#i'm obsessed with her and her swamp i want to live in there

[sawyerconfort]

songbird | misty day x reader

 Well, here I am, writing and opening the imagines for American Horror Story: Coven over here.

I was dying to write something to post here again and this one came to mind because firstly I love Misty and she deserves all the love in this world and secondly because I love this song, I love Fleetwood Mac and I love Christine McVie forever.

I hope you like it anyway.

There are open requests and a list of prompts if you want, just click here!

Enjoy!

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Prompt: You go through the same problem as your older brother: the fact that you fell in love with a witch. But Misty is different, and will show you that love is not wrong, even with tragic fates awaiting you.

* * *

Fate couldn't be crueler to you.

It was hard to look at her and know that the two of you would possibly have little time to enjoy each other's company, or that you would have to kill her soon, or that it would hurt her. And mostly it was even harder to admit to yourself that you loved her and that you didn't want to lose her.

It hurt to look at Misty and know you would have to do this. You would have to end it without asking permission or changing the fate of the thing. Either way, she'd come back to life, and you'd need to stay far enough away that you never cross paths with her again, avoiding the guilt and pain that would come later.

It was an easier task for Hank, that was for sure. Your brother was the husband of a witch - Cordelia Goode, the daughter of the Supreme - and he seemed to be fine with the fact that one day he would have to watch her bleed. But he was older, had more experience, and had stronger blood than you.

Every night, you found yourself dreaming of the ultimate moment. You'd barely close your eyes and wake up sweating with flashes of a dagger being plunged into Misty's chest, or a silver bullet going through her chest. And she woke up when she saw you having nightmares, and you had to hide your discomfort, leave the cabin in the swamp and drink water far away so as not to prolong the conversation.

That would kill you first then her.

And the worst part is that your girlfriend didn't suspect anything.

* * *

There you were, training, devising new strategies so you wouldn't have to suffer in completing your mission, internally fighting your desire to end it all and the desire to burst into tears, knowing your father would never forgive you for it.

“Hey, cutie...”

You heard Misty's voice and, in fright, you hit one of the professional darts in the target, causing a hole bigger than it should have been. You turned to her and gulped as your dream passed like a gust of wind in front of you and brought the painful sight of her clutching her chest to her eyes.

“Are you all right? You're a little pale... Haven't you had your morning sun today, my love?”, she asked, showing the concern that took over when she was near you, and that left your heart completely melted.

“I'm fine,” you insisted. “What do you need, Misty?”

Cover-up. Don't feel. She can't guess. Her powers aren't that great yet.

“Oh yes, I came because… I found something out there and I wanted you to explain it to me,” she said, taking you by surprise. In her hand was a dagger, your dagger, and you swallowed harder. “You haven't been killing animals to eat the meat, have you? You know I don't like that..."

"No, I..."

You realized that your vision was getting blurred, that you were about to pass out and you sat down - or rather threw yourself - on the ground. Misty knelt next, those eyes you loved that were north of you staring at you with all the love in the world.

“You can trust me, (Y\NN), I swear, I won't judge you,” she whispered.

"I'm... I..."

“You're one of them, right? One of the hunters that occasionally shows up here to kill witches and the others...”, she replied, her voice low, deciphering everything. “Yeah, I knew it. From the beginning, I was just waiting for you to tell me.”

You looked at her in disbelief and her eyes lit up because she was smiling and you were crying. Misty didn't seem mad or disappointed in you at all. You couldn't decipher what that look and that smile meant.

"Did you knew? How did you knew?"

“Your dreams,” she said. "You didn't know it, but you talk in your sleep, and without meaning to, I end up hearing you calling my name and begging me to forgive you, or screaming... It's not on purpose, I swear, it's just... inevitable."

You were speechless. Looking at your girlfriend and getting that beautiful, generous look in return, you'd wonder how you managed to get so lucky. There was nothing that could change the fact that you loved Misty one way or another, not even your family.

“But hey, can you listen to me for a minute, honey?” she continued whispering, sitting down next to you and using her hand to hold yours. “It's okay, you don't have to feel guilty about this, okay?”

You did not answer. You couldn't find the words to say.

“I suppose the size of your pain, I imagine how difficult it must have been for you to deal with all of this, I can understand, even though I don't feel it. But you must know that nothing, nothing, and no one in this world will be able to change what I feel for you. The love, the care, the affection, the desire I feel for you...”, she smiled. “And you know, deep inside you, that you don't want to do that. And that you won't do it.”

She slowly ran her fingers through yours and smiled sadly.

“I love you, (Y\NN), and I just need you to know that, no matter what happens between us,” she kept saying. “I promise with all my heart that I will make an effort and I will do my best to be by your side and help you get through this whole idea. You are not a failure just for having feelings and not being able to do what your family does, you know that, right?”

You looked at her. “Misty...”

“I promise, with all my heart, my love. I promise that starting with today, you won't have to go through this anymore if you don't want to. And it won't be wrong, ever, because I'll be here by your side, and I'll love you until the last beat of my heart. If need be, I'll give you the world, to make up for the weight of all this burden. But you're not alone and you never will be, do you hear me?"

She brought your faces close and kissed you tenderly, brushing a strand of hair from your face and cupping your cheek reflexively, resting her hand there.

“I forgive you, my love. I forgive you because you are different from them”, she whispered. “You would never hurt me, I know that. And I won't let anyone hurt you either, not even me. You deserve all the love in the world, all the support, and all the validation, and I'm here to give you that and more.”

You smiled and kissed her once more, sniffling. Misty wiped away some of your tears and smiled the same smile as always, biting her lip and squeezing the hand that was still holding yours.

“Thank you, Misty. I promise I won't try anything against you. I promise from the heart.”

She laughed. “Okay, okay, cutie, I believe you, is that okay?”, you nodded and kissed her again. As you pulled away, Misty looked at you and away. “But now, please let me get rid of that awful pallor of yours, babe. Let's get some morning sun and take the opportunity to visit my garden halfway through. We have some beauties to water and ressurrect.”

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug on the Jedi in 'The Clone Wars'

Y'all have asked, and Dr. Meat Muffin might be a disgruntled old hag that chugs too much Trader Joe’s bourbon and doodles too much subpar art, but she keeps her promises!

Just so y’all know, if you’re a major character (Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, etc) you keep your name, because it was drilled into Doug’s head over 8 seasons of Clone Wars and the movies. Everyone else, though, Doug gave up and created his own catchphrases for them.

CW: This one's not as spicy as Doug's previous rants regarding Star Wars, but y'all know if y'all know. "It'll all come out in the wash."

--------------------------------------

Plo Koon: Ah, Shrimp Daddy. He looks like a shrimp that’s been boiled and left in the sun after a potluck. But my wife LOVES him, she says he has the nicest voice and she wishes he’d narrate some books. I loved him too, he was my favorite. That scene where he tells his clone boys in space that they’re important to him? Ah great. They should have him lead HR meetings. 

Aayla Secura: Babe-the-Blue-Jedi. They sent her away from the Temple because Yoda didn’t want that hotness distracting everyone. Is she and Miguel (Bly?!) dating? They are, right? 

Kit Fisto: Reggae Swamp Thing. Tell me that boy don't look like he lives in the Atchafalaya and bangs on the steel drums all day. I wonder if he stole those shorts from Michael Phelps. He’s cool but does he need to have a tank to swim in on his ship? Does he have gills? I need more info on this guy. 

Adi Gallia: Storm’s Cousin. Doesn’t this chick look like her? She does, right? Maybe she's a Jedi cause she can't control the weather. Didn’t Maul’s brother Saul impale her on his horns and that’s how she died?* Why didn’t Maul do that to Obi-Wan? Maul was obsessed with Obi-Wan, do you think it’s because he had a crush on him after he sliced him in half?

(Doug also ships Obi-Wan with Maul now? IS THERE ANYONE WHO DOUG DOESN'T SHIP OBI-WAN WITH?!)

Shaak-Ti: Ahsoka’s Aunt. They’re totally related. (“No, they’re not.” “Says who?” “Um, EVERYONE?!”) She’s cool, nice to the clone boys. I like her horns. 

Saesee Tiin : Angry Bull Boy. He looks like a minotaur whose daddy left him at a Wal-Mart instead of the Labyrinth after drinking too much.

Deepa Billaba: My Coworker Anu. Seriously! She looks JUST LIKE HER. I even texted her a screenshot, and she used that as her Slack Channel picture for the longest time. Nice lady, she's a good master to Lil Kanan. Hm, Lil Kanan sounds like a rap person my niece would listen to.

Ki-Adi-Mundi: Mutant-Mall-Santa. Look me dead ass in the eye and tell me the man don’t look like he was supposed to hand out presents and ask kids what they want for Christmas and ended up hanging out in toxic waste instead. He's a snotty asshole, I don't like him, he thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow.

Luminara Undali: Lady-in-Drape. She’s a green lady, and she wears a drape. Meat Muffin, I'm tired and it's about to snow.

Barriss Offee: Little Lady-in-Drape. Man, she was awful, but she had good points, ya know? Kind of like Darth Maul. Do you think Darth Maul and Obi-Wan ever dated? Or would Obi-Wan’s boyfriend get jealous? 

Quinlan Voss: College-Hippie-Boy. Doesn’t he just look like one of those goofs that fart around with hackysacks all day long? I'd buy weed from him if he was selling, he looks like an exporter and consumer, if you know what I mean.

Even Piall: Dobby the House Jedi. Man he looks like he was on his way to help Harry Potter or something and ended up in a bathrobe with a light saber. Ah well. 

*= Savage is ‘Saul’ and Feral is ‘Paul’. So it’s Maul, Saul, and Paul. I strained a muscle laughing when I got this. 

Tagging my Redneck Doug stans here! @amalthiaph @sued134 @eyecandyeoz @thecoffeelorian @merkitty49 @megmca @skellymomam I missing anyone?

Let me know if I missed any Jedi, those were the ones that came up that Doug didn't immediately recognize.

[tan1shere]

Okay I am obsessed with film wife! Can you do like a fight imagine? Maybe the reader and Miko get into a huge argument but have to act like everything is okay to everyone else. (With whatever ending you choose) I just wonder how she’d be in an argument.

Make it up to you

Young Miko x Female reader !

A/n: at your service 😌 enjoy everyone !!

