#is that trust not More compelling to u? or am i like. insane

[collegeoflore]

i’m going to be a hater again for like 20 seconds. about astarion. as per usual.

why do ppl insist on reading (spawn and/or pre-ritual) astarion as possessive of his partner? why do we Want him to have that trait? what is the point. why r we trying to make him possessive and protective when he’s like… not? ascended!astarion is right there u can literally have this if u want it! u don’t need to ascribe it to spawn!astarion when it’s not there. there is Literally A Version Of Events Where It Is True

[a-smol-cosplayer]

Anyways here are some more of my wednesday opinions cause I need them out of my brain (spoilers obvi)

First? Why is everyone hating on the show?? Between the ‘both men where so bland I couldn’t tell them apart fuck love triangles’ and ‘this isn’t an Adams reboot this sucks they made this show horrible and so out of character’ y’all need to take some breaths. 

I found it super compelling and enjoyable!! I loved seeing wednesday grow from someone how hated people and emotions to someone who still hates emotions but has them and has a good relationship with both her new friends and family!

To address the comments above:

Okay maybe Xavier is slightly bland - angsty art kid however his use in the plot and the fact that we are seeing him from Wednesdays pov who obviously doesn’t like him that much and is only using him for her own gain really saves him for me and leaves him open for more development. Talking about the love triangle - I struggle to see one. Its mostly Tyler x wednesday and xaviers crush is one sided, there is no point in the show where she laments over which boy she wants or the fact that she likes both of them - I think we have mixed up what an actual cliche love triangle is in media and ‘these two attractive boys are both in love with the main character’. There might have been more rivalry between them but wednesday certainly wasn’t aware of it

Tyler deserves his own dot point to address the comment above cause HOW CAN U SAY THAT MAN IS BLAND. especially after the last episode. It switches the view on his whole supposedly ‘bland’ point of view and forces u to think about wether thats the real thing and the person in the last ep was an amalgamation of manipulation and grooming as well as deep seeded trauma or if he was playing us the whole time with this awkward clueless personality as he manipulated everyone around him which is such a cool way of looking at it. If u don’t believe me go rewatch the series as if Tyler is aware of everything and is willingly manipulating everyone - cures the ‘he’s boring to watch’ thing instantly. 

Okay getting to the second point - I completely see where u are coming from but like its called WEDNESDAY. Its about this version of wednesday not the whole family, they don’t even appear in it very much. when I seperated it from the previous versions of the Adams family it was super good (however I do get where y’all are coming from about the whole ‘crazy morbid loving family’ dynamic being destroyed but I liked the journey that wednesday and mortica went on and I think it added to her character so I am willingly ignoring it 

Okay now for the part where I rant about Tyler Gilpin cause I love that man with my whole heart and I am a Tyler apologist first and a human being second

MANS WAS MANIPULATED and has some super bad trauma. From the point where his mum died and his dad practically abandoned him and thennn the first person he thought he could trust to look after him and tell him the truth proceeded to turn around and groom and manipulate and USE HIM for her own gain and chained up a literal child whilst forcing him to change into a monster :/ people keep forgetting that he is literally at most 17/18 but probably 16/17 and has been left by every single adult in his child life. Cut my man some slack. 

second: he really did want to leave!! He had no control over his actions as the hyde - he literally says in the first episode how ‘at least one of them would be able to get out of this hellhole town.’ He was a manipulated child!! Sure he might have been slightly dark in his own right but he wasn’t going around murdering people for funzies and he probably only started to enjoy it as a trauma response :/ like what else was he supposed to do?? Go insane cause there was this woman who was forcing him to kill people. He couldn’t control himself as the hyde (u know in the last ep where he said ‘I wake up covered in blood and have no memory of what happened’ ect ect) so everyone saying he’s a murderer who doesn’t deserve wednesday (also wouldn’t a pscyo murderer be like the perfect fir for wednesday?  that scene where he admits to hurting Xavier and then trying to get better and wednesday saying she would have done something worse for the fun of it?? Bruh they are so perfect together and have so much chemistry but ill put that in another rant) anyways. Y’all are acting like he just went around murdering people for the fun of it completely aware are endorsing his actions (did we even watch the same show?) when the main point of Wednesday figuring out the master was a hyde was that there was actually another person controlling the monster in the woods and it wasn’t acting alone 

Also - I see lots of people being like “yeah but he basically assaulted Xavier y’all are ignoring it he’s a bad person 🙄💅” but like?? So was Lucas? 1 he was in the ‘friends’ who distroyed Xaviers painting as well, and he bullied Eugene and tried to fight/hurt wednesday just for being an outcast and used enid to get into the dance and ruined it for everyone and u don’t see people bashing him? People can change and realise that the stuff they used to do as a tween was bad and full of bias inherited from their parents/society :/ 

Anyways to sum up that rant - I love my slightly murderous and traumatised but yet awkward and soft hearted barista with my whole life and if he doesn’t get a redemption arch enemies to lovers, joining the gang (enid, Ajax, wednesday, Bianca, Xavier, Eugene and thing obvi), learning how to control the monster inside storyline next season I’m going to riot. 

Also antihero is totally Tylers song and I love it 

Imma be honest I didn’t dislike any of the characters - I think they are either already well fleshed out and interesting or have the potential to be and I loved the way the three seperate plot lines managed to organically weave and thread together into one whole point just viewed from different angles a lot. I absolutely love enid with my whole heart (I’m not stepping on wenclair at all I love the idea but I just really like the sunshinexgrumpy bestie vibes they have going on and I love Ajax to much to cut him out he’s so supportive and lovely) and she was such a good character with her own plot lines and the way she and thing interacted has my whole heart. Also the way that she got more understanding and wednesday got better at social cues and how to be friends/show emotions was really well done. 

Also low key if u apply my fav way to solve this said ‘love triangle’ which is they all just date each other meaning we get both tylorpe anddd these boys who love wednesday with their entire beings and supportive ajax and enid 👀👀👀👀 (yes Wednesday needs too grovel a little with Xavier she did not treat him well at all and Xavier maybe should get more interests than brooding and painting but we can work on it) ((I also approve of the fact that wednesday has two hands one for each Tyler and enid and ajax can share))

Im also seeing a lot of Tyler/Xavier hate but like,, can y’all not see wednesday isn’t the perfect character either? Like she’s a super morally reprehensible character and treats people hella bad some times. she literally put the only two people who she had managed to get attached too/have a connection too (Tyler and enid ((excluding Eugene love him too))) in danger for her own gain. I know thats the whole point of the show and I love her in that regard, it makes her character really interesting but like— she’s not absolutely perfect and these ‘mean bland boys don’t deserve her’ comments really aren’t helping her character development 

Okay thats it :) 

PLS BE NICE TO ME!! EVERY SINGLE POST IS SEE HAS PEOPLE UNDERNEATH IT GOING (ur opinions are wrong and ur a terrible person for shipping/not shipping this thing) (bc wenclair/wednesdayxxavier didn’t get together it was such a terrible show) (love triangles suck and if u like them u are a woman hating nazi) LIKE CAN YALL CALM DOWN ITS LITERALLY A SHOW CHILL OUT 

[bettercostume]

Mars, I need help. Thoughts on kunessi dynamics 🎤

Meb i thought about this on the train to work and the train home from work and iiiiii have so many thoughts.

Literally Kun is his second wife. Or first wife, actually, since I think he's know Leo since Leo was the quiet kid who barely spoke and sat at the same table with him at the under 19s training, and who from that moment forward was his best boy, his right hand, his soulmate, his---i'm drawing a blank at romantic couples of history here but you get the idea.

Basically Kun is the mouth. He's never uncomfortable, and even though i get the sense he takes everything in deeply, he can rally like an inflatable punching clown. He does the practical jokes. He's the HE ASKED FOR NO PICKLES, but delivered with a backslap and a blinding grin. You feel compelled to like the guy. He's a rascal. He's also astonishingly good at football, and it takes a guy like Messi to make him look like an also ran. He is leo's number one fan forever, amen. He is fuck it we ride, ready to fight, but also there to pick him up and take him to the airport at 2 am with the radio on low and hot water already in a thermos on the console. It's nothing, pa, you know I love speeding through toll roads at night.

I think Leo really gravitates towards people who are the opposite of his persona, and his seemingly internal focus and observational participation in social stuff as a kid. As a fully formed adult, both he and Kun have become both more of their caricatures and less at the same time, mellowing out into people who can reverse card each other with expectations, but have a rock-solid bond. I think it would take like, kun murdering leo's kids in front of him for them to have a fallout.

There's the apocryphal story (that kun loves to tell. he loves building the kunessi lore) where they're at that lunch table i mentioned and kun is like hey who are you anyway? and leo is like, leo. everyone else twigs to who he is, the wunderkid shipped back from barca, but kun is like oh word? but like what's your last name? and it takes like three more repetitions for kun to be like OHHHH, WORD??? Which sums up their dynamic pretty well, I think. But after this I think really Leo has the opportunity to hurt Kun more: he's less overtly affectionate, imho, and he doesn't verbalize the love he feels. Sorry to self plagiarize but in the fic i wrote i basically say that leo is like it should be obvious i love you even if i don't call or text, because why would i stop? and kun, who wants to be needed and coveted, is like, ok but i wouldn't mind the princess treatment SOME of the time. and leo is like your wish is my command, i moved your suite to mine and you're living with me now happy world cup btw we will have adjoining mansions in miami when we retire.

I think the fact that Kun isn't afraid to look like an idiot, turns the party, and also has kind of a bitchy edge that resonates with what i believe to be the nougaty, spoiled princess interior of leo--i think all these things endeared him to the other and that leo was like. ok. kun is my friend forever IMMEDIATELY. I also know with that trust and affection they practiced kissing each other and whipped it out to compare length, width, and accuracy. KNOW AND TRUST THEY HAVE EXPLORED EACH OTHERS BODIES. The love is real and long-term but I think also they would absolutely be bucknasty filthy, still. IMHO they have a kind of macho old boys club thing where they don't talk about the physical sex as much, its so obvious, but then also are like yeah you love that tight little hole you homo you sissy etc during and it makes them so insanely hot when they're with their wives that even if months intervene they still freak like it's 1999. That's one read, the other is that they make love with lots of eye contact and kun cries the entire time. POR QUE NO LOS DOS. Sorry I sounded like the weeknd in his bad tv show there for a moment but you get the vibe.

ANYWAY. I HOPE THIS IS WHAT U WANTED.

[yj-98]

Cass Cain for the ask game?

yay cass<3333 disclaimer i have still not read batgirl 2000 but i will once i reach the 21st century in my reading 😭 ... i love her Anyways though i am so endeared

Sexuality Headcanon: lesbian <3 personally I dress her kind of "tomboy" <- has to be a better word for this....but i also think she could share clothes with dick in my rich inner world

Gender Headcanon: kinda genderqueer.. perhaps agender. nonbinary for sure just know her lesbianism informs her gender<3 idk if it rly Matters to cass

A ship I have with said character: hmmm stephcass Obviously i feel but im coming around to cassrose too.... thank u esha. they compel me

A BROTP I have with said character: stephcass bc i like them as friends also <3 and kon!!!! but also. aforementioned brother dick grayson... and ofc insane siblings tim and cass you will literally always be famous to me!!!!!

