#but i didn't really expect much from this season to begin with it's my sick and dying with the flu watch and it doesn't have to be good

[surielstea]

“Forgive me, Darling.”

Based on this request.

Pairing: Rhysand x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Rhys undermines Reader in front of the Hewn City, Reader makes him grovel before she accepts his apologies.

Warnings: Smut | Minors DNI | 18+ | p in v | apology sex | dom sub dynamics | riding | oral (f receiving) | Reader making Rhys grovel | multi-orgasm | cream-pie | mating press

A. Note: This was really an excuse for me to write some Rhys smut… RhysandWeek got to me I fear, half of it is smut so enjoy 😼🙏

4.7k words

It was an effort to sit next to the High Lord tonight. Even with Winter Solstice so steadily approaching we couldn't stop being at each other's throats for the past week. The others in the Inner Circle were sick of our tedious bickering by now, and the rest of the Court might as well be too.

It was clear to the citizens of the Hewn City that we weren't getting along the best when we sat in our own separate thrones, while I typically opted to sit in Rhys' lap or he on the armrest while I took the main throne.

But it was the citizens of the Hewn City themselves that had cleaved our relationship right in two. While I was a natural sympathizer for these people, Rhys seemed to have half a thought about their well-being.

It drove me mad how easily he could cherish and love something, then turn around and loathe something else with the same fierceness. It was manipulative and vexing.

"Your grace," Keir drawled with a low bow and Rhys lifted a brow at Morrigan's poor excuse of a father.

"What is it?" The High Lord mused, the perfect mask of bored coldness in his violet eyes.

"The court was wondering if you'd be donating to the gift drive this season, all funds would go directly to the orphaned children of course," Keir said with a tone that sent shivers down my spine.

Rhys opened his mouth to say no, but I spoke first. "Of course Keir. We're not monsters," I say, tossing my mate a lethal glare.

"Are you mad? No," He looked to Keir. "I will not be donating, but you can tell them their queen will have a heavy chunk coming from her paycheck," Rhys bit back and the verbal assault immediately bruised her, tearing her down for speaking over him in a place like this was one thing but, in front of Keir? Using him as a device to get under my skin? It was a new level of low.

I bit back a snarl. "You're both insufferable," I stand. "And you bore me," I step down the dais with a careful queenlike elegance that came with only decades of practice. "I'm going home, perhaps finish some last-minute gift shopping," I shrug, my black gown shimmering like the stars in the sky with each move I made.

"I'll join you momentarily," Rhys said with a hand up as if to pause me. I didn't wait for him to finish before I winnowed back to Velaris, alone.

I was born in the Hewn City, and though I knew it was best if Rhys put on a mask in front of that court, it was hard to watch my mate who had one of the biggest hearts I'd ever seen be so cruel, be exactly what those citizens had expected him to be. A monster. A shiver went down my spine at the thought. It was a part of my role as High Lady to back whatever Rhys decided, but it was a part of his role to do the same with me. And when it came to the children of the Hewn City I drew the line, they had done no wrong, and half of them were too young to even realize that their king was a halfbreed, much less why that meant he was seen as lesser. They were innocent, doomed for failure since the beginning because of who their parents were. I sympathized with the orphans and knew exactly how much a donation would've mean to me because I used to be one of them.

Rhys winnowed into the sitting room, writhing shadows feathering off of his dark tunic as he whirled towards me, brows drawn.

"What'd you do that for?" He frowns at me and I mirror it.

"Children Rhys? Should I even dare ask when it might end?" I prop my hands up on his hips and he sighs, rubbing at his eyes.

"You know how I handle those things, I tell Keir no and then donate anonymously," He explained, annunciating every word like I was hard of hearing. The tone set me off. He was right, that's how we did it every year for solstice since Rhys became High Lord.

But tonight was my breaking point after weeks of needless arguments. "Yes, Rhysand. I know." I grit my teeth and his frown deepens as he hears me use his full name, something I always did unconsciously when I wanted him out of my face.

"Then why did you say we'd donate?" He lifts a brow and my shoulders are practically up to my ears with the tension building.

"Because, Rhysand, I'm so sick of you pretending to be someone that you're not," Again, the name makes him flinch. "I know how much you're capable of loving, and I understand you trying to protect us but I can't bear seeing you so ruthless to those people," I explain and he lets out a long sigh.

"You don't seem to understand the impossible situation I'm in." He closes his eyes, needing to rest them if only for a moment.

"What don't I understand?" I grab his jacket, gently gripping it as I stare up at him. "I've been beside you every step of the way, talk to me Rhysand. Or this isn't going to work," I gesture between us and his back shoots ramrod straight, at the underlying threat of taking a break from each other. He loathed the idea, and would rather argue for the rest of his life with me than not have me in his life at all.

"Don't say stuff like that," He murmured, his voice clipped like he couldn't quite breathe right.

"Then think twice before undermining me in front of a male like Keir," I scowl. "Hewn City or not, you're not allowed to silence me." I brush past him, my shoulder ramming into his bicep as I stalk down the hall to our bedroom, shutting the door with a resounding thud, but Rhys remains pinned in the same spot, cursing himself over and over again for his foolish behavior.

Over the next few days, Rhys had done everything in his power to apologize. Giving me countless gifts, and heartfelt monologues about how sorry he was, he even donated a good portion of his gold to the Hewn City orphanage. But I didn't forgive him, because I was certain he had yet to understand how much this truly meant to me. Besides, a small part of me liked watching him grovel.

At dinner with the rest of the inner circle later that evening, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Rhys had reached for my hand beneath my table twice now and I shook him off both times. We had both silently agreed on pretending everything was normal between us in front of the others, not wanting to worry them about the health of their high lady and lord relationship. So I put on a mask, as he often did, and pretended everything was fine.

"I'll see you in a few days for solstice eve," I hum as Morrigan gives me a hug while standing halfway out the door in the cold.

"I got you an amazing gift!" She beamed while backing away and I gave her an incredulous look. There was no arguing that Morrigans gifts weren't unique and personalized, but they were far from amazing.

"I'm sure you did," I hum. "Goodnight, Mor," I lean against the archway of the foyer and she gives me a wave before slipping out the door. Once everyone was officially gone I turned back to the sitting room where Rhys was sitting, staring at me curiously like I was a thing to be analyzed. "What?" I bark, my smile dropping.

"You keep calling me Rhysand," He stands from his seat, looking at me with furrowed brows, his wings drooping slightly, nearly dragging on the floor as he strides towards me but stops an arm's length away.

"That's your name, is it not? Or would you like to argue about that as well?" I arch a brow and his frown deepens.

"No, I just— It's Rhys. It's always been Rhys between us, in fact, you're the reason everyone calls me Rhys." He claims and I cross my arms over my chest, narrowing my gaze on him.

"This is what has been bothering you? This? Out of everything that has been going on, me saying your full name has gotten under your skin the most?" I scowl, unbelieving of his childish behavior.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, defeated.

"I know," I state.

"Then why?" His voice wavers. "Why can't I be forgiven?" He takes another step forward, nearly closing the distance between us if it weren't for his height.

"Because I don't think you've learned your lesson yet." I snarl and his brows crease, his familiar violet eyes glazing over.

"No please, I have darling," He cups my cheeks in his hands. "I have. I'm sorry." His hands were so gentle when holding my face as if I might break if he was any rougher.

I debated giving in for a moment, if only because my desire to feel his lips on mine again would be comparable to heaven— but I stayed strong, my own pride willing me to break away from his touch. "I know," I repeat, before walking down the hall and into our bedroom, closing the door behind me loud enough for him to get the hint that I didn't want to see him again that night.

A few days had passed and it was solstice eve, I was in the midst of getting ready for bed when there was a soft knock on my door. I didn't turn when the door opened, I knew who it was before he was even down the hall.

Rhys doesn't say anything, just stares as I take out my earrings and unlace my dress. I didn't mind him looking as I stripped down and changed into a soft, midnight blue nightgown, perhaps I was rubbing in the fact that he couldn't have me. Once I was finished I walked over to my vanity and began to comb through my hair.

"I can feel you staring, Rhysand." I finally spoke and I swore he growled at the name. I ignore it. He pushes off the doorframe and enters the room.

"What can I do it make it better?" I turn towards him to find him directly behind me, looking down at me with beseeching eyes. "I'm begging you," He whispers, our proximity so close that his nose was brushing against mine.

"You're begging me?" I raise a brow.

"Gods, yes darling. Do you want me to get on my knees and plead?" He suggests and I just stare at him as a reply, waiting.

His brows raise a fraction when he realizes I'm serious, and I cross my arms impatiently. It takes him a moment, but eventually, he drops down onto his knees.

His hands come to my hips and he looks up at me, his chin propped up on my stomach as he lets out a soft, "Please."

"Please what?" I place my hands on his shoulders, one of them finding its way into his dark, midnight-black hair.

"Please, forgive me." He murmurs. "Please, don't make us take a break." He continues, his hands on my hips tightening slightly. "And please, let me love you the way you deserve."

He had once told me he'd only ever fall to his knees for his crown, yet here he was, bending for me with only sincere affection in his eyes and regret forever making me feel like he deserved this.

I grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him up, crashing his lips onto mine. I kiss him, deeply, with the passion and desire that had been building up for the past week. I had forgotten how addictive he was and didn't realize how badly I needed him until he leaned into the kiss and filled the gaping void inside of me with warmth.

"I missed you so damned much, darling," He sighs and I smirk against his lips.

"Yeah?" I slip from his grasp and take a seat on the bed. "Why don't you come over here and show me?" I purr, letting my legs fall open as he prowls towards me and again, gets down onto his knees.

I smile devilishly at him as he begins kissing and nipping at my thighs, beginning to make amends with his mouth rather than words.

His covetous hands slip beneath my short nightgown, gripping my hips and pulling me to the edge of the bed. I lay back onto my elbows, propped up enough to watch him as he made his way up my thighs.

Ever so gently, he pulls at my undergarments and I lift my hips for access so he can further slip the panties down my legs. With reverence his eyes flick down to my glistening core, then back up to my eyes, his gaze holding a certain emotion I don't think I've ever seen the High Lord hone before.

I nod my head and he wastes no time before placing an open mouth kiss to my folds, then dragging it through my slit in a slow, savoring lap. I let out a soft moan at the feeling of his warm tongue finding my clit with a languid stroke. My fingers weave into his hair as he begins to suck on the bundle of nerves, sending me into a spiral.

I looked down at him but he was already staring up at me. But once he sees my lustful expression he can't seem to control himself before he dips down and spears his tongue into me. I release a breathy moan at the intense feeling. How could I have ever robbed myself of this for so long? Gods it was evil the things he could do with that mouth.

His fingers dug into the flesh of my hips as he devoured me like a man starved, his tongue-twisting and curling against a sensitive spot that sent me closer to the edge. I was unable to stop myself from grinding up onto his face, and he let out a guttural groan as I did so, because he knew then that I wanted him, that he was making me feel this good.

I maintained eye contact with him as he continued to drive me wild, violet irises filled with both apologies as well as desire. He draws one of my legs over his shoulder to deepen his access and I pull at his hair.

"That's it, gods yes," I gripe as his tongue toys with the sensitive area nestled deep inside of me.

My head falls back to look up at the ceiling as he brings one of his hands down and his thumb begins to roll over my clit. I whimper at the stimulation, my toes curling as he begins rubbing tight circles. I buck my hips at the intense feeling and he groans against the feeling of me tugging on his hair, the sound reverberating up my spine. "That's my girl," He purrs as my release steadily approaches. "Come on my face, fall apart for me my darling," He says, his voice tender as he coaxes your climax to draw closer.

I couldn't deny his demand, my pleasure too high to even debate it. My peak reaches and with a cry, my body convulses and an intense wave of pleasure crashes through me. He supports me, his arms around my thighs grounding me, his eyes never leaving mine as he removes his tongue from my entrance and softly laps up my dripping folds, his mouth shimmering in my essence. But it was only pride in his eyes as I came down from my high that I recognized, pride and, something far more primal than human.

"I forgot how good you taste," He whispers against my core, cleaning every lost drop from me with his mouth.

Slowly, he backed away, licking his lips that were glistening in my arousal.