Summary: you both work alot, but Miko has been taking some time off, to have a break. Not for the best reasons. So when you ask nicely the morning before the incident, to do some things around your shared apartment and come back to them not been done. All hell breaks loose. But don't worry she will make it up to you ;)

Warnings: angst, smut, so mdni. Fingering (r!receiving) bathtub sex ?? Mentions of drinking, fair warning I do not speak Spanish so there probably won't be anything in here apart from some names 🙃

Masterlist

She's coming through the door. She had been drinking, you could smell the tangy stench from your stance in the living room, of your small apartment you and Miko shared.

Later that morning

"Hey, do you think you can do a few things for me while I'm at work?" You ask the silvery blonde sitting on the couch, watching TV. She hums. "Miko?" As you say that she looks at you. But briefly. "Yeah yeah sure, whatever you need baby." You put your shoes on. "Just the dishes and the laundry thats piling up in the wash house." You grab your keys, but not before giving her a kiss goodbye. "Please do those things I asked." You smile at her sweetly, she nods in return.

"This is the 4th night in a row you've been out." You speak dryly. You dunno what's gotten into her but she's spiraling. "So what." She shrugs, closing the door and beginning to take off her shoes. "María." Oh she's fucked. "What the hell is up with you, do enlighten me because I'm getting sick of this behavior." She scoffs. "What are you my mother." You furrow your brows at that statement. "I'm swamped with so much shit at work the least you could do is tidy up a bit around here. In our home." She doesn't say anything. You go closer to her. "Baby just tell me what's bothering y-" She looks at you with anger. "You wanna know why I've been out drinking huh? Why I'm taking a break from work. I have absolutely no motivation and all I feel like doing is nothing." She spat, stomping closer to you. You back up a bit confused by this sudden behavior. "And I don't need you nagging me to do stuff all the god damn fucking time." You stare at her. "There's no. Need to take it out on me." She rolls her eyes. "That's the thing. I want to take it out on you. You're infuriating."

Shock. Disbelief. Did she really just say that. Your face softens, you slowly look down. "Maybe you should be the one made to do the dishes." She pokes your shoulder making you move it slightly, grabbing onto it. Feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes. You wanted to say something, but you just couldn't. So instead you go into your guys room, letting them slowly fall as you grab her pillow and chuck it at her. "You're a fucking asshole." You look at her with the tears streaming down. She's fucked up big time. And she realizes in that moment. "Bab-" But you don't hear it as you slam the door in her face. Curling up on the bed. All you wanted was something nice to come home to. Come home to your loving girlfriend to have some time with her, coming back to a nice clean apartment. After an awful day at your boring job.

But there was none of that. None of her at all. You came home to a mess, making your stress levels increase, making you stress more to find she wasn't even home to greet you. She was out drinking like some old man, who was wishing his life away. That's not Miko. At all. You didn't want to think any longer, bringing the sheets over your body. Crying yourself to sleep.

You woke up early the next morning like you usually did. Getting ready to enter hell, putting on a smile. Miko was never awake at this time so you prayed you didn't have to conversate with her until atleast later on in the evening. You leave your guys shared room to see her on the couch, dead asleep. You let out a tiny breath of relief. Heading out the door quietly to go to work.

You try to get the right key about to open the door. You had come home later and let's just say you were very tired. You were fully expecting Miko to be gone. Again. But confusion washed over you when you smelt food? You open the door more to see the table set with a full meal. You look around. Dishes, clean. "Miko?" You call out, as you set your stuff down. You look into your apartment further hearing a tap going, you head for the bathroom seeing her kneeling at the bath putting some bubbles in there and fixing up a few last things. You melt at the fact she's done all this.

She notices your presence. Quickly standing. "I uhm. I apologize for last night, and- the many nights before." She sighs but continues. "It was wrong of me to say what I said it truly was. You work so hard, I never really realized nor appreciated it. You're amazing and to have to deal with my ass like you do is amazing. Again, I'm so deeply sorry." You smile at her, immediately going to kiss her with so much passion. "Thank you for all of this. But I just want to say. You can come to me my love. If you're going through something I'm here, always will be. You don't needa go off drinking like some middle-aged man. You have me." You say with so much adoration. She smiles at you and nods. "I love you."

"I love you." After a moment she gestures for you to follow her. "I cooked." Your smile widens. You love when she cooks for you, she makes the best food. "It smells amazing baby." That made her truly happy inside. "I'm so glad you like it." She kisses your cheek and joins you at the table.

As you finish you lean back into your chair. "Ah ah- I already planned your bath, then you can have some well needed rest. I might of gotten you the day off.. For 3 days." You look at her, even more confused then you were, when you came in. "How- what- huh?" She nods, going to stand. "I did some persuading." She winks at you, earning a light chuckle from your lips. "I missed this. Us having our meals. You." She rubs your arm. "I won't let what happened last night happen ever again. It was wrong and hurtful, again I'm so sorry mama." You just hug her, feeling so grateful for what you had with her.

"Right bath time. Go get ready- we'll un ready rather. But go do that and I'll get you the last things you'll need." You get on your tiptoes to kiss her, scurrying off to the bathroom, the smell was beautiful and calm in there, the lights were a lil dim only source of light was from the small candles littered around. You undress, hoping in and letting out a content sigh, closing your eyes as you let the warmth go over your body. Miko comes in with a fresh towel and your night clothes. Setting them on the counter. She gives you a smile before leaving. "Wait-" You make her stop in her tracks. Turning to face you.

"Please join me, will you?" She begins to walk back in taking her shirt off, and everything else getting in with you. You move so she can squeeze in behind you, putting her arms around your torso and holding you close. "Thank you." You say with a genuine smile. "You're so very welcome." A comforting silence fell upon the room. Until it started to get steamy, and no not because of the water temperature. Her hands start to slowly move over your body. Inching closer to where you need her. "Please.." You blurt out. She hushes you gently. "I will, promise. I wanna take care of my girl." You bit your lip as her hand came closer. Closer. Then boom, that amazing feeling of her fingers sent a shockwave through your body, reaching her destination. You let out a soft moan, feeling her fingers creeping to your center.

Slipping them in with ease, she began to move them in you. Adding another finger, stretching you out. You let your head fall back onto her shoulder. "Good apology?" She breathes out watching as you begin to grind your hips down on her hand. "Mhmm-" You let out, cutting it short with yet another moan. "F-feels so good." "Only the best for you mama, only the best." You bit your lip as she increases the speed, letting your mouth hang open as you near your orgasm. She feels it, feels you clench. "There you go, cum for me mi amor." The name rolled off her tongue effortlessly. Not the only thing she can do with that tongue. You let go almost immediately. Letting out the most pretty sounds (according to her) she continues until you are completely finished. Removing her fingers, and using her other and to brush hair out of your face. It was safe to say, she was never going to do what she did again.

[redbuddi]

Just went through your Phantom Redux tag and I like it so far!

I'm kinda curious about the Fenton family in this concept now. Any major changes from the original you'd like to share?

Yup!

When MILF meets DILF (Apologies for the awkward Jack design, I am bad at drawing large lads, this design is not final)

A lot of the core of the OG family will remain more or less the same, but like with Jazz slight tweaks need to be made to match the newer dynamics of the story.

Like in the OG series, Jack and Maddie are a couple obsessed with ghosts and ghost-hunting, despite never having found a ghost. I do have slight backstories for them this time, but these are details that would mainly exist in the background and probably won't ever come to the forefront.

For Maddie she had always been interested in ghosts, growing up in the swamps countless myths and stories were told to her and she had numerous encounters that made her adamant that ghosts were real. She studied hard and eventually got into a prestigious college on a scholarship, where she first met Jack and Vlad, and the story from there is the same as in the show.

She is loving, supportive, and fiercely protective of her children, and this in itself fuels her desire to hunt ghosts. From an early age she was taught to fear ghosts and other supernatural entities, and she wants to protect her family from any threats that may arise. However, ironically, it's this obsession with protection that makes her more absent from her kids lives than she probably should be. Even after Danny's accident, she still is obsessed with fighting ghosts, and the fact that tangible ghost threats show up shortly after certainly doesn't help.

She is sensitive to the fact that Danny and Jazz have grown distant, but is assuming that they're just rebelling as teens do. Still, it does kind of hurt the way Jazz doesn't seem to respect her work, and how neither kids seem interested in ghost-hunting, and as the story goes on this tension will only build.

Jack, on the other hand, is from old money, a family of ultra-rich and successful scientists, but like Maddie he developed an intense fascination with ghosts that wouldn't go away no matter what his family tried. He was also friends with Vlad from a very early age, who also came from a wealthy family and shared his interest in ghosts, but knew how to keep it on the down-low. They went to college together, and when Jack made it clear that he wasn't ever giving up on ghosts, the family decided that the best thing to do would just be to give him a massive lump-sum of money on the condition that he change his last name and never bring them up again. This is meant to explain how Jack got into the same fancy college as Maddie and Vlad despite being less competent, why you never see Jack's side of the family, and how the Fenton's are able to afford all of their facilities even before it turns out that ghosts are real. Like I said, though, this will primarily exist in the background, although as you can probably already tell it does also play into Vlad's backstory a bit~

Jack is loud, boisterous, and overwhelmingly positive. He isn't stupid, as many consider him to be, but he is extremely scatterbrained and will often miss the smaller details. He loves his kids and is passionate about sharing his work, but is more understanding of their lack of interest in ghost-hunting given his own break from his family. To him, it's much more important that his kids are around and happy than that they follow in their footsteps, something that he will often help remind Maddie of. He has a slightly better relationship with Jazz because of this, as Jazz sees him as incompetent but well-meaning, but for reasons he doesn't understand Danny is even more distant with him than with Maddie. The reason for this is because while Jack isn't a bad person and is certainly more open-minded than his parents, he is still very old-fashioned, especially when it comes to gender roles and traditional masculinity. On top of this, while both Danny's parents misgender him, being unaware that he is trans, Jack is more likely to use specifically gendered language like "That's my girl", while Maddie tends to use terms like "honey" or "sweetie," which is more gender-neutral.

Jack is somewhat aware of his old-fashioned behavior and will often ask and try to understand his families experiences as woman, but since Danny isn't one, this just further drives a wedge between the two.

