#and that it takes some doing for darcy to say 'i love and respect my dead parents' and 'i was only like that bc of my parents'

[softzindagi]

Some of my thoughts on maxton hall and why i loved it so much:

- im so glad that they didnt have james being a dickbag and kissing other girls after he met ruby

- the contrast of james and ruby’s families, the polar opposite in fathers. I love how they still had james and lydia be each other’s rocks in such a crappy situation when they have no one else, even if their relationship isn’t the best. The dichotomy of their relationship to ruby’s and ember’s? things can go wrong but they are sisters who love each other deeply.

-i loved the very pride and prejudice esque scenes of ruby dressing james down, and every time he deserved to be told off but it still makes ruby feel guilty afterwards. there’s a moral compass of ruby that james hated at first but it humbles him? Chefs kiss its so fucking good. He betters himself just like darcy and the change is seen even by his parents.

- the scene of ruby telling james off in the oxford course, its a pivotal scene because everything she says digs at things he knows. Young Beaufort wasnt his idea, it was Lydia’s and he’s taking credit and charge of it. He feels bad, he’s forced into it, but it’s the “you go through life representing wealth to which you have contributed absolutely nothing? With so much money, there’s no need for your own ideas.” Ruby has no idea how hard that actually hits home, and you can see Lydia take a step back mentally and yeah she agrees. The rest of it, how people will only like him for his money and not himself, that also hits so close. We see how Cyril laughs inspite of James’ pain, Alister is impressed by Ruby’s dress down but no one goes after James like a true friend would. As the series goes on you see how Alister and James grow closer as he becomes a better person, you see the care and concern because they’re in similar places but Alister isn’t as proud or arrogant as James is. I really love how by the end of the series, you have James and Alister confiding in each other.

- the scene on the lacrosse field, the way she apologizes and he is arrogant but decides to be nice because he is curious, and finds out that he does like her. She humbles him and makes him want to do better, she’s not the enemy and he kinda respects her for it. I also think, he’s never had anyone genuinely apologize to him, because he’s never had anyone wrong him but his own family. The apology, it’s a catalyst for him to let go of this resentment he has for her, in the truth she dug up in him.

- i am very happy that they have the good and the bad with ruby’s parents. The guilt that Ruby feels and the way her father is not happy that she is “wasting” her money on saving for his lift. There’s care there, but it’s hard nonetheless, those are big emotions to have years after an accident like he experienced.

- piggy backing off of that, the pivotal scene of James saving Ruby from the pool, that even though he didn’t know why she didnt come up but didnt hesitate to jump in? CHEFS KISS! The scene after of her confiding in him, him being so gentle and careful and being honest with percy, that he’s in over his head but he likes ruby, he wants to help her and has helped her. Oof just so fucking good!

- the way they keep telling each other that they should go back to never knowing each other, but every time fail because they’re meant to collide now, they MATTER to each other now

- i just really am glad they had him apologize for the shitty way his father was to her. That he was embarrassed by himself and his father. It was excruciating to have her get humiliated by his father. He’s only experienced it within his own family, but having it happen to Ruby? that changed things.

- they fucking nailed the cute scenes between them. The dancing in the victorian clothes, the chasing pigeons, the planning and setting up of the gala? Hell yeah!

- The whole fourth episode was chef’s kiss, no notes just purely good storytelling

More thoughts later but this is what i’ve got rn after rewatching the show for the third time

[bethanydelleman]

Hello!

I rewatched Pride and Prejudice and it's surprising how my thoughts on it changed over the years 😃

When I was a teenager, Elizabeth Bennet was the plucky heroine that I wanted to be (lol) , now I'm older with a mortgage and responsibilities/bills, I'm like what was her plan in life?

Because she wasn't really educated per se (im thinking about how she answered lady Catherine about what she has to recommend her re:drawing, playing the piano etc) so I guess a 'career'(no matter how little it would be available at that time) was out of the question, but accepting marraige to the (admittedly obsequious) Mr Collins was also out of the question as well as Mr Darcys first proposal (which I get why sge turned it down!) ...I guess I'm asking what Elizabeth's plan for her future.

I've heard this from a lot of people upon re-read, "Why isn't Elizabeth more worried about her future?" I think there are a few things to note.

Early 1800s or not, Elizabeth is 20 years old when the novel begins (the average age of first marriage for women was 23). 27 year old Charlotte is in more of a future panic, but Elizabeth is still young. She has done practical thing like learn to play piano, but like most young people, she's probably just hoping for the best. And it's not like there is much she can actually do, Elizabeth is putting herself out there, she's dancing, she's playing piano, but otherwise she can just hurry up and wait. Her mother's marriage schemes are seen as vulgar and mostly backfire, and we would hardly want Elizabeth to act like Caroline. We read across Austen's novel's that women are largely stationary and it is the men who move in and out of their lives.

Also, I think a big part of Austen's point is that women are in a position where they feel the need to accept any and every proposal, because as Mr. Collins says, they may never receive another, but that this leads to misery (just look at the older couples and how many of them are unhappy!). While somewhat foolish from a financial perspective, Elizabeth is thinking about her long term happiness. She has watched her father turn bitter in an unequal relationship, she does not want that for herself. Elizabeth is choosing possible spinsterhood over being married to a person she knows she could not respect. Marrying for love, or at least on a basis of respect, is a big theme in Austen's novels. Let me add this quote from Mansfield Park to illustrate this point:

“I should have thought,” said Fanny, after a pause of recollection and exertion, “that every woman must have felt the possibility of a man’s not being approved, not being loved by some one of her sex at least, let him be ever so generally agreeable. Let him have all the perfections in the world, I think it ought not to be set down as certain that a man must be acceptable to every woman he may happen to like himself.... And, and—we think very differently of the nature of women, if they can imagine a woman so very soon capable of returning an affection as this seems to imply.”

So yes, Elizabeth Bennet isn't being financially prudent but she is being sensible in preserving her happiness. And for realism, we know Austen made this decision herself! She turned down an eligible offer.

Next, Mrs. Bennet is somewhat exaggerating: they are very unlikely to starve or be destitute. While it is never explicitly stated, Mr. Gardiner seems to be doing very well, and would probably very happily take at least Jane and Elizabeth if Mr. Bennet died. Mr. Philips is also doing well for a country attorney, he could take in his sister-in-law and nieces. It is going to suck, the Bennets should have planned better, but it's not the end of the world. We also do not know Mr. Bennet's age, but he may well only be in his late forties. He's no Mr. Woodhouse who may die tomorrow in a stiff breeze.

So what is Elizabeth's plan? She doesn't have one, she's 20. She's hoping life will throw her a man with a decent income that she doesn't hate. It works out in the end, but I don't think she would live to regret either turned down proposal if she had never met Darcy again.

[francesderwent]

been thinking about the whole “women in their thirties are refusing to get married and have kids because they’re selfish and ungodly and that’s what’s wrong with today’s society” shtick and what I think is this.

sometimes, women are single on purpose through their own choice. I’m one of them. I wasn’t in a relationship from the ages of twenty-two to thirty. I went on a very few first dates and even fewer second dates, and in every single one of those cases I was the one who said "thanks but I don't think we should pursue this any further", which isn't even to say anything about all the dates I turned down right off the bat and all the casual overtures I rebuffed. and those men weren't vicious monsters, they were all more or less basically decent. I could have married any one of them - even the ones I wouldn't go on first dates with. if I wanted to be married, I could have been. I chose not to be.

and it does have something to do with the fact that I was used to being single, but not in the sense of not having any room in my life for somebody else, not wanting to put in the work, not wanting to live for someone else. because anybody who's been single for a long time will tell you the only saving grace is filling your life with meaningful friendships and family relationships you can sacrifice for and be vulnerable in. a single life isn't necessarily a life where you're accountable to no one. sometimes it's a life where you're accountable to a whole lot of people, all at once, pulled in a lot of directions, trying to balance a lot of plates.

and the kicker is, when you have a life that's full like that, and you're used to it - when that's the firm status quo and you're not caught up in the rollercoaster of dating a lot and comparing new partners to old partners - then, when you do let a new person into your life, you can tell very quickly whether they make your life better or not. some people, you can comfortably date them and they're not going to make your life worse, but they don't add anything besides an excuse to get out to coffeeshops and restaurants and the movies. and some people, as soon as you start getting to know them, their influence starts creeping into the whole of your life because they make you want to be better all the time. I like to think the second kind of person would shine no matter when you met them, no matter what else was going on at the time. but in certain circumstances the first kind of person can shine, when they’re surrounded by a muddle of people who have made your life worse. so taking a step back from the muddle and being very careful who you let into your life in a big way isn't selfishness, or disrespect for marriage and family. it’s actually a kind of prudence.

I could've married any of those men who asked me out in my twenties. I chose not to, because they were just okay. and eventually, I met my current boyfriend, who makes me want to be a better daughter and sister, who encouraged me to stop bottling everything up and suffering in silence so that I could actually be emotionally vulnerable, not just with him but with my friends and family!, who has deepened my faith by showing me what agapic love looks like.

and I wasn't guaranteed any of that. when I was turning down dates and ending fledgling relationships, I had no way of knowing that this was even possible. but I think I made the right decision - and if he'd never turned up, I still think I would've made the right decision. Lizzie didn’t know that she would marry Mr Darcy, a man she loved and truly respected and admired, when she turned down Mr Collins. but she was right to turn down Mr Collins.

[dragonfly0808]

Covens and Foils

So a little smth that yet again, I didn’t have quite enough time to include in s3 but that in the latest chapter might’ve shined through a bit is that I really wanted Shirley’s coven to be a bit of a foil and/or parallel to the Trix

The plan was to have it be Icy-Juliette, Stormy-Yena and of course, the most obvious perhaps Darcy-Shirley

Starting with Darcy-Shirley, they are both mind witches and literally grew up together, with Darcy helping Riven do what it took to keep them all alive. They are both mind witches and it was what Darcy became that pushed Shirley to want to do something different with her powers

Darcy manipulates and uses her power to trick and decieve people. Shirley goes the opposite route, learning how to help people. Darcy focuses on nightmares and nausea and bringing out the fear and the worst in people. Shirley focuses on dreams and real memories, on comforting and explores the boundries of her power

Now, Stormy and Yena. This is the weakest since Yena was meant to have more screentime in s3 that never happened. But they’re both elemental witches. Stormy has a focus on air and lightning, Yena focuses on water.

