#*even though the reason for the murder sucks UNLESS SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH THE PICTURE GIRL I’M JUST SAYING—*

[radioscientist]

‘Atonement’ reminds me of ‘Summer Shade’, in that they’re really good episodes for the horror aspects of XXXHolic to shine through

[persevereforahappyending]

A Legacies Secret |12|

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

Summary: You just wanted a happy life with your girlfriend but then Ghostface attacks, revealing long thought to be buried family secrets.

Warnings: Language, Crime Scene, Talks of Murder

Word Count: 2.9k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Sam sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stepped back into the hall. She understood where her sister was coming from, hell, she couldn’t even blame Tara. Sam would probably tell herself she was a danger and to stay away as well. She knew it wasn’t completely rational, but there was an officer right outside Tara’s room, another down the hall, and another in the lobby. There was no reason to think Tara would be in danger unless she was with Sam herself or with you.

Ghostface attacked Tara to draw Sam back to town and it worked. He then attacked you when he knew you’d be away from everyone else. So far, Ghostface’s plan has worked perfectly. This Ghostface knew who Sam’s father was, it took her reading her mom’s old diary to learn that and yet, this monster somehow found out. Then there was you, you were the daughter of Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley, Ghostface learned that before even you did. Ghostface somehow learned Gale had a child, and that child grew up to be you.

Sam knew every previous Ghostface was a part of the friend group, and the killings always went back to the very beginning. This all seemed like a lot for one of Tara's friends to plan though. Whoever did this would have had to do their research; they would have had to have connections. Gale did everything in secret with you, she even left you outside the hospital to remain anonymous, Sam couldn’t even begin to imagine how Ghostface learned that information, if they specifically went searching for some reason or they got lucky and dug from there.

You might not believe it, considering you were at the top of everyone’s suspect list, but you weren’t even on Sam’s list, not anymore. After watching you and Tara together she saw how much you loved her sister, you would literally die before you let anything happen to her, there was no way you’d ever hurt her. What really sold her was your reaction to hearing the truth, like she told Tara, you’d have to be one hell of an actor to sell that. You looked exactly how Sam felt all those years ago, your world shattering before your eyes.

Sam felt for you, she truly did. Learning her dad wasn’t her dad and her real dad was in fact a serial killer definitely sucked, it was something she’d be dealing with in therapy probably for the rest of her life. Despite all that though for the first half of her life she had a loving family, everything was perfect. You never had any of that though, you grew up knowing your family didn’t want you, you grew up alone. The only person you seemed to truly have in your life was Tara. Sam sighed; she asked you to stay away from Tara.

“You, okay?” Richie asked. Sam didn’t have time to stew in her guilt for long as she came back to reality, seeing Richie in front of her, watching her with concern all over his face.

Sam nodded, she looked around, the same officer was still outside Tara’s room, typing away on his phone. Judy was down the hall talking to another officer and pointing to your room. All of Tara’s friends had left though, just as she asked. Part of Sam wondered if she should do the same and just come back in the morning, so far, every time she visited Tara, she seemed to be making things worse.

“Want to go back to the motel?” Richie asked, giving her an awkward smile. “You need to rest, today was a lot,” he reached up and gave her arm a comforting rub.

Sam gave him a sad smile and nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered. Maybe she just needed a break, she just needed to go and sleep in an actual bed, her mind might be more at ease staying at the hospital, but she didn’t think she’d get much sleep in the waiting room chairs.

She followed Richie out of the hospital. “I’ll grab the car,” he whispered before running off across the parking lot.

Sam bounced up and down on her feet outside the hospital. She tried to ignore the fact that Dewey and Gale were clearly arguing a few feet away from her.

“You kept our daughter from me!” Dewey tried to shout but his voice ended up cracking. “Our daughter.”

“I know, I know,” Gale said. She reached out for Dewey, but he stepped away. Sam really was trying not to eavesdrop; she just couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not enough. I don’t know what else to say.”

“There’s nothing to say!” Dewey gestured widely. “I knew your career was important to you but why didn’t you say something? Out of all the ways…” he shook his head. “Why didn’t you just leave her with me?”

Gale opened and closed her mouth a few times. “I was scared.” Dewey shook his head, clearly not wanting to hear this excuse. “We had just broken up; I was in New York.”

“But you came back to town, you left her here, you-you-,” he gripped at his hair. “We could have figured something out.”

“Let me make this right,” Gale whispered, stepping closer.

Dewey looked at Gale long and hard for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “I’m not sure you can.” With that he walked off, leaving Gale to stand there crying alone.

Sam let out a relieved breath when she saw Richie pull up. She ran to the car as quickly as she could. She had enough going on at the moment, the last thing she wanted was to get caught up in your apparent family drama. She couldn’t blame you or Dewey though, Sam couldn’t even forgive her own mother for keeping her birth father a secret, she didn’t see how you or Dewey could ever forgive Gale.

Sam rested her arm on the door and her head in her hand, she stared out the window as Richie drove them to the motel. Sam had picked out the motel, it was one of the only ones in town, and she had yet to even enter the room.

“And we’ve arrived,” Richie said, breaking Sam out of her trance.

She got out of the car and followed Richie to the door. Richie opened the door, doing a little wave with his hand as he gestured inside the room. Sam smiled at his theatrics but as soon as she got to the doorway she stopped. “What’s wrong?” Richie asked.

“You know, I think I need to clear my head,” Sam said, stepping back. “I’m going to go for a drive.”

“Want me to come?”

Sam shook her head. “I think I just need some time alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “I won’t be too long.” She leaned forward, giving Richie a quick kiss before plucking the keys from his hands.

“Okay,” Richie said before entering the room.

Sam got in the driver’s seat of the car. She stared at the motel building in front of her, her body was absolutely exhausted, the only thing calling her name was the crappy bed she knew was inside. Her mind was going a mile a minute though, she knew she’d never be able to rest like this, she just needed to clear her head. She started the car and slowly began to back out of the parking space and turn back onto the main road.

Sam drove around aimlessly, despite growing up in the town she didn’t have a destination in mind, she just kept turning at a stop sign. She furrowed her brow when she saw blue lights flashing up ahead. She looked around, her heart picking up slightly when she realized what street she was on exactly. She pulled over on the side of the road, away from the emergency vehicles. She rushed across the street, her eyes frantically searching for a familiar face, specifically one she was desperate to see safe and sound.

There were already several police cruisers and an ambulance at the house, officers had even already taped up the scene. It hadn’t been too long since everyone left the hospital, when Sam left Judy was still there. Whatever happened had to have just occurred, the quick response of the authorities did nothing to ease Sam’s anxieties.

Sam began to go under the police tape when an officer appeared in front of her. “Sorry ma’am, this is an active crime scene,” he said, holding up his hand.

“What happened?” Sam asked, trying to see around the officer.

Sam’s eyes landed on a yellow tarp being placed over a body on the front porch. “The sheriff.”

Sam’s eyed widened, she had just been with the sheriff, Mindy said the sequel characters, as she liked to call them, didn’t matter, there was no reason for anyone to think Judy would be attacked, besides, she was the sheriff, that wasn’t an easy person to go after.

“What about her son? Sam asked, her eyes instantly scanning for him. “Wes, please, I’m a friend.” Wes only had his mom; she couldn’t imagine him witnessing this or discovering her body.

When Sam looked up, meeting the cops' eyes for the first time, she saw it on his face, she knew what his next words would be. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He turned to walk back across the lawn, back to the crime scene.

Sam ran a hand through her hair. She was just with Wes, he wasn’t supposed to be a target, there was no reason for him to be a target. Mindy was naïve enough to believe this Ghostface was only going after those connected to the first set of killings and Sam was stupid enough to believe it. Judy might not have liked Sam but without her around, the investigation would slow down even more, everyone would be more concerned with the sheriff's death than actually stopping Ghostface.

“I can’t believe you,” Sam heard a man say. She turned to see Gale Weathers walking across the sidewalk, speedily in her heels away from a news van. Dewey was trailing after her, clearly unhappy with whatever Gale was doing or about to do.

“This was the only way to come,” Gale snapped, spinning around to glare at Dewey.

“Oh, was our secret daughter being in danger not enough for you?” Dewey whispered harshly.

“I didn’t report at the hospital. I would never do that to her,” her voice cracked.

Dewey let out a humorless chuckle. “Gale Weathers putting someone else before her career? Guess that makes you mother of the year.” Dewey brushed past her, not waiting for her to say anything.

