#but this season feels like it's all trope with no set-up to earn the trope

[thesweetnessofspring]

I'mma be a hater, S3 of Bridgerton (so far) is the worst yet.

[chrollohearttags]

“..smile for me, daddy..”

you take quite the liking to eren’s newest piece of jewelry!

oral sex (p + a eating), spit play, hair pulling, fingering, squirting, need I say more?

I’ve written this trope before but I’m doing it again because why not?! I can’t get it out of my head and I am pushing this agenda. (Also trying to ease back into writing because I’ve been bullshitting.)

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•

“What you think, my man? How ya’ like it?”

“..yeah, this is the one, dude..definitely the one..”

stood before the counter at Schiaparelli Jewelers, brandishing a mirror in one hand as the the other casually stroked over his chin, Eren’s lips curled into that of quite the smirk; in turn, refracting off of the light..to say that he was satisfied with the result of his latest commission, would be a very gross understatement. Schiaparelli’s had become a staple in Miami's Design District. A multi-generational business with a reputation that preceded them. With infamy rivaled next to Johnny Dang. Having catered to celebrities and the city’s elite alike, they curated the most beautiful pieces with the utmost care. Thus, earning them millions and a recurring clientele. Among those were the Underground God himself and seasoned musical maestro, EJ the Don. Who had gotten everything from his first chain to the wedding ring he placed on his beloved (y/n)’s finger a year prior. VVS diamonds glistened from the bottom row of his already perfectly aligned teeth as he examined the new grill he had just acquired. A spur of the moment decision he’d made on impulse while you were away on another modeling trip. The custom mold wrapped his entire bottom and encapsulated his canines with red stones. It was absolutely beautiful and although the piece had set him back roughly fifteen thousand, it was well worth it and deserved in his opinion! Having just been nominated for two writing awards and a third for album of the year. Awards season was approaching and although it wasn’t among his priorities to attend, it was still a feat worth celebrating. Not to mention, it was quite the confidence boost as well. He wasn’t one to base his self worth in extravagant jewelry or expensive clothes, but he was certainly feeling quite good about himself in these. He loved the way they looked against his lips and how they complimented his teeth.

dapping up the jeweler, EJ thanked the man once more and proceeded to give him quite the hefty payment for his services..of course, self gratification wasn’t the only reason he had gone and copped this new piece for his collection. He was actually hoping to get a little something more out of the deal..

“That’s what I like to hear, my man! Listen, how do you think the missus will react? Think she’ll like ‘em?”

a question he was certain he’d find out the answer to as you had just shot him a text, saying that you’d made it home and of course..to hurry back to you! Not a moment too soon, in his opinion. He’d spent all week longing to see you again and what better way to greet you than with a surprise like this?

“..I guess we’ll find out soon enough..”

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•

“Mmph…Rennnnn, baeee! Stop—oh my gosh…”

the words spilling out in a trail of whiny huffs being drawn forth from your mouth. Among many other lewd sounds leaving you at the moment. Just as he had expected, your reaction was one he could’ve spotted from a mile away..the second Eren made it back home through the door, (y/n) came rushing him as you leaped forth into his arms. It didn’t take long after spinning you around with an array of kisses for you to spot them..the faint glint from his mouth as you slowly pecked at it. It was when you took his bottom lip between your teeth and tugged gently, did you reveal his little secret. He could tell immediately from the glare on your face, just what you thought of it. That was also apparent by your sudden shift in demeanor..going from subtle, flirtatious kissing to full blown, unadulterated lust. He had no interest in setting you to your feet or halting your advances, especially when you continued to swirl your tongue around his own and continue filling his head with compliments. From how sexy he looked with them and how badly you desired to wet them up! “Yeah? I’m glad you like them, baby.” That was to say the least. He wasn’t shocked in the slightest and once he heard your opinions, he no longer felt any reservations about his purchase! So fast forward, and the two of you moved your little party to the downstairs game room, where he’d often reside on his days off. You’d find yourself on the leather couch in the corner, legs spread to either side as he feasted at your center. Nearly seven days had passed since you’d seen one another in person and nearly ten since you’d had any physical touch so it was obvious what was on either of your minds. Inked up fingers laced around your throat in an effort to make certain your eyes never shifted from his. Meanwhile, you couldn’t help but to glare down at him with tears and lust teeming at your waterline. A finger slid between your lips as your husband delicately flicked that tongue around your clit..and each time, he’d make certain to flash you a toothy grin. In which you’d catch those sparkling diamonds littering his mouth.

“You sure you want me to stop, baby? I mean..you were the one begging me to make you come in my mouth.” Prompting both of you to burst into laughter. He knew that it was only because you were so close to your peak. Apparent by the creamy secretions leaking down his chin and staining that silver. How he craved your essence, your flavor and the feeling of you dripping onto his tongue. How good it felt to hear your moans coagulating with the sounds of his loud slurping, erupting throughout the room. Those white toes resting atop his bare shoulder blades, curled up at the slightest brush of your little bud. “I-I..fuck, it just feels so good, baby. Please..keep going.” (Y/N) uttering with the heave of your chest, rising and falling at a rapid rate as you tried to control your breathing.

“That’s what I thought..now lay your pretty ass back and lemme take care of you..lemme eat this pussy. Missed you so bad..”

with that, he’d continue his ascent into your soaking cunt. Exploring every fold, crevice and every delectable part of his beautiful wife. It may have been his favorite pastime if he were being completely honest…eating you until he brought you to the brink of tears and ecstasy. There was something so satisfying about it. Especially with the euphoric feeling of those juices making contact with his mouthpiece. Your fingertips would run underneath his chin and stroke the side of his face as his own dug into the thick flesh of your thighs..kneading slowly and keeping you in place. “Fuck…you look so sexy. Shit..” tossing your head back and releasing another breathy giggle from the overstimulating pleasure. “..swear you gon’ make me come, daddy..right there.” Guiding him along with your hand and those loud whimpers. That sundress that wrapped your body was shuffled down to your tummy as it bunched up underneath your breasts. You’d alternate between them and those dark tresses of his, not entirely sure what to do with yourself as you were unraveling.

“Don’t tease me now, princess. I need all of that..please..”

only taking a breath momentarily to work a couple digits inside of that hole as it spasmed on the air. He knew you needed to be filled but for now, he wanted to continue his feast..in more ways than one. As he parted your legs even further and continued working those digits in and out, Eren tugged you towards him. The only time he’d become forceful, as to keep you restrained. Because whilst you were focusing on the gentle thrust of his fingers in your pussy, his tongue would snake south to your puckering hole. Where the tip prodded at it and he’d flick around until you were trembling. Pleasure only increased tenfold when you pinched at those sensitive nipples. You could barely contain yourself and it was only a matter of time before he’d be getting that sweet release. He’d squeeze at your plump asscheeks as he switched between your entrances. Lobbing each hole with a very generous amount of spit. Soft whimpers arose from your throat and even hitched but that wasn’t enough for him. He needed that body to fall apart within his grasp and to react only the way he could make it happen.

“Come on, gorgeous. Let me have it. You wanna come, don’t you?”

that toothy smirk appeared yet again along with a high pitched coo. It never fails to make you melt..with the nod of your head, you’d shake vehemently, just grasping at anything to feign off the swelling in the pit of your stomach. One that was only mere seconds from exploding.

“Aw, then let it out. Do what you said you would earlier..or you gon’ hold back on me?” Teasing as he continued to push up into your most sensitive spot. And it didn’t take long until you were exploding all over the couch and of course, those silver slugs lining your man’s mouth. “Fuck! Fuck!—“ “..thereeee we go!” (Y/N) released a shroud of juices that spilled onto the cushions and Eren let his tongue wag as he lapped up every single drop..those fingers sopping with your creaminess. Which he’d let you slurp off once you were able to compose yourself.

“Shit!..Kiss me..” whining as you tugged him up by his chain and into your grasp. Shoving that tongue back between his lips and tasting the remnants of yourself against those grills. Cupping his face between your palms, you’d pull away from each other to meet gazes once more. That’s when he’d smile for you once again and you’d swoon for him all over again.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need you to wear those more..like all the time.”

[occulthours]

Can you rate some bonnie ships

Sure! This is just based on my personal preference, combining what we got in canon and the potential Bonnie stans explore in fanon.

This is pretty long so I'll put a text breaker (or whatever that's called) here. If you wanted me to go in-depth for a certain ship, feel free to ask! I apologize in advance for any misspells, grammar mistakes or errors.

1. Stefonnie and Bonkai

I have a few posts dedicated to my love of Stefonnie, but I’ll say it again, out of all of Bonnie’s ships, they had some of the best foundations based on canon alone. Same with Bonkai. There easily could’ve been a smooth transition into a relationship for both ships.

Season 5 was the perfect time to set Stefonnie up instead we got the blandness that is Ste.roline due to how similar their arcs were up to that point and how the main conflict of that season affected them two the most out of the main cast.

Anyone with eyes could see that Bonkai had a similar setup to TVDUS “dark romance” ships like DE and KC. The whole “bad boy x good girl” trope combined with the “evil guy is willing to change to earn the heart of the morally rich girl” trope was very on brand for Julie and Bonkai did it in a way that, again in my opinion, subverted from the norm. Bonnie held Kai accountable in a way that Elena and Caroline simply didn’t when it came to their highly questionable boyfriends. On top of that, I loved how Kai brought out the more vengeful side of Bonnie that had been somewhat watered down in seasons 3-5. Bonkai had one thing that was missing from all of Bonnie’s canon ships; passion. Out of all of Bonnie’s ships, canon or otherwise, Bonkai had the most electric chemistry. You can feel the emotions from Kat and Chris through the screen and they played off each other so well.

2. Klonnie

Bonnies ship with the most wasted potential. Klaus and Bonnie had everything in place to be a well-done ship. Not only did Kat and Joseph have great chemistry, but they were the biggest captains of this ship when Klaus was just getting started in TVD. They individually had the most interesting lore of all the TVDU characters and given how intertwined the Mikaelsons and the Bennetts were, should’ve interacted far more times in canon. Klaus was said to always have a witch by his side but wouldn't want to seduce Bonnie into joining his team after nearly reaching the damn near impossible feat of killing him? As a "novice" witch at that!

