#been working my way through the other two storylines first so i can show up to the six gyms i havent done yet with like whatever

[iamfandom00]

i forget the actors name but larry looks looks like the guy that plays the oncologist in house and the main character in dead poets society but blue

[narcissistcookbook]

about thirteen or fourteen years ago @inkylizard told me about this show Sleep No More (description beneath the cut) they'd seen in an early run in Boston, and i had such bittersweet feelings listening to them talk about it because 1) it was absolutely my kind of thing, and 2) it was basically impossible to see it because it was so far away (i'm Scotland-based)

and since then i probably thought about the show more than most people who have seen it. i ended up working some of what kit described to me into my own music and shows, in a very vague sense

anyway, fast forward over a decade and i'm in NYC for ten days prior to tour and kit tells me that Sleep No More is still on, and it's about to close forever so this is my first and last chance to see it

so anyway

i finally saw it and it was amazing. for once hype wasn't the joy killer. it was inspiring and empowering and it's made me want to explore some of the more outlandish ideas that have been tickling my brain in terms of music writing/performance

i almost went again today, but low energy mixed with a fear of not wanting to dilute the magic by returning to the source convinced me otherwise. i think it means more to me to wait over a decade to see it, and then never be able to see it again.

Brief description of Sleep No More if you haven't seen it and aren't aware of it, told from the perspective of someone who had it described to them once and then saw it once 13 years later and has done no reading or research beyond that. Apologies if I describe it in a way that makes you squirm and go "nooo you aren't explaining it right" 💜

Sleep No More is an adaptation of Macbeth told mostly through the medium of Dance and Vibes. It takes place across the breadth and depth of an entire five floor building called the McKittrick Hotel, which is a dreamlike network of TV/movie-quality sets (a ballroom, a hotel, a city apartment, hell, a street of open shops, a mental hospital, a forest, witches' dens, a huge room full clocks connected to a tiny prayer vestibule, there's too many to mention) and masked audience members are encouraged to wander freely and explore the entirety of the building in any way they like

all the sets are fully explorable and designed to be examined in close detail. if you dig around you'll find letters, medical records, diaries, a fully stocked and unguarded sweet shop, hidden dressing rooms, discarded props, again much more than I could list off here. rooms have backrooms which have other backrooms. secret passageways connect parts of the building/story to other parts.

and through all this the cast are whirling and screeching and sprinting from place to another with little regard for who is or isn't following their storyline. at one point I was one of only two people watching an actor sew up a disembowled teddybear in a child's bedroom - and in the mirror, the same bedroom was reflected covered in blood. at another I was the only person watching a nurse tuck a man made of rocks into a hospital bed. at another, I turned a corner and one of the witches (with about twenty people in tow struggling to keep up) barrelled into me on their way to a scene elsewhere (he stopped and gave me a boop on the nose). another time, i walked into what I thought was an empty interrogation room only to realise after *far too long* that one of the characters was hiding in there with me

and on top of all this, each character has a scene they will only perform to one other audience member chosen by them

the magic for me is that not only can you not see the whole show in a single visit, but that it's basically impossible for anyone to see the whole show period no matter how hard they try. someone i know has seen it seven times and i've seen parts of it that they didn't even know about. it creates a sense of longing for what you'll never see, a sense of loss for the parts you missed, and a deep sense of personal connection with what you were lucky enough to see

what a banger

[waitmyturtles]

I've Caught Up With Wandee Goodday, and here are some cons and pros (aka, am I ever burnt out on GMMTV)

HELLO. I'm back temporarily from my summer travels (before I travel again!). I was in Thailand! I should have brought a box of chappals to chuck at the GMMTV building for where Wandee Goodday has gone. Anyway, I need to process my thoughts on this show, so here we go. (And I apologize, I have NOT looked at the tag for this show, so I don't know if I'm repeating what other people are saying here.)

PROS

CONS

1) This show had so much brainrot potential! Remember the first, like, four episodes? Potential homophobia in multiple workplaces? Delicious bisexuality? Ace storylines??? Wandee's PUTZ deception and manipulation? Yak going along with it, why?? There was a lot going on here, a lot we could have chewed on.

I've been sitting on my historical review of Golf Tanwarin's The Eclipse for my Old GMMTV Challenge for about two months now because I can't get over how pissed I was that that show took some unnecessary, and frankly insensible, turns in part to showcase the damn center ship of First and Khao. I don't think Golf's WG has taken similar turns specifically to center the GreatInn ship, per se -- I just think the writing got messy and lazy right before WG's midpoint in general, and punched a lot of the excitement I had about the show right before I paused around episode 8.

Wandee Goodday is an EXCELLENT example of how Thailand's hourlong QL dramas could be made INCREDIBLY more impactful, by way of forced editing and clarity, if Thailand could follow Japan's suit by making 10- to 12-episode series with 30-minute episodes.

The Dr. Ter storyline was over before it actually, really ended, in, what episode was that, 9 or 10. It was over! Why drag it out? In Japan, that storyline would have been two episodes, mayyybe three, MAX. Shirasu Jin was barely in Kieta Hatsukoi for an episode before he was banished. Takeda Kouhei barely made it through two episodes of Minato's Laundromat 2 before he went bye bye! We don't need these middling dudes. There was enough happening with Dee and Yak to not need this Ter shit! Sorry, LOVE YOU PODD, but Ter was made irrelevant so early on, and then they actually had to work together on a huge case?! And NOW HE'S CHEESING ON TAEM? Like, no. We don't need this.

2) There's still a lot of confusion and conflict between Dee and Yak by last week's episode 11. Dee's got issues receiving love! This is big.

(By the way. Showing Dee ONE video of his parents cheesing on him as a newborn is NOT THE WAY to explain away future parental neglect as an older child. YIKES.)

I love that Yak wants to invest in Dee, and we do see Dee doing a lot of reciprocating there to Yak, but this parental neglect reveal, along with still not knowing enough about the back story of Dee's parents dying, is out of order and not helpful to me getting enough knowledge about Dee for me to feel a holistic sympathy towards him. This makes me wonder if romance is really Golf Tanwarin's bag: if Golf didn't have to focus so much on the DeeYak/YakDee romance, could we have gotten better emotional representations of these guys, gotten a better picture of WHO THEY ARE, before they got into each other? Maybe? I dunno.

3) Considering that homophobia in systems seems to be a theme that Golf is interested in, why did the show drop Yak's concern about being out vis à vis his boxing career? Showing up at the hospital early on, in front of Ter's people, was already a big risk that wasn't given consideration; and now Dee's gone ahead and put the big pre-match smooch on full display by episode 11! I know Yak's gone full tilt for Dee, but I think we needed to put a bow on Yak's early macro-level concerns about being out for that loop to be closed.

[I feel like I have similar concerns here about 23.5 as well, so I'd like GMMTV to know (REMEMBER BAD BUDDY????) that you can have romance and big social commentary in a show at the same time without sacrificing lovely, intimate moments. Neither 23.5 nor Wandee Goodday needed to scrap heavy emotional moments for social media memeable clickbait.]

TL;DR this show, this script, could have been so good, there was so much there by way of storylines.

ANY FUCKING WAY.

PROS

1)

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS SHOW WENT HERE WITH THOR. THIS IS DISSONANCE, THIS IS CONFUSING! THIS IS MAGNIFICENT.

And the follow-up scene with the FABULOUS Fluke Nattanon. Fucking Thor. He's so good. They're so wasted in this show!

2) Great Sapol and Inn Sarin. There's a con here: the elephant pants do nothing for Great's butt. But otherwise, Great, and Inn as well, are DELIGHTS. THEY ARE GOOD ACTORS. They are wasted on this script. I hope they never work together on a GMMTV show again. If they're ever paired again (which I hope they're NOT, down with the ships), I hope they can get cast in a big ol' queer lakorn, à la JamFilm, and escape the need for the meme moments.

The thing is, about Wandee Goodday, is that if you admit you're into the show FOR THE DUDES, then I get why this show is watchable (AND IT'S WHY I'M FINISHING IT, GODDAMNIT), because the actual intimate moments ARE lovely. They're just not coherent with everything that we should know about these guys by the end of a series, and that makes me sad.

Anyway, this show ends this week, and that's it! I wish GMMTV's shop had had the WG items in stock when I was there in person; fuck these shipping fees, I want the Phadetseuk shirt so bad! If I had known this would be a kind of light and fluffy watch, I would have set my expectations WAAAYYY differently, and I would have likely had a better time watching this. As it stands now, I'm better suited to enjoy the finale, so I'm glad I got these complaints out of my system, and I'll say sayonara to all these dudes in full ogle mode later this week.

[positivexcellence]

Jared Padalecki Reflects on His 24-Year TV Run (‘I’m Pretty Tired’) and What’s Not Next After Walker Ends

“I’m grateful. Like, I’m not digging ditches. I’m not doing Red Cross work and saving human beings. But yeah, I’m pretty tired,” Padalecki says, adding that he’s “a little disillusioned about the state of the industry that I’ve loved and been employed with for 24 years. So I have a lot of thinking to do, and I have a lot of time to be with my wife and our kids, my friends, and think about where this industry is.”

Below, Padalecki opens up about Walker’s cancellation and why he doesn’t see another long-running TV series in his future.

TVLINE | Obviously, Supernatural was on a lot longer than Walker, but you were an executive producer on Walker, and you seemed to really bond with not only the cast but also the character of Cordell. So how has this letting go experience compared to that of Supernatural for you? With my experience on Gilmore Girls and Supernatural, we found ourselves in a similar situation, like around Seasons 3 and/or 4, where we were on the bubble, or there was a network change, or the head of the network changed, or there was a strike, or et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So we didn’t know if we’d make it, and in both cases, the network believed in us and let us go as long as we wanted, and now, they’re like two of the top 10 most watched shows on Netflix, worldwide, every year. So I kind of, stupid me, I was hoping and assuming the same might happen… I knew there was a chance. There’s always a chance that the show’s not going to go, but I was like, “Well, we’re still the most watched. We’re not expensive.” So I didn’t know what to expect, and I haven’t yet had time to have closure with Walker.

With Supernatural, Jensen [Ackles] and I talked about it in our trailers on set for years, or during conventions in the green room, or at home, or flying together, or whatever, playing golf. We’d talk about it, and finally, Season 14, we kind of looked at each other, and we were like, “Hey, you know what, I think it’s time to go back to our families.” “Yeah, I think you’re right.” So we met with [CW President] Mark Pedowitz and said, like, “Hey, we’re going to do Season 15, but that’s it.” So we had a couple years, and we, ultimately, made the decision. I left Gilmore Girls to do Supernatural. Jensen and I decided to go ahead and let Supernatural end and give it a good send-off.

That was not the same situation with Walker, obviously. So I’m still kind of dealing with it, to be honest with you. I love the show. I’m so grateful for the four years that we had. I think back to during the pandemic, we were one of the first shows to go back to filming after COVID. We shot in October of 2020, and it was still masks and six feet away. There was just so much everybody went through: car accidents, and more COVIDs, and strep, and flu, and births, and deaths, and marriages, and divorces, and another strike, and this and that. So we had gone through so much together. We had weathered so many storms that I figured we had a lot more storms to weather. It’s not the way it worked out. But right now, I’m really focusing on how grateful I am, and will forever be, for the time I got to spend on Walker.