While Dewey began to talk to one of the officers close by, Sam watched as Gale ran her hands down her blazer, smoothing out any wrinkles. When Gale turned around Sam couldn’t even tell Dewey’s words had affected her, she kept her face completely neutral as she walked to a spot in front of the police tape. The only indication that Dewey’s words hit her was the way she gripped the microphone in her hands. When her camera man popped up, propping the camera on his shoulder as he pointed at her to begin, she fell right into reporter mode. She smiled at the camera and began to recount the recent Ghostface killings, effortlessly leading into the latest attack on Judy and Wes.

“Hey!” Sam shouted when she caught sight of a familiar officer. “Hey, what are you doing here?” She shouted again, finally getting officer Vincent to look at her.

“I heard the call about the sheriff,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“Who’s guarding my sister?”

“All hands-on deck,” he shrugged and made his way over to the sheriff's body and the other officers.

Sam let out a frustrated groan, she knew the murder of the sheriff was top priority, but she couldn’t believe that cop left his position. Deputy Vincent had orders to protect Tara, he clearly wasn’t doing that, Sam highly doubted he could bring something new to the table that the other officers couldn’t. Sam’s eyes widened when she realized the cop who had been guarding her sister’s door was now standing across the lawn, nowhere near the hospital.

Sam didn’t hesitate to take off back towards her car. “Where are you going?” Dewey shouted after her.

“My sister is in danger!” Sam shouted back; she didn’t have time to waste. She told you to stay away from Tara, she herself left the hospital, now the one person ordered to protect Tara was also gone, there was literally no one standing between Tara and Ghostface coming after her.

Sam didn’t know shit about the movies, she didn’t know how any of this was actually supposed to work. What she did know though was that whoever was doing this was trying to hurt Sam for some reason and now that her sister was defenseless the easiest way to hurt Sam would be to go after Tara again. Ghostface let Tara live the first time, that was just to draw Sam back to town though, there was no way he’d let her live the second time.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked when she saw Dewey running after her.

“Figured you could use backup,” Dewey sighed, though he didn’t seem thrilled about most likely running straight into the line of fire.

“You don’t need to stay?” Sam flicked a glance across the way where Gale stood, talking to her camera man as she gestured behind her, talking about the crime scene.

“This isn’t where I’m needed,” is all Dewey said.

Sam didn’t waste anymore time before she jumped in the car, quickly starting it, she barely checked her mirrors as she whipped back out onto the road. She ignored the way Dewey groaned, his hands flailing to grasp the handle on the door as he was flung back against the seat.

With one hand Sam whipped out her phone, quickly tapping on Richie’s contact. “Hey,” Richie greeted after a few rings.

“Get to the hospital,” Sam said quickly.

“What? Why? What’s going on?”

“I think Tara’s in danger.”

There was a long pause, Sam wondered if she somehow had lost him. “You want me to go to the hospital where a psycho killer might be?” She could hear the hesitation in his voice.

“Richie, please,” Sam begged.

“Okay, okay, I’m going.”

“We’ll meet you there.” Sam made an abrupt right turn, letting her phone fly out of her hand and into Dewey’s lap.

Dewey let out a groan and held out the phone to Sam. “Sorry,” she whispered. She quickly took the phone back, scrolling through the contacts until she found the one she wanted.

“Now, who are you calling?” Dewey asked.

“Y/N,” Sam answered instantly. Dewey furrowed his brow; he opened his mouth to say something else but before he could Sam heard the little click indicating someone had picked up. “Y/N,” she practically screamed into the phone.

“Too what do I owe the displeasure Samantha?” you asked, clearly still pissed at her.

Sam couldn’t blame you; she couldn’t even be bothered to care you called her Samantha, there were more important matters at hand. “Ghostface is going after Tara.”

“What?” You instantly got serious. “How do you know?” It sounded like you were shuffling around.

“Judy’s dead.” There was silence on the other end, Sam couldn’t even hear you moving around anymore. “Wes too.”

“Fuck,” you whispered.

“He’s going after Tara.” Sam let out a shaky breath, she knew how hypocritical she was, she told you to stay away from Tara because you were going to put her in danger and now, she was calling you, her only hope at protecting Tara. “Look I’m-”

“He’s not laying a fucking hand on her,” you cut her off. Sam couldn’t help but glance at her phone, your voice had gotten much darker, she really wouldn’t want to be Ghostface at the moment.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Whatever,” with that you hung up.

Sam blinked away a few tears, you were there, Tara would be fine. She didn’t miss the way Dewey was glancing at her. “I told her to stay away from Tara,” Sam whispered.

“And yet she was the one you called,” he said.

“I knew she’d ignore me,” Sam let out a humorless chuckle.

“She really loves her,” Dewey whispered more to himself.

Sam spared a quick glance at Dewey. He was slumped in the seat, staring out the windshield but at nothing in particular. Sam couldn’t imagine what he must be going through, his wife, ex-wife, love of his life, never told him they had a daughter together. Sam might not have known Dewey all too well, but she knew he was a good man. He and you were robbed of getting to be a family. He was robbed of getting to be a father and you were robbed of getting a loving father.

Sam nodded. “She’s very protective,” Sam said quietly. “She won’t let anyone, no matter who they are,” She smiled to herself, remembering how you got with her when it came to Tara, you didn’t care she was Tara’s older sister, your only priority was making sure Tara was okay, ��hurt someone she loves.”

Sam caught the small, yet sad, smile on Dewey’s face. Sam whipped the wheel, making another sharp turn. Everything was going to be fine, you were with Tara, you would protect her, and she and Dewey were on the way, no one else was going to die today.

[leoleolovesdc]

It’s so weird that Heathers the musical toned down so many things from the story (Veronica’s gray morality, JD’s behavior as a whole, Kurt and Ram’s sa on the girls, etc.) but decided to make the Heathers way bigger assholes than they are in the movie.

McNamara doesn’t do anything in the movie, she just goes along with Chandler and kicks Veronica one time at the beginning but then in the musical she’s setting up a fcking date rape??? She goes along with the boys during Sword Fight in Her Mouth and is just a bitch to Veronica all of the time, but everyone in the fandom (and also Veronica somehow) kind of ignores it because she acts innocent.

Duke, even though she isn’t made that much worse from her movie version, (except for the date rape thing with McNamara) is also way more agressive and obnoxious. In the movie, even after Duke turns into a Chandler carbon copy she’s still a funny and likeable character. In the musical she is an asshole even before Chandler dies and her and Veronica keep antogonizing each other from beginning to end when in the 1989 version they were pretty much friends until the last minute.

I think one could make an argument that Duke’s bullying of McNamara is also worse in the musical, but I’m a bit lazy to adress that, so just have in mind that in the musical she’s also more agressive, screaming at Mac at live TV instead of just writing “poor little Heather” on the board.

Chandler in the musical is more of a cartoon character than a person. She screams at everything and everyone for no reason whatsoever, she isn’t necessarily a worse person, just very flanderized and, I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that somone who acts that way could even have a chance of climbing so high on the social hierarchy of a school. Heather in the movie was a bitch, but she knew how to keep up appearances. She acted nice, she played people, she never had to scream to get things to go her way, that was how she managed to be so powerful.

The movie is a parody of teenage narratives, the musical takes that parody and plays it straight. That’s how you get an absurd story where the three mean girls of the school are annoying bitchy monsters and the literal murderer is a sympathetic villain.

I think the Heathers 1989 is interesting because of how literally everyone is a bad person, but at the same time not everyone is the same kind of bad.

You have bad Chandler, an fatphobic asshole who doesn’t care about anything unless it affects her. You have bad Kurt and Ram, homophobic, sexist guys who have raped multiple girls. You have bad McNamara, only follows other people’s leads which makes her act like an asshole. You have bad Duke, is not evil when controlled but when given the opportunity she will become an asshole. You have bad Veronica, an uncaring and murderous person who in the end makes the right choice. And you have bad JD, the kind of guy who he thinks he’s justified in blowing up a whole school just because everyone there kind-of-really-fucking-sucks.

All of these people are assholes and some of them should be in jail, but that doesn’t make the psycho who’s killing them some kind of martyr, he’s still just as bad, maybe even worse, than all ofthe others. The musical makes JD look justifiable.

He was good person, he was just traumatized!

If only he had gotten help!

No. Just no. JD was psycho. He was trying to blow up a school. That’s not justified, doesn’t matter what sort of heroic reason he may have he had. Which, by the way, he didn’t. He wasn’t killing people because they were assholes, he was killing people because he was an asshole.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Yes, I still love all of thsoe characters despite how much shit I talked about all of them, sorry this got long, one thing lead to another, and now I have spent like two hours writing this and my arms hurt from holding an ipad. Bye.

