#i am so enthralled by this concept you have no idea

[quietwingsinthesky]

of ten’s companions, if the doctor couldn’t handle losing them and crossed his own timeline to trick them into traveling with future!him instead of past!him so that he’d have a little more time with them:

rose would do it. first because bless her but she has the situational awareness of a rock, and legitimately would not realize this isn’t her doctor until his facade starts to break down and he starts bleeding grief-laced love for her at every turn. but once she does realize it, she’s both deeply sympathetic and a little scared that she could make him into this. it’s a lot to be confronted with having that much power over someone, to break them so thoroughly. rose would try to get back to her doctor, but while she’s with the future version, she tries to do what she can to ease his pain. (she also tries to figure out a way to subvert her fate. she fails.)

i think martha would be harder to trick. she can smell desperation on the doctor like a bloodhound. she is so tapped into the fact that this man wants to off himself so bad and that she’s 90% of his self-restraint, so present her with a doctor who is lacking that and she’s onto him immediately. however, assuming he gets her to come with him, explains why he’s doing this, there’s like. a minute where she’s kind of. not flattered exactly, but surprised, giddy with the realization that he’d come back for a little more time with her, especially if this is early season 3 martha. which would all come crashing down around the time that he reveals that he wasn’t pushed to this by losing her to some tragedy or her death or anything- but that she chose to leave. that is the point at which martha goes ‘oh i need to get the fuck off of this tardis right now’ and ghosts the past!doctor that she was also traveling with because holy shit, man.

donna, like rose, is easily bamboozled into following the wrong doctor home, provided that he shuffles her along into his tardis too fast for her to argue. but she catches on far quicker than rose does. like, three minutes tops of watching the doctor move through the tardis in a way that’s definitely not enthusiastic piloting and looks more like guilty panic. and then she yells at him for lying to her. and she yells at him for kidnapping her. and then she stops yelling because he’s gone sort of still and quiet and his eyes are just broken. and he doesn’t explain himself, he confesses. donna is going to try to stay with him after this btw. because how do you go back to looking your best friend in the eyes when you know he’d take everything you’ve become away from you, even to save your life? and this is still the doctor, he still did that to her, but he regrets it. regrets it so much that he can’t live with it, he’s breaking time and space just to hear her say his name again. and donna doesn’t want to lose him anymore than he wanted to lose her.

[hoodlessmads]

Dark Heir spoiler thoughts:

Okay some of these are criticisms but please understand I really liked it! I liked it even more than Dark Rise. I’m just an overdramatic person and need to yell sometimes.

These don’t have any particular order, I’m just freestyling -

Reading Captive Prince years ago (and rereading since) before reading Dark Rise made me have an unfair resentment towards James for being basically the same character as Laurent but not as good and that continued here

Will is the second best character Pacat has ever made after Laurent and book 3 might push him ahead

I loved seeing Will use more and more of his evil powers

The best one being where he possesses anyone with a brand and his eyes turn black and he turns into Legion (maybe shoulda turned that off before trying to appeal to Violet…)

Finding out his mom actually was tying him to bedposts and beating him this whole time somehow shocked me because for some silly reason I believed one of the most unreliable third person subjective narrators ever, Will, that she was a nice lady just doing her best. Anyway I love this revelation because it makes such perfect sense, it’s just, “Oh. Of course.”

Violet and Cyprian are both himbos yet Violet is somehow the only character with a single brain cell left at the end of the book

Cyprian drinking from the cup makes no sense after they had a whole discussion in the first book about how drinking from the cup put the Stewards into the Dark King’s plans and made them his thralls and was the entire reason they died, a massacre which Cyprian experienced viscerally, and then he goes and drinks from the cup anyway and oops surprise Will can in fact enthrall him. Cyprian is able to fight it off but that doesn’t change the complete recklessness and out-of-character-ness of it to me.

Violet/Cyrprian is a good ship

Phillip/Visander is hilarious (in a good way)

Will/James is fine but I wish I was more compelled by them than I actually am. For being the main couple, I don’t feel like their relationship has been given the room it needed to develop organically and instead it feels like we’re falling back on physical attraction and a vague shadow of a past relationship in the old world that we didn’t get to see. It’s hard not to compare to Damen/Laurent which by contrast was developed so painstakingly.

Elizabeth is incredible

Visander sucks, actually

The whole Light kind of sucks. The Stewards, the Sun Kingdom, they were all assholes

People with black-and-white morality are truly terrible, aren’t they? And pretty much everyone is like that except for Will, James, and Violet

Sometimes I felt like that fact was really being hammered in on purpose almost as though to make James murdering like 300 people seem less bad (but it didn’t….)

But I don’t dislike James because he murdered 300 people, I actually love villains and I especially am attached to the idea of everyone being redeemable. But what I don’t like is the book telling me I should like James without giving me a good reason or the book downplaying his actions to make him seem more sympathetic. He can have murdered all the Stewards and still be compelling, we don’t need to diminish what he’s done in order for him to be likable

Also everyone in this book except like, Will and maybe Violet and James is an idiot (and I’ll excuse Elizabeth for only being ten). Someone send these characters to Psych 101, they don’t seem to understand the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Like obviously if you tell someone they’re evil over and over again for their whole lifetime they will become evil

Theory - I don’t think Violet will turn on Will. I think she’s just shell-shocked. She wasn’t really given a chance to take a stance before James Peter Panned him away. Violet knows exactly what it feels like to be told you are evil because of some past thing, and she knows Will better than any of the other characters. And she knows that morality is not black and white (Tom is her brother). She’ll definitely end up in Will’s corner by the end.

Theory - The line of the Lady and the line of the Dark King are the same bloodline and they split off later. Sarcean’s “cataclysmic night together” with the Lady was mentioned not once but twice. Pacat doesn’t waste lines. The child that the Lady had was Sarcean’s, or at least one of them.

Will better figure out how to destroy that collar quick…before they both get even more traumatized. I think that will be one of his main goals in book 3. Or I hope…otherwise it will be hard to develop the genuine romance

I sure hope Will can also figure out how to expel that shadow from Cyprian before he like… dies. Don’t do that to Violet D:

So, I’m not a huge fan of YA in general (outside of YA anime and manga which for some reason hits different). I used to like it a lot, it used to be most of what I read. I grew up reading series like Redwall, Darren Shan, Demonata, Pendragon, and so on. But I’ve grown out of the genre (I’m 27). Not every adult does - one of my best friends who is a year older than me still really enjoys YA. But because I don’t like YA, I think my enjoyment of Dark Rise/Dark Heir is influenced and my criticisms may be unfair.

But I find that with fantasy series like this, I the books really need to be longer. Or there needs to be more of them. I feel like Dark Rise has so many moving pieces, enough characters that there could be a trading card game (and there are literally collectible cards), so many different magical artifacts and magical powers, an entire magical old world beneath the semi-magical 1820s Europe world to develop, and also by the way a whole story that took place 10,000 years ago that has to be told at some point. I find myself feeling like all these different elements are being introduced and moved on from too fast and I wish they were all given more time to breathe. I think that’s part of why the relationship between Will and James feels a bit rushed to me. I don’t know if the short length of the series was Pacat’s choice or an editor’s, though. I don’t feel like Captive Prince had this issue because there were no supernatural elements, the cast was much smaller, and the plot was comparably simple so a lot of it got to be characters just talking to each other, which was great, and the world building was accomplished mainly through these interactions. The plot and world of Dark Rise is much larger in scope but the page count is the same (a little longer maybe).

