#because ??????? the quality of this story is gonna depend on what they do with the end

[brown-little-robin]

gesticulates wildly

[rubys-domain]

bruh...

i still need 250 more reputation exp to unlock the bounties. and the second act alone took over an hour to finish. this is gonna take forever...

[punkpandapatrixk]

🥀Sad Bitch Lilith ♦︎ Timeless Pick A Card

We live in a world where being too kind, too sweet, too compassionate and forgiving could often lead to disastrous outcomes. This is after all a world where narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths run free without much repercussion. A sweet girl can’t be pleasant all the time; a goddess needs to carry a machete from time to time.

What most people have yet to grasp, is that Venus and Lilith quite literally make each side of the Divine Femininity coin. Venus represents Light and Lilith represents Dark; even then, they could easily switch roles depending on the situation at hand. Only if you want—you are allowed to embody both Venus and Lilith in their respective glory.

Do you really want to become that kind of idiot who sends love and light to those who have done you much harm? You don’t have to force yourself to be the bigger person in a conflict that was created for the sole purpose of stripping you of power and autonomy. Enablers and gaslighters enforce that kind of idea so you make room for their terrible behaviour. WAKE. UP.

So many women in this world have at some point been a Sad Bitch Lilith at the hands of psychopaths, sociopaths and narcs in whatever role they play in their lives. Hopefully this reading serves to help you turn the narrative into SAVAGE LILITH. The Dark Moon Goddess who delights in revenge for she knows in it lies EDUCATION for the imbeciles who have foolishly disrespected her kind, sweet, friendly, feminine qualities. The Dark Feminine retorts,

‘RESPECT ME OR GET DESTROYED.’

Black Moon Lilith is a Goddess of Redemption. She takes into her own hands matters of delivering nightmare to those who have wronged her. She calculates in the dark. She doesn’t ask for permission. She's a wild woman. She punishes swiftly. She moves history.

She is Karma.

Karma paid in revenge glow up, BITCH🌹

SONG: I’ll Make You Cry by aespa

MOVIE: Gone Girl (2014)

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 1] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – When My Tears Silently Turn to Diamonds

the way your beauty irritates people – 10 of Pentacles Rx

VIBE: I’m Unhappy by aespa

You’re somebody who’s perceived as abundant and superfluous by others. It’s super obvious from the way you look, the way you carry yourself, or even your family background. You just… exude a rich vibe—whether or not you actually come from old money. Damn, you just have it in you. It’s something you were born with. Even if you didn’t come from a rich background, or even if right now, for some reason you’re struggling with resources, no, honey, listen: it’s your fucking AURA.

People can see either you’re blessed since birth—with money, beauty, talents, whatever—or they simply can smell that you’re gonna make it big someday. Most people you’ve known in your environment, do not like this about you at all. It’s their own fault though, why in the name of fuck are they always comparing themselves to you? Did you ask for that? Never. But they’re always imagining how nice it would be in your shoes without knowing for realz your life story.

They project their insecurities at you even when you’ve never wanted to make anybody feel that way because of your presence. In many ways, I think you’ve tried so hard to make you look ordinary, or in some cases, you’ve tried to show a lot of care and generosity. You’ve tried to make everybody see that you’re just like them even if your circumstances are not exactly the same. It never worked though—maybe it’s even backfired.

Your abundance… is simply irritating to them because you’re surrounded by motherfucking losers, babe.

silencing the negative self-talk – XIX The Sun

VIBE: ASAP by NewJeans

You should be done feeling bad for being radiant. It’s not your fault other people are ugly. It’s not your responsibility that other people don’t have money. How are you at fault when a good company chooses you for the talents and skills you’ve developed which they need? Seriously, it’s none of your business if others wouldn’t work on themselves to be considered an amazing creature in society. You keep being you, honey. You and I know you’re always refining your natural talents and deepening your base knowledge. You’re truly a hustler even if others don’t see that.

When you’re not saddened or confused by others’ terrible attitude towards your blessings, your mindset is really positive like the Sun itself. Of all the Piles, I think your heart is the purest🤣You’re more generous than people give you credit for. You’re always trying to make everyone feel welcomed. If you were a party host, you’d make sure every single person has a good time in ways that suit them. You’re that attentive.

Unfortunately, your Light, indeed babe, seems to attract a lot of harmful bugs. No matter how much you give, it’ll never be enough and nothing you do will stop the gossip and badmouthing and backstabbing. Because essentially, these bottom-feeders are already bitter about their own pathetic lives. They hate you as much as they hate themselves for not having the courage to feel deserving of the abundance you’ve worked hard for.

S A V A G E – 4 of Wands

VIBE: Hurt by NewJeans

‘Leave them at the bottom of the grave they dug for you.’ – something I saw on Pinterest

Because you’re too kind, too giving, I think you’re the type of person who wouldn’t have the heart to leave people behind where they are miserable. Umm… you need to grow up a little bit more and finally see for yourself how pointless that is. You’re just one person, what makes you think you could save everybody? I hope you don’t yourself turn into a megalomania who thinks others wouldn’t survive without your charity.

Leave that toxic environment and you will regenerate yourself. As you do so, you become a vibrational match to some kind of a Soul Tribe situation where you’ll be met with people who aren’t the least bit parasitic. You’ve got to believe you’re deserving of a symbiosis mutualistic kind of relationships and friendships for them to manifest, OK?

As for the anklebiters? Hurt them with your leaving them. Hurt them with your totally ignoring and blocking them. I’m not saying you have to throw a brick at them for all the disrespect they’ve dealt on you. I’m sure your change of attitude will hurt the living shit out of them. And one day, when you’re famous and important, they’ll see you, alright. They’ll see you for all that you’ve always been capable of doing and they’ll regret they didn’t treat you better. And they’ll wallow in immense pain for not having access to you anymore. Nevermore. Leave them hurting in their shame and regrets. That’ll kill them😈

SWEET MOTHER OF REVENGE 🔻💙

VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY – Gold Physician (Herodotus)

Reclaiming Lilith – Priestess of Prosperity

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – You See This Glow-Up? NOW You Jelly

the way your beauty irritates people – Knight of Wands Rx

VIBE: 28 Reasons by Seulgi

First and foremost, you’re a damn rare beauty. I don’t care if you don’t think that highly of your physical appearance; bitch, you’re goddamn attractive. Take it or leave it. Your problem is that you act like you’re ordinary and that irritates the living shit out of your enemies because they think you’re fake. ‘How dare you act ordinary when you’re obviously that pretty. Are you mocking us??’ Yeah… Why the fuck are you surrounded by ordinary beauties? Have you got Venus squaring Pluto? Huehue~

Anyway, in any situation you’re an eye candy and everybody can see that. Maybe you’re dense enough to not see how others see you, but all these friends of yours, they’re hyper aware of how all eyes are on you the moment you slightly move. You stir the air in a way no other human does. It’s because there’s passion and authenticity in you that make you vibrate on a much higher level than most people. Really, you’re a rare gem but this could get you in danger a lot.

You’re the type of beauty that invites enemies actually because of your friendly disposition. Like, there’s this annoying gap that irritates people in ways even they don’t really understand. The gap between your intense beauty/attraction and your general politeness. You’re soft spoken, cheerful and helpful. For the most part, you’re a ball of joy and if you’re a girl, boys like you A LOT. You’re fun. You’re cool. You’re smart and creative. A lot funnier than people assume. You’re the IT GIRL. But the envious ones call you a pick-me LMAO

Envious girls put a lot of effort into brandishing you as a trashy character but by doing that, even the boys could see who’s the real G here. And well, wouldn’t that annoy their trashy asses further?🤷🏻‍♀️They’re literally ruining their own image by trying to ruin you🤡

silencing the negative self-talk – 8 of Wands Rx

VIBE: Forgive Me by BoA

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s have a heart-to-heart. Honey, you’ve got to stop pretending like you’re a sweet Venus all the time. You’re not. You and I know that. Deep down, there’s an evil bitch in you that wants to play with fire. I think you’ve tried to curb your Lilith practically your entire Life. Perhaps on a subconscious level you know this of you and you want to avert your eyes from looking at your Lilith. That’s how you seem fake sometimes.

Highly intuitive people can smell the Devil in you, but you act like you’re an angel all the time. And that’s annoying because your Lilith is literally a men-magnet and this often takes away attention from other girls but you act all innocent💩I’m not saying it’s your fault—I sense that for the most part, you don’t even consciously want this intense attention; I’m saying there’s this mechanism about how you’re perceived by your environment.

Aaand why do you think that is? Of course, because subconsciously, you want all of this attention. You always want to be wanted and liked and desired. You crave that shit so bad because when you were tinier you felt unseen. Un-understood. Unappreciated. Now, doesn’t matter who or how, you just want everybody to see you and want you, but you’re not gonna give them back any of that attention. You want to be unattainable. Actually, you are unattainable. You don’t easily let people get close to you. You don’t want people in your personal space. You just want the a t t e n t i o n.

S A V A G E – 5 of Wands Rx

VIBE: Savage by aespa

You know, this is all just a lil game to you. Deep down, you’re fighting this urge to snatch everybody’s boyfriends and husbands. Sometimes you get frightened by your evil desires because if you were unhinged, you’d want all these married people to want you more than they want their spouses. It’s not even that serious. You just want to come on top of everybody. You’re secretly envious of these little bitches who are—probably—loved by their spouses. And even when you can see there’s no Love in that connection, you’re still jealous that someone wants to commit themselves to these undeserving mediocre asses.

You feel all alone in this world. People are only nice to you because of your looks or whatever else that’s not even that important. And people are also nasty to you because of your looks and everything else that’s not even that important. It’s been one insanely difficult Life for you. You’re sad. You feel abandoned and unwanted in spite of all the shallow praises. And there’s this quiet rage inside that wants to punish everyone for not caring about the REAL you.

Bitch, grow up a little bit and you’ll see that low-quality people get married to their fellow mediocre asses. You don’t play in the same dimension as them so don’t lower your standards🤭One day you’ll see who’s gonna end up divorced and miserable because they all married the wrong people! Nah, that’s not even the important part LMAO The important part is when you’re the one marrying a Soul Mate after all of your spiritual and psychological glow-up that made you a vibrational match to so much REAL LOVE and you’re surrounded by all this money and beauty.

You never needed their kind of a glow-up; you were born perfection. You needed a different kind of confidence to SLAY and be very happy.

SWEET MOTHER OF REVENGE 🔻❤️

VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY – Red Magus (Edward Kelly)

Reclaiming Lilith – Priestess of Happiness

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – You Thought I’d Give It All to You

the way your beauty irritates people – 2 of Cups

VIBE: The Weekend by BIBI

You’re this absolutely weird mix of devil and angel in one body. You attract ALL kinds of people. Young, old. Men, women. Animals and toddlers are either terrified by you or LOVE you to oblivion. People always want something from you, right? They either simp for you or act like you owe them something—usually when their simping doesn’t pay off LMAO That’s really weird… Your entire existence is weird. I like that😉

You’re definitely giving, charitable, although in reality you’re really selective with whom you allow in your personal space. ‘Just because I’m friendly with you doesn’t mean I wanna be friends with you,’ kind of vibe. Nevertheless, people are silly, and they cultivate this weird intense desire within them. They build all these unnatural expectations around you having to give or share with them.

In their sick minds, they demand this. When you don’t humour them their sick demands, they get ULTRA bitter, probably even resentful. And then they seek to destroy you. Weird. Weird. Weird. You never even intended to lead them on. People are crazy when you’re around. The worst part is, they never even had your best interest at heart. They just wanted something from you—energy, attention, favouritism, gentle caress, who the hell cares.

