad

You mean this thing??

Honestly the other teams aren't super relevant outside of a few characters and I like the idea of leaving it vague enough that there could've been even more guardians embetween the ones here.

But yeah I can tell you a little about everyone!

-Anita was one of if not the first Color Guardians. She was actually very close to her Green specifically. They were Best Friends even before becoming Color Guardians(this leads to conflicts with Rin later because Anita tends to compare the two). Their group wasn't around for very long, no one knew the stakes or how serious everything was back then... That is until one colorless attack that ended with Robin dead and Anita having disappeared with a spark of light. Robin was cheerful and kind. Seeing him die left a bad mark on his teammates that they haven't let go of to this day.

-because of her disappearance Anita was assumed dead too. Both by Layla, the police and even her own family. Octavia showed up on the scene shortly afterwards. She never knew Robin or Anita, but Layla's trauma and the fact that it was just them two for the longest time left a deep impact on Octavia.

-Even after Octavia outgrew her role as Blue, she still worried for the next generation. She made a point to track down the next Blue to as soon as she could in order to teach him everything she knew. She's an adult now and teaches self defense classes to the general public, but also special classes for Guardians specifically. All the Blues have met her, and Chiyo even introduced her to Kimi so Kimi could get better at fighting. Layla wants nothing to do with the newer guardians, so Octavia avoids bringing them up, but the two do check in with one another still.

-The teams are generally organized by which Blue is active, because theres always an active Blue. I labeled him Remi up there but I eventually renamed him Russell, he's the second Blue. Much like Octavia, he spent most his time as part of a Duo, up until she was killed in the line of action. It was only near the end of his career as Blue that Nia and Charun became Colors. Nia met Sue a couple of times and can remember her fondly, but Charun never met her.

-Dimitri is also an interesting character. The only other Pink that anyones aware of, he was an active antagonist for most of his time. He often got in the way on purpose and would sometimes help colorless out just to see what would happen. With the power of friendship and gay tension he eventually turned a new leaf. Though not before Russell hit him with a car(they're married now).

-Marcy and Nia are the most relevant past Guardians to the modern group. Marcy has a tough start as Blue. Everyone on the team had been a Guardian longer than she had and already expected her to fill the leadership role that Russell had. Not to mention the youngest and littlest Guardian Veronica appeared right after Marcy. It was a lot of pressure to say the least. But the four of them developed a pretty intense bond cuz of it. Unfortunately much like the others, Marcy's time as Blue did not end without tragedy. There was a really hard fight once that they almost lost. Charun and Nia got hurt really bad to the point where Charun outright rejected being Green(a painful process) and now hardly speaks to any of them outside of the occasional pesters from Nia. Nia herself was already disabled, but the fight has made it harder to manage. She always knew the physical stress of being Red would have negative impacts on her but she doesnt regret her time as Red nor does she regret any of the choices she made during that time. Marcy broke a leg as well during this which permanently ended her dance career.

-More on Nia actually, she was always the heart of her group, encouraging everyone to keep face no matter what. Even after it all she still continues to push her friends forward and check in with all of them. Her younger sibling, Benny, looks up to her a lot, his Guardian form mimicking hers in many ways.

-The only one who came out unscathed physically was Veronica, though having watched the emotional fall out made her wary of teaming up with any of the Guardians outside of Benny for a while. Benny's a simp too so he follows her lead on everything.

-Marcy's only 20 when she meets Chiyo but immediately takes it upon herself to support and take care of the new team in a mentor-y role. The way Russell did for her and Octavia for Russell. This usually turns into more of an emotional support role than being active on the field. (She's had to talk Chiyo through her crush drama SO many times). Marcy isn't that much older, but when you're 15 but 20 seems pretty mature in comparison. Due to her own angst about what happened to her last group too Marcy tends to put a lot of the pressure of being The Adult for them onto herself. (no anita you dont count as an adult)

-Anita was gone for approximately 15 years mind you, so the teams are pretty spread out with the occasional overlapping member. She hasn't gone to see Layla yet since coming back to the right time. She's scared of all thats changed during her time trapped in the timestream tbh.

[avelera]

Avelera's Dreamling Fic Status Update:

Keeping Sanctuary (subscribe for updates here) - Giving Sanctuary Sequel follows Dream and Hob from the events of the altered meeting in 1689 up to the modern era. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1689 meeting?) Current word count: ~7,000 words across several chapters. Realistic progress update: 1/10 complete total, Ch. 1 is about 1/5 complete.

(The rest are below the cut!)

Come live with me and be my love - Dream and Hob fall in love during the Regency Era when Dream loses a bet to Desire. Shenanigans ensue. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1789 meeting?) Ch. 16 is at 2,500 words, probably about 1/3 done. Current plan is to wrap up Part 1 in the next few chapters then create a part 2 which finishes out their "1 year of marriage" on a month by month basis instead of following them day to day like Part 1 done. Probably won't be a separate fic though, just a change of format.

This Rough Magic - My take on "Hob rescues Dream from Burgess" with a twist that Hob ends up on Burgess's radar himself when he picked up some occult magic skills in the hopes of contacting Dream after 1889 and apologizing. Now he has to pretend to be friends with Burgess in order to get them both out of there, because Burgess thinks Hob can help force Dream to give him immortality. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1889 meeting?) Ch. 9 is about 800 words in. Story is still very much in progress I just have a lot of WIPs, as you can see.

Joke's On You (I'm Into That) - The 1589 meeting goes very different when Hob proposes to Dream, who is so offended that he just can't let the matter go. A very angry, very horny competition kicks off between them. (Aka, what if they hooked up in 1589 when they were both at their absolute worst as people?) I have literally 40,000 words written for the rest of this fic. The problem is, there's big gaps in that first draft I have to fill in and scenes that need to be added. This might be my favorite WIP but it's also the hardest to write with all the smut scenes so it'll arrive whenever I can manage, I'm afraid.

Banana Daiquiris Ch. 2 - Comic-canon compliant (mostly) - Dream fakes his death to go on a vacation with Hob and Destruction. They end up in Tahiti. Destruction plays matchmaker. Hob doesn't know whether to thank Destruction or strangle him. Current word count 6,000 words. I've been playing around with adding on to this fic for ages. One of these days, I'll pull it all together.

Great Triumphs and Tragedies - aka, "Dream Accidentally Cursed Hob with a Normal Life" Fic - Dream learns that from 1689 on, Hob's life has been safe. Too safe. Improbably safe. Nothing bad or extraordinary or even terribly special has happened to him since Dream began to consider Hob his friend. He knows this because during his imprisonment, Hob's life became exciting again and suddenly went back to normal the day Dream was freed. Hob is not convinced that Dream is the reason for this, Dream disagrees. They talk about it. And fight about it. And some things that they've probably needed to talk about for a long time finally get said. (aka, sometimes the author just needs to write their weird headcanon into a 20,000 word fic that's almost entirely dialogue). Current word count: 19,000 words and about 80-90% finished, 3 of 4 chapters written. I'm hoping that posting what I've got will help push me through the final stretch. Real life interrupted for a bit though.

Unraveling Centuries, aka the Hob Amesia Fic - Dream and Hob are dating officially now in the 21st century when Hob gets hit with what seems to be a memory loss curse, shaving off 100 years of his life each day until Dream finds a cure. This effectively grants Dream a walk down memory lane as he is reacquainted with the Hob of each era and, in the process, learns how much longer Hob cared for him than Dream ever realized. Current word count: 40,000 words. Currently writing 1489 (1889-1589 are done) and re-writing the opening. First chapter is posted!

And for fics that haven't been posted anywhere yet (you can subscribe on my Ao3 author page for alerts about them):

"Fairy God Marlowe" - 1589 fixit fic where Hob and Kit Marlowe strike up a conversation while Dream and Shaxberd are talking. Hob and Marlowe talk about plays, and faith, and salvation, and queer love, and what it means to live forever. Hob gets a second chance at a first impression. Current word count: ~5,000 words. Sadly, it's all dialogue in script format. I'd need to convert it into prose to publish which would be a slog. So it's a bit shelved until I find the energy to do so. No, I will not post it in script format, I'm allergic to the thought.

I've got a few other concepts kicking around, but these are the ones that actually have (*does a quick calculation*) over 100,000 words written that I haven't had the chance to post yet?? And it's driving me insane????

Anyway, I should probably pin this post for those curious lol. Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions, I love talking about WIPs even as they ruin my life!

[wutheringmights]

Nightbane by Alex Aster opens with a quote from Cato, A Tragedy (1713) by Joseph Addison: “My bane and antidote are both before me.” Very important. Very cinematic. 

Quotes can rarely, if ever, be taken out of context without any loss of meaning. So I have a personal policy to research the origins of whatever quote an author opens their book with. After all, a good quote should provide important framing or context for the book you’re about to read.  