As a unit Jack and Maddie are hell-bent on fighting ghosts, not just researching them, and this is the biggest difference between them and Team Phantom. Danny originally also believes that all ghosts are evil, and though he and Tucker invent the thermos to put the ghosts back in the Ghost Zone, this is less out of altruistic reasons and more because Danny simply lacks the ability to destroy ghosts at the beginning of the series. However over time they learn that evil ghosts are a small minority of ghosts, and the majority of them just want to be left alone. Over time Team Phantom will pivot it's approach from fighting ghosts, to understanding them and what their needs are, as even violent ghosts can become docile and even friendly if the right conditions are met. But meanwhile, Maddie and Jack are still hunting ghosts, and thus while at first Danny could at least try to cooperate behind his secret identity, he eventually becomes actively opposed to them, as does Jazz, making life in the Fenton household even more stressful as the story goes on...

[mylittleredgirl]

m*a*s*h season three continues!! disc two!!

"alcoholics unanimous" is so funny oh my god

the scene where trapper, hot lips, and hawkeye are all lit and making each other laugh is note perfect i want to live in it forever. i can't decide if "who was that guy?" was scripted or if loretta swit just went for a one-shot kill after the scene was over but i live for these bits when margaret accidentally ends up on team 100 proof

it's also nice of them to periodically remind us that frank has a huge wang. i'm glad he's got that one thing going for him

they're really softening hot lips this season 💕

they're styling her much younger, too. the barrettes! the ponytails!!!! i might never recover from the ponytails.

and the scene where she is reading a that letter to radar while he's in the hospital, and she has that little giddy smile at the end! it's so sweeeeeet it's killing me come on

i have a lot of thoughts about frank and margaret, and like five of them are about the phone call in the nurses episode

"knowing you'd kill me makes my life worthwhile" see. with the laugh track off, this joke turns into just margaret staring dreamily in soft focus and the realization that ohhhh. oh no. she really means that. she's like in love in love with this clown, that's so embarrassing for her

(also from that episode: the afterlife song is stuck in my head! the nurse song with the halfhearted montage though like. what happened in the editing room there.)

(also hilarious that trapper misses his wife for the first and only time when every woman in the camp is gone)

"adam's rib" - i like how everyone universally thinks hawkeye's quest is dumb, but they climb aboard the shenanigans because they have nothing else to do

WE LIED TO MILDRED!!!

i don't think i've mentioned how much i love henry and radar together. their comic timing is flawless. that bit of talking over each other never gets old. and then whenever they love and defend each other!!! i love a professional substitute dad

time for "bombed"!!! blow that pyrotechnics budget babyyyyy! blow shit up! break windows! light stuff on fire!!

the trapper/hot lips ship watch on this blog turned into a ship warning just in time for the two of them to get locked in a supply tent and not bang

you gotta admit the long-running ust potential here is pretty great (they hate each other) (but he's a little obsessed about hating her) (and she lusts after him) (and they're both hot)

SADLY for my cause there was no booze in there, because every time she gets drunk she's like "regrettably, there's frank" but sober she wants to marry him

no wonder he wants to outlaw alcohol in the camp

"we held hands and said the pledge of allegiance together" okay they are genuinely so funny sometimes though

i'm also falling hard for hawkeye/trapper but they would never be exclusive so multishipping is built in

last on the disc is "bulletin board"!!!

an episode about nothing is so soothing after all the explosives. the balance of action and Just Hanging Around in this series is really enjoyable

trapper writing a letter to his daughter 🥺

"korea? the war still?" and the rest of that little pillow fight scene. so much sibling energy in the swamp.

henry losing that patient hit well. i hate to be like "i'm rooting for patients to die" because it's not that, but they save them so successfully that it's dramatically satisfying whenever they don't. and i like how it silently affects henry through the rest of the ep while the rest of them have fun

that long beautiful shot of all of them running back to camp!!!!

ok this post took me like three days to write somehow because i rewatched everything ENJOYYYYYY

[vibratingskull]

Mermaid!Thrawn x f!reader part 5

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

"You're searching something in particular, miss?"

You turn to the Librarian, a nice short lady with round glasses that comically enlarge her eyes.

"Well, yes... In fact I'm searching several things : I would like a book on sign language, a book on the legends of the town and the gazette archives around the 50's. I don't know if you would have all that..." you explain. She seems to think for a second. "Wait at this table, I will give you what you need." she says as she walk away among the shelfs. You let your gaze travel on the covers of the books, leafing through some by curiosity, those are illustrated books for children about fairy tales. You realize you've never heard Thrawn sing like in the tales, maybe this is just folklore... You pick up an old illustrated edition of the Little Mermaid and read it again. How long since you last read it? Years, most probably. You sit at the table and let yourself carried by the tragic tale of the adolescent.

You're fully immerged in the story when she came back with the books. "The archives are on microfilms, if you want to see them we will need to take out the machine. Is it urgent?"

"No." you shake your head with a smile "No, I can come back next week.", "It would be preferable, indeed." You thank her and opens the legend book "Legends of our region" and pass everything until the aquatic creatures part. It speaks of a monster toad that haunts the swamps and a little undine that died for a pearl, you skim over the unnecessary text until you find the mermaids, and your thoroughly disapointed : The text is one page long with a childish drawing of a siren. You sigh. You choose a second one, to find out that they don't speak of it at all you take the last one with little hope but you're more lucky.

"The mermaid is an antique sea creature, existing through multiple form in multiple cultures, but the siren of our region is a bit more specific and have capacities her cousins lack." tells you the author. You install yourself comfortably and start reading. Your mermaid specie is especially sociable, helping the fisherman and the shipwrecker victims, they would have guided the fish to the shore with their songs, commanding them. They used to be nomadic tribes, following and hunting among the great whales but became sedentary as humans took the roles of the whales, providers of food. Magical creatures, they can metamorphosis in sea lion, daulphin or walrus, and even human for a brief amount of time. They say they also posess a potion to transform a human in a mermaid. The tales of the shipwrecks by singing mermaid would be a pure invention, the sailors simply choosen to take the potion and disapear into the sea forever and the desesperate partners staying on land shared the tell to mourn their relationships. Once every millenial, the tribe would get on land to enjoy a hunt party and taste what the land as to offer different than the sea and then go back into waters. They would be a second tribes that didn't help humans but eat them, drowning sailors and careless swimmers, they would be hideous creatures screetching in the night, obsess over blood and flesh. They live in the deepest layers of the ocean, where the light can't shine, in contrary of the good mermaid that higher in the layers. Today the mermaid disapeared, never to be seen again, like every mythologic creatures.

Your smartphone rings, you received an sms. It's your mother telling you that your father will sleep at a friend house tonight because they argued again.

You sigh.

You exit the library with your books, saddened. You wish you could come back in time, when you were young and your parents didn't hate each other... When they would laugh and play with you. Today they only scream and break dishes. When was the last meal you ate with them that didn't end in an argument?

What started all of this? Did they fall out of love? Did your mother cheated on your father before or after the first major argument? Before or after your father started drinking? Did he start because of that or because of his work?

You remember one night he came in the dead of night into your room, drunk, and wake you up to cry...

"Why are you crying, child?" a voice rises next to you. You raise your head to an old men in a cassock, on the front steps of the church.

"Huh... Nothing." You wipe your tears, blinking "Just bad memories."

"Would you want to tell me? To alleviate your heart." He proposes. You look at him, he looks stern, uptight, dead serious and cold. "No, i'm not really religious. It would not be-", "I didn't mean in the chapel or anyting of the sort, just have you talk would maybe ease your trouble by putting it into words." He corrects.

"Ho!" you're suprised "That is really nice of you, but I don't like talking of my problems to strangers, that is not really their cross to bearn, y'know." You try some humor, but it doesn't work, his face remains rigid and stoic. His eyes look like they could see your soul, making you feel a bit uneasy. "Then speak to a friend, maybe they would be of good advice.", "Yes sir." you nod, timidely.

"Can I see your book?" he asks politely, but his gaze is hard. You hand him the book in silence. "You try to communicate with your deaf and mute brothers and sisters? That is a good thing." You smile politely "Something of the sort." You observe the church as he leafs through it, you remember loving visiting it. Your familly isn't religious, you just like visiting old buildings, maybe you should try urbex, it could be fun! Him however, you've never seen him before

"You're new here, father...?", "Father Tarkin." he gives you back the book with a nod "In fact I came back, you must have been a infant when I was first here.", "Oh. It was a will of yours?" His hard gaze travels across the streets like he could see sin just by looking at it. "I felt a sensation of unfinished business here." You feel you won't have any more info than that so you politely thay goodbye "Well, welcome back father" and start to walk away

"One moment please." you stop dead in your tracks, turning to him with wondering eyes "Your necklace..." By instinct you grip it "What?", "It reminds me of something, is it a family heirloom?", "Yes" you lie, "Oh... curious." He seems to think, holding his chin and frowning. You feel yourself shivering. What if he knows?

"It looks like the tiara exposed at the museum.", you sigh relieved "Oh? Really?", he nods "Yes. Maybe it was inspired by the same art style?", "Probably"

He looks at it some more and shakes his head "Anyway, the night will soon fall. Go home.", "Yes father!" And you go off, you pedal to the beach and jump off your bike, run to the shore and push a bark into waters.

You paddle towards the setting sun, craddled by the waves. You paddle along the cliffs in search of one particular cavern... When you found it you enter it, when the sea will rise again, the entry will be completely hidden and you'll be stuck.

You get out of the bark and walk inside the large cavern , familiarizing yourself with the place. Then you take your flashlight and study the sign language book, waiting for him

An hour passes by when you feel a claw grazing your tighs, you raise your head from the text to see Thrawn looking at you intently. You can't help but smile. "Hi!" you wave at him surexcited, he imitates your gesture slower, like he wonders what does it mean.

You take out a fish container and he hops on the bank to seat next to you "I hope you like salmon!" you sing. You open it and give him some of the fish and you eat it together, sneakily you robbed your mother of some soy sauce and put some on your piece. He looks interested, "You want to try?" you smile. He takes the bottle and traces the text on the tag with his claw. "I doubt you can make sense of it." you mock gently. He opens the lid and inhale the scent. He frowns severely and you burst out laughing, "You're surely not used to it under water!", he looks at you like he understood you were mocking him. Nevertheless he tries it, lets a drop of it fall on his tongue and taste it. His face is indecipherable and he puts down the bottle without letting an ounce of expression twist it. He eats his salmon silently and with dignity, while you do your own cookery, slicing it and dropping it in the sauce. "Usually I eat it with sesame too." You mundanely explain, you start talking to him about your day, about every little things that happened to you. He lays down on his elbow and listen, letting his codal fin resting in water, you see his ear-fins-things wave at some moment, and his dorsal fin undulate. Once again you vent all you can, he remains still, unmoving as you both can see the sun finishing to set and the water slowly raising. You'll soon need to exit the cavern.

