#Sandra? Still thinking about a ship name

[rommaru]

My crack shipper heart has spoken, so for your consideration:

Fenton and Gyro are invited to collaborate with S.H.U.S.H. under Dr. Sara Bellum at St. Canard. This is not the first time Sara and Gyro have worked together and they actually get along as they share a similar cynical way to make science (except that Sara is worse). They are not close friends but they are great as teammates, so Fenton has to deal with two mad scientists now.

After a long day of work, Gyro invites them both to dinner but Sara rejects the invitation as she planned a date with her partner. A motorcycle stops near by drove by the one and only Gandra Dee who saludates from the distance before an affective Sara runs to her.

Gyro and Fenton remain on the sidewalk until the girlfriends disappear feeling weird. It's a small world.

[kayetra-spade-queen]

Because @drawnfamiliarfaces got me into their AU rabbit hole of a variant version of the Teen Heroes™, I hope they don't mind of me making my own variant (I'm self-conscious, please excuse me-).

First and foremost, I can't draw, at least not to the extent of completely fleshing out a sketch out of my ass (ok- I can, but only a single eye, and even then it looks like shit to me-). I can draw clothing better than making a full body to make a whole ass scene. Comics are out the window cuz I will suffer.

Second, it'll probably be more on writing than making fanarts.

Third, I didn't watch the majority of the other characters' respective shows. I watched Danny Phantom a bit because of Nicktoons, and Ben 10 because of the same person who got me into starting this whole thing. I'll probably get my own snips and bits of necessary info from the wiki, but don't expect any accuracy, and I'd appreciate if anyone could dump some info that could prove to be very necessary for me.

Fourth, this is an entire AU itself, so I'm mostly not gonna follow canon at most. There will be stories I will try to twist to my liking.

Fifth, ships. Yes, but bear with me here; thanks to my overconsumption of media, I will be putting just a few ships that I think are neat, but if anyone disagrees with me or didn't like how I didn't mention a ship they like (cuz I barely knew shit about the characters), then please just either move away from my blog, or block me entirely to avoid unwanted conflict. We all have our interests that make us happy, the least you could do is to respect and/or completely don't interact.

Sixth, the clothing are gonna filled with my own personal headcanons, mostly their clothing when they battle (the characters themselves too, but I'm gonna focus more on the clothes because I'm a fashion illustrator). Danny, Ben, and Randy are gonna wear heels because yes.

The ships involved;

Tigerghost (Manny Rivera from El Tigre x Danny Fenton from Danny Phantom) (I completely blame izbubbles for this one)

Benrex (Rex Salazar from Generator Rex x Ben Tennyson from Ben 10) (surprised? Probably not lmfao-)

Jimmytimmy (Timmy Turner x Jimmy Neutron) (first and foremost; no, none of the Nicktoons (Jimmy, Timmy, SpongeBob, and Manny) except Danny and Jenny are part of this team. Danny and Jenny still go on missions with the NU team because duh. And second; they're only here as some sort of filler and cuz I really love Nicktoons since most of them I have watched)

Headcanons involved (will get expanded in due time I swear-);

Trans Danny

Anodite Ben (still wields the Omnitrix. His anodite powers are pink too)

Dani and Dan are Danny's kids (under a different name because they have to go through a re-birth process that I'll touch upon later)

Ben's necrofriggian children now comes to earth to live with their mom (like I said, I'm not following canon)

Randy is still ninja, but because this AU involves a 3rd power/skill, I'll have to twist a bit of the canon my way, especially when it comes to the Ultimate Lesson and memory wipe

There will be some Genshin Impact references here and there, because I do play them, and I love it-

Ghost King Danny (by extent, Ghost Princess Dani and Ghost Prince Dan)

Fashion designer Ben (his sassy and confident nature could be more of a use tbh)

Primal Iudex Randy (he and Furina would get along nicely-)

Pearl Keeper Jake

Side gig magician Rex (leave me be, I think it's neat-)

Engaged Rex and Ben (all of the members are adults over 20, so don't be surprised)

Sandra Tennyson is French, so that makes Ben half-French by heritage

Ben and Randy are pen pals turned close friends by the time Ben moved to France (yes, I made Randy somewhat French here for this reason, but I'll have to put in more details later)

Rex won't lose his memories, but he'll get short-term amnesia often, which just need something to trigger the old memories back

Everyone is under the same universe

Danny's ghost team are Sam-Tucker-Valerie-Jazz and his parents (Valerie deserves better than what was given to her by canon)

Yes, Maddie and Jack knew Danny became a ghost from the very start, but they didn't treat him any differently than he was before; if anything, they felt guilty that their son had paid the price for their ignorance and neglect

Phantom Planet do not exist, and it shouldn't have been to begin with, but whatever

Valerie had always been part of Danny's gang. In terms of Shades of Gray, I'll have to change a lot of things, that includes her father's job (he didn't get fired), so I have other things in mind regarding Cujo

Cujo became Danny's pet dog later on, cuz you can't tell me these two aren't made for each other

Members from oldest to youngest, I do hope @drawnfamiliarfaces wouldn't mind me using their headcanon as well (eldest Kim, youngest Randy). I think they're really neat.

Please keep in mind that none of this follow canon whatsoever, they follow my headcanons and versions. Character backstories are written purely by my own personal headcanons too. I'll probably add actual canon when I didn't have anything good to offer, but this is what I could put for now.

[melis-writes]

Introducing my next, upcoming multi-chapter, Sonny Corleone x Reader smut fic, coming soon!! 🥰🤞🏻

Mafia Wife.

A very big thank you to all of you who submitted suggestions/ideas for everything related to Gabriella; we even chose her name from popular vote! 🥰💓 Please welcome the OC/Reader persona, none other than Gabriella Giordano. ❤️

Staying as canon as possible to all of the events of The Godfather including the timeline, the only things that change in this fic is the year Sonny gets married (canonically 1935 to Sandra). ✨

Mafia Wife will follow the plot of the first film, showing us Gabriella and Sonny's romance, sex life and growing family. 👀❤️ I named this fic Mafia Wife because that is exactly what Gabriella is down to the core, the to-be wife of a very powerful and influential mafioso. For those of you who are fans/readers of Moth to Flame, you may think of Victoria Corleone as a mafia wife and she indeed is, but the title to this fic has a deeper meaning to Gabriella. There's a difference between being a mafia wife, and then being pulled into the lifestyle of the mafia/being a mafiosa. 😏

“The underboss’s wife”; that’s who you are, and the whispers of enemies, family and colleagues alike know it too. You’re no stranger to the underworld of crime surrounding you including the one run by the Corleone family’s underboss; Santino Corleone. The streets run red with blood and brutality under Santino’s influence but it’s Santino who feels hit by the thunderbolt at the very sight of you—pushing away his womanizing and notorious unfaithfulness. You unexpectedly find yourself in a position of influence balancing your marriage and family ties with the fate of the Corleone’s family’s future whether it be through Santino’s infamous brutality or the love he finds amidst the man he claims to be.

You can expect lots of filthy smut scenes, kinks, but also fluffy romance and wholesomeness. Lots of domestic family life as well as Gabriella and Sonny's family starts and grows. ❤️ Fans of pre-Don college boy Michael can rejoice, and Gabriella x Sonny forever shippers can rest easy knowing Sonny never had his romance with Sandra in this fic! 😂

Everything related to this fic will be tagged as #mafia wife fic. Anything related to Gabriella directly will be tagged under her full name as #Gabriella Giordano. I guess the official ship name is Sonniella! 😅

There will only be one canonical ending to this fic. 👁️👁️ After the first smut scene is posted, I'm willing to take in prompt requests for Gabriella x Sonny! That being said, I'm still/always taking in Sonny x Reader (general reader) too! And yes, I will not forget about Victonny. 🤭

I anticipate to have the first chapter of Mafia Wife up and posted in a week or two, but I always hope to write it up sooner. 😅💓 Can’t wait to share it with you guys and hear all your feedback! 😍

[3584-tropical-fish]

hello once again fish >:3c

(think i missed one of these you reblogged before oops) for the fandom ask game, i will ask you for 3, 8, 16, and 21! if you’d like to of course :)

Hi tech!!! I’ve been off and on writing these answers out, and here we are!!

