#he’s Romeo if Romeo had a reason to live after Juliet’s death AND he’s Juliet if Juliet wasn’t a Capulet.

[meat-loving-meat]

Seriously though the backlash to the live action adaptation of The Last Herald Mage (if it makes it out of production hell) will be so fucking funny. Like. Vanyel is the most character of all time ever for sure and tumblr will NOT be kind to him

[my-castles-crumbling]

Of Romance and Play Practice

@wolfstarbingo2024 - square: nerdy Remus - rating: G - no warnings - word count: 974 - based on @probs-reading's HC - AO3 link

To this day, Remus still couldn't figure out how they all were friends. They took up vastly different social circles. Like a smaller version of the Breakfast Club, he, Sirius, James, and Peter were as opposite as could be. James was the school basketball star, cheerleaders constantly hanging off his elbows (much to his boyfriend, Regulus's, disgust). Peter ran the yearbook, and was never seen without a notebook and a camera. Remus, of course, was the textbook definition of a nerd: he was the president of Chess Club, and took more AP classes than all of his friend combined. And Sirius....Sirius was perfect.

Sirius was the star of the theater program, having finally figured out how to put his dramatics to good use. He lived for the stage, and the audience ate him up no matter what his role. Of course, Remus ate him up, too. Or at least, he wanted to.

They'd all been friends since elementary school. Perhaps that was why they were able to stay close, no matter their differences. But Remus's crush on Sirius had developed quite recently, and for some reason, he couldn't shake it.

Perhaps it was the way Sirius oozed confidence. His smile was absolutely contagious and it made Remus literally weak at the knees, often times he had to sit down after Sirius grinned at him. Maybe it was the way he felt safe with Sirius. Though they loved to tease each other, Sirius never judged him when it mattered, and they'd been friends for so long, they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

Of course, it helped that Sirius was fit as fuck.

But that wasn't it. It was...Remus couldn't help but feel warm when he looked at him. It was a bit disgusting, really.

But one night, when Sirius asked him to help run lines for the new play he was a part of, Remus agreed, because he wanted to help. He figured eventually, this crush would go away, so he should just continue spending time with Sirius like normal, acting like nothing was different. But when he read the name of the play, he froze.

"Erm...Romeo and Juliet?" he asked Sirius, who was sat on his bed, shucking his leather jacket and making himself comfortable.

"Mmm," he hummed noncommittally. "Good thing McKinnon's as flaming as I am, or I'd be dreading the kiss," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

And of course. Of course, Sirius needed him to practice running lines for the most romantic play in the fucking universe. What else?

"Alright," he murmured, sitting nervously on the edge of his own bed, as far from Sirius as possible. "Erm, what scene?"

"Let's start..." Sirius flipped through the script, stopping at a page and pointing. "There. I'm having trouble with the emotion, to be honest. If you could just read for McKinnon, that'd be amazing."

But Remus's stomach flipped as he looked over the script, recognizing the scene. The fucking balcony scene?

"Erm, alright," he nodded, trying to pull himself together. "How camest thou hither- er - tell me, and wherefore? Erm, the orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, of any of my, erm, kinsmen find thee here," he recited disjointedly.

Sirius chuckled and responded fluidly, "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls. For stony limits cannot hold love out." His eyes were wide, genuine, and Remus became entranced as he listened. "And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me."

It took Remus a second to realize he was done. That it was his turn to respond. Because hearing Sirius speak of love like this, it was doing things to him. "Oh!" he nearly yelled as Sirius gave him an expectant look, jumping a bit. "Erm. If- if they to see thee, they will murder thee. Fuck, this is intense, huh?" he commented, scanning over the script.

Sirius laughed and ignored his comment, going on, "Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords. Look though but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity." He said those words with a small smile, eyes on Remus's.

"I...I would not for the world they saw thee here," Remus nearly-whispered, looking at the paper and back at Sirius, who was still watching him with a strange look in his eyes.

"I have night's clock to hide me from their eyes," he whispered, moving closer to Remus- and when had he gotten so close, they were side-by-side, now!- grabbing his hand lightly. "And, but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love."

Remus swallowed, drowning in the look Sirius was giving him, squeezing his hand and allowing the heat and tension to wrap around their bodies. He wasn't imagining it, was he? Was Sirius feeling it, too? The way the very air was pulsating, urging him to move forward, to bring their lips together?

He hoped so.

"Sirius," he murmured, his head hazy, hardly bothering to look at the book, too distracted by the moment.

But Sirius seemed to be contemplating something. "Move not while my prayer's effect I take," he murmured, causing Remus to wrinkle his nose in confusion, before Sirius leaned forward, hand grazing over Remus's jaw and pulling their lips together.

And it was like fireworks. Hearing Sirius talk about love with the words of a poet had just made Remus's crush bloom into something more, and he couldn't resist grabbing for him, wrapping his arms around the other boy, pulling him closer until they were completely entangled in each other, their lips and teeth fighting for control of the best kiss Remus had ever had in his life.

[tianasficrecs168]

Sasunaru fic recs

Fair warning, right off the bat: some of these are really fuckin old. Like fanfiction.net old. But I can't not include them, bc the me from way back then really liked them.

The quality gets better and better the further down you go, so. Take it or leave it I guess lol

Anyway, the drill (you know it):

A black dot • means it’s a one-shot, if it doesn't have one, it's got more than one chapter

WolfieNLazuli: - "Avoidance" (Naruto/Sasuke) • In which Sasuke dances around the issue of his feelings as Sakura and Naruto watch on in perplexity.

Attanih88: - “Pyretos” (Naruto/Sasuke) • Sasuke came to stand closer. Naruto watched him, taking in the easy strides and the way Sasuke’s face remained devoid of expression as he took in Naruto’s wounds.

Dawnstruck: - “Cultivate your hunger” (Naruto/Sasuke) • After six days, Sasuke wakes up. Naruto doesn't.

Michelerene: - “The Divine Glitch” (Naruto/Sasuke) There are reasons why two people can't be together. Separated by oceans, by wars, by family feuds. Try being the Angel of Death. Romeo and Juliet were lucky. 

Blackkat: - “Stormborn” (Naruto/Sasuke) Flashes of an unknown past haunt Naruto, entwining his steps with those of a former life no longer content to stay forgotten. There's a voice on the wind and another lifetime in his head, and it’s time for Uzushio’s Storm God to rise once more. (The soul of a city is a hard thing to kill. Uzushio is still aware, still waiting. And now, with the rebirth of her greatest Kage, it’s time to call her people home.)

Applecrumbledore: “Prairie Town” (Naruto/Sasuke) • The auto shop mechanic knocked the kickstand of his motorcycle down with the heel of his sneaker. He had pale blond eyelashes and a full mouth, wrinkled white t-shirt tight around his arms, jeans over big thighs. No edges. Loud in both volume and presence. Sasuke fidgeted with his hands inside his pockets.

Winterdesu: - “40m2” (Naruto/Sasuke) • Naruto and Sasuke cohabitate. "What happens now?" Sasuke wondered aloud. Naruto laughed - the sound clear and warm like sun-drenched crystals. He gestured widely at the unfurnished flat with a flourish. “We move in,” and pointed at the pile of furniture and boxes still unmoved from their place at the door. "Let's fill this place up, Sasuke."

Sieges: - “Beyond Grating Bones” (Sasuke/Naruto) Sasuke doesn't emerge from his fight with Itachi unscathed, or even alive. Revived as an Edo Tensei, he finds the second chance he never wanted, the answers he never got, and the peace he didn't know he needed.

Frogsterz: - “Coming home” (Naruto/Sasuke) • “Do you not have a fridge?” Sasuke asks, bewildered. And it didn’t have a fridge. Or a bedframe. Or a mirror in the bathroom. Or— “Naruto, how do you live like this?” (Sasuke makes it his mission to find Naruto a proper home. Naruto already has one; it just tends to come and go.)