How much Neptunian/Pisces/12th House energy do you have for you to be this way?😷HAHAH

silencing the negative self-talk – Page of Pentacles

VIBE: KAZINO by BIBI

Unlike the other Piles, you don’t seem to have a lot of neg self-talk. You’re sassy, bitchy, and you embrace your negative qualities because you see the value in them. Society ain’t perfect either anyway, what’s so wrong in being me the way that I am? You go, girlie~ You’re a total believer in revenge and vengeance. You ARE the definition of Lilith incarnate. Were you born with it? Did you develop yourself to be this way? Who the fuck knows—that’s your very own secret ingredient~

You’d rather let the mortals hurt and rot in their own stupidity than let yourself be the one to hurt. Unless you’re defending those you care about, you’re never sustaining hurt. You hurl lemons at all your enemies before they could get closer. Any step closer, you squirt that lemon in their eyes. Their fault. You warned them already! ‘Hey, I’m nice but I ain’t no saint,’ is your philosophy.

And when you’re really, really, really done with someone’s bullshit, you ain’t afraid to spill some blood. You’re gonna be smart about it though. You plan quietly and attack unexpectedly with a demonic angel smile on your face. ‘Send a message to your god; you’ve messed with the wrong bitch, BITCH.’

You are a menace to society👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

S A V A G E – XII The Hanged Man Rx

VIBE: Vengeance by BIBI

See, you are one sneaky bitch. Though you are a fucking menace to society, you know how to act righteous. You also know how to act like the victim should the occasion arise—but this is rare because you like to appear on top of everyone. Still, you’re quite masterful at creating sad or horrendous backstories that would justify your wreaking havoc upon your enemies, or even just society at large. Your sense of morality is kinda shrewd LMAO And I think that’s because you’ve been at the mercy of someone else’s shrewd behaviour before, probably when you were a lot younger.

That made you realise you never wanted to be the victim anymore. If anything, you’ll terrorise everyone so you maintain your own safety. WHEW. You’ve got your trust broken in authority. Their rules didn’t protect you or even hurt you. So, you believe new rules should be made in their place. You make your own rules and you don’t care if that hurts some people. You have this dicktionary explaining what kinds of dickhead are worth sacrificing to your new-world agenda.

🤣🤣🤣You’re CRAZY!

I believe in you. I think you could change the world. But I think you’re largely only interested in your own world. The whole world? That’s too much trouble. You aren’t keen on destroying your small queendom/kingdom in exchange for world domination—you smart like that. Keep at that. WHOA.

SWEET MOTHER OF REVENGE 🔻🧡

VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY – Green Magus (John Dee)

Reclaiming Lilith – Priestess of Divination

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 1] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[a-random-whovian7]

What your favourite Doctor says about you (just like the Master and Companion lists, this is all just jokes and my own terrible takes, absolutely no offence intended towards anyone). This is gonna be a long one, so good luck:

One (I think):

Is somehow able to sit through The Keys of Marinus whilst completely sober. Their feelings on Twice Upon a Time completely depend on whether they are able to accept that TV shows made in the 1960s will inevitably have some outdated bits or not. Loves slow-burners and less science-heavy stories, and wishes the Doctor would go back to trolling his companions again. Prays every night for The Celestial Toymaker and Marco Polo to be found. Hates the Timeless Child with a burning passion.

Two:

Two fans deserve a lot better. Despite a large chunk of their era being limited to surviving audio, PowerPoint presentations telesnaps and the, er, mixed bag of animated reconstructions, they still contribute a lot to the discussion of Classic Who and are usually well versed in the lore of the EU. 2nd Doctor fans are remarkable, as they are able to get along with pretty much every other group of fans. However, there is plenty of infighting thanks to the UNIT dating controversy and which story should be reconstructed next. If they ship Two/Jamie, they have fully earned your love and are surprisingly good if you pass them the aux.

Three:

Pretty much blows a gasket whenever some idiot says that the modern era is 'too political'. Like, I'm sorry, but was the "England for the English" scene in the Claws of Axos a little too subtle for you? Were Malcolm Hulke's scripts absolutely apolitical in your eyes? Does the mere existence of The Green Death mean nothing to you?! Oh, well maybe you should try WATCHING THE SHOW and DOING YOUR RESEARCH before you start claiming that it's become 'tOo pOLiTiCaL' because the main characters aren't always played by Whiteguy McStraight now, shouldn't you?! YOU AND YOUR MEDIOCRE OPINION SHALL COWER BEFORE MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE THIRD DOCTOR'S ERA AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!

It is for this very reason that 3rd Doctor fans get along particularly well with 13th Doctor fans. Perfectly nice people with a great sense of humour and an excellent taste in episodes, unless a conversation resembling the above occurs, at which point you will see how much damage the repressed urge to do Venusian Akido can do. Refuses to admit that The Ambassadors of Death is two episodes too long.

Four:

Either a child of the 70s or chaos incarnate. Yes, 4 is pretty much the universally recognised Doctor, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most unhinged Doctors. Loves more gothic horror-themed episodes and can ignore the somewhat questionable production qualities of early Baker stories. They have almost certainly attempted to make The Scarf at one point; whether they were successful or not entirely depends on their talent for knitting. Is surprisingly ok with admitting that Tom Baker stayed for a little too long and that his later seasons were a little underwhelming. Hasn't stopped them from watching every version of Shada though.

Five:

The tired parental figure of any group they are in. They immediately related to this Doctor when they saw 5 trying to hold it together whilst his multiple adopted humans argued, whined and got themselves trapped on doomed freighter ships. Has tried to play cricket once, but a general confusion over the rules and a few broken windows stopped that. You can take care of the cinnamon roll that is the standard 5 fan by providing them with cups of tea, giving them lots of hugs and removing all copies of Time Flight from your house.

Six:

Best fashion sense out of all the fans... somehow. Their favourite episodes are usually Vengeance on Varos or Revelation of the Daleks (both bangers), although they lean more heavily towards EU and Big Finish material, where the stories are more consistent and the costumes are less yikes. Either the best or worst fan to be around, either giving fair balanced views on the show or just being an absolute arse. Loves cats. Hates Michael Grade. Kind of ambivalent towards Mel.

Seven:

If 2nd Doctor fans are well versed in the EU lore, then these individuals are fucking academics. Constantly annoyed that 7 had two of the best seasons of Classic Who and was the darkest Doctor but is only remembered for Time and the Rani for some reason. Their favourite companion will always be Ace, which is what motivated them to watch Power of the Doctor. Usually excellent taste in stories, but is completely capable of dragging you to the depths of the EU. Wishes the Doctor would commit a few more genocides. Their religious beliefs can be summarised in the phrase "Cartmel Master Plan". Still annoyed that the most strategic Doctor was killed by the two most American things (guns and bad healthcare), but gets along well with 8 fans despite that. Somehow understands Ghost Light after just 3 rewatches.

Eight:

Big Finish fan. Basically willing to explain the entire plot of Dark Eyes if you ask them. Thinks the TV Movie is just OK, and has rewatched Night of the Doctor too many times to count. Loves a sad boy, and has definitely referred to 8 as a "poor little meow meow" at some point. Wishes 8's TARDIS interior was still intact and that he'll get his own live action series. Had an actual heart attack when he appeared in Power of the Doctor. Usually a bisexual from my personal experience, and looking at Paul McGann in the 90s, I can see why.

War (or is it Nine?):

We're stepping into the depths of the Moffat cult with this one. Wants a more traumatised Doctor, and kind of wishes we saw more of the Time War beyond the laser battle in Day of the Doctor. Content to sit back and watch due to the fact that the War Doctor had the perfect arc in his one episode, although they are happy that the War Doctor still pops up in the EU. Bridging the gap between the modern and classic series means they get along well with everyone except Shalka fans.

Nine (the Curse of Fatal Death one):

Does this one count? Just loves the classic series. Still praying for Joanna Lumley as the Doctor. Nowhere near as obnoxious as the Shalka fans and surprisingly funny.

Nine (the Scream of the Shalka one):

They pride themselves on being 'against the trend' and being fans of an overlooked bit of Doctor Who history. Doesn't quite realise that Scream of the Shalka was basically an B-tier Big Finish story with janky animation. Wants Richard E Grant to show up again. Constantly attempting to upset Eccleston and Hurt fans, only to get angry when everyone forgets Scream of the Shalka existed. They definitely listen to Weezer.

Ten, no, another Nine (the Eccleston one):

The word "fantastic" is permanently superglued to their vocabulary, and yet it never gets old. Owns a leather jacket too. Wishes that the BBC hadn't been stupid and Eccleston had stayed on for another series, but doesn't hold it against Tennant. Knows the Daleks were at their best in S1. Really wants the Reapers to return, and was utterly distraught after Chibs kind of ruined 9's role in the wider arc by blowing up Gallifrey again. Major nostalgia for the 2000s with this one, and is slowly becoming a member of the Big Finish cult thanks to Eccleston's return. Understandably forgot Adam was a thing. Both loves and hates John Barrowman.

Ten? Eleven? Ten and a half? The Tennant one. I hate numbers:

Their first experience to Doctor Who was during the golden age- wait, no, sorry, the RTD cult has threatened to terminate my membership if I'm not honest with this one.

Either a child of the 2000s, a member of the aforementioned RTD cult or someone who just likes the show to be more emotionally resonant. Well, that or they are the blandest person alive. If they acknowledge how good 10's arc was in terms of deconstructing the Doctor and setting up his fall from grace via misplaced attachments and vanity, then absolutely someone to be around. If they simply say "because he was popular", definitely bland. We all know Tennant was popular, it's still not one of the many valid reasons to love him. They have an easygoing relationship with 4 and 11 fans, and otherwise OK relations with the rest of Doctors fan groups, although there is a bit of friction between 13 stans due to 10 being dragged into a lot of 13's media post-2020 to boost ratings. They didn't like it because it cheapned 10's return and era whilst also overshadowing 13. 13 stans didn't like it because it basically gave the message that the BBC had given up on 13 before her era had finished.

Definitely excited for the 60th after the regeneration and the announcement of RTD's return. Has tried owning a pair of converses, only to find out that they aren't exactly cheap. Has fought for the Ten/Rose ship on multiple occasions. Tried hair gel once, with disastrous consequences.

Huh. This one was incredibly easy to write. All I had to do was look in a mirror.

Thirte- no, Eleven:

Major ADHD energy in the best possible way. Saw the chaotic excitable Doctor and immediately fell in love. They will not rest until they have forced every former Doctor to read the "Hello Stonehenge" speech. They have also cosplayed the most out of any fan, due to the availability of fezzes and bow ties. Definitely the most fun to be around at a party. Was disappointed by Matt Smith's decision not to return for the 60th, especially after the absolute banger that was Day of the Doctor. If they ship 11 with River, they're cool, even though 11 was very asexual in S5. If they ship him with anyone else, then yikes. Wishes for the show to return to a quirky fairytale tone again.

If they were present during the SuperWhoLock days, keep an eye on them. You're only one drink away from dragging us back to 2013, and I ain't reading any of that fanfiction again *shudders*.

Fourte- FUCK, Twelve:

A certified member of the Steven Moffat cult, or just someone who likes some of their stories to have a slightly more mature tone. Has tried to play the electric guitar more than once, only to be forced to stop by their partners or housemates. Either willing to admit some of the flaws of the era or strongly defends it, with no inbetween. Absolutely correct in their assertion that S9 and 10 absolutely slapped, although this cam be undermined if they try to defend Sleep No More. If they ship River and 12, then you can trust them with anything, and they will offer you good relationship advice. If they ship 12 and Clara in a romantic way (which is strange to me cos i always got platonic BFF vibes from them, but that's just me), they definitely have relationship advice, although waiting 4 billion years to get your memory wiped is a questionable means of resolving conflict. They have a pair of the sonic sunglasses. Cried when Capaldis majestic floofy hair got shaved off for a superhero film.