TVLINE | Given the circumstances, how do you feel about how the series ended and how the storylines were left off in the finale? To the credit of CW and CBS [Studios], when we shot the finale, when it was written, we didn’t know whether or not we were going to go for a fifth or further season, and they did not push us to try and wrap things up in a tidy little bow, which would’ve been really bad storytelling and a really bad episode. They kind of said, “Write the best episode you can. We don’t know if it’s going to go five years, or 10 years, or 30 years, or four years. So make it the best you can.” We knew, and [showrunner] Anna [Fricke] knew, and Blythe Ann Johnson knew — they wrote the finale together — that it was possible [it would end]. So when I think back on the finale, I think whether it was the end of Season 4 or the end of Season 104, I would’ve wanted all the characters to have a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, something to look forward to. And so, all the characters get a send-off and a salute of sorts, but it feels like a proper episode of television. It doesn’t feel like, “Oh, they are in a diner, and let’s just turn the cameras off.” But again, it’s so difficult to end. When you fall in love with a character, or several characters, or a story, for 69 episodes, like how do you end it?

So I’m grateful that we were able to create the best episode that we could without any incumbrances of like, “You better make sure everybody dies, or everybody gets a new job,” or something. Because how could you possibly end the story of all the Walkers and all their friends and been like, “Oh, yup, cool, don’t need to see them anymore”? Like, no matter how it ended, I would’ve wanted to see more of them, and so I’m very proud of the episode.

TVLINE | You went from Gilmore Girls straight to 15 seasons of Supernatural to Walker. Are you exhausted yet? I was exhausted 20 years ago. [Laughs] I am. I am exhausted. When I found out that Walker was not going to go for a fifth season, that was on a Tuesday, and I left for Europe on a Friday, part work, part fun. But I was in Europe for like three and a half weeks with family and a little bit of work, a lot of travel. So I’ve only been in the United States four days in the last month, and so, I haven’t really had time to fully grasp it. But yes, I’m tired. I’m tired. I’m grateful. Like, I’m not digging ditches. I’m not doing Red Cross work and saving human beings. But yeah, I’m pretty tired. I’m a little disillusioned about the state of the industry that I’ve loved and been employed with for 24 years. So I have a lot of thinking to do, and I have a lot of time to be with my wife and our kids, my friends, and think about where this industry is.

I haven’t had time to really reassess my life. I got into this industry when I was 17 years old on Gilmore Girls, and I, at the time, had my school schedule for UT Austin, and so, I thought I was going to do a couple episodes and go back to UT and pay off some student loans or something. That was 24 years ago, so I haven’t really had the time. And even during the writers’ strike in ’08, we were just waiting for it to end to go back and shoot Supernatural. The pandemic in 2020, I was just waiting for it to end, so I could go finish Supernatural and start Walker. The writers’ strike last year, just waiting for it to end, so we could pick up Walker.

I was in Europe for a while, and people would come up and take a picture and get an autograph or whatever and [ask], “So what’s next?” and for the first time in my entire life, I was like, “I don’t know.” “Oh, well, surely you have stuff. What’s next?” I was like, “Well, I don’t know.” They’re like, “Oh, you can’t tell us.” “No, no. It’s not I can’t tell you. I don’t have a job waiting for me,” which I’ve never said that in my adult life. So it’s interesting, and I’m going to surround myself with family and friends and loved ones, and try and figure out if I have anything else to offer that people want, and if I can be of service in storytelling, somehow, some way, then I guess I’ll put my proverbial cowboy hat back on and saddle up.

TVLINE | When you’re ready, though, do you imagine that you will want to do another TV series? I don’t think so. I don’t mind long TV, but I’ve heard it said many times, and I agree, that hour-long episodic television is the hardest job in the industry. If you’re Elijah Wood in Lord of the Rings, and it’s three three-hour long movies or whatever, it’s still like 18 months, you know? There’s an end in sight. With TV shows, sometimes it lasts 15 years, and sometimes they say, “Hey, where do you live? OK, we’re shooting in Vancouver.” You say, “But my family, my wife and kids are in Austin.” Like, “Well, good for them. They can come move up here. Here’s a thousand bucks to fly them out.” It’s not for the weak-spirited. Like, you really have to sacrifice a lot, and I’ve sacrificed everything I have to sacrifice for many, many years, and I think I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend more time with my wife and kids. If a job on a TV show comes up, like I’ve talked to Kripke about The Boys stuff, like, “Yeah, I’ll come play with you for a month. Yeah, I’ll come play with you for two months, for six weeks, or whatever,” or, “Yeah, I’ll come pop in a week out of every month for the next three months.”

But a classic TV contract is a six-year contract. My oldest son is 12, my middle son is 10, my daughter is seven. So if I sign a six-year contract, and they’re filming in Alaska, then I miss my son getting a driver’s license, I miss him graduating high school, I miss his first girlfriend or boyfriend, his first heartbreak, his basketball games, I miss my other son’s driving test, I miss my daughter turning into a teenager, and then I’m leaving [my wife] Gen, too. It’s a big commitment. So I don’t foresee myself doing that unless, again, it was in Austin, and I was the executive producer that could be involved in knowing the show and making sure the cast and crew all did it in as efficient a way as possible.

TV LINE

[mia-maybank]

My predictions for heartbreak high season 3

-A backstory on Ant's homelife and how the map affected it -it feels like they built it up all s1 then s2 Ant was drunk or high 90% of his screentime so it feels like he was substance abusing to escape his family issues? Idk but I'm praying they give us this type of storyline in s3.

-Malakai realising he was infact just running from his problems so he comes back -he needs to address everything properly and finally have some happiness because the poor guy has been dragged through the mud in the previous seasons.

-Miss Obah helping Spider with his mother and Woodsy helping Ant with his homelife -Miss Obah makes it pretty clear she doesn't like Spider and it seems like Woodsy just sees Ant as a class clown so I think it would be interesting for them to both realise they are actually just struggling kids with shitty parents.

-Quinni and Sasha becoming close friends & Sasha redemption arc -with Sasha being vice captain they will be working together a lot, which will be interesting with them being exes. It would also be a good chance for Quinni to help Sasha realise her opinions or the way she goes about expressing her opinions is toxic and help her change for the better.

-Miss Obah talking Spider through a panic attack -because lets be real Spider bottles all his emotions and vulnerability up so it's bound to come crashing down at somepoint, plus it would be a good way to make Miss Obah realise that Spider's just hurt rather than the complete dickhead she thinks he is. It would also probably be the first time Spider has an adult figure look out and care for him and that would be good for him.

-Cash forcing Darren to sit down and communicate properly -because I love Darren but they definitely don't know what healthy communication is and to be endgame (which if they aren't I will personally riot) they both need to sit down and fully figure their shit out.

-Missy and Ant friendship -with Missy dating Spider and Ant being Spider's bestfriend it's kind of a given and she would be a healthy person to give advice to Ant.

-Missy, Spider and Ant having that dynamic where Ant is basically Missy and Spider's child -because Spider already has such a soft spot for him and I can just see them both giving him advice together and looking after him, especially if Ant gets a storyline about his parents being neglectful.

-Lots of Ant and Spider friendship screentime -in the first two seasons they are practically attached at the hip so the writers better keep it that way for my sanity.

-Malakai's reaction to Missy dating Spider as well as Spider apologising to Malakai if (when) he comes back and Malakai being shook by the fact that Spider's actually changed - it would be a good way to show Spider's really trying to change plus I feel like Malakai's reaction to Missy and Spider being together would be so funny.

-A scene where Malakai is hurt because he thinks Amerie just ignored his letter and Amerie is like "what letter?" -the writers have literally set this up by burning the letter and I'm now terrified.

-Dusty coming back to Hartley -they could so easily make up a reason for Dusty to come back and I think it would be interesting to see how he fits back in now Spider is growing to be a better person.

-Ant finding out Harper made the map too and being upset about it since it literally outed him and Spider going full protective best friend mode -the fact that everybody still fully blames Amerie just doesn't sit right with me and with Ant probably being the most affected by the map (considering his Christian parents) and with him falling for Harper he would definitely feel the most betrayed.

-Ant coming out to Spider properly or having a conversation with him about his sexuality -I think the writers just completely forgot that Ant is canonically not straight and it would be nice for it to be acknowledged, even in a small way.

-Cash self harm storyline and the others finding out the meaning of his name -This was set up with the writers revealing the meaning of his name at the end of s2 so it makes sense.

-Spider having less trust in teachers after Voss, leading to Woodsy and Miss Obah finding out Voss slapped Spider -because he literally slapped a child surely the wiriters won't forget about it and just move on??

-Ant breaking down sobbing in Spider's arms or vice versa -they are each others first point of comfort so it makes sense they will lean on eachother throughout their family issues. Plus I could so imagine a scene of Spider just completely breaking down in Ant and Missy's arms because he seriously does just bottle everything up until he explodes.

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

There is still only one JBL airing live, but thankfully it's a banger, and we are blessed with another great Japanese drama with queer themes in the meantime. This first show is on Gaga and the second is available via fan sub, and I highly recommend watching both!

In other news, The Novelist appears to be coming off Gaga soon, and I don’t yet know if it will show up anywhere else (it is no longer on Viki). If you’ve been saving it for a rainy day, I encourage you to watch it ASAP. You can also submit a comment to let Gaga know you want them to keep it!

At 25:00 in Akasaka

This show is killing me softly, and its penultimate episode was excruciating in the best way. I screamed out loud when Shirasaki balked and told Hayama he wanted him to stay so he could get into his role, and I swear I could see Hayama's heart cracking in two. I have never been so upset and scared to see a sex scene start, and I was so very relieved that Hayama put a stop it before he could damage himself further. I guess he finally found his limit, and I was glad he values himself enough to say no to Shirasaki in the moment. Juxtaposing that heated scene with the sterile and choreographed sex scene for their characters drove the knife in further. And what a place to end things! It's not yet clear if anyone will be running, but I stand by my opinion that Shirasaki is the one who keeps dealing the blows, so he's the one who needs to gird his loins and finally be honest about why he's asking for these things from Hayama.

Bonus: Ossan no pantsu ga nandatte ii janai ka

We have the privilege of watching this one thanks to the hard work of @isaksbestpillow, who has now subbed the first four episodes of this wonderful show. This drama is about a middle-aged salaryman who realizes his old school values and failure to keep pace with the changing times is ruining his relationships--and he actually cares! Through a friendship he forges with his younger gay neighbor, Daichi, Makoto sets out to "update" himself so that he can better understand and connect with his coworkers, his kpop-loving wife (Mika), his mangaka daughter (Moe), and most especially his queer and gender questioning son (Kakeru). This is a loving and sympathetic portrayal of a man who has been failed by patriarchy and fallen behind the times but who genuinely loves his family and knows he needs to do better, and the younger man with a generous heart who helps him do it. The story is funny and poignant in equal measure; for every moment where Makoto has you groaning out loud at his misogyny, toxic masculinity, and general ignorance, there is another where he brings you to tears with his sincere effort to change. And I love that Daichi is not just theoretically gay in a tokenizing kind of way; he has a boyfriend who is an actual character with a storyline of his own, and we get to see them in scenes together. I love this show and can't wait to see what happens next.

Over to @bengiyo to add on a manga report.

[butterflydm]

restructuring the wheel of time into ten books

So a little while ago, there was a poll about people's favored choice for how many books should have been in WoT -- I voted for 'ten' and this is, I guess, my argument for a ten book series.

Books 1-5, I don’t really have any notes on when it comes to structure. Every book is complete in and of itself. While books 2 & 3 do have something of a repetitive structure, I think that works better in a book series than in a tv series.