A NOTP I have with said character: listen. i know theres people who ship cass and kon romantically and like. ik they were briefly canon. and they weren't like. bad or anything. but also it felt so like two friends who tried to date and realized they were better off as friends + then had some Other Realizations. like. of the comphet kind. i cant picture them actually dating forreal tho.

A random headcanon: she has autism we know this but i want to talk abt stimming.....i feel like shes a rocker + perhaps runs her hands up and down her arms/shoulders. i also like the idea of her having a vocal stim like clicking. thank you<3

General Opinion over said character: shes genuinely important to me Already like i can tell that ill adore her to bits and pieces when im actually reading her comic + i trust the besties&mutuals who love her when they say shes everything. whenever i see pages + panels it makes me want to break my self-imposed chronological reading order because shes So Interesting!!! dc gave this girl so much potential + she deserves more. i get angry on her behalf and i celebrate her and i want more of her. cass cain the character you are

[ send me a character ! 📮 ]

[bloodcoveredgf]

hi!! I rly like yr idea of watching movies from each decade & I wanna try to do the same thing (although probably not as many lol) do u have any fave 80s horror movies u would rec :)

omg yessss i do !! i would rec dead ringers and the lost boys but i know youve seen those unless i am making that up.. sooo! the thing is fantastic if you like body horror and watching a group of men who cant trust eachother struggle to survive against a shape shifting creature etc etc also kurt russell serving cunt. - re-animator is great if you love gore and mad scientists and corpses and some silliness in your horror alongside some very interesting compelling dynamics :) - near dark is a moody atmospheric vampire flick that is serious and not serious at the same time and focuses a lot on characters and their dynamics but has found family drifter vamps who ride around in stolen cars and camp out in hotels and its something id rec to fans of the lost boys even knowing its not as good... its very fun imo! i enjoy the characters a lot :) - the hitcher is a great cat and mouse game movie with some serious Vibes between the protagonist and antagonist and theyre both super great in it the antagonist is insane and that makes it extra enjoyable and wild! also i adore nash. - fright night is another vampire movie but pretty different imo especially with all its characters and dynamics and is mainly a beloved of mine because of the practical effects theyre very good and i find the movie super enthralling. so 80s :-) the blob is also a very fun movie if you like body horror and a fucked up big pink blob alien creature taking over and devouring a town! - killer klowns from outer space is soooo silly fun too and colorful and insane and has a great score and a must-watch for anyone that enjoys clowns and practical effects it also gets kinda brutal and the clowns are awesome i love it !! - an american werewolf in london is just one of the greatest werewolf movies of all time with some of the best practical effects everrrr and had some very silly comedic aspects while also getting brutal and heartbreaking at times. - night of the comet is a great one about two sisters making it through the apocalypse with cannibal mutants but its also so much more than that and is so interesting to me also very visually stunning with the setting and sky shots and cinematography! - elvira mistress of the dark is just one of the movies of all time its so camp and funny and elvira is Everything absolutely a must watch imo! <3 oohh i have a lot more favorites and im not sure im doing these justice with my very short descriptions but honorable mentions to two of my newly discovered underappreciated favorites terror train and fade to black also you can filter my films to 80s and horror on my letterboxd to see more if you wanna :)

[idyllic-affections]

🌻 god. furina. u see i am a big fan of furina. i love and adore her and she is sooo hated sometimes by people that genuinely dont even actually read the story!! or they do but choose to ignore things on purpose which i mean is a common thing in the genshin fandom 😇😇

but i saw a twitter post being like oh furina is not a perfect archon and she has flaws (which i can stand actually!! everyone has flaws its okay) but the same person then said how shes not doing anything with the prophecy...?????????

she is. neuvillette himself said that she IS trying and come on i dont think he would lie about it. she herself said that shes trying to do something about it but she cant tell yet— and yk what i choose to believe her!! even if she has actual nothing to save fontaine, i know she is trying to find it anyway. there is more depth to her character than some people think and it hurts me to see ppl ignore it

and yeah they took arlecchinos word over neuvillettes which is 😁😁😁😁😁 oh come on guys i know half of the fandom has a crush on her and everyone loves characters like her, but that is no reason to believe her. Her!! arlecchino!! a fatui harbinger!! u guys u dont go around and trust a harbinger u barely know 🙄🙄🙄 even tho i too love her

in conclusion will defend venti AND furina with my whole heart and life 💖

THIS IS SOOO COMMON IN THE GENSHIN FANDOM AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE. god. i have such a good example of this. this post. i should be normal about baizhu, i shouldn't be this annoyed because of a misunderstanding about a fictional character, but i am, and asker clearly did not read his lore!!!! he's been nothing but kind to her!!!!!! just because he doesn't love her THE MOST doesn't mean he doesn't LOVE HER!!!!!! i hate when people don't understand character nuances. it's so. ugh. Please. i purposefully refuse to hate on a character who i know nothing about because i cannot make a good judgement unless i know what the fuck i'm talking about yk.....

"furina is not a perfect archon!!!!" .....did we play the same game /lh because NONE of the archons are perfect????? girl?!?!?!?! look at ei?????? zhongli????? nahida???????? not venti though, he could never do any wrong, he IS a perfect archon 🫶🫶🫶 (/j of course AJWHSJGANFHF). but in all seriousness, are any of the archons "perfect"? all of those people have been through immense trauma and shit. none of them are perfect. some of them aren't even that good. is that not what makes them compelling? is that not what makes the archons really seem like gods of their people, like humans? is that not what creates a deep form of understanding so intimate that it's uncomfortable, because really, who's to say you wouldn't do or be the same way if you were in their situations??

i always believed she was doing something and that people were just genuinely lying about her being useless. idc. i wholeheartedly believe she is doing her best. she seems so... genuine. in every clip i've seen of her, i don't see a liar or a manipulator. i think she's silly. and genuine. she has feelings. god forbid a woman have feelings and needs. god forbid a woman do ANYTHING, and i'm completely serious about that. i'm not being funny. i saw your second ask, and you're right! if she was a dude people would love her. but oh no!! she's a dramatic woman!!!! how dare she have feelings!!!!

NOOO YOU'RE SO RIGHT. LIKE. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! i love arlecchino as much as the next person but ummmm that's a fatui harbinger dear. that is one of the most dangerous people on teyvat. that is someone who not one but TWO former or current fatui harbingers describe as someone who would literally BETRAY ANYONE IF IT WOULD BENEFIT HER??? A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING, IN THE WANDERER'S WORDS. HELLO. i would not trust a thing she says LMAO love her.... but..... um. Hello.

[swanqueensalad]

Who is top and who is bottom? Regina or Emma? And why? And can you argue for the opposite too?

OHHHH dude you know how start beef and u know what, i respect that. thanks for the ask! (also i'm phrasing this to be funny but it's all just my personal opinion so don't take anything too seriously haha)

cw this post is a little nsfw

i LOVE being controversial and i am not afraid of all y'all who are going to @ me about this (and i know you are). don't think i've forgotten that one summer a few years ago where everyone went insane arguing about if regina was a top or a bottom. if i recall, it was never really settled? well. i'm settling it now.

she's a bottom, u guys...

now, i don't have like, solid proof for this. it's more of a gut feeling. and yes, at times i think she can be a fairly bratty, demanding power bottom kinda bottom, but she is a bottom. i said it.

i think in general she's actually switchy, but the thing is when she's with someone she genuinely loves and trusts, regina tends towards being a bottom more, and there is no one she loves and trusts more than emma.

actually i do have factual evidence, our girl canonically dreamed about emma tying her up and choking her. what more do u need from me

and i just... i'm sorry, LOOK at emma swan in season one. look at the swagger, the way she stands, the eyebrow thing, the smirk and TELL ME that isn't a top. what else would she have those bicep muscles for?

and again, she's probably kinda switchy too, but in general i'm getting top energy. (she can be properly cocky and annoying as a top too, but a lot of the time she's genuinely just service topping because she enjoys it)

her equivalent of proof is that 1. she is obsessed with manhandling regina and throwing her up against walls. i mean not obsessed but it is weird it happened twice. and 2. just that one scene near the end of season one where she and regina are talking in the hallway at the sheriff's station and regina interrupts her and she goes 'uh uh. i'm talking.' and regina does literally just shut up

i think i make a compelling case.

like i said, this is just my opinion and i do think as a couple they switch.

i could honestly go way too deep to back this up this in terms of character stuff but i feel like this is not the post to do so on. i've just dropped my opinions in a hopefully entertaining way. but if anyone wants a more specific post on my thoughts abt sq and their sex life...

anyway pls don't start the regina top/bottom war again

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Texts From The Lost Tomb, Part 8

Honorary Wu Chat, 9pm

KanJian: :D

Wang Meng: And what time do you call this, young man?

KanJian: not 100% sure? Time zones are a little “woohoo!” in my head rn:)

Wang Pangzi: I THINK WHAT WANG MENG WAS TRYING TO SAY WAS, “HEY KID WELCOME BACK HOW WAS YOUR TRIP”

Wang Meng: I specifically asked you to text once the plane landed, and the plane landed an hour ago.

KanJian: Oh I’m so sorry!! It’s just I was talking to this nice old lady seated next to me about her garden, and then there was a puppy, and then the nice lady needed help with her bags,

Wang Meng: *sigh* it’s fine. I just get nervous about you all when you’re on planes.

Li Cu: !!!!! KanJiannn *finger guns*

KanJian: Li Cubra! *fingerslingshot*

Li Cu: my guy you have missed so much shit, I literally lost count of all the shitshows. Oh and I got locked in a freezer but I handled it fine

Liu Sang: Um. Hello, KanJian. Was it a nice flight?

KanJian: omg Liu Sang!! It’s been ages, are you back in the area?

Liu Sang: Yes. I am indeed in the area for the present time. I’ve been staying at Wushanju on and off while I work on shoots. I trust you’ve been well?

Li Cu: Jane Austen called and she wants her formal courtship language fuckery back

KanJian: hooray for your stay, the more the merrier:)

Liu Sang: I don’t really know how to respond to someone being so peppy unironically, but I agree.

KanJian: ?? Laoban tried explaining irony to me once but I got confused and he said never mind and don’t worry about it

Wang Pangzi: LOL WU XIE WOULD KNOW ABOUT IRONY IN LIFE

Li Cu: anyway back to important shit

I need help with target practice are u free or is Wu Xie scheduled for being stupid this week

KanJian: I am free as a bird and happy to help:)

Surrogate Wu Chat

Li Cu: well well well

Liu Sang: …shut up.

Li Cu: how the turntables

Liu Sang: I just got flustered.

Li Cu: good thing I was there with the save, huh?

Liu Sang: Excuse me?

Li Cu: ur coming to target practice>:)

Liu Sang: No.

Li Cu: a.) i bet money your aim is shit b.) Kan Jian will be there and 3.) we can all agree the Wu folks have been back on their bullshit lately, so this is necessary

Liu Sang: …a compelling argument.

Li Cu: thx Uncle Erbai had me take a rhetoric course so I could argue with Wu Xie better

Wushanju Crew Chat

KanJian: Reporting for duty, Laoban!