To summarize a very fascinating Wikipedia article: Cato, a Tragedy is an Enlightenment era play about Cato the Younger’s last days and his opposition to the reign of Julius Caesar. Cato was an icon of republicanism and, fittingly, the play deals with themes of “individual liberty versus government tyranny, republicanism versus monarchism, logic versus emotion, and Cato's personal struggle to hold to his beliefs in the face of death.” 

Nowadays, the play is obscure. Modern productions of the play are rare, if ever staged. The text is also not included in most academic curriculum. Yet, Addison’s work seems to have been highly inspirational for America’s Founding Fathers. According to Wikipedia, quotes like “give me liberty or give me death” are theorized to be references to Addison’s play that the founding fathers assumed their audience would understand. George Washington even attended a production of it while in Valley Forge in 1778.

With its considerable influence on the founding of this country, it’s mind-boggling to me that this play is not only not taught in school, but is largely forgotten. I even asked my father, who is almost 70 and is a giant history buff, if he knew anything about this play in the vain hope that maybe some previous generation learned about it. But, no; even he had no idea what it was until I told him.

My bane and antidote are both before me comes from a soliloquy from act 5, scene 1. In it, Cato contemplates the merits of committing suicide. The bane and antidote is a sword he places his hand on and a copy of Plato’s Immortality of the Soul. He does not want to kill himself. How could anyone? But if he does not die now, he will have to live in a world made for Caesar. But Plato’s writings provide reason to the universe, which gives him comfort: “the stars shall fade away, the sun himself / Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years; / But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amid the war of elements, / The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds!”

There’s something undeniably fascinating about pieces of art that were highly influential during a period of history that have been lost to the passage of time now. Cato, a Tragedy is a cornerstone in American history, yet that did not save it from being a victim of obscurity. It failed to flourish in immortal youth. 

Joseph Addison is best remembered as an essayist. His simple prose style was credited by John Julius Norwich as the marked end of the conventional, classical images of the 17th century.  You can hardly believe it with the ease of poetry in Cato’s words. 

What does this have to do with Nightbane? 

Absolutely nothing. I am ninety-five percent certain that Aster found this quote on an enemies-to-lovers moodboard and declared it good enough! Sure, the quote has nothing to do with romance, but hey! Who would go through the effort to research the original context? 

I spent so much time waxing poetry about Cato first because it's a funny bit; but mostly because it’s at least interesting. There’s nothing to say about Nightbane except that it’s bad. But you already knew that. That’s why you and everyone else in my life wanted me to read this book. It has to be bad to warrant any real attention. 

Hell, even I wanted to read this book because it’s bad. Aster’s books are my guilty pleasure, largely because she sucks. Aster writes like she has never written anything before and is quickly realizing that it’s not that easy. When I read Lightlark and Nightbane, I feel like I am thirteen years old and writing my first story all over again. It brings me joy and comfort in a way that’s completely unmarred by irony. 

That’s why I can almost forgive Nightbane for all the times the story goes out of its way to respond or correct a criticism from the first book. Aster definitely reads the comments, and it’s comical all the lengths she goes through to retcon bad ideas or retroactively add lore. It reminds me not only of how I wrote when I was a pre-teen, but how I write now with my way too long, just publish the first draft it’s fine, writing project. 

One of the somewhat interesting ideas Aster introduces is a plot line about the ethics of having your peasantry’s lives literally tied to their monarchs and Isla’s budding admiration for democracy. Of course, she only brings either up because these were among her critics’ common talking points. It’s obvious she has no real desire to explore either idea for all it’s worth.

The democracy plotline ends with a big slap to the face to Cato, A Tragedy’s legacy. Isla promises to make the Starling kingdom a democracy in the future. Why? She personally doesn’t want to be a ruler. She has no problem with the idea of the monarchy and has no real passion for self-determinism. She just doesn’t want to have any responsibility. It’s too much work. 

Plus, she only wants to make the Starlings a democracy. Not the Wildings. She may hate having any form of responsibility, but she’s not inclined to unseat herself from power. She can still be the Wildling’s shitty ruler. No democracy for them. Sorry. It’s so blatantly hypocritical that it turns comical, and I fall a little more in love with the absurdity of Aster’s storytelling. 

While there are a lot of flaws I can forgive, I can’t forgive when the plot “goes through the motions.” Aster clearly wanted to include scenes where Isla and Grimshaw (I still refuse to call him Grim) recite bog-standard dialogue and recreate tropey romantic moments. The lead up to these scenes are vaguely, choppy, and inconsequential. The why does not matter; only these scenes do. 

Except when these scenes happen, they are so generic that your eyes skim over them. Isla and Grim already do not feel like real people. I can hardly call them characters, or even concepts. To call them shadows suggests there is some kind of substance they spring from. I can’t even think of a good metaphor to describe them. 

They are nothing. The plot is nothing. The prose is nothing. There is nothing worth chewing on. It’s not even worth composing a long rant about it. 

It’s easy-bordering-pathetic to dissect a book everyone knows is bad, especially when your only purpose is to explain why it’s bad. Where is the critical thought? What effort are you actually putting into your analysis when everyone already agrees with your arguments? I will always prefer a critic who goes after works that are genuinely popular and well-liked. If you want to win an argument then, you have to work for it. 

Yet, I’m still here doing this. You’re still here reading it. Ultimately, we’re all victims to the smug pleasure of believing that we are not capable of producing trash like this. Obviously, we are all secretly the world’s greatest artistes. We are the next Great American Novelist. None of us are capable of writing anything thoughtless, absurd, or shallow. We are infallible, unlike the sinner Alex Aster. 

So, yeah. Bad book. Really wish someone will let me read a good one soon. 

--

Nightbane by Alex Aster

⭐/5 stars

--

Now that I have finished lording my moral superiority over all of you, here is a miscellaneous list of stupid shit that happened in Nightbane. Even I can’t resist kicking the dead horse:

Oro reveals that he is deeply traumatized from  accidentally killing someone by turning them into gold. Isla proceeds to demand a gilded blade of grass as a romantic tribute. He gives it to her. It’s romantic. 

Oro is rich, has a job, and a healthy group of friends, and is somehow still going to lose this love triangle. What bullshit. 

After emphasizing how traumatic if was for the Skylings to lose their ability to fly, the narrative tries to convince you that the Skylings would choose not to fight a war where them refusing to fight will lead to them losing the ability to fly again.

This is so stupid that when there’s a debate about it, Aster provides no examples as to why they shouldn’t fight; she just states she happens.

So much of the story is just told-- isla’s feelings and motivations, the lore, character relationships: it’s all just told to us. 

Isla is confronted with having to fix the social issues of both the Wildlings and Starlings; instead of solving them herself and learning something new, an extremely competent lesbian volunteers to fix everything for her.

One of said problems is that Wildings, who have plant-based magic, do not know how to grow crops.

Wildings have also never cooked the hearts they have been eating. Like, ever? Not once in five hundred years?

Isla shows prejudice towards the Vinderland because they are cannibals.

It’s increasingly unclear how the immortality rule works about the nobility

New lore reveals that the Nightshade have so many extra cool magic abilities because of lore reasons, and not because Aster likes them the best.

There’s a rebel group that got fed up with the rulers not fixing the curse; they also managed to make no progress in solving the very easy mystery in less than 500 years. 

During flashback time, Grimshaw saves Isla no less than 7 times

There is a night market on Nightshade that has to take place during the day time, due to the curse. They still call it a night market.

There are multiple Nightshade events where the dress code is on a scale from”instagram baddie” to actually just naked. Isla’s clothes are described in detail, but not Grimshaw. I can only assume that his dick and balls were out every time.

Grimshaw seems to also be the only unfun prude on an island of hedonistic extroverts. 

There is a sword that had been stolen no less than three times by different thieves.

New starstick lore clarifies it’s a device (not a wand!), and that Isla can’t use it to go anywhere she hasn’t been before; this renders her entire backstory impossible.

Instead of disengaging a bunch of traps, Grimshaw decides to Looney Tunes his ass and trigger each one by one.

There’s so much on and off screen cannibalism and flaying that neither are cool anymore. Sorry! We have to find new imagery for our toxic situationships.

The plot structure being a jump back and forth between the past and present made me question my own ability to write a storyline like that lmao

Isla and Grimshaw have been married the whole time, in a plot twist shoved in at the last second with very little thought put into it. 

Isla should divorce his ass. I hope Lightlark is a no-fault state. If not, she luckily has a fuckton of faults to bring up. 

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Pitch for the Earth Avatar tv show (after Korra):

TITLE -

“Avatar: The Ballad of Inoue” (alt title would be “Avatar: The Tragedy of Inoue”)

STATE OF THE WORLD AFTER KORRA -

For this write-up, Korra lived to be around 120. So the setting is not just several decades after the end of TLOK, it’s also the Avatar world’s version of our modern day. Modern technology is now prevalent, such as computers/the Internet, firearms, commercial airlines, and television.