Stormy has a deep-rooted wish for chaos, she’s impulsive and violent and just wants to rule the world. Yena is a Healer, she has a maternal streak and, while being very capable of fighting, she prefers to take a seat back and focus on the simpler things in life. Yena would totally vibe to Shuffle of Love, Stormy is more Perfect Revenge ya know what i’m saying?

Finally, Icy and Juliette. The witches touched by dark magic and the eldest of their respective covens.

Icy’s family has a history with dark magic, for Juliette, she nearly becomes a proxy for Darkar, and some of that magic remains in her very veins, infecting every part of her.

Icy doesn’t learn from the past and her family’s tragic history, she goes after the Flame and is the main instigator of the Trix’s first crimes. Meanwhile, Juliette had no choice in being kidnapped and nearly becoming a proxy, however, she chooses to use the dark magic that remains in her to become an expert curse-breaker and understand blood magic, which may have a negative reputation, but that Juliette manages to use for some good.

They’re both determined to protect their respective covens, feeling responsible as the eldest. The difference is that Icy fails and Juliette succeeds.

Icy sets in motion the events that eventually lead to her coven falling apart by becoming obsessed with the idea of the Dragon Flame. Juliette refusing to see herself as ‘tainted’ by dark magic and choosing to use if for good as much as she can sets the precident of how her coven views magic, with Juliette becoming an expert in blood magic and hexes and Shirley using mind magic to help people

Anyways, I’ll stop ranting. This was just some of the brainrot in my head while writing s3 that didn’t quite make it to the final cut

[mammalsofaction]

SIKE! GET LOVED IDIOT

Rating: G

Relationship: Heinz Doofenshmirtz & Perry the Platypus, Heinz Doofenshmirtz/Perry the Platypus

Add tags: fix it fic, rewrite the unmentionable chibiverse episode, the destiel-fication of Perryshmirtz, this is an excuse for me showeing Heinz with love and aftercare.

AN: Many thanks to my lovely, sleepy beta @agentlizardofowca, who sent me the video through discord so it could be the first thing i would see upon waking up so we could both yell at each other about it. They fucking destiel-ed him.

---

"Perry the Platypus!"

There is a brief, but meaningful applause as he descends in appropriately melodramatic way. The stage is well built, and the mic doesn't screech. Perry keeps an eye on the prize, even as he swallows the given pill.

Heinz looks…wary. He did not, at least, have his arms crossed, but over the course of the last few hours Perry notices how he's grown to hunch further into himself, curling into his seat. His brows were deeply furrowed, like he was waiting to be physically hit at any moment, which still might be likely.

The pill goes down smooth as butter. There is a discernible electrical buzz, from his insides. As he coughs, he expects himself to belch smoke. Instead, as he approaches the mic, he speaks with a voice that was his-and-not-his-own.

"Well, hello there!"

Heinz yells in disbelief. Perry blinks.

"Oh, that is weird, hearing you speak,"

It's an even weirder sensation, Perry thinks, to be able have Heinz firmly understand him speak. He grips the edges of the podium tightly, then forcibly relaxes.

"Heinz," he laughs nervously. It still sounds like it came from someone else. "What can I say, about my greatest frenemy? I'd take my hat off to you, but then you'd have no idea who I am,"

A chorus of laughter follows . Heinz harrumphed, briefly looking away to stubbornly insist that he "Doesn't get it." But Perry does not miss the distrustful twitch of his lips.

God he can't do this. Perry takes in a deep breath.

"There are many things you continue to surprise me about, my friend," Perry continues, and he watches in real time as Heinz both blooms and flinches in anticipation of his next words. "But most astonishingly is how you…can twist your mind into such horrible directions."

A confused silence ensues. Someone yells out a demanding "What?" that breaks the man's confused daze.

"Yeah, what?" Asked the man of the hour. "Are you saying I think in a really evil way, or are you just calling me dumb?"

The former, Perry knows, would be a compliment the man sorely needs, but it would not be an accurate one.

Perry isn't interested in playing this stupid game. "Neither. Heinz, look around you. Don't you see?" Perry's mouth pursed tightly. "You are surrounded by friends."

There is a perceptible change in the air, punctuated by muttering and distressed whispering. Perry exhales loudly. "Do you really think all of us genuinely think so lowly of you?"

Heinz scowls, confused. His eyes dart to and fro, but they eventually land back to him. They always do.

"Some friends. I don't have any friends.That's half the point we've been making all day."

"I'm your friend." Perry says, a little desperately, but it isn't about him. "Heinz, you insist that the people you surround yourself with think of you in ways you already think of yourself in that too big brain of yours, that you don't see the affection and respect of the people who like having you around. This event is your idea. Do you think people would have thought about anything cruel we've said if you hadn't said you wanted to hear it? "

" There were plenty of volunteers."

"We're an outgoing group who like to help one another! Heinz, look," Perry scowls back. "I don't agree with everything Darcy said, but she was right about one thing. Your biggest enemy is, and always has been, yourself. You tend to think of yourself as a being a failure, as being hated. But that isn't true."

"Yeah!" Marcy yells helpfully from the crowd, followed by some pointed hushing. She doesn't seem to notice. "I do actually think you're talented, Dr. D!"

"I think you're really fun!" Someone adds.

"You always know when to stop when we ask."

"You really rock a labcoat, too, Dr. D!"

"I actually like your shoulders!"

The auditorium grows loud, as more and more chibis cheerfully add their kind, honest opinions of the man in the throne. It seems to throw him off, and he looks panicked, shocked, and heartbreakingly, astoundingly confused.

"Wait, WAIT! Everybody STOP. You guys were supposed to make fun of me!"

"We can keep making fun of you if you like, Dr. Doof." Star answers happily. " If you want, but it's all in good fun, right?"

"That doesn't mean we don't think you're also really cool, Dr D. " Mabel adds cheerfully. She has her little piglet in her arms, rocking him affectionately back and forth. " I do it with my brother all the time! I still love him to bits and bits."

From behind one camera, Dipper makes an embarrassed sound. He's still smiling, and Mabel comes around to tug him into a hug, sandwiching Waddles in the middle.

"But that-," Heinz began to sputter indignantly. Somewhere far below, there is a grinding, whining noise. Perry frowns. "But you-! But what about-what about-what about my, hey, what about my doctorate, huh? I bought it off the internet for 15 bucks! My teachers hated me! Im not actually a Doctor."

"We both know you never needed one to prove yourself more than capable of breaking the laws of physics on the daily." Perry chirps drily. There is another chorus of laughter for the not-quite-insult. "And I'm the last person to make fun of you for enjoying a spot of alliteration. Hello, Perry the Platypus?"

"Hey!" Heinz shouts, as the crowd continues to giggle. "This is my roast! Get in line!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Perry coughs into his fist, hiding a smile. " Where were we? Ah, yes, embarrassing you."

Heinz harrumphed, slouching back down into his seat in the assumption that the self loathing party was about to continue apace. Perry clears his throat. "Let's talk about how much you love your daughter."

Heinz shoots straight up, hands clenched into the sides of his seat. He looks, for a second, genuinely hurt, and angry. But Perry meets his gaze dead on, and the man eventually unclenches himself enough to speak, taking a deep breath as he looks away. "Fine. Fine. Whatever. There's nothing you're about to say that will make me feel even a little bit ashamed of how much I love my Vanessa."

"Yes, that is quite the pickle, isn't it? You, Heinz Doofenshmirtz," his voice turns soft despite his best efforts, feeling his cheeks burn fondly in reminiscence. "Are one of the strongest, kindest, sweetest parents I have ever had the pleasure to meet in my life."

Heinz blinks, caught off guard once again as the crowd goes "Awww,"

"You are embarassingly loving, you never let yourself forget the things she tells you she enjoys, even if they're gifts she asked for when she was barely a child. You are protective and vindictive of anything that could possibly come to hurt her, and you have never, ever, ever once forgotten to throw her a birthday, even when you've never had a decent one yourself in all your life,"

And finally, finally, Heinz blushes. A tint of red for being pleasantly flustered instead of the ashamed flush from before. The chibis laugh, coo and yell in playful disgust. Perry smiles smugly, pleased for having turned the tide of the event on its head.

From beneath their feet, the rumble grows, and the whining increases in fever pitch. Chibis begin to jump in surprise, the sounds of joy and celebration turning into ones of distress. Quite tellingly, Heinz looks perfectly unbothered, arms crossed petulantly. Perry raises an eyebrow.

There is a distant boom, muffled by a safe wall of dirt. One part of the stands collapses in on itself, and the chibis get off of it hurriedly. There is an ensuing silence.

Perry and Heinz had not, even once, looked away from one another. Perry leans on his elbow on the podium, raising his second eyebrow. Heinz slumps down his seat.

"Fine. I had an inator that was being charged by the negative energy of insults to take over the chibiverse, yada yada yada. It was supposed to be Platypus proof, because I didn't have time to put a self-destruct button. You jammed the energy input and made it explode by calling me nice things, happy?"

"Delirious." Perry answers, as the crowd cheers in celebration, another scheme thwarted, and another day saved.

The crowd climbs the stage in droves, chanting his name. Perry lets them have their fun, though he's not particularly enjoying being thrown into the air and carried over their heads, off the stage, to the backstage buffet.

He slinks off the second he was able to get away with it, to where Heinz was still curled on the throne in the auditorium hall, scribbling into his inventions book. He's not noticed Perry approaching, peeking over his shoulder to see he was already brainstorming his next scheme for molecular chibiverse domination, muttering angrily to himself.

"-tupid to think he actually meant what he was saying, I should've kept my lid on the plan better, hide my blueprints-,"

"I did, you know." Perry interrupts, and Heinz jumped, clutching the notebook close to his chest. "Meant them, I mean."

Heinz sighs gustily, posing like he's meant to retort something clever, but he's not sure what it is, yet. To render Heinz Doofenshmirtz speechless was no easy feat, adding another tally to Perry's accomplishments this day.

Not that he was ever unappreciative of Heinz's chatty nature.

After opening his mouth and closing it a couple more times, the doctor blurts; "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. You, talking, I mean."

Perry shrugs, self-conscious. Heinz adds, hurriedly, "I didn't say I didn't like it."

Perry tilts his head in question.

"I'll get used to it," Heinz assures, a bit shyly. It's making Perry blush too.