Thirteen? That's right? Phew, finally getting the hang of this. Ok, Thirteen:

There are two types of 13 fan. The first is cinnamoniest of rolls. Is just happy to sit back and have fun, thus allowing them to enjoy pretty much any episode (something that a lot of people could learn from). Immediately realised that Jodie is an amazing Doctor and deserves more praise and justice. Definitely shipped Thasmin, and are the best at constructive criticism, recognising what worked and didn't in a respectful, polite way (again, something we could all learn from). Wierdly enough, they get along well with all the Doctor fans, as they are a wholesome ray of sunshine that reminds us that every era has something to offer, no matter the general consensus.

The second type masquerades as the first, but gets all hipster-y and more than willing to use the term 'overrated' when RTD or Tennant are mentioned (so basically a healthy 80% of the #antiRTD tag).

Both are convinced that the Chibnall Era will receive a massive reappraisal like the 12th Doctor's era did, despite the odds of that happening being the same as an on-screen Thasmin kiss. I'm so sorry, that's a really mean line to end this bit on. Let's instead end by saying Haunting of Villa Diodati is an absolute banger of an episode.

Ruth:

Loves the admittedly cool concept of a mystery incarnation. The rest depends on their theory of where the Ruth Doctor fits in. If they use the season 6B theory, then they have an encyclopedic knowledge of the classical series and the EU regardless of whether they have watched it or not. If they use the Timeless Child/Division theory, then they basically settled for the easier version of 6B after looking into the insane asylum that is classic who and EU discourse (wise choice). If they think she's from an alternative universe, thinks that she's Omega, Rassilon, The Rani, The Master or any other figure, then they practically have a gold medal in Mental Gymnastics. Either way, all of them don't like to admit that they are unfortunately limited to 4 episodes (three of them being fairly mid, the other being a mild car crash) and a pretty good comic. Cool fashion taste. Gets along with 13 stans and, surprisingly, 2nd Doctor fans.

Fourteen- oh for fucks sake:

YOU ARE TENTH DOCTOR FANS. GO BACK TO EARLIER ON IN THE POST. YES, I KNOW THAT'S THE BBC'S OFFICIAL LINE AT THE MOMENT. YES, I KNOW YOU'RE HYPED FOR THE 60TH, I AM A HYPED RTD CULTIST TOO. JUST WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER. P L E A S E.

Fourt- no fifteen- no, fourteen- BBC, HAVE MERCY:

Only in the Doctor Who fandom can a Doctor who has only appeared in a brief clip and some photos have a fully developed fanbase. I should know, I've already joined it. Ncuti's photos in that suit sealed the deal. Either an RTD cultist or someone just looking forward to a fresh new direction. Also very fashionable. Has a somewhat complicated relationship with 13th Doctor fans due to the fact that Ncuti's first season and casting completely overshadowed S13 and the specials, but Ncuti also had to deal with the same levels of toxicity from the same 'fans' who threw temper tantrums at Jodie's casting in 2017. Best haircuts out of all the Doctor Who fans. Strange but true.

Full Fathom Five:

Y'all scare me.

Zagreus:

Y'all terrify me.

The Watcher:

Y'all confuse me.

The Valeyard:

Has wanted a darker series since god knows when. Was kind of annoyed when the Time Lord Victorious arc wasn't dedicated to a whole series. Also, the Valeyard is the Shadow the Hedgehog of the Whoniverse. I refuse to elaborate any further.

The Curator:

"Alright gang, let's see who the Curator fans really are!"

Pulls off mask

"Fourth Doctor fans?!"

All jokes aside, they just want a more experienced Doctor. Accepts that the show will have to end one day, and is cool with that, since they already have the perfect ending. Either cool grandad vibes or an actual grandad. Good knitwear. Their response to everything is simply putting the kettle on.

Doctor Moon:

Now these ones are very, very rare. I personally love the theory that Doctor Moon is a future version of the Doctor who is keeping River and the Library safe, but limiting your favourite Doctor to two episodes and an endorsement of the theory from Steven Moffat? Now that takes guts, and I like it. Usually partial to classy clothes, and talks in a very formal tone. Their best subject is usually maths.

Dr Who (Peter Cushing):

Unashamedly insane. Saw the absolutely glorious cheese-fest that was the 1960s Dalek movies and ended up loving one of the most unique versions of the Doctor. Is absolutely fine with bypassing 90% of the TV shows lore, making them really fun to talk to. Time Lords? Nah. Sonic screwdriver? Nope. Their Doctor is a wacky grandpa who built a multi-dimensional time machine in their back garden, and they love it. Is a sucker for Alternate Universe stories and usually loves classic B-movies. Knows that the movies kind of suck as adaptations, but as pure 1960s camp, they are unbeatable. Absolute legends.

All of Them:

The glue that holds this fanbase together. Enlightened individuals who have to check in every now and then to make sure that we mere mortals are behaving ourselves. They just simply enjoy the show and hold no biases. Absolutely infuriating to talk to for that very reason.

[saltydkdan]

Salty, may I ask which you recommend more: the one piece manga or anime. I wanna get into it but I also want a recommendation on which one may be better to start with depending on the pros and cons. Anyways I apologies if this is a dumb thing to ask.

Sure! One Piece is a really interesting beast when it comes to the difference between it's anime and manga, and at the end of the day it depends on your preferences- However yes, there are Pros and Cons to each! For this ask, I'll be trying my best to stick to the Official options available to you.

Also, this post specifically will be about how to best GET INTO the series, not necessarily a critique on the content of it! (I'll gladly do a separate write up on that eventually if anyone is interested in my thoughts on the Pros and Cons of the series itself)

Anyway, here are my personal thoughts:

MANGA

(This is my preferred way to experience the story)

PROS

-I'm not a manga purist by any means HOWEVER, the One Piece Manga is really good

-The pacing is really great (especially initially). In the first half, arcs are very quick and snappy! And even as they got progressively longer in length I didn't mind because by that point the story already gripped me.

-The art is wonderful in both black and white, and the official colored scans (which you can find online)

-This isn't really a "pro" per say, but it's something I enjoy doing. When I read, I like to put on some of the soundtrack from the anime. I usually find stuff like "Tense One Piece Music" or "Emotional One Piece Music" and listen to it as I read. It really enhances the experience for me personally. I also like to look up clips of arcs from the anime that I'm reading or already finished to see what they look like, and also see them in a fun new way. I feel like this sort of mixed approach is optimal for me.

CONS

-You have to read 😔

-There are many ways to read One Piece and in many different languages. There's black and white and colored manga- however just be careful. The best one TRANSLATION wise is the official release, and while you may find other options, some older "unofficial" translations are VERY outdated (I once saw one where Zoro casually dropped slurs)

-That also being said: Even though the official translation is the best, it is stuck in black and white. Many official colored scans were never officially licensed in English, and because of that aren't as accessible.

-Collecting it physically is fun, but can get VERY pricey. Like... hoo boy. Thankfully they sell compendiums that collect a metric shit ton of chapters, however the paper/print quality is noticeably cheaper. So if you want to collect them, the smaller volume releases are the way to go. That being said, I would just suggest using the Shonen Jump App by Viz Media. It's the best official way to support the series officially, as well as the cheapest for the average consumer! $3 a month for the entire library as well as other series + getting new chapters updated every week is great. I'm not sponsored or anything either, I just really like the model. So if you find yourself really enjoying the series, THEN you can go about collecting it physically if you want!

ANIME

PROS

-It's animated (obviously)

-You have a choice of either the Japanese Sub or English Dub. This also boils down to preference but from my experience they're both great options!!

-I'll get into it in the "Cons" section, but the One Piece anime is VERY long, like... kind of in a not so good way at certain points. However, I've heard that even though some parts are a bit too long, it's one of those things that if you really get into it, you'll love the fact that it feels like a never ending adventure! Not my experience, but it's what others have told me!

-This is gonna sound crazy, but Filler Arcs. A lot of people don't like these, and I get why, but they are very easily skippable if you want to look up a guide, and some of them can actually be really short and fun (as well as add a bit of extra flavor to the story). One of the best examples is an arc called "G-8". Even Manga readers recommend it, so you know it's good and gives each of the characters some fun moments!

CONS

-You may be aware already, but the One Piece anime has a very bad reputation of having HORRIBLE pacing. Now, to be fair, many people say that the pacing only gets truly horrible AFTER a very specific arc about halfway through the series (which is where a lot of anime watchers jump ship to the manga)

However, I'll be honest... I wasn't a super huge fan of the pacing from the beginning. To clarify, I STARTED with the anime. I don't have a super great attention span, so having to wait around 38 or so episodes for "Arlong Park", the arc that people suggest you get to before deciding whether to keep going or quit, was very difficult for me at first. I got through it, and I'm glad I did, but as soon as I did, I decided to switch over to the manga and had a much easier time.

-I find the show's music very repetitive at times. That's not to say the music is necessarily bad, I love the One Piece OST! It's just... over the years they have barely updated the soundtrack. Every arc you might here one or two new tracks, however a lot of the time you'll hear the same tracks replayed in the same sort of situations. ("OVERTAKEN" is an AMAZING track, but if I hear it one more time I'm gonna snap)

-This is a bit of a nitpick but I need to say it. One Piece's sound effects, while iconic, are also extremely outdated. When you start the series and hear the older-styled Toei Animation sound design, it is super charming because it fits with the older visuals. However in more modern One Piece, which visually looks incredible, THEY STILL USE THE OLD SOUND EFFECTS AND THEY JUST DON'T FIT.

TOEI, UPDATE YOUR SOUND LIBRARY!!!

ANYWAY...

Anyway, I hope my funny little list here helps!! Sorry it's so long, went a bit off the handle. But I think this is a fine enough starter guide and may help you get started!

[writeradamanteve]

Lockwood & Co Book Thoughts

Can’t believe it’s over. I’ve finished all 5 books and the short story, and wishing there was more.

I can’t even begin to describe how amazing that series was, how perfectly everything in the story fit, and how masterfully handled all the relationships were.

Reader, take a seat as I am about to ramble.

And also, SPOILERS GALORE from this point on.

Lockwood & Lucy

Lockwood and Lucy were fantastic, and truly, to anyone who ever considered their relationship “subtle”, they must have been reading different books. Sure, they didn’t get to snog, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what hadn’t been written. After turning that last page, I know what came next. They are truly, undoubtedly, I’ll-stake-my-mother’s-life-on-it in love. They love one another so much. Lockwood would give his life for Lucy (he truly was GONNA), and Lucy WOULDN’T LET HIM.

It’s not even about the jewelry Lockwood gave Lucy, either, though that is a pretty good indicator, but it’s all the things he says and does. It’s the way he looks at her, turns to her, is vulnerable with her. Lockwood and Lucy almost talk with their eyes. He knows her more than anyone else, simply from his proximity and his observations of her. I can go on and on about his heart eyes and his need for her approval (in this, we know Lucy does the same to him), so

I will.

First of all, Lockwood does consider Lucy attractive. Lucy doesn’t like the way she looks, but that’s just regular self-consciousness, which we all have in spades, no matter how amazing our own better qualities are. Lockwood so easily complimented the way she looked when she got dressed up for the Fittes’ ball. He never criticized the way she looked or dressed, and while he had occasionally mentioned the size of her body, which Lucy’s self-consciousness interpreted as being a criticism, it was never about that with Lockwood. Lockwood’s mention of her body-type has everything to do with what it was capable of, of its strength, even its athleticism. Lockwood absolutely likes how Lucy can brawl with the best of them. Absolutely. He never treated Lucy like a frail flower until he actually saw her bleeding, which is truly a testament to how he respected her physical abilities. He’s a little more careful with her psychic abilities, but that’s a whole different discussion.