"I want to ride you," I confess and his brows shoot up with carnal desire. Yes, that was exactly what I wanted.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down onto the bed, his head falling into the pillows as I flipped over him and began working at the buttons of his shirt.

His hands joined mine, helping me by thrashing it off. I smile and attach my lips to his tanned skin, my tongue running over the lines of his tattoo while he frees himself from the confines of his pants. My mouth waters at the sight of his hard cock already leaking with need. I bite at my lower lip as I grip his length, spreading his pre and using it as a natural lubricant. I pumped him once, then twice. My grip was rough and tight, his head fell back into the pillows as he groaned in pleasure.

"Oh, my darling," He sighs out as I press my thumb to his sensitive tip.

His hands come to my thighs as I lift onto my knees and begin dragging his cock through my folds, prepping him for an easy entrance. I swore he got harder the moment my arousal met his.

He looked back at me, his eyes low-lidded. "You look like a goddess," He breathes, his voice husky with restraint. I knew he wanted to push me down onto him, to take dominance and flip me onto my back. But he reigned in his control and kept himself at bay for now.

I smile devilishly at him as I aligned his throbbing cock with my entrance. His eyes flicked down to the view and I froze. "Look at me," I direct and his violet eyes flick back up to my gaze, and I watch his expression as I sink myself down to him so very slowly, inch by inch.

His face contorts into a mix of pleasure and agony. "This is torture," He hisses, his fingers digging into my thighs in an effort to keep restraint. "Please, darling," He whispered the plea and I couldn't help but fold under his yearning gaze.

"Please what?" I say through a soft moan, the stretch of him painful at first yet turned into pure pleasure moments later.

"Please, take all of me and move, now baby," He pants out and I smirk.

"I'm barely halfway down and I've got you this worked up?" I tilt my head demeaningly and he lets out a low, guttural growl.

"You know exactly what you're doing to me, so please, you can take it," He begs and I smile.

"I know I can, but can you?" I murmur, tracing lines along his torso, following his dark tattoo.

"Oh I can," He sighs, his eyes glinting with amusement and I realize he wasn't strained from needing more, he was in agony because his control was thinning. "But if you don't take all of me right now, I'm going to flip us over and fuck you until we both forget our own names." He warns and I smirk, leaning forward— in doing so making him slip deeper inside of me, the new angle eliciting a soft moan from me.

"Is that right?" I purr, my nails trailing down the side of his neck.

"Last chance, baby." His jaw feathers. "Sit down or I'm taking over," He snarls, gripping my hips tighter, prepared to make true of his threat. I smile, leaning closer and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

I do as he says anyway, not wanting to take any chances. I let gravity make my last movement and allow myself to take all of his length, every last inch until he was fully sheathed inside of me and I was seated on him fully.

He lets out a long, deep moan, his head falling back into the pillows. "Gods, such a good girl," He praises, taking a few deep breaths and regaining his control.

Slowly I begin to rock my hips back and forth over him and he jerks at the movement, his hands tightening on my thighs as he begins to guide me over him, showing me exactly how fast he wanted me to go.

He lets out a string of curses as I set a pace, rolling and grinding over him, my thighs already burning with the movements. "Keep your eyes on me, yeah?" he says and I nod, as he slowly lifts me up on him, then pushes me back down, sending me into a rhythm. I began to bounce up and down on him, his thick length burrowing deep inside of me with each descent.

I keep eye contact with him, tears welling in mine as he lifts me faster, my breasts bouncing with the movement, and his captivating eyes don't miss it. "So beautiful," He whispers softly, his voice hoarse and strained as a string of moans escapes me.

"You like that baby?" He purrs, his gaze only sultry. I reply with a moan and a wicked smile forms over his lips as he pushes me to go faster, slamming me down into his hips, his tip brushing over my cervix.

He was enjoying this far too much, he was savoring the way I sounded, the way my body reacted. So desperate for a second release. I lean down, changing the angle and allowing him to hit my most sensitive point with the thick head of his cock.

"Gods, you feel so good wrapped around me like this," He purrs, his breath hot against my neck as his canines scrape against it.

I continue to fuck myself on him, my vision blurring as he abuses that sacred spot inside of me. "I'm close," I grunt, clenching my hands into fists as he spears into me, lifting his hips to help me reach that high.

"Yeah? Going to come, love?" He purrs into the shell of my ear and I nod, tears now slipping down my cheeks despite all my efforts to be in control.

"Yes, I can't control it much longer," I mewl, burying my nose into the crook of his neck.

He smiles, wrapping his arms around me. "That's okay, come for me darling," He allows and I find release, I finally meet my second orgasm.

"Rhys," I moan loud enough for the next room over to hear. Not Rhysand, but Rhys. The male's length twitches at the sound he so desperately had been needing to hear for the past week.

He didn't let me come down from my high for even a moment as he flipped me over onto my back, taking full control as he guided my legs up to my sides, folding me into a mating press.

"I'm not done with you yet, darling," He drawls huskily and my heart pounds against my ribs hard.

He pulls out to his tip and for a moment I'm gifted a kernel of relief, but it quickly ended when he pushed into me, spearing hilt deep as his heavy balls slapped into my ass. Arousal dripped down my thighs as he continued the movement and I turned into a moaning mess.

"You're so tight," He grunted out between thrusts. "Say my name again," He orders and I open my teary eyes to see him above me, his dark wings spread over us. Gods, he looked like a fucking devil like this. "Rhys," I plea and he smiles wolfishly.

"That's my girl, taking me so well," He praises, continuing to piston inside my puffy, overstimulated cunt.

He reaches down and I swear my heart stops as he makes contact with my pink clit. I whimper, my bottom lip wobbling as he pushes me towards yet another orgasm. "Come on baby, squeeze my cock," He demands and I writhe beneath him, clenching every inch of his length as he brushes my cervix repeatedly. His words and groans are a constant stream of encouragement as I hurtle toward my third orgasm.

I let out a loud, broken cry as my climax rips through me, each one more intense than the last. "Please, please tell me you're close," I beg as he lets out a choked groan, his movements becoming more and more erratic as control slips from his grasp. "Fuck, I am baby, I'm close," He pants out and I mewl his name desperately.

"Rhys, Rhys," I murmur like a chant, my mind too fucked out to think of anything else, just him.

"Look at me, I want you to watch while I come inside of you." He purred and my stomach twisted at his filthy words. My hands come around to his shoulders and I dig my nails into the muscle, clawing them down his back at the intense, unrelenting thrusting.

With a feral, desperate groan he buries his nose into my neck and finds his release, his warm seed spilling inside of me.  He shakes and trembles at the weight of his climax, he collapses down onto me, his body heavy and spent. His face was still buried in my neck as he regained his breath. "Fuck, I love you so much," He confesses as the sounds of our breathing fill the room.

"I love you, too," I whisper hoarsely, my voice shot from screaming his name. He nuzzles into my neck, placing gentle kisses along my collarbone slowly guiding my legs down and pulling from my entrance. "I'm sorry baby, I know you wanted to be in control but I— I can't help myself around you," He murmurs and I smile, pulling him into me for a loving kiss.

"Don't apologize, felt so good," I murmur tiredly. "Maybe we should argue more often," I add and he frowns at the idea and I giggle. "I missed you."

His eyes light up with pure adoration. "I missed you too," He hums, easing into the bed beside me and gathering me into his arms. "Now let's get you cleaned up."

The rush of solstice has passed and everything has returned to normal— well, almost everything.

The Court of Nightmares was teeming with its usual negative energy, the air thick with it. I had been seated in my own throne again, not quite ready to take up Rhysand’s lap in front of all the subjects again.

“My Lord,” Keir bowed low before the dais, then turned to me and gave me a simple bow of his head. Rhys gripped the arms of his throne at the action but remained calm all the same.

“What?” The high lord snarled.

“The price of the renovations of the homes in the slums are steadily increasing, to something far greater than what we can afford with the money you’ve so graciously given.” He hums and I sit up. I grew up in the slums, I would’ve taken a man’s life for the opportunity to proceed with the renovation plans I had given Rhys a few days ago, would’ve taken a lot more than a life to give to that community, actually.

“Then we’ll triple the funds,” I state and Keir casts me a glance, then looks back to Rhys. I wanted to rip his face off. I was seated on a throne before his people, I had the power to tear this entire court down and yet he treats me with such disrespect and contempt.

“Why are you still here?” Rhys asked the steward. “My High Lady has just answered your issue, did she not?” Rhys tilts his head with creased brows.

“Of course, my lord,” Keir bows to the male, and something in his spine locks and I know, know that Rhys’s talons had captured Keirs mind and was prepared to shatter it, until Keir turned to me and bowed at the waist, then lower, nearly falling to his knees.

“Dismissed.” Rhys hummed, waving his hand and releasing the males mind.

I smile as I watch him leave, and settled a little deeper into my throne. Oh, I liked this a little too much.

A flicker of Rhysand’s darkness curled caressed up my neck, to trace the contours of my jaw. I turn to look at him and give him a wicked smile, he mirrors it and we turn back to the Nightmare of a court we ruled over, together.

General Taglist: @fxckmiup @olive-main @iluvyewman-blog @gaymistakeboi @glitterypirateduck @amara-moonlight @impossibelle @fauxdette @going-through-shit @glam-targaryen @hufflepuff-pa55 @sarawritestories @tele86 @rogerbarnesxx @azriels-shadowsinger @stinkinstuffie @sandramalikstyles-blog @sassyangel16 @lilah-asteria @starsinyourseyes @inloveallthetime @melsunshine @nighttimemoonlover @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @cumuluscranium @adharanotfound @azrielsmate3 @aelincaddel @hiddlestonspassionsackx @dee-writes-smut @cynthiesjmxazrielslover @pit-and-the-pen @mybestfriendmademe @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @circe143 @bubybubsters @joshysloshy @username199945 @ivy-34 @notsarareallynot @vixenshiftsvrs @aurorab99 @pey2618 @loving-and-dreaming @mmg777 @andreperez11 @thatacotargirl @123345566 @one-big-fangirl @moonslitluna @imyherondale @salvawhxres @bookishbabyyyy @anuttellaa @breadsticks2004 @azriels-human @mamita-vera @demetercabingreen-thumb

Comment a “💙” to be added to the general taglist!

Comment a “🖤” to be added to the Azriel taglist!

[thegeminisage]

star trek update time! wednesday we watched voy's "displaced" and ds9's "children of time" AAAAAA from which i will. never recover

displaced (voy):

this one was truly so fun. i loved the mystery of what was going on, i loved how janeway was (i felt) unnecessarily hostile and then it turned out she was RIGHT, i loved when chakotay gave up on winning and decided to simply do as much sabotaging as possible before the same was up because i loved watching him cause problems on purpose

similarly the scenes in the biomes/tunnels were fun not only because janeway had a blast bargaining with that one guy but because and and tuvok were ALSO having fun creeping around causing problems on purpose

the final moment of joy was janeway willing to leave those aliens to freeze to death in their own fake biome if they didn't let everybody go. prime directive? we don't know her. sometimes it's annoying how trek only remembers the prime directive when it's convenient, but this was so much fun that i don't really care

shoutout also to tuvok for vulcan nerve pinching that one guy. not nearly enough vulcan nerve pinches lately

and, all right, look. tom and b'elanna are cute. i'm not going crazy stupid over them or anything but it was really special to me when he didn't fuck her. you can overlook so much annoying buffoonery from a guy when you begin giving him the benefit of the doubt (because he didn't fuck her) instead of being instantly annoyed every time he opens his mouth. tom paris maybe earned his redemption. i only wish i could have had a turnaround like this for picard instead

i was really glad they didn't Talk About It at the end. they both opened their mouths as if to say more and then decided not to and that was PERFECT. like the fact that she came and sought him out was apology enough. well done.

children of time (ds9):

girl, help

never in my life...

