#but i kind of have mixed feelings about true crime in general

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

If Kara and Lena had a podcast, what would it be about?

The social and economic impact of vigilante superheroes?

Historical disasters?

Conspiracy theories?

Gossip?

Fandom of their favorite show/movies?

Or maybe one of those ones that's just a little of whatever strikes the host(s)'s fancy?

[moonkissedvisions]

Astrology observations! (Vedic, Western)

Consider:

• These observations are based on my personal experiences, intuition and knowledge, not research. Use your own discernment.

• I'm not a professional astrologer. I've been learning Western astrology since 2016 and I started learning about Vedic only 2 years ago. Astrology is one of my passions since I was really young but I didn´t focus on it as a profession. You can ask me questions or send me a message ofc :), but I don't offer any astrological readings or give professional advice.

• This is meant to be fun and entertaining, so if I said something that you didn't like or that you disagree with, be kind and don't take it personal. These are just really general observations based on 3-8 examples! If you want, we can discuss anything here as long as you are respectful.

• English is not my first language.

Now let´s read!

I never experienced true telepathy until I met a Venus conjunct Neptune man. He would look at my face and know exactly what I'm thinking and feeling, and he would be so understanding of it, even when it was something potentially hurtful to his ego. These people are psychic lovers and I'm afraid they are often seen with abusive people who take advantage of their unconditional love.

Mars-Saturn aspects in synastry is an indicator of only wanting to have sex with only this person, or could be that the couple can go for long times without being intimate and not feel like they need it.

This may sound obvious, but Ardra nakshatra people are the ones that feel so renewed by crying. They could heal A LOT by just a long crying session. And while others think "crying won't solve your problems" Ardra nakshatra people know this is so far from the truth. I am an Ardra rising and sometimes i tell my friends that i cried for hours to feel better and they are all like "if I cried like that i would feel so much worse but I'm happy for you" lol.

Hasta nakshatra men are such women worshippers. Hasta women are so maternal.

If i wanted good financial advice I would ask a Venus in the second house person. Specially women. Ik they are known overspenders but I had many good experiences with them.

In fact, I've seen some cases where people follow the advice of Taurus/2nd house individuals more often than other people's advice. They perceive it as being more valuable, I suppose.

Anuradha nakshatra individuals love movies about friendship and gore/horror movies. I think they like movies in general too.

Krittika nakshatra people are often perceived as "mean" or they say things that others take too personally? Idk but I know 3 cases like that. They are so unapologetic. The 3 of them were perceived as asexual too.

As a Swati moon I've always been obsessed with beauty, decorating, fashion and clothes, putting on creams, balms, perfumes and other products and it makes sense!

My obsession with beauty wasn't healthy tho. I suffered from mental illness and could see the slightest imperfection on my face. That's another thing about Swati individuals, they perceive every subtle, small detail and may become obsessed with stuff easily.

True crime documentaries are a Ketu woman´s best friend. Probably Ketu men as well, although what i observed from them is more of adventure movies, movies about survival or nature documentaries. Teen Wolf is the perfect Ketu people TV show. Criminal Minds too. And they were both created by a Ketu man.

I love Mercury nakshatra women's voices. They are also so funny and sarcastic.

I know three cases of people with a mix of tropical pisces/neptune and aquarius/uranus having lucid dreams/dreams they can partially control, and dreams about flying. They also rarely have nightmares but when they do it's not something happening to them but to other people, and they are there trying to help lol.

Rahu women or rahuvians in general could feel like they don't even understand themselves sometimes. They're so independent and hard to tame that they feel like they need something to "control" them or some kind of restraint, but nothing feels effective or worth it at the end. I observed in my grandma, a Swati moon woman, that she used to brag about how independent she was, refused to stay married, hated feeling restrained so much and then she ended up wishing someone took care of her, gave energy and time to her, took the lead for her. She doesn´t necessarily regret being someone unconventional and independent, but she recognizes that now that she is old.

Uttara Bhadrapada and Rohini nakshatra people like learning and are so curious about some aspects of sex, they may even want to be sexologists. Could also apply to Ardra.

Cancer women get a lot of hate for apparently no reason. I even heard people saying they hate Cancer women as if they knew all Cancer women in the world?? I think the most simple explanation for that is that Cancer represents a lot of what's a woman's nature and power which are erased in a patriarchy.

Everyone talks about how Aries people get over anger so easily and never hold grudges but I've actually seen the opposite. In a lot of cases they are worse than the common "resentful" water and earth signs.

Aries in general have a hard time apologizing. It's like they never did anything wrong, the others were just unfair to them. I know SO MANY examples of this unhealthy expression.

A nice observation now lol is that I've never met an Aries that didn't have beautiful red lips and cheeks.

I noticed a lot of Moon and some Mars people have a significant amount of moles/freckles. The Spanish word for mole is lunar lol.

People with Mercury/Saturn aspects or Saturn in the third house felt "dumb" when young. Because of it, they made a lot of efforts and worked hard to know stuff and be smart by reading a lot of books, watching a lot of documentaries and educational videos, playing general knowledge games, learning a lot of words and languages, taking a lot of classes, playing memory games, chess, and even researching cognitive processes and brain health.

I've noticed that many Sun dominant women have this lowkey unhealthy expression of not being good friends with other women/feminine individuals. They're the type to say women are a lot of drama or that they can't connect with them even though they don't have a specific problem with women. They may be friends with only guys, or feel isolated from women. They also used to want to be a guy or dressed/still dresses tomboyish (there isn't anything wrong with that). I think in a way it's completely understandable and even healthy! But some of them express a lot of internalized misogyny and unconscious projections that they can't or don't want to recognize. When their expression is healthy, Sun dominant people are totally the warmest, best friends. And just the type of person others need around and in their life.

Saturn in the 5th house people are often self-taught artists. Some people perceive them as boring because they can be really afraid of expressing themselves. They give a lot in romantic relationships and often don´t get the same in return but they want to keep going because they care about loving more than being loved.

Sagittarius people make good parents in general and they are so underrated as parents. They give their children freedom, make them experience fun things like traveling, and often spoil them in a good sense! They also teach them a lot of valuable things and make them laugh!

Virgos are the most considerate and thoughtful people. They remember stuff about you even if you barely know them and they barely know you. They give you what you need at the right moment. They remember how you make your bed, how you fold your clothes and then they surprise you with an act of service. They know exactly what to gift each person.

Saturn dominant people/saturn in the first house/conj ascendant could suffer from a lot of anxiety and overthinking. They also criticize themselves for irrelevant stuff and that's so sad because everytime I'm near a saturn dominant I can't get enough of their energy! There is something really pleasant about them. They are also giving, considerate and nice hosts/hostesses. They make people feel included and heard. I made a personal observation about saturn nakshatra men here (based in this video)

Ceres-ascendant aspects/Ceres in the 1st are the perfect homemakers.

Thank you for reading! See you in next post :)

Here you can see my last pac reading <3

images from pinterest, dividers by @muruffin

[zankydraws]

You got any Wekiddy headcannons? Especially for MJ?

idk if these count as hcs or not but I might have some!

MJ 182: - he's a shapeshifting alien. idk what his true form would be yet but I want to draw it someday, I'd go with some sort of anthro reptile/shark mix probably - a bit of an asshole, likes to cause problems on purpose (his main goal is pissing off El Cool P) - loves pop-punk (bruh MJ makes me wish there was an actual pop-punk version of Incredibox where he's the main character..) - he thinks Xenomorph is a hottie.. (dfkgjhdfks) - I like to think he's a good artist, specifically good at spray painting (and he uses his talent to destroy public property or El Cool P's belongings) - definitely the most rebellious guy in the group - hates to dress up - can and will bite people (mostly Cool P)

El Cool P: - huge ego. absolutely massive - probably commits crimes (loves arson) - idk there's something wrong with him - would do good stuff for people (like giving money to charity) just to make himself feel better and make people love him more - uses his good looks and charm to his advantage - if he wants something, he WILL get it - probably has tons of merch with his own stupid face on it (he owns an El Cool Shirt and an El Cool Plushie for sure) - owns like millions of suits (and matching bucket hats) - argues with MJ all the time - a terrible driver (don't get into a car with him) (how did he even get a driving license?)

KC Glow: - precious baby boy, an absolute angel - looooong sleeves - does the excited flappy hand thing a lot - can actually glow in the dark, somehow - has freckles! - you could probably pick him up and carry him around and he would be chill about it

ASAP Bee: - looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you - loves bees, they are his best buddies - probably stores bees in his fanny pack - if you hurt/kill a bee, he will beat the shit out of you - seriously don't mess with him and his bee friends - loves bee memes, puns and everything bee related - owns a machine gun (this one is ridiclous but some people call him a machine gun guy and it made me think that it would be funny if he actually owned a gun. so don't mess with his bees unless you want a bullet in your butt) - absolutely loves honey, he's obsessed with it, always carries a bottle/jar of honey around

Big Duke: - looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll - a very chill and nice guy - always ready to help! - I like to think he's a little chubby - short king

Swingy: - works out a lot, he's very fit and pretty strong - I talked about this some time ago but he gives me the 80's fitness instructor vibes so he can probably teach people how to work out properly and dance - kinda stupid but he's very nice! :D - loves food and eats all the time - likes his hair a lot and doesn't want anyone touching it - generally likes to look pretty

Blue GT: - kind of a bitch - has heterochromia (I drew him with different eye colors once and loved the idea a lot lol) - he's sooo tired of hearing MJ and Cool P argue ("just kill each other already") - he just wants to be left alone - wears turtlenecks and rings - has to look fabulous at all times - loves coffee

Memphis: - doesn't want to get in trouble but somehow always ends up getting in trouble because of MJ or Cool P (because they are assholes) (Mephis still likes to spend time with his buddies tho, even if it doesn't always end up being good for him) - his hair is extremely floofy and soft, it's unbelievable - he seems a little shy to me..

and that's all I guess.. I don't really have any headcanons for the other dudes, but I might come up with something someday

[deuxcherise]

Collar Crimes: All Bark, No Bite (1/2)

C/w: Unhealthy behavior (?) | Yandere | Female OC | Gender Neutral Reader | Reader is a bit of a… gold digger here (pun intended lol) | Comfort (?) | Fluff (?) | Slight Angst (near the end)| Swearing | Includes a cute pic of a Golden Retriever x German Shepherd mix dog for reference

A/n: So a long time ago, before reader met Eris, reader met a certain dog~ Hint, hint: she was mentioned in the last chapter (can I call it a chapter? It was in part 2). It’s not the bartender, by the way. So this is going to be a two parter because it got too long. Huh… Is it just me or are these getting longer and longer? Even the animal is getting bigger lol. Enjoy~

Masterlist | Part 0, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (1/2) (you’re here!), Part 3 (2/2)

[Seven years ago…]

“Hiiiii~ Welcome to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guest. We’re so happy-happy to see you~”

“Oh, what do we have here? I heard a lot of great things about you. Come give Papa a big ol’ smile, why don’t cha?”