Wu Xie: welcome home, bud:) I think Pangzi left you cookies in the kitchen.

KanJian: on my way:D

Zhang Qiling: Welcome home, KanJian. It’s good that you are back.

Wang Meng: A reminder that the household meeting is tomorrow at 6:00pm, everyone please be there on time, we have a full agenda.

Wang Pangzi: THE ONLY AGENDA IN WUSHANJU IS THE GAY AGENDA AND ALSO KNIVES

LMAO SINCE WHEN DO WE HAVE HOUSEHOLD MEETINGS

Wang Meng: Would you like me to send you all screenshots of conversations from the last two months?

Wu Xie: :/

Zhang Qiling: Unnecessary.

Wang Pangzi: SO MY WU BAE HAS BEEN MORE FERAL LATELY

SO WHAT? CHAOTIC IS THE NEW CUTE AND FRANKLY GOOD FOR HIM I SUPPORT IT

Wu Xie: <3

Wang Meng: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Wu Xie: I hate to admit that you make a good point

Also now I need to know whether you just memorized that or do you have an inspirational quotes calendar

Wang Pangzi: HE DOES I GOT HIM A PERSONALIZED ONE LAST MONTH

HE HUNG IT UP ON THIS LITTLE WALL BOARD THAT SAYS “BLESS THIS MESS”

Wang Meng: Be there at 6>:(

Wang Pangzi: lol you heard our mother

Wu Xie: haha yeah thx mom

KanJian: Oh are we calling him our mom now? Thanks Mom:)

Zhang Qiling: I have no memory of my parents, but Wang Meng is certainly a good option. Thank you, Mother.

Wang Pangzi: and he was emo. Oh my god, he was emo.

Wu Xie: :( <3 love you.

KanJian: I missed you all so much:)

Wang Meng: I don’t know if I’m crying from hysteria or happiness. Just be at the damn meeting for the love of god.

NonBoomers Only Chat

Liu Sang: So, not to split hairs, but Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi aren’t technically boomers?

Li Cu: yeh but they’re old af

KanJian: that’s right! Laoban just gets better with age:)

Li Cu: …sure that’s one way to think about it. so I have assembled this chat—

Xiao Bai: I AM ON A WU CHAT???? YASSSSS AT LAST HEY KIDDOS

Li Cu: oh hey sis

Xiao Bai: oof A SIS??? <3

Li Cu: oops. Auntie?

Xiao Bai: hilarious so how was the freezer you little brat

Li Cu: aaaand there she is:) ANYWAY I assembled you bitches because let’s face it, we are a.) the future of the Wu clan and b.) not quite as disastrous hopefully so c.) establishing open and honest lines of communication is important according to my thera—someone I know. One minor issue is that we are only four at the moment.

KanJian: I’m 21?!

Li Cu: …

Liu Sang:…

Xiao Bai: …

KanJian: oh wait

Wait I get it now I promise

Li Cu: good luck Liu Sang

Liu Sang: I will kill you

Li Cu: that would upset Wu Xie which would upset Xiao Ge. We wouldn’t want to upset Xiao Ge now would we Liu Sang. would we

Liu Sang: I will ducking maim you.

*ducking

*duck

KanJian: ducks? :D Where?

Xiao Bai: HOW DARE YOU UPSET WU XIE IM TELLING

KanJian: why are people getting upset and murderous over ducks let’s just all be friends <3

Li Cu: lol it’s like U didn’t hear the “we aren’t here to make friends, we’re here to tomb-raid” speech during the Wu clan orientation

Liu Sang: the what at the what?

Xiao Bai: Pangzi said the only reason he went to that was to blow spitballs at Wu Erbai and pretend Xiao Ge did it to see what he would do

KanJian: ooh how was his aim??

Li Cu: tell me there’s footage somewhere lemme guess Wu Xie was being an idiot too

Xiao Bai: apparently Wu Erbai blamed Wu Xie for it because he was laughing so hard and called him an irresponsible waste of an heir—

KanJian: :( hey that’s not nice

Li Cu: the FUCK

I’m locking that fussy fossil in a tomb, it’s what he deserves

Who does that fucker think he is? Talking to Wu Xie like that??? The fuck???

Liu Sang: …you literally just called him an idiot. And you tell him he’s irresponsible like twice a day.

Li Cu: THATS DIFFERENT BECAUSE—IT JUST IS

Xiao Bai: —but then Xiao Ge decided it was a really good time to sharpen his sword and Wu Erbai got really quiet

At least until Wu Sanxing started shooting spitballs at him instead

Li Cu: we stan legends only

KanJian: I love stories with happy endings. Don’t you, Liu Sang?

Liu Sang: Um. Yes?

Li Cu: if you don’t get your shit together I’m bringing Hei Xiazi with us to the range as a chaperone. I’m not pulling a Pangzi and dealing with starcrossed shit, nuh uh, no sir.

Up next: Li Cu deals with starcrossed shit when the range date trip happens, Wu Xie pulls a Sanxing, and Zhang Rishan wants to change his number.

[violetwolfraven]

Modern!Wormsies Headcanons because I’m terrified wormsies is going to die before 2021 gets here

Tw for mild horror. I don’t think this is that bad but read at your own risk. I don’t l know why I created it I just felt compelled to but don’t read it unless you’re as insane as I am and are fully prepared to read the most cursed thing I have ever created. Seriously. This is by far the most cursed thing I have ever written. Good luck. 💜

So anyway they’re not selling to survive obviously since it’s modern au.

In my modern au they’re all theatre nerds cause why not.

So they’re backstage one day and Race finds this blue thing behind an old set that has probably been there for several years.

Lo and behold, it is a worm on a string.

And Race is kinda weirded out and wondering who left it there but he’s like aight guess I’m keeping this thing.

He ties it to a strap on his backpack and forgets about it for the rest of rehearsal.

Then Romeo (one of Race’s 3 adoptive brothers, the others being Jack and Crutchie) notices it and f l i p s o u t.

Romeo drags over Specs and Jack and Crutchie to show them the worm Race found and they’re all like omg this is the best thing we’ve ever seen.

Race is still kinda confused but like hey whatever this might as well happen and he just figures if his brothers and his little brother’s boyfriend are gonna obsess over worms, why not join in?

They all get worms somehow. Romeo gets a green one, Specs gets a purple one, Jack gets a dark blue one, and Crutchie gets a yellow one.

When they all show up to rehearsal a few days later with worms, a few others pick up on it and are like lmao let’s join in on the insanity.

So anyway Albert gets a red one, Smalls gets a green one, Mike gets a purple one, Ike gets a yellow one cause it’s the opposite of purple, and Elmer gets a green one.

All the others are all kinda just whatever do what you want don’t involve us in your insanity.

BUT THEN

Over the course of the next couple weeks, only a couple more people join in on getting worms.

Sniper gets a purple one and Finch gets an orange one.

But what’s strange is that everybody starts noticing...

The kids with worms pick up choreography...

Faster and Better...

Than the kids without worms...

They’re stretchier and more agile...

...almost like..?

Almost like...

They...

don’t...

have...

spines..?

They wiggle just like their worms wiggle wiggle wiggle.

And Specs is the most logical of the ones with worms but even he fully believes his worm gives him special powers.

They spend their snack breaks talking about this and a few more people decide to get in on it.

Jojo gets a yellow one, Mush gets a dark blue one, and Blink gets a light blue one.

Davey, Spot, and Katherine still refuse to believe in this.

Sarah got a pink worm and they were all terribly disappointed in her.

But anyway they hold out their lack of belief despite how the kids with worms continue to perform better in dance numbers than the few left without.

Kenny caves and gets a dark blue one somewhere in here.

There are now a lot more kids with worms than kids without and the holidays are rolling around.

Ike gets Hotshot a red worm and Hotshot in turn gets red worms for all his crowd on the stage crew (Bart, Rafaela, Joey, Hildy, York, and Vince).

Hell, even the crew kids perform better with worms, it turns out.

Cause they can run fast to get places they need to be and squeeze through spaces they shouldn’t be able to squeeze through.

But anyway Katherine and Davey and Spot are starting to get a little creeped out.

Cause their friends and partners are starting to act more and more like they’re in a cult, even more than the cult that they’re already in (the drama club).

They pretend their worms have fucking personalities and make tiny hats for them and stuff.

And the ones left without worms are dropping like flies and getting assimilated to the other side.

Buttons gets a light blue one, Tommy Boy gets a pink one, Henry gets an orange one, and

And Sarah gets Les a green worm.

That’s kinda the last straw for Davey.

He fucking waits until his siblings are asleep and he throws their worms in the trash.

But mysteriously

They both have their worms back in time for rehearsal.

And Davey gets home that night and there’s a light blue worm waiting on his pillow.

He throws it away but it’s tied to his backpack strap the next day.

He flushes it down the toilet and it shows up in his favorite hoodie pocket.

He tells Katherine and Spot, super freaked out, but they don’t really believe him cause there’s no such thing as magic worms... right?

Then Katherine finds a purple worm on the seat she usually sits in during breaks.

She’s moderately creeped out so she leaves it there and goes to a different seat but the next break the worm is on that seat.

She can’t remember seeing anyone move it.

Meanwhile Spot is making out with Race behind a curtain (obviously) and Race

Race fucking pulls a red worm out of his sleeve like a scarf trick and gives it to him.

Spot is super weirded out by this and wants to just throw the dumb thing away the minute he and Race are done making out, but he just...

He can’t.

He can’t get rid of the worm, so he ties it to his backpack.

Katherine and Davey are mildly horrified that Spot has given in and won’t give up his worm even though you’re encouraging their cult-like behavior, Spot, come on.

Spot insists that he could throw away his worm if he wanted to, he just... doesn’t want to. And besides, he can keep up with the others on theatre stuff now, so why would he?

So Kath and Davey are

The

Last

Ones

Left

Without worms.

Davey’s worm is still following him around but he refuses to give in and he always gets rid of it as soon as he finds it but it always pops up again.

Katherine’s shows up less frequently, but it starts getting more and more frequent and she starts getting more and more freaked out as one night, she goes into her room and that fucking purple worm is on her pillow.

None of her friends have been to her house in the last 24 hours so this development is fucking terrifying.

She calls Davey and flips out on the phone to him about it and he’s trying to calm her down but Sarah ends up stealing his phone after a few minutes because she’s my girlfriend, Davey, not yours.

When Davey gets the phone back, Katherine is significantly calmer. He asks her if she threw the worm away.

She

Didn’t

Throw the worm away.

She claims it’s fine, that they might as well give in, Davey, we’re the last ones left without worms, just out of stubbornness. And anyway our friends with worms are doing fine; look at your siblings if you need proof.

Sarah and Les are having a tea party with their worms and Davey is getting pretty scared at this point.

He’s the last one left without a worm, though that blue one still always seems to show up wherever he is.

Until

Opening night

Of

Their

Show

Afterwards everybody’s pumped up and ready to go to Applebee’s to celebrate and Davey is relieved because no one has mentioned worms in the last 24 hours or even really looked at the ones still tied to their backpacks.

