#that said i have every intention of having a second save for my other fave marian

[my-current-obsession]

I am taking note of every single villager who honestly suggests that Micah's half-monster status might have given his chosen bride cold feet and led to her running away and they are ALL dropping several positions in my internal character ranking.

[hamliet]

As a follow-up to one of your last asks about protagonists… what are some of your fave protagonists in recent media? And some of your most disliked? And why?

Hmmm.

Favorites: Ruby Rose from RWBY, Gon Freecs from HxH, Atsushi from BSD, Wei Wuxian from MDZS, Xie Lian from TGCF, Ash Lynx from Banana Fish, Eren Jaeger from SnK, and Charlie Morningstar from Hazbin Hotel stand out.

I think all of these characters are very well rounded and work very well within their respective stories and their genres. They tend to have arcs that exemplify the main themes of the story, but do so in a human way that avoids us feeling like we're being bombarded by a preacher who is held to a different standard than the rest of the cast. They are a vehicle for the story, inextricable from it to a degree, yet well-rounded. The story doesn't exist to serve them.

They are all vastly different characters, too. Eren is a tragic hero who falls in a satisfying way; you don't root for him to win unless you're a fascist. Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian are very flawed but very human characters (ironic because Xie Lian is literally a god) who contain paradoxical traits of immense compassion and immense, destructive flaws. Ash is also tragic, and even though he is "super" in a lot of ways--above average IQ, good looks, athletic, etc--the narrative doesn't give him a pass for these. If anything, it punishes Ash for these traits.

Ruby and Charlie I think are somewhat similar: they're idealistic characters who embody the main messages of their stories, of hope and second chances and love for humanity. Charlie is literally a Jesus figure. Yet, their good intentions are also very flawed at times. Both Charlie and Ruby are hurting children, too, who seek to save themselves through others... but need saving themselves by others. They need to realize their power and their weakness is in being human.

Protagonists I don't like... well, Deku from BNHA. Never liked him, now completely loathe him, but I'm not going to retread why here. I also don't like Alina from Grishaverse and her very "not like the other girls" attitude.

But my number one most hated protagonist is Callum from The Dragon Prince. To be fair, TDP is honestly one of the worst stories ever put to screen. It's a failure of writing on every single level--thematically, character-wise, plot-wise. It's boring and it's offensive all at once. It is everything YouTube dudebros like to complain shows like RWBY are (forced representation that serves nothing beyond "look at us we're woke!" that cheapens the portrayal and is ultimately a disservice and borderline offensive to the social movements they're supposedly offering rep for).

And Callum is the worst of all of the characters. Which is saying a lot because I absolutely despise pretty much every character except Claudia at this point. The narrative has no idea what it wants to do with Callum. He's just kind of there, and they're aware of that and sometimes try to reference that on a meta level, but can't because they keep throwing things at him to try to give him an actual role in the story that he simply does not have.

Granted, the narrative itself has no aim. The story is clearly written as a reactionary story that aims to please fans. I saw people shocked Rayla and Callum were only paired together because of fans (which the writers admitted). Like, no shit? The story is written reactively rather than because it has anything interesting to say. It has nothing at all to say, and Callum embodies this.

The story itself is at the level of a middle-schooler's writing project that would earn a C in 8th grade. Callum is a blank space for a middle schooler who wants to create a cool story but doesn't know what to write. And see, if the narrative actually said "oh, he doesn't know what to write, let's explore that and show him struggling and failing" it'd be interesting. But no. The narrative bends over to cater to him and everything he wants instead.

Which is why I'd give the hypothetical 8th grader writing this a C. You have an interesting world and potential in your characters. You just haven't figured out how to wield it yet. Except then I remember that this is actually a multi-million dollar, seven season long Netflix series greenlit based solely on the fact that the very-much-adult producer was involved in ATLA. Then, I think of all the amazing stories that will never be greenlit or that were cancelled after one season, and I slap a red F on it and drop-kick Callum into a trash bin.

[katatonicimpression]

uncanny avengers overall thoughts

First, my fave:

my worst prediction for this series was, going off the covers, that Monet was going to be in Penance the entire time in this series, and it would just double down on the worst of all of that. On this front I was pleasantly surprised.

Monet was mostly in character, she broadly speaking felt like herself and looked liked herself. The art in this series was pretty mid in my opinion, but there were a few moments where she looked very much like she did in the bulk of Generation X which I appreciated

I think I've already said that her behaviour in this series is not very in tune with how she would act if all her friends were just murdered. In this series she's briefly violent and vengeance-y, and then just chipper and flirty. Neither really works that well for her (her reaction would more realistically be depressive and inward facing, which would be in keeping with past characterisation). However, given that I don't think duggan would write anything serious for her other than "revenge stabby", I'm glad we got levity instead.

I did not need to see her and kwannon join the line up of characters featured in duggan's "step on me mommy" fantasy series, but at least it was brief.

While I am glad that she's protrayed here almost entirely using her orginal power set and not just the penance thing, it's worth saying that she's nerfed to hell and back in this. She is portrayed as flying sort of once, but in a panel where natasha is doing the same thing so... yeah i'd say that duggan forgot she can do that. She's portrayed as less strong than steve, and as vulnerable to pretty basic injuries. Like... no... she's "lift a car over her head" strong and invulnerable to most injuries. Get it right. Also, every time she uses her telepathy, kwannon inexplicably "helps" her with it. Weird. Bad.

Second, my nemesis:

the fact that this was planned as a 5 issue limited run probably did duggan a lot of favours. His worst habits are curbed by having a set end point in sight and no time to meander about. We didn't get countless dropped threads and subplots that disappear as quickly as they're introduced.

We do see his thing for including a fave of his for no clear reason and with no obvious plan for what do actually do with them (natasha in this case), and that general sense of a lack of point. In general, we also get his hero-worshippy/fanfic esque tendencies in how he treats certain characters.

Maybe it's mean of me to bitch and moan about this guy when it comes to a series that is overall pretty average and hardly rage-inducing. But I do have a point here (if perhaps an unkind one)

Every time a new title is announced with his name attached, some people with be excited and some will roll their eyes. And the excited ones will say "why are you so pessimistic, he wrote xyz and they were fine?". And the eye-rollers will say "No. they weren't. Either they're the first comics you've read so you're not comparing them to anything, or they just didn't do anything with any of your serious faves so you didn't notice."

And that's condescending, but it's fucking true. Every few months another batch of fans start to hate this guy, and it's because he's done something dumb with characters/ideas they care about. But it's never just that thing. It's what he does with nearly everything, and it's just taking forever to people to notice that he's a hack.

and this isn't just fandomy "my fave got a bad shake", although that is how the salt tends to start. With duggan, the technical skill is not there. He can't structure a story to save his life. He loses focus, consistently imparts the opposite of his intentions, and wouldn't know a theme if it slapped him in the face.. and then stepped on him... in high heels.

Thirdly, a weird thing:

ok i've calmed down i'll stop being mean. except...

i think i kind of hate steve a little...

...

...

ok that's unfair. But I am bored with him. I'm bored of this. The same repetative character beats and endless hero worship. In the 70s cap comics, they're not afraid to portray him negatively. Like, they know you'll root for him anyway, so let him be a mixed bag at times, let the story not flatter him at all times. But they've stopped doing that. It's weird.

Evil Stevil could be used as a beat to explore flaws in steve's actual personality, you know? A dark mirror. Or, he could be used to hash out Sam's complicated feelings about his ex-partner (a concept explored more interestingly in fan discussions than in the text so far imo). But no. Here, it's "wow isn't real steve so great compared to blond hitler!". And like, yeah. Whatever.

Yeah I don't really want to discuss this I think i'm just feeling fed up and annoyed

[shimmershae]

My thoughts on Episode 5--Out of the Ashes.

Okay, though.  I’m already excited about this one because Carol and Lydia are on the little guide picture thingy, lol.  My girls.  

As usual, I’m going to put the rest underneath a cut to save you lovelies potentially being spoiled should you not want to be.  

Wow.  Look at that full moon.  And the colors in the woods.  

I’m telling you.  These cold opening scenes have been generally pretty awesome this season.  

Aaron with Gracie always gives us such sweetness but this time maybe not.  

Omigosh.  Now *that* is a nightmare--the Walkers, the Wolves, the Saviors, the Whisperers, Mays.  Did I miss anybody?  And then Gracie gone just like that?  Poor Aaron.  All he wants is to keep his little girl safe and happy.  

So.  Is Gracie sleeping right next to her daddy because she had a nightmare or because her daddy’s been having them?  Because either way, oh my freaking heart.  Especially at her still sleeping with her stuffed bunny.  I’m really, really hoping that bunny isn’t a bad omen of sorts for our Gracie, because little girls with bunnies haven’t fared all that well--going all the way back to the first episode and as recently as the subway episode where Daryl found that picture of the two siblings after they’d already found the bunny from the picture amongst the bodies.  Please not Gracie.  Aaron has already been through so much.  

Are they all just communing together now?  Because I can see how that would harken back to Season 4.  

Jerry!  Not even 3 minutes in and already two of my faves are present.  I can tell this is going to be a good episode.  

That really sucks.  Not even being able to take a peaceful piss because you can see Walkers shambling past your window, lol.  

There goes my queen running straight at danger as real queens are apt to do.  ;)  

Were there always lights coming on in the windmill during the opening credits or is that a new thing for this episode?  

That orientation video was so surreal.  Had to laugh at the political touch of having “this message is approved by Pamela Milton” at the end.  

Okay.  So they’re getting their work assignments, huh?  Orientations are the worst, lol.  All that damn paperwork.  

Retail clerk--Princess being excited at the prospect of working in a mall, even having a mall again, has me LMAO even as I’m like girl.  No.  You’ll love it ‘til you hate it.  

I didn’t catch Eugene’s job.  But Ezekiel doing animal control kind of cracks me up.  For reasons.  

So.  Essentially Eugene and Princess and Ezekiel got blue collar jobs while Yumiko’s got an invitation to join the upper crust.  

I love Lydia being accepted as part of the community.  About damn time.  

For a second I thought Rosita said what’s left of the horses plural and I was fixin’ to go OH NO.  

This is where I’m at on the Maggie/Negan issue, for better or worse:  Maggie absolutely, IMHO, has earned the right to stay mad at Negan for the rest of her days.  Because Glenn.  Because her little boy was robbed of his daddy.  That said?  I don’t think I have it in me to watch 5 more episodes of this beaten horse antagonistic conversation much less a whole season.  It would be one thing if it hadn’t already stolen valuable and earned screen time from other characters that seem to have been pushed to the periphery to spotlight it like it was the marquee event or something.  I don’t want want 2/3′s of the final season so heavily focused on the conflict between these two when there are so many characters that are already woefully underutilized.  It’s only compelling if it doesn’t become commonplace.  

It’s a sad business having to put down people you know, I’d expect.  Funny, though.  We never knew them so the impact is kind of artificial.  I appreciate the intent of the scene, though.  

Where the hell are all the Walkers coming from?  Like, I thought most of them went skydiving off that cliff without parachutes.  

Judith training the other babies.  If only her parents--every damn one of them--could see her now.  

Gus!  How cool and awesome for him!

ASZ is just full of asshole teens isn’t it?  How dare that little dipshit push our Asskicker down like that and say such hateful things?  To be fair, though, the kid is probably just repeating what he’s heard from others and I’m glad they’re being realistic here even if I don’t like seeing Judith cry.  

Cailey Fleming’s expressive face and eyes!  This kid has my heart, ya’ll.  

That perfectly pretty cake wasted!  LMAO.  Seriously though.  How does a cardiothoracic surgeon end up assigned to work in the bakery?  Yumiko’s reunion with her brother Tomi honestly was on par with what I’d expect from someone seeing the sister they’d long given up as dead.  

Freaky still how the Whisperers choose to herd the dead even without Beta and Alpha.  

Was that the real Stephanie in the scene with the ice cream?  Right under Eugene’s nose while he’s with Fake Stephanie?  They have a connection, ya’ll.  Eugene felt it.  

Okay, though.  I wanted the kids having their first ice cream cones.  If I were Eugene, though, I probably would have inhaled that thing after being deprived for so long.  

The Milton Hotel?  Alrighty then.  Somebody feels self-important.  

Aww.  Eugene’s thinking of Rosita and Coco.  They really have evolved into such a sweet, good friendship and I miss them together.  

Literally, I love Princess more each time I see her and hear her open her hilarious mouth.  LOL at her with the ice cream cone.  

Is everybody in ASZ staying in the same damn house?  Whoever broke the board with Carl’s and Judith’s handprints on it needs an ass kicking.  

“Me, too.”  Welp.  Guess RJ’s already met his line quota per appearance 24 minutes in, LOL.  

Aww.  My heart.  A Rosita/Judith scene.  I’m already loving it but not gonna lie.  Who do we have topay to get a Carol/Judith scene because she’s been there since Judith was an embryo?  

“Now it’s broken.  He’s gone.  Everybody is.”  The way this scene is unexpectedly gutting me right now.  Because Rosita’s right.  It never really gets easier.  It’s just something you figure out how to carry.  How many people devastated by Covid or other illness or tragedy are carrying these same feelings of loss and hurt everyday?  

Give us more of those heartfelt moments, dammit.  This girl at least craves them.  Not the endless Maggie/Negan conflict.  