Additionally, Bonnie would've THRIVED in The Originals. TO was a very witch-centric show with a lot of characters I would've loved seeing Bonnie interact with. No offense to Hayley, but there's no denying that Bonnie being Hope's mother would have made more sense than what canon gave us.

3. Bonora

If Julie and Co didn’t want Bonnie to date one of their precious fan-favorite white men, fine. Bonora was there and would’ve been such a nice ship for Bonnie. Kat had been advocating for Bonnie to be bisexual for a long time to no avail instead we got Fr.eelin which, no shade, is basically shein Bonora despite Kat having great chemistry with women as well as men. If you had put Nora in Enzo's place in the later 2 seasons of the show very little would’ve changed. In fact, Bonnie’s arc would’ve significantly improved.

4. Kennett

Kennett has somewhat slipped down my ranking due to how disgusting the actor who plays Kol is, but for the ship's sake let’s just imagine Daniel Sherman was the one to start off playing Kol, okay? Okay <3

Kol was said to have a love of witches very early on in the show. The most consistent thing about his character was how he stayed connected to magic despite no longer being able to practice it himself. Bonnie was undisputedly the most powerful witch he had ever come across. Why wasn’t he more interested in her? Bonnie was the one solving everyone’s magical issues as a 17-year-old self-trained witch. Kol would’ve loved to dissect her mind, watch her do spells, and even share his own 1000 years' worth of knowledge about magic with her.

5. Tonnie

I honestly don’t have much to say about Tonnie, but I do think they could’ve been fun in the later seasons. Julie said that her shitty alternative ending for Bonnie was her ending up with Matt and having children with him, which sucks ASS by the way, and while I had the idea of Bonnie getting an even more half-baked romance than she got with Jeremy and Enzo, I would've sucked it up if it were with Tyler. Bonnie and Tyler were childhood friends and should've gotten even closer when Elena and Matt started dating considering they were their best friends. I can definitely imagine Elena trying to force Bonnie on a double date with her, Matt, and Tyler.

While Forwood is one of my favorite canon TVDU ships, Tyler and Bonnie bonding early on over their supernatural heritage would've made a lot more sense given that witches and werewolves traditionally get along significantly better than either species do with vampires.

6. Bamon

If you had asked me this in 2020/21, Bamon would've topped my list. I don't by any means hate them, but I'm admittedly not as fond of them anymore. I feel like Bamon is most serious Bonnie stans first, and/or most beloved ship. And it makes sense! Bonnie and Damon had excellent chemistry, a large amount of focus on their relationship in season 6 and onward, and a lot of romantically coded scenes despite the writers' hopes of dissuading the fans. My biggest gripe with Bamon is that, like most dynamics including Damon, Damon benefits from having Bonnie in his life significantly more than Bonnie benefits from having Damon in her life. Additionally, given how they wrote Steroline in regards to Stelena, how Bamon would play out in canon in regards to Delena sounds like a nightmare to me.

7. Bonenzo

Bonenzo is Bonnie's best canon ship but lord knows that's not saying a lot. The ship felt as if the writers took bits and pieces from Bamon and Kennett/Kolvina and said "Here, damn!" in hopes to shut Bonnie fans up. I honestly wouldn't dislike them nearly as much if they were actually endgame. Enzo's presence was merely to give Bonnie a romance, and he didn't even fulfill the means that justified his existence.

8. Beremy

He cheated on her with a ghost. Enough said.

[kujakumai]

GX keeps doing this weird thing where it'll go out of its way to set up these relationships and dynamics and show again and again that these characters care about each other, deliberately bringing up those relationships and setting up a duel, even designating specific cards as having symbolic significance, and then...not letting that have any effect on the outcome.

Asuka could have been cured of her brainwashing by her older brother, as an act of love, or by Manjoume, as atonement for being the person who did this to her in the first place, and either would've been emotionally impactful. Hell, it was a plot point like four episodes ago that Asuka cares about her two little generic background friends enough to break a little of Saiou's power--you could give one of them an episode in the spotlight and have them free her! Instead, Jaden gets the duel, and Fubuki and Manjoume's attempts to invoke their relationship with her through their cards is actively mocked, and they have zero effect. Jaden and Asuka are friends, but the duel never bothers to draw on that friendship at all. No references or invocations of that first after-hours duel in the girls dorm in season one. Jaden woke her up by, I guess, making her mad? Simply by virtue of winning? It feels paint-by-numbers, obligatory, like a box checked--Judai beat Asuka, so she's fine now! How boring.

Kaiser could've been shaken out of his self-destruction by his little brother's desperate attempts to show him how hard he's been trying to meet standards, to earn and properly use the card he gave him, even through pain. He could've have been smacked out of it by his good friend Fubuki, and his willingness to go into the dark for him. Instead, both lose their duels, the cards and gestures don't even make him blink.

Why are we loading up trading cards with the symbolism of relationship dynamics, of bonds and love and communication, like yugioh always does, and then having them mean nothing? Isn't that a waste of everyone's time?

I know I'm going to sound like an old crank but I feel like this never would have happened in DM. The earnest schmaltz trope of "let's help you free yourself from evil by reminding you of how much I and your other loved ones mean to you by playing this memorable and sentimentally significant trading card, probably with an endearing and unnecessary flashback sequence to all the fun times we've had together" is not something we mock here! This is Yugioh. It's our goddamn bread and butter! What are you doing!

[saijspellhart]

Spoiler, I watched the Miraculous Movie.

Watched the Miraculous Ladybug the Movie, on Netflix, all I want to say is that it’s terrible.

Bad writing, worse than the tv show. HOW?!? The show already had bad writing. How is this WORSE?

Empty nothing dialogue. Characters just say things for no reason.

The movie is supposed to be a retelling of the origin story but it relies so heavily on you needing to have watched the show to understand certain things and character connections.

Marinette’s balls drop when she starts singing?? Why would you use a singing voice six shades deeper than your character’s speaking voice?

It’s a musical?? Written by people who don’t know how to properly structure a musical. The music also isn’t great, and very forgettable.

Marinette has two different character motivations within the first five minutes. But then her character arc through the movie changes to an entirely different motivation.

Now her character motivation has changed to wanting Adrien to like her so her lowest point has nothing to do with the previous three changing character motivations set up before. And it’s now just Marinette wanting a boy to like her and suffering rejection.

Plagg is now endless fart jokes, and all his movements are accented with farts and green fart clouds.

They didn’t earn the stronger together arc trope.

The writers keep setting things up in this movie and not following through. Or trying to reap the pay off of an arc they never even developed.

The pacing of this movie moves at breakneck speed with no time for anything to breath.

It feels like the movie wants to be so many things, and ends up giving no development to anything.

Lastly the movie’s humor relies on a lot of extremely overused and dated jokes that aren’t funny anymore and we’ve seen dozens of times better delivered in other media.

Honestly if this were my first introduction to Miraculous Ladybug, I wouldn’t have ever been interested.

I went into this movie really hoping to love it. I hoped it would itch that early season one Miraculous adoration I had.

I hate this movie.

It’s a slap in the face to a television series that I really loved once upon a time.

I could write a better script for this movie in my sleep. Honest to god.

Ps. The animation was gorgeous. And the character models and redesigns were very nice. A visual delight.

[londonspirit]

Spoilers follow for the season finale of Our Flag Means Death.

After starting the season with its lovable cast split in two, Our Flag Means Death concluded its second season with the entire crew of the Revenge sailing off together into the literal sunset—well, almost the entire crew. With Rhys Darby’s Stede and Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard staying behind on land to make a go at being innkeepers, they’ve found their happy ending, which could be where the story of Our Flag Means Death finishes for good.

But according to series creator David Jenkins, there’s still more story to tell, and the fans rallying behind a third season may just help make that dream come true. After witnessing the filming of the season finale on the show’s New Zealand set—including Black Pete (Matthew Maher) and Lucius’s (Nathan Foad) emotional knife-swapping wedding—we caught up with Jenkins to discuss the most emotional moments of the finale, the dramatic action sequences, and what might come next.

Vanity Fair: What did you hope to achieve with the ending of season two?

David Jenkins: It’s bittersweet. There’s death and there’s the rebirth of Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship; there’s a funeral, there’s a wedding, and the idea that this family is going to keep fighting even as they lose members. And then it’s about belonging to something. It’s not just a bunch of people who are desperately stealing from each other and killing each other. There’s a way of life that they’re fighting for.

You’ve talked in the past about a season three. Fans are already circulating petitions, hoping there will be a third season. Will we get to see these pirates again?

There’s always a chance, if viewership is good. I think we all need to figure out what era of television we’re going to be in when we come back and who can afford what. I like our odds. It’s a cool show. We have a really good following. We have a passionate fan base. Max has been great in terms of publicizing us. I’d love to do another season of the show. I’m sure they’d love to have a reason to do it again. You can feel like it’s special making it. It would be nice to be able to get everybody together again for one last shot at it.

So despite the happy endings in the finale, you’ve left things open for a third season.

A lot of times, with this narrative of characters, same-sex relationships end on a dour, downbeat note, where one of them dies and it’s unrequited or it’s unrealized; something horrible happens and they’re punished in a way. So it was important to leave it open and a lot more show to go, but also leave it in a place where it’s happy. The end of the first season isn’t a happy ending. It’s kind of happy. Stede learns what love is and that’s happy. But I think it was important to be like, Okay, these boys did their work this season. They get to have a little happiness at the end of it.

I visited the set when you were filming one of the final episodes. Izzy (Con O’Neill) had been killed off, and he couldn’t talk too much about that. But now: Why did Izzy have to die?

There’s a trope that I like with mentor stories, where the mentor dies in the second act. Our protagonist outlives the mentor and then they have to go on. We felt like Izzy’s story had reached its conclusion, where we put him through enough. And then there was the realization that he is kind of a mentor to Blackbeard and that he is kind of a father figure to Blackbeard. It felt nice to have him die and have Blackbeard be upset by it, because Blackbeard killed his father. But this is a father figure that he’s losing that it’s hard for him; it's sad and he doesn't want him to go. Izzy has such a beautiful arc in season two; he does a lot of the things, has a lot of the breakthroughs that you want that character to have. It felt like: It’s time to give him a full meal. And it’s also a pirate show, so he’s got to die.