He thinks maybe the others got bored with it and this thing is finally dying, especially since that damn light blue worm hasn’t showed up today either.

But then Davey is just sharing a nice coffee alone with Jack backstage (which he hasn’t done since the worm thing started because honestly his boyfriend was creeping him out).

Jack suddenly starts crying, and Davey’s all like hey what is it? Babe look at me what’s wrong?

And Jack just goes I’m sorry love I know it hurts now but it’s better in the long run trust me.

That’s when Elmer, Specs, Sarah, and Mush burst in behind them and grab Davey, shoving a bag over his head and dragging him somewhere.

When the bag is taken off of Davey’s head, he’s tied to a chair in the middle of a choir room that all his friends have somehow squeezed into.

They’re all holding their worms.

And Davey is like guys if this is an elaborate prank it wasn’t even that funny to begin with but now it is very very much not funny.

But Sarah just goes in a sad tone it’s not a prank Davey.

Les not looking like he’s trying not to laugh is what makes Davey believe it’s not a prank.

And Davey is legitimately terrified at this point because even Spot and Katherine are looking at him with a solemn kind of pity and when he asks them for help they just shake their heads and tell him everything will be okay.

He turns to Jack and is still clinging to that last little bit of hope that one of the people he loves might not have gone off the deep end.

That last little bit of hope that the boy he loves is still the boy I fell for. I know you’re still in there so please just untie me Jackie.

Jack looks like he’s trying not to cry but he doesn’t move.

Instead he says I love you Davey. It’ll all be over soon.

Do it, Race.

Race steps forward and Davey just about has a heart attack because

He’s

Holding

That

Goddamn

Light blue

Worm

And he takes some rainbow duct tape out of his pocket and tapes it to Davey’s shirt.

And the others all start chanting one of us one of us one of us as Davey can practically feel the spine leave his body and travel to another dimension where there’s a man who collects them.

It turns out the others were right that he should just give in.

Now it’s time for them to get the rest of the school.

Edit: here is my attempt to justify myself for this. 💜

[vapid-slut]

Perfect Harmony; Ch.1

Warning[s]: Swearing, Michael being a dirty bitch

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: Entering her senior year as a cheerio, the reader is excited to combine both her love of music and her newfound popularity. To Michael, however, this is the perfect opportunity to fuck with his innocent neighbor

A/N: Can we say, I hate this, because I really do. I have no idea what has compelled me to post this dumpster, just know that if you read this, no u didn’t <3 + I did not proofread this so if theres any typos I’m so sorry, I’m running on 4 hrs of sleep and 5 cups of coffee

Music was your life. Your parents often joked that you were singing before you uttered your first word. Unfortunately, there were no music clubs during your past two years of high school. It was only last year that you and the glee club won nationals, hence why you were able to keep funding. School administration was never really fond of the arts, but they would bend over backward to give the sports clubs whatever they needed.

Your biggest dream was to get a scholarship, preferably for music, since you excelled at it. All your life, you watched your father slave away to keep you happy. You just wanted to repay his kindness. Abruptly, your dream, which entailed you winning a grammy, was disrupted by the ringing of your alarm clock. Your arm stretched over to your nightstand, turning the device off, bringing the sound to a halt.

Slowly, you removed the sheets off your body, standing up for a brief stretch before walking to your bathroom. You went about your morning routine much quicker than you typically would. Mostly due to your excitement, this year would be the first that you spent closer to the top of the social food chain. Over the summer, your dad became fast friends with Coach Sylvester. She had come over a few times. And although their relationship was strictly platonic, they both had grown fond of each other. A week before school, she offered you a spot on the cheerios, one you couldn't turn down. Cheerleaders were at the very top of the pyramid. Girls wanted to be them while boys wanted to be with them.

Once you had finished doing the bare necessities your morning required, you hastily made your way to your closet, immediately reaching for one of the three cheerleading uniforms hanging on the rack. You stripped out of your pajamas before slipping into the skimpy skirt, unaware that you had an admirer. Michael had moved next door a few months into your freshman year, was a rather charming boy. He quickly became a hot commodity, no doubt due to how impeccably handsome he was. You were never too fond of him, but even you had to admit that he was a divine sight.

It never truly bothered you that the window into your room was straight across from the one piercing into his. But if you could see the look of satisfaction on his face as he watched you undress, you'd feel very unnerved. The boy had always felt attracted to you. He saw you as a challenge. You were one of the few students in your grade who was still a virgin. Not due to your looks, you frankly didn't have the time to go to parties or hook up with people. Your focus was on your education. And if getting into a great school meant sacrificing your social life, you were content with that.

Once you had finished getting your uniform on and slicking your hair into a neat updo, you gathered your things into your bag and hurried downstairs for breakfast. "Mornin' kiddo!" Your dad said, greeting you with a smile. You muttered a cheerful 'hey' in response, walking towards one of the cabinets full of cereal boxes. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. My car had to get fixed up last night so, I'll have to take yours today." You shrugged as a reply, not caring. "So am I taking the bus today?" Your father shook his head, reaching for a spoon at the same time. "No. That nice boy next door offered to give you a ride today. Isn't that sweet?"

Fuck- you thought to yourself, of course, the universe found some way to screw up your day. You took a long sigh before shifting your eyes to the clock on the wall. "Shit! I'm sorry, dad. I'd love to eat breakfast, but the Glee meeting starts in 20 minutes." Your dad shrugged, not too bothered. "It's fine, go have fun and tell Michael I said hello." You nodded to your old man, and with that, you were up and out the door.

As soon as you stepped foot outside, there he was. Hair perfectly curled, toothpick dangling from his soft lips. You sighed, walking towards the blonde, waiting for him to get out of the way. "Wow, you become a cheerleader, and now you think you're hot shit?" He spat, you gave him a death glare before pushing him lightly to get inside the car. He followed suit, taking his place in the driver's seat. "As much as I find you annoying, your ass does look great in that skirt." You scoffed, rolling your eyes at the boy as he started driving. "Listen up, Pillsbury fuckboy. Though this might seem hard to understand, I don't like you. And I'd rather not spend my senior year arguing with someone as unbearable as you, so can you please leave me alone?!"

The blonde chuckled at your response. Your mouth said one thing while your thoughts said another. "Your wish is my command." He mumbled sarcastically before reaching to turn up the music on the radio to an obscene volume. The rest of the car ride was entirely uneventful, neither of you uttering a word to each other. Ultimately, you had reached the school parking lot. Not many cars were there since it was early, and only a few clubs were meeting today. Before Michael could do anything, you swiftly got out the car, making sure to slam it loudly. "Don't fucking slam the door!" He said, his voice reaching you even though you were still walking, in response you promptly flipped him off. "Fucking bitch." He uttered lowly as you slowly left his field of view.

-----

"Welcome back, New Directions!" Glee's coach, Mr.Shue, said as you embraced your friends. "As you know, this will be our last year together, and a few of our beloved friends have left for college already. Which means we'll be having auditions for some newcomers." As he spoke, he walked over to the whiteboard, grabbing his trusted magic marker. "But there's a twist." You and everyone else in the room watched as he wrote out the words American Idol. "This time, you'll be judging with me."

You would typically be seated next to Tina and Mercedes, but they were both absent for the meeting. Instead, you sat with Santana on your left and Quinn to your right. You had to admit that it felt nice. Usually, you wouldn't ponder on things so benign. But you had spent most of high school getting teased by Michael and the rest of his sought after friends. Not a day went by that slushies weren't thrown in your face, now you could finally walk the halls without fear of humiliation. 

Besides that, you were also really ecstatic to help Mr. Shue with auditions. Glee club was what had brought a group of entirely different people together. So you'd be more than glad to share that with a new ensemble of students before you all went your final ways.

-----

The rest of your day went by quicker than usual. There wasn't much to learn on the first day. Once the clock hit 3:30, You rushed to the auditorium as if your life depended on it. You had to admit that you missed the stage, singing, and dancing with your friends. You made your way the middle of the seating area, taking your place beside Artie.

A majority of the auditions were lackluster. Only a handful stood out. Like that girl Marley and that kid Jake. You were just about ready to leave and go home until something caught your attention. "Michael Langdon?" Your eyes lit up immediately as you heard the name. You watched as the blue-eyed boy made his way to the stage, smug look on his face.

There was no way in hell Michael fucking Langdon, the same boy who referred to glee as "homo explosion," would ever willingly audition. His rendition of "Suit and Tie" was incredible, which only pissed you off more. Not only was he insanely attractive, but he just had to be talented too, fucking men.

You watched as your fellow glee members watched in amusement. It was the girls who seemed most excited.  Eventually, it all became too much, and before the boy could finish entertaining your friends, you stormed off into the parking lot. Far too upset with the blonde to drive home with him, you sent your friend Mike a text asking if he could get you. He lived pretty close to the school, so you knew it would only take a few minutes.

-----

By the time Mike had pulled up to the building, the other glee kids were exiting. You quickly reached for the door of his car, rushing to get to the passenger seat. "You alright?" He asked, worried by how fidgety you were. You nodded. "Yea, I just wanna go home." Mike was always very comforting. The two of you became friends during your freshman year, mostly because of how many classes you shared. You both had a love for music and were smart, so it wasn't long before you two clicked.

Within a few minutes, you had arrived at your house, Mike flashing you a smile. "Thank you for coming to get me. It means a lot." The dark-haired boy shrugged. "It's no biggie, see you tomorrow, cheerio." You rolled your eyes sarcastically. "Whatever, jock-face." And with that, you entered your home.

The house was currently empty. He was taking the night shift at the hospital so, he probably wouldn't come back till late at night. You walked up the stairs to your room, dropping your bag on the floor. After everything that had gone down today, you were exhausted. You quickly took off the scanty cheer uniform and slipped on your much softer penguin pajamas.

You practically threw yourself on the bed, hoping to get some rest, but were promptly distracted by a notification on your phone. The text, from an unknown number nonetheless, read 'look outside your window.' You quickly sat up, confused, and turned your head only for your eyes to be met by Michael Langdon, who just happened to be balls deep inside some random brunette. 

You gave the boy a disgusted look before pulling down your blinds. Never in your life had you been more repulsed. Your mind tried long and hard to block out any memory of what you just witnessed. After around forty-five minutes, you received another text message from non-other than Michael.

'It's a shame you missed my performance."

'Go fuck yourself, Langdon.'

'If you say so ;)'

The rest of the night, you wondered what you had done to be the new subject of Mr. Pillsbury Fuckboys torment. You had spent most of your high school years avoiding him at cost. Suddenly it seemed like you weren't getting rid of him anytime soon. You were just lucky you only had to endure this for a few more months, and then you'd be on your way.

Or so you thought.

[chelseamount]

Carpool Karaoke - Tom Holland x Reader

BEFORE YOU READ IMPORTANT 

when there are songs

cursive is you

BOLD is James

and This  is both of you

this story was requested by @tomsirishgirlx​ 

---

"Thank you so much for helping me to work today the traffic is crazy" James

"yeah no problem," I say

"you wanna listen to some music?"

"let's do it"

"Are we gonna have a problem?

You got a bone to pick?

You've come so far why now are you pulling on my dick?