a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

Probably Sibling Rane. I’m not insane about Rane but I did get a bit more attached to them because of posts about them

you hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

Uhhh can I say The Secret of St. Kilda in general? I need more people in that fandom, trust me guys it’s a banger. It’s so good. It definitely won’t hurt you

a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

Oh. Oh. I think ALL THE TIME about Carpenter using “Sandra” as a cover name. And Sandra being her mother’s name. I think about the implications of it so often. It’s about trying to keep this connection with someone who you never knew. What did the Katabasians and the other older members of the faith think of that choice? Why did she make that choice? I think about it so much.

a fandom you're not active in anymore but that you still really like

MCYT in general. I really wish I was still invested in it as I was, but I guess it just happens sometimes that you move past interests. I still watch Pixlriffs videos sometimes and I’m obsessed with Whitepine, but I haven’t really watched a hermitcraft or life series video in a while ):

But yeah I still love mcyt <3

[windsweptinred]

Ok, one more! Desunity ! <3

5. What was the moment for you that made you ship them?

7. What are some good fics for this pairing?

11. do you have a song that reminds you of them?

yeah this is a rec bait 😂 so to balance it out:

What are some headcanons you have? Dealers choice on topic! OR! What do you think Desire first appeared to Unity as? And did Unity start seeing that there's more to Desire than meets the eye before the whole vortex business? and also still dealer's choice

Ah @mashumaru my dear..You always come up with the most amazing array of asks. Thank you ❤️

What was the moment for you that made you ship them?

Listening to Sandra James-Young say 'My golden eyes man' with such softness, such fondness... Such devotion. That made me sit up and pay attention. Up until that point I'd considered Desire and Unity's realtionship similar to the comics. Aka, so beyond not healthy!! But hearing that made me question why Unity would have such love for her 'man' under the circumstances. Why she talked about her beautiful little girl with such a sense of familiarity. The series had changed the dynamic, it intrigued me... And the rest is history.

What are some good fics for this pairing?

Family Matters by Anchanee. I cannot recommend this fic enough. It was one of the very first Desunity fics that didn't make them a side plot to Dreamling, but focused entirely on them. And it is soooooo good! That end chapter will melt you.

Also Miranda by imaginationisrainbowcoloured. God that one hits you right in the feels!

Do you have a song that reminds you of them?

I'd love to be deep and interesting with this answer... But my ultimate Desunity song is 'A little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) by Fergie, GoonRock, and Q-Tip. It was the feature song for the Great Gatsby 2013 remake. And what can I say, the Gatsby is strong with this ship. 😅

Also, also.... And most ironically, Once Upon a Dream. I mean listen to the lyrics,

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem

But if I know you, I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream"

I won't take credit for that one though. @ibrithir-was-here pointed out how much their tale is so Sleeping Beauty coded.

What are some headcanons you have? Dealers choice on topic! OR! What do you think Desire first appeared to Unity as? And did Unity start seeing that there's more to Desire than meets the eye before the whole vortex business? and also still dealer's choice.

Oooooo fantastic questions. I'm a ridiculous advocate for 20s 'The illusion of time kept moving' Dreaming courtship for Desire and Unity. So I think when Desire first appeared to the Unity is was in the guise of a dashing, 20s male, bright young thing. Aka, Unity's ultimate 'desire' in a romantic partner at the time.. It also one of my favorite personal headcanons is they went by Epi. (Short for Epithumia... Their Greek name. It's so frikkin adorable to think of Unity calling them that.)

Oh Unity's as sharp as the Corinthian's blades. She definitely caught on Desire was more then meets the eye. Maybe she thought they were a dream or nightmare? Part of me thinks by the time Unity awoke she knew exactly what Desire was, and was purposely vague with Dream to protect them. Did she support Desire's plan... Absolutely not. Was she most likely livid with them... Yup. Did she want to see them hurt, especially once the danger was passed... No. But to back track, yes, I Iove to think that slowly, Unity started to see Desire, accept Desire as their true self. And Desire began to drop the act. And wouldn't that just be a novel experience for Desire, to be loved, not for what they can be... But for themselves.

[bobbie-robron]

Robron Fanfiction Recommendations (Mar-2022)

The below were recommended during March 2022 on Twitter:

,Forbidden Love’ (2020) 152.0K words, Karla_Kattz

The ratings for the soap Forbidden Love have been in a slump so Chrissie decides to create a new ship to widen the audience, Chrolli, which will involve pairing the current (and popular) character Olli (played by Aaron) with a new addition to the show, Robert, playing Christian. The sparks fly between the two right away but with huge baggage from both sides and mixed signals coming together won’t be easy. But it very much becomes a case of reel to real as they support each other as their pasts rear their ugly heads for each but will it be enough to lead to a future together?

Not Over Yet (2016) 14.7K words, robron_til_the_end

With Aaron in the know about who was behind the shooting, Robert is now having potentially life-threatening health problems because of a fragment of the bullet that had to be left behind at that time. The recommended action is surgery sooner rather than later but the odds of surviving are not as favorable as expected. Will Robert have the surgery or allow nature to take it’s course.

As If By Chance (2018) 21.0K words, orphan_account

Aaron reluctantly attends a week long (and quite boring) agricultural convention. There, he meets an engaged Robert White and sparks fly right away leading to a fling. Said fling is cut short when Aaron realizes exactly who Robert is and flees back to the village. Still, you can’t stop what is meant to be when first the Whites show up to buy Home Farm and then Robert who is determined to turn his life around… with Aaron.

Blank Slate (2015) 14.1K words, auselysium

There’s been an explosion at the pub that has lead to the death of Diane but also has landed Robert in hospital. Robert is more or less fine after awaking from his coma except for the little fact that he’s forgotten not only hie wife, Chrissie, but also Vic and Andy! Tack on the fact that he pronounces he’s in love with Aaron! Will Aaron stick with his decision to dissuade Robert that he’s mistaken about them or fight to finally have a chance to be together at long last!

Three Visits to Home Farm (2015), 9.2K words, dirtylittlegreasemonkey

Three chapters, each focusing on a different year (2015, 2016 and lastly 2023), where Robert and Aaron have moments at Home Farm, the last year being quite significant for the both of them.

Aaron’s awakening (2016) 11.2K words, Margorobron

Aaron has reached the breaking point… with Liv! Realizing just how badly Liv has treated not only Robert (no problem with her if he wound up in prison) but also disrespecting Chas. Aaron gives Liv an ultimatum - either get her act together or she’ll be shipped back to Sandra. Aaron also realizes just now much he’s taken Robert for granted while being played by Liv time and time again. It’s Aaron’s turn to take the initiative to make sure he doesn’t lose Robert and put THEIR RELATIONSHIP FIRST.

It’s Always Darkest Before the Storm (2016) 6.4K words, DirtyLilGreaseMonkey

A drunk Andy is not a tolerable one as he verbally attacks Robert (with Aaron there) over his misery and being responsible for all it as well as bringing up Max. Robert is only able to take so much which leads him to opening up to a supportive Aaron about his past with Andy and Max as well as who was behind his shooting…

Thinking of You series (2017) 11.9K words, storiesthatmakeus

It’s been four years since Robert & Aaron split and three years since they set eyes on each other. That changes when they spot each other at a wedding of their friend, Ellie. While some things have changed, namely Aaron is with a seat filler fiancé called Sam, other things haven’t — both haven’t stop thinking of the other through the years. Now Aaron needs to do what he didn’t do before - fight for a life with Robert. Two stories in the series with the second one including a deserved confrontation with that woman who shall not be named (ever!).

The spaces in togetherness (2018) 6.3K words, toxica939

Soulmates AU. Aaron has a major headache that just won’t go away but, apparently, it does start to fade when he’s around newly arrived Robert who just so happens to also be suffering from the same affliction. Well, Aaron’s response is for them to stay away from each other as Robert is engaged but, in the end, there may be no alternative…

[chacusha]

Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal

I'm late but I finally watched this. Some thoughts:

My partner after watching the first episode: "Like, it's not just me -- nothing the characters were saying made any sense??" Me: "Yep, that's just how the game is. 😎"

The opening is a bit meh but I love the ending credits (both the music and the visuals).

Aww they missed the opportunity to have Inspector Boyd demand that "Sandra" take that hat off. In general, Boyd seems quite a bit toned down/more serious in this anime.

