#deepen relationship

[nsuyeula]

Jenna confirms that Melissa in s3 does genuinely like Shauna and during the summer months was 'falling in love'.

[rainintheevening]

Safe with Strider

Frodo comes awake to a soft murmur of voices, two speaking in Elvish. He rolls over enough to find the speakers: Strider and Legolas sitting together by the low burning fire.

He does not know how late or early it may be, but the woods around them are very still. The air is cold, and there is a frost on Frodo's blanket.

There is enough light for Frodo to see that Legolas has begun to untie his braids, long fingers moving swift and easy. Aragorn sits on the ground, leaning back against the log the Elf sits on. For once the Man's hands are still, wrapped around the one knee he has pulled up.

They use a lot of words Frodo only half-recognizes, and Legolas’s speech is rounded with a thicker accent than Frodo has yet heard from him, but he recognizes the soft back-and-forth of memories being exchanged.

A moment of quiet falls, Legolas running fingers through his loose hair.

Strider sighs, breath forming a cloud above his head. "I would walk with thee in the halls of Mirkwood again, my friend."

"And I would welcome thee there again," Legolas says softly, pausing to lay a hand on Strider's shoulder.

Strider's hand comes up to clasp the Elf's, and Frodo would turn away, leaving them to their moment of remembrance, but then Legolas begins to sing in a low murmur. Frodo does not recognize the little he catches, and cannot help sitting up to hear better.

When the leaves fall down to the roots

And the rain covers them over

When the earth takes back and the earth makes new

And the sun draws up at the rising

Then the buds break forth

And the leaves come green

And the birds call me home again

In the morning

"Frodo?"

He starts, meets Strider's concerned gaze across the sleeping bodies of his fellow Hobbits.

"Are you well?" The Man speaks in the Common Tongue, and leans forward, a hand on the ground in readiness to rise.

"Yes," Frodo says hurriedly. "I was only listening to your song." He looks at Legolas, who smiles slightly.

"The ward of Master Baggins, yes. He told you of my home?"

"Yes..." Frodo hesitates until Strider nods, before rising and picking his way carefully around the fire, taking his blanket with him. He feels comfortable with Strider—'Aragorn' Legolas always calls him—after the journey to Rivendell, but Legolas is an unknown quantity. They had not crossed paths often in the Last Homely House, and have only been on the road now for three days.

"That last word," he cannot help asking as he settles next to Strider. "It is a word for 'morning', yet you use it more to mean a season? Spring?"

"Careful, Legolas, this one is a scholar." Aragorn's hand on the back of his neck is warm, and he gives Frodo a loving shake. "He will ask you questions about the differences of Silvan and Sindarin until the mountains fall about our ears."

The tips of Frodo's own ears burn, but Legolas’s laughter is not condescending. "Rest assured, Master Baggins, there will be much time to speak on this journey. But to answer your question, yes. In my speech we often use a similar word as shorthand for the spring of the year, as that for the dawn."

"I apologize for interrupting," Frodo says softly, glancing up to see the Elf with his braids all undone, pale hair loose over his shoulders. He hastily looks away, feeling rather like he's caught someone in their dressing gown. "Please go on singing."

So Legolas does, and Frodo pulls up his knees under the blanket, shifting closer to Strider's warmth, staring into the embers flickering with dark yellows and oranges like a dragon asleep.

Legolas sings of trees and roots and rivers and the wind in the leaves, and Frodo's head nods lower and lower, until he is once more asleep.

Aragorn smiles to himself, stroking a hand over the curly head now pillowed on his thigh. Frodo is warm against his side, blessedly warm. This small body had grown so cold on the race from Weathertop, despite all of Aragorn's efforts.

It had wrenched at his heart to hand Frodo over, even to one such as Glorfindel. After all, Gandalf had entrusted the Hobbits to him, and he had failed to protect the most important, and vulnerable, one of them all.

"It would have broken thy heart to lose him," Legolas murmurs above him, breaking off his song.

"I have not carried that weight," Aragorn whispers. "But still I know what it is to be burdened." He combs his fingers gently through Frodo's brown curls, untangling snarls.

Legolas sees the dull gleam on the pommel of the great sword that lies by his feet, and nods slowly. "Arwen feels the same, doesn't she. We are older than the trees that he was born under, and yet our fate lies in his hands, and the strength of his heart."

"And therefore in us to carry him thither." Aragorn sighs, leans against Legolas’s knee.