I'd normally slap your face off And everyone here could watch But I'm feeling nice Here's some advice Listen up beeyotch"

"I like"

Lookin' hot

Buying stuff They can not

"I like"

"Drinking hard Maxing dad's credit card"

I like

Skippin' gym Scarin' her Screwin' him

I like

Killer clothes

Kickin' nerds in the nose

If you lack the balls You can go play dolls Let your mommy fix you a snack(whoa)Or you could come smoke Pound some rum and coke In my Porsche with the quarterback (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Honey, what you waitin' for? Welcome to my candy store Time for you to prove you're not a loser Anymore And step into my candy store

Guys fall At your feet Pay the check Help you cheat

All you Have to do

Say goodbye

To Shamu

That freak's Not your friend I can tell In the endIf she Had your shot

She would leave You to rot

Course if you don't care Fine, go braid her hair Maybe Sesame Street is on(whoa)

Or forget that creep And get in my jeep

Let's go tear up Someone's lawn (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Honey, what you waitin' for? Welcome to my candy store You just gotta prove You're not a pussy Anymore And step into my candy store

You can join the team

Or you can bitch and moan

You can live the dream

Or you can die alone

You can fly with eagles

Or if you prefer

Keep on testing me

And end up like her

Honey, what you waitin' for?

Shut up, Heather! Step into my candy store

Time for you to prove You're not a lame-ass Anymore And step into my candy store

It's my candy store It's my candy It's my candy store It's my candy It's my candy store It's my candy store

"I think I just got chills there," James says as we laugh "so Y/n it's so great to have you here"

"it's so great to be here it's like a dream come true" I smile

"y/n you are a Broadway singer and actress"

(all of these musicals and movies don't really make sense with the years they were made in but just imagine that they fit the age the reader is if that makes sense"

"yes that's correct"

"so what was your first role like ever"

"ever was Jan in grease"

"really" James looks at me

"yeah I was so happy"

"that's amazing and you were how old"

"fourteen"

"wow and what was your first broadway musical"

"that was heathers as the role of heather chandler as we just heard"

"I love the heathers songs and you are still in contact with some of your co-workers right"

"right I am really close with Barret who played Veronica but we don't get to see each other too much but when we do it's amazing"

"but you two played in mean girls too right"

"right I played Regina George and she played Janis, and that was probably one of my favourite musicals I have been in because obviously mean girls was like my favourite movie when i was younger"

"yeah so what was your favourite song from mean girls"

"oh totally world burn I think it's amazing"

"My name is Regina George And I am a massive deal I will grind you to sand Beneath my Louboutin heel This is what I get for helping Helping someone lame fit in Cady Heron, enjoy your temporary win" I sing "My name is Regina George "Regina is a fugly cow." Hey Cady, how ya like me now? I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline I wanna watch the world burn And everyone get mean I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline I wanna watch the world burn And everyone get mean Cady, time to watch your back Cady, time to turn and cough Because you took me down But you didn't finish me off My name is Regina George And in case you're keeping score Cady may have won the battle But I will win the war, for I wanna watch the world burn Trang Pak is a grotsky bi-otch! I got the gasoline Ms Norbury is a drug pusher! I wanna make the world burn Janis is a space dyke! Regina is a fugly cow Regina is a fugly cow And you can quote this Ohh. Woah-oh-oh! Who wrote this? Who wrote this? Who wrote this? I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline! I wanna watch the world burn And everyone turn Mean So mean! Mean So mean! Mean! I wanna watch the world burn Who wrote this? Who wrote this? I wanna make the world turn So mean! I wanna watch the world burn!

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

"y/n you were in les misérables too"

"yes I played fantine which was amazing but it hit hard you know it was very much touching

There was a time when men were kind When their voices were soft And their words inviting There was a time when love was blind And the world was a song And the song was exciting There was a time

Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in times gone by When hope was high and a life worth living I dreamed, that love would never die I dreamed that Go

d would be forgiving Then I was young and unafraid And dreams were made and used and wasted There was no ransom to be paid No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night With their voices soft as thunder As they tear your hope apart As they turn your dream to shame He slept a summer by my side He filled my days with endless wonder He took my childhood in his stride But he was gone when autumn came And still, I dream he'll come to me That we will live the years together But there are dreams that cannot be And there are storms we cannot weather I had a dream my life would be So different from this hell I'm living So different now from what it seemed Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

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

"that literally just made me get tears in my eyes," James says as he points to his eyes

we laugh and talk for some time when the thing I have dreaded the most comes up

"so y/n I have to ask you this because everyone wants to know encluding me"

"oh no gosh I know what it is already"

"are you dating tom holland"

"oh god Tom and I are just good friends"

"really because your two have been spotted a lot of times holding hands"

"friends do that"

"sure"

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

"Regina George is the queen bee

She's always dressed up She always wins Spring Fling Queen We're just drones that work for her And then die"James says as he turns on the radio

"My name is Regina George

And I am a massive deal Fear me, love me Stand and stare at me And these, these are real I've got money and looks I am, like, drunk with power This whole school Humps my leg like a chihuahua the prettiest poison you've ever seen I never weigh more than one-fifteen My name is Regina George And I am a massive deal I don't care who you are I don't care how you feel"

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

"so y/n, let's get a little serious"

"yes" I say

"in this song, you sing 'i never weigh more than 115' but you said something in a video that Regina doesn't have to be that and that you aren't and i found that amazing"

"thank you I really don't think that she has to be that and I am not and will never be near that and I'm proud of that you should be proud of how you look"

"I love that. you're also in a musical right now hamilton"

"yes I am in England"

"so any plans for what you are going to do after hamilton"

"yes but it's a secret for now

"Okay but you play one of the Schuyler sisters"

"yes I play Eliza"

"and you're amazing in it I saw it some time ago and I love it as I wrote to you"

"it still warms my heart"

"but my biggest dream is being in hamilton but as one of the Schuyler sisters"

"mmm-hmm" I laugh

"I wanna be angelica"

"you can be James"

There's nothing rich folks love more Than going downtown and slumming it with the poor They pull up in their carriages and gawk at the students in the common Just to watch 'em talk

Take Philip Schuyler, the man is loaded Uh oh, but little does he know that His daughters, Peggy, Angelica, Eliza Sneak into the city just to watch all the guys at

Work, work

Angelica!

Work, work

Eliza!

And Peggy!

Work, work

The Schuyler sisters

Angelica!

Peggy!

Eliza!

Work!

Daddy said to be home by sundown

Daddy doesn't need to know

Daddy said not to go downtown

Like I said, you're free to go

But—look around, look around The revolution's happening in New York

New York

Angelica

Work!

It's bad enough Daddy wants to go to war

People shouting in the square

It's bad enough there'll be violence on our shore

New ideas in the air

Look around, look around

Angelica, remind me what we're looking for

She's looking for me!

Eliza, I'm looking for a mind at work (work, work) I'm looking for a mind at work (work, work) [x2] Woa-oah

Woa-oah

Work!

Ooh, there's nothing like summer in the city Someone in a rush next to someone lookin' pretty Excuse me, miss, I know it's not funny But your perfume smells like your daddy's got money Why you slummin' in the city in your fancy heels? You searchin' for an urchin who can give you ideals?

Burr, you disgust me

Ahh, so you've discussed me I'm a trust fund, baby, you can trust me

I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane You want a revolution? I want a revelation So listen to my declaration:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident That all men are created equal"

And when I meet Thomas Jefferson (unh!) I'mma compel him to include women in the sequel

Work!

Look around, look around at how Lucky we are to be alive right now Look around, look around at how Lucky we are to be alive right now

History is happening in Manhattan and we

Just happen to be in the greatest city in the world In the greatest city in the world!

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

"All my dreams just came true," James says as I laugh at his comment "okay now time for something a little different"

"oh gosh," I say "what is it"

"we're going to take a lie detector test"

"nooo"

after some time I'm all strapped up while a man is on a computer checking whether I speak the truth or not

"okay let's start out by some to test if it works"

"okay"

"is your name Y/n"

"yes"

"true"

"are you currently in hamilton"

"yes"

"true"

"did you play Regina George"

"yes"

"she's telling the truth"

"Great let's start easy so...Y/n"

"yes"

"Which one of your castmates is your favourite"

"Barrett"

"true"

"great, y/n am I your favourite host"

"oh absolutely"

"true"

"yes you had to get that right, okay this one is the best one are you dating tom holland"

shit

"no"

"lie"

"YES I KNEW IT I KNEW IT OMG YES" he smiles

"no that's the truth," I say

"you can't lie on accident"

"well fuck me then"

"how long"

"not long"

"lie"

"okay five years almost"

"WHAT," James says in shock

"I'm sorry we just didn't want our relationship the get ruined by hate"

"five years"

"yeah"

"When were you going to tell everyone when you had seven kids"

"haha no I don't know when but I guess it's out now"

"well some people are going to get heartbroken, someone gets hurt"

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

Ice queen, that's what you see It's what they all expect from me But it's all show Face it, you used me You saw the sexy clothes My supermodel pose But did you know?Was I a game to you? Was I way to be cool? I truly cared Was I the fool? It's fine for you It's fine to flirt It's fine 'Till someone gets hurt 'Till someone gets hurt

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

"Y/n it was amazing to have you here"

"it was amazing to be here James, even tho I now have to go home to Tom and tell him the news, gosh this is so fucked"

"wait you guys live together too"

"bye James" I run out the door

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

"Baby I'm home" I smile

"hi love," Tom says as he walks over to me and kisses me, gosh I missed him

"I missed you," I say

"I missed you"

"you love me right"

"more than anything my - wait what did you do"

"well"