[mt-oe]

OK, MIZU X VERY CLINGY READER?? like reader deadass will NOT let go of Mizu unless necessary and mizu will tease reader about it in a loving way. like just imagine reader snuggling on top of Mizu and resting their head on her abdomen and she just says something in a teasing voice like- “mm you just gonna keep holding onto me like that, love?” OH MY GODSOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE MY BRAIN SHUT UP PLS😭

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dear!

Thank you so much for the very cute and sweet request <3 Finally, a reason to push my drunk reader agenda forward www

Also, sorry if this took longer than usual. Hospital wifi sucked and my draft didn't save ;; I had to re-write a whole chunk purely from memory.

Not sure what is considered as 'lightweight' or whatever since I never really thought of those things when I drink, so if it's too much or too little then..oopsies.

Hope you enjoy! Mwa mwa :*

warning/s: not proofread, short, mention of vomiting (mild), she/her for mizu, implied afab reader

It was already a few hours past midnight. Mizu was laying down on the couch, reading a random book she had found in the book store. 'The Honjin Murders' was the title. The cover looked cool and even had a knife on it, so it definitely got her attention. Because as much as she didn't want to judge a book by its cover, she's only human. We have our moments like that.

On her chest was her girlfriend, eyes closed, and cheeks flushed and warm. An occasional mumbling noise or a slurred-out random question like 'do you think I can fight a bear with my bare hands?' would come from you. Mizu wouldn't admit it but she was having the time of her life right now.

You had just gotten back from a girl's night out with your friends. A little way of catching up after a whole semester of not seeing each other. Akemi and the others invited her too, but she wasn't really a big fan of the effects alcohol had on her body and opted to stay at home.

Upon opening the door, the sight of your heavily flushed face, drunken unconscious smile and the disheveled appearance of Ise and the other girls greeted her. You all reeked of alcohol, heavy perfume, and a bit of tobacco. "Umm..girlfriend delivery..?" Akemi chimed awkwardly, sweat dropping at the miffed look on Mizu's face.

She narrowed her eyes in response to the little joke as her eyes landed on you. "I was hoping you'd bring her back conscious," she said in a low tone, making them laugh nervously. You were being held up by two of Akemi's friends, face heavily flushed, hair tossed out of the hairdo you put it in earlier, and your lipstick was replaced by a thin sheen of saliva. With a sigh, she gently wrapped her arms around you before picking you up bridal style, cringing at the smell of beer coming from you.

The moment you felt her warmth around your figure, you opened your eyes slowly, blinking the blurriness brought by intoxication off before letting out a grunt. She felt you tilt your head upwards, looking at her before furrowing your eyebrows together, finger raised up to poke at her chin. "Would youu...rather have...urgh..my nipples are rubbing against my bra."

Yep.

That was definitely her cue to bring you inside.

After bringing you in, the 'full caretaker girlfriend' mode in her brain switched on. She immediately helped you get dressed into something comfy, removed your makeup and did your skincare for you, and handed everything you said you needed even though you didn't need it. Hell, she even shoved her finger down your throat to help you vomit.

You were her little intoxicated princess tonight.

Once she was done helping you out, she completely expected you to go to sleep after. Little did she know that you've decided to be the clingy-type of drunk tonight. A small strangled-like gasp escaped her throat as you pulled her by the back of her collar, burying your face on her neck. "Nooooo don't go!" you cried against her skin.

She tried her best to get you to sleep, knowing full well that you were going to be the grouchiest hungover in the morning, but whatever she tried didn't work. Watching youtube videos, having a staring contest with you, playing slow songs. Now, she was stuck with you laying on her chest as she read her book.

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" you asked her, speech still a bit slurred. Mizu raised an eyebrow at your odd question. Realistically, she knew she wouldn't, but reality didn't really matter when it comes to love. Only her girlfriend's happiness did.

She closed her book slightly to look down at you. Her breath hitched slightly as your glossy eyes looked back up at her, melting at the adorable sight. "Of course I would," she answered, giving your head a little pat.

"Liar," you huffed, closing your eyes as you nuzzled against her. "I see you step on worms all the time. You'd step on me too."

She huffed back at you with an amused smile. She could feel the pout in your voice. "I promise I wo—"

"It's okay," you cut her off with a drunken giggle. You looked back up at her, trying to lift your head but the remaining alcohol in your system allowed you to do so for a few seconds before you crashed back on to her chest. "I'd let you step on me."

Mizu rolled her eyes at your response. "You're very drunk. You know that?" she asked you, setting her book down on the carpet to pinch your cheek. "How did they even get you this drunk?" The playful exasperation was heavy in her voice.

You grinned at her, snuggling your face in between her breasts. "Well.." you trailed off, giggling a bit. "We haaad...Jager in a pretty preeeeeetty frozen little shot glass, then we washed that down with beer.."

A slight shiver went down her spine as she felt your hot breath against her collarbone. Her hands moving your hair to cool you off a bit. "Then..we had Cuervo. Then we tried this...this..cocktail that tasted like chocolate.."

"No wonder," she sighed, wrapping her arms around you. Although Mizu had admittedly had her fair share of bad experiences with drunks (mostly leading to fist fights), she had to admit, you were definitely the cutest one yet. "Next time, try to drink a bit more responsibly, okay?"

You shook your head at her words, wrapping your arms around her tighter. "I don't want to drink responsibly. I want my girlfriend," you whined, making her snort. You were definitely still too drunk for this conversation. "My girlfrieeeeend.."

"And who's your girlfriend? What's she like?" Maybe if she played along, she could finally get you to sleep. Blue eyes watched you sigh, melting into her arms with a dreamy smile. "My girlfriend is...my Mizu!" you answered, laughing slightly as your head rested against her breast.

She could feel your arms hold onto her tighter, weight pushing down against her's as you started to get a bit more excited. "She's the prettiest, coolest, grumpiest person ever..and she's mine!" you rambled, an amused laugh escaping her lips at your words. "H-Hey! Don't laugh!"

Mizu smiled at you apologetically as you continued to pout at her in drunken grumpiness. "Sorry, sorry. How 'bout we go to bed and take a nap so you can see her in the morning?" she asked, still playing along. "No! Dun' wanna!" you replied in a bratty tone, huffing once again. "You're staying with me!"

Your arms held on to her tighter, legs wrapping around her's almost possessively. "Mmm..So you're just going to keep holding on to me like that, love?" she said teasingly. At your nod, she chuckled and lifted you a bit higher so your head rested against the pillow, nestled near her neck.

Slowly, she felt your body relax, fingers releasing their grip on her shirt. The rhythm of your breathing becoming steadier, the depth increasing. Once again, she picked up her book and continued to read, wanting to pass a bit more time to make sure you were fast asleep.

However, while she was half into the book, you suddenly lifted your head again. She raised an eyebrow, a bit taken back at the sudden movement. "What is it, love?" she asked, getting ready to get whatever you needed just in case.

Your eyes blinked sleepily before you leaned your head down, planting a kiss on her lips. "G'night..I love youu," you mumbled with a soft little smile before crashing back onto the pillow. She blinked in both surprise and mild astonishment.

A goodnight kiss?

While drunk out of your wits?

Lord help her.

There was no way she could fight off a smile after that display. How did she score such a cute wife? Mizu had to take a few deep breaths to keep herself from laughing at how cute that was. Who cares if you woke up grumpy from your hangover? This was definitely worth it.

[seldomdrawncherubs]

I've got a few classpects, but I'm most curious about what my potential as a Page of Blood might be!

UU: a high potential classpect!

UU: as yoU may know, the page is the weakest of the classes, with the slowest learning cUrve. a page looks as if they have little power in their classpect. a page of hope might seem to have few hopes of their own---poor jake rarely told anyone what he wanted, back when we were yoUnger.

UU: the page is also an active serving class. this coUld mean self-serving, or it coUld mean that yoUr reason for growing has to come from within in order for the arc of power to be completed properly. pages’ inactivity means that people often try to make them grow or change them, bUt that is simply not how it works, Unless there are going to be terrible conseqUences.

UU: blood is the aspect of social bonds, order, commUnication, and trUst. if there were more philosophers here, i wonder if there might be a debate as to whether the heart or blood aspect coUld more properly be called the “love” aspect.

UU: a page of blood woUld, at the start of their joUrney, have little trUst, or few friends. worse, they might have UntrUstworthy friends. they woUld be marked by loneliness. a prince operates on the lack of an aspect and embodies the opposite, while a page simply seems to lack their aspect.

UU: bUt the page learns and grows! tavros rallied an army for freedom. jake is still growing, bUt he is becoming more and more confident by the day.

UU: and by the end of everything, the page is the most powerfUl player in the game. think of the page like the pawn who reaches the end of the chessboard and becomes a qUeen.