So wait who is Mrs. Duval

Why did Ettore leave the Stewards anyway? Other than the obvious, which is that they suck

Where was Grace during the whole ending scene? Wasn’t she there but just not saying anything. As this total calamity befalls her only remaining friend group she finally has seen too much and just nopes out and is busy making tea in the corner or maybe popcorn

I do really like Cyprian btw in spite of thinking his moral code is shitty. Gave Violet a chance but sold Will for one corn chip… I see how it is (okay that’s not fair but you know what I mean, he has flaws)

It sounds like I’m in the majority when I say that I still don’t like Devon - I saw that theory about him being the final big bad and I’m so on that train. I think he’d make a good enough final villain. I agree there is something predatory about him and Tom. I don’t necessarily think Pacat wants us to root for them as a couple, though. There were better ways to pull that off if that was the intent.

Not to repeat myself but Phillip was such a pleasant surprise. Like who is this fruit and how did he get here

So next book, I hope (assume) we get to see the rest of the old world story filled in so we can understand where it all went wrong for Sarcean and also the exact nature of his relationship with Anharion because so far it’s been quite vague (intentionally I assume). Like….. you know….. did he agree to put on the collar?

The tricky thing about this series is that once the reader learns that Will is the Dark King, it’s hard to maintain any sort of external tension. Right? It’s hard to feel afraid of the forces of the Dark when the protagonist has total effortless control over them just by virtue of who he is. Will can literally just be like, “No, don’t” and everything’s fine. He did just this at the end of Dark Rise. I find the way Dark Heir seems to end with their “only hope of stopping the Dark army” destroyed to be pretty unconvincing. Why on earth would Sarcean create a destructible object that is the only way of controlling his own army? Of course Will should be able to control them with his will alone. If he can control Shadow Kings and make them die with his words alone, why didn’t he try yelling at the shadow army to stop trying to possess people? This doesn’t make sense to me. And if people become Returners through his magic, shouldn’t he be able to exert some control over their existence the way he does with the branded? Pacat has done a good enough job at getting us to know Sarcean (an extremely good job btw) so as to make the destroyed brand plot point unbelievable. Anyway…

Instead, the tension in Dark Heir is almost entirely internal or realized in character relationships rather than physical threats. The tension is between Will and himself, and between Will and his friends. (There are tensions between other characters but focusing on the main plot here.) The possibility that they might find out and abandon him, and the possibility that he might actually be as nasty of a guy as Sarcean was, the slim chance that he might learn something that makes him go, “You know what, I agree with my past self after all.”

Now that everyone has found out who he is, that particular source of tension has sort of evaporated, so now in book 3 Pacat has to find a way to make Will’s conflict with himself and his friends compelling enough to carry us through 450 pages (I don’t expect this will be difficult). What I see as the problems now are 1) what was Sarcean actually planning and how did he plan on getting Will (himself) to fall in line with them (this was a question in Dark Heir as well but now it’s bigger), 2) how is Will going to destroy his own (Sarcean’s) Dark artifacts so he can free James, and 3) Can he convince anyone to ever love him (oh no ouch).

If I had to rank these books at this stage I’d probably give Rise a 3.7 ish…. and Heir a 4.2. I’m holding out for Dark King to be a 5 or close. (I don’t know what the actual title will be, I’m just guessing lol.) I definitely think Dark Heir is an improvement over Dark Rise since I always thought the most interesting part of the latter by far was everything that happened once Will learns he is the Dark King at the very end.

“Are we going to talk about the magic pseudo-sex scene—“ No and I hope we never will

[utilitycaster]

🔥 about each member of the mighty nein (instead of sending you a million separate asks lol)

Fjord - this is actually the only character from all of Critical Role where if someone does not like that character I am immediately done with anything they have to say. Ashton and Vex are my favorites from C3 and C1 respectively but I get not being particularly into what they're doing even if I disagree, but like, if you don't like Fjord you either have no understanding of the idea of characters being defined by their settings and narratives and vice versa and therefore you have no media analysis statements worth hearing; or you made a snap judgement based on like 20 minutes of campaign 2.

Beau - I wish the circlet had gone to Veth; I liked Beau's arc a lot but she started as one of my favorites and was later surpassed by a number of other characters and I think it was in part because I liked her getting things the hard way and also doing more with the Cobalt Soul and Dairon than she ultimately ended up doing.

Caleb - I think I kind of covered it with my post about his trauma recently, namely, I think he's a fantastic character and Liam did a great job and also whenever someone acts like Caleb is objectively correct at all times or should have murdered everyone in the assembly it's a MASSIVE red flag.

Veth - weirdly unpopular in this fandom but I like her more as a halfling. Also, I actually think arcane trickster was a phenomenal fit for Sam mechanically even though he wants more spells and would love to see him do another 1/3rd or half caster.

Jester - I feel I've covered my main one repeatedly (people LOVED to talk about her agency and the second she kissed the wrong person she was suddenly a stupid baby girl who didn't know what was good for her) so I think my other one is that as with all of Laura's characters she is much more fun, especially early on, if you lean into the fact that she does say a lot of shit that makes people really uncomfortable or annoyed instead of trying to turn this into a SHE LOVES SO HARD AND NO ONE LISTENS because both can be true, your love can come out in ways that people are very annoyed by, this is how cats feel all the time actually, and so much of Jester's arc is figuring out how to share this love in a way that other people can appreciate without losing her own personality in the process.

Caduceus - I've also covered this a zillion times but I will say it again, Caduceus deflected so many attempts to check in with him and he does not want to like, fix Molaesmyr, he was not neglected, he was built out to be a character who was more of a low-key support guy and Taliesin did an incredible job with that.

Molly - honestly my unpopular opinion remains that I simply found him very well built and a great concept and also irritating as hell, and the Nein's response to him was valid but the fandom's post-death lionization was very tiresome. I'm genuinely not sure the party could have bonded the way they ultimately did if someone who was throwing around "enthrall" like that were still around.

Kingsley - now, while I don't mind if you dislike Kingsley, acting like Kingsley and Molly are the same character is actually equal to the not liking Fjord thing; that's an instant "this person's interpretations of media are so bad I am blocking so as to not accidentally see anything they have to say."

Yasha - I'm not sure I have any unpopular opinions? I do think she is at times underappreciated but I also think specifically she is, like Caleb, a victim of the terrible and weirdly common fandom idea that the only way to move on from abuse and horror is by killing everyone and everything that hurt you rather than rejecting violence and finding your own path and your own meaning.

Essek - sticking specifically to his role in the Nein, again, I love Essek and he is a member of the party and also he is an NPC and acting deeply offended that he doesn't get the same treatment in terms of comic books or merch or appearances in one-shots is very childish.

[merakiui]

Hii!! I love your Lunar Love Hotel event so much! I didn't see any mention of you closing the requests yet, so I hope they're still open! (Otherwise, feel free to delete this.)

I would really like Red Bean Mochi and Blueberry Muffins for Rollo? I adore the idea of him leaving one of those with just the most creepy undertones, and completely anonymous, because it's the only way he can sate these vile feelings for a little while :') But feel free to do whatever you want with the concept!

yandere!rollo flamm x (gender neutral) reader cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors, stalking, obsession, slightly morbid/dark thoughts note - thank you for checking in, dearest guest! enjoy your order! [lunar love hotel]

i. the diary of rollo flamm, in which you will find various love letter drafts and daily musings eloquently scrawled within perfumed pages.