How would you describe the filming of season two?

It was good work, but it was hard, hard work. It’s a big show; it’s basically a one-hour show that we’re doing on a half-hour budget. So everybody has to work triple time keeping up with it. There were tactical challenges in season two. Now we’ve got two ships and two crews, and we had the unique challenge of filming the mermaid scene in a tank, and a storm in one episode. I love the fourth episode, and Buttons turning into a bird, and Izzy losing a leg. Blackbeard is saying: “I want to turn into a bird.’’ He’s kind of saying, I need to change. The idea that if you want to have something with this guy (Stede), you’ve got to change. And that seems to me to be the key to the season.

As a New Zealander, I loved seeing the scenery on the big screen—the lush bush, big, windswept beaches, and wild, expansive landscapes. How were you able to use the setting in season two in New Zealand?

It was jaw-dropping. In New Zealand, you go out the west side of Auckland, and it’s like the most beautiful beach you’ve ever seen. You go to Bethells Beach, and you can turn the camera here; you can shoot the entire thing. You’d shoot it a little bit this way, you’ve got, like, a Bergman movie. You go to the ocean, you’ve got From Here to Eternity. The freedom that you have and the beauty, I’ve never experienced anything like that before.

The battle scenes seemed to be far more elaborate and really felt like the show was leveling up. What went into filming those?

Jacob Tomuri, our stunt coordinator, is exceptional. He did Mad Max; he’s Tom Hardy’s stunt double, and he’s just so capable and good. And so a lot of it this season was that we have a short time frame, we move very quickly, and, again, we have a half-hour budget. We don’t have a one-hour budget, and we don’t have a one-hour shooting schedule. So a lot of it was just picking our shots and saying, Okay, we’re going to do a battle sequence. Let’s storyboard it. Let’s make sure that we know what the stunts are going to be, and let’s make sure that the location is spectacular. So we shoot it on that sandbar behind Bethells Beach, and it was like a dune which went on forever…. A lot of it is just seeing what New Zealand has to offer geographically. And then deciding, yes, let’s do that, and then building it around that, and then making sure that we’ve planned enough, that we can pull it off in a way that’s safe but also has enough size.

What was the idea behind having Stede as a merman in episode 3?

The idea was to make something that was just beautiful, and to get beauty and have beauty around them seeing each other again and their need for each other. To do that and to do it in a way that it’s a comedy, but to do it in a way that’s earnest and genuinely doing it and singing a Kate Bush song. We hit on the idea of a mermaid early on in the season two room, and [we said], Oh yeah, well, we have to put that in. There can’t really be mermaids on the show, but there can be in limbo, kind of purgatory, brain-damaged land as Blackbeard’s dying.

I particularly loved Zheng Yi Sao and the new female characters. I know that she’s based on a real-life pirate. Tell us a bit about the character of Zheng and how she came about.

Zheng Yi Sao is the most successful pirate in history. And we never knew anything about her in the West. She was so talented and so good at what she did that the Chinese government had to broker a treaty with her. She was about 100 years apart from Blackbeard and Stede. So we’re making that up, that she’s in this world and that she’s in the West. But it just seems like there should be so many stories. What she did was amazing. Her crew was largely female and largely women that have been discarded by society.

She was doing a social movement on top of robbing shit and doing everything that pirates do. Her reasons for doing it are more impressive and perhaps can be read a little bit more as altruism than somebody like Blackbeard, who is not a good guy. Or Stede, who’s probably not the best guy. And it just felt fun. It’s like, Well, who’s a cool third captain that we can put into this season that would give Blackbeard and Stede a run for their money?

As a female heterosexual viewer, I particularly loved that storyline. Were you wanting to reach a broader audience?

The first season is a lot of dudes. And so it’s nice to think, Okay, who else can we add into the stew? I started thinking about her while we were shooting season one. And it looked like perhaps we could get a season two, and she seemed like the most formidable person to add.

How do you feel about the attention from the fans?

I love it. I can’t possibly hope for this to happen again on another project. I hope I make things that people like and they want to engage with. But I would say the thing that separates this fandom is the level of positivity, like almost uniform positivity that just makes it nice to be able to engage with. And I think that’s rare. They’re so kind and interesting and talented, and so why wouldn’t you want to engage with that? It’s an honor.

Do you think of Our Flag Means Death as primarily a queer romance?  For this show, it’s important to me just to write a really bold-bodied romantic show that happens to be between two characters of the same sex. I think that the story beats don’t matter, because if you’ve been in love and you’ve been hurt and you met someone you love—hopefully we all know what those feelings are. And then in terms of listening to the room and having a room that’s on a spectrum of queerness and has nonbinary writers, if it's working for everyone in the room, the story’s working. And if it’s bumping for anybody, then you go in and retool: Hey, what should we do here to make sure that we’re getting all of it right and we’re not just assuming that?

Because on some level, love is love. And on another level, I get to see myself in a rom-com all the time. Someone who’s nonbinary and someone who’s queer doesn’t get to see themselves in a mainstream rom-com pirate thing almost ever.

Are there any other characters you want to talk about in terms of their development in season two, that you feel are relevant to the script?

Izzy’s the big one of the season. Just to give him a whole meal and see that character go from a villain into somebody, really, that you can identify with and care about. And Con O’Neill did such beautiful work. I love him as an actor. His character is a joy to write. And maybe it’s masochism, but I do feel like the character that’s a joy to write often dies.

How about Blackbeard and his arc?

He’s a damaged guy. He learns to love and he almost dies. And he comes back. He kind of goes through rehab. He has to wear a bell on his neck like a cat. No one trusts him. He’s like in Superman 2, where Christopher Reeve loses his powers, and he’s immortal. What happens if Blackbeard loses his powers and his outfit but still has to be in a pirate world? Who is that guy? The first season is about Stede Bonnet’s midlife crisis, and the second season is about Blackbeard’s midlife crisis. And then when they both have their midlife crises, they can open a B&B together. The chemistry between Rhys and Taika, and that friendship of 20 years, is key to the season.

How would you describe Blackbeard and Stede’s relationship in season two?

I don’t think Stede and Blackbeard are ready to be married. They’re emotionally saying: “Let’s give this a go.’’ Black Pete and Lucius are a little further along, and I think a little more mature. And yeah, it was also nice to see a formal union, I think, and between those characters. I love that relationship, and I love Matt Maher and Nathan Foad together; they have such a wonderful chemistry. It’s nice to see that couple kind of come to the fore in terms of maturity, that they are in fact a little more mature than Stede and Blackbeard.

A left field question: What level of research have you done on gay relationships on pirate ships? How common was queer romance among pirates?

Pirating has been so whitewashed and straightwashed, and it’s guys on boats confined to small spaces, and they’re also people that didn’t fit into normal culture. And so I do think there’s a history of same-sex romance at sea because it’s people who don’t fit in on land.

To not talk about that in a pirate story is to not really tell a pirate story. They’re criminals and did some really terrible things, but also, like, they were counterculture, and there was a reason they’re on those boats beyond the fact of being poor. I have to believe that in a society that has a term for marriage between crew members, same-sex romance was common.

The season’s third episode is called “The Innkeeper,” which fans definitely took as a hint toward a potential fate. How did you seed that outcome for Stede and Blackbeard through the season? And did you want fans to see it coming in a way?

I don’t know that you could really see it coming. We like the idea of Blackbeard pining for something. Beyond lighting ships on fire and shooting people, he’s longing for a normal life. We knew where we were going with that, and we knew that they would eventually end up perhaps opening an inn.

Back to the whole community around OFMD: Did you feel an enhanced level of responsibility, because people are feeling so seen by the show and have an affection for the show, when you were creating season two?

As opposed to responsibility, it feels more like relief—that people feel seen and they feel good about it and they liked what we did. And so it feels like, Okay, somebody’s out there and wants the show. The makeup of the writers room looks a lot like the makeup of the fan base. So as long as we’re true to our stories in the writers room, I think we just feel excited that there’s somebody waiting on the other end to enjoy it.

[lizardboy66]

im deeply bored so here are all of my gay 911 thoughts for your entertainment.

OKAY SO

Idk about 911 being queerbait guys...i dont think it ever was. I think we have entered a new era of fanservice. Usually with queerbait, the creators and people involved in the show are quite vicious to shippers and queer fans generally, and any easter egg or "moment" feels like crumbs to keep us hooked enough.

911 acknowledged the shipping very very early. Like second half of season 2, and there has never ONCE been a joke at the expense of the concept of being gay, or about buck or eddie being queer. It was simply a nod, like "hey, we get it, you want it, thats all good."

Its not 2010 anymore, gay people are accepted and visible in a way that has never been a reality in the past. In fact, gay people, especially gay men, have come to be understood as a fantastic marketing tool.

This is where i get jaded and cynical, but listen the outcome is the same so stick with me here. Gay pairings and relationships = money is not a groundbreaking concept. It's why they did queerbait. But with stuff like supernatural, it seemed like a far greater risk to make the repressed men kiss than to piss of the queer fanbase. But times have changed. But since the age of queerbait, there has been a rise in gay romance content being made, and being made FOR the fangirls, boys and theys. Think Red, White and Royal Blue, or Heartstopper, or Young Royals, or Our Flag Means Death, or Good Omens. Gay isn't a risk anymore, its a marketing category with a level of guaranteed success. And not just in the global north, Boys Love content has been booming in places like Japan, Thailand, Korea for decades, but never more than now. TV companies in these places figured out very quickly that producing fluffy, comforting gay love stories earns them billions, and have not hesitated to seize this opportunity. My point being, gay dudes sell as fuck.

911 got cancelled and had to move networks. The budget is too high and they need to pull viewership and quick. I think their answer is canonise that ship! I couldn't tell you if that was there original intent, but i do believe that it would be far less lucrative to fuck over their viewer base. I could be wrong, this could be a crazy long game to make the fans trust the show, then pull the rug from under them. But i truly think we are past that point with shows like this.

911 is pure fluff! No one ever dies, if someone is hurt they recover quickly and with no complications, conflict is tame and easily resolvable, and everyone is a sickeningly good person. And the show is also about family, found family, unconventional families. I think originally, the unconventionality of the eddie, buck and chris family dynamic was that it is two men who are not together or married raising a child as coparents and friends. Which is a great story, but even better fanfiction fodder.