UU: once fUlly realized, a page of blood may discover the power to literally move blood to protect the ones they care for. thoUgh they might not have control over others like a witch or lord, they coUld keep someone in place for the sake of defending others. they might gain charisma as well. the ability to persUade others to join the caUse is a strong component of blood.

UU: yoUr power might be similar to karkat’s. he is a knight of blood, and thoUgh he never went god tier, his power manifests in keeping the groUp together, reading people, and knowing how to approach and fight to keep friendships. yoUr power will be even sUbtler than that to start, thoUgh as time progresses, yoUrs may manifest more directly, as active classes do.

UU: blood is dramatic, bUt the blood aspect is remarkably sUbtle. yoU may lose patience with yoUr arc or grow discoUraged in the solitUde yoUr classpect imposes. yoUr joUrney is a difficUlt one, bUt one with incredible rewards at its end.

***

uu: AH YES. BLOOD.

uu: AN ASPECT THAT SHOuLD BE WAY COOLER THAN IT IS.

uu: SADLY, FOR SOME REASON, INSTEAD OF THE “MuRDER PEOPLE AND MAKE THEIR INTERNAL FLuIDS SPLATTER” ASPECT, IT IS THE “TEAM uP” ASPECT.

uu: BLOOD PLAYERS CAN MOVE BLOOD LITERALLY; I’VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. SADLY, YOu WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS STuPID. PAGES DESERVE TO KICK ASS AND DO IT SOONER THAN LATER. SBuRB INVENTED THE CLASS. TO SCREW OVER PLAYERS. WHO WOuLD OTHERWISE OVERPOWER THE ENTIRE SESSION.

uu: SOME PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO PUSH THEM TO POTENTIAL. THIS FAILS. REMEMBER THE SYLPH BITCH. SHE DOOMED AN ENTIRE TIMELINE. I WON IN THAT ONE. LIKE I WILL WIN IN THIS ONE. t

uu: THEN THERE WAS THAT ROTTEN THIEF. THIEVES ARE TERRIBLE FOR PAGES. THEY START OuT ACTIVE. AND SEEM TO THINK THEIR STuPID TAKING. WHICH IS INFERIOR TO THE KIND YOu CAN DO IF YOu ARE A LORD. WILL BE ENOuGH TO MAKE A PAGE OR AN HEIR ACT THE WAY THEY WANT.

uu: AVOID THIEVES LIKE THE PLAGuE. THEY ARE SHITTY FOR YOu, ESPECIALLY FOR PAGES. THEY ALSO TEND TO BE HORRIBLE BITCHES. LIKE THE THIEF OF LIGHT. SHE SuCKS.

uu: INSTEAD, YOu SHOuLD SEEK OuT. A PATRON MANBRO. SOMEONE WHO WILL HELP YOu. AND IS VERY POWERFuL. AND KNOWS HOW YOuR TIMELINE IS SuPPOSED TO GO.

uu: YOuR NAME WILL BE IMMORTAL. IF YOu SuRVIVE THE STuPID SLOW LEARNING CuRVE. OR IF SOMEONE VERY POWERFuL. uSES IT FOR THEIR OWN.

uu: BuT YOu CAN’T JOIN MY FORCES. uNLESS YOu GAIN YOuR POWER. OTHERWISE. YOu ARE DEAD WEIGHT. AND I WILL NOT PROMOTE YOu IN MY RANKS. YOu WILL BE DOOMED TO POLISH MY SHOES AND GIVE ME ALL OF YOuR CANDY.

uu: START TRAINING.

tumut

[frostiifae]

So, I dunno, thoughts about Witch from Mercury (including spoilers under readmore, so, y'know), because it seems like it's a cool thing to do, i guess. Maybe made more or less interesting because this is the first Gundam series I've actually paid full attention to.

In short, it's good! It's very good. But, I dunno, can't give it top marks as an alltime favorite. There are lots of superficial problems that probably mattered much more to me than they would to the average viewer, and like, you could argue that they just aren't even problems, I guess.

The biggest thing I can criticize without spoiling much of anything is that it dangles a lot over your head and then waits a long time to resolve almost any of it. It's tough for people who get anxiety, like me : ). No, that's not why I'm writing this post. This isn't a coping mechanism. Fuck off.

To reiterate, though, on the whole: good. Good show. Good stuff. Don't click "keep reading" unless you want to read a fucking novel, OK?

I have to say I think the strongest character of the show bar none is Prospera, but at the same time, she showcases the recurring problems I have with the show: firstly, that they spend way too long making Prospera sound sinister without you understanding at all why, and secondly, that it's a real shame we didn't get to learn more about her feelings and why (and how?) she'd gone to all of this trouble. I understand her goal in the abstract is to "create a world where Eri can exist", but it's not clear how exactly she intends to do that, and maybe it's just me, but those practical details can be really important in selling me on an idea.

Even so, I adore her. I adore the way she possesses so much influence over the plot despite having very little economic or political power herself - she just understands people, she understands what's at stake, and she understands how to manipulate things to get what she wants. I was so delighted to learn about her true motivation, imagine a girl kicking her feet and squealing as Prospera taunts Miorine about hearing the voices of her past that are urging her to seek vengeance. I wish she could have done more. I also wish she looked better. That helmet fucking sucked, dudes. C'mon.

I really want to say kind things about Suletta and Miorine, too - they had lovely character arcs in both seasons, Miorine in particular was a joy to have on screen at all times - but, ultimately, I also found them both very frustrating. The most engaging members of the cast by and large were side characters, my personal favorites being Chuchu, Nika, and Norea. (I guess Guel turned out pretty okay too.) It was a joy watching Norea go off the fucking deep end, even if her portrayal was a little shallow until it was a smidge too late; her final fight was beautiful and touching, especially the part where she went on a massive rampage and killed a lot of innocent people. I love me a hot girl who's a violent mass murderer.

Jokes aside; I found both of the main characters frustrating, but for different reasons. Suletta was the less frustrating of the two. Throughout season 1 I kept cringing at her total powerlessness within the narrative, which I know is kind of the point, but that doesn't mean I have to like it; at least in season 2 she develops a thin veneer of agency, and more to the point, the writers demonstrate that her lack of actual agency is in fact horrifying and not some kind of endearing country-bumpkin quirk, but it feels like it takes a long time before she can finally actually engage in the world she lives in.

To be clear, I don't just mean "she can decide for herself what she wants to do", that's her final arc, I know, I get it; more what I mean is, it feels like Suletta exists in a totally different show, an entirely different setting, for 75% of the show's runtime. She's not just clueless about all of the business politics and Earth vs Space racism; she's immune to it, it simply doesn't affect her, even when it badly hurts people she cares about, because she's unable to comprehend it, and can abstract away any threat behind Aerial's cockpit and duel herself to safety without ever understanding what was even at stake.

It's like Ender's Game but Ender himself never actually participates in any of the school politics, he just kinda is a prodigy in his own corner while the real story happens around him. If you're going to create a character who is powerless in the narrative, don't then shield her in the cockpit of a Gundam for the entire show, you know? If you're going to threaten me with her inability to understand what is going on, make good on that threat!! It just felt wasteful. She spent 16 episodes being a joke that we keep hoping will make Miorine smile, 2 episodes being depressed, and then the last 6 episodes being an actual character, and the tragedy is that I really liked that character and wish she'd been around for longer.

Miorine was much more fun, but also, much more frustrating. I wasn't especially into her character early in season 1, but she was at least a bitch in a fun (and highly sympathetic) way, and unlike Suletta she grew into a real character very fast, and got to spend the whole show actually having a meaningful impact on events around her. It was great! I have a few very small gripes about things she does - like the way she chooses to cut Suletta loose. I understand she's doing it for Suletta's safety, and I understand she's doing it because she believes Suletta won't be able to comprehend that reasoning - after all, their whole arc in season 1 was about depending on each other, and Miorine is being pressured into going back on her promise.

On the one hand, though, I feel like it was weird of her not even to try. At least try to explain to Suletta, listen, things are getting worse, you are going to get hurt, I don't want that, I need you to stop being Holder for your sake. You could even twist the knife further by having Suletta react with heartbreak but willingly agree when Prospera doubles down and tells her to do as Miorine says - imagine how betrayed and disgusted with herself Miorine would feel! For them to leave her completely in the dark, for her to fully betray Suletta with no warning and no attempted justification at all - and especially for Suletta to not question that - it just felt weird.

On the other hand, though, I'm really shocked and disappointed that Miorine didn't express more guilt over that decision. Given that her arc in season 1 revolves around recognizing that relying on Suletta is what makes Suletta happy, and she cares enough about Suletta to give her that kind of trust, you can't tell me that - even if she really believes it's necessary - she can just turn around and betray Suletta like she does and feel no remorse over it.