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『1』

For the hour I remained in the café, you smiled a total of thirty-seven times, one smile per customer and one or two depending on coworkers you’re well-acquainted with. I would have counted your every laugh, every blink of your perfect, pretty eyes, but then that would be like counting your every breath, every heartbeat, and it would be impossible to come up with an accurate sum when you’re always so...alive. One breath could be two taken at once, and a single blink could simply be my own eyes shutting and opening before yours do. Therefore, it is impossible to truly quantify your every movement without looking completely, utterly, foolishly enthralled. 

I suppose this feeling is what you might call love. For all of the romances I have read and all of the romances I have witnessed in this city, whether intentional or not, the love I feel is not bitter or sweet like some might describe. It simply exists; it lights a crackling flame within the concrete hearth that is my heart. I should liken it to warmth—to linens fresh from the dryer or spiced mulberries or bright, dancing fire. It is comforting like the winter coat I don in order to combat this deathly chill. 

I have never felt this way before. 

Today, when I ducked inside to avoid the frigid snowfall outside, the bell above the door announced my arrival, and you were there at the register as always. You smiled at me, once when our eyes met and a second time when you had asked me how I was doing and I had said, “Cold.” You laughed, but I am not a comedian. I will not pretend to be one for your sake, but I appreciate your hospitality all the same. Your optimism, even if manufactured for the customer, is inviting. 

Perhaps you reserve such reactions for me?

I visit this café every Sunday at exactly 10:30 in the morning. It’s important to be methodical in every aspect of one’s life. Schedules are necessary; they create order and peace. I have visited so often that you know me as a regular. You know my name and how it’s spelled. You write your L’s slanted and your O’s pumpkin-shaped (most likely because Halloween is approaching and it’s your attempt at being festive, even if the O’s look more like obscure shapes than pumpkins). You look at me when I step over the threshold into a room of coffee-scented comforts and you say, “A warm croissant and a cup of classic espresso with milk and foam, right?” And I nod every time.

You know me well. I will know you even better. 

Your name tag reads (Name). It’s a lovely name. I could write lines of wonderful words describing the way it feels when I speak it to myself in front of a mirror or when I whisper it late at night as though it’s a secret. But I will not, as I am not usually very poetic, and that is a task suited for a poet, which I am not. 

Surely you have a surname. Most often do. However, in the event that you are lacking one or are not too fond of the one you currently possess, you are welcome to take mine.

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『2』

My first attempt at a love letter is as follows:

You are the warmth that melts icecaps and reshapes glaciers. No, not quite. Am I trying to compare you to the catastrophe that is global warming? Think romantically, Rollo. This is the City of Flowers, after all. Surely there are better phrasings...

You are melodious like the Bell of Salvation like the sweetest birdsong. You are warm and fluffy like a croissant. You are love incarnate. If I could pry you open rib by rib and live within your beating, blood-filled heart, we would be together forever. Bound eternally by flesh and blood.

These lines feel rather crude. How do romance authors capture the complexities of love so easily? Beautiful words come from the deepest pits of the heart, or so they all claim. The words I wish to tell you come from my very soul, yet I cannot seem to transcribe them here. Should I be direct? But then blunt honesty is not nearly as romantic as flowery prose.

Dearest, sweetest you,

For every smile you grant me, I live another year in good health. For every syllable of laughter and delight I hear, I feel inclined to give you the world, whether in ruins or not, if only to witness your happiness.

I suppose a start is a start, even if it’s a depressingly abysmal one. I hope this week passes fast. I’d like to see you as soon as possible for some much-needed inspiration and, of course, so I can watch you.

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『3』 

I arrived at the usual time, but you were too absorbed in conversation with a customer to notice me. I consider myself a fair, level-headed man, and for that reason envy is not usually an issue. But the casual manner with which that fool wrote their number on your arm, tattooing your perfect, pretty skin in sinful ink... You smiled and laughed with them, promising to call them after your shift, your perfect, pretty eyes ablaze with excitement or wonder or awe or... I’d much sooner poke them out with sewing needles than witness you fawn over numbers. I watched all of it from my place in line, gripping my handkerchief in such a tight fist my knuckles blanched. 

You should know jealousy makes a man like myself monstrous.

It’s important that I keep this diary to detail all of my innermost desires so that I won’t feel compelled to act on them. But in that moment I had wished that, if you were to receive a phone number, it would have been given to you on a piece of paper. Paper is easy to shred and discard and burn. It is not an easy feat to sever an arm from the elbow. 

But I can be patient, as I often am, so that you will come to love me in the same way I love you. 

I write this as I watch you flitting about behind the counter to prepare my espresso. I wonder if you ever catch a break. This café is quiet on Sunday mornings, but I’m certain it’s much more lively during the week. I wonder if it’s ever empty and you sit in here on your phone, waiting for something to happen. I wonder what positions you might like to try on the counter, the tables, the booth I’m sitting in...

I had to shut this diary momentarily when you came to deliver my order. Sometimes I wonder if you would share my sentiments on magic. I almost asked when we talked briefly. Your perfect, pretty fingers were drumming along the circular, silver tray as you looked at me, smiling your perfect, pretty smile. I asked if you were studying anything. You told me you were taking a gap year, and then you had asked if I was a journalist because, in your words, I am “always scribbling away with your nose in that book.”

I suppose I am, in some manner of the word. I smiled at you, sipping from my espresso, and said, “The subject I’m studying is very special. One-of-a-kind, you might say.” A poor excuse at flirting.

I am not a flirt, and I would never pretend to be one. I am genuine in all aspects of my life, especially when it comes to love. You must know this. 

You were going to ask me to elaborate, but the bell at the door announced the arrival of more customers and you drifted away from me with an apologetic smile. I caught sight of the number scrawled on your arm as you retreated. Magic could numb you well enough while I bring the blade down, so fast it will be but a mere flash. I should not cut your arm. I should not hurt you.

I should not love you to this extent. 

Like the Crimson Lotus, you are a vibrant, fiery temptation. I fear the contents of my chest have already been reduced to ash. 

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『4』

The Crimson Lotus requires adequate nutrients like any other flower, though such nutrients are distinctive to this species. Unlike normal blossoms, the Crimson Lotus is parasitic in nature, sustaining itself with magic. You might liken them to the average pest, whether human or insect, or a fire that will only grow when fed more fuel. I could compose an entire novel on cultivation techniques and facts. I could also set these flowers loose and watch them wreak havoc on the city. The students from Night Raven College will be visiting soon, with a certain Malleus Draconia being among them. I wonder if they’re fond of parting gifts, by which I mean parting with their oh-so-treasured magic.

I hope you aren’t a mage. If you are, I’m afraid I might have to hurt you.

Rambling aside, I shall try my hand at a love letter once again.

Dearest, sweetest you, 

You are the joyous scents and sounds of lively city streets, of bakers boasting fresh, fluffy bread, of florists flaunting floral arrangements in all colors and species, of townsfolk turning the city upside-down come festival time. You are the golden glow that befalls the land when the sun rises, and you are the silvery shimmer that swathes all who sleep under the moon’s watchful illumination.