But you feel so good here... with him. You can't speak together, but you feel connected on an intimate level. Like you knew him for years.

You let your eyes wonders on him and you notice he's wearing your old plastic bracelet. "Ah!" you smile, you take out the necklace and show it to him, he nods slowly.

You lay beside him, letting your feet in the water, grazing his fin.

You remain silent, watching the stars through an opening in the stone of the cliff. You point at one star "Ursa minor." you indicate. He points another "Cha'fh." he murmures, "Antares." you say, "Strech" he responds, "Perseus", "Me'ro"...

You redo the wole sky like that, you giggling and him all serious. "I probably shout note everything you say, so I can remember it all my life. Oh wait!" You take out the sign language book and a mini-moodboard with markers out of your bag, " I think about ways to communicate better!" you exclaims. He raises back his torso with a raised eyebrow.

You're about to explain to him when your smartphone rings. He growls at the sudden sound. "It's okay, it's a smartphone, it won't do anything" He relaxes when he see the small machine but looks puzzled when you start speaking to it.

"Where are you?!" bawls your mother. You wince. "I'm out... with a friend.", "You didn't warn me about that! I was worried dead! Come home this instant!", "Mom, I'm an adult, I can do-", "Huh,huh, young lady! As long as you live under my roof you will abide by my rules!" and she hungs up.

You sigh, Thrawn looks at you, curious. "I have to go..." you grumble. You gather your stuff and enter the waters, you'll have to swim the sea rose. Thrawn slides next to you ready to follow you but you hesitate, you got your flashlight to look in the dark but in salted water you won't be able to open your eyes. You wince "Crap." Thrawn seems to notice your hesitation.

He gently takes your hand and pulls you gently. You take a deep breath, close your eyes and go under water. You feel him swim next to you with his powerful tail, pulling you towards the exterior. You let him guide you, swimming with your legs, he pulls you with an assured hand.

Finally you pierce the water with a gasp. Thrawn is next to you, holding your hand, waiting for you to take back your breath. You'll be drenched at home. Great...

"Thank you." You gasp, he nods and you go back to the shore together. You part with him almost reluctantly, but he let go without difficulties. You walk on the sand as he remains in shallow waters, looking at you walking away, you turn to him and wave him goodbye, he imitates you and you look at him swiming away.

Who knows when you'll see him again, he comes and goes as it pleases him

@blueninjablade3 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics

[malaysianpeanut]

As with tradition with any show I like, I do make OC's every now and again, especially if I'm strangely fascinated and obsessed with a character from the show *cough*Alastor*cough.

So this is my Hazbin Hotel OC. Named Lady Cecilia, real name Marcella when she was alive. I drew her in both my style and the show's style (well as much as I can try to copy the style).

Backstory as a Human:

Marcella was a poor girl living in a rural area near where Alastor was when he was alive. She was constantly abused by her father and escaped her harsh life by working as a pianist in a club and walking in the woods in her free time. She met Alastor when she stumbled upon him trying to murder someone. He was about to kill her as well, but was surprised when she helped him catch the person he was trying to murder. Afterwards, Alastor allowed her presence, but reluctantly at times and told her to go home every time she was around.

She was a constant witness to his crimes but never sold him out, as she enjoyed his company while he continuously covered his murders. Alastor found it strange that she never questioned his killings, but she simply thought that he was killing all the "bad guys". Alastor even found himself caring for the girl, as he knew about her difficult situation, even offering her to come along when he wanted to move elsewhere to continue his radio career. However, she refused and simply wished him luck, and stated that she was too scared to leave her father.

Sadly, she was assaulted and brutally hurt by several men after angering her father one day, including him as well, and they left her to die at a swamp. Despite her injuries, she was still alive. But she lost her mind and was filled with rage, and that rage was enough to fuel her energy. She went to her town and set everything on fire, whilst killing random people with a knife in her hands, as she wanted to see everything destroyed. Some officers managed to attack and hurt her even more, which prompted her to ran off to the swamp once again. She fell down into the waters, and slowly gave in to death, as the alligators came to tear her apart and eat her flesh and bones. In her death, she was sent to hell for her actions against the townsfolk.

Story as a Hell Dweller:

In hell, she was reincarnated as a humanoid, reptilian type of creature. She renamed herself as Cecilia. She decided to not repeat her mistake and gain as much power as she could to survive in this new world. She rose to power and became a silent Overlord, a powerful demon that stayed in the shadows and keeping a low profile while increasing her strength by sucking the souls of dwellers who posed a threat to her, using an instrument given to her by a mysterious entitiy when she first arrived in hell. Her actions went by without many Overlords knowing about her, with the exception of one or two who deemed her not dangerous, but still need to be kept watched from time to time.

Cecilia had no interest in occupying territories or dominating other inhabitants of Hell, and would rather be left alone at her place while fending off threatening demons who would harm her with her abilities. However, she was feeling as something was missing inside and heard about the Hazbin Hotel. She made a choice to go there and see whether she could find that missing piece in her, not knowing about Alastor's presence at the hotel or his identity from when she was alive. He also, would have no idea who she was when she came over, until he did more investigation due to his suspicions over her appearance at the hotel.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little OC introduction. I had fun coming up with a story and getting a little spark of creativity every now and again, especially during this time where I'm just demotivated all the time.

[push-tet]

that post about Pucks

When i was researching the image of Puck in folklore. i noticed that the historians of the image of the Puck blurred and everyone is free to interpret Puck image. i really liked it and i have a desire to somehow realize it in my and Verona and at the same time to work out the lore of the fairies why not?

Clumsy (play), Oberon's Servant (play), real name Robbin Goodfellow (folklore), mischievous (play) prefers to live in the forest (folklore), prankster (folklore), suspicions of misanthropy (folklore), the fairy (play), cooperation with Obeoron (play), cunning (folklore\play)

next should be the suktchs so you can see what they look like but I'm too lazy to draw, so I'll just make some moodbords

moodboards

Puck Or Púca (don't call them that for your safety) Midasammerers Genderfluid i think? Knowledge Taurus 4\6\5\10\0 Hobbies: Science - Nature - Music. Obsession with substitutes (especially toads and frogs)

50% play, 50% folklore

Unlike the weirdos below. Puck is their real name, not a nickname

Remnant of the Midsummer Era. Puck is supposed to carry the knowledge and history of the ancient fairy people, but she's forgotten all about it

Puck used to have a passion for collecting and buying wet specimens. But because of her nomadic lifestyle, preserving them was impossible

In her spare time from scamming mortals for money and intimidating travellers in the forest. She likes to listen to classical or metal. Metal? Puck finds it fascinating that mortals were able to turn chaotic into harmony

The real body was destroyed for some unknown reason. So he exists as an intangible entity. Until he finds a new body huh. Priority is people over +185 and on the brink of death

Puck likes to wear makeup. But she doesn't know about waterproof makeup, so her makeup comes off right after her first swim at the bottom of the swamp

For friends and family, Shen; for students, Prof. Liang; for coworkers and subordinates, Puck III Gossamer He\Him Knowledge Gemini 5\6\7\3\4 Hobbies: Science - Nature Botanist

10% Play, 10% Falklore, 60% Chinese Legend

Smoking is not bad for fairies. So Shen can smoke two packs of cigarettes in a day. Surprisingly, he doesn't even stink…

Was a fashion icon in his department «Beauty doesn't interfere with intelligence. So your job as a scientist shouldn't stop you from dressing well»

He has a wife and a daughter. But because of the heavy workload, he constantly forgets about them.

A close BUSINESS relationship with Oberon

When Shen was on probation at Gossamer Corp. He and his students created the Money Tree that nearly brought the country's economy to a crashing halt

Missing in obscurity in 1966

Puck (Robin) Summerdream He/them Knowledge Pisces - 7\2\2\6\2\8 Hobbies: Science

Fascinated by astronomy, astrology

40% Play, 10% Folklore.

Although Robbin has already discovered his wizarding abilities, he is still firmly convinced that he is a fairy, it's just that their transformation has been delayed (spoiler: he's not a fairy)

Robin is talented at potions. HA! Now try saying Chemistry is a useless subject

Robbin doesn't even correct people when they are called Peck. Which is why half of Verona has forgotten their real name is Robbin

He can't say - No. Because he's afraid of offending someone. Because of this, he may have a lot of work to do

He wants peace in Verona and often thinks of putting a love potion in the drinks of the Monty and the Capps to stop this idiotic feud. But he fears the consequences of the potion's effects

In fact, he is not such a good astrologer and often says predictions at random. But by an incredible coincidence, their predictions come true

i tried to combine the traits of ONE person and at the same time, make them different. idk i did it or not anyway, choose your fighter

edit 19.01.24:

if these mfs meets

[dreamypqulson]

— sleepover shenanigans

requested by @harmoncoven: could you maybe write something about the coven deciding to have a sleepover and cordelia is trying to keep is sane, but it's very difficult when you have multiple teenage girls and fleetwood mac obsessed swamp witch on your hands.

pairing: ahs coven witches

a/n: i hope this is good! i feel like i’m so bad at writing more than two people at once😭

word count: 1400

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, casting a dark overview on the academy. The living room was aglow with many candles and a couple of lamps. Cordelia, however, fearlessly walked through the dark hallways to make sure that each and every window and door was locked. She still got anxious over things like that.

She pattered back into the living room with her light steps where her girls had gathered. They were all collecting themselves under thick blankets on the couch. Misty made sure to save her girlfriend a spot right next to her, leaving such little room so she had to cuddle her. As if they wouldn't either way.

"I think we should watch a' Stevie concert," Misty suggested, shrugging her shoulders like everyone was going to agree with her. However, all at once, the girls attacked her.

"Absolutely not. Are you kidding me right now? Do you want me to bash my head against the tv? You're lucky I haven't smashed your goddamn record player," Madison said, voice sounded almost offended at Misty's suggestion.

“Madison!” Zoe exclaimed. She was working with Madison on her temper ever since the movie stars return from hell.

Misty say up and straightened her postured, converting herself into attack mode like a wild animal. "Ya know, I can bash ya-"

"Girls," Cordelia declared at once, voice louder than all in the room. She wasn't angry, but just puzzled as to why she agreed to this. They all slept in the same house anyways. Why did they need a sleepover. "Next person who argues is going straight to bed. In their own bedroom."