You keep your ever present resting blank face on, place your index fingers together in front of your mouth and drag them apart in an upward curve. You throw in a tilt of your head, as a bonus.

He throws his head back in ecstasy. “AHHH! So it’s true what they say. I feel so refreshed. Papa’s got an appetite for some sandwiches… unless you’re on the menu today?”

“Oh my~ You flatter me~ But unfortunately, nooooo sir~” you say with a high-pitched cutesy voice that heavily contrasts your stiff-robot face, fanning yourself for show.

You’ve always hated these kinds of customers– actually you really hated this job in general. Not only were you forced to wear a ridiculously, scandalously short pink waitress dress uniform regardless of your gender, but you had to listen to yourself talk with an ear-gratingly high-pitched tone because that’s what sells the performance here.

It’s not like you can just leave, as much as you wanted to. Where else would they pay you enough to make rent? Besides, with who runs this cafe, do you think you’d be able to leave scot-free? No.

Ah… if only someone with a lot of money could just… sweep you off your feet. Someone kind. Someone considerate. Someone polite.

Pff. Like that’s ever going to happen.

You take his usual order on your paper notepad. As you leave, you feel something heavy slap against your behind, the action sending a jolt through the rest of your body. You glance behind you and see him don a sleazy smirk, which further adds to your disgust and increasing resentment for this place and this man, as you pick up the pace to hand over the order to the chef. You slam the paper down onto the counter with a little more force than expected, warranting Remy’s attention.

“Which table?” he nonchalantly asks, cracking a couple of eggs onto the pan.

Somehow, despite wearing the same outfit as you, he maintains an extremely powerful look with his exposed bulging muscles and trimmed beard held by his hairnet. You envy the man.

“Table 13,” you grumble.

“Special sauce?”

“Special sauce.”

“Got it.”

The bell rings and in comes a trio of brothers in fancy suits, three of your most loyal customers, along with an unfamiliar face. Upon their request, the hostess leads them to a table in your section. You grab four menus before walking over and greeting them as usual.

“Hiiiii~ Welcome back to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guests. We’re so happy-happy to see you~” you say, with your iconic blank face.

The three men roar with delight. The lady with them, wearing the same kind of suit, simply pinches and pulls at her sleeve as she keeps her face downcast. One of the brothers turns to the lady with them while pointing at you. “Hey, Sis. Whatcha think of (Y/n), huh? That straight face and cute voice– combo’s real nice, ain’t it?”

“O-oh… um…” The woman makes eye contact with you for a split second before she looks away, a blush appearing on her face. She nods animatedly, releasing another roar from the men, much to your confusion.

“Oh right! (Y/n). You already know the three of us: Dante, Vergil and Nero. This,” Dante says, placing an arm around the lady’s shoulders, “is our baby sister, Lyn. She may look shy right now, but put a weapon in her hand and–” He whistles before chuckling.

“Ah. Happy-happy to have you, Lyn~” you say, cutely wiggling your fingers.

“... T-thank you… (Y/n).”

“Good girl,” one of the brothers sitting across pats her on the head. She reminds you of a golden retriever, with her blond hair and gentle, round eyes.

“Yay~ Now, what will it be today~?” you ask, clicking your pen.

They order some sandwiches and some drinks. You place the order in exchange for picking up the order for that sleazy customer who calls himself Papa. You and Remy exchange knowing looks before you deliver the food.

“Oooh. This looks delicious. Thank you very much, sweetheart.”

You nod and start walking away, before your arm is grabbed by a meaty hand. You turn your head around to see the man grinning at you maliciously. 

“Now, wait a gosh darn second. I heard that this establishment offers a… special service. Now… you aren’t holding off on me, are ya?”

You rip your arm out of his grasp, used to being grabbed by unscrupulous individuals like this man. You answer, “Oh~ The special service~ Sorry, hon~ That’s a privilege only reserved for customers who have dined here more than ten times~ Since you’ve come here once, that means you’ll have to come back nine more times.”

The special service in question refers to asking any server to sing the cafe’s jingle and perform a cutesy dance for the customer asking. Everyone who works here must learn this song and dance before they can be placed on the floor. Each server adds their own twist to it, of course, thus providing a unique experience.

The man slams a fist on the table and stands up, his face red with anger. “WHAT? I CANCELLED AN IMPORTANT MEETING FOR THIS. NOW IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME THE SPECIAL SERVICE, I AM GOING TO–”

Click!

Both your heads turn to the side to discover Lyn pointing a loaded revolver with one hand just a feet away, aimed directly for the man’s skull. Her eyes are sharp and narrowed, unlike the gentle, round ones you were introduced to earlier.

She raises her eyebrows. “Is there a problem here, sir?”

“D-do… do you know who you’re pointing that gun at, lady?” the man stutters, sweating beading up on his forehead.

Lyn shrugs. “Does it matter?”

“O-of course it does! Shoot me and you’ll have the West Razors going after you and your entire family.”

She raises an eyebrow. “... Never heard of them before.”

“What? Who are you then, huh bitch? Some don’s lady?”

She scoffs to the side. Her eyes widen, pupils contracting, as she cocked her head with a smirk. “Lyn Aurem-Diavolus. Of the May Devils.”

The man gasps and immediately lowers his knees, Lyn’s gun following. The man clasps his hands together in a prayer as he begs for his life. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know! Please forgive me! I didn’t know this server was your lover!”

…Who? Is what now?

Lyn’s eyes soften back to their round shape, her face darkening to a red hue as she stutters, “E-eh?”

“That’s right!” Dante pipes up with a smirk, coming behind Lyn, followed by the other two brothers. “Mess with (Y/n) again, and we’ll send you straight down to hell, capisce?” He gives the man a thumbs down with a frown. “Now scram.”who want to get on the bad side of the May Devils. The less competition, the better anyway.

Lyn replaces the safety lock before she puts it back into a hidden holster. She bashfully asks you, “Are you okay… (Y/n)?”

You nod and give a thumbs up. “Yeah. Thank you, Lyn~”

“N-no, well I mean yes, that too. But what I meant was–”

“Ooh, free sandwiches,” says Dante. “Don’t mind if I do–”

You throw a hand out. “No, wait!”

-----🔔-----

Ever since the brothers introduced you to Lyn, she has been visiting the cafe every day you’re scheduled to work for months now. Sometimes she comes with the brothers, sometimes by herself if they’re too busy dealing with… probably mafia stuff.

“Hiiiii~ Welcome to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guest. We’re so happy-happy to see you~”

“H-hi… (Y/n).”

At this point, there is no need to provide her with a menu anymore. She always orders a peanut butter milkshake and a plate of chocolate cake. Somehow, aside from the extreme sweet tooth she possesses, you always feel weird about giving her the chocolate cake. She’s definitely human but… she really does remind you of a very shy golden retriever… with perhaps a German shepherd side to her.

“Okay~ Here is your milkshake and your cake. Will there be anything else you’d like today, Lyn-Lyn~?”

You expect her to say no as per usual, but this time it seems she has something on her mind. Based on the way her face has turned red and her eyes look like they’re panicking.

“O-oh! U-um… (Y/n)?”

“Yes, Lyn-Lyn?”

“Do you… what time do you get off work? D-do you have time after work?”

That catches you off guard. “Why~?”

“UH… UM… I… I-I have something… to tell you! Come meet me behind the cafe.”

“Oh… kay. Okay~” you answer.

-----🔔-----

“Alright. Good job, everyone! Have a safe trip going home!”

“Yeah!” “Thank you! “Yes!” “Uh-huh.” “See ya!”

The day has ended and all of the customers have left. Your boss leaves first, but you and your coworkers stick around and begin making conversation.

“Oooh, you gonna go meet lover girl in the back, (Y/n)?”

You roll your eyes at a coworker’s words. “Ha ha. Real funny.”

“What does she wanna talk about anyway?”

You shrug, closing your locker. “Beats me.”

“Ooh, do you think she’s going to confess?”

You scoff. “No. Where’d you get that idea from?”

Your coworkers exchange looks before bursting into laughter.

Ever since that day when the don of the West Sharpies or something assumed you were Lyn’s lover, your coworkers have never let you live it down, especially with Lyn’s daily visits. She is… kind, considerate, polite, and she was pretty hot when she defended you back then. However! You do not have such a relationship with her, nor any kind of feelings like that.

You’re the last one to leave, the only one to leave through the back door to meet with Lyn. You see her leaning against the wall, dressed in her suit as always. The moment she spots you, she blushes again. She has never seen you in civilian clothes before, but you look so… beautiful. More so without the pink outfit.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” you ask in your regular voice, out of character. Your face is still stiff though.

“O-oh, not at all, not at all. Um, here.”

She manifests a flower bouquet from behind for you. You take the bouquet, entranced by the largeness of it and how beautiful the colorful flowers look in the alleyway’s streetlight. When your eyes finally break away from the flowers, you find Lyn kneeling down on one knee and looking up at you with a very serious expression.

“Lyn?”

”(Y/n). Over these past several months,” she starts off, “I have been trying to figure out my feelings. I’ve thought about it over and over, tries to rationalize it as… as just infatuation, but… I know what’s in my heart. And I’ve finally come to a conclusion. Ever since I first met you, you have… captured my heart. I am in love with you, (Y/n).”

…..

You stare at her with wide eyes. “Huh?”

She clears her throat and starts glancing between you and the surroundings, embarrassed. “I-I know you may not feel the same. My brothers… and everyone else have told me already. And it’s not like I’ve really done anything to win your affection…” She mumbles something in between before continuing. “But if you give me the chance, I can show you what I’m capable of. As your potential girlfriend.”

She holds out a hand to you. “Will you… go out with me?”

“I…”

Do you want to try going out on a date with one of the May Devils, the youngest one too? You didn’t have any prior romantic feelings for the girl, which makes you feel bad. What if you never develop any feelings for her? What if she stops showing up to the cafe? What if you accidentally do something that triggers the entire famiglia after you?