You are the air I breathe. The air I need. You are the bell who should rightfully reside within the tower I will construct. The tower of my heart? The tower of true love? If I could climb inside your skin, I might come to know the real you.

Perhaps I should pick up another romance soon. I know nothing of poetry or love letters. 

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『5』

I followed you home today. 

I am a fair, level-headed man, and so for that reason I know not to cross the law. But can you possibly expect a man of my nature to remain lawful when he is in love? They say love should surpass all. Does this not include the law? Does this not include morals and standards? If love is so mighty and marvelous, then why might some label my actions wrong and wicked? Is this not just a form of protection?

I do not intend to scare you. I do not intend to make you feel unsafe. 

I followed you home today, and you did not notice. How could you when you had headphones on?

You live in an apartment on the third floor. If I counted correctly, you should be seventh or eighth from the entrance to the stairs, tucked neatly away near the end of the hall. Perhaps I should make a copy of your key so that I can immerse myself in your privacy. 

I am a fair, level-headed man, and so I will not steal anything. But if you do find something of yours has gone missing—whether a personal item or what you think is insignificant trash—I have merely borrowed it for my own use. I cannot promise whether I might return this borrowed item, but I can at least promise that it will be put to good use. 

I could construct a doll in your likeness. I would need clothing, perhaps hair, skin, teeth, a tongue to entwine around mine... That’s morbid, isn’t it? Fitting for Halloween, but grotesquely harrowing. A silent doll who resembles its human counterpart in all aspects but the vibrancy of life... I’d much rather have the real you than a patchwork doppelgänger. If I tried my hand at fashioning you from needle and thread, I would just create a corpse. There are artists who only paint pain and misery, hence why we now look at certain paintings and consider them cursed. I am not a poet or a doll-maker, so I will not write poetry and I will not stitch dolls together. 

I am not a villain.

The urge to knock on your door had seized me then, when I stood in the hall in front of what I assumed was your door, my fist raised in preparation to knock thrice. Superstition says that if you receive three knocks on your door or windowpane, someone you love will have been taken away by Death within three days, weeks, months. I suppose Death does not need to conform to time after which the three knocks have been granted. Well, I believe in no such things, and I am not Death. 

But you’ll certainly think I am when you can’t see me.

𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 『6』

Before I welcome the Night Raven College students, I visited you. You weren’t home. It was Sunday. 10:30 in the morning. I slid a letter under your door. Sugared thoughts are sealed inside with red wax. I’m not afraid to admit here that I am not entirely confident in my prose, hence why I’ve left it anonymous. I’ve penned the exact letter here for my sake, should I ever need to flip through these pages again to remind myself of the frustrations I conquered just to craft a single love letter. 

Dearest, sweetest you,

I have never felt this way before. When I spy you through the window, I feel as if the stars have aligned to fix the very fate which has led me to you. Your smile is invigorating; your laughter is an enchanting melody. Perhaps you reserve such reactions for me? In that regard, you know me well. I will know you better.

I am not a flirt, and I would never pretend to be one. I am genuine in all aspects of my life, especially when it comes to love. You must know this. Unfortunately, it’s saddening to see how easily you fall prey to simple pleasantries. Infuriating, almost. You should know jealousy makes a man like myself monstrous. But I can be patient, as I often am, so that you will come to love me in the same way I love you. 

Like the Crimson Lotus, you are a vibrant, fiery temptation. I fear the contents of my chest have already been reduced to ash. I should not love you to this extent.

I hope you aren’t a mage. If you are, I’m afraid I might have to hurt you, if only to show you right from wrong. I followed you home today, and you did not notice. How could you when you had headphones on? I do not intend to scare you. I do not intend to make you feel unsafe. I only wish to love from afar for now.

I am not a villain, but you’ll certainly think I am when you can’t see me. 

[metanarrates]

*sits in evil skull covered chair with a dark expression* it seems that everyone has forgotten my decree that we should post as if we are corny jrpg villains now, but I, however, have not. i sit alone, having not glimpsed even a scrap of evil monologuing besides my own. how disappointing. and I must admit, even I have not "committed to the bit" as necessary. sad, how one can become distracted from one's objective...

*sips red drink from an evil skull covered glass* but it was all in the pursuit of decrying "love" as the only qualifying lens of literary analysis, and indeed that is a worthy cause. "everything is about love"... bah! do they not understand that there are a million possible motives to create art? to exist within the world? do they not understand that an author may have something to say outside of an expression to love? how foolish. how... dull.

*lights a candle shaped like an evil skull* and what am I to make of the insinuation that one must love to be considered human? is it not enough to merely be human to begin with? to have all your motivations, all your passions, fractured and reformed to fit someone's image of "love"... what a sickening concept. what a narrow mindset. I cannot let myself be subjected to such treatment, despite considering myself a lover of many things. no, i shall define my experiences on my own terms!

*evil skulls start raining from the ceiling* listen to me, my beloved followers. hear me well, my despised foes. this world is full of such enthralling darkness. so many experiences outside of the realm of love. vital ideas that must be communicated! even if they make you squirm and writhe in discomfort, allow yourself to consider them all the same! perhaps you will learn something important! perhaps when you gaze into the abyss outside of love you will find something much more comfortable! and you may find that those ideas of love are nothing more than a prison!

*the evil skull 💀* AND NO MORE SHALL I LIVE UNDER THE HEEL OF SUCH SHALLOW VIRTUES! I, JPEG, SHALL END THE TYRANNY OF LOVE! AND ALL SHALL JOIN ME IN MY VILLAIN POSTING!

[yonemurishiroku]

If you could make literally any ship canon, which would it be? Go crazy. Have it make as little sense as possible. But only one may become canon.

This is actually quite a fun ask because I have so much to express regarding the matter of canon solely on the 'shipping' category.

I know this is not what you want to hear when you sent this ask, but just let me confess a few things.

I, with all due respect, am not fond of canon couples.

What does it mean? It means that most of the time, the canon couples or ships just don't seem that interesting to me compared to other crackships/ rare pairs/ crackcanon ships - basically those non-canon fanships in general. It's a strange thing, I know, that somehow a ship being official or not can affect the level of enthrallment it possesses to me, but this is quite true in my case (ofc there are some exceptions but let's just pass that).

It's not without reason that I rarely engage in the official BL content (once did, now refrain), and that most of the ships I invest in are non-canon. Because the moment a ship becomes official, it loses attraction to me. I'm still figuring it out, which proves to be quite difficult. Though, we'll not delve into it here.

Anw. With that being said, I'll change your question a little. Let's say the question is "What romantic attraction do you want to be canon?" - then the answer would be Percy to Luke.

Yeah point your pitchfork at me all you want but if you're wondering Why? then well, the reasons are simple:

The hints are THERE, okay!? I refuse to admit I'm delusional

It adds more layers of depth to their relationship (which includes their animosity ofc), which again adds more thrill to the story.

(Canon) Bisexual Percy could have been such a nice representation IMO (*muttering* At least better than whatever Rick's trying to convey through Will...)

Rick did Nico -> Percy pretty epic so I think it's within reason that Percy -> Luke could have been somewhat as thrilling. The parallel would have been absolutely astounding.

Percabeth would be ten times funnier. i stand by what I said.

It pisses off the fandom and I like to see the world burn

In case you're gonna ask, the attraction from Luke's side is not necessary. In fact, I think it'd be better if Luke merely considers Percy his mentee/enemy whereas Percy's sporting a crush and hatred at the other's betrayer.