Regarding the international community, the world is currently in a Cold War scenario in which the nations are on the verge of another 100 Years War. The reason for this is that despite the rise of democracy in the Earth Kingdom, the system was corrupted by bad actors. The Earth Kingdom is now a false democracy; elections are shams since the ruling party - the One Earth party - remains in power while their opposition are all controlled.

The Northern Water Tribe and Southern Water Tribe were taken over by ultranationalists and have formed a confederation for the sole purpose of expanding their influence. The Water Confederation have also formed an alliance with the Earth Kingdom, stemming from their ancestral hatred of the Fire Nation. Despite this, they merely tolerate each other as both nations want to expand their own interests.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Air Federation (no longer Nomads) has grown wary of the Water-Earth alliance. Since they’re the newest nation, the Water Confederation and the Earth Kingdom have been subtly trying to turn the Air Federation into their vassal/puppet state. Basically, those nations are not respecting the Air Federation’s sovereignty. Because of this, the Air Federation have formed their own alliance with the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation have proven themselves to be trustworthy allies to the Air Federation since (1) they genuinely want to atone for causing the Airbender genocide and (2) they recognize the threat that the Earth-Water alliance poses to their own interests.

So the Cold War scenario is the Fire-Air alliance against the Earth-Water alliance. This scenario lasts throughout the entire show. Also, unlike Aang and Korra’s shows, it’s not clear which alliance is the one we should be rooting for. This is because one of the core themes of the show (which I’ll get into later) is that the Avatar is now considered a relic of the past. How are you supposed to maintain the balance of the world when you can’t tell who is in the right? Also, how can you operate in a world that doesn’t want you around anymore?

ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD?

The world has gone through an Enlightenment period due to the rise of democracy. Now that more power is being shifted to the people rather than monarchs, public opinion of the Avatar has become extremely negative. This is because people have started to view the Avatar as someone whose authority supersedes the leaders of each nation - basically, a super fascist. For example, if one nation does something that the Avatar doesn’t like (such as Sozin setting up colonies in the Earth Kingdom), then the Avatar can go in and unilaterally take them down (which Roku sorta did).

This anti-Avatar sentiment started during the final years of Korra’s life, which is one of the things that Inoue talks about with Korra whenever her spirit shows up. But it’s not just Korra who is hated, even the past Avatars have lost their reverence to the people. Personally, I was imagining a scene where Avatar Inoue is walking down a street and sees a statue of Aang that’s been heavily defaced, with one of the graffiti being, “JUSTICE FOR OZAI / I STAND WITH OZAI”.

So a huge issue that Inoue has to deal with is that he’s living in a world that no longer wants him around. This ends up affecting his world view as he starts to wonder if the world is even worth saving anymore.

HOW ABOUT INOUE HIMSELF?

In contrast to Aang and Korra, I pictured Inoue to be a darker, angrier, more bitter, anti-heroic Avatar. But it’s not just because of the international politics and the anti-Avatar sentiment. For his backstory, I imagined something like this.

We start off with 16-year-old Inoue finishing up his training. With him is his own Team Avatar - Yuu (the comic relief), Ayumi (the love interest), and Sai (the loudmouth). Inoue, Yuu, Ayumi, and Sai head off into the world, excited to start their journey…

…flashforward 20 years later. 36-year-old Inoue is in a cemetery. We then see he’s paying his respects to Yuu, Ayumi, and Sai, who died shortly after the flashback sequence. No longer the bright-eyed rookie Avatar, Inoue is now bitter and angry, although it’s not clear why his team died (that’ll be answered in later seasons). Inoue has also been living off the grid since his team’s demise and he hasn’t been acting as the Avatar for those 20 years.

While in Republic City, Avatar Inoue is contacted by a woman named Marin. Marin is revealed to be an ex-Dai Li agent who has gone rogue after learning about an Earth Kingdom plot to assassinate the current leader of the Air Federation. Marin asks Inoue to intervene, which he refuses, saying that he’s retired from being the Avatar. Sometime later, Marin is hunted down by her former teammates from the Dai Li, their goal being to eliminate her. Despite Inoue’s refusal to get involved, his good nature shines through and he ends up saving Marin. Because of this, he’s now gotten involved in the Dai Li conspiracy. This plot ends up being the focus of season 1. The rest of the show focuses on the aftermath of Inoue being forced out of his self-imposed retirement.

So in comparison to the other shows:

* Aang’s show was about a naive kid who ran away from his responsibilities and his journey was to accept his role as the Avatar

* Korra’s show was about a hothead who had to learn how to appreciate the responsibilities of being the Avatar

* Inoue’s show is about a depressed, angry man who must rise from his lowest point (grief and depression over his team’s deaths / living in a world that despises his very existence) in order to embrace his role as the Avatar

HYPOTHETICAL CAST (not meant to be the complete list)

1) Avatar Inoue, the protagonist

2) Marin, the deuteragonist and the only other member of Inoue’s new team Avatar (so Inoue has the smallest Team Avatar when compared to Aang and Korra)

3) Yuu, Ayumi, and Sai, members of Inoue’s former team Avatar. They’re all deceased in the present day and the story behind their deaths is one of the main arcs of the show. If I had to pick a reason, they were killed by Air Federation assassins who were actually targeting Inoue because they feared an Earth Avatar would be too loyal to the Earth Kingdom. This would be a season 2 reveal.

4) President Jin-seok: The corrupt president of the Earth Kingdom, leader of the One Earth political party, and the main antagonist of season 1 (it’s his plot to assassinate the Air Federation leader).

5) Ruisa: The leader of the Dai Li and Marin’s mentor. She’s the secondary antagonist of season 1 since she’s the one who spearheads the hunt for Inoue and Marin.

6) Jiang: A social media icon who is the face of the anti-Avatar movement.

7) Prime Minister Noriko: The leader of the Air Federation. It’s revealed later on she’s Jinora and Kai’s great-granddaughter.

8) Masaru: Marin’s father, who works as an engineer in Republic City

9) Chief Mato and Chief Tarlo: The leaders of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, respectively. They are also the co-leaders of the Water Confederation.

10) Fire Lord Zuko II: The leader of the Fire Nation. (And yes, I did imagine Dante Basco playing this character).

[finitepeace]

Jan-Mar Reads: fics based on k-c dramas!

I was trying to stop re-watching dramas because it always lead to lot of time wasted rewatching the whole drama. Then it hit me, just read the fics!

Here are some fics based on Kdrama and Cdrama I read in the past three months

Seven Days Into Forever by Otterpuff31 | T, 34k words, modern AU | Being the only two single people at a couples' resort, Hae Soo and Wang So naturally gravitated toward each other, spending one of the best weeks of their lives together. But what happens when they meet again in Seoul, with the complications of work, family and something they might have brought back from their vacation fling?

As You Held Onto Me by evil_writer | T, 14.5k words, epilogue | Before: He sits with her until the sun peeks through that place where the earth ends and the sky begins. // After: Is it possible to miss people you have no recollection of? She’s living, breathing proof. Or; a stitched together, soft epilogue

[your love is like wine] by childlikeempress | E, 4k words, missing scenes | So x Soo oneshots that have our favorite couple in various compromising positions and states of undress.

Fate's Shadow by BubbleTurtle | M, 188K words, canon divergence | What if Hae Su's position in the palace had been different? A re-telling of Moon Lovers from Episode 6 onwards, with inspiration drawn from Bubujingxin and also how I wish things had worked out.

By the Moon and Sky by alice_time | M, 44k words, wolf AU | In which there are werewolves in ancient imperial China and Ling Buyi has at last met his fated mate, but must wait for her to mature.

水��鏡花 | mirrors, myths, mirages by hotaruyy | 37k words, M, face swap AU | Or, tragedy befalls the Chengs, and Cheng Shaoshang is taken in and raised by a common healer. Some things change. Other things stay the same.

Infinity by MoodyScorpio | 155k words, M, shaoshang wasn't abandoned by her parents AU | What if all the misfortune that befell onto Shaoshang had just been a series of nightmares Yuanyi had while she was pregnant with twins? What if they changed the course of events and gave Shaoshang a better life, happy life, life free of torment and heartache?

I would choose you in every lifetime by Apple_95 | M, 5.5k words | In which, Bu-yeon doesn’t need the egg stone to start to remember, only Jang UK. However, somehow her husband gets jealously of her past lover.

Consolation by Repeatinglitanies | E, 2.8k words | Jang Uk had an inkling Jin Buyeon would be dangerous. Which is why he took it upon himself to stay away from the Jang family compound for long stretches of time. Only to find, on the night he returned, that Jin Buyeon was waiting for him. In his room. On his bed.