[galaxythreads]

unhinged, unconnected thoughts about the Hunger Games 1-3:

Katniss is one of The best female characters I have ever read in my life

Peeta is the definition of sad, wet paper man

I AM SO GRATEFUL THERE WERE CONSQUENCES From the games!! Like Katniss has permanent hearing damage. PEETA lost his LEG

Katniss' severe PTSD was so harsh and brutal and so so so good

Haymitch was such a little guy and I adored him for that. What I really liked about his character was that like -- he survived the Hunger Games. This was not a good thing. He was devastated by the fact that his family was killed and the only way he coped with that was by drinking. There was no getting better. There was no magic fix. It didn't just go away. Then he had to train and prepare 20 kids to go fight in the Games just like he did, knowing that he was sending them all out to die or survive like he did, and I have to imagine that toward the end, Haymitch probably hoped they died. It was easier than living

The Capitol was absolutely horrifying

The PTSD from the Games was vivid and it was so nice to see that this horrible bad thing that happened to the characters didn't just go away because they were in another book. Like it impacted their choices forever

Katniss and Peeta about to take the berries reminded me of Romeo and Juliet and I think that was probably on purpose. Neither can live without the other.

KATNISS IS FREAKING SIXTEEN AND ACTS LIKE SHE'S SIXTEEN

Katniss runs off and screams and cries and breaks down and fails and makes selfish decisions and selfless decisions and like she is SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER. Like I Honestly didn't think there would be a female character that competed with Joan Watson for #1 female for me, but Katniss is like. She's up there.

Gale was overall meh to me. He was There, but the emotional impact he had on Katniss was overall... yeah. just dots.

I'm really glad that Katniss was able to heal enough after 15 years from the Games to have kids. She wanted kids, and the mothering instinct is there, but she didn't want to bring them into a world where they wouldn't be safe. But Katniss having kids means that she does feel safe.

"you love me. Fake or real?" "real"

"sweetheart"

I literally did not realize the Hunger Games was science fiction until I got like halfway through the second one and was like oh yeah, yeah this is science fiction.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THEY SENT THEM BACK TO THE GAMES IN BOOK 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

like all I'd heard about the Hunger Games was book 1, so everything after that to me was just ?????? and I was SO MAD but it made so much sense from the Capitol's perspective and I so wanted to strangle Snow.

District 13 overall annoyed me tbh, but I did get where they were coming from.

Everything in this series is so heavy. Like you feel the weight of the entire world just seeping down on you and it's actually kind of nice. I feel like the Hunger Games decided yeah, this is a dark, gloomy kinda world and then kept that tone. Books that keep the tone are SO RARE and i adore them.

PEETA PEETA PEETA

BREAD BOY

AMNEISA

PRIM DYING LIKE ???????????????????????? so good. So good. Like the whole reason Katniss went into the Games was to save her and like. She died anyway. Tragedy my beloved.

Katniss being so bad at speeches was absolutely hilarious. She is very much a speak from the heart kinda person and I'm glad that was never "fixed"

I love how a running theme in the series was that they have to document everything. There are video cameras everywhere, recording, always recording, and if they aren't it didn't happen. But Katniss is screaming IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED anyway. Like with Rue's death.

I love that Peeta is so protective of Katniss, but would wholey hold her bow while she punched someone in the face. Like he's protective of her while respecting her strengths.

this series is dark, but I am going to reread this 4000000 times.

[willyoubethepookietomypookster]

"Not so common cold"

Hey yall!! Its finally out!! The ending was a little rushed because I wanted to get it over with, but i hope you still enjoy it! This one is a little longer than the others, which I'm really proud of cuz i usually lose motivation very quickly on writing projects. Also sorry for any bad grammar or non capitalized i's. Its my adhd. Happy reading!!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was a cold, rainy day in Soho. You lay restless on the bookshop floor, the cold wood being the only thing keeping you from melting. You basically lived here at this point, but when you woke up with your blistering fever, Aziraphale was no where to be found. He left a note saying he was out for business with Crowley, but he wouldn't answer any calls. After about 2 hours, you decide to call them one more time. You reach for your pocket before realizing you left it on the couch. You pull yourself up by holding on a table, and trudge over to the couch. You grab your phone and speak into the phone.

"Call Aziraphale." You strain.

"Calling Azraphale." The cheery british bot says. It said his name wrong and that makes you chuckle, which then makes you start coughing up a storm.

"Damnittttt. Pick upppppp!!" You whine. "C'mon! You can't be this busy." You're on the verge of tears when Aziraphale picks up.

"Sorry y/n, I seemed to have accidentally set my phone to silent before Crowley told me to check it, because there's no way you haven't checked in. I saw that I had nine missed calls, is everything alright?" He sounds really worried.

"I'm sick out of my mind. I'm dyinggg." You whine again. Aziraphale starts audibly freaking out over the phone.

"Oh heavens!!! Crowley we've got to go home right now!" You hear him yelling in the background.

"Sorry dear, we'll be right over, don't even worry about it." He says hastily.

"Wasn't. See u soon Pa." You reply. Your fever has been steadily going down, but you're still a little delirious, as you called Aziraphale dad on accident. Aziraphale and Crowley have asked you about your parents before, but you always refuse to talk about them for some reason. The truth is, you don't even remember your parents, but whenever you try and think about them you get a weird pit in your stomach, filled with fear, sadness, and a little anger, so they decided to stop pushing.

"Y/n wh-" Aziraphale starts, but the line cuts, and you assume that his phone died or something. You go lay back on the floor, awaiting their arrival.

About half an hour later, Crowley and Aziraphale arrive. They both have a bag of something. You try to peel yourself off the floor, but it makes you dizzy and you give up.

"You look like death." Crowley says.

"I feel like death." You reply, barely moving. He almost rolls his eyes, but he hesitates, and for a second you can see his gaze soften, before he decides to roll his eyes anyway.

"Okay kid, this isn't Romeo and Juliet, you'll be fine." He says, walking off somewhere. Aziraphale walks in and kneels beside you.

"Okay y/n, roll over so I can feel your forehead." Aziraphale says. You groan and protest, but do it anyway. His hand is warm, and while that would usually be nice, its terrible right now.

"Your hands are too warmmm." You say, trying to wriggle away.

"Jeez, y/n, you're burning up! Come on, up we go. Lets lay on the couch, okay?" He states, lifting you up by your arms and basically dragging you over to the couch. You lay down flat and get hit by a wave of nausea and groan.

"This really sucks." You sniffle, your voice wavering as you feel like crying.

"I know, I know, its okay." Aziraphale responds, rubbing your back. He waves his hand and suddenly the room is very cold. He shivers slightly, but you sigh in relief, as you felt like you would shrivel up and die any second from heat stroke. Crowley walks in and almost recoils in shock from the temperature.

"It's like a freezer in here! What happened?" He yelps. Aziraphale gives a sympathetic nod in your direction and Crowley calms down almost immediately. Crowley hesitates for a second, but reaches down to feel your forehead. His hand is surprisingly cold and you lean into it.

"Jeez, you really are burning up." He whispers. Aziraphale makes a comment about how Crowley really is nice, which makes him rip his hand off of your forehead and down into his pocket, which makes you whine.

"Noo your hands are cold and nice." You pout. You typically wouldn't be acting like this, but your fever has you delirious. Crowley gives you a funny look, and almost reached back down before seeing Aziraphales smile and deciding against it.

"Too bad. I'm not gonna pamper you just cuz you're sick, you know." He says and you whine again. He leaves the room to do hell knows what and you talk to Aziraphale.