I DID NOT EXPECT THIS. i read we were due for a season 6 get together

AND HJE JUST STROLLS IN AND

like.

ok. like. ok. she's by the bucket rip odo back in the bucket so she's by the bucket smiling fondly at it and then THE OTHER ODO. WALKS IN. AND JUST SAYS IT. I HAD TO ADJUST. PRESENT DAY ODO IS SICK RN I KNOW IT

the way he almost touched her face without actually touching it. the way he says it because he's had 200 years to regret not saying it

also, the way that he can love someone for 200 years and not have it diminished in any way. like i'm not saying offing 8k colonists was the way to go but for someone whose body can change shape his will and the way he loves people is so steadfast and UNchanging and that is very. wow. what a situation that is

HIIIII THEY HELD HAAAAANDS. did i have to pause the episode and recover from hysterics and maybe also tears? don't worry about it

he makes hands to touch people with and when he woke up that morning for the first time in 200 years he made hands to touch her with.........

also, kira praying over her own grave. insane.

THE KISS!!!!!!! she was very much like giving that to him as a one time goodbye thing but AAAUGHGHGH

i kind of wish she'd asked WHY he loves her - that it had had a little more substance - but we gotta save some goodies for modern day odo

also aw he's still bad at shapeshifting even after linking with his other self...

also, i had odo vision this entire episode. kira has never looked more beautiful

anyway, sorry, the ethical dilemma. i don't think erasing 8k people from history is quite the same as killing them. they don't know they were erased and no one grieves them. it's more existentially horrifying, worse in some ways, but also not the same as murder, because again - what about the people on ds9 who exist right now and need their families? keiko and molly and yoshi and jake and kassidy? what about the people who would be born because they go back? the people who need sisko especially in the war efforts?

there's really not a clear right and wrong answer and it kind of sucks that the episode painted staying behind as like "the right thing to do even though it's very difficult to make such a sacrifice." like maybe the colony is miserable. struggling to survive. and that thickens things up a little

i read that dax was originally supposed to be the one to redo the autopilot because of his guilt over the accident which would have made lots of sense - i think we could have swung it to dax getting helped by odo, because dax's dedication to keeping the colony alive makes less sense the more you think about it, and then kira's slightly less horrified? maybe that removes some of the teeth, idk

also, imagine being bonded to your grandma's trill. like you'd remember her sex life. wack

AND I NEARLY FORGOT BUT SISKO BABY TALKING HIS LITTLE DESCENDANT!!!!!!!! please please PLEASE somebody give that man a baby he loves babies so much

anyway, 10/10, blew me away, i can't believe that really happened

TONIGHT: voy's "worst case scenario" and ds9's "blaze of glory"

[marzipanandminutiae]

I see you talking about ouat and it unlocked thoughts that have been neatly filed away for years so here I am, yelling them at you.

I assume at this point spoilers arent a problem anymore for you but you said you originally didn't watch past the frozen but a warning just in case.

I kept watching for quite a long time, but I quit after the whole thing with ruby and Dorothy because what? it just felt so incredibly forced and badly written? and I'd gotten so annoyed because before we'd already had the whole thing with aurora and mulan, which I was rooting for but okay, that didn't work out, too bad for mulan. then we get a perfect set up for ruby and mulan. and it's just. never mentioned again???? ruby comes back eventually but wtf happened to mulan? it annoyed me so fucking much let me tell you.

also I remember trying to write out family/relationship trees and stuff for ouat to see how weirdly convoluted everything got. was very impressed that it seemed they managed to avoid accidentally having incest or something in the show with everything that was going on there.

I have so many more things but this has already gotten way longer than intended. do you have a favourite part of the show? I'm assuming your favourite characters is either regina or emma?

Oh man all of that brings back memories. I didn't stick around long enough for Ruby and Dorothy, but I got the sense that they were doing it to try and counteract the "avoiding Swan Queen because homophobia" allegations.

(I actually don't think they WERE avoiding Swan Queen because of homophobia, necessarily. I think it was never their intent to begin with; they just happened to attract a sapphic audience who were deeply on the Enemies to Lovers train. I do think they may have indulged in a bit of queerbaiting, though, because of some Emma/Regina moments that happened after the writers definitely knew the ship existed. I think it was never going to be canon, but they handled it poorly once they realized that people saw it as an option.)

I stopped watching around Frozen for a couple of reasons:

On a personal level, I just got sick of seeing the characters I shipped with other people. That's not an objective problem; it's my opinion and not everyone will agree. But to me, Hook was a whiny insecure manchild and Robin had the personality of Clippy the MS Word paperclip, and damnit, I wanted Emma and Regina to kiss each other instead of them!

On a This Is Bad Storytelling level, I HATED how Frozen was integrated. Earlier stories had been a nice blend of traditional fairytales with Disney adaptation elements- Beauty and the Beast where Gaston and Chip are both kind of there but in subtler ways, for example, or Cinderella where her dress resembles the 1950s animated version but everything else is different. Frozen, though, was just...Frozen. The entire plot of the movie Frozen had happened before the characters entered the OUAT storyline, their costumes were identical to those in the movie, and while I've heard that they added some different backstory- it just wasn't the "Hans Christian Andersen story with subtle Disney touches" that I would have expected from earlier seasons.

Personally, I don't think the initial curse should have been broken in a season. I feel like that locked them into a pattern of having to continually invent a new Darkest Evilest Most Powerful Magic EVER!!!!! to top the previous season, and that took them to some really weird places (I heard they went to literal hell at one point?). The show had a cool premise and some interesting ideas- I loved how they managed to give individual kingdoms distinct cultures and even fashions. You can tell the "look" of Snow White's kingdom from Cinderella's and Cinderella's from Ariel's, etc.

Everyone who would watch an entire season of Abigail's Ancient Greek Steampunk-ish kingdom, raise your hands. Seriously, so cool.

But something went wrong, IMO around season 4. I'm not sure if the show had just outlived its original concept or had outside pressures pulling it in different directions or what. All I know is, as far as I'm concerned, the show ends when Emma and Henry leave Storybrooke in season 3A. Pity It Was Cancelled So Soon, etc.

(although OOC Matronly SnowTM would have been perfect for live slug reaction memes, so there's that)

[fandoomrants]

Tua, season 4, ep 2 thoughts.

Again. Spoilers.

-Okay, so Ben did return them their powers! Expected it when he made them drink but then thought he didn't do it.

-I did not need to see Luther all hairy in only thong....

-Wtf is wrong with Lila?!

-Oh, Klaus didn't drink!

-Hmm, did he accidentally spill the thing over Ben and that's why he has these tails?!

-Also, this time it's not from his stomach, it seems.

-So, are they powers all messed up now?! I think the thing that Ben somehow blasted looks like what the girl from the Sparrows could do, with the hallucinations. Or it could be just, yk, inl because of the tentacles.

-Wait. Is what Lila doing with her eyes another power of the girl that could control birds could do while she had eyes?!

-Oops. Realised I don't remember half of the Sparrow's names :/

-Knew I should have rewatched.

-The rest are right to be angry, tbh.

-So many people calling Ben Benjamin this season 😅😅

-"the Klaus Claire likes" 🥹🥹🥹 I somewhat expected him to be suddenly super aware of being mortal but I still think he's a bit odd. Love him anyway.

-Oh, nooo. I was eatinggg. Why did this thing with Ben had to happen now?! 😔😔😔

-So they were mentioning the Jennifer thing before but now the name doesn't seem to ring a bell. I guess it's a pretty common name, thoo.

-Are they all sick? I'll stop eating, just in case...

-Oh, no, I wasn't expecting Baby Shark....

-Somehow makes sense, thoo. All my friends with children have it play on repeat at home....

-Klaus losing his mind and Victor just going off or whatever he does when everyone started getting sick in the car. I mean, legit. 💀💀💀💀💀💀

-Diego is somehow the "mum friend (brother)", I didn't expect it but wow.

-Oh, yeah, Diego totally thinks Lila is cheating. But didn't get it's Five?

-Five saying good things about Lila ❤️

-Ben being totally done after he's responsible 😬😬

-Klaus calling him "Benerino" again!

-Not Diego wearing that suit again.

-Oh, wow. Ben telling someone else their attitude sucks? The audacity....

-Also this woman's name tag saying sth else but why do I think this is Jennifer??

-Allison and Victor being so awkward...

-Kinda love what Victor said to her.

-I hope that's not Diego's idea for Christmas presents 💀💀

-Oh, okay, Klaus hadn't changed that much...

-Wait, as far as I know the Tarot card for death is actually not a bad omen? It meant new begining or something. (Unless my tarot reading friend was just saying it to make me feel at ease, lol.)

-"SparrowBit" 💀

-Ok, so it's not Jennifer. Unless she lying?

-Are their powers sorta failing them?

-Ummm, what's suddenly going on with all the people?

-I feel like Five's gonna get into some trouble.

-What's actually going on?!?

-Okkk, knew the subway can't be trusted. (Actually knew that one for years now)

-Lila and Diego fighting while being in the middle of getting shot at. 😅 They really are a family.

-Wow. That thing Diego did was so cool!

-He kinda shot lots of people but...

-Yay, Lila's laser eyes worked!

-Oh, ok, so this is Jennifer. (Or is it?)

-Yeah, ok, soo I was right about Rosie.

-What?!? No. No. Just nooo!!!!! Klaussss, noooooooooooo!!!!!!

-I hope how's the time they show that him being immortal was because God kicked him out, not because of his powers, or I swear-

-Ew, that thing Ben did was as.... Both gross and cool.

-They just abandoned the rest? Doesn't matter, Klaus is dying!

-Can't Allison rumour these people?

-Good.

-Not that song again....

-Ok, good. That's how they'll bring Klaus's powers back. More important is, he's not gonna die.

-What was this hand touching??

-Ughhh. Gene and Jean.

[yourfandomfriend]

Doves and Devils || GO Mini Meta

*re-posting a lost post*

Holy Crap, I can't believe this took me so long!

For a while, I was having this weird empty feeling regarding Good Omens season 2. I liked it, but it didn't match my expectations created by the first season. But I just now realized that what was really happening -- what I was really feeling was motion sickness, caused by a massive genre shift.

** SPOILERS** FOR GOOD OMENS Season 2 ** SPOILERS **

The first season, despite the religious material, was grand intrigue. Like a spy thriller, heist, or murder plot. Two characters conspire together to stop Bad Thing from happening, falling in love along the way. What makes it comedy is the part where they're sometimes morons and end up making Bad Thing happen faster.

But since the backdrop conflict was resolved at the end of season one, season two had been ringing hollow to me. No longer the literal end of days, all anyone needed to do to stop Bad Thing was to have Gabriel and Beelzebub end their romance or formally abandon their posts, and it didn't take too much to get them to do the latter.

Idle drama. Felt soapy.

And the foreground conflict felt even soapier: a human couple (one we can find obvious parallels with) needs to fall in love to sell a lie and thus Aziraphale plays cosmic matchmaker.

And then, instead of Crowley and Az finding out on their own, organically, that they have romantic feelings for each other, the mirror couple just tells Crowley. It felt kind of weird. No harrowing apocalypse forcing them to confront their true feelings. Just a rom-com trope.

And then it hit me: season two isn't just a romantic comedy smooshed into a divine drama. It's a commedia dell'arte plot.

For those unaware, I will summarize and simplify, hastily and awfully: the commedia dell'arte is an ancient tradition of improv theater involving stock characters who naturally create conflict.

Usually, the conflict is caused by the Innamorata -- two pretty, young characters who fall in love despite a host of obstacles tearing them apart, like parents who disapprove and more suitable rivals for their affections getting in the way.

The Innamorata aren't bothered, though. They only care about Love and can't begin to care about the consequences of their actions.

Usually, they enlist their servants (the Zanni) to help them while their antagonists do likewise. Some servants are stupid, some are clever, and some are a mixed bag, but they all get caught up in the intrigue of their masters, whatever it may be.

Harlequin ("devil") is one of the more famous of these servants, usually in service of the leading man. A trickster, outsider, and truth-teller, he's irreverent and funny and does what he can to help himself at the expense of his master.

And then there's buxom Columbina, ("little dove") the leading lady's servant, who is Harliquin's opposite number. She's flirty, clever, and manipulative, and serves her mistress while enjoying herself in less-than-lofy ways. Columbina is often the center of a secondary conflict when her lovers fight over her.

Frequently, Columbina and Harlequin scheme together to help or hinder their charges whilst advancing their own agendas, flirting up a storm in the process. Like the other servants thought to be the lowest of the low, these two -- through schemes and disguises and con-artistry -- decide the fate of their masters.