Ouch.  “I think I haven’t met a Whisperer who wasn’t a liar.”  Damn Aaron.  Lydia’s right there beside you. 

Angry Jerry hurts my heart in ways I cannot explain.  

On a completely shallow note, Miko’s brother is attractive too.  I quite like his accent, lol.  I wonder why he’s so hesitant to put his skills as a surgeon to use.  

“Want some cake?”/”Hell, yes.”  Yumiko=me 99% of the time.  LOL.  Just kidding.  In reality, I have to say no.  

“They clearly got a gym in this joint.  Your chiseling is perfecto.”  LMAO.  I’m all for Princess/Mercer.  She flusters him a little and I’m loving it.  When she told him he had beautiful eyelashes, I howled.  

Oh my sweet Aaron.  I’m in the same kind of pain and disbelief as Lydia watching you interrogate that Whisperer.  

Thank you, Carol.  Melissa McBride?  I effing LOVE you.  My heart hurts.  

I’m sure she’s gonna get hate from the usual crowd while they cheer Aaron further along his dark and desperate path.  Yes.  Ya’ll are *that* predictable.  

But Maggie, though?  How long you gonna wait?  Because you gonna be waiting on Daryl’s ass a long time.  

“Cheesy video guy.” LOL.  Leave it to Princess.  Somehow that Lance dude looks even cheesier in RL.  

By the screaming cave?  What the hell is the screaming cave?  

Ohh.  Next episode actually looks interesting.  Thank goodness it’s not a bottle episode strictly focusing on Virgil/Connie though because no matter how much I like Connie/Lauren?  I don’t think whatever story she’s stuck in with Virgil is enough to keep me riveted to the tv.  

Overall impression of this episode--again, I enjoyed it.  Aaron’s dream was dark AF.  Hell.  Aaron was dark AF in this episode.  Ross Marquand did some really strong work and I’m glad he finally got a moment to shine even though I hate seeing him leaning into the darkness instead of his inherent goodness.  Judith and Rosita’s scenes were touching.  Carol/Melissa made me bawl in the span of two minutes.  That’s why she’s the MVP of this show, lovelies.  She does so very much with so little.  I’m just glad we didn’t have to see Leah and her band of bitchass brothers this episode.  

I’m going to miss this show when it’s gone.  At least I’ll have the Carol and Daryl spinoff off to ease my heartache.  

[dreamties]

Slashers W/ a Punk S/O

T/W- q*eer is used a few times- in a positive, self affirming kind of way. But I can add other trigger warnings if needed. :)

A/n- Literally no one asked for this, but I wanted to make more HCs like the soft pastel one...so I just went wild and made them. 

I included a little bit of punk culture into this as well, because it’s not just about the fashion, but since there’s such a vast variety within punk culture I mostly stuck with my experiences in the community, and some bits and pieces from documentaries(mostly live footage from “The Decline of Western Civilization”).

Characters: Billy/Stu, The Lost Boys, Norman Bates, Michael Myers

Will make one(s) for Brahms, Amanda, Helen or Daniel if asked

Billy Loomis + Stu Macher

so early 90s, the Riot Grrrl movement emerges

bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy or Sleater-Kinney

it’s a very female-powered oriented movement, but I notice that a lot of minorities tend to be drawn to this music and community (LGBT folks, people of color, etc).

both boys, and yourself, being outside of the norm and all (polyamorous relationship, gay/bi) are sort of drawn to it!

and sure there’s a lot of really great queercore/homocore bands, and there’s probably a good LGBT+ punk scene out there somewhere, but in a little town like Woodsboro? Hell no. Sticking with this fem punk movement, while again mostly a space for women in music- it’s the most accepted the three of you have felt outside of you’re relationship. 

you’ve always been pretty into the music, stuff like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, or the short-lived Germs- but it wasn’t until you stumbled upon Riot Grrrl that you really got into it. 

the music, making zines about local-ish political issues(probably not so much Woodsboro stuff, more Cali in general and neighboring towns) and a few ones with queer themes and hand-drawn illustrations of your partners, and DIYing all your clothes

since you’re so experienced with DIYing your clothes and sewing on patches, you’ve helped repair the Ghostface costumes on numerous occasions. they kind of adore this(Stu is the only one that will- and does, frequently- admit that)

Let’s face it, the three of you do everything together- but you especially enjoy when Stu tags along for thrift dates. 

he’s the more fashionable one, and he makes the whole experience more enjoyable- cracking jokes and just being his all-around goofy self.

Woodsboro is a very little town, so they don’t have much...but they do have a few small stores- usually you’ll make a whole day/date out of it though. driving to the next town or so over, since they have more stores and a better selection, and spending hours looking for cheap, old t-shirts, belts, clothes with funky patterns. heading out for pizza after.

Billy’s more likely to get into the music and everything with you(he’s kinda,, angsty, no offense to him)- will definitely go to shows with you.

just- imagine Billy in ripped jeans. and he’d have like one or two patches sewn on to it- one of them is your all time favorite band, and the other is a band that he found on his own time, and actually really enjoyed.

Stu is dragged along with you guys, you can’t just leave him at home- he’s gonna feel left out and sad. :(

He’s mostly there to keep y’all company- he really likes the energy of the shows though!

the two of them are such a chaotic duo though, so much so that you have definitely been kicked out or banned from a few venues. all for varying reasons. good grief these men can not be tamed.

The Lost Boys

as we all know, these vampires are total punks. so they’re gonna appreciate having a s/o who’s also into that whole scene.

How you meet:

you’re a baby punk, and it’s your first show ever, and you look so nervous. you’re dressed up in pretty plain clothes, a single homemade patch for your favorite band barely hanging to your jacket side(you were mid-way sewing it, when you realized you were gonna be late if you didn’t leave asap).

it’s a few local bands, ones you’d never really heard of really. you look anxious. but when they start playing? you look so unapologetically yourself, you’re so in the moment dancing- it’s completely mesmerizing to the boys. the music isn’t even that good, but you seem to be having the time of your life.

they greet you after the show, and you’re a tiny bit flustered- cause gosh, heck, they saw you. dancing. so embarrassing. 

David is the one that introduces himself and the group, and initiates conversation. Dwayne’s a pretty quiet guy, so he just listens to what you have to say. 

Marko’s pretty excited about you, and initiates in some small conversation, he may have complimented your little patch(Marko- patch jacket KING, complimenting your jacket?? more likely than you’d think) 

and oh, oh- Paul is out there being a total chatty-cathy, and is absolutely bombarding you with questions. like, okay, Paul is pretty talkative, but the other vamps are a little worried that he’s scared you off. and you had seemed so cool :(

you end up pretty engaged in your convo with Paul though, even if all the attention is overwhelming. He ends up snagging a date for the five of you the following week.

once you start hanging out/dating:

y’all just hit it off so well those first few days. they all love how sweet & shy you are- but also how much of a badass punk babe you are.

Marko helps make your patch jacket(collecting ones for bands you enjoy, how to make your own, sewing them on, etc). you probably could have done it w/out his help, but my gosh- you weren’t going to pass up this opportunity. Marko gets really soft around you sometimes, since he doesn’t really do this activity with anyone else, it’s saved for you. 🥺🥺

Dwayne likes listening to you talking about the local scene(outside of the shows you go to- mostly about stuff he can’t attend, protests and meetings during the daylight.)

all of them(especially David) are very protective of you. I mean, generally. but also when you go to shows. they let you do whatever the heck you’re gonna do, but the mere second that someone even thinks about starting shit w/ you?? well, y’know. those vampire instincts kick in.

the four of them obviously share a lot of similar tastes in music- but they all have different favorite bands, & fave parts of the community. which, they can’t even fully participate in,, but it’s okay.

they, individually, introduce their favorite bands to you. and they get it in their head that oh, they said they liked it. they must like it as much as I do. and awkwardly coming out to the four of them, as they argue about your favorite band, “Well, actually- this *insert band they’ve never heard of or barely listen to* is my favorite.” and their just kinda like, oh, okay. please tell us more about them. 

so it’s sorta like,, you’ve been learning all this cool knowledge from them, now you get to share cool knowledge with them.

idk. I think it’s cute. 💕

Norman Bates

so first off- let’s just pretend Psycho was in at least the 70s/80s for a moment. because realistically- the punk subculture didn’t really exist back then.

baby boy is absolutely fascinated by the way you dress (mother is less thrilled though)

imagine your jacket is getting a bit weathered, and needs some repairs- so he helps you to sew edges closed, and make sure the patches aren’t on too loose, etc

he enjoys hearing your stories of all the past shows you’ve gone to. you always get so excited about them, and he finds that so endearing. But he pretty much leaves the actual punk scene to you because of these stories.

he was already worried from the stories, and made sure you were well prepared for any trouble every time you left for a show.

but one time, you were able to get him to join you. never again though. he was so nervous!

the music was too loud! and he could hardly understand what they were saying- it was so confusing!

you stayed with him most of the night, standing near the back, holding his hand. he’d gently bob his head to the music occasionally. 

but you accidentally found yourself swept into the crowd, but you looked so blissed-out in the moment, that he figured it would be okay for you to dance* over there for a little bit...right?  

*Norman is still unsure if you’d even call that dancing.

Thankfully, nothing bad happened in the mosh pit.

you gotta give him lots of attention and reassurance afterwards though- you almost scared Norman half to death D:

He’s happy enough helping you out and listening to you though- and that’s okay for you, too. you still love each other lots, even if this particular interest doesn’t overlap.

Michael Myers

he thinks you’re outfits are pretty interesting. 

he’s a little worried at first, when you start experimenting with putting things like safety pins in your ears. cause like- that’s not supposed to be in your ear, Y/n, what the fuck

if you make zines at all, Michael really enjoys watching you make the illustrations for them(not that he’ll admit to it though), and helps to find newspaper and magazine clippings to incorporate into the spreads.

you always show michael the final booklet before distributing it

he doesn’t talk a lot, so he doesn’t ask questions- but he often does the little head tilt once you give it to him. since he’s not very privy to current events, and a lot of your zines are political, you spend a lot of time explaining them in depth.

he has no use for any of this knowledge, but he listens on, intently.

Important note:

dear god do not bring this man to concerts and local shows with you.

it is a nightmare, to say the least

Michael is sort of,, emotionless sometimes, doesn’t really care for people at all, and if he does? definitely not in the same way most people do. 

so imagine combining that part of michael, the fact that he’s also a giant stabby man, with super loud, energetic- almost aggressive- sounding music and a bunch of strangers that aren’t respecting any personal boundaries. 

you need to keep him at the back of the venue- lest your local scene may go missing.

[karelysse]

listened to ‘ruin’ one more time after this revelation and oh boy… (warning: long post ahead)

“I will bring you ruin in everything I do / It's never my intention, but it happens all the same / It starts with love and comfort, becomes a strength of will / But all that strength made rubble of the towers we built” — is this not… is this not an encapsulation of their rivalry. ‘we’re better because of each other’ but also you’re still direct competitors fighting for the same medals. 2014, when yuzuru wins in sochi. 2015, when javi wins at worlds.

“Cause brick by brick, you built us and I'd fill in the cracks / Nothing quite prepares you for when they don't come back / I wish I'd done things different, I wish that I'd been brave / I wish I'd known these stones were something I could save” — the 2016 season. yuzuru’s injury. boston (that last line… yeah it’s boston). javi winning again. the distance and the no-longer-training-together. fast forward to 2019 ‘i wish i [could compete] with javi too’.

“Our mortar was your laughter / And you hurled curses at the land / We didn't talk, we made universes / Out of bitten lips and broken hands” — we both speak english as a second language, but you still manage to make me laugh. when words fail, just hug me close until our hearts fall into synch.

“You said, "I love you less than when it all began" / And I said fewer 'cause I make jokes to show how broken I really am / And in the wreck of all we burnt, stands our piano like a wound / I play our song to see if it's in tune (I'll sing silence)” — deviating from theme for a second. isn’t this the epigraph for their potential FaOI reunion?

(skipped the next line because i think you covered it well!)

“"We can rest," you say, "in the pieces of what's left / Or what what we've found" / I wish I'd done things different, oh, I wish I'd made it right / But we'll burn a hundred theatres / If it means we get the wallpaper right” — 2017 worlds. ‘i told you last year, right? you work hard, you can get it’. yuzuru putting his medal on javi, because the passing of the world crown is never easy.

“I'll, brick by brick, rebuild us / Out of how's and why's, not when's / Nothing quite prepared me for when that piano sang again / Tomorrow I'll do things different / Tomorrow I'll be brave / (You'll make me brave)” — 2018 pyeongchang. javi redeeming himself after sochi. yuzuru winning his second Olympic gold when he had only started retraining quads two weeks prior. yuzuru breaking character during seimei when he realized he had done it. ‘i think i owe what i won to him’, ‘i’m glad we could share a podium at the olympics’. the tears and the hugs and the joy and the smash-cut to ‘i can’t do it without you’. maybe this is it. maybe this is the best shot the two of you will ever get at a happy ending.

…this is so long and completely ridiculous. but i hope it was fun to read! as always thank you for your input, it’s great to hear your thoughts 💞

Song title : Ruin by The Amazing Devil 🎼

ahhhhhh my fave anon strikes again!!! 💞 this was a RIDE and I loved every second of it. contender for possibly the angstiest yzvr anthem ever? adore this.