The agent shakes his head. " I don't think…, "

Heinz frowns. "You don't like it? "

Perry shrugs. "I don't need it. " He looks down. "I have you. "

He's not looking, so he isn't able to tell what expression Heinz might be wearing in the following silence.

Heinz breaks it eventually. "You keep doing this, you know?"

When Perry looks up, Heinz had donned a poorly executed scowl. It makes him smile. "Reminding me about the good things. Call me nice, I mean. That's not right. It's ruining my street cred."

The idea of Heinz having a street cred makes him laugh, and even if he does not enjoy most of the actual talking for now, this was nice. Laughing together, and being able to communicate, thoroughly and well, what exactly he adored of his best friend, uninhibited of Heinz's own self-esteem issues.

I love you, Perry wants to say, desperately. He wants to say it more than anything in the world, but even with all the communicative technology at his disposal, he is still hesitant, still scared, of putting his vulnerability into words.

Later, he keeps telling himself. Soon. Eventually. He reaches out to hold Heinz's hand in his own, leadened with all the words he can't bring himself to say.

Heinz smiles, and squeezes like he understands him anyway. Like Perry would have all the time in the world.

It can wait.

[early-twentysomething]

I’m gonna say what I’m gonna say and it’s that I think Penelope and Eloise’s respective seasons of Bridgerton will be the show’s best simply because Pen and El are the most complex, dynamic (and best written) characters on the show.

Yes, I do think that El’s season is going to have to be pretty much Bridgerton fanfiction with how genuinely unlikeable Phillip is as he stands in the book. However, the bones of her love story can lend themselves to some fantastic angst and emotional highs, and they’ve already made major edits to his character in the show, so I trust the writers to take his character in a 2005 Darcy meets 1993 Edward Ferras direction.

All this to say; the same way Penelope is currently reaching her lowest before learning to heal and evolve past her spiteful vindictiveness - We are starting to see Eloise’s descent into her worst qualities ( her indigence and her superiority complex) being at the forefront of her personality.

I can go full rant mode if literally anyone is interested in this. Anyways, I love some morally gray female characters who learn to heal. Gotta be one of my all time favorite genres.

[percheduphere]

honestly I'm more at a loss when people say sylki is canon. I am...very confused by what people mean by that. they were never anything romantic together? I honestly feel like I've missed a whole season of the show when that gets said. that's not from a shipping standpoint; that's from nothing happening that'd make them "canon"

like, to ship sylki is still to ship something that isn't and didn't become "canon". it's still wanting something that didn't happen between them

like, even if sylvie was an intended "love interest" (was she? even? on the basis of her being a woman that loki connects with?), I don't call that alone a romantic relationship between them being "canon". Like, if elizabeth bennet and mr darcy never became anything, they're not "canon". that's just something that could have been but wasn't.

they were never actually anything?

LET'S TALK ABOUT "CANON" & BISEXUAL REPRESENTATION, THE SERIES' MIDPOINT & THE THEME OF BETRAYAL, AND THE SUBJECTIVITY OF ROMANCE

I've been sitting on this inbox comment/ask for a long time because I wanted to make sure I respond in a way that feels productive, kind, and doesn't step on other fans' joy. Having said that, as a Lokius shipper, I think it's really important for Lokius shippers and Sylki shippers to unite on at least one subject and that's positive bisexual representation. This isn't meant to be a harsh reply--I understand what the anon is saying from their point of view--but I also want to delineate between canon and personal interpretation/taste.

I also want to note that it's unfair to disavow Mobius and Sylvie's impact on Loki, Loki's impact on each of them as a result of his individual relationships with them, and thus the impact Mobius and Sylvie have on one another separate from Loki. Doing so really halves the overall richness of the story, and taking this into account is why my metas are so annoyingly long. This one, in particular, is a mess but hopefully I've managed to wrangle it into some kind of coherence that addresses the anon ask that is respectful to Sylki. Fear not, Lokius shippers, I discuss Lokius in this post, too. But first, let's talk about canon and bisexual representation ...

CANON AND BISEXUAL REPRESENTATION

Canon is often defined as: 1.) what is actually written in text (as opposed to subtext), AND 2.) what the creator(s) verbally confirm.

I've said before and I'll keep repeating: the most important aspect of art is art's relationship with the reader/viewer. Individual interpretation is what escalates a medium to a deeply personal and, at times, spiritual level. Art is supposed to make us think and feel. We're supposed to interact with it and do with it what we will. This is particularly important when we consider that much of consumable art is hampered by the demands of capitalism. Fan-interpretation democratizes what people without power want to see and hear, whereas canon (especially mass media canon) often self-censures to sell to the widest audience.

From the creators' standpoint, Sylvie has always been intended to be Loki's romantic interest, and Loki was always intended to have romantic feelings for her. This is what the creators tell us. Whether or not one likes Sylvie and Loki together is subjective.

As for the text, the plot between Loki and Sylvie has the markers of a romance, albeit one that doesn't come into full fruition. By full fruition, I mean a happy ending with each character affirming one's love for the other and committing to being together. Now, a relationship doesn't have to be successful or reciprocal to be considered romantic. Heck, it can be absolutely toxic and still be romantic. Whether or not the plot is convincing in its execution of romance, however, is also subjective.

What romance requires is: 1.) at least one of the characters desiring the other, and 2.) at least one of the characters willing to sacrifice for the other. Sacrifices don't have to be big, either. They can be small and cumulative.

Canonically, Loki fulfills both of these romantic requirements for Sylvie. (More on Sylvie below).

Subtextually (that is, not canon as defined above), Loki and Mobius fulfill both of these requirements for one another.

I'm gonna soap box for the next two paragraphs, so you can skip over this if that's not your jam. Both romances, canonical and subtextual, can exist concurrently without erasing the existence of the other. Even if Loki and Mobius had miraculously become canon in S2 (it's Disney, this never would have happened but let's explore the hypothetical), that doesn't erase Loki's former romance with Sylvie in S1. To erase that history is bisexual erasure, which isn't okay. Likewise, quashing the importance of queer subtext in order to "kill the other ship" isn't okay either, as it reinforces optical heteronormative romance in mass media and is also a form of bisexual erasure.

What's more important than either ship "winning" is the positive portrayal of a bisexual character. This means a character who demonstrates genuine love and devotion to people of more than one gender. If we accept the canon AND the subtext (we don't have to like it; Sylki's not my cup of tea personally, but I accept it as real), Loki fulfills positive bisexual representation, however restrained that representation may be. The social goal is to get to the point where a media juggernaut like Disney allows its franchise characters to experience relationships with more than one gender canonically and positively. We're not there yet and I'll probably be dead before Disney ever gets there, but Loki can be seen as a historical stepping stone distinct from Aziraphale and Crowley (Good Omens) and Steve Bonnet and Edward Teach (Our Flag Means Death).

(NOTE: Polyamory is a whole separate subject matter, which I'm won't get into here.)

ON SYLVIE

There's fan dispute over Sylvie's interest in Loki. I've previously written meta on Sylvie's sexuality and how she responds to Loki's romantic advances here. In S1, while she starts off frustrated, I think Sylvie slowly develops interest and was cautiously hopeful that she and Loki could figure out their futures together. Loki has been consistent about wanting to be with Sylvie and supporting her up until the necessary plot conflict of the series midpoint (S1E6; the S1 finale). This midpoint is the root cause for why Loki and Sylvie's relationship becomes strained. Again, this doesn't mean that the romance never existed--the plotpoints are there--but it does mean Loki's character development got in the way.

So let's talk about the series' midpoint and the interplay of Mobius, Loki, and Sylvie's mutual impact. The three are so deeply entangled that it's worth untangling their cause and effect on one another.

THE SERIES' MIDPOINT & THE THEME OF BETRAYAL

I keep stressing in my other metas that the series' midpoint (S1E6) is the most critical. Structurally, midpoints are where the story turns. Midpoints occur on multiple scales: at the episode level (typically in acts 3 or 5, depending on how the screenwriter divides their screenplay), at the season level, and at the series level. Midpoints are what provide the overall narrative and character arcs with movement.

As a whole, there are 3 key midpoints in the entire series:

1.) S1E2/E3 - When Loki betrays Mobius for Sylvie (midpoint of S1)

2.) S1E6 - When Loki betrays Sylvie for the "bigger picture" (midpoint of the whole series)

3.) S2E3/E4 - When it's revealed HWR betrayed Renslayer; Victory Timely is brought into the mix, and Sylvie reluctantly joins the TVA (midpoint of S2)

There is another betrayal that runs near-concurrently with #2, which is Mobius's betrayal of Renslayer (it begins in S1E4 and continues into the S1 finale). Thematically, we can take Loki's betrayal of Sylvie and Mobius's betrayal of Renslayer as mirrors of one another because these are the only betrayals that are motivated by good rather than selfishness. The selfish betrayals of #1 and #3 bookend betrayal #2 to highlight the beginning Loki's readiness to become a hero in S1E6. Where S1 focuses on Loki exploring who he is, S2 focuses on the hero Loki will become. S1E6 therefore serves as Loki's turn, his launching point to get to where he lands in S2E6. The story is really well-structured!

The poetic irony is that Loki's S1E6 betrayal was not an act of villainy, but an act of character growth.

There is plot set-up for Loki's betrayal of Sylvie, and that set-up is 2-pronged: 1.) from Sylvie's end, her misinterpretation of Loki's intentions, and 2.) from Mobius's end, the provision of unconditional friendship. Building up to these prongs are S1E1 - S1E3, in which Loki's self-interest and impulsivity are emphasized. S1E4 pivots Loki from self-interest and impulsivity to consideration for others and caution. Sylvie did not bear witness to Loki and Mobius's interactions in S1E1-S1E2 and S1E4 in the time loop chamber. She has no context for why Loki would hesitate killing HWR. I'll discuss this more under "Prong 2".

PRONG 1: SYLVIE'S MISINTERPRETATION

In the scene below (S1E5), Sylvie makes an assumption about what Loki wants and Loki admits via subtext that ruling a timeline actually won't make him happy.

Sylvie smiles in response, implying she understands what Loki means, however Loki often speaks in double-meanings (he cannot be trusted) and Sylvie has doubts (she cannot trust). From Sylvie's point-of-view, Loki has discussed the desire to rule with her 3 times (writers' magic 3s again). Above is the third. The previous 2 are:

1.) In their first confrontation in S1E2, when Loki offers Sylvie the opportunity to be his lieutenant. (Can't find the gif of this. Grr ...)