The point is, Lockwood always liked the way Lucy looked. She is his type. There were clearly several, more attractive people around them, Holly being the most beautiful of them all, with a really lovely personality, but Lockwood’s eyes NEVER strayed. Never. He took care of Holly, but there wasn’t an indication of Lockwood ever being vulnerable with her as he was with Lucy. We know this because it’s one of the things Holly indicated to Lucy after Lucy’s months-long absence—that she couldn’t crack the boys the way she knew Lucy did, and she was hoping Lucy can give her tips. Lockwood is a caretaker, and he takes care of those who thinks need protecting. When Holly first started, she was rusty on the field and Lockwood knew it. He was their leader and he felt responsible for all of them. He knew Lucy could handle herself and Holly couldn’t. Towards the end of the series, as Holly got more experience on the field, Lockwood looked out for her less. Lucy was always Lockwood’s second on the field. George’s seniority gave him second chair in the agency, but it was Lucy Lockwood depended on when they were fighting side-by-side. He always trusted that she could watch his back.

They were perfect partners on the field. He alludes constantly to how well they work together, how he missed her when she left them for a few months after The Hollow Boy, how she has her own mind, that he is always thinking about her, how he trusts that she would always have his back. That last part always bowls me over, because Lockwood would always tell Lucy to let him go alone, and she never listens, and he just knows she wouldn’t, so ordering her to let him do something alone was almost perfunctory at a certain point. And of course we know that no matter how far Lucy runs away, no matter how forcefully she goes out and does things by herself, Lockwood would ALWAYS follow. He simply wasn’t going to let Lucy go off by herself, getting herself killed.

They complement each other perfectly, with Lockwood’s confidence, style, skill, and balls like dynamite, he is capable of doing the impossible, improbable, and lead armies into battle. And he is strong enough, good enough, to inspire Lucy’s loyalty and cooperation.

Lucy is A FORCE. She gets frightened and is aware of her limitations, but she will power through the fear and self-doubt, she will do what she has to do. She might not be the most graceful about it, but she will get things done. She will enforce. She will barrel through with whatever she can get her hands on—a 4x4, a hammer, a vase, her foot, her entire body, the forces of fucking physics. I pity the fool who dares to hurt Lockwood and George. The ones who dared threaten her other friends—Holly, Kipps, and even Skull. They will know Lucy Carlyle.

And then we get to the groveling, the way he did everything to get Lucy back to Lockwood & Co., back to 35 Portland Row. How after he had managed to talk he back into working with the agency, he kept reminding her how they had such a great partnership. We don’t get to see Lockwood like this until The Creeping Shadow (book 4), but we were treated to it so early on in the Netflix series. This is mainly because Lucy is more bedazzled by Lockwood’s charisma and confidence in the books. Netflix!Lucy is more disillusioned from the get-go from the things she’d already seen and experienced on her own, so it’s only natural that she is quicker on the uptake when she first walks into Portland Row, and how she more swiftly realizes Lockwood’s recklessness as early as the antique shop incident with the Winkmans. In the books, Lucy doesn’t become overly concerned by Lockwood’s tendency to forgo his safety to ensure hers until The Hollow Boy. It featured daily in her anxieties in The Creeping Shadow, and then she accepted it as fact in The Empty Grave, where she did everything she could to prevent him from sacrificing himself for her.

A lot of things happened in The Empty Grave, with the spectacular events of the Problem coming to a head. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book ending as much as this. But as far as Lucy and Lockwood go, this was amazing.

It starts at The Creeping Shadow, for sure, but in The Empty Grave, Lockwood has stopped pretending that he wouldn’t always turn to Lucy first, that she and he share a special bond. Lucy says so—they are closer than ever. Lockwood takes time alone with her every chance he gets; Lucy seeks Lockwood when she doesn’t see him.

Lockwood was mesmerized by a ghost because it took Lucy’s form (by the way, I WANT TO SEE THIS SCENE IN NETFLIX. From the time Lockwood falls under the La Belle Dame’s spell to Lucy’s death-defying trapeze act to save his life), we know because HOLLY thought she saw Lucy, and we also know from previous male victims that the La Belle Dame’s ghost took the form of whomever her victim most desired. It’s what she did in life, so it’s what she does in death. With women, as was with Lucy, the La Belle Dame tapped into Lucy’s isolation and vulnerability—again, something the La Belle Dame understood when she was alive, as she seemed to take special disregard in the wives of the men she ensnared. Her manifestations between men and women as a ghost reflected how she impacted them in life.

And we all could see at this point how everyone else knew how Lockwood and Lucy felt about each other, probably since book 1, but it was only in The Creeping Shadow that Lockwood actually began to get obviously aware of it.

Jonathan Stroud likes to heavily imply things rather that put it out there. He does it with Flo and George, Holly and her roommate, and most distinctly with Lockwood and Lucy. I bet that if you asked Stroud outright whether Lucy and Lockwood ended up together, he would say, “Short of making them kiss on the page, I don’t think I could have been more obvious.”

Which brings me to the other characters in the books.

George Cubbins (aka George Karim)

George’s value to Lockwood & Co. cannot be overstressed. He is the reason they actually had purpose to everything they did. They could not have defeated any of those ghosts without George, at least not without loss of life. It was George who inspires the most brilliant or/and most outrageous ideas, whether they came from Lockwood, Lucy, or George himself. He is some kind of eccentric Muse to Lockwood & Co.

I confess that my mind’s eye of George goes from Book!George to Netflix!George, depending on what he’s doing in the books as I read about him. When he is eating and inadvertently flashing his butt crack, I definitely imagine him as Book!George. When he is wild with research, teaming up with Flo, and when he got beat up, I am totally imagining Netflix!George.

Lucy is right in saying he was the best of them in the Netflix series. He is their constant, particularly in the books. He is the person they relied on to seek answers and they know that with him around, they would find a way through the seemingly impossible questions, which is why their entire world got upended when George got beat near to death. The fact that he couldn’t even be at the house did a number on them all. They couldn’t make heads or tails of anything without George, and in their helplessness, they did Research the only way they knew how—break into a library, steal Stuff, and blow the entire house down, bodies at their wake. George would never. At least not the exploding part.

In the books, George joined their caper in the Black Library, and he was exceptionally bad at it, getting stuck under a shelf or table of some sort. In the Netflix series, they left him out, and rightfully so. It was not George’s thing to break things in a library, which is all Lucy and Lockwood did in them.

George incites Lockwood and Lucy’s most protective instincts, and when George got hurt, Lockwood and Lucy plotted revenge. They didn’t even argue about it. Lucy was, “I’m going to kill them all! I am SO GOING TO MAKE THEM SUFFER.” And Lockwood was like, “Yes. And. We’re going to steal that book back as we do it. And if we burn everything else down, so be it. Won’t be the first time.” No argument after that. They just agreed to do it like the maniacs they were.

It’s Protect George at All Costs. If anything happens to George, Lucy and Lockwood will burn down the entire world. Everyone knows this because everyone who was in on the plan accepted it as fact.

And Then of Course There’s Skull

I’m going to take a moment to appreciate the sheer skill in which Stroud wrote Skull as a character.

The book is so full of complex characters, but to write someone to be so despicable and yet have all of us rooting for the little fucker is a tremendous feat. And no, Skull is not like the Draco Malfoys and even the Jamie Tartts of fandom.

No. Let me explain.

Draco Malfoy was NOT a likeable character. Not in the slightest. Whatever redeeming qualities he had was plucked and cultivated by fandom. He became complex because the fandom examined Malfoy down to the threads of his expensive robes. It was fandom and fanfic who reshaped Malfoy’s post-HP character.

Jamie Tartt sucked at the beginning of Ted Lasso, but his character DID grow. He became a better person on the show. He redeemed himself like a decent human being, so he IS lovable. He’s pretty amazing and OF COURSE we’re rooting for him now. That’s pretty much the arc they wrote for him.

Skull is different in that he didn’t change one bit. Not a single bit. He was every bit as despicable from beginning to end, and yet his last final appearance in the book, he did save Lucy and Lockwood. Did he feel friendship? Maybe. But it never seemed like he did things for anyone other than himself, even if it looked like it did. Did he really do it for friendship? I think he did it for vanity. He wanted to show Ezekiel and Marissa that he wasn’t weak, that he was stronger than Ezekiel himself. A ghost having feelings seems far-fetched. He was an evil little thing in life and he wasn’t that much different in death, and we will never truly know why Skull saved them in the end, but if there was ever a person who can motivate a ghost to feel something, it would be Lucy.

I laughed when everyone else finally met Skull on the Other Side and they heard him speak. Lockwood immediately asked, “Is that how he always talks to you?” Like, of course Lockwood would be concerned, because Jesus Christ. Skull is just terrible and poor Lucy has to hear it all the time. Lockwood is understandably concerned.

Skull is just awful, and yet we all think he’s Lucy’s bff and some of us even believe Skull wants Lucy all to himself. I personally wanted him to survive that blast. I kept wishing Stroud would leave us with that.

What a fantastic character Skull is. (Why is it that all dudes with his character look like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?)

And it’s a little funny that Quill kind of gets him.

Quill Kipps

Where do I begin with this guy. He was a massive prick at the beginning of the series, for sure. He was worse in the books than he was on Netflix, for sure, but I always imagined Netflix!Quill as I read him. He is the Jamie Tartt of Lockwood & Co., the character that showed the most growth.

I was already sold on him because of the show, but I absolutely appreciated him fully in The Hollow Boy, when it became clear to me that all he really wanted was to keep all agents safe, to stop the madness of the Chelsea outbreak because it was costing lives. He just wanted to be useful again, and I can’t tell you how tickled I was by his unbridled enthusiasm when the glasses allowed him to see the ghosts again.

And then he was just part of Lockwood & Co. They call him a consultant, but that’s just a load of bullshit. He is as much Lockwood & Co. as Holly is. When they realized how badly injured he was, the sheer panic of everybody, scrambling desperately for materials that could staunch the bleeding, and finding the means to transport him through a throng of murderous people and ghosts. They can call it whatever they want, but they all, Lockwood included, loved Quill enough to fight for his life.

I was seriously ready to write a rant post if Quill had gotten killed. My relief when he survived was the same as Lucy’s and the same as Lockwood’s (happy enough to hug him and worried enough to ask after him at the hospital).

I don’t think Quill ever lost his edge (aka His knee-jerk skepticism of Lockwood and his exasperation of George’s sagging pants), but he is completely trustworthy and brave.

Speaking of complex characters—

Holly Munro and Lucy Carlyle

I wanted to give Holly her own section, but so much of what I know of Holly stems from her relationship with Lucy.

As a character, I think she is the reason Lockwood & Co. are thriving. She knows exactly how to handle the clients they don’t need and she understands Lockwood’s goals well enough to book the clients that were worth the trouble. And it wasn’t always about the money and fame. Holly had a keen eye, not just for what Lockwood wanted, but also for what Lucy and George might enjoy. She is a true professional, and she is the magical, caring assistant that any organization could hope for.

Orderly, efficient, unafraid of offending important people because she had the looks and the smarts not to offend. The way Lucy described her, petals may as well float to the ground she walks on. Holly was beautiful, smart, classy, and the picture of poise. She could have fallen down a trash chute and she’d be dirty only in the right places. She could be covered in sludge and still look amazing. She cleaned, she catalogued, she was on top of things, and her fashion sense was impeccable. In short, Holly played on every insecurity Lucy had and Holly wasn’t even trying to do any of that.

We only come to find out at the end of The Hollow Boy that Lucy played into Holly’s insecurities, too, and it was Lucy’s own half-assed efforts to act like a mature adult that ended up grating at Holly’s generally sweet disposition.

I can tell that both Holly and Lucy made it work. So much hate is lobbed at Lucy for being thorny and irritable, but they were feeding each other’s contempt. Lucy seems more abrasive about it, but that is truly her way, unrefined by pleasantries and the more particular norms of decorum that tends to be easier for those in Holly’s social class. Lucy’s upbringing was less avocados and quinoa and more potatoes and gravy. Lucy did not have the money or the parental love to know the difference between “critical conversations” and unfiltered honesty, but she did know how to be polite enough, and both she and Holly were mature enough to deal with getting paired off during missions, at least until they decided to have it out at the end of The Hollow Boy.