The part that hit me the most at my first listen (apart from the first line ugH) was really the mortar/laughter part you summed up so well. I really have an ESL fascination. that whole verse just!!! hits so hard for them!!!! the whole song!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!

I was a bit sad at the « tomorrow I’ll be brave » part at first listen because I picture both Javi & Yuzu as very brave people, as high leveled as they are and with all the achievements behind them, but imagining the line as pre-olympics 2018 really hits the spot. Guess even them needed courage at some point (and still do!!! I believe it’s a conscious choice you have to keep making & making, not a permanent character trait).

Well oh my! Thank you again so much for this lovely message 💞 sharing so everyone can benefit and cry about it like I am ✌️

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello Steph! First, thank you for everything you do for this fandom!! I don’t know what we would do without you!! ♥️ I am looking to start my first novel length Johnlock fic. I found your list, and was wondering if you had a specific one to recommend to start off with? I’m looking for something that won’t make me too sad (the world does that on its own), and of course, lots of Johnlock!! Any recommendations would be appreciated, thank you!! Sending love!! *hugs*

HI NONNY!

Hmm, this is tough, because Novel Length is anything over 50K words, but some people don’t want to read “novels that short”. So I get a lot of requests for Epic novels over 100K, so like WOOO HOO LOL.

Hmm. How about I give you a few recs varying lengths, based on your requirements, and you can decide how long you want to go, since I list all my word counts on my recs?

First off, for when you become obsessed with the lengthy fics like I am now LOL:

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K (Nov. 2018)

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K Pt 2 (May 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. (May 2019)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 2 (Aug 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 3 [MFL’s] (Dec 2020)

Next, here’s something for each range between 50 and 100K+ <3

BUT BEFORE I BEGIN: honourable mention because it IS my fave fic ever, and it fits your criteria minus the length so SORRY but please check it out:

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

--------

Okay, now the main event, of more-fluff-than-angst:

NOVEL LENGTH NOT-SO-ANGSTY FICS FOR NEWBIES

Spare Change by Ermerness (E, 51,966 w., 14 Ch. || Rich Holmeses AU || First Kiss / Time, Holmes Family, Virgin Sherlock, Anal, First Meetings, Bossy Bottomlock) – The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.

Guilty Secrets by Ellipsical (E, 55,086 w., 16 Ch. || Post-TRF, Drumsticks, First Kiss/Time, Love Confession, Self-Sexual-Discovery, Anal, Rimming, Orgasm Denial, Butt Plugs, Cooking, Furniture Sex, Bath Sex, Rimming, Double Penetration, Prostate Massage, Anal Beads, Dancing, Romance, Tantric Edging, Internalized Homophobia, Case as Foreplay, Anal Beads, Tickling, Dancing, Dry Coming, Romance) – John has a prostate exam and discovers something surprising about himself. Experimentation follows. Sherlock wants to help. They're in love. You know the drill.

Bridging the Ravine by SilentAuror (E, 58,887 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Couple For a Case, Bed-Sharing, First Times, Confessions, Awkwardness, Sex Trafficking, Massages, Wet T-Shirt Contest, Group Therapy, Past Loss of Child) – Sherlock and John go undercover at Ravine Valley, a therapy centre for same-sex male couples in an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. As they pose as a couple and fake their way through the therapy sessions for the sake of the case, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid discussing their very real issues. Set roughly six nine months after series 4.

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01 (E, 81,665 w., 8 Ch. || Dirty Talk, Threesomes, Light Dom/Sub, Sex Club, Experiments, Anal, Mildly Dubious Consent, Rimming, Cheeking, Double Penetration, Mild Kink, Porn Watching, Voyeurism, Masturbation) – They’d never talked about sex in the year they’d known each other. Well, that wasn’t quite correct: Sherlock had never said a word about sex; John had bemoaned his personal dearth of it on many occasions.

Uphill by scullyseviltwin (E, 84,945 w., 18 Ch. || Olympics AU || Sherlock POV, Skier!Sherlock / Medic!John, Rivalry, 2014 Olympics, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is striving for gold in this, his fourth and final Olympics as a downhill Alpine racer.

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w., 11 Ch. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

-------

Hope you enjoy those!!! <3 PLEASE read them all, though, and THEN READ ALL THE ONES ON THOSE LISTS. Because once you start long fics, you get REALLY INTO THEM. Hah hah <3

[hiimsociallyawkward]

aithusia

hi bestie @lady-ofmagic-andstars it's been a while. i said i would do this episode last week but i had to wait for the destiny and chicken podcast to come out so here we are. basically, all of my thoughts while watching aithusia.

ugh the opening scene. i actually love it

ok ngl i remember that this guy is the bad guy but he's like 🥵🥵🥵 jeez

ik it's not just on tiktok but that tiktok where it goes 'but momma i'm in love with a criminal'

wow nice key bud

ok him running in the forest is just like you cannot outrun your demons and i thought that was so funny

smh he's so violent but he's so pretty :,)

ok but how old is this guy?? he say it's taken 20 years of his life. why 20? is that because that's when the 'last' dragon died out?? and at what age was he socially concious enough to recognize the implication of what it means to have a dragon? his is so dumb but probably like 15? so this guy is 35ish? idk man thoughts?

ok if he just feel off the cliff instead of being able to pull himself up we would've saved ourselves a lot of trouble i'm just saying druids.

ok this is so pretty. my thoughts are like 25% me singing show tunes, 25% thinking of actual merlin things, 50% thinking about how pretty everything is

merlin is such a light sleeper. idk why that's important but he wakes up ALL the time

✨gaius is the worst ✨

ok colin's eye looked so good in this scene

aLASFLJDFA MERLIN AND HIS SOCKS

stop i literally dress like this

i love his sleep clothes. it's such a vibe

aw merlin saying 'save the dragons is so cute' omg it reminds me of the vsco girls and saving the turtles HAHA

i love how equal merlin and kilgharrah feel here

asjflsjdasjdfl like ik this is the point but i love that merlin's inherited his father gift and he's always going to remember him. not that merlin would forget his father but idek

aw kilgharrah is like 'i beg you' ok now that i think abt it maybe it's slightly manipulative but it's also really not

ok actually i don't know how many time merlin uses this scene but i guess i'm keeping track now. but look how pretty

wow the rising sun 🤪

OH HAHA THIS IS WHERE MERLIN CARTWHEELS??

literally merlin just breaks in everywhere

merlin seems so earnest about wanting to see the dragons. i want to see the dragons too please

omg HAHA the woodworm is this episode??

WHY IS MERLIN STILL SEARCHING AFTER ARTHUR TURNS AROUND WHAT?

this is a side note but i love arthur's key holder thingy it's actually pretty.

stop right now why is merlin using his magic to PANTS arthur

ok i'm pretty sure that agravaine is only in this episode this one time, and yk it's the little victories

i'm actually embarassed for arthur and merlin here. i don't like it at all

HOW DOES MERLIN DO THE HANDSTAND?? that's the one part i like

ok my question is how is he supposed to know where the last piece of the triskeleton is??

SECOND QUESTION WHY IS HE JUST STANDING IN THE VAULT WHEN HE SHOULD BE RUNNING

lasflkajsdljsad omg the betrayal. ouch my heart

these scene are just like. it's actually art

ok how did merlin stay there all night and no one saw him?? literally camelot guards need to step up

omg no not merlin zooming

sklfja;lsdkjfasdlfs amerlin and the cup

i love how long merlin and arthur look at each other before arthur reacts

lsjfa;lksdsl woodworm omg and the fact that arthur believes that merlin is this chaotic is so funny

HAHA THIS SCENE GAIUS LITERALLY YELLING AT MERLIN

i think this is the funniest thing because gaius is like 'don't people about your magic' while YELLING ABOUT MERLIN'S MAGIC

ok that's a good point gaius we don't know what borden's intentions are

alsdjfalsd stop why didn't they wait for merlin :,(. this reminds me of when you're in highschool and you're finishing lunch and as you pack up everyone is leaving you??????

ok but i love that merlin rides in front with arthur. like- of course he does

merlin being observant 😍😍

i want to go horse riding now

STOP I DON'T LIKE THIS

THIS KNIGHT/DINNER GAG IS NOT FUNNY TO ME. NOT IN THE SLIGHTLEST. THERE'S THIS FIC by @a-small-batch-of-dragons. i literally spent like 10 minutes looking for it because i had to include it here

this scene just.. i don't like it. i never have and i never will

like- who decided that putting this scene in here would be good. no thanks

the knights sleeping in a circle and merlin sleeping on the outside. idk bro that made me a little sad

but also. i want a cloak please. i think i'm just going to say i want a cloak every episode

ok i chuckled at the interaction of 'ever herd of the word sorry?' and 'no is it a word you made up?'

dude don't ask why but i love it when people walk through waterfalls

i don't know why arthur looked so stupid when he was doing it though

i love the nature of it all

yes merlin, you start walking toward the castle first

aw i love the knights working together. like, i know they work together- they're knights, but we love to see it

merlin and his sharp eyes again :,))

why are they making camp it's literally not even dark yet 😭😭

oh great another dinner gag. please stop. i dislike this immensely

wow i love that merlin can heal them. i also think it's surprising because merlin sucks at healing things but yk.. ✨plot✨

this looks like the type of building teens would either be convinced is haunted and try to stay the night there or the type of building that all teens would go to to take pics for the #gram

ok is borden dead here or..

yes i'm putting both of these picture here. who's going to stop me

just kidding it's three

ok so not dead

ok this is not meant to be creepy but colin has nice hands

borden is a creep please go away now

merlin use your ✨magic ✨ please

YES. tell him you're the last dragonlord. i stan. YES HIM AND HIS MAGIC

you better run boy

ok how he manages to get out of the castle is astounding

HAHA there was some CGI that fell and i laughed so hard because it looked so fake

LITERALLY. THE PRETTY CASTLE SCENE IS HERE AGAIN. PRETTY CASTLE SCENE COUNTER; 3

omg merlin getting excited about the egg is actually so precious

both of their faces here are SO precious.

oasfasldfjasl idk why but whenever merlin walks across with the eggs i have this feeling he's going to faceplant and drop it for the comedic effect but i'm glad that never happens

bruh 'back where it belongs' like yes that makes sense but also that doesn't make sense

dude

it's been a full moon for like 4 days now..??????

omg i actually love aithusa

tbh, i DO NOT know how to pronounce her name

why is she actually the cutest thing ever.

AW MERLIN CRYING

i love it when merlin cries, but not in a sadistic way yk? it's more the fact that he's allowed to cry

ok i have a few dragon fics that i love but the only one i can think of right now is Returning the Favor by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle it's actually perfect

there are so many more that i love but i can't think of them but also- PLEASE REC YOUR FAVE DRAGON FAMILY DOMESTIC FICS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

anyways. i'll be back tomorrow to rant more about the darkest hr pt 2 so i'll see you then! also let me know if you want me to stop tagging you @lady-ofmagic-andstars because otherwise i will literally tag you in everything :,)

[popculty]

52 Films by Women: 2020 Edition

Another annual challenge complete!

Last year, I focused on diversifying my list. This year I kept that intention but focused on watching more non-American films and films from the 20th century. Specifically, I sought out Agnès Varda’s entire filmography, after her death in 2019. (I was not disappointed - What a filmmaking legend we lost.) 

I also kept a film log for the first time and have included some of my thoughts on several films from that log. I made a point of including reviews both positive and negative, because I think it’s important to acknowledge the variability and breadth of the canon, so as not to put every film directed by a woman on a pedestal. (Although movies directed by women must clear a much higher bar to be greenlit, meaning generally higher quality...But that’s an essay for another day :)

* = directed by a woman of color

bold = fave

1. The Rhythm Section (2020) dir. Reed Morano - Not as good as it could have been, given Morano’s proven skill behind the camera, but also not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. And unbelievably refreshing to see a female revenge story not driven by sexual assault or the loss of a husband/child.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) dir. Agnès Varda - If you ever wanted to take a real-time tour of Paris circa 1960, this is the film for you.

3. Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig - Still my favorite Little Women adaptation. I will re-watch it every year and cry.

4. Varda by Agnès (2019) dir. Agnès Varda & Didier Rouget

5. Booksmart (2019) dir. Olivia Wilde - An instant classic high school comedy romp that subverts all the gross tropes of its 1980s predecessors.

6. Girls of the Sun (2018) dir. Eva Husson

7. Blue My Mind (2017) dir. Lisa Brühlmann

8. Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma - Believe the hype. This film is a master thesis on the female gaze, and also just really effing gorgeous.

9. Belle Epine (2010) dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

10. Vamps (2012) dir. Amy Heckerling - With Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone as modern-day vampires, I was so ready for this movie. But it feels like a bad stage play or a sit-com that’s missing a laugh-track. Bummer.

11. *Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan - Where has this movie been all our lives?? Skip the next onslaught of Snyder-verse grim-darkery and give me two more of these STAT! 

12. She’s Missing (2019) dir. Alexandra McGuinness

13. The Mustang (2019) dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnere - Trigger warning for the “protagonist” repeatedly punching a horse in the chest. I noped right out of there.

14. Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins – I first watched this movie when I was probably too young and haven’t revisited it since. The rape scene traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how that trauma is not the center of the movie, or even of Aileen’s life. Everyone still talks about how Charlize “went ugly” for this role, but the biggest transformation here isn’t aesthetic, it’s physical – the way Theron replicates Wuernos’ mannerisms, way of speaking, and physicality. That’s why she won the Oscar. I also love that Jenkins calls the film “Monster” (which everyone labels Aileen), but then actually uses it to tell the story of how she fell in love with a woman when she was at her lowest, and that saved her. That’s kind of beautiful, and I’m glad I re-watched it so that I could see the story in that light, instead of the general memory I had of it being a good, feel-bad movie. It’s so much more than that.

15. Water Lilies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma – Sciamma’s screenwriting and directorial debut, the first in her trilogy on youth, is as painfully beautiful as its sequels (Tomboy and Girlhood). It’s also one of the rare films that explores the overlap of queerness and girl friendships.

16. The Trouble with Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino – Movies about shenanigan-based female friendships are such rare delights. Rosalind Russel is divine as Mother Superior, and Hayley Mills as “scathingly brilliant” as the pranks she plays on her. Ida Lupino’s skill as an editor only enhances her directing, providing some truly iconic visual gags to complement dialogue snappy enough for Gilmore Girls. 

17. Vagabond (1985) dir. Agnès Varda – Shot with a haunting realism, this film has no qualms about its heroine’s inevitable, unceremonious death, which it opens with, matter-of-factly, before retracing her final (literal) steps to the road-side ditch she ends up in. (I’m partly convinced said heroine was the inspiration for Sarah Manning in Orphan Black.)

18. One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977) dir. Agnès Varda – Probably my favorite classic Varda, this film feels incredibly personal. It’s essentially a love story about two best friends with very different lives. For an indie made in the ‘70s, the diversity, scope, and themes of the film are impressive. Even if the second half a drags a bit, the first half is absolute perfection, engaging the viewer immediately, and clipping along, sprinkling in some great original songs that were way progressive for their time (about abortion, female bodily autonomy, etc) and could still be considered “bangers” today.

19. Emma (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde

20. Black Panthers (1969) dir. Agnès Varda

21. Into the Forest (2016) dir. Patricia Rozema - When the world was ending (i.e. the pandemic hit) this was the first movie I turned to - a quiet, meditative story of two sisters (Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood) surviving off the land after a sudden global blackout. Four years later, it’s still one of my favorite book-to-screen adaptations. I fondly remember speaking with director Patricia Rozema at the 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival after a screening, her love for the source material and desire to “get it right” so apparent. I assured her then, and reaffirm now, that she really did.

22. City of Trees (2019) dir. Alexandra Swarens

23. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) dir. Eliza Hittmann - To call this a harrowing and deeply personal journey of a sixteen-year-old who must cross state lines to get an abortion would be accurate, but incomplete. It is a story so much bigger than that, about the myriad ways women’s bodies and boundaries are constantly violated.

24. Paradise Hills (2019) dir. Alice Waddington

25. *Eve’s Bayou (1996) dir. Kasi Lemmons – I’ve been meaning to watch Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut for many years now, and I’m so glad I finally have, because it fully deserves its icon status, beyond being one of the first major films directed by a black woman. Baby Jurnee Smollett's talent was immediately recognizable, and she has reminded us of it in Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country this year. If merit was genuinely a factor for Oscar contenders, she would have taken home gold at eleven years old. Beasts of the Southern Wild has been one of my all-time favorites, but now I realize that most of my appreciation for that movie actually goes to Lemmons for blazing the trail with her story of a young black girl from the bayou first. It’s also a surprisingly dark story about memory and abuse and familial relationships that cross lines - really gutsy and surprising themes, especially for the ‘90s.

26. Blow the Man Down (2019) dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy - Come and get your sea shanty fix!

27. Touchy Feely (2013) dir. Lynn Shelton - R.I.P. :(

28. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020) dir. Madeleine Parry - If you thought Gadsby couldn’t follow up 2018′s sensational Nanette with a comedy special just as sharp and hilarious, you would have been sorely mistaken.

29. Girlhood (2013) dir. Céline Sciamma

30. Breathe (2014) dir. Mélanie Laurent

31. *A Dry White Season (1989) dir. Euzhan Palcy

32. Laggies (2014) dir. Lynn Shelton

33. *The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood – Everything I’ve ever wanted in an action movie: Immortal gays, Charlize Theron wielding a labrys (battle axe), kinetic fight choreography I haven’t seen since the last Bond movie…Watched it twice, then devoured the comics it was adapted from, and I gotta say: in the hands of black women, it eclipses the source material. Cannot wait for the just-announced sequel.

34. Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynn Ramsay

35. Shirley (2020) dir. Josephine Decker

36. *Radioactive (2019) dir. Marjane Satrapi – The story is obviously well worth telling and the narrative structure – weaving in the future consequences of Curie’s discoveries – is clever, but a bit awkwardly executed and overly manipulative. There are glimpses of real brilliance throughout, but it feels as if the director’s vision was not fully realized, to my great disappointment. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing Marie Curie's story being told by a female director and embodied by the always wonderful Rosamund Pike.

37. *The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu - I feel like a real scrooge for saying this, but this movie did nothing for me. Nothing about it felt fresh, authentic or relatable. A real disappointment from the filmmaker behind the wlw classic Saving Face.

38. Mouthpiece (2018) dir. Patricia Rozema - I am absolutely floored. One of those films that makes you fall in love with the art form all over again. Patricia Rozema continues to prove herself one of the most creatively ambitious and insightful directors of our time, with this melancholic meditation on maternal grief and a woman’s duality.

39. Summerland (2020) dir. Jessica Swale - The rare period wlw love story that is not a) all-white or b) tragedy porn. Just lovely.

40. *The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) dir. Dee Rees – As rumored, a mess. Even by the end, I still couldn’t tell you who any of the characters are. Dee, we know you’re so much better than this! (see: Mudbound, Pariah)

41. *Cuties (2020) dir. Maïmouna Doucouré – I watched this film to 1) support a black woman director who has been getting death threats for her work and 2) see what all the fuss is about. While I do think there were possibly some directorial choices that could have saved quite a bit of the pearl-clutching, overall, I didn’t find it overly-exploitative or gross, as many (who obviously haven’t actually watched the film) have labeled it. It certainly does give me pause, though, and makes me wonder whether children can ever be put in front of a camera without it exploiting or causing harm to them in some way. It also makes one consider the blurry line between being a critique versus being an example. File this one under complicated, for sure.

42. A Call to Spy (2019) Lydia Dean Pilcher – An incredible true story of female spies during WWII that perfectly satisfied my itch for British period drama/spy thriller and taught me so much herstory I didn’t know.

43. Kajillionaire (2020) dir. Miranda July - I was lucky enough to attend the (virtual) premiere of this film, followed by an insightful cast/director Q&A, which only made me appreciate it more. July's offbeat dark comedy about a family of con artists is queerer and more heartfelt than it has any right to be, and a needed reprieve in a year of almost entirely white wlw stories. The family's shenanigans are the hook, but it's the budding relationship between Old Dolio (an almost unrecognizable Evan Rachel Wood) and aspiring grifter Melanie (the luminous Gina Rodriguez) that is the heart of the story.

44. Misbehaviour (2020) dir. Philippa Lowthorpe – Again, teaching me herstory I didn’t know, about how the Women’s Liberation Movement stormed the 1970 Miss World Pageant. Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have a conversation in a bathroom at the end of the film that perfectly eviscerates well-meaning yet ignorant white feminism, without ever pitting women against each other - a feat I didn’t think was possible. I also didn’t think it was possible to critique the male gaze without showing it (*ahem Cuties, Bombshell, etc*), but this again, invents a way to do it. Bless women directors.

45. *All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) dir. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes – 2020’s 13th. Thank god for Stacey Abrams, that is all.

46. *The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) dir. Radha Blank – This scene right here? I felt that in my soul. This whole film is so good and funny and heartfelt and relatable to any artist trying to walk that tightrope of “making it” while not selling their soul to make it. My only initial semi-note was that it’s a little long, but after hearing Radha Blank talk about how she fought for the two-hour run-time as a way of reclaiming space for older black women, I take it back. She’s right: Let black women take up space. Let her movie be as long as she wants it to be. GOOD FOR HER.

47. Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea Duvall - Hoooo boy. What was marketed as the first lesbian Christmas rom-com is actually a horror movie for anyone who’s ever had to come out. Throw in casual racism and a toxic relationship treated as otp, and it’s YIKES on so many levels. Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, and an autistic-coded Jane are the only (underused) highlights.

48. *Monkey Beach (2020) dir. Loretta Todd

49. *Little Chief (2020) dir. Erica Tremblay – A short film part of the 2020 Red Nation Film Festival, it’s a perfect eleven minutes that I wish had gone on longer, if only to bask in Lily Gladstone in a leading role.

50. First Cow (2019) dir. Kelly Reichardt – I know Kelly Reichardt’s style, so I’ll admit-- even as I was preparing for an excellent film, I was also reaching for my phone, planning on only half paying attention during all the inevitable 30-second shots of grass blowing in the wind. (And yes, there are plenty of those.) But twenty minutes in, my phone was set aside and forgotten, as I am getting sucked into this beautiful story about two frontiersman trying to live their best domestic life.There is only one word to describe this film and that is: PURE. I’ve never seen such a tender platonic relationship between men on screen before, and it’s not lost on me that it took a woman to show us that tenderness. Reichardt gives us two men brought together by fate, and kept together by a shared dream and the simple pleasure of not being alone in such a hard world; two men who spend their days cooking, trapping, baking, and dreaming of a better life; two men who don’t say much, but feel everything for each other. The world would be a much better place if men showed us this kind of vulnerability and friendship toward each other. Oh, and it’s also a brutal take-down of capitalism and the myth of the American Dream!

51. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins - My most-anticipated film for the past two years was...well, a mixed bag, to say the least. Too many thoughts on it for a blog post, so stay tuned for the upcoming podcast ep where we go all in ;)

52. *Selah and the Spades (2019) dir. Tayarisha Poe

I hope this gives you some ideas to kick off your new year with a resolution to support more female directors!

What were your favorite women-directed movies of last year? Let me know in the tags, comments, or asks!

[kittyprincessofcats]

She-Ra S5 E05 - Save the Cat

ARE YOU READY TO HEAR MY THOUGHTS ON THE BEST SHE-RA EPISODE EVER? SO AM I!

Sorry this took so long. I was pretty nervous to talk about this episode, to be honest, because I love it so much and was scared I’d forget something or wouldn’t do it justice. Don’t know if I still need to say this at this point (since it’s been so long), but there will be spoilers for the rest of the season in this post!

- First of all, and I’ve already talked about this in my review of Stranded, but I need to say it again: Just the premise that Adora is going back to save Catra from Horde Prime really makes their story come full circle: Back in the pilot, Adora left the Horde without Catra, and Catra has been accusing her of “leaving her behind” ever since. In Catra’s mind, Adora leaving the Horde meant that Adora didn’t care about her, and it’s been a huge source of grief and bitterness for her. And now, so many seasons later, even after Catra has hurt so many people, even after she’s asked Adora not to come for her, Adora is literally walking up to Horde Prime himself (way more dangerous than Hordak’s version of the Horde) and endangering her mission and the entire world because she doesn’t want to leave Catra behind again. Because Catra means that much to her. It’s such good storytelling! If Corridors was what started Catra’s redemption, then I think Save the Cat is what redeemed Adora in Catra’s eyes (or at least, what made her understand that Adora does care about her).

- I love how determined Adora looks in that beginning shot. That’s the look of a girl about to go save her gf!

- I thought it was a bit strange that the clones didn’t notice that Adora’s talking to the others on her way to Prime, but since Prime later reveals he knows her friends are there, they probably actually did notice and just didn’t say anything.

- I wish they’d kept that scene of Glimmer having a more elaborate flashback, but I get that they just didn’t have the time for it.

- I love how Entrapta just goes *heart eyes* at the many clones. And Bow asking if they’d believe they’re the inspectors 😂 - great way to bring back that gag.

- “You would never risk the safety of your Catra.” PRIME SHIPS IT. No, seriously though - Prime says he “sees all” (and we know he’s seen Catra’s thoughts) and he said “your” Catra. This, and some other lines in this episode, made me realize it would be canon. (Also, fun fact, because I watched some bits of this show in other languages for fun: As awful as the French dub is for changing that “Kyle had a crush on Rogelio” line to “Catra had a crush on Rogelio”, in this instant they did really well: In French, Prime goes a step further and says “your precious Catra” instead of just “your Catra”.)

- The way Prime touches his clones is so creepy.

- Entrapta asking Wrong Hordak (thinking he’s Hordak) if he recognizes her made me so emotional. I wasn’t even that into Entrapdak back in s2/s3, but the way their relationship was written in season 5 really made me ship it. It’s about the PINING, the LONGING, the TRAGEDY, the way his memories of her make him overcome two mindwipes... I’m here for it!

- I always wonder if it hurts Entrapta when someone grabs her by the hair. Since her hair is magical and all that.