2.) On Lamentis (S1E3) in the scene below:

By S1E6, Loki has no interest in rule.

He's honest when he says he's worried about the greater ramifications of killing HWR. Sylvie doesn't believe him. The question is how did Loki arrive at this point in his character arc? Why slow down now? Why worry about the consequences now?

The answer is in S1E4.

PRONG 2: MOBIUS'S UNCONDITIONAL FRIENDSHIP

It's established in S1E1 that Mobius knows Loki better than Loki knows himself and consequently better than Sylvie knows Loki. A lot of Mobius-haters despise Mobius's cold confrontational tactics but it is those same tactics that force Loki to self-reflect. And to be clear, Mobius uses cruelty in S1E1 because 2012 Loki would not believe in, let alone listen to, softness and compassion. Cruelty is a language 2012 Loki understands, therefore Mobius communicates with him on that level to get him to listen and start thinking about the answers to the hard questions.

Not exactly the gif I wanted, but close enough. In this scene, Mobius wonders why Loki, who "has so much range", wants a throne. He then asks Loki, what's next? The implication of these questions is that Mobius knows Loki will never be satisfied. He knows, deep down, a throne is a poor substitute for what Loki really wants: love, acceptance, and companionship.

Mobius's tone is mocking, his note that Loki has a wide range is complimentary, and the question is serious. Further, and this important, Mobius gives Loki respect in conjunction with his cruelty, his compliments, and his seriousness by acknowledging Loki's intelligence ("I am smart"; "I know") and his potential to be more than a villain ("That's not how I see it"). Understandably, this strange, dizzying mix of seemingly contradictory truths puts Loki off-balance.

Their tenuous allyship becomes a friendship in Mobius's eyes near the end of S1E2. Mobius is practically squeeing about Loki's multiple breakthroughs and how well they work together to Renslayer:

And Loki genuinely looks excited to help Mobius. Look at that fist-pump. Mobius doesn't see it, he's ahead of Loki, so his enthusiasm isn't an act. The seeds of mutual trust (rather than doubt) have been planted.

Unfortunately, Loki's poor impulse control and need to hedge his bets out of self-interest lead him to betraying Mobius. Both Sylvie and Mobius take Loki's betrayals poorly.

The key difference is that Mobius cannot resist the desire to trust Loki, to want to be his friend. This desire creates Mobius's doubt in Renslayer, which in turn leads to his betrayal of her.

Forgiveness isn't easy. It requires the ability to accept disagreements and another person's shortcomings. It requires good will, faith, and a willingness to move on. It requires compromise and, at times, letting go entirely.

Mobius torturing Loki with the Sif memory loop was awful. His personal hurt is directly tied to the below admission, which informs Loki what Mobius thought of their relationship:

And that revelation startles him. It forces him to evaluate his actions that led to Mobius saying such a thing (impulsivity; self-interest). Loki, who doesn't want to be alone, desires Mobius's friendship.

So when Mobius returns to Loki with an olive branch ...

Loki offers Mobius an olive branch of his own by affirming the friendship Mobius believed in but felt betrayed by.

Thus, Loki and Mobius accept each other's olive branches. They forgive each other and repair their relationship from there. This is critical thematically because Loki and Mobius each extend olive branches to Sylvie and Renslayer respectively, both of whom reject those olive branches more than once. Sylvie and Renslayer represent opposite ends of the chaos versus order ideology, for which neither is willing to compromise. Loki and Mobius also start out at opposite ends before meeting in the middle.

Sylvie unfortunately does not know anything about Loki's interactions with Mobius and how those interactions have impacted Loki's motivations. She doesn't know that Loki wants to "slow down and think about this" because the last time he acted on impulse, it turned out he almost threw Mobius's friendship out the window without realizing he had his friendship in the first place.

For her, the seeds of doubt have already been planted: Loki betrayed the TVA to pursue her, Loki expressed shock at Sylvie's desire to "walk away" rather than taking advantage of the "ultimate power vacuum" once the TVA is destroyed, he expresses the desire to rule 3 times. Therefore, it's perfectly reasonable for Sylvie to assume Loki would betray her for power even though she had hopes to the contrary. Romantic tragedy? Absolutely. Believable? Depends on who you ask and what your personal taste is.

There must be some kind of sentiment on Sylvie's part, however, because she chooses not to kill Loki. Instead, she kisses him goodbye and throws him through a time door.

Mobius's friendship is therefore the catalyst for everything that unravels between Loki and Sylvie in S1E6 (the series' midpoint). I think it's safe to interpret Sylvie's tearing into Mobius in S2E4 as not only due to being in the TVA and having all her traumas brought to the surface, but also due to experiencing jealousy. This level of anger matches Mobius's outrage about Sylvie in S1E4! Note, however, that this interpretation of Sylvie's interaction with Mobius is subtext. Subtext goes many ways!

THE SUBJECTIVITY OF ROMANCE

Are Loki and Sylvie a believable romance? It depends on your taste.

A fictional couple's overall successful reception by the audience (which is rarely if ever 100%) is contingent on a few things:

1.) Character development

2.) Story execution

3.) Chemistry between the actors

Reception and interpretation of the above are all subjective. In addition to these elements, another important factor is couple trope. Depending on your preference, some tropes might be nope while others are yum. You might even like most tropes but the actor chemistry, character development, and/or plot are just not doing it for you.

Loki and Mobius follow the tropes of:

Opposites attract/Complementary set

Sunshine and cynic

Enemies to allies to friends to lovers

Sherlock and Watson

Slow burn

Ride or Die

Loki and Sylvie, on the other hand, follow the tropes of:

Exceptionally similar but with key differences/Matching Set

BAMF duo

Enemies to allies to lovers

Bonnie and Clyde

Fast and passionate

Ride or Die

Loki and Sylvie's romantic dynamic may be compared to the following couples in other media:

Batman and Catwoman

Jack Sparrow and Angelica Teach

Benedict and Beatrice

If you notice, they all have very similar personality traits. They also fight and fight a LOT. It's part of their charm and can add to their chemistry.

Personally, I didn't feel any chemistry between Loki and Sylvie, I didn't feel like there was enough warmth between them, and I really wanted Loki to be loved by someone who makes an effort to understand him rather understanding his core traits off the bat by being the same entity. Loki and Mobius hit all the right story beats for me. Tom and Owen's chemistry as actors is remarkable. I'm also a sucker for ball of sunshine and cynic dynamics.

But that's just me. That doesn't mean I don't see what the creators tried to do with Loki and Sylvie in terms of plot, character development, and couple tropes. Some people felt chemistry between Tom and Sophia, others (like me) didn't. Whatever the case, the canon exists and the romantic tropes are there. I just feel the subtextual romance between Loki and Mobius is stronger and that, again, is my subjective judgment.

[midnightmayhem13]

hi midnight!! 💜💜 I love ur hcs and I was hoping (if u have the time) u’d write something for Dress, who’s wearing the dress and who’s taking it off 👀 reader or one of the ladies + if u want cause I love a flustered woman 😍 how they’d react to helping you get dress whether they’re helping zip up the dress or putting a necklace on for u

Dress

love this idea enjoy❕🩶 ladies helping w a dress or necklace

carol danvers

carol isn't very used to seeing people in such fancy clothes. other than maybe royal alien she's never been around such elegancy. but when she see yours putting on the most beautiful dress she's probably ever seen, her jaw drop. big bold captain danvers will turn into a pile of mush. she feels as if she's standing before a goddess when shes watching you get ready for a gala. when you ask her to help you zip up your dress she's gets nervy omg. she'll respond with a breathy "y-yeah" and she's so gentle with the zipper and you. she knows how strong she is so she doesn't want to break the fragile zipper. she make sure non of the fabric gets caught too. she'll be very focused. when she's done she'll wrap her arms around you and tell you how beautiful you look.

sharon carter

sharon buys you jewelry because she got the money and she loves showing you off. and when she sees you get ready for a date or a night out she literally almost drools. she craves you and your body and your moans. but she also cant help but think you look absolutely beautiful. she'll watch you change (she's a lil perv) and just smirk until you huff and ask for her help. she'll get up from her spot where she was watching you from behind, and let out a chuckles and "of course baby" she'll kiss your kick while she does it and leaves hickies as if to mark you as her own. and sharon can't wait to rip the dress off of you later that night.

darcy lewis

when she sees you wearing a dress darcy's gonna be all over you bro. she's gonna be like "you're so hot babe" and she'll definitely hold you tight nd be like "alllllll mine" and smirk. if you ask for help she'd be so excited to be up close as if you were a celebrity, to her you are. and like if you give her affection while you're dressed so beautifully she gets so flustered. she'll hold your face and attack you with kisses saying how hot and gorgeous you look. she also cannot help but smack your ass while being behind you. then she turns you around and fixes your necklace or adjusting your neck line.

nebula

nebula watches you like a hawk. she'd deff get a little jealous. in the sense that you're just gonna go out looking like that?? so beautiful for no reason my god. and if you ask for help she'll be glad you asked her. and omg she'd struggle doing it, especially hooking a necklace bc of her metal fingers. she'd be letting out frustrated little grunts and huffs. she'll definitely mumbles some things like how you should stay with her all night, and that people are gonna be looking at you when you're hers. and while she'll be a little grumpy, she'll smile when you peck her lips and promise her to let her have to tonight.

maria hill

maria might be distracted you while you're getting ready, but when she turns to face the goddess of her girlfriend, her jaw will drop and she'll do a double take. she'll rush over to you and just stare. like a pervy teenager. she actually offer help just so she can be close to you. and if you ask for help with your dress she zip it down instead. she'll kiss your back and shoulders until you collect yourself enough to tell her to actually help. she'll hesitantly zip it up and whisper sweet nothings into your ear. then maria turns you around and makes out with you really passionately, ruining your lipstick in the process.

kate bishop

she'll try to be like all respectful and not look at you when you're putting on you're dress but she'll turn around just wanting a peek. then katie gets super flustered and turns super red. she'll definitely turning mush. when you ask her for help zipping up your dress she's be nervous for no reason. smelling your sweet scent and hearing you're soft breaths makes her so happy. she just feels like she's living her dream and she couldn't be happier. she'll keep repeating praises too. just lost in the thought of you. you're beauty makes katie go mush.

a/n yalls request are so fire and i'm getting to all of them but HERE YOU GO BABIES also i'm going to be trying to pump out a lot of writing rn

[anghraine]

I'm always torn between "am I just defensive over my fave or do they truly Not Get It" when people dismiss Mrs Reynolds's testimony.