I think they are going to do it like the fanfiction. It's the easiest way to bridge the epistemic gap between the current cannon and the reality of both buck and eddie being queer and having feelings for each other. they could try and explain it in their own way, but the fans have already done it, and have clearly agreed on some elements of how this love story plays out, so i think that will be the route they go down. Currently my evidence is that Buck is now canonically bisexual. For some reason a lot of the ships people have have one bisexual and one gay, so the trope is being realised. My next piece of evidence is the catholic thing for eddie. This has literally never come up, its a fan invention, and its in the show now. The eddie and marisol plot line is slightly bizzare, but i think the reason for that is that it is eddie making sense of why he struggles so much to commit to the women he dates. Or its just a bad storyline and isnt very coherent. I guess we will see. My next evidence is the whole set up of Tommy. He is so clearly a way to push eddie and buck together in my opinion. From his introduction, he acts as a wedge between the two that neither of them can make sense of. Very love triangle energy. And my last evidence is all of those goddamn interviews. It seems no one can shut up about these fire fighters getting it on with each other. I feel if they weren't doing it, there would be more effort to shut down the clowning gently, as they have done previously.

In conclusion, i too am a clown. My theory has rocky foundations, a rocky middle and an equally rocky conclusion. I am so tired and delulu right now. I'm with you girlies, this is stressful.

[mlobsters]

supernatural s1e5 bloody mary (teleplay: ron milbauer, terri hughes burton; story: eric kripke)

(this is a rewatch, so spoilers abound)

today's update from the first watch - in fact maybe playing bloody mary as a very sensitive and nervous kid still gives me particular nightmares 30+ years later!

i like that they actually show us sam's nightmare about jess and it's conveniently just the pilot fire footage but blue. but it's effective! and the way they use a clip of his other nightmare where he's visiting her grave (before we get the cheap jumpscare of arms grabbing him from the ground), i always forget that that's all from a nightmare. dunno if it's supposed to also be like, representation of him actually going to her funeral (they did stay a week, i think they mentioned)

SAM I take it I was having a nightmare. DEAN Yeah, another one. SAM Hey, at least I got some sleep. DEAN You know, sooner or later we're gonna have to talk about this.

and they say dean doesn't want to talk about things!

listen, you know i like first season lighting. but this lighting in an office of the morgue is out of pocket lol the eye strain!!

DEAN Dude, I earned that money. SAM You won it in a poker game.

still counts!

s1e5 chelan simmons as jill / hannibal s1e2 as gretchen speck / her little flouncy skirt for some reason is what i remember most

i thought she looked familiar but then i think that about a lot of pretty blonde haired young women in the early seasons of this show.. but she actually is! in my favorite hannibal rando murderer episodes, mushroom maannn (god the music while getting this hannibal screenshot, yeah it's wacky being so discordant and all but it's also SO GOOD at setting the tone and it's just so unique and special 🥺 link to my hannibal music masterpost)

someone got to have a lot of fun getting creative with all these hallway mirrors (peter ellis directed - he did this and 1x15 the benders and that's it)

smooth, dean-o. very normal response. got the doubletake jaw clench combo from sam lol (gifs i reblogged with pretty much the same comments, i am nothing if not consistent)

dramatic skylight on sam what is happening at this library

such a simple horror trope but so freaky every time

oh, sam.

SAM Why'd you let me fall asleep? DEAN Cause I'm an awesome brother. So what did you dream about? SAM Lollipops and candy canes. DEAN Yeah, sure.

very distinct visual style going here. it's just like, so blurry in the background of sam's shot and he's kind of soft focus himself.. feels like someone was having a moment with padalecki this episode instead of jackles hogging all the beauty shots :p and looking at her face i'm just appreciating how smooth the matte makeup looks under her eyes and is holding up to crying (which partially is just having young skin but also kudos to the makeup artist)

funny seeing the different supernatural-hunting techniques and gear that never went anywhere beyond this season

oh man, that feels like a lifetime ago. weird days of celebrity via leaked sex tape

casually printing out photos in their motel room. do they keep a printer with them in the trunk too? 😂

some of the score has got a very mark snow xfiles vibe, thanks to christopher lennertz (video down further because i ~needed~ to get the car chat too)

also trying to ignore the not-great green screen driving moments. i know they sort that out sooner rather than later. i think mainly by driving at night with their very cool practical effects lighting setup that simulates passing street lights/other cars etc - this interview with the director of photography serge ladouceur has all sorts of really interesting information and there's a video included about how they did the night driving effects.

So how did shooting in the car evolve? Clearly some of it was on the road, some of it is Poor Man’s Process in the studio, and a small portion of it is greenscreen.  We didn’t do much greenscreen with the Impala. The scenes we did that way were in Season 1 — sending a crew to film plate shots and compositing in post. We went through that process for some episodes, but because of the visual effects costs with outside vendors, the production went another way. Since Season 2, we have had a full-on visual effects department that’s part of the production, so every visual effect is done in-house. It was very convenient to have the visual effect department right here by our stages, so if last-minute questions arose, our VFX supervisor, Mark Meloche, is close by to answer these questions and guide us into the process, on top of having a VFX department representative on set for the days we deal with those shots. Mark was a great asset on Supernatural, having been on the show for its whole duration. He started with the team as the lead artist and then became the VFX supervisor in Season 8, after the departure of Ivan Hayden. 

oh i forgot about this part... i posted about this actually back when i watched it.

CHARLIE I had this boyfriend. I loved him. But he kind of scared me too, you know? And one night, at his house, we got in this fight. Then I broke up with him, and he got upset, and he said he needed me and he loved me, and he said "Charlie, if you walk out that door right now, I'm gonna kill myself." And you know what I said? I said "Go ahead." And I left. How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? I just…I didn't believe him, you know? I should have.

so this one hit really close to home for me, from my linked post above:

i was watching the bloody mary episode of supernatural, and yadda yadda people have secrets and someone is dead. and then we get to the final woman and her secret is her boyfriend killed himself after they had a fight. i was just internally screaming at sam and dean, and this is the part where you tell her it wasn't her fault ...!!!! because that's also one of the things i'm carrying around too, that i still need reminding that it wasn't my fault. had a fight, i knew he was suicidal, but i thought he was just mad. i was mad too, for the first time with him. i could have called, i could have asked for a wellness check, i could have could have could have... anyway. it's not our fault. i appreciated they told her that, finally, at the end. it's been 15 years now since it happened but it is still heavy on my heart.

the sam parallel finally coming to a head with his guilt about jess, so they get to have their talk. and a little crispy R for posterity's sake on "secret" from padalecki. i think i've narrowed it down to really soft barely there Rs on the ends of words, and very articulated Rs in the middle of words?

xfiles-y score / it's not your fault

DEAN You know what, that's it. This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—It wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place. SAM I don't blame you. DEAN Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done.

we know especially later that even if he warned her, there was no way it would have helped. the wheels in motion were so far beyond their control. literal forces of hell and heaven working against them.

MIRROR!SAM You never told her the truth—who you really were. {SAM is now falling towards the ground.} But it's more than that, isn't it? Those nightmares you've been having of Jessica dying, screaming, burning—You had them for days before she died. Didn't you!?! You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die!?! You dreamt it would happen!!!

and these would be my 5th and 6th screenshots of my original viewing. also long slated to paint at some point

DEAN Sammy. Sammy! SAM It's Sam.

forever grateful that dean is stubborn and continues to call him sammy. love a nickname, especially when dean's the only one allowed to call him that

dean getting the ultra blurred out soft focus treatment now, with a side of extra saturation

SAM Charlie? Your boyfriend's death...you really should try to forgive yourself. No matter what you did, you probably couldn't have stopped it. Sometimes bad things just happen. DEAN That's good advice.

good but hard to internalize all the same

DEAN Now that this is all over, I want you to tell me what that secret is. SAM Look...you're my brother and I'd die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself.

not quite sure why sam's smiling about this. not to mention how his visions become extremely plot relevant in the future. would think that would be more angsty, not lighthearted

s1e5 / true detective s1e1

i don't know if this is the first time the show made me cry? but the shot of jess on the sidewalk really got me this time around. also reminds me of a shot in true detective s1 that i used in my hannibal / true detective edit.

i've thought about doing some comparative gifs but i do think it's also kind of a common trope. but not like that means it's not worth doing! just selection of the trope from shows i have Feelings about

the song was replaced yet again on netflix, this scene originally had laugh, i nearly died by the rolling stones and they used bones into dust by fred haring instead and it was a good enough sub that it hit me in the feelings, rarity. i don't know what part of the rolling stones song they used but i might actually prefer the vibe a little bit of the substitute?? it's more straight bittersweet melancholy

via the wiki

Dean began to bleed from his eyes when confronted by Mary Worthington, denoting he had a dark secret which creator Eric Kripke claimed would be addressed at a later date. However, the plotline would quickly be dropped and never mentioned again.

lol

so much for these not all being excessively long posts 🤪

[heytherecentaurs]

Notes about the finale of Mentopolis:

It's so good. It's soo damn good. just great.

I think this is one of the most fulfilling seasons. It wraps up so well. The finale has some big moments, the players take big swings and Brennan is his classic self, delivering the thoughtful and funny narration and commentary we all expect and adore. The worldbuilding this season is very interesting and so well done (and I still think it's more Osmosis Jones than Inside Out); the set design and dome projections are next level. This has instantly become one of my favourite seasons. Brennan's fact about diners originating from dining cars is one of my personal favourites—that style would go on to become the Googie architectural and design style, probably most famously found in the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.)

I love how much Freddie enjoys being at the table. He really has a fun time. It's evident in Dungeons & Daddies and D&D Chaos too and I'm glad to see him having so much fun. Exploding twice was an amazing moment and really helped make it feel like a finale where the stakes are high. The fact he managed to succeed felt earned. His commitment to his character's vaguely Laszlo Cravensworth voice was so wonderful.

Siobhan is so incredible. She's so funny. She's been killing it with this unhinged impulsive (sorta Rowan Berry-esque) character and she's looked amazing all season long. Everything she does is iconic.

Alex's play style is really sorta chill and subdued. Not that they don't make big moves but it all seems somehow understated in their performance. Also 57 being their favourite number because of Heinz was so funny and they really wrecked everyone with that one.

