#it's incredibly gruesome but also hilarious to me

[ablatheringblatherskite]

my thoughts on ep 1 and 2 of the live action ATLA series!

So it is absolutely GORGEOUS. like the visuals??? the costumes?? THE VFX??? OUTSTANDING. CHEF'S KISS. INCREDIBLE. the worst thing is Zuko's scar and like ok whatever nothing we can do about that.

Episode one was fantastic we actually see a lot of great additions, which is COOL! like more of Monk Gyatso, and the actual attack on the Air Nomads... 😭

I'd say writing wise it's not as great as I want it to be. A touch too many monologues for my taste, especially in the first episode, but nothing too bad. Could've been better, but definitely DEFINITELY could've been worse *eyes the movie that will not be named*

You can tell they're trying to squish important plot points together instead of spacing it out across more episodes I mean especially since Netflix decided everything has to be EIGHT EPISODES. but the pacing is actually good considering that LOL

but oh the EMOTIONS. THE EMOTIONS?!?!!

the actor of Aang oh my gosh, Gordon Cormier, OMG. DUDE I NEARLY BAWLED MULTIPLE TIMES BASED ON HIS PERFORMANCE ALONE. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING 😭 HE'S SO GOOD 😭 and he's so cute too he's so baby I'm wjrhwhrhwhdhwhdhwh

I love the actors of Sokka and Zuko whdhwhdhshdsjjdhsjd. Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu? DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

SOKKA WAS HILARIOUS we BURST out laughing SO MANY TIMES, he was so GOOD 😭 the jokes he cracked were genuinely funny wwhdhwhgd and the SARCASM especially. and HIS ACTING THE ACTING HE NAILED IT?? It was so natural and THE EXPRESSIONS HE'D MAKE AND JUST. ALL HIS ACTING CHOICES IN GENERAL WERE SO GOOD. HE WAS HILARIOUS. and other than the funny parts in general he was just so good! HE GETS IT. HE IS SOKKA.

and Zuko was so good too like, we haven't gotten to all the juicy angst yet so I can't fully judge, but so far he's done SO well. Like especially the moments he'd get really angry and also HE'S SO GOOD AT MARTIAL ARTS. SO.

BUT HE'S ALSO RLLY FUNNY TOO??? especially when he gets annoyed with Uncle Iroh LIKE THE BODY LANGUAGE WAS SO SUBTLE BUT IT WAS HILARIOUS. and YES UNCLE IROH WAS GREAT TOO, I LOVE HIM SO FAR. HE IS ALSO HILARIOUS and does seem like Uncle Iroh to me so far!!

Katara hasn't had much to do yet and much like. acting stuff or much to do with her character yet but like that's okay, I'm pretty confident they're still building it up. They haven't gotten to the JUICY bits yet. But she was already so good too.

I'm really interested in some changes, like how they focus more on the Avatar State as a plot point? It's interesting LOL. There was also a shot that showed that in this universe, Katara actually saw her mom die?!?? like omg, that's so gruesome I'm crying.

and it's true that they cut out the sexism arc of Sokka 😭 BUT BUT BUT. IAN OUSLEY. OH HE GETS IT. Like you can see he's really doing his best to keep it a part of the story, like in his acting choices, he's still trying to include the more sexist aspect of his character even if the script isn't supporting it. Like he really truly did his best with what he had and he nailed it, it's the script's fault

And I will say I'm not crazy about some of the stuff they added to Suki? like, I wasn't crazy about the whole "thank you for bringing the world to me" thing, but it's just okay LOL. She's frickin GORGEOUS tho

(also I was really hoping we'd get the scene of Sokka wearing the Kyoshi warrior outfit and makeup but sadly they didn't put it in but it's okay)

OH BUT THE CRUMBS. THE SOKKA AND SUKI CRUMBS. OH THEY'RE SO CUTE. ESPECIALLY THE SCENE IN THE DOJO WHERE SHE'S TEACHING HIM?? OH IT WAS SO CUTE. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. you can tell they're doubling down a bit more on their romance, especially since we know it's already gonna be endgame, but it's making me wonder how they'll tackle Yue 🤔

but yeah. Sokka and Suki stinking adorable I was SQUEALING MULTIPLE TIMES, I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

and the BENDING. THE BENDING IS KRIFFING GORGEOUS. IT'S SO GOOD. THE STUNTS?? THE MARTIAL ARTS?? BEAUTIFUL!! MAGNIFICENT!! PERFECTION!! and the VFX?? HECK YES. AUGH!! I'm definitely not disappointed about it. And I love how dangerous the bending legitimately feels?? like it feels so LETHAL. And there were some really shocking bending moments that were done incredibly well. I loved it.

so YEAH. IN CONCLUSION. so far, judging from just the FIRST TWO episodes... I rate it a 7.5/10

The writing is maybe a 6.5/10, but the acting for sure a solid 9/10. DEFINITELY worth the watch imo, BUT so much more enjoyable with an open mind and acceptance that it's not supposed to be a carbon copy of the show.

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

what do you like most about writing each south park character?

Oh MAN I love this question! I’ve only ever written from the perspectives of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman, Butters/Marjorine, Craig, and Tweek, so I’ll be focusing on those seven!

Stan I adore making him a massive simp like ohhhh my god Stanley Down Bad Marsh my son hes kind of a loser sometimes and we love him for it! He’s definitely one of my favorites to write and I project onto him a good deal and have a few running gags with him, like a lot of the time I put him in clothes that I actually wear, have him reference media I enjoy, make him vegetarian every single time, just… Stan. What an icon. I love when he’s just so Done with the shenanigans around him too lmao

Kyle is my other favorite, easy, like he lends himself out so well to serve as the voice of reason and there’s so much to do with his character over every au! The majority of my Kyles are very empathetic to a fault, mostly idealistic in their worldview, very introspective, which is super fun to explore! It’s also fun to delve into his hypercritical side, when he portrays a false confidence that he doesn’t feel, when he’s everyone’s go-to. I really enjoy writing style because like yeah they’re in love, but they’re best friends at the root of that, and it’s important to me that their relationship is built off that bond.

Kenny! Dude Kenny is such an inherently complex character, whether you factor in the immortality or not, but he’s so interesting because he’s kind of a comic relief character on the surface, but holds this deep melancholy. He’s another favorite of mine to write and I have so many headcanons for him, like how he’s incredibly good at reading people, super good at making friends and cheering people up. Also I LOVE making Kenny unhinged as shit, like he is my vessel for inappropriate jokes and out of pocket comments, just so much eccentricity because he deserves it damnit! King shit. Or princess shit, perhaps ;)

Ok Cartman, I had SO many hang ups writing Cartman when I first started. I had absolutely no clue how to tackle him, because I don’t really like writing truly evil characters, and when I was super new to sp fanfiction I thought that was the only way I could really do him, that or leave him out. But YALL!!!!!! Once I realized I could write him as actually caring for his friends but just being an abrasive fuckwad for the hell of it, everything changed!!! He is SO GODDAMN FUN TO WRITE like the Cartmanisms are delightful to come up with and he is EASILY one of my favorite characters to include now! His commentary is fucking hilarious and he will deadass just say anything, I can’t BELIEVE I spent so long avoiding writing him bc he’s a blast and the most unserious guy you will ever meet also he absolutely reads fanfiction that guy is devouring dead doves. One of these days I’ll make a list of my favorite cartmanisms I’ve written.

Butters/Marj, so I don’t necessarily have more of an attachment to either version, but I think my favorite thing about writing them is the speech pattern! Butters has more of a hesitant way of talking and that’s honestly super fun to translate into writing. I like making them a really nurturing character, like as the station medic in ATLCTS, but also pretty gullible to shit like pyramid schemes like in the OrangeJuiceVerse. Another character that I hesitated to write from for a hot minute because I wasn’t sure how I wanted to go about it, but Butters/Marjorine is really fun to switch up the rhythm of the prose!

BY FAR my favorite thing about writing Craig is giving him pointless beef with Stan, like when this mf does not care about shit except his bf and stripe it’s so fucking funny to me. In In The Truly Gruesome I had SUCH a blast making him so quick with the comebacks and the nonchalance like bruh he is so damn funny for no reason that’s probably one of my favorite Craigs I’ve written. His relationships with people in his life are really cool to explore too, like in the later OJV he’s really good friends with Kyle, and their differences in personality that au are super cool to work with!

Similar to Butters, Tweek is fun to write because of the distinct speech and thinking pattern! His prose, the slight stutter and hesitation, like you can tell when it’s Tweek talking. That’s part of the reason I alternated chapters in Broken Bottles From Apartment 2 between him and Kyle, because of the juxtaposition of their ways of thinking and talking. Whereas Kyle is concise and deliberate, Tweek is more scattered and sporadic, which is an interesting contrast!

Aight man that’s it for this ask, I hope I made some semblance of sense, thank u for asking about this!!!

[thinkingofausername]

I should be writing a book report for uni and what better way to procrastinate than to continue the commentary of @redwingedwhump's Captured series :)

Chapter 13

Ah. The Chapter. I'm getting giddy before I've even started reading.

Three-days-long break? Harrow, sweetie, I hope you've appreciated it because you're in for a ride xd

Harrow trying to get up, while being watched, being too slow and getting manhandled for it? I love the subtle tension and embarrassment.

"Harrow was shocked and then furious with himself at how thoughtlessly he did as ordered" - the gradual resignation and obedience, intentional or not, never fails to amaze me. The writing is incredibly well-paced.

Harrow having Conroy's hands on his throat and immediately expecting to be choked? *sobs*

Okay but the parallel between Harrow sacrificing folks on an altar and him being on the anvil, looking much the same as the people he sacrificed? Beautiful.

The "purified through pain" never fails to make my blood boil, Jesus.

Emmet looking away *sobs some more*

"On the anvil we are all forged, and on the anvil you will be broken." Okay ngl, Conroy has a way with words. That was kind of beautiful. (Sorry Harrow)

Those boys watching, almost gleefully, before realizing the reality before them is much more brutal? Wow.

"You can control how long this takes and how bloody you're about to be, Harrow." God, I love the irony so much. He absolutely could not control any of this. He tried, as he always has, but the entire experience was Harrow coming to terms with the fact that he Is Not In Control.