My partner in the second episode: *pauses it and points to Rubens in his first appearance* "Okay, but that is a SUPER Jumi-ass-looking guy..."

My partner responding to Shiloh doing nothing to intervene in Sandra and Rubens' conversation: "I don't get it. She's a petite lady with a tiny knife and he's got abs made of concrete."

My partner: "Inspector Boyd's right to wear that hat is revoked because he was so surprised the guy named 'Basket Fish' turned out to be the basket fish guy they met earlier."

Me and my partner: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I ship Sapphor and a literal basket fish??? 😭"

Me whenever my partner complains about how useless Pearl is: "She is. ☺️"

My partner: "Elazul is kinda a little bitch." Me: "He is. ☺️"

I like seeing Esmeralda and co. wandering around the world together. The anime really cut/downplayed the whole "Elazul/the protagonist is Esmeralda's knight!" aspect of the game, which I don't mind because I never really liked it.

More thoughts about the finale/ending because this got long:

Grudgingly, I accept the "pick Elazul" version of the end of the Jumi arc (but I think the "pick Blackpearl" path is canon/makes more sense in a lot of ways).

I'm not sure how I feel about the Shiloh/Seraphina plotline. As a player of the game, it feels kind of selfcestuous but then is not played that way at all in the anime itself. IDK, it just feels like a weird choice!

I like the extra backstory for Sapphor, being the leader of the Guardians in the Bejeweled City. I wonder if he's gotten any new fic from it? Hm... doesn't look like it, on AO3 at least. Sad. 😭

I'm not sure if the Jumi arc climax really works without the space whale fight. The reason is that I thought it was important that the protagonist (and Elazul or Blackpearl) make the opposite choice of Sandra and choose to ruin the ability of the Lord of Jewels to form a teardrop crystal in order to get back the cores of their former comrades. Like, I thought they essentially punched all the Jumi cores out of him, but then of course this makes no one happy because the Jumi are near-extinct. Hence why the protagonist weeps for them.

My partner: "Yeah, I didn't get what was up with the Lord of Jewels. Like, was he just a scam artist? 'Oh no, just one more core... Seriously this time!'" Me: "I don't think that was the intended read of him in the game, but I see where you're getting that..."

(Seriously, why did they change it from exactly 1000 cores to just approximately that?)

The Sword of Fate(?) gets a little more narrative significance here... but not much. I always wondered what is the point of having it in the story at all. I guess no one knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My partner: "Omg, Sandra walked away from Omelas!"

Okay yeah, the ending here is a bit wonky. I think at least the director's cut did the ending better (I think it's important that you have the scene of the Jumi on-screen coming together in order to try to form a teardrop crystal to heal Shiloh and co. in order for the ending scene to have tension. And then the fakeout "bad news" delivery). But there were still the issues of (1) no space whale, and (2) the weird Shiloh/Seraphina scene -- I think this subplot muddies up the point of the Jumi arc, which is about the distrustful relationship between Jumi and non-Jumi. Having Shiloh be already mortally injured when he turns to stone diminishes the sacrifice he makes by shedding tears for/feeling sorry for the Jumi. Making Shiloh and Seraphina both sad at Seraphina's betrayal and wishing they had more time together also introduces a source of emotional sadness that, again, isn't about the Jumi. Both of these things super undermine the emotional weight of the Jumi arc, which is ultimately about being willing to open your heart to the troubles of outsiders, even if this exposes you to harm. The way they handled incorporating two protagonists into the anime was overall interesting throughout the rest of the episodes, but here is where it really fell apart.

Anyway, overall, I enjoyed it. The Jumi arc is my favorite plotline in Legend of Mana and I think it translated pretty well to a self-contained anime series like this.

By the way, would anyone like some LOM anime icons? I would like to make some, now that we have like a treasure trove of high-quality anime screencaps. Let me know!

[lomappreciationblog]

Episode 4 Thoughts: Basket Fish is a Nice Guy, Somehow

Whoa boy this episode. This episode is amazing! As always.

First of all - no surprise here anymore, but Polpota looks absolutely beautiful! Every location is again lovingly drawn and more than ever I wish I could visit that seaside town.

Also, our Mystery Blue Jumi is revealed to be the Sapphire Jumi, Sappho! We do actually get that name in the game, the gates in the Bejewled City are named after him, so that's a neat callback. The other Mystery Blue Jumi in the opening is also named, she's Marina, and though it's not stated I'm guessing she's an aquamarine Jumi based off her name.

I'll talk more about Sappho in a bit, but I really did like how this episode was structured.

They introduce Basket Fish as how he is in the game - a lecherous slimeball who looks down on all other people and calls them plebs. But! They actually made it so that there is more to him than meets the eye, I'm quite surprised.

They wrote this episode in a way that lessened the focus on the shipwreck investigation, since Shiloh and Boyd are at Polpota because they know Sandra is targeting the Blue Eye. They actually cut out the whole ghost business too. But they still gave justice to Thoma, here we get to actually hear how he feels and it is heartbreaking to see how desperate he was to find out how Thona died. So even if it's a pretty minimal role, you get to feel for him, and hey, he gets his peace at least.

They also do show in the anime that Elle's song did have the traditional siren effect in that her song caused the ship's crew to lose their senses and they ended up crashing into a rock because of it. I wonder if they will feature her again in this anime, though? Her questline is one of my favorites and I would think a lot of fans agree, but as considering how long the Jumi arc already is, it would be difficult to put it in without taking away too much screen time. But I hope, they adapt the other main arcs too and maybe we'll get to see Elle's story sometime. If it becomes an OVA, I would be so happy.

Oh, and yes, we get to see Elle in this episode!...before a lot of trouble comes to her, poor girl, but at least she looks happy here.

After Thona hears about the shipwreck, Boyd and Shiloh come in and find that Basket Fish is holding the Blue Eye, and he finally spills on why he has it. In the game, he was said to have inherited it, so I assumed it was a heirloom thing.

Here, however, the Blue Eye has a different story.

Basket Fish instead used to be a normal guy when one day he comes across an unconscious Jumi on the shore - and contrary to how we've seen him all this time, he's pretty nice, looking after Sappho even though the latter is very quiet and doesn't say much.

So, Sappho - here we meet our first (and perhaps the last) named male Guardian Jumi. We know the roles aren't tied to gender, seeing as Blackpearl is one of the strongest Jumi knights, but it's still good to see an actual male Guardian, since all the Guardians we see in game are female characters (Pearl, Florina, Esmeralda, Diana).

We also hear about Sappho's Knight, Marina. Unfortunately, going by the flashback she was already killed when she fended off a Jumi hunter to save him, and that was how he ended up washing up on Polpota's shores.

Poor Sappho seems to feel guilty, not because he lost his knight while he ran away, but because he never opened up to her like he did with Basket Fish. We also got see how he pays back Basket Fish's kindness and explains how he got so rich - he used his core's power to find sunken treasure, and that is how Basket Fish became wealthy. But, Sappho knowing he would be defenseless without a Jumi Knight, he instead entrusts his core to Basket Fish, so that at least the person who gets his core is a friend and not just some Jumi Hunter.

I imagine that would be pretty shocking, nursing someone back to health, being friends with them, and bam! The guy pulls his heart out and hands it to you. No wonder Basket Fish didn't want to let the Blue Eye go in Sappho's memory.

Back to the plot, I was wondering if they would do the Inspector Boyd switch, but nah, they made it so that Sandra disguised herself as Revanshe. It's a bit more believable for her to pull off, to be fair. It's still hilarious that she can transform into her thief attire with a swirl of a cloak, but I suppose that could be her special power as Alexandrite :b Magical wardrobe change seems to be her specialty anyway.

So she swipes the jewel and once again throws Shiloh into a wall, poor guy. Though, it's still a sweet detail that Shiloh checks on Basket Fish and promises to return the jewel before they give chase.

I appreciate that they show an actual physical fight between Sandra and Shiloh since in the game Sandra pretty much just sics Jewel Beasts on you. And boy we get to see that she can actually fight! No surprise given her former identity as a Jumi knight. Poor Shiloh gets beaten up for the third episode in a row and this time he has it especially hard. Thank goodness Serafina comes in to save him.

I wonder though, does Sandra have history with Serafina? She seemed reluctant to fight after seeing her and instead flees shortly after Serafina comes in. Could be that she was just reluctant to fight even more people, but it's still a strange reaction.

