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nsharks · 1 year ago

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bleeding blue | apocalypse au

part sixteen —other parts

pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x fem!reader words: 3.2k tags: death. blood. cannibalism mention. zombies of course. AFAB reader. single dad ghost. there will be sex but it isn't here yet. slow burn!!! enemies to lovers. summary: After losing your companions, you run into a skull-masked man and his daughter. They are your last hope for survival.

"I can't believe I woke up early for this."

You loosen your muscles, turning to dead weight in Ghost's arms, before using the awkward position to slip away.

"No one said you had to be here," Ghost throws over his shoulder before his gaze fleets back to yours. "Good. Again."

Blue groans as you reposition yourself for the basic defense maneuver. You can see why she'd find this boring— Ghost started you off with a move so basic it was almost insulting when he explained it. But you quickly realized his reasoning. Each time you do it, your pulse tampers down less and less while in his arms. He's had to remind you a few times to "Breathe, Twix"— the order so quietly uttered into the shell of your ear that Blue likely didn't even notice. Perhaps you have grown used to taking orders from him, or maybe having Blue close by is helping, because you've been able to ward off the threat of panic so far.

"Fine, I'm out of here," Blue rolls her eyes the second you've finished the move again. "Let me know when you—" she jabs a finger at Ghost, "—decide to make things more interesting." As she leaps off the log she'd been perched upon, she adds: "Oh, and don't get too close, Ghost. She might bite."

"So I've heard."

Heat rises to your cheeks. And then— you're alone with him. You take a swig of water from the canister Blue lent you to ignore the awkward feeling in your chest. "Again?" You wipe your mouth. "Or have I passed your test?"

"Test?" he repeats, the gravel in his voice rolling over the word as his brow lifts in question.

"Well, I haven't... had a repeat of last time, and it's been an hour. I think I've proved that I'm ready for something a little more..."

"More what?"

More interesting.

"Hand-to-hand, I guess. Something harder."

He rubs his jaw, as if to feign consideration. "Right, then. Let's try another one."

The next one he shows you is still simple, except you fail every other time. Basically, he gets behind you and you have to sidestep to avoid the trap of his arms. Somehow, Ghost's movements are light as a feather even though he's built like a rock.

But then you get better at it. The next two days pass in much the same manner until you start to react a bit faster. He teaches you a few more basic tactics. How to wriggle your wrist out of someone's hold. How to avoid being grabbed from the front by rolling to the ground. All defense. After hours spent with him, he doesn't even have to remind you to breathe anymore. Chopping wood in the evenings helps, too. You go to bed exhausted and wake up ready to practice before Ghost even touches your shoulder.

On the third day, he gets you up even earlier. You cram your wool-covered toes into boots, confine your hair in a hasty bun, and follow him to the clearing that has become your makeshift training ground. It takes you a moment to register that some things are different: his boots have been replaced by sneakers, and his jeans by loose, black gym shorts. The exposed skin is strange, making your eyes widen. If Blue were awake, she'd certainly comment.

His calves mirror the strength of the rest of him, and on the left leg, swirling ink catches your eye, reminiscent of the tattoos you discovered when tending to his wound. Skulls and a dagger; perhaps corny, but fitting for him.

"Have you tried it?" His voice cuts through your thoughts.

"Tried what?"

"The bow."

A white cloud forms around your mouth as you nod. "Needed some getting used to, like you said."

Yesterday you had a hard time shooting a chipmunk you wanted for lunch, so you spent the early afternoon firing arrows at oaks until the new bow started to feel like an extension of your limbs again.

"Let me know if I need to adjust the string."

"Will do," you say, almost mumbling.

When you reach the familiar circle of trees, you bounce once on your toes and crack your knuckles. Ghost retrieves something from his pocket. A roll of gauze. It is tossed at you without warning, and your hands fumble to grab it.

"Wrap up," he commands. "Your hands will thank you for it."

You look up at him, brows raised, but begin covering your palms and knuckles. When you're done, you throw the roll back to him. Ghost stretches his arms above his head and splays his feet into a firm stance, jerking his chin at you in a go-ahead motion. Your brows furrow as you try to understand what the fuck he's doing.

"Go on. Get ready."

"Um. Ready for what?"

"A little hand-to-hand."

Your mouth falls open. "What?"

He shrugs. "That's what you wanted, right? I think you're ready for it."

"That's not what I meant," you almost laugh, shaking your head. "I didn't mean I want to— to fight you. I just meant we don't have to stick to the basics."

"We won't." There is the slightest trace of amusement in his voice, so faint you wonder if it's even there. "You have ten seconds to get ready, Twix."

"I don't even—" you sputter, eyes flying open. If you weren't awake before, you are now. He seems completely serious, his hands in fists and his shoulders squared.

"Five."

"Oh, fuck me," you exhale, balling up your bandaged hands. Did he get you up at this hour so there was no chance of Blue joining? He didn't want her to watch him finally annihilate you? You don't think he would seriously hurt you, not after everything, but that doesn't mean your heart doesn't begin to thump wildly when the seconds are up. Neither of you makes the first move; you are focused on keeping yourself distant, and he is circling you like a predator, flicking his eyes along the length of you.

"What the fuck is that stance? I could just tap you and you'd fall over." His amusement has faded. "Is that how I showed you to stand when chopping wood?"

You shake your head, teeth gritted, and fix it, spreading your boots against the soil.

"Better."

Then, he's lunging. You forget everything about your stance and prance to the side like a skittish deer. There is a moment of relief when you successfully dodge him, only for it to abruptly end when he darts around your back and hooks an arm around your neck. Your heart skips over a beat. Holy shit is he fast.

"Be aware of your surroundings at all times," he chastises against the top of your hair. His hold is not aiming to fully restrain you, so when you claw your nails into his arm, it loosens and you slip away, staggering three strides before facing him with your fists up.

"What's the point of raising your fists if you're not going to hit me?" Ghost circles you again, and you have to shift your feet to keep up with him. "Come on, nurse. Where should you aim?"

"You're too tall." Your chest heaves. "I... I can't reach your face or neck without you blocking."

"Use the height difference to your advantage. Reach places that I can't."

You pause to think about it, studying him.

Ghost almost growls. "Stop hesitating. I could have killed you by now."

A mix of annoyance and determination makes you leap forward, jabbing your knuckles at the part of him where you know his liver would be. He captures you by the elbow before the blow can land, and sends you stumbling to the side, a few wisps of hair cascading over your face.