"Glare if you understand me. Ah, good." I'm sorry but this is hilarious xd

"The horse-kick force of the blow followed a second later by the pain, delayed but brilliant and sharp." Wow. Just wow. (I'm starting to think the author was actually there, ngl)

Harrow making a sound only after the sixth blow? Jesus, that man was Something. Makes his downfall even more tragic, looking back.

Whipping over the already freshly whipped skin? JESUS. How Harrow didn't pass out or throw up right then and there is truly beyond me.

Harrow looking Emmet right in the eyes during this? CHILLS. LITERAL CHILLS.

Conroy continuing to whip Harrow after he's passed out was gruesome, ngl. Just imagining the scene, the horrified boys, especially Emmet, Harrow's back likely looking shredded and receiving even more cruelty on top of that, likely the only sound being the sound of the whip? Goosebumps.

Chapter 14

Harrow resembling a feral, injured animal lashing out at Emmet is beautiful for some reason. I bet he was quite graceful to witness before all this, with his confidence and wine and reputation.

Harrow's attitude switching and him being soft with the boy? Heartbreaking. They both had their lives changed forever in that cell, in ways both different and similar. They both learned the thin line between righteousness and cruelty and this story overall is just incredible for that.

Harrow feeling the bit of reprieve when the cold cloth touched his back? Making me incredibly sad for some reason.

"Luckily the combined weight of both men was enough to hold the mat down, or Harrow might have dragged it to the wall with how hard he was pulling on that chain, Emmet thought." Wonderful detail, but also I love that Harrow still had strength in him then.

Harrow is older than me and yet somehow I feel incredibly fond of him when he reveals he's just 27.

Harrow's interactions with Emmet being the only soft moments in captivity, and yet even they can't go without pain (of the healing) is just... yeah.

"I wasn’t exactly born an unredeemably evil warlock, you know. I was seventeen once… A very long time ago.

Emmet didn’t answer, and then door was closing, and the bolts turned in the lock." Goddddddd. This killed me.

Chapter 15

"Gears were turning somewhere and he was lifted until his toes brushed the ground, driving a breathless sob out of him as his weight against muscle and bone tore and opened some of the tender places on his shoulders. He felt thin rivulets of blood begin to trickle between his shoulder blades and down his back." REDDDDDDDDD I can't with your cleverly simple and vivid descriptions.

"Ah. And there we have the whole of the man, reduced to nothing more than that." I have to hand it to Conroy, his lines are immaculate.

Man, Conroy REALLY wanted Harrow irreparably and thoroughly broken. Burning an already burned man (whose specialty was fire)... there's just so much irony, cruelty and symbolism in here.

Harrow actually wanting to be burned, rather than face the intrusive and haunting memories? Despairing, memorable and gorgeous.

Chapter 16

"That wasn’t pain. That was worse. Because he wanted it." Red, I don't even know what to tell you. These few chapters specifically are peak whump for me. Turning Harrow's mind against himself by making him succumb to the need for comfort and reprieve is still one of the best moments in the entire whump community's history. This is the essence of the psychology of whump for me.

Yeah I can't even imagine how Harrow feels looking back on this day...

Chapter 17

"You bastard!! I couldn’t even try t’ defend myself, I was out of my mind with fever, you sick bastard!!" YES THAT'S EXACTLY IT, HARROW. You were helpless and defenseless and that was taken advantage of. Sound familiar? (I still love him but boy, did he need that lesson)

"Blood met cold air, and stung in the open cut." Loving this.

Aaaaaaand once again, ladies and gentlemen, Harrow's pride is a natural response of his, which aids his downfall. Conroy really butchered him to get him to beg... damn.

as always... to be continued...

[dimplesandfierceeyes]

Heya Kayla, hope you're well!!

Just thought I'd pop by because I'm rereading the cuddle fic because I'm obsessed with it and I'm appreciating the writing so much more than the first time. You know the first time you watch a show you can't fully appreciate the intricacies of it, but then you rewatch it and you just pick up the brilliant details? Yeah that's what I'm doing.

Mostly I'm appreciating the hilarious writing. Anf the writing that makes me squeal like a schoolgirl of course. Some examples:

"Pran’s eyebrows jumped up, his eyes widening as if Pat had made some grand claim of royal ancestry rather than just pointing out the obvious."

"By ten o’clock, he was convinced Pat had forgotten and was in the process of planning his gruesome murder. Pat would never know how close he’d come to a vicious dismemberment when he finally knocked on Pran’s door at 10:17..."

"He looked like a happy dog, his tongue lifted between his teeth as he grinned and his shoulders shaking with silent laughter in a distracting simulacrum of canine panting."

Pat looked shocked for a second and then his eyes narrowed. "Are you hitting on me?""You wish." Yes.

Of course absolutely nothing in Chapter 2 was humorous. That chapter destroyed my soul. I am actually still grieving from the emotional damage it gave me. Is it so well written such that no other piece of writing has ever made me that emotional? Yes, like a million times yes. But it needs a trigger warning or something bc damn, Imma need therapy.

Anyways.

I'll probably spam your inbox again later with more snippets from your own fic that that shattered my heart into a million shards and other snippets that kintsugi'd it back together.

I hope you know you're an incredible writer. Like, incredible. In case I hadn't gotten my point across already.

Hellooooo!! Yes I am well and now even better for this ask ☺️

Sorry for being late responding, I really hope you see this because this ask made me so happy. I think I've read about five times at this point haha. I've also tried to reply three times but every time I get interrupted!

I've been frustrated with my schedule and headspace hasn't been at all conducive to writing recently, so knowing people are still enjoying my work not only delights my soul and boosts my dopamine, it also makes me determined to get back to it as soon as I can!

I love hearing that my stories have brought people back for a second read, it's such a huge compliment to me to know that not only was it that enjoyable but also that it felt worth coming back to see more of the details.

I'm glad my attempts to be funny do actually work sometimes lmao! Humour in writing is always a gamble but with these two especially, you can't not give them a little levity. I think it adds to that sense of joy you feel when the two of them are around each other. Isn't that what makes them so compelling? The way you can tell they make each other happy? I love it.

Ah.... sorry about chapter 2.....

Please feel free to spam my inbox anytime! I loved seeing what bits stood out for you and the ways my writing worked! I'm very happy that you're enjoying it, even if I haven't managed to complete it yet!

[being-of-rain]

My list of recent TV I've been meaning to watch/finish/catch up with had grown quite long, so I spent a week or two binging TV shows rather than podcasts. I found them all pretty fun. Here's really quick thoughts on each!

Warrior Nun: Tumblr led me to believe this would be a lot gayer than it actually was. But I still enjoyed it, the action in particular was really cool in season 2. And it was maybe a bit hilarious when there was bloody fights to the death between traditionally-dressed cardinals and nuns and also the pope is there.

Loki: Season 2 had some really good directing and acting. It's kinda neat how it just turned into a little self-contained plot where the whole show must take place between in like... a week for Loki? And then he goes bouncing up and down it in the final episode. Obviously Ke Huy Quan is incredibly entertaining, and like every said, the ending is really cool, even if the stakes become a little unclear throughout the series.

The Owl House: Great show! The final seasons didn't feel rushed, even though the main thing I knew about it going in was that Disney gave them less time than they wanted- which is a classic Disney move at this point. It was obvious the creators put a lot of care into their characters, and they knew how to make me cry in the finale.

What If...?: I think on the whole I like this show more than most people. Sure it has its ups and downs, and at its worst its just back-to-back-to-back-to-back Marvel Quips (tm) or Marvel characters and items thrown together just for the sake of it with no real care (season 2 finale I'm looking at you), but on the whole I find it a bit of fun, with just as many enjoyable episodes as not. My season 2 favourite is probably the Winter Soldier AU with Captain Carter.

The Fall of the House of Usher: Maybe my second favourite of Mike Flannigan's recent horror shows (because none of them has topped The Haunting of Hill House for me). It let you know the structure of the show pretty quick, but it was still fun to see how everything played out and examine each of the characters in turn (even if some of their deaths were too gruesome for me, gee willikers). So many great performances in it, but I can't help but love Mark Hamill as Mr Pym the Evil Lawyer most of all; he was fantastic, menacing, and hilarious.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Extremely silly, hilarious, and entertaining. I might like it better than the movie, but it's been a while since I watched that. Most of the characters getting expanded roles and stories was great. It's just really charming.

[tucutucus]

Jokes aside, i hope that this poll contest is going to introduce more people to Welcome to Night Vale, and other Night Vale productions

The podcast is really good, it's got a clear formula for almost every episode, the Weather segment introduced me to some incredible indie music and artists, the writing is phenomenal and very engaging, and hilarious a lot of the time. At times, the episodes break the norm by getting other people to voice other characters, or to host the show for that episode.

MY personal critique is that the formula gets a bit boring, mostly if you binge the show, so i would avoid doing that, and maybe finding your own pace to listen it to.

I would, however, also recommend checking the Does-the-dog-die site [link] in case you are squeamish about certain topics, due to the the fact that WtNV is supposed to be a radio show, in a quite surreal and grotesque town, it doesnt shy away from talking about some gruesome and gory subjects, as well as presenting an impossible reality as fact a lot of the time.

[sleepyfoxbooks]

Wicked

By Gregory Maguire

Hello again! This is going to cover the college years of Elphaba, her meeting Galinda and the insanity that ensures during her time at Shiz. Oh my God, this is a lot. There is so much to discuss in this part of the book. It feels like so much happens in this chapter and at the same time absolutely nothing at all. I’m trying really hard not to just summarize the whole thing so please bear with me. (I pretty much summarize the whole thing 😅)

⚠️Warning! Spoilers for the book and it’s musical counterpart! ⚠️

⚠️Content Warning! This story contains explicit language, mild violence, and racial issues! Read at your own risk!⚠️

Gillikin part 1

This chapter covers a lot of stuff in the span of 146 pages. I gonna try to skip the stuff I don’t have a whole lot to talk about. This chapter skips directly to Ms. Galinda on her way to Shiz University, which in the book is an all-girls school. On the train, she meets Dr. Dillamond, the Goat professor (love him). During this time we’ve learned The Wizard of Oz came to power via hostile takeover, and is rolling back the rights of Animals. Animals with a capital A refers to Animals with souls, and the ability to speak. Galinda is incredibly bitchy to the Doctor, strictly because he’s a Goat. Galinda is a shallow, classist, naïve girl that has no concern or care for anything outside of herself. No surprise there. She gets saddled with Elphaba as her roommate because her chaperone (named Ama Clutch) was late and couldn’t vouch for her. There is continued discussion of the rights of Animals and all. We are introduced to Boq, who is smitten with Glinda and attempts to get close to her with the aid of Elphaba (who finds the whole thing absolutely hilarious).