It had been an hour and a half since they returned and you had thrown up once and then fallen asleep. The bags that they walked in with were now stuffed in the back office. One filled with medican from a local pharmacy and the other filled with your favorite take out. Crowley was the one who suggested the takeout, but when they got home they saw that you were in no state to eat and so Crowley put it in the small fridge they bought for you in back.

After a few minutes, you woke up, but kept your eyes closed to conserve energy. While you were lying there, Crowley walked over to you and sat on the couch beside you. He gingerly reached over and brushed some hair out of your eyes. You hold back a smile to see what he would do next.

"You poor creature. I had forgotten how fragile you are." He states. This catches you off guard, as this is totally out of character for Crowley. Crowley notices you twitch, and you pretend to wake up. He quickly pulls his hand away and goes to stand up.

"Where are you going?" You say, faking a yawn and rubbing your eye. His gaze softens slightly as he sits back down next to you.

"Nowhere. Don't worry about it." He says and smiles, obviously being nicer because you're ill.

"Good." You say, and grab his hand. You guys sit in silence for a while before Aziraphale comes and takes your temperature again.

"101.." He sighs. "But at least its going down. You were 109 an hour ago." He smiles.

"109?????" You exclaim. "Aren't I supposed to go to the hospital at that point??" Aziraphale looks a little stunned, but Crowley makes a noise and sprawls out on the couch.

"Too late now. You're fever has gone down to a normal-ish level." He states. You guys all move to a table in the back room, and Crowley grabs the previous take out from the fridge and places the bag on the table.

"Ya still nauseous or do you think you can eat?" You look inside the bag and your face lights up.

"From (fav restaurant)????!!! I'm starved!!" You exclaim, and immediately start pulling the containers out from the bag. Aziraphale is typically the one who eats with you, as Crowley doesn't enjoy it as much as he does, but he decides to eat with you guys today just to make you happy.

"Damn Y/n, if I knew any better, I'd say you hate this restaurant." Crowley says and chuckles as you pull containers out at the speed of light. Aziraphale gives him a look.

"Well obviously not, look at the speed they're-"

"Sarcasm, Angel." Crowley interrupts.

"Ah, well. Of course." Aziraphale says.

"Its okay dad. Pa was just teasing. He meant no harm." You say, while opening a container and digging some food out of it. They decide mutually not to pay attention to the fact that you called them dad, and to just enjoy the moment. They didn't mind the term. Quite the opposite in fact, (though Crowley would never admit that) but they often didn't know how to react. They just smiled and chatted while you ate. Crowley ruffled your hair and Aziraphale made you some hot chocolate. Suddenly your terrible sick day wasn't so terrible after all.

[swallowerofdharma]

Hi! Your posts are really insightful so i was wondering about your views on the nature of doumeki’s love? It seems unconventionally strong and unwavering but also controlling and desperate like a double edged sword so can it compliment yashiro’s need for the kind of love that helps him overcome the part of his trauma that stems from the absence of his mother’s love? I am hopeful but also apprehensive narratively speaking

Hello Anon, I share your feelings about being hopeful and apprehensive about the possible resolutions of the situation between D and Y. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how unlikely it would be that everything will be tied up nicely. There are in my opinion certain things that will remain unsolved, if the narrative keeps adhering to the reality of living life. I believe that feelings will be addressed and confirmed from both sides and D and Y will make a mutual commitment that hopefully surpasses the dimension of sexual partnership and force them to reveal their thoughts and fears to each other. After all I believe a main theme of the story is that love is a transformative force, but not a solution for anyone’s problems, those just don’t go magically away.

About Doumeki, I underlined a few times already that he fell in love while his life had been radically altered and he had not much else: he gave himself to love without any fear of losing himself in it since he already was in the position of having to reimagine a new life for himself. He was ready to follow Y regardless of where that choice would take him. Isn’t D the most relatable character of the two for most readers? Falling in love for the first time, and in a moment when he desperately needed a new direction, any caution went out of the window and he was ready to give himself up in every way possible, as long as he could have and keep the object of his affection near. That is a scary thing about love isn’t it? It changes our perception so much that it is hard to keep our judgment. When D is on his knees in front of Y, a gun pointed at his head, he says words that don’t have any other logic except that of an enamouredness that had transformed into blind and desperate devotion. At that moment, D seems completely broken over Yashiro’s rejection, with only his conviction to sustain him, because Y had become the sole focus and reason for living. That is an extremely dangerous position to be, that deadly nature of love that won’t listen to reason that is an extreme literature had exploited greatly. Juliet thought that Romeo was dead and the only course of action that grief and love suggested to her was dying too. If in love we find the greatest affirmation of life, then when we feel that we are losing it we are closer to death than ever. But the playwright is representing the extraordinary, an extreme of passion that cannot be taken as a model that can be seamlessly copied from in a reenactment of the “authentic” forces of love. This scary potential for love to make someone forget themselves in Saezuru is shown in the negative - D being carried by his feelings and forcing them and himself on Y, and later forfeiting his life for Y - and in the potential for the positive - Y confronting his convictions and fears.

chapter 33, confront these words with those Doumeki said in chapter 41

Love brought about an imbalance and disruption so great that the temporary separation was necessary: for D a chance to rebuild his autonomy and confidence in himself, but with that came a form of resentment, nurtured further by his misunderstanding of the nature of the relationship between Y and Inami. Why not him? So the bigger problem in my opinion has always been the fact that D has no real understanding of Yashiro’s situation, he doesn’t know much about his past, about his family’s dynamics or the relationship with Misumi, and he never quite realized how little power Y had over his circumstances, because Y is extremely good at making people believe that he had more agency and made his own choices in life, he built his understanding of himself on the idea of as a strong and willful person who was able to handle everything life gave him and transform his painful experiences into a more bearable and enjoyable and affirming image. Being confronted with the crude reality isn’t easy. D doesn’t know what he contributed to show Y: a worse set of memories than the ones Y had been carefully selected and manufactured during the years. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that D is at fault for what he doesn’t know, but he does make several mistakes in judgment and ultimately the habit of blurring the boundaries in the relationship first established by Y is exploited by D to a greater degree than what could still be treated as non particularly armful.

The fact is that even if Y was able to verbalize the dissonance he felt to D, he is aware that D might as well not be able to fully comprehend, and he has been proven correct in this regard previously. This is not only shown as destruction of trust, in Saezuru, I think that it is clear that Y thought that D is better off not having to bear any of Yashiro’s suffering, even if he will be hurt by the rejection of his feelings, Y thought that it would be better for him in the end instead of having to see or accept the parts that Y has yet to share of himself, an enormous amount of grief and insecurity, of baggage that Y wished to keep buried. Let’s be real here, love will always be a door opened to fear and grief for Y, because of memories he can’t erase. And he will need someone who would not waver to build a completely new habit of trusting another with his most vulnerable feelings. Even now, with D coming in between him and his self-destructive relationship with Inami (self-destructive and yet weirdly affirming to a part of himself that Y finds difficult to let go of), with D trying to reach Y again, without making his feelings overwhelmingly known this time, even now Y keeps thinking of Doumeki’s life as better without himself in it, with Izumi, with the Sakura group since Tsunakawa seems interested enough in keeping D around. Love once again left Y more aware than ever of his wretched existence, it had happened before, with Kageyama being the first person to make Y aware of his loneliness and uniqueness, and it hurt. And he doesn’t feel like he has anything valuable to offer to someone like D, especially if sex is involved, since sex to Y has always meant devaluation of himself and desiring a gentle touch from a man a sign of his wicked nature.