I saw a take recently that was like, eh, so he's nice to a handful of people, that makes him marginally less of an asshole in a perfectly common way—and it's like, uh, no, the servants and tenants and family of someone with that much power = a lot of people, actually, any or all of whom could be screwed over by his whims at any moment and never have been.

And the idea that rich, powerful landowners commonly conducted themselves with generosity and concern towards their servants and tenants is absurd. Of course they didn't! Darcy is really the only one of the love interests in Austen's novels with that kind of power, and one of the only characters of that stature to be treated favorably at all, and he only gets away with it because he's Not Like The Other Ones. Even Wickham says:

"It has often led him [Darcy] to be liberal and generous, to give his money freely, to display hospitality, to assist his tenants, and relieve the poor."

Wickham is covering his ass in case Darcy's sterling reputation catches up with him, obviously, but there is a reason that Darcy's reputation is so exceptional. There's a reason Elizabeth is surprised even by something so small as him keeping on a housekeeper who is elderly and not particularly "fine" in appearance.

On top of that, the idea that being dismissive towards strangers but a loving and scrupulous guardian to his dependent sister in particular = an everyday occurrence? Yeah, no. The trope of young women who are exploited, disregarded, or otherwise screwed over by their brothers was really common and reflected an all-too-frequent reality (as discussed by Wollstonecraft!). The reason that well-off male characters' treatment of their siblings and especially their sisters could function so easily as a metric of inner character is because it was so often not the reality.

Men in that rough position were supposed to look after the welfare and interests of dependent sisters, esp orphaned ones—but few could actually make them do it and typically they gained little if anything from doing so. Mrs Reynolds's assertion that Darcy would do anything for Georgiana and his marked affection for her and willingness to defend her, even to older relatives when Georgiana isn't there, forms a contrast not just to the likes of John Dashwood but ... like, honestly, to Edward Austen-Knight as well.

It's not that nobody was ever more like Darcy in this respect, but it was frankly not all that common, and the novel emphatically treats his scrupulous, affectionate care for Georgiana as exceptional and part of his shining reputation.

With regard to his other family members—we don't meet many of them, but Colonel Fitzwilliam's surprise at and mockery of Darcy's current behavior leads Charlotte to conclude that it "proved he[Darcy] was generally different, which her own knowledge of him could not have told her."

This of course foreshadows Darcy proving to be "different" when encountered later. It's not that Darcy's behavior is radically transformed from what's normal for him, but that it's radically transformed from what's normal for him with people outside his (large) circle of family, friends, and dependents. And Austen takes pains to show that he largely reverts back to "old" Darcy when he's uncomfortable. The point of this isn't that his change isn't real, but that it's not some unrealistic total transformation.

The way he treats Elizabeth and the Gardiners isn't alien to his previous characterization. There were always people (whether Fitzwilliam, Mrs Reynolds, whomever) he treated like that. The change is extending that "generally different" conduct to people of much less consequence than himself, but not so much less that he has any particular obligation towards them. He's able to clearly and immediately recognize the Gardiners' virtues, to go investigating a random plant with Mr Gardiner, to form a rapport that will become genuine love for them over the course of his relationship and marriage to Elizabeth.

And a man like Darcy not only marrying a woman with relations in trade, but loving those relations and bringing them to his home as honored guests, is again, not common. Some historians have argued that his choices would be wildly unlikely IRL.

So yeah, no, Darcy isn't just decent towards a few people in a common way, nor nice to the people in his life that anyone in his situation would be, nor is his grand change unprecedented for him and uncomplicated by external factors or only to be expected. In the social world he was created in, he would be an extraordinary person.

[arendaes]

Jae and/or Heinrix 👀

Oooh, thank you!! I'll answer for both. I still haven't completed the game (I've resigned myself to the fact I'll probably wait for the DLC in August and then restart Imogen's playthrough) BUT I definitely got far enough to have Opinions.

How I feel about this character

I love both of them! If you forced me to choose, I'd pick Jae, but they're both great and I usually have both of them in my party. They both scratch a particular kind of itch when it comes to characters that I enjoy.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Imogen! I know that's the cheap answer though lol

Heinrix is easy; he and Marazhai should absolutely hatefuck. It wouldn't fix either of them - in fact it'd probably make them worse - but they should still do it anyways.

As for Jae...I do find her crush on Argenta sweet, though it also seems to be doomed from the start. You've also given me something to think about regarding her and Idira 👀

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I actually love their friendship! They're really nice foils to each other and everything I've seen for the two them tells me they actually get along very well. I'm going to haunted by the story idea I have for them and Imogen until I actually write it, but I need to finish the game first!

For Jae, I also really enjoy her friendship with Idira.

Calling it a friendship might be a bit much, but I think Heinrix and Pasqal have an interesting dynamic. I have some banter screenshots on my Steam Deck (that I'm too lazy to pull up right now) that occurred at a very interesting moment and it planted the idea in my head of the two of them having a weird respect for each other. (Also, Heinrix needs some friends besides Imogen and Jae, and Pasqal seems like the most likely out of all the options lol)

My unpopular opinion about this character

For Jae, it doesn't surprise me that Reddit has bad takes about her. Part of me wants to woobify her and say "she's my silly rabbit who's never done a wrong thing in her life" but that's very antithetical to what I'm about so I'll stick to my guns and say she's a complicated character with a very well-written romance that really challenges your preconceptions about her. Is she perfect? No. But she's a character who's more than worth investing time into; she definitely has my heart where this game is concerned.

As for Heinrix...I really hate the "Space Darcy" characterization of him, I'm sorry. This man tortures people for a living y'all he's not a poor repressed baby he's got some real shit he needs to work through 😭

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish I didn't have to choose between them in the base game 🥲

[msweebyness]

hey, same anon! so...how did it go on Darcy's end?

(Setting: Outside the Boogie Lair, On the Isle)

(Darcy stands outside the entrance to her papa’s lair, hesitating to knock due to what she plans to tell him. She is dating the son of Jack Skellington, after all… Of course, she knows her father loves her more than anything, but that still doesn’t mean he’ll take this news positively at all. Ah well, now or never…)

Darcy: (Takes a deep breath and pushes the doors to the lair, entering the vast space) Papa? You here?

(She smiles and laughs as her father enters the room and spins her around in a bear hug. She really had missed him!)

Oogie: There’s my lil nightmare! (Teasing) Finally decided to visit yer ol’ man, huh?

Darcy: (Laughs) I missed you too, papa! You ain’t stayed holed up down here with me gone, right?

Oogie: (Rolls his eyes) I’ve been gettin’ out of the house every once in a while! Ya know I’m a homebody, darlin’! (She lovingly shakes her head) So how are things over on the mainland?

Darcy: Full of suckers easier to scare than a blind mouse, just like you said. It’s been a hoot! I lost count of how many of those little ‘royals’ have shrieked their lungs out after I spooked ‘em! A few even pissed themselves!

(Her father lets out one of his big, booming laughs)

Oogie: That’s my girl!

(Darcy smiles, before remembering her purpose for coming here. Nervous, because she knows how overprotective her father can be when it comes to boys, she broaches the topic.)

Darcy: There, uh, there is something I should probably tell ya, papa. (Rubbing her arm with a pensive expression)

(The boogieman takes notice of the change in his daughter’s demeanor, becoming concerned.)

Oogie: What is it, Pun’Kin?

Darcy: I, um…(takes a breath) I met someone…in Auradon, papa. He and I…we’ve been going out…about three months now.

(Her father’s eyes narrow. Some dimwit little punk moving in on his baby girl is the furthest thing from welcome news.)

Oogie: (Crosses his arms) Is that right? And just who exactly is this gentleman friend of yours, darlin’?

Darcy: He’s a great guy, daddy! He is a gentleman, always respectful! He listens to me, and cares about what I think! He’s sweet, he’s smart and he makes me laugh, and he ain’t no goody-two-shoes, neither! He loves scarin’ folks, like we do! (Twiddling her fingers)

Oogie: He from Halloween Town, then? Most of them Auradon folk are too soft to spook anybody.

Darcy: Yeah…His name’s JJ…Jack Skellington Jr…

(The room goes deathly silent at this revelation.)

Oogie: …

Darcy: Papa?

Oogie: Y-Yer datin’…JACK’S BOY?! PUN’KIN, HAVE YA LOST YER EVERLOVIN’ MIND?! OF ALL THE FURSHLUGGINER HALFWIT BOYS YA COULDA CHOSEN IT HAD TO BE-

Darcy: DADDY, STOP! For the gods’ sake, just listen! (Takes a deep breath) Look, I know this is hard for you to process, I know the history between you and his dad…and I know how mad you must be...but I'm not gonna apologize for fallin’ for him, Skellington or not. Me and JJ...we aren't you and Jack, and we never will be! You always say that one’a the most important things to you is that I'm happy... well, prove it! JJ makes me REALLY happy! So I'm askin' you, for my sake, to accept us bein’ together, no matter how much you hate his parents. (Looks at him intensely) Please, Papa.

(The boogieman is silent for a moment.)

Oogie: I just…give me a minute, nightmare. (He leaves the room, Darcy letting out a heavy sigh)

(A few minutes later, her father returns, a pensive expression on his face.)

Oogie: Darcy, darlin’, I ain’t gonna lie and say I’m happy about this…but I know yer a smart girl and you wouldn’t fall for just anybody. And I guess if Jack’s little punk- (Darcy glares at him)…(sighs) his son makes ya happy…I can live with it. (Darcy smiles) I’m just havin’ a hard time trustin’ that this kid, the son of the man who hates me more than anybody…is goin’ in with good intentions with my little girl.

Darcy: (Sighs) I know, papa. But I promise, ya don’t have to worry. JJ’s not like that. He really cares about me…he loves me…and I love him.

Oogie: I guess…as yer papa, that’s all I can ask for. (He softens as Darcy hugs him)

Darcy: Thanks, daddy. I love you.

Oogie: Love you too, my little fright. (He gently ruffles her wild curls.)