In the midst of your thoughts, something dark emerges from you. A devil. It sits on your shoulder and whispers into your ear, “What if this is your chance to get out of here? She has money. You need money. It’s a match made in… well, ya know?”

…..

You smile, an expression Lyn hasn’t seen before but is entranced by, as you place your hand onto hers.

“I would love to.”

-----🔔-----

You hadn't expected to enjoy going out on dates with her, but you were sure glad that you said yes.

“(Y/n)! Look what I got for you!” Lyn excitedly says, holding a neatly wrapped box for you over your shoulder.

“Another one?” you chuckle, accepting the gift as she hugs you from behind and nuzzles the back of your neck. “Designer clothes. Designer bags. Luxuries cars. Lyn-Lyn, you're spoiling me too much. You're going to go bankrupt!”

She shakes her head, her hair tickles the back of your neck. “Mm mm mm mm. You're not being spoiled! You're being pampered! By me. Your loving, romantic girlfriend. Who regards you dearly very, very much! Forget about the money. Just let me enjoy spending it on you.”

You giggle and place a hand on her cheek, turning your head so you can share a kiss with her. Of course, Lyn starts planting lots of kisses on your face afterwards, like the lovely puppy she is.

You both fall into bed, full of laughter and joy until you both settle down to cuddle with each other. With your fingers interlocked with hers, Lyn gazes into yours with so much adoration, it makes you shy. You turn away and hide your face against the pillow.

“(Y/n), look at me,” she whispers.

You refuse, for a moment, but you make eye contact. You both gaze into each other's eyes, lovingly, until Lyn breaks the silence.

“I love you, (Y/n).

It makes you freeze, hearing those three words fall from her mouth for the first time in your relationship.

What shocks you more is that…

Well…

The thing is… normally… 

You're… supposed to say it back, right?

You open your mouth but not a single noise leaves it. You avert your eyes in shame, biting your lip.

Why can't you say it? After all she's done for you so far?

…..

“I-It's okay, (Y/n),” Lyn suddenly says, making you look at her. Her eyes and voice are filled with sadness. “I know… that it takes time for a person to develop feelings for someone. I mean, it took time for me to realize my feelings too, and… I did ask you out knowing that you might not… reciprocate my feelings. At least not yet. That's why people date, right? To get to know each other and hopefully fall in love. So… I'll wait for you. Besides, we’ve only dated for a month, right? I’ll do my best to make you fall in love with me. Okay? Prepare yourself~”

You nod, happy that Lyn still wants to be with you even if you can't say those three words back to her yet.

-----🔔-----

“Who are you talking to?”

You look up from your phone. “Oh! One of my old coworkers. He was just asking how I'm doing now since I've left the cafe. Thanks to you,” you answer, with a playful smile.

Lyn’s face doesn't share your expression. “Oh. Okay.”

You pout, wondering what's going on with Lyn lately. She'd catch you on the phone, ask you who you're talking to, and then ignore you until she finds something else to ask.

You crawl towards her on the bed and ask, “Lyn, I know you're upset. Do you want to talk about it?”

Lyn looks at you, looks away, and then looks back at you again before she leans forward and catches your lips with a kiss. She pushes you down onto the bed before releasing you from her lips and just looks at you.

Her eyes move from your eyes to your lips to your exposed collarbone before going back up to your eyes. She sighs before laying her entire weight on you, her head nestled in the crook of your neck.

“Lyn?”

“I love you, (Y/n)... Do you love me?”

“I…” Your voice catches in your throat for nth time.

You feel her breath as she sighs. “I know.”

Tears start to fill up your eyes out of frustration. “I'm sorry…”

She pops back on her elbows, worried. “Oh no, it's okay. Shh shh. It's okay. (Y/n). My (Y/n). I'm sorry,” she coos, caressing your cheek and wiping your tears.

For some reason, no matter what she did, nothing could spark you to say those three damned words back to her. It isn't your fault but…

It is starting to drive her insane.

[none-shall-caricature-me]

I've noticed that, probably due to a desire to alleviate the grim nature of the original, many xuexiao fanfic writers opt to focus on (twisted or fluffy) romantic feelings of the characters. The emphasis ends up being on their romantic / platonic / sexual attraction rather than their incredibly juicy ideological contest and the antagonistic tension mixed with intrigue that Xue Yang shows towards Xiao Xingchen. Basically, there is too much 'lovers / froends' and not enough 'enemies' in their enemies - to - lovers / friends story. (I'm not criticising that. I'm a sucker for their mushier side too. But I'm equally a sucker for a good brutal battle of creeds.)

So let me fill this gap by describing how DELICIOUS the exploration of the 'you're my enemy and u SUCK and your worldview is RIDICULOUS but I LOVE rotating you in the microwave testing the limits of your resolve' aspect is or can be. I'll use some moments from the show / novel that I find striking in this regard.

XXC is very kind but lacks the worldly experience to be spot - on empathetic (as others have pointed out). He's also rigid to a fault. This is a VERY unpopular interpretation of mine but I believe he can be selfish / negligent in his goodness - he sheds caution about possible repercussions on his near ones in his mission to fight evil. He was smart enough to figure out the Chang massacre and trace it to XY. He knows XY is incredibly vengeful and creative in his vengeance. He's had experience with powerful people who will obstruct justice. Yet he goes ahead with prosecuting XY even when Jin Guangshan acts shady and uncooperative. Didn't he consider that this might put a target on his well - known partner Song Lan ?

Welp, then the Baixue bloodbath happens and XXC very understandably blames himself. I know we like to say it wasn't his fault, and of course it technically wasn't, but he did commit a grave error in not thinking through the consequences. It could be a miscalculation, negligence or even cavalier tunnel - vision, depending on your opinion. But anyway, XXC's morale is shattered and as others (like ameliarating) have said, he determined to never end up harming others in his quest for righteousness again.

XY wiped out Baixue for revenge, but also to kill XXC's hopes and vision, again also mentioned by others. May be a stretch, but it could be XY's way of saying 'hah, you don't care to understand why the world is as awful as it is, and then blame ME for doing shitty things to live it up in a shitty world. So let me show you how things actually work, and why my existence and lifestyle are valid.' It's like a really fucked up method of self - affirmation for XY. (Just in case - I am neutral on XY's actions. The novel doesn't give us much insight into his thoughts, so I'll withhold judgement on the nature vs. nurture debate about XY. But he's definitely an interesting character).

Then XY starts infiltrating XXC's life in Yi City. Why does he stick around after healing ? I like to think it's initially because he's a) taking advantage of XXC's generous freebies cuz why not and b) wants to torment him, yes, but he's also very very curious about XXC. Maybe it's because XXC's still out here trying to do good when many people would've either quit and hardened their hearts, or been broken irreparably. So XY think's he'll get both schadenfreude and try to find out why this dumbass saved a highly suspicious dying man and continued on his goody goody quest instead of learning his lesson. The lesson XY tried to teach him. Maybe XXC's whole deal makes XY wonder how his life would be if he'd acted nicer and more socially acceptable. Would it have saved him any pain ? Would he have had true allies then ? Did he choose a life of callous crime because he is weak - willed and 'inferior' unlike the seemingly unbreakable superiority of XXC ?

So he makes XXC kill on 'night - hunts'. Perhaps to prove that XXC got manipulated into doing harm cuz he's dumb or full of hubris and refuses to wisen up, refuses to become more cynical and wary of people. This ties back into Baixue too. Also I think the book mentions the victims are residents who mocked / cheated XXC ? If that's true, it's like XY is 'introducing' XXC to taking bloody revenge just like XY did on the Chang clan and others who crossed him / his pals. Like he's enacting teaching XXC 'look, if you keep up the good deeds, eventually you'll meet someone who ruins you so you destroy that hope for humanity and become just like me. Your way will always end in disaster, and therefore I'm justified in living like I do.'

Of course, in the end XY realises that XXC's drive to better society was his way of coping with the harsh reality of humans, especially after being ousted from BSSR's mountain. XXC didn't want to live in a sordid world. Meanwhile XY's coping mechanism was to extort the sordid world for all he wanted.

There's a tiny moment in CQL where, after the fake night hunt slaughter, XXC walks past a smirking XY and his arm brushes XY's sleeve, whose grin grows larger. It's like XY's relishing in XXC so casually touching and hanging about him totally unawares. Also he's horny for XXC's combat skills.

So yeah. Antagonist obsessed with corrupting his enemy, wrapping him around his finger, but not willing to let go. He ended up being totally down to bask in XXC's obstinate kindness despite that being the very thing he wanted to disprove and destroy.

XXC hesitates to kill XY after the reveal. What does he get from XY? Maybe it was reassuring that someone as hard - hearted and self - centred as his friend was willing to stick around in no man's land with him. It's soothing because it makes it seem like the world isn't that cruel, that perhaps the potential for good exists in people, hence helping XXC cope with his existential anxiety. He has to hold on to that hope even as his friend's identity is revealed, else there's nothing left for him since he can't bear to live in a world of evil and exploitation.

Why didn't XY move on after XXC's suicide ? If all he wanted was acceptance and shelter, he could've found so many other options. No, he was obsessed with XXC cuz he thought that if someone perfectly willing to kill him in the past over morals hesitated to kill him in the end, it must be an actual stable love. Where else, he thinks, would be find someone who loved him enough to not kill him despite them being such hostile opposites by character and circumstance ? Lots of people could love him cuz they agreed with his worldview or found it / him expedient. Who would love him even when their entire identity and misery opposed it ?

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

RANDOM DEATH NOTE HEADCANONS I WANT TO SHARE THANKS TO ME WANTING TO EXSPAND MY AU:

LIGHT:

Has survivor syndrome. What's that? Survivor syndrome, also known as survivor's guilt, is the response of a person when they believe they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not, often feeling self-guilt. This can be from being Kira or set before Kira, like an incident from his youth that he forever lingers with. This mixed with his "where's the justice" mind set only adds fuel to the fire of the war in his mind

Favorite food isn't apples as many would assume/joke about

The poor boy didn't really think of his sexual orientation until collage, didn't have the means or needs to and it wasn't only until he dated Misa and began to hang out with L he started to think on it more

In my AU Ryuk and Rem didn't give Light and Misa the Death Notes again and L, Light, Misa, etc didn't die, so this technically takes place the amnesia arc which I argue is a favorite okay?! Still doesn't mean Light gets dreams of him as Kira and isn't aware he was.