I think that Doumeki’s love has wavered during the years, it would be quite worrying if it hadn’t. Yoneda showed us that D was so affected by the discovering that Y went to meet Inami after D had thought he had given him the sexual release he needed (why else would Y need Inami? here we see the limit of D’s comprehension of the complexities of the situation Y is in as long as he is involved in the yakuza) that he took a step back and volunteered Kamiya to keep an eye on Y instead. Feelings were still there for D, and he was affected by meeting Y face to face once again at Kido’s restaurant, but not to the point of being unable to keep his distance, as he was able to do for four years. Love waits with a surprisingly strong persistence. Just by being a yakuza he had kept his connection to the life he wanted near Y. He wanted Y to choose him instead, when he saw that Inami had a relationship with him, when D was instead forbidden to keep one. That want stems from his incomprehension of a reality where someone like Inami has access to Yashiro. Inami is for both Y and D the ghost of their fathers that haunts their choices.

When I talked about D’s jealousy, my criticism was directed towards the actions that he took fueled by that emotion, in addition to some words he said and the ones he didn’t say. He wants to be on equal terms with Y, so he won’t clarify the nature of his relationship with Izumi unless Y admits to wanting him. If Y won’t break things up with Inami, D will forcefully take the place and function that he thinks Inami has in Yashiro’s life, not realizing that he is leaving Y with the feelings of being treated as a sexual object once again, of his agency being undermined repeatedly. Those aren’t equal terms any longer.

In my past analyses I wrote about the meaning of Doumeki’s first name and about the position of Saezuru as a story not written in compliance with the terms of the romance genre as we commonly see in the English-language market. Saezuru shows the contradictions between eros and love, doesn’t present them as synonyms, even when they coexist. Eros and love are treated as immense potentials for both affirmation and destruction of one’s self. Eros contains positive and negative qualities, the potential for love and for the opposite of it, being it cruelty or fear, it can bring us closer to life or drove us to our death, it promises happiness and can bring unmeasurable pain, being ruled by generosity or prevarication. Saezuru is a story that doesn’t treat us readers as babies or offer any simplification in showing the good and the bad in people or within the role of eros (hear! hear! sex isn’t inherently dirty either nor love is the secret ingredient that protect us from exploitation). Without darkness we can’t appreciate light, so we need to understand that everything is potentially good or bad, even love, we can only try to find a balance and an understanding so that we don’t hurt others in affirming ourselves nor we have to renounce ourselves to become dependent and subjected to someone’s else. That is why in Saezuru the answer could not have been a codependent relationship with everything else buried under the rug.

Anon, I don’t really know if I have managed to answer your question. The topic is tremendously difficult and Doumeki has closed himself up so we can only infer things. But I have blabbered quite a bit. I hope that some of it makes sense and thank you for reaching out to me and giving me an excuse to talk about this manga during this long period of hiatus.

[museforblooms]

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀CURSE OF CAPULET is the fictional debut mini—album by the idol band BELLADONNA released on February 14, 2024. After their win on Superband, Belladonna would take five months to write and produce their first album with the help of Plastic Flowers SALEM and OLIVER and former Lush member DALLAS LINWOOD. Along with the songs written by the members, Salem had gifted them an old draft, RENEWAL, which was supposed to appear on Wind and Rain in 2019 but was replaced with another song. The album takes on themes of love, desperation, mortality, and the inevitability of fate with their concept changing from girlhood to medieval and renaissance imagery, often seeing the girls depicted as saints. The album had one title track, BURN ALIVE, but RENEWAL was also promoted as a b-side.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Curse of Capulet comes from the play Romeo and Juliet by Williams Shakespeare as it's themes closely resemble the overall meaning of their debut album. It is a reference to Mercutio's death in Act III, scene I in which he curses both the Capulets and Montagues with "a plague o' both your houses!", blaming both of them for his death. He wants Romeo to know that he blames the feuding families for his fate and remind Romeo that his love for Juliet was the reason for his death to Tybalt, Juliet's short tempered cousin. The album was released with TWO versions: ROMEO and JULIET, with the back cover featuring quotes from both characters alongside the tracklist.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀TRACKLIST.

‘ # 001.⠀ ⠀OLIM ──── written by kwak yulli, produced by oliver song, and performed by belladonna. olim is an introduction track to belladonna's debut track and mimics catholic hymns, with the word olim itself representing the beginning of a fairytale. the translation goes as: "once, long ago God arrived in this age of brightness / He will come again" and is repeated twice. all members of belladonna referred to this as the hardest recording session that they've ever had. the idea was brought up by oliver as a joke, but yulli saw it as the perfect time to flex her old latin skills from attending catholic skills. it was almost cut completely, but the girls were able to save it at the last minute.

‘ # 002.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: BURN ALIVE ──── written and produced by bae haena, performed by kwak yulli. in their debut single, belladonna comes out swinging as they depict themes of addiction, self-destruction, and the sacrifices made for love. the main imagery of the song is a toxic relationship where both parties are consumed by their vices and are unable to break the cycle of destructive patterns. because of this relationship, they are no longer who they aspired to be and desire to capitalize on their own pain, a reflection on modern society.

‘ # 003.⠀ ⠀THEATRE ──── written by ko sarang, produced by dallas linwood, performed by kwak yulli. theatre explores the desire for love and acceptance through the lens of a theatrical performance. it delves into the idea of yearning for a love that feels like it belongings in a grand gesture from a movie or performance. the narrator is willing to go through the motions by pretending and faking emotions just to fulfill this dream of being loved. they yearn to be loved and adored as a film star, swept up in a fantasy where all their desires are achieved.

‘ # 004.⠀ ⠀FORTUNATE ISLES ──── written by kim eulsun and kim wonhui, produced by dallas linwood, and performed by kwak yulli. this song is often the one that gets the most criticism as professionals and netizens alike believe it doesn't fit the sound of the album. however, the girls are always ready to double down on how much they love the song. taking it's name from the greek island where all their greatest heroes lived, fortunate isles conveys the story of a letter being delivered to an ex lover who isn't quiet over their relationship yet, asking to be reborn in spring so they can live together forever.

‘ # 005.⠀ ⠀RENEWAL ──── written and produced by salem kueakulsri, performed by kwak yulli. renewal was a gift to the members of belladonna from plastic flowers leader, salem kuekulsri. in an instagram live, she confirmed that it had intended to be a plastic flowers song, but it was cut and eventually left in her vault of music. she said that she gave it to belladonna to remind them that they always hold the power in their lives and as a way to keep them strong. it explores themes of personal growth and resilience in the face of adversity, wanting to start anew and find solace in oneself after experiencing setbacks and challenges. by "growing a new plant in your head", the narrator can reach a new sense of personal transformation and optimism, leaving anyone that doubted them behind.

‘ # 006.⠀ ⠀LOVERS ──── written by bae haena, produced by oliver song, performed by kwak yulli. haena is quickly establishing herself as the queen of heartbreaking ballads in the group and fans absolutely love it. in this slower track, yulli really shines vocally as she laments on a relationship that failed, but only just realizing how good she had it. with only two verses and a chorus, their message comes across very well as they repeat "i wish you were with me" and "me as yours, you as mine".

