#mental illness but make it jolly

[peadackles]

Yeah that's not my definition of festive dawg

[anangelinthepit]

Bruise My Bones but Leave my Heart Alone

(Sorry loves it’s a short chapter I promise it will pick back up soon) Trigger warning ⚠️ death and mental illness. Please be advised. As always with love Magenta

@reyadawn @bloodylullaby @fadingintothegrey @supersquirrel1996 @dreamstyles @hurricanesfollowyou @thisbicc @chey-h

Part 7

Y/N’s POV

“I get why he's doing this. Jolly, but you guys don't understand. If Noah kills Jason, something way worse is going to come after me and the rest of you. You need to take me back now.” I said, pleading

“Y/N I promise you, Jason is just a punk, and whatever comes our way, it isn't anything we can't handle,” Jolly said while driving. It's almost like they didn't even hear what I said.

“You’re not listening to me, Jason is more than just some punk ass kid who beats on women.” Putting my hands over my face in frustration.

“What? Is he in the mafia or something?” Nick said with a chuckle. They both looked back at me trying to get some reassurance on my face about the joke they just made. I couldn't make eye contact though because they were practically right. The next thing I knew, Jolly slammed on the brakes and asked me sternly.

“Y/N. Please tell me we didn't leave Noah behind to deal with somebody in the mafia.”

“What the fuck? No, he is not in the mafia. What do you think this is? Some story on freaking Tumblr?” I said, rolling my eyes. They waited for me to spill everything, and with hesitation, I did.

“He is a drug dealer, and as much as I hate to admit it, he is very good at what he does. Created a lot of connections throughout his time. I was never involved, but I witnessed him create a lot of loyal followers. That whole thing about me being free wasn't gonna last long. They would have raided my house and used me as collateral.

“Collateral?” Jolly said

“Jason made a lot of money but didn't pay back those who got him where he is now. Killing him would have been a favor, but a debt would still need to be paid.” I said with tears, filling my eyes. The memories started to come back. Jason is betting my life with a bunch of drug dealers. Promising them if he didn't make good on his end of the deal, they could have me.

“Why wait? Let me get some of her now”

“Yeah, she's too cute to pass up.”

I can still smell the alcohol and cigarettes on their breath. “You guys need to take me back now. I'll take the fault and repercussions, but we need to go. Now.” I said begging. Jolly turned the car around and was speeding back to the venue. By the time we got there, it was almost pitch black. I could see silhouettes standing around a person on the ground. Boy, this scene looked familiar. I threw the door open and ran out of the car

“Baby! Please don't !” I shouted

“Y/N what are you doing here? You need to get out of here. I don't want you to see this.” Noah said with a stern voice. I looked down and made eye contact with Jason. My knees almost gave out because I was looking at what you would call a “dead man walking”. Jason smiled at me and was about to speak when Noah pistol-whipped him. His eyes were locked and ready to take him the fuck out. I grabbed Noah's arm, trying to bring him back down to earth. “Baby look at me,” I said, trying to grab his face. “I'll tell you everything you need to know, no more secrets. Just please put the gun down and walk away. There is so much you need to know before you make this decision. Please my love, you made your point. Let him go and just... Just take me home.” I said looking into his eyes with tears.

I saw the murderous rage that once filled his eyes fade away, now being replaced by the beautiful shade of dark autumn leaves that I had fallen in love with. Noah kissed me on the cheek and reminded me of his promise. Within that moment, the world stopped spinning as Noah pulled the trigger officially ending Jason’s life. Little did he know, he just ended mine right along with his. I screamed at the sound of the gunshot hitting Jason’s head. I could hear Jolly and Nick frantically explaining everything to Noah. When I looked up, all the sound around me disappeared. All I could focus on was the dead body laying in front of me and how, in a few hours, I was going to be next to him or worse. “Why is the sky getting bigger?” I said to myself. Wanting to stand up to confront Noah, I took one step and passed the fuck out.

Noah’s POV

“Son of a Bitch

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I love you all ❤️

[maximumprime]

I hate when SOME!!! alien stage fans take the characters and just treat them like one dimensional characters and water them down specifically ivan and till I'm specifically talking about them because when someone says ivan they are never talking about just ivan they are talking about ivan and till when someone talks about till it's not just till alone it's ivan and till they don't think of the characters as their own characters they think of them as a pair but they really. arent. one is in love with a lesbian and the other is dead guys I don't think these two are a pair they aren't a pair they were never a pair I'm so tired of people seeing till or ivan and somehow mention the other with it it's never them as a character or them by themselves and they act like till is in love with ivan as well like "omg boyfriends they love each other sooo much!!!" I'm sure ivan loves him but till loves a lesbian and thinks that lesbian could be