[carbootsoul]

erika+ephriam+lyon for ask game 👀? and a witch hat character of your choosing if you like as well :3v

omg clint you're spoiling me :) also this is mostly unrelated but i was listening to kat flint today and a) her music is so good thank u for introducing it to me years ago and b) VERY witch hat atelier vibes which was fun. im putting my answers under a cut bc i am sooo verbose about characters

eirika: a song that reminds me of them: this is just the first that came to mind but oh what a world by rufus wainwright! oh what a world my parents gave me / always traveling but not in love. the rly interesting mix of idealism and pragmatism that she embodies- both being in awe of and in love with the world and the people in it but also not hesitating to accept that they are in a war and the tragedies that come with it what they smell like: i think for most of the game she smells like sweat and dirt an otp: eirika and l'arachel is actually the best ship in the whole entire world they're sooo funny. they keep meeting and every time eirika is like ???? and l'arachel is just falling head over heels in love a notp: eirika and lyon romance honestly very textually relevant in the game and adds to the story and whatever but they're both so absolutely homosexual that i can't conceptualize it favorite platonic/familial relationships: eirika and ephraim 🥺🥺 but also eirika and seth he's such a good big brother figure!! but also eirika and colm and eirika and tana and eirika and lyon. it's like.. rag tag army as family.. a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with: there are like two posts about her on tumblr dot com but her fire emblem heroes characterization makes me insane shut up about your brother shut up about your brother the position they sleep in: on her side one leg curled to her chest

ephraim a song that reminds me of them: omg lies by marina abt his relationship with lyon. you're too proud to say that you made a mistake / you're a coward till the end i really wish we had been able to see more of ephraims reaction to the true story of what happened with lyon, since he obviously forgives him but also seems to be angry about it and that's such a good dynamic. also oc can't let you go / i just want it to be perfect / to believe it's all been worth the fight. they make me... ugh what they smell like: he has also been living in tents for months so he probably also smells like horses and sweat an otp: ephraim and lyon do get to me... 🥺 also he and innes as a like teenage fling is hilarious to me they're so funny to each other i can't believe they don't have supports a notp: if i ever see another incest joke i'm killing someone favorite platonic/familial relationships: he and his sister are so good!! they're so siblings! a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with: again i have never rly interacted with the fe fandom but something from canon i disagree with is the assignment of the sun to him and the moon to his sister he is so obviously the lunar twin im furious abt this the position they sleep in: absolutely sprawled out. he takes up as much space as is given to him

lyon a song that reminds me of them: ache with me by against me just happened to be playing rn but it's very him. do you share the same sense of defeat / have you realized all the things you'll never be / ideals turn to resentment, open minds close up with cynicism / i've got no judgement for you / come on and ache with me. what they smell like: roses but in a fucked up revolutionary girl utena way like the roses symbolize something sinister an otp: lyon and ephraim.. admittedly lyon is kind of carrying why this ship is compelling with his tragic backstory but ephraim is such a boy so he's important too a notp: see eirika :/ favorite platonic/familial relationships: he and eirika and ephraim as a unit are so important to me they are so [unintelligible] a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with: i haven't rly seen this much but i guess any tendency to soft-boy him bc of his character design like this guy sucks a lot and he has a lot of flaws that almost ended the world :/ the position they sleep in: hugging a pillow

and for the wha character.. agott bc she's so girl :) a song that reminds me of them: pretty little things by the crane wives! but trust is now something i make people earn / so i'm not inclined to just give it away / to a pair of blue eyes with some nice things to say what they smell like: grass in the best way possible! an otp: she and coco are SO !! im in love with them. sasunaru dynamic but better in every way. all the panels of coco hugging or complimenting agott and agott blushing furiously are the new wonders of the world. shipping kids in media always feels a little weird but i think they're a rly cute like first crush dynamic a notp: i dont think she's been shipped with anyone else lol favorite platonic/familial relationships: agott and olruggio are rly interesting to me! i've probably just drawn lines between them because they're both grumpy but i could definitely see agott becoming for coco what olruggio is for qifrey and i love when children are friends with their adult narrative foil it's about helping the younger generation overcome the things that they couldn't! it's also about olruggio being able to connect with agott because they're both grumpy :) a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with: not a headcanon bc again the fandom is tiny but so much of her tag is ppl being mean to her about what she did in the second (?) volume like yeah that was mean but she's like 12! 12 year olds do fucked up stuff all the time they're still learning what interpersonal relationships are the position they sleep in: on her stomach clutching her pillow a crossover au i’d love to see them in: anything that would allow her to say swear words my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn: the like single panel where tetia is getting mad at her about not liking wearing costumes and it shows her dressed as a prince! she looks so good

djskflj i feel like i wrote a novel about each of them and tbh i do not know if u will make any sense out of it but thank u for sending this it was super fun to think about them for a while!!!

[arionawrites]

okay so this is going to get long probably but

i’m fairly content with season seven of the 100. however, before anyone jumps down my throat (i’ve never been active in the 100 fandom for a reason lol) let me clarify: i am the kind of person that can still enjoy something while acknowledging the fact that it’s not good. i believe it’s a product of having a shitty life and not wanting to be burdened by the disappointment of being genuinely angry or upset because of a show or a movie. so, outside of the genuinely fucked up shit (like racism or homophobia or any form of bigotry or any other obviosly not okay shit like that), i tend to acknowledge what wasn’t good but choose to enjoy the media anyway.

i did the same thing with avengers: endgame, and they killed off my favorite character of all time that has been a comfort to me for about 12 years i think. fair to say i’m a pro at this by now.

but, back to the point—i am content with the last season. i see it’s flaws and i can understand why people are so angry about it, but i’m fine.

i have some questions, though.

where does it make sense?

like. they saw these books, right? they made a show based off of these books. then they go on to act as if the books aren’t canon even though the books are quite literally the source material?

bellarke is canon. like. u dont have to like bellarke, that’s totally fine, but it’s canon. in the books, bellamy and clarke get married. jroth acting like bellarke is such a crazy concept that could never happen is actually insane.

that being said, they chose not to have that relationship be more than platonic in the show, which is fine. different forms of canon can have different things happen and that’s not an issue in my eyes at all. my confusion comes in the fact that clarke is the main character, the MAIN character, and they chose to pair her with lexa, which i LOVE—i adore clexa so god damn much, i can’t put it into words—and then killed lexa off, though her death was actually integral to the plot and held meaning and wasn’t just a bury youe gays scenario so, saddening, yes, but i understood why it happened.

that’s my thing. even the bad choices, i can usually still see the reasoning behind it.

but why blatantly ignore the canon from the book that is bellarke in order to establish a super compelling and incredible relationship like clexa, only to then kill lexa off, later kill of bellamy in a super anticlimactic and very sudden way—that, while i can see the reasoning behind clarke wanting to stop bellamy and feeling the need to do whatever it takes, i can NOT see the reasoning in actually killing him off so abruptly and with almost no follow up on it despite him being the second main character since episode one—before bringing lexa back but have it not really be lexa, and then end the show without either ships happening and with clarke, the MAIN CHARACTER, having no one?

don’t get me wrong, i genuinely love the message that family is all you need and that they are family and they do love clarke, but clarke is still going to be lonely. she doesn’t have the love of her life/best friend (lexa and/or bellamy). she doesn’t have her daughter. she doesn’t have her mom. she isn’t alone, but this ending feels... anticlimactic, almost? or like it’s missing something that it should have had.

i guess my main thing is that they chose not to have bellarke, which is canon and in the source material, in order to have clexa, who i love and would be more than happy to have, except clarke ends up having neither in the end?

a person doesn’t need a romantic relationship to be whole. clarke doesn’t need a partner to be considered complete. and if that was the message they wanted to go for by having her so alone on that front, then that’d be fine—if they made the message more clear. but they didn’t. i’m pretty sure the only reason i’m reaching for that message is because i WANT it to be there, i WANT there to be a reason for it, because, really, when it comes to endings, especially for things that are well known and well loved by so many, i feel like everything should have a meaning, even if that meaning is just “there is no meaning at all” and it shouldn’t feel so impossible to dig for that meaning like it is for me right now. without that meaning being so clear, it feels disappointing on all fronts—clexa had a moment of shimmering hope with lexa being brought back for the finale, only for that hope to lead nowhere. bellarke is canon in the books and had six seasons of incredible development and trust building and all of it was torn down so quickly. and there’s no blatantly clear message about not needing a relationship and being your own person or anything like that. it makes everything feel kind of useless. like there was so much love and hype and joy put into both of these ships and they both lost.

so, where does it make sense? where does this choice make sense? is it in the hard to grasp meaning that might not even be there? is it in the focus on the “friends are family” feels that felt slightly forced in the end? where?

i guess it doesn’t matter because i’m gonna be writing a fix it fic anyway. and some clurphy shit because i think i just ship clarke with anyone who would actually treat her properly.

[hotpotrandomfics]

Fifth Year AU: Shenanigans and Starshowers

Summary: Jason finds Merula relaxing with his notebook and after some silly banter the two would sneak out for a surprising view. Who says romance is dead?

Word Count: 1,875

Merula had been sitting in the common room, going through Jason's notes. She always preferred his notes to her own, as he always seemed to know how to organize them in a way that was reasonable to follow. It made sense of how he is a reliable tutor to his underclassmen as she skimmed through a pair of arms wrapped around her.

"So that's where my notebook," Jason smiled as he held Merula close. "Find anything of interest, Miss Snyde? A few words for your prefect."

"You're annoyingly good at note-taking, and it's just irritating how everything makes sense." Merula looked up to see his eyes beam at her causing her to give a small smile. She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down to kiss his cheek, then pushed him off gently. "But I appreciate you showing me them," she whispered.

"I am happy I can be useful," Jason smiled, "and it's good knowing you like me for more than my notes, right?"

"Eh, the notes are the real reason for our relationship." She teased him as she kissed his nose. "You are your own library, after all."

"You wound me," he placed a hand to his chest, acting like he was hurt. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Merula is the sun!"

"What are you going on about?" Merula raised a brow, giving a slight chuckle at the weird way he spoke.

"Oh nothing, just reciting some old play I read a while ago," Jason jumped over the couch, landing next to Merula and tapping her nose ever so lightly.

"A play? You read about plays?" Merula covered her mouth, now trying to stop from bursting into a laughing fit. "Please tell me you're joking? You like plays, and I am now finding this out?"

"I'm not." Jason tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing!" Merula smirked as she laid her head into his lap while swatting at his tie.

"Come on, tell me, please?" Jason looked down at her, giving her his signature puppy dog eyes. Leaning down, he rubbed his forehead into hers, causing her to giggle at his attempt of influencing her to reveal her surprise her boyfriend reads plays for the sake of reading.

"No! No way!" Merula looked at him, frowning sternly, pushing his face up playfully only to have him frown. "Stop it now! Stop being adorable! I am not going to break by those blatant attempts, Aurelius."

Jason sighed and poked her stomach gingerly. He hated when she brushed off his little "puppy tricks" but found it part of what made her all the more charming. The two talked about their day as some of their class were different. Jason hummed as he played with her hair to Merula amusement. As he and Merula relaxed in the common room until the evening arrived, Jason spoke up, waking Merula from the temporary daze she was in.

"Hey?" Jason looked down at the half-asleep girl in his lap.

"Mmm?" Merula grumbled while glancing with one eye.

"Do you want to, um, wanna sneak out of the dorm to go for a walk?"

"A walk? Really?" she raised a brow to her boyfriend.

"Yeah." Jason smiled at her. "But it's going to a bit of rulebreaking involved."

"Aurelius De Leone, rulebreaking? Do tell Fire Snot." Merula pinched his cheek. "What naughty thought you have in mind?"

"One, please don't use 'Fire Snot.' It was one time." Jason pinched her side. "Two, I'm willing to 'bend' the rules if it helps."

"Okay, so what do you propose?" Merula climbed up into his lap and poked his cheek. "Now, I am the one asking the question, so you better give me answers."

"I'll tell you in an hour. Get changed into something you won't get seen in," Jason kissed her cheek, getting up and heading to his dorm room. It was fun for him teasing Merula in this way, as making her wait for her is funny.

"What does my Fire Snot have planned?" Merula snickered to herself then got up, making her way to her dorm room to get ready. Whatever his plan, it better be something worth the mystery.

An hour later, Merula met Jason down in the common room door. Jason wore his signature boots, ripped jeans, and a black sweater. He paced back and forth then spotted Merula in black jeans, boots, and fishnet sweater over a Weird Sisters band tee.

"Well, that's totally not inconspicuous, Aurelius," Merula said as she strutted over to her furball.

"I wouldn't be the one to judge Snyde," Jason pocked her cheek, "come along, then dear."