He has seen the stoutness of the Halfling spirit, and the simplicity of their pleasures. He has to believe that even something as small as allowing the Ring-bearer to sleep in safety and comfort can help Frodo onward.

Legolas shrugs off his own cloak, leans down to cover Frodo's feet. "Do you recall when you fell down that mineshaft, and Moranuen had to pull you out?"

Aragorn groans. "How could I forget when I have you to remind me?"

**

Frodo wakes to the rumble of Strider's voice above him, the smell of cooking breakfast, and the feel of a large arm resting over him. The ground is white with a dusting of snow, as are the legs that fill Frodo's field of vision, stretched out towards the fire.

He would be embarrassed to have fallen asleep on the Ranger, except he is so warm and snug he feels as if he were back home in his bed at Bag End. Safe, that's what he feels. Safe as hobbit holes, as Farmer Cotton would say.

So he lies there for a little longer, half-awake, listening to Strider's breathing close above him, knowing only that he is warmed and comforted.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I love how a well-written romance is so often structured as a mystery. A person starts with a certain idea about another person, and over the course of the story, they uncover more evidence that gives them a fuller picture of who the other person truly is. They learn about layers to the personality and backstory that give the other person more depth. They learn how the other person's personality meshes with theirs. Even the third-act misunderstanding fits the mystery structure--it looks like they've uncovered the final secret to the other person's identity, which is that they're not the worthy person they seemed to be, but then discover that they misinterpreted that evidence, or the other person takes steps to apologize and repair the level of trust. When the mystery is resolved, they've reached a full understanding of each other and know they've found a partner they can trust their whole future to.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

The way this still is giving me S1 Devon on the rollercoaster vibes - and if that is what we are getting then I am very intrigued and excited - because Buck struggled to deal with that loss - his first on the job - which parallels a bit with losing Eddie now and Buck struggling with that. But what I’m most excited by about if this is a parallel to that - is that Buck went to therapy - and ended up having sex with her (she took advantage of him but that’s not the thing here) - ill advised sex - sex that did not actually help him at all in dealing with his feelings.

But you know what did - talking to Abby on the phone - and you know who he can only talk to by phone (or video call) right now?!!

[bedazzlecunt]

romanticize using your safeword. it's good to use your safeword when you need it. it's brave and strong and lovely and romantic and sweet to use your safeword. there is never a bad time to use your safeword if you need to — it doesn't matter if this is a scene or act you consented to in agonizing detail twenty minutes earlier, if you need to stop you can and should use your safword.

using your safeword means that you care about yourself and your partner enough to want to do this right, to avoid hurting either of you, and that care is the most important part of any kind of bdsm play. it shows that you trust your partner to hear you and yourself to know what you can take. you are not weak or bad or inadequate or pathetic or selfish for using your safeword. you are brave and good and right. anyone who makes you feel bad for safwording out a scene or punishment is not someone you should play with again. a good partner will hear you, stop the scene, comfort and praise you for your bravery and vulnerability, and make sure you're okay.

[reyislikesotired]

i think i only want to see a rottmnt x sonic (live action) crossover because i would love to see donnie and robotnik meeting each other.

they would love to hate each other, is how at least i think it would go.

like i just imagine them seeing each other and their fight or flight instincts kicking it, and its immediately fight, but with knowledge.

"what's the 99th digit of pi?!"

"longest word in the dictionary?!"

"this is my FULLY SENTIENT robot ai son, shelldon"

"THESE are my beautiful egg babies"

"i have combined mysticism and science!"

"i have 5 phds and fluent in several languages!"

then they also meet up later for coffee (made by agent stone and michelangelo respectively) and actually compare notes like colleagues, but as soon as the coffee is done and they leave, they go back to hating each other

[starliteonearth]

The only thing I want for Mark and Eve going forward is more fun, trivial conversations. Since season 1, most of their moments are spent giving each other rundowns of what's going on in their lives and sharing advice, which is great, but I'd love to see them chat about something completely trivial. Let them have things beyond superheroing or family drama.

[itneverboresme]

Just saw the new Hades 2 update trailer: Icarus my love I'm coming for yoU

[funnyscienceman]

sometimes it hits me what we couldve had in a season 2 if it had stayed grounded in everything that s1 had going for it, and i just get. fucking Sad man, what the hell

[covencritter]

meljay is infinitely more interesting when the vibes they give off is “lovers to exes who are still great friends with something more still lingering there”

mel being the yearner and jayce being the oblivious one to it hits harder.