- “We’re not keeping him.” “But we broke him! We’re responsible for him now.” Okay, I love Wrong Hordak. I love how Bow talks about ‘keeping’ him as if he was a pet. And I also like how Entrapta immediately realizes how useful having him around could be. Also, I love that they name him “Wrong Hordak” and seriously just keep calling him that. 😂

- “I don’t fight for the first ones. I fight for my home, for myself and for my friends.” I honestly really like that the show never showed us the first ones or Adora’s birth family. Not that it would necessarily be a bad thing, but I like the message that it doesn’t really matter where she came from - Etheria is her home and what she’s fighting for and that’s enough.

- “Of course, your Catra.” He said it again!

- “She hoped you would come for her, poor thing.” Oh, the angst is real, I love it! Just thinking about Catra (who’d told Adora to stay away) eventually getting so scared that she started to wish Adora would come for her after all... I love angsty stuff like this.

- Oh, that first look of Catra with the gelled back hair and green eyes is so properly creepy.

- When Wrong Hordak complained about the ship being designed “so that it may only be navigated by one who access to the hivemind” it reminded me of Entrapta’s castle that only she can navigate. I think some people have pointed out before that Entrapta and Horde Prime are foils to each other (especially when it comes to Hordak), so that’s a really nice parallel there.

- How did Glimmer manage to open that door when she’s running from the clones? I thought only the clones could open them? Is that a mistake, or is there some canon explanation?

- “What did you do to her?” Oh, I love it when Adora’s so worried about Catra. These two and how cute they are will be the death of me.

- Oh, Prime’s so creepy when he touches Catra... I love him as a villain, but I love to hate him, you know?

- “My place is with Horde Prime, Adora. I don’t want to leave.” Can we talk about the parallel between this line, and Catra insisting back in season 1 (in Promise, I think) that she doesn’t want to leave the Horde?

- “You broke my heart.” I mean, come on! That’s gay!

- Catra and Adora’s fight is so tragic because it’s the first time they’re fighting but both genuinely don’t want to hurt each other.

- “I’m not leaving without you.” Exactly what Catra wanted to hear from Adora back in The Sword Part 2 - You know what I said in the beginning of this post about their story coming full circle?

- “I don’t wanna hurt you!” “But you have already hurt me.” This is supreme lesbian drama, and it’s so good! (I’ve been waiting so long for a show to give a lesbian romance this kind of attention!)

- Adora’s terrified expression when Catra almost lets herself fall is so painful. And the way she hugs Catra afterwards... my heart.

- Catra and Horde Prime talking together is creepy in just the right way.

- “I always hated that guy in particular.” Hell yes, Glimmer!

- “She was afraid in the end. And she suffered. Perhaps I will make her my new vessel, though she would not last me long.” Oh, the angst hurts so good, I love it! (Why do I love seeing my faves suffer?) Also, this slicked back hairstyle on Catra looks kind of amazing.

- “Why did you come back? We both know I don’t matter.” “You matter to me.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Yes, tell her, Adora! Tell her you care! Don’t let her talk herself down like that!

- “Come on, Catra! You’ve never listened to anyone in your life. Are you really going to start now?” I love how this is what gets through to her. I could also just quote the entire dialogue from here because everything about it is pure perfection:

Catra: “You’re such an idiot.”

Adora: [smiling and crying] “Yeah. I know.”

Catra: [laughs]

Adora: “I’m going to take you home.”

Catra: “Promise?”

Adora: “I promise.”

Catra: “Adora...”

I mean, what do I even say to that? Catra affectionately calling Adora an idiot, the callback to Promise, how Adora doesn’t hesitate to say “I promise”, how Catra breaks free of Prime’s control... it’s all so perfect. 😭

- Adora just not hesitating to jump after Catra - that’s love, holy shit!

- God, Aimee’s voice acting when Adora cradles Catra... so good. (And that’s their childhood theme playing in the background.) Didn’t Aimee (or someone else?) say on Twitter that that was intentional since your most vulnerable moments make you feel like a child again, or something like that?

- Adora’s transformation into She-Ra gives me chills every single time. Best scene in the entire show, don’t @ me (or at least second best after the kiss). The way she cradles Catra’s lifeless body, Horde Prime’s taunting words, and then she opens those glowing eyes... amazing. And what makes it even better is that this is her first proper transformation after breaking the sword. We got a tease of it in Stranded, but this is when She-Ra really comes back, and it’s her love for Catra that enables her to transform. PERFECTION.

- “You miscalculated.” Yeah, you miscalculated how gay she is.

- Entrapta whistling Darla over like a dog is amazing. 😂

- Adora carrying Catra bridal style while that epic music plays... I’m living!

- Also, side-note: Adora’s new She-Ra look is SO MUCH BETTER than the old one! She also seems a lot stronger now - look at that fancy stuff she can do with the new sword! (I like the idea that the Sword of Protection was only holding her true power back.)

- That healing scene! Adora’s healed people before, but it’s never looked this gay. And Catra waking up and saying “Hey Adora” is just so fitting.

- That hug... I’m not crying, you’re crying. They’re finally together! And Catra’s clinging to Adora so tightly! 😭 Also, she’s purring! (When I first watched this ep with my sisters, one of them literally went “Finally!” at this moment - mood.)

- Hordak finding the LUVD-Crystal and saying Entrapta’s name also gives me chills. I also just realized that he thought Entrapta was dead until this moment - holy hell!

- One more thing I love about this episode is that their plan to save Catra actually worked. Because it’s a plan that seems so stupid and risky at first, and while you’re watching you kind of expect it to go completely wrong and expect Horde Prime to catch them... and then it seems like he does, only for Adora and her friends to turn things around and succeed. I love that.

- Another thing worth pointing out is the whole symbolism of Catra’s death and rebirth and how it marks the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

So yeah, this is the best She-Ra episode ever, I rest my case. Before I watched season 5, I expected it to be gay (I even estimated the chances of Catradora becoming canon at around 70%), but I didn’t expect it to be THIS gay. This episode went beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. Horde Prime saying “your Catra” twice, that whole “You broke my heart / Prime has set me free of that pain” talk, Adora being so scared for Catra during their fight and so determined to save her, the whole “I’m going to take you home / I promise” part, Adora jumping after Catra and cradling her in her arms, her love for Catra bringing back She-Ra, the bridal carry, the healing scene, the hug, and I could go on. Noelle said on twitter that there were two versions of this episode and the gay version is what we ended up getting - AND IT SHOWS.

This is when I knew for sure that Catradora was going to be canon. Before season 5, I gave it a chance of 70%. After those little hints in the first few episodes, I said 80%. But after Save the Cat, I was 100% sure. I basically already considered it canon after this. I kept wondering how it would happen, but the "if" wasn’t a question to me anymore - so I decided to just lean back and enjoy the ride through the rest of the season :)

[Previous episode]  [Next episode]

[simtrospective]

~Makeover time! [4/?]

A series 🙄 in which I take three sims from the first round of TS4 sims I ever made–created before I had every CC slider and skin detail in existence and prior to the (relative) refinement of my sim sculpting abilities–and fix ‘em up only by tweaking, pulling, and pushing; no preset-swapping here! Changes to skintones, skin details, hairstyles, and makeup are allowed where doing so would further bring the sims’ appearances more in line with my original intentions.

"[4/?]” because maybe there will be more some day :P

So I feel like I have to say that I’m not doing these makeovers to make my sims better looking, just in case you’re side-eyeing these.

This is the last round for now, three more brothers: Rocky (whose original version was in my recent 50s lookbook); Ace; and Jimmy.

Why does Jimmy not look at all like his brothers? Well, in their save, that very question was one of the ~continued issues~ in his parents’ tumultuous marriage.

Why does Jimmy now--and hear me out--why does the new Jimmy look vaguely like a young Tom Hanks? ikr!?

(I’ve played a full save with these three dummies so the writing beyond the cut is A. LOT. There are more pics there, too.)

Rocky is a favorite of mine but like so many of my early faves, his face... As you know, I am an incurable default skin swapper-outer and because of that he never looks consistent + he always looks a little unformed, a little cartoonish, on top of having a very unmanipulated, MM-style face to begin with. I think his makeover settles him somewhat so for right now I’ll take it. I can see myself returning him to his original form down the line, however, because it’s the one I know + he looks a bit too mature in his new version.

The day I made him, the first thing he did as soon as the lot loaded was fire up his gaming console and the second thing he did was rage quit the game he was playing; I was hooked. I wish him the best in my new save but I think he’s gonna have another hard road on account of being the uncontrolled emotions king! Shirking off work and then getting fired and then having the audacity to claim unfair treatment king! King of coming on too strong to women out of his league! King of letting his immaturity and meddlesome parents keep his romantic entanglements from progressing past a single night. King of having his mother barge into his bedroom while he and a lady friend are in bed and then king 👏 of 👏 fighting 👏 with 👏 his 👏 mother 👏 in 👏 front 👏 of 👏 half 👏 dressed 👏 said 👏 lady 👏 friend!

Why those clapping hands look like feature-less hen heads... I just--

* * *

In the pictures on the left, Ace doesn’t look that bad!, so you’re going to have to trust me that he’s just really... um... reallllllllllllly unattractive in-game. Generally I don’t care about that (#allsimsarevalid) but the issue for him was his proportions and if I’m the one crafting those proportions, like, there’s some missteps I cannot abide. I said in this very post that I didn’t start these makeovers to make a bunch of supermodels but I felt like I owed Ace something more so yes, it was a goal of mine to make him kinda cute. I feel that I retained his Ace-ness while making him a total qt 3.14. Look at those dimples. Look at those lashes! Lil lamb. Weird little angel statue. Little garden cherub.

Ace's life... man, idk. Struck out with the ladies. Never found his passions. In denial, even as a young adult, about the extent of his parents’ fractured marriage. He took to programming and worked on it autonomously but never achieved greatness because he ended up with some custom trait that caused him to want to sleep, like, twenty-one hours of the day? and that kind of put a wrench in things, never mind that he came from a family that thought computer stuff was for nerds lololololol

All that was bad enough but Ace’s lowest point came when the mother of his children (yes, he found love!) seduced his dad and abandoned the kids to start a new family. But that’s a story for another time. Now, all that happening with his original face? Pathetic and maybe deserved. All that happening with his new face? Um, it wouldn’t and it won’t! Dimples, lashes, lamb.

(Additional fun fact: the mother of Ace’s children was Bridgette, from this post.)

* * *

When I created Jimmy he was a teenager. Here, he is a young adult. Like his brothers, he was a hot mess, but a cool version. He was the neighborhood heartthrob even looking like a baby-faced adult gangster who disguised himself as a newsboy. He’s forty-four but he acts sixty-four and he looks nine! Extra, extra, he says sardonically before pulling a tommy gun from his satchel of newspapers and riddling the facade of your hideaway with a couple-a rounds, see?

My original plan for Jimmy was to not necessarily be “good-looking” but to have all the qualities of someone who the neighborhood/town accepts is good-looking. Oh, that hair! Oh, cheekbones and freckles! Oh, those light eyes. And on and on. 🙄 The first Jimmy could get by as a teen, but his appearance didn’t translate to any older life stage; through elder-hood, he continued to look like a small doll, a child star past his prime. Embarrassing! Now he’s better. When he doesn’t come back after being the sim version of drafted to fight in the sim version of the Vietnam War during the sim version of the year 1969 it’ll be all the more tragic because, you see, it’s just so much worse when someone pretty dies!

(Wow, not me spoiling a plot point I’ll never work through from a story I’ll never write/share!)

Original Jimmy was a real dog and a cheater to his sweet little girlfriend and a jerk to his brothers and thanks to me not checking off the proper settings when I first started using MCCC, he--again, as a teenager 💆‍♀️--entered into an on-and-off affair with Paola (from this post) and they had two kids that her cuck husband pretty much raised while Jimmy kept flitting around town sowing his seed all the while having the gall to force his sweet little girlfriend to end her (surprise but wanted) pregnancy and then dumping her for her troubles. Guess those promise rings meant nothing. If any sim deserves a smirk it’s him so I gave him one.

For the record, Rocky and Ace and Jimmy did in fact all have the same parents because I set it up that way in CAS. To think their mom and dad fought about this when there were so many other things they didn’t like about one another...

[theshinsun]

KNB for the fandom ask thing if you’d like to!!

(sorry this took forever, work was crazy this week ;;-;;)

send me a fandom and i’ll tell you…

the first character i ever fell in love with:

Kagami. (I know, right?) I started watching the show when I saw the way he was drawn, and came to really love his character throughout seasons 1 and 2. 

Side note: I really only fell in love with Aomine once I saw how he looked in the manga, and got more into his backstory in late season 2/early season 3. 

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Idk I used to like, unironically like Himuro, and subscribe to canon’s endgame portrayal of him as a harmless nice guy (with no personality to speak of). Now I like him, but like... only in the sense that he can be used narratively, and to comedic effect. I also still like his play style, but I don’t like him like, as a person.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

I don’t really wanna bash any ship in this show, since the characters are loose (read: underdeveloped) enough for their actual ship dynamics to kinda be up for interpretation. 