"Now, don't get cheeky with me. Understand?" Merula smirked and took his hand.

"Off we go to rulebreaking," Jason smirked as he led the witch through the castle.

Step by step, the two made their way through the corridors until they reached the passage leading to the training grounds. The two heard a meow, Mrs. Norris, meaning Filch was somewhere close by. Merula pushed Jason into a column, holding her hand to his mouth, shushing him.  For a small girl, she had a lot of physical strength. Merula pressed close to him tightly so they wouldn't be seen.

Mrs. Norris looked around and meowed for about a minute before scurrying off to wherever Filch would be. Merula let go of Jason, and the two breathed a sigh of relief. Merula gazed up at him and giggled, prompting him to snicker himself. The two continued to the training grounds where Jason cast "Alohomora" on the door for where the brooms are stored. Wait, what was he doing?

"Do you mind explaining your plan, love?" Merula crossed her arms, staring cautiously at him.

"Well, I u-um thought that we go for a late-night flight?" Jason said as he grabbed a broom for them. "Why?"

"Never thought you would be willing to step out of line Prefect," Merula smirked. "Is there a reason for this? A late-night walk to a late-night flight?"

"Is it wrong to bend the rules if it suits me? Especially if it's to have a moment with my girlfriend. I can make the exception." Jason smirked and walked over to Merula, kissing her. "I am learning these habits because of you," he laughed as he set himself on the broom, urging her to get on behind him. Merula did so and wrapped her arms around his waist and helped tight as he took off. She watched as Jason kicked off and started flying off through the castle grounds. What was his plan she had no clue, but this was going to be fun.

Jason flew the two of them with care, flying pass the clouds over Hogwarts. He looked back to see the wind running through Merula hair. She gazed at the sky and ran one hand along with the clouds next to them. He smiled as he held the hand on his stomach.

"You know," Merula laid her head to his back, "I have to say you know how to have fun."

"I can have fun sometimes," Jason held her hand tight, "but you compel me to do be more daring things. If it's for you, fun, I'll be."

"S-stop that!" Merula blushed as she held him tighter.

"Stop what?"

"Saying c-cute... things..." Merula muttered as her heartbeat pace started paced up. She always was at a loss for words when Jason got all romantic. It frustrated her, but not in a wicked way as he was smoother than any of the male students at Hogwarts. Well, that's what she thought to herself.

"Why?" Jason turned his head to look at her. The moonlight glistened on her cheek and made her eyes glow in just the right way to send chills down his spine.

"B-because... it makes me feel h-happy you f-furball," Merula hid her face into his back. How was it that he had such power over her? No spells said, or potions were stronger to her than that of Jason's kindness to her.

Jason smiled as he flew the two of them to the shore of the Black Lake across from Hogwarts. As he landed, he placed the broom down and embraced Merula. Merula looked at him curiously as the moon, though only a crescent, as the light radiated against Jason's hair and eyes gazed at her.

"What is it?" she asked. "You seemed kinda out of it."

"Nothing, I'm just happy you agreed to this little escapade of mine," he smiled.

"You're sure are strange, but I prefer your brand of strange," Merula caressed his cheek. "Jason, why do you treat me so nicely? I'm not always nice, and yet you treat me better than I deserve. For all that's holy, I'm sure I have almost gotten you killed on too many occasions."

"Who's to say. I never saw you as bad, evil, or any synonym of the sort. Merula," Jason pulled her by the waist, "I think you deserve happiness. Why do you think I'm more daring?"

"Because you can't stop getting in trouble?" Merula smirked at him with a raised brow. "Or you're naturally insane and just hide it with a cute deception."

"No," he laughed, "I want to share moments with you. Like this." Jason pointed up to the sky to which Merula turned. "It took some planning and getting a bit of advice on what would be the best time to do this. I hope you like this."

"Is that a meteor shower?" Merula jaw slightly dropped as the sky rained with streams of lights drizzled the air. The streams danced as they soared through the canvas of midnight, blue and black. "How'd you know about this?"

"I may have asked Professor Sinistra, the astronomy professor, about how to learn about meteor showers and other things. I agreed I'd help with ensuring the room was organized and trust me; it was in needing of it." Jason smiled at her, holding her close and throwing his back into the sand having Merula yelp as Jason brought her down with them.

"Jason!" Merula squealed at her idiot's shenanigans. "Why is it we end up like this when you end up doing something stupid?"

"I am reckless, not stupid, and I have no complaints," Jason smiled as he sat them both up, "anyway, w-was this worth it?" He was nervous as he ran his thumb in circles with her hand in his.

"You never cease to amaze me." Merula couldn't help but feel blessed that her boyfriend would go so far for her. Someday she'd do something better than what he's done to show him he means the world to her. "It is perfect, but I am sure I can do something better."

"Is that a fact?" Jason raised a brow grinning. "Wanna prove that oh most powerful girlfriend in all of Hogwarts?"

"Oh, now you're gonna get it." Merula jumped up and pulled her wand out, taking her dueling stance.

"This isn't what I was expecting, but I can work with this. Whoever loses has to do something for the other, no complaints," Jason smiled as he stood up with his wand now in hand. "Shall we?"

[words-writ-in-starlight]

the untamed is on netflix, right? i think i've seen it. i'm enjoying your posts about it and my mom would love if i watched a chinese show (it looks chinese, i might be wrong though) but i'm kinda short on time so please pitch to me why i should watch it so i will be convinced and look past the lack fo time

Anonymous asked:

ok the untamed looks cool af how doesone watch it 

A L L R I G H T I’m finally going to make a rec post, I’ve put this off long enough.  You’ve definitely already started to watch it, clever, so please forgive me for using this as an excuse to pitch this show.

So, for starters, Anon, The Untamed is indeed on Netflix!  It is in Chinese!  If you (like me) do not understand Mandarin Chinese, the Netflix English subbing is…fine, it’s fine, but I recommend poking around in the fandom because every single form of address is changed to the character’s full name.  And maybe I just spent too much time doing translations for my old Spanish and Chinese and especially Latin classes, but I think there are some things that, A, shouldn’t be translated or, B, should be translated awkwardly over being translated incoherently.  

I digress.  My thoughts about maintaining forms of address in their native language for the sake of clarifying levels of respect/etc are not relevant here.  Chuck a note in my inbox if/when you get confused about everyone’s three names and I’ll write/link you a guide.

POINT IS.  The Untamed is an adaptation of the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, which is generally translated as “The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation,” and my quick pitch for it is: There’s a plot, sure sure, it’s the story of Wei Wuxian (his fall from grace to Most Hated Person In Magic!China, and then his resurrection and efforts to solve a murder), and if you like character-driven fantasy narratives you Will Like This

B U T

You know that post “but is he…you know…your narrative foil?”  That’s this show.  If what you crave is “one character committedly pines over another for twenty years even when the entire world hates that person,” please let me interest you in Lan Wangji, the love interest.  They have a kid together.  It’s a great romance.  Literally what else do you want from me.  I love a narrative foil, I love a tragedy, I love an epic love story, I love a found family.  And good GOD do I love a character who self-destructs in an effort to do the right thing.

Wei Wuxian isn’t evil.  He’s not even especially malicious.  But when the chips were down and he needed to survive, and to save people, and to figure something out, he took the only avenue left to him, and it was—it was inevitable, really, that it make him the villain of the piece.  He saved a lot of lives.  Everyone except Lan Wangji hates him for it.  He’s already thoroughly despised by the time he starts actually doing things that are objectively bad.  Talk to me about it forever.

My usual list of free-form associative Things I Like That You Will Probably Also Like under the cut:

Wei Wuxian!  I know he’s the main character but I love him so much that he gets a bullet point!  He’s the kind of lighthearted goofball who’s perfected the “I Would Honestly Die Before Showing Emotion To Anyone, How Dare You Imply That I Am Not Sincere In My Perpetual Good Humor” mask, and it hits like a sledgehammer when that mask cracks.  I would watch this actor flip between smiles and homicidal rage all day.  He gets a hug from Son Boy in the last episode and I almost cried.  50000/10.

Lan Wangji!  A great love interest!  Noble to the core!  Incredibly bitchy!  I want five more just like him!

This is where I mention that China has strict censorship laws, so, despite the fact that they kiss and have sex and get married and the whole nine in the book, the show is all Intense Staring And Love Declarations Where They Never Say The L-Word.  But like.  Please trust me, it’s actually So Romance.  If anything I think I like the  romance in the show better.

Wen Ning!

I don’t have anything else to say about him, I just love him so goddamn much.  He and his sister Wen Qing are stars and the rest of these sinners don’t deserve them.

COMPETENT. VILLAINS.  I’ve spilled a lot of ink on this one lately, but I love competent villainy, I love villains who have Goals and plan to Achieve Them and actually pull it off.  Jin Guangyao, the big bad of the “present”(the part where Wei Wuxian is resurrected and kicking around trying to solve a murder), is actually phenomenally good at his job and I support him even though I enjoyed watching him go down in flames.  There are enough villains in this show for everyone to have their preferred type of villain, from Devoted Right Hand Man to Megalomaniacal Overlord to Freewheeling Engine Of Death.  GREAT villains in this show.  Which brings me to…

YI! CITY! ARC!  I’m not going to tell you that much about it, but it’s dark and tragic and features my very favorite villain in the entire show, Xue Yang, who is just.  *chef kiss*  A horrible monster of a man.  An unapologetic, cold-eyed shriek of a villain.  The very best at what he does, and what he does is absolutely horrible, and I would watch an entire series about this five-ish episode arc.  Also, I’ve adopted Song Lan/Xiao Xingchen from the Tragic Ships Shelter and someone should toss me a headcanon ask for them.  Any AU your little heart desires.  I love them.

THE MAGIC!  I know it took me a long time to get here, but it’s a very character driven show and I am a very character driven person and I just wanted to yell about characters for a minute.  But anyway, I’m told that the Untamed is a great onboarding point for this genre of Chinese fantasy novel, because they do a really good job of making the necessary points accessible.  I had no familiarity with wuxia/xianxia/etc when I started watching this and everything about cultivation made sense to me, or at least enough sense to be going on with.  It’s very lovely and fascinating and it’s where they put their Entire Non-Clothing Budget.

This is where I mention that their effects department clearly used their entire funding for, like, cool sword stunts and beautiful clothing.  The wolf puppet in particular is just.  Almost adorably terrible.  If that’s going to severely impact your enjoyment, Idk what to tell you, man.

Related to the above, I love plotlines about characters losing control of their magic.  That’s all I’m going to say about it.

Unreliable narrators, baby! They set up a lot of concrete facts about Wei Wuxian in the first two episodes that become obvious as complete bullshit as you go on, and it’s very satisfying to watch!  See also, Nie Huaisang, the most unreliable narrator of them all, whom I adore.