[broadwaybalogna]

I’ve seen a lot of people ask about Jayce hate and why it exists, so please allow me to remind you why this piece of trash deserves it all /lh

1. The Golden Child

From the beginning, Jayce was the epitome of privilege. Growing up in Piltover never offered him much perspective on life, and he grew an awful bias towards the upper city which we can clearly see when he confronts Victor after the ladder traveled to the undercity.

Not to say this is all his fault, there’s been obvious polarization between the two cities as well as propaganda dehumanizing the undercity.

It’s no surprise that much of the upper and under cities problems can easily be related to modern day racism- especially when Vi says “I grew up knowing I’m less than them” so from the start, Jayce is meant to be viewed as a harmful bystander and even an oppressor, rather than empathetic.

The scene between Victor and Jayce also gives “you’re one of the good ones” kind of vibes. Jayce only likes Victor because he’s separated Victor from being a part of the undercity, like it’s something for Victor to be ashamed of. Which is further exemplified when he states how it looks bad for him to be opening the hexgates to let Victor in.

We see more of Piltover’s dehumanization of the undercity in season two with the consistent comparison of the citizens to “animals”. Cait herself even reverts back to this mindset when she enters her dictator™️ era.

So yeah, he was the privileged child who represented the oppressors perspective in season 1. What about season two?

2. Right idea, but too late.

Everyone understands that Jayce was always trying to do what was right, but when he finally figured out what the true thing to do was, it was too late and caused terrible casualties. Had Jayce followed Victor’s instructions from S1 and destroyed hextech, so much of the problems that arose in S2 would have never happened.

Him killing Victor would never had needed to put blood on Jayce’s hands had he destroyed Hextech, because Victor would’ve died in the explosion instead (allegedly).

3. Avoiding doing the right thing

This also ties into his privilege, but I’m putting it in this category because I think it shows off his mindset on self-centeredness rather than just privilege.

When Jayce and Vi try to destroy a shimmer facility, Jayce backs out the moment he realizes he, instead of other people, will have blood on his hands. He throws up at the thought. Jayce choosing not to complete what could slow down Silco because there will be casualties shows off how he has always been happy to be left in the dark because he could never stomach the truth of Piltover. I’m sure he would be fine if someone else had gone with Vi to complete the task because then he would be separate from the lives lost, he could disillusion himself from the truth of what would have happened. But when he’s out face to face with it, it’s too much, and he backs out.

4. Harnessing an unsafe environment

It’s no question that it was technically Powder that caused the first explosion at the beginning of S1, and it’s also no question that it was Jayce’s hextech that made the explosion. Had he harnessed his research in a safe environment where his highly dangerous crystals could be properly contained, Vi and Jinx’s tragedy would have never arisen.

Remember, the uppercity needed their “pound of flesh” for the explosion, and we quite literally saw a reality in which hextech never existed. It was at his disregard for the safety of people that caused butterfly effected it’s way to ending thousands of lives.

5. Heimerdinger

I don’t think people need much recollection of this, but Jayce DID remove Heimerdinger from thr counsel because they didn’t agree on hextech. That was literally it, they had a dispute on the use of hextech, WHICH HEIMERDINGER WAS RIGHT ABOUT!!!

-

Now, none of this takes away from the fact that Jayce is an incredibly realistic character that viewers can sympathize with, but it does make him extremely hateable. Jayce made mistake after mistake which led to more and more tragedies to arise. His actions, while understandable, led to so many problems that could have been avoided.

TL;DR: Jayce perpetuates common behavior that is seen in racist ideologies, he grew up in privilege and never did anything to try and widen his perspective, every time he tried to do the right thing, it was too long too late, even though he had the chance to do the right thing earlier, he avoids accountability, literally none of the tragedies in arcane would have happened without him, and he got rid of the puffball.

This doesn’t mean you can’t like Jayce and defend him, he was written to be much like an ignorant human, like many people are. He does what he thinks is right even if it’s at the cost of causing longer lasting problems. This is behavior we see in human beings extremely often, it’s not like he isn’t relatable, but much like humans, he’s also easy to hate, and it all stacked. The only thing going for Jayce is that he’s bi, but it doesn’t seem like the citizens of Piltover seem to care if someone is gay or straight, so of course he never experienced any hardships because of that. Jayce’s hardships were actually pretty much all caused by himself, unlike other characters. He was really just facing the consequences of his actions.

Everyone else was also facing the consequences of his actions.

If I forgot anything else, please let me know, and I’ll add it. I’m sure there’s more shit Jayce did, but these were the top five I could remember off the top of my head.

[ashesforart]

hi! here's a question: how do you feel about arthur in the 21st century? bonus question: what do you think would surprise him the most if he were to be dropped in the 21st century right now?

-rei (poisonedfate)

Hey!! It's is so fun that you ask this because @noodles-and-tea (I hope they don't mind if I tag them) has recently done a few super cute drawings of merlin + arthur in the modern day, where arthur is all confused about modern day technology. I look forward to them every time they come up on my dash!

ANYWAYS that didn't answer your question(s). I'm actually kind of fond of the idea of arthur returning to complete the prophecy as the once and future king of camelot in the 21st century and scaring the shit out of an immortal merlin. I don't think it will realistically ever happen in a merlin adaption (at least not bbc), as the arthurian legends are traditionally tragedies, but as a fan concept I really love it.

As for your bonus question!! I think he would be so down bad for hotels actually. Or like a good motel? The man is always out on his little missions with merlin + the knights and they sleep out in the forest because they have to. And while I personally love a good campout, arthur is royalty and seems really fond of his big fluffy bed (as seen from the many scenes in which he is laying in it in the show), therefore I surmise that he would adore a good hotel.

[juniperhillpatient]

thank you SO much @missjessefantastico for the tag <3 ALSO EVERYONE READ THIS SERIES ABOUT VAMP WILLOW, THE UNDERRATED HYENA KIDS, & MORE!!! It's so good btvs fans who love underexplored ideas & characters pspspsps

20 Questions For Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 19

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 3,027,073

3. What fandoms do you write for? It's been Avatar the Last Airbender for the past few years. I have an old & probably not-good Rick & Morty fic up. Before that, I had some IT fics. I've got an orphaned fic for scream & one for house of 1000 corpses.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

the benefits of getting a flat tire this is Zuko running away from home & running right into the gaang - also uncovering some family mysteries & reconciling with Azula. modern au. it's Zukka & aw I'm nostalgic for those early days of mine in the fandom

if this were a movie this is basically an ATLA Hollywood Au. Zukka & Azutara. Past Jetko. I was happy with some of the dramatic moments in this fic.

not another high school au lord help me lmao. I'm SO sorry if you are reading this & you happen to love this fic but it's not the thing I'm most proud of. this is basically just me dipping my toes into writing ATLA modern AUs & in that sense I guess it's nostalgic? this is the fic I wrote as a newbie to the fandom just trying it out & I still do lovingly appreciate everyone who was kind & welcoming in those early days!

six feet under ATLA TVD AU MY BELOVED OMG. this is a vampire diaries au. there are no 1:1 translations but azula is damon, katara is a mix of jeremy & elena & so is sokka, zuko is stefan & YEAH. also aang is bonnie & iirc I probably even gave toph something fun to do. ozai is Katherine which is forever hilarious to me. yeah, this was a fun fic.

5. in search of glorious happenings of happenstance this fic is about nothing & everything at the same time. atla/modern world fusion with the four nations existing but also it's modern. all the atla teens/kids are going to college at ember island university & the fic takes place across a year. it's slice of life, comedy, drama, & chaos. lots of ships but I think azutara & jet/zuko/jin are probably, at the end of the day, the romances that are at the heart of this story although platonic relationships are also pretty important in this fic, IMO as much as romances. it's probably my magnum opus or something.