Darcy: I will check you for weapons when ya meet him though! That goes for you three, too!

(Lock, Shock and Barrel give innocent “Who, us?” expressions…hiding blades behind their backs.)

@artzychic27 @imsparky2002

Larvae your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[bethanydelleman]

Estimated Sexual Abilities of Austen Men

In no particular order within tier

Edits added in blue based on your reblogs and careful consideration

Top Tier:

Mr. Mainwaring: to have the near undying loyalty of the exceedingly selfish Lady Susan, this man must be a sex god

Henry Crawford: he knows he’s not handsome, he wants women to love him, he'd put in the work. Also one of the only men to be rated by a woman who has had sex before.

Henry Tilney: he cares about things women like, high emotional intelligence, and extremely kind.

Frederick Wentworth: passion and experience (I imagine), also has high emotional intelligence when he’s not being a dufus.

Colonel Brandon: passionate, thinks about other people’s feelings a lot, self-sacrificial

John Knightley: I think there’s a good reason that they keep banging out those kids

Admiral Croft: I cannot believe I left him off, obviously amazing in bed because he respects his wife as his equal and is very fun. You are telling me they spend all their time together and don't have amazing sex? No freaking way!

Good Tier:

William Price: athletic, cares about his sister a lot (good sign), and gives good presents. He’s only nineteen in the story which is why he has room to improve.

Captain Harville: Obviously

Mr. Morland: dude isn’t even on page, but in my head Mrs. Morland enjoyed making all ten of those children.

Colonel Fitzwilliam: I think he’d be good, but not awesome. He'll probably be wasted on a mercenary marriage.

Charles Bingley: I get the feeling he’d be on a race to the end, and maybe not the best communicator at first. Will improve.

Mr. Gardiner: Just because he’s awesome and seems to respect women

Captain Benwick: poetry and passion!

Robert Martin: seems like a pretty romantic guy, also works on a farm so probably athletic.

John Willoughby: Mostly because of experience, but he is also pretty passionate. He’s also super hot, Miss Grey knew what she was getting into. But this guy can only go downhill from here.

Reginald De Courcy: He’s a sweetheart, an occasionally dumb sweetheart

Mr. Bennet: Is he lazy in most domains of life? Yes. But Mrs. Bennet wasn’t just trying for that heir, I’m telling you folks. Maybe he's just trying to make her unable to talk 😉

George Knightley: Promoted to good tier, I do think he's very caring, but he also is always sure HE is right, which may be a problem.

John Yates: Maybe not the most selfless person, but he's got passion and he does love his wife. Probably very into roleplay.

Mediocre but can improve tier:

Fitzwilliam Darcy: he’s a bit stiff... I think it might take some time for him to get good at it (demoted to this tier because he will need time to improve)

Frank Churchill: He’s got passion, but he’s so darn selfish and doesn’t seem to send that much time thinking about Jane’s feelings

Edward Ferrars: I just see him being a nervous wreak the first few times, it’ll get better (Note: I think Lucy is way too smart to have had sex without a wedding date)

James Morland: Dude, I’m just disappointed with you in general. Being led by lust, not protecting your sister. I hope you grow a lot before you try to get engaged again.

Charles Musgrove: could be good, but Mary never seems to appreciate the effort he puts in so he kind of gave up

Tom Bertram: Selfish, never has to try for anything, but he did reform so maybe he can get better here too.

Edmund Bertram: Repressed and selfish. He needs to actually start listening to what women say if he’s going to improve and there is a whole book of him doing exactly the opposite...

Mr. Elton: selfish, full of himself, and low emotional intelligence, however, I think he does love his wife so he is willing to put in some effort for her.

Just bad:

James Rushworth: Maria was not impressed at all, despite how much “taller” he was

Captain Tilney: riding on good looks and money, selfish

John Thorpe: Selfish and he never shuts up. I have trouble imaging him getting a woman to sleep with him without paying her.

George Wickham: selfish and good looking, he’s not doing any work. He thinks you should be honoured to sleep with him.

Robert Ferrars: selfish and not even good looking. There is nothing here. Lucy did not win people.

Mr. Woodhouse: I can’t even imagine, if he didn’t have children I’d say he was a virgin

Mr. Collins: The woman he is trying to please is not his wife.

Mr. Elliot: cruel to his first wife and not even handsome!

Sir Walter Elliot: I don’t think any part of his personality would tend toward being a “giver”, however, if you like mirrors...

John Dashwood: exactly the opposite of a “giver”

Mr. Price: the guy had 11 children in 14 years so I wish I could say he was better in bed. My suspicion is that he started in the good tier and has had a very slow fall into just bad. And all that alcohol, ug...

Dr. Grant: Noted for being a whiney, selfish glutton. Hopefully he just falls asleep before he can attempt anything because I can't imagine him being that good in bed.

General Tilney: If you don't want to even try to imagine their sex life, they go in this tier. And he is so freaking controlling!

No Data: We interviewed Lady Bertram for information on Sir Thomas, but she confessed that with full consent, she has always fallen asleep during sex. Given her personality, we decided that this information has no bearing on Sir Thomas’s abilities. She did say that giving birth was, “Very disagreeable.”

Mr. Hurst: I really can't decide with him because while he does love the finer things in life, we don't know exactly why he and Louisa married. More info required.

Criteria: In the domain of F/M sex, communication is key, so we need a man who is willing to listen to what women say. Also, selfishness is obviously a negative trait when it comes to a happy sexual partner of either gender. Some of this is just vibes, but I think there is a fair amount of canon information about how much men respect women, especially their sisters. 

Feel very free to fight me in the reblogs. The only hill I will die on is that Henry Crawford’s rating is correct 😉

[patheticbatman]

Part Two

I’m very proud of these dolls, and I’m also leaving them at my parents’ house, so I did a little photoshoot with some books as background so I can have nice pictures of them.

This is the second post, so check out the first for more info!

First up we have Pocahontas (real name Matoaka) with Elatsoe, by Darcie Little Badger. It’s a why-dunnit, not a who-dunnit, about a Lipan Apache girl who has some serious ghost powers. Pocahontas was a tough one, but I decided to go with a book I love about a modern Lipan Apache (Indigenous) girl, written by a modern Lipan Apache (Indigenous) woman. I know a lot of people have strong feelings on both the real life Matoaka and the cartoon Pocahontas, and how she symbolizes a lot of sad and terrible changes for Turtle Island. So I thought putting the doll and this book together would provide an interesting contrast, one that the real life Matoaka may find horribly interesting.

Second is Esmeralda with At Night All Blood Is Black, by David Diop (the French title means Soul Brother - I believe that the title is a play on the English Idiom, At Night All Cats Are Grey, meaning you cannot see meaningful differences in the right circumstances). It’s a very interesting though sorrowful novel about a Senegalese Tirailleur (Infantryman) who was sent to France during WWI. I don’t think Esmeralda would read this normally, but if she was in a sad mood, I think the theme of fluctuating humanity during conflict, and being a Person of Color in France (even centuries later!) would interest her.

Third up is Mulan with Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, by Laurence Yep. When I drew pictures for Mulan’s poem (years ago now!) I headcanoned in my explanation that Mulan and Lady Xian, princess of the Li Xian people in modern day Guangdong, were close enough in history that they *might* have met and been friendly. Mulan is typically from further North and West than Guangdong, and would be part of the colonizing side in this case sadly, but I feel like they would respect each other as fellow powerful women.

Fourth is Melody (Ariel’s daughter) with A Song Below Water, by Bethany C. Morrow. I think she’d go into the book with certain expectations, like I did, about the plot, and then get drawn in by the real story. Let’s just say the cover gave me assumptions that lead to a great twist for me personally. Also, I think Melody would relate to the mystery of her magical parent’s true background. The book celebrates the lesser known fantasy species, and approaches the danger of traffic stops, police brutality and protesting for Black people, and how that intersects with being a woman, with care and love. If they ever make a live action Little Mermaid 2, I feel like that would also speak to Melody.

Fifth is Kida with The Ones We’re Meant To Find, by Joan He. Kida is from a fantasy ancient civilization, and this book depicts a sci-fi futuristic one, but there’s more similarities than one might initially think. Both exist due to the hubris of humanity, and in reaction to serious pollution topside. And both explore (or at least mention) a relationship between two women separated by the change in their civilization, and with a boy who seems to know too much. I’m not sure Kida would necessarily read this story, aside from its attractive and exotic (to her, at least) take on the world above, which she has not seen for millennia, but this story is similar enough to Kida’s movie that I felt it fell under the adaption category instead.

Sixth is Jane (from Peter Pan 2, Wendy’s daughter) with Peter Pan on Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean. The Disney movie is NOT based on this book, but both do mention Wendy’s family being affected by a World War, though this one has WWI and the movie has WWII. Interestingly, both have a sympathetic Hook initially. ‘Twas a lovely read, and in my opinion matched the original book based on the play.

Seventh is Giselle with The Wind in the Willow, by Kenneth Grahame. I just felt Giselle would enjoy the idea of cute talking animals (but not so much the war storylines of Redwall) so I put her with this book.

Eighth is Tiana (<3) with Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier. Funnily enough, I do actually have the *sequel* to the book her movie was based off of, but I’ve never read the original, so I decided it doesn’t count. But this is my favorite mixed up fairy tale novel that features a Frog Prince storyline, so I went with it. The villain is also a greedy butt who doesn’t care for his own people, and the protagonist is often underestimated, due to her appearance and gender. In any case, I love this book so much that I illustrated the first chapter, lol.

Ninth is Rapunzel with Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon, Dean and Nathan Hale. I loved this adaption since I was a kid (honestly more than Tangled) and I’m pleased to finally own it.

Last is Merida, with The Edge on the Sword, by Rebecca Tingle. The book is about a warrior princess a thousand years ago in what is England today, with a forced engagement storyline, so I figured this would be right up Merida’s alley.