[a-couple-of-notes]

went back to see wicked again and i feel almost as insane about it as the first time.

so, the movie centers (as it should) on elphaba's arc--she's discovering her true power, shedding her need for validation, defying gravity. but this go-around, i kept thinking, what's glinda's arc? like, yes, obviously, her arc across the whole story is a fall and a redemption; she gets everything she wants, hates the fuck out of it, loses what's important, and finally finds the courage to rebuild something truly good. but i'm talking specifically this movie, this part. i mean hey, jon chu, you said you were making part one its own satisfying narrative! (he did, we'll get to it)

and yes, okay, you can say glinda starts part one as a selfish, privileged antagonist to elphaba and over the course of the movie becomes her friend. but i don't buy it. that friendship is solidified by the ozdust ballroom, so there has to be something else.

and i realized: glinda's arc in part one is about realizing she's not as powerful as she thinks she is.

glinda starts the movie thinking she can always get her way through making everybody like her. she thinks she can become a great sorceress if she studies under madam morrible. she thinks she can get the perfect boy if she just tosses her hair.

but then elphaba shows up. and over the course of part one, glinda gets humbled again and again. glinda can't do magic, while it comes naturally for elphaba (notice how glinda is always the one pointing out elphaba's magic/power in this tremendously sad combination of awe, adoration, and jealousy). elphaba earns madam morrible's faith, while madam morrible constantly makes digs toward glinda. elphaba proves herself the better person when she asks for glinda to join the sorcerer seminar, while glinda's offering was initially completely insincere. and elphaba turns fiyero's head (absolutely no one can convince me glinda doesn't clock what's going on, she's far too smart and obsessed with elphaba not to). and over the course of part one, we see glinda move from outrage and disdain at being outclassed to accepting and supporting and loving these things about her best friend, even as they make her jealous.

and like, yeah, glinda needs to be humbled a little. she's selfish! she's a bit of a brat! she says really insensitive things and no one has called her out on it until elphaba! but i think this arc for glinda adds an extra tragic layer on top of the tragedy cake. just as elphaba's mounting belief in herself was always leading to her leaving, glinda's growing humility was always leading to her staying. by the time defying gravity hits, glinda knows in her heart elphaba is more powerful than she is, in every meaning of the word. she knows the seriousness of the animals' plight (look how she shakes her head at elphaba when nikidik says the Lion cub is happy to be in the cage!) and she knows that, unlike elphaba the great sorcerer, she can't do anything. she can only survive.

i'm not saying that the glinda at the beginning of the movie would have gotten on elphaba's broom, but she would have certainly believed she could fly. this glinda doesn't. elphaba, quite fittingly, brought glinda down to earth, for better or for worse.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Something something about Bobbys brother being called Charlie and Charlie’s being very present in the narrative at key moments for Buck and Eddie’s storylines!!!

[not-poignant]

second star to the right will be as long as constellations???????? I'm crying happy tears

I mean I hope! It will definitely be more than one scene, and more than one moment of aftercare + negotiation etc. so in light of that, given how long my scenes were with Arden and Efnisien, just to accommodate those it will be more than just a oneshot or two!

[dimsilver]

btw re: the homeschooling debate and related things - this site has been absolutely wonderful for getting to appreciate people who aren’t automatically My Sort of Person. it’s actually opened my eyes to look for and enjoy all sorts of things about in-person people that I don’t automatically connect with. I’m not even sure how to express this but basically this site of such a good outlet for people’s inner selves that I am constantly confronted with the richness and complexity and honesty and quality and beauty of people who aren’t super similar to me and I think that’s awesome.

[pynkhues]

I know things can shift, but the extent of AMC's investment in the anne rice universe, AND their investment in Rolin, makes me think they might be pretty confident that they're doing at least one more season after this, if not two (or more), so I could see the three-season vision really being true. Who knows, of course, but I could see it. This isn't just a singular show, this is part of a larger overall thing where it wouldn't make sense to cancel individual pieces, maybe, and certainly not the piece which gets them the most critical attention and buzz, as niche as it is. And with Rolin talking about them encouraging him to be bold and original with the show, and them bringing a more acclaimed showrunner onto Mayfair even though Mayfair's numbers are better (so I've heard, anyway?), it feels like they care about the acclaim part.

Agreed, anon. I think it’s too big of an investment, both creatively and financially, for AMC, so I’m really not too worried.