Do you respond to comments? yes <3 I am sometimes slow & I am not perfect but I TREASURE comments & do attempt to let people know as much. I write for myself, I post for the connections I make along the way.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? the devil you know for sure. this is my atla/scream modern au. I talk about it constantly because I'm so insanely proud of it but if you don't know it's exactly what it sounds like. it's horror & tragedy that I feel really proud of & I do think those elements are at the heart of my writing passion despite me usually being a bit nervous about using them. so. I'm proud of this fic. & it has a very bittersweet ending but the tragedy is...there's a lot of tragedy. no more spoilers because I want people to read this!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? most of my fics have decently happy endings despite me claiming to prefer tragedy lol. I seem to recall the things we leave behind (mailee youtuber au with jetko & auztara. & they were roommates!) having a tooth rottingly fluffy ending lol

8. Do you get hate on fics? not really. it's happened before but it's not a big thing.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? sometimes I write the smutty scenes from my fics then save it only for myself. no you can't see. it's probably terrible. there's some shitty zucest smut of mine out there somewhere but I'm not sure it's any good & couldn't tell you where to find it lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I think the AUs I write are called "fusion" because it's more "inserting characters into another world & the characters of that world aren't a thing." but my fic the balance of things was actually a crossover with characters from both wizards of waverly place & atla interacting. also I wrote THIS one-shot that's a crossover between the game the coffin of andy & leyley & the show wizards of waverly place. I didn't post it on ao3 but I'm just saying.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?  I don't think so?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have vague memories of doing this with this girl I was online friends with back in my fanfic.net days, years ago. I think it was Destiel.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? to write? I don't have one right now. I think maybe I got kinda burnt out on everything having to be about one ship or whatever rather than just telling the story & maybe that's a small part of why I'm taking a temporary break from fic writing & focusing on an original story so I'm not staying within fandom approved in parameters & I can just do whatever feels right ya know? I like Cisne's answer about any willow ship tho. me with my faves tbh hehe

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? can't think of one but I can think of fanfic ideas I'd like to return to & fully realize after I get back in the mood

16. What are your writing strengths? I like to think I'm okay at characterization although moving away from fanfic & working on something original has me questioning myself constantly!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I'm very lazy & often neglect research. sometimes if I don't know how to explain something I just change the whole scene so i don't have to bother.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? could be neat in the right context!

19. First fandom you wrote for? probably family guy lmao

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? maybe 'in search of glorious happenings of happenstance.' I think 'the devil you know' is objectively the strongest. but happenstance is just such a specific version of the characters that's fun to me? it's one of those two that's my favorite, depending on my mood

this is very long so these tags have even less pressure than usual:

@reythespacebae @theowritesfiction @imaslowlearner-butilearn @chasingfictions @hello-nichya-here @matchamarshmallow @akiizayoi4869 @dont-leafmealone @peony-pearl @lunaintheskyforever

also, anyone who wants to do this just say I tagged you!

[boldlyexplorational]

Episode 29 "Kirk's worst day ever" "operation: annihilate!"

Here we go, last episode! Peculiar choice for a finale, maybe COTEOF would have been a better choice, if maybe more depressing. But I guess there was a different concept of season finale back then, episodes needed to be stand alone first and foremost.

As a SNW watcher I was really sad about Sam. Poor guy, I didn't deserve that. It's always so sad when you know how a character is going to end up.

The opening was flawless, with McCoy revealing how Kirk's family is on the infected planet. I also love how it's implied that Kirk just did not answer that question and ignored Bones until later to tell him "yeah you were right". That was kinda funny, except for the tragedy of course.

It looked like the episode was filmed in a real place with modern architecture for the time, which I love and it looked cool. The alien parasites also were cool and gross and had clever effects. I'm a sucker for practical effects so I'm biased.

It's a real bad day for Kirk, isn't it? When the wife also died I was like "that's too much", but then when Spock got infected... My headcanon is that he did take a crying break in his quarters. He has the emotional intelligence to know he needed it. But of course you can't show the captain crying.

There's this one moment when Kirk is super impressed with how Spock is resisting the pain of the infection. Kirk decides to compliment Spock in the most effectively flirty way possible: saying that his logic is impeccable. And Spock makes a face like "that was hot, but not now captain, I'm busy fighting to stay alive".

Kirk was SO MAD at bones when he blinded Spock! So mad! He sort of cooled off after, but in the moment I thought he was going to slap bones. Or rather to the signature full body yeet at him.

Shout out to Chapel who shined in this episode, I love that she's such a tough woman!

One last thing I will say, the only thing I didn't really like in the episode: they kept amping the stakes, on and on. They made it personal for Kirk, though there was no need for it (Kirk would have helped anyway). They made the wife die to... Fine , ok I'm concerned now. They made a big deal about the kid... And now SPOCK IS INFECTED! Ok that's A LOT. He's cured, but he's BLIND NOW! I can't take it anymore. Then the episode ends, all is well, everyone's ok, NO MENTION OF WHAT HAPPENS TO KIRK'S ORPHANED NEPHEW. I'm sure they had no money for an extra scene with a child actor, but at least throw a line in there or something. I don't know, I don't mind surreal high stakes but I do hate feeling like I was led on and made feel tense and worried ... For nothing. Like a trap. I know ST writing can be better than this, so I was disappointed.

And it's not the first time they do this too, and I know it also may be because viewers tuning in mid episode needed new stakes to be engaged in the story ... But that doesn't mean you have to escalate at that rate and then diffuse with no consequence.

[the5n00k]

M*A*S*H and the power of pure unadulterated sorrow

(this series is marketed primarily as a comedy! :D what a scam! /hj)

⚠️long post⚠️

I want to point out one of my favorite aspects of this series which is how different it presents its drama compared to other shows marketed as dramas that I've seen. ESPECIALLY modern film

The last movie I can remember portraying this sheer level of raw grief and despair was Hereditary. Such a powerful film about how grief can tear a family apart, it's honestly uncomfortable to sit through because of how well written and acted some of the scenes with the family are. And that's the point; tragedy isn't pretty. So many times you will see characters die on screen and the actors around them reacting to it with a single tear or burying their face into their stone cold main protagonist's shoulder. I have been craving that Hereditary level of despair from something for a long time now. That raw emotional breakdown that completely shatters the mask of a usually well put together facade.

Then my friends recommended M*A*S*H to me.

Yes you can make all the "crying breakfast friends" jokes you want about how often I latch onto a heart wrenching emotional moment in a show but I can't help it when it's so well executed. I can see a million silly Disney sidekicks die and feel nothing but this show has made me cry even on rewatch. And that is RARE for me, usually it's a one and done thing but this show still manages to tear me to pieces.

Not saying the show doesn't have any fun in it, of course it does, that's how the emotional moments hit harder. If you never saw the characters at their highest highs, seeing them at their lowest would just become numbing and unengaging.

Spoilers ahead obviously, I'm going to be talking about a lot of really important character moments throughout the show please if you are at all interested watch the show and come back. It's 11 seasons but it's well worth your time

Something that has always been powerful to me has been grown men crying. Perhaps it's because I never really had a good emotional connection with any men in my life and always saw them as stronger (emotionally) than someone who is erratically emotional like myself. Especially during the timeframe this is set (the 50's) and shot in (70's-80's) I was not anticipating the level of raw acting talent from the guys in this show. Especially once you get past season 4 and shit really starts hitting the fan

To see these grown men who take so much pride in their important positions as doctors and men and who they are just break down weeping like a scared child. It never ceased to break something in me. I cried the hardest at the amnesiac soldier who lost his brother (FANTASTIC scene it should have won 60 awards) but the two characters that have always stood out to me with this particular subject have been Hawkeye and BJ

Clearly if you've watched the entire show you understand what I'm talking about and obviously the other cast members have their moments (Winchester my beloved one day I will put you under a microscope and pick you apart) but for this subject, I'm going to use the two of them as examples because I consider these moments the most prominent to me personally

I'll start with BJ because there's a lot to unpack with him and simultaneously not a lot at the same time. Because he's so closed off and disconnected from most things happening all the time, choosing to opt out of anything whenever he can unless provoked, characters don't really know that much about him. As an audience, you're forced to pick apart his little mannerisms and priorities to see where his head's at. Some people might not like that but frankly I love it. He's a simple character on the surface but underneath, he's a terrified father and husband trying to keep his head down long enough to snap out of the nightmare that is war and wake up at home. I relate to him in that way, just trying to stay in my own corner and occupy myself until I have to wake up and do it all over again. Coping with the monotony is slowly driving him crazy

Then in Period of Adjustment, he gets a letter from his wife about how she and their daughter Erin saw Radar at the airport when he got sent home. And his thin thread of stability finally snaps. He's pissy for the entire day and doesn't want to tell anyone why, he'd rather just go through the motions and repress it just like everything else. But it keeps outwardly affecting everything around him whether he likes it or not. Then, at his lowest, he physically assaults his best friend in their own tent and destroys their only lifeline, the still they use to (poorly) make gin, and runs out.

After getting so intoxicated he can't stand up, Hawkeye finally finds him again and laughs that he's wearing a helmet to see him, still trying to make light of how much he's suffering. He tells him he's sorry for punching him and Hawkeye sits down with him. He finally is completely and truly honest for probably the only time in the entire series. He is completely vulnerable and open and tells him what's been bothering him. His infant daughter mistakenly called Radar her dad. The first person she ever called dad wasn't him. And he breaks down. He barely got to see her when she was born before he got drafted, he missed so many milestones of parenthood with her already and she ends up calling someone else dad. BJ tells Hawkeye he is furious at Radar and knows it's not his fault but he's still jealous. He even mentions how he's envious of Trapper, Hawkeye's old bunkmate from before he got there, which is still a huge sore point for him because of how abrupt his departure was. But he doesn't reprimand him for speaking badly about two people he'd considered close friends. He holds him closer and lets him cry. This isn't a single tear cry, this is a full vulnerability twisted face cry of pure pain. He can't say anything to ease the pain either, nothing he could say right now could help his friend. He just has to let him work through it.