In comparison to the musical, Boq and Elphaba strike up this very interesting friendship. During the summer months the two build an unlikely friendship (along with a gay couple that I desperately want to see in the movie, but know I probably won’t) as they attempt to help Dr. Dillamond provide validity to his existence. Boq works in a library that is barred to Animals and women alike. Galinda goes to a summer lake house one of her friends own.

Moving on from the summer, Elphaba and Galinda are roomies again and for the start of their Sophomore year. Then, the worst, most terrible thing you could ever think of happens.

DOCTOR DILLAMOND IS MURDERED!!

I wanted to scream so bad when I read this scene. All the poor Goat wanted was rights and he was murdered! The murder is so gruesome and bloody! Like no one is gonna believe this is anything other than murder. And it gets worse! Ama Clutch saw the murder from Galinda’s and Elphaba’s room! The head mistress (Madam Morrible or Horrible Morrible which I agree with very much) had her servant do it! This bitch made Ama Clutch go insane to cover up the murder!

With their chaperone out of commission, Horrible Morrible has Elphaba’s old nanny (conveniently named Nanny) come up to Shiz to take over as chaperone to the two girls. She of course has to being Nessarose with her as she is responsible for her. The thing about Nessarose is, she doesn’t have arms. She was born without arms, and struggles with balance and in turn walking. More can probably be said about this but I’m not exactly the person for that. Nessarose is much like her father, very religious. She is also the father’s favorite, so she’s very spoiled. Which honestly breaks the middle child stereotype (yes, they also have a younger brother named Shell, but he’s not important). Nessarose is described as stunningly beautiful, with her only flaw being said lack of arms.

Without a professor for the girl’s college, they connect the boys and girls college, letting them take classes together. This is where we are introduced to Fiyero.

Now Book Fiyero and Musical Fiyero are incredibly different. For starters, book Fiyero is explicitly a POC, and it is integral to his back story. Before I say anymore, I feel I must preface this with the fact that I’m very white, so I will not analyze these parts of his character as I am not equipped to do so. I ask any POC that feel comfortable in giving their insight on the character please do so. I’m gonna go through really quick and give all the information about Fiyero that is in the book but completely written out of the musical. I also should mention at lot of this reeks of “written by a white guy in the 90’s” so please approach this with caution.

Book Fiyero:

is married at the age of seven (he does reassure us that he hasn’t done the “mariatal duties”)

is often described as Ochre-skinned

has blue diamond tattoos all over his face and body

he is the crown prince of his tribe during his entrance

his clothes are described as strange and all other characters act like they’ve never seen a POC before.

Right now, Fiyero is a little more of a background character at this moment. He comes into class late and is attacked by a pair of sentient antlers (which my favorite gay couple saves him from). A side character, yet for some reason still friend to the rest of the main characters (named Alvaric) makes blatantly racist comments about Fiyero. Elphaba comes to his defense and that’s kinda it for now.

Now this class they share is run by a professor Nikidik, and this man is a menace to society (and not in a good way). This man kidnaps an orphaned baby lion, who is too young to speak, if it can. He plans to hit this baby lion with a mallet to see if it can feel pain (like what?!). Everyone freaks out (and rightfully so), and two girl students grab the lion off the table and run out of the classroom with the baby in their arms! (The cat distribution system at work!) And this man is so confused why they’re so upset. I imagine this professor’s face to be very punch-able.

Final thoughts

I didn’t know where to put this in the overall review, but Imma tag it on at the end here. Just like in the musical I think Galinda changing her name after the death of Dr. Dillamond to be pretty shallow. I understand what the attempt was here, and it definitely comes off better here than in the musical. Glinda sees that she was a really shallow person and begins to understand the world outside of her own head and the privileges she comes from. It just feels like she flipped a switch instead of ever having any kind of character growth that the readers can see. What might’ve fixed this would be instead of Galinda spending her entire summer break with her snobbish friends, she goes back to the school early and helps Boq and Elphaba with their research. This would give Galinda the opportunity to experience more in the injustices of Animals. I can just see her asking “why can’t women go to the library? Not like I’d want to of course, but just the principle?” during one of the meet ups.

I don’t know if it’s just me but there are things about the way Elphaba is written that I read as autism-coded. I don’t know if anyone else had that reading, if you did, I would love to compare notes on the subject!

Overall this chapter really packed a punch with its content. I hope to do a full character analysis when I’m done the book. If I skipped anything you wanted me to talk about please let me know. I admit I’m rather nervous to keep reading. Coming off of Good Omens, I had really not expected a deep dystopian conversation about rights and the injustices of the systems that revoke them.

[uncloseted]

i feel like so much of the media i consume is dark or disturbing or gruesome and it's not good for my mental health and can sometimes be triggering for me, do you know of any feel-good, positive, funny or uplifting piece of media like podcasts, tv shows, or youtubers?:)

I've got you! I pretty much only watch positive or feel-good content lately. The world is just too dark and I don't need to seek more darkness out. Here are a few suggestions I could think of off the top of my head. Everyone feel free to suggest others!

TV

Ted Lasso- an optimistic, upbeat American football coach is hired to manage an English football team. Pretty much the most uplifting, funny, and positive show you could imagine.

Adventure Time- brothers Finn the Human and Jake the Dog battle evil in the fantasy land of Ooo. This show starts off very silly, but then becomes profound and life-affirming very quickly.

Community- a quirky sitcom about a study group at a community college. Hijinks ensue.

The Good Place- a woman wakes up in heaven only to realize she doesn't belong there. This show is hilarious but also has a really great message about what it means to live a good life.

Keep Your Hands off Eizouken- an anime in which a trio of schoolgirls start an anime production club. Even if you don't like anime, this show will convince you to love it. It's very uplifting and the girls' imagination and passion is contagious. This is one of my favorite shows ever to be made.

Schitt's Creek- a sitcom where a super rich family goes bankrupt and moves to a rural small town in Canada. Hilarious, but also very feel-good.

Derry Girls- a sitcom where the Derry Girls attempt to navigate teenage life in 1990s Derry, Northern Ireland. Given the setting it seems like this show couldn't possibly be funny or feel-good, but it's one of the few shows that consistently makes me laugh out loud. It has its tearjerker moments and it does those well. There have been episodes that have made me feel truly hopeful for the future of the world. But for the most part it's just fun.

Terrace House- a Japanese dating show where nothing happens. Three men and three women live in a house together, but then leave to go to work, hang out with their friends, and just do day to day things. It's somehow incredibly addictive and calming at the same time.

Space Dandy- an anime about the adventures of a "dandy guy in space who combs the galaxy like his pompadour on the hunt for aliens. Planet after planet he searches, discovering bizarre new creatures both friendly and not." This show is ridiculous in the best possible way.

Rilakkuma and Kaoru- a stop motion anime about Rilakkuma, a lazy stuffed bear, and Karou, an anxious human office worker. This show is very pure, sweet, and endearing.

Books

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet- this is the book I'm reading right now. It follows a space crew of aliens on their journey across the galaxy. The vibes are very comforting and it's kind of about the meaning of family.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- when Arthur Dent's home is destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway, he unwillingly gets swept up on a search for the legendary planet of Magrathea. Hitchhiker's Guide is a classic series that's very funny and sometimes absurd.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared- this is exactly what it sounds like it would be. Allan Karlsson is a hundred year old man who climbs out the window of his nursing home and disappears. It's a funny, passionate adventure about appreciating and enjoying life.

The House in the Cerulean Sea- Linus Baker is a depressed social worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. When he is sent to evaluate the Marsyas orphanage for magical children, he discovers what's important in life. Very uplifting and life affirming.

Movies

Amelie- a quirky, socially awkward Parisian waitress secretly helps the people in her life while trying to work up the courage to talk to the man she's fallen in love with. It inspired me to want to do random acts of kindness for other people and it has great vibes.

Howl's Moving Castle- pretty much any Studio Ghibli movie has good vibes, but Howl's Moving Castle is my favorite. A woman cursed with rapid aging becomes a housekeeper to a narcissistic young magician. I would live in this movie if I could.

Night is Short, Walk on Girl- Night is Short follows Otome, a university student on a never-ending night out in Kyoto, and Senpai, the boy who is in love with her from afar. Before the night ends, they encounter criminal thugs, treacherous gods, and harebrained schemes, and drink a whole lot of alcohol. Whenever I'm feeling down, this is my go-to movie that I watch.

YouTubers

Purple Palace- Shayna is an American visual artist who lives in Paris. Her videos are inspiring and feel like hanging out with your most supportive friend.

Damon Dominique- a travel YouTuber. I don't watch him as much as I used to, but his videos often take a kind of philosophical or spiritual bend, and it's a lot of fun to see all the different places he visits.

ondo온도 - a super calming, low-key Korean lifestyle vlog channel

Mocha- a super calming, low-key Japanese lifestyle vlog channel

Goodnight Moon ASMR- if you don't like ASMR, this probably won't be for you, but this is my go-to ASMR channel for when I need a boost. Erin does an incredible job with props, costumes, sets, and storylines. I especially like her Valley Girl character, who manages to be hilarious and super calming at the same time.

[thecindercrow]

cruised right through Pretending to Be People and now I’m all caught up, so here’s a podcast rec!

It’s a horror-comedy actual play podcast playing the Delta Green system with some Pulp Cthulu thrown in and other homebrew touches. (The system was new to me, but think like X-Files/eldritch horror investigation that usually ends in gruesome tragedy, that kind of jam). Season 1 has our three PCs try to investigate freaky things that start happening in their small town and rapidly escalate over the course of one horrible, no good, very bad week. If part of that week also flipped through some strange resets. There’s time mysteries, a man in a cat’s body and vice versa, Planet Juggernaut, a lot of scary black goo, prophetic dreams with long-term planning payoffs you’ll be yelling about on a relisten, a weird spooky mob boss and myriad other strange gaunt boys, cool prequel mini-arcs, and emotions about the phrase “bubblegum tree”.