"Liver. Not bad. I might've let you have it if you moved quicker."

A hiss leaves your lips as you whirl around and punch directly into his core this time. He allows the hit, but your knuckles ram into solid muscle instead of the vulnerable stomach you hoped for, and you recoil with a wave of your hand, cussing under your breath.

"You hurt yourself more than you hurt me."

"Well, should I just kick you in the dick then?" you retort without thinking, flexing your fingers. Luckily, the gauze absorbed most of the damage.

"That's always an option."

His tone is serious, to the point that you almost give it a try, but then he's closing in on you again, sending you back to the defensive. He doesn't hold back. You run in circles and duck frantically, earning a few hits to your ribs. He doesn't use enough force to send you down to the ground, but enough to knock the wind out of you. Rapid breaths fire through your lungs and beads of sweat percolate your hairline. Ghost, on the other hand, appears unaffected.

"Fight back," he says in a mild voice; almost bored.

You nearly throw your arms up. "I would if you'd give me a fucking chance."

"You said not to coddle you."

"I'm aware. That doesn't mean you have to—"

Your spine suddenly meets something hard. A tree. He's backed you into it without you even realizing. When Ghost takes another swipe, you dip your head down and then use his recovery time to grab onto a branch and hoist yourself up.

You're barely perched upon it when a hand grips your ankle and drags you back down, an audible gasp reverberating in your chest as you land flat on your back with Ghost on top. His hand quickly cradles the back of your skull before it can crack on a hard tree root, while his other hand captures both of your wrists.

"You good?" Although he is the one who has you effectively pinned, his tone seems sincere. He scans your face from your forehead to your parted lips.

"Just... peachy."

His brows furrow. "What was your plan once you got up there?"

Labored breathing splinters your voice. "I didn't have much of a plan, really."

He speaks flatly. "I can tell."

"You had me cornered," you point out.

"You should have been—"

"Aware of my surroundings," you finish for him, exhaling deep through your nose. "I know."

Your eyes shift around, from his covered face to where his chest just barely presses into yours. It's all so close. Uncomfortably close. You can feel the steady pace of his heart against your sternum, and make out the faintest flecks of green in his eyes.

An ounce of fear and something else you can't quite discern balls up in your stomach, making you swallow. You've been pinned like this before and nearly had your face eaten. Ghost simply stares at you, as if waiting for you to make a move, but when you tug on your wrists, his grip doesn't relent.

"Could you... could you maybe get off of me?"

He shifts some weight off you, if only by a little. "Relax and think," he murmurs. "What are your options here?" The curve of his lips tightens before he adds, "Besides biting my nose off. I'd like to keep that for now."

With a sigh, your eyes slide up to the awakening sky. Hues of violet and orange stare down at you. "Do I... do I even have any options? You must weigh like a ton." The words are past your lips before you can shut your mouth.

"You always have options."

"Doesn't mean any of them will be effective," you say.

His eyes darken, and the green disappears. "Why do you do that?"

"Um... do what?"

"Doubt yourself. After all that you have survived." He sounds irritated.

"As if you haven't doubted me?" You can't help it; you scoff. "You told her I wouldn't come back that time I went on my own. I mean, I'm still weak, remember? No amount of chopping wood will make me as strong as you or those men who almost killed us."

"It's not about strength," he replies.

"That's easy for you to say," you wiggle your wrists for emphasis. "You have nothing to be afraid of. You were cut out for this shit from the start."

"I have everything to be afraid of." His eyes narrow, but his voice softens. "And so were you."

"Me?" Your voice slightly elevates, and a lick of anger curls within you. "I should be in grad school right now, or maybe I would've quit nursing and gone into something useless and hate my life, but I was never meant to kill anyone, let alone fight them. I was meant to be young and stupid and make mistakes. Now, if I make a fucking mistake, it will cost me my life." Your nostrils flare as you huff, sending a piece of hair flying up into his face, and you writhe beneath him. "Get off of me, Ghost."

But he doesn't.

Beats of silence linger in the small gap between your bodies.

You should feel embarrassed for saying all those things, but instead, you think about what he said:

Don't hesitate.

The ball inside you is a fiery mix of emotions that you usually try your damn hardest to ignore and break and shove away.

But now you let it spread through your body like a sizzling tide, from the tips of your fingers down to your toes and... to your knee. Before you can change your mind, you slam it upward as hard as you can into the apex of his groin.

"Fuck," Ghost mutters, the only sign of any pain aside from the brief moment that he closes his eyes.

His hold loosens only by a little, but it's enough for you to slip out from under him and find your way back to your feet, your chest rising and falling.

He clears his throat after a moment and rises.

"Good." The two of you share a stare-off for a few seconds before he shakes his head, saying again: "Good, Twix. More of that."

You rip your gaze away from him, cheeks hot, and say nothing as you snatch the canister and bring it to your lips, but the water does little to cool you down.

You shiver in the bitterness of twilight, your fingers red and numb, wishing for a pair of gloves. The fireflies are coming out, dots of luminescence darting around you. You swing the axe down again, throat raw as you grunt, and then you add the broken logs to the growing stack. Sudden light footsteps announce the end of your alone time.

"It's me," Blue greets kindly.

You drop the axe, hands feeling stiff, and turn to face her with a breathless smile. "Hey. What are you doing out here?"

"Checking on you. Ghost went hard on you this morning, huh?" she says with a sigh. "I could hear you guys. You were a bit... loud. Made it hard to sleep."

"Not too hard. I'm… I'm good."

If she is unconvinced, she doesn't comment on it. Rather, she hugs you. A warm one. You return the embrace before she pulls away.

"I also came because I wanted to invite you to a bonfire."

"Bonfire?"

"Well, with all your..." her eyes flicker to the pile of logs you've conjured over the past hour. "...special workouts, we have a lot of wood now. I told Ghost to make a big fire outside and we can cook dinner over it. It'll be fun, come on. Ghost is making tea, too."

Soon enough, your sore fingers are tingling, holding a warm, ceramic mug of tea. Ghost chucks another bundle of wood into the fire, spitting out smoke and embers, and sits on a tree stump while Blue takes the folding chair. Your hair is down, tucked behind your ears, and a patchwork quilt Blue grabbed from her room lays across your lap. The mug burns pleasantly against your lips when you take a sip, the herbal taste sliding down your throat. Whatever plants he used to make it work together perfectly. It reminds you of the tea your mom used to make when you were sick.