It's more complicated that way.

I have a general idea of what more the story could bring were Percy's (romantic) attraction real but I don't think I can articulate it well enough just yet. Nonetheless, all I've got to say is that: love and hate are two sides of a coin, and feelings are just as messy as Arachne's spider web. If you can somehow weave both sides into a relationship, you'd have a deliciously paradoxical and beautifully complex connection with layers upon layers of emotions to unpack, which leave a heavy impression on the readers, which in turn makes that relationship the most excellent concept ever.

You have seen a similar one in Nico and Percy's history. I don't think Percy and Luke would be too far-fetched.

Another romantic attraction that I think would bring a nice touch to the story is Jason to Nico. It might or might not shine a new light on Jason's character, developing it further. However, the progress would feel insufficient with how Rick cut off Jason's roles too soon, which might end up making it sound queerbait-y, so we'll just leave it there.

Alas, a dream is a dream. And PJO is not a dark seinen manga in which more often than not all morals go to waste. I'll just content myself with my non-canon ships LMAO.

[violetsandfluff]

Nighttime Routine

concept from @reveriehs

Harry and Y/N had been doing their skincare together every night since she moved in with him. Their products created a long, colorful row across the bathroom counter, which they navigated with ease.

“Close your eyes,” you instructed as you peeled open one of your favorite face masks. It felt so cooling and refreshing, you were sure Harry would love it. You laid it gently on his face and his eyes widened in surprise before you coaxed them back shut. “If that feels good, wait ‘til you feel this.” You ran your jade roller all over his face, lifting it up rather than pulling it down.

Harry practically purred at the sensation, his head falling back against his neck. “Yeah,” he groaned.

“Yeah, H?” you questioned, and he gave you a lazy nod in response.

“Feels so smooth,” he moaned wistfully. “ ‘F only I had some of my own.”

“Too bad,” you piped cheerfully as you continued rolling the stone up his face. “It makes your skin feel so smooth, it’s almost unrealistic.”

“You are unbearably unrealistic,” Harry groaned, head still back. “Goddess.”

You let out a soft hum in place of a giggle as you finished massaging his face. You peeled off the mask, leaving him in awe of his smooth, hydrated complexion.

“Now what are you gonna do to me, Mr. Styles?” you asked, giving his bare chest a playful slap.

“I haven’t quite decided yet,” he replied as he examined you with a smirk on his face. “Maybe…”

You watched his eyes scan the array of products before him as he carefully selected his favorite face soap. “This.” He squeezed some onto his dampened fingers and lathered it onto your face. He rubbed gentle circles across every inch of it as you blushed subconsciously, a result of the attention from Harry.

His eyes were glittering before you, enthralled by your beautiful face.

“Who’s got you so bothered?” you inquired, to which he didn’t respond.

He only reached for his moisturizer and spread it across your face, taking extra care to be gentle.

“It’s so smooth,” you commented.

Then, it was your turn to pamper him again. “Close your eyes and pick.”

His fingers fumbled around a small brown bottle and he handed it to you. “What is it?”

“Anti-aging serum!” you exclaimed, your chipper tone driving him mad. “Just perfect!”

“I am not aging,” Harry contradicted, folding his arms in retaliation.

“You sure look a lot different that when I first met you,” you reasoned, dripping the golden serum onto his forehead and cheeks. “Obstinate, aging baby.”

He let out a growl at your words, but he wasn’t unhappy, because every word was spoken out of your adoration for him.

Your fingers worked the serum into his skin, and, when you’d finished, he looked in the mirror, claiming to have aged backwards. “I feel rejuvenated,” he remarked coyly. “I am your baby-faced baby again.”

“Shut up,” you hissed through your giggles.

Harry picked up your new vibrating contraption that was supposed to tighten your skin, and turned it on.

“How do I use this?”

“Press the button and put it on my face,” you explained dumbly.

He died as you instructed, letting the machine whir gently across your skin.

“I can’t see how this is tightening, but it makes me want to squish those precious little cheeks.”

“Ooh, Harry!” you exclaimed, causing him to nearly drop your gadget. “I have a lip scrub from Lush that I wanna try on you. Come closer.”

You opened the container, waving it beneath his nose so he could get a whiff of it.

“It’s called Watermelon Sugar,” you explained excitedly. “It’s perfect for you!”

“Oh, goody.”

You scraped some of the soft crystals from the jar and spread them across his pink lips, scrubbing them gently back and forth. When you were done, he couldn’t help but lick his lips in amazement.

“I can kiss you again!” you remarked, receiving a dirty look from him.

“Watch it missy,” he warned. “I could use that vibrater for things you cannot wrap your pretty little mind around.”

“Such as?”

“Oh… you know…” he began, scrambling for ideas. “Ah… rattling your face off, pussy torture? The usual.”

“The usual, hm?”

“I don’t know about you, love, but I feel like using the kiss facial right now.” With that, his mouth was all over your face, whether you liked it or not.

Taglist: @madybeth21 @fishingirl12 @sortingharryshairclip @groovychaosavenue

[positively--speculative]

Okay, but when I think of that dumb-dumb take on the book version Louis Pointe du Lac and his ownership of Black slaves that was all like, 'You all are dumb and media illiterate because clearly the point is to challenge you to be sympathetic towards awful people!'

And it's like, it's clear who is media illiterate because such a take reveals the lack of ability to understand the concept of *framing.* Rice framed slavery in a very neutral light and made Louis an obvious racist in the way he described his slaves. At no point is this ever challenged. At no point does Louis suffer any social consequences for it even in the present day. I mean, again, it very much illustrates how white audiences are not horrified by the atrocities of slavery, which is probably *why* this person can so easily pat themselves on the back for being able to sympathize with Louis while insulting the intelligence of Black people who prefer Jacob Anderson's Louis.

Like, if you want a better example of a gothic story that challenges the audience to be sympathetic towards horrible people, you need only look at Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. I remember when watching it for the first time, I was able to figure out really fast what the twist was going to be because I am pretty familiar with the kind of thing that goes down in gothic stories. And I think that made the movie an interesting experience for me because I wanted so badly to be wrong. I wanted Thomas to be good. I didn't *want* to have a crush on someone who I was pretty sure was having an incestual relationship with his sister and who was trapping wealthy women into marriage with the intention of murdering them. But the harsh reality of the story is that Thomas and his sister are bad. Thomas loves Edith, sure. Thomas tries to protect her from Lucille, yes. But he is still guilty. Lucille and Thomas are tragic characters. They were isolated from the world and abused by their mother. In different circumstances, they could have grown up to be good people...but they are also not blameless. The framing of their relationship is not good, nor is it neutral. Any reasonable person is as horrified as Edith is at the reveal. This man who she is DEEPLY in love with should not be kissing his SISTER that way. It's very clear the point isn't to walk away with the mindset of "incest isn't that bad actually" just because we're in love with Thomas and *want* him to be good.

The problem with the way Rice handles Louis is that no one, not even Daniel, is horrified that Louis not only owned slaves but did not even view them as *people*. And Daniel was the *perfect* opportunity for that. I mean, for fuck's sake! It was published in 1976. Daniel wasn't at all uncomfortable with this? I mean, perhaps he was enthralled at the idea that he's sitting across from a literal vampire, but that's the thing right there. That right there is the missed opportunity to do what Crimson Peak did so brilliantly. Maybe it's easy to be drawn to a handsome immortal, but his lack of remorse for owning slaves should, at the very least, make him UNCOMFORTABLE with his attraction towards him. And that's the problem with white Rice fans. She didn't challenge your own ideas. She didn't challenge your biases. If anything, she validated them, because CLEARLY none of you are uncomfortable with your attraction to white Louis despite his misdeeds. Despite his blatant racism. Despite his treating his Black slaves as disposable but is conflicted about taking WHITE human lives.