The GM has some incredible use of words and descriptions, the players are fun and clever roleplayers, and the show balances some dark and bleak storytelling with some hilarious table atmosphere. They’ve already been playing the system together for a couple years before this, so it’s nice to dive in without any of the awkwardness of navigating a new game or new roleplaying partners. I had a blast and I’m excited for the season 2 ride.

- bonus fwiw, I’m also really into Dungeons and Daddies and I’d say fans of that can also vibe with this (and may hear a fun surprise early in season 2), so here’s a recommendation from one fan to others

[rookie-critic]

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023, dir. Rhys Frake-Waterfield) - review by Rookie-Critic

On January 1, 2022, the classic Winnie-the-Pooh character lineup became public domain, meaning anyone and everyone could use the names and likenesses of these characters without any threat from Disney of legal action. Of course, less than half a year later, it was announced that an independent British director would be making a horror film based off the property, and thus Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was born. I love stuff like this: I think it's hilarious, I think it's fun, and, if done right, it can be genuinely good to boot. I was excited going into the film, and was ready to see Pooh Bear and Piglet go on a Roger Corman-esque, Birdemic-y B-movie murder spree. That definitely happens, although the results were definitely mixed at best.

I'll start with the positives this time, and say the most impressive thing by far in this is the Winnie the Pooh head. From what little promotional material I'd seen prior to watching the movie, Pooh and Piglet's heads kind of just looked like rubber Halloween masks, which can provide a lot of hilarious campy fun, so I wasn't complaining, but that's not what they ended up being at all. Pooh's head reads as fully animatronic; the ears wiggle, the mouth moves, the area around the eyes moves, it helps bring so much personality to the this murderous version of the character. Piglet's is a little less impressive and doesn't have as much articulation as Pooh's does, so he definitely feels a little more mask-y, but like I said before, that provides its own level of campy charm. I'll also give the actors credit: I wouldn't call the acting in this movie good, by any means, but for something like this you're normally getting the bottom of the barrel scrapings and some truly horrible performances, but these weren't terrible. Nikolai Leon, who plays Christopher Robin, I especially took note of. Again, it wasn't "good" acting, but I was surprised by how not awful it was.

Sadly, I think the good stops there. I had a good handful of issues with Blood and Honey, and none of them have to do with the quality of the film's technical side. Yes the CG blood was bad, yes the camerawork was sloppy, blah blah blah, whatever. This is the Winnie the Pooh slasher flick, I'm not looking for Lawrence of Arabia. There are two big problems with this film. One is that, even taking into consideration an almost entirely female cast and the fact that this is a horror movie, the film seems maliciously cruel towards women. The second is that, for something with as hilarious of a concept as this and that seemingly had some decently creative ideas, the kills and the scares were kind of boring. As far as that first problem goes, this is something we've seen time and time and time again in horror, especially in slasher films. There are a lot of tired, sexist tropes that just don't seem to die, and Blood and Honey contributes to a lot of them. I actively rolled my eyes multiple times, including an incredibly uncomfortable scene in which a female character with no arc and no defining characteristics is brutally killed in a gruesome way that, to me, went on for way too long, with some incredibly unnecessary nudity thrown in for good measure. It's not as bad as THAT kill scene from the first Terrifier film, but it wasn't fun to watch, nonetheless. Our main character, who surprisingly isn't Christopher Robin (another issue I had), is given this empathetic and traumatic backstory that Frake-Waterfield had absolutely no interest in weaving into the larger narrative, which really begs the question as to why we even bothered with anyone other than Pooh, Piglet, and Christopher Robin to begin with. The central group of women really only exist as cannon fodder for our beloved children's story characters, and the setup as to why this had happened to the furry residents of the Hundred-Acre Wood was interesting enough to be able to carry a 90-ish minute film by itself. Instead, we get something that's largely a "paint-by-numbers" B-movie slasher film, which leads me into my second problem from earlier; the movie as a whole, and specifically the kills, feel really uninspired. There are moments where there seem to be sparks of creative instinct (Pooh has the absolutely wild ability to control the bees that inhabit the Hundred-Acre Wood, there's a scene in which Pooh whips Christopher Robin with the nail end of Eeyore's tail, stuff like that), but these ideas go largely unexplored. Instead, we're relegated to watching Piglet and Pooh chase after our protagonists with chains and sledgehammers for most of the film, and that's really too bad.

I don't mean to rant and make it seem like I'm taking the Winnie the Pooh horror film too seriously, because I definitely was not, but I feel like there are ways to make these really low-concept, dumb-but-fun, shtick-y horror films not suck, and it's not even that hard. Just be creative, have fun, and stay away from harmful and tired genre tropes, simple. While this film certainly had fun, and was running at maybe 20% creativity, it just couldn't accomplish what it set out to do.

Score: 4/10

Currently only in theaters.

[soulbornincoldandrain]

tag game shenanigans huh [rubs hands] thanks @catmanbowser its been a while since ive thought about my blorbos of days past

10 character/ 10 fandoms (this is actually very interesting because ive never rlly though abt them? i kinda just frantically slide them into their slots in my brain so)

1. sebastian debeste/ ace attorney : who would i be without my emotional support lawyer of choice. while i have my favourites from the games i think seb deb remains on top for like. one his relationship with his dad (hngh) two his relationship with himself as a person, his sense of self esteem and how it is affected by his entitlement, his lack of awareness etcertera and three god his Design rlly gets to me for some reason i love the owlish eyes the hair the baton that's really only there because he's icky abt touching gruesome evidence like. girl he's my best friend he's Me

2. danny rand/ ultimate spider-man : transed my gender when i was thirteen. saw him on d*sney xd and i was never the same. iron fist animated ver did so much for me as a person he was my coolguy surfer-vibe snarky but kind prettyboy crush

3. peppermint patty/ peanuts : honestly its not like peanuts is like a revolutionary piece of work but it gets me every single motherfucking time man. peppermint patty is kind of an asshole but i love her character and also gay gay holy shit i was a small queer kid once and so is peppermint patty (also marcy schrodinger charlie ily beloveds)

4. murtagh morgansson (and nasuada!!)/ eragon (the inheritance cycle) : the tragedy of murtagh morgansson effectively changed me as a pre teen i enjoyed the entire series so much (don't talk to me about eragon and arya hngh) but murtaghs arc as a person filled me with so much love like he loved his brother!! he was chained to his blood father!! he loves his dragon!! he made difficult choices for them both despite everything!! even his romantic interest was so well done i genuinely loved him as a character and i still do (and yet i like nasuada more i just think murtaghs character had more weight in the story)

5. frederick the great knight/ fire emblem awakening : cannot explain how much i would've played the entire game all over just to romance frederick instead of my girlboss crown prince chrom i had such a Massive Raging crush on him it's not even funny

6. jung heewon/ orv : yeah okay ideally it would be dokja because he's the sort of parasite that's latched onto my brain but god. god. i never recovered from jung heewon as a character i never will recover. she loves her friends so deeply (as does the entirety of kim dokja company if we're being honest) but god she is so powerful in her love and i think it's ridiculous how much i love her favourite ever jihye x hyunsung x me are so right in having a massive crush on her hngghghh

7. michelangelo/ teenage mutant ninja turtles : ive only ever watched the cartoon series and that was like a solid six years ago but i wanted to be him so bad it was fucking hilarious. i thought he was coolest shit since sliced cheese. mikey my belovedsest hngh i loved donny too but mikey just has a special place in my heart

8. boss/ underworld office : THIS GAME OH GOD. think the only time i ever spoke about it was with shiro but oh God oh god this game got me so good and im still rusty on the names and such but boss as a character was so incredible and im a sucker for a good powerful character who is the looker after of their friend group but also Every Single One of those characters were so good and i literally cannot recommend that game enough the art animatics and story is so good hngh (ticket system kinda frustrating but i can forgive them for it dammit)

9. hannibal/ nbc hannibal : ideally the title should go to freddie lounds and frederick chilton for being my favourite characters of the show but because i have a deep intimate relationship with hamball i guess he takes first spot. i talk abt him way too much anyways so i refuse to elaborate. the elaboration is that i also sniff people. that is all.

10. jiro horikoshi/ wind rises : idk if he counts as a fictional character but miyazakis version of him was- and i cannot stress this enough- so incredibly gender. also i was fascinated by aeronautical design and engineering and also the vintage male fashion rlly got to me man. one of my favourite ghibli movies till date

and that's ten!! that's not all of them but boy i really fucking love to talk huh (also a lot of these were difficult because all my favourite characters are my favourites in context of other characters so many of these should've involved more than one character but whatever) anyways thanks so much for the tag cymber i hope i didn't ramble too much :]

[wangxianficrecs]

❤️live from new york by varnes

❤️live from new york

by varnes

E, 87k, wangxian

Summary:  Wei Ying lets out a long, ugly groan. “I am fine, Lan Zhan. Everybody is overreacting, it’s so embarrassing for all of you.”

“You had undiagnosed pneumonia, which you walked around with for weeks until you passed out during dress,” Lan Wangji corrects him. “It got a big laugh, until everyone thought you were dead.”

He keeps his voice even and does not tell Wei Ying that it had been Lan Wangji who caught him, who called the ambulance, and who rode with him to the hospital, where he was yelled at by nurses who wanted to know why he hadn’t noticed that Wei Ying couldn’t stop shivering or string proper sentences together.

“Rumors of my demise have been vastly overstated,” Wei Ying says. “Anyway, I’m already feeling much better. Basically fine. Really almost completely back to normal, so stop babying me and tell me why the fuck you let your stupid brother hire the worst man in the world to host our show.”

-

OR: the one where they all work at SNL, Yanli's ex-boyfriend is hosting, and that's just the beginning of everybody's problems.

My comments:  This was sooo funny, ohmygoodness, but also chock full of pining and withheld communication and stupidly sacrificial idiots. Author juggles an ensemble cast flawlessly, and everyone's personality shines in the rawest and most shamelessly hilarious way (I saw someone comment that they were all feral, which suits). Story is most often lwj POV (he and wwx are co-head writers) and this boy is SO IN LOVE, but doesn't want to damage what he's got, so he stays silent (mostly). Their relationship drama is subsumed in the utterly hectic week that leads up to a Saturday show (Sunday is off, Tuesdays have a hallucinatory never-ending feel, Fridays are actually much busier than Saturdays).