MISA:

Got really into the Gothic look after her parents' death where someone was a jerk and said a "joke" when she was still wearing black while she was still grieving

Didn't really fall in love with L right away (obviously) but she did care for him in a way that showed she cared

Loves bubble baths

Like Light she still has dreams of Rem and often find herself crying over the waking of her dreams as if someone killed her loved one in front of her

And like Light she knows after Rem confronted her she was the second Kira and feels terrible about it

Has a beautiful singing voice

After a lot her and Kiyomi kind of became friends, she honestly feels as if Kiyomi reminds her of someone she knew before (ie rem)

L:

Dude, this man was aware he liked both for a loooooonnng ass time, since Wammy actually

He knows Light and Misa were Kira, I mean he subspecies it since day one but to actually be right honestly hurt him.. He didn't want to be right in this case. So, he swore not to say a word since they're no longer Kira and 2nd Kira

Loves baths more than Misa

His family died in an domestic abuse murder suicide and he wandered out the house alone in which an officer found him and discovered his family's death, since then he's been emotionally isolated

Is autistic just doesn't get meds

Has lots of stim toys and objects he uses a lot when he thinks hard or under/overstimulated

Loves hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream

Watari was basically his father after the many years they've known each other, doing the most of a father like role than others, helping the boy when needed, etc. And while L doesn't show emotions he generally is greatful and sees Watari as his father figure, even having him his best man and father-of-the-groom for his wedding

MISALIGHTL:

As mentioned with L when I said "wedding", the three didn't really want a huge public wedding since that would exposed L's identity and it would be a headache to deal with so they had a secret small ceremony with friends and some family with Watari being L's father-of-the-groom, Sayu as Light's Best Lady, and Kiyomi was Misa's maid of Honor. They each wore a mix of white and black with some red elements thrown in there for many reasons but mostly cause L said they looked good so yeah

Their wedding cake was similar to these two:

They all live in an apartment together, similar as to the building they were all stuck in, and have their own rooms/studies for work while Misa keeps working as a model and actress and both L and Light kept working as detectives until Light decided to leave being a detective after so many nightmares of cases and being Kira and decided to be a true crime/mystery novel writer

One day while they were chilling, pre-marriage them btw, L decided he's going to visit Wammy to get any plans of who his next "L" would be if he died and they came along with him. There they were able to meet Near, Mello, and Matt. The three kids hung out with them during their stay back in Japan to see who is perfect for the next role. Weeks pass and all three are doing really well and it didn't really sink in until later that L is actually doing this to see if he wants kids. Well, Misa and Light like the idea and they ended up adopting Mello as their son in which he admittedly cried

They go on date nights three times a week, one for each pair with their trio dates mostly being at home

After a few years of marriage they had two kids of their own in which Mello likes the role of older brother

NEAR:

Like L, Near is autistic (I believe that's canon and people hate it??)

Is nonbinary. I'm sorry I honestly can't see this baby as cis at all!

Owns lots of pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, tights, boots, heels, flat shoes, socks that'll work with him with any gender dysphoria and day

Primally goes by Near since that sounded right

Suffer from night terrors which is how his spark of studying happened cause that distracted them

Demi-Sexual bean!

Got adopted by Kiyomi and gets spoiled rotten

MELLO:

Choco-holic what else is new

Suffered an eating disorder which was quickly helped fixed with Matt and his new family

Mentioned above with L, Light, and Misa adopting him, he adores his family gratefully and it's not just cause L chose him out of everyone

Him and Near still have a rather strong rivalry but it's healthy now and also more so childish thanks to their adopted families

Likes his Uncle Matsuda a lot (Matsuda ends up marrying Sayu in this)

Is kind of that kid in school who knows shit and will market the crap out of soda and candies to the kids who have money and parents who won't allow sugar in his household

Often gets caught sneaking out to see Matt and sometimes (a lot) Near by his parents

Is Pan and always knew it

MATT:

Got adopted by Stephen and Teru in this AU

Still is obsessed with video games and eats candy cigarettes until he's legal to smoke if he wants to

Is straight besties with Mello and Near

Has so much gaming stuff it's unreal

Loves the rain

MATT X MELLO X NEAR:

Got together sometime after Near was adopted with Matt and Mello being a thing first and Near joined after

They're both protective of Near

And then Near would shock everyone with a thrown of a textbook to the face if someone says something bad about either of them

Misa is overly supportive of this relationship, Kiyomi loves to tease Near often, and the many times Teru and Stephen would interrupt calls with them to tease is too much

[mdhwrites]

Can you elaborate on your comment on Discord that "[TOH characters in general] get a lot of backstory but little connects with their present character"?

*looks at every Hunter fan out there* How do we feel about the fact that this kid was literally raised to kill wild witches and be the Golden Guard but the only fighters in the main cast who are worse than him are the literal child and the illusionist?

Hunter is easily the most obviously egregious one but also the one that actually has a potential magical slide. After all, we don't actually know if Hunter has been alive for sixteen years. He potentially could have been alive for probably only five, thus making it so he has time to be trained and indoctrinated but was also 'old' enough to be easier to handle, left alone, etc. like that. Of course... That doesn't really fix the larger problem with Hunter's backstory versus his present day character, is it?

See, this is how I would breakdown what the theoretical present day concept for each character is that Luz meets versus the backstory version: Eda: Irreverent criminal who is only out for herself and probably would just be committing larger scale crimes for funsies if not for the curse. Backstory: Lovable scamp with a heart of gold who only ever does jokes, nothing actually bad and look at this child she adopted and totally won't threaten with rent later on.

Amity: A driven, goal obsesses girl who will do anything to be the best. Even simply losing the title and not being made to look like a fool is enough to warrant someone needing to die and she bullies the weak for fun and superiority. Backstory: Felt bad for hurting her teammates for personal glory and victory (those same teammates she will tell to eat a dick in that same episode), only bullied Willow for her own sake, frankly would rather just be a little goofball than actually succeed at anything.

Lilith... Okay, frankly it's more that S2 Lilith makes absolutely no sense with S1 Lilith. If they hadn't entirely warped her character, her backstory is actually pitch perfect for her grown up self, even down to being a little silly and caring about her sister. A LITTLE silly mind you.

Golden Guard: Actually fits the backstory as the rage and confidence of youth mixed with too much power and indoctrination make for an incredibly dangerous, close to unhinged Kylo Ren clone who will go from joking to I WILL MURDER YOU! if you don't take him seriously or annoy him.

Hunter: I'm just a widdle silly guy who can't even gut check a girl and force her to give me my staff. I am all for wild magic because maybe it can save my uncle, despite my uncle's problems being caused by wild magic. I will literally never win a fight alone except against Kikimora, the closest to a true, reoccurring gag villain that the series has.

Now yes: A character can grow and change as they get older. It can be a fun joke to have a prim and proper character have been a nightmare as a toddler. But this isn't how TOH portrays these backstory moments commonly. Much of the time, the backstory is meant to effectively be in the place of real moments in a character arc.

Take Amity's moment with Willow. In a normal character arc, this is the chance for the character to prove that they have a good heart and are maybe not as mean as they seem. However, Amity already has done that at least once with confessing to not wanting to see Luz hurt in Adventure in the Elements, if her diary didn't already do this in combination with not holding onto her rage against Luz there in Lost in Language. So they HAVE to put it as a backstory moment or it wouldn't be notable. Except... It would have? Hell, they even try to frame it as a kindness to Willow at the beginning which is a good idea because Amity's first appearance was being cruel to Willow but now that she's changed some but hasn't interacted with Willow since episode 6, she needs to show some kindness to her. But it's ALL kindness because they've already fully transitioned into good girl Amity so rather than feeling like a growth moment, it's to justify what they're doing. To say "Of course her development isn't this rushed because it's not development! It's just the old Amity coming back out."

The moment with the Thorn Vault is similar. A character like Amity SHOULD have a moment where she decides success isn't everything and steps back so as to allow someone else to take the spotlight if it means doing less harm. It's a good idea for a moment in her arc. But again: Amity has already moved past that part of her arc. She hasn't been focused on success or being the best since her SECOND APPEARANCE. And this is her last one in S1 so it goes into the backstory to show that she does understand the consequences of her actions rather than having it be a part of her arc.

Frankly, this stuff is just a part of a different blog I need to make about how Amity episodes are strangely NOT about Amity. She actually doesn't factor into them much so her arc feels bad because even episodes like Lost in Language or Adventure in the Elements only have five minutes of Amity at most.

Meanwhile for someone like Eda or Hunter, it's retcons. Eda needs to be convincingly like Momma Eda so making her actually motherly with King when they first met is a good idea... But it contrasts all they did in S1. Hunter is meant to show the cruelty of Belos but they want him to already be the sad but mad boy by the halfway point of the season (which btw, halfway through S1, Amity was already borrowing an Azura book from Luz showing compromise, kindness and connection, much like Hunter connecting with Amity's fears, almost giving into her speech about kindness and adopting Flapjack. There's a reason I say the shortening did fuck all to these character arcs because they follow the same god damned patterns) so that stuff needs to be in the backstory, like his scout training.

And to me, that is the antithesis of a backstory. Unless the point is that they're different from who they used to be, which it's often not for TOH, it should reinforce what we know about them. How did they get to the point they're at. It's actually one of the only strengths narratively of Them's the Breaks because the final challenge by Terra is a good moment to make Eda start rethinking her long term goals and if she likes the coven system at all.

It would just work way better if her present day character was anti-coven because it pits people against each other and tears the Isles apart instead of just "It makes you way less cooler than me because I can do ALL styles of magic." As such... It's them acknowledging what a good motivation in the setting and plot would have been but recognizing it too late so they have to add it as a retcon.

And you can only get away with that trick so many times before it feels like your story is a house of cards trying to pretend it's made out of stone.

==========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[autisticempathydaemon]

What song are you fixated on at the moment? - A Nonsense Christmas by Sabrina Carpenter, it fits the season, its playful, and I love all the innuendos in it

What is your Enneagram type? - 4/4w3

Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays? - I prefer mid-size ones like an hour or less and usually about true crime, natural disasters, climbing/diving expeditions gone wrong, etc.

Tell me about your childhood imaginary friend. - I never had an imaginary friend but I was big on playing pretend especially around like the Warrior Cats books or pretending to have powers.

What is your go-to way to fall asleep? - Noise cancelling headphones, sleeping mask, ASMR, but I play game playthroughs on my TV.

If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why? - I've changed my name before and the two names I go by currently are tied to characters that really resonate with me and that I feel a connection to.