The only suggestions that I would have structurally would be minor things like “tweak Rand’s power levels in the early books to keep him more in line with what he does later” (aka what the show is doing, lol) and maybe not having Ishamael present during the Battle of Falme and having that purely against the Seanchan, so that we don’t have super similar climaxes for Rand two books in a row (Rand could get his wound in Tear instead). And those are the sorts of things that I think it might be likely that Jordan would have done if he’d known exactly how long the series would end up being -- ex. he clearly backed down on Rand’s power jump when he realized that the series would be going for longer than he’d originally planned.

One minor plot change that I would do is put Perrin feeling Rand tug at him as the epilogue of TFOH or thereabouts. Just a little hint of Perrin in there, showing that he'll have a bigger role in the next book.

Book 6, though... I have some thoughts there.

Lord of Chaos/A Crown of Swords: this is the first book where the beginning really takes some time getting off the ground -- there are several Salidar chapters that could have been combined. This is really the first place in the books where characters hang around doing nothing (we're told more than once in Elayne & Nynaeve's PoV that they're barely being taught anything and that being there feels pointless), waiting for it to be time to actually Do Some Plot (the big Healing of severing) and it's just the beginning of a bad trend.

The other structural change that I would suggest is not doing the weird feint with Mat's character where he starts off doing a "Rand's general" storyline and then creakily transitions over to Salidar instead. Since Mat isn't actually going to Illian, he doesn't need to be marching south. He could just still be in Cairhien/Caemlyn and have Rand take him to Salidar from there. As it is, we end up spending several chapters on a storyline that gets abruptly terminated part of the way through the book so that Mat can do a completely different storyline instead and that really pads out the pages unnecessarily (this was a really bad trend that happened with Mat's character in particular more than once in the books; his storylines would just stop in their tracks and get shifted to something else entirely and never go back to his original storyline; ex. we literally never find out why/what the murdered caravan of Tuatha'an had to do with anything, because Mat never bothers to tell Rand their message because he spends the entire rest of the book series doing completely unrelated things and only ever sees Rand again for a brief conversation that is dominated by everyone catering to his slaver wife -- we never get payoff for the vast majority of Mat's storylines, even the minor threads). It really does feel like Jordan started writing the book, then went "oh shit, Mat needs to meet & marry the DotNM" and just abruptly changed Mat's story to yeet him to Ebou Dar without actually rewriting the earlier bits in the book.

Outside of that, the main change I would suggest being made in these books is improving Min’s characterization and Min and Rand’s relationship by NOT having Min change herself for Rand. Let Rand fall in love with Min as she is, not the dolled-up version of Min that she invents for Rand’s benefit (there are other characterization tweaks I would recommend as well, but Min is kinda the biggest issue imo).

The main ‘story arc’ for Rand that's set up in LoC is ‘defeating Sammael’ and it should take place over the course of a single book, not two separate books. Parts of ACoS would be saved for the next book but the Illian climax should happen in the same book that the story starts. I would title this book “A Crown of Swords” so that the focus is on Rand’s story, not the Forsakens' (and part of the oddness here is definitely due to Jordan changing his mind about doing the Taim-Demandred combo, so he sets up something that ends up going nowhere).

Inciting incidents:

Egwene is summoned to Salidar leading to Rand sending Mat there as well

Min arrives in Caemlyn, leading to The Box Incident

Turning point:

After the Box incident, Perrin and Rand stage a fight so that Perrin can go find Masema

Egwene sends Elayne, Nynaeve, Mat & co to Ebou Dar to look for the Bowl of the Winds and they actually take advantage of Mat being ta’veren right away instead of waiting around for a month (all the delays in Mat's various storylines had a knock-on effect in delaying everyone else's storylines, imo -- the Slog happens because everyone is waiting on Mat, whether they know it or not)

Climax:

Rand defeats Sammael

The attack of the Seanchan on Ebou Dar begins

A Crown of Swords/The Path of Daggers/Winter’s Heart: The Path of Daggers only needs some of trimming imo. Once that trimming is done, I think Elayne’s section of the prologue of WH could slid into it fairly neatly as a bit of an ‘upbeat’ epilogue, which would be a contrast to the darkness of Rand’s ending in the previous book and his defeat here when he tries to repel the Seanchan from Ebou Dar.

Also have Mat interact with Tuon throughout this book, essentially like he did in WH (Mat's interactions with Tuon in WH make sense with his previous characterization; it's in CoT & KoD when Jordan had him completely reverse on his moral outlook on slavery so that he would be willing to make out with a slaver - genuinely, how Mat goes from sympathizing with slaves in WH to sympathizing with slavers in CoT remains one of the most baffling writing choices that I've ever run across; especially with how limp and one-sided it made everything about Mat & Tuon feel in those books for me, because Jordan drained all the potential interesting conflict out of the pairing so that he could focus on Mat navel-gazing about his self-inflicted prophecy woes, making him just Min 2.0. *sigh*). This book I would choose to be named “The Path of Daggers” out of the available options.

Inciting incidents:

Elayne & Nynaeve use the Bowl of the Winds as Ebou Dar is invaded by the Seanchan and Mat gets left behind during the escape

Perrin & co find Masema, etc.

Egwene uses the rule of law to take control of the Salidar Aes Sedai

Turning point:

Mat first meets Tuon -- maybe give Mat & Tylin’s first meeting to Mat & Tuon instead, where he accidentally greets her using the Old Tongue, thus sparking her interest (cut out Mat & Tylin’s ‘relationship’ entirely, it was zero percent needed and is needed even less if Tuon arrives in the first wave of the attack, as I'm suggesting here)

Rand learns about the invasion by the Seanchan and goes campaigning

Egwene & the Aes Sedai jump to Tar Valon and begin their siege (since they no longer need to kill time to let Mat's plotline happen)

Climax:

Rand fails to defeat the Seanchan & gets attacked in the Sun Palace but kills the attackers here instead of us needing the Far Madding detour (which just felt like a less emotionally-impactful version of The Box to me and Jordan giving in to his desire to write a travelogue)

Faile learns Masema is dealing with the Seanchan and kills him, cutting off that entire path of slog by not getting kidnapped (we really only need one kidnapped wife imo)

Mat escapes Ebou Dar, kidnapping Tuon along the way (there's our allotted Kidnapped Wife)

Egwene is captured by the White Tower Aes Sedai when the rebels block off the harbors to Tar Valon

Winter’s Heart/Crossroads of Twilight/Knife of Dreams: All three of these books would have greatly benefited from being massively cut down to a single volume. This one also has a touch of TGS in it, mostly because Egwene had a lot more story left after KoD than pretty much any other character except maybe Mat.

Specific items to change or cut:

Cut out Far Madding entirely (Rand killed the attackers in Cairhien). Since Tuon arrived with the initial Seanchan invasion fleet in Ebou Dar, Nynaeve can be honest with Rand about Mat being left behind but Rand can see (in his color swirl vision) that Mat is no longer in Ebou Dar and has already escaped, filling that plot hole (the list of contrivances to keep Rand from knowing what happened to Mat frustrated and annoyed me so much when I was reading books WH-KoD).

Have the love confessions and Rand sleeping with Elayne, but don’t do the bonding yet. Have Rand leave Min behind in Caemlyn when he takes Nynaeve off to do the cleansing, so she can (emotionally) bond with Elayne & Aviendha. Since Min was just at ground zero for a terrible attack that was focused on Rand (which should, to Rand, prove his fears about being a danger to the people he loves to be correct!), it really is so bizarre that he keeps backpacking her around to dangerous place (Far Madding) after dangerous place (the Cleansing) after dangerous place (parlay with the Seanchan) and mostly shows that Jordan a) just had no more plot beats for Min until she played pregnancy test for Tuon in the epilogue and b) primarily saw Min as Rand’s Hero Reward rather than a character in her own right. But the whole affair mostly just undermined Rand’s character journey for me (he's so isolated! ...except for his live-in girlfriend).

Don’t do the Shaido plotline at all (have the Shaido scatter back to the Waste post-Dumai’s Wells); instead this should be where Perrin starts his wolf boot camp, so that he actually has a more appropriate amount of time for training before the Last Battle (and his emotional storyline would be a conflict with Faile over her killing Masema). I guess you can do the Whitecloaks storyline here.

Have Mat be the one to make a treaty with the Seanchan, and have Semirhage order the ‘airfleet’ against the White Tower instead of Tuon doing it. Instead of Mat accidentally giving himself away for nothing, have the Mat-Tuon marriage as part of the deal to seal the treaty, since Mat has figured out that she believes that he needs to be her husband, per prophecy, so he uses that to actually get concessions out of her. Because we aren’t trying to convince the readers that Mat is the sort of person who is capable of falling in love with a slaver in the space of a single month, we don’t need to spend two whole books wandering the Altaran countryside doing random shit and instead can get to the politics of it all. Let Mat actually continue to be smart and empathetic in this section of the storyline, rather than lopping off those parts of him and turning him into a zombie bootlicker yes-man. You can still layer in elements of Mat seeing potential in Tuon to be more than just a slaver, just don't have him toss his entire brain & morals away in order to kiss her ass.

Out of the available titles here, I think “Knife of Dreams” is the best one.

Inciting incidents:

Egwene undermines Elaida from within the Tower

Perrin starts Wolf Boot Camp

Rand & Nynaeve cleanse saidin

Turning Point:

Rand faces off against Semirhage and captures her

Egwene finds out from Verin about the extent of the Black Ajah in the White Tower

Aviendha leaves to go to Rhuidean to become a WO

Mat finds out that sul'dam (and thus Tuon) can channel and actually uses it as a negotiation tactic against her, please let this man use his brain during literally any of his conversations with Tuon, I am begging you. The way he reacts in the books to finding out that Tuon is a sul'dam and then that Tuon can channel is SO FUCKING BIZARRE. He just Does Not Care about slavery at all in CoT & KoD and is all Me Me Me about all of the Tuon revelations. In the previous books, Mat claims to be selfish even while constantly doing heroic/selfless things, but in CoT & KoD, he really does just come across as a genuine selfish bastard, someone who only thinks about himself and who doesn't give a shit about anyone else.

Climax:

Tuon and Mat agree on the terms of their marriage alliance and Say The Words

Elayne defeats her fellow claimants to the throne; maybe Min helps root out that Darkfriend captain in her guards, which would lend weight to her being able to do the same later for Tuon and also make it so that Min is at least as helpful to Team Light as she was to the Seanchan

The Seanchan (sent by Semirhage before she went to face Rand) attack the White Tower.

The Gathering Storm/Towers of Midnight: ToM has never made any sense as a title, so I would call this combined book “The Gathering Storm”. This section is more about putting things in a somewhat different order than they happened in the books, with a few tweaks.

Inciting Incidents:

Egwene defeats the Seanchan at the White Tower

Semirhage is freed by Elza and captures Rand, and (stealing @markantonys's excellent suggestion) Nynaeve is the one targeted when Semirhage forces Rand to her will, making Rand push Nynaeve away 'for her protection'

Rand and Egwene have a tense encounter that makes her doubt his sanity.

Turning point:

After taking the test to become full Aes Sedai, Nynaeve gets Lan's bond from Myrelle and then, since Myrelle was literally right outside the Black Tower at the time, Nynaeve and Logain deal with the Black Tower

Egwene deals with the assassins in the Tower (Gawyn subplot)

Perrin deals with the dreamspike and kills Slayer | Egwene deals with Mesaana

Aviendha returns from Rhuidean and reunites with Elayne & Min

Climax:

Rand attacks his father, leading to the moment on Dragonmount

post-epiphany, Rand actually goes to check in on his friends and loved ones, thus making his epiphany have an impact on the storyline -- he Travels to where Mat is and is the one who helps Mat get from Point A (Altara) to Point B (Caemlyn) and letting them actually have a real reunion, delivering Aludra to Elayne, where she is ready to make weapons. In Caemlyn, he talks to Elayne, Aviendha, & Min, leading into the bonding moment.