And this is not me saying that any of you have to like Jacob Anderson's version of the character. But the way some of you act so smug about your preference for the book version or even Brad Pitt's version and want to accuse Black people of having a lack of media literacy when you barely have a good hold on FRAMING is laughable. And the way a lot of you are acting like you have a better understanding of the gothic genre than anyone who prefers AMC IWTV is straight-up embarrassing. Read a different author besides Anne Rice, please.

[inkblot22]

can I just say …. how absolutely enthralled I am with your content … it’s not often I find someone who writes DARK dark content, I’m not saying that it’s bad n all but I find most dark content fics nowadays to not give me that sense of toxic or possessive love supposedly radiating from the s/os but with yours I can definitely experience the tingles and I love ittt!

also .. can I say how much I LOVE the pregnancy trope in media? **especially** if it’s forced or just accidental but they make u keep it anyways .. not sure if it’s implied the fetus is gone or not, but I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes us!!

Wow okay hello! Thank you so much, you're very sweet! It's rather funny that you say that about this series in particular, because Idia is insistent that he does not love his kitten lmao.

I apologize for rambling here, but regarding the toxic/possessive love thing, I think about it like this: the driving force behind an action will translate into said action whether the person wants it to, or not. I also grew up reading copious amounts of toxic or taboo fanfiction and stories. For instance, I remember when Infatuation was still getting weekly updates. Not sure if that helps or shows in any way, shape, or form, but The Dimensional Tune series and anything written by Rita Redswood (Darkened Warrior) also really lent to my creative exploration as a teenager. Wattpad has really gone downhill now, huh?

Beyond that, I am personally absolutely terrified of bearing a child. It is one of the only forms of horror that actually gets to me in a very genuine way. The very concept of having a life grow inside of you, whether you want it to or not, is nightmarish, not to mention the way that people who happen to birth a child are very often boiled down to simply being a womb with legs following bearing the baby. Not sure if that's a thing that happens everywhere, but a lot of birthing parents that I've been around have had their entire personalities removed in a social way and not by themselves following their children's spawning. Imagine having your personage ignored and deleted by people who knew you before you had a kid?

You caught me at an interesting time since I'm seriously trying to figure out what the next thing I want to post is. I have a few too many ideas bouncing around (read: four or so) Gonna put this next bit under a cut so no one gets spoiled if they aren't caught up on the Pants on Fire series.

Anyhow, what I'm getting at is that there is another part planned for the Pants on Fire series, so hopefully it answers any other questions or thoughts that happen to cross your minds. Also! To clarify, no, the fetus is still forming in the reader, miraculously so after that shock. They didn't get past their cervix with the hanger, either, possibly from trepidation or a loose grip. It's up for interpretation, but I absolutely should have been more clear. Later, when Idia said he would take care of their "little problem twofold," he was, in fact, talking about going back to The Isle of Woe for abortion/more permanent contraceptive purposes.

[livepoultryfreshkilled]

i'm well aware this is divorced from the original purpose of zombies but as they exist in modern pop culture and general knowledge i'd like to talk about my personal, emotional experience with them. the idea that is. never met a zombie in real life that i know of

okay so i do not like the walking dead, zombieland, apocalyptic horror (just taste based, not my thing, more anxiety/despair inducing than scary) but flicks like night of the living dead, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (!!), general concepts of zombies always terrify and enthrall me. the things that have always terrified me abt zombies have been

the degredation of your own humanity and loss of control over ur body and

the kind of suffocating inevitability of the real monster being the virus, because you can kill a zombie but you cant really kill a virus.

this of course has been obviously effected by the current pandemic, which has shown me how inescapable the need for human spaces and contact is, and how many people can be capable of infecting you at once. like just hordes of other human beings. werewolves are wolves and vampires are vampires but zombies are (often) dead people without the capacity for reason. just the loss of yourself not thru death but thru zombification and the lack of humanity in the enemy. there is only so much you can do to keep from being sick, and i fear and dread societal collapse in media, i hate loss i hate it when people don't have their things and i hate when they can't be with each other. as a child i developed a mild agoraphobia until i reasoned that zombies can't climb stairs so any elevated location is safe because people are all over this planet. theyre everywhere! zoo wee mama!

when i say scared i mean my kind of primal childhood fear reactions, because i had a really very bad fear of zombies when i was a smalltime. in terms of now, my conscious view of them, yall know i love izombie and i love in the flesh too, when it comes to classic monsters i pick zombies over vampires and werewolves. this is because i

always feel the need to pay attention to whatever or whoever is getting the least attention. it makes me sad that nobody wants to be a zombie because what if zombies saw that wouldnt they be sad. they dont have any powers they're the underdog here and that's my archetype

generally develop fixations on or fetishes for the things that scare me the most. i feel like me and zombies have been through a lot, they're the monster i grew up thinking about because i was scared of them, and there's this belief i have that monsters won't hurt you if you're kind to them instead of afraid, so it's sort of a coping thing i suppose

i think decay rot and disease and grossness and corruption of the flesh and dead bodies are sick + awesome + cool. totally rules. i LOVE the idea of conscious zombies because to experience the degredation and destruction of your body, but not through pain (werewolves) and to experience your own death but not in the sense of living beyond death alone, stretching into immortality (vampires) but like, being a corpse watching those around you treat you like one but feeling and thinking everything a human does is crazy. eating brains is crazy, thats thoughts, you cant feed on someone you love like a vampire that is permanently destructive and repulsive and messy. awesome

and so ends my catechism (i am going to keep talking about this)

[whumpsoda]

New vampire enthralling them to say that ‘you trust me more than anything, I’m your companion, and while you do not need to treat me as such, I am your new master’ is so good.

I bet it also creates a subconscious dynamic with no boundaries, sort of like silco and jinx if you know what I mean. With just blind trust, there’s no red flags to be seen. Vampire wants Nevan to sit on their lap to calm down? Seems fine to him! They want Malak to very suddenly go to sleep and get petted? Yep! Normal!

Plus they were in captivity for so many years their sense of being entranced is skewed. They have no idea

THISSS

THIS IS WHAT I WANTTT

This is what my carewhumper urges desire.

They’re so trusting of the vampire that they don’t really question them! Subconsciously, while they may not call them Master, that’s the role that they’re filling to Malak and Nevan. They’re so used to whatever master says goes, that there’s no reason to even question it!

And y’know the concept of boundaries hasn’t really been on their minds for like five years. Adrastus and Darius of course didn’t allow them anything of the sort! But, this new vampire, they’re so nice! They’re helping them get better! They’re completely honest and able to be trusted!! Why would Malak or Nevan ever think otherwise? :)

[rriavian]

I’m back with more unhinged thoughts. Now about episode 1 because there’s a specific scene in it that I’ve been obsessed with for months. Again, haven't read the comics, so this is purely based on what we've seen in the show so far. When the Corinthian goes to visit Burgess and they have their nice little ‘so you’ve kidnapped my creator’ chat (which again I could make a whole separate post on) Burgess asks 'what's the good of a god that governs dreams'.   