I loved Hank as The Fix. He was such a sensitive tough guy and he dropped some very wonderful nuggets of wisdom. I'm so happy he got to be on D20 and I'm even happier his cancer is in remission. I know he was nervous because while he spends a lot of time talking this is a different medium and he isn't an improv actor or pro ttrpg player. But he does very well. The fish monologue at the end was bad ass. His line when Pasha N. comes and he can't think of any facts is flawless.

Danielle had her big moment last episode but she has really knocked it outta the park all season. I didn't know her before Misfits & Magic and she continues to be impressive.

Trapp was so funny all the time. Whether he was doing his own bits or just tacking on a stinger to the end of other players' bits, he was a master at humour. Hunch was such a good character. I love a gumshoe and he really falls into the classic film noir trope of a detective who basically tumbles through a mystery getting beat up and having misfortune befall him. His joke about foot stuff at the end is such a good call back.

[plus-size-reader]

Pumpkin Spice

Fics of Fall 2022

Eddie Munson x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2573 words

Warnings: Fluffy fall overload (i.e I shoved a lot of fall tropes in this one for my own enjoyment) 

Summary: Dragging Eddie out of bed with a single task in mind...Tracking down the perfect pumpkin spice latte.

—————————————————————————————————

“Why are you still in bed?”

Eddie didn’t even have a moment to think, or process what was happening, before coming face-to-face with you.

On any normal day, that wouldn’t have been a big deal as you had been known to just let yourself into his trailer whenever you felt like it but it wasn’t exactly as if today was a normal day.

At least, in the sense that it wasn’t even day yet.

Not in Eddie’s mind anyway.

“Why are you here?” the male countered, rolling away from you with a huff, his hair hiding away the parts of his face that his pillow wasn’t already shielding.

It was a loaded question.

Technically, you were in the trailer because that was where his bedroom was, and you were in his bedroom because that was where he was.

If he wanted to get more literal and ask why you were currently knelt by his bed, six inches from his face, the answer was simple.

It was officially Fall.

…and Fall meant that, more than any other time in the year, you were alive.

“Wayne let me in” you shrugged, still not understanding what your best friend's problem was.

In all the time that you’d known one another, this was hardly the first time you’d done something like this and you both knew it wouldn’t be the last.

“Yeah, I figured that out”

The annoyance he was feeling was obvious in the rasp of Eddie’s voice, still muffled by the pillow he was holding to his face but you didn’t budge in the least upon hearing it.

You were on a mission, after all.

“So, why are you still in bed?” your tone now matching his as the desire to start the events of the season took hold.

You needed to go.

Now.

“Y/N, sweetheart, what time is it?”

“6:30”

“And, why would I be up at 6:30 on a Saturday?”

You didn’t answer for a moment, settling down against the mattress, your head resting on both of your forearms as you tried to think of something that wouldn’t result in Eddie’s relentless teasing.

Not that it mattered. You’d never been successful in that before.

“I want coffee” you eventually settled, sitting down only fully only when Eddie shifted, turning toward you with a near incredulous look on his face before dropping his head into his pillow again.

Eddie actually couldn’t believe you.

That’s what this was about?

“There’s a pot in the kitchen” he reminded, still able to smell the faint odor of the dark roast Wayne had made before going to work.

There was definitely some left that you could have gotten on your way in here.

“I can’t drink that” you scoffed, earning what sounded like a cross between a scoff and a laugh from Eddie because he should have seen that coming.

He should have seen this whole thing coming.

“And why not? Worried it’s poison?” he grumbled, finally sitting up to look at you, his messy curls settling in front of his face with as much attitude as he was currently giving you.

You smiled, at the sheer fact that he’d decided to start getting up before answering.

“No. I, my dear Eddie, am on a mission to find the best-tasting pumpkin spice latte and I wanted to see if you’d join me?” you grinned, brushing some hair from his face gingerly.

He rolled his eyes at you, of course, and at the sheer absurdity of your display, but didn’t refuse.

Eddie had never told you no, and by this point in your lives, he wasn’t even sure he could form the word.

“You’re sure this can’t wait? I’m comfy” he whined, throwing himself back down against his bedding, landing on his back with a soft thud.

Sometimes, the promise of his warm blankets, smelling vaguely of cigarettes and cuddles could be enough to get you to stop doing whatever thing you’d set your mind to.

Though, that wasn’t going to work today.

You had already made your mind up and if you didn’t have a delicious, overrated seasonal drink in your hand in the next hour, you were going to make it everyone else’s problem.

“No, now put on your pants” you commanded, scoping up the closest pair, that had been carelessly thrown atop another pile of clothes on the floor and lobbing them in his direction.

You wanted to be there when they opened so that you didn’t have to deal with all the people that would surely rush to do the same thing you had.

For both your sake.

“Fine, but you owe me” he decided, knowing full well that was nothing more than an empty threat.

He would never ever admit it to anyone, but you knew that Eddie loved this stuff almost more than you did.

Even if he’d rather sleep in.

“I’m already taking your notes in Chemistry and Physics, so what’s one more thing?” you teased back, ignoring the sound of his shuffling behind you as you busied yourself in his closet.

For the most part, Eddie’s closet consisted of worn band tees and assorted nerd merch but today, you had a specific article of clothing in mind.

Something you knew he owned only because you were nosy.

“What are you doing?” he asked, once again getting ignored until you finally found what you were searching for, tossed into the back corner, and rolled up in a ball.

You expected as much.

“Looking for this” you explained, holding up the slightly wrinkled knit pullover Wayne had bought him quite a few holidays back.

It was black originally because everything Eddie ever wore was black, but it had since faded to a washed-out, deep gray that you knew would look good on him.

If you could convince him to put it on.

“That thing makes me look like a loser” he scoffed, not even bothering to take it from you because if he did, that would mean he’d have to put it on.

…and that wasn’t happening.

“So does everything else you wear,” you shot back, once again forcing the waded-up ball into his bare chest, and not letting go until he had no choice but to take it.

“Besides, it’s cold and I don’t want to listen to you whining” you added, a small smirk on your face as you watched the man put on the offensive article in complete defeat.

Mostly because he knew you had a point, and would rather bite his tongue off than have to tell you that.

“Very handsome” you grinned, ducking away from a less than subtle middle finger before heading for the door.

By this time, the sun was starting to come up and that meant that it was time to go.

“I hate you” he called, slipping on his boots, and shaking his head at the sound of the keys to his '71 Chevy van rattling by the door in response.

When he became a ‘go-get-coffee-in-a-sweater’ kind of guy, Eddie had no idea, but as he followed you out with a single goal in mind, it didn’t even really matter.

Not as long as you were happy.

~

By the time you made it to the coffee shop, you expected it to be busy but were pleasantly surprised by a near-empty lot.

Perfect.

“Come on, come on” you urged, watching as Eddie intentionally took his sweet time parking and taking the key out of the ignition, knowing full well that you were about to lose it.

This had always been your favorite time of year and while he understood that, he definitely wasn’t above tormenting you when the opportunity presented itself.

Though, all things considered, it didn’t last very long and you were headed toward the quaint little building before you knew it.

You had been here a few times in the past but never had it appealed to you more than it did at this moment.

It was everything you could have wanted.

The air was heavy with the scent of spice and sugar, and the warmth that greeted you when you opened the door was a welcome contrast to the biting cold outside.

“I still can’t believe you woke me up for this” you heard the man at your back grumble, but you chose to ignore him, fully immersed in the feeling surrounding you.

Something you were sure would wear him down eventually.

“Do you want one?” you asked, watching as Eddie’s eyes glided over the menu behind the counter, trying to figure out what any of these things were and what the hype was.

Coffee he got, though he had always preferred a different kind of stimulant, but the fruity, sugary stuff you’d gotten into from this place could hardly be considered coffee.

Most of the time it was closer to a milkshake.

“No, I think I’ll keep my teeth, thank you” he teased, settling into one of the nooks in the corner and watching your head over to the waiting barista, who was far too perky for this early in the morning.

You were so lucky you were cute.

The list of people he’d be willing to do this for was a short one for sure, though when he stopped to think about it, it wasn’t much of a list at all.

You were the only one.

The only person in the world who could have hoped to drag Edward Munson out of bed for anything was you, and deep down, he knew that you knew it too.

All things considered, he should have been glad you used your powers for small things like this instead of dedicating it to evil.

“Miss me?” you grinned, holding your cup to your chest, almost as if you were worried someone would steal it from you.

Which, given what you’d done to get here so early, seemed fair to him.

“Yeah, I didn’t know what to do with myself” Eddie cooed, clutching his chest similarly to how a heartbroken damsel may have in those old movies he adored so much.

Not that you paid that much mind.

You had grown far too used to the dramatic antics of your best friend and chose to focus your attention on the festive drink.

It would no doubt only be the first of many before the season was up but the first one was always the most special.

That was part of why you wanted Eddie to be here with you.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier” you hummed, taking a deep breath of your coffee, and letting the spice envelop every part of you.

You could have sat in this moment forever, but when you opened your eyes to survey the grumpy metalhead you’d brought with you, he hardly looked to be enjoying himself.

If anything, Eddie wasn’t impressed.

“This is what you dragged me out here for?” he scoffed, keeping that gentle softness about him even as he tormented you.

The incredulous glare once again returned to his gaze as he looked into the cup you were holding, even less thrilled than he’d previously expected.

It was coffee, sure, but not in the way that he’d always known it. In sharp contrast to his Uncle’s stark black coffee, always brewed into a company thermos, was a milky brown fluid topped with whipped cream.

Just as he’d suspected.

It was a breakfast milkshake that you had somehow convinced yourself that it was okay to drink before your day even started.

“Yeah, and it’s delicious”

You didn’t even humor his attitude, because as much as you loved Eddie, his idea of a balanced breakfast was a cigarette, a poptart and whatever was left in his beer cans from last night.

He was hardly the all-knowing authority of what was good.

“If you say so” he shrugged, taking a small sip and knocking his booted feet against your own under the table.

He made a small face at the taste before letting you get back to enjoying your sugar in a cup.

The first sip you managed to take was velvety and hot, burning from your tongue to your throat in the best way.