Excerpt 1:  There is no “end” to Tuesdays. There is Tuesday, and then later Tuesday, and then midnight Tuesday, and then timeless Tuesday, when it stops being nighttime but isn’t yet morning, and then eventually the sun is up and it’s not Tuesday on the calendar but it’s still Tuesday spiritually, because no one has slept and everyone is all hopped up on caffeine and cigarettes.

Excerpt 2:  Some funny bits: 

“Laughter is the best medicine!” Wei Ying wheedles. “Come onnnnn, Lan Zhan, I’ve been rotting away for months and months, if someone doesn’t let me get a joke on TV in the next twenty minutes I’ll die. I’ll literally be forced to fling myself out of the Jiang family’s beautiful bay windows, and on the way down I’ll shout, ‘This was avoidable! This is because Lan Zhan wouldn’t let me punch up the promos!’ and then you’ll be fired for secondhand murder and it’ll be a tragedy like the sketch comedy circuit has never seen.”

Lan Wangji says, “Second-degree.”

“What?”

“Murder. Not secondhand.”

Wei Ying furrows his brow. “...I’ve heard it both ways,” he says. “That would make a good detective show spoof skit, though. Secondhand Murder.”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees. “Murder She Wrote, but an idiot.”

“Keeps suggesting a series of increasingly implausible manners of death,” Wei Ying agrees, scribbling on the back of the takeout menu. Yanli and Lan Wangji share a look. “All the deaths are like — incredibly obvious and she goes buckwild with her theories anyway.”

“Police keep asking her to leave.”

“I want to be one of the victims,” Yanli says. “Put like, a sword right through my chest, but I’m still alive, telling the cops what happened, and she’s still like, ‘No no, that’s what the murderer wants you to think.’”

“Gruesome! Love it,” says Wei Ying, making a note.

Excerpt 3:  some just plain esoteric turns of phrase:

Lan Zhan mutters, “Wei Ying,” in that voice of his. He says Wei Ying eight million times a day but never the same way twice. A mood ring of Wei Ying. Wei Wuxian wants to be fully dead about it, wholly and completely excused from this earth because of how Lan Zhan says his stupid name.

“Lan Zhan,” he sing-songs back. “Ah, Lan Zhaaaaan.”

Excerpt 4:  Some gut-punches: 

Wei Wuxian wants bruises; Lan Wangji wants scars.

_____________________

ETA: There's a Sequel!

It's 19k of sheer delight as our boys go to the courthouse to get hitched... only to find out they've been married for the past 3.5 years. How. How did this happen? Wwx points out that they've never had anything but married sex which is very responsible and traditional of them. But still. How do you get accidentally married???

Excerpt:  “How are you so chill about this,” Wei Wuxian demands, turning his face into Lan Zhan’s palm and kissing it at the center. “I feel like someone just informed me that everyone else on the planet except me has two dicks, and you’re just like, tralala, dry cleaning.”

“It’s easier for me,” says Lan Zhan, very tenderly. “I’ve always had two dicks.”

Wei Wuxian laughs, helplessly. “Lan Zhan.”

modern au, SNL au, saturday night live, humor, comedy, pining, FOREST OF PINES, light angst, lots of jokes, ensemble cast, feels, oblivious wei wuxian, oblivious lan wangji, idiots in love, slow burn, lack of communication, self-sacrificial idiots, flirting, getting together, everyone ships it, top lan wangji, bottom wei wuxian, roommates, hijinks and shenanigans, comedian everybody, jiang siblings, friends to lovers, found family, adorable juniors, happy ending, favorite, @itsvarnes​​

(You may wish to REBLOG as a signal boost for this author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[lunaralight09]

Could you do books that the scps might read?

Books that the SCPs might read

SCP 035 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Anna is shipped off to boarding school in Paris where she meets the super-charming Etienne, and that's when things get interesting. I was a squealing, giggly, mush-fest all the while through reading this book. Stephanie Perkins knows just how to turn a seemingly ordinary love story into an unputdownable read. SCP 040 Your Brain Needs a Hug: Life, Love, Mental Health, and Sandwiches Just the title of this book by Rae Earl makes us feel a little lighter. And we don’t know about you, but our brains could definitely use a hug right now. While the book is geared towards teens, we found Earl’s advice to be relevant for all ages — particularly for anyone who struggles with depression, anxiety, social media addiction, and self-esteem issues. TBH, pretty much anyone can benefit from this book! SCP 049 And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini And the Mountains Echoed is such an amazing and heartwarming read. It's about a pair of siblings that fate cruelly separates and then finally reunites. A must-read for its simple yet gripping narration and amiable characters. SCP 049-j The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain This is a French romance novella, and basically a love letter to book lovers. There's mystery, romance, and some of the most beautifully crafted sentences and paragraphs I have ever read. The ending is so sweet, even though you wonder how you ever got there so soon. SCP 053 Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door by Hilary McKay Lulu and her cousin help their neighbor Arthur learn to love and care for his (neglected) rabbit. She doesn’t want her neighbor to feel bad so she writes the rabbit little notes with helpful gifts signed from her own pet rabbit named Thumper. It’s a kind way to show Arthur how to take care of his new pet SCP 073 HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time Looking for heart-warming stories of kindness and compassion? HumanKind by Brad Aronson was made for you. But the book isn’t only full of uplifting stories that will move you to happy tears, it’s also packed with practical and actionable tips for how to be kinder in your everyday. One thing is for sure: after you put this book down, you’ll feel inspired to do something nice for someone else. And because of that, we think this is one of the best books on the planet! SCP 076 Do Unto Animals We absolutely DEVOURED this book by Tracey Stewart. Whether you’re looking for tips on how to better understand skunks and squirrels or read your pet’s body language, every page is full of compassionate wisdom about to treat animals in a way that they deserve. Also, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful — we nearly wanted to pet the pages because the animal drawings were so lovable. SCP 079 Walden (Henry David Thoreau) With the outdoorsman renaissance happening as we speak, it is nice to look back at one of the books that probably started it. Walden isn’t the bore you read back in middle school, it takes time to appreciate like a nice bottle of red. Thoreau’s masterpiece tackles so much while quietly nudging your brain into activity. It also makes you want to build a cabin SCP 096 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Told from the perspective of the horse, this story is so beautifully written that it's easy to get lost in it's pages. I laughed and cried, as did my daughter when she read it. SCP 105 Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Warm and fuzzy the whole way through, Dandelion Wine is by far the best story to make you feel good. Though I'm not the correct age to directly relate to the young adult story, I still felt the warm summer days and the wonder of it all. SCP 106 Catch-22 – Joseph Heller “War is hell,” is the old adage we all know, but Catch-22 looks to modify that a bit. Instead, war becomes super goddamn weird. The book follows a bomber squadron in the Second World War whose collective sanity is slowly being eroded by whatever passes for power. Throughout it all, the main character keeps trying to prove himself insane enough to be kicked out of the Navy, which is precisely why he can’t

be kicked out. Which is a catch 22 and yes, this is where the phrase comes from. It’s a great extrapolation of quirks and idiosyncrasies we see in day to day life, only this time, they’re affecting war SCP 134 (I know she don't have eyes . But there is a books for blind people) A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass A Mango-Shaped Space is about a 13-year-old girl with synesthesia (she can see, taste, and hear colors) and her journey in getting a diagnosis and accepting herself and all her differences. It's sort of a coming-of-age story, too. As someone with multiple chronic illnesses who has gone through the same process at the same age, this really was an incredible reading experience. One of my favorite quotes is "We all do the best we can, trying to keep all the balls in the air at once." I recommend it to everyone. SCP 173 Rabbit, Run (John Updike) The greatest mid-life crisis novel of all time doesn’t actually deal with a mid-life crisis at all. Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom is 26 when he decides to leave his wife and son for a new life. Of course, what that new life is, and what exactly he wants out of it isn’t clear to the reader or to Rabbit himself. It will strike a cord with all men who struggle with the idea of settling down. SCP 239 The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling SCP 682 THE WOLF AND THE WATCHMAN BY NIKLAS NATT OCH DAG If you're the kind of person that can't get enough of Scandi noir films, TV shows and literature, then Niklas Natt och Dag's The Wolf And The Watchman should be next on your reading list. Set in 18th-century Stockholm, this tale is as dark as it gets, following the titular watchman and a detective as they hunt down the killer behind a dismembered corpse that appears in a local pond. As gruesome as it is gripping, it's the perfect literary companion as the nights get longer and increasingly eerie. SCP 847 The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell Two priests are called in to examine a girl who might be possessed by the devil. The Exorcist, right? Nope, it’s Ray Russell‘s The Case Against Satan, a novel of theological horror that beat William Peter Blatty’s book to print by eight years. The Case Against Satan is as much the story of a crisis of faith as it is a supernatural tale, and readers looking for a nuanced take on both should give it a try SCP 953 THE PILLOW BOOK BY SEI SHŌNAGON If you want to learn a bit more about the Japan of the past – and also, weirdly, all of us in the present – The Pillow Book is a cult classic you should absolutely try. Sei Shōnagon was a lady-in-waiting in the court of Empress Teishi in the year 1000 and here she collects her thoughts and musings about court life. To read a woman more than 1,000 years ago being as philosophical, neurotic and scandalous as anyone is today on social media is a thrill that lasts from the start to the end. SCP 1678 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Absolutely moving, the struggles Sayuri faces are painted so beautifully by Arthur Golden's masterful craft that you totally empathize with her as she grows and triumphs in a world designed to see her fail. The ultimate conclusion of the novel fills me with such warmth — it's both entirely unexpected and wholeheartedly appreciated.

[nitrateglow]

Favorite films discovered in 2020

Well, this year sucked. I did see some good movies though. Some even made after I was born!