And the Corinthian is quick to correct him.

"Not a god." He says, then specifically adds. ‘More than a god’

And as much as I lean into descriptions of the divine in my fics (and as much as it’s still valid even if 'god' might not be the right word) there is a very clear difference here. It’s an idea I’ve toyed with in some of my wips—to be honest I’ve been thinking about it way too much—but I am just so enthralled by the question implicit in this and I have to talk about it.

What is more than a god?

It could refer to how the world of the sandman includes quite a number of different pantheons other than the Christian one, with various deities represented within it. And the Endless themselves are ranked quite highly in terms of ‘who is the most powerful being in the universe’. The line is a good way to contextualise just how powerful Dream is, both to the viewer and to Burgess, but I don’t really want to stop here so let’s dig a little deeper.

So, what is a god?

Belief. Worship. A creator to be sure but they are usually of something (god of the sea, god of music ect) but Dream isn’t really of dreams. He is dreams. More the primal power itself rather than a being with the ability to control an element. And his sphere of influence isn’t limited to humans either. His threat to the demon Squatterbloat in hell shows that, as does his threat to Lucifer. The Corinthian knows how Dream can affect other immortals, other inhuman creatures.

He's a dream to them too. And he can just as easily be a nightmare.

A personified manifestation of a concept could still be considered a definition for a god, depending on the interpretation, but gods also traditionally divine power and prestige from belief. I haven't read the comics but I believe this aligns with how the gods of the sandman universe work within it. There's also a whole point about them being stories, derived from the Dreaming, and so more than a god is literally saying they come under Dream's power.

But this touches on some of the comic lore I'm not so familiar with and my point still stands.

Gods have temples dedicated to them, demand prayers, need humanity to believe in them to maintain prominence. They interact with human power structures; religion often instructs how a believer should live, sets rules for how to best please their god, a manual for the best way to worship essentially a shortcut for how to stay in a gods good graces. They can fade away if nothing in our world grounds them, if they aren’t remembered.

But Dream doesn’t need any of that.

None of the Endless really do. They aren’t affected by it in the same way. It doesn’t matter if humanity believes in them or not. It matters that humans are human. And as long as we are human, we will dream.

Dream is more than belief.

You can also see it in how he acts. Dream dresses quite simply most of the time, blends in rather than stands out. He doesn’t care enough about other peoples assessment of what’s powerful to pander to it. He doesn’t derive power from how others perceive him and power can't be taken just because someone doesn't consider themselves under his sway. There is a whole other point I could make here about Dream's dynamics with his creations, but I'm going to leave it at how he doesn't really need them to worship him either. Dream doesn't care if you're a follower, if you're a believer, because it makes no difference to what he can do to you.

So going back to the scene. The Corinthian knows all of this, but Burgess doesn’t (honestly he doesn't even know that he was trying to summon an Endless) and I think it’s very telling that the Corinthian focuses his advice on how to keep Dream trapped.

At no point does he make a suggestion about how to get him to cooperate.

And it's because he knows that Dream won't.

To me this is the line that signifies the difference. A god is a familiar concept to Burgess, has a relationship with humanity that he can, and through all his research probably does, understand. For him this is a scientific pursuit, a cold equation to get his son back, and he thinks that logic and reasoning will allow him to use mysticism as a tool. He thinks he's taken the power out of it, has drawn back the curtain to reveal there's nothing there, has mastery over it because he doesn't hold any worship for it.

Burgess knows (or thinks he knows) what can have power over a god. He tried to summon Death on that assumption, so he must also think he knows something of how to bargain with one.

His assessment is flawed, though Burgess doesn't realise it, and even after the conversation with the Corinthian he continues treating Dream as a god. He does it even as he shows no respect for him at all, no deference, no basic decency, because he thinks that's how to prove he isn't beholden to him. Burgess thinks that because he’s taken Dream’s tools he’s taken his power, that because he has him trapped he has a hold over him, has leverage.

Burgess thinks he knows what Dream is.

The Corinthian is trying to tell him he doesn’t know shit.

[jacqcrisis]

every time you throw out a new concept or writing snippet i am on the edge of my seat enthralled i have known the king and the wizard for ten seconds and i'm already insane over them

Thank you! I used to not post anything related to my ideas or writing on here really, but now I use it to keep track of random ideas I come up with and gel with so I don't forget them like I usually do. I don't have much of a plan to do anything with a lot of them per say, but sometimes I'll revisit it with fresh eyes to develop more or reuse it as an AU for a fanfic. I'm very happy to see people enjoy the concepts in the meantime :D

[lioncunt]

i love hearing your opinions on all the characters!!

what do you think about claudia?

thank you so much!!! 🥹🥰

and ohhhhh my. my daughter my GIRL

first impression: kirsten dunst claudia (again when i was 15) and i loved her INSTANTLY she played the fuck out of that part, i loved how gleefully evil she was and her rage and torment and just the LOOK and concept of her was so fucking cool to me!!!!! i was devastated when she died, it broke me to pieces. her and tomstat were my favorite parts of the movie and i think they’re the reason i have such a deep love for claudia’s relationship with lestat, because you could just feel all the complicated love and hate between them in the film. when i read the book, i felt much the same way, but i understood her hatred of lestat even more and i was further enthralled by her predicament. i loved her reasoning for killing him, how it was for HER, how it was revenge for dooming her, for not seeing her beyond anything but a dress-up doll who will never change, for not taking her seriously, for this selfish act of creating her for his and louis’ sake. i loved how she took back her ownership of herself, how she’s the truest vampire because she has no memory of being a human, and how she’s always the smartest person in the room. i also was touched when i read the history behind her character and the tragedy of michele rice, so claudia holds a lot of meaning for me in that way as well.

impression now: just like with louis, the show took this character and elevated her to new heights. i again loved her instantaneously on the show, she was so DELIGHTFUL in episode 4 i fell completely in love with her all over again. the change to her age and backstory adds a whole new dimension to her character, and the acknowledgement of how her predicament affects her love life is soooo horrifying and tragic. episode 4 remains my favorite of the series, i feel like it’s such a complete arc contained in a single episode for her and i love it so much. i adore how bailey played her, her acting is phenomenal ESPECIALLY in her “who am i supposed to love” monologue, the change from her innocent childlike personality to the angst-driven teen to the bitter adult is fucking exquisite, i want everyone to award her for her work it’s better than 90% of performances i’ve seen this year. the relationship between her and louis in this adaptation is sacred, this complicated dynamic from parent-child to brother-sister and then even further where she ends up almost parenting him is so fascinating and disturbing and bittersweet and i tear up if i think about them too hard. my only qualm is i feel she deserved to stab lestat 90000 times more in this version but alas it was not to be. as for book claudia my impression is pretty much the same except that i LOVE her ghost hallucination appearance in body thief i think she should haunt lestat every day of his life and in hell too!

favorite moment: like i said above “who am i supposed to love” brings me to tears every time. also when she mocks lestat choking on his blood fjdksk and in the book “i’ll put you in your coffin father” is the most iconic line i WISH they kept it in

idea for a story: madeleine being the same age and them having a romance is something i’ve wanted for a year now, it’s probably not going to happen in the show given the actress playing maddie’s age but i’d still love to see it in a fic

unpopular opinion: in the book, i feel people get caught up in whether claudia was morally right in killing lestat, and to me, it’s more about how it was an act for HER. she did it for Herself, no one else. it doesn’t matter whether she was right or wrong to do it. she needed to be free of him. in the show, i think she should have killed even more innocent people :)))))) fill up the river with bodies babe drown out the pain ur doing great

favorite relationship: non romantic relationship in the book is her and lestat, and in the show it’s her and louis!

favorite headcanon: she is a LESBIAN

[the-alice-of-hearts]

the concept of angel!jason/demon!tim has been living rent free in my head since i saw your post about it, & i just wanted to say thanks xD

Whoops just saw this.