I would say the difference between Az & Crowley in Season 2 and Columbina & Harlequin is the centralizing of the servants' romance over the Innamorata. In fact, the more I think about them through this lens, the more the live-action adaptions of Az and Crowley were always Columbina & Harlequin, just trapped in a different genre.

[tcookies777]

I’m sorry to see those entitled readers that are b!tching about the ending of act 1 and the lack of smut. I hope you can take a good rest and ignore them. At first I was sad that it’s gonna be a really long time before the 2nd act start but now seeing these people constant b!tching about the pacing, I hope you take a break as long as you want and hopefully those readers turn to dust by then. I know you said you will finish this fic but If I were you, I would have stopped writing (Please don’t abandon this fic though🥺) so these little sh!ts get nothing. I’m sorry you have to constantly deal with these people for such a long time now but thank you for not giving up on TAOL.

On a side note, the animation quality for Sasuke retsuden……it’s over for us💀 . We can only rely on the manga now.

There are many times when I just want to abandon TAOL. I have all the outlines for the chapters done like a movie script, so technically I can read the story just fine for myself. There are also plenty of other fanfic projects I've been eager to work on.

But then I am reminded of a story that I was telling another reader in a chat just earlier:

The whole time the writer had been updating the fic, she had been secretly battling cancer too. Of course, that's not something you'd want to tell your readers and neither is it their business to know. And sadly she received very few comments when updating. Most of the readers wanted to wait until later in the story or at its end to comment at all.

But the moment she stopped updating, everyone came out of the woodwork to flood her comment section demanding when the next update is. They were getting sick and tired of waiting. It was a mystery fic so many questions they had about the story were left unanswered. So the more they got impatient. When the author didn't respond (because she had died of course), they started flooding her comments with hate, harassment, and insults, and such entitlement to make your lip curl in disgust. Out of the whole sea of vile comments, only 1 reader had bothered to stand up for her. To this day, it's still the most toxic comment section I'd ever laid eyes on.

Every time I think of that writer, I think of all the other writers who had abandoned their fics. They already have so much to deal with in real life, and constant harassment or entitlement from even 1 reader is more than enough to wear them out. So they quit the fic. I've heard some writers even fake their own deaths just so that they can abandon their fic and avoid harassment from enraged readers. Some writers, unfortunately, even commit suicide because of all the online abuse.

So while I do take breaks from the fic for my own sanity and health, I don't want to abandon the fic because it feels like I'm letting the haters win. And also I've been receiving so much support and kindness from so many readers like you. I know very well that only like 5% of my audience are trolls and haters - everyone else has just been wonderful. Like I said in that Love Note, it's not fair to punish all of you guys just because of the crimes of the few.

As an aside, I want to apologize that you guys even had to see this whole mess in the first place. I hate that it's ruined the fanfiction experience of so many readers.

Also, I haven't seen the animation for Sasuke Retsuden yet, but now I am terrified after seeing your Ask 😰 I already had low expectations to begin with because I actually don't like the current animation style for Boruto. Especially the faces... they look so weirdly chibi because the jawlines are rounded too much for my taste.

Idk maybe it's Dad weight 😂

But also, I was still hoping that the animation team behind the Shinden season would animate Sasuke Retsuden. I mean Shinden season animated many of the other Retsuden novels anyway. The Shinden arc was like the peak animation.

But you're right, at least we still have the manga :')

[lilyspond64]

i think part of the reason people hate skyler so much has nothing to do with her wishy washy attitude towards walt in season 4 or her asshole standpoint towards jesse and marie when they committed rather petty crimes or like, that one time she faked being sick to break into a house.

like all these things are character flaws that skyler has. she doesn't always know what to do in tough situations and sometimes she loses sight of what's going on. in her moral viewpoint all crimes are immoral including something as petty as selling weed. and she's ok with manipulating people to get what she wants. character flaws! very minor ones, ones that make her a better, more full character.

skyler haters don't give a shit that she did all that. they don't care about her character flaws. they care that she "fucked ted." now i agree that ted beneke is really shitty and in fact putting someone else at risk for your own sake is fucked up, as is coercing an employee to sing in a "sexy voice" for you. ted hate is justified, i think.

breaking bad fans who hate skyler have this viewpoint that she's a wishy washy bitch who fucked another guy cause she's an unfaithful whore who needed to be put in her place by a strong alpha male like walter. so as the story went on and she became more and more scared of walter, and he liked this, it made him feel powerful, because he could control her. There's this really horrible scene at the beginning of season 5, where she's terrified because Walt just blew up three people in a nursing home, when literally a few weeks ago he went on a rant about how if a guy gets shot at his doorstep, walter would be the shooter. If my spouse of like 17 years told me he blew up three guys and shoots people at their doorstep sometimes, I would be fucking terrified.

One of the best scenes of Breaking Bad is in Ozymandias. After convincing Skyler that he commits murder on a daily basis (because in season 5 let's be honest, he kind of does) what is she supposed to think when he comes home without Hank after supposedly being arrested by him. "Oh, Walt, I'm so sorry that some Neo-Nazis appeared out of nowhere and killed Hank. It's not your fault, glory to Vamonos Pest." No! She grabs a knife, because there's a fucking murderer in her house. I do believe that in Felina, Skyler believes Walt when he says he didn't kill Hank, but does it really matter, in the end?

In that scene in Ozymandias, when she cuts his hand with the knife, Walter yells that "We're a family!" while Holly is crying in the back, and Flynn is crouching in front of his mother, blocking her from danger - THE danger, or his father, Walter.

And this is why they all get it wrong. Skyler wasn't an ungrateful little bitch whore who sleeps with Ted cause she's disgusting and unfaithful. Their views on "infidelity in marriage" and "cheating on your spouse" have absolutely no nuance to them - if you're married, you're your spouse's property - giving yourself to someone else is a disgusting breach of the social contract. Ignore the fact that her husband is a meth cook who's putting her whole family in danger of being kicked out of their houses or arrested - and possibly even attacked by other criminals, something that literally happens like one episode before she fucks Ted.

So like, yeah, Skyler did one thing that was unforgivable in their eyes, and it was sleeping with Ted. I've seen some people also be mad about her smoking while pregnant, and like, yeah! That's harmful for the baby, and when born can cause issues! Skyler is not perfect! Actually, uh, her decision to sleep with Ted is a pretty bad one, through her hindsight - Walt doesn't leave her, and he uses it as blackmail against her... uh... so basically, because Walt didn't react the way she expected, those viewers thought she was just a cheating little bitch.

I love how many times in season 2 Walt accuses Skyler of thinking he's cheating, she finds out he's NOT cheating, and in fact a drug dealer. Like they really do stress that infidelity is like not the issue. So much in season 2. That's probably because Skyler fucking Ted was planned and they wanted to show that the worst she could do to Walt is nothing - she had no power or control over him. But to a misogynist who would send Anna Gunn hatemail, these facts are good - Skyler having power would mean taking away from the man slowly becoming more and more alpha, as he throws tantrums in public offices and has beef with a 25 year old. Really ridiculous how people see Walt as a definition of masculinity when really he's a prick who gets other people to do his dirty work and takes all the credit. He isn't the one who knocks, Jesse is. Hector won, not you, Walt. And yeah, you didn't kill Hank, maybe, but who's gonna believe you after you said you killed so many others?

Skyler is a tragic character the same way Jesse is. She's not Kim Wexler, she's not Bonnie Elizabeth Parker, she's a woman who was roped into a horrifying situation because of a man whose pride was too large to avoid committing murder and cooking meth when he got the first opportunity. She's a woman who, trying to keep her children safe, was forced to help a drug kingpin launder his money and keep his drug money a secret, because if she didn't, she feared her whole family would be thrown out of the house, or worse, held accountable for Walt's actions. Walt even tries to tell her to maintain some distance from the business, (because he's an arrogant piece of shit who doesn't want anyone meddling in his business) without realizing how fucking bad he was at keeping it a secret. If dude had never met Saul, he would have been thrown into a cell before season 3 even started.

I find it very hard to blame Skyler for much of her actions. I do blame her yeah, she's a grown woman who can make her own decisions, but her hands are kind of tied by the institutions at place - marriage, family, misogyny - so that her only way of escape is that he leaves her or dies. She's trapped. If you hate her because she slept with another guy, it's probably just because you hate women.

(As a footnote, both Skyler and Walter aren't real people who we can pass moral judgement on, obviously. This post is more about how their characters should be read and how they're intended to be framed by the narrative. They're both amazingly written and acted characters and I'm glad we could get a show like this at least once in our lifetimes)

[character-fan19]

MLB Season 4 Character Analysis: "Shadow Moth's Final Attack (Risk & Strikeback)"

Introduction

Here we are at last, the season 4 finale. Since you guys didn't tell me whether I should make this two separate posts or not in my Penalteam analysis I decided to make them one post since it's the season finale. If you missed that post you can find it here. If this is the first time you're seeing one of these posts, then you've arrived very late in the game. Here I look at the individual characters in every individual episode of season 4 to lay out their overall story and the reasons behind why they do what they do.

So this episode... I bet no one was expecting to see Gabriel actually get all the Miraculous. Granted he had help from Felix disguising himself as Adrien but he wouldn't have been able to do what he did without Shadow Moth making his move with both Risk and Strikeback. A lot of things go down this episode and I personally believe that it's the best season finale we've had by far so let's get into this analysis.

Character POVs

Marinette/Ladybug

"Why don't you just give up on me? I lost all the Miraculous! I'm the worst Guardian ever! I wanted to control everything! I didn't listen to you! I lied to you! I kept you at a distance! Every time you offered me a helping hand, I never took it! I really made a mess of everything!"

Just as Cat Noir solved his side of the miscommunication in "Kuro Neko", Ladybug solved her side in this finale. In that episode, she came to the conclusion that Cat Noir was feeling useless and she should do everything she can to let him know how much he means to her as we see at the beginning of the first part, "Risk" she assured him that he was still special to her even though things aren't the way they used to be anymore by giving him a kiss on the cheek when he once again voices his feelings to her.

But their relationship still continues to have problems due to Ladybug still sending the wrong messages to Cat Noir on her side which is understandable due to her Cat Blanc trauma as it was highlighted in "Strikeback". But despite her trying to control everything, what led to her downfall was something that was completely out of her control, that is Felix swapping places with Adrien on the same day Shadow Moth decided to launch one of his biggest attacks yet and by the end of the episode everything from her nightmare in "Sentibubbler" came true except for one thing. Someone she trusted with a Miraculous betrayed her (Felix disguised as Adrien), Alya revealed her secret to someone (Nino) and Shadow Moth got all the Miraculous. But the one part of her nightmare that didn't come true was Cat Blanc because even after all the mistakes she's made Cat Noir is still by her side, as loyal as ever.

One thing to note on the Marinette side of things is that when Adrien told her about how much he hated being a model and how much he didn't want to go on the trip, she unlike Felix and Kagami didn't ridicule or scold him for not being able to stand up to his father but understood his perspective and tried to help Adrien herself when her friends didn't believe her when she said that Adrien didn't want to go on the trip which is understandable because everyone (including the fandom from what I've seen) sees her as Marinette: the girl who comes up with ridiculous nonsense in her head and does stupid things.

2. Adrien/Cat Noir

"If only you knew how sick I was of all of it. The photos, the film shoots, all these people fawning over me who don't even know me, these ads that don't make any sense and now I'm expected to just leave my friends and travel to the end of the world for I don't know how long with Lila?"

Now moving onto Adrien who finally opened up to someone about how feels deep down about modelling and leaving his friends behind to go on a world trip with Lila and this strengthened his relationship with Marinette. All of Adrien's relationships have crumbled upto this point but his relationship with Marinette on the other hand has been unaffected at worst and improved at best as we've been building up to with the episodes like "Lies", "Queen Banana" and "Rocketear". When he saw the opportunity to not leave with Felix he was desperate and took it which was a grave mistake.

On the Cat Noir side of things, his relationship with Ladybug still has some work since Ladybug still hasn't opened up on her side which again is understandable with her Cat Blanc trauma but Cat Noir doesn't know that and that led to him believing that Ladybug doesn't care about him and is leaving him in the dark about everything which was their argument in "Strikeback" and when Ladybug tells him to go and detransform this led him to thinking that Ladybug doesn't appreciate him again and with the influence of Risk, he recklessly faced off against Strikeback which led to them obtaining the his Cataclysm. But towards the end of the episode when he as Adrien sees how much pressure Ladybug has been under this entire time he felt bad for her and went to their special spot as Cat Noir because he knew he needed her now more than ever.