Mat saves Moiraine from the Tower of Ghenjei.

(epilogue) Tuon arrives back in Ebou Dar and takes control of the Seanchan forces, letting everyone know that there is now a treaty with the Westlands. Her going back with a treaty already tentatively in place would actually make the triumphant tone that the books try to take her with her return make a lot more sense than... readers apparently supposed to be happy??? that one slaver is taking over from another slaver, even though Tuon is just as willing to do awful shit to our protagonists as Suroth was, so it feels like a distinction without a difference to me. Technically, is Tuon marginally better than Suroth? Eh, maybe, but not by much.

A Memory of Light: Most of my changes here either follow from earlier ones (we already have a treaty with the Seanchan, so Mat can just go to Merrilor to start General’ing right away), but apart from that:

Let the Emond’s Field Five (plus Elayne) have a group reunion! (easier to do in this version where Mat's storyline isn't all about sucking up to Tuon, I admit)

Let Perrin and Mat be at Rand’s funeral! (genuinely so bizarre that Sanderson didn't do a one-sentence fix of this tbh; that would have been the easiest thing in the world to fix. One sentence is all you would have needed.)

Let Moiraine be the person who realizes that Rand is still alive, not Cadsuane.

The battle itself could have been cut down somewhat in order to leave more room for character interactions (we probably don't need three separate sword duels for Demandred; kinda excessive). This is a goodbye to people some of us spent over a decade loving; we should be given proper goodbyes to them.

I also feel like there's no need to have everyone and their brother know that Rand is in a relationship with three women? And it felt pointless to have people know that Rand is the father of Elayne's kids too. Have Rand tell his dad (and then have Tam actually act like he has that knowledge during his scenes with Elayne; it is genuinely bizarre how formal Tam and Elayne's interactions were in AMoL; she knows that he's Rand's dad! That's the grandfather of her kids!) but there's no need for a continent-wide memo about Rand's love life. I know this was likely all because of the epilogue where the whole world knows about ~the three~ grieving widows but this is all about a theoretical world of only ten books total, so some tweaking of the epilogue is happening regardless.

Inciting incidents:

Moiraine arrives (with Mat) to help heal the rift between Egwene and Rand

Darkfriends attack Caemlyn through the Ways

Climax:

Rand vs The Dark One

Everyone else vs the Shadow’s forces

So, that would leave us with ten books total (plus the New Spring prequel):

The Eye of the World: the journey begins

The Great Hunt: more important plot elements are introduced, like the Seanchan; Rand begins to learn leadership

The Dragon Reborn: Rand accepts being the Dragon Reborn & takes on a full-time leadership role; Mat now has his luck & Perrin has met Faile

The Shadow Rising: Perrin takes on a leadership role when he leads the defense of the Two Rivers

The Fires of Heaven: Mat takes on a leadership role during the Battle of Cairhien, creating the Band of the Red Hand

A Crown of Swords: Egwene takes on a leadership role by becoming Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai

The Path of Daggers: Elayne takes on a leadership role by putting in her claim to become Queen of Andor

Knife of Dreams: Rand & Nynaeve reverse the Dark One’s counterstroke and then Rand tries and fails to make an alliance with the Seanchan (fake!Tuon); Perrin goes to wolf boot camp; Mat makes a treaty with the Seanchan via marriage alliance to the DotNM; Elayne gets all ten Houses she needs to secure the throne; Egwene has all-but won over the White Tower as well.

The Gathering Storm: we all prepare for the Last Battle; Rand has his epiphany, in whatever form it takes; Mat saves Moiraine; Perrin defeats Slayer; Egwene and Elayne prepare their respective areas for TLB.

A Memory of Light: the journey ends (for this age)

I feel like this gives us a more consistent build-up to the ending, with each piece building upon the ones before, and not taking an excessive amount of time with subplots in the endgame. Each character also has a more consistent progression as well.

Rand

tEotW: worries about being a male channeler

TGH: told he is the Dragon Reborn but assumes the White Tower wants to use him as a false Dragon

TDR: goes on a journey to prove whether or not he’s TDR and proves that he is; taking control of Tear

TSR: becomes the Car’a’carn

TFoH: takes control of Cairhien

ACoS: takes control of Illian

TPoD: has his first major failure when he is unable to repel the Seanchan from Ebou Dar

KoD: succeeds in cleansing saidin but fails to make peace with the Seanchan

TGS: has rock-bottom moment and then his epiphany; he learns he doesn’t have to do it All On His Own

AMoL: re-seals TDO

Egwene

tEotW: sets off an adventure

TGH: experiences great trauma at the hands of the Seanchan

TDR: Black Ajah Hunter

TSR: Goes to the Aiel Waste to begin her training

TFoH: One of her mentors (Moiraine) dies

ACoS: is called to take on a leadership position

TPoD: takes control of the rebel Aes Sedai

KoD: besieges Tar Valon and is captured

TGS: become Amrylin of a united White Tower

AMoL: leads in the Last Battle and becomes an inspirational figure

Perrin

tEotW: discovers that he’s a wolfbrother

TGH: is first placed in a leadership position when Rand disappears

TDR: meets Faile

TSR: defends the Two Rivers (Slayer introduced)

TFoH: feels the tug of ta’veren and leaves the Two Rivers again

ACoS: saves Rand

TPoD: finds Masema; Faile kills Masema

KoD: Wolf Boot Camp

TGS: deals with Slayer in the Wolf Dream

AMoL: leads the wolves at the Last Battle (instead of it being Elyas)

Nynaeve

tEotW: sets out to protect the four kiddos

TGH: adopts Elayne as a fifth kiddo

TDR: Black Ajah Hunter

TSR: Tanchico & the SAD bracelets; Egeanin

TFoH: defeating Rahvin & capturing Moghedien

ACoS: Salidar & Ebou Dar

TPoD: using the Bowl of the Winds

KoD: cleansing saidin

TGS: the Black Tower plotline

AMoL: with Rand at the climax of TLB; being the Ultimate Protector

Mat

tEotW: finds the dagger

TGH: blows the Horn of Valere

TDR: discovers his luck

TSR: Rhuidean & prophecy

TFoH: the Battle of Cairhien & the Band of the Red Hand

ACoS: Salidar & Seanchan invasion in Ebou Dar

TPoD: meets & kidnaps the Daughter of the Nine Moons

KoD: forms a marriage alliance with the Daughter of the Nine Moons

TGS: saving Moiraine

AMoL: General of the forces of Light at the Last Battle

Elayne

tEotW: meets Rand, heads off to Tar Valon

TGH: gets a found family in Egwene, Nynaeve, & Min

TDR: Black Ajah Hunter (meets Aviendha)

TSR: Tanchico & the SAD bracelets; Egeanin

TFoH: bonding Birgitte; Circus storyline

ACoS: Salidar & Ebou Dar

TPoD: using the Bowl of the Winds & heading to Andor

KoD: becoming Queen (plot climax)

TGS: bonds Rand (emotional climax)

AMoL: powerful leader during the Last Battle

[shutupineedtothink]

More Moiraine & Lan (and the Bond) thoughts, because I really just can’t help myself.

Just thinking about how we know every Aes Sedai and Warder share the Bond, but we don’t see any other AS/Warder teams using it as a form of communication NEARLY as much as Moiraine and Lan do.

Like these mofos are having full conversations with head tilts and tiny eyebrow raises and 3 seconds of eye contact from the jump. Sometimes not even looking at each other. And it’s extra great if you’re a show only like me because you only realize it when you go back later after all the stuff with the Bond is explained in 1x04/1x05. Like I remember thinking when I was first watching the pilot ‘wow, these two are really in sync, clearly they’ve known each other a long time,’ but it’s so much more than that obviously.

Now, one easy explanation for this is that we’re just seeing them the most, they’re main characters, and s1 especially does a lot of work hyping up the Bond and how important it is so that we get the full impact of them being cut off later. Makes sense.

But… idk like even Alanna and Ihvon and Maksim, who are actually in a romantic relationship, don’t seem to prefer the Bond as a way to communicate. We even see them have their little diplomatic discussion before Ihvon goes to follow Tomas. It’s an actual conversation. Maksim even prefers the Bond masked, so I guess in that way they kind of have to talk to each other.

Verin and Tomas are pretty quiet in general, but still it’s not emphasized that they use the Bond to communicate that much. Perhaps this is also highlighted by Tomas’s advice to Lan that the Bond isn’t the only common language they share with their Aes Sedai.

Except for Moiraine and Lan, it’s like AT LEAST 80%. It’s the primary way they communicate. Because 1. they’re both so naturally reserved on the outside (but feel very deeply on the inside), and 2. I imagine it comes in handy to be extra good at it when you’re on the road searching for the Dragon Reborn and you don’t want everyone around you to know what you’re about.

Then there’s Stepin’s comment from s1 to Kerene, “Can you imagine their dinners?” Which is funny but also very telling. To all the other Aes Sedai and Warders, Moiraine and Lan seem pretty cold and distant, to everyone else and each other. But again, that’s by design to protect their mission. They’re just having conversations no one else can see, even other Bonded pairs. It’s like most AS and their Warders use the Bond as insurance, a fail safe even, to understand and communicate with each other, with normal human communication (i.e. TALKING) as the primary method. But for Moiraine and Lan it’s the other way around.

My POINT BEING, that this adds weight to their storyline in S2. Like they are REALLY struggling because on top of everything else, this fundamental piece of their relationship and communication is just gone. And it opens a door for Moiraine to push Lan away, when she NEVER would have been able to before, practically or emotionally. And he reels from her attacks because he’s just not as good at understanding her without the Bond, when he would have seen right through that shit before, just from feeling alone. So Tomas can say to him, you need to really listen, but 20 years of shared emotional mind reading is not that easy to bypass. You don’t learn normal person communication skills overnight. Certainly not when there’s this gaping hole in your head/heart where another person you probably knew better than yourself should be but isn’t.

Anyway, I think it just adds even more credence to why they’re both so lost throughout most of S2, especially Lan. And what makes them so badass with the Bond but so absolutely uncoordinated without it. And why every other Aes Sedai/Warder thinks they’re fuckin weird. And why we love them, because who doesn’t want to be so fundamentally understood like that? Who doesn’t want their own secret language with someone that no one else really gets, but that person gets you on a level so real it can’t be replaced? That’s what we’re all reaching for, and that’s what they have with each other. For better or worse.

[starryalpacasstuff]

Last Twilight Episode 12;

Like most people, I did not like the ending of Last Twilight. It took me a while to gather my thoughts and find time to write on the episode, but in the meantime, I've been reading what others have had to say about the show, and I have a few thoughts.

As @waitmyturtles talked about here, discussing whether or not Day should have gotten his vision back presents an ethical dilemma. I've seen a few posts of people who dislike the fandom's outrage against Day getting his vision back, talking about how his getting his vision back does not undo all that he learned and did while he was disabled. Setting aside the fact that Day did not grow through the series, (which @chalkrevelations wrote about here) a big problem for me is feeling like the narrative did a complete 180 post-episode 10. A massive portion of the show was spent with Day learning to accept his blindness and learning to work with it, and although we knew that the surgery was on the table from episode one, it ended up feeling like it came out of nowhere in the final episode. One of the main reasons for this, I think, is because the show barely brought up the surgery in the first 3/4ths of the show (I can think of like 2 instances where it was mentioned) and then it's dropped onto us by Mhon and Night crashing Day and Mhok's date, after which everything became about the surgery. Up till the third quarter of the show, I had enjoyed that the story had such a tight storyline, with such clear intentions. But then the show veered into a very different direction post episode 10, which made the show feel completely different to what it was.