Part One

Part Three

Part Four

[error404vnotfound]

JANE AUSTEN RANKED BY YOURS TRULY

hi :]

it is done. I've read it all (*kicks Lady Susan under a rug*) what was that?

anyways

after seven whole months i come to you with the objectively correct ranking of JA main novels, heroines, and heroes

i will not be taking any criticism

let's begin then

on the line today we have

Northanger Abbey with contestants Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney

Sense and Sensibility's Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon

Emma's own Emma Woodhouse, George Knightley and Frank Churchill

Persuasion bringing Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth

and Mansfield Park's Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram and Henry Crawford

v what do you mean Frank and Henry they aren't Heroes why are you ranking them?

well because I can and want to

v what about Pride and Prejudice?

i can't be objective about it or Darcy or Lizzy. it would be unfair to everyone else. tho you are right I will be ranking Charles Bingley I have things to say about the man

cool? cool

THE NOVELS

yes i will only be ranking the main novels (and no lady susan because i dont want to reread it)

LOVED THEM TIER

EMMA

i did not want this book to end, i was having the time of my life. it's just. so good

reading it knowing what is going on was a delightful experience

i love emma and knightley so much

maple grove should burn to the ground. for my sanity

NORTHANGER ABBEY

Catherine carried this book that's all I gotta say

coming of age story but make it the 19th century

below Emma because I can take reading about Maple Grove but not hearing the Thorpes speak

I JUST THINK THEY ARE NEAT :]

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

I just. think it's neat

I really have nothing else to say. I was invested, I felt for Elinor, and Marianne's evolution was 10/10

fuck John Dashwood for cutting down that tree

IM SORRY JANE (aka the Fail Love Interest Syndrome)

PERSUASION

i was a little bored ngl

did like Anne well enough tho

also. that piano scene. thanks I hate it. it will haunt me for the rest of my life

MANSFIELD PARK

Mary and Edmund ruined this for me in the way that they represent everything wrong with the allos and in the way that i wanted to slap them both out of their nonsense

i also didn't connect much with Fanny so :/

HEROINES

no tiers, just ranking them :]

EMMA (Emma)

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER

Emma never change

she's so wrong all the time and I love her so much

<3

CATHERINE (NA)

MY GIRL

she's aggressively 17 (affectionate)

a DELIGHT

she grows so much 😭😭😭 im so proud of her

she will be an amazing adult

ELINOR (S&S)

it's the eldest daughter hardship for me

she puts up with so much bullshit from everyone around her

deserves a paid vacation, the right to murder people, and a nap, not necessarily in that order

lowkey carried

MARIANNE (S&S)

I will be the first to admit that I disliked her at first because she was aggressively 17 (derogatory)

but she !!!!! grows so much !!!!!! im so proud of her

always championed her older sister when no one else would and for that i gotta love her

ANNE (Persuasion)

suffers from FLIS (fail love interest syndrome)

girl it's been 8 years supéralo

also puts up with so much the sad bitch I do love her

FANNY (MP)

FLIS

had the chance of marrying Henry but didn't take it (like. I get why. but I'd respect her more for being a I Can Fix It Girlie than settling for the piece of wet bread that's Edumnd)

did not connect with her at all sorry bestie :(

HEROES (and then some)

i will put them into tiers. because I have Issues with most of them. also im judging them solely on how they relate to their Heroine that's the only worth they have to me

FAULTLESS

KNIGHTLEY (Emma - Emma)

what can I say he had impeccable chemistry with Emma

they were married from page 1

he truly cares for her and to make her improve as a person and I love him

COOL DUDE

EDWARD (S&S - Elinor)

my guy

had a scene with big brother energy with Marianne and I was sold

could use a little bit more Standing Up For Your Future Happiness but it's in character so I'll give him a pass

HENRY (NA - Catherine)

he's said to be the best Austen men and while I get why I just. he just wasn't giving to me

but yeah good to Catherine, amazing brother to his sister, knows feminine interests, amiable, etc

suffers from NA was the first book i read back in may so i dont remember much of his moments

LITTLE SHIT <3

CRAWFORD (NA)

my fail boy

the one plot point I enjoyed

let's point and laugh at the flirt that falls in love with the mildest girl ever who dislikes him and then when he's refused has an affair with a married woman

way to go bud ily

FRANK CHURCHILL (Emma)

he's such a piece of shit

was very fun to read

Jane should dump him tho he doesn't deserve her

I'LL BE WATCHING YOU, BUD

BINGLEY (P&P - Jane)

DARCY'S NOT THE BOSS OF YOU, MAN

can't be mad at him for long because of the puppy energy he has tho

BUT MAN THAT WAS ALMOST A YEAR'S ABSENCE YOU GOT AWAY WITH

COLONEL BRANDON (S&S - Marianne)

MY DUDE. WHY DIDN'T YOU SPILL THE TEA SOONER

oh yeah I'll let this Confirmed Rake keep courting the woman I'm in love with while everyone expects them to be either engaged or about to be as I know he's literally the worst, make sense

i just can't wrap my head around it

BOOOOOOO (FLIS)

CAPTAIN WENTWORTH (Persuasion - Louisa Anne)

more like captain failworth

people love this man and I just don't get it

MAN IT'S BEEN 8 YEARS. GET OVER IT

he's spiteful and resentful towards Anne when she did was she had to idk dude grow tf up

almost gets trapped in a marriage with a silly girl because he's dumb (good thing the girl is silly and jumped off a cliff so he could run back to anne) (that's an exaggeration but basically)

your only point of redemption is that by marrying you Anne gets out of the toxic environment she was in

EDMUND (NA - Mary Fanny)

imagine a glass of water. imagine that glass of water under the sun. not just any sun, no, a good midday August Spanish sun. imagine now a piece of bread. good. put that piece of bread inside the glass of water. that's this guy to me

all holier than thou but then spends 98% of the novel thinking with his dick

i. hate him.

takes fanny for granted

marries fanny because it's convenient (AND IN LIKE. THE THIRD TO LAST PARAGRAPH WHEN IN THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH HE WAS STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT MARY!!!!!! DUDE!!!!!!)

he's the worst

everyone that sucked gets punished but him

i want to personally kill this man

and that was basically it thanks for coming with me in this journey wow that was fun

hi @my-cursed-prince

[freckled-words]

But Chains and Whips Excite Them

At last I can share!

Another commissioned piece for my series "Songs Stuck in Her Head"

This is actually the 1st part in the series, and I had commissioned this piece first, it just took longer CAUSE PERFECT PIECES OF ART CAN TAKE AS LONG AS THEY NEED!!

I want you all to give PinkPiggy93 (you can find them on Instagram) as much love and praise as possible. CAUSE MY GODS IS THIS ARTWORK BREATHTAKING!!!!!

For Ao3 readers, you can find the story HERE

The story is also below this piece of 100% ART THAT NEEDS TO BE FRAMED.

You can also find the next part of the series HERE

All rights and lyrics of "S&M" by Rhianna, belong to her.

After Loki aided Thor and Jane against the Dark Elves Odin saw fit to grant him a trial parole. He and Thor would be bound by a shared brand. If Thor touched the four corners of a dwelling then Loki would not be able to leave the confines of the dwelling until Thor touched one of the walls.

Thor saw it only fit to have Loki endure his parole with the very group of Midgardians that thwarted him. Tony was reluctant at first to have the diabolical Mischief God in his tower, but that lasted all of 30 minutes before he decided “What the hell. Worse case scenario we all step outside for a long walk and Big Green can re-teach him some manners. Then I'll just redecorate...again. It's cool.”

The other members of the Avengers were not as pleased with the idea. Clint in particular decided to be gone on missions or extended leaves during Loki's stay. Although Steve hadn't moved into Stark Tower properly he was a constant guest, and was entirely against the idea. He had multiple arguments with Tony that fell on deaf/drunk ears most of the time.

Bruce and Natasha gave a single comment each. Bruce's being, “I'll just set up a cot in my lab.”

Natasha's was, “Your stupidity knows no ends Tony.”

Pepper Potts, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis didn't really get a say in the matter. Well, they were able to say plenty. It just didn't effect the outcome.

So in two months time Loki was brought back to Earth and set up in a room all to himself. He was allowed to roam the common areas if he wanted, but he chose to stay to his room. Mostly because he still hated all of them (the exception being Jane, crazy woman had punched him after all. Had to give her a molecule of respect for that fierceness.) And anytime he ventured out of his room to grab something to eat or drink he was met with subtle undertones of rage and hatred from the occupants.

The exception being the crazy, curvy, blue eyed brunette. Anytime she was around when he went to get food or water she would look him right in the eye and say something absurd.

Things such as, “Hey Professor Snape, came to get some polyjuice potion?” and “'Sup Other Brother, Bell Dame left you some pasta in the fridge.”

On the rare occasion he would venture out and find Darcy on the couch, laying on the floor or reclined back in a chair. Her listening devices in her ears, her eyes closed she would bob her head and tap her feet. At times like that he would take advantage and slow his pace to observe. Something about her changed when she was like this.

It wasn't until a very particular time this happened that he caught on to what she was doing. ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ It was a Saturday and Steve had dropped in to see what the situation was like after nearly two weeks of Loki being there.

Tony being Tony relayed that, “All is well in Stark's Rehabilitation for the Evil.”

Steve went into a lecture about how this wasn't exactly a joking matter when one of their members was exiling themselves to keep distance.

This then lead to Tony going into his own snarky retort of some such.

The brand that Loki wore of course limited his magic, but not enough that he couldn't turn himself invisible for short periods. He didn't care an ounce about what the two men thought of his staying there. He didn't really have a say in anything.

He remained silent doing his best to draw as little attention as possible while he went to the living room to locate a book to read. Stark kept a small library there since most of the occupants preferred to either read or watch movies. Loki was already halfway through the top shelf, he didn't care what he read so long as he had something to do to pass the time.

Passing the couch he caught side of Darcy. Her eyes were closed, her listening device was on and her foot wiggle in a rhythmic pattern. Just as he moved to stride past he felt a stir in the energy near him. He paused, waiting to see if he could feel it again.

There. 'I know this energy.' He turned back to Darcy and closed his eyes. Opening his mind to the magic that was created from a person rather than the elements he could make out a thin veil of energy radiating off of the young woman. 'The mortal can put herself into a trance. Interesting.' He doubted she even knew what she was doing.

By going into a trance a sentient being's mind was open to others that were able to access the unseen plane of energy. There were beings who trained for years to be able to do this on command. Others would find an item of mystic energy that could aid them. And then there were people such as this noisy woman that were born with the natural path in their minds.

The book forgotten Loki went back to his room and made himself comfortable. His study of magic allowed him to do many things with the mind. He was able to cast spells which let him hear the thoughts of those unprotected or untrained in mental protection. He could make a person forget what they had done for the past few hours or days. He could even put another person under hypnosis, though not as nearly powerful as his scepter had been able to control people. He was also able to put himself into a trance and locate the opening the young woman had created to her own mind.