3. Alya

"I'm sorry. I couldn't keep it from him."

Finally we have Alya due to whom Shadow Moth found out that she was still active as Rena Furtive due to telling Nino in "Rocketear" but to be fair though, if she hadn't told Nino she probably would've died in the scene where Carapace protected her so it was a lose-lose either way.

After Ladybug found out she felt remorse for her mistake and even though Ladybug forgave her and didn't intend to take away her Miraculous, Alya thought it best to renounce her Miraculous and give it back to her which truly shows how much she learned as has grown as a hero throughout this season.

Conclusion

Well, that's it. Here we are at the end of these character analysis posts, at least for season 4. After the English dub episodes of all of season 5 have been released I'll probably do analysis posts for those as well but for now this is the end. It's been a fun ride everyone, let me know what you thought of this analysis and the series as a whole and with that being said, I'll probably be seeing you again with season 5.

[jecook]

Dabihawks Fanfic Recs

I was recently asked what my favorite dabihawks fic is, and I'm really terrible at picking favorites, so I scrolled through my bookmarks and picked out some of my all-time favorites. This list is certainly not comprehensive and also skips anything in the variety of <5k rated E (if you know what I mean ;) ) and also skips the fact that I generally go "I have this author in my bookmarks so if I want more of their work I can just go there" (stupid, short cited.) Anyway, preamble done, these are (a few) of my personal faves in order of when I opened the tab while scrolling through bookmarks.

(Part 2)

By Any Other Name by SatelliteBlue

200k, Ongoing, Series

Through some freak accident of the universe, Dabi has been invited to compete on The Bachelorette. Have they actually seen his face? Surprisingly yes, and they still want him. For this season they apparently need a ‘bad boy’ to both balance out the hero contestant (why in hell is Hawks involved?) and to trash talk the show in interviews to appeal to audiences who don’t like the scripting. Getting sent on a vacation away from his annoying bandmates to complain and eat as much free food as he wants? Sold.

This fic is still ongoing and long but so so worth it. It's hilarious. The story follows Dabi and Hawks on the show, but also ends each week on the show by switching to everyone watching the show back at home. The plot is so much more than the Bachelorette, too, but to explain how so would spoil some of the fun. Everyone is not only perfectly in character, but the conflicts are also just amazingly executed. I can't recommend this fic enough and I am soooo excited to see how it comes together. The twists have been incredible so far and I'm curious to see how it all comes together.

The bird and the bees by Vridelian (@vriddy)

1k, Completed

Hawks may be a garden-stealing gnomehead, but that doesn't mean Dabi will just let him get kidnapped, right under Dabi's nose. A rescue mission told in 100 words drabbles.

What it says on the tin--this fic is short and cute. Vri has a lot of amazing works, but this is the one I read when I'm sick or sleepy. It's like watching your favorite kid's movie when you're down. Also, she's probably going to laugh at me for picking this fic of all her fics to rec or kill me <3

steal your heart by darlingest (@darlingestwrites)

60k, Completed

When infamous thief Hawks announces that he is going to steal the heart of Endeavor's son, everyone expects him to prey on Shoto Todoroki - nobody suspects Touya to be the actual target.

This was one of those fics that even when I dropped off reading dabihawks for a few months, I still consumed every chapter like my life depended on it. They are a delightful mix of flirty and slightly unhealthy in the way good enemies to lovers should be. Also, the end of some of these chapters really left me sweating, and the fic is a nice length, too for long but not too long a read

we could be antiheroes by caandlelit (@caandlelit)

6k, Completed

‘Well. There was this study on intimacy,’ he begins, and Dabi interrupts him, ‘I’m gonna call security if you don’t shut up with that gay shit.’

or; exes sit in a jail cell and tackle 36 questions in order to stop the war

This fic is both hilarious and thoughtful, a favorite mix of mine. Short and excellently paced, I think about this one a good deal.

There and Back Again - A Villain's Tale by Todoroki Touya by RavenHawk

187k, Completed

Quirk History was a mandatory subject in every junior, middle and high school in the world, and Todoroki Touya didn't sleep through his whole education - he'll have you know he almost finished it, too. So he shouldn't be quite so dumbfounded by the news, if, say, he was so fucking stupid as to let the Number 2 Pro Hero in Japan hit it raw in an alleyway in Hiroshima. Really, he should be mature and take responsibility for his own mistakes. Alternatively, he's going to roast a pigeon and feed it to the Hero Commission. And then, have a completely new kind of mental breakdown because he's not ready to be a single parent.

I don't really read mpreg, but man I read RavenHawk's work. They are a phenomenal writer and so so prolific, I could recommend everything they've written. This fic is a beautiful love story and a really wonderful arc for Touya <3

Bamboo arrows and mourning hearts by TheyCallMeBol (@theycallmebol)

5k, Completed

Guard Captain Keigo has been visiting First Prince Touya's grave every single night for almost 7 years now. And no hooded sad excuse of a grave robber is going to stop him now. Or: a not slowburn at all of Guard Captain Keigo and the creepy but oddly charming grave-robber.

Short and beautiful, this fantasy AU is just what the heart needs. Not sure what to say about it other than that you could read it in half an hour, so you should just read it now.

my heart goes vroom vroom boom by crimsonseekers (@crimsonseekers)

5k, Completed, Series

“Right!” Hawks said, perking up. “I gotta be a good brother-in-law, I need to become the favorite Todoroki.” “Well, focus on the end of the season, then you can focus on overtaking my spot as the clear and unsurpassable favorite.” Hawks clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, slouching back in his chair. He opened his mouth to respond just as the waiter came over. “The season’s basically over anyway. ‘S like you said, it’s not as if there’s a big chance of some massive upheaval this late, y’know?”

or, Dabi and Hawks are Formula One drivers. Crashes aren't anything too out of the usual in their profession, nothing too life-threatening, except when they suddenly are.

This is beat for beat an adaptation of a real event, so I suggest reading the fic, adoring it, and then looking up the video + the driver's interview about it afterward. Crim did an a m a z i n g adaptation of what he went through, and it makes for a perfect oneshot.

This feels like a nice number of fics, but I have another seven open in my other tabs still, so I will stop here and make a second post. Let me know if this is something people would want more of from me! Remember to leaves kudos + comments if you read these <3

[dragon-kazansky]

Dangerous | Helmut Zemo

AU! Race car driver Zemo 😎

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Masterlist]

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

I AM SO SORRY FOR WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO READ.

Happy Birthday @goddessofmischief03 I'M SORRY THIS IS YOUR PRESENT FROM ME!

Part 8

The pair of you drove for hours. Zemo didn't care about where you wanted to stop. All you had to do was say the word and he would pull over here and there. You had taken so many photos on your phone. Though a lot of them were just of him. Maybe you would get those printed and make an album. Maybe you were just getting carried away.

The evening rolled in. The wicked woman had texted you an hour ago to state what time she wanted to meet you. Zemo had dropped you off, kissing you before letting you go. He left to meet with Sam, hoping to get his forgotten car back home.

You entered the bar. It was pretty empty, finding her wasn't hard. Lucky for you, she was alone. You took a deep breath as you walked over to her table and sat down, but not even offering her a smile.

On the table right in front of her was a file. That scared you. Whatever this was about, she was serious. You tried to keep your emotions at bay as you sat still, hands in your lap. You stared at her.

She stared back.

"You came," she said, almost as if she expected you not to.

"Of course I did, I'm not a horrible person who stands people up. Even if I'm here for nonsense."

She narrows her eyes at you.

"Neither am I."

"You're right. You're just blind," you cross your arms over your chest and ignore the waiter who brings you each a glass of water.

"I'm not the blind one," she hisses after he leaves.

"No? What kind of sick game are you playing here? Tony Stark isn't in love with you. It's all a publicity stunt."

"It's not!"

"See? You're blind to the truth. You're being lured in by the fact you admire him. You have been a fan of racing much longer than I. You have seen Stark win over and over again, season after season. You're in love with the idea of dating a professional racer."

She looks pissed.

"It's all lies. You know nothing. I'll show you who that man really is. Chasing Zemo is a mistake. You'll regret ever knowing him after you learn the truth."

"What truth? What are you talking about?" You try to resist raising your voice.

"This!" She slams a hand over the file.

"What is it? What's in there?"

She hands the file to you. You take it, but don't yet open it. You stare at her. On the outside you look cold, calculating. On the inside, your heart is racing and a million thoughts are running through your head. You're freaking out.

"What had Helmut Zemo told you?" She asks, looking you in the eye.

"About what?"

"About him."

"Not a lot. He is wealthy. Has houses all around Europe, owns a large collection of cars that have been passed down through his family. He doesn't have a large racing background, but he is passionate about cars." You shrug, not knowing what else to say.

"So he didn't you he was a Baron? That his family was literally royalty before Sokovia surrendered in the war? He wasn't even in the county when it collapsed. That's why he doesn't talk about it. His family is dead."

"Why are you telling me this? I know about Sokovia, it was global news. A whole country destroyed in the crossfire. If you have any respect for the dead, you'll stop talking about his family that way," you say, glaring at her.

"I'm not done. Open the file."

You glare a moment longer before you open the file. You look down at the first page you're presented with.

"Who is that?"

There was a photo of a young man. Dirty blonde hair, tall, blue eyes, sweet smile.

"That's Pietro Maximoff," she tells you that name as if you should know who he is.

"Who is he?"

"Pietro Maximoff was a racer."

"Was?"

"He died." She reaches across the table and points to some information below his photo. You can't the words on the page.

Pietro Maximoff

Deceased

Died on impact

Cause: Car accident.

Speculation of foul play by the hands of Helmut Zemo. Car appeared to have been tampered with before hand. Witness testified to sighting of Zemo tampering with car. No solid evidence provided.

You stared at the words, letting them sink in. The woman across from you says nothing as you scan the ink before you.

You swallow.

"It says no evidence was provided."

"There doesn't need to be. He was seen."

"Why who?"

"No one knows. They remained anonymous," she shrugs lightly.

"What are you trying to tell me?" You look at her. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back your emotions.

"Baron Helmut Zemo killed Pietro Maximoff because Maximoff was his competition. Zemo has raced before, but his career was cut short after this. Unfortunately there was no actual proof to pin on him, the witness only had their statement. Maximoff was the next big racer and Zemo dealt with him."

You stand abruptly.

"No."

"Zemo is a murderer," she tells you.

"Stop, please."

"He didn't tell you any of this did he?"

"You're lying."

"All the evidence is in that folder."

The tears fall. You shake your head and try to control your breathing. She's lying. She has to be.

"Stark told me everything. He even provided the information."

You shake your head again.

"I don't believe it. Why are you doing this to me? Is this your sick way of getting back at me? This is cruel. This is so cruel."

"It's the truth. You won't find anything by looking up the Baron, but if you look up Pietro Maximoff you'll find the story. Zemo killed a man so he could win. What's stopping him from doing it again?"

"Are you implying he would kill Stark? Are you insane?" You almost yell.

"He has killed a man before. What's once more?" She asks, angrily hissing out the words.

"Please don't do this to me," you plead.

"Read it. Accept it. It's true. They might not have anything solid on him, but you know as well as I that it's true."

You shake your head a third time.

"Look at it. Read the articles." She moves the file on Pietro over and underneath is a newspaper article.

Racing star, Pietro Maximoff dies in horrific accident

Baron Helmut Zemo disqualified from racing season over foul play speculation.

Helmut Zemo to stand trial

Baron Zemo walks free

"He wasn't found guilty of anything."

"I said it doesn't matter! He did it. Everyone knows he did it."

"You can't just give around accusing people of murder," you his quietly. You had sat back down, not wanting anyone to see your rage.

"Open your eyes."

"You don't know him," you say, voice falling to defeat.

"You don't know Tony Stark."

"I know him better than you." You close the file. "Do not ever come at me with this. Unless you have hard evidence that Zemo was there and had done what he was accused of, I won't believe you."