You're welcome!

I am obsessed with it and want to work on it next because I love the idea of writing them as kids, and just exploring more touch-starved Tim becoming Robin.

If you are interested I have actually explored the concept some in my no capes college au for them. here that's the series, mind the ratings on the individual fics, some are explicit.

in honor of I have thoughts and you prompted them:

Tim shivered and looked around the large ballroom of the museum. His parents expected him to be good tonight, but it was hard when he was so lightheaded. They had fired another one of his nannies so he had been alone all week. The books his mother had given him said he should be able to go longer without attention, but he was beginning to think that they were wrong. His father steered him toward another couple who were dying to get their attention and introduced him to them. "This is of course my son Timothy," Tim looked up and shook the man's hand and then kept his head down. The grownups were going to be talking for a while, so he had time to watch others. When he got the chance to slip away from his father and the business associate he took it and quickly got out of the main hall.

Jason sighed and rolled his eyes. Dick was talking to one of the girls his age and she seemed to be enthralled by the Djin act he was keeping up. Jason was just bored, and he wanted out of the stupid suit. His wings were molting so everything was itchy and he just wanted to go home and take a hot bath. Unfortunately, he was stuck here. Bruce was putting on his 'Brucie Wayne' act and Dick was ignoring him so he decided to slip away. He had gotten out of the main hall and was slipping down one of the side hallways on the way to the star exhibit when he heard someone else's footsteps. Jason pressed himself against the wall and looked around the corner. There was a kid who looked a few years younger than him walking down the hall humming to himself. Jason stepped around the corner and smiled. Maybe he and the kid could ditch together.

"Hey," he called out.

The kid spun around but tripped over the air and fell onto the ground with a loud thud. Jason ran over and knelt down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" He reached out and pulled the kid up slowly. "Are you okay?"

The kid's eyes fluttered open. "Sorry, I think I fainted."

Jason looked him over. "Whoa, you don't look too hot. Should we find your parents?"

"No!" There was a flash of fear on the kid's face. "It's nothing. I'm fine, don't bother them."

"You tripped over nothing and passed out." Jason raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't spell fine to me."

The kid mumbled something in return, looking away from him.

"What was that?" Jason asked, tilting his head.

"I said, I'm just a little touch starved. I'll be fine."

Jason blinked and really looked at the kid for a moment and then sighed. "Oh," he breathed out.

"I should go." The kid pulled away from him but Jason didn't let go.

"You're gonna pass out and hurt yourself if you don't feed, kid," Jason reasoned.

"I'll be fine." He pulled again.

"Feed on me. I have the energy. Besides, I'm not gonna let some baby incubus die in the museum." Jason offered. He hadn't seen an incubus since he had been living on the street, but this kid clearly wasn't in any shape to be looking out for himself, and Jason was full of raw energy.

"I'm not an incubus." The kid responded, glaring at him. "This wouldn't be a problem if I were an incubus."

"You said you're touch starved?"

"I'm a succubus." The kid mumbled.

"Oh..." Jason looked at him again. "Well, how do I feed you?"

The kid looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm not gonna feed from some stranger!"

Jason smiled. "Well, I'm Jason Todd, what's your name?"

"Tim Drake."

"There, we aren't strangers anymore, and I don't want you to starve here. So, how do I feed you?" Jason tilted his head trying to be as noncombative as possible.

Tim blushed and looked away again. "Just, uh, hug me?"

"I can do that." Jason pulled him into a hug and Tim buried his face in the crook of Jason's neck.

"You're sure?" he whispered.

"Absolutely. I have more than enough energy, just don't bleed me dry." Jason laughed holding Tim tight.

"Okay," he whispered again, and then Jason felt the pull on his energy. Slowly Tim stopped shaking and then the pull was gone. Tim pulled back to look at Jason in awe. "You're amazing."

"You look a lot better." Jason couldn't help himself and he leaned in and kissed Tim on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better." Tim giggled.

"Jay!" Dick's voice came from the entrance to the hall. "There you are!"

Jason looked over and Tim scrambled to get out of his lap. "Sorry."

"What is it Dick head?" Jason asked, standing up.

"B was looking for you. It's time to go." Dick looked between them and tilted his head.

"Hello." Tim gave a shaky smile and Dick beamed at him.

"Are you a friend of Jason's?" He asked.

Tim looked at him and he smiled and nodded. "Y-yeah. We're friends. I'm Tim."

Dick laughed. "Well good, Jay needs some better friends."

"Shut up." Jason rolled his eyes and turned back to Tim. "Call me sometime okay?" He pulled out a pen and grabbed Tim's arm.

Tim smiled as he finished writing his number on his hand. "I will. See you later! Thank you again!"

Jason pulled him into another hug and then turned to follow Dick.

"Soooo, someone made a friend?" Dick asked.

"Shut up," Jason growled.

[words-after-midnight]

Writing questions tag

Hopping on an open tag from @mjjune bc this looks fun!

Tagging: @catchingbigfish, @calicoy, @authoralexharvey, @daisywords, @talesofsorrowandofruin & open tag

1. What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you've ever had?

Life in Black and White. Always will be.

2. Is there a question you've been asked in the past that really stands out to you and you still think about sometimes?

"What do your protagonist and antagonist have in common?" 🫠

3. What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

The emotionality and catharsis of it. I love creating interesting characters and tweaking plot points and bringing my ideas to life. I love working on a challenging story/concept. I love the feeling of being absolutely enthralled by and obsessed with my own story and/or character(s).

Things I like less: my own perfectionism re: writing and how it can hinder my progress (why can't things just come out the way I see them in my head?), struggling with plot holes, descriptions, rounding out side characters (my stories are usually VERY focused on like one to three characters, so side characters tend to be a challenge for me), the ENTIRE way the publishing industry is right now.

4. What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

I don't really lack motivation to write unless I have a block, which typically has little to do with motivation for me. Writing is like breathing to me. I wouldn't be me without it.

5. What is the best piece of advice you've ever read or been given as a writer?

"Write the book you want to read," or maybe just "trust your instincts."

6. What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

The significant ways in which writing and my projects would impact and ultimately help shape who I am as a person.

7. What is your favorite story you've written TO COMPLETION? Link it if you'd like and can!

Life in Black and White (sorry to be repetitive!)

8. What is your favorite out-of-the-box quote?

Is this referring to an out-of-context quote/line from a project? If so, my favorite line from Life in Black and White is "the symbolism is frightening."

9. Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

Honestly there are a few contenders here, but I have to give it to Gabriel (Life in Black and White). I can't tell you why, so I won't go into details on how I feel about it. My overall thoughts on Gabriel can be summed up in one word: conflicted.

10. If you when you first started writing met you now, what would younger you think?

Probably something along the lines of "What the hell happened?"