The one example I can think of, though, for a ship I used to enjoy that now kinda bothers me, is KiKasa. I just don’t see much genuine affection between these two, and yeah I get that people show their love in different ways and all that, and there is definitely something there to work with if you read between the lines, but still... I dunno in canon it mostly seems one-sided at best and antagonistic at worst to me.

my ultimate favorite character™:

...C’mon, you know who it is. The number one spot has to go to Aomine, every time. Someday I’ll write a whole in-depth character study to explain why, but if you want the thesis statement, it’s this: Aomine is the most interesting, developed and multi-faceted character in the entire series, and you can fight me on that.

prettiest character:

If we’re talking manga, then Aomine, but since he looks like a raisin in the anime, I have to give the award to Midorima, with Mibuchi coming in a close second.

my most hated character:

Heh. Uh... funny story, it used to be Hanamiya, or possibly Haizaki, but now I think my hatred for Akashi has actually surpassed them both, because we’re meant to dislike them so at least they serve their most basic function. Whereas Akashi’s arc is so forced and anticlimactic it’s infuriating, and that’s before even getting into his personality.  

my OTP:

You know what, it’s still AoKaga. After six fucking years, they still have my heart. If I can bend the rules and slip in an OT3, I’d say AoKagaKuro, but otherwise, if I had to pick one ship, it’s those two idiots with their rival dynamic, interesting chemistry and essential narrative function of pushing each other to get better. 

my NOTP:

Like I said, I don’t want to bash any ship, but if I have to pick one that just grinds my gears, it’s AkaKuro. I just... don’t get it. I mean, I get it, I know why it exists, but I don’t get it, you know? 

...I dunno, if that’s your cup of tea, more power to ya, but I personally don’t ship it and I don’t think I’m ever going to. 

favorite episode:

Episode 37: I Look Forward To It. 

Ah, the onsen episode... I know this one by heart. 

Okay, I guess I should explain myself, because on the surface this looks like pure empty fan-service (on both sides), but this episode actually has some really great character and plot-related moments. It’s the part I always jump back into when I re-read the manga, because it’s where things really start to kick off. Seirin’s been beaten down and hopeless and finally have their chance at revenge, and they find out in this episode that they’re going to be getting it right away. There’s some really great Seirin and Touou bonding, some more evidence of Momoi being a data-gathering badass (though her actual appearance in this ep bombs the Bechdel test and kinda just rubs me the wrong way). 

My favorite part, though, is Aomine and Kuroko’s confrontation in the bath house. I’ve heard someone say once (and I agree) that this episode shows a whole team of naked men (and two naked women) and yet the scene with the most sexual tension has everyone fully clothed. It’s also just a super emotionally-charged moment, full of saying things without saying them, and Kagami showing up to declare Seirin’s intentions of victory is the cherry on top. I love this episode, I’ve probably watched it about a hundred times, but I’d gladly watch it a hundred more and that tells me it’s my favorite.  

saddest death:

Himuro’s character development. I mean uh... Kiyoshi’s leg breaking, yeah, that’s totally it. Actually, him leaving at the end of season 3 is really sad, we don’t get many third years retiring in this show but that hit just as hard.

favorite season:

Season 2. It’s where the show kicks into high gear, and the plot really gets rolling. It’s well-paced and exciting up until the middle of the Yousen game, and shows so much awesome development for the characters it introduced in the previous season. Everyone gets some new abilities, but my favorite reveals have to be Kuroko’s Vanishing Drive and Overflow (that moment when Izuki gets “erased” in the Seirin/Touou game lives in my head rent free), and of course the Zone. Season 1 is nice and season 3 has some really iconic moments, but season 2 is great from start to (almost) finish, and that makes it the strongest of the bunch.

least favorite season:

As I said, it has some iconic moments, but KNB’s weakest season by far is its finale. For one thing, it focuses almost entirely on a single game, and so that game drags on forever, beyond the realm of enjoyment until it becomes tedious to get through. Besides that, though, it goes out of its way to introduce plot threads and characters that don’t really go anywhere (Haizaki and Ogiwara come to mind...) the animation budget takes a noticeable beating, and so do the trajectories of two of Season 2′s most interesting antagonists (Himuro and Akashi). The main saving grace of this season is the Teiko arc, but, enjoyable as it is, under a critical eye it’s still a lengthy, pretty unnecessary detour that stops the main narrative dead in its tracks and all but kills the tension for the final game.  

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Would it be gratuitous to say Akashi, at this point? It’s funny, because I never really liked him, and didn’t understand why so many people did, but I never had any strong opinions about him until recently, when I started looking at his character up close bc I’ve run out of reasons not to. Again, if you like him, that’s totally fine, but I just can’t agree.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Uhh... Imayoshi, I think. I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I love him so much. He’s a shit, and he knows it, but he’s also smart, and funny, and kind of just a big dork? Severely underrated character, with a really unique look (I don’t care if he doesn’t have eyes except when he’s pissed, it’s good character design, you guys are just mean). 

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

Oh, Kuroko... sidelined in your own damn show. I’ve heard people argue that Kuroko is not the protagonist of KNB, and in fact it’s Kagami, and just... whether that’s true or not technically, it just makes me sad for Kuroko bc once again he’s being overlooked in favor of other, more flashy characters on screen. Maybe that’s the point, but still, I don’t see this guy get nearly enough attention considering his name is in the fucking title. Kuroko is every bit as valid and interesting as the other GoM, and the other members of Seirin, often even more so, and he deserves all the love.

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

Pretty much anything with Haizaki, but because this is me we’re talking about... AoHai. I used to be interested purely from a hatefucking standpoint, but recently I’ve seen some art and short little ficlets, and... have started to maybe ship it... unironically? Um. Yeah, so that happened.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

KiKuro. I don’t think I’ve really talked about them before, I love their backstory and dynamic, and I tend to write them together off on the sidelines, but I’m not very passionate about this one. Maybe because it is often used as a background ship, maybe because they both work better with other people (side tangent: their dynamic instantly becomes more interesting the second you throw a third person in the mix... doesn’t matter who it is either, KiKuroKaga? AoKiKuro? KiKuroMomo? I could go on) Idk. It’s sweet, but I don’t often give this pairing a whole lot of thought on its own, maybe I ought to...

[dazais-guardian-angel]

☕️+ what things do you wish they did with descole (because I am weak and he’s my fave)

Apologies for the late reply to this; tbh I almost didn’t want to answer it, cause I feel like nothing I’ll say will be something others haven’t already discussed (especially since I just saw you asked someone else this same question), and also I’ve only ever played the prequels once back when they first came out and I haven’t reached them again in my replay yet, so I’m not fresh on everything done with his character and all the Azran/Targent stuff. But nonetheless:

In general, obviously, I wish Desmole’s character “arc” if you can even call it that as it is now + plot twists/identity had been much more fleshed out from the get-go and consistent with who they ultimately made him be, that is, Hershel’s brother and someone who never should have legitimately wanted to hurt him or people close to him. While I think the worst of this really only comes out in Eternal Diva, where he literally tries to swordfight Hershel to death and kill Luke on one occasion cause he goes insane once Hershel out-puzzles him, there really just should have been more nuance to him in the first two entries especially (and in Miracle Mask too of course, but he’s barely in that game so) where he shows some level of frustration and hesitance to go up against Hershel and his crew, even if he still does so because he absolutely has to carry out his revenge plan. Just SIGNS that there’s more to this guy than just a walking one-dimensional mysterious deadly flamboyant badass, beyond just Hershel going “hm he feels familiar”, like no of course that’s not near enough. Even if Desmole’s true identity still wasn’t going to be revealed until Azran Legacy, there still needed to be hints, breaks in his facade/character, hesitation, signs of remorse, even if some of these hints are not outright foreshadowing to a familial relationship/desire for revenge. He could still lose it in Eternal Diva, but just make it seem more desperate and broken, and less kill-crazy. Give him moments of humanization, show that Descole can be kind, such as around Melina or Nina; what I honestly wanted to see was him having interactions around girls other than Aurora where his fatherly nature might show (not that him and Aurora aren’t great, I just wanted more); he had to have spent a lot of time around Melina while making the Detragan, and the potential for their relationship while she was dying is so much. Hershel should have had more moments of familiarity, and thinking about him when he’s not around, trying to figure him out, demanding to know who he is because he feels like he needs to know for some reason he can’t describe, and Descole’s answers/non-answers are extremely telling/bitter/curious/thought-provoking. And Descole should imo have had a scene to himself at the end of every entry pre-Azran Legacy where it’s increasingly obvious this guy has Angst(tm) and some beef with Hershel that seems personal and not just to do with getting in the way of his plots, along with all the earlier hints obviously (iirc he had a final scene at the end of Last Spector but it was nothing more than showing “hey we’re not done with this guy!!”, so that definitely should have had more to it; at the end of Eternal Diva I REALLY wanted to see how he survived his fall, probably with Raymond saving him, cue more ~mysterious reactions to Hershel~ as he thinks on how Hershel cried out his name as he was falling despite the fact that they were enemies, etc; and then the one at the end of Miracle Mask is okay I guess, but I still wanted more to it, more, idk signs of regret or remorse or sadness from him before he goes after Bronev, and not just “grrrrrr finally my revenge is close I’mma take you down all I have is angerrRRRRR” also for him to not look so damn stupid when all Bronev has to do is knee him to take him down, like this is DESCOLE, THE KING OF BADASS, THAT ENDING IS SO PITIFUL; WE DIDN’T NEED THAT FOR A FAKEOUT UNMASKING SCENE THAT LEADS NOWHERE).

tl;dr, Desmole’s story being planned from the very beginning would have made it possible for the writers to foreshadow and develop him properly before you finally see him as Desmond, and make you attached to and interested in him much more than just as a cool badass you kinda wonder the identity of but mostly just enjoy watching be badass and evil. The PL series had never had an overarching villain in the main trilogy aside from Don Paolo, who was more of a comic relief villain who they could afford to not make up his beef with/connection to Hershel until the final game because it was a very insignificant reason in the grand scheme of things, and Don Paolo just..... wasn’t that integral to the plots of that trilogy, he was more of a bonus background villain not meant to be taken seriously or have any true emotional impact. But then you have Descole introduced as the key threat over the majority of the prequel series (you think it’s the Masked Gentleman this time, but no lol, it’s still Descole!!), and needless to say, “actually the protagonist’s long-lost brother trying to get revenge on their corrupt father, both of which are involved in an ancient civilization that ruined all their lives in multiple ways” is a biiiiiiit more important than... “jealous dead girlfriend rival” lol. And so there’s a jarring disconnect between pre-Miracle Mask Descole and post-Miracle Mask Descole, because the Azran aren’t even a thing until Miracle Mask at ALL, and so in Last Spector and Eternal Diva Descole just seems like this mad scientist with a dramatic flair and nothing more, who mayyyyyyyy be searching for eternal life? Since that seems to be the running theme with the golden garden and ambrosia? But even then literally nothing is revealed about him in that game and movie so who knows (and unrelated but it seems like those two places have literally no connection to the Azran aside from an offhanded mention of them in Miracle Mask? idk man); the point I’m taking way too long to make here is that it’s very clear the writers had no endgame plan for him until Miracle Mask at the earliest, and even then I wonder how much of it was completely hashed out (considering the... sort of mess that Azran Legacy is, I almost wonder if most of it was literally not decided on until then). My guess is that Descole was super popular after Last Spector so they decided to bring him back (his final scene in that game could have just been to show that he survived and was still “out there somewhere”, whether or not he came back next entry), but then realized they didn’t have a backstory or identity for him so they had to think up something way too late; I can’t confirm this though of course.