"You say that now, but trust me. You're going to come around," she gathers the file and stands up.

You watch her storm away.

You bite your cheek as tears fall. Taking out your phone, you search up Pietro Maximoff.

Zemo's name popped up several times.

He really has been accused of killing this young man.

Why did your chest hurt so much?

Maybe you should have asked him earlier when the thought crossed your mind.

You continue to sit at that table, ordering a drink mindlessly when the waiter comes over. It's all you have.

You look at the photo of Pietro on your phone. He had to be in his early twenties. Probably the youngest racer you had come across so far.

You sit there for ages, slowing drinking.

Your phone then starts to ring. You stare at the name lighting up your screen.

Zemo👑

Did you dare answer?

Having spent too long trying to decide, it clicks off. You stare at the screen. It lights up a second time.

Zemo👑

He must be worried. Yet, looking at his name flashing up on screen, dread fills you. Yob your phone, leave money for the drink, and make your way out.

The cold air of the night feels sharp and bitter against your skin. When did it get so cold? Or was that just you?

There was no one out here.

You're not sure if you felt glad about that. Your phone rings again. You know he'll be coming to pick you up, especially if you don't answer his call.

You swipe the call button and hold the phone up to your ear.

"Y/N? Thank goodness, you were not picking up. I was worried something bad happened. I'm on my way to you now, are you alright?"

You listen to his worried words. You stand there wondering who it was you were actually talking to.

"Y/N? Are you there?"

There is panic to his voice.

"Zemo..."

"Y/N? What is it? What's happened?"

You just knew he was picking up the speed right now. He was going to do anything to get to you now.

"Have you been honest with me?"

"What do you mean? Of course I have."

Lies. He is lying. That little voice in the back of your mind is repeating that to you. Lies.

You begin to cry.

"Who is Pietro Maximoff?"

Silence.

"Zemo, who is Pietro Maximoff?"

"How do you know that name?"

"Who is he?"

More silence.

You sob into the phone. His silence was an answer. He knew who you were talking about and your mind spiraled out of control.

He's dangerous. Stark was right.

You hang up. You turn your gaze down the street and decide to walk. You needed air.

Zemo was losing his mind. That wicked woman! What had she told you? Why had she brought that up?

When he realised you had hung up, he put his foot down. He had to get to you. He had to explain, he had to tell you himself.

He couldn't lose you. He couldn't.

This is not how he had imagined his night to go. Suddenly, things were falling apart.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @gingerwriter97 @lunamooney2406 @wilder-fangirl @nectav @whovianayesha @thesuitkovian @cathrin2405 @deathtothepatriarchy @belle82devart @dxrksxul06 @killeromanoff @alex-the-nb @latenightartist-author @hb8301 @goddessofmischief03 @xxidontwikeitxx @themeanestlittlewitch @scuttle-buttle @fillechatoyante @lucky-luck-lucky @zemosimp420 @avengersofmischief

[calypsolemon]

ns crystalized thoughts so far, spoilers beyond this point

I felt it was a bit rushed but i mostly really liked the different ways the ninja coped with nya's loss, the way it was different from s4 when they lost zane. I particularly enjoyed that jay was being a bit of a dick about the fact that he copes differently than everyone else and that his assumption that noone cared/ remembered besides him actually ticked kai off. I've been waiting for a kai vs jay fight forever and this one payed off

super loved how nya remembered and kept fighting to get back, also the dragon form is badass even if we aren't going to get it anymore after this

ASPHEERA yall dont understand how abnormal i am about her and how she came back. I love that she and wu had their petty contest moments, i love that lloyd kept his word to her despite it all. Most of all I just appreciate how much time was dedicated to her and the issue of breaking her out, and her characterization is just 👌

the fact that kai and jay were just smiling when they succeeded even as they were being put in jail because who fucking cares? they got nya back. its so :)

that being said, honestly I feel like the season got weaker in this second... fourth? half? whatever. It was a little frustrating to see the ninja, especially lloyd, so insistent that they were better than everyone else at the prison like. with the argument that ppl doing crime chose to be there, as if the ninja didn't just experience being strongarmed into breaking the law in order to save their friends. I dont expect cutting commentary on the prison industrial complex by ninjago or anything but it just kind of felt emotionally disconnected from everything we just experienced. I dont think they had to be nice but I just think lloyd shouldn't be mouthing off about displaying good behavior and crime being a choice when the last 2-3 eps were literally ABOUT that not being the case for the ninja

kai jumping across that gap with his fire powers was sick as hell tho ngl

I'm SO glad dareth and skylor have both returned and both seem to have a somewhat significant role this season. Especially dareth, I'm happy to see him here not just being made a laughing stock of

it was again, kind of rushed, but i appreciate nya Going Thru It, and her return to samurai x. also appreciate that pix was supportive even though she's taken the role at this point, they can share and the true samuraishipping can begin :)

I have mixed feelings on the sally ep and zane's arc. On one hand I like what they were going for, but I feel like some subtlety and interconnectedness with the rest of what was going on was lost. I didn't personally want to see zane having a breakdown or something after turning his emotions back on, but its frustrating that he turned it back on and didn't show any reaction of his grief returning, something like a bittersweet cry of relief would have been nice or something. Also sally was kind of treated a bit like a joke as well which sucked bc i liked her and her story :(.

sorry to fugidove fans, but I hate him. Maybe if he stopped being touchy-feely towards jay even after he set his boundaries multiple times I would have appreciated him more, but as is I was supposed to find that funny or something when it wasn't, and i hated it

oogh tho it picks up again with the mechanic stuff. Very cool to see him fight the ninja, I really liked the creativity of these sequences, and lloyd posing as him was funny as hell

my girl rumi is BACK hee hee hoo hoo, I saw it coming from a mile away but its fine because i like it when she exists and does her thing, and im just glad she didn't die that horrible death in s9 and that was the last we saw of her or anything

thats it, i might have more in-depth thoughts on these things later that i may or may not share, but these are it for now

[archerincombat]

Please elaborate on how the writers have been doing Eddie dirty since the beginning. I'm very intrigued!

Re: this post

Basically—

To preface, I’m not sure that Buddie was supposed to get as big as it did (but like, when you put two people with that much chemistry on screen, what did you expect to happen?). It’s very obvious, and it’s been heavily discussed, that Eddie was supposed to be a foil for Buck. Key word supposed to be.

Okay. So they get there eventually. But a lot of it still remains fanon. I could go on a long chronological rant of every event in order, but the gist of it is this: since S2 Eddie’s character development has inexplicably been tied to someone else at every step of the way. Here’s what I mean—

First it was Shannon. He moved here for Shannon, okay great. It’s a plot device; it makes total sense. Then, when he’s here, he gets tied to Buck, who helps him with all of his problems and asks for nothing in return.

Except if Eddie’s supposed to be Buck’s partner in every way that matters… then why is it always Buck helping Eddie out? I get that it’s in Buck’s nature to step over boundaries when he has people’s best interests at heart, but not once (in my memory) do we see Eddie do anything but rib Buck about Abby. When Buck was there for him about Shannon reappearance? When he listened and brought Eddie the god’s gift to earth that is Carla? You’re honestly going to tell me that Eddie, loyal to a fault, never reached out to see how Buck was feeling? Like you’re really gonna tell me that? Idk.

And then...what? No more character development for Eddie that season, I guess. This is off topic, but Shannon’s entire arc made me SO MAD only because of how chopped it was. That’s his wife. Who just divorced him. And then she immediately dies. That’s (forgive me 911 gods), that’s lazy writing really. You might say, well it came back to bite Eddie in season three—

But then he’s tied to Lena, or defending Bobby over Buck though it’s damn clear to Chim and Hen and Athena why Buck did it. He makes a comment: “Look, I know it sucks, but that's life, right? Whenever stuff didn't work out for me, my dad always told me to brush it off, keep moving forward.”

And Eddie’s fucking stupid when it comes to his own emotions, but he has them. He knows repression is bad. He’s not dumb. He’s what, in his 30s? He better damn well know that’s not how trauma works; he doesn’t treat his own kid like that (and he says as much in therapy later, so those feelings are there no matter how deep-rooted they are); he didn’t tell Shannon to get over it when her mother got sick and she had to take a break.

Continuing with the lawsuit arc, What I’ve yearned for—which, I don’t have a problem with Buck suing the city, I have a problem with how he did it and how everyone responded—is Eddie’s point of view. Both Buddie fights, in the grocery store and that one scene right before they make up, are from Buck’s perspective so obviously the viewer feels sympathetic for him. When Eddie asked if Buck knew how much Chris missed him, it’s said so spittingly that it almost seems disingenuous. We needed an Eddie’s POV without Buck to see how it affected him, and we didn’t get one. We never get anything from Eddie’s isolated perspective unless it’s fundamental.

So then he goes to therapy, except it’s tied to Maddie’s and Hen’s at the same time. Hen gets her retreat; Maddie goes back to where Doug tried to kill her; Eddie gets...the kitchen scene, which is great for Buddie, not so great for Eddie because dude, he needs therapy. Buck’s not a therapist. Buck can’t do what Frank did and he didn’t do what that lady from Hen’s retreat did. Once again, the writers created Eddie for Buck, for Chris, not to be Eddie Diaz, which really sucks.

At the beginning of this post, I wanted to say “let’s cast aside Buddie’s relationship for a moment and look into Eddie’s character development under an isolated lens”, except you literally can’t. Every step of the way Eddie is tied to someone else’s emotions; someone else’s actions. Even in Eddie Begins we’ve gotten Eddie growing into a good father, but we knew that. We could see that in 2x01. The most important thing in Eddie’s life is Christopher. That’s a fact. His parents tried to take him, super shitty, but once again didn’t do much for character development.. yet. Eddie was always going to protect Christopher, that’s not even in question.

(I’m not quite sure how to put Eddie Begins into words, but I did my best. Sorry if it’s not coherent.)

And then we get to S4.

Listen, about Ana, I can’t imagine Eddie going back and dating someone that he snapped at about the skateboard. I just can’t. It’s just so, so out of character. Not to mention Eddie telling Ana that Christopher would get over it and then leaving him to storm off to Buck. Now, I’m not saying that Buck doesn’t basically co-parent Chris at this point but it’s still...it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that the writers needed that conversation between Buck and Chris so badly that they framed Eddie as not noticing that Chris would leave the house; that he would use his phone to call an uber; that his son felt like he couldn’t talk to him after how much Eddie’s emphasized that he can.

My point is this: if you’re going to create a character and give them these stubborn, steadfast, brave and loyal traits, then at least have them stand by them. Eddie should, by this point, be his own character without him having to have drama with Buck or his son; yes he’s Buck’s partner, but he’s also his own person. They make every scene in which Eddie gets injured in the field simultaneously about Buck; where was Eddie’s perspective during the leg injury? During the blood clot? Hell, other than some eye-contact, we didn’t get much of Eddie’s immediate thought process about his son getting swept away in a tsunami.

Hopefully in s5 we see more of what I deem Eddie’s perspective. Also, these are all my opinions and I don’t mean to offend anyone or start drama! I love Eddie and Buck and Chris and Buddie but these are just my thoughts solely from an analytical perspective. Sorry it was so long!

Also, lol, my hottest hottest take is that it should’ve been Eddie and Chris in the tsunami, but that’s just something I’d have thought was cool. No relevance to plot.

tagging @podinaroot and @blutterlie from my post!

[silly-chump]

Downton Abbey: New Era Thoughts!! (1/2)

Hooray, I've finally seen it and it was so much fun that I expected actually. If you haven't seen it, PLEASE DO NOT READ FURTHER DOWN. But all I can say it's a terrific and happy film-- much like coming back home to Downton.

So let's get it, this is quite long but here are my thoughts.

First of all, I'll comment on the overall movie itself since I did really appreciate it as a whole and then I will go on to specifics, stating what were my favorite moments and not-so favorites. Now, the cinematography in this film is just to die for. I correctly imagined how this would have turned up in the beginning, it was indeed magical and quirky at the same time! THE SHOTS WERE WOW. The costumes were too beautiful-- even for the movie actors. And oh my god, Mary's day wear and Edith's outfits for France? ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. On the other hand, I've listened to the score beforehand and my comments remain the same: I'm missing the enigma aspect of the film because we're out here really speculating things but it did not miss the jazziness of it all. After all, it's almost the 30's.