It's a shame though, I was hoping to see Serafina jump into a fight, but we'll have other chances.

Poor Shiloh though. The episode concludes with Boyd worried for him and saying he would have to stop Shiloh from joining the Jewel Thief investigations as it is too dangerous. Which isn't wrong...

Gahh, it keeps getting better and better! I'm guessing next episode is a breather one where Shiloh rests up and has to make up his mind whether to continue associating with Jumi business. I guess Serafina will be staying over too, since she's the one who's going to take him back to Domina.

And then we'll probably get the Looking Glass Tower soon. But that's just my guessing.

As always, had a blast watching this episode and eagerly awaiting the next one!

[carpediem-celebrpg-promo]

✦ — CARPE DIEM - CELEBRITY RPG;

Not everyone is well liked and sometimes, no matter how hard you try to do the right things, you still end up with a bad reputation. If they’re going to think you’re bad, you might as well have some fun. Who cares what people say or think or feel about your life decisions? Carpe Diem is all about seizing the day so actually seize it, make the most of your experience here and don’t let anyone hold you back. Even if your reputation is bad, at least you’re being talked about. #famous

Wanted: Sandra Oh

Ships: Up to player

Reserve for 24 hours (anon reserves must leave a name)

NO PARA SAMPLE NEEDED!

Click here to join Carpe Diem

[snandtnurtle]

All The Bad Kids Are Trans

and you can’t convince me otherwise

First off, Riz. Riz dresses like every transmasc in existence. No cis man walks around wearing a newspaper cap voluntarily. When he first started questioning his gender (which was about age 10 or so) he took about ten different online quizzes in order to compare the results, then decided they weren’t reputable sources and took matters into his own hands in order to scientifically prove his feelings. Finally Sklonda took him aside one day and said “You’re trans, right?” Riz responded with a long ramble about how he hadn’t quite collected all the data and there were still plenty of experiments left to do before asking how she knew. Sklonda replied “you scratched a bunch of different gendered terms into the wall and then rated them all one to five stars. You rated ‘boy’ very high. Do you want to use a different name? Or pronouns? Also, are we out of paper? You need to stop writing on my walls, we rent this apartment.” Penny had figured it out months ago and had been very subtly avoiding calling him anything but “kiddo.”

Adaine came out at thirteen years old, much to the chagrin of her parents. She tried to be assertive about coming out, but also had a panic attack midway through, which made them doubt her confidence. She had prepared a speech and had been using she/her pronouns and the name “Adaine” with her friends for a long time beforehand, just to figure out if she was totally, absolutely sure. Incidentally, she purposefully picked the name Adaine in order to subvert the -wyn pattern that all of the Abernants’ names have. It took her a lot of fighting to get her parents to address her correctly, but, though it didn’t occur to her at the time, Aelwyn never had any issues with it.

Gorgug is that kid who came out when he was like four years old. Wilma and Digby SHOWERED him with love and support from the get-go, and contacted Gorbag and Roz (who were also supportive) to help them think of a name that honored his orc heritage. However, the Thistlespring parents are SO supportive that they sometimes forget that their son is trans, which only heightens his discomfort during their weirdly frequent sex ed conversations. “Mom and dad? Mom and dad. I don’t have anything to ‘wrap up.’” Also, he wears hoodies everywhere. Case closed.

Fig came out at the end of 8th grade, which was..... a tumultuous time. Sandra-Lynn and Gilear are both supportive of their daughter, but because she decided to come out just when her horns were coming in, and they were figuring out the divorce, and Gilear was still trying to process that his daughter wasn’t exactly his daughter, they struggled a bit with the news at first, which only sent Fig further down her identity-crisis-rebellious-phase rabbithole. Gorthalax had been keeping tabs on Fig and knew as soon as she came out. He’s very proud of his daughter, because he may be a demon but he sure as hell (haha) ain’t a transphobe! Everyone assumed she was just a very flamboyant gay boy in middle school. Now she’s a riot grrrl.

Fabian came out when he was still on the pirate ship with his father, and his parents were OVERWHELMINGLY supportive from the get-go. He, of course, left figuring out his name up to his parents again, because who could think of a better name for him than Bill Seacaster? Captain Seacaster, incidentally, sent a panicked letter to Garthy as soon as Fabian came out asking wtf he was supposed to do, to which Garthy responded “just call him your son and use the right pronouns, i suppose, darling.” He took this to heart, and would enthusiastically (some might say overenthusiastically, but not Fabian! Not about his papa!) exclaim that Fabian was his “darling BOY!” whenever he saw him. Of course, they’re far more settled into the reality of things by now, but saying “my darling boy” just became a bit of a habit.

FH:SY finale spoilers below the cut!

Kristen is the only one who did not come out before the events of Fantasy High. In fact, she has yet to come out in canon at all, but I am convinced it is coming. She’s finished her sexuality crisis. She’s in a stable relationship.  ....Except that Tracker has just left for a long trip. Perfect time to have another crisis while your emotional rock is away! I am convinced that Kristen, a religiously traumatized follower of a nonbinary god of mystery and the unknown, cannot NOT be nonbinary and will absolutely have an arc where she comes to terms with her gender and learns to operate and find confidence in herself without Tracker. I’m not sure what pronouns she’ll use, but it’s probably all of them.

[absolutelyiris]

I've been thinking about the finale of Killing Eve and mostly liking and replying to posts as I try to come to terms with it, mainly because I feel like a fool for having such trust in this show and its writers.

I'm going to try to verbalize my disbelief. It's better that I put it into categories so that is what I'll do.

***SPOILERS***

The Deplorable Justification

For me personally, my anger is not at Villanelle dying because that was always one of the possibilities, but how it's being justified. To say with Villanelle dead, Eve can go back to the ~normies, like being in love with Villanelle- or, a woman- was just a phase of a midlife crisis is so beyond offensive. It's a horrific statement that had no place anywhere near this show and made the end even uglier, especially with how explicit and definitive it was.

Fandom, Stop It

While I understand and agree with the anger from the finale, people insisting Eve should have been sacrificed instead or Sandra Oh should be blamed as a producer is sadly typical and I wish Sandra/Eve would stop being used as a stepping stone for other characters or actors, especially white ones.

Speaking of Eve

For me, the show started to go downhill in season three when Eve was sidelined, and season four was just a continuation of that in the opposite direction. I wish people would have been as vocal over Eve being shoved aside as they were for anything Villanelle, especially considering the bulk of Eve's screen time in s4 should have been plot in s3. And it's insane more people aren't royally ticked after four seasons, we still have no idea of who Eve is or what motivates her beyond Villanelle. It's actually appalling that the title character continues to have no backstory or maiden name.

What started as an examination of a potential psychopath blossoming into her true self with the help of a fellow sexy psychopath became a woman with no agency or personality beyond what serves the plot and that's unforgivable. We are all furious about the finale but holy crap should there be anger over literally every character getting backstory except Eve. Her shafting has been simply unforgivable.

I Love Jodie Comer

To inject some positivity, I adore Jodie Comer and her performance as Villanelle has been a consistent highlight. I look forward to anything she does in the future and will forever love her queer antihero.

I Love Sandra Oh

Speaking of amazing performances, if anything good comes out of season four it should be Sandra finally receiving her long overdue Emmy for her performance as Eve. Even when the writing has been shit, she elevated the material and delivered the performance of the season.

Long Live VillanEve

Jodie and Sandra completely delivered in the finale and made me angrier over how we were refused this ship until the very end. Season four should have been Villanelle and Eve as a team and couple on the run.

After the bus fight, VillanEve should have worked their way back together and at the end of the day, no one should get higher precedence over the mutual and at times harmful obsession between the two women. That sexy and dangerous obsession should have been CENTER. The bus fight should have been the jolt to a physical relationship and the s3 end the beginning of the actual romance with s4 being them against the world. IT'S NOT THAT HARD.

Jodie and Sandra were clearly and completely all game in playing with the obsession and attraction and so were the fans so to keep them apart until the series finale was a massive, massive failure.

Death of the Author

I refuse to entertain opinions of the writing staff over the show, especially when their views don't match what was shown on screen. And frankly, at this point, I'm not holding anything against what Sandra and Jodie say because at the end of the day, they have to uphold what the writers dropped in their lap. They must contain the writers' messes.