Beyond all those things…it’s just got a lot of great relationships in it.  It’s hugely driven by the affection people have for each other, or the places they feel they’vebeen deprived of that affection.  It has a lot of iterations of the same relationship in wildly distinct ways, if that makes sense—offhand, there are maybe four major sets of siblings, five if you count the Jins, and they are all radically different and insanely compelling.  The basic structure of Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji, the “black cultivator/white cultivator on a crusade to change the world” thing, appears a lot of times, and goes horribly awry in a slightly different way for all of them.  That kind of in-universe repetition of themes, doing the same thing over and over again looking for the Right Path, is one of my favorite things to appear in a story—see also, the Kencyrath (twins, Dreamweavers, Knorth lords, loyal Kendar, etc), the Animorphs (warrior teams, deaths on the field, etc), any number of other things I yell about.

TL;DR: The story is great and the cultivation is fascinatingand the schemes are elaborate, but

[my-lady-knight]

Favorite Reads of 2019

As seems to be my usual, I’m posting this at what feels like the last second.

Writing this year’s post was hard. I’ve been complaining offline all year that it feels like I read far fewer books I really, truly enjoyed. Even the books I did enjoy, they didn’t stick around long in my head for me to remember details. On the other hand, this list ended up being thirteen items long, so it can’t have been that bad. And having to go back to the books in order to write this list did make me remember how and why I loved them, so there is that.

Presented in chronological order of when I read them:

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

The first book I read in 2019, and I knew would end up on this list as soon as I finished. It’s also the first book of Guy Gavriel Kay’s where I finally understood what the fuss was about - when he commits to writing three-dimensional characters with compelling interpersonal and socio-political relationships, he commits. The cultural/social details of this secondary-world version of medieval Spain set at the beginning of the end of the Caliphate and the rise of the Reconquista are evocative, and the scope deftly alternates between being vast without tripping over itself and touchingly personal. Most importantly, this book gave me an OT3 I wasn’t even expecting in the form of Amman ibn Khairan, famed soldier, poet, and advisor now outcast from the city-state of Cartada, Rodrigo Belmonte, beloved cavalry captain with a complicated loyalty to the rulers he serves, and Jehane bet Ishak, an esteemed physician whose path intersects with them both. Together they represent the connections and tensions between their respective, secondary-world Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities, cities, and leaders in this secondary-world Spain and form a triangle of everything the country has, is, and can be. A year later I still love this book.

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee

This book is difficult to write about, because I remember loving it as I was reading it, but I can’t remember any of the essays very well several months after the fact (see above). What I do remember is that they were difficult, and complicated, and messy, and they did the thing I love when essays do where the fact that the things Alexander Chee was writing about are super-specific to him made them somehow feel all the more relatable. All the essays were nicely crafted stories and emotional journeys, withAlexander Chee tracing all the various aspects of his life through his writing, as an Asian man, a gay man, an aspiring writer, a professional writer, a resident of NYC, and a survivor of sexual assault, using prose that was both artistic and clear as water.

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Amal El-Mohtar wrote in her NYT review that this book was akin to “Hamlet”, “if [the play] were told from the point of view of Elsinore Castle addressing itself to a Horatio who mostly couldn’t hear it,” to which my response was “huh?” Then I read the book and it a) made so much more sense and b) ended up being an astute, apropos explanation of the kind of book The Raven Tower is. It’s the story of a soldier and companion to the heir of a country investigating the disappearance of its ruler and the ascendency of another in his place. It’s also the story of a calm, patient god in the form of a stone who predates all of history and narrates the changing existence of gods, their power, and their relationship to humans and their civilizations. It’s an understated yet powerful book, full of Ann Leckie’s brilliant and clever writing, world-building, storytelling, and otherworldliness. It’s Ann Leckie. She knows what she’s doing. And it fucking works.

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

This book - is bonkers. It is insane. It is one thousand percent over the top. I kept asking myself “why am I not irritated???” Instead I loved it. Sal is the new kid, a practicing magician with as showman’s flair for the dramatic and boundless energy, and he can open up portals into other universes. Gabi is the sharp-eyed, bossy class president and editor of the school newspaper who just knows something’s up with Sal and his shenanigans. Together, they become friends! And open up more portals into other universes. This book is warm and empathetic and funny and kind-hearted. It’s too-muchness quality somehow worked. The whole thing felt like the literary equivalent of a hug. 

The Parting Glass by Gina Marie Guadagnino

This wasn’t a Deep book, but I could not stop thinking about it, nor could I stop recommending it to people. It’s a zippy historical fiction novel set in 1830s NYC prior to the Potato Famine. Mary (or Maire) and her brother Seanin are Irish immigrants working in the same wealthy family’s house, she as lady’s maid to the marriageable daughter named Charlotte, he as a groomsman. Mary is half in love with her Charlotte; unfortunately so is Seanin, and the two of them are carrying on an affair, the aftermath of which leaves Mary in a bind about where her loyalties lie. I love that this book has a queer take on a love triangle that I’ve never seen before, and I loved Mary’s anger and resentment, her unashamed attitude towards her desire for Charlotte as well as other women, and her selfishness as well as her loyalty. I also loved the upstairs-downstairs nature of the book and the clash of Anglo-American and Irish immigrant ethnic and class mores and the larger social and political setting of the city and time period.

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

I don’t even know how to begin describing this book. It’s a story about maps and boundaries and borders. It’s an epic of daring escape and adventure about a mapmaker named Hassan with a magical gift and a concubine named Fatima, two friends fleeing the Inquisition after the surrender of Granada, in search of a mythical island ruled by the King of Birds. It’s a story of faith and trust and bonds forged from disparate people, and transformation, transformation of yourself and the world around you because you will it to be so. It’s a beautiful, beautifully written book.

(As a side note, I’m intrigued by the fact that two of my favorite books on here are set during the Reconquista.)

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

In some ways I liked this even better than The Hate U Give. I loved the complexity that arose out of Bri rapping about the injustices she’s experienced, with people drawing completely different meanings out of her words, people wanting her to use her rapping and her voice for differing reasons, and Bri herself working to figure out the power she has with her rapping and how she wants to use her talents, when it comes to financially supporting her family, standing up for herself, and being herself when so many around her are creating all these false images of her based solely off her words. I loved Bri’s anger, the way she kept speaking before thinking, her loving, sometimes complicated relationships with her family and friends...Angie Thomas’s writing and storytelling is phenomenal.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

I’m not even sure what to say about this book that hasn’t been said but, um, yeah, it’s Octavia Butler, it’s a classic, and really my favorite aspect of the book is how it so effectively bridges the gap between history and present and demonstrates how the two aren’t so far apart, and effectively blends them such that for Dana, the present becomes the past and the past is her present and suddenly she isn’t visiting history at a somewhat removed vantage point, she is part of history, her own history, her ancestors’ history, in all its horror, caught in a catch-22 of needing to repeatedly save the life of her white, slave-owning ancestor who over time grows more and more violent towards her, in order to ensure the chronological security of her own life.

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

This was a harrowing read. Set in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during the 1969 Malay-Chinese race riots, sixteen-year-old Melati has OCD, or what she understands as a djinn living inside her that forces her to obsessively count in order to keep her mom alive, a secret she tries to hide so people don’t think she’s possessed. When the race riots break out across the city, Melati has to make her way through the violence in the streets in order to find her mom, all while battling the djinn as its power increases in the chaos. I repeat, this book was brutal. The descriptions of Melati’s OCD alone make it a tense, taxing read - combine it with the violence and unpredictability of the race riots and all the threats to Melati’s safety and her ever-growing fear for her mom and it’s a lot. Even so (perhaps because) I could not put this book down. The recreation of this part of history (which I had no clue of before and knew nothing about) was both immersive and informative, the story was deftly plotted, and I loved how Melati’s characterization and her relationship/the depiction of her OCD and how it specifically affects her in her particular circumstances. 

Jade War by Fonda Lee

CLEAN BLADE CLEAN BLADE CLEAN BLADE

*ahem*

The second book of the Green Bone Saga was even better than the first. It took the story of the Kaul family and the No Peak clan and the worldbuilding of Jade City and turned everything up to eleven, expanding the story beyond Kekon into the global theater, particularly Espenia, bringing into the picture Kekonse immigration, diaspora, assimilation, and cultural heritage - what it means to be Kekonese, to be a Green Bone and carry jade and follow aisho outside of Kekon. The gang warfare between the No Peak clan and the Mountain clan spills over the domestic sphere into the international. Espenia grows more aggressive in its moves to gain control over jade at Kekon’s expense. It’s family loyalties and betrayals, it’s gang politics and warfare, it’s community, municipal, national, and international politics and culture clashes, and the changing world of being a Green Bone and wearing jade in a post-colonial world. Anyone who’s followed me this year because of Peaky Blinders - READ JADE CITY AND JADE WAR. YOU WILL LIKE THESE BOOKS I PROMISE.

Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee

With this short story collection, Yoon Ha Lee has not only successfully published fan fiction of his own work in the Hexarchate universe and is getting paid for it, he’s published good fanfiction. The cute Cheris and Jedao backstory pieces of flash fiction he first published on his website are drabbles. One of the original pieces in this collection is straight-up PWP. (How the hell Solaris agreed to it I have no idea, there is literally no plot.) The very last story (also original) is fix-it fic for Revenant Gun that left me kicking and screaming over the CLIFFHANGER that Yoon Ha Lee ended it on HOW DARE YOU I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT CHERIS AND JEDAO ARE GOING TO DO NEXT YOU BETTER BE WRITING MORE STORIES SET IN THIS AU TIMELINE. In sum, Yoon Ha Lee is a delight, I love him, and I loved this collection.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

A novella about the weight of history, especially painful, traumatic history, and the necessity and yearning for it when you don’t have it. To be forced to bear the burden of history alone is to be crushed and subsumed by it. To lose or become detached from it is to lose connection to the people you’re from. Either way, it is difficult to impossible to maintain a people’s history alone. Rivers Solomon is such a poetic writer with her prose, painting beautiful images with just the right collection and arrangement of words, all while packing an astutely aimed punch in 160 pages.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I had some issues with how convenient some of the magic/magical artifacts felt, and the various threads of the murder plot didn’t tie up as nicely as I wanted, but oh, Alex Stern is a marvel - a survivor in every sense of the word who embraces that part of herself over and over, even as what being a survivor means changes for Alex over the course of the book. A dark/contemporary urban fantasy set at Yale where the university’s elite student societies are also magical societies— Alex is a dropout who got into drugs as a teenager in order to shield herself from the ghosts she can’t stop seeing, recruited to act as overseer of the societies’ magical rituals, and who takes it upon herself to investigate the murder of a young woman not too different than herself. The centrality of power and its abuse in this book is delicious, the read is gripping, and Alex is worth the price of admission. Yes, I will be reading the second book when it comes out.

(Also, this is literally the second book I’ve ever read that makes any mention or inclusion of Ladino (both Alex and Leigh Bardugo are Sephardi.))

Honorable Mentions

Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

How Long ‘til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin

Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 edited by N. K. Jemisin and John Joseph Adams

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly

Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

It’s also been my practice over the past few years when making these posts to crunch the numbers regarding the number of books I’ve read by PoC authors. This year I read a total of 30 books, which is the exact same number as last year, but since I read fewer books this year, they accounted for 47 percent of my reading, compared to last year’s 43 percent. My goal since I started has been to get to 50-50 parity between PoC and white authors, and this year’s the second-closest I got (I reached 48 percent in 2017.) The goal for next year is once again 50-50.