What is your favorite of Redacted’s audios, and why? - David's Hoodie Audio, it was the first one I ever heard and I latched onto the character and the audio kind of aggressively. That audio has gotten me through a lot this year.

What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? - Ollie! I love him, don't get me wrong, but for me something about him is kind of boring and I don't find myself going back to his audios at all.

Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to. - The Twilight movies as cringe as that is. They came out during a really shitty time in my life and they became a comfort, I've seen all of them more times than I can count.

Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? - Honestly, Damien. I relate to his story in a lot of ways and just generally as a character plus he's so ride or die I feel like he'd be a great friend and wouldn't be hard to relate to.

Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you’re tired, and if so, what is it? - Usually random TikTok drama that I've come across and/or random political things going on currently.

Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo. - 7/11 Slurpees (Coke and Cherry mix) and Munchos (best potato chips ever)

Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment. - I have an everything type playlist with all the music I like and it's the one I've been cycling through the most. It's fun to hear how all my odd tastes come together in one playlist.

What’s your guilty pleasure media, and why? - Currently? Boyfriend ASMR I suppose. It's really hard to explain to other people what this thing is without sounding at least a little odd - (I had to explain it to a new therapist and could not figure out how to do it without sounding a little insane.)

And whatever else you think tells me about who you are! - My favorite color is pink, my favorite sweet food is chocolate, I use emoticons a lot :3c and I love my friends above all, they've gotten me through a lot and I really value community.

The Enthusiast is an interesting, difficult to match type because I could pair you so compatibly with so many people. Ultimately, it was vibes and the color pink that led me to pair you with Gavin.

Enthusiasts are characterized as creative, outgoing, and unique, the kind of person you don’t forget. I love the idea of pairing Gavin with someone like that because that’s kind of how he is too; he’s best with someone that has the same star power, the same je ne sais quoi to stand out next to him. Not just that but I love that y’all are very interpersonal people with friends being so important to you both; that’ll be perfect considering how the DAMN group are not just his friends but his family.

Y’all would honestly be such an it couple around Dahlia maybe with some cute matching outfits, some pink statement pieces that you and Gavin swap because he’d be a fashionista and a thief that way. When you’re not found at the 7/11 with your respective Big Gulps and Slurpees, you’re chilling at home, giving Gavin a pop culture education because if he hasn’t seen Jumanji, we can’t be sure he’s seen Twilight, and you’d have to fix that.

Song:

Yes, I'm young for a teacher, I'll teach you what you don't know/ (I could teach you the things that you wanna know)/ But I can't give it up all at once, you would overdose/ Don't you bring any bull in the room tonight/ It's a whole new rodeo/ It could be you and me/ But you know that I'll steal the show, oh (yeah)

One, it makes sense for me to give you a Sabrina Carpenter song in return, so that’s fun. Two, I love this song in particular because I could storyboard a whole movie scene set to it of you and Gavin in a Dahlia club, dancing, outdoing one another, just killing it with the romantic and sexual tension of the song like it’s a duet. I have a vision, okay?

Runner-Ups:

Asher was a really close runner-up for you because community and pack are so important to him too as Shaw Beta, so you would have been a good mate for him. Vincent is a runner-up not just because it’s fun to pair Twilight lovers with vampires but because he also finds so much cheesy comfort in those movies; he loves them.

note: whoever this is for and you know who you are let’s pretend this is the first and only time I posted this ask hahaahhaahaaaa I’m sorry bless you

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[heavencasteel420]

I just really like mix-and-matching Jonathan, Nancy, Chrissy, and Jason in fic. Here’s what I have so far:

Jancy: my main thing, obviously. If you’re following me I probably don’t have to explain.

Jason/Chrissy: I do like a doomed high school relationship, and theirs just seems incredibly lonely on both sides. Chrissy’s isolation is obvious, but deep down I think Jason probably feels like something is missing—his Morning in America mindset just won’t allow him to go near the problem.

Jason/Nancy: I am haunted yet amused by the idea that, in many ways, Nancy was and kind of still is his type. The combination of prim good- girl persona and strong leadership skills probably did something for him before she developed a reputation and stopped playing nice! I don’t think she would have been interested in him for long—even when dating Steve, she seems primarily attracted to his sense of humor and non-rigid attitude towards sex, qualities that Jason does not possess—but the Tom Cruise resemblance might’ve reeled her in if he’d noticed her before Steve did.

Jason/Jonathan: I have a one-shot planned where Jason helps patch up the Byers house post-S1 because he’s a Good Christian. They become friends against all odds and Jason almost rethinks his rigid beliefs, but a disastrous almost-hookup drives him way in the opposite direction. (Meanwhile, Jonathan is like “I have never ‘unpacked’ anything in my life and I’m not about to start now.”) Oddly enough this is my most canon-compatible fic idea.

Jonathan/Chrissy: mostly I want them to hook up or generally interact because they are the two older teen characters whose problems are the most viscerally upsetting to me personally. I think they could do something really weird about it! I have a story planned where the background is that he got taken to the UD instead of Will. He and Nancy and Steve all became friends after he got out (she still got involved because of Barb and Steve kind of stumbled in after her), but Jonathan didn’t bond with her like in canon and she didn’t enlist his help against the lab because he was too busy being possessed. There’s less strain on her and Steve’s relationship because he isn’t jealous of Jonathan (their mutual friend) and never had to ditch his friends/walk back any public libel, but they still disagree about the lab. So she has no one to help her with the lab and finally decides that she has to move on, which means breaking up with Steve and applying to a fancy prep school back east. (This is kind of a bummer situation for Nancy, but I think it’s valuable to acknowledge that her worth as a person isn’t dependent on Justice for Barb, and sometimes a person just has to move on.) He and Steve remain friends; Steve’s other friends find this weird/annoying but accept it as a holdover from his relationship with goody-goody Nancy. Then Steve goes to college and nobody’s shocked when angelic Chrissy takes over as “popular person who’s nice to Wan Mysterious True Crime Victim Jonathan.” Jason’s like “I don’t know, babe” and Chrissy quotes Job at him (“Those at ease feel contempt for misfortune!”) and Jason’s like “oh my bad.” But really Chrissy is not in a good place herself and she’s gonna do something weird about it.

Nancy/Chrissy: I would set this during S2. All of S1 happened, but Joyce was like “fuck this shit I’m out” thanks to the UD stuff and the town’s shitty reaction, so she and the kids and Bob moved to Maine. They’re all fine eventually because the MF has geographical limits and Bob is genuinely a good dude. Nancy and Jonathan write to each other but she decides she has to move on romantically. But she is still not happy with her popular boyfriend or his crowd…and neither is Chrissy! I don’t know what else happens yet.

[dolphin1812]

It’s so sad to have exactly how much Cosette suffered reiterated here. Knowing that her clothes didn’t even become threadbare underscores how little time passed before she had to experience this kind of stress again; her childhood remains tumultuous, even now that she has Valjean to care for her. And it hurts to hear that she lost Catherine in all of this. The convent is against possessions in general, so she would have been separated from her as part of a broad policy, but there’s a big difference between nuns voluntarily giving up their material possessions and a child who’s only ever had one doll being made to do the same. I guess knowing that the convent would have taken Catherine away makes it slightly less sad that she lost her in their flight (since she would have lost her anyways), but it’s still devastating. The fact that she hints at her despair over this loss to Valjean highlights the depth of her trust in him, though. She’s too used to silence to say anything to most people, but she feels so safe around him that she can begin to express this, even if only indirectly.

Still, the convent is a good place for her right now. She smiles! And she even laughs! It offers her security and love (from Valjean), and that’s what she needs most to recover from those years of abuse.

For Valjean, the convent is much more mixed. He’s happy, too, but Hugo very blatantly compares the convent to a prison (and the same thoughts are running through Valjean’s head here). In some respects, the convent is definitely better. This sums it up well:

“On the one hand, miasms; on the other, an ineffable perfume. On the one hand, a moral pest, guarded from sight, penned up under the range of cannon, and literally devouring its plague-stricken victims; on the other, the chaste flame of all souls on the same hearth. There, darkness; here, the shadow; but a shadow filled with gleams of light, and of gleams full of radiance.”

The convent has a “hearth,” like a home, while the prison is diseased, metaphorically and literally. However, it’s still a place of darkness, even if that darkness is a shadow, and the bits of sky that Valjean sees are limited.

The way he thinks about these two structures also underscores his punishment-centric mindset. Since the galleys (theoretically - we know this isn’t true because his punishment followed him) delivered punishment in the form of imprisonment and labor in return for the expiation of “sins” (crimes), he applies the same logic to the convent, only to find that the nuns suffer to redeem everyone, not themselves. On the one hand, their focus on all people allows him to think of humanity as a whole, which can be good in broadening his perspective. Hugo speculates that he may have become prideful without this, and it’s true that Valjean is bad at thinking of other people; Fauchelevent himself pointed this out. That being said, he doesn’t think of others as a form of connection because of the convent. He only thinks of them in the abstract, encouraging him to continue in his pattern of helping others and forgetting them. He does have another social tie with Fauchelevent now, but the convent doesn’t seem to be addressing the actual issues with his mindset: an obsession with punishment and difficulties in forming real relationships.

[repurposedmeatlocker]

Who are your favorite YouTubers that make the horror/lost media/etc content

Oh boy! I have so many!! Get ready for a long list.

I've been invested in horror/lost media content on youtube for a LONG time now, so not all of these people are as active as they used to be, but I still recommend them : )

blameitonjorge - lost media along with some scatterings of other unusual internet-based and historical-based phenomenon

ScareTheatre - not as regularly active as he used to be, but he still posts some things. He is the og creepypasta/internet mystery debunker and generally just has a really good approach to his videos. His more recent stuff tackles a lot of unique subjects and the videos are not too long.

ReignBot - internet horror and arg analysis but largely focuses on "true crime" related subjects now. I personally find the way she approaches the topics are a lot better and more respectful compared to other "true crime content creators".

Nexpo - Does good breakdowns of args and fictional horror content online. His analysis on "dark sides" of the internet are also good, although recently I've been leaning more towards the following creator more.

Nick Crowley - exploration of "dark" content and subjects online, but in a really respectful and well-researched fashion.

Fredrik Knudsen - This guy probably has some of the BEST content of all of these people. His production value and narration are so good and delves into a lot of niche topics, many I had never heard of beforehand. Super engaging. I recommend all his videos.

Atrocity Guide - Similar vein from the previous. Super interesting and engaging topics of all types. All videos are recommended.