‘ # 007.⠀ ⠀PAGAN POETRY ──── written by kwak yulli, produced by oliver song and dallas linwood, performed by kwak yulli. this song explores the spiritual connection between two people as the singer s pedalling through the dark currents and finding an accurate copy of another's pleasure inside of her. this connection is described as a secret code carved into black lilies, something deeply romantic and spiritual. the concept of paganism is reflected in the individual's connection to the divine as deeply personal and the beauty and spiirtualiy is celebrated.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀STYLING.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀ERA SUMMARY.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS: 200,000 sales in the first week and a nomination on every major south korea music show. fans were unable to get them a win, but they would only place behind the actual winner by a few points, making it possible for the next era.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀belladonna's fandom name, DOVES, would be announced by the girls in a video on how to cheer for burn alive. it was chosen because doves are often seen as a symbol of peace, freedom, or love—all things their fans provided for belladonna.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀the budget was the talk of the town. everyone was supervised to see how lavish and beautiful their concept photos, music videos, and performance outfits were. it drove poppies mad and they demanded for equal treatment for the two.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀ fan wars started between DOVES and POPPIES as soon as it was confirmed salem and oliver were working on the album. many accused belladonna of not being able to write or produce their own music, which is objectively not true as seen by their superband run, and were just overall nasty towards the girls.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀ the OLIVER and YULLI DATING RUMORS. . . someone had posted a video of them looking a bit too close after plastic flowers' performance at cheeky's and twitter just ran with it. superbloom had to issue a statement saying they were just friends and had a close "senior—junior artist" relationship.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀ enough about plastic flowers! DALLAS LINWOOD was praised for his work on the album! after announcing his retirement from performing, most were excited to see him working on music again and he did not disappoint on these arrangements.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀ belladonna performed and WON their first time on immortal songs: singing the legends. they were on the PATTI KIM episode and sang MOTHER'S HEART IN SEOUL! it was praised by the older generation of domestic netizens and the girls will definitely be returning.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀all of the girls were supposed to have their natural hair colors for this promotional period, but haena had over plans. without telling superbloom, she bleached her own hair and it surprisingly came out well! when the company found out, she was forced to tone it and it remained a white color.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀many pre-debut fans were disappointed by their concept shift. though it was hinted at in the later rounds of superband, many wanted them to keep their "girl—rock" sound because they could relate to what they were singing about. there's a clear divide between these stans and those that enjoyed the curse of capulet.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀they were given a reality show called THE BELLA'S, which was filled with fun challenges and the girls getting to know each other! it's a loved series by fans and is still being uploaded even after promotions ended. they had a whole episode on haena's hair, which was an instant classic.

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀despite knowing each other for less than a year, BELLADONNA seemed very close. they have amazing chemistry together and even showed how well they knew each other on BLOOM WITH US, with YULLI being the overall winner because she "loves her members".

‘ # 000.⠀ ⠀they also posted various covers including EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by stevie nicks, NIGHT SHIFT by lucy dacus, CHILL KILL by red velvet, THE CHAIN by plastic flowers, DITTO by newjeans, and many more.

[stoat-party]

My lukewarm takes on Romeo and Juliet characters, heavily influenced by the specific production I watched yesterday

Romeo: So extra. Absolute drama king. He would watch Encanto and not be able to stop thinking about it for a month. He absolutely fell in love twice in a week based purely on looks, but that love was pure and romanticized to no end. In his mind, it was worth dying for. He should have been allowed to be a stupid kid, but under the circumstances he felt forced to marry in secret.

Juliet: Every adult in this girl’s life failed her. Of course she fell in love with Romeo, she’s thirteen. Their relationship isn’t particularly profound, it’s their devotion. Their innocence. When you were a thirteen-year-old girl, didn’t you fantasize about doing something drastic just to make your father understand? She’s the girl who acted on that fantasy, in the most horrible way. And she’s a child. A baby. They’re all just babies.

Paris: Himbo. Yeah, he tried to marry a thirteen-year-old girl. Yeah, he’s probably an adult by our standards, or close to it. However misguided his feelings toward her, though, they were real. He felt protective toward this girl he’d barely met. That wasn’t the blood feud talking. It was his meathead himbo brain. What caused this man to think it was okay to marry a little girl? How was he so casual about it? Why so violent? We’ll never know.

Benvolio: Shares an archetype with Horatio. Guy who lives, but at what cost? When I read the play he seemed like the sweet, reasonable one, but this production really played up the teenaged boyness of it all. The important parts to him, though, are that he loved Romeo, and he didn’t want any of this. Noticeably absent in the final acts.

Mercutio: Baby. Actual tiny baby man. I read this book when I was fifteen, I had no maternal feelings toward any of these kids, but this actor’s Mercutio broke me. He was just a little goofball from a rich family, he had no concept of consequences. The actor was an adult but somehow made his voice crack. When he started a swordfight over a cause that had nothing to do with him, it was like I was watching a puppy trying to play keep-away with a tiger. Tybalt even backed off and tried to sheathe his sword, but Mercutio gave him a little *boop* on the backside and it started again. His death scene started off laughing and ended in screaming. After Act III, all jokes in the play cease.

Nurse: I just feel bad for whoever gets cast as the nurse to get insulted for three hours.

Friar Lawrence: Who does this guy think he is? Okay, he couldn’t have predicted the plague or the duel, but he seems very confident about courses of action that have a high likelihood of ending in tragedy. The lesson is, don’t enable teen hormones just because you think it’ll help you end a blood feud. I can’t discount his good intentions, though, and the kids would probably have been worse off without him.

Tybalt: I seethe.

Lord Capulet: I’m doing this for your own good but also I’ll ruin your life if you disobey ok? <3

Lady Capulet: She definitely shares some of the blame for what happened, but her love was genuine. She had been brought into this cycle at Juliet’s age, how was she supposed to break out?

Lady Montague: idk why shakespeare thought killing her offstage was necessary. we don’t even find out until after the climax so why? it’s more thematically consistent if all the deaths are young people.

Rosaline: If thou findeth thyself in a Shakespearean tragedy, get thee to a nunnery.

[ranchthoughts]

inspired by @dudeyuri pointing this out in He's Coming to Me

I'm thinking about how HCTM goes HARDER with the concept of 'if you know how it's going to end, why start anything?' than even Bad Buddy.

In Bad Buddy, Pran doesn't see the use in verbalizing his feelings for Pat because it can only end in tragedy. He looks at their situation with their parents and doesn't see any way that he and Pat can have a happily ever after. But Pat's relentless optimism and love in the face of this helps Pran realize that some things are worth trying. Like in the episode 5 rooftop kiss, where Pat kisses Pran and Pran goes "...what the hell. Might as well go all in" and kisses Pat back. (I've talked about the kiss here and here (shout out to @dudeyuri' contributions); and more broadly about Pat and Pran and genre/tragedies here and here)

In Bad Buddy's case, Pran and Pat are able to defy their seemingly pre-destined tragic ending through the power of their relentless determination to be together (see @chickenstrangers' brilliant post here). If it means fake breaking up, if it means hiding parts of their lives from their parents and others, they can do it. They refuse to have their story end in tragedy. And they succeed! They have found enduring love and a future together in a situation where that seemed impossible, a guaranteed inevitability. They defied generations of family feud forbidden romance endings (Romeo & Juliet, Kwan & Riam) (and their own families' intergenerational trauma - see this post by @waitmyturtles) to find a happy ending.

But Bad Buddy's ending is not 100% happy - Pat and Pran aren't able to be open in front of their parents, they aren't able to realize their achingly simple dreams (Pat being respected and not questioned by his father, Pat able to join Pran's family at dinner - see @grapejuicegay 's tags peer reviewed here).

In the same vein, HCTM doesn't have a fully happy ending either, and it also deals with the looming spectre of inevitability tragedy. Only this time, it's even more inevitable.

(If you haven't finished HCTM beware spoilers)

HCTM establishes that ghosts remain because they died before their time, because they don't know the reason they died, or because they didn't get the proper funerary rites. If these issues are rectified, the ghost will be able to pass on and be reincarnated.

(forgive my potentially hazy remembering of HCTM, it's been a few months since I watched it and I'm writing this on a train)

Mes hasn't passed on because he didn't know the reason he died (and he hadn't received the proper care post-death from his family). Thun helps him rectify this: solves the mystery of how he died and helps arrange a proper send-off. Thun does all this because he loves Mes and wants to help him, and despite knowing it will help Mes pass on and leave him - the inevitability of their situation looms large.

At the end of the show, Thun cries because he believes Mes had left him forever, but by some miracle Mes has remained. But this is temporary, and we all know this. One day, Mes will pass on and be reincarnated. Not today - today Mes and Thun get to stay together - but one day, that is how this story will end.