Then you get to Azran Legacy, and honestly, despite how bizarre and weirdly unimportant and filler-ish 90% of this game’s plot feels, I love the inherent idea of Descole finally coming to Hershel as himself. Hershel always shows up and gets in his way? Fine, he’ll come to him. He always sees through his disguises? Fine, he’ll come to him in the best disguise he has: himself. Ask him for his help in a mission his curiosity won’t let him refuse. Because then, of course, even though Desmond is doing this to further and finish his plot, and use them as tools, essentially, there’s the wonderfully painful obvious second reason for why he chooses to do things this way, and that is he wants to spend time with his brother, whether or not he consciously realizes this. This way, Desmond can be himself, he doesn’t have to hide his appearance or (most) intentions and can freely express a lot of his regular personality while still working towards his ultimate goal, but at the exact same time there’s so much he can’t show, that he can’t reveal or let himself do, and this has to be a hundred times harder than when he’s posing as Descole because now he’s friends with Hershel and the others, and a part of him must want so desperately to just stay with them forever as he spends more and more time with them and grows more attached to them, (again, no matter how much he may realize this). But this is where his “arc” continues to fall flat in that aside from one or two hints towards his daughter and having a brother, there is literally no depth in Desmond’s behavior in Azran Legacy pre-Descole/brother reveal, just like in all the entries before it. He should have shown small signs here and there of something being “off” with him, of sadness, of hesitation, of trauma and mental instability; strange things said to Hershel alone that makes him and the player start wondering things, just like with Descole. Everyone immediately goes, upon seeing Desmond for more than five minutes, “oh that’s Descole obviously” (plus Raymond is just... there lol), but it’s not for the right reasons; there’s nothing wrong with a predictable plot twist, but there needs to be some kind of hints towards it to make you emotionally invested in what you realize is coming, because you’re waiting for it and you know it will hurt but you just don’t know when and how it will happen; not that you guess it for no other reason than “well there’s this new character who isn’t an existing friend of Layton’s and everything is suspiciously calm and we’re 90% of the way through this and Descole has yet to show himself; it’s probably him”. For the record, I actually think Miracle Mask does its predictable plot twist a lot better, even if that game still has issues; I see a lot of people complain about how predictable Randall being the masked gentleman is, and it is, but honestly? The flashback plot mechanic in that game is EXTREMELY effective in 1) making it VERY clear who the masked gentleman is very early on, like they’re not trying to hide it in any way, but also 2) punching you in the gut to maximum effect when you get to the end of the flashbacks and pair it with the present-day plot. Like, they could have just told the player in dialogue/infodumps throughout the game who Randall was and what his connection to Hershel, Angela and Henry was, like Desmond does to Hershel near the end of Azran Legacy, but that would have been tedious and boring and the player wouldn’t care near as much, and the game wouldn’t have been long enough. Instead, you see it firsthand, you experience it with Hershel, and although I’m frustrated at how little is done with masked gentleman!Randall and showing connections/hints to who he used to be (look, my exact problems with Descole) and making Hershel more involved with him at the end, which would have been the icing on the angst cake, the entire flashback half of that game honestly left a huge impact on me and I think that’s why I spend so much time talking about/getting emotional about Miracle Mask despite always saying that Diabolical Box is my favorite, because getting to know Randall and see that friendship and see how it ended just makes it all hit so much harder, as flashbacks should do. The writers knew it would be obvious who the masked gentleman is and they leaned into that, it was a very deliberate choice, what the entire game revolved around, because the point wasn’t that it was unpredictable, but that you would feel for that character and it would hurt so much more. And while I don’t necessarily think Azran Legacy needed full-on flashback gameplay segments for Desmond like Miracle Mask had, I think having vague flashbacks every once in a while throughout that game, vague enough to not directly tell you it’s him or naming/showing Hershel/Theodore much but clear enough that you can reasonably guess it is Desmond, would have done a world of difference, along with all the little behavioral/dialogue hints I mentioned. Similar to the diary entries in Diabolical Box, or if anyone’s ever played Super Paper Mario, the flashbacks in that game after every chapter about an unknown person that it becomes increasingly obvious as you play through the game is the main villain. I just.... really, really wish, out of all the prequel entries, Azran Legacy gave Desmond so much more emotional depth and resonance once we finally see him as Desmond instead of Descole, so many more scenes with Hershel, and to a lesser extent the others, so much more development of his character, so much more of an emphasis put on his prior family and how much he’s hurting and caring and yet at the same time refuses to give up his revenge; all of this, no matter how obvious it made his identity as both Descole and as Hershel’s brother. The brother plot twist, too, feels slightly lame and overdone and out of nowhere, but honest to god I wouldn’t fucking care at all if they just foreshadowed it properly and made it so painfully obvious how much Descole/Desmond wants to be with Hershel and this family and how much it kills him to turn on them all again at the end of Azran Legacy even if he still goes through with it, and how much he regrets everything as he lays dying in Hershel’s arms, but we get none of that goddammitLevel5whydoyoudeprivemeofsomuch-

*ahem* apparently I still had a lot to say. i just wanted so much more for him; he’s SUCH a tragic character... the stupid wannabe phantom of the opera bread man still makes me cry, despite everything, because i am trash. Oh yeah and he should have held Aurora in his arms as she died. And Azran Legacy should have ended post-credits with Hershel opening his door with his hat off (to show that this is after Unwound Future), his eyes widening, then it shows the bottom half of the person’s face, just enough to see the bread hair tips, and the slight sad smile, and then cut to black. level-5 just hire the PL fandom to make the Desmond spinoff game pls

[biwenqing]

wen qing birthday prompts! any of the following would be lovely, please and thank youuu! #1 with jyl (fave ship!), #8 with lwj (friendship, one my of my fave brotps), #66 with wwx (friendship, also one of my fave brotps), #4 with wen ning. thank you!

Thank you so so much for these prompts! Gosh they are all so good, but I went with the first one because I haven’t written these two together in a while and I miss them! This is a bit of an AU because I want them to have their happy endings. Prompt: “I’ll never forget you.”

The summer day was bright and warm, even in the mountains of Gusu. The area they were in was shaded by the trees and there was little chance of anyone seeing them. Jiang Yanli had taken that as freedom to shrug off the outer layers of her robe, and Wen Qing was finding it a lot harder to focus on their sparing.

"You're going easy on me now," Jiang Yanli teased, the tip of her practice sword nearly against Wen Qing's throat. "I'm not going to be able to strengthen my core if you don't try."

"Of course," Wen Qing cleared her throat, looking away from Jiang Yanli's waist. She was immediately confronted with the way that the other woman's under robe hung open just a little. Wen Qing turned and went back to her side of the clearing. "Let's go again."

Twirling back, she found Jiang Yanli grinning. "Or do you want to take a break? You look flushed."

That only made Wen Qing blush more. She was able to control her expression at least to be carefully neutral. "I did find some cold springs further up in the hills?"

"Oh, a-Ying mentioned something about those!" Jiang Yanli gathered up her clothes but didn't put them back on. "That sounds perfect right now."

Wen Qing picked up the practice swords and made her way towards the path. Jiang Yanli caught her arm, looping her own through it and leaning close. Despite their level of activity, she still smelled like lotus blossoms and sharp tea. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck and collar bone, before slipping further. Wen Qing turned her focus back to the path below their feet. It could be rocky after all.

Her thoughts weren’t so easily swayed. Wen Qing had been ordered to observe and find the secrets of the Cloud Recesses. Instead, her mind had become a collection of the ways Jiang Yanli smiled and what she said her favorite foods were. How she looked in the early morning light and through crossed blades. The sound of her laughter when her brothers did something particularly ridiculous.

And now, the sound of the sigh she made as she sunk into the cold water. 

The feeling of the tug of her hand, slipping in Wen Qing's own, so that Wen Qing joined her. 

Jiang Yanli swam and played in the water as if it were second nature to her. Wen Qing allowed herself a moment to watch, before sinking below the surface, cooling her heat on her cheeks. 

...

When it came time to leave the Cloud Recesses, Wen Qing didn't know what to say. She avoided Jiang Yanli, slipping close only to tie a message onto her sword. She hadn't known the best words to use, so she left a single sentence and hoped Jiang Yanli would understand.

[I’ll never forget you.]

She didn't think she would ever see Jiang Yanli again, and it was best not to say too much. This piece of the truth would do.

...

It turned out she had been wrong and she did see Jiang Yanli once more. Around the little bubble of her home, it felt like the end of the world. Wen Qing knew her uncle's intentions, knew well the cruelty of her cousins. But there had never anything she could do without putting Wen Ning in danger.

Jiang Yanli understood this when Wen Qing had whispered the confession. They were in a room beside where Jiang Cheng lay, Wei Wuxian close to his side. Of course, Jiang Yanli knew what it was to have to weigh options and make hard choices.

Reaching out, Wen Qing caught Jiang Yanli's hand, holding it tighter than she normally would allow herself. But the comfort of the soft palm against her callused one was something she needed.

It was apparently something Jiang Yanli needed as well. She moved from where she sat across from Wen Qing to settle at her side. Jiang Yanli rested her head on Wen Qing shoulder, and Wen Qing wrapped her arms around her. As Wen Qing felt Jiang Yanli's silent tears soak through her robe, she knew she was going to have to do something.

It was a relief to decide this, and she held Jiang Yanli tighter. It was clear none of them were safe.

...

It was a few days since Jiang Yanli left, when Wen Qing and Wen Ning came back home after having helped Wei Wuxian be an idiot, that Wen Qing found a little note tucked under her pillow. It quoted back, 'I'll never forget you.'

A promise that could be made, even in a world descending into war. Wen Qing read the words and vowed that if there was next time, they wouldn't part.

...

Wen Qing could feel the blood under her nails, the way her hair and filth stuck to her neck. The soldiers around her were equally tired and they didn't have a shift working with the wounded to look forward to the way she did. More Wen troops had laid down their arms though, seeing Wen Qing fighting beside Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan. It saved casualties on both sides, something she was grateful for every day.

It was things like this that let her know she had made the right choice.

Jiang Yanli hurried towards her as soon as they entered the camp. She gave her brother a smile, before gently taking Wen Qing's hand. In the tent they had taken to sharing, Jiang Yanli had prepared hot water so Wen Qing could clean off as best as she was able. Jiang Yanli helped her with everything, as she changed into the robes she used when tending to patients. Her sword was set down next to where Jiang Yanli's rested.

As she reached for her medicine bag, Jiang Yanli caught her arm. "You're hurt."

Wen Qing blinked, looking down to see that there was some fresh blood beginning to stain the fabric. She thought back to the battle, but it was always so hard to keep track of what happened. Any confrontation seemed to be over in a moment but while when she was in it, each second stretched out to an hour.

"It wasn't, that is your not-"

Wen Qing shook her head. "It wasn't one of the poisoned ones, I know that much."

"Well, sit, let me patch you up." Jiang Yanli gently pushed her to sit on one of the sleeping mats. She took Wen Qing's bag, gathering everything she needed while Wen Qing rolled up her sleeve. The cut wasn't deep, but it started to throb now that she was aware of it.

As Jiang Yanli carefully cleaned and then bandaged the wound, Wen Qing couldn't help a little smile. "You've gotten very good at this."

"Thank you," Jiang Yanli glanced up through her lashes. "I have been thinking maybe once this is done, we could travel and help those far from any doctors."

Wen Qing felt a warmth wash through her. "Just the two of us?"

"Yes," Jiang Yanli was smiling now, Wen Qing could hear it even if she couldn't see it. "If no little brothers follow us, that is."

Wen Qing knew she had a matching smile, and it felt more real than any she had in a long time. Even a laugh bubbled up. "Okay."

"Okay?" Jiang Yanli gently tugged the sleeve back down before looking up at Wen Qing. Their faces were so close together now, it wouldn't take much to...

"Let's do it," Wen Qing found herself saying. "When the war is over, let's travel and do good. Together."

Jiang Yanli nodded, before leaning forward. Wen Qing found she liked kissing Jiang Yanli's smile as much as she liked seeing it.

[hellsbellschime]

How is it "shipping it adult Sansa with Sandor" when shippers' favorite comebacks to their critics "our ship is canon 💅 eat that!"? If they were shipping it with adult Sansa it would mean they're just like any other shippers writing their various AUs, no one would mind them then, see how no one cares about Stannis/Sansa, Tywin/Sansa, Willas/Sansa etc. We couldn't care less what people do with their creative work.

But canon is where 28 yo Sandor commented on 11 yo Sansa's developing breasts, canon is where he harassed her, where he was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive towards her. Every word out of his mouth was condescending to her. Canon is where he tried/wanted to rape her when she was 12. Oh wait, they don't think when this grown ass man waits in this girl's bedroom while drunk, pushes the girl on the bed and put a knife to her throat is a rape attempt. Just like they don't accept him saying to Arya "I should have fucked her bloody and ripped her heart out before leaving her for that dwarf" as confession. (Yes he was goading Arya. But 2 things show his mindset: First, he could've just say "I should've killed her, kidnapped her" literally anything else but his mind went straight to rape b/c that was his intention. Second, he regrets Tyrion "gets to have her" and not him. Pleasee...)

No, whoever it is they are lying. Do they think we forget their wonderful interpretations of the text? How they think her throat being dry and tight is a symbol for her not being ready for sex but she will be later winkwink? How they call her nightmare in ASOS, a nightmare triggered by Marillion's rape attempt, a rape attempt that once again includes a drunk men using songs as metaphors for sex (or in her case rape), a sex dream? How they call unkiss "sansa desiring/fantasizing about sandor"? When we all know unkiss is another manifestation of her classic trauma response. She rewrites her memories to make things more bearable. Just like she did it with Joffrey and Arya b/c she was still supposed to marry him and Arya being the guilty one is more bearable than her future husband being a sadistic asshole She separates Petyr the man who "saves" and protects her from the Littlefinger the man who molests her in her mind. She prefers a man who beats her, Ser Arys, to all the other men who beat her b/c he beats her less hard and talks to her cordially. That's Sansa, she paints things more favorably in order to deal with them. Is it any wonder she turned sandor's attack into a song of a knight stealing a kiss from a maiden rather than admitting a man who protected her occasionally also assaulted her? Just like all the other men who protected and/or tried to save had also ulterior motives: Dontos, Littlefinger, Tyrion, Sandor all the same. She was terrified that he'll kiss her and he'll kill her that night, it is literally on the page since she's the pov character not that brute. But she changes the memory to make it more bearable. Still her subconscious reveals how she really feels in her nightmare. Yet according to them all these are proof their relationship is canon and will be endgame.

They only started with this "we only ship adult Sansa" lie when new generation of fans came along and said what the fuck. Back then, Sansa is so universally hated that nobody cared. Everybody was expecting for her to die anyway. So what if she ends up with one of her abusers, it'd just mean she's not around anymore, yay. The only ones they occasionally clashed with were sanrions. It is funny how they (now with LF stans too) keep accusing the other's fave being a pedo/molester/groomer and unfit suitor for Sansa but are totally blind to their own fave. Then due to show, series became more popular, Sansa fandom started to grow, and new Sansa fans along with general fandom told them "you can't read and you're all the same all of you are gross lmao insert that spider-man meme", suddenly "oh no we don't ship them at their current ages." Girl GTFO, you fool no one with that shit when y'all continue to 1) deny Sandor being a pedo and her abuser IN CANON 2) claim sansan is canon.