It was all you could have wanted on a cool morning like this one, even if it was only going to last until the last drop was drained from the paper cup.

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you for a while, with you sipping at your cup as you looked out the large window in front of you, and Eddie fidgeting as he often did.

If you listened close, you could hear him humming “Lady Evil” by Black Sabbath under his breath which only added to the peace you were feeling.

It was nice.

Though, you should have known that it wouldn’t last long, given your chosen company.

“Hey”

You turned toward his voice without hesitation, the view out the window long forgotten but you didn’t even have time to process anything before you were greeted by Eddie’s hand in your face.

With the sole goal of dabbing as much whipped cream onto your nose as he could manage at one time.

“You’re such a child” you groaned, immediately going to wipe it away on the back of your hand, shooting daggers into your best friend.

Who, in the time it had taken you to realize what he’d done, was nearly crying with laughter in his chair.

“Hey, I wore this stupid thing. The least you can do is make me laugh” he shrugged, once again taking your cup and sipping at the warm liquid he supposedly couldn’t stand.

“What happened to wanting to keep your teeth?” you scoffed, swiping a bit of whipped cream from the top for yourself and popping it into your mouth after momentarily faking him out for revenge.

Eddie had always been like this.

He would go on and on about not wanting and liking things, but as soon as you had them, suddenly he was a fan.

Not that you really minded.

You knew he was enjoying your little coffee date just as much as you were.

“If you tell Henderson about this, I’ll kill you in your sleep” he replied, all shame going out the window as he drank from the cup cavalierly, drumming his free hand on the table.

He had an image to uphold, those kids worshiping him like a God, but it was a delicate balance. If they ever found out about this, he knew they wouldn’t hesitate to hold it over his head indefinitely.

There was no way he’d ever live it down.

“Your secret’s safe with me” you grinned, not at all surprised at how this morning had gone down.

If you were being honest, you may or may not have ordered a larger size just to share.

Eddie nodded casually in thanks before finishing off what was left of the cup. He didn’t have a lot to do today, aside from a Corroded Coffin practice after Gareth got done with his shift at the gas station.

Which, normally, would have meant getting high and watching Knight Rider all day.

…but not today.

Today, Eddie was going to spend all day with you doing whatever it was you decided you wanted because it was the first day of Fall, and you deserved it.

If for nothing else than putting up with him all the time.

[biblioflyer]

How Picard should end.

The very probable end of The Next Generation is coming and with it the beginning of the end of the first phase of the revival of Star Trek that began with Discovery. Here's what I'm thinking about.

As I write this, the final episodes of Season Three, the series, and perhaps even this sub-franchise are coming into view. I refer to it as a sub-franchise because I think that Picard as a series has a storytelling approach and a set of themes that it has explored that overlap with Discovery but also has its own identity.

Because of the age of many of the principal characters, there has been a strong theme of having to adjust with grace and empathy to a world radically changed from what was normal and comfortable to you, having to acknowledge your complicity in the faults you find in this world, and of repairing relationships that have been harmed. 

Immersing myself in where Picard has been as a series, even just the first four episodes to date, has given me a strong sense of what it is that Picard is about and thus some strong, but not pugnaciously held opinions on how it should end. The failure to do any of the following will not “ruin” the series for me, although the alternatives better be really well done.

For the first time of the CBS era, I actually really feel strongly that my own aesthetics could be defied and I will still really enjoy the outcome. For example I despise the trope that Jack Crusher represents but the trope has been so superbly executed that I’m almost annoyed at how completely I’m in his corner.

Speaking of Jack Crusher….

I would strongly prefer he not be written off as a space god or killed. For one, this is just Wesley’s arc duplicated. For two, while “NuTrek” is doing a great job at moderating the setting’s default posture that transhumanism is bad, it feels too cliche and even cheap in a way for him to vanish into the aether. Let him live, as a mortal, trying to do right by all of the people who fought and died for him not because he was a space god, but because it was right. 

We’ve had three seasons of intense focus on the deeds of mortal and fallible individuals struggling to know what is right in a morally complicated universe, taking huge risks, and even sacrificing stability, family, love, peace, sobriety, and even their own lives: don’t end this with space magic. Don’t do another “space magic makes it all better so nobody really ever had skin in the game” ending.

Speaking of Wesley, having the two meet would provide a nice bit of closure for Beverly. It would bookend nicely with her line about already having lost one son to the same stars that call Jean luc.

Seven of Nine & Raffi

On again or off again, just pick a lane and make them handle it like adults.

As I’ve said before, I see two equally valid paths for Seven assuming it's handled properly. Seven can remain in Starfleet, her acceptance earned and her merits recognized by all but especially by Shaw. Ideally were this to be the case, I think I would like to see her take up Picard’s mantle of mentor to misfits.

There isn’t a character who is better positioned narratively in this series to become the person who sees something in people that others don’t and can find ways to take the round hole that is Starfleet and make it a square hole for the people who need it.

Or she can walk away and reclaim her full autonomy. Go back to the Fenris Rangers or go into Starfleet Intelligence.

As for Raffi, the past two seasons have intensely focused on the work the character was doing to first recover from addiction and then reclaim her mental health and with that the ability to have relationships without either her need to chase mysteries or the desire for control alienating those around her. It's time for Raffi’s work to be seen by others and to be supported. 

In the first season it was entirely fair for her son to refuse contact: she was too much a creature of her substance abuse and her obsessiveness. Now? Cut her some slack and let her show that she’s mastered the thing that makes her the hero no one is prepared to recognize that they need until it's too late but also makes her the villain in her own life.

I would merrily support a Worf & Raffi spy action buddy cop series. Seven, Jack, Laris, and anyone else unaccounted for who is not really a good fit for traditional ship service can come too if they want. A Star Trek answer to Firefly or The Expanse would be incredibly fascinating with good writing. Given the way Star Trek Picard has been critiquing the limits of institutional power in dealing with the unknown or morally complicated situations, I think the time is right. 

Perhaps this could be the Section 31 series instead of a 23rd century era one. Just have the Guardian of Forever send Georgiou to where she’s needed rather than where she belongs. She’d be a great foil for Zen Worf and the morally flexible but not that morally flexible Raffi.

Section 31 are bad guys, full stop.

Speaking of Section 31, either confirm that Section 31 has been disbanded and formally disavowed or that it had its Church Committee hearings and been folded back into Starfleet Intelligence with strong oversight and strong guard rails. Putting Worf and Raffi front and center in it would afford an opportunity to show that it is possible to address existential threats to the Federation without genocide or the intervention of space gods. 

It's really only been after seeing Discovery recycle the same deus ex ending, only worse, that I have come to realize that the way Deep Space Nine finished the Dominion War arc really, really rubs me the wrong way. My list of things that I think are completely antithetical to the core assumptions of Star Trek is not long, but the Federation being saved not once, but twice by attempted genocide is definitely on that list. 

Don’t get me wrong, Deep Space Nine is probably the most overall well executed series from the point of view of nearly every aspect of the show being consistently competent, but falling back on Section 31 to save the Federation? Not a fan of that.

Romance

I am not on the Bev/JL train. It had its time. For all the ways that Star Trek Picard has been in conversation with critiques of TNG’s very 1990s “end of history” worldview, one thing that was superbly managed was the idea that Beverly and Jean luc could try out a romance, realize it doesn’t work, and then be content with a strong bond that doesn’t need to express itself romantically. It was incredibly, shockingly mature for a 1990s drama.

This show did not kill off Zhabon and an ancestor of Laris for Laris to be killed off or to politely step aside.

Maybe Bev is happy being unpartnered. How about them apples? Maybe a senior woman is perfectly self actualized on her own and can take or leave romance.

This is probably one of the looming plot resolutions I am the most likely to be actually angered by if it doesn’t go the way I would prefer and it isn’t handled extremely well.

Once again, do not fridge Laris to make room for Beverly. 

That would easily make my list of the top five most appalling creative decisions of this show and this is coming from someone who has invested quite a bit of effort into defending and rationalizing its other controversial decisions. Having her step aside with her life and dignity is less distasteful but still frustrating.

The Federation and Shaw

Follow through with the overall theme from season one that institutions solve big problems but rules are not there to follow mindlessly. Conscience matters as does doing the right thing even when you are fearful. 

It may not be fair to ask 500 people to risk their lives for four people who have deliberately chosen to put themselves in harm’s way on a fool’s errand, but then when does it become fair? Does it have to be 501 lives on the line to be worth 500? How morally virtuous do the victims need to be? 

Smaller, more nimble actors don’t have to make these trades. The Mugato in the room is the Maquis. They could easily have provoked war but they did also provide a means by which Federation citizens who wanted their autonomy could contest Cardassian oppression without exposing the Federation to the specter of war  if the Federation failed to ensure their well being.

Also when and if a bad call is made out of anger, fear, or incomplete knowledge of the situation, how the consequences of that decision are addressed matter.

The Federation abandoned the Romulans. As did Picard himself. Picard accepted responsibility in Season One. The Federation extended its protection over Maddox & Soong’s Synth colony but there’s no mention of any peacekeeping or humanitarian efforts for Romulans who have rejected “the old ways.”

Finally, Shaw has his reasons and this series has been nothing if not incredibly nuanced in how it invokes trauma and uses it in a way to explain but not justify the behavior of characters. A theme I have thought about a lot in the context of Captain Marvel is the way that coping mechanisms for trauma often encourage self reliance and aloofness to the extreme. In Shaw’s own words “at some point asshole became a substitute for charm.” I would argue that the final stage of healing would be to become a team player who is capable of forging authentic relationships built on mutual trust and respect.

Now I do think this is coming in the form of a sincere working relationship with Seven but I would prefer it be extended beyond Seven. For Shaw to accept Seven as Seven is a good start but everyone is capable of accepting “one of the good ones.” Some sort of broader recognition that it's on him to swallow his terror and rage, it's not on every single XB to prove they’re not going to assimilate him.

Other characters / elements

BBEG: (Big Bad Evil Guy) I don’t know that I’m necessarily hoping for anything or anyone in particular. Armus would be cool. He’s one of the last entities on the board with an axe to grind who could conceivably be a credible menace to Changelings and shares some of their mercurial nature. 