The writers and crew of KE have shown a deployable sense of disrespect for not only the fans who kept the show running but also Sandra and Jodie, who clearly loved the show, their characters and the fans.

Okay, I'm done for now. I'm sure I'll have more later but I needed to get this out, hopefully it made sense.

[vickyvicarious]

do u have any atla fic recs? all time faves? can be shippy or not

Fun fact, I am incapable of holding back on reclists. In other words: brace yourself, anon. There’s a reason I put most of this behind a cut.

First off, these are almost all Zuko-centric, because I shamelessly play favorites. I’ll sort them by author rec, gen, shippy, and then by other characters because honestly the numbers break down well that way. Within those categories it’ll be more just as I think of it, so no special meaning to the order. I’m not always good about bookmarking even my faves, so some excellent stuff will no doubt be missing, especially since I haven’t read a lot of the more recent stuff yet/forgot some really old stuff, but this will definitely still give you plenty of fic to enjoy.

There’s a good number of FFN links on here so apologies to people who dislike it, but a lot of great stuff is still on there so give it a chance.

Author recs

Everything by @awesomeavocadolove​​  Such hits as Another Brother (Zuko adopted by Hakoda pre-S1), and currently has a Zukka soulmate fic I’ve been meaning to start reading, as well as Unchained Melody, one of my favorite Zukka fics ever. Always quality, you can’t go wrong.

Everything by KimberlyT.  I do not kid. She’s written a variety of ATLA fic ranging from Zutara/other romance to gen, seriously emotional to cracky cabbagebending. I think my favorite is probably Mismatched (S1 Zuko adopts a baby) but honestly just go read it all.

Everything by @emletish-fish​​. She has a very fun writing style and honestly her end-of-chapter notes on why she’s made the choices she has are fun minimetas worthwhile in their own right. Some of her top fics are the Stalking Zuko series (S3 suspicious Katara to Zutara) and The Worst Prisoner (the Gaang kidnaps Zuko in S1 and can’t get rid of him). I think there’s still a good amount of her fic that can only be found on FFN so check there too.

Everything by @botherkupo​​. Especially her Undying Fire series (healer!Zuko) but also just literally everything she writes, it is all so great. Tends toward Zutara but strong gen fics as well sometimes and a lot of fun. Check it all out!

Everything by @muffinlance​​. Loves to toy with her readers’ emotions in the best of ways. Tons of fantastic gen Zuko-centric AUs, I have adored every single fic I’ve ever read by her, can’t praise them enough. Very productive as well, her tumblr is a hub for the ATLA renaissance and her fics inspire lots of others. Has also organized a fanmade ATLA coloring book for charity so get that once it’s out. In the meantime read everything she’s written.

Everything by Haicrescendo. My favorite is What We’re Given (the series where Zuko finds more air bisons and raises them), but there’s a lot of good Zukka fic too. I tend to steer away from explicit works in this fandom unless it’s a smaller part of a much longer plot-centric fic, so there are a number I haven’t read, but I really like the Pokemon!AU Zukka.

Everything by @gaycinema. I really love the EK fight club series (Zuko fights in Rumbles/etc.) but all of it is a good read. Some Jetko, mostly a lot of introspective or emotional oneshots. Which isn’t really a great depiction of how good they tend to be, you’ll just have to read them and find out. You won’t regret it, trust me.

Everything by @captainkirkk. So far eight stellar fics, starting with kind Fire Lord Zuko and ranging to Floating Tea Shop!Zuko who doesn’t want to hunt the Avatar. I love her style and have laughed out loud at multiple of these. 

Gen Zuko fic

Bringing Out the Blue by maguena1. [unfinished, long] Definitely worth the read. The first ATLA fic I ever got really sucked into. The Blue Spirit never gets knocked out so Aang doesn’t know his true identity; he joins the Gaang on a recurring basis, while Zuko attempts to tell himself this is only for information on how to catch them, they definitely aren’t his friends.

It’s Impossible by Sandra Phillips. [abandoned, long] One of the earliest Avatar!Zuko fics (sort of) and a really interesting take on some spirit stuff.

Embers by Vathara. [complete, long] A landmark fic in the fandom, and for good reason. I didn’t love everything about this fic, but it is very well-written and an absorbing read certainly worth the praise. 

the art of description by incandescens. [oneshot, short] Five descriptions of Zuko and Toph’s field trip from various perspectives. Short, sweet, and funny.

Breaking Point by Kryal. [oneshot, short] Zuko isn’t banished but instead sent to serve in the Home Guard. I love Zuko loving his people, and alternate canon explorations, and this is exactly that.

The Alternative by Lunatique. [oneshot, short] The reason Zuko is so determined is because he fears what will happen if he isn’t the next Fire Lord. An idea I support in canon, to a degree, written well.

Hands and Knees by gigerisgod. [oneshot, short] Zuko reflects on the choices he’s made, and experiences he’s had, when joining the Gaang. A nice introspective fic.

Relative Misery by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Toph complains about her family and Zuko takes her on a field trip. Not a fic I take too seriously, but funny in a sad way.

Second Nature by lazyartisan. [possibly abandoned, long] An AU stemming from Zuko’s capture at the North Pole. Well-written and characterized, an old favorite that I actually find needing to reread to give you more detail, but I can promise it’s good.

Year One by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Lessons Zuko learns in his first year being Fire Lord. I really like explorations of Zuko’s journey as Fire Lord and this is a lovely little window into that.

Soft by PenPistola. [oneshot, short] Zuko and Toph bonding after the Ember Island Players. Short and sweet.

The New Phoenix King by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] Fire Lord Zuko is overthrown, and no one but him is bothered at all. In fact they help. Hilarious crack.

First Name Basis by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] There’s some popular posts going around Tumblr lately about Zuko not knowing the Gaang’s names, but this fic did it first back in 2008. As amusing as you’d expect.

Male Bonding by glamaphonic. [oneshot, short] The original ‘Zuko and Sokka bond and are also dumb idiot boys’ fic. Katara is permanently rolling her eyes.

it’s not the waking, it’s the rising by isamagicdragon, thegracious [ongoing, series, medium] Azulon tells Ozai to kill Azula instead of Zuko, which leads to heartwrenching fire sibs adventure. I haven’t caught up on the last chapter yet but god is it fantastic and also just a really interesting and new perspective on what could have happened.

Doe-Eyed by Anonymous. [complete, medium] Zuko is a baby, Azula is a loving big sister. More fire sibs and a great exploration on Azula’s POV of turning against Ozai.

kintsugi by discordiansamba. [ongoing, series, long] Zuko doesn’t have Iroh after being banished, and winds up hired as a guard to protect the frail Beifong daughter. Fantastic preseries Zuko+Toph found family fic.

Legacies by WildInkling. [ongoing, medium] Far in the future, a historian studies the journal of Fire Lord Zuko. Also, he was secretly a famous author but no one knows. A funny and poignant outsider POV.

#UndercoverZuko series by naggeluide. [complete, series, short] A completely cracky concept written straight enough to be actually quite touching in parts, but also just really funny. Zuko goes Undercover Boss on his ship pre-series.

Avatar Ficlets by JaggedCliffs. [series, oneshots, short] An ongoing series of disconnected oneshots, mostly post-canon and mostly Zuko-centric. Some a pretty fun, one is a great view on Zuko and lightningbending, all worth the read (and follow for when more come out).

The Blind Leading the Blue by BrusselsSprout. [ongoing, medium] An epic Zuko and Toph field trip set in S2. I love them and this.

half in the shadows, half burned in flames by r_astra. [oneshot, short] Iroh dies, Zuko gets caught on the Day of Black Sun, everything ends up all right but damn does it hurt getting there.

A Tale of Earth and Fire by chiiyo86. [complete, medium] Zuko and Toph are married for Politics in a FN Wins AU, and follows them slowly bonding as friends to beginning a revolution. They’re married but it’s not romantic, just some good friendship.

Eight Principles of Yong by psocoptera. [oneshot, short] An exploration of immediate post-show FN politics (sort of), calligraphy, and Zuko. Also has some lovely non-fighting firebending; I always love when people explore other uses of bending.

Healing Properties of Cinder Sage by Dawen. [oneshot, short] Zuko gets very sick in the Western Air Temple. Some good interaction when he’s new to the Gaang, and Toph+Zuko friendship.