As @waitmyturtles says in her post, it could have been so much better if Day was able to actively choose the surgery, and that we, as an audience, got to see him actually consider the various paths that lay before him. For the surgery to have made sense, narratively speaking, the story would have to be slightly different. You don't just spend 10 episodes of a show working towards a theme and then end the show with the exact opposite of the theme. The final two episodes felt like they were of a completely different show (now, doesn't that sound familiar).

While we're talking about feeling betrayed by the narrative, I want to talk about Mee, and Last Twilight the book. They managed to fuck up Mee's story, and I am aghast. The significance of Mee's story, especially the ending, was completely thrown out by the episode, in particular the montage, which had me fuming. What happened to Day understanding what the author meant to convey by Mee's ending while Mhok didn't, because he felt a sense of kinship with the author's daughter, who Mee was based upon? Mee's story had reliably predicted Day's almost to the end, so what happened? They tried to subvert the ending of the novel, with Day 'reflecting' on Mee's story in the background of the montage. But all that it did was completely go against everything that the show and the novel had stood for.

Life amidst that dilemma caused me to forget what it was like to live a normal life, or how happy I could be.

Sincerely, what the fuck? A huge part of Last Twilight was Day finding, creating a new normal with Mhok. Day learning that his blindness didn't make him abnormal. But this completely erases that. It's saying that living as a blind person, Day wasn't living a normal life, nor was he truly happy.

When Mhok finished reading the story to Day, Day understood. He understood why the author chose to end the story that way, because he understood that being blind for the rest of his life wasn't a curse. He understood Mee, understood her joy, understood that she hadn't disappeared, understood that the ending of the book wasn't tragic.

What Day says here, is that he was heartbroken about Mee's fate because he related to her and felt like they shared the same fate, but he realizes that his story doesn't need to be the same as Mee's.

Isn't Day feeling pity for Mee here? Isn't he doing exactly what he broke up with Mhok for, viewing Mee as some tragic figure, when 6 years ago he had understood that Mee was not someone he needed to feel sorry for? I've posted about how important it was that Mee's story's ending was written with Mee rejoicing, rather than being written as a tragedy. It was so important that Day understood the author's intentions, rather than viewing it as a tragic story. So then, what changed? I don't know, this may be a bit of a stretch, but these lines just seem so wrong, and hypocritical coming from Day.

The intended purpose of this message seems to have been hope for a new, better life. But, if Day's blindness was the worst chapter of his life, what was the point of him learning to accept his blindness, to live with it, and what was the point of showing it to us?

Before the final episode aired, I had said that I hoped that we'd get a nod to Mee's story in the end, to add onto the impact and relevance of Mee's story in Day's. What we got instead, was a preachy reflection that went against everything that the first 10 episodes of the show had stood for, accompanied by a useless montage that completely upended the significance of the stories of both the show and the novel.

In the few minutes this montage lasted, it managed to successfully tear down everything that the first 10 episodes had shown us, everything that Mee's story had told us. Borrowing this one from @lurkingshan's tags in this post, how can a creator misunderstand their own narrative so badly?

I hesitate to use the term ableist to describe the last episode. But what I'm getting from this montage is that Day believes that he was neither normal nor happy while he was blind, and believes that it was the worst chapter of his life. Mee's story, one that is based on a little girl who was going blind, is shown as tragic, in contrast to Day's 'happy and normal' life. And that message seems pretty ableist to me. Which also makes me wonder, how much did Day really 'learn' from his time as a blind person? Because from what I'm getting from this montage, it wasn't a whole lot.

[whywoulditho]

I'm glad, that DC writers are changing constantly and therefore the characters are protected from the Bat-family. The Bats are the cancer of DC comics. There wouln't be any independant characters anymore if they could gez their grubby hands on the other DC families

That's another way to look at it.. I agree that they're trying a bit too hard to connect every character to the bats' storyline. so you might have a point there. maybe it would create more bad than good if they let batfam authors interfere with the other storylines... but i still wouldn't call the bats the cancer of DC. I think if you took the bats out of DC, it would lose like half of its charm and quality.

with all that being said though, i still think the biggest problem of DC romances (or comic book romance in general) lies in each run having separate authors. think about why harley x ivy worked. it's because both of those characters already existed before they got together. both of them were loved villains and later anti-heroes, they both have their own story, their own past and their own redemption arcs. they're both INTERESTING. and when DC made the risky choice of making them a couple, it worked.

i'm not saying it would work with any other characters, or that they should make all their major characters date each other. but if you want to explore romance in your comics you have to give the readers an actual relationship, involving two realistically written and interesting people. not a major character and their accessory love interest. that's my issue with tim x bernard, or jon x jay. no one will get attached to, or even invested in, these relationships because we don't know anything about the love interests. they're just some random people. even if you try to give them personalities they will still not have a story outside of their relationship with the major character. bernard and jay were only created so tim and jon would have someone to kiss. it's hard to care about them, and therefore their relationship. they're just boring romance side plots.

you can introduce a character with the sole purpose of making them a couple with one of your major characters and still make it work, like batman and catwoman. you can create chemistry with a new character just as well as you can with already existing ones. but i think we need more of the first option. less last minute love interests and more people falling in love. i think what makes DC special is that they show us so many different versions of their major characters, we get to see them grow and change (take notes, marvel) so it wouldn't be off-brand to see already existing major characters, like superboy and robin, ending up together. not when it's DC. to be honest i think it would be like super iconic of them to do that. and i also think that DC fans would much rather have their favorite characters end up with the kind of person they went through hell and back with instead of like, a random citizen. tim and kon have so many parallels. they're both people who didn't have to be heroes at all, but still chose to do it. they both struggle with carrying a mantle too big and the fact that they were not chosen for it makes them even more insecure. they also have a past together, they're close friends, they would take a bullet for each other. so much potential. dont even get me started on damian and jon. those two are like, literal mirrors of their fathers. they have huge legacies on their shoulders and they're like quite literally the only people that could understand one another. again, so. much. potential. i'm not saying they have to be together, but if DC was gonna write romance for these characters I wish it could have been with each other.

[itjazzbicch]

Interesting Rivalry

Pairing: MK1!Reiko x Fem Reader

First time writing for Reiko, so I hope I did well and you all enjoy!

Summary: Being second in command under General Shao, the reader believes that Reiko is jealous of her and while handling duties during the Sun Do Festival, their “rivalry” takes an interesting turn…

(Also this does not take place during the MK1 Storyline. Just a random fic. I main Reiko, wanted some spiciness so here we are lol)

Warnings: SMUT! (18+ ONLY! MINORS & AGELESS BLOGS DNI! YOU WILL BE BLOCKED!) (Swearing, mentions of previous wars, unprotected sex, soft choking)

Word Count: 1.5k

“Do you really think that’s appropriate to be wearing, Y/N? We may be at the festival, but we’re on duty.”

“Reiko,” I huffed, swatting my hand at him, “I understand you take your job beyond seriously, but I can still do mine while honoring the festival traditions with my costume.”

“Pfft,” He rolled his eyes, following alongside me as we were doing our patrol, not thinking that I heard the slick comment under his breath, “I still have no idea why General Shao made you second in command.”

“I’m convinced that you think that you’re the only person who has experienced war. You’re not. There are others who have lived through it, have fought through it. That’s why General Shao chose me,” I explained, darting an eye at him with my hand on the hilt of my sword, “Or you can see for yourself. It’ll explain it all much better.”

“Are you threatening me?” He growled, stopping in his tracks, and I finally had enough of him, getting right in his face:

“Next time, it’ll be a promise, if you keep it up with this jealously that you have towards me.”

“Jealous? You think-“

Mid-sentence, we both heard a scream, our little dispute being put on hold as I followed the scream.

Our only duty for the night was to make sure everyone was safe and enjoying the festival.

Ignoring Reiko behind me, I noticed some civilians who were visibly intoxicated were trying to set off fireworks.

It was knocked over and flying all over the place.

In a flash, my blade not visible to others naked eye, but I sliced it in two, my trajectory sending into the sky.

“Wow, Lieutenant Y/N! You’re amazing!” The civilians were impressed, returning their kind compliment with a smile:

“You’re too kind. I’ve noticed that you’ve been having a little too much fun. Let’s get you all home.”

I was scolded time to time by my fellow military comrades for being “too kind”, but Outworld was at peace and one way to make sure our people were happy and felt safe was by being kind and showing we cared.

“Sure you don’t want to stick around for a few drinks, Lieutenant?”

“Yeah! A beautiful thing like you deserves a nice drink after working as hard as you do.”

“A generous offer that I appreciate, but I am on duty. Maybe another time,” I laughed, getting them to their destination.

Still laughing, I returned to find Reiko waiting, a disgusted look on his face.

“What?” I scoffed, paying close attention as he went to speak, then started laughing, shaking his head:

“I’m not even going to waste my breath.”

“That’s it,” I huffed out with anger, taking stance in front of him, “General Shao can punish me however he pleases. I’m sick of you always treating me the way you do and being a wise crack.”

“So willing to lose your position?” He teased, also taking stance.

As I stayed still and thought about it, trying to fight him was stupid, fixing my posture and turning my back.

“Now that I think about it, you’re not worth it. Go patrol the third route. Not like you’d be a challenge, anyways.”

I was shaking as the temptation to fight was vigorous, but I decided to be mature and walk away.

Watching some fireworks for a moment eased that feeling, till I felt someone take my hand.

“Oh no. We’re settling this. One way or another,”

We were right by one of our patrol stations and before I could speak, he was taking me inside and I couldn’t understand what this overwhelming feeling was when his lips met mine.

“That’s if you can even handle it,” Winking at me made my heart race more, cocking my eyebrow at him.

“We’re on duty,” I said sternly, but his laugh sparked a wild fire within me:

“Buhaha! I thought I was the one who ‘took my job too seriously’.”

I don’t know what overtook me, suddenly grabbing his waistband, pulling so our hips together.

“Don’t think I’m so fragile and innocent,” I smirked, seeing the rush wave through his bright eyes with my next whisper, “Show me what you’re made of.”

Looking towards the window, we both listened to the booming fireworks, music, distant chatter, seeing some civilians pass by.

Kissing with a hand softly taking my throat, he moved us out of sight, throwing me back on the small desk in the tower, nearly tearing my skirt while snatching away my panties.

“Hasn’t anyone every taught you to treat a lady, you brute?” I scolded, fixing my skirt, being silenced by the strength he put into his hands, gripping my hips and pulling them off the edge of the desk.

“This isn’t exactly what you’d call a treat,” He smirked, watching between my legs, “I told you, we’re settling this. I’m settling this.”

“Actions speak louder than-“ My head dropped back hard along with my jaw at how his cock nearly tore me in two, balls deep with just one thrust, making my voice crack, “W-Wor-ah!”

“Just shut up and take me, huh?” He snickered, beginning to roll his hips with a quickening tempo.

“You shut up,” I whistled through my teeth, hard to believe how easily he had me crumbling beneath him, but enjoying every ounce of pleasure, having a war in my mind over it.

What little noise I was making was dying to be turned into screams. There was a pool of heat building up that I was already close to drowning in, hiding my face behind my hands, so desperate that I was biting the back of my hand.