Perfect Blue (dir. Satoshi Kon, 1997)

I watch a lot of thrillers and horror movies, but precious few actually unsettle me in any lasting way. This cannot be said of Perfect Blue, which gave me one of the most visceral cinematic experiences of my life. Beyond the brief flashes of bloodletting (you will never look at a screwdriver the same way again), the scariest thing about Perfect Blue might be how the protagonist has both her life and her sense of self threatened by the villains. The movie’s prescience regarding public persona is also incredibly eerie, especially in our age of social media. While anime is seen as a very niche interest (albeit one that has become more mainstream in recent years), I would highly recommend this movie to thriller fans, whether they typically watch anime or not. It’s right up there with the best of Hitchcock or De Palma.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (dir. Sergio Leone, 1966)

Nothing is better than when an iconic movie lives up to the hype. Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef play off of one another perfectly. I was impressed by Wallach as Tuco in particular: his character initially seems like a one-dimensional greedy criminal, but the performance is packed with wonderful moments of humanity. Do I really need to say anything about the direction? Or about the wonderful storyline, which takes on an almost mythic feel in its grandeur? Or that soundtrack?

Die Niebelungen (both movies) (dir. Fritz Lang, 1924)

I did NOT expect to love these movies as much as I did. That they would be dazzlingly gorgeous I never doubted: the medieval world of the story is brought to vivid life through the geometrical mise en scene and detailed costuming. However, the plot itself is so, so riveting, never losing steam over the course of the four hours it takes to watch both movies. The first half is heroic fantasy; the second half involves a revenge plot of almost Shakespearean proportions. This might actually be my favorite silent Fritz Lang movie now.

Muppet Treasure Island (dir. Brian Henson, 1996)

I understand that people have different tastes and all, but how does this movie have such a mixed reception? It’s absolutely hilarious. How could anybody get through the scene with “THA BLACK SPOT AGGHHHHHHH” and not declare this a masterpiece of comedy? And I risk being excommunicated from the Muppet fandom for saying it, but I like this one more than The Great Muppet Caper. It’s probably now my second favorite Muppet movie.

Belle de Jour (dir. Luis Bunuel, 1967)

I confess I’m not terribly fond of “but was it real???” movies. They tend to feel gimmicky more often than not. Belle de Jour is an exception. This is about more than a repressed housewife getting her kicks working as a daytime prostitute. The film delves into victim blaming, trauma, class, and identity-- sure, this sounds academic and dry when I put it that way, but what I’m trying to say is that these are very complicated characters and the blurring of fantasy and reality becomes thought-provoking rather than trite due to that complexity.

Secondhand Lions (dir. Tim McCanlies, 2003)

The term “family movie” is often used as a synonym for “children’s movie.” However, there is an important distinction: children’s movies only appeal to kids, while family movies retain their appeal as one grows up. Secondhand Lions is perhaps a perfect family movie, with a great deal more nuance than one might expect regarding the need for storytelling and its purpose in creating meaning for one’s life. It’s also amazingly cast: Haley Joel Osment is excellent as the juvenile lead, and Michael Caine and Robert Duvall steal the show as Osment’s eccentric uncles.

The Pawnbroker (dir. Sidney Lumet, 1964)

Controversial in its day for depicting frontal nudity, The Pawnbroker shocks today for different reasons. As the top review of the film on IMDB says, we’re used to victims of great atrocities being presented as sympathetic, good people in fiction. Here, Rod Steiger’s Sol Nazerman subverts such a trope: his suffering at the hands of the Nazis has made him a hard, closed-off person, dismissive of his second wife (herself also a survivor of the Holocaust), cold to his friendly assistant, and bitter towards himself. The movie follows Nazerman’s postwar life, vividly presenting his inner pain in a way that is almost too much to bear. Gotta say, Steiger gives one of the best performances I have ever seen in a movie here: he’s so three-dimensional and complex. The emotions on his face are registered with Falconetti-level brilliance.

The Apartment (dir. Billy Wilder, 1960)

While not the most depressing Christmas movie ever, The Apartment certainly puts a good injection of cynicism into the season. I have rarely seen a movie so adept at blending comedy, romance, and satire without feeling tone-deaf. There are a lot of things to praise about The Apartment, but I want to give a special shoutout to the dialogue. “Witty” dialogue that sounds natural is hard to come by-- so often, it just feels smart-assy and strained. Not here.

Anatomy of a Murder (dir. Otto Preminger, 1959)

I’m not big into courtroom dramas, but Anatomy of a Murder is a big exception. Its morally ambiguous characters elevate it from being a mere “whodunit” (or I guess in the case of this movie, “whydunit”), because if there’s something you’re not going to get with this movie, it’s a clear answer as to what happened on the night of the crime. Jimmy Stewart gives one of his least characteristic performances as the cynical lawyer, and is absolutely brilliant. 

Oldboy (dir. Park Chan-Wook, 2003)

Oldboy reminded me a great deal of John Webster’s 17th century tragedy The Duchess of Malfi. Both are gruesome, frightening, and heartbreaking works of art, straddling the line between sensationalism and intelligence, proving the two are not mutually exclusive. It’s both entertaining and difficult to watch. The thought of revisiting it terrifies me but I feel there is so much more to appreciate about the sheer craft on display.

Family Plot (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1976)

Family Plot is an enjoyable comedy; you guys are just mean. I know in an ideal world, Hitchcock’s swan song would be a great thriller masterpiece in the vein of Vertigo or Psycho. Family Plot is instead a silly send-up of Hitchcock’s favorite tropes, lampooning everything from the dangerous blonde archetype (with not one but two characters) to complicated MacGuffin plots. You’ll probably demand my film buff card be revoked for my opinion, but to hell with it-- this is my favorite of Hitchcock’s post-Psycho movies.

My Best Girl (dir. Sam Taylor, 1927)

Mary Pickford’s farewell to silent film also happens to be among her best movies. It’s a simple, charming romantic comedy starring her future husband, Charles “Buddy” Rogers. Pickford also gets to play an adult character here, rather than the little girl parts her public demanded she essay even well into her thirties. She and Rogers are sweet together without being diabetes-inducing, and the comedy is often laugh out loud funny. It even mocks a few tropes that anyone who watches enough old movies will recognize and probably dislike-- such as “break his heart to save him!!” (my personal most loathed 1920s/1930s trope).

Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2019)

This feels like such a zeitgeist movie. It’s about the gap between the rich and the poor, it’s ironic,  it’s depressing, it’s unpredictable as hell. I don’t like terms like “modern classic,” because by its very definition, a classic can only be deemed as such after a long passage of time, but I have a good feeling Parasite will be considered one of the definitive films of the 2010s in the years to come.

Indiscreet (dir. Stanley Donen, 1958)

Indiscreet often gets criticized for not being Notorious more or less, which is a shame. It’s not SUPPOSED to be-- it’s cinematic souffle and both Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant elevate that light material with their perfect chemistry and comedic timing. It’s also refreshing to see a rom-com with characters over 40 as the leads-- and the movie does not try to make them seem younger or less mature, making the zany moments all the more hilarious. It’s worth seeing for Cary Grant’s jig (picture above) alone.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (dir. Joseph Sargent, 1974)

This movie embodies so much of what I love about 70s cinema: it’s gritty, irreverent, and hard-hitting. It’s both hilarious and suspenseful-- I was tense all throughout the run time. I heard there was a remake and it just seems... so, so pointless when you already have this gem perfect as it is.

They All Laughed (dir. Peter Bogdonavich, 1981)

Bogdonavich’s lesser known homage to 1930s screwball comedy is also a weirdly autumnal movie. Among the last gasps of the New Hollywood movement, it is also marks the final time Audrey Hepburn would star in a theatrical release. The gentle comedy, excellent ensemble cast (John Ritter is the standout), and the mature but short-lived romance between Hepburn and Ben Gazarra’s characters make this a memorably bittersweet gem.

The Palm Beach Story (dir. Preston Sturges, 1942)

Absolutely hilarious. I was watching this with my parents in the room. My mom tends to like old movies while my dad doesn’t, but both of them were laughing aloud at this one. Not much else to say about it, other than I love Joel McCrea the more movies I see him in-- though it’s weird seeing him in comedies since I’m so used to him as a back-breaking man on the edge in The Most Dangerous Game!

Nothing Sacred (dir. William Wellman, 1937)

I tend to associate William Wellman with the pre-code era, so I’ve tried delving more into his post-code work. Nothing Sacred is easily my favorite of those films thus far, mainly for Carole Lombard but also because the story still feels pretty fresh due to the jabs it takes at celebrity worship and moral hypocrisy. For a satire, it’s still very warm towards its characters, even when they’re misbehaving or deluding themselves, so it’s oddly a feel-good film too.

Applause (dir. Rouben Mamoulian, 1929)

I love watching early sound movies, but my inner history nerd tends to enjoy them more than the part of me that, well, craves good, well-made movies. Most early sound films are pure awkward, but there’s always an exception and Applause is one of them. While the plot’s backstage melodrama is nothing special, the way the story is told is super sophisticated and expressive for this period of cinema history, and Helen Morgan makes the figure of the discarded burlesque queen seem truly human and tragic rather than merely sentimental.

Topaz (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1969)

Another late Hitchcock everyone but me seems to hate. After suffering through Torn Curtain, I expected Hitchcock’s other cold war thriller was going to be dull as dishwater, but instead I found an understated espionage movie standing in stark contrast to the more popular spy movies of the period. It’ll never be top Hitchcock, of course-- still it was stylish and enjoyable, with some truly haunting moments. I think it deserves more appreciation than it’s been given.

What were your favorite cinematic discoveries in 2020?

[thetypedwriter]

Gideon the Ninth Book Review

Gideon the Ninth Book Review by Tamsyn Muir 

It would be only a slight hyperbole to say that a million people have either recommended this book to me or have told me to read it. I’ve heard for years now that this book is incredible and extremely well written and beloved by many. So, if that’s the case why did I wait so long to read it?

I don’t have a good answer. Sometimes a book is on your radar, but either the time isn’t right, other books take priority, or in my case, it’s adult fiction and I held slight trepidation that I wouldn’t love it as much as everyone else in the world seemed to. 

Thank goodness, that didn’t end up being the case and I’ll get into why in a moment. 

First, Gideon the Ninth has the most amazing descriptive sentence belonging on any front cover of any book ever. 

I shall put it here for prosperity and awe: “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” -Charles Stross. 

Now, I don’t know who you are Mr. Stross, but that has to be the best sentence written in the English language since its conception. If that isn’t enough intrigue for you to crack open the novel then I truly don’t know what is or what it would take. 