Barely Sociable - Long, but very in-depth analysis on various topics.

Sakura Stardust - Focuses on horror content and lost media from Japan specifically. Lots of good research goes into her content.

Goose Boose - Topics kind of vary, combination of real-world mystery analysis and nostalgic horror experiences. His narration is a standout for me. I just find how he talks super entertaining and engaging.

Eudoxia Mysteries - This guy's stuff is more on the recent side, but I do like that he discusses lots of things that I haven't heard of before, a lot of them focusing on reddit posts, but it isn't exactly narrated like he is just "reading off" the reddit post. Some analysis is there as well which I appreciate.

Debunk File - Nothing extraordinary by any means, especially in comparison to the other people on this list, but I thought I would give a mention just because some of his videos talk about things that I've never heard of before.

Whang! - His videos kind of vary. Mostly focuses on internet pop culture, but there is some lost-media and horror content mixed in.

SomeOrdinaryGamers - He posts kind of about anything at this point, but I felt I should give him a shoutout since I started watching him early on for his "deep-web" explorations. He has a good realistic and sensible viewpoint about these things and does not feed into conspiracy at all which I appreciate.

Izzzyzzz - Kind of focuses on a variety of media, particularly nostalgic online pop culture, but there is some horror elements sprinkled in.

Nyx Fears - I wouldn't exactly call her stuff...horror content in the same vein as the other people on this list, but I love her stuff so I have to give her a shout-out. She is probably my favorite online film analysis person (?) and has a lot of really entertaining breakdowns of disturbing media.

Now, I cannot say ALL of these creators are perfect. Doing your own research and analysis is the best approach to these kinds of topics. I do feel that I enjoy the way these people approach these themes most of the time and regularly keep up with their new videos.

[paranormal-pajama-phantom]

Hello!! Your matchups sound amazing, I was wondering if I could get one please?

Female

She/her

Romantic

Personality - I'd consider myself kind and empathic, I love helping out and people come to me to vent or for advice and comfort. I'm smart and ambitious, I love being the best at everything I do. I'm also a bit of a hopeless romantic and I daydream quite a lot. I'm also pretty outgoing and talkative around the people I'm comfortable with. I love adventures, witty and playful banter, pulling harmless pranks, joking around and having indepth discussions on anything and everything.

Bad traits - I'm pretty cynical and I hold most people at an arm's length. I can be quite dramatic and stubborn and I tend to be withdrawn and distant at times. I get frustrated and annoyed at people pretty easily and I'm also competitive.

Hobbies - I love reading, my favorite genres are poetry, Russian lit, and mysteries! I also love true crime very much. I love learning about new things and knowing a little bit of everything, I'm very interested in psychology, history, mythology and folklore, and fashion! I adore all forms of art and I have quite a few creative hobbies. I love cooking and cleaning up since they take my mind off of things and help me relax. I also really enjoy working out and I'm quite fond of sports. I'm a pretty girly girl and I love clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup and skincare 😭

Things that annoy me - big and loud crowds, noisy chewers, extremely cold weather

Introvert for the most part. I love hanging out and doing stuff with my friends and family, it makes me really happy and I really, really value the time we spend together but it gets exhausting if it happens very frequently. I really like my alone time and I'm pretty awkward around strangers

Type - I have no idea but some fictional characters I really like are Steve Harrington from stranger things, James, Sirius and Remus from Harry Potter and spike from btvs! I'm really sorry for not answering this properly!

How others describe me- People who don't know me well describe me as quiet, a little frosty, sweet, and a bit of a bookworm. People who do know well would describe me as fun, mischievous, caring, talkative, supportive, and moody

Sexuality - straight

Favorite food - I really like burgers and I anything with chocolate in it

Favorite color - A warm, earthy red and dark forest green and all shades of pink!

Type of music - I mostly listen to indie rock and I also love classical music

No preference between hero or villain

I like being called sweetheart, honey, baby and angel! I also love it when the nickname is an inside joke

I think I'd be more into a laid back lover, but I don't have a strong preference either way!

Physical description - I'm 5'9 and I have long and curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. I have a fair skin tone, I'm slim and I've got full lips, big eyes that have dark circles under them, and prominent cheekbones! I wear glasses and I have dimples that I really like! I dress mostly in relaxed suits, blazers and coats and I love the occasional dress or sweaters layered over a white button down! I almost always have a red lip when I go out and I love wearing blush and a subtle highlighter.

Taller, but again, no strong preference either way!

Aesthetic - a mix of 90s and dark academia!

Quality time and physical touch

Taurus sun, gemini moon and scorpio rising!

I'm extremely good at picking up others' handwriting and I can pick locks

I'm sorry for how long this got! Thank you very much for doing this, I hope you have a lovely day ❤️❤️❤️

I pair you with

🧪Bruce Banner🧪

General headcanons

Bruce loves you for many things but the thing he likes most is that your probably one of the only people who actually listens

He feels safe and like he can vent around you without being judged

Bruce definitely feels less tense around you and loves your sense of humor

Maybe not the pranks but, he’ll get used to it

Hopefully

Loves snuggling up next to you in bed and reading with you 

If you ever ask him he’ll jump at the idea of cooking with you

Even though he’s not great at it he’d love the thought of helping you 

Date headcanons

For a date Bruce is likely to take you out for Burgers 

It’s simple and sweet at the same time

After he’ll probably go on a walk with you around the neighborhood 

It’ll be pretty late at night so it’ll be empty but peaceful

Maybe he’ll even put on some music as you walk 

He’ll hold your hand as you walk together <3

Romantic headcanons 

Bruce isn’t a very touchy person but to show affection sometimes he’ll hold your hand gently or give you a hug

His favorite nickname for you is ‘Honey’ it’s simple and usually the first thing that slips out of his mouth

Will act annoyed if you drag him out on an adventure but he deep down he loves it ><

Sometime’s the two of you paint together 

Cheek kisses :) 

Height Headcanons 

Canonically Bruce Banner is 5’9 so he’s about the same height as you

But as the Hulk he’s about 7’8 so…

I guess he’s technically taller than you?

Bonus round

This man has no sense of fashion so he’ll be very thankful if you ever decide to help him out with clothing! Color theory does not exist to this guy and his main outfits consist of lab coats, so please help him out

Come back soon! 💌

[softpine]

what are some things your characters are obsessed w like conspiracy theories or something? im rly a firm believer the queen killed diana!

(okay i generally think conspiracy theories are incredibly harmful and are often rooted in some type of prejudice so i steer clear of them entirely but in the interests of not being a buzzkill, i won’t go on a diatribe about it but i felt like it would be remiss of me not to mention it at all. okay let’s continue)

stevie and elaine are the ones i can imagine sharing conspiracy theories (i’ll give you one guess which government facility stevie is most passionate about digging into lmao) and stevie is heavily ANTI-conspiracy when it comes to the large hadron collider “bad timeline” theory. she was fighting for her life on twitter earlier this month, i just know it... and i’m sure elaine has a million true crime theories but i don’t feel comfortable mixing real life crime into my fictional story, so i won’t get into that here.

the one thing i CAN comfortably tell you about is elaine’s theory about finn, since he’s my own fictional character: unlike everyone else in town, she’s not convinced that finn’s parents are the ones that killed him. having lived here for her entire life, she’s quite familiar with the local police and the way they conduct investigations (or, rather, how they don’t conduct investigations). she finds it more likely that finn’s parents were the obvious first suspects, and every bit of investigation that followed was just an example of confirmation bias, so nothing can be taken as fact. until she sees some kind of indisputable physical evidence, she doesn’t buy it

[piratefalls]

Hi there, hope you're doing well! I'm currently all caught up on my shows and am in search of new ones to watch, do you have any that you've been really enjoying lately or that you might recommend?

i'm just out here surviving! i hope you're well as well!

okay this is a question i love answering. i'm not really sure what your bag is, or what shows you've already watched, but i'll rec stuff across genres/tropes. i also, as a rule, never recommend stuff that i haven't watched and loved.

gonna start out by saying that, to me, you won't find better found family dynamics than in Leverage, which is one of my all-time favorite shows and a regular rewatch.

i just finished iZombie and loved it. it's goofy, at times a little gory, unexpectedly touching, the relationships are so good, and it feels relevant to today's world given the current climate here.

i'm generally not that attracted to sci-fi/fantasy, but i fucking loved Fringe. i also very much enjoy Grimm if you're looking for something that's also goofy and doesn't take itself too seriously. also, i'd be remiss if i didn't mention Sense 8.

for legal dramas, I recently marathoned The Good Wife and The Lincoln Lawyer, both of which i found enjoyable. TGW is definitely heavier on the drama side and involves a lot of politics, so TLL is the lighter way to go. (side note: i've worked for law professors for ten years and i find legal dramas/cop shows to be hilariously entertaining because every so often i find myself muttering "you quite literally cannot do that" lol.) also, Goliath is pretty amazing and each season is its own story.

can't talk about legal dramas without a few cop shows, and i do enjoy Bosch, Rizzoli & Isles (the books and show are drastically different, i've found them both worthwhile), Flashpoint, and Numb3rs was pretty interesting in that it was at least a fresh concept.

if you don't mind violence, Hunters is a great show but it's definitely a lot (they're modern day Nazi hunters, and there are flashbacks involving the concentration camps) but fair warning, it ends on a cliffhanger and i have no idea when/if s2 will drop. The Boys while very violent, is also very darkly humorous, which is the kind of stuff i like.

for goofiness with a side of heart, Psych is a great watch. Schitt's Creek is also an obvious choice. also I found The Librarians to be very enjoyable. Parks & Rec is hit or miss for some people. you really have to power through it at first before it finds its footing.

for a good one-and-done, i did like Eyewitness. for an excellent one-and-done, Watchmen is top tier. seven seconds is also pretty good. also enjoyed Somewhere Between because I am hella attracted to devon sawa.

i also really enjoyed Lovecraft Country, but it's also one of those shows that's A Lot. historical drama mixed with horror, if that sounds appealing. the episode where they travel back in time to the day of the tulsa race massacre is one i had to sit with for a while.

thrillers I enjoy are Reacher, Jack Ryan, Person of Interest, Blindspot, and Shooter.

for true crime, one of my favorite docuseries is The Keepers. The Staircase is also an interesting one.

for history stuff, i absolutely love Drain the Oceans. it's fucking fascinating.