They rebuilt the still together but BJ still remains broken. This is sort of touched on in Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen when he tries to get sent home before Erin's second birthday and misses it. It's not held on but you can obviously tell that he's still barely holding onto mental stability whenever he brings up his family. If you go into this series thinking every conflict has a resolution or closure of some kind I have bad news for you lol it's safe to assume when he went home, there was a rough adjustment period reclaiming his place in the house since Peg took on so much responsibility by herself but we don't really know what happened after everyone went home.

My next example is from Bless You, Hawkeye and I always rag on this episode with my friends but the scene between him and Sidney physically shook me. Everybody probably talks about That One Scene with Hawkeye and Sidney from GFA so I'll refrain from using it as an example here, I think this one is more appropriate for the point I'm trying to make anyways.

Hawkeye has never been mature. At all. His entire character is built on being obnoxious and causing trouble. Unlike BJ, he will share nearly anything about him when asked. Except when it's serious.

In comes everyone's favorite coping mechanism, ✨ unconscious repression! ✨

Again, a part of his character that got used again in GFA, whenever something upsets him in a way he can't manage, he buries it. He rewrites the memory into something happy or positive. So when a wounded soldier soaked in dirty water smelling of mold and musty clothing triggered a psychosomatic response, nobody knew why.

Processing scenes like this is something I remember so vividly from my first watch. Seeing all the pieces fall into place until that sinking feeling fills you is something this show is so good at.

Hawkeye starts talking to Sidney about something from his childhood; being out on a lake with his cousin Billy when he was seven. He claims Billy saved his life by pulling him out of the water but the more he talks, the more his story changes. It gets to a point where even he realizes he wasn't saved. He was pushed. Billy had to have been around 13 at the time, old enough to know how mean pulling something like that is. The way he admits it is when the gravity really sank in for me. His voice breaks, he starts loudly and violently sobbing like a scared child, he's probably been holding in this breakdown for 20ish years. In any other show, I could see them trying to play this for laughs. Oh Hawkeye, you shouldn't be so upset by a silly prank from when you were a kid! Look at this grown man break down! What a baby! But they don't treat it like that. It's treated completely seriously, it's allowed to play out and he slowly works through grief for someone he idolized in his childhood, anger, and acknowledgement. It was a permanent scar that wasn't allowed to heal.

This wasn't the first time in the series Hawkeye has cried but it was the first time he truly let it out. Every other time he knew he'd have to pick himself up, dust himself off, and keep going. I'm not certain if he properly processed anything he went through in Korea because he kept (pardon my language here) drowning himself in alcohol and burying himself in work and antics. So his eventual breakdown just. Getting it all out in one gutteral, primal cry, borderline screaming was cathartic for both him as a character and myself personally. Very rarely do I ever get a moment to have an emotional release like this so I also bury myself further into my job and hobbies until I can't feel what's bothering me anymore. His man's father better have booked him therapy when he got home because I know for damn sure this jackass won't do it himself

Overall, I'll say it again, the actors in this show are insane. None of the emotions felt cheap and the way the characters are written feels accurate to how most people approached the horrors of war and the mental health crises that followed. I'm so happy this show exists. I'm a little disappointed in myself that it's taken me this long to give it a chance but I love it nonetheless. I'll make a post about the characters specifically sometime like I said I would, I just want to make sure I do everyone justice and I'm not just repeating what everyone already knows. I want to add to this wonderful community that I'm happy to see is still active on this app/site and I hope you all enjoy my ramblings lmao there is more where this came from

[piratefalls]

a bonus list! for the longest time i did not read wips because it seemed like the second i hit subscribe they stopped updating, but! this fandom has, for the millionth time, awakened something in me, so here's a super delayed wip wednesday in which i tell you the wips i've been following and enjoying.

masterlist.

(make me) misbehave by r_holland

Alex Claremont-Diaz has done it again. The Texas-born singer-songwriter released his fourth studio album second skin Thursday at midnight. Full of Claremont-Diaz’s signature lyricism, critics are praising the album for the cohesive image it paints. second skin is the result of a young writer at the top of his game, and every lyric depicts for the listener a picture of a sun-drenched secret romance. Fans are clamoring to be the first to uncover the mystery girl at the center of it all, although Claremont-Diaz remains tight-lipped on the subject… *** Or: Alex Claremont-Diaz is a singer-songwriter rising up in the music industry. Henry Fox is the shining star of an acting empire. This is a love story.

A Man Born To Lead A Nation by BisexualChaosDemon

Henry was born to be a spare. A spare of a spare, in fact. He would never need to wear the Crown, so he was allowed to build his life with Alex in the States. New York, Texas, marriage and soon maybe kids, it is everything Henry throught he would never have and better than he could have ever dreamed. But, what will happen when Philip tells them he won't take the Throne after Catherine and the line of succession ends up in tatters?

Binary Light by Leaves_of_Laurelin

In the sci-fi smash-hit movie Binary Light, Dev Creehil (played by Alex Claremont-Diaz) and Qindeli (played by Henry Fox) go from enemies to reluctant allies to friends. While a legion of on-line fans believe that arc should have included a ‘to lovers’ at the end, the behind the scenes truth is that the lead actors stayed firmly enemies to enemies throughout filming. Fresh off a brutal breakup, Alex is back for the sequel and back to dealing with Henry—the asshole Hollywood nepo baby who has failed to conceal his disdain for Alex ever since their first chemistry read. In the script the shippers will finally be getting what they’ve always wanted, but, as some of Henry’s ice begins to thaw, what Alex wants has become decidedly more confusing.

Burning Love by absoluteaudacity

“You’re such a wanker,” Henry says emphatically, but there’s no heat in it. “You love me,” Alex counters, because Henry does and he knows it, but Henry makes sure to roll his eyes anyway so Alex’s already impressive ego doesn’t get too much bigger. -- The Ignite My Heart sequel

Every Time My Heart Swings Back to You by TheLastKnownSurvivor

"Promise me," James says, gaze firm as he looks into Gabriel's eyes. "Promise me. Let's meet again." Hundreds of years ago, Prince James and Sir Gabriel fell in love following several chance encounters despite their very different stations in life. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the two star-crossed lovers met a tragic end due to the anti-sodomy laws of the time, desperately wishing for the chance to meet once more. In the modern day, Alex and Henry are college students who have been haunted by mysterious visions for years. Despite a poor first meeting, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other and the visions grow in number and intensity. Slowly, they try to piece together the story and discover it is that of their past lives. Yet the question remains as to whether it's a past worth remembering and if they can disentangle themselves from the tragedy in this life.

Heist Society by OrchidScript

“Don’t sound too giddy, sweetheart,” Alex answered. They turned a corner up onto Fifth and descended the first set of stairs down onto the F line, the bright orange bubble a welcome sight. “I have half a mind to put your hands in cuffs where I can see them before letting you into that store.” “That threat is more tired with every turn, Alex.” Henry followed, hands in his pockets and a half step behind. “You know as well as I do that diamonds don’t interest me.” “But they are a girl’s best friend.” “If Marilyn is to be believed,” Henry hummed. “I also hear gentlemen prefer blondes.” “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Alex rolled his eyes. ____________________________________________________________ After two months of proving their partnership's value, Alex and Henry are asked to consult on a jewel heist by Alex's mentor, Rafael Luna. Facing unfamiliar territory and a questionable undercover plan, will their effort make or break their burgeoning relationship -- or turn it in a new direction entirely? Part of the Portrait of a Thief series

Ho, Then Make It Fashion by TuppingLiberty

Alex is an in-demand model who has been modeling since his teens. He knows how to use his body, he knows how to wear clothes. But he has barely any time for friends or anything else. He and Henry cross paths a different way, but still end up in the same place. ;)

my every road leads to you (it's to you, i'll always belong) by blackrose1002

Right there, on the other side of the room, sipping something that looks like gin and tonic, watching the room just as discreetly as Alex, is an MI6 agent. One that Alex last saw about a year ago, during a mission in Madrid – a mission Alex would very much like to forget. Henry Monte Cristo fucking something. The ridiculously attractive British spy that screwed Alex over so spectacularly he thought both Zahra and his mother were going to kill him. (Or the one where agent Alex Claremont-Diaz needs to work with agent Henry Mountchristen-Fox, but there's just one little problem. Alex can't fucking stand him.)

Salt Follows the Moon by Pondermoniums

Vampires exist, and it's no secret. What is a secret, is that Henry Hanover-Stuart Windsor needs a blood donor. Alex Claremont-Diaz just can't leave well enough alone.