"Do you like it more well-done or is this okay?" Blue asks, meticulously spinning the skewered squirrel meat over the fire.

"That's good, thank you."

Ghost cooks their dinner, and the three of you eat and sip in a comforting silence. You avoid looking at him, opting for the starry sky above your head, where bold stars beam even brighter than the fireflies. It's quite nice. When you're done, you toss the bones into the fire and listen to them splinter.

Blue breaks the silence. "Would you rather be burned alive or be attacked by a bunch of squirrels with rabies?"

You take another sip of tea. "How many squirrels, exactly?"

She taps her chin. "One hundred."

"I think if it were fifty, I could handle them. One hundred, probably not. I'll choose being burned."

She makes a face. "That is a terrible death."

"Most deaths are terrible."

"Fair enough. Ghost?"

For the first time since this morning, you steal a glance. His elbows rest upon his splayed knees, and the orange flames reflect in his eyes as if they were twin black, mirrors. "I could handle the squirrels."

She snorts a laugh. "Even you can't survive rabies, though."

He shrugs. "Takes some time to kill you."

"Let's play a different game," you interject. "Maybe something a little less... morbid tonight."

"Like what?" Blue chimes.

You shrug indifferently. "What other ones do you know?"

"Not that many. You tell us one, Twix."

"Well, I know one good one. You have to act something out and then we'll guess what it is. But you can't talk."

"Oh, that's easy."

"Try it, then," you nod at her.

She leaps up from the chair, nearly spilling her tea in the process. Without hesitation, she puts on a stoic expression and begins shooting finger guns. Quiet laughter shakes your shoulders.

"Are you, um... Ghost?" you guess, making her throw her arms up.

"How did you guess so quickly?"

"It was a bit obvious."

"Not to me," Ghost murmurs. "Terrible impression, kid."

Across the fire, you glance at him again, and his eyes meet yours, reminding you of the events that took place and the words that you spat. Emotions pulse against your ribs, like a swarm of flickering fireflies, but you fail to catch and examine any of them.

A tug on your arm ends the shared look. Tea splatters around the rim of your mug as Blue ushers you up. "Your turn now."

"Alright, alright."

You decide not to feel humiliated with both pairs of eyes on you. They've both seen much stranger things than you act out a squirrel, which must be a good impression because Ghost guesses it right away.

A sudden crack of lightning in the distance puts an end to the game before Ghost can have a turn, which you suspect he is pleased about. He puts out the fire just before clouds roll in, blocking out the stars, and a drizzle of rain begins. Back inside, you kick off your boots and sink to the sofa as Blue says goodnight. Once she’s in her room, Ghost pauses in the threshold of the hall and speaks over his shoulder.

"Get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow, even if it's raining.”

#simon ghost riley x you #simon riley x reader #ghost #simon ghost riley x reader #fanfiction #cod #zombie apocolypse au

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ifishouldvanish · 5 months ago

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Countless Times (Alucard x Olrox)

NO I haven't watched season 2 yet YES I have been mildly spoiled. This is definitely half-baked as a concept and will need a rewrite later but it's 3am so just let me have this!!1!

Anyway, the theme is grief. It's always grief.

Olrox plucked a wildflower from the grass, staring listlessly at the petals as he twirled it between his fingers. After a long moment, he let out a sigh. “How do you do it?” he asked. “How do you keep going after putting your heart into someone, only to watch them wither and die. Again and again.”

Alucard drew a deep breath, brushing his thumb over the bark of the log they sat on. He knew what Olrox was feeling. Had felt it himself all those centuries ago. The feeling of having his very heart ripped out as he watched the last bit of life leave their bodies. Trevor, Sypha, Greta. There was a time when it had felt like too much to bear. But the burden of memory was only as heavy as you let it be.

“It can certainly be painful,” Alucard said, fixing his gaze on sun setting over the horizon. “To remember how it felt to watch them change, grow old, reach the end. It's so easy to feel the emptiness they leave behind, but we must be careful not to forget all the ways they fulfilled us. All the gifts they left us with.”

A breeze swept through, rustling the branches, the grass, their sleeves.

“You and I, Olrox—we're lucky enough to be able to share our memories of them with the world for eternity, and in doing so, make them live forever.”

“It's not enough,” Orlox shook his head. “Not for me.”

“Of course,” Alucard said, admiring the flower with him. “To love something is to want to see it thrive and prosper.”

A petal fell, and Olrox frowned.

Alucard smiled and took the flower from his hand. “My flowers shall not cease to live,” he began to recite the verse carefully in Nahuatl, just the way Olrox had taught him one blissful morning: “my songs shall never end. I, a singer, intone them; thus they become scattered, and my petals spread about.”‡

Olrox sat up to face him better, his green eyes darting over him in confusion. “…You still remember that?”

Alucard started plucking the petals off one by one, letting them be carried away by the wind. “I've been in love countless times,” he said. “Perhaps you ought to know that one of those times was with you.”

Olrox deflected with a scoff.

“…I know,” Alucard chuckled lightly, glancing back at the amber sky. “I know our time together meant little to you, that it was just a bit of fun,” he said. “But you changed me. I look inside my heart and still find pieces of you there.”

Olrox closed his eyes and sighed guiltily. “Adrian, I—”

“It's alright,” Alucard assured, taking his hand and giving his fingers a squeeze. “They are not painful pieces, and I'm happy to carry them.”

Olrox furrowed his brows, as though he didn't believe him.

Giving his hand a final pat, Alucard rose to his feet and dusted himself off. “You can make the beauty of their flowers last forever, Olrox,” he said. “You just have to learn to scatter their petals about; not stop them from falling.”

. . .

‡ An excerpt of a poem from the Cantares Mexicanos, a collection of Nahuatl poetry compiled after the Spanish conquest

#castlevania #castlevania nocturne #alucard #olrox #Alucard x Olrox #alurox

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rhonuscorner · 1 month ago

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SO, ABOUT THAT ART GIVE AWAY I'M HOSTING

I'm very sorry to say I have to cancel it due to circumstances beyond my control.

The main reason for this is that my PC, on which I do 99% of my art, broke down a few weeks ago and it's gonna be probably at least another month before I get it back. Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be sooner than that but I'm not holding out any hope, I've been having nothing but bad luck lately lmao.

Longer description of what's been going on is under the cut (which I'm also going to use as an excuse to rant about it because I've been very frustrated lmao) but yeah.