The Fall, because Gillian Anderson.

for medical drama, i have a preference for The Night Shift. it ends on a sot of cliffhanger, but i think it stands pretty well as a series finale.

for medical hilarity, Sirens. i laugh every goddamn time i watch it.

I have a very, very long list of shows I started but haven't finished because I find it almost impossible to keep up with shows that are actively airing. if it's a popular show and it's not on here, that's probably what happened lol.

my current shows are 911, Big Sky, and Air Disasters.

ask me random stuff!

[idle-flower]

Dear Yuletide Author - 2023

Thank you for your time and attention, and I hope your wishes are granted this holiday season!

Likes:

I prefer plot and angst and adventure to fluff, though a nice warm fluffy scene can make a good dessert at the end of the pain and suffering. I lean more to f/f and m/f than m/m. I enjoy forbidden relationships and the agony of trying to keep one's heart secret. I love exploring the 'what if' spinoffs of a small change in a canon. I swoon for lovers who take dramatic risks to protect their loved ones. I sometimes use my blorbos as chew toys.

I also enjoy detailed description of clothing/furniture/jewelry/pretty things in general. Not just heaping up brand names, but sensory detail. Tell me what I'm looking at!

Dislikes:

Please avoid sweeping tropey AUs like 'what if noir' or 'what if everyone was in high school'. No excited rambling about pregnancy or babies. (Older kids are okay.) While I am okay with pretty dark stuff, please don't gorily torture characters to death on screen. If people gotta die, limit the icky details! I am generally not keen on crossovers. I dislike PWP unless it is exceedingly hot smut (see below). Please don't do gender swaps or secret trans characters unless I specifically mention it as an option.

Smut:

I don't require it, but I do read a good bit of filthy porn.

Kinks I find interesting: mild bdsm, pain mixed with pleasure, dubcon, sibling or cousin incest, strap-ons (for f/f not for f/m), futanari and other magical appendages (also generally for f/f, unless we're in a setting where 'man turns out to have tentacles' actually makes sense), teasing, teenagers, drugs/magic with interesting effects, people making terrible decisions due to being emotionally overwrought or really really horny, trying to stay quiet and failing, desperate urgency, pushing people up against walls

PLEASE NO: rape or painful sex that one party is not enjoying at all, inserting anything edible (licking off boobs is okay), aggressive face-fucking, choking, degradation, scat/watersports, bukkake, parental incest, anyone younger than teen, anyone being called "baby girl", emphasis on 'virgin blood' (some writers make it a huge deal with tearing pain and fountains of blood, please don't).

NOTE FOR TREATS:

Absolutely fine with people getting inspired by my ideas and doing whatever! I don't know if we have to actively say this this year but yeah if you want to have a go, sure.

Poison Ivy (1992 film)

Sylvie Cooper, Ivy

I was struggling through the confusions of puberty, Ivy was hot, this film left an impression on me. In a way trying to build any sort of happy ending for Ivy feels out of place, but on the other hand there's a lot of loose ends left after the story.

Throughout the film, there's a lot the audience never knows about Ivy, including her legal name. Did Coop know it? (Maybe, probably.) Did her father? (Quite possibly not). How do they handle all the legal responsibilities of her death? Were Ivy's stories about the aunt she was staying with true? How do they break the news? How does her funeral go?

What do Sylvie and her father have to say to each other about Ivy after the truth comes out? Does he admit everything that he did? (The movie seems to let him off way too easily by implying things are all Ivy's fault, when he ABSOLUTELY knew how wrong his actions were) How does he handle the guilt? How do they rebuild their relationship? Or, speaking of guilt, Sylvie kind-of-sort-of was responsible for Ivy's death, even if it wasn't 100% intended and she was not quite in her right mind at the time. She did push Ivy. How does she handle THAT?

What is school like, afterwards? What rumors escape? How does Coop handle them? Does this attract new weird friends? Does she adopt any of Ivy's traits as her own?

Or - what if Ivy survives the fall? Seriously injured, possibly paralysed, but alive? How do they deal with her, once the truth comes out? Do they cover up her crimes? Do they keep her in their home? What happens to their relationships?

Did Ivy ever care about Sylvie? Did she legitimately want to be friends before she started trying to seize hold of the world and the wealth that Coop lived in?

Sylvie ends up kind of pushed out of a lot of the middle of the movie so the film can spend more time perving over Ivy. More about her character and her thoughts in general would be great. We know she can be a troublemaker and a fantasist - who else has she been telling lies to? Or is the whole movie itself a lie she's telling us? And if so, what is the story behind the story?

For AUs, what would have happened if Ivy had met Coop when they were several years younger, so she couldn't get her hooks into Darryl as easily? What if they met at summer camp and Ivy was just as messed-up and needy but the situations were different? What if the movie plot is actually a fantasy younger-Ivy spins about her future to her fascinated-and-appalled friend, who then has a chance to react to it? Or what if Ivy tried to replace Sylvie rather than her mother? Or what if it's Darryl that she wants to kill, as revenge against the men who've mistreated her in her life? Or if it's Sylvie she really wants to be with, and we get some twisted bad-girls scenario where BOTH parents are conveniently disposed of so the girls can live together forever, lying to each other and the world and refusing to acknowledge the truth of what they've done?

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: I'm on board with Sylvie/Ivy sex, I don't want to have to see Ivy/Darryl in too much detail. Brief reference if necessary is okay but not a focus.

DNW: Sylvie to die, Ivy to end up with Darryl

Roseanne

Darlene Conner, David Healy, Molly Tilden

I got some lovely happy romance stories for my classic couple last year - this year I want to explore the possibilities of the love triangle.

Molly had the hots for David. David thought she was cute but was devoted to Darlene. Molly badly wanted Darlene's attention and friendship, which eventually turned into rivalry when Darlene constantly rejected her. Darlene felt threatened (but did check out Molly's chest, if just for comparison). That much is canon; it doesn't take a whole lot extra to give Molly a crush on Darlene as well and make the whole mess more complicated. Is Darlene's rejection of Molly's need for attention really so different from the way she treats David sometimes?

I generally prefer drama and angst and sticking to a fairly serious character exploration but with these three I'm also up for some Wacky and/or Sexy Shenanigans. Obviously it doesn't have to end with a happy poly trio, but I'd be tickled if it did (especially if it takes some serious work to get there. suffer first, then happiness!). Or you can whump people around a bit if it makes the angsty longing more intense. Bittersweet is fine.

Some idea seeds:

Playing With Matches, Molly kisses Darlene rather than David, Darlene panics because she doesn't want to be either a lesbian or a homophobe, David panics because he thinks this means Darlene will never really want him, Jackie overhears the wrong things and panics more, chaos ensues.

Molly runs away from home and strikes a deal to hide out in Darlene's college apartment because no one would think to look for her there. David finds out.

Molly hooks up with David after Darlene dumps him for Jimmy, everyone's bitter and angsting about what they don't have.

David and Darlene are happily married stable adults living in Chicago and publishing a comic together. They are reunited with Molly at a comics convention and she confesses that when they were teenagers she was into both of them.

All three live together and raise kids, the perils of poly parenting. Especially if the rest of the extended Conner clan keeps sticking their noses in to complain about this weird situation.

Gen ideas: the three of them at a thrift store comparing their various fashion tastes as they pick through old clothes, working on a school project and battling over its direction and political messaging, or maybe the three of them doing roleplaying together (either tabletop or LARP, the 90s is peak White Wolf era after all, imagine them in a vampire game)

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: Any combination of the three, teens or adults, is fine! No extra characters in bed though please. I have a weakness for outwardly soft and submissive boys who are much more dominant in bed, particularly if he's teased to the breaking point before pouncing and going absolutely wild (to everyone's enjoyment).

DNW: Anything from the revival/TheConners continuity. Please try not to have characters commenting on David being "emasculated" or Darlene only liking him because he's "practically a girl", the gender policing really bothers me. Don't make Jimmy actually appear because I don't want to have to think too much about that actor. Please don't make David gay even if Darlene leaves him for Molly. Don't make anyone 100% Evil.

Kushiel's Legacy

Phedre's Younger Sibling

Ever since someone mentioned it I've been intrigued by the idea of what happened to Phedre's little sister or brother, the one her mother was pregnant with when Phedre was sold to the Night Court. We know her parents probably died during the Bitterest Winter, of fever or of war, because they never tried to meet with Phedre once she was famous. But her sibling might never have even known Phedre's name or that she even existed, so they might have lived past that point without ever having a reason to contact her. What sort of life did that second child, four years younger than Phedre, have?

Phedre's coloring and defiant nature might read quite differently on a beautiful young man, a clever one with a knack for getting into trouble. Did he grow up bouncing along on slightly more successful caravans, learning scraps of Skaldi and Caerdicci as they traveled? Did he develop the business sense his father lacked? Did he beg caravan guards to teach him swordplay? Did a young love of travel combined with his parents tendency to bad fortune lead to him signing on as a sailor while he was still basically a child?

A boy might also be less likely to hear even a whisper of rumor of the lost older daughter. A boy might have been embraced as Firstborn and Heir by his father and never doubt.

A second daughter, however, one with a passing resemblance to Phedre but without Kushiel's dart and its mixed blessings, her existence might be more complicated. Looking at her might be a constant reminder of the shame of what happened with their first daughter. She might qualify for the canon of one of the Houses, but her parents might have felt themselves unable to return to the city of Elua to trade her, for fear of incurring the wrath of Cereus House. Might they have sold her somewhere else, even on the open market as a slave, as Phedre feared her fate might have been if her parents had been desperate enough? Or perhaps she was less pretty, less useful, and found herself abandoned at a temple of Naamah or Elua by her family? (We meet a Liliane at the temple where Imriel grew up and Phedre notes that was her mother's name. She seems a little bit young to be Phedre's sister but it's not impossible, and there's certainly a story in what happened to her if she is.)

But if a sister grew up looking a great deal like Phedre but without that divine spark, might she have been seized by someone precisely because of that resemblance? Someone who longed for the heroine but could not afford or entice the Comtesse de Montreve, so instead acquired their own little discount version? Or someone with a grudge against Phedre that they dared not act on, so kept a girl to punish in her place, never knowing it was actually her sister?

Or perhaps Phedre's wayward parents settled down a bit and matured and lived a respectable middle-class life outside the City of Elua, and this younger sister or brother lived a very ordinary d'Angeline life, until the Bitterest Winter. If they were sixteen and suddenly orphaned by fever, what did they do then? Take up arms to fight the Skaldi invasion? Go in search of more distant relatives? Philippe Cantrel had at least a father and two older brothers - we can assume Grandfather died and the inheriting elder brothers didn't remember Phedre's name or weren't paying enough attention to know she existed. But the child might have returned to the city seeking these uncles out of desperation. Or they might have been killed or enslaved by the Skaldi. Or all sorts of things.