The alien parasites would be neat as well. That that has long gone unresolved is a longstanding gripe but I feel like the time may have passed. Thematically the Changelings have more or less eaten their lunch when it comes to replacing people and intricate conspiracies. At this point, I think it would be just as well to retcon the infiltrators as having been an early effort by the Changelings to infiltrate other societies without exposing themselves to danger. The Founders certainly have the genetic engineering acumen to design a parasite species.

Elnor: at least mention him as existing, if not give the character some proper closure. Show him thriving in Starfleet and having a good relationship with Picard and Raffi as mentors and surrogate parents, explicitly connect Picard’s experiences with Elnor as a child and his effort to repair his relationship with Elnor as having been a practice run for Jack and the recognition that Jean luc would not have been his father as a parent.

Or show him choosing to leave Starfleet for the Rangers or even just to lead a quiet life of study and meditation. That’s cool too.

Jiurati: if the big bad is the Borg or related to them somehow, it would be cool to see Jiurati’s faction sweep in to help defeat them. Otherwise maybe one more reference would be nice.

The Admiral Janeway cameo is long overdue.

It would be nice for Worf to mention Alexander and Jadzia. Perhaps in the context of giving advice to Raffi on love, life, pursuing rapprochement after being an absentee parent, and living with the knowledge that your life choices place partners in existential danger. It would be a great way to cement their dualistic role this season rather than having Raffi be Worf’s sidekick.

Don’t fridge Tuvok. Find him safely.

Oh yeah, there's also JL himself.

We don't need to have Picard die on screen (again.) As far as I'm concerned Logan is all I'll ever need for Patrick Stewart death scenes. Its just too hard to contemplate. I consider the character of Picard to be a father figure and I'd kind of just prefer that he gets to be happy. I'd like for him to get good with Elnor and Jack.

"I tried so very hard to belong to this place."

Maybe pass the vineyard on as a national park that is Picard in name only. We all know his real home is in the stars. Putting him to work leading a Romulan humanitarian NGO that relies on his Starfleet contacts and credibility is I think the perfect bookend to how the series began with his despair over the Federation's failure and the ongoing interrogation of whether Starfleet is the only legitimate or appropriate entity for solving problems in the universe.

[lollytea]

thoughts on the main bridgerton couples we’ve seen so far?

Ooooooh you've given me an opportunity to yap. Thank you kindly!!

Oh when I started season 1, I was sooooo excited for Daphne and Simon's fake dating plot. I wasn't expecting anything deeply profound. Just gimmicky trashy fun. And I really did enjoy them!! I liked watching them interact with each other. They were very sweet and charming.

Except uuuuggghhh!!! Their sexual dynamic made me so uncomfortable. Like I had so much fun watching the numerous scenes where they fucked like happy happy little rabbits and wished that was as far as the show took it. BUT the power imbalance was awful.

I understand historical accuracy of regency era women being less sexually educated the men and are sometimes completely clueless but GODDDD that doesnt mean I have to enjoy watching it. Bridgerton is supposed to be some stupid swoony sexy romance. But personally I don't find the virgin and slut trope to be all that sexy or swoony or romantic at all.

I don't like Daphne having to be taught how to masturbate by her love interest like she's a child

I don't like how her naivete is exploited by her husband

And I do NOT like how Daphne sexually assaults her husband out of SPITE. Its absolutely depraved. Its disgusting. Sick to my stomach.

Devastated by how fun Daphne and Simon initially were and then it all veered into creepy squirmy terrible territory. I wanted to enjoy them so bad.

The next is Kate and Anthony and. Hm.

I think Kate has the most compelling character set up out of everyone in the cast. I like that she's so much older than the typical female protag in these kinds of stories. She's still very young (26) but according to the era she lives in, she's ANCIENT for a woman. I quite like stories like that. About older women who think they've lost their chance of finding love years ago but receive a happy surprise. She's brainy and loud and stubborn and opinionated and gets on people's nerves but she's also so pleasant and funny and so full of love for her family and she's fucking GORGEOUS.

I don't have any strong opinions about Anthony except he's a bit of a cunt but the actor plays him so melodramatically that I do find him entertaining.

I was excited for the enemies to lovers thing. They both have such strong flammable personalities. I wanted mess. I wanted fire. I wanted her to tear his throat out.

But the romance itself was kinda....underwhelming. I dunno, I felt like they didn't have enough interactions to really loathe each other to the extent that they did. And then, again, they didn't have enough interaction for that loathing to morph into love. Like the fact that it states that they're "in love" when they've only had a few scenes together feels very unsatisfying. It didn't seem earned. At least with Simon and Daphne, they were hanging out with each other every day for weeks. Kate and Anthony were only having sporadic meetings every once and again.

ALSO the two of them crumbled into hopeless love way too fast for my liking. It felt like a jumble of fanfic scenes but with none of the substance of the Canon material to make the fanfic meaningful. I dunno man, Kate has been completely unreceptive to romance for her whole life and Anthony is stubborn and arrogant and completely against the idea of love. The evolution of their relationship seemed quite rushed. I think the burn should have been much slower, yknow? Taking down each others barriers one brick at a time.

ALSO. They should have just as many unapologetic sex scenes as Simon and Daphne. It anything, they should have had more. At least Anthony and Kate felt like they were on equal ground. I would much rather see a 26 year old woman getting railed than a 19 year old girl.

Are there any other main bridgerton couples? Hm...there's Eloise and that guy I've forgotten the name of. Hate it. Hate it a lot. I find Eloise to be quite an insufferable character and I do not even remember the guy's face. I'm mad that Eloise has a love interest in the first place. I'm mad that a love interest had to be tied in to a subplot about Eloise becoming involved in women's rights in order to make it interesting. I'm mad I'm mad I'm mad.

Uhhhh Colin and Penelope. Hm.

They're both going to be very sexy in the new season. I know they will be sexy. They are both sexy.

I love to see a fat girl get a kind decent man who's obsessed with her.

But MAN. Man....I so badly wish they didn't have Penelope wrong Marina in season 1. It was so vile. So cruel. So despicable. At least in my opinion. Penelops and Colin's relationship is probably never gonna sit right with me after that. There is NO WAY a decent man is going to forgive a woman for doing that to his previous girlfriend?? Right??

Well we know that he WILL forgive her. And he will fall in love with her. So Colin kinda sucks too.

Anyway those are my thoughts. I love bridgerton because I love mess and drama but there is nothing good going on here

[saltisnacks]

What will be, will be

Bi Buck. It finally happened.

I'm okay with Buck and Tommy as a starting pair. I just want Buck's arc to be meaningful, carefully written, and not later forgotten or explained away. A canon bisexual male character is important to be done right because its pretty much nonexistent outside of cartoons, manga, etc. They could make it all sunshine and pillow clowds, or they can bring up biphobia and/or bierasure. I just want Buck and everyone happy. Let Buck explore this new sense of self safely while being supported by the firefam, and Tommy seems like a good person for that.

If (and when because LFJ has a limited appearance) they do end things, I hope it's amicably. Someone has a habit of killing off characters, but I don't think he will risk it because that could lead to being accused of "burying." Maybe Tommy is offered a promotion, but he has to move for it. Buck encourages him to take it and waves him off with a smile. That's my best wish for a gentle split.

Maybe we'll get a comedic date between Buck and Josh where they both go, "No, we don't click, but let's have fun anyway." Then show them having a blast together. Josh points out cute guys and girls because Josh is gay not blind for Buck's opinion so he can get his type(s) to help set him up. And if it ends up pointing to Eddie, even better.

Do I want endgame Buddie? Yes. However, dropping this on Eddie out of nowhere would have been messy, clunky, and just not good storytelling. Narratively, Eddie isn't ready yet. He's still firmly on the "I need to find Chris a mother" train. If they decide to go with Marisol, I hope they flesh her out a little more to be on par with our knowledge of Karen and others. But, the actress really needs to go bye-bye for reasons and honestly so does Carla's, so have her retire.

If Buck's bisexuality finally starts the derailment when he comes out to him, in 7x5 apparently, we'll have to wait and see. Dropping Buddie in our laps now with a ✨️tadah✨️ wouldn’t feel right to me. Eddie would need his own journey of self first, which is being hinted at for the near future. But, considering his past, I don't think it'll be a fast painless one. He'll have a lot to work through, and maybe this is a place for Tommy to help because they are so similar. And if they land on demisexuality, that would make a lot of sense for Eddie. He needs that connection, as shown by the lack of it with Ana.

If Buddie happens, I'll take it, but only if it is earned from a well written script. If Buck is still considered to be with Tommy and invites him to the wedding as his plus one, but ends up kissing Eddie somehow, I'm probably going to vibrate out of my skin in anger. That would be a disservice to Eddie, Tommy, and again Buck. We don't need a Lucy repeat. It would also be a disservice to bisexual viewers everywhere because portraying them as "fickle" would not be a good.

(I think they're disheveled, btw, because they lose the rings somehow in whatever fight they have and then have to find them, which is a classic wedding trope I see 911 using. I don't think it's what a lot of people are hoping for honestly.)

Now, is strong male relationships needed on television, especially if one of them is under the rainbow umbrella? Yes. If they show Buck and Eddie in a supportive friendship for the rest of the series, that's okay. We need to be prepared for that.

So we'll have to see where the rest of the season goes and season 8. But remember, ratings make or break a show. Despite it already having representation through Hen and Karen, Josh, and now Buck, they do need to keep their general audience happy or risk cancelation down the line. So don't get your hopes too high because the opposition is out in droves. Numbers matter here. They'll need to take a long look when the season ends to take in the aftermath. To decide if they're course correcting or knuckling down with maybe Buddie or someone else for Buck.

So, ask people and allies to turn it on. If they don't want to watch it, run it on mute while doing something else. Run it on another television. Encourage new viewers. Get the word out. If you want good rep and the possibility of Buddie keep pushing on. Drown out the biphobia and other ugly voices. Get the numbers up for them to see. Don't wait to binge watch! Do it now so they can see results. Be loud and proud and show them all your love and support.

But remember, please don't attack the actors. They're just paid to follow the scripts to the best of their ability. Please don't attack the writers and producers if they don't give us Buddie. Then we might not have a show at all, or they might get angry and not do it out of sheer spite. Please don't attack multishippers, either.