We Ourselves Must Walk The Path by WinterSky101. [complete, medium] The Gaang agrees to make Zuko their prisoner in the WAT. Speaking of new-to-the-Gaang, tension, this fic has plenty of it, and also features some good Toph and Zuko.

Frozen by Aris Merquoni. [oneshot, medium] Zuko is captured in the NWT. Some politics, lots of angst, and eventually, healing. Also actually makes me somewhat like Hahn? Incredibly enough.

Reluctant Hero by PAW_07. [ongoing, long] Avatar!Zuko fic. I got to beta it way back when for a little while before I got too busy, and have always been a huge fan of this fic. Great concept, one of the best executions of it I’ve seen, and also one of the first. Definitely read this.

Morality Chain by Pureauthor. [abandoned, long] Azula and Zuko were always on each other’s side; how this changes canon. I love this concept and would happily read a lot more fics with it (please guys, I need more fire sibs).

A viper-lizard’s tales series by Yumi_Take. [ongoing, long] The world needs more of Zuko adopting pets and small children, and those are just facts. This only has one of the two, but it’s a EK baby! Jet plays a big role in this fic as well, a weird kind of uncle-ish to the baby/friend/murderer Zuko needs to watch closely and hold back kind of thing.

(life happens) wherever you are by howlikeagod. [ongoing, long] Katara doesn’t find Zuko and Iroh in the teashop, and canon takes a sharp left turn. Excellent Gaang fic.

The Best Path series by EudociaCovert. [series, ongoing, long] Zuko meets Jet in ‘Zuko Alone’ and winds up getting claimed as theirs by the remaining Freedom Fighters. Really really well-written, I got quite emotional over some scenes.

Shippy Zuko fic

Balm by Thyme In Her Eyes. [Maiko, oneshot, short] A sweet little fic about Mai’s thoughts on Zuko’s lightning scar.

The Black Games by Mrs. Pettyfer. [Zutara, complete, long] Hunger Games-esque AU. It’s the first in a series, and I lost interest after this one but I remember enjoying the fic and it was more personal preference rather than a drop in quality that had me leaving.

Lie To Me by Inkcharm. [Toko, oneshot, short] I’m not actually a fan of this pairing romatically (at least until years down the line), but this little fic of Toph and Zuko bonding through lying to one another is sweet. I choose to ignore the more shippy parts and enjoyed it.

Zutara? What the heck is that? by Ryxl. [Zutara, oneshot, short] Complete crack, have a good sense of humor and I think you will enjoy. Just the mental image of the Gaang finding a Zutara propaganda flyer had me chuckling.

The Three Chores series (1, 2, 3) by Fandomme. [Zutara, threeshot, short] Zuko and Katara slowly bond as he helps with chores. I will admit it’s been years and I barely remember this, but what I do recall is lovely and I always appreciate people lightening Katara’s load.

read the inscription by suzukiblu. [Zuko/Song, complete, series, medium] When Zuko is banished, he is left alone in the Earth Kingdom to fend for himself. Very touching, and I love Song in this.

Hooked by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] A classic ‘Jet didn’t see Iroh warming his tea’ fic. They’re almost all this premise but so many well-written and very long ones. 

Something To Hold Onto by Wildgoosery. [Jetko, complete, long] The EK fell and Li stayed to fight with the Freedom Fighters to protect the city during its foreign rule. Jet didn’t see the tea fic that goes very AU from canon.

Foxfire by Rahar_Moonfire. [Jetko, ongoing, long] Zuko loses his memories Jetko fic, but with heavy spirit influence and lovable EK OCs, both of which I adore and should be in far more fics.

Once Upon A Teashop by anaer. [Zukka, Jetko, ongoing, long] Cracky Ba Sing Se AU that gets gradually more and more serious. Jet hits on Zuko a lot and Sokka gets a job in the teashop to keep an eye on both of them. Endgame Zukka but heavy Jetko, and both pairings are handled pretty well, not a love triangle that makes me too mad, although as always bear in mind Jet’s messed up. 

Names by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] I feel like I’m forgetting some more excellent Amnesia!Zuko fics, but this is one I do know of. To be honest I don’t remember it super well because it may be mixed up with other Jetko/amnesia fics in my mind, but I think it was really good. I’ll have to reread myself.

Epistles by Lady_of_the_Flowers. [Zukka, ongoing, long] I love epistolary fic and I love Zuko and Sokka bonding earlier in canon. I will be honest I haven’t read this in a long time and been updating all the while, but the premise alone (Zuko and Sokka become messenger-hawk-pals in S1 and then fall in love) is fantastic. 

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought. [Zukka, ongoing, long] Zuko rebels earlier and actually is sent to the mines, until he is ‘rescued’ by the Water Tribe. Dark but getting lighter over time, and more reluctant-to-rule Zuko which always wrenches my heartstrings. I prefer super loyal and dutiful to his people Zuko but this trope always makes me feel things.

Crossovers

Fallen Drops of Fire by Chasmfiend. [Fullmetal Alchemist, ongoing] Young Azula and Zuko somehow appear in Amestris, and encounter Roy Mustang. I adore the fire sibs, and their relationship in this strange situation is the star of this fic for me, but it’s also fun seeing the FMA perspective of these two.

The Dragon-King’s Temple by Kryal. [Stargate SG-1, long, complete] The best crossover fic out there. Zuko and Toph get stranded on the other side of a Stargate. I don’t know anything about SG-1 but it didn’t matter, the fic was fantastic, they were badasses, it explored language and culture from an outside perspective, and it was just a ton of fun. Must-read.

Other character fic

Loyalty by Julia451. [oneshot, short] The ship captain didn’t misspeak when he called Iroh and Zuko “prisoners” in the start of S2. A lovely look at a nameless character, giving depth to a small moment and humanity to a FN soldier which I always love.

The Only One by HarlowR. [oneshot, short] An excellent exploration of Azula’s mindset regarding Zuko, her desperate need to be loved and jealousy of him matching his own. I think Azula was one of the greatest tragedies of the show, and this fic makes me feel it.

Blood by theAsh0. [oneshot, short] Katara-centric thinkpiece on bloodbending and healing. Dark but really interesting.

Touch and Go by Cadence. [oneshot, short] After Iroh’s struck by lightning, Toph doesn’t let Zuko drive them all away. A momentary alliance and the seeds of friendship. More Toph-focused but still heavy on the whole Gaang.

Shortcomings by Menamebephil. [oneshot, short] Iroh thoughts during his imprisonment, on the theme of mistakes. I love this man and don’t understand why I am so drawn to fic about him that makes me sad.

Watch And Review, Please by Becca Stareyes. [oneshot, short] The Ember Island Players receive some constructive criticism... sort of. Funny and quick.

Azula Redemption Trilogy (1, 2, 3) by Mistress of Sarcasm. [threeshot, short] Second person and deeply introspective, three short little fics delving into Azula’s head and bringing her closer to redemption.

Echoing Refrains by catie_writes_things. [oneshot, short] I really like nuanced explorations of the whole FN royal family. It’s perfectly fine to write Ozai as pure evil bastard, but exploring  what might have been or how he got there, or even as in this fic his talent for music being inherited by Zuko is really interesting too. Iroh-centric.

our curse by ohmygodwhy, and the last dragon by thesometimeswarrior. [twoshot, complete, short] Stay away if you don’t like to cry. In the first Zuko learns Ozai is executing Iroh, and isn’t able to stop it; the second is even worse because it’s Iroh’s POV. I put this in the other characters section because honestly I adore the second fic even more than the first, but they are both fantastically written and will hurt you a very great deal.

Finally, I’m not quite bold enough to put my own fic on a reclist, but just shameless enough to mention I’ve written a few Avatar fics I quite like if anyone feels the desire to check them out on my AO3. ;) But seriously give love to all the rest of these, they deserve it. (And as I said, there’s lots more excellent stuff, this fandom is so prolific and well-written!)

[jesuisgourde]

gay/queer references in Peter’s journals

Again, I have probably missed stuff due to going through pretty quickly and also due to having stared at this document for so long, everything has kind of blurred together.