“Oh c’mon, Y/N,” Slowing his thrusts, he fixed my legs against his chest and shoulders, then quickly snatched my wrists to keep them pinned and exposing my face, “You know you don’t want to be so quiet. I can see it all over your face.”

The vein in my neck was throbbing so hard that I was afraid it may explode, going to try and speak, but only hollow moans came out, a sting in my eyes as he pushed my legs towards me by leaning, his tip smacking so deep that my whole body jolted, making me scream out:

“Damn, Reiko!”

All I could hear were the explosions of fireworks and his damned laugh, putting my pride and ego to the side as the jolts in my hips became uncontrollable, walls pulsating and burning up so much that a tear rolled down my cheek.

“Reiko! Reiko! S-Shi-“

His weight on top of me had me panting as he leaned further to meet my nose with his, enjoying every second of me being submissive.

“Cum on my dick,” He smiled against my cheek, very much right with his next words, “You know you want to.”

“Shit, I’m cuming,” I said more so to myself, cracking like a stone, the orgasm running towards me was so powerfully, I needed something to hold onto, able to break his grip again and let my nails dig into his forearms, “Reiko, I-; Ngh! Damn it!”

“By the, ngh-“ My back arched with my walls having a death grip around his cock, making him groan and immediately have to pull out, holding himself tightly, “You said you weren’t so innocent, right?”

When I went to pick myself up and stand, my legs ached, not bothering to fight it and falling to my knees, pushing his hand away and taking his cock, pumping as my lips closed around his tip, looking up through my lashes as I felt his hand on my head.

“How obedient and sweet, you are,” He teased, eyes closing tight with a rumble as his hot seed shot into the back of my throat, slowly stroking out every drop.

Picking my head up with my jaw a bit hung, I showed that I swallowed every drop, breathing out:

“I just didn’t want you making a mess on one of my favorite festival costumes.”

“Right,” His eyes rolled with a laugh, looking towards the window and quickly fixing himself, instructing me, “Up. Now.”

“Who is it? I can’t thanks to you,” I tried to stand but couldn’t I was so worn down, but he picked me up gently, sitting me down in the chair in the corner.

“It’s General Shao,”

“Shit-“ Sore or not, I had to get up, but he sat me back down, assuring:

“Just sit. I’ll take care of it. I’m sure he only wants a report since you walked those civilians home.”

Staying put, I watched out the window as he went out to General Shao, listening as best I could, hearing him say at one point:

“Great Lieutenant Y/N is, General.”

That put a smile on my face because it sounded like he truly meant it, in that moment, seeing his gaze find mine through the window, flashing a smile and waving and the face he made in return made me burst out in laughter, watching and saying to myself:

“Oh, Reiko. Don’t you dare think this is over. This was only round one.”

2023 © itjazzbicch — do not repost or translate my work. Likes, reblogs, and comments are always welcome

[ghoulphile]

I absolutely love ur fics!! And I want to write fics of my own soon (not for fallout yet..) can u give me any advice/tips? How do u try to write down the characters as accurate as possible?

Aww thank you so much!!

That's awesome, I'm glad you're getting into writing ❤️

I'm more than happy to talk about what works for me; however, no two writers are alike so some things might resonate and some might not.

Take what does, and leave what doesn't.

Read - a lot. Published works, fanfic, poetry, novellas, series, oneshots, longfic; read it all. Explore different genres and storylines. Find what you like about them, and what you dislike. What makes them good or bad in your opinion. Play around with what you'd do differently if it was your story. All of this will help you figure out a few things: one being what you personally like in storytelling, and two the basic structure of storytelling/what makes it compelling.

Find your voice. We all have a unique tone when telling a story, verbally or otherwise. Figuring out what your personal voice is will help you write authentically but also I can guarantee you're going to be 10,000x more happy with what you come up with.

Showing vs telling is a delicate balance. Sometimes things need to be written out plainly, and other times it works better if you add more meat to the sentence. An example would be: she's angry vs her heart rate pulsed in her temples, her fists shaking at her sides as a wave of heat rolled through her body. While they both convey the same thing, one can be more engaging to read over another.

Sometimes you have to write the boring bits - and write them plainly - to further the plot.

Most people are not a walking thesaurus, and using big fancy words like you're writing a dissertation can be very off putting. Absolutely use stronger words if you can, but you don't need to be using furfuraceous to replace scaly.

Additionally, forward momentum: one action should always lead into another which leads into another and so on.

A first draft is never pretty (if you decide to do multiple drafts) and that's okay.

If you get stuck, go back several sentences. Sometimes we write ourselves into a corner without realizing. OR add what you want in brackets and move on if you're getting hung up on certain parts. An example being something like: He was [find word for mix of angry and sad] but had to stiffen his upper lip and move about his day as if [insert phrase mentioning what happened earlier]. Worse case, put it down for a day or so and come back to it later with fresh eyes.

As mad as it makes me, and as hilarious as it is... writing in Comic Sans helps. RIP.

Saying your sentence out loud can help you figure out if something is off, and saying your dialogue out loud can help determine if it's something an actual person would say.

Taking your time and being patient is the best thing you can do for your creativity otherwise you might burn yourself out.

I find music helpful so I create playlists for every fic I write that matches the vibe I'm going for. Additionally, I have pre-writing rituals that help me get into the headspace.

Yes, cryofreeze your darlings - put them somewhere safe for later. You can use those sentences for something else, they don't need to be completely deleted.

As for keeping characters... well, in character, it depends. Watching/listening to/reading whatever media they're in and paying close attention to the words they say + how they say them + if they have any specific phrases, the way they move + their actions + how they react to things helps a lot. Personally, I keep little lists of things I've noticed that I can refer to if I need them. And sometimes, you just have to suspend your disbelief a little and determine how someone might react to the particular situation you've put the character in. When it comes to that, I tend to think back on when I've been in similar situations or have felt the way they should in that scene, and use how I've reacted as a touchstone.

Write what YOU'D want to read.

And most importantly, HAVE FUN.

I hope this helped, nonnie~!!

Happy writing, you've got this 🥰

[canonicallyobserving911]

Eddie journals his thoughts: Entry #125 - Parental Conversations and Confrontations

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

Part 2 is now available on AO3

New Buddie Fanfic - It's been more than two months and I'm still pissed about that BS "Vertigo" storyline because I hated it and I wish TM would have written something better for Eddie. There were several options but he just chose to use some wacky foolery because he likes it instead of considering the audience's response to it.

Eddie journals his thoughts: Entry #125 - Parental Conversations and Confrontations - Eddie journals about his strained relationship with his parents.

Eddie journals his thoughts: Entry #125 - Parental Conversations and Confrontations

5.6K Words; Rated: Teen And Up Audiences

___________

Here's a snippet from Eddie's journal entry that he wrote after his therapy session with his parents.

___________

It’s Friday, November 1st and I’m sitting here journaling about how frustrated I am regarding the therapy session I had with my parents when I should be getting ready for my boyfriend, soon to be fiancé to come home. During the session, my mom said something that was so ridiculous that I responded, “I have moved on” before I even realized it. I’m in love with Buck and I have been for years but the idea of trying to replace Shannon kept me holding onto the past… but I’m not going to do that anymore.

Me and Buck deserve to be happy and we will be. I’ve already purchased his engagement ring and I’m going to propose to him Thanksgiving Day while we’re in Malibu, CA. He doesn’t know anything about it and I have a lot of plans for us because we’re spending the entire weekend in a 5-star hotel. I’ve been working extra shifts to pay for it and Chris’ airplane ticket because he’s going to El Paso with Tía Pepa since we have to work and we won’t get off until noon on the holiday. I can’t wait until I can call him my husband and I believe he’s going to say yes when I pop the question.

I guess I should end this entry on a positive note because my overall goal for inviting my parents to join my therapy was two-fold. First, I wanted to improve our relationship, I mean the one I have with my dad is good but the one with my mom has always been built on a pile of sand that the tide could wash away at any moment and that’s partly my fault because I never spoke up and told her how the things she’s said affected me and my family. The second reason is because I’m in love with the love of my life and I will NOT let my mom treat Buck the way she treated Shannon.

What else did Eddie include in his journal entry about his parents? 👀

___________

Eddie journals his thoughts - Currently 2 Completed Works; 11K Words: Rated; General Audiences: This is a FANON series I’ve created and titled “Eddie Journals His Thoughts” and it will include several journal entries he writes as a healthy way to therapeutically process and work through the thoughts and feelings he had at the end of season 7.  Some of the things he writes will be heavy and emotionally angsty while others will be domestically and romantically fluffy.  As previously mentioned, I HATED the way 9-1-1 didn’t let him talk to anyone about the way he was feeling at the end of 7x10 and it pissed me off when they let his parents abruptly show up and take Chris to El Paso, Texas with them.

Part 1: Eddie journals his thought: Entry #118 - Future Tense - Eddie journal about his future.

Part 2: Eddie journals his thoughts: Entry #125 - Parental Conversations and Confrontations - Eddie journals about his strained relationship with his parents.

Now Available on AO3

[bellaireland1981]

Starting Over | 6

Summary: You come home to work to find your husband of three years in bed with your supposed best friend. It’s the wake up call you finally needed to take your two year old daughter and get the hell out of Texas. With nowhere to go you head to your big brother in San Diego. The sagger squad takes you under their wings, and shows you what having a family means. You get a fresh start… will you find your happily ever after?

Characters: Jake “hangman” Seresin x Sister! Reader, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Seresin! Reader (Eventually), Hangman x Phoenix (eventually) , Adorable OC Gracie!   The Dagger squad

Word Count: 3041 - shorter chapter but didn’t wanna leave y’all hanging!

Warnings: Angst, fighting, cheating husband, emotional abuse, eventual fluff, smut in later chapters, Sweet uncle Jake, Adorable Rooster with a toddler… if I miss any please let me know.

A/N: I don’t own the characters or storyline for Top Gun Maverick. All OC’s are mine. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ANYONE TO COPY OR REPOST MY WORK TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM! DON’T STEAL! Reblogs, likes and comments ALWAYS welcomed. THANK YOU @waywardodysseys​ and  @beyondthesefourwalls​ as always for reading over my work and helping me flush out ideas!!

Taglist is open! If I missed anyone who asked to be tagged, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM  to be added. It’s getting to hard to keep track of asks.

CH 1  CH 2  CH 3  Ch 4  Ch 5

Jake came flying out of the house, Nat hot on his heels. They both ran down to where Bradley was already positioning himself in between you and Trent, who had decided to get brave and get out of the car.

“Tulip, go inside with Phoenix and call the police.” Jake said, “The bastard isn’t getting past us.”

You were shaking as Bradley helped you out of the Bronco, Nat close by to get you into the house.

“It’s ok, Baby.” Bradley said, kissing your forehead, “Nothing is going to happen, go with Nix.”

“Well isn’t this a cozy little scene.” Trent drawled, coming towards the group. Bradley and Jake immediately shifted to block his path to you. “You get all high and mighty about me hooking up with Steph, and here you are running off to whore yourself out leaving big brother to take care of the brat.”

Bradley lunged towards Trent ready to tear him apart, but Jake held him back, needing to keep Trent from getting close to you.

“Shut your fucking mouth you worthless piece of shit.” Jake said, “Y/N, go inside with Nix.”

You let Phoenix guide you inside, keeping your eyes locked on the ground, focusing on getting inside and to your daughter.

Once you were safely inside Jake and Bradley turned their full attention on Trent.