In spite of all that, Holly and Lucy was keenly aware of the other’s gifts. They knew they had issues and they both did their best to work together, and just when they got to a place where they can be friends, Lucy pulls the rug from under them and leaves. Everyone is convinced it’s about Holly, but of course everyone is wrong.

At the end, Lucy and Holly came to appreciate one another. So much so that Lucy didn’t so much as blink at the suggestion of Holly moving into 35 Portland Row.

I wish there were more books. I wish Netflix would keep making new seasons.

I could not get enough, and I suppose all there is to do now is write fanfic.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Was reading an article about how to write a realistic romance and avoid common poorly-done tropes. Seemed like a pretty decent post. Then immediately noped out and closed the tab when they listed Zuko and Katara as an example of a well-written romance 🤡

"Here's how you write a good romance" *points to a dynamic that was not romantic and didn't have much screentime or any real development until the very end of the story*

Seems like the level of quality one can expect from the typical internet think-piece - just bullshit and a pretencious way of saying "my headcanon is better."

Also, fuck being "realistic", stories have to be GOOD and ENTERTAINING. Game Of Thrones would have been a worse show if Ned Stark had been saved at the last second, but the movie Snow White would have been completely ruined if prince charming had not saved her with true love's kiss. Jack dying at the end of Titanic fits the tone of "this was a tragedy in which lots of good, innocent people were killed and those who loved them will always grieve them", but Cinderella never being freed from her abusive family would have been a fundamental betrayal to the message it's trying to send to the audience.

You should ALWAYS focus on what makes sense for the specific story you're trying to tell. Would "love at first sight" fit the magical, wholesome vibe, or would it look corny and forced compared to the more down to earth plot? If you're not gonna have the characters live happilly ever after, did you properly set up the reasons for it, or are you just doing so because "happy endings are cliche"? If the romance between the two characters is toxic, you need to be writing either cautionary tale or a story in which the protagonist being "moral" isn't that important, you can NOT be trying to use them as an exemple of what love is supposed to be.

It all depends on the context. Realism is not inherently better than wish-fulfilment.

[yarameijer]

Hi, I've been reading accidental reversal and I really like your 'what if' scenarios with tenma and the gang, and I've had a fic idea I've been considering for a while that I'd appreciate your input on

I've really gotten attached to the idea of a Deaf Tenma, making the decision not to go to a Deaf School (The only Deaf school in Japan that I can find is Meisei Gakuen, which is located in tokyo, which is extremely close to if not the same city where Raimon is) so that he can play for the soccer team that inspired him, only to find the whole fifth sector mess going on.

naturally, he starts the whole revolution, because hes putting the quality of his education on the line to play for raimon, and he isn't about to let that sacrifice for nothing.

tsurugi notices straight away, and when he goes home he immediately starts learning JSL, because first of all he is Not ableist (for obvious reasons), and second is because if he's going to be monologuing at this kid, he's going to make sure he can be understood (he ends up being to go to interpreter when aoi/shinsuke isn't there)

shunsuke asks aoi to teach him and they bond

endou is surprisingly good at JSL when he picks it up (good with his hands + has a very expressive face), kidou, not so much (obscured face, not very expressive anyways)

due to the tension among the team in the first few games, it takes a good chunk of raimon an embarrassingly long time to realize that he isn't just wearing earbuds, and that he doesn't just have an odd accent, and that him looking directly at peoples mouths isn't just a quirk (shindou/kirino/sangoku being like 'How did you not realize? it's so obvious, we've just been learning independently')

also because I've noticed a trend in the show that these kids sure do like to monologue on the soccer field, and I think it's funny if they keep getting interrupted by a kid that just, does not seem to care (its difficult to lip read from a distance, they won't always be facing him, and it seems like a bad idea to wear hearing aids while playing a sport where kids can whip up fire tornadoes, because the average cost of a pair of hearing aids is approximately $4000, or ¥592,560)

anyways it's just an idea I've been considering

Whoa, I love that idea? It sounds so great! I’m a huge fan of rewriting the old story with just enough of a spin to give it a new flavor, and this one’s super interesting. Kinda reminds me of an idea I had at some point in which Tenma is mute and uses sign language. Also lmao Tenma pulling the revolution because ‘’I did NOT sacrifice my education just to get stuck with this crap’’ sounds like such a Tenma move, ngl.

Also yes, Raimon is located in Inazuma Town which is somewhere in Tokyo, it’s on the wiki if you want to check it out!

Okay so I’m not sure what exactly you wanted my input on, so I’m just gonna ramble! Feel free to send me another ask or comment if you wanted something more specific. Anyway, some things that immediately come to mind when I think about this:

1) One of the reasons Tsurugi takes his JSL lessons so seriously could be because Tenma reminds him of his brother. It’s not the same situation but in a way they’re both dealing with disabilities and Tsurugi has seen firsthand how hard it can be for Yuuichi, so he’s a bit softer towards Tenma because of that.

2) Depending on how much of a little shit you want Tenma to be: imagine him turning off his hearing aids at comedic moments, like when someone starts gushing about Fifth Sector’s goals. Tenma just nope’s straight out of that one. Or, although this might be a bit later when he’s more comfortable with the team, him turning off his hearing aids when someone starts scolding him. Absolute power move. They don’t even need to know he does it, maybe someone eventually finds out, cue comedic moment.

3) Since you mentioned accents… Tenma’s from Okinawa and as far as I could find, Okinawans have at least a bit of an accent. Deaf people are also known to learn how to speak by copying the lip movements of the people around them… so if Tenma grew up on Okinawa, it could be assumed he’s grown up speaking Okinawan Japanese and has the accent to match. I imagine non-deaf Tenma would have worked out most of his accent after he moved to Okinawa town so as to not stand out, but deaf Tenma would have had a harder time doing so/might not have even realized he had an accent in the first place. (There is a difference between Okinawan Japanese, which is a Japanese dialect, and the Okinawan language, which is a whole other language altogether and only a few people speak it (mostly the elderly) because it stems from a period before Okinawa was Japanese territory, so if you make use of this idea, maybe look into that a bit. It’s a bit of a complicated situation but I think it could really add something to the characters). This does depend a little on whether Tenma was born deaf or not, I think (that would also influence his lip reading/sign language skills - was he born deaf or has he only been deaf for a few years?)

4) Find subtle ways to mention it throughout the story instead of using full paragraphs. I like comparing it to writing someone who wears glasses. Small details are glasses getting fogged up when going from the outside cold into a warm room, or when drinking tea. Smudges on glasses that annoy the character. Pushing them up when they slip down their nose. These are all small, subtle actions that add a lot to the story and ‘remind’ readers of this detail without putting too much focus on it - you could try and do the same thing with Tenma’s deafness: lip reading is really difficult so Tenma might misunderstand or ask for clarification, or little habits he has (like you mentioned, watching people’s mouths rather than their eyes).

Anyway, I’d definitely recommend doing research on writing deaf characters because it’s very easy to accidentally make a mistake and come off as disrespectful. I’ve read a story or two in which there was so much focus on a character being deaf that it seemed to be their only character trait, and not only does that take away from the story, but it’s also not a good representation. Being deaf is not a defining character trait; it’s just part of their character, like wearing glasses or having asthma. An important thing that should be acknowledged but not constantly mentioned/made to be the center of their life and character.

Some questions that immediately popped into my head:

1. Was Tenma born deaf or did he lose his hearing?

2. Does he shout or say the name of hissatsu techniques? Would he even bother with that?

3. In fact would he even bother trying to learn the names of hissatsu techniques (since they can be super weird + it’s during a match and he’s not wearing hearing aids, so these both make it hard to lip read) and instead just come up with names for them himself? Imagine him referring to Sangoku’s Fence of Gaia as ‘’the rock thing’’ or Kami no Takuto as ‘’Shindou-senpai’s lightshow’’.

4. Does the entire team learn sign language (and how good are they at it), or does Tenma speak and lip read more with certain members of the team and use sign language with others?

Of course the amount of detail you put into it all depends on how long you want the story to be! I hope this is sort of what you wanted, and again, feel free to ask something else if this isn’t what you hoped for.

And in case you decide to write the story, best of luck!

[iambilliejeanok]

Can you do Baby boyfriends again for itachi madara shisui sasuke and Obito 🥺 I know you’ve already done sasuke but it’s just so cute! (Pls include calling them mama) SWF and NSFW ❤️🥺🥺❤️❤️ PLEASEEE

Warnings: 18+, mdlb, overstim, smut. No madara 💔

✨💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗✨

🌸Obito🌸

Sfw

From the very start of what ended up being your adorable love story, Obito showed signs and symptoms of being a little bit co dependent.

“Hold my hand y/n”, is what he’d say as a front, but one day it was no longer a command, it soon became a clingy “Please hold my hand baby”, and he’d make the cutest face you’d ever thought he could muster as he slouches his shoulders and puts his hand out to you. The minute he feels the warmth of your hand spreading over his he immediately straightens up, feeling confident again, walking with a bounce in his step knowing his baby is by his side.

Trying to mask his needy personality off as a protective dom didn’t last too long. For a matter of fact, his plan failed dismally, you see, being a natural loving and caring person is Obito’s biggest weakness. Show him a crumb of compassion and he’s really yours to keep🥺 the man has mental health issues.

Obito loves to spend some quality time with you, cuddling, soft kisses that leave him out of breath and pleasant conversation is the purest therapy he has ever experienced in his life.

He finds it very difficult to be separated from you. If you’re the type of person who appreciates their personal space, Obito might not be very understanding of that. What is personal space even? Not around him. He needs to be apart of your existence somehow, someway.

He feels most loved and appreciated when you feed him his breakfast or dinner. It’s not like you have much of a choice, he gets all grumpy and all the more clingier when you deny him the kind of attention he’s asking for. He’s so heartbroken when you tell him “no” and struggles to understand why you need space from him sometimes.

Nsfw

He sure is needy under the sheets too. Sometimes when you’re cuddled up or about to go to sleep, he won’t stop bothering you. Burying his big hands under your shirt to cup your breasts, teasingly pulling on your nipples so you can smack his hand away, enjoying how you’re constantly whining his name out and playfully fighting him away.

He loves play fights!! Yes yes yes!! Wrestling for dominance is his favourite kind of foreplay. Even though it’s short, he loves having his hair pulled on and will sometimes take your hand and place it on top of his head, silently asking for you to tug a little. It turns him on so much when you’re both in the middle of love making and you can’t keep your hands off of him, tugging, scratching, pulling, kicking. If you’re not fighting him off of you he won’t feel like he’s doing much of a good job for you. So he’ll become a little whiny and start begging you for some instructions.

While he’s eating you out he wants to hold your hand, and begs you to keep going for him once he starts overstimulating you. “No, don’t tell me to stop, please baby, please just a little more, you taste so delicious”

When you’re fucking him, the mommy kink might peak through if you let him. He loves being edged and denied by you alone since you spoil with with affection and love for lasting long enough. When he’s gripping the sheets and digging his heels into the bed, you might need to finally give in to him, because he begs for you in the sweetest way, tugging at your heart everytime. “Fuck!, uhhh, mommy please this time please!!”, he whimpers and he’s so fucking cute and whiny you have to talk him through it or else because how can he manage🥺

Also, talk to him right please. Nice and soft.

“Wow, is my precious boy gonna come now? Show mommy how good she’s making you feel my baby”, and it’s just too fucking easy, he’s spurting hot loads of cum all over your fists like and erupting volcano, his back hips lifting off the bed to accommodate the immense pleasure.

Cleaning him off while sweet talking him and being gentle and calm with him is the type of aftercare he could only experience in heaven. You make him feel so safe and secure, praising him for doing a good job for you this time around. He’s so tired and clingy afterwards, he just wants your to wrap your arms around him and fall asleep with him.

💗Shisui💗

Sfw

Shisui has always shamelessly shown you how vulnerable he could be since you’re so loving and kind towards him.

He notices that you are in fact affectionate, and takes advantage of that by being a baby around you all the time!