He didn't have anything better to do, and how could he call himself the God of Mischief if he couldn't cause a little confusion and mayhem in someone's life?

~ ~ ~ ~

Loki was utterly bewildered to walk through Darcy's mental doorway and find himself right back in the tower's common room. Steve and Tony were still arguing, Darcy was laid out on the couch. Nothing was different, except Loki knew for sure he was inside her mind.

He was completely disappointed. Right up until Darcy sat up and glared over at the two arguing men. “Enough already!”

The two men stopped mid snap, their mouths hanging open.

Walking over to them Darcy shook her head, “Are you two going to keep going on and on, or do me and your ladies need to teach you some 'Manners' again?” Loki presence in Darcy's mind must have gone unnoticed. He was able to walk over close enough to lean on the kitchen island to watch how this unfolded.

Tony smirked, “I'm always up for a round of 'Manners'.”

Steve's complexion had gone bright pink, he cleared his throat and looked away from Darcy, “I-I don't think that's really necessary. I should be going anyways.”

“Nope.” Darcy popped the 'p' for emphasis. She grinned in a way that framed her teeth in a very endearing way. It was the grin of a cat about to eat the canary. “You came here and started a circle bitch fight. You both need a refresher in 'Manners'. JARVIS, set the stage and hit the music.”

The lighting in the room went pitch black. Something whirred and clicked. There came a grunt from Steve and Tony's direction.

A spot light shone down on the farthest side of the room where the elevator opened into the living room. The doors opened and out stepped two more women. Loki's eyebrow arched up as he took in the sight of them.

The taller woman with strawberry blond hair wore a black and red brazier with studded straps, black cut off denim shorts that had flames embroidered along the top edge.

The shorter red haired woman he knew to be the Black Widow wore halter top knotted in the front right between her breasts, the sleeves were ripped off and her lower half was covered by a black and red thong and red fishnet stockings.

A throbbing beat of music started to play. A third spot light moved to the front and center between the other women. A platform with an installed pole rose out of the floor. Standing on the platform was Darcy in a completely different get up from her overly large knitted purple sweater, black tank top and well worn jeans. Her glasses and knitted cap were gone, and her hair was unbraided allowing her it to cascade around her in a lush brown waterfall of curls. A little black leather page boy's cap was titled on her head. Her body was barely covered by a black satin corset with purple ribs and rose patterns. She also wore a black skirt made of shredded leather that let any observers see the purple thong and black fish net leggings underneath.

All three women wore teetering black high heels covered in steel spikes.

Loki was entirely mesmerized when the music began to play in earnest. He didn't know the song but let the words and rhythm wash over him all the same.

Na na na, come on Na na na, na na, come on Na na na, come on, come on Come on, na na na na Feels so good being bad There's no way I'm turning back Now the pain is for pleasure 'Cause nothing can measure Love is great, love is fine Out the box, out of line The affliction of the feeling leaves me wanting more

The two women strode forward to the beat of the music until the spotlights fell onto their intended targets. In the shift of Darcy's mind Tony and Steve had been stripped down to leather boxers form fitting to their bodies. Both were shackled to separate stone slabs of wall. They weren't pressed right up against the stone, but they were forced to face nothing but the rocks.

Darcy's lips were perfectly synced to the lyrics as the music reached its chorus. Her body straddled, swayed, and swung around her platform and pole in time to the music. Loki was entranced. Using a bit of concentration he willed a chair into existence. Whatever was going to occur would require extended comfort.

'Cause I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it Sticks and stones may break my bones, But chains and whips excite me

A length of chain appeared from thin air into Natasha's hand, Pepper acquired a horse crop.

Na na na come on, come on, come on, I like it, like it, come on, come on, come on I like it, like it, come on, come on, come on I like it, like it come on, come on, come on I like it, like it

Pepper trailed the crops end down Tony's spine, his skin rippled with goosebumps from the softness. She did a twirl and dip letting her duck under Tony's raised arms. She smiled sweetly as she trailed the crop down the front of his body kissing along the same line as she went. When she reached his navel she did another twirl and struck out with the crop, slapping him just across the ass.

Natasha slithered along Steve's body, some part of her skin was constantly touching his as she wrapped the chain around his neck. She never faced him directly, even when she circled around to his front. She ground herself against his crotch in time to the music. At the end of the verse she spun causing the chain to lightly tighten around his throat with a twist. She used it as leverage to pull herself up and clamp her mouth on his shoulder. Her hips continued to grind herself against him as her mouth moved from his neck to his ear. She languished it with a swirl of her tongue then began to climb back down him.

As the two women “punished” Tony and Steve Darcy continued her dance on the platform with the pole.

The music took a swell down in tempo. Darcy did a spin and she was suddenly gone from the platform.

Just as quickly Loki felt a hand glide from his back to his shoulder. Darcy firmly grabbed both shoulders and swung herself around him into a straddling position. Her eyes showed some confusion, as he guessed her mind was trying to decide if he was part of the fabrication or not. She seemed to just accept it and continued with what she was doing.

Oh I love the feeling you bring to me Oh, you turn me on It's exactly what I've been yearning for Give it to me strong And meet me in my boudoir Make my body say ah, ah, ah, I like it, like it

Darcy moved like liquid as she twisted in his lap so her back was facing him. Her thighs barely grazed his as she gave him a lap dance worthy of a prince, be he exiled from the throne or not. His hands itched to reach out and grab hold of the curves that were currently hovering just over his hardening cock beneath his leather pants. He resisted. If he acted out of what Darcy imagined should happen he would give his individual presence away and bring everything to a stop.

S, S, S and M, M, M S, S, S and M, M, M S, S, S and M, M, M S, S, S and M, M, M

On the last round of the chorus she spun back around to straddle him properly and kiss him full on the mouth with such force that he felt everything come to a halt, and then it shattered.

~~ ~~ ~~

Opening his physical eyes Loki felt himself grinning, right up until he noticed that his etheral trip had definitely affected his physical state. He would at least have plenty of imagery to use to ease his discomfort.

“I think I should do that more often.” He snickered to himself as his hand reached down to undo the clasp of his pants.

~ ~ ~ ~

Darcy sat bolt up right, her face was flushed and she breathing wouldn't slow down. Steve and Tony had stormed away from each other at some point. Which Darcy was entirely grateful for since the first words out of her mouth were, “What the ever living hell was he doing there?”

[badedramay]

Omg THANK YOU for pointing out this weird trope that dramas have of “U just be cute and girly, I’ll be rich and support U”. To be fair it’s not just pak dramas; I’ve seen it in Turkish and K dramas as well. A girl is able to act as spastic and childish as Umeed because her well-off husband just smiles to himself at her antics and will pay for any damage she does 🤑.

I mean I guess this trope is better than an abusive partner trope, but I don’t get how it’s 2023 and drama writers often miss the mark on writing a female lead, especially when it comes to different genres like FT being more comedy. Most ramadan comedies feature a loud, hyper FL as if the writers are trying to hammer us with “see? She isn’t a rhona dhona type”. Because ya know, who needs even semi realistic characters when we exclusively have the two extremes on TV for our viewing pleasures?

I digress but typing this out made me appreciate yunhi way more. For all of its flaws, maya chose as close to a realistic female that I’ve seen in pak dramas in a while.

the rich man x poor woman, or Cinderella trope, is old as time and its appeal is not up for debate. it's fun wish fulfillment and I agree that some of my personal favorite rom-coms have been based on this trope. but I had said this before and I will say it again, this trope DOES come with a very unhealthy power imbalance that simply cannot be ignored. idk about Dizis but kdramas, despite being chokeful of the Cinderella trope, do try to completely veer off in the territory of "rich man becoming the poor woman's sugar daddy" because the woman's integrity and her self-respect are not compromised. the hero may help push a few buttons for the heroine but he doesn't take the entire financial responsibility of the woman to give her all the time to be her cutesy clumsy giggly self. at max we'll get the trademark wardrobe makeover scene and dinners at fancy restaurants but when the night is over, the heroine goes back to her own world. in fact, most of the romance in kdramas come from the rich hero fitting in the poor heroine's world than the other way round.

when it comes grumpy rich hero and bubbly poor heroine trope..we already know what the hero is bringing to the table that the heroine doesn't have in her i.e. his money. the tricky part then becomes what the heroine is bringing in the hero's life. like take Jab We Met, an iconic movie in the similar genre vein. Aditya was RICH rich as commented by Geet. Geet, while well-off herself, didn't reek of the kind of industrialist money that Aditya had. throughout their journey in the first half Geet relied on Aditya's money as their guarantee of safe way home. however, Aditya's money never became a substitute for Aditya himself. Geet offered Aditya a perspective of life that Aditya's money couldn't bring him while Aditya, ultimately, gave Geet the kind of reliable, unshakable love that Geet had dreamt of. in their story the power imbalance that their individual social standing could've colored their relationship was safely avoided from the beginning as Aditya was more than his money, Geet's manic pixieness didn't come at the cost of her fierce self-reliance.

Mr. Darcy was obscenely rich and Elizabeth's low social standing was a major conflict for him when it came to his feelings for her. but, all of Mr. Darcy's wealth couldn't make Elizabeth find him attractive because she just didn't like his personality. we hype up Mr. Darcy-esque heroes a LOT in our stories (even Farjaad is called as one because he's serious and rich) yet there's complete silence on the fact that Mr. Darcy needs an ELIZABETH BENNET to make the romance work. a smart, witty, self-reliant heroine that completely owns her individuality. the sparks fly when two headstrong individuals collide and the romance happens when BOTH of them, over time, see beyond their own judgements and prejudices to see the other person for who they are. Darcy changes his perspectives for Elizabeth, yes. but Elizabeth also learns to being more positively accommodating of the parts of Darcy that he has no control over like his wealth.

but yeah..all of this is nuanced writing that our PakDramas just don't want to bother with. the question of power imbalance only comes in when the story is about SOCIAL AWARENESS of yet another form of marital abuse. it's incredibly boring now. i won't say I am too old to enjoy wish fulfillment fantasy stories but i am definitely no longer immature enough to lap up just about any rom-com because it apparently celebrates "feminine joy". love me a rich af hero but only when he's paired with a heroine that can thrive without his wealth coming to her rescue, thank you very much.