Overall this is a larger problem I have with Miorine; we don't get enough time with her feelings, so when everything finally collapses and she has a meltdown, it doesn't sell very well. I wanna be clear: I'll open the door myself is one of my favorite moments in the whole show, and that's why I'm sad. It could have been so much more, if we had had more time to see Miorine's heartache over what she did to her best friend, not to mention how tense and uncertain she must have been handing her full trust to Prospera, or leading a negotiation to Earth with the weight of Gundam's history resting squarely on her shoulders. I love cool, calm, reserved characters who can handle tense interpersonal conflict with a stern decisiveness. Miorine should be a slam dunk for me. But the best part about those characters is seeing behind the mask, even if only for little bits at a time, and there's just not enough.

Honestly, though, it's hard for me to hold anything against season 2 especially, because I think most of what frustrates me comes down to there not being enough time, and holy fuck, does that season go hard. I'm very ready to believe that there was all kinds of stuff cut from S2 because the sheer volume of things happening was so much. It's a shame to think that it's let down by its own density, that there was just too much happening to fit all of it into 12 episodes without a few things being left behind. There wasn't time for Miorine to introspect, there wasn't time for Miorine and Suletta to develop their relationship, there wasn't time for Prospera to get even more unhinged and weird, there wasn't time to examine how we could actually improve the world and its troubles, we just had too much to do. It's an unenviable position to be in, and I think it's fair to say the show does a great job with what it has.

Umm. Is there anything else? I could talk about the dudes. I could gush about Norea and Sophie, I guess, but I doubt I have anything particularly interesting to add there, I'm sure the takes "Norea is hot" and "I wish they could have been more toxic yuri on screen" are lukewarm at best. I could talk about Eri, I suppose, but I don't feel really strongly about her - I think she's weird, her presence as a character is very strange, the fact that she was a protagonist is weird, and just like with everything else, I think it comes down to a lack of time to be able to really get into understanding her. I can't say it's a mistake, really, so that'll just stay a mystery, and it's one I don't especially care to solve anyway. She can stay a weirdo for all I care.

Uh, I think that's kinda all? Oh, what, robot designs? Uh, Aerial over Calibarn, don't @ me. They're both sick tho.

[unablethethird]

60. how are you?

3- yeah but I think it's more of the thought of them than their actual self 4-Going to university and studying psychology 5-my frens/moots 6-My bad memory is both a blessing and a curse, but with the power of forgetting comes the guilt of not remembering

7-genuinely think it was the worst year of my life lol, i can't imagine going through that again 8-Yeah, i cry easily in general lol 9-Does my sister count 10-Very, mostly because my base facial expression is :| so unless im trying hard to mask, or you know me well, you will not know lol 11- Nope, i forgot to put it on but im wearing my headphones 12-To wake up as a random cis boy 13- a little scared/paranoid, but distracting myself with tumblr

15- No self awareness, bad memory, smart dumbass, irresponsible, cringe, sincere, accomadating, i will yap for 100 years or not at all, no inbetween 16-I mean, hasn't everyone 17-They suck to have but they exist and i think its normal to have one thing ur insecure about [as long as you don't obsess over it] 18-Kind of? Like if i could choose different options. But if i couldnt choose then HELL NO 19-nope 20-

21- 14, 27/11/2009 [dd/mm/yyyy] 23- my friends hating me, forgetting, never being okay 24-166cm

25-My friends, not even joking 26-again, my friends 27- feeling negative feelings, people being assholes for no reason, my memory 28-If you're my friend and your vibe isnt bad 29- The lorax 30-Hazbin/murder drones 31- A) The epidermis can't bleed, it has no blood vessels B) Hitler was high for most of WWII C) Theres proof that hitler might have been a closseted gay [and killed people to hide it] Bonus fact: snakes smell with their tongues 32) Used to be mainly guys but im at a single sex school so its girls now 33) To play anything cool, to say no 34) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 35) Sport 36) A) be a psychologist B) Be a good,happy human C) make my frens happy

37)idk much about acting but that beetlejuice guy is cool as heck 38) Im a basic bitch but john mullaney 39) I love playing all sports, but my favorite is either dodgeball or basketball [this does not mean im good at them though /silly] 40) me and my old family friends would phsycially fight for fun a lot, and so one day as our parents took us to the park, we went on a big hill and we started fighting eachother, and it was a 3 on 1 [well, yeah my sister was there but she didn't fight and all she did was run, so nobody went after her], and i still fucking won, the self esteem boost was crazy

41) *insert joke about me and fictional character* 42) Girl in pieces, i have never not cried when reading it 43) I cant choose 44) i dont talk to people so idk 45)

49) The arcade, playing pump it up 50) that'd dox em and i dont have pics of my moots 51) Sag 52) im kinda good at reading intentions 53) 1-frens 2-music 3-Fanfiction 4-psychology 5-research 54) if i say it i'll get more anxious lol 55) moots=frens 56) Cheese 57)Foxes!!! Especially red or black ones 58) Their username starts with Z, their pfp shows their oc underwater, and they have a don :3 59) I needed to read a fancomic on undertale but i had to make an account

[juliusthedressmaker]

Hi Julius! Too much I see people not respecting or acknowledging you're gay so to counter this I want to ask some things about your being gay /gen 🩷

how old were you when you found out you're gay? did you have any self denial or struggling accepting it? would you have come out of the closet earlier if you could have? when did you come out of the closet? did you have any boyfriends before Killian or ever have any other male sexual partners generally? was it difficult being married to Emily? what's one the biggest advice you have for gay teens who are in a similar position you were? and do you have any advice for queer people on the best way to come out?

Love you Julius!!! 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

All questions I'm more than glad to answer ^w^ asks like these make me happy ♡◕u◕

I was 13 when I figured out I was attracted to men and realized I had no to attraction to women, I was 16 when I figured out I was without a doubt, a flaming faggot.

I wouldn't say I had trouble accepting it or ever in denial. I was more just annoyed at first because I knew just how much more difficult my life was about to become, you know?

As far as coming out, it's never been a big thing for me. I never officially did or didn't. Yes, I'm gay but there's more to me than just that - I don't like people who perceive me being gay as my entire identity and everything there is to know about me, you know? I feel very fetished often, I don't like that which is why I don't make much comments about my sexuality unless explicitly needed. I'm a man, who is attracted to men. What the fuck is the point of announcing it? Is it not clear enough when I kiss my husband on the cheek? Is it really that important or even necessarily anyone's business if I don't wish it to be? No.

Regarding partners other than Killian... before him, hm..none of them were wanted if you understand, you know? After Killian, I've had sex with a few other men, engaged in sex acts with a handful but unlike people often think, I'm generally very faithful and I'm honestly not a hoe as much as I joke about it. I had no relationships before Killian, other than the one I was faking with Emily. I did not kiss Emily until I was 17, after I had already kissed Killian.

Yeah, it sucked for a lot of reasons being married to Emily. She wasn't an awful person but I can't help resenting her - albeit I didn't murder her. I certainly took my anger out on her when I was alive as a human though, you know? It wasn't pretty. It wasn't happy, not ever for me and not after the first 9 months was it happy for her easier. But it was the 1890s and we were Irish Catholics in the community, in Boston. Women had no legal rights like they do today and divorce wasn't even a concept to us either.

For queer youth in unsafe spaces, my biggest advice is that it's better to stay in the closet until it's safe for you to come out. Advice for coming out, is to make it not a big thing. Casually mentioning it rather than a big announcement usually is going to go better and calmer.

:)<3

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

23 - Four months before the Emperor's murder

Start of Act 3.

Third skull.

Sometimes Mercymorn spread open a system map of local space, triangulating things that the elders frowned over and talked about in a way that did not include you or Ianthe. Quite often you two ate dinner in stony silence while, as Ianthe bitterly put it, the adults talked.

Aww you got your own little kiddies table.

Must suck though, especially for two kids who are seventeen and early 20s. You so desperately want to be included in grownup things.

You thought that had not quite suited Naberius, though it was hard to remember the Prince of Ida, these days. He was a face and a set of eyes and very little else. It was as though your brain had formed a scab over everything that had happened to you.

And why would that be, Harrow?

Perhaps the reason is linked with the reason why you can't connect with your cavalier?

noticed that the autodoor to Cytherea’s tomb was shut. It was never shut. Its wounded openness, the thin smell of perpetual roses that always seemed to drift from that terrible monument, was a constant. Now it was closed.

Are we about to learn a little more about Cytherea's possible alive-ness?