Madison rolled her eyes, huffing. Cordelia took her seat beside Misty, covering herself in the other half of the blanket that they shared. "Hi there, darlin," Misty says, and drapes an arm around Cordelia's body for her to snuggle closer. Her body language completely changing at the presence of her girlfriend. She can hear Madison pretending to gag in the background, but she doesn’t entirely care.

Eventually, they all settle on a movie. Considering the time of year, they decide to play a horror movie. Something that none of the girls are able to handle. Not even Cordelia, but she would never admit it. She has to be the strong one here.

Cordelia flicked her wrists and the room darkened, only lit with a few candles as the opening credits began to roll. Immediately, they all regretted their movie choice as adrenaline filled them up.

Throughout the movie, everyone learned that Madison had been the weakest one, yelping and jumping up out of the seat to the point that her blanket was completely flung across the room. And halfway through, they all eventually decided to turn it off.

"How about we play a game to get that out of our heads," Cordelia suggested, mostly to Madison who was still trembling. The others girl gave it their all not to laugh at Madison. They didn't want to ruin the night by starting another fight.

"Truth or dare!" Mallory pipped in. She didn't seemed too fazed by the movie. But she had also seen some shit in her life already.

They all sat in a small circle, "I'm going first. Truth or dare, swampy." Madison grinned at Misty. She was up to no good. All of them were aware, so the swamp witch picked the somewhat safest option. Truth.

"Is it true that Cordelia calls you-"

"Appropriate Madison! Please," The supreme cut in before Madison could even finish her sentence. She rolled her eyes but got an absolute kick out of Misty's flushed cheeks and sudden inability to keep eye contact with everyone.

"Fine. Is it true that you were in a relationship with one of your alligators before Cordy?" Cordelia's face fell into her hands, making a loud slapping sound. Madison was never going to get it right.

"Ha-Ha, Madi. Is it true that ya Zoe's little puppy?" Misty couldn't lie, she was very clingy with Cordelia herself. However, she knew that Madison had such a hard interior that it was extremely embarrassing for Madison.

Misty mouthed a quick 'sorry' to Zoe, but the brunette witch didn't seem to mind too much. She tried to talk Madison out of bullying Misty many times before, but it never seemed to work. However, they really did care about each other, even if Madison would never admit it.

"Moving on," Cordelia sighed. Just by Madison's glare at the swamp witch, she knew shit would go down if she didn't change the subject. "How about, Mallory, you go?"

Mallory; her precious child. She saw all of her girls as daughters -besides Misty- and loved them all equally. However, Mallory was the only one who seemed to never cause chaos.

"Sure! Truth or dare, Coco?"

The bright blonde witch sat up straight, beaming widely at being picked. "Dare!"

Mallory sat there momentarily, pondering, before she eventually came up with something, "I dare you to read out loud the last text you sent."

"Oh god Mal!" The calorie counting witch pulled out her phone and her entire face cringed. "Do you think Cordelia will notice that we are all high?"

“What?” Cordelia raised her eyebrows, voice echoing in the room that went quiet. “When was that,” she asked, trying to keep her composure.

“Two days ago…”

Cordelia pondered for a moment, going over her weeks schedule in her head. When she figured it out, her head slammed into her hand for what must’ve been the millionth time that night. “At our open house. You girls were high at our open house?!”

“You can’t get mad at us for something that already happened!”

“Wanna make a bet?”

“Okay, okay,” Misty said. She placed her hand on Cordelia’s thigh to calm her down. The supreme had rules, simple rules. She always let the girls do what they wanted, mostly. But they never seemed to follow her rules. “Let’s just move on, alright?”

The following hour consisted of their truth or dare game. Some things being revealed to Cordelia that her veins were practically popping out from, and others being dared to do things that they’ll regret in the morning.

Once the clock struck one, they all began to get tired. Of course, Cordelia got lucky enough to steal the couch as her bed for the night. The others girls got to sleep on a bunch of blankets together on the floor. However, Misty used Cordelia as her bed, per usual.

“Goodnight. Love you, honey,” Cordelia whispered, chucking at the grown woman cuddling atop of her. She kissed the top of her head, covered in big blonde curls.

“Love ya too, darlin.”

The girls on the floor, however, all cuddled close as the dark room had reminded them of the horror movie from earlier that night. The game may have distracted them, but didn’t make them forget.

“Goodnight girls, love you’s,” Cordelia tried to contain her laugh at the fact that powerful witches were terrified of a horror movie.

They all uttered their goodnights to Cordelia and each other, however, not one of them moving a single muscle to face who they had spoken to.

When Cordelia flicked her wrists, lights dimmed near to complete darkness besides the moonlight seeping through the curtains. Multiple patters of silence passed before a shuffling noise right outside the big window. Clearly an animal, most likely a squirrel by it’s speed and sound.

Nevertheless, the girls on the floor all gasped and rushed towards the couch. “What the fuck was that?” Madison asked. For once, she let her guard down and was clinging onto a scared Zoe for dear life.

“It was an animal,” Cordelia chuckled. Misty was halfway to sleep, unbothered by the situation.

“No! That could not have been an animal. Remember in the movie—” Zoe got cut short by her own and the other girls screams when they heard it once more.

They all jumped onto the couch, not caring that they were completely crushing Cordelia and Misty. In that moment, Cordelia now understood why Fiona never let them do fun things like this. Nevertheless, this wasn’t going to be the last sleepover. And she hated herself for her inability to say no to her girls.

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[pizzawendell]

Shrek Is Good, Actually

This is not what Shrek is about. Shrek is about superficiality. 

The obvious aspect of this is how people judge each other by their appearances. Shrek is judged for being an ogre and people don’t like him. Fiona is judged for her curse and is afraid that Shrek will do the same. Farquad is obsessed with cleanliness and having the ‘perfect’ kingdom, even though he is a little bobblehead man. Shrek says onions have layers because on the inside we’re all beautiful. It’s a classic anti-cinderella story. Pretty simple stuff, if fairly against the grain in 2001. I won’t dwell on this too much because it’s fairly obvious and something that you can get from most post-Shrek kids movies.

However, this movie has layers. Sure Shrek and Fiona are fine just the way they are and we should all learn to love each other despite our appearances, but the movie has more to say than that. This isn’t even a particularly deep reading; this is very much explicitly in the text. The characters in Shrek all use the misconceptions other people have about them to hide from things they don’t want to understand about themselves. They are all afraid to be known- most of all by themselves. The clearest and most explicit example is Shrek himself. 

Shrek

Shrek starts off the movie living alone in his swamp. He has signs up all around which declare ‘danger: ogre’ etc with scary pictures all around. As the opening credits roll, a mob of villagers group together to go and kill Shrek because they believe that he is dangerous. He goes on to use their fear of him against them to get them to flee. The first scene of the film is Shrek using what people think they know about him to push people away and stay alone- which is what he tells himself that he wants. 

Shrek then meets Donkey, who persistently refuses to accept Shrek’s claim that he wants to be alone. 

Shrek: Listen, little donkey, take a look at me! What am I?

Donkey: Ah... really tall?

Shrek: No! I'm an OGRE! You know, "grab your torch and pitchforks!" Doesn't that bother you?

Donkey: Nope.

Shrek: Really?

Donkey: Really, really.

We pretty quickly see that Donkey is right to think that Shrek does actually want to have friends, he just doesn’t want to admit it. 

Shrek: Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that seems to have a problem with ME! People take one look at me and go "Aargh! Help! Run! A big stupid ugly ogre!" They judge me before they even know me - that's why I'm better off alone...

Donkey: You know, Shrek... when we first met, I didn't think you were a big, stupid, ugly ogre.

Shrek: Yeah, I know.

By the time they get to Fiona’s tower Shrek actively goes out of his way to save Donkey. As Shrek and Fiona begin to fall in love, Shrek and Donkey become genuinely close friends. When Shrek overhears what he thinks is Fiona calling him a 'big, stupid, ugly ogre' he reflexively reverts to pushing people away. He hasn't actually unlearned his belief that he is unlovable, merely temporarily put it to the side. This leads to the argument which holds the emotional core of the movie.

Donkey: You're so wrapped up in layers onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings!

Donkey identifies Shrek's layers as the thing truly holding him back. Shrek knows that he's more than just a scary ogre, but he thinks of that perception as an outer layer which he uses for protection. However, he's so wrapped up in it that he can't actually escape. He has pretended for so long that he has come to believe it. Shrek does not deliberately draw on Frantz Fanon here, but there are parallels which we can draw. 

To be clear, Shrek isn't about colonialism or racism (beyond some of its broadest strokes). Rather, Fanon's psychological argument that oppression can be a dialectic which ultimately causes the oppressed to internalise some aspects of how they are perceived by their oppressor is relevant to Shrek's behaviour. His relationship with the outside world has caused him to subconsciously believe things which he thought he was only accepting out of convenience. By attempting to use superficiality to our advantage we weaponise it equally against ourselves.

Love

How then, asks Shrek, do we escape? The answer is emphatic: through love. Only by loving others and allowing them to love us back can we step outside of our superficialities and truly self actualise. We see this when Donkey issues his final refusal to allow Shrek to push him away.

Shrek: If I treat you so badly, then why did you come back, huh?

Donkey: Because that's what friends do, they FORGIVE EACH OTHER!

Donkey offers his unconditional forgiveness for the ways Shrek has hurt him. He does this for no other reason than the fact that he loves Shrek. This forces Shrek to confront the fact that he is genuinely loveable. This makes it possible for him to believe Donkey when he tells him that Fiona isn't disgusted by him and resolve to stop her sham marriage to Farquad. Donkey's love allows Shrek to see himself from outside his warped self perception.

Fiona

Fiona's journey mirrors Shrek's. Rather than keeping people away emotionally with physical and emotional ugliness, she does it with beauty and propriety. Fiona only allows people to see her when she is in her human form (which we eventually find out is not her 'true' form). When Shrek first meets her she acts 'properly' by expecting him to wake her with a kiss and recite a poem. She also offers him a favour, which he uses to wipe away his sweat. All of this serves to stop people from knowing who she truly is, which is her greatest fear.