So like Bad Buddy, it's not exactly a happy ending (Pat and Pran are trapped in a glass closet, Thun and Mes will be separated one day). But unlike Bad Buddy, there is less chance of a reversal of fortune, of defying the inevitable. Thun and Mes are working with cosmological forces of death and rebirth. Perhaps their love will be able to overcome this and Mes can stay with Thun... but the show doesn't confirm this. If anything, the show makes it clear that this is temporary, that eventually Mes will leave Thun.

Despite this though, and like always in Aof's stuff - better to have loved and lived than not at all. Despite their less than stellar ending, Pat and Pran have found an enduring love in each other and their lives are better and happier for it (Pat says it himself: he was happier when Pran wasn't in his life because he didn't have to compete so much, but he was damn lonely). Thun and Mes are the same - sure their love won't be everlasting because eventually Mes will have to pass on, but the joy and love it brings to their lives (and the self-realization it brought to Thun's) is worth it all.

Bad Buddy ends in the middle of things (Pran and Pat still haven't rectified things with their family) and so does HCTM (Thun and Mes are together, but only temporarily. We don't see their ending).

Shout out to another @dudeyuri post that made me think about this (here) and @waitmyturtles masterful post about suffering in Asian BLs and, more specifically, the lack of closing loops in narratives/relationships, which I have been mulling over since - Bad Buddy and HCTM's stories aren't over, we don't see the endings.

[officialbillhader]

I think people are way too quick to dismiss classic romance stories as not romantic in the same way people are too quick to confirm classic romance stories as romantic. In the heart of all examples like romeo and juliet, great Gatsby, lolita, etc etc is tragedy, sexuality, infatuation, but its not necessarily *wrong* to call these stories love stories. Theyre not the typical disney "no one has any power over the other and everyone lives happily ever after" type stories bc that isnt their purpose. Theyre there as a warning, always.

Im going to use lolita as an example bc its the one ive read most recently. I want to preface this by saying i dont think the ppl who think humbert had a pure love for delores and only wanted to cherish and protect her and the only issue between them is the age difference are right. No, people saying that completely missed everything about the book. But the people who vehemtly deny that also miss crucial parts about the book.

Humbert loved delores. He loved her fiercely and violently. He often described her as a brat, as annoying, as sucking his life away, but he even loved that about her. Everything she did wrong was not wrong because she did it. When he got worried about her, he enrolled her in school. When she got sick, he rushed her to the hospital. When she got kidnapped (left semi-voluntarily) it led him on a desperate chase across the country that led in a man's death.

But the thing people miss is that love isnt pure. Its brutal and horrible and some of the worst things people can do is because love. Love is *intoxicating*. It surrounds you and affects everything you do. its the reasons crimes of passion are a thing. Its sickening. It is completely possible to do the worst things ever to a person and claim its bc of love.

Its not wrong to call unsavory love stories love stories. The love is there for a reason. People get them mixed up with savory love stories for a reason. The characters do those things bc theyre sick with love. Love is deadly. Trying to recatoragorize a genre of romance/love books bc they dont fit the perfect definition of love and romance will only harm our understanding of something every human experiences.

[monaorekoz]

A list of Manga I recommend

Recently I’ve been reading a lot of manga and stuff, but I also haven’t posted in AGES due to exams and i feel an urge to YAP about some like a madwoman. Trigger warnings will be listed in each description because my tastes are super weird. Super Dark shit, contrasted with silly cutesy love stories.

Goodnight Punpun

Trigger warnings: Depression, Suicide + Suicide ideation, R/pe, domestic violence, explicit sex scenes

Starting off strong with an Inio Asano manga, Goodnight Punpun is a realistic narrative about the ups and downs of the protagonist, Punpun’s life. In fact it’s one of my favourite manga about the human experience. It’s a story of absurdism, the ability to accept your life and to move on despite it being completely meaningless in the long run. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys more dark and complicated manga.

Juujika no Rokunin

Trigger warnings: Murder, death, r/pe, torture, gore

I’ve read this one more recently and have only just really started it if I am honest and my first comment is: This. Is. Dark. It’s extremely dark for a shounen manga. My jaw had dropped numerous times reading this. Like, Jesus Christ? The story follows a boy named Uruma who suffered extreme and endless bullying throughout his childhood. The group of bullies end up being responsible for the death of Uruma’s parents, as well as the hospitalisation of his younger brother. He vows to avenge his family by undergoing training from his World War 2 veteran Grandfather. It feels kinda stupid in some places? but in a way that only animanga could pull off for it to properly hit.

Zetman

Warnings: Sex, Nudity, Violence

Zetman gives me so many DC vibes I love it so much for that. It’s about a teenager named Jin, who has the ability to turn into a superhuman named Zetman, and Kouga, a rich boy who uses technology. They both fight against the same thing, but for different reasons. I feel as though Zetman transgresses against most superhero stories, as Jin becomes a hero out of responsibility, while Kouga becomes one simply out of a sense of justice and desire. Despite their differences they come together to protect the world.

Emanon

Emanon follows the story of a woman who has lived various lives for billions of years, since the creation of life, the catch being she is able to retain all memory of the past lives. She is a character with no clear purpose, no direction. She just wanders, wanders and wanders. The story is fairly simple, it’s just a recount of her life but I still find there to be something incredible special and beautiful within it.

Kaiju No. 8

Warnings: Death, violence

Kaiju No. 8 is a very typical shounen story in some aspects, but also very unique in others. In the world of the story, it’s inhabited by monsters known as Kaiju, as well as the protectors of the world known as the Defense Force. The story doesn’t quite start there, as it begins with Kafka, an adult man who’s job is simply cleaning the streets after the Defense Force defeat any Kaiju. After an accident, he ingests a kaiju which gives him the ability to transform into one and from there he decided to join the force to fulfill a childhood promise with his friend.

The fragrant flower blooms with dignity

Moving on from the depressing, serious stuff, this manga is literally the cutest. It’s a silly little spin on the story of Romeo and Juliet, and it follows Rin, a teenage boy who appears scary but is gentle at heart, and sweet, quiet girl Kaoruko. The two hit it off immediately, but the problem is the two attend rival schools in their areas. I love the characters so much. All of them have a place in the story, all of them develop. Plus they’re all just sweet as hell together.

[yumi-tamura-fan]

My top 3 90's shojo manga reccomendations (I'll try to keep them spoiler free as possible)

1.Basara by Yumi Tamura (27 volumes)

Synopsis from Viz: Basara is a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure series and one of the most popular shôjo manga of the 90s in Japan. It is the story of how a young girl becomes "the child of destiny" and finds the strength to free her people and seek revenge for the death of her brother.

Basara is a story that can't be classified into just one genre. It's a romance of course, but it could fit also fit into other genres such as fantasy or adventure, as well as tragedy. There's bloody battles throughout the manga, as well as political corruption and even pirate fights! It might sound like a shonen manga but we also get romance, forbidden romance at that. Think Romeo and Juliet. We get to see star crossed lovers fight for what they think is right all the while not knowing each others identities. Everyone in the series is fleshed out, with motivations, wants and needs. By the time you reach the end of the series, even the smallest characters will have you feeling for them.

The only criticism I can give is the art at the beginning of the series is subpar, but the quality of it picks up quickly and by the end of the series the author's art is undeniably gorgeous. My all time favorite shojo manga and whether you can hunt down all the out of print series like me (it took forever) or read the scans online, I think almost anyone would be drawn in to this series.

Red River by Chie Shinohara (28 volumes)

Synopsis from Viz: Yuri, a pretty Japanese girl, is ecstatic after passing her college entrance exam and having her first kiss with her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. However, her luck soon changes. She starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it. One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water! Transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, she is then captured by armed troops and taken to the Queen's palace for a human sacrifice. Adventure and good-looking boys fill this great first volume!