That being said, Mr. Stross wasn’t entirely accurate, but that’ll be clear soon enough. 

The novel surrounds our main protagonist, Gideon Nav, or, known as Gideon the Ninth, the primary cavalier to the Ninth House necromancer. Essentially, this world takes place in a different solar system with its own sun star known as Dominicus as well as nine planets also known as the Nine Houses. 

Each House has a specific specialty for what is known for, and as summarized helpfully, but also overwhelmingly, at the beginning of the novel, the Ninth House is also known as the keepers of the Locked Tomb, House of the Sewn Tongue, and home to the Black Vestals. 

This meant nothing to me at the beginning and quite truthfully, I still struggled to remember throughout the novel who belonged to the Third House, or the Fifth and what that quite meant, as once again, each House has a reputation and expected skill set that precedes them. 

Not to say that it was poorly written because it wasn’t. Muir just has a lot of characters with specific titles and while she actually does quite a good job of categorizing them and helpfully reminding you who is who, I still struggled with just the sheer amount of information and people. 

Normally, this would be a massive criticism, like it was with the cast of characters in Lore but in this case it’s not Muir’s fault. She’s giving me all the information necessary to understand. It was just my brain that struggled trying to recognize and categorize everyone. If anything, I’m excited to re-read Gideon the Ninth and have it sink in like a second skin eventually. 

Having this large cast of characters, the book revolves around each of the Nine Houses (except for the First House) sending their best necromancer, a wielder of both thanergy (death energy) and thalergy (life energy) in the form of a House Adept, someone who is able to wield this kind of energy either in bone magic, flesh magic, or spirit magic. 

In accompaniment, each Necromancer Adept has a primary Cavalier, a trained fighter that is both protector, companion, and often, necessary energy suppliers to their Adept in both horrendous and acceptable ways. 

The goal of these pairs, having been sent to the First planet, is to become a Lyctor, an immortal servant to the Undying Emperor. The catch is that once the Necromancers and their Cavaliers arrive on the First, the shuttle departs and they are trapped in an abandoned, dilapidated, once-regal and great mansion that boasts hundreds of floors, secret doors, and mystery upon mystery. 

Each pair expects a streamlined process to Lyctorhood once they arrive, a methodical procedure, perhaps some training, and ultimately a test. What they don’t expect is a mellow man by the name of Teacher that claims to know nothing about the process himself, but is the overseer of the First. 

What follows is a mind-boggling search to become a Lyctor and unravel the mysteries of the haunted palace. What the pairs don’t expect is the death of their own, gruesome murders at the hand of someone in their very own positions and an evil danger beyond any of their imagination lurking in the mansion. 

This novel was a great concoction of mystery, action, interpersonal relationships, character growth, dazzling descriptions, and world building. 

The world of Dominicus and the Nine Houses is expansive and rich, something that I haven’t been able to sink my teeth into, and not for lack of trying, but because it is so deep and so layered that I simply need to take several bites to get it all down.

The mystery is fulfilling and strangely, to me at least, reminiscent of a game called Danganronpa. If you know what that is, and even if you don’t, it centers around the idea of a murder mystery, but where the killer is one of your own and the mystery is trying to figure out not ony the who, but the why of what they are doing, amongst a slew of other deadly riddles.

Gideon the Ninth is the same. As people continue to get picked off and brutally murdered, as a reader you find yourself trying to puzzle out not only who, but why someone would commit such atrocities and the motivation behind it. 

The plot itself of Gideon the Ninth was extremely satisfying and alluring. There were times where I personally found that novel bogged down with excessive description, but it was usually broken up with Gideon’s personal brand of crass humor, a very much needed breather with the expansive exposition, that, while extremely well done, well researched, and well written, did get a tad boring from time to time for me personally, even if it allowed for clear imagery as well as adding to already well formed world building. 

In addition to the plot, all of the characters were well done and as fleshed out as they could be considering the amount of characters involved. First, even though this is set in a fantasy sci-fi setting, each of the characters seemed realistic and like they could potentially be real people. 

A large criticism of books I often have, especially in YA, is that the characters often come across like caricatures, and not real flesh and blood humans with both positive and negative qualities. 

Each character, some developed more than others, have both flaws and strengths, even the main characters, which I highly appreciated. Not only does it make the story more real and palatable, but it also is just more interesting to read about as it’s actually based in humanity and the nature of human beings rather than some perfect carbon copy of one. 

Gideon as a narrator was hilarious. She was often crass, blunt, horny, humorous and ignorant. But on the other hand, she was also an extremely talented fighter, actually very sweet deep down, forgiving, and loving. 

This mix in a main character was a welcome one in addition to making Gideon feel like a real person, despite all the bone magic and necromancy, and often her thought process and dialogue made me laugh out loud. 

Another main character, Harrowhark Nonagesimus (What a name!) is Gideon’s Necromancer and main companion. She’s bitter, rude, spiteful, and ruthless. She’s also hardworking, intelligent, and stubborn. 

If you’re catching the pattern here, Muir isn’t just writing archetypes and passing them off as characters. She’s writing complex and nuanced personalities that are intriguing and interesting and well developed. 

I could get into the other plethora of characters like Camila, Dulcinea, Palamedes, Magnus, Judith and so on, but this review would be a thousand pages long so I’ll just settle for saying that every character was well done and lovingly crafted and not one of them, even the annoying ones, were characters that I hated. 

One important thing to note was Muir’s writing itself. It was incredible. Such descriptions! Such characterization! Such detail! Such vocabulary! I was supremely impressed with her writing as a whole and often found myself having to look up words that I had never heard of in my life (always a welcome change of pace). I was blown away by her sheet talent and creativity. 

The last two things I have to note might get me in trouble. 

One, the ending for me was...bittersweet. For fear of spoiling someone, I won’t get into details, but I found it both lacking and simultaneously making absolute sense. I wanted both more and yet, found that everything was just enough. It’s hard to put into words, but if you know, you know. 

I do have a slightly sinking feeling though that the ending twist will somehow be undone in the sequel. I don’t know if this is true (although I will eventually find out), and I can’t decide if I’m going to be happy or dismayed by it. 

Such conflicting feelings are in of itself homage to Muir’s skill as a writer and the complexities of her tale. 

Lastly, the one aspect that might get me into the stickiest of predicaments: Harrowhark’s and Gideon’s relationship. I don’t know if I like it or not. On the one hand, I absolutely love it. It's a hate-to-love slow burn, which really is the only way an OTP makes its way into my heart. I love that they’re so different and yet so compatible, one flesh and one blood and all that other nonsense. 

They see each other as equals, as adversaries, and I adore that dynamic in any pairing. I also love the F/F representation of some badass women and that they’re not traditionally attractive and beautiful. 

One of my favorite lines came from the end of the book where Gideon describes Harrowhark’s face as, “bitter” and “hateful”. I just love when characters aren’t conventionally gorgeous and yet beautiful in the eyes of the beholder and all that jazz. 

Now. Onto the problems. 

Harrowhark’s and Gideon’s relationship is kinda...toxic? It grows into something less so, but it definitely starts off that way. I really hate imbalances of power of any kind and Harrowhark definitely has power over Gideon, power that she creully abuses. I asked myself: if Harrowhark was a man and treated Gideon so abysmally for years, and then Gideon eventually forgave him and loved him despite everything, would I think differently?

And the answer is yes, yes I would. 

Is that fair? Probably not. But I can’t help but think how the dynamics change with the two of them being women, and how in my opinion, I think more is forgiven of Harrowhark because of it, even when it’s not deserved. 

Now, Harrowhark is a complex character and has traumas of her own, but I just can’t help but think of all the things she did to Gideon and the things she took away from her and forced her to do and then think of them together and it’s...not great. 

Overall, my feelings on their relationship are complicated (which is a repeated pattern when it comes to Muir’s writing) and I don’t mind that it’s complicated, it makes it interesting, but I also would be bereft to mention it here. I look forward to seeing how it develops and if my feelings change and grow on the matter as well. 

In total, Gideon the Ninth is a fantastic read. It has everything you want inlaid with characters who not only push the plot along, but incentivize you to read more. It has complicated issues and complicated characters, but that means it’s nuanced and complex and juicy enough to bite into. 

Don’t do what I did and wait years for this novel. If you need a good read, you don’t need to look any further and then let yourself be swept along for the necromantic ride. 

Recommendation: “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” -Charles Stross. I mean. Come on people, what more can you ask for?

Score: 8/10 

[subbing-for-clones]

The New Apprentice Part 2

Maul x Sith!Reader 

WARNINGS: attempted rape, violence, fluff

Word Count: 2.7k

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      ��         Weeks had passed since you had impressed your master with the taming of two Rancor and the killing of one. It was also the last day you had impressed him. Coming to the realization that you were in fact an incredibly gifted force user, you left much to be desired when it came to your saber skills despite being well versed in hand-to-hand combat and the use of other weapons. He hadn't even trained you himself yet, leaving Savage to help you with the basic forms. You were getting better but your master had told you he wouldn't spar with you until you could best his brother.

    The two of you clashed your weapons together in the morning chill after your daily strength training. You were faster but he was stronger and had more practice. "You're blocking your mind little one," Savage instructed. "Use your foresight." He was heaving and you swore his eyes were clouding. Maul watched with his hands behind his back. Savage's eyes fluttered and he shook his head growling for a moment. He charged you but before he could collide, you stepped to the side, jumping up and giving him a strong spin kick to the head. Your attack was successful to a point, you impaled your foot on one of his horns.

    Not allowing yourself to cry out you took advantage of his stumble and attacked again, kicking him straight in the chest, forcing his body to collapse. He lay still under your foot, the tip of your saber inches from his face. Maul called out to you both.

"Well done. As usual, I have notes but you may congratulate yourself on your first win." Smiling confidently, you sheathed your weapon, removed your foot and extended your hand to the man you had grown close with.

    You and Savage became fast friends, you made him laugh hard with your quick wit and rather goofy sense of humor while he reassured you when you were feeling in over your head. He was much kinder than his appearance led most to believe. This fact alone was proof he had lived a very different life than that of his brother. He smiled up at you with pride as he took your hand but that smile disappeared quickly.