He puts your hand of his head to communicate head pats. HEAD PATS!!! Will unnecessarily whine and put on a whole performance for you when you don’t just do it on instinct. Please head pat him every time you greet each other. It’s worth it anyways, the cute blush across his cheeks and how he smiles trying to surpass the giddiness he’s embarrassed to unleash.

Always wants to match with you. Matching pjs, matching sweaters, matching kunai designs. If you’re not playing along he gets so offended. Like excuse me ma’am, you’re supposed to find every idea of his adorable and entertain it. How dare you.

Don’t worry, Shisui is the easiest baby to cheer up. Some raspberries on his neck, extra wet kisses on his cheeks and forehead, holding his and jumping in his arms. Please yes.

Loves snuggling with you and burying his hands in your pants for extra warmth. What they say? Thick thighs save lives or something 😭🏃🏾‍♀️

Nsfw

He NEEDS to please you. No matter how it happens. Being overstimulated? He can take it if it will make you happy. Even as he closes his eyes shit, hisses and grips the sheets, he will bare the pleasure you’re giving him since you told him to. “Uh uh,” you warn him as he tries to push away from you after he cums. “Be a good boy, lay down and take it baby. Can you do that for me?” And this man has a new obligation. He’s going to prove to you that he is in fact 100% your good boy.

You absolutely love dominating Shisui. He’s so pliant and eager to please. You can play around with him as you please. And he eats it all up.

“Damn mama, pleeeeaaaseee”, he whimpers as you suck the life out of him, tugging your hair to hopefully escape. “Tell me I’m good, fuck!!! mama, what are you doing!”, he moans in that sexy, soothing voice of his, confused as to what route he should take. Enduring this, or chickening out sooner than expected. Such a brat, he knows either way he’s getting all of his mamas attention and affection either way.

You’re going to take advantage of him all soft like this for you. “Well I’m not sure baby, do I have to stop or can you take more for me?”, and he’s gritting his teeth, this love hate relationship he has with pleasing you. “Damnit! I can momma🥺!”, he whimpers and it’s wholesome how he tries to stay macho while completely submitting to your pleasurably sick will. “Good job baby, I love you sweetie”, and he might just cum again from hearing you say that.

🌸Itachi🌸

Sfw

Shit man, Itachi spent the majority of his childhood having big people stress levels. He’s the most childish mf you’ve ever met!

He loves to play. As in actively play with you outside. If you happen to get sent of missions with him, he has a line up of games in his head for the two of you to enjoy as you travel, ranging from tag, to hide and seek, and other games. You’re not the biggest fan of tag because he always wins and it’s not fair. But if you don’t play with him, he sulks a little, and wants to be all of over you some affection to soothe his aching soul. 🙄

Won’t bother to clean up his act when the rest of the group is around, or even other people. The Uchiha slaughterer will gladly snuggle up against you, hold your hand, rub his cheek against yours and hug you even in public, no matter the place or time.

He really feels like he can connect with you over moments so special where you play with him and entertain his existence.

He feels so special when you cook and clean for him, bowing very low to show his gratitude before giving you and giant bear hug.

Nsfw

I’m sorry but it’s no playing around with Itachi in this category of things. “Uh uh, more. Keep going mamas”, he whispers in your ear, his voice so deep and rugged from the constant panting, “If you want me to stop you’re going to cum one more time”, he promises, just like he did the last two times you came, and you believed him, nodding your head in desperation, “god! Itachi! “, you’re screaming, so dumb and overwhelmed when Itachi chuckles to him self, wrapping his arms around you to press you against his chest, his hips still thrusting at the same steady pace. Deep and slow. “Yes mammaa! Let go, it’s fine, it’s okay shhhh”, he hushes you, holding you tight against him as you violently convulse in his arms.

Loves to fuck standing, simply to watch you struggle to stay up. The more dependent you become, the better.

[luffyvace]

Izuku x male reader

This is fluff so it’s gonna be sweet but don’t expect only “cute baby Izuku 🥺” bc I’m writing accurate to canon him/manga him 😜

(Your a UA student in class 1A for these<3)

Izuku’s Love languages are acts of service and quality time

even though quality time sometimes get scarce because class A is hectic

its called quality time not quantity time

Its about how you spend your time together, not always how much

although I will say you make as much time for each other as possible

you guys train, eat, nap, jog, watch tv/videos together

And of course make lots and lots of jokes

you two have so many inside jokes class A doesn’t understand 😂

It fine you don’t explain it, it’s funnier that way

he does you lots of favors for acts of service

you really don’t even have to tell him!

its the little stuff like, cleaning up a mess for you, getting your jacket when he knows your going out, reminding you about tests and to study!

which on that topic you two study together when you can

but izuku is really busy and spends a lot of energy in the day

As we saw in some episodes he goes to sleep as soon as he makes it in his room

but he does his best!

your likely busy too! Like I said UA is pretty hectic

Even though he has a lot on his plate, he makes time for you

he does lots of little things for your relationship

weekly mental check ins where you sit down and talk/vent or chatter if the week has gone good

video game marathons/competitions

going out to events together likes pop up festivals

buying each other clothes spontaneously

(oops this is coming off really gn let’s switch it up<3)

when izuku realized he was in love with a male..

it made no difference

No fr mha is modern enough to have the clock app why wouldn’t this kinda thing be normal

he might not have realized he was bi before you though

originally he thought he was straight bc he always got flustered around girls

but when you came around and made him feel way more nervous than any girl ever had??

yeah you know that bi panic meme?

he got a slap of that

💥💥

Homophobes is not the worst he’s run into tbh so now that he stands up for himself, he will stand up for you and your relationship as well!

he doesn’t really have the best roasts or whatever but he certainly doesn’t let them get away with it!

forget them tbh let’s move on to a more wholesome topic 💗

Meeting inko!!

when she found out you were a guy she raised her eyebrows then slowly smiled

she was 100% supportive!!

izuku wasn’t really hesitant about telling her or anything because he knew his mother isnt judgemental

when she meets you she’s ecstatic!

she makes a savory dinner and probably shares way too many adorable stories about izuku’s past

Which he gets really embarrassed and you guys end up in his room after so she can’t keep rambling

random but I also feel you and izuku also read manga together

If you like it :)

training with him is..harsh to say the least 😀

like fr no holding back for either of you

If you don’t have a combat compatible quirk this is basically a one-sided beating

only playing!

but seriously he’s letting loose

”what if this was a real battle and you were in danger?!”

”ok but..your punching me like IM the villain”

you’ll be aight 🙂

He told you about his quirk depending on how soon you two met

If you met in middle school or before he likely told you like straight away

mb all might he couldn’t keep it in

if you met in UA, However, he probably either waited a few months after you became friends or started dating

he tells you when your friends if your instant best friends but if your just the occasional “hi m/n!” Then it’s likely after you two get together

pranks.

Yes they happen.

him to you, you to him

you still teenagers after all why not?

if your feeling a silly goofy mood what better to do than surprise your partner? 😋

oddly enough, once you get close enough in the relationship, I feel he’s the one that initiated them!

you guys only do innocent little things that don’t hurt anybody, of course

annoying each other also happens

not in the actual annoyed sense

just the type where your like “BRO STOP!!” But your still smiling 😂

like idk putting one putting their feet next to the others face typa thing

again still harmless

your never really mad at each other and you always make jokes and laugh it off in the end

heroes.

how could I not talk about this?

they’re his favs!!

not to mention I hope your fav hero all might..

bc one, his room.

and two, his rants.

like you’d have to explicitly state you either have a diff fav or are just tired of the rants bc…..bro will go ON.

If I’m gonna talk about heroes gotta talk about villains too right?

so izuku tells you that he wants to save the villains

and that he sees children in them

unhealed, scarred, children.

he rants to you about this on mental check in days

and you listen, he appreciates that.

he gets the feeling no one gets him in that sense, and even if you don’t at least you hear him out!

izuku so so so loves you!

it’s super sweet that you so so so love him too 💝

Writing for izuku is so easy! I love writing for my favs bc thoughts pop out like poop :)

(LOL). No seriously I wrote this faster than expected. Hopefully I clear drafts soon so I can open requests :^

[ivy-diaries]

‎ ⁎ ‎ ‎ 𓍼 ‎ ‎ ๋ ‎ ◜ &.&. THE IVY INCIDENT ep 1. ◞ ‎ ... ‎ ‎

The intro plays, and Ivy appears on the screen smiling and leaning into the mic to speak. “Hello guys, welcome to my new podcast, 'The Ivy Incident!!’ This has been in the works ever since I stepped into the dive podcast studio when I came here to film the kpop daebak show with Eric so it's soo exciting to finally show you guys this project!” she laughs as the other staff there are heard clapping.

Laughing, she continues "so in this podcast, I invite my friends from the industry and we just you know, talk and share stories! It's a lot similar to Eric's but mine is more personal if you will because all these people are very very close to me and I've known them for a pretty long time! This episode is just gonna be me cuz this is like an introduction for all the first-time listeners who don't know who I am!" “So I heard Diane has some questions prepared for me, so let's get into it!” 

“let's start with the basics, yeah? Who is Ivy Jennifer James?” Diane asks her. 

“Oh we’re going back to the beginning okay! So as you’ve already mentioned, my name is ivy jennifer james. I was born in New Castle, Australia where I lived till I was five and then I moved to the US where again I lived for five years before moving to Korea when I was eleven. And in korea, i signed with bighit entertainment and when i was asked if i was ready to debut when i was 14 i think? I was like imma do it. So i debuted at 14 under both jype and bighit and the rest is history! And i'm here today hehe”

“What motivated you to pursue a career as a solo artist?”

“Hmm i think ever since i got into bighit, i've always wanted to be a soloist? I'm not really sure why but I always saw myself as a soloist for some reason. Even till now, if you ask my dad he’d say that i was born to do this” ivy laughs and continues “i think ever since i was little ive wanted to something in the field of music and performance”

“Was being a kpop idol your first choice?”

“It was actually! I mean keeping in mind that i started this since i was a literal child, it actually was my first choice. The kids at school did tease me for this but look at me now” ivy chuckles

“Who are your music inspirations?”

“That's a great question and I was literally talking to Jun about this this morning! I dont have one specific inspiration but i think i draw inspiration from any and all artists! I've been pretty inspired by the Beatles and Rolling Stone pretty recently and obviously, Taylor Swift is one of my biggest inspirations out there.” 

“Are you a sweet or savory type of person?”

“It honestly depends on my mood if i'm being honest” she laughs hard “now, im craving something savory! I'd kill for some fries right now oh man you’ve perked up my cravings now diane!!”

“What's the last song you listened to?”

Ivy laughs hard and almost tears up laughing “this is actually so funny oh my god the last song i listened to is actually a helium ingested cover of let me love you by justin bieber which yeonjun sung for me yesterday after a party we went to and let me tell you, it was soo funny!!”

“According to you, tell me 3 flaws and 3 qualities about yourself”

“Ooh, three qualities of mine would be, one, I think I'm kind I guess? Second, I'm somewhat responsible, and third and finally, I think I'm a human sized golden retriever because I'm very bubbly and very smiley smiley most of the time! And three flaws of mine are, one, i’m a big overthinker, i just rethink about every single choice or word of mine a little too much. Second, my moods are based on the weather…”

Ivy laughs at the look on Diane's face “yea.. My mood everyday kinda depends on how good the weather is.. That's why I'm not as fond of the rain because it makes me kind of depressed and I just shut myself off most of the time. Third, im a bit of a perfectionist so i expect any and all things to be a little too perfect.. If its not what i expect it to be, i just leave that and will not ever touch on it again and i know i should change these things and i am trying so.. yeah “

“okay, something similar but three things you like and three things you dislike”

 “I don't like these types of questions!!” she laughs “it makes me think too much to give an answer!! But anyways… hmm three things i like are, one, my husband” she giggles as a small blush is seen on her cheek “well it's true!! I wouldn't have married him if I didn't like him would I?” she giggles “second, i really love what i do so, my career and third, my loved ones! I love my friends and family because they've stuck with me through thick and thin and I'm really grateful for that!” she smiles and gives the camera a little hand heart

“three things i hate are.. Hmm lets see… one, people who do not value privacy. I've said this multiple times and i'll say this again but I do love my fans.. I love them a lot and I wouldn't be here without them. But there are some people who claim that they are fans but do unhinged stuff to get close to me. And like that's why I've sued some people for not valuing my privacy. I got hate for it but honestly I don't care when the privacy and the lives of the people i love are at stake."