I've always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt so this manga was right up my ally. It has beautiful art, an intriguing story, and unique side characters. I also didn't hate the fact that the author dropped details and facts about history into the manga.

Overall it's an amazing historal manga, with just enough action as there is romance. I would encourage anyone who enjoys history to check out this title (most likely through online scans as it is out of print).

Angel Sanctuary by Kaori Yuki (20 volumes)

Synopsis from Viz: Why is Setsuna so mixed up? Despite his attempts to be noble, he'll fight anyone anytime; he ignores all authority; and he harbors feelings for his sister that can only be described as "incestuous." Why is he such a mess? The reason may be found with two demons from the underworld and their enemy, an insane angel who is distributing an insidious computer game called Angel Sanctuary.

Angel Sanctuary is about a female angel who rebelled against God, and in turn had her soul separated from her body, and sent to earth to endure tragic human lives until the end of time. The female angel currently inhabits the body of a teenage boy who is troubled by the love he has for his sister. Like Flowers in the Attic, incest is a common theme throughout it, however, it is never fetishized nor glamorized, and we don't see that much of the physical side of it (just go with it and it will all make sense in the end). The sinful love isn't the only focus, as there are also demons, sword battles, even angels with guns, as well as plenty of interesting side characters that add to the story.

I will say that the first few volumes are slightly mediocre, but Kaori Yuki quickly picks up in the later volumes, and by the time I finished the series, I could say it was one of the best ones I've ever read. I've never read a 20 volume manga series as fast as I have this one.

I wouldn't recommend Angel Sanctuary to everyone, since it has a warped view on religion, as well as incest, drugs, murder and genocide. But all in all, it's a excellent series for those with an open mind who enjoy beautifully drawn series with a complicated plot.

[warwickroyals]

queen rosalyn was mentioned in a recent post, so: can you give us any lore about her, her family, and how they managed to marry into sunderland royalty? if louisa had ended up queen, do you think she would have resisted and opposed rosalyn's politics once she reached majority?

This is actually a very helpful question, anon! Thank you for not getting mad since I took forever to answer <3

Uh, under the cut is a shit ton about the American Civil War and that means talk about slavery, so read at your own risk.

So, Rosalyn as I've made it clear was a Daughter of the Confederacy, like, a literal OG one a la Varina Anne Davis, born and raised on a plantation in South Carolina during a very contentious time. She had a very charmed childhood (like completely obvious to the horrors of slavery and raised as a true Southern Belle), but everything she loved became threatened by the inevitable Civil War and what she saw as the threat of Northern aggression.

Rosalyn in my head has always been similar to Scarlett O'Hara (Vivian Leigh's character from Gone With the Wind), she was absolutely stunning, at least appearance-wise. Sunderland and the USA are right next to each other, so it was typical for Sunderlandian royals to venture into the USA for both political and social reasons. I'd like to imagine that Rosalyn met her future husband Louis at a ball in Maryland.

Now, Louis IV, as I've mentioned before, assumed the throne at 15 years old and was of a rather weak constitution. Due to his poor health, he was used to being babied and pretty much always got what he wanted. So, giving this kid basically absolute power was bound to cause issues. For Louis, it was love at first sight and Rosalyn's family, realizing Louis's position, urged her to pursue him. They had a whirlwind Romeo & Juliet-style romance, heavily manipulated by the Southern planter class, who correctly predicted international opinion turning against slavery, and wanted to ensure Sunderland would remain at the very least neutral during a Civil War. There was no better way to promote their interests than a puppet Confederate queen who had a king wrapped around her fingers.

Basically everyone in Louis's inner circle begged him not to marry Rosalyn: Parliament, family, friends, etc. But Louis married her anyway, Sunderland lacked the proper checks and balances to prevent it (they'd fix this later). People were outraged and opinions about Queen Rosalyn ranged from dismissive to downright murderous. In Sunderland, she became a scapegoat for the coming war in America. The more things worsened in America, the more she was resented. The whole nation held its breath when she became pregnant in 1859, and rejoiced when the child turned out to be a girl.

Sunderland really lucked out with Louis's early death. For one thing, he died before the Civil War started and for another, he died before he could father a son with Rosalyn. Both prevented Rosalyn from really doing any damage or having any institutional power to promote Confederate interests. She had been Queen for just under three years. She fled Sunderland with her infant daughter mere weeks after Louis died, fearing for her life. The new king, Louis's cousin George, was fully intending to make an example of Rosalyn and Louisa if they came in the way of his accession, so it was a smart move.

However, the home Rosalyn returned to wasn't the same. Several of her brothers died during the Civil War, and Big Dick William Tecumseh Sherman marched his soldiers straight across South Carolina, destroying any plantations in his path. Suffice it to say, Rosalyn kind of lost it after that, she never recovered and became a recluse until her death.

As for Louisa, she was referred to by Southerners as the Queen of Sunderland for most of her life, but it was more sarcastically than with any real deference. She never attempted to take back her birthright and actually signalled her loyalty to King George several times. George, as a result, left her to live her life in the USA. The cousins were even on friendly terms until Louisa's death.

Lousia was still raised in the South and her mother probably spoon-fed her a wrapped education based on the pro-South Lost Cause narrative (Here's an amazing video about what that means, but it's basically the myth that the Civil War was not centred on slavery, like, "States Rights" and all that BS), but Louisa rejected appeals to becoming a spokesperson for Neo-Confederate groups. She was a very private person and valued a life out of the spotlight.

Now, had she become queen she would have almost certainly been separated from her mother and raised by the State with George serving as regent until she reached adulthood. Rosalyn would have had little power to do anything about it. There was no chance of Louisa being a Confederate sympathizer without getting assassinated. Plus, after the Civil War, there was no Confederate States to represent anyway.

[azrantimes]

Maisie Peter's "Funeral" (Ft James Bay) is Romeo and Juliet (& Juliet) coded and here's why

This is a long one so strap in. This is an analysis but I didn't do it like I would make one for school so it's very informal at times.

"I know it's not how you planned it but that's not

The worst thing in the world

I know that you're scared 'cause you think I'll let you down again

But I wouldn't, girl"

This first part is Romeo after Juliet and Francois' failed wedding. "I know it's not how you planned but that's not the worst thing in the world" is basically how the wedding went terrible but that it did end up as a new chance for Juliet and Romeo. "I know that you're scared 'cause you think I'll let you down again" because he has had multiple lovers before his death. "But I wouldn't, girl." He promises her that he's gonna be there for her the second time.

"I want you to want me when you're dead

To roll in your grave like we're not done yet

To call off the whole damn funeral

'Cause our love is so damn beautiful"

This is Juliet's perspective. It's her before Romeo's return wishing they could be together again. "To call off the whole damn funeral cause our love is so damn beautiful." Shakespeare brought Romeo back to life because they're THE tragic lovers.

"I want you to know that the past is past

That everything changed when I heard you laugh

'Cause you sitting there with your headphones in

You were the point of all this livin'"

Back to Romeo! "I want you to know that the past is past" is literally Romeo "forgiving" Juliet before "Since U Been Gone" and "That everything changed when I heard you laugh" is Romeo finding Juliet when he first came back, prepared to fight for her love. "'Cause you sitting there with your headphones in/ You were the point of all this living." Juliet put on her headphones at Romeo's funeral and Romeo literally lived for her.