I hate to say this, but if they're swayed by the naysayers, we may not get Buddie until the complete end of the series if they’re both single. Like final episode revelation ending fade to black kiss, and let the fandom take over from there. We need to be prepared for anything.

What will be, will be.

[radley-writes]

hiii there. i was wondering (all good if not!!) if you have some advice on setups and payoffs. something i get feedback on a lot is that my payoffs don't feel like payoffs because the setups are lacking. i'm wondering if i'm missing something big. thank you in advance!

What a good question!

To simplify, I’m going to assume that setup = fuck around, and payoff = find out, and that you are writing genre rather than literary fiction.

First off: you are not alone.

The setup/payoff balance is notoriously hard to master. Sometimes, there’s so much of the former that the latter falls flat (I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones Season 8). Other times, the climax is so big and showy it feels disjointed from everything that preceded it, as if the writers had a specific vision in mind but didn’t quite connect the dots that led up to it (I’ve heard Batman v Superman falls into this category).

So, what’s the gold standard?

We’re aiming for a long-term progression over the course of our novel, which culminates in one scene (or several) that feels like a natural escalation of those rising conflicts.

Getting this right falls under two categories of writing skill - pacing, and the causal chain (what spurs one character to act in one way, which has a knock-on effect that will in turn stimulate the character to act in a different way).

You don’t have to master either of these on the first draft. Like everything, these can be ‘cleaned up in post’ - i.e., edited into submission. Pacing has been discussed to death - but here are two basic tricks for improving your causal chain, whether you’re a plotter who wants to get everything perfect before you start writing, or a pantser who is trying to wrangle with a messy first draft!

Work forwards towards the climax. Write a short, one-sentence summary of each chapter or scene, cutting out all the dross. Read the resultant plot synopsis. Does this feel coherent? Does one action naturally incite the next? Put yourself in your characters’ shoes - can you truly understand why they’re making those decisions? Have you conveyed that in the text? (Necessary caveat: you can be as implicit and subtle as you like with character motivations, but they still need to be in there.) Does the story feel character-driven (i.e., your character is making choices that affect the plot, rather than constantly being acted on by outside forces)? Do the consequences of these actions feel realistic? Do they all drive in the direction of your final payoff?

Work backwards from the climax. You have a super-cool climactic scene in your head. Now you have to earn it. Look at every element in this scene - setting, Macguffins, characters, emotions... Try and trace the route of each of these back through your novel. Why did you choose this setting for your climax, and can it be improved to be more thematically relevant? Think of the Chekov’s Gun trope: if a gun goes off in the climax, have you hung it on the wall at an earlier point in the novel? Similarly, if you have any plot twists/dramatic betrayals, have you laid the framework for them before the big reveal? What are your characters feeling at this point in the novel, and why? Have their goals changed from the start of the story, and why? How do they feel about that?

It’s important not to forget Rule of Cool. Not everything has to be 100% logical. This is fiction. You can toss in a few extra explosions that your characters miraculously survive.

But you have to keep at least your big toe dipped in reality - if only to the point where every choice your character makes should have a believable consequence attached, according to the rules of your fictional world. If those choices and consequences all point in the direction of your climax, I’d say that your set-up and payoff are more likely to feel balanced.

Obligatory disclaimer: All writing advice is subjective. What works for me may not work for you.

[tsvsecretsanta]

Pinch Hit: (updated Dec 12, 2022)

**Dm a mod on twitter to claim this assignment!

Pinch Hit 1: (claimed)

Fic - Character, Under 18

For AllMyFavoriteCharactersNeedTherapy (ndfan101)

Some prompts:

1. “It hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much? I just want it to stop.” 

2. “It’s alright to feel broken every once in while. And it’s alright to take time to heal.”

3. “For what it’s worth, I never gave up on you.”

4. “You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”

5. Some songs: 

-I hear a symphony (Cody Fry)

-Just for a moment and Even When/The Best Part (HSMTMTS)

-Invisible string, willow, ‘tis the damn season, champagne problems, tolerate it (Taylor Swift)

Some preferred troupes:

I absolutely live for hurt/comfort and angst with a happy ending. I mostly like reading fics with Eddy on the hurt side of the spectrum and Brett on the comfort side. 

Jealous!Brett, fluff, pining, getting together, banter/teasing, humour, talking about height difference, working through insecurities are some troupes I enjoy too. 

Stories set during their tour, uni days, Protective!Brett, Shy!Eddy, coming out, etc., are also some other troupes I like. The story could even be linked to their virtual tour. 

DNWs:

I think I would rather prefer canon compliant than an AU. I would not prefer a non-musician AU.

I’m fine with heavy angst too but no sad endings please! 

Miscommunication is fine to a certain extent but not too much. 

I wouldn’t much prefer punk/tough guy, ambiguous ending, gender-bent AUs etc.

Pinch Hit 2: (claimed!)

For: F_FT

fic or art - Character, Over 18

Prompts:

- Eddy does actually have a thing for toes. His boyfriend Brett finds out by accident, and indulges him. - Eddy finds omegaverse fic online. Now he is kind of obsessed with it. His boyfriend Brett finds out be accident, and indulges him. - Five times Brett protested when Eddy carried him around bridal style, and one time he asked for it. - Brett is feeling cold all the time. Eddy needs to warm him up. (Sweet or sexy, or both) - It was the last hotel room, and there is only one bed. Next morning, they wake up naked (please don't judge me, it's a classic trope and I love it) - Ray gets lonely on tour. Brett and Eddy take care of him. 3setviolin - violin teacher/student AU (no underage)

Likes: - Crying Eddy (and Brett taking care of him) - Height difference - Clothes sharing - Pining - Other twoset characters (Edwina, viola king, Prof. Wenhuin etc.) - kinky sex

DNW: - Sad ending - noncon between Brett and Eddy - violence - high school AU - blood and gore - Serial killer AU - underage

Pinch Hit 3: (claimed!)

For:  MythicalTzu

fic or art - Character, Over 18

Requests:

1) Grumpy wet cat Brett. Wet because he had a bath or got caught in the rain. Would prefer art for this! 2) Brett and Eddy decide to try a new hobby together. Write me a story about everything that goes wrong. 3) A playful argument leads to deeper discussions and/or disclosures. 4) They take a cooking class together. Brett wants it to be funny, and Eddy is competitive. 5) Ray challenges them to spend a month apart. How long do they actually make it, what do they do to survive, who breaks first and why is that person Brett?

Things I like: Attempts at humor, twists or surprises, codependency, jealousy (but not for any serious reason), affection, teasing, protectiveness, stories that focus on their devotion to each other.

My DNWs: Anything that would earn the story an archive-level warning, unhappy endings, heavy angst, emphasis on bodily fluids, porn without plot, bashing on either Brett or Eddy, inclusion of their RL ex-partners.

[hellfire010]

⊰ HEADCANON ⊱ ◦ TRAJECTORY OF CORRODED COFFIN

I wanted to make a couple verses for CC, one that follows the proper timeline of ST and another set in the modern era, SO HERE WE ARE WITH THIS DOOZY OF A HEADCANON that’s been festering in my brain. As mentioned briefly in this post HERE, they do eventually become the ST universe’s rendition of the band Ghost, just without the lawsuit and ended friendships. 

Throughout middle and high school, Corroded Coffin started as a typical metal band of the 80s with a heavy focus on horror. They did covers of their favorite bands, like Bathory and Venom, and sung funky tunes about death, film references, witches, etc. However, after the events of season 4, the shift in tune suddenly changed. With the traumas of the witch-hunt still lingering and the Satanic Panic still on the rise, Corroded Coffin took it upon themselves to immerse themselves in the world people claimed they were already in. After a brief hiatus to decide where exactly they wanted to take it, they became a fictional Satanic cult, crafting a lore of nameless ghouls and an anti-pope character who changed with every album (despite it just being Eddie in a new costume each time). While their new shift starts off heavy in cliches and tropes, with a smattering of wicked Latin phrases throughout, they eventually become more perverse and tongue-in-cheek in order to poke fun at the extreme hypocrisy of many who follow Christianity and Catholicism. After several shows, the band realizes that they want more theatrics and more from their frontman; that it’ll be a funner way to convey their message. Even though Eddie loves playing lead guitar, he gives it up to focus purely on vocals and the character he now plays. As his replacement, at least in my MAIN focus for this band, Robbie ( @sentinel007​ ) comes in to play lead guitar. They eventually seek out a keyboardist to tie up loose ends and make it feel more evil. While all the members, aside from Eddie (who goes by Papa Emeritus, with II, III, etc. following the name with each album), go under the term Nameless Ghouls, each member is given an alchemical element with lore stating they received their elements from Satan himself. Gareth is the Earth Ghoul, Jeff is the Water Ghoul, Mitch is the Aether Ghoul, Robbie is the Fire Ghoul, and their keyboardist is the Air Ghoul. Fans also affectionately refer to Robbie as Alpha and Mitch as Omega sometimes. Within a year’s time, they’re ready to be signed to an underground label. The name Corroded Coffin is dropped in favor of DES CULTES (French for The Cult). Their first album is an immediate underground success, and as time goes on, their fame only exceeds the expectations they had of themselves. By their third album, they’ve hit the rock / metal Billboard and are nominated for multiple high-ranking awards, even earning a few. It’s when their fifth album drops that they’ve crashed through the rock / metal label and landed right onto the Billboard chart proper, and have earned two Grammy awards; one for best Rock Album and one for Best Metal Performance. SONG EXAMPLES FROM EVERY ALBUM; (I had so many in mind for this, but I’m sticking to three per album, plus three singles. All links head to the song page on Spotify.)

ERA 1 - ❛ OPVS EPONYMOVS ❜ : Con Clavi Con Dio // Prime Mover // Ritual

ERA 2 - ❛ INFESTISSUMAM ❜ : Jigolo Har Megiddo // Monstrance Clock // Year Zero

ERA 3 - ❛ MELIORA ❜ : Cirice // Mummy Dust // Spirit

ERA 4 - ❛ PREQUELLE ❜ : Dance Macabre // Pro Memoria // Rats

ERA 5 - ❛ IMPERA ❜ : Call Me Little Sunshine // Darkness at the Heart of My Love // Spillways

SINGLES THROUGHOUT: Kiss the Go-Goat // Mary On A Cross // Square Hammer