... no, but it sure Looks like I might have been right about her and Ortus the First being in, well, cahoots. To say the least.

“I caught the Saint of Duty in the throes of grave lust,” you told Ianthe, about a minute later: [...] “The classical vice. Oldest sin in the book.”

And who is Harrow to judge, exactly? She who has been in love with a dead girl for nearly a decade?

“Tridentarius, my position is not so precarious that I am going to ignore things that happen in front of my face.” “Yes, but are they actually?” “Don’t presume you know what you’re talking about.”

Ianthe is doubting Harrow. Somewhat reasonably. But Harrow, I think, has been living with this psychosis for long enough that she knows what's real and what isn't.

“Don’t draw on me with that ridiculous thing. You don’t even know where you got it.” “God gave it to me.” “And you’ve never asked yourself why?”

Ianthe is tired of Harrow being in the dark about important things like why, and how, she got that sword.

Honestly, same.

“So tell me why,” you said evenly. “Can’t,” she snapped. “You ensorcelled my jaw, you fucking psycho shadow vestal! Yes, I worked that one out! So unless I want to do homebrew mandible surgery, I can’t squeal to anyone.

Ohhh, this is really interesting. Here we have some data points - one, Harrow put some kind of curse on Ianthe so Ianthe wouldn't be able to tell her (or anyone!) outright what was going on. And two, this is the reason why Harrow needed to find out if Ianthe's jaw and tongue were replaced recently (via kissing her).

Harrow as suspect for her own memory alteration is moving up again in likelihood.

We still don't have any more of a clue for why.

[fitzrove]

Elisabeth hot takes

- Young Sisi/old Sisi split casting is a bad idea, going forward they just need to cast people who have the range to play both roles like they've done before. The Schönbrunn concert split was legit just done because people/the press were sexist and ageist about Pia Douwes earlier and it sucks. (No hate to Abla Alaoui tho, she was great in the 2022 show and I hope she'll get to play the entire role someday)

- Mark Seibert's Tod isn't straight,,,,, masculine queer men exist irl, yall just need to stop basing your interpretation of him on the 2022 concert/the 2013 boot with him and Anton Z because that Schatten is giving us nothing fjkgkfödlfösö. It's fine to prefer other Tods for how they look/act but that doesn't mean the buff one is heterosexual. The directors have done him so dirty in recent years

- I've seen some people go "ooh what if they split up der Tod so that he was played by an actress for the Rudolf scenes" which,,,,,, why?? I'm all for woman tod but the idea of ONLY having her for Rudolf scenes to add more heterosexuality into the show is weird. I say have a woman Tod for literally everything else but for Schatten and Mayerling it's inexplicably Mark Seibert to make Rudolf extra gay<3 why not sinking world as well, FJ gets to be gay too

- The woobification of Elisabeth musical Rudolf is so important because a lot of Rudolf/Mayerling adaptations seem to focus on how violent and dangerous he is (because of mental illness). A musical can never capture the entire nuance of an actual person anyway, so I think it's fair that at least one of the many adaptations portrays him in a completely sympathetic light - important for mental health representation. Doesn't mean the fandom is completely unaware of his historical crimes (murder, arson and graverobbing gkfdfodlså).

- Society has progressed past the need to comment "Tod X is much better" on vids/pics/posts focused on Tod Y, or even saying "Tod Y sucks" on vids/pics/posts celebrating Tod X, it's annoying and exhausting. Plus, the euromusical world is so small that on Youtube especially the actors might actually see it (Máté Kamarás has). I'm going to go to the guilty person's house if it happens to him again

- Rudolf shouldn't take the melody in the Schatten chorus in productions, there's a reason he sings the harmony in the original (he's being manipulated/Tod is stoking his obsessions and anxieties). Ofc it's more fun for the actor to sing the melody but they can do that in concerts XD EXCEPT Lander van Nuffelen can sing whatever he wants<333

- tod x rudolf is a good ship BECAUSE it's problematic 🥰

- Just because I ship Tod and Rudolf doesn't mean I want actual productions to do that. (Shipping is different than having "seduction" as a thematic element. Not that we're in much danger of that though lmao, the onstage romanticisation literally only happens with Tod and Sisi.) Humanizing der Tod too much (unless it's in a "he was an undomesticated panther but he's turning into a real boy<33" máté kamarás type character arc way or in a "he used to be cold and detached but is learning to have friends and feelings!!!" kaplyn way) takes away from the themes of the show, which to me (in productions) is much more important than ships. It's very rare to have a show be so deeply deconstructive (of historical figures, of "love story" conventions) and that needs to be treasured!!

- For this reason it's absolutely crucial that the show ends with Tod laying Elisabeth on the floor (and that he drops Rudolf after Mayerling)

[magickedpiracy]

Pirates Were Not Nice- OFMD messes with our perception or real life.

DISCLAIMER: I love OFMD, but I also love learning and talking about real-life piracy, so there are a few things within this fandom space that bug me.

Ok so Anne Bonny is definitely going to be a fun, romantic and likeable lesbian in season 2 of OFMD...

BUT she was not irl, so was a pirate, so lets break it down a little bit.

Anne Bonny was a pirate and she killed for fun sometimes and she was not the fun personification of pirates we see in OFMD. Same with Blackbeard, same with irl Stede Bonnet.

It rubs me the wrong way when people start talking about these characters in real like situation, about "Oh, Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach were actually in love in real life!" "Anne Bonny and Mary Read were a lesbian power couple that plundered the seven seas together" [Anne Bonny was never a pirate captain (oddly common misconception), and both of them have lengthy list of male lovers].

We can love the show and also acknowledge that 16th century piracy was brutal and unjust, and OFMD is as far removed from what happened in real life as you can possibly be while still telling a story that vaguely resembles real-life pirates and adapts them to our modern-day world.

Ed and Stede as seen in the show can barely even be attributed to the real life Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet. They are in their entirety characters, who happen to have had some of the same experiences as their real-life counterparts.

Real life Stede Bonnet inherited owned a plantation before he abandoned his wife because he was bored and didn't like being married, and died at 30 years old after spending the majority of his already-short-lived piracy career (roughly two years) as what was effectively Blackbeard's prisoner.

Piracy was not glamorous, or fun, or happy.

Stede Bonnet was named one of the most cruel pirate captains of the Caribbean at times because of the way he treated his crew and treated his prisoners, and he was a bold pirate, yeah...

but he also sucked ass at being a pirate. He had no training as a sailor, and relied on his crew more than deemed acceptable of a real captain.

This doesn't mean he shied away from shameless murder, abandoning his crew members, etc., all things typical of a pirate captain and I see a few too many people acting as though these pirates were fun, cool people. Pirates had slaves, they killed for little reason very often, and the reason we hear about 'acceptance' for queer people, for people of colour, etc. aboard pirate ships is because pirates were desperate and took anyone they could. (Unless of course you were a woman, in which case many crews might have quickly murdered you, which might actually be a small mercy)

Piracy was dangerous; it was vile and it was cruel. The characters in OFMD are dramatized, and have far more humanity than any real pirate ever did.

[isindismay]

So I watched Netflix’s version of Death Note, and oh boy do I have some thoughts about it!

Essay unstructured rant under the cut. Spoilers.

Wow this version of Light is really dumb, getting personal with his kills immediately, even making his first kill in his own eyeshot. Zero consideration that he might be caught.

Ok so this movie is ultra-violent.

So Yagami is a totally unacceptable American name but Light as a first name is fine? They couldn’t have made him Japanese American? I suppose the throwaway line about his mother being a hippie is supposed to explain why he’s called Light.

And they couldn’t even make this version of Misa (sorry, Mia) a goth? Ryuuk is cool though. Their version of Light and Misa meeting really sucks. Light just tells her about the Death Note. They barely know each other and he has no reason to trust her. Totally destroyed the complex relationship between them and made it uninteresting. Guessing they’re trying to shoehorn in an ill-fitting romantic subplot. Ugh I’m so mad I called it straight away and was right. This is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy all over again, isn’t it?

Ok basically I’m only still watching to see more Ryuuk being cool and morbid fascination with just how they’re going to continue to butcher the story, and ugh probably L too.

Ok so Light names HIMSELF Kira? If I’d been the editor I’d have cut that dumbass scene right out. Especially as it’s followed by a news report calling him Kira. And somehow Light knows how to write “perfect Japanese”, a plot hole that might have been swerved if they’d made him Japanese American.

Watari is very young, but seems a good fit for the role. And I’m actually really impressed with the portrayal of L, his actor does a great job of getting his mannerisms right. Thank goodness. I had feared the worst after seeing Light and Misa portrayed as an unrecognisable bland teen couple. Where the heck is Ryuuk? I want more Ryuuk.