I guess what I'm looking for here is a viewpoint on events within Terre d'Ange from a character who isn't important, isn't divinely touched, doesn't know exactly what all the great houses are up to, and never has any idea how closely connected they are to great events. Some dramatic irony and angst welcome. Possibly they live a short, unremarkable life and die alone. Possibly they make something of themselves, but without ever becoming rich and famous and royally connected. Whoever they are, Phedre never knows.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have not yet read Cassiel's Servant! I may or may not have gotten to it by Christmas, and I was not taking anything in that book into account when making this request, this is a repeat from years before. I have no idea if any further light is shone on the subject, and I will likely not recognise any character from that book. If you haven't read it either, great! If you have, don't lean on it.

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: go for it, just see my general smut-DNWs at the top.

DNW: Accidental incest between Phedre and her sibling. The sibling turning out to be a secret behind-the-scenes savior who was responsible for some major event in the plot. Either sibling ever figuring out that they're related.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Hester Appleyard, Sara Waybourne

Note: I have not read the book or seen the 1975 movie, I've only seen the miniseries. You can draw ideas from other versions if you want but you'll have to explain what you're talking about or I may not get the reference.

First off, TV Sara is the cutest thing and I want to protect her (and, well, THAT obviously didn't work out). Second, I feel like the relationship between Hester and Sara is interestingly ambiguous (what isn't, in this show?). Hester seems both antagonistic and friendly to Sara in different ways, and it seems clearly suggested that she's reminded of her own orphan past. She sometimes wants to bond with her and othertimes wants to furiously reject her. She fears that Sara knows far too much, and she's tempted to tell her more.

The circumstances of Sara's death are very unclear, though we see that Hester knows something and is covering it up. What happened between them on that final night? Did Hester push Sara out in a rage? Did they struggle, up in the tower on a windy night, and a careless shove let Sara fall? Did Hester try to save her? Did Sara leap from the tower in despair? Did Sara try to climb out to escape and fall? How did Hester find out that Sara was dead, and why did she choose to deal with it in the way she did (pretending Sara had left but not disposing of the body)? What was she thinking? Or did she truly convince herself Sara had just 'disappeared' like the other girls?

So things that I'd be particularly interested in, storywise:

A depiction of the details and the drama of that final, fatal night

Any scene in which they really open up to each other and share secrets we didn't see in the series (which might or might not end with Hester threatening Sara to shut her up)

AU in which Hester adopts Sara herself and trains her to follow in her footsteps? Possibly where she uses Sara as a bridge to marry Mr Cosgrove? (Dark and mysterious things should still happen, just DIFFERENT ones)

AU in which it's Hester who falls to her death after their last confrontation in the tower. Sara lives! But she might be suspected of murder, especially if for some reason Hester named her in the will and left her the school. What happens to the school and Sara now?

Angst and drama are likely. Killing either or both characters is fine. Depictions of self-harm and child abuse consistent with the series are fine, but tag it. No sexual abuse depictions please.

Smutwise: Not with each other! In keeping with the style of the show, some light sexual scenes might work well for filling in character info (what IS hester's sexuality anyway? If Sara Lives, how does she eventually move on from Miranda?) but this is not a kink request.

DNW: Hester/Sara slash. A super-happy fix-it fic. This is a dark canon, so I'm okay with the threat of someone being pruriently interested in Sara or young Hester, but I absolutely don't want anyone to do anything sexual to Sara while she's underage. It's okay to imply that young Hester might have been molested or prostituted but I don't want to see it happen in detail.

21 Jump Street - Series

Harry Ioki

I always felt like Harry was shortchanged on the show in terms of how much screentime and attention he got. Maybe just because I thought he was gorgeous and wanted so much more. Because they showed less of him, I have fewer strong hooks to build off of for requests. I don’t really know what I want, other than an Ioki adventure during the first four seasons of the show. Some mystery, some drama, a chance for him to look cool, an excuse to dress him up nice? (Can you find an excuse to make him solve a mystery while wearing a snazzy dinner jacket, or some sort of lovingly-detailed punk getup?)

Romance-wise, I don’t want him in a full relationship with any of the main cast but I wouldn’t mind him flirting with ANY of them. I’m cool with writing an OFC for him to romance during the story, but I would prefer a reset button on that for the ending. Maybe she dies, maybe she’s the bad guy and he has to arrest her, maybe she doesn’t like it when she finds out who he really is, maybe it was just a fling, whatever. A nice poignant note to wrap up on. Given the time period and his personality, I feel like if Harry were bi, he'd be keeping it quiet, and I don't want a story that's all about the struggles of being closeted in the 80s, so if you really want to give him a boyfriend, that shouldn't be the main focus. Romance isn’t necessary either, but it’s nice to have someone to admire the boy. Even if it’s just Tom and Doug complaining that he looks better in that outfit than they would. (Background Tom/Doug bromance is fine too.)

Angst and bittersweet endings are very acceptable and common for the canon. I'd prefer at least a tiny spark of hope (for him personally even if not for the characters of the week) rather than total despair.

Please do not reference anything having to do with the movies, not even as a joke.

I'd actually prefer to skip the smut on this one and keep it in tone with what you'd see on television.

DNW: Harry sleeping with anyone in the main cast. Any main character dying. Gross-out jokes or otherwise not taking the premise of the show seriously. AIDS storylines. Any reference to the movies.

[kinetic-elaboration]

January 27: Halloween (2018)

Didn't start as early as I wanted to but I did finally watch Halloween (2018). I enjoyed it overall but I also have somewhat mixed feelings.

I was really digging it in the beginning. I felt like I was watching a pretty serious horror movie that was also intent on being just a generally good movie. It was visually interesting, it was moving along at a good pace, it had a certain amount of dread, and I was very interested in all of the new information it was giving me: where Michael is now, where Laurie is now, what her family is like, etc.

But as it went on, I felt... like it was trying to be many different things at once. There's Michael's new killing spree. There's Laurie the recluse and her family drama. There's all the little teen drama and other shenanigans. There's the podcasters, for at least a short time. I guess they were sort of the Marion Crane of Halloween 2018. There are some attempts at Deeper Meaning and the weird little twist with the "new Loomis."

It’s not that I disliked any one of these story threads by itself, but there were a lot of them, and at some point I just started to feel tired. In some ways, it reminded me more of, say, Halloween IV than the original Halloween. Yet again, I’m reminded of just how genius that film was, how deceptively simple it was, to a degree that nothing else has been able to match.

I had mixed feelings about the podcasters. I know that their reasons for being in the film were, first, exposition, and second the misdirection of thinking the story is going to be way more about them than it is. I found them extremely annoying and so I didn’t miss them when they were gone. But I did feel a certain… sense of time wasted with them? Like, I sat through all that and they’re not going to be important? There isn’t going to be like a true crime/podcast exploitation angle to this? Okay then.

I’m also not sure I fully bought this version of Laurie. I liked her more in Halloween H20, and if they had tried to connect those two characterizations more—not include the canon of H20 specifically but more the outlines of the character—I think that would be better. I could see more of 1978 Laurie in H20 than here. Also… I just find it hard to believe that Laurie, or anyone, could maintain this level of reclusive paranoia for 40 years. She built this house, she put a trap in the basement—must have done that early because Karen remembers/knew all this—and then she just, what, shot mannequins for another 30 years? I just don’t think this is sustainable. Forty years is a long time. I feel sort of awkward saying this as if I were some kind of expert on trauma but I just think that humans generally do have a pretty amazing ability to pick up and move on. In one sense, we’re so fragile, and many things less traumatic than being the survivor of a killing spree can definitely mess you up and leave their indelible marks. But in another sense, we’re so strong. We keep getting up in the morning and going on with life even after terrible, terrible things. Not everyone, I do get that, but Laurie is lucid and controlled enough to basically take care of herself, and yet damaged enough to have done literally nothing at all for a solid four decades. I just don’t get that. (Oh and also she got married twice somehow and those people left no mark at all I suppose.)

Which is what I mean about combining the characterization with H20. Like, I don’t hate recluse!Laurie. But what if she’d devolved that way over time? Maybe that wouldn’t seem realistic since in this universe she’s only met Michael once and there haven’t been new triggers since then, but…maybe there were? I just like the idea of her being pretty normal, on the outside, for a while, but maybe always having this cabin in the woods, just in case, and then she spends more and more time there, and develops it more and more, and feels increasingly comfortable there…

I though the parallels between Laurie and Michael were cool, or rather, the places where she stood in for him in the parallel to 1978, like when she appears outside the school or when she falls from the roof but miraculously survives. But, I’ve never been fond of this faux-deep idea that the final girl is, like, in some way morally equivalent to the killer, or this Batman-morality logic that what the final girl does to survive makes her a sort of villain or monster herself. Laurie is a damaged person because of what she went through but she’s not a bad person, let alone the Epitome of Evil because of it.

I did like that the three generations of Strode women were the final girls. I mean I did see it coming but I liked it a lot too and it was satisfying. I liked that they included a moment for Allyson to injure Michael, and that Karen contributed to saving the day by remembering the things she’d been taught as kid.

I actually did like the teens, the humor they brought to the movie, and their little dramas and things. They felt like more realistic teens than those in the Rob Zombie films. A part of me… almost wishes they’d gotten more of the run time? Like Vicky and the kid she was babysitting were really cute! I also found it somewhat weird and unsatisfying that all this time was spent on Cameron just for him to be forgotten at the dance. Not even killed off. I know the point was that he ruins Allyson’s phone when they fight and so her family and the police can’t contact her, but it still felt like a loose-ish end to me. Anyway, I hesitate to say ‘this should have just been about the kids’ because I LOVE Laurie and Jamie Lee Curtis is the GOAT but… it might have been more compact?

The movie was definitely very clever in its callbacks. It got the big ones like the laundry but I’m also pretty sure I saw some Shamrock masks in there!

I think my favorite scene was when the police officer discovered Vicky’s body, because the tableau of the figure under the ghost sheet (another parallel!) sitting next to the pumpkin in the fish tank, all lit by the unexpected colorful lights of the kid’s room, was so spooky.

All in all, I did really like it! But I don’t think I would rank it above H20 and of course not above 1978.