Just like Shrek, Fiona can only escape the emotional prison she has built for herself by allowing someone who loves her to truly know her. On the journey back to Farquad's castle she starts to believe that this could be Shrek. She starts to open up in small ways. She shows him that she enjoys the same foods as him, that she can fight like he can. However, their misunderstanding causes her to revert to her usual defence mechanism. When he pushes her away and she believes that this is because of her true form, Fiona begins to act how a princess is expected to again. It takes Shek storming the wedding and publically declaring that he loves her for Fiona to accept herself for who she really is. Shrek and Fiona’s kiss is therefore the most literal manifestation of love conquering superficiality, as Fiona transforms permanently into an ogre in front of the whole kingdom while it takes place.

Farquad

There is one character who does not escape his superficilaity and it kills him. Farquad spends all of Shrek tring to hide his percieved inadequacies with appearances. Farquad banishes the fairytale creatures to the swamp because they aren’t perfect enough. He has machines which immediately tell new arrivals that Duloq is not only perfect, but that it has strict rules. When he appears at the tournament he is deliberately positioned so that his height is obscured. Most significantly, he sends Shrek on his quest because he wants to officially be king. There is no reason for him to want this beyond the superficial trappings of the title. He clearly has total control over Duloq and he never shows any interest in having a romantic partner. 

The tragedy of this is that Farquad is trying to cover up the fact that he is very short. Compared to every other human we see in the Shrek series, Farquad is very very short. Since this sets him apart from most humans, he is in many ways closer to the fairytale creatures than to his own people. The irony of the fact that it is Farquad who thinks of himself as so much better than people like Shrek and Donkey is repeatedly signalled by people making fun of him for his height. When he banishes the creatures it seems to partly be a manifestation of a degree of self loathing. Farquad clearly hates to see himself as he truly is (he literally threatens a mirror into showing him what he wants to see) and seeing other people who don’t conform to society’s expectations reminds him too much of himself. 

Farquad externalises his self hatred by trying to make everything around him perfect, no matter who it hurts. He can only make his kingdom superficially perfect, but this will never make up for the fact that he can never change what he truly dislikes about himself. The villain of Shrek is too far gone. He cannot be saved by love because he has created a political system which prevents anyone from truly knowing him. We see this at his wedding when guests are told how to emotionally react. No one can sincerely know Farquad and love him for who he is because anyone who might can never get close enough. In the end, we see the consequence of this: his death. 

Conclusion

This is not a particularly deep reading of Shrek. In fact, I would argue that this is the explicit message of the film. There are more subtextual readings, though. For one, there is the queer subtext which only gets stronger in Shrek 2. Shrek has deeper layers still about fascism, myth and, of course, Disney. Not everyone likes Shrek and that’s fine. You don’t have to like it if it’s not your thing. However, what I will not abide is anyone slandering this film by calling it vacuous. Shrek is a truly delightful story which tells its viewers to revel in who they are, to love and be loved and to know and be known. 

[licncourt]

Hello, Im not sure if you've discussed this already but I was wondering if you could give me a breakdown of what happened with Claudia in the books? From all the mentions of her I assume she dies at some point in the series, but I was wondering if you could go into the specifics a bit? What led to that, what happened, how did Lestat and Louis react, how did that affect their relationship? And then I suppose, your opinion on if that same thing will happen in this show, or if things have changed so much we can't tell yet?

I really appreciate your commentary on the books. I've found a lot of interesting opinions and information on your blog since watching the first episode. Tysm for your expertise and willingness to chat about it <3

Yeah, for sure! And thank you so much!! I'm so glad you like my rambling meta posts and unsolicited opinions on these little guys. Hopefully this will be useful to you and anyone else who's curious about Claudia. She's an amazing character and so richly written.

Obviously reading the book itself will give a better picture of her, but I can definitely summarize her story. Under the cut for spoilers obviously, since it involves several major book events that will likely come up in the show as well.

I don't know how much you know about book Claudia, but just to summarize her backstory: Claudia is adopted by Louis and Lestat in 1795 when she's ~5 years old and newly orphaned after her mother has died of plague. Rather than a fire, she's brought to the brink of death when Louis feeds on her after losing control in a state of starvation. In a final bid to keep Louis from leaving him, Lestat turns the dying Claudia and basically babytraps Louis in their "marriage".

I don't know it will be portrayed in the show, but in the book, Lestat is extremely controlling of Louis and Claudia, pretty verbally/mentally abusive to them, and withholds as much knowledge of vampire nature from them as he can to keep them dependent.

After sixty years of living as a family in Rue Royale with things disintegrating over time, Claudia finally snaps, driven pretty insane by the lack of autonomy and the fact that she's trapped in a child's body, especially after learning the truth about how Lestat was the one who turned her. In 1860, she manages to convince Lestat that she wants to make amends with him and gets him to drink the blood of two young boys who she poisoned with laudanum (opium). While Lestat is incapacitated from the drugs and the betrayal, she slits his throat and stabs him to "death".

Louis is there while this is happening and even though it destroys him, he lets Claudia finish the job so they can be free of his tyranny and have their own lives, essentially choosing his daughter's happiness over Lestat. Together, they throw his body in the swamp and begin making preparations for travel to Europe. Before they can leave, Lestat does come back after them even though he's all gross and corpesy (affectionately dubbed Swampstat by the fandom), but Louis sets him on fire and runs off with Claudia for Europe.

Basically they fuck around in Eastern Europe for a while killing zombie vampire revenants and searching for other vampires like themselves, but are unsuccessful. They eventually end up in Paris in 1862 where Louis finally meets two vampires, Santiago and, more importantly, Armand, the leader of a coven of vampires who live in and operate a theater.

Armand is 400ish years old and develops an immediate obsession with Louis and Louis is taken in by the knowledge Armand is giving him. Unfortunately for Claudia, Armand knows that Louis will never abandon her to be his companion. Claudia is terrified that Louis WILL leave her because she sees what's happening, so she convinces Louis to make her a new caretaker by turning a bereaved mother, Madeleine, into a vampire.

Still, Louis can't bring himself to leave Claudia and Armand loses patience, realizing he has to get Claudia out of the picture before he can have Louis. He sends a mob of his vampire underlings to kidnap Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine and bring them to the theater, where Claudia is put on trial for the murder of Lestat (Armand knows what happened from looking in their minds).

In the midst of this, it's revealed that Lestat has healed enough to follow his family to Paris and beg for them back, but weak and disoriented from Armand's influence and in his desperation to save at least Louis, he confirms that it was Claudia who attacked him. (In The Vampire Lestat, we find out more of what happened between Lestat and Armand right before this, but it's not relevant here).

Armand is absent for all of this so it looks like it's happening without his consent, but Claudia is sentenced to death and Louis is locked in a coffin and buried alive. Obviously, Armand "comes to the rescue" and frees Louis, but he finds out that while he was imprisoned, Claudia and Madeleine were killed by being locked in a cell with an open top and exposed to the sun.

This is a huge turning point for Louis and he's completely destroyed by this, consumed by grief until he's a shell of himself. He sees Lestat again after finding out, and he's also devastated, sobbing and holding what's left of her dress. He rejects Lestat's final pleas to stay with him and runs off, but returns the next night just before sunrise and burns the theater down, killing all the vampires there except Armand (and Lestat we find out later).

After that, Lestat disappears and Louis, with nothing and no one else, travels with Armand for several decades, but he's basically an empty husk at this point. Armand finally leaves him after accepting that all Louis' passion and humanity died with Claudia.

Sometime in the 1920s or early 30s, Louis returns to New Orleans and finds that Lestat is there and has been living in an abandoned house for decades, half a corpse and too weak and mentally scarred to function. They have a bit of a heart to heart where Lestat begs Louis to stay and be his companion again, but Louis says no and leaves again to wander alone.

We know from The Vampire Lestat that soon after this, Lestat buries himself in the Earth to heal and hide from the world, but this last meeting is the last thing Louis knows of him at the time of the interview. Except for the final exchange between Louis and Daniel, that's where the first book ends.

Claudia is mentioned by Lestat in his brief version of the events of IWTV at the end of the second book, and he says he isn't angry and that she was right to do what she did (and that he would've done the same in her situation).

In the third book, another character has visions of Claudia at Rue Royale, and Louis and Lestat reunite there after the main events of the novel, checking to see if Claudia's ghost is really there (it's not). In the very cursed books that are book four on, Claudia is mentioned shockingly little, but we know that Lestat never tolerates any slander of her and Louis is still actively grieving by the early 2000s.

In the book Merrick, Louis speaks with a spirit who claims to be Claudia and it says horrible things to him, that she never loved him, her death was his fault etc, but it's pretty implied that it's an evil spirit pretending to be Claudia. Still, Louis believes it because it confirms his worst fears and it's the primary factor in his suicide attempt in that book (another event that brings him and Lestat together after a period of separation).

She isn't mentioned much after that, but I suppose it's to be expected. The character of Claudia is a representation of Anne Rice's daughter, Michelle, who died of leukemia at five. The first book was written while she was grieving. I think the treatment and presence of Claudia in the narrative reflects what kind of mindset AR was in when writing more then any kind of consistent arc.

As for the show, I honestly have no idea what will happen with Claudia. There's a scene from one of the trailers that some people think shows Claudia in modern clothes, meaning she doesn't die, but I don't find it to be definitive proof. I don't think her survival is out of the question with all the changes that have already been made to her story though, and I do think it's possible that they'll follow the original draft of the book where Claudia runs off and leaves Louis instead of dying.

With the aged up Claudia, I feel that's more feasible. I don't think there's any happy ending for a Claudia permanently stuck in the body of a five year old, but maybe fourteen can be dealt with? I'm not sure, but I do have more hope for this Claudia. It's too early to say though.

[nerendus]

Thoughts and Speculation on DLC Trailer

This isn't going to be anything professional or going Deep Lore Mode, that isn't going to occur for another few weeks when I officially go insane. Most of these things have already been said, I really just want an accuse to just chatter and scream into the void about details I liked.

First things first, I've seen a lot of people say this is Melina guiding us towards Miquella, but it's most definitely not. The skirt is far too long, and her dress is not heavily designed like this. In the trailer, we do hear (most likely) Miquella guiding us into the shadowlands, so this could possible be him, but I doubt it. We've seen him in the art post and this dress doesn't match what he wears. This may be a new NPC looking for Miquella, or even the player character in a new fit and this frame is just a red herring. Who knows.

To the left, you see a map stand, and right next to it is a settlement that looks very Sellian. It's kind of hard to tell for sure, but it does look very similar and that honestly makes me so happy. More Sellia lore please.