“I came here to collect what’s mine.” Trent said, bowing up against the two men. “I’ve had enough of that bitch sister of yours and her tantrum. She’s my wife and will be comin’ home with me.”

“If you keep running your mouth and speaking disrespectually towards Y/N, I’ll be putting my fist through your face, you piece of shit.” Bradley said, “Then Jake will finish off what’s left of you. So I suggest you listen to what’s going to happen.”

“I don’t have to listen to anything you limp dick jet jockies have to say.” Trent spewed, “I’ve got a marriage license that says I can do whatever the fuck I want with that little Bitch.”

Without warning, Jake drew his fist back and sent it flying into Trent’s face, causing the man’s head to snap back with the impact. Blood instnatly started to flow from his nose that had obviously just been broken.

“Well, we did try to warn you.” Bradley said, shrugging  “Are you ready to listen now?”

“There’s a court order of protection that you are in violation of.” Jake said, getting right into Trent’s face, “You aren’t allowed within 500 feet of my sister or my niece. The police are on their way, so we’ve got a few minutes to set you straight on some things. First of all, when your sorry ass gets released from jail, where you are 100% going tonight, you are going to take your ass back to Texas. You’re going to contact your lawyer and tell him you agree to whatever terms Y/N has in the divorce papers and you’re going to fucking sign them. In addition to giving her what she wants in the divorce, you’re going to sign off any parental rights you have to Gracie. You are going to forget you ever met my sister, married her and had a baby with her. You get zero rights to my niece. Are we clear?”

“And what if I don’t?” Trent had the bad sense to ask. “I’ve got access to money and can afford to keep this going in court indefinitly. Y/N is just poor trash from the wrong side of the tracks. Alcoholic abusive father and a useless mother… nobody’s gonna help her out.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Bradley said, “She’s got a lot of people behind her. She has unlimited resources and a stronger force backing her. Most importantly, if you don’t agree to the terms that Jake laid out, we will absolutely use the remaining time we have before the police get here to…convince you that our terms are your best option.”

“I’ll have you arrested for assult.” Trent said, fear now creeping into this voice. “I’ll sue you both and go after your fucking careers.”

“You can try.” Jake said, “But we’ve got connections pretty high up on the chain of command that take exception to pond scum dickless assholes that terrorize women and children. And the ‘assult’ you incurred tonight? I’d say that’s just self-defense, wouldn’t you Rooster?”

“Oh, definitely, Hangman.” He replied, “I saw him go after Y/N then you. You were defending yourself and your sister. I’d say he’s a direct threat to Gracie too.”

“Tick-Toc, Asshole.” Jake said, “It’s decision time. What’s it gonna be?”

Trent lunged at Jake, swinging and missing. Bradley grabbed him from behind, yanking his arms and pulling them up and behind his back at a painful angle. He yelped in pain, but still struggled against him.

Jake took the opportunity to drive a solid, strong punch into the man’s middle, knocking the air completely from his lungs and causing him to drop. Bradley used the forward momentum to faceplant him into the ground, keeping his arms secured behind his back and kneeled down to place a knee in his back, effectively subduing him.

“Not a wise choice, Trent.” Jake said, “Have a change of heart yet?”

“Fuck you” he weezed.

“From what I’ve heard from Tulip you don’t have the equipment to do any fucking…” Jake laughed, humorlessly.

Phoenix stepped out onto the front porch taking in the scene and making sure they don’t need backup.

“Police should be here shortly.” She called down, “Mav and the squad are also enroute.”

“Oh, did you hear that you spineless piece of shit?” Bradley asked, “The calvery is on their way. Who do you think will make it here first, Jake?”

“My money’s on our squad.” he replied, “Family always steps up when you need them.”

“I agree.” Bradley said, “They’ll be coming in hot and ready to neutralize any threat.”

“Are you a threat, Trent?” Jake asked.

“I’ll sign the fucking papers.” He said, “The bitch isn’t worth the fucking effort. Neither is the little bastard girl.”

Bradley “accidently” slipped, his weight digging into Trent’s back, causing him to cry out in pain, his arm now essentially being wrenched out of socket by the pressure and unnatural angle it was being held in.

“Oops, my bad.” He said, “Foot slipped.”

Jake laughed, “Careful, Rooster. I’d hate for this man to accidently end up with any more broken bones. It would be such a shame.”

“As much fun as you two are having down there.” Phoenix said, “Y/N could use one of you inside and Gracie woke up.”

“Shit.” Bradley said, “Go on, Man. I’ve got him.”

“It’s probably better if it’s you, Rooster.” He said, “I’ll talk to the cops when they get here.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, not wanting to get in the way, knowing how protective Jake was of his sister, but also dying to get in there to hold you.

“Go.” Jake replied, smiling when he saw how antsy Bradley was to get to you. “I’ve got it. I hear sirens anyway and I’m sure the Mav and the others will be here soon. Phoenix, can you make sure Gracie is ok?”

“Absolutely.” She replied, turning to go back into the house. Bradley thanked Jake and bounded up the walk, taking the steps two at a time.

Inside, Phoenix let him know you and Gracie were in your room. She followed him in to collect Gracie and give you a chance to calm down with Bradley.

“Sweetheart, it’s just me.” Bradley said knocking before opening the door and entering the room. The sight of you curled up on the bed, clinging to Gracie shattered him. He hated seeing you so broken. It made him want to go back outside and beat the piece of shit all over again. He quickly made his way over to you.

Gracie lifted her sleepy eyes to Bradley when he got to the side of the bed. “Woosta, Mommy sad.” she whispered.

“Yes she is, Princess.” He replied softly, “But you’re doing such a good job making her feel better.”

“Gracie, do you want to come cuddle with me and watch Beauty and the Beast?” Phoenix asked, “Or Moana?”

“Moana, pwease.” She replied.

“Sweetheart, Nix is going to get Gracie settled again, ok?” Bradley said, gently sitting down on the side of the bed, his hand coming up to rest on your leg. The contact of his warm hand against your skin pulled you back to the present. Blinking, and processing his words you nodded.

Kissing Gracie’s head, she whispered, “Mommy loves you Gracie Girl.”

“Wuv you too Mommy” She replied before Phoenix picked her up and offered a soft, sympathetic smile before taking her out of the room.

“Is he gone?” You asked, once they’d left the room.

“Not yet.” Bradley said, “Jake has him on the ground though waiting on the police. Nix called Mav and the rest of the squad so they’re probably close now too.”

“I’m so sorry, Bradley.” You whispered, emotions bubbling up and choking you.

“Baby, there is absolutely nothing for you to be sorry for.” He said firmly, moving closer to you and pulling you up into a seated position. He kicked his shoes off and moved onto the bed so he was once more seated behind you, your back resting against his chest. Your head laid against his shoulder and he ducked his head so his cheek was resting against yours. “It’ll be over soon, Sweetheart. I promise. Jake and I convinced him signing the papers…including forfeiting his parental rights…was in his best interest.”

“I don’t want you and Jakey to get in trouble.” You said, “Your careers…”

“Nothing will happen to our careers, Sweetheart.” He assured you, “But even if he did try to press charges against us, or file complaints with the Navy, neither Jake or I would let him get his hands on you or Gracie.”

“Thank you.” You said quietly. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you out there.”

“You’re so strong, Y/N.” He said confidently, “You’d have stood up to him and put him in his place. I just couldn’t bare to stand by and watch him get close to you.”

You turned in his embrace enough to be able to pull his head down lower, your lips landing softly on his. You needed the contact to ground you. It wasn’t a heated or rushed kiss, rather, it was slow and tender, the reassurance you both needed that the other was in fact there and OK.

A soft knock on the door, followed by Jake peeking his head in.

“Tulip, I hate to have to do this, but the police need your statement and a copy of the protection order.” He said, “They’re in the living room, so you won’t have to see him.”

“Ok.” You said, your voice shaky, “Are you OK Jakey?”

“I’m fine, Tulip” He assured you, a smile on his face, “You Ok?”

“I will be.” You said, getting up from the bed and moving towards Jake, “Thank you Bubs.”

“Just doin’ my job, Tulip.” He replied, smiling as he pulled you into a hug. “No way I’m letting anyone mess with my baby sister.”

Bradley got up and walked over to where you were both standing. “Did Mav and the others get here?”

“Yeah, they’re waiting outside until the police leave.” He replied, looking at you “They wanna see you for themselves and make sure you’re ok.”

Bradley put his arm around your waist, “Whenever you’re ready Sweetheart.”

You took a deep breath before walking out to the living room where the officers were waiting.

You grabbed the order of protection papers Lauren had given you and showed them to the officers when they asked to see it. You answered all of their questions before they left, letting you know someone would be in touch when he was released, and reminded you to call your lawyer to inform her of the events.

After thanking the officers they left the house, Mav and the rest of the Dagger squad filed in immediately after.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Mav said, pulling you into a hug, “Are you ok? Is Gracie OK?”

“We’re both Ok” You assured him, hugging him back. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course!” He said, “Wish I would have gotten here quicker. Would have liked a turn with that son of a bitch.”

“From the looks of it, Hangman and Rooster had it under control.” Payback said, “I’m glad you’re ok, Y/N.”

“Thank you.” you replied, “It means a lot that you all came running.”

“You’re family, Y/N.” Coyote reminded you, “Nobody messes with our family.”

“It’s a family I’m more than happy to be a part of.” You said smiling at everyone.

“Is our Gracie girl sleeping?” Bob asked.

“She’s in her room with Phoenix.” You said, “She was trying to get her back to sleep. I should go check on her.”

“I’ve got it.” Jake said, “Relax a bit, Tulip. You’ve had a rough night.”

“The night was great until the last hour.” You replied smiling, looking up at Bradley, who hadn’t left your side.

“Well I’m glad to hear THAT.” Jake replied, turning to go to Gracie’s room.

“We all just wanted to check on you, Y/N.” Mav said, “We’ll get out of your hair so you can get some rest. Call us if you need anything?”

“I will.” You promised, “Thank you again, so much.”

“No thanks needed.” He smiled, “Take care of her, Rooster.”

“I will, Mav.” He replied, smiling.

They all hugged you before heading out, leaving you alone in the living room with Bradley.

“Come here, Sweetheart.” He said, pulling you into him, wrapping his arms around you, his forehead resting against your own.  Your arms wrapped around his waist, hands pressing against his back.  The two of you stood wrapped in each other’s arms, breathing slowly and processing everything that happened.

“Well that was one hell of a way to end a first date.” You said, attempting to lighten the moment. Bradley chucked, pulling his head back in order to look at you.

“It was definitely memorable.” He smirked, “But let’s focus on the good parts of the date… like… this.” He leaned forward connecting his lips to yours in another slow, tender kiss. Once again, neither of you in a hurry, just taking comfort in the other.

“I think that’s a great idea.” You replied when you’d pulled apart.

“Gracie is out.” Jake said, coming into the living room with Phoenix.

“Good. Thank you both so much.” You said, “For watching her tonight and for making sure she was safe.”

“Of course.” Phoenix said, coming over to hug you. “Are you Ok?”

“Yeah.” You replied, calmer now, “I’m OK. I’m going to call my lawyer in the morning to let her know. I’m just worried now what will happen when he’s released.”

“As soon as we know when that will be, we can make plans to make sure you’re not alone.” Jake said, “He’s not getting a second chance to get close.”

“I’ll knock him the fuck out permanently before I let him get near you, Sweetheart.” Bradley added, “We gave him plenty of warnings this time. We won’t give him that courtesy next time.”

“For now, it’s late and it’s been a lot tonight. You need to try to get some rest.” Jake said. “We all should, Gracie will be up early.”