"Second, coming back to a slightly normal side, I absolutely hate the smell of fish. I don't know if it's cuz im vegetarian but I always throw up whenever I smell it and third, coming back to a more serious side, I hate the fact that most people on the internet feel like it's their right to comment on us as celebrities or idols or as performers. It's so irritating that they don't even feel sorry for what they say. They don't know how much we over think it and it slowly becomes an insecurity that takes years to wear off.”

“Okay this is your second to last question and the question is, For listeners who may not have heard your music before, can you recommend a few songs that best represent your sound and artistic vision?”

“That is a really good question, oh my god! So I think my discography is quite diverse and I have a lot of songs for different kinds of people who like different things. So the top three songs that i’d recommend to people are, one, vengeance as its called. There's no explanation for that song but I loved making it and loved singing it so that's the first song and second, I have a song called lovers in the night  that i co wrote with seori which I absolutely loved and we had a great time writing the song. And third I think is, my whole album called “for us.”  which i wrote with yeonjun and its songs dedicated for each other and hence called for us!”

“Okay… last question, can you give us any hints of the upcoming guests you have here?” Diane asks, smiling knowingly. Ivy giggles and wiggles her fingers across the camera

“Well I guess I can.. But most of my friends have not given me exact dates of their free schedule so even i’m not really sure on whos coming” she laughs at herself “so that's all i can tell you now because that's just all i know so” she just shrugs as she smiles.

“That's it for this episode and I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm so excited for all the things we have in store for you guys and I hope you look forward to it!! So this has been ivy so far and thank you for listening to the ivy incident! Have a good day or good night bye!!”

⋆ ivy taglist ˒ @stealanity @alixnsuperstxr @riikiblr @skz-libby @escapetheash (lmk if u wanna be added or removed)

⋆ priya says ˒ so this is not proofread so read at ur own risk lol <33 but if you've come this far,, please reblog with the bow emoji (🎀) so I know that readers are interactive and writers get the credit they deserve!! so lmk who you want to see on ivys podcast and any feedback tbh!! Happy reading!!

[maxiemumdamage]

If it wasn’t clear I finally read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

And I’m…mystified? By the criticisms of it which I had already seen plenty of before reading the actual book. Most complaints were about 1. pacing, 2. the POV character being a whiny brat/already evil, and 3. the overdramatic nature of everything. I’m not even gonna touch on that last thing, because people have always said it about the Hunger Games and it’s never been as true as they want it to be (the “Baby Bomb” in Catching Fire and Reaper’s moment with the flag come to mind, but there’s plenty of examples).

But like…I saw complaints that it took too long for the plot to pick up, but I was enthralled from the beginning. The ending was very harried and kinda rushed, sure, but that was also sort of the point — Coriolanus has a breakdown in the woods and in doing so goes past the point of no return with Lucy, so he returns to the Capitol and becomes the dictator we all know. It might've felt more jarring if I hadn't known that was how it would end, but...we all knew going in there was no way Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird would run away and live in the woods together. Because before we ever knew Coryo, we knew President Snow. We knew where he'd end up.

I feel most of those complaints were rooted in the fact people always expect the Hunger Games books to be about...the Hunger Games. They view it like they're in the Capitol, like the Games themselves are the entertainment and focus and point of the story. They’re not, even when we’re reading about the creation of the Games as they became what they were in canon. The Games were never the point — it was about the people and world that created them. I went in expecting a post-war climate, and the saga of how a clever, manipulative young man worked his way into power, and as such I was immensely satisfied. This is about Snow becoming the cruel person we know, with some of his worst qualities being there from minute one and others taking time to be built or reinforced.

My biggest gripe is the romance. Yep, SnowBaird, the huge draw for every TikTok Songbirds and Snakes movie fan, just felt so out of place to me when it happened in the book. Lucy just got out of a romantic relationship that bit her in a truly spectacular fashion. But ok, sure. She's desperate, pretty much completely alone, and Coriolanus is very kind and supportive in his actions and she can't hear his self-serving and obnoxious internal monologue.

Coriolanus, though...I never understood why he seemed to be in love with her. He has a grudging almost-respect for Lucy Gray that he doesn't give anyone else, but I figured that was more because she demonstrated her cunning and talents where he could dismiss most others. She’s a performer, she’s got talent and poise, she’s forced to win people over (like him! (it’s not. his life never depended on it in the violent and final way hers did)).

And maybe it was necessary, that Snow thinks he’s in love. Because it’s at the core of the possessiveness, the jealousy, that colors so many of his interactions with Lucy. He has to be in love, so we can assign meaning or justifications to his actions. And then he tidily betrays everyone he supposedly loved, and it becomes clearer he’s only ever cared about himself.

And in general, I rarely understand romantic plots. And especially here, the point isn’t romance. It’s trust. Trust Coriolanus fails to extend to practically everyone, and it’s ultimately why he can’t make a better choice than to run back to the Capitol and Gaul.

[katlyntheartist]

I think the Mario movie would definitely benefit from having a tie-in show due to the potential for worldbuilding, which would be a first for Illumination because I don't think they've ever made a series based on any of their movies

(I'm gonna lump these two together since they both have the same kind of question.) An Illumination Mario movie cartoon sounds great on paper. But it depends on how it's executed.

Buckle up, this is gonna be a looong post:

A Mario movie cartoon would give us the time needed to flesh out the characters and worlds a lot more than the movie did. We could have time for more bonding moments between Mario and Luigi, we could get to see more of the Mario family, Bowser's minions could do some comedic moments and we could learn more about Bowser and the other Mario villains, we can explore the Mushroom Kingdom and other kingdoms and worlds from the games, and so on and so forth.

But it depends on what kind of story Illumination would do. Would it be more like Wander over Yonder- a comedic episodic adventure that slowly builds up to an overarching story in later seasons? Would it be like Infinity Train- an mystery/ adventure that slowly reveals more about its world with each episode and takes the time to flesh out and explore characters mindset, personalities, and motivations? Or would it be like CocoMellon- a lazy, mindless, cash grab timewaster that parents can put on to keep their kids quiet. It really would depend on who Illumination would hire to direct and write the show. Someone with a passion for Mario and wants to tell a good story, or someone who only cares about profit and turning the show into nothing but a boring easter egg factory for fans.

Another deciding factor would be if Illumination would do this in 2D or 3D. Now I believe that 2D would work best for Mario. Illumination can do 2D animation well as seen in the Minions 2 movie end credits and even in the Mario movie concept art.

With a proper budget and the right creative team, a Mario movie cartoon is possible! But maybe Nintendo would be hesitant to do one because of how the 90's Super Show cartoons were. For as nostalgic as they are, no one can deny that all three of those cartoons had a laundry list of problems, as well as a budget of seven dollars and a chicken sandwich.

But I'm imagining Illumination hiring the Flying Bark Studios creative team. You know, the guys who made Rottmnt and Lego Monkie Kid!

Imagine a Mario movie cartoon done in that gorgeous art style and with the same fluid and well choreographed fight scenes as those shows. I'm already drooling at the thought, it would be so amazing!!

But knowing Illumination, they would probably do it in 3D. Now, 3D can look good in kids cartoons. 2012 TMNT, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, and Maya and the Three are proof that it can be done well and even with a cinematic quality with Maya's case. But 95% of 3D kids cartoons aren't given a proper budget and are mostly shameless cash grabs mostly made by greedy corporations trying to wring as much money from parents as they can like with Megamind Rules, Coco Mellon, SpongeBob Camp Coral, etc.

So like I said, it depends on Illuminations motivations (which would probably mostly be just money), if it's done in 2D or 3D, and the passion and love that whoever directs and writes the cartoon has for Mario and the franchise.

[tomwambsgans]

i'm ngl it's because i recently read fight club, But i'm thinking a lot lately about castration and the true/deepest implications of it irt nero and sporus and tom and greg. obviously we've got tom's line about greg being "castrated on pay" and some pretty solid analysis on that being a matter of tom keeping greg dependent on him, but tbh even with said meta posts...

like, i'm sorry, but it's a weak line. it feels just as strangely on the nose as shiv falling down the stairs, and in fact like a line that exists specifically to match shiv falling. it almost even seems like a last-minute rush to complete Following Up The Nero And Sporus Thing, like they did the first part and managed to get all the way to the last episode before realizing they'd forgotten to do the second thing, so they had to reach for anything they could relate castration to without having to film a new scene. this feels especially evident/likely in the fact that there is NO way greg's salary is actually getting docked to the degree that tom implied. it's markedly disappointing, too, in the way that setting it up with shiv literally falling down stairs had the audience looking forward to how the rest of the overt symbolism would play out. castration on pay was the most mundane and least expected possible conclusion, lol. and not at all on par with the literal fall. like if that is the castration we were actually waiting for the whole time...

it's also all overkill, for that matter, considering that the s3 finale fit "pushed his wife down the stairs and married sporus" thing perfectly fine and a perfect amount of vague. like tom ALREADY betrayed shiv, symbolically "killing" her, and had an ancient-roman-wedding-handshake agreement with greg about his soul. even tom and greg's initial dynamic in the final season often feels like that of a married couple. which begs the question: why have the stuff in s4 on top of that? it may very well be simply one of the many marks of s4's drop in quality, caused by a myriad of irl factors. or it could possibly be on purpose to specifically bring home something else about the nero and sporus story. maybe it's to reinforce the tomshiv divorce and also tom and greg's marriage after all the rapid shifts in dynamic. who knows.

but what i DO know is that i wanna get to the bottom (lol) of the castration symbolism/motif. so i'm gonna go through everything that could possibly inform the audience's interpretation.

i'll start with the least significant, which i believe is the reality of castration in ancient rome and in the circumstances around the irl nero and sporus. part of why this falls on the bottom rung is the fact that historical accounts of nero especially with sporus are hotly contested. another reason is that the story tom tells is one that not only omits many details in a technically misleading/recontextualizing way, but also adds details that are present in no known accounts.

so: WHY was sporus castrated? there are 2 main possibilities/reasons.

to maintain his youthful [and therefore feminine] beauty. the real sporus was most likely around 16 when nero had him castrated. and the practice of castration to preserve youth had precedence. basically, twinks were REALLY in. it's alleged that sporus may have already been more effeminate (and sexually attractive) than average. but it's also said that sporus bore an uncanny resemblance to poppaea, which nero chose him for specifically and wanted to maintain.

in order to marry him with legal/social sanction. ancient roman society, rather than being built upon the heterosexual, was more built upon the Top/generally masculine. Eunuch was a gender class/category essentially equivalent with Woman, which allowed sporus to specifically be nero's wife. this didn't mean that his marriage to sporus was necessarily seen as good and normal, only technically acceptable.

and i have a ways more to go with the analysis but i'm gonna say right here that i do not think the first reason bears any significance to tom and greg. firstly due to that there is no textual evidence that tom wants greg to be explicitly feminine, even compared to himself, and a LOT to the contrary. tom consistently invites greg to join him in performing masculinity and gaining power through it, case in point the "let's fight like chickens" scene that directly follows the nero and sporus story. secondly, sporus's possible resemblance to poppaea does not track to greg and shiv more than incidentally; greg being shiv's cousin doesn't directly earn tom anything. but more importantly, imo, is the fact that what would have made nero want sporus to look like poppaea is in direct contrast with both the story tom tells AND the way their arc plays out.

so NOW, to demonstrate this, let's look at the irl poppaea's death/murder, which happened during her second pregnancy. different historians (even those alive at the time) have different theories for how it went down. who knows how much truth they're based in, bc there's a clear heavy bias against nero, but they're all we have anyway and therefore all tom would have had. here they are:

nero kicked her in the stomach in a fit of rage, while she was fighting with him about how much time he spent at the races (main theory/rumor)

nero kicked her in the stomach in a casual outburst

nero "leapt upon her belly" either accidentally or on purpose

nero poisoned her (uncommon rumor, most likely bs)

she died through no fault of nero's at all, simply bc of complications with her pregnancy (this has the most evidence, and is believed by many modern historians)

you'll notice a complete lack of stairs-related death theories, and in fact a near total lack of Nero Purposefully Murdered Poppaea theories. the general idea is that nero deeply mourned poppaea's death (and was remorseful, if it was his own fault), and proceeded to replace her with sporus, even calling him by her name.

which feels like a good segue into the more significant story of nero and sporus to analyze: the one that TOM told.