In this frame, I think we are seeing most of the entire DLC and it looks so good. At the bottom, you can see the same settlement. There's some ruins on our side of the bridge. On the right on a cliff, there seems to be a cathedral and close to it on the left is a castle or fortress with more ruins to its left. There's this colosseum-looking structure with land islands surrounding it, and I'm really curious to see what's that's all abouts. It seems to be held up by the architecture similar to the Divine Towers you find all throughout the Lands Between which makes me think it may be related to the people who built them. To the far left you see that castle that seems to be going into a Farum Azula effect. And of course, the centre piece is what's probably going to be the main legacy dungeon.

This person....looks so absolutely cool. They sort of look Zamor, but that might just be the mask. Whoever it is, they are probably a boss and that makes me sad. I want to sleep in their arms.

Everyone has already heard about this person and their connection to Caria and the Dectus medallion. When I first saw them, I thought for certain it was the Dusk Eyed Queen because...purple eyes...but the more I think about it, the less likely it seems. They aren't wearing the clothing associated with her followers, but you know...the Carian siblings all have some ties to the Godskin Apostles, so there might still be a connection. As to their identity, they seem to be...priest-like but also scholarly. It's hard to know for sure if they are supposed to be Carian royalty since the Carians don't wear very extravagant gowns and wear very simple but still elegant clothes (except Rykard but....Rykard is Rykard). Who knows. I can't wait to meet them, they give off major Tanith Energy.

I am just...so obsessed with this place so much. I love the trees so much, they look very similar to the trees in the swamp where I live close to. So major vibes already.

Everyone already knows about the dude, but...the woman. She's holding her belly like she's pregnant and that's just...setting off so many electrical shocks in my brain. Wild theory is that she is Queen Marika's mother. Even wilder theory is that she's the Dusk Eyed Queen before her Empyrean status and Marika is her daughter. Messmer does mention a mother which I guess she could fit that role, however there is a statue of Marika right behind him holding a child (don't have a clear image so I can't include it) so it still doesn't seem likely.

I love these two dudes....they are just sitting....

Farum Azula castle. You can see a little bit of the deathblight swamp at the base of the stairs. Wild theory based on nothing, but I think this might be where we fight the King in Yellow dude.

Love this dude. Looks like a Wormface but like....actually a worm. So proud of them.

I love this guy so much. But first, you see a bit of the Sellian architecture behind him with those black draperies that you see in the settlement, so it's likely that he is going to be an early boss. I've sort of been calling him the Royal Misbegotten since he does seem very elegant, but it's possible he could be a priest or just some high ranking official, but either way, his very elegant stature does seem to suggest that the shadowlands are welcoming to the Crucible as seen in many scenes of the trailer. I love it. I love what looks like runes in his eyes and the second set of human teeth behind beast teeth. I can't wait for the model to be exported so we can see how he looks underneath the robes because.....it's strange alright.

Messmer got a ring. It's on the wrong finger, but still. I'd put (another) ring on it.

Okay, first, he's standing in the way and I can't get a clear image of the statue, But you can clearly see the billowing dress of Marika featured in the other statues, and you can kinda see the circular objects that are behind her. On to Messmer himself, mans look WAY TOO FUCKING COOL. Also, unless the snake is really long, he actually has two snakes instead of one fucked up one. It's hard to say if they are attached to him or not, but given how you can see a bit of his fucked up anatomy in the fighting scene, it's probably likely.

LOVE THIS so much. But one, you can see the Evil Erdtree behind them and it looks very close, so I think this takes place on one of the towers of the main legacy dungeon. Also, the twin trees sort of look like Two Fingers that had grown fucked up and started producing roots. Probably definitely not the case, but it does look cool.

We had the blue dancer in the scarlet rot (red), and here we got a red dancer in a field of blue. Given that this takes place in a field of flowers, chances are she's going to be a really memorable boss. I just really want her fit....

New Crucible Magic!!!!! It looks so cool, I can't wait to read its lore description.....

I love those eyes. Beautiful.

I don't have much more to add that hasn't been said about the King in Yellow, but this image goes SO FUCKING HARD. I love it so much, I love how his neck starts to stretch as he tries to remove the branch sword.

Looks like the Duskborn ending. Fits in very nicely with Miquella's goals in the base game...One thing though, is that it seems that the white effect is only affecting the Erdtree and not the (possibly) Deathblight tree. Maybe it's a way to rid itself of the parasite?

Anyways that's all. Please come scream at me, I never want to stop talking about this trailer.

[fenharael]

Top 5/10 Soulsborne characters~?

In no particular order I present to you:

1. Mohg

Fucking badass monster with an impeccable sense of style. But aside from the purely aesthetic love for everything Mohg, he's probably the soulsborne character I feel most emotionally invested in. Others have said it better than me, but Mohg is complex and tragic. He's the son of the Golden Order, seen as cursed and defiled by his own mother and sent to live in the shadows essentially to carry the burden of her sins. He, like Morgott and everyone else, carry the consequences of Marika's actions on his body and in his behavior. His twisted sense of love is borne of his treatment and he unleashes it on the world in the form of blood and violence. The mother he choose for himself and the path he walks is a giant "fuck you" to everything that shunned him, all the while still trying desperately to emulate it and carve out a holy and divine place for himself. The fact that he chooses Miquella, the demigod most likely to succeed Marika and who bears her likeness (that we can tell), the demigod who makes a haven for the forlorn and mistreated, is so fucking sad. He literally takes what he never had by force and says "you WILL love me". He does this in a sense to everyone he encounters. Whether it's his intended consort or his followers. They are all compelled by bloodlust or force or some twisted love of their own to keep his company even as it destroys them. The fact that he transforms the Mausoleum complex into a sewer/swamp reminiscent of the shunning grounds is just salt in the wound. He's legitimately and desperately trying to create a world he believes is good and right (for him) (and possibly other shunned creatures) based on the only world he even knew and the only love he ever received. All of this sadness and tragedy and pain result in a DEEPLY screwed up individual who is quite literally a monster in every sense of the word, but at his core he's just a sad, scared child who wants to be loved.

2. White Maks Varré

Someone at Fromsoftware tailor made this horrible, disgusting man exactly to my tastes and every day I thank god for that. Ethically dubious doctor? Check. Bride vibes? Check. Gender? Check. Murdered? Check. Condescending and insulting but in a sexy way? Check. Violence but it's obviously a stand in for something sexual? Check. Pathetic, prideful, tries to kill you but is played by his own hubris? Check. COURTLY LOVE???? CHeck. I adore the contrasts in Varré's character and design. He was a man of medicine and healing before being corrupted by his own dark nature. He values love but it's sadistic and violent. He craves power, gave up EVERYTHING for the promise of it, all for it to amount to nothing at the end. He insults you by saying you'll die nameless and without ceremony, and at the end of it all he bleeds out alone and abandoned in a forgotten tomb to a dead god. Absolutely merciless Fromsoft 10/10. I'm obsessed.

3. Marika

I don't even know where to begin with Marika but I have a lot of emotions about her.

4. Ringfinger Leonhard

I'm a simple man. Sexy voice, mask, insults me, I'm all in. I love his design and I'm just a sucker for knight's devoted to their duty despite it ending in tragedy.

5. Fausefka/Imposter Iosefka

I debated this spot with Solaire because he gives me a LOT of emotions but I think I'm gonna go with Iosefka. Again, predictably she's a questionable doctor who experiments on her patients. But I'm just so curious about her? And I admire her in a way, she's uncompromising in her quest for answers, she needs to ascend, she needs to understand, and she'll do anything to find out. She may sacrifice countless innocents to understand the Eldritch Truth but hey, when it comes down to it, she's willing to go under the knife herself.

6. Solaire

7. Valtr

8. Ebrietas

9. Yorshka

10. Anri

[spacestationstorybook]

bought 2 month premium geforce membership.‏‏‎ ‎i can now get into games with little to no wait and play for six hours at a time. surely this will do nothing but help my debilitating obsession with videos gaem :)

in other news. callis adventure notes

-battles are SO much easier than they were the first time around?? i have to think it's because i know the game better and can plan out strategies + also missed out on a few battles before that i did this time around so we're leveling up faster but it's still Wow. the‏‏‎ ‎paladins‏‏‎ ‎of‏‏‎ ‎tyr‏‏‎ ‎fight‏‏‎ ‎AND the mud‏‏‎ ‎mephit‏‏‎ ‎fight in the swamp which both nearly brought me to angry tears in my first playthrough i beat without having to reload a single time....my godge.

-we're being multiclassy this playthrough.‏‏‎ ‎callis‏‏‎ ‎is a wiz/rogue‏‏‎ ‎of course. a necrogue perhaps? (because they're a necromancer.) wyll‏‏‎ ‎is warlock/bard‏‏‎ ‎and he's going to be our healer without‏‏‎ ‎shadowheart‏‏‎ ‎in the party.‏‏‎ ‎gale‏‏‎ ‎gets a level in cleric so he can cast sanctuary and for better armor. he's a cleric of‏‏‎ ‎mystra‏‏‎ ‎for lore reasons even though i hate‏‏‎ ‎mystra. didn't know who else to pick...

-callis‏‏‎ ‎is more grumpy and abrasive than aerax‏‏‎ ‎and doesn't help people quite so readily unless a) there's something in it for them or b) they remind them of themselves (like the tiefling kids. speaking of which urchin inspirations are sooooo cute) and they're kind of naturally suspicious of everyone Except‏‏‎ ‎auntie‏‏‎ ‎ethel because it's funny and because i'm still kind of obsessed with her sorry.

-(also yes i do understand the irony in me not getting the hype about‏‏‎ ‎gortash‏‏‎ ‎or‏‏‎ ‎raphael‏‏‎ ‎or‏‏‎ ‎nere‏‏‎ ‎but going omgggg me and the bestie :D about‏‏‎ ‎auntie‏‏‎ ‎ethel‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎orin.‏‏‎ ‎in my defense you should expect this from me.)

-(also again‏‏‎ ‎gortash‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎raphael‏‏‎ ‎i may not be able to relate but i at least Understand why there would be hype.‏‏‎ ‎nere...‏‏‎god sorry i still don't get it.)