I've been using my old laptop since and I still have my old art tablet, but I've been holding off on doing art on it. Motivation issues aside, I don't really enjoy doing art on it (my PC spoiled me lol) and I also don't have access to my usual art resources, like Clip Studio Paint (I know I can swap devices but I'm not going to). I haven't been able to work on any of the MerMay stuff I had planned, I have a huge back log of AU art I wanna do and I have to prepare for Art Fight... and now I don't know if I'm gonna have enough time for that either so I'll postpone that to next year. Sucks because I've never participated in Art Fight before and I was really looking forward to joining, but it is what it is (I swear this has become the motto I live by lately).

I was going to draw give-away winners in a week, but I'm at a point where adding planned art onto what I already have and want to do is just causing me stress, especially because it concerns art for other people. So for the sake of my sanity and what little motivation I still have, I have to cancel the give-away. :(

I'm really sorry to everyone who signed up to participate, and massive thanks to those who did sign up. Maybe I'll re-run it in the future.

So my PC broke down on the 21st of April. It worked perfectly fine the day before but that morning it kept hanging on the same screen during start-up and I couldn't figure out why. I can solve simple problems like the rare blue-screen but I'm not tech-savvy enough to deal with hardware and messing with the BIOS is way beyond my comfort zone.

So I called my brother, who is very tech-savvy and he came to my place to take a look where he spent the next 3 hours trying to locate the issue. No matter what we did, we could not even get the PC to boot from a USB to run a repair, the BIOS wouldn't save changes we made, it was a mess.

He ended up taking my PC over to his place where he had the proper tools to figure it all out. At the time we thought it was a processor issue, since all the signs pointed to that being the culprit.

Turns out it was one of my hard drives 🙄 If only we had thought to just remove those one by one while the PC was still at my place, because it booted up just fine once we removed the dead one. Didn't occur to us at the time, yes we were dumb. And yes, I lost a whole bunch of stuff (we tried to recover data but to no avail) but that's the least of my concerns. Anyway, he ran some tests, checked out all my other hardware and drives and everything got a clean bill of health but we figured, since my PC was already at his place anyway, he might as well run a full systems check too, stabilization tests, all that good stuff. Some good ol TLC for my beloved hard working PC. He also needed to put in a new SSD and order new thermal paste because he'd taken off the processor.

Due to annoying circumstances, that order took a while to arrive.

He then messaged me last monday that for some reason, even with the new thermal paste applied, my processor was running really hot and he couldn't figure out why. So he was going to immediately order a new, bigger tube and try again.

My hope was that by the end of this week I'd be able to pick my PC up, back in perfect working order.

My brother messaged me again yesterday when I came home in the evening to tell me he fucked up. Even with all of his experience and skill, he's not immune to making a mistake. He told me some of the thermal paste got into the port on the motherboard the processor connects onto (or something to that effect) and while he was able to clean it with isopropyl, two of the little pins there accidentally broke off. That's not something he can fix. My motherboard is completely borked now.

I'm not mad at him or anything, accidents happen (he's already mad enough at himself), but it sucks big time.

The motherboard has to be replaced which is not something he's comfortable doing right now (understandable), so my PC will have to go back to where it was built... which causes a whole slew of new problems relating to transport which I don't care to get into right now (lets just say, bad previous experiences), plus the fact that my warranty ended in February.

I don't know what the costs are gonna be at this moment and while yes, my brother offered to cover everything since he's the one who broke it, I told him we'll split it. He's already done so much for me, gifted me the new SSD and made other costs he won't let me pay for (like the thermal paste and the thingemabob he ordered to recover data from dead drives). I have the best bro ❤️

So yeah. I'm gonna be stressing about this big time until my PC is safely back home, fully functional.

Until then, ugh :')

#personal

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reflections-in-a-critical-eye · 6 months ago

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A 2024 Film List

At first, I thought I could do a regular top 10 film list for 2024, but after a reconsideration, I realized it's not really possible.

First, I stopped logging every movie that I've watched. I used a mubi account, I don't have letterboxd and it felt like a chore. I regret it slightly, but nothing can be done about it now.

What I will do is to stick to films released in 2024 and to which I had access to this year. That means that I won't include The Brutalist, Queer or Babygirl, etc., as I haven't watched them yet.

It is also a list that includes well-known titles. This year has been one in which my desire to explore unknown areas of cinema dwindled significantly. But this is not the post in which I ponder about what the reasons might be.

This is the list of significant films watched in 2024 that made a notable impression, in no particular order.

Conclave (dir. Edward Berger)

I doesn't fill in the gap left by The Young Pope, nor it captures the absolute camp and absurdity of the Vatican world, but it comes close nevertheless. It has the intrigue to capture anyone's attention and the good acting from veteran actors that can deliver a memorable performance.

All of Us Strangers (dir. Andrew Haigh)

I remember how much I had to wait to be able to watch this, but it finally paid off. Andrew Scott should have won a lot more awards for it and he is such a sensible actor who can portray a man dealing with depression and loss and how it shapes one person forever.

Maria (dir. Pablo Larrain)

This film is for fans of Larrain's trilogy of films made about 20th century notable women. It's for those who want to see a more than decent comeback of Angelina Jolie. It's for those who like Maria Callas and could pair it with another documentary about her that came out in recent years. It's for those who would like to see a fictional incursion into 70s Paris without anything looking like a theme park.

La Chimera (dir. Alice Rohrwacher)

This was perhaps the only one which made me think of european art cinema in the most obvious way. From the story, to how it was directed, but most importantly, to the cinematography. It is a meditation on art and our relation to it, but also a nod to mid-century Italian directors.

Anora (dir. Sean Baker)

I did have some higher expectations from Anora, simply considering its Palme d'Or win. It might leave my mind the moment award season will be over, but in the context of an American cinema that produces less and less good mainstream films, Anora stands out. Adding a comedic tone helped in moving away from the usual stereotypes associated with a certain nationality and something fresh, considering that American film and tv still focuses on only a villain/spy archetype.

The Apprentice (dir. Ali Abbasi)

To this day I condemn Variety and anyone who refused to have a one on one talk with Sebastian Stan because it would have touched on the topic of The Apprentice. Not just because it is ultimately a work of fiction which should not impose any problem, but particularly because of its subject matter. Evil and in this case, an examination of its origins and what made that man who he is, is something that should not be ignored. Instead, it needs to be addressed head on. It needs to be understood and The Apprentice did it. Perhaps it tried too much in the span of 2 hours, but I admire the attempt. And Jeremy Strong once again proved its calibre.