Now, I really do admit that the plot was moving too fast-- especially when right after Tom and Lucy's wedding, we discuss the issue about the French villa. I was like, "hold up, we're going there right now?" but I did love it afterwards. Watching A New Era was such a refresher I guess, more of a breather than the first film. It had more comedic scenes (courtesy of the Downstairs people and of course, Violet) but there were some revelations that did not really surprise me. I think the film helped me with coping and accepting the closing of Violet's character arc. Looking back, we could have already expected her death but just like losing any loved one, it's just as painful.

Nevertheless, Downton never hesitates to give us hope. The end was just really another beginning and I do like to believe that there would be another Downton film-- after all, we never end, right? But my opinion still stands, a film is not enough to capture the essence and equality of storyline for the characters-- which what made me, personally, continue watching it and loving it. So Mr. Fellowes, what do you say, another season perhaps? Kidding! But not kidding. ;)

And now, we get to the good part: my rants. This will probably be a mix of my favorites and non-favorites so I hope you are ready.

It lacked to give us a glimpse of Edith and Bertie's children. I miss protectivemother!Edith so much and it should at least show how she cares for her Edith and Bertie's but then again, they were cast aside. :(

The whole France journey was just.. idk it could have been written better? There could have been more dramatic effect. Instead I got the feeling that they just went to France just to look at the villa-- that's it. They could have hired a private detective to do that but anyways. I just think that they could have brought Sybbie with them and probably had her the talk or something-- considering she's the eldest of the Crawley grandchildren after all.

Myrna Dalgleish sounded so much like Adele and I am not at all complaining!! Loved the part where she was reminded of her sister through Daisy, I WAS JUST SO SOFT

I am all for Robert being emotional but why did I feel like it's a little bit forced? I mean I can understand that as an English person, he should know better but c'mon. (this was when Cora told him she was sick or smthing) And Cora! She was all angst in the film and I didn't like it. :< apart from when she's teaching Myrna Dalgleish to speak American of course, that made me cackle.

Mary and Edith in this are just so lovely. They banter but in a loving sister manner. THE END WHERE MARY WRAPS HER ARMS AROUND EDITH AS THEY SOB IS SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET BECAUSE OH MY GOD-- DEFINITELY A DEVELOPMENT FOR MARY HOORAY!

I found the whole fiasco with Mary sort-of mirroring Violet's mysterious past rather meh. I mean they are rather similar in characteristic but it doesn't mean her storyline should be like her's. The whole situation with Mr. Barber just reminds me of Season 4-5 where Mary's arc just centered around men. THAT IS WHY WE NEED HENRY AND UGH WHY ISN'T HE EVEN THERE?

We are aware that Edith is getting back on her journalistic adventures but this was set aside-- it was such a good prompt especially since Laura Carmichael sort of mentioned it many times but it was rather irrelevant. I'd like to see her not just write for a magazine but do actual journalistic/detective work. She could have worked with the French man (forgot him name sorry) and got to the bottom of the issue.

DAISY AND ANDREW. These two lovebirds-- ugh, I couldn't get enough of them honestly!! Especially when they started dragging Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason together just for them to have some alone time is just wow, I couldn't help but wiggle my eyebrows but then again, this is not Bridgerton so can't sex things up. But ya know what I'm talking about.

MOLESLEY!!!!!!! This movie just reminded me why he is one of my favorite characters. He had so many hidden talents and how he described the vision for the film is like every theatre kid describing a scene from a movie AND I IDENTIFY. You can just see the passion in his eyes and I can't wait for his Hollywood ventures to come honestly.

When Myrna kissed Albert the footman on the cheek. Was. DEFINITELY. CUTE. Actually the whole fiasco where Daisy and Albert are trying to get close to the stars are just #relatable.

THOMAS. BARROW. I know my dashboard is full about him and now I completely understand. It was just confusing, for me, how giving up Downton was a "redemption" arc for his character. It gave me the impression that "okay, we're closing Thomas' arc by having him join a movie star travelling the world." And for me, that's like Gwen in the first season of the show. But Thomas had actually journeyed throughout the show and this should not be the end of him. THOMAS AND RICHARD HARRIS HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL AND YA'LL JUST HAD TO SCRATCH THAT AWAY. THANKS A LOT FELLOWES.

Following the previous point, I did not really see Carson's relevance. It's like the first film all over again, and I know we're trying to get all the characters back together again but let the man enjoy retirement for once.

Since this post has a text limit, I will continue it again in another post, but shorter. :) Thanks for reading!

[yuki-tsunodas]

The Player's Tribune: I will never forget the tears I shed that day

Article published 25 March 2021, originally written by Yuki Tsunoda in Japanese.

I translated the article with help from Google Translate and Naver Translator + my own interpretations of their rubbish translating, so apologies in advance for any mistakes! Anything I had trouble translating will be bolded with a (?) next to it!!

　I think that was the last time I cried in frustration, in regret.

　Four years ago, I was only 16 years old and was a student at Suzuka Circuit Racing School. It was the final selection to join Honda's Driver Development Program. If I pass, I can run in Japanese F4 the following year, but if I failed...I was thinking of quitting racing at that time.

　Now, I'm standing at the entrance of the stage called F1. Looking back, that was the turning point of my life.

　Of course, I didn't know if I would pass that year's trial because there were not only those who had already run in F4 but also some drivers who had come back from overseas.

　However, I've been racing in karts since I was four years old, and I've been doing well. That year, I was the youngest ever podium finisher in my debut race in the Japanese F4 championship, which allowed me to participate in the spot (?) race, and won the Super FJ Japan's first championship. At the selection test, there were good results until the final round of selection, and I was in a position to compete for first and second place overall. So I thought I could afford to make a big mistake in the final selection, and I was confident that I would still be in the top two in the end.

　I am a strong driver. But if you can't get results here or if you can't fascinate the judges with your running, it's already known (?). So I was prepared to give up my racing career if it didn't work. I think there were many other routes to go, such as running in other training programs or non-formal races, but I don't like it when it's not the direction I want to go. I decided to live a different life rather than to do it half-heartedly.

　However, the worst result awaited. At that time, I was very weak mentally and, of all things, it showed in the final round. Even before the race, I found myself tense and stiff. My fingertips were also stiff. I was not my usual self. I started like that, but suddenly I was flying...I had to drive through the pitlane and then rejoin the course. I felt like I was running alone, far away from the previous group. I felt sorry for myself, and I didn't even feel like running anymore. As a result, the points in that race were almost zero, and Tsunoda lost in the final round.

　I was so frustrated that tears welled up naturally on the train home. It was the first time since I started racing in earnest. I was the youngest among the participants, but I was shocked because I was confident that I wouldn't lose, and I couldn't imagine anything even if I tried to think about the future. I still remember clearly that I was so depressed that I didn't even want to see my parents on my way home from the Shinkansen.

　But there was only one faint hope. That was what the then Honda F4 coach said in an interview after the screening.

　"As a training driver for Honda, you will not be able to participate in the race next year, since the Formula 4 Honda has four cars. Maybe I can put you in one of the remaining two cars running as Suzuka Racing School."

　That was because former Formula One driver Satoru Nakajima recommended me. Mr. Nakajima was the principal of the school at that time, and at the time of the final selection, he was watching us run in the final chicane.

　I was given a penalty at the start, and I was racing without emotion, but I was running hard so that I wouldn't regret it. Through the visor, I saw Satoshi Nakajima standing in the final corner. I didn't want to show Mr. Nakajima a careless run. It was a hopeless ranking, but I thought I should not give up until the end and keep running toward the group in front of me. Then the road opened.

　In 2017, Suzuka Racing decided to enter me into F4 instead of making me a training driver. Then, I suddenly ranked 3rd overall in the annual overall ranking, and the following year in 2018, I was selected as a Honda Formula Dream Project driver, and was able to become the champion.

　It's all because I was frustrated at that final selection.

　The most unusual thing is that I think it's mental. Until I had a setback, I had a feeling that I would do well until the end without doing anything. I knew I wasn't good at starting even though I failed in the previous round, and I had time to practice before that, but I didn't. There was something sweet about overconfidence. And at that time, I was afraid of making mistakes, so I didn't know how to grow up.

　After failing the selection, I realized that I was still not perfect and that I had to be faster. I realized that it is important to make a lot of mistakes without fear of making mistakes, and to make new discoveries and grow from there. Therefore, I didn't feel impatient when I didn't get points as I wanted in the early part of the F3 and F2 seasons last year after I went abroad. Rather, there was no hesitation in the process of making a lot of mistakes first and learning a lot from them.

　Takuma Sato, a former Formula One driver, now driving in Indycar, is famous for saying, "No attack, no chance," but I think that's exactly right. If you don't try beyond the limits of any sport, you won't find the future, and if you don't try, you'll stop there. Therefore, even if there are times when I make mistakes or get no results, I don't feel strangely distressed. Even if you make a mistake, it's up to you to take it. Mistakes make me want to investigate the cause. If you think that you can overcome it, you can be faster than if you regret the mistake, and you can always face it positively.

　Now that I can race in F1, I feel grateful to my parents. I've liked to move since I was a child, and I played swimming, soccer, mountain biking, and also, not sports, but piano. Now that I think about it, I feel that my father and mother were letting me do what I was interested in. And the reason why I started driving karts was also influenced by my father. My father liked motorsports and played gym carna himself. One day, at the circuit venue I was taken to, I was allowed to drive a real cart. That was the first time. Actually, I also experienced a pocket bike at that time, but after trying two, I said, "The kart is more fun." I don't really remember at all (lol).

　But there were times I got sick of karts...

　For example, when I was about seven years old. When I was playing a game while waiting at the track, my father told me to "focus more on the race," and my game was taken away, and I felt like, "I don't like it anymore." Then my father became getting tougher and tougher on me to improve me, and he scolded me for many things. To be honest, I didn't really appreciate my father until I was 15, and there was a time when I hated him. 'This is "The Rebellion Period".' I think I was in the middle of it.

　Not only my father but also my mother was strict in terms of academic matters. I was always told to study in case I didn't succeed in motorsports. My junior high school was not a public school (?), so after the race, I would go home on the day, get ready for school, go to school, study, and take the test. To be honest, it was hard and I never liked it, but I continued to study anyway.

　At that time, I couldn't thank my parents, but now I have the opposite feelings. I think I am what I am now thanks to their harshness, scolding, and teaching me a lot of things back then. Thank you so much.

　I didn't expect to be able to get to F1 this quickly. Not only are there few Japanese drivers, but they are also those taking the shorter route compared to foreign drivers.

　When I first went to see F1 at Fuji Speedway at the age of seven, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were running. At that time, I wasn't longing for it, but I thought "I wanted to race with drivers like this someday", and those feelings are still the same. Hamilton is already a legend, and it's an honor to run with him, but when I get on the circuit, both Hamilton and Alonso are just drivers. Think of them as enemies.

　It's the same for Max Verstappen, who I think is the fastest and strongest opponent in Formula One, and Pierre Gasly, who's my teammate in Alpha Tauri. I want to know as soon as possible how well I can handle Verstappen and how well I can compete. Gasly was active in Japan's top-category, Super Formula, when I was running in Japanese F4, and I hope I can learn a lot of things from him, but I think he's also my biggest rival that I have to beat someday because we're in the same machine.

　'In the world of F1, "speed" is ultimately required.' No matter how fast you say you are, if you show off your speed, you can make an impact, and if you have speed, you can get back in front in the second half even if you were overtaken or separated from the pack in the beginning of the race. However, it is actually the most difficult to show "speed" in a situation like this. My biggest strength is speed, so in addition to that, I want to learn more of what I lack.

　Come to think of it, at an online conference held this off-season, my goal came out big like, "I'll be a Formula One champion more than seven times, the most ever tied," but that's not what I meant.

　I haven't done a single race in Formula One yet, so I can't say that (bitter smile).