"I'm sure that you're right

And I can't blame you for things you haven't done yet

Even if I'm scared, you will

And I think a lot about May, about meeting you that day

I was late and a serial blusher

Never made it to the second date"

Juliet!! This is her perspective after the wedding. "And I can't blame you for things you haven't done yet/Even if I'm scared you will." She suggests to redo everything and have another first date. I have a silly reason for "And I think a lot about May, about meeting you that day" but May isn't referring to the month this time, but it's about May and Frankie confessing at the wedding and and how Romeo "revealed" himself to get Juliet back. "Never made it to the second date" because they only knew eacother for less than a week before Romeo died OR if we're staying with the wedding setting because they're redoing their first date.

"But I want you to want me despite all that

To live every day like the plane might crash

To chase every satellite and star

I'd pin all of my hopes to your handlebars"

Juliet but I don't have a lot of things to say about this but again with the "living for you" theme.

"The truth is I'd be such a jealous ghost

I'd scrub all your lover's names out the stone

'Cause you sitting there with your headphones in

You were the point of all this livin'"

This is similar like before so again Romeo. "The truth is I'd be such a jealous ghost/I'd scrub all your lover's names out the stone" is literally Romeo being a jealous ghost, infiltrating at her wedding because he didn't want Frankie to marry her.

"Your heart was full of boys and brimstone"

Romeo to Juliet because she tried to move on quickly plus escape her parents.

"Yours was full of girls who lied"

Juliet to Romeo because of all the girls he told the same things he told Juliet to. This one doesn't really make sense I know.

"Both got hurt by other people

Both found each other, baby, right in time"

Both of their parents suck, and dating eachother was an act of rebellion.

"I don't need to live forever, just not one day longer than you"

I don't think I need to explain this but Juliet debating on killing herself because of Romeo.

"I want you to want me when you're dead

To roll in your grave like we're not done yet

To call off the whole damn funeral

Because our love is so damn beautiful"

This is the same as part 1 of the first chorus but this time it's both of them.

Thank you for reading this thing that was born because of my hyperfixation(s).

[walker-extended-universe]

Just For One Night- Liam has a dark secret that no one can ever know. After making a scene at his wedding, he’s closer than ever to revealing it. (1/2) Last Updated 10/20/21

Cry For Help- Cordell knows something is off about how his wife died but he's not quite sure why. He turns to the internet in his time of need and finds an unexpected source of help. (3/?) Last Updated 10/29/21

Dead Weight- Alternative version of Walker s01e11: Freedom and Prodigal Son s02e11: You Can Run. Martin Whitly made it out of the state with Hector but the plan only had enough fuel to get them to Texas. After their forced landing, they come across a couple of teenagers in a summer cabin with a duffle bag full of money. One of these teenagers is Stella Walker, daughter of a Texas Ranger. Martin would be stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity. (1/?) Last Updated 10/30/21

Stay With Me- Cordell takes care of his baby boy after the traumatic events on the Walker ranch. Then, August discovers the real reason Hoyt was at the ranch in the first place and Cordell has to prove how much he really loves him. (1/2) Last Updated 11/01/21

The Proposal- Todd an August have become friends since their escape room funtime. After Ruby comes back and rejects Todd's early prom-posal, August attempts to help Todd feel better. It's what any good friend would do. (1/?) Last Updated 11/18/2021

Save A Horse....- Things have been going really well for our throuple. So well, it may well be time to take the next step. (2/?) Last Updated 12/07/21

Romeo And Juliet: Walker Edition- Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale about two young lovers caught between warring families. If the death and tradgedy of the original are too sad (or perhaos too corny) for your taste, enjoy this verison with a lot less death and the joys of modern technology. (1/?) Last Updated 12/12/21

A Queen and her Knight- A collection of stories regarding the rising Queen of Austin and her second in command (1/?) Last Updated 12/21/21

Foundlings- The driver of the car was long gone as far as he could see, but that wasn’t the most concerning part. Nor was the thick envelope that felt stuffed with paper. No, the most concerning part was the two children left sleeping in the backseat. (1/2) Last Updated 01/12/22

Undercover 101- When Cordell Walker lost his head after Emily's death, Liam had to come back to Texas to handle the family business, putting any and all plans of expansion on hold for now. With Cordell's return, the FBI sees a new opportunity to slip up the Walker family and put someone behind bars. Enter Micki Ramirez and Trey Barnett, a "couple" sent in to observe and deliver intel on the family. How will this affect the family business and, more importantly, how will this affect their current lives? (1/?) Last Updated 02/27/22

[darkcrowprincess]

Oh my God ?! Are you team Jacob for Twilight ?! So then ! I have to say that I have nothing against the canon ships of this saga. (Yes even the very controversial Jacob & Renesme. I generally put my brain in off mode for that by telling myself that SM as a mother herself must not have thought about it very deeply) And I must say that I always been team Edward, even still technically today. But I'm no longer an enthusiast at all because the flaws in the story are now staring me in the face. And even if I'm not crazy about Jacob & Bella either and hated it when I was younger, I have to say that today I totally understand why we would love these two together. BUT ABOVE ALL ! Damn, I have a huge crush on Jacob in the second film... Like the actor, after gaining muscle, had a wow effect on me and I've always liked guys with beautiful, long, well-maintained hair. And Jacob was just magnificent in the second movie. Even his behavior towards Bella was adorable. Beyond that, I still say it today that if I had been Bella... Even if I am very fascinated by vampires... Damn I would have been with Jacob. Also... Damn the heat he must give off ! As a big chill person, this totally appeals to me ! And the wolf shape is so awesome and impressive ! When I watch the films again I admit I don't understand why Bella prefers to freeze to death with Edward. Also, I realized growing up that when Edward talks... I sometimes want to make him shut up because it can be so corny and annoying.

I am not a fan of twilight. I only read up to eclipse and stopped reading the books after that. I've seen the movies but mostly find them boring except the last two. Saying that, I do find the secondary characters and background characters more interesting than Bella and Exward. Everything is more interesting than Bella and Edward. I especially hate Bella. Book version of her more than anything. She is a very annoying, boring, selfish person. Just every thought in her head makes me want to slap her.

Twilight Vampires freak me out and are way too over powered. For the most part I don't like Stephanie Meyers. You can tell she is a Mormon white woman with how she writes. I do love Jacob and the werewolves though. Jacob in general is my sunshine boy and he deserves happiness and I hate Bella or leading him on. I feel so bad for his tribe and what these selfish Vampires constantly do to them and their land. I especially hate the books and movies for the bad reputation they give to classical novels and plays. Especially romeo and juliet. Twilight has nothing to do with romeo and juliet. And there are no parallels or comparisons between them. If Stephanie Meyers wanted to do that, the should have made Edward and Jacob fall love than if anything.

If I had to choose werewolves no question. Not only are they cute looking and badass. But they're warm and human still for the most part. Twilight Vampires are stone cold statues that are ment to look beautiful. They don't live. They don't sleep, they don't eat, sex would eventually get boring because their never tired, and any second now they can lose control from hunger of human blood and kill everyone, plus animal blood never satisfies them! So honestly what joy comes from being a vampire in this universe?! Bella is just so stupid for picking this life and Edward.

I had a huge crush on Taylor Launter as a kid. Had a poster of him on the wall of my bedroom ceiling. Though I also cried when him and Taylor Swift broke up and listened to 'Back to December' a million times.

Edward I find so boring too. Mostly I hate how he treats Bella more like a pet/child. While reading the books it annoyed me so much how he wouldn't fuck her or kiss her in a hot way. His romance with Bella and his reasons for holding back were stupid and boring. Though when he left in New Moon. I hated him. After everything they been through he's just going to abandon her just like that. Moron. The whole save your soul thing I did not understand because I wasn't really religious so I did not get it. Now though I still find it stupid and I'm constantly reminded that Stephanie is Mormon. The whole book I'm constantly reminded that Stephanie is a white female Mormon. She grew up as one and your constantly reminded of that in the book and it freaks me out.

(Don't like don't read. Post hate and I'll block you)