The Substance (dir. Coralie Fargeat)

Was it too on the nose? Yes. Is this a theme explored in so many movies with a feminist twist? Yes.

But it was fun, it was well made, it brought a dose of body horror for us fans who are lacking in any new Cronenberg film. And it was also fascinating for me to see Demi Moore back with such a role.

Longlegs (dir. Oz Perkins)

It includes a serial killer with a supernatural twist, of course this film would be on my list. I don't particularly seek out horror fiction, but it's a nice surprise whenever something really good comes out. And Nicolas Cage had a unforgettable part, as one of the scariest antagonists that I've seen in years.

Trap (dir. M. Night Shymalan)

This might seem like a really odd choice, considering all the other films on the list. But I do want to point out that even in the case of a film with faults in its script, unrealistic scenarios or characters, it can still be a fun viewing experience. It is ridiculous, like many of Shyamalan's movies, but I do think the backlash against Trap has also been over the top. I loved seeing Josh Hartnett behave like the worst serial killer, making the dumbest mistakes, but also getting away with it every single time!

Red Rooms (dir. Pascal Plante)

This was the only horror film that actually had a deep, visceral impact on me and which made me feel uncomfortable long after it ended. A psychological horror that doesn't show much of the actual atrocities that had happened, but its impact comes from the examination of fangirls obsessed with serial killers, but also of those who lack any sort of empathy and whose fascination with such criminals borders a very problematic line.

Special Mentions

There are three films in the special mentions category. Their inclusion has nothing to do with my opinion regarding their value or if I enjoyed them or not. It has to do with the fact that they stood out due to their directors commitment to do something different through cinematic language. Not just for the sake of it, but because it served their stories and their vision about cinema as an art.

1. Megalopolis (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

2. Emilia Perez (dir. Jacques Audiard)

3. Do Not Expect Too Much From The End of The World (dir. Radu Jude)

#m thoughts #film list #2024 films #conclave #anora #emilia perez #megalopolis #la chimera #trap #longlegs #maria 2024 #red rooms #all of us strangers #the substance #the apprentice

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rainydayfix · 3 months ago

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I was wondering if you could please write some relationship headcanons for my man Anders Lassen? I’m begging for a crumb of content

My apologies this answer took so long <3 I've had this on the books for a while but work took over and haven't been able to log on at all. Hope you enjoy!

always runs hot/warm to the touch. it doesn't quite catch your attention when you hold his hand, but to be really close to him is like always being near a heating lamp lol very comforting in winter and yet seems cool in spring and summer

you are his one and only distraction - whether it's interrupting his thoughts, having a conversation, etc. one look at you and his mind goes blank

get the feeling he doesn't know how to be in a relationship, like he's not helpless or clueless but he struggles to understand your love language and sometimes you need to remind him to show up for you, not to be so reclusive all the time

when he does show up for you, he's very romantic, cups your face when he kisses, likes to put on a record and slow dance, a lot of candlelight dinners with something he made, he goes for the small gestures a lot but they go long away to show he's paying attention and you're on his mind

has a very quiet confidence that takes you back sometimes, like he doesn't need to telegraph his prescence all the time (probably because his natural intensity and his muscles do that all on its own)

he follows your cues in bed; usually soft but passionate. if you want it harder, it may take him a second to get on board, but then he'll have you anyway that you let him and thensome

#reader x anders lassen #anders lassen #the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare #anders lassen imagine #answered

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coff-in · 10 months ago

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YES! I SEE YOU’RE DOING AND TAKING REQS AGAIN!!!

Reader who is constantly zoning out 25/8 head cannons. Doesn’t matter if they’re eating, drinking, bathing, walking or working; they’re always daydreaming in their head. Constantly running into things or tripping because they’re too preoccupied in their head. They daydream a lot to where sometimes they reenact their thoughts or speak to nobody in particular. Their S/O always has to bring them back or navigate them so they don’t accidentally hurt themselves.

Reader can be G/N, or female if it’s necessary for a gender. I’d like Andrew to be the S/O, but you can throw Ashley in the mix too (separately or together) if you want. I won’t throw shade.

TYYYYY!!!!

notes from coff-in: i've been meaning to answer the asks in my inbox for weeks now, but every time i tell myself 'i should answer asks' i suddenly find myself not doing it. like the more i think about doing something the longer it takes for me to do it. eventually i just sort of stop thinking about it and get focused on other work and then open my inbox and go 'yeah i'll answer these now :)' like i haven't been gone for a month or so. is this normal? the same thing happens when i think about soaking my mushroom log or taking my pills or even when i was younger and had to wear my retainer, i think 'i'll do it later' and then i never do it. i'll think 'i should do it sometime today' and then i never do it. why do i do that? sorry about that, in other news: i have started playing roblox and i like sebastian solace from pressure. big fish :3

[gender neutral] reader-insert

[reader] is so me fr fr. 'maladaptive daydreaming' you mean... uh normal behavior... gottem. i appreciate that you said 's/o' because i've been meaning to write for julia for a while (hussies unite or smth).

andrew would find [reader]'s daydreaming endearing, but would see it as a hassle to deal with often. he's constantly nudging you and gently shaking you to get your attention. he'd also tease you about running into objects and scold you for not paying attention. protective instincts kinda kick in for him :') he does wish you paid more attention to your surroundings and school ("i'm not going to be able to help you with your homework forever," he tells you while doing your homework)

ashley would definitely be annoyed. you should be paying attention to her! she's YOUR girlfriend, asshole! you would need to repeatedly (hourly, even) tell her that you do love her, you are trying to pay attention to her, etc etc. i don't think a maladaptive daydreamer would pair all too well with ashley. maybe.... she would feel comforted that you sorta act the same with others, spaced out and unfocused, but there's always that worry in her that someone else will snap you out of your haze and take your attention away. hang out with ashley, she's just a girl who's fun and whimsical, give her all your attention. do it. DO IT-- (she will laugh at you if you trip on something)

julia :3 i think julia wouldn't mind [reader] constantly zoning out. julia is (as far as we've seen, mind you!!) such a sweet and gentle girl, i honestly think you and her would work out very well. she's gemtly holding your arm or hand and swerving you away from poles and potholes. she taps you so you can focus on your work and if you wanna veg out next to her, she doesn't mind that. love that emo girl

----

coff-in

is it a certified coff-in post if i don't rant/vent in the opening notes? anyways please ask me about my opinions on pressure, it's infecting my brain :3

#cobweb in the coffin #tcoaal #the coffin of andy and leyley #andrew graves #ashley graves #tcoaal x reader #the coffin of andy and leyley x reader #andrew graves x reader #ashley graves x reader #julia tcoaal #tcoaal julia #julia tcoaal x reader #tcoaal julia x reader

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heartach3d · 3 months ago

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can't help myself!

newt x reader

not requested I just saw a MASTER edit and started like spazzing out and stuff do anyone does that idk but it might be woerf but I'm joy weird I promise ❤️(also today's the 19th and I reread this and it's kinda weird! Like me weird tho not like bad weird)

830 words

greenie night!!