　What I'm thinking about right now is to give the best performance I have in the first race, and to get as many points as possible throughout the season. Just like F2, even if you go up to F1, you will make a lot of mistakes from the beginning to the middle of the season, but I want to learn a lot by making new discoveries there. After saying such a thing at the press conference, there was a question like, "What is Tsunoda's ambition?" So I replied, "Maybe I'll win the championship seven times like Lewis Hamilton?" which became a big headline.To be exact, I really want to concentrate on everything in front of me now, and I hope that my ambition will come true as a result of that accumulated effort.

　What kind of scene will I see in the future? I want to improve my ability and become a race driver representing the F1 world, and I think it will be a different pressure and motivation, so the expectations of the fans may be even higher.

　That's why I want to never forget how I felt when I drove in Formula One for the first time in 2021. I want to cherish the current feelings of a rookie and continue to make mistakes to my heart's content, learn a lot from them, and enjoy them.

　I don't think I'll shed tears like I did four years ago in the final selection. I will never forget the tears I shed that day. But if I were to cry from now on, what kind of tears would I have...?

　I think it's realistic to say when I first win the championship. It's very difficult to get to Formula One, but it's going to be a tough road ahead. It's really hard to win, so if I'm going to shed tears, it's probably not "regretful tears" but "happy tears".

[melloian]

My wild au idea...

so i got a new art program. so i imagine this fake au idea.. so imma share it lmao. remember this is an imagination (and am still working on reboot au) and not some au or something. Alright let’s just get this cringe over went Remember this guy?

remember this kid?

now imagine them as an main character...yup..

Alright time to explain ig The boy and sandboy fused in body because of hawkmoth's glitch. The boy first witnessed this when he got scared of something else. He slowly turned blue. He screamed and cried loud because of course he didn't know what was happening, eventually turning into sandboy and terrorizing the city again. He then realizes everytime he gets scared he turns into sandboy. He proceeds to think the movie gave him strange powers (and not hawkmoth..well not in this fake au of course). Since he knows sandboy is evil, he came up idea to trick sandboy into doing something good. His plan was to put himself in danger on purpose (by an villain) in order to make sandboy think the villain is trying to attack him. The boy is only doing this in order for sandboy to no longer attack paris. Now to explain hawkmoth's situation, hawkmoth accidentally cracked the miraculous when he fall down (in a high tower awhile fighting the other day). He didn't know he did until he saw nooroo acting strange. But he didn't care so he proceeds to do it which led to the glitch. It affected his heart causing to become weak. However he doesn't care, he says himself that he would continue to use the butterfly miraculous, even if it costs his life at the end (he really just want his wife back so bad smh.) Gabriel gets the same symptoms as his wife which worries adrien.

Back to the boi himself.

in this imagination/fake au He just a friendly, energetic kid who like to play. He pretty much known as well-behaved kid. He sometimes curious about things.

He likes making new friends.

However he can get scared easily leading him to get nightmares. (he also easily cry too.)

He doesn't like mean people. (in this "fake" au, his age is 6) Sandboy himself

Sandboy here acts completely different here.. i mean he stills says "tHe SaNdBoY jUsT cHECkEd In. NoW nIghTmArEs CaN bEgIn" but only when using his powers. but he still different Sandboy is much more rude and more of an brat but still confident. He makes fun of people especially the villains he targets (he makes them furious on purpose). He's not scared of nothing, even if he saw lovecraftian horror or something, he wouldn't flinch. If he doesn't get his way, he will attempt fake cry so the person can feel sorry for him. (if that doesn't work he just will instantly use his power) Even though he rude and a brat, he can sometimes be helpful and nice. (he still acts like a child too.) Abilities: It would be epically lame if sandboy still have the same 1 power (rip chat noir). (and fook the sandman myth) He gains more abilities as time goes on and more fighting he does. Default power (just for reminder): He able to zap people and make their nightmares reality Gained powers list (in order): He will later be able to put people to sleep which would gave them nightmares Similar power to wishmaker expect its not childhood dreams. It just wishes in general, he able to grant them but he can either twist it for evil or grant the wish properly. He able to imprison people inside their own dream. he can now summon things out of his own dream or make it reality (can be past or present). he can bring people fears to life too (is not the same as nightmares just for clarification) Telekinesis He can go to sleep and can enter astral form. He can enter people's dream and warps it if he wants too or just watch. (he also have oneiricpotence awhile in dream) He can create an alternative dream universe and teleport people in it (he have oneiricpotence here too).

stronk kid Weakness: i made this so i wouldn't make him an absolute god machine All his powers works best at night. If use it in day, it would fail or it would work but it will go absolutely wrong. The only powers that don't suffer this is telekinesis and wish power. (sleeping power would work in afternoon and night) He can't keep using dream warper, alt dream, or dream imprisonment or else he becomes sick. (and when he's sick, his powers don't work properly{ he also gets dizzy})

He can't be astral for a long time, he will eventually snap back to his body. he still as fragile as an child.

Notes: He summons his pillow instead of being with him already.

Never of them wanted to be heroes in the first place.

Sandboy's hair only glows when its dark. Sandboy would change back to boy when all negative feelings are gone. For Nathalie in this au aswell, she pretty much don't want hawkmoth keep using his miraculous before he ends up in a coma. Eventually, Gabriel gets too sick and Nathalie takes his place. Nathalie attempts to fix both peacock and butterfly miraculous to continue his goal. She becomes Penumbra.

However, before she became penumbra, she was also effected with the glitch from Gabriel causing her to have catalyst stay in her aswell. Unlike the boy, she still have her own personality as catalyst and can use her power without transforming. idk why but its probably to make her dangerous. But Gabriel finally knew how the kid could transform to sandboy (he was wondering how he was transforming to his akumanzation form he given him) before he passed out (after he was defeated as scarlet moth.) So when gabriel got too sick, her goal was to find out more about that boy. Recurring characters

Even though chat noir and ladybug is still in the story, but they wouldn't have much focus.

Unlike in the original, ladybug or chat noir doesn't know sandboy's true identity but still thinks he a running akumanzation. however they don't attack him because he helping with the other villains. They confused if he an enemy or ally tho {why not both}. (they do thank him for defeating certain villains) They still have same personality and attitude. Other shit ig: This fake au takes place in season 2. The ep sandboy is no longer near heroes day ep, it would just be swapped with collector. Sandboy becomes less rude and bratty later on. Most fights would take place at night Sandboy had to learn hand to hand combat to be useful without using his night powers. There is no romance involved what so ever. Even though Nathalie fixes the butterfly miraculous, it wouldn't fix the glitch that happens to both her and the boy. She have to find something else in order to do that. Season 4 is were Gabriel's sickness gets worse and Nathalie takes his place. The boy would have 2 friends with him but its not manon or chris. The boy would be given a name. The boy would later find out how to change to sandboy without having to make himself scared. Remember this an fake au and this all came from my imagination/head. It just an idea. anyways see ya imma continue my own au now.

[work-your-loki]

Some more coherent (but still preliminary thoughts) about the finale before I go to read more opinions and theories.

Warning for spoilers and long post:

Sylvie, girl, I'm so sorry you were reduced to a plot device just so that Loki didn't have to be the "villain" who unleashed the next MCU big bad in his own show. And I'm sorry all your complexities got overshadowed by discussions of this ridiculous romantic storyline that ultimately… didn't have any impact at all? Their connection didn't break reality or bring forth the multiverse. The only thing it did, narratively, was to alert the TVA that they were on Lamentis and gift us with that legendary interrogation scene. In fact, you could remove that element entirely from the show and the only thing you'd have to change would be the tone of said interrogation scene, which is interesting. Probably unintentional, but still, food for thought.

I understand now why Kate Herron said they decided to focus on that aspect later in the filming process, because it just wasn't needed in their planning, so it didn't materialize from the beginning. I think maybe they assumed that them being in love would make their fight have more of an emotional impact to the audience, rather than if they just had a simple human connection? Convenient that this never get considered as an option for all their "bro" duos.

It's actually kinda staggering to think that you could just remove Sylvie from the narrative right now and continue the show in all sorts of different directions without her absence causing any plot related problems.

Speaking of which, I can't imagine at all what the goal will be next season. If Kang is meant to be the main villain in the next phase, I assume he will have to be defeated in the movies? Where does that leave Loki? He has essentially nowhere to go now and no way to fix this? Does it even need to be fixed? Is he going to take control of this particular TVA and defeat this particular Kang, while other versions of him appear in the movies? I suppose a lot depends on when the next season will come. But I think it's going to be good for Loki as a character to be removed from this revenge quest in which he was ultimately a passenger, and have him chase his own plan and explore his own agency. As much as I loved the potential Loki and Sylvie had as duo, I can understand the criticism that he was kinda sidelined in his own show.

For all that talk about burning down the TVA, that storyline was very underwhelming. I wish we'd gotten to see more of B-15 and Mobius' plan and how they communicated it to the others and the emotional impact this reveal had to everyone and if there was resistance to it. I feel all that could have easily been its own episode, instead of a footnote to an hour of clunky exposition. And I definitely expected more of that Ravonna/Mobius showdown. Props to him for figuring out the pen thing though, that was clever. Does that mean Ravonna actually remembers her nexus event?

But, ultimately, I'm glad we got to keep the TVA. Whether or not it should exist at all is a whole other moral debate, but I really love the world building they did with it. I love the sets, the characters, all the possibilities you can explore within that setting.

I also saw some people say that this a TVA in a different universe, and thus our characters are stranded back in the timeline we met them in, but didn't Sylvie push Loki through the portal before the multiverse was created? And doesn't the TVA also exist outside of that? My first assumption was that they all had just been reset, but that they were just the same people. I'm also wondering how Sylvie made that portal? What was she holding?

Was the point of the sword just that Loki could have a weapon he could fight Sylvie with? 'Cause the "You're going to need this on your journey" line made it sound much more important.

🤡Now, the actual important stuff. Let's clown:

After 'sick, twisted and demented', now we also have 'unnatural' to add to the list. I don't think all of these are not words you really want characterizing your central romance. Not if you want people to root for it.

Still absolutely no verbal confirmation from either side that their connection is romantic. Just another assumption, a much more subtle one. (That's how you react if you have no stake in the game, my petty king)

In fact, I got a very concerned familial vibe from Loki during their fight. Of course, I could also be projecting. I do that a lot. Or Loki could be projecting. He also does that a lot.

The earth-shattering, dimension-breaking kiss was literally a "Judas kiss"? She kissed him just to distract him. I mean, good for her, since it worked, but not a great basis to build a relationship. Does it hold any more narrative weight than the Steve/Natasha kiss in TWS? It could, I guess, if they're dead set on continuing this storyline, but the way it was done, you could just as easily handwave it as the Luke/Leia kiss if they want to scrap it. They have had audience reactions now, and while I'm not keeping up a lot with GA reactions, the few bits I've picked up where either negative or bewildered. But, like I said, I could be entirely wrong there, I'm not following that all that much.

The thing I'm personally most excited about all the good fics that are going to come out of this! I can already feel all the talented writers breaking out their keyboards to serve us bucket loads of angst and fix-its until next season. The possibilities of where we left Loki and Mobius are endless.

And, yes, it was a sad way to end the season, but I can't describe in words how fascinating I find the concept of exploring a Mobius who knows nothing about Loki and has no assumptions and preconceptions about him. They are at the exact opposite point of where they started, and I can't wait to see Loki explore that and to realize how desperate he is to get their friendship back and how important it is to him. Their relationship could go anywhere from here. Mobius could instantly like him, in which case they're soulmates, sorry, I don't make the rules. Or he could dislike him and we'd get hilarious bickering and gut-wrenching angst. Until, of course, Loki remembers he can actually enchant him now and we get the forehead touch.

And I'm just tickled that I don't have to change literally anything in this episode to support my assumption that the love interest/best friend dynamic is inverted (or can potentially be). I can, for example, view that last scene as Loki being heartbroken that a person who he admired and looked to as a role model to better himself was ultimately so broken by the injustices done to her, that she could not find any hope to conceive a better future for herself. And that he felt the same despair about himself just as he was starting to see a different path becoming available to him.

And that all lasted until he collected himself and run to find the one person in the universe that is convinced he can change his story. And that next season he can use the impact that relationship had on him to save the person who saved him. So, I can essentially continue to troll myself until whenever the next season comes out, and all that without changing anything about canon.

To sum it up, I think the open ending is going to be great for the fandom between seasons, and, honestly, that's ultimately that's why I'm here for!