Sometime close to the day that Carlos & I watched 'Love And Death on Long Island' (and afterwards paraded through the tea rooms of Picadilly) we both filled in application forms and were tres excited to be invited to the same group 'interview' - twas more like an audition though. I got the part. Carlos never. This did not bring any animosity - we both know that success for either of us is magnified a million times if it is shared by us both.

from 'A Diamond Guitar' by Truman Capote "Except that they did not combine their bodies or think to do so, though such things were not unknown at the (Prison), they were as lovers. Of the seasons, spring is the most shattering: stalks thrusting through the earth's winter-stiffened crust, young leaves cracking out on old left-to-die branches, the falling asleep wind cruising through all the newborn green. And with Mr Schaeffer it was the same, a breaking up, a flexing of muscles that had hardened. It was late January. The friends were sitting on the steps of the sheep house, each with a cigarette in his hand. A moon thin and yellow as a piece of lemon rind curved above them, and under its light, threads of ground frost glistened like silver snail trails. Tico Feo had been drawn into himself - silent as a robber waiting in the shadows."

Then a meet with Bounds Green's African prince outside whitechapel tube, rugged lookies at I in military attire & to a ruptured Albion rooms tidied in hours and now lids drawn heated on the eyes. A young looking fella has a crush on me.

Jackie/Camillia/Marie/Kate/Chris/V. churchill Jackie/Evelina/Jasmine/Sachi/Dalston/Sussie Sandra/Carlene/FP/Jay/Dalston/Kraut

There sat a young black man, perhaps in his early or middle twenties. He looked for all the world like the archetypal rude boy. Clean, cheap reebok, nike, adidas variously rolled, laced & zipped about his lean, spreadeagled body that hung loosely about the waiting room chair. Gold & tattoos adorned his person, and a blank animal look was attached to his clear face. He sat before me in a row of four empty chairs, staring at polished floor or the mundane television. A balding white man minced in & all perceptions were suddenly proven to be false as they embraced and snuggled up to each other, giggling & whispering & touching each others noses.... very much in love, fingers crossed for the blood tests.

[Image: an article from Gay Times of an interview with Peter. For some reason, the portrait included alongside the article is of Carl wearing a grey and black t-shirt.] Name? Peter Doherty Age? 22 Where are you? I'm on the motorway just north of Southampton. What kind of day are you having? (Vaguely) Erm... quite misty. Something's waiting around the corner, but there are no corners on the motorway, so we'll just have to wait and see what lies ahead. Maybe something will happen tonight.... What's this we hear about you once being a rent boy? Well, when times are hard, duty calls. How long ago was it? When I was 19, about three years ago. How do we know this isn't just a Shaun Ryder-type lie? 'Cause if it was, it would make me a complete scumbag and I'm not, and I'm not interested in that kind of pantomime. It wasn't a very happy time. I didn't really enjoy it. Why did you give it up? (grimly) Well, certain people disappeared... and anyway, ultimately I found myself no longer in such a vulnerable position anymore. Dawn broke, and I realised that it was a beautiful world after all. Have you done any other dodgy jobs? All of us in the band have tried to deal, but it's not good if you like the drugs too much. You just end up using them yourself! I once was a gravedigger. I used to do it with my mate in Willesden Green cemetery. We didn't actually do the digging, a machine did that, but we used to have to fill them in. It was pretty grim work. So are you gay then? Love is love, wherever it comes from. I'm not anything, really. I am a very sexual person but... I dunno, I believe in liberty... The Marquis de Sade has a lot to answer for... Do you get a lot of gay fans? Yeah - well, there's one guy in particular. He's very shy and he follows us around. He brings in letters and cards and stuff, but he's very quiet. I think John (the bassist) is the main pulling power in the band. Are you jealous about that? Nah! I've known him too long.

You know I'm alright i dont even care i like it when they stare & stare call me queer, dear oh dear a million things & what I wear He's real hard when he's with his mates but I'll saw him again & he was too late

Dear NME I'd have thought after the Gay Times piece, the interview with Rapture fanzine & our recent gig at the Slum Club everything would be clear. No it still remains to give a big hearty fuck off to all these twisted suburban types calling me a liar. Vulnerable young men & women all over the world find themselves victims of circumstance.

she was dressed in suit & tie & lightly etched-on moustache. 'I've always wanted to kiss a bird in the back of a taxi.' she says, running her hand up the fishnet ladders of my thigh. Stepping onto the front line in Bow puddles, elevators, buzzing doors,

[Image: the original page in the book has been preserved. Two paragraphs have been boxed off with biro. They read:] “...cast Richard Burton and Rex Harrison as bickering queer barbers and then much more uncompromisingly in William Friedkin's adaptation of The Boys in the Band (1970), which introduced some of the plainer four letter words in the English language to the screen for the first time. 'Who,' asks Cliff Gorman, in his brilliant portrayal of the most effeminate of the homosexual group as they gather for a soul-searching party, 'Who do you have to fuck to get a drink around here?' Other homosexual manifestations to occur in movies around this time included an elliptical but unmistakeable male fellatio scene in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969) when Jon Voight, as a broke and disillusioned Texas stud importunes in a New York cinema....”

[Image, top left: a blurry photo of John onstage, playing bass. Image, top right, sideways: a photo of the band onstage. Carl and John are on the left, sharing a mic. Peter is on the right, playing guitar and singing into his own mic. Image, centre left: a torn photo of Peter sitting in a chair, shirtless, playing guitar. Only his bottom half from the chest down is visible. Image, centre left: a torn photo of Peter sitting in a chair, shirtless, playing guitar. Only his top half from shoulders up is visible. Image, bottom left: a torn fragment of a photo. What looks like a denim-clad knee and a yellow carrier bag are visible. Image, bottom middle: a photo of someone's knee in torn jeans, taken from under a table. Image, bottom right: a torn photo of Carl in a black sleeveless shirt, posing with his fingers in his mouth.] [A paragraph from the original page of the book has been left exposed and boxed off with black biro. It reads:] “The Boys in the Band was displaced by an immeasurably more powerful portrayal of homosexual groups, Fortune and Men's Eyes (1971). Set in a Quebec prison, this disturbing, factually based drama vividly recounted the corrupted of a heterosexual convict trapped in a tough, potentially vicious homosexual society. In one horrifying scene, a weak, put-upon prisoner is gang-banged by his fellow inmates; in another, the 'hero' is blackmailed by his cellmate into accepting him as his lover for the duration...”

Like a cat on a hot tin roof Like a macho man in a roomful of poofs I have tried in my way to be free.

[Written in Peter's handwriting] Jerome... is that how it's spelt? [Written in someone else's handwriting] Yes it is [Written in Peter's handwriting] Can I read you something? [Written in someone else's handwriting] Yes please.....

I insist, new book of Albion, befuddled by drugs I may yes about 2 but I do not miss out entirely on the subtleties of the inhuman relation ships that are this the mainstay of my stay here in one bounce of a loaf. Boys are fooled into fooling with boys. [...]

More general references/some extra explanations:

“The boy looked at Johnny” is a line from Patti Smith's song “Horses,” part one of a three-part song called “Land.” In the song, a young man named Johnny is assaulted by another man in a locker room; he then mentally journeys to other fantastical lands and visions. A lot of people interpret it as being about gay sex, although some people interpret it as being about a stabbing.

Peter quotes and references Jean Genet's writing and works about Jean Genet many times. While Genet's works are nearly all about crime and prison (one of Peter's main interests and points of fascination), all of his works are very explicitly gay. The Thief's Journal is more about Genet's various lovers than it is about his criminal history. Our Lady Of The Flowers is about a drag queen and her criminal lovers, and is also extremely erotic.

(“Jerome” is Jerome Alexandre, vocalist of The Deadcuts, who was friends with Peter and Mark Keds.)

[leighlim]

He ran!!!!!!! :)))))))))

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(Hopefully by this point you’ve finished three seasons of ‘New Amsterdam’, the kind of person who isn’t bothered by spoilers, or are just deciding if you still want to keep watching.)

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I really thought that it wouldn’t happen (just because it was hinted so many times and...well...it just did not happen!). But the hint when we got the wideshot of Helen and Max walking through specific areas (because we’ll pass them again if Max decides to go for it)...was a bit of a nudge that something was going to happen.

Fingers crossed this would be a Eric and Tami Taylor type of situation: heaps of challenges...but no breaking up.

(Yes! I absolutely am glad that the show waited...and confirmed its values...)