I love it. mainly the reason I can get a little more than tipsy and no one bat an eye.

and I always try to ignore the fact that I have to get up in the morning and deal with my killer headache while working!

that should be like a rule in the Glade like after the bonfire no one works or something but that would probably be bad now that I'm really thinking about it.

still haven't met the greenie yet but that's okay he'll probably be some asshole anyway.

I had already drank half of the bottle I had in my hand. sometimes gally makes it actually drinkable but most times its not.

walking around the place, looking for someone to talk to was tiring. I mean everyone has their own clique type thing so I talk to anyone who is able to.

I don't think I really have one. I mean I just hang out with newt most the time obviously. I don't mind it one bit so I've gone to looking for him now.

I cant take my mind off him at all sometimes. I mean his hair and his face are just perfect sometimes I wonder where he gets the idea to being going on with me. probably the fact I'm the only girl here actually.

but anyway I saw newt and some guy sitting next to him behind a log after walking past minho. minho was cool, I mean I liked him but I never really talked to him.

I heard him and the new guy talking as I got closer and sat down. I just realized how cold it really was, considering I was still in my clothes from earlier which was shorts and a tank.

the cold tickly feeling from the grass on my legs wasn't helping either since I knew it was just gonna make me all itchy later.

I suddenly felt knocking on my head and I looked over at newt like he was crazy. "I called your name like twice" after he saw my reaction he finally explained himself and I realized why he did it.

"sorry"

"hey it's alright, have you met the new greenie yet?" he asked and I shook my head no before bending froward a little to see past newt and waved at the greenie.

"my names y/n nice to meet you greenie" putting my hand out in front of me I shook his hand with a nice grip before returning to my spot.

I wigged some of my drink and drank a good amount before placing it down on the grass between us.

out of my peripheral vision I saw the new guys eyes widen at my action but I didn't really care too much.

I turned back and looked behind me as newt was, to see what he was looking at and what was going on.

I saw all the commotion going on as gally started his fighting ring. I didn't really like gally he was an ass with a low temper.

"you should go over there if you want to, we'll catch up later" newt said turning to the new guy, I guess he saw him looking over there or something so he just nodded before standing up and walking over.

"how you've been hm?" I stopped looking at the new guy walk away and turned back to newt.

I smiled as our eyes met and he mirrored it. I noticed in the moment that my head was already pounding but didn't care.

too much was on my mind anyway.

I grabbed newts face with my hand and squished his cheeks together to insinuate a kiss before pulling away.

"I've been fine. just walking around and stuff I guess I don't know." I let my hand wonder down his face and to the hair on the back of his neck, twisting it together slightly

"yeah? walking doin what?"

"I was trying to find you and I did so I'm happy now"

before he said anything else I cut him off by speaking again "your so cute" cut off by a hiccup you continue on "I don't know how I'm left with you"

I whisper the last part while tracing his jaw looking damn well mesmerized while staring at him.

"I think the alcohol has finally gotten to you" he whispered back and I laughed lightly nodding my head in agreement.

"yeah my heads killing me" i look over slightly at the little circle getting bigger and bigger before I realize the new guys getting thrown in there.

"hey newt" tilting my eyes to look at him as I wait for his response "yeah baby what's wrong" he asks looking mesmerized at me.

"isn't that the new guy"

that catches his attention as he looks over to where my vision is and curses under his breath.

"yeah maybe we should go over there now"

alright this like point of view is supposed to be like my mind pov idk? I just wrote what was in my mind for this and some moments I may have dragged random shit too much so, sorry for that but my head started killing me half way through this so it sucks ❤️😆

finished 3/12/25

#pls give requests more #the maze runner x reader #tmr x reader #newt x reader #tmr newt #tmr newt x reader #the maze runner #maze runner newt

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maksplaygroundsims2 · 5 months ago

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Am I a sellout? Maybe lol.

Welp, I bought the Sims 25th birthday bundle thing on Steam, it was 60something. It included Sims 2 and all the packs&stuff packs, and it included the original Sims game and all it's packs, as well as some sims 4 kits(which I don't care about and didn't want in the first place, lol) Now, before I get polverised by the entire sims 2 community here... yes I've been reading what people have to say, I've been reading about the concerns, I've been reading about the warnings...yes I'm aware of both games being available for free on the internet. I was one of the people who switched over to Linux to be able to play TS2 and I don't plan on going back at all to playing it on my windows desktop... HOWEVER, I do want to be able to play it on my laptop. I recently got a new laptop on Black Friday in 2024. I tried Osab's installer, and all the fixings for it, it still did not work and there was tons of pink flashing as soon as I put my cc and mods in.

So, I pondered putting Fedora on my laptop too but, I have to use this laptop for work, and tbh I rather not have to switch to windows and linux to work and then play.. it's just... annoying tbh. I still have windows on my desktop and it's been almost a month since I've logged onto that partition...I'm considering making the full switch on this computer to just linux and use my laptop for windows stuff. But, in all honesty...my biggest reason for buying it is because, as I've mentioned before in a previous post back in December... I have a huge medical surgery coming up, a kidney and pancreas transplant. It's going to require me to be 7hrs away from my home for three or four months... I thought about getting my boyfriend to bring my whole ass desktop down for me when I get settled into where I'm staying... but IFFFFF I can play sims on my laptop without issue then that would be perfect. But again, I don't want to put linux on it so when I saw that EA was planning on doing the re-release I was skeptical, sure but, I thought it would be a good solution to my worries about not being able to play Sims when I was away from home....but, now that it's available, of course I'll throw my money at EA. It's not like I haven't before when the sims 2 first came out, it's not like I didn't hand them my dubloons when Sims 3 was being released, and then bought some sims 4 packs.. even though I barely axtually played the game, but mostly just built in it for my YT channel.