Ok weird move to have L immediately give a press conference, even if he is wearing a mask.

We’re half way through the movie and Light hasn’t had to come up with any ingenious plans, shown any remorse or fear of being discovered, or come across as particularly scary. How do you manage to make a protagonist like Light boring? Netflix, how?

Wait what, Ryuuk suddenly starts killing people? And being concerned for Light? Ryuuk wouldn’t do either of those things.

The scene where Light and L meet is good, but I really wish they’d drop the boring romance and have Light talk to Ryuuk more instead.

The Watari plot is kind of interesting, but it’s a disappointingly simplistic. Also who told Netflix that people want to watch Light doing regular teen stuff? Misa still has no clear motive and zero character development, so disappointing to see her reduced to such a flat, decorative female character in a 2017 movie. And would it have killed them to give her pigtails in one scene?

I do like that L wears his classic outfit in one scene and does the weird phone hold and the impressive jump to crouching position thing.

I hope Misa’s lying to Light about her main motivation being protecting him. If she’s really driven by murder that would make her half way interesting.

The L and Light chase scene is cool, but it’s over too soon. I am really disappointed at how few scenes they had together, their dynamic is key to Death Note.

Ok so the murder couple ARE trying to kill each other. Or at least threatening to unless the other one passes their weird tests of love? Yawn. The ferris wheel scene is overdramatic to the point of farce.

Although kinda makes sense once it’s explained Light made it all happen and got some criminals to help him before killing themselves. Smartest thing Light’s done the whole movie.

I’m guessing the ending is supposed to suggest L wins. Does he write Light’s name on the Death Note page he finds? Would he? It goes against all he stands for, but he is angry and upset.

I’d argue it’s actually a no-one wins ending. Light’s dad has evidence that his son is Kira, but still loses because his son is Kira. L lives, but is devastated by Watari’s death.

Overall, I can say that the hype about this adaptation being bad is completely justified. There’s some cool scenes and some of the characters are done well, but so much time is wasted on boring and stupid scenes. It would have benefitted from more Ryuuk and more L, but that’s just my opinion.

[blog-of-reaction]

Watching Locke and Key. I’m currently on episode 5 these are my thoughts.

Kinsey is not a good person and I don’t k ow if it’s somehow because of the lack of fear or what. What I do know is that she seemingly has no moral compass. And Scot Cavendish is to good for her. Unless he he can make her better, then maybe.

Tyler is giving Scott-I’m-the-oldest-and-I-need-to-protect-my-family-and-I-have-daddy-issues-Summers vibes. I feel for him. Also, way to go with the anger issues pal. It sucks, I know. So far the worst thing he’s done by far in my book (after lying and saying he slept with that one girl) is the whole I’m going to throw books into my mind to learn stuff to impress Jackie thing. I mean, I do think it would be cool to just have knowledge. Like, that sounds great. But the whole thing (and the subsequent scene) was very painful and iffy.

Bode. Poor Bode. If I were at that age I’d probably just think it’s cool and love and angst and lowkey emotional whump. But no. I’m 21 and all I see is a kid who first had his dad murdered and didn’t know if he would make it out alive that is being terrorized by an evil….person. Whatever she is. If she is an even a she. It seems like she could be part Lucas? Or maybe absorbed some of Lucas? At least that’s the impression I got when Ellie visited the well house. Anyway, yeah, Bode. He felt like he was alone in the key situation. And even though he technically wasn’t he still felt all the responsibility and still had his life and the lives of his family threatened by something unknown that already tried to kill his mom once. And while Tyler finally understands the full gravity of the situation due to the whole fire incident Kinsey seemingly doesn’t care. Or rather, she’s not aware. When she got rid of her fear the next episode very much felt like the “Accepting Anxiety” Sanders Sides video she has yet to realize that maybe it was a bad decision. And the fact that she doesn’t have fear anymore definitely plays a factor in that. But shouldn’t she at least realize it’s dangerous? Shouldn’t she know logically that she should be a bit scared? So yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. I asked my sibling if Kinsey has morals and they said yes but only a little bit. I don’t know if my sibling was watched past season 1 but if they have then that doesn’t bode all that well. But I’m hoping that the Kinsey storyline is done well. I’ll just have to wait and see.

But yeah, back to Bode. The poor kid brought a hammer to school. And he’s drawing out maps and possibly battle plans for when Echo comes back. (It would be kinda cool if when Sam Lesser shows up something Bode planned or set up takes care of the situation even though he didnt know it was Sam Lesser who was going to attack.

And there’s Duncan. I can’t not mention Duncan. The fact that Aaron Ashmpre is in this show is part of the reason I decided to watch it in the first place. Anyway, Duncan not knowing about the keys and stuff, not really knowing what Bode is talking about was sad but expected. I think he’s going to unlock a memory or something about the Key House and then go “Oh shit”. I mean, there’s a reason Rendell left. There’s a reason practically everyone in Rendell’s group of old friends is dead. There’s a reason Duncan hates that house almost as much as his brother did. So yeah, it’ll be interesting. And when Bode told Duncan that it’s not his fault he doesn’t remember and it’s okay and hugged him. Oof. There is so much on poor Bode’s shoulder and he is terrified. I mean, he brought a hammer to school and I can understand exactly why that was actually a good idea. Poor kid. Seriously, Bode is a child and out of everyone in the show he is one of the ones with the most common sense.

Also Ellie. I don’t know all of what’s going on with her but I like her and the actress does a really good job.

Nina. So obviously some part of her was left back in the mirror place. I hope she gets it back and figures it out. Her own subtle investigation and all that is great. I need to go otherwise I’d talk about her more but yeah I like that well the kids are trying to handle the keys she doesn’t know about them and is looking into the Omega symbol and Rendell’s past and it both the same type of thing as the kids deal with but also something completely different.

Also, quick shoutout to the English teacher. I don’t remember his name because every time I see him in my head he is Rufus from supernatural. And there’s already a Rufus on the show. So yeah, I’ll have to work harder on remembering his name is not actually Rufus. I was very confused when Bode mentioned him b cause Bode shouldn’t even know who he is. I had to like, pause for a second and rewind. On one hand I feel like an idiot. On the other hand it’s Rufus from supernatural and he seems happy.

[freeddead]

〝   @multi-lefaiye​   ⟶   ❛  Laura, Max, and Kaitlyn for the Quarry asks!!  ❜

LAURA: would your muse put themselves at risk to protect the ones that they love ? are they obedient in the face of authority or more rebellious ?

Gerry would definitely put himself at risk in order to protect his loved ones tbh, to a downright stupid degree.  He tends to believe that everyone is more important than him, anyway, that everybody has more of a place / right to be here than he does, so he is very much on that self-sacrificial bullshit, viewing his own death as no great loss to the world at large.

Plus, he’s already died before, and as he puts it: “Dying’s not so bad, it’s staying dead that sucks.”  If he has to endure death again to make sure that somebody else avoids it, well, that’s not a problem for him.

As for authority, it does depend entirely on the authority.  With police officers and other “official” forms of authority, he tends to err on the side of being highly rebellious and not listening to a word they say.  He’s got no real respect for the police in any capacity, and a lot of his entire… [vague hand gesture] existence involves him operating outside of… any governance, for whatever it’s worth.

Like, he was framed by his mother’s murder by his mother and is assumed to have “faked” his death.  And even what he was doing in his first go at life, hunting down Leitners and other Entity-related shit, often saw him breaking the law for the sake of that. So, no, he doesn’t really like cops, and likewise, they don’t like him, ha!  There are still a lot of people on the London police force, now that he’s back, who think that he really did kill his mom and that it being a mistrial was complete bullshit.  So, he does what he can to avoid interactions with cops, knowing that there are plenty who are just like, “Give me a reason! 🔫”

However, when it comes to authoritative women outside of the realm of ‘official’ authorities, Gerry has a hard time saying ‘no’ because—something, something—mommy issues.  He is getting much better at it in recent times, at recognizing when people are trying to use him and pushing back against it, making some effort to defend himself.  But he still runs on an instinct to make himself small and quiet whenever a woman enters the room and clearly wants to take charge of a situation.

Trauma puts one hell of a damper on his would-be rebel image, whoops—

MAX: does your muse have a positive or negative outlook in life ? do they tend to ignore certain instructions or are they a perfectionist ?

I would say that Gerry typically tries to have a more positive outlook on life, the keyword being tries.  Certainly, when he was younger, or before his death, he was much more given to pessimism and negativity, not seeing any way out of the holes in which he found himself.  It kind of seemed like once he was out of one, he would slip right back into another, such as getting rid of Mary only to be picked up by Gertrude, who had plans to blow him up pretty much as soon as she met him.