Sporus was a young slave boy. He was Nero's favorite. And, uh... you know what Nero did to him? Well, Nero... pushed his wife... down the stairs. And then he had Sporus castrated and he married him instead. And he gave him a ring. And he made him dress up like his dead wife. ...I'd castrate you and marry you in a heartbeat.

without looking into the actual story, this would sound like nero murdering his wife in order to marry sporus. with bringing up sporus first, it even sounds like nero met sporus and started favoring him prior to killing poppaea. which is also overtly analogous to tom and greg's relationship arc.

despite what tom must have read in his book, and what one could very easily imagine him, a Wife Guy, latching onto in that book... tom isn't telling greg about the tragedy of an emperor who accidentally killed his wife and then had to replace her with a young boy. tom literally invents a method of death that there is NO preexisting source for. furthermore he chooses one that does not sound remotely unintentional. at best he keeps in line with themes that suggest a violent miscarriage. but he removes all notions of an accident. he turns it into an unambiguous, purposeful uxorcide.

so, since all notions of trying to keep sporus looking like poppaea are not only unfitting as potential parallels, but also utterly irrelevant to the version of events that tom tells, and since we know tom twists and omits many other details (like what happens just a year into their marriage) anyway... what reasons DOES tom have for bringing up castration in this story? here's the possibilities i can come up with:

to make it sound less overtly romantic through means of the bizarre. classic diversionary tactic. literally without the castration it would sound undeniably like he's just saying "i read about this ancient roman gay marriage. an emperor murdered his wife so that he could marry a boy. i would like to do that with you also :)"

to make it sound less gay, specifically, because of nero's power in the situation. this of course calls back to that second reason for the actual sporus to be castrated. it's not gay if i've made you a eunuch, greg.

to emphasize the cruelty on nero's end. tom often puts himself in the role of a villain, especially irt his behavior with greg. considering also that this whole scene follows tom talking about how he's going to prison (AND that the next time he calls greg sporus it's in the scripts before the diner scene, where he agrees to sacrifice himself and go down for greg), it would make sense for him to buffer this confession with the caveat of what a bad person he is, like express in SOME way how insane his feelings are and how terrible he knows it is that he feels this way about greg. tom is notoriously unable to make normal apologies either, so. it tracks.

i think all of these are true, and i'm sure most would agree. i'm also sure most who've read this far are in full agreement that tom fixated on the story of nero and sporus in particular because it was a gay relationship with just enough ambiguity that he's able to relate to it without panicking. hell, the "he gave him a ring" line alone doesn't even evoke an ancient roman marriage nearly as much as a modern american one. i can't find even any sources that specifically mention a ring from nero to sporus, so i imagine tom invented that as well.

BUT while i'm here i do still want to mention a couple other queer things about nero to drive home that it's not just incidental gayness but overt homosexual desire being portrayed, as well as to emphasize that second reason that the irl nero may have had to castrate sporus:

prior to knowing sporus, nero had a mock-wedding as part of festive role-reversals during saturnalia. in this wedding he took the role of a bride, marrying a different freedman.

this is apocryphal and practically historical fiction, and may also specifically be due to perceived deviancy in nero, but it's old enough (like 13th century) that it's lowkey in the nero "canon" that he had womb envy and was obsessed with being the one to get pregnant

okay so NOW... how does all this translate into the actual events demanded/foreshadowed/symbolized by this story? if pushing shiv down the stairs is the betrayal that keeps her from being able to block the gojo deal (but also shiv is shown to fall down a couple real stairs)... and marrying sporus is making the "deal with the devil" (AND the sticker on the forehead)... then what's the castration? what was the first, less on-the-nose-and-simultaneously-meaningless castration, at least?

my best answer is that it's tom getting greg to drop his brightstar buffalo plans and follow him instead. because if death is just corporate death, then your testicles/manhood is your independence. tom says you're a joke, you can't function on your own, you need me (i need you). he's insecure that greg will leave if he has the option to do so. fair enough.

......and yet i come back to my initial disappointment, because that is barely different than the pay castration. and it's redefining greg's symbolic testes to something that tom gave him in the first place, thus practically retconning the first castration. but if that's it, does shiv's literal fall also replace her kick out of the company? that would sure be stupid! is the point of rehashing the symbolism to be stupid? to have meaningless stuff follow up the more significant events? even if that was the case, wouldn't you at least be doing it to give a visual element to the symbols? if shiv gets actual stairs, WHERE are greg's actual balls? or ANY balls!!!! greg even started wearing grey suits which he hadn't done before (but shiv had), and got a "ring" in his final scene. where's the FUCKING balls, huh?????

(anyway)

occam's razor, i think, may be that the meaninglessness of the castration specifically is the point. tom's insecurity that greg will leave if he has the option to (that greg would never actually want him but only need him), has been present for basically the duration of the show. it's just a character trait, and thus doesn't even work as foreshadowing when that just means "he's gonna keep doing what he's been doing." then, take that second reason--the purely pragmatic, not based in heterosexual-adjacent desire reason--for nero to castrate sporus. aka the only reason that makes sense for the way tom spins the story.

(it's also a motivation that leaves room for not even actually doing it. sporus wasn't going through rapid masculinization or anything. and they only lived another year. you could get away with just claiming that you did it for a while, probably.)

i should say there IS technically a third reason, postulated by modern scholars, for sporus's castration: to intentionally humiliate a potential rival for the throne. imagine if tom had told greg about nero and sporus upon first meeting. obviously things changed very quickly, but if all castration is here is tom keeping greg on a tight leash, then it works. and if the castration is nothing, then greg nearly tanking tom's plan out of naivety can be a nothing version of sporus wanting revenge. and shiv falling down real stairs can, instead of actually intending to set up a meaningful castration, be a red herring in that regard and simply foreshadow her pregnancy.

and that could be it. but... i've got One More Thing. maybe the most significant of all. lightning round:

who or what, in modern day where tom and greg live, actually IS castrated?

animals

specifically dogs

hmmmmmm

and why are DOGS castrated?

to reduce sexual and territorial aggression

reduce other unwanted behaviors

to keep them from breeding

okay. think greg's newfound sexual confidence in s4 and tom's distaste for it. tom's continued anxiety that greg's independence might lead him to leave him. think greg being tom's attack dog and how that nearly backfires at the very end. greg approaching tom at the end like a begging puppy.

think full circle: who's the rescue pup, i'll take care of you, i've got you...

i feel justified in recontextualizing all of this, and i come back to fight club:

Valley of the Dogs. Where even if they don't kill you, if someone loves you enough to take you home, they still castrate you.

[floralcrematorium]

i cant remmeber if i sent you a top 5 ask or not yet but - i'd love to hear your top 5 na bros hcs!!! <3

These are probably gonna have some FACE family bias because I'm just a sucker for the whole family dynamic, especially in healthy settings :0

1.) I think both twins have good relationships with their fathers. I'm on the fence about favoritism (both for Mattie or Arthur for Alfred and Francis for Matthew). I think in certain stories it can work depending on the plot. I'm just a sucker for Arthur and Francis doing the best they can to support BOTH of their boys.

2.) Alfred is a better cook than Matthew, but Matthew has a more refined taste and values quality. Alfred is willing to try complicated recipes and will eat the final product regardless if it came out as intended. Matthew really only cares to cook simple meals but will ensure he has the highest quality ingredients.

3.) Both Al and Matt love the outdoors. They have a healthy rivalry when it comes to sports, especially fishing??? Let these boys loose on the Great Lakes and see what happens.

4.) Alfred starts arguments, but Matthew finishes them. I feel like of the two Alfred is more prone to lashing out and picking fights. Matthew gets the final word in -- he takes time to think before he speaks and is actually pretty good at constructing debates.

5.) In human AUs, Matthew and Alfred are both prone to troublemaking. The "terrible twos" was very true when it comes to the NA bros, especially since there's two of them. Growing up, they could rely on each other when problems arose and could count on each other to stall/get each other out of trouble with their dads. Matthew had the reputation of the "good child" among family friends or family members outside of their immediate family, but this was largely due to his quieter nature as a child. He's just as capable of scheming as his brother is.

Thank you for the ask!! ♡

[destinygoldenstar]

My Final Ranking Of The TD2023 Tier List Now That The Season Is Over

I must stress that Season Two REALLY changed some of these for me… mostly for the worse.

I made a post about how I did not like Season Two’s last 5 episodes.

I can safely say Bowie is my favorite of the cast as a result. Cause he had a very consistent story and personality in both, got development, and reached a satisfying end despite not getting far in Season Two.

Julia is a runner up though, but I don’t put her in favorites because of the last 5 episodes. You’re gonna see that a lot.

I originally had Damien a slot higher and was considering putting him in Favorites depending on the last 5 episodes and what they would do with him.

Yeah, that led to absolutely nothing of value, was a slap to the face for all Damien fans, and basically said “Yeah, this character is useless to the story.”

I can’t say Season Two ruined Damien… but it got him a tier lower now that it’s apparent to me. At least Zee DID something that impacted things.

Priya is a case where the last 5 episodes ruined her. I get it’s in character. You’d think she’d have learned something by now. But instead she became really toxic and stupid for no reason. I was digging her story too. Shame.

Wayne is also a tier lower than Raj now. Because at least Raj got something to do outside of Wayne. But Wayne could’ve had the same with some of his qualities in Season 1. But no, none of those were there in Season 2.

In a strategic focused season that’s all about strategies, and how strategy impacts relationships, you’d think someone with those morals learned throughout the season would win. But no. The only thing is that Wayne played fair and hates cheating. Okay. So does Raj. But at least Raj became upfront about the cheating and called it out and was an influence towards such. And it’s a character arc Bowie had about not cheating.

Caleb didn’t cheat technically. He just played the game. There’s a difference.

It just rubs me off the wrong way.

Ooh Millie… she used to be in Love for me. I really liked her character in Season 1. She wasn’t my pick to win, but she was one of my favorites to follow in Season 1. I’ll explain why in another post where I talk about all of these guys in detail.

But basically, I can’t like her character anymore. Season 2 absolutely ruined her.

Let’s just reset her satisfying character development back to square one as though nothing happened. Let’s make her an attempted murderer and then NOT have her see it as a bad thing until she got compared to Ripper. Which makes her whole apology extremely selfish because what’s stopping me from thinking all she cares about is being called good again.

No. You’re a bad person. And you never got better. At least in Season 1 you were realistically a faulty non-self aware being, but not an attempted batterer!

So yeah. It legit made me like Millie’s character a whole lot less. And I’m starting to look back at Season 1 Millie more negatively, KNOWING she never changes as a person. Disappointing.

I wanted to make a post defending you girl. Now I can’t.

Ripper actually got higher on a different note. He wasn’t as annoying this time. That’s always a plus. I know that’s not saying much, but I cant really say I hate Ripper anymore in either season. Cause at least his character is pretty consistent while also just having better jokes.

I’ll make a post where I talk about all of these guys in as much detail as I can.