I know most people won't givve a shit about who buys the re-release but I've just seen so many people hating on it and I feel a little wierd because I genuinely don't like EA as a company, at all but here I am giving them money that could be used elsewhere in my life. But alas, here I am.. about to dive into the sims 1 like it's 2002, to hear that sweet sweet sound of "EA Games, Challenge Everything" and let my mind melt into its childlike form.

#The Sims 2 #The Sims #TS2 #Sims 2 Rerelease #EA Games #EA #Sims tumblr #simblr #Kind Of A rant

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shaysplanet · 5 months ago

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hi shay !

i shifted successfully to my dr in september, and since then i've shifted five times, each time for a week or two. i think it's a bit disorienting, like when i'm back in my cr, all i think about is everything that happened in my dr, and i mix things up (like i'll call someone in my cr the name of someone in my dr), and a lot of the times i forget things too like what happened in my cr before i shifted. nothing big, but just like if i had a paper i was supposed to submit, or plans with a friend, if i've shifted the night before, it just leaves my mind because technically i haven't been here for like two weeks😭😭 does that ever get easier to manage? i wouldn't give up shifting for anything but everything feels so overwhelming after i shift back.

i also haven't been able to shift for all of january. i've been trying to since christmas but it hasn't worked, and i'm scared it got "taken away" from me, which ik isn't possible but it just feels that way

#140

it hasn’t been taken away and yes it gets easier to manage over time but you might just want to try shifting for shorter periods for now. work up to it. that’s what i’m doing.

my goal is to shift for 3 weeks at a time by end of summer and be comfortable with that. I can’t do longer than a few days rn it’s simply not for me.

if it’s still too disorienting, maybe write out a to do list before leaving so you can come back and know your plans. then write out shift details (keep a log, I have one) of shit from your drs so you know what happened there vs here.

and maybe get yourself a schedule. some people can shift every night and be chill (I am not one of em but soon trust!!) but many gotta keep it to like 3 days a week max. be honest with yourself on what you can handle then abide by that schedule. it will also create motivation to shift on the days you choose bc you’re looking forward to those days.

other than that I don’t got tips bud. gg

#shaysplanet #shiftblr #shifting blog #shifting diary #reality shifting #shifting community #shifting advice #shays lil aliens

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gaylordscooter · 1 year ago

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Log of the Multiverse: Blue (aka me, sans t. skeleton)

Originally this was supposed to be an entry on ink but he didn't really like the sound of he wanted to write his entry himself when he had the time to. so i decided to write about myself instead.

it's kinda funny, i should've made this the first entry maybe. it seems pretty self-centered to write an entry on yourself or would it be self-centered to not write an entry? it'd be like assuming everyone already knew who i was.

my name was sans. first name sans, last name, i shit you not, skeleton. pap my brother thought i was joking when i told him it was, in fact, our last name. of course i had to let that name go once i lost my home. i was given this nickname by ink even though it's not mine to have

i didn't lose my home to error, or any outcode for that matter. it destroyed itself, to put simply

according to ink, there were "too many plot holes" and "contradictions" that ended up breaking it. "unfinished" he said, like my world was just someone's drafted story.

it was.

speaking of ink, they're the reason im able to write this in the first place. he dragged me out of my universe right as it collapsed. honestly that whole series of events was a blur, i remember running away from temmie, who just got all six human souls and was trying to kill me along with the other stray monsters that managed to evade the human's murder-spree. i thought temmie was my friend. i question why ink rescued me

my universe was a "swap" universe, meaning in the original universe i was more like my brother and he was more like me, for example. but i've met the sans from "underswap" he's fairly different from me. i've also met versions of my brother when i went to the omega timeline and im still different from them too. like. more different than they are from each other

i assume that has to do with the instability of my universe, ink did nickname it "botchedswap" after all (flattering name, i know)

ever since ink rescued me from my universe i kinda just stuck by his side. i joke that he's my "universe taxi driver" but (i REALLY hope he doesn't read this) he's my best friend.

he's a better friend than temmie ever was. that's for sure

but sometimes i feel like when he looks at me, he's not thinking about me. it's like he pretends im someone else. i remember when he first called me "blue". they didn't say it like they just came up with that nickname, they said it with familiarity.

like it already belonged to someone else

and it did, it belonged to the guy before me, the guy im a replacement for. i was so mad. i was infuriated, at ink, for using me as a replacement. but then he explained his side

it was like his mask of ingenuity cracked as he told me. he was guilty. he's been guilty. and i was their solace

i'm his attempt at repentance

it made sense why dream and i aren't that close, he didn't want a replacement and i'm hardly a good one too i can't count the amount of times ink looked at me weirdly for saying something blue wouldn't. he misses blue, the real blue.

[the paper's damp here, as if drops of water was spilled onto it]

i haven't really been talking about myself, have i?

before my universe destroyed itself, i was in the process of studying to become apart of the royal science division, i was getting training from undyne alphys oh god which one was it someone. i, i think i got in? at one point. i remember celebrating getting in, but that doesn't sound right.

meanwhile my brother he [the writing afterwards is completely scribbled out and illegible, the paper's somewhat torn from how intense the scribbling was]

im forgetting.

#blue's (totally not diary) log

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postdeathapocalypse · 4 months ago

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[The video feed begins with a dark screen, then Headlock enables the camera and flips it to face him - He's wearing a balaclava, aviator sunglasses, a baseball cap with a bloody hole in it and the text "Major Head Trauma" embroidered into it. He has an IPS-N Pit Crew Jacket, fingerless gloves, black cargo pants and loosened combat boots. He looks at the camera, his gaze leaving whatever was besides it, he looks back, nudges something and then slowly backs away to reveal a busy mech-bay with lines and lines of Albatross frames for yards on end behind him. The closest frame to him is on Headlock's and the camera's left, it is an aged and rusted wreck of an unknown type, destroyed a long time ago, one which looks nothing like any other frame across the galaxy. Headlock looks at the Size 2 besides him and sighs, then looks back and starts speaking, the audio muting the background noise automatically.] "I've recently been working on the frame that I left my home world with, one that was damaged during a battle on the ship that housed me as I left New Levra. The ship from before Corsair found me in a shuttle, floating in space." "I've been staring at the thing and carrying it around with me mech-bay-to-mech-bay, unsure what to do with it. A thousand or so souls died on that ship as the Baronies descended upon us from their blockades - Looking at the burnt and charred wreck made me feel something I don't think I'll ever properly be able to put into words, maybe it was shame, but even then, something kept me from throwing it out into space." [He approaches the camera, picking it up - From the way he holds it, it is an archaic, analog thing, a replica from before the fall. He shows off the frame from up closer - The thing is badly torn.] "My Saints To Martyrs was a Remagen-Pattern chassis, originally drafted together from the remains of a Worldkiller and a Monarch, taking the armor and heft from the former and the arming capacity from the other; I believe it could be classified as a Controller and Defender with a bit of Artillery sprinkled in." ". . . Anyway, I haven't made a video log in a while and wanted to justify the expensive purchase I made a bit ago to get a camera model that was a bit closer to home."