    His pupils dilated, his breath quickened and a deep groan you hadn't heard before erupted from his chest. Grinding his teeth, the grip on your hand tightened. Maul sensed what was going on and quickly strode over. Before he could reach you Savage pulled you down to him. He rolled so you were beneath him, caged by his massive body. You didn't recognize the eyes that he bore into yours. Usually soft and smooth like honey, now burned like hot twin suns.

    Before he could rip away your tunic Maul extended his hand and force pulled you over to him. Savage didn't hesitate to give chase roaring in frustration. Maul defensively wrapped an arm around your waist and twisted his body slightly so he stood between the two of you. He pulled you tightly to him and ignited his weapon to protect you from the monster his brother had become. Maul was fuming, teeth bared and snarling. His grip around you was bruising as if trying to pull you into himself. It was impossible not to smell him, that smokey, woody, sweet musk you had come to secretly favor and be comforted by. Distracted for only a second you snapped out of it. Fear taking over your body again at the sight of Savage who had devolved to an enraged animal.

    These were not the men you had come to know and admire. They were wild beasts. Your master murmured aggressively, "Savage... brother... control yourself." Giving him a chance. Ignoring his brother's warning Savage ignited his own weapon and lunged towards you. Blocking it with ease, Maul relinquished his hold around you and pushed you fully behind him keeping himself between you and Savage.

    You sat in disbelief at the events that unfolded in front of you. The two brothers raged against one another in a flurry of quick blows and ferocious roars. You ran towards the rancor you had ended up keeping and watched the battle from his back. You rubbed his head to sooth your frightened nerves as you took in the battle. Savage was sloppy but powerful and Maul was calculated, trying not to harm his brother permanently. They clashed until Maul landed a blunt blow with the hilt if his saber to Savage's jaw; knocking him unconscious. He wasted no time and hurriedly loaded his form onto the ship before addressing you.

"Stay with your beast, I will return to you before the day is over. Do not leave this place." He shouted, eyes damn near vibrating out of his head with fury. You nodded and watched as he flew off but not up to space rather, over somewhere.

 ~~~~~

      Maul could feel your heart break from the cockpit as he took flight. It was a pain he swore to himself you wouldn't have to feel as his apprentice. Betrayal. Destruction of trust, a pain he had known time and time again. An unnecessary one. He glared at his brother's unconscious body. It wasn't entirely his fault. He had been thrown head first into a powerful heat cycle. It was however his fault that he couldn't control it long enough to tell him so he could get him away from you. He wouldn't have let you spar him if he had known this was coming. An already physical and intimate act fueled his hormones. He cursed himself for putting you in that kind of harm’s way.

    Maul reached his destination. Out of the fog he could see Mother Talzin standing tall, as if awaiting their arrival. He greeted her first as Savage was still unconscious. She extended her arms toward Maul and spoke with an eerie vibrato.

"My son. I see you are in need of some assistance with your brother."

"Yes mother, he is experiencing an unusually brutal cycle and attacked our new companion. May I leave him in your and the sisters’ care."

"But of course. I'm sure there is a sister or two that would accept him in this state."

Nodding, Maul brought out his brother to find one of the pale sisters garbed in red already awaiting them with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"He will be delivered when his time is done." The sister hissed. "I sense this will be a long bout for him." Maul nodded hesitantly and left just as brother was waking up. The last thing he saw was Savage grab the woman before he disappeared.

His brow creased, eager to get back to you and assure himself that you were alright.

    When he arrived back at camp in the forest, he took a deep breath and disembarked. If the circumstances were different, he would have smiled at you. Your rancor was laying down with its enormous head on your legs, growling affectionately. With one hand you stroked what you could reach of its mighty jaw. You had pulled the hem of your master's tunic you still wore over your nose inhaling his scent deeply. You had tried to wash his smell out of it but never could, now you were thankful for that small detail. It comforted you in this moment while you told yourself not to cry. Sith don't cry.

Maul approached you treading lightly not knowing how to breech this conversation.

"My dear..."

   The rancor lifted his head snarling viciously at your master. He raised his brow as you slowly stood and placed both of your hands on the monster's face giving it an affectionate smooch. "Shh shh it's alright my sweet baby Angel." You cooed and hugged the beast you had hilariously named 'Angel'. Well, you and Savage thought it was funny at the time. You frowned at the memory but your tenderness appeased Angel. He laid his head back down and you turned to face your Master with shame. His heart panged as you wouldn't meet his eye for a moment.

"Please Y/N..." he begged. He didn't use your name often, usually referring to you simply as 'apprentice' or the ever-occasional changing pet names in more casual moments.

"That wasn't your fault. I'm sorry Savage attacked you. The nightsisters are taking care of him." You finally met his gaze with a snap at the sound of that. "You left him with them, after what they did to him?" Maul was surprised you came to his brother's defense.

"I assure you he gave no protest." Not realizing that his brother had confided in you. "And that he would rather be with them than to hurt you."

"I'm not ignorant." You interjected. "I read about Dathomirians on the holo-net shortly after coming here. I know he's in his heat cycle I just didn't... I didn't..."

"Expect it to be so violent?" Maul offered.

"Yeah... is it going to be like that every time? Are you going to get like that?" Your fists clenched and tears gathered on the bottom of your lashes but once again you fought them. Maul could feel your rage burning inside you like a furnace. He seethed at the idea of someone taking you like that. Let alone his own brother's intoxicated attempt.

    Maul extended his hand out to you. Remembering how closely he held you. How ruthlessly he defended and protected you, you took his hand and allowed him to pull you closer.

"If you know what the nightsisters did to him then you know he was gruesomely altered against his will... What you witnessed tonight is not how it usually is. It is controllable and I swear on my life I will never harm you in that way. I will separate him from us next time before it takes hold; I promise you. Please believe me."

    You looked into your master's eyes not knowing what to make of the care, of the softness he was showing you. He has never been cruel but ever so distant, professional even. He’s being so kind, so tender with you; his eyes screaming desperately for you to believe him.

"I believe you master."

    With an audible sigh of relief, he looked down and was reminded how you had wounded your foot during your fight. "I think we should take the rest of the day, get some food in you and get that cleaned."

"That sounds good."

    You turned around and limped your way back to a worried Angel, whispering something inaudible to your master's ears. The beast grunted in understanding and gave you a light bump with its head that almost sent you flying but did make you laugh. You watched as he walked off into the forest, disappearing into the fog.

    Maul guided you back to the ship with his hand on your lower back and into the fresher. He sat you down and knelt, taking the ankle of your injured foot delicately in his hand and dabbed a warm wet rag on it. You tried your best to stifle the blush but to no avail. He could feel your pulse quicken but didn't sense that it was fear so he ignored it.

"What was it that you said to the beast?"

Trying to lighten the mood you smiled, "His name is Angel." You stated matter-of-factly. "I could tell he was getting hungry so I told him to go hunt. I'm sure he will be back by morning." Maul contemplated what you said while diligently and softly tending your wound.

"I know I asked you to bring me a rancor but... why do you keep it around?"

    You thought about your answer for a moment because you felt like it would lead to another question. You decided to dive head first into the conversation.

"He's a good boy. When I found him he was in pain. I didn't understand how but I knew the other one caused him distress so to get them both to follow me back here I told them each I'd kill the other. I lied to one and told the truth to my Angel. I didn't 'force tame' them. I connected with them. Now he feels safe around me. Besides," you continued. "I like his company while I meditate."

    Maul thought about what you said and chuckled in a low tone. "For a Sith apprentice you sure do have a soft side. How do you manage that and keep such a strong connection to the darkness?"

    He lifted and examined the rest of your exposed leg to check for any other scratches. Your blush slightly deepened. "I'm not sure you want the answer to that question."

"Well, my curiosity was piqued but now I'm intrigued... Go on."

"I've felt the pull of the dark side of the force as long as I can remember and although my rage and fear did fuel it, so did my love, my determination, and in more ways than one, my utter joy." You paused because Maul had stopped and was looking at you. You continued, "as long as I've been able to feel it, it never felt evil or like hatred. It felt like passion. A blinding, all consuming passion and will to live on so I could feel more of it and everything that came with."

    That was not an answer that Maul had expected but he thought he understood. It was different for him but he accepted your answer and replied, "so that's why the jedi wouldn't take you and possibly why it's so strong within you. Every emotion you have fuels your power whether it's a positive one or a negative one... fascinating." He continued to wrap your foot while you stayed silent. "I'm not sure I've ever done anything kind."

   This statement caused you to burst into laughter. He gave you a confused and inquisitive look. "You do realize that while you say that you're tending my wound despite the fact that I could've done that myself easily. You also... oh I don't know... rescued me from slavery and protected me from Savage during his hormonal rampage. You've been incredibly kind.... at least in my opinion... you make me feel safe master... safer than I have in quite some time..."

Maul silently gulped, fighting the heat that spread across his cheeks. It was the only time in his life he was specifically thankful that his skin was crimson.

      Everything you had said to him that night continued to ring in his mind to the point he was tossing and turning. Knowing he wouldn't find sleep he made his way to the common room for a glass of water. That's where he found you, wrapped in his long black hooded cloak asleep in one of the chairs. He stared at you dumb-founded. Here was this beautiful woman, dressed in his tunic, wearing his cloak because he made her feel safe. Fuck he thought. She probably didn't want to sleep above Savage's bed tonight.

    He tried to think of something to do. He didn't really want to leave you there on the chair so he made a rash decision. He scooped you up into his arms and carried you to his bedroom. His hearts raced when you buried your face into his neck in your sleep. He laid you down as softly as he could and pulled the thin blanket over you.

    He crawled onto his side and lay facing away from you. Unease in his belly, wondering if you'd be angry at his purposeful attempt to be soothing. He closed his eyes and heard your voice in his mind. ‘You saved me... You've been incredibly kind... you make me feel safe.’ He never thought anyone could think like that about him. He rolled over and cautiously snaked his arm around your middle. To his secret delight he felt you wiggle back against him and murmur, "thank you master." Before your slow breathing continued signaling your fast return to sleep.

    Perhaps just for tonight he'd let himself enjoy something. He gripped you tighter and buried his face in your hair. Hoping against hope and all reason that somehow the sun wouldn't rise in the morning and he could stay like this as long as possible.