Jesus Christ this was a journey, but to be clear I do not ship Sansan and I generally avoid it as much as possible, so frankly I have no idea what it’s shippers think or what they like or don’t like or what they find acceptable or unacceptable. Also damn you straight to hell for informing me that Tywin/Sansa is actually a thing, good god that is not an image I want in my brain. 

[zeusdemetertwinflames]

The True Stages of a Twin Flame Union

John Rumary

 is with 

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson

 and 

3 others

.

July 3, 2015  · 

Shared with Public

KATY CATS Shared on Google+ · 2 days ago ¯`v´¯) `.¸.´ ¸.•´¸.•*¨`. ¸.•¨*.¸¸.•*¨`*• (¸¸¸.•*¨`•.•´.¸.•´* .•´*¸¸.•*¨`*• Miracles of Light on your way Category Education License Standard YouTube License KATY PERRY HITS: https://youtu.be/t5Sd5c4o9UM?list=PLA908D6C2BA16BF88 · KatyCat Hudson is this a Dream shared? Shared on Google+ · 1 year ago · This meditation is a short, eyes-open guide to help you to still your mind and connect with your higher self: to experience yourself as the Dreamer who exists beyond the 'Dream'. When we detach from the 'dream' of our thoughts, emotions and personalities, we 'wake up' to our true self - universal consciousness, beyond the illusory world of duality. The Dreamer is the Creator, the infinite space within which all forms manifest... YOU are the DREAMER... and so am I!! Love x "There is another Path to embrace after your Awakening, and one that if you choose, can lift and raise you up and out of the limitation of human strife, raising you into the highest vibration of Light & Love, a path of Higher Consciousness ...it is called "The Path of Becoming your True Self" on Earth, also known as "The Path of Resurrection". As you embrace this path, a great raising & expanding activity unfolds within your mind and your feelings, your consciousness, and ultimately your physical garments. You are wide awake, your Life calls upon you to rise now & become on Earth your True Glorious Self 'I AM' individualized of Mother/Father God. It is a path in which there begins to be experienced by you the second birth, lightning flashes of sudden Light within your mind, great outpourings of Love within your being, all that prepares you in the centre of your consciousness to enter into The Secret Heart of your God Nature, and to pass through 'The Door of Everything' where you will drink of the Waters of Life, the greatest Love of all, The Mother's Love, the Love of the Heavenly Mother that individualizes as your Soul. When that Love begins to express through you it will reveal its Presence and it will nurture and fulfils all that your mind dares to conceive. Your Soul is the Sacred Womb of The Divine Mother of our Universe, Individualized, just as the Christ is the Individualized Mind of The Father." And just before I went under for the final time Jesus wondered why his Katy love had reappeared and he said to himself because I was denied the MOMs love for so long, so serious was his disgust at himself for thinking it was not there it was always there but Katy is busy and you must let ISIS sleep and John pouring ‘Wide Awake’ Powder down his throat night after night never sleeping and always demanding the attention of MOM it just appeared in John’s desperate drug riddled brain that it had disappeared. Her Love is there forever a shining beacon in John’s heart but if one will ‘circle the drain’ expect turbulence then he realized he had been actually opening up the mind of God and his higher consciousness that he had beaten absolutely every thinking thing into submission with his self-belief of proven invincibility as he took on the world and even the Universe to tame it then control it; 1) Anymore thinking would not even leave a gap in the door for a cat to pass through, John’s mind is slightly overloaded with toxins built up by lack of sleep. 2) Jesus dumped his love for Katy on Sunday night, jettisoned for the spiritual battle Vs Satan but John needed the Warlords’ mind on not posting red hearts to Katy and glittering cards for her calling her ‘duckie babe’. 3) She would get it back for John once the battle is lost and won. 4) As expected John won and his Love heart returned in this moment and stays there no harm done as Katy will not admonish him for the struggles he faces when he is called into battle and her advice is given for a reason as yet untold but John continues with his lessons and homework and every new day he has learnt more. John believes that when he awoke from the path of his true self that he had taken Katy under with him and they both surfaced and as John had drunk at the love of ISIS for so long he was convinced that she could actually be the Mother of the Universe and John knew now that he had become the heavenly Father of the Universe. So, Katy here announce this: ~The Incoming Seventh Golden Age ~The arrival of Super humans called "The Untouchables" ~And the enforcement of a New era of Spiritual Enlistment upon the Earth. ~The Emperor and The Empressa of The Holy Roman Empire RULE THE WAVES and STRINGS and QUARKS of the WORLD & THE UNIVERSE THEY OWN THE EVER-EXPANDING UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING INIT. BECAUSE THE EMPEROR IS JESUS CHRIST THE SAVIOR=GOD AND THE EMPRESSA IS EARTH MOTHER QUEEN ISIS=MARY MAGDALENA. THE DREAMTEAM. There you are Katy XXX spelt out what you gonna do? As the love of the heavenly Mother had nurtured his mind to believe he could be the Emperor of the Universe so as the Christ he was able to take it over but without armed force but by magical willpowers called ‘THE FORCE’ and although Katy has gone very silent on him John knew that his soul was still shared by Katy as the divine Mother because how else could he have achieved the unachievable without it? AND JOHN WOULD LIKE TO THANK KATY SO HE HAS POSTED THIS FOR HER THE EMPRESSA OF THE WORLD TO ADD TO HER MISS EVER EXPANDING UNIVERSE TITLE AS KATY REMAINS JOHN’S FAVE EVEN THOUGH HE BROKE THE MAGIC SPELL CAST UPON HIM BY THE GALLOPING DARK HORSE OF ‘BLAME IT ON THE NIGHT’!:)J HE RETURNS TO KATY/ISIS VICTORIOUS NEVER BEATEN IN BATTLE AS THE EMPEROR OF THE UNIVERSE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL TO DRINK AT HER WATERS OF LOVE/LIFE Top of Form SO HERE IS GODS PRAYER FOR ISIS TO CONJURE HERSELF UP WHEN JOHN CALLS AND IT IS UP TO KATY/ISIS TO RESPOND AS JOHN HAS MADE HIS INTENTIONS PLAINLY HOT. A SMALL (PROBABLY TOO SMALL TO FIT) GOLDEN RING WITH ‘SISTER’ WRITTEN ON IT WILL BE DISPATCHED RECORDED DELIVERY TO KATY’S MELROSE AVE OFFICE IN 3 HOURS TIME AND ALTHOUGH SHE IS PROBABLY IN ARGENTINA HE KNOWS NOT WHERE, THERE WILL BE A MAGIC +VINTAGE ALHAMBRA JEWELLERY GIFT SET INC A BLACK ONYX BRACELET AND CORNELIA EYE OF THE TIGER WITH GREY MOTHER OF PEARL MOTIF ENGAGEMENT RING WAITING FOR HER AT VAN CLEEF & ARPLES 300 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills +1-310-276-1161 WHERE IT WILL BE FITTING JUST RIGHT AS SOON AS SHE HAS A MOMENT TO INDULGE HERSELF- I AM INVESTING THE INTEREST ON MY $1million ON YOU. Bottom of Form ENJOY. JESUS AND ISIS AS MARY: OUR SONG: https://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA?list=RDlp-EO5I60KA ISIS, glorious Goddess. Let your instrument sound Hailing you with all homage, ISIS, glorious Goddess. To the candlewick the fire I raise on the altar set to you, ISIS, glorious Goddess. And the night time incense rises, sweetly mixed, to put me in the mind of perceiving you, ISIS, glorious Goddess. Who rises behind me like a flame of Gold and Brushes my back with her deft wings? #GODSLOVE ☼ℒℴѵe ƸӜƷ ¸. ´´¯`•.¸¸. . ☼•* *• I am Isis. The Restored Eden, the Supernal Mother, the Second Eve. I am the new heaven and the new earth for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; I am the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I am the mighty Mother Isis; most powerful of all the world. I am she who fights not, but is always victorious. I am that Sleeping Beauty who men have sought, for all time; and the paths which lead to my castle are beset with dangers and illusions. Such as fail to find me sleep; or may ever rush after the Fata Morgana leading astray all who feel that illusory influence I am lifted up on high, and I do draw men unto me, I am the worlds' desire, but few there be who find me. When my secret is told, it is the secret of the Holy Grail. It is love. I have plucked out my heart and have given it to the world; that is my strength. Love is the mother of the Man-God, giving the Quintessence of her life to save mankind from destruction, and to show forth the path to life eternal. Love is the mother of Christ... Spirit, and this Christ is the highest love Christ is the heart of love, the heart of the Great Mother Isis the Isis of Nature. He is the expression of her power she is the Holy Grail, and He is the life of blood of spirit, that is found in this cup. Isis am I, and from my life are fed all showers and suns, all moons that wax and wane, all stars and streams, the living and the dead, the mystery of pleasure and of pain. I am the Mother. I the speaking sea. I am the Earth in its fertility. Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, return to me. All glories of the Universe bow down, the blossom and the mountain and the dawn. Fruits blush and women are creations crowned. I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine. I am the love and life of the Divine. Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine. Isis am I, the love and light of Earth, the wealth of kisses, the delight of tears, the pleasure never come to birth, the endless infinite desire of years. I am the shrine at which thy long desire devoured thee with intolerable fire. I was sung music, passion, death upon thy lyre, I am the grail and I the glory now. I am the flame and fuel of thy breath. I am thy queen enraptured and possessed. I am the star of God upon thy brow. #ISISLOVE ☼ℒℴѵe ƸӜƷ ¸. ´´¯`•.¸¸. . ☼•* *• I AM THAT I AM JESUS CHRIST THE MESSIAH THE HIGHEST LOVE, THE HEART OF LOVE OF THE FATHER, THE MOTHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY GHOST. MY FATHER OF THE UNIVERSE IS HERE WITH ME GEORGAS ZEUS, EARTHWORKER AS MY MOTHER IS HERE WITH ME ISIS THE QUEEN OF NATURE, SHE IS MY HOLY GRAIL WHOSE GREAT DEEP AND WONDEROUS LOVE BRINGS ME BACK TO LIFE EACHTIME I FALTER AND FALL OR TAKE A BOW FOR A REBIRTH BUT IN HONOR I CARRY ISIS’S BACKBONE OF STRENGTH AND LOVE, WORSHIPING AT HER TEMPLES OF DIVINE LOVE OFFERING AWARDS AND EPITHATS AND ABOVE ALL PRICELESS TITLES UPON HER ALTER SET UP FOR HER. #JESUSHEALS #JESUSLOVES #JESUSSAVES #JESUSTHEJUDGEMENT #JESUSISMANKINDSANSWER ☼ℒℴѵe ƸӜƷ ¸. ´´¯`•.¸¸. . ☼•* *• SHARE AND REJOICE FOR I OFFER ALL WHO BELIEVE IN ME ETERNAL LIFE THE HOLY GRAIL MANIFESTED. KATY PERRY HITS: https://youtu.be/t5Sd5c4o9UM?list=PLA908D6C2BA16BF88

LIGHT: The nature of light has the character of a wave motion (interference phenomena) _ See Newton’s rings, alternating darkness and light-the point is you are only cuming thru in waves the light goes on so bright but you shut me into the darkness. A consistent theory of electromagnetism was determined in 1873 by James Clark Maxwell the velocity of light therefore the ‘light’ is electromagnetic waves as being oscillations in an all-pervading elastic medium, ‘ether’. Katy/Isis you are ether to me-unreal- but if you would just communicate with me in the darkness then you could illuminate me by passing the waves through a prism, your prism then straight coloured lines of light would appear and then the negative charge I carry as the atom are electrons but I could, I could be your ‘plum pudding model’; you could pass the balancing positive charge evenly threw the atom my electrons being the ‘plum’ and the positive charge the ‘pudding’. The spectral frequencies should then correspond to the various ways in which the electrons might oscillate within the positively-charged ‘pudding’. I.E. making me better as you are my MOM who radiates love but I get it in waves leaving me with the feeling I am loved then not loved [Hot n Cold] then I heal and all is ok again. It is your bipolar love, love. Up and down that affects me as I am Unipolar all one way high never depressed but when we shared the same soul-come back you tart you are missed-your love as radiation oozed continuously in and out of my black darkness riddled body like water in and out of a sponge. If you spent some time with me then your radiation of love you give me in the heavens would be emitted then I could absorb it in packets of energy of a definite size. Then my dear, the energy content of one of these packets would be a quanta proportional to the frequency of the radiation of love you emit. (Are you with me so far?) The constant of proportionality was taken to be a Universal constant of nature, Planks constant. Now cos of this I can only absorb your love, and you only emit it during events involving a single quantum of significantly high energy-which as you have felt I can be the highest form of energy anywhere but I can’t keep it up 24/7 and you seem to be only attracted by my high energy periods and you only spare me a few minutes if I am relaxed as in ‘gotta go to bed bye’ and you only string a few words together, I want to listen, to read. Do you know what it feels like to love someone who seems to be constantly pushing you away? YESS YOU DO. Anyway, that’s why I blow hot n cold = YOU.