#lancer rpg #lancer rp #lancerrpg #headlock talks #lancer ttrpg #lancer #lancer oc #lancer pilot #oc rp #headlock's engineering stories #headlock history

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darcytaylor · 6 months ago

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For me, Luke's post registered loud and clear last night, so I was very surprised to log in today and find the fandom still on its bullshit. Then again, I've never bought into any shipping, so perhaps it's easier for me to divest and get more of a bird's eye view of the situation. The stance I've reached is that I have to step away, permanently, because there is nothing genuine left to enjoy in this fandom.

You see, after last night, I perceive Luke as a man without integrity and without honor. And before I get accused of being too harsh or overly dramatic, let me explain. For the past two years, he's been asleep at the wheel of a luxury vehicle he cannot afford. He hasn't shown up for the people he claims to love in the way that they've needed him to, and this goes back to the Jade days at least. And while there are crazy people everywhere and he isn't directly responsible for anyone else's behavior, we all lock our doors, install safes and put in cameras because we have to protect ourselves; we cannot count on other people to be decent. He has allowed strangers to invade his circle's privacy with impunity, and the only reason I can think of that makes any lick of sense is that he wants the adulation of the fans to continue unabated since it serves his professional bottom line. But what about the emotional (and practical) collateral for the people in his life? There are more mature ways to address the issue of overstepping than what he pulled last night. But who I marvel most at are the Polin shippers who are keeping their blinders on and failing to realize that at a certain level, he's mocking them with his inclusion of that one particular image.

And I'm not excluding Nicola from this conversation either. Their combined failure to put up firm boundaries for the sake of promoting a show has come back to bite them, but their loved ones even more. Corey was able to do it - he shut shit down with a single sentence. So why haven't they? At this point, they've become foolhardy. She's allowed unbridled speculation to play out about a man she couldn't possibly be dating, which has led to increased fan inquisitiveness and invasion into his own life, friends and family. I know they shouldn't have to deal with this, but there are things like this all of us have to handle, and it's their responsibility to manage the realities of their lives. Instead, what they seem to have done is center themselves as the loci of their universe, consequences be damned for everyone else. And for what, so that people can keep buying candles with quotes on them that didn't even make it into the show? Is that the price of their loved ones' safety and peace of mind to them? I get fearing losing your job, but the show isn't going anywhere, and neither are they. So why the intricate dance with the shippers? Is this the inevitable dead-end of social media - a thorough inability to show up with any authenticity in front of others?

I find all this business of hints, hidden tags, skipping red carpets and sneaking around in general just too childish for people at their level of success. I'm not going to stick around to watch the two of them compete in the Pettiness Olympics with a bunch of relentless shippers who have no qualms about crossing any and every line. Nicola and Luke could make things much easier for themselves and for those around them by releasing their clench on the idea that the Polin fandom will evaporate if they shut down the shipping. I mean, it is either that, or there's something really going on between the two of them, so the more insincere thing would be to deny it. However, from the games they both seem to be playing, that doesn't seem to be the case, so why continue to indulge them? I know, I know, they don't owe anybody clarity and all that, but this has reached a point where they themselves are rebelling against it in subtle yet consistent ways, so why not go in on it fully? It's all starting to feel so cynical and mercenary of them.

I'm saying all of this because I recently had something happen to me that really put things into perspective in terms of which areas of my life require my attention and which need to go. I cannot imagine being someone in their orbit and being hung out to dry the way that they have been. For some of them, their association with the main players may end one day, and they'll be left to pick up the pieces of their lives and online reputations on their own. It may be a harsh assessment of the situation, but this is where I stand currently. This is all-around unsustainable and it might reach a fever pitch, God forbid, with someone going too far to try to prove a point. Nicola and Luke cannot possibly be blind to this; it has already gotten out of hand. But they aren't as helpless as they think (or want to think). So, in the new year, I wish for more people to grow a spine and have the courage to live the lives they are living out in the open and not resort to playing infantile games with potentially dangerous, amoral individuals. It's getting too ridiculous.

I'm glad to see you're doing well and wanted to simply bid my adieu, since I've enjoyed the discussions we've had, but I feel like I have a responsibility to myself to cut out the things in my life that aren't serving me and are adding needless frustration to my life instead of joy. Take care and all the best!

Wow, that’s a lot to unpack, and I appreciate you sharing your perspective so thoroughly. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of thought into this, and while I don’t necessarily agree with everything you’ve said, I can respect your decision to step away for your own peace of mind - and for the reasons you’re doing it.

I do think there could be more done on Luke and Nicola’s sides to protect the people in their lives - boundaries are important, especially when navigating something as intense as fandom culture. At the same time, fans shouldn’t dictate the choices they make or how they live their lives. Ultimately, they are celebrities, and this is part of the culture that comes with that.

In any profession, there will always be aspects of the job that are less than ideal or require actions we’d rather not take, but this is where we are in the world, especially with social media and celebrity culture. Balancing personal boundaries and professional obligations is tricky, and while I understand some of your frustrations, I don’t think it’s fair to assume malicious intent or complete disregard for the people around them.

I also think that some decisions they made, which may have seemed good at the time, might not have had the outcomes they ultimately hoped for. Additionally, because so many personalities are involved, finding the perfect balance of needs and wants is a tricky spot to navigate.

I also want to say this: thank you for having conversations with me. Thank you for being a part of the fandom with me and engaging with me. You may not realize it, but when I made this blog, I was in a very low part of my life, so having any form of back-and-forth with you truly made a difference (even though I don't exactly know who you are). And while I’m sad that you are where you are regarding Luke and even Nicola, know that you impacted my life for the better. So it wasn’t for nothing!

At the end of the day, you’re right - if something isn’t bringing joy or adding value to your life, stepping away is the healthiest choice. I’m glad you’re prioritizing yourself, and I wish you nothing but the best in the new year. Take care!

#bridgerton #luke newton #nicola coughlan

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