Now that he has a second chance at life and a friend who doesn’t want to use him for everything he’s worth, though, he tries to look on the bright side of things, yeah!  He is doing his best to enjoy life as it comes to him, for the first time in ever, and he is not perfect at it all the time.  He is a work-in-progress, but he’s getting there, dammit!

And he has always genuinely believed that most people are innately good and worth saving.  Not all of his Leitner burning was out of spite for his mother.  So, there is that.

As for instructions, Gerry doesn’t ignore them so much as he just forgets them.  (Three cheers for 25+ years of undiagnosed ADHD!)  He certainly doesn’t intend to get sloppy with his work (although I wouldn’t say that he sets out specifically to be a perfectionist, either), he just tends not to do well with certain tasks unless he is given reminders about them.

His tendency towards forgetfulness caused a lot of problems with both his mother and Gertrude, who berated him for it incessantly.  As a result, Gerry has a lot of problems wherein he doubts his own intelligence and believes himself to be “just stupid” sometimes, instead of… y’know… undiagnosed neurodivergent.  Sighs.

KAITLYN: does your muse considers themselves a leader ? would they easily step into that position in a crisis ?

Gerry absolutely does not consider himself to be a leader.  While he is capable of going off and doing shit on his own, whenever there is a person that he feels comfortable deferring to, he usually does.  He considers himself to be absolutely abysmal at carving out his own path.  He’s a follower more than anything, first with his mother, and then with Gertrude, and most recently with Jon.  Jon is trying to get him to… not… follow him around so much, to middling results lmao

As for stepping in during a crisis, absolutely.  In fact, that is kind of all that Gerry ever does.  He sees somebody about to Get Got by one of the Entities and takes it upon himself to step in.  He understands by now that he will never be able to save absolutely everyone, but if he can help even a little bit, then yeah, he wants to.

〔  the quarry  〕  〢  accepting .

[femmesandhoney]

ur so right about Mabel having zero chemistry with her love interests, Theo is honestly her best option at this point cause at least they seem to enjoy each other’s company lmao

btw do you have a theory on the photos of her in a wedding dress? no way she’s actually getting married lol

oscar was actually probably her best chemistry match until he left randomly, which now leaves theo as her best one for sure. her and tobert give me hives to see interact like their chemistry is terrible and their scenes make me depressed bc i can't even blame either actor, whoever is directing them and was in charge of their intimacy coordination sucked lmao?? i'm not even that opposed to either of their character's characterizations, but i think jesse williams just doesn't give enough in their scenes bc of the character he's playing for selena to properly work off of. selena needs scene partners w personalities that push her, that are lively, which is why she works with steve and martin well, and james (theo). like ik jesse is fine when the actors around him bounce off well w the character he's playing, he always reminds me of marcus from DBH as tobert, and that's just too close to how selena portrays mabel so their scenes are soooooo goddamn boring and lack tension. anyways theo and her are friends so it's as least fun to watch and doesn't make me wanna pretend its a commercial break.

and nope! i never can guess this shows plot twists haha, we know there's gonna be a wedding though. i guess you gotta wonder if they're gonna try to pull off something like the s2 finale where they "set a trap" for the murderer in the form of a wedding between mabel and someone, most likely tobert. tho the writers do seem to be setting up a fucking love triangle (yawn) w how they paired tobert and theo as her podcast partners last episode. they cannot make me say the name tobert for more than one season or i'll shoot someone. otherwise i cannot think of a reason she'd be in a wedding dress unless she's pretending to be someone else (joy?) but like she looks nothing like joy lmao so idk

[iguessitsjustme]

My Top 10 Non-BL Asian Dramas

Believe it or not, I do watch my fair number of Asian dramas that are not BL. I just tend to binge them instead of watching week to week so I typically don’t post about them. So here is a list of my top 10 favorites that no one asked for.

(Since this is a list of non-BL shows, I did not include bromances like Devil Judge, Guardian, or Ghost Doctor on this list or it would be a very different list)

10. The King’s Avatar - Netflix - I did not know that I could like a show about esports until I watched this show. There are some things that I wasn’t particularly a fan of, but I mostly loved it. There was no romance to be seen. Just a bunch of people battling it out in video games and the drama actually had me on the edge of my seat.

9. Tale of the Nine-Tailed - Viki - I did not care for the romance in the story one bit which is unfortunate since it’s a large part of the show, BUT despite the romance not being to my taste, I still loved the characters. And of course I loved Lee Rang. I don’t care if he was evil and almost helped bring about the end of the world, he deserved better and I’m still mad at the ending he got.

8. Love O2O - Netflix - This show is probably the most out of place on this list but it is probably my favorite het romance. Bonus censored BL in there which I wish they could have gone more in depth with, but they did what they could. I love Xiao Nai and Weiwei’s relationship. They constantly communicate with each other and she was never once made out to be dumb because he was supposed to be the smart, perfect one. One of my favorite scenes is actually his friends hacking the school’s system to show the dumb gossip mill her report card because she is just as smart. The friendships are great too. The only thing I don’t like is that Erxi deserved way better than Cao Guang. He sucked the entire show and didn’t get any better. Erxi was only ever adorable and I will fight every single person that called her ugly.

7. While You Were Sleeping - Viki - This whole show was just an experience. And it was such an interesting concept. I love that the love triangle never even mattered but I hope Han Woo Tak finds someone one day because damn if he wasn’t the best character. Also this show made me very glad that I don’t have prophetic dreams. The romance definitely plays a huge part in this, so if you don’t like het romances than it’s not for you. But both characters are so cute and chaotic and a tiny bit unhinged and I would definitely recommend it. Plus the little found family they develop is wonderful.

6. The Gifted - Youtube - This is another show with such an interesting concept. I love the whole show a lot. It feels hard to talk about without spoiling everything, but I do need it stated that Wave is my favorite character. He was my favorite from the beginning all the way until the end. He’s the best, the smartest, and if you know me, you know I love the asshole characters. But a very specific brand of asshole and he fits it.

5. My Name - Netflix - This show is...fucked up. But I loved it. Especially the end. Sometimes, I just want to see a woman go on a one-woman rampage and murder everyone and everything. Anyway, pissing her off, then training her to fight, then extra special pissing her off might not have been the best move. This show is graphic and extremely dark. Do not watch this show unless you are 100% sure you can handle it and handle the violence.

4. The Uncanny Counter - I love a good fantasy element in my shows. I love that his hair went crazy for some reason. I love a disabled character, even though that went away when he got his powers. (minor spoiler) I love that when he loses his powers, and he’s disabled again, I love that he doesn’t forget how to fight. I love the found family and how they protect each other. I love eccentric billionaire man who is also a superhero. I just loved everything about this show tbh. Might be time for a rewatch.

3. Tomorrow - Netflix - This show just finished recently and I loved it. It also deals with heavier topics and it’s definitely not for everyone. This show is about a grim reaper trying to stop people from committing suicide so keep that in mind before going in. She is blunt and brutal but she says the things that people need to hear. And there are times when this show is very, horrifically sad. It almost made me cry (which if you know me, is impressive). Bonus for this show is that the main character, Joon Woong was also in Click You Heart which is weirdly how I became friends with one of my best friends in the world. Also, I don’t know how alone I am in this but I 100% ship Joon Woong with Ryung Goo. Those two love each other in their weird little way and no one will convince me otherwise.

2. Law School - Netflix - This show reminded me a lot of Devil Judge actually. Minus the bromance. But it’s got corrupt politicians, and one man who is facing it all. The music in this show is phenomenal and the characters are fantastic. There’s definitely a mystery over who murdered the teacher and the fact that their teacher is using himself and the fact that he is the number one suspect in order to teach his students is fantastic. I love how hardworking Kang Sol A is. They told us from the beginning that she had less natural intelligence than her peers. But she worked so hard and she cared so much and I love that the smartest student went out of his way to help her. And he was so proud every time she figured something out. Anyway if you liked Devil Judge, you would probably like this show as well.

1. Vincenzo - Netflix - This show is definitely not made for everyone but it was made more me. It was the exact right balance of absurd, chaotic humor and dark, gritty violence. The villains of the show think they’re so much smarter than they actually are and sometimes I just want to watch a show where the protagonist is constantly winning. Plus I may or may not be a little in love with Cha Young. If you ever want to talk about this show, I am literally always willing to talk about it nonstop. I can talk your ears off.

Let me tell you, choosing just 10 shows was so hard. I love so many. And across so many different genres. Most of the shows on this list ended up being Korean dramas, cause honestly, those tend to have the most violence and I love a good violent show.