-callis with everyone else: uhhh but how do i know for sure i can trust you 🤨 it's everyone for themselves out here.... callis with‏‏‎ ‎auntie‏‏‎ ‎ethel: um well i guess it's a little weird that she lives in a swamp and she can teleport and a bunch of people are having hag problems but she was really nice to me and she gave me a neat healing potion? so i think it's fine :)

this was really cute to me....their relationship is adorable actually. they want to learn from each other and teach each other things <333

-also‏‏‎ ‎magic‏‏‎ ‎missile‏‏‎ ‎best spell ever so awesomecore. little force projectile spells my best friends forever!!!!! (reference to‏‏‎ ‎eldritch‏‏‎ ‎blast‏‏‎ ‎my other best friend.)

[unpassive-viewer]

The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (mild spoilers)

Welcome, welcome to the [10th] annual Hunger Games,

Good news everyone, I'm living my best life and back in the depths of my Hunger Games obsession that I'd thought I'd retired at thirteen years old. I saw the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and by golly do I have some opinions.

TL;DR: This was overall a fun film, although WAY too long. By Act 3 I just wanted to go home. Still a good watch, but I could have used an intermission or something.

Staying true to the vibe of the Hunger Games franchise, director Francis Lawrence is back with lots of wide angle shots and close-ups, explosions and rubble. He did a pretty good job of translating young Snow's inner narrative to the screen, although I don't think he totally captured what a sociopath the character was throughout the entire book (which I have indeed read).

The casting, as was the case in the first 4 movies, was pretty much perfect. I liked that the other characters were interesting outside of the Lucy Gray/Snow narrative. Hunter Schafer dominated every single scene she was in. The shot where she, Sajanus and Snow watch Lucy Gray on television? You could've removed Tom Blythe and Josh Andres Rivera and I would not have noticed. She carried.

Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage were equally interesting. I wish Peter Dinklage's character had more screen time, he played his part so well. And as we know, I would lie down on train tracks if Viola Davis asked me to, so that's my opinion on that. Although her red and white outfit was... interesting.

Rachel Zegler was amazing, and her voice was so pretty that I actually did not mind how often they made her sing... (seriously, there was so much singing. An unbelievable amount of singing for a non-Disney princess movie). She and Tom Blythe have wicked chemistry, even when he decides to go full Evil Snow in the second half of the film. The only thing I really couldn't stand was how she couldn't maintain her accent.

I really wish that the second half of the movie had more character interactions outside of the Lucy Gray/Snow dyad. I felt that's where the film got a little dry - I simply did not care about their relationship, regardless of what it meant to Snow's character development. Their interactions in the first half benefitted a lot from those around them, rather than their blossoming interest in one another.

The costume and set design in this film was super interesting. The first film in the Hunger Games trilogy leaned very hard into displaying the Capitol's culture through their clothing, since we got so few glimpses into the citizen's actual lives. I feel this film did that equally well, although I didn't feel it adequately showed the depth of Snow's poverty. Considering this was incredibly important to his character arc, I wish we could've seen more of that.

I also didn't particularly like how obvious the callbacks to the original films were. I think the comments about swamp potatoes could have been scaled back. I also would have appreciated if there was less focus on the hanging tree song. To me there were too many direct ties to the scenes we got in the 74th/75th Hunger Games. Culture changes a lot in sixty years - lyrics change, tunes change, dances change, clothes change. Too much of this film felt like it stopped time between what is technically the next Hunger Games films.

However, the movie did get a lot right in this respect. Specifically, you can see the warping of the Appalachian culture between the 10th and 74th Hunger Games. Lucy Gray's character belonging to a travelling band was a great illustration of the way that the Capitol caged its citizens for nearly 100 years.

Anyways, I watched all of the older films this week and reignited my love for Peeta and Finnick. I still like Catching Fire the most, and I don't think I'll add Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to my annual franchise rewatch. For what it was, though, it was pretty fun. A little part of middle school me was fulfilled, remembering showing up to the original movies on opening day in full costume... (I was a nerd). I miss the fancasts for the other games, the makeup trends, the deep dives into characters on YouTube and the fan-made movies?? Ah, when times were simple.

Anyways, did you see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? What'd you think? Are you deep into your formerly-retired Hunger Games phase too?

Let me know.

[crossoverbaps]

Breadwinners' Doom Part 1

SwaySway and Buhdeuce were imprisoned for the destruction of tons of property and nearly endangering the lives of the ducks in Ducktown. They didn't mean to harm anyone, but Rambamboo insisted they were to be locked up for an entire year.

"Who is going to deliver the bread now?" SwaySway asked. Suddenly Rambamboo reluctantly unlocked the door.

"SwaySway, your parents have paid handsomely for your bail." Rambamboo groaned, behind her were two ducks who smiled and waved sadly at their son and his delivery partner. SwaySway teared up and then started to sob. His parents immediately hugged their son and made shushing noises.

"You… You did this for me?" SwaySway whimpered as his eyes filled with tears.

"Son, we may be a little disappointed but we still love you very much." Garret, his father explained.

"You're still our little Swayski." His mom Steph pinched his cheek. Buhdeuce watched and teared up a little as well.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited as much as I promised…" SwaySway apologized. "I can visit more… I need help…"

"You don't have to. We have to stay with you." Steph smiled but seemed sorrowful.

"Your freedom comes at a price. Your license is taken away and you can't earn it back until next year." Rambamboo took Sway's license away. SwaySway's lip quivered.

"But who will deliver the bread?" SwaySway questioned worriedly.

"We will." Garret told SwaySway.

"You can still ride with us, though." Steph told SwaySway.

"That's not fair!" SwaySway was about to try try get his license back from Rambamboo, but Garret held him back.

"Sway, you have to calm down." Garret commanded. SwaySway sighed as his parents took him and Buhdeuce into the Rocket Van and parked at the swamp pad. The parents gasped at how much the boys let the place go. There was grime everywhere and the dishes were covered in disgusting bacteria.

"SwaySway! What happened to the place?" Steph scowled.

"I… We cleaned it last year." SwaySway grinned sheepishly. "New record."

"Sway, go to your room." Garret told him.

"My room? I'm eighteen!" SwaySway laughed.

"Go to your room, we'll discuss this soon." Garret frowned, Steph nodded in agreement.

SwaySway pouted and walked into his room, then closed the door.

"Guess we have to clean this up…" Garret sighed.

"I feel bad for us being hard on him but he needs to learn." Steph shook her head.

"Me too, sweetheart." Garret held her hands and looked at her sadly. "Let's check on him once he cools down."

"What about me?" Buhdeuce asked.

"We'll call your mom." Steph told Buhdeuce. "She and I go way back."

"Alright…" Buhdeuce sighed. "May I go keep Sway company?"

"Be our guest." Garret agreed. Buhdeuce was about to open the door but it was locked,  so he decided to knock instead.

"Go away!" SwaySway complained.

"It's me. Buhdeuce." Buhdeuce said. The lock turned.

"Come in." Sway gave in. Buhdeuce got on the bed next to the crying duck. "Looks like my big bap needs some duck hugs."

Garret saw a bunch of video tapes that said "Jenny Quackles." He put one inside the VHS and it showed a bunch of clips of Jenny Quackles, then onscreen was a map for inside the Swamp Pad. Curiously, he went to a trap door and saw a shrine of his crush Jenny. He growled and scowled and immediately explained everything to his wife.

"He what?!" Steph gasped in horror. Both parents knocked on the door slightly hard. They only ever did that if SwaySway was in big trouble. He swallowed and walked outside the door.

"Sway, I know you're obsessed with this girl and it seems you two don't even know each other." Garret frowned.

"But dad, I love her." SwaySway retorted.

"That's no excuse to be this obsessive. You are not to follow this girl any longer." Steph told him.

"Mom, Dad. You're treating me like a kid." SwaySway whined.

"Because you keep acting like one." Garret scolded. SwaySway's eyes filled with more tears than before and then he started to cry out loud Garret frowned and hugged his son once again. "Sway… We're sorry. We don't want to punish you."

"You don't?" SwaySway whimpered. As he rested his head on his dad's shoulder.

"Of course not, we're just worried about you." Steph told her son as she lifted his chin a little. "But you must get your life back together."

"And we will help." Garret told him. SwaySway was still sad about the situation but he hugged his parents tightly, they did so back. "We love you very much, son. We just need to show you more tough love."

"But we still need to be there for you." Steph added. "The first step for you is cleaning this mess up."

"But I like my mess!" SwaySway complained. "And Buhdeuce likes it even more."

"We all like our messes but we can't let it get this out of hand." Garret told him. "But we can work on this together."

"Alright." SwaySway sighed.

"Fine!" Buhdeuce scoffed.

As they continued cleaning, something from under the stairs chuckled at them mischievously.

"Who's there?!" SwaySway demanded as he put an arm in front of Buhdeuce, slightly pushing him back.

"Who do you think put that hole in your bag to make you go all the way back and use shortcuts again?" The voice chuckled.

"Show yourself!" SwaySway barked. The source of the voice obeyed, revealing a scraggly blue shrew-like creature who wore an indigo and gold outfit that almost looked like an astronaut suit but with a matching backwards cap instead of a space helmet. "Aww, you're actually kind of cute! What am I saying?! YOU ruined our reputations?"

"I only helped, you did so well on your own. You just need a little extra push." The alien shrew smirked. "You see, I am your bad luck, your very doom! But you can call me Fraz Flub."

"You took everything from me!" SwaySway growled.

"Not everything." Fraz grinned.

"You better not hurt my beautiful parents!" SwaySway hissed.

"Again, you did that fine yourself." Fraz told him.

"I… Huh?" SwaySway froze and then looked at the ground in shame.

"It's not your parents you need to be rid of. It's your best friend that needs to go." Fraz pointed at Buhdeuce. SwaySway stood in front of him.

"You leave him alone!" SwaySway growled.

"Of course." Fraz grinned sheepishly and then slipped through a mouse hole that was too small for SwaySway's melon shaped head and Buhdeuce's round body.

"He got away!" SwaySway clenched his fist.

"We'll get him next time!" Buhdeuce promised.

"Not you. I don't want him to hurt you." SwaySway put his hand on Buhdeuce's shoulder while kneeling. "And don't worry about me, he looks too small and weak to hurt me."

"It's not his strength I'm worried about, he seems really smart…" Buhdeuce bit his bottom lip.

"And I am too. Just stay away from that area, promise?" SwaySway pleaded.

"Promise…" Buhdeuce reluctantly complied. SwaySway picked up his best buddy and squeezed him.