Rule Britannia by DuchessdePolignac

“Understand what? Are you anticipating there being an interview question on the number of men Prince Henry has gone out with since he came out? Or do you think the Ambassador is going to ask you questions like, ‘Hey, Alex, why do you think he’s such a serial dater who can’t keep a relationship? Do you think he cheated on his age-appropriate hunky Brazilian boyfriend with that sixty year old oil tycoon with a face like raw leather? Is he a greedy gold digger or does he just have questionable taste?” ** Philip is King and Prince Henry is living his best, openly gay, tabloid-fodder life. But something doesn't feel right to Alex about the progressive fantasy the Hanover-Stuart-Fox's are selling. Or: where Henry is a political courtesan fucking for King and Country, and Alex is the diplomat who foolishly and earnestly falls in love with him. Can Alex understand Henry's motivations, and can he live with the reality of being in love with a high-power courtesan with dangerous clientele? Or: A long and long-winded meditation on sex and power, and power and sex.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by anincompletelist

When June gets engaged, Alex, her brother, and Henry, her best friend, are asked to be the official Guys Of Honor. There’s a month to plan the whole thing, which would be near impossible anyway, only made worse by the fact that being around each other the last several years has only ever led to petty fights and useless competition. Unfortunately, as the two most important men in her life - aside from her fiancé - they don’t really have much of a choice. Alex has a lot of feelings about this. As it turns out, Henry does too.

The Haunting of Cursed Hearts by wordscavenger

Moving to a new city can be difficult. Moving to a new city known for its tragic history involving witchcraft and murder can sometimes involve more difficulties than one bargains for. When Alex takes a job in Salem, Massachusetts to teach law classes at a local university, he ends up renting a room above a lovely little bookstore run by his very handsome, and very British, landlord. The more time he spends in this quaint New England town that is more popular than he had ever realized, and the deeper he gets into its haunting season, the more he can’t help falling for the secretive man with a sweet little dog and even sweeter kisses. If only a centuries old curse wasn’t hell-bent on keeping the two apart. -- Or, a cozy seasonal supernatural mystery about new beginnings, falling in love, and learning that magic may be more real than one would think.

The Story of Us by princebutt

Henry Fox is only attending this American football game as a PR stunt. That's all it is. He's definitely not fatally attracted to the brash quarterback Alex Claremont-Diaz who had the audacity to publicly call him out for not taking his number at a concert... that would be absolutely idiotic of him.

as always, if you want to be tagged in the future just let me know! i am uncomfortable taking tagging liberties - especially if we have never interacted - because i am horrifically shy lol.

[agentravensong]

just watched this video on how plays were performed in shakespeare's day and, as a hamlet fan who likes thinking about stories from a meta angle, it's given me some things to think about.

on one hand, the fact that the same show wasn't done back to back night to night in those days, with there being weeks or months between repeat performances of the same play, means that any time-loop readings of hamlet or the others are moreso applicable to modern re-stagings and adaptations. which isn't a bad thing, just a thing to note.

(it does create some friction with the heavy implication of the time loop as the final sucker punch at the end of r & g are dead, but i feel like that friction might actually add to things if i were to think about it more?; alas, it's too late in the day for that)

on the other hand, the revelation that back then there would only be one person who'd have the honor of getting a copy of the script, known as the book-keeper or book-holder, and that, because of how limited rehearsal time was, he'd be right offstage during every show to cue people if they needed it, is.

there's just, such meta potential there. y'all can see it too, right? the idea that there's one guy, just in the corner of the characters' eyes at all times, who has the full prewritten text of the story they're in, who will put the words in their mouths and thereby keep things marching forward on the right track if they falter, but is never acknowledged and never participates themself (is spared from being a part of it) (but still has to watch it all, and can't intervene and change things even if they wanted to) (except, if they really wanted to, they could give a different cue, couldn't they? what's stopping them, other than themself, and the sense of How Things Must Be?)

...some more recent production of hamlet or one of the other tragedies must have done something with that, or at least considered it. and if not, somebody better.

(and like, imagine if that had been worked into r & g are dead. you could, going on instinct, easily have one of the players play that secondary function in the scenes in elsinore (the ones that originate from hamlet) and just not draw attention to it at first. maybe even the main player? or, hell, have it be the person who plays horatio in the ending, to make all this hit home harder!)

[yurimultiship]

Knight/Princess ship

For this Femslash February, I've decided to go for posts fitting a kind of "1 ship trope I like in 1 ship I like" format.

This time, we're going for a relationship involving a knight and princess, with Rida and Veronica from the Bokura no Kiseki manga!

Like you'd expect from that kind of ship, it's one with a lot of loyalty kink potential. Rida comes from a family of knights that have a tradition of raising their daughters as personal knights for female members of the royal family. So she had been training herself for years knowing that she will eventually enter Veronica's service.

But Veronica is very much not what she expects at first! She has spent a lot of her years as a child studying in a monastery, away from court life, so she doesn't care much for sticking to the stricts etiquette rules & traditions coming with the class differences between royalty and other people. She wants to get in a good, close relationship with Rida in order to make their time together better.

Which includes taking baths and sleeping in the same bed on multiple occasions! And although Rida is more of a stickler for protocol because of her upbringing and is reticent to act out of line, she can't help but be charmed by Veronica and happy that she could get such a close place at her side thanks to her role as her knight. And some scenes made me feel a lot like Rida's loyalty and care for Veronica could be interpreted as having romantic feelings for her.

Now, their story isn't a huge part of Bokura no Kiseki's plot because it's a reincarnation mystery manga with a lot of characters. And their plotline ends in tragedy, since all the characters at Veronica's castle get attacked and killed for mysterious plot reasons linked to the country of Veronica's arranged marriage husband. A mystery that their reincarnated selves in modern day Japan will have to figure out.

So if that's your thing, there's some pretty good angsty pining potential there too in the plot events, be it before the end of their lives, during it or even after.

I wrote a bit more about the series in this previous post.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi pt. 61

Once again I can’t help but wonder if anyone reading this is brand new to the series. I figure that most of the people reading this have gone through the series in one way or other, and they want to see the newbie’s reactions. But still I wonder if someone saw the sheer volume of posts I’ve made about the series and despite knowing nothing about it decided to read all this. I’m going to appeal to my own ego and say that yes, there’s probably a few who’ve read this despite knowing nothing about Higurashi. Without wishing to sound mushy I’m just thrilled to death anyone other than me has read any of my rambles.

Smash cut to Akasaka standing atop a mountain of Mountain Dog bodies in a bad ass martial arts pose, with the gaming club behind and to the side just in absolute awe at his prowess. Alternate take: posed like a Frank Frazetta artwork with Rika and Hanyuu clinging to his legs while he possess atop the pile shirtless and with a big sword.

I’m sure Rika would be down for a brew.

Well better late than never I suppose. Although I kind of got the impression Irie was more receptive to the idea that Takano was their enemy. He had a healthy skepticism about it, but he seemed pretty on board when Rika talked about it with him in the school. Or so it seemed to me at any rate.

There’s a moment coming up where Rika talks to the rest of the gaming club about the Bloodhounds unit mentioned here. I find it to be a particularly vexing conversation because in the narrative, there’s no way she should know about their existence. I believe it happens soon anyway, won’t I look quite foolish if that particular conversation doesn’t happen for ten more parts?

The real tragedy of them mentioning the Bloodhounds is there isn’t even any art of them in this chapter. I’m interested in seeing an elite military commando squad portrayed in Ryukishi’s art style. Not to sound cruel, but it sounds like an amusing proposition to me.

This reminds me somewhat of an old internet article (2013 or so) written about how most sitcom plots wouldn’t work in the modern day due to the prevalence of cell phones. This method of getting around a bugged telephone wouldn’t work today due to how most phones just forward you to voice mail or something similar if you let the phone ring for more than thirty seconds. Hell even the mid nineties would be a tricky proposition because of answering machines.

Also, Mion is there because I didn’t get the final line there before it transitioned to the scene with the gaming club. Which you probably deduced, but whatever.

I was going to go on a little mini tangent about Rena and Mion being in their school clothes where Rika and Satoko aren’t, but then I remembered at the start of this section it had Rena, Mion, and Keiichi at school. So it was a complaint that had a logical explanation if I thought about it for longer than the zero seconds when I started typing it out.

Now that we’re more than halfway through the final chapter I’m curious to know which art style for the characters do you prefer? Personally I prefer the remake art style, it’s a bit more detailed and offers a more diverse range of facial expressions compared to the console art style. I also feel that it encapsulates the intended feeling of the original art well enough that it can replicate most of their facial expressions on offer there without feeling like it’s more or less just tracing over the originals.