“Will you stay?” You asked Bradley, “If you want…”

“Wasn’t planning on going anywhere, Sweetheart.” He replied, “Let’s go get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Jakey” You said, hugging your brother, then turned to hug Phoenix, “Goodnight, Nat.”

“Goodnight.” They replied.

As you and Bradley walked back to your room, you heard your brother ask Phoenix to stay. You hoped it meant they’d had a chance to talk before everything went sideways.

Once in your room and the door was closed, Bradley pulled you into his arms again, just needing to hold you for his own well being. After a while you pulled back, looking up to smile softly at him.

“Thank you for staying.” You whispered. “I feel safe with you.”

“Baby, I need to be here with you, holding you, just as much for me as for you” He admitted, “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway without having you next to me.”

“I didn’t see our first date ending like this, but… despite the reasons behind it…I’m not sad about it.” You replied.

“I could have done without seeing you so upset because that about broke me,” He replied, “But getting to spend the night with you is a big bonus.”

After changing out of your dress into a tank top and sleep shorts, you climbed into bed, scooting over to leave room for Bradley. He came back in from the bathroom, his shirt open to reveal his undershirt.

“Bradley, you're not going to be comfortable sleeping in that.” You teased him.

“I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable.” He said.

“Get comfy, Bradley” You smiled, “And please get in bed.”

Smirking, he playfully did his victory wiggle dance you’d seen him do when playing yard games on dinner nights. You laughed as he shrugged out of the button up shirt, pulling the undershirt over his head. He paused, looking at you for confirmation before he reached for the button on his pants, sliding them down until they were on the floor, leaving him in only his boxers. He stepped away from his clothes and got into the bed, facing you. You scooted over closer to him and he immediately pulled you in close, tucking you into his arms.  You released a deep sigh, all of the tension leaving your body. You wrapped your arm around his waist, and felt the tension leave his body as well.

“Goodnight, Sweetheart.” He said, kissing your forehead.

“Goodnight, Bradley,” You replied, tipping your head up and leaning in to kiss him softly.  

The two of you drifted off into a content and deep sleep. It was probably the best you’d slept in a very long time.

A/N-- Protective Bradley and Big Bro Jake! Whole DAGGER team in force! How are we feeling???

Taglist: 

@gracespicybradshaw​

@friendly-neighborhood-peter​

@oneelleandaneye​

@super-btstrash-posts​

@mygyn​

@emma8895eb​

@kitty-moonflower-blog

awesomebooklover17,

krismdavis,

Jayniebop,

Hisredheadedgoddess28,

jstarr86,

@cherrycola27​,

@harrysgothicbitch​ ,

@caidi-paris

@senjoritanana​

@bethabear12,

@flyinlove

, fulla02 ,

@sophham​

@itsdesiree86​

[thebeautysurrounds]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how people’s reactions to certain queer shows and something I think we need to examine how we treat more ‘dark’ and ‘emotional’ shows versus more ‘happy’ shows in this case I’m gonna be talking about the “debate” between Young Royals and Heartstopper.

Firstly these shows exist in two different lanes, and draw in two different audiences and potential age ranges, in my opinion, Young Royals is for older teenagers (think juniors or seniors or someone who is about to graduate high school and is going into college) while Heartstopper is geared towards those who are just starting high school or in the middle of it and is in that transitional period of their lives. Obviously, if you are not in these age ranges you can still consume and enjoy these shows, But I want to discuss how people act like they both can’t exist and you can’t like both or both shows existing for a reason. I’ve never really been a fan of punching down or belittling queer media (unless it’s harmful) Queer media in all forms is still lacking (especially those mediums centering WLW relationships). That being said the debate of which show is better is honestly so tired.

For people who say Young Royals is so much better (don’t get me wrong it is an amazing show and by all means like whatever you want) but liking it more because it’s “darker and more realistic” compared to Heartstopper which is "much happier" and "unrealistic," To me is so disingenuous because firstly so what? campy shows that feature queer characters deserve to be unrealistic, What's wrong with being unrealistic? Queer media has been subject to the Burry Your Gays narrative for decades or extremely unhealthy tropes and storylines so what's so wrong with having storylines and shows that are unrealistic or extremely happy? (even though the themes in Heartstopper are realistic).

Have you thought about how that may be an intentional choice? Now bare with me here this may be my over-analytic brain at work but Heartstopper has more or less some of the same themes as Young Royals just shot in a very vibrant and colorful manner to showcase how happy and colorful young love is BUT if you actually have watched the show or read the graphic novels you would know the show and graphic novels cover some heavy themes.

SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT……

I want you to keep the song Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People in mind throughout this...I have a point I promise. Heartstopper is shot in a very poppy colorful way and in my opinion, symbolizes how when you’re young and in love everything feels warm, colorful, and vibrant. While Young Royals doesn't utilize this cinematic style they do use some form of vibrancy to convey tone and emotion. In Young Royals many of the scenes featuring Simon and Willhem's 'good moments' feature the sun especially shining on Simon when Willie is looking at him or whenever they are just in each other's company, this is especially prominent in the last scenes of the last two episodes of season 3.

So while people's criticisms of Heartstopper can be warranted (not saying you can't dislike the show) the comments that it's just so bubbly and bright just aren't true. The last season of Heartstopper saw multiple characters go through traumatic situations and it has been building up that way from the very first scenes in the first season of the show (but for the sake of time I'm only going to discuss both main characters in the two shows) Charlie not only is still struggling with being outed but is also battling with an eating disorder, this is foreshadowed throughout the first two seasons leading up to its inevitable blatant reveal when he is at dinner with Nick and his family where Nick starts to piece together why he is never hungry, passed out on the Paris trip and never finishes his food, which leads his to eventually research the signs of an ED. Nick is also still figuring himself out when it comes to his Bisexuality, while also dealing with the feelings of, feeling abandoned by his father, and having to reckon with the fact his brother is not supportive and dismissive of his sexuality and relationship.

Now before I said keep Pumped Up Kicks in mind that's because while this song has an upbeat, catchy tempo the song actually has a really dark undertone and meaning. So while Heartstopper is shot in a very vibrant colorway most of its characters and content of the show deal with dark themes and it's not all just a happy love story, and if the script for the next season follows the graphic novel closely, then we will see the characters go through even more challenges which also falls inline with the "darker" more emotionally message of the show. So to end this so it doesn't become a dissertation, both shows more or less have the same themes they just exist in two different lanes, I don't know why exactly people are fighting for one to be more valid than the other. When both can exist and be impactful to both or each audience, more queer shows need to exist where the characters are just happy and in love and I need y'all to unpack why you view more doom and gloom (for a lack of a better word) queer shows or movies are more valid than ones where the characters are just happy and have relatively in some aspects great experience when it comes to young love and figuring out one's identity. Sepreatlty why do you want these characters to suffer to find love? Why do characters have to go through something traumatic for their identity to be more valid and for you to relate and want to root for it more versus the latter?

Anyway, this was longer than I intended it to be but I just had to get my thoughts out there. TL;DR: Heartstopper and Young Royals are two great shows and if you think one is better than the other cause it has darker themes you are missing the point or probably objectively missed the dark undertones of the show, and one isn't more valuable than the other.

[lfghughes]

Half My Fault

a/n: hahaha why am i such a simp for these kind of storylines. Also thank you to the anon who requested this. Peep that John ft though, i had to

You had met Nico years ago through a mutual friend and by that you meant you had dated one of his friends. You were all in the same friend group and over the years you had become close to Nico, he had been someone you had come to trust and he genuinely became one of your friends. When you and your boyfriend ended up splitting it rocked the friend group, many of them choosing him in the break up but Nico didn’t play that game. He continued being friends with him but also you.

Your friendship with each other had only grown after that, now you two were spending a lot of time on your own versus being in a group. Then one night things had escalated slightly to a point where you realized there were shared feelings. What you didn’t want was for Nico to lose his friendship with his friend because of this and he also was conflicted about the whole situation so you both decided it was better to remain as friends.

Even though this was decided everyone still thought there was something more there with the way you two acted. You never crossed the line with one another but you were both affectionate. His hand usually finding your lower back when he was walking through crowds with you. Snuggling on your couch or his while watching a movie. But there were never any more kisses or anything past just that.

It worked but slowly over the past few weeks you had noticed Nico distancing himself a little bit and before one of his games you came to learn why. He had stopped by your place after his practice and invited you to his game later. “By the way, I’ve been seeing someone. She’s going to be there tonight too. It’s her first time but I figured you could kind of hang out and show her around so she doesn’t get too overwhelmed.” You smiled and nodded your head at him but there was a dull pain in your heart from his words.

Nico had gotten you both seats close to the tunnel they came out of and you were trying your best in talking to the girl he had been seeing but it was hard. You knew you had no right to be upset or jealous but you were. The game came and went and you were proud of your best friend for playing a good, so much so that he won first star of the night but you saw the way he looked up at her. The way he winked at her as he walked out to the ice and you were sick to your stomach.

Yet you still held yourself together as you showed her where he would be after the game. You felt like you were out of your body, just wanting to be home so you could cry about all of it but you needed to act normal. When Nico came out, he hugged you and then moved on to her before you all walked outside to the parking lot. His arm remained around her as you watched all the little things he did so naturally. The way he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, the way he smiled down at her.

“Hey, we’re all going out for some drinks, want to come? You can ride with us.” Nico told you, turning around to look at you but you shook your head. “It’s kind of late, I’m tired so I’m going to go home.” Before he could try to convince you otherwise you started walking the opposite way back to your car. You were so lost in your own thoughts that you didn’t even see Marino until you crashed into him. “Oh sorry..” You started and he shook off your apology. “It’s okay.” John told you and then his eyebrows furrowed a little. “Are you not going with Nico? We’re all going out.” 

“I don’t feel good, I just need to get home.” A look of concern passed his face as he pointed back at his car. “I can drive you home real quick if you want.” You shook your head at his offer “I have my car it’s fine.” But he was clearly worried about you and wouldn’t drop it. “I can pick you up tomorrow and come get it with you but I don’t think you should drive home if you’re not feeling good. Trust me, I’ll hate if I let you go and something happens.” 

You ended up agreeing with him because you were barely thinking already and so maybe this was the safest option. He dropped you off at your place and you immediately curled up on the couch in the comfort of all your blankets. A hour had probably passed since John had dropped you off when you heard the doorbell ring. Checking your camera because it was late you saw that it was just Nico so you went and opened the door. “What are you doing here?” You asked and he looked at you like it was a ridiculous question.

“You told me you were tired but John told me at the bar he drove you home because you weren’t feeling good. He said he was really worried about you. What happened?” Of course John had expressed his concern, why wouldn’t he? “It’s nothing. I just didn’t drink a lot of water.” Nico knew these were all excuses and he showed it clearly on his face. “This is because I’m seeing someone, isn’t?” Silence was all he got from you.

“That’s not fair, you decided we shouldn’t be something more and you can’t get upset when I find someone.” You held up your hand, stopping him from going on. “We decided not me.” Last you had checked this was something he had agreed to. “I agreed with you because it’s what you wanted but I could care less about what he thinks of me because I’m in love with you.” Silence filled the air between you again, shock at his words.

You closed the space off between the two of you and pressed your lips to his, his hands going to the sides of your face and holding you there. The kiss proving everything he just said and so much more. This felt right, more right than you could have imagined. You pulled away slightly, looking at him. “What about the girl from tonight?” You asked and he scratched the back of his head. “The minute John said something was wrong I went back to her and broke things off. She’s not you.”