Of course that makes me wonder about Lauren and Floyd. Do all roads lead to them finding their way back to each other? I really thought Floyd was going to hold out and not go for someone who is married. But him making that decision seems to be a reference to what Lauren told him about jumping off a cliff. It is true...that there are times that lessons are learned only after a ‘cliff fall’. It’s interesting that both of them are imploding (I guess Lauren is going first this time?) at a similar time frame.

PS: Is there a ship name for Floyd and Lauren yet? Floren? :D

PPS: Any idea why they’ve chosen to use chapter titles for this episode (’Iggy’, ‘Floyd’, ‘Max’, and ‘Lauren’)?

PPS: Anna Suzuki is crushing it!!! HAHAHAHA....geez! Was that her one appearance in the episode? I wonder if Sandra Fall was altered just for her.

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HIGHLIGHT:

INT. NEW AMSTERDAM (BOARDROOM) - DAY

MAX emerges from under the table and KAREN closes the door.

KAREN If I've learned anything...It's knowing when to let them go. When to move on.

MAX I want to move on. I do. But I didn't get to make that decision. That choice was taken away from me.

KAREN shakes her head in disbelief. What kind of pool of grief is this man wading in?

KAREN She'd understand

MAX isn't convinced and eyes his nemisis. What is this Karen? But his energy to throw a cheeky remark isn't there. Instead, he bows his head forlornly.

KAREN Max.

She sits next to him.

KAREN Look at me.

With a heavy head, he eventually looks up and turns to her.

KAREN (a bit more emphasis) She'd understand.

MAX I almost took it off.

He nods. The guilt is unbearable.

MAX On the aniversary of her---

His eyes say all he needs to say: It feels like its a betrayal, just the idea of moving on.

KAREN Why didn't you?

It's clear that he's been battling this each passing day.

MAX Because when I look at Luna. I don't even see Georgia anymore.

He stares at her, but not really. You get it. Right, Karen?

MAX I just see my little girl. And when I look inside, Georgia's not there either. That ring---

He shakes his head. It kills him to even need to put it into words.

MAX It's all I have left...

He chuckles bitterly. Staring off...their years together reflected in his eyes.

MAX ...of our whole life.

KAREN Well, it didn't just slip off your finger. There's a reason you took it off.

She lets that sit.

KAREN Maybe you should trust your subconscious.

MAX nods like he's in a dream.

MAX Yeah.

KAREN Yeah.

A flicker of something.

MAX Like I'm trying to tell myself somthing.

SANDRA burts in holding up the ring.

SANDRA Found it.

MAX What? Really?

He perks up and stands.

MAX Wow! Yes! You're amazing. Thank you.

SANDRA nods in her deadpan way.

MAX turns to KAREN.

MAX I gotta go.

He rushes out after SANDRA. KAREN just sits there resigned.

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My verdict of the episode: 7/10

Link to the timestamp commentary: TBA

More of my thoughts about the show: I am thinking of doing a ‘The Comedy Of...’ kind of piece. Let me know if you’d like that to be pushed right at the top of my to-do list. :)

[masculinepeacock]

Fig!

thank you!!

How I feel about this character: FIG my beloved <3 i think this character is so relatable (to a concerning extent lmao) and everything about her is so interesting!! i like how complex she is and her relationships are, and how even when she fucks up she tries again and again and tries so hard to become better!! and help other people!! and AHHH idk if i even have the mental space to express all my feelings about her asdfghjkl

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Ayda ayda ayda!!! i love them so much <3 but i also think fig has so much romantic potential with so many characters lmao (namely fabian and adaine)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: my fav brot3 fig&fabian&aelwyn <3 bitchy besties with a penchant for gossiping

My unpopular opinion about this character: i personally think that she would be totally justified in still having a lot of anger for sandra lynn and gilear :( this may be my own Mommy Issues shining through, but i still think she and Sandra Lynn need to have way more talks with each other to ever truly Repair their relationship (same with fig and gilear)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: honestly! more convos with sandra lynn! or a confrontation scene with gilear! just a good cathartic moment for all of them 

give me a character!

[crobones]

Saw your posts in the anti-fj tag and needed someone to vent to lmao hope that's okay✌ i just--- they haven't even talked after the kiss??! Except that weird mess when Jester tried to talk to him about the creepy forest and Cad, and he just.. agreed with her and it went nowhere🤷‍♀️ Travis can be a great rp'er, but it just feels like he is afraid that talking on a deeper level with Jes will expose how incompatible they are(i could also just be projecting lol) I'm just so disappointed,do they really not see it?

YOU UNDERSTAND, THEN? like, i get that pursuing romance can be awkward, but i’m having a hard time recalling them even having a platonic conversation - and i mean one on one. it’s like, if i were to walk up to one of my casual friends, kiss them on the mouth, and we both just went “i guess this is what love feels like.” you’ve heard of slow-burn? NOW GET READY FOR... no burn.

and i see what other people are saying - i don’t necessarily disagree. they typically lean anti-fjord in that they find he treats jester like a child and rarely takes her seriously. straight up? in the beginning, i could have sworn jester was like seventeen pursuing a romance with a thirty-three year old man, so i was also thinking of jester as a child/teenager. i’m not saying it’s predatory or anything like other people do, because in the beginning, he actively pushed her away.

people like to compare it to pike and scanlan with the “one person wore the other person down”, but how i see it? pike showed signs of reciprocating in the beginning. scanlan proposed to pike before they even kissed, and literally felt regret for putting so much pressure on her. scanlan literally went AWOL and went through a big character change. honest and serious discussions were had aplenty when he got back. they began to pursue an actual romance in the EPILOGUE of the campaign. yes, i shipped pikelan then and still do now, but that doesn’t mean i agree with how everything went.

now, imagine if, the tables were turned and pike had abruptly proposed to scanlan, and he said yes. THAT is what this feels like. fjord suddenly confesses what is essentially the intent to be the love of her life or whatever because they’re succumbing to the pressure of thinking “this is the final chapter and we may die.” no character growth for jester; fjord acting super out of character; everything is rushed.

but, imho, it isn’t just fjord and jester that stopped their character development to pursue romance. beau and yasha’s thing came out of fucking nowhere to. sure, they flirted, but honestly, can someone name one thing that beau knows about yasha that isn’t “flowers, food & drink, fighting, lesbian with a dead wife.” she hasn’t even tried to understand yasha’s relationship with Kord (the stormlord). Both Beau and Yasha talk to Caleb and Caduceus about their personal lives more than each other.

and what does fjord know about jester that isn’t basically public knowledge to the entire party (and anyone who happens to talk to her for more than ten minutes)? in fact, i would even hazard a guess that he knows LESS, because he’s showing me (and the audience) that he’s trying to romance who she used to be instead of who she is now. he still doesn’t even think the traveler is legit! and surprise, the traveler is just a fucking archfey! she was questioning her beliefs and then... nope! no more questions. nothing even meta like “am i still a cleric or am i technically a warlock now?” or in-character like “should i worship the moonweaver now?”

someone could argue that they’re too busy for character growth right now but like, who tf is rushing them? veth has a cursed dagger she pulled from the corpse of a BBEG, caduceus potentially got rid of the rot that was taking over his home but is too afraid to check, caleb and beau both have separate plots to possibly kill trent ikathon, THEY’RE NOT ADDRESSING THAT A MAJOR POLITICIAN IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY WAS MURDERED AND THEY CAN LIKELY BE ACCUSED OF HER MURDER, yasha and caleb - who have both been subjected to mind-control several times - are about to face a fucking cult of hive-brain subconscious entities, jester just gave five years of her life for answers that beau and the group already kinda figured out on her own, AVANTIKA AND UK’OTOA ARE STILL A FUCKING THREAT. and now? molly is hinted to still be somewhere in lucien.

but no. let’s not talk about anything except pursuing empty fucking romance with people who barely know each other or maybe wouldn’t even like each other outside of life or death situations.

romance in anything that involves action is pretty boring to me. sandra bullock’s character Annie in Speed (which has keanu reeves, you should check it out) has a quote that’s stuck with me for over a decade. “[...] you know, relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last.” does the movie end with a romance between Annie and the person she says this to? yes! but guess what, there’s a sequel and then ended up breaking up between Speed 1 and 2 lol (mostly because keanu refused to do a sequel, but still)

EITHER-HOOT thanks for hitting up my inbox. good to know there’s like-minded individuals out there, and i needed a good rant.