Without wishing to sound like I’m insulting it, the console art kind of feels the most generic of the art styles on offer. It’s a nice looking style, it’s easy on the eyes to look at, but it just feels the most tame, for lack of a better word. Of course, as you’re aware, I’ve been using that for the vast majority of these playthroughs, but that’s to keep a visual consistency, because the 07th mod adds in these various occasional extra arts the console versions added to the games.

The original art style has its amateurish feel to it that gives the series a rather strong identity if you compare it to most visual novels. But again, that comes with the complication that the art isn’t very good. The remake art style meanwhile really captures the essence of the original Ryukishi07 art but adds in a nice layer of realism on top of it, it feels more like a manga meant to cater to the teenage demographic above a shonen or shojo series, but not to the extreme detail of a seinen or josei manga.

[b0kksu]

   

Ren asked for me to cook, who am I to deny a full course meal? Anyway, disclaimer this is particular how my own interpretation is of these scenes. This is not absolute, just merely a presentation of how this piece of media is interpreted. 

     I do have experience writing a living weapon (IE: Arima Kishou) the difference is that with the stripping of autonomy the mirror to this was keeping symbols of humanity. Those who grieve, remember the person after their death outside of their strength or miraculous abilities, they understand the crux of their humanity. Idk truthfully what the story formulation is trying to convey but, it does seem like a loss of humanity in order to thwart Sukuna who is having a great time && gaining humanity, so a paradox but poorly executed. It’s fascinating, certainly spicy, but if the pacing was different it could have been performed with expertise that would have heightened the intensity of horror. Though, there is a belief to make tragedy impactful we offset it with humor or moments of intimacy (friendship, quiet confessions, ect) when it’s back to back you do start to cause a fatigue that would be with Choso’s end who we can also argue was the last shred we had to a ‘heart of the party’. That’s not what this post is about, that critiquing will come at another time, another day. 

        Satoru’s birth was awaited for in 400 years, we do not know anything about the Gojo Clan except that Satoru is the one man bastion holding it down, giving him a lot of free reign but none. For clarification, this stems from the first time we are shown little Satoru with Toji in the snow. The woman who walks among him was most likely a nanny or handmaiden, we have never been shown Satoru’s family (mother, father, if he had siblings which is highly unlikely). He is revered highly as that of a cosmic force that keeps balance, if the balance falls, all plunges into chaos (as we see that in Shibuya) the mass deaths that follow along with a power vacuum within the higher aristocracy. Already, we’re breaking down the fundamentals of being human as birth means to be cherished (normally) by a maternal figure, we don’t know any of that, except this suggests his birth was that of an entity on the level of a modern God. Though, it’s common knowledge, most forget he is a human man at the end of it - 28 years old which is very young, merely a sliver of life that has been led.

   Toji’s awakening of the Honored One was violent && forced ascension. There must have been a high to fight a Gojo but not just a Gojo, the Gojo Satoru - heritor of the Six Eyes && all that is endless. When this news spreads, it must fit into every crevice of jushiki society despite being small && tightly knit, everyone now knows Satoru is awake. Recalling back to the first meeting, Toji may have already known this was going to be a problem that needed to be dealt with, it could have been blood begets blood, ancient feuds for the Six Eyes && Ten Shadows knocking each other out in a previous life. Whatever the cause, there is no denial, Satoru being awakened shattered a tremendous force but then it comes into, we cannot love a God as mortals && Gods cannot love mortals, it’s going to end badly. 

         Now, let’s move down to the infamous even somewhat meme-like question, "are you the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest?" congratulations to seventeen year old Getou Suguru for asking a question that wracks the brain to this day, existential dread does that to a man. If the entirety of your existence is to stand higher than humanity but humanity is your crux, what are you? That is the sole demise of Satoru, he is the Strongest. None can stand on his level, but in the past, someone did - someone who knew the burden but even then he exceeded that one special person thus leading to a gaping hole that cannot be filled. It is not solely on the basis of Suguru’s relationship with Satoru but the mere knowledge, no one will wear such a duty like him in their life, which is a curse. Strength is not always a good thing, it can sometimes leave one to feel alone within the world which is a common predicament that is often seen in Satoru’s case, the space between is a barrier of the world around him && those who are close. There is also a responsibility placed on his shoulders that as the Strongest, there is no time to show weakness, thus a suppression of emotion despite the silly && comical facade everyone has grown to deeply love. 

           Let’s conclude this with a cool portion that ties into this whole human vs weapon thing going on here. Satoru killing the higher ups was awesome to us readers because we want to believe the cycle has ended. It’s not, sadly, there were many instances of Satoru falling into the same obituary system (I’ll cite these later) primarily because that is the world he knows despite wanting to defy it. He is somewhat akin to that of a bird who does not know how to fly, if all they have ever known is a cage, how can they be expected to know freedom? The hunger though to change stems from personal experience, the grief, agony && endless violation to the youth within jushiki culture he has witnessed && he, himself, has been a pawn in.

            ( he really said: kids, I would prefer you do not witness man made horrors)

Which goes to show, even the Strongest could not escape the meat grinder that is their lives despite noble ideals && pure intentions. The act of murdering the higher ups with his own hands is personal, usually, stabbing or strangulation stems from a vendetta && Satoru had plenty of rage to kill them in such a terrible manner. Though, it does leave the question if he allowed them to ask questions, try to fight back, ect before demolishing through.

        (oh, to know the reactions of everyone in that room when Satoru walked in)

      It’s quite grim && gory the aftermath including his desire for his students to not see this offense trying to preserve a semblance of innocence despite them having gone through horrendous battles already. Though, it draws back to a previous statement made when chatting with other readers, perhaps leaving Satoru in the box would have been better, when he awakens - it’s a God’s rage coming out for all that was taken. It does feel in this particular panel he caught them by surprise. Anyway, this wasn’t as strongly written but, it was everything that was bubbling up. To be fair, this was also an overly detailed way of saying; he really would have been a horrendous villain, huh? Though, it’s wonderful to see that he was a soft hearted individual who did deeply care but could not connect && like so many, fell into the same victimization despite his high standing.

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2024 MOVIE LIST

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PERSONAL COLLECTION WEEK

I watched Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973)

Bought this on DVD recently, just because I wanted to see it for awhile now.

A mute young woman is tricked into heroin addiction and sex slavery. After being brutalized, the young woman eventually decides to get her revenge.

"Thriller: A Cruel Picture" has inspired endless other revenge films, including Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill". But, this isn't a fun action flick the likes of "Kill Bill". We are in darker territory here.

Swedish director, Bo Arne Vibenius, is a man who liked to push boundaries during his short but memorable film career, and "Thriller" definitely speaks to that.

This is the essence of exploitation filmmaking, while being so much more. Certainly, the film looks the part of most other genre pictures of the era, and the plot lends itself to that type of gritty and grimey storytelling, but "Thriller" feels more well crafted than it's contemporaries. It actually manages to evoke real emotion, sympathy and disgust.

Concerning a somewhat heightened, but ultimately realistic version of those stuck in sex slavery and heroin addiction, "Thriller" is an exploitation film that earns it's scenes of revenge. The beginning, in which a little girl is being abused by an older man, is done with a dark artistic flare which allows us to experience a little girl's confusion and horror, before having her innocence stripped away. It's a moment that sets the tone for the darkness to come.

"Thriller" includes full penetration hardcore pornography. (The kind of pornography that will not turn you on, but rather turn your stomach) It also features a woman's eye being gouged out. Something made worse by the fact that crew cut the eye out of an actual corpse to achieve this gruesome effect. (This was a rumor about the film for a long time, which has since been confirmed. Supposedly it was the corpse of a girl who had committed suicide, and the scene was shot in a hospital morgue. It does not get much darker than that in the filmmaking world, unless we go into actual film deaths and tragedies.)

I think people expect films like this, the 60's and 70's era exploitation films, to be unintentionally funny or less intense than modern day films. But, make no mistake, this is one of the darker things I've watched lately. If you're here for the revenge, you get that. There's tons of slow motion murder, car chase scenes and fake blood. But, you go through hell with the lead character before the relief of revenge comes.

Like Ken Russell's "The Devil's" I recently bought a physical copy of "Thriller: A Cruel Picture", because it's near impossible to see unedited on streaming. The American edit "They Call Her One Eye" removes a lot of the original film, and I personally don't approve of editing films for content. It's sad that films like this aren't consistently streaming and available, because they have their place in the history of filmmaking as an art form.

Now that I've seen this film, I'm glad I own it. I like this film. Well, "like" is a strong word for a movie as unpleasant as this, lol. I appreciate this film. I love the grindhouse era and I think this fully encapsulates what I love about it. The promise of seeing something wild, uncompromising and made quickly, cheaply and dirty. Sure, watching it can be trying, but it deserves to be seen. It's inspired so much in the film world and is no doubt a classic of a very special time in cinema.