DEAD and till is currently depressed as hell not even just because mizis missing and or dead to him because he has been dehumanized and abused his whole life and he's finally given up and some alien stage fans are like "uhhmmm he's literally fine he's just having a bad day" when he's literally being treated like an experiment and has been treated like an experiment his whole life and they act like he just stubbed his toe and it hurt for an hour why do people have to water down characters so badly just to understand them and it's always "oh we should have more unwell mentally ill characters" YOU COULDN'T EVEN HANDLE TILL literally watered him down to just guy who likes to fight people and beat people up and is somehow gay where did you get that from he literally sang a song about a girl and how much he loves her in the song that introduced him and it's so obvious that certain people only watched round 6 because it's always "omg ivantill!!! oh and the brown haired girl I guess. oh and the black haired girl that loves pink haired girl the uhh lesbians!! wait there was a blonde one" this is not an exaggeration I've seen people say this how do you manage to not remember their names the series started with said black haired girl in love with the pink haired girl what are you talking about dude how do you forget HYUNA. shes like the coolest one there there was how many videos had shown mizi. ALL OF THEM. and youre like "uhhh the pink one?? I think???? Whats a clematis and why is it yours" she was literally shown through like the whole thing what do you mean "oh I forgot her name" how did you go through the entire thing without learning their names. The series literally started off with lesbians the whole channel started with lesbians and youre focused on the one mlm ship that they made like I'm not mad that they've gotten more fans that means that they get more money and the videos are coming out faster I'm not mad about that I'm jolly more fanart more videos more popularity more everything but you guys are focused on just two guys kissing that's what you care about if you look up alien stage on YouTube the amount of thumbnails of them kissing is crazy and if they aren't kissing its almost all just ivantill this is crazy. obsurd. insane. cant take this no more guys I wish people understood characters and actually payed attention to not just two guys kissing its not even two guys kissing its one kissing the other and the other one confused as shit and pushing him away I wish people payed attention to the entirety of everyone there and understood how they act instead of just taking two guys and playing with them like dolls not even the good kind of playing with dolls the ones that make up shit on the spot you take till and you say "Ivan is your boyfriend and you are going to LIKE IT." that's how you sound when people act like he isn't in love with mizi he wrote a whole song about it guys it's in the lyrics guys you know unknown till the end that song wasn't about Ivan if you guys were a liiittle confused hes talking about mizi guys he's in love with mizi. I'm gonna end this because this is really long and I started speaking nonsense hit that subscribe button and hit the bell and don't forget to like the video and leave a comment down below I love you guys and peace ouuutt

[defilerwyrm]

Oh, Alcohol.

Barenaked Ladies saved me from a life (and possibly death) as an alcoholic.

Let me explain:

My first official, tax-paying job as as a mutuel teller at a horse track in the mid aughts. I worked for $8.15/hour most of the year and during live season (when races were taking place at my track) they bumped it up to $8.50. During live race nights, I could easily pull in $100 in tips in a night.

You would have thought that a nearly-homeless college dropout trapped in a relationship he didn’t yet fully realize was extremely abusive would have squirreled that away to make a better life for himself, but no. My coworkers (including The Ex From Hell) liked to go drinking at the restaurant/bar across the highway from the track after live race nights—twice a week—and I, being starved for company and having TEFH as my only ride home, went with them.

It was always a jolly old time. I drank so many mudslides & flying grasshoppers and ate so many mozzarella sticks you wouldn’t believe. My regular bartender and I (and that phrase should set off alarm bells in your head already) developed a new drink! It’s still one of my favorites. Here, let me share it with you:

AQUA VELVET 2 parts blue curaçao 2 parts Midori (melon liqueur) 1 part pineapple juice spritz of Sprite Shake with ice, strain, serve cold in a hurricane glass.

Fucking incredible drink.

But yeah. I drank pretty heavily every night we went out. Drank until I got loose and loopy and extremely homosexual. Drank until I didn’t care about the dysphoria I was trying to ignore and the mental illness & traumas I couldn’t afford to get help for. Until, for just a few hours, I was happy.

And then one night as “Closing Time” by Semisonic played on the speaker system and I received my solo bill, I really looked at it and realized I’d spent literally all of my tip money for that day’s work. I spent over $100 on alcohol in one sitting—in 2007 or 2008 money, on an $8.50/hour wage. Moreover, I’d drank over a hundred dollars worth of booze specifically for the goal of getting drunk and staying that way.

As a sidebar, one of the many things wrong with me is moderate/severe OCD. My most intrusive symptom is endomusia—music stuck in my head…every…waking…moment. As in, I can tell when I’ve woken up because that’s when the music starts. (In a fascinating twist, my father and brother both suffer this, too.) Any little thing that I see or hear or think about could set off a new song playing on repeat in my head.

And in that moment, looking at that staggering total on my receipt for the night, I heard Barenaked Ladies jamming their way through a syncopated bridge:

I thought that drinking just to get drunk was a waste of precious booze

Had it not been for that song, I would not have known that drinking to get drunk on a regular basis was a classic sign of alcoholism. But because I knew and loved that song, and because I had that moment of crystalline clarity at something like one in the morning, I realized that I had a fucking problem and I needed to stop.

I am immeasurably lucky that I came to this realization before my alcoholism developed into an actual dependency instead just of a deeply stupid bad habit I did for fun twice a week. I don’t take for granted that it could have been the end of me if not for that single moment. As much horrific shit as has happened to me in my life, holy fuck have I ever gotten some lucky breaks.

I don’t drink much nowadays, and haven’t for almost a decade. I don’t really like how it makes me feel most of the time. I just finished a top shelf margarita before writing this, in the safety of my own home, and it’s—I think the second alcoholic drink I’ve had this year.

So yeah. Music saves lives, y’all.

[fleckficgirl]

Arthur Under the Mistletoe 🎄

Summary: You throw a party on Christmas Eve that doesn’t go as planned...but in the very best of ways. Extremely fluffy oneshot and the title speaks for itself :)

Warnings: mental illness

Word Count: 2087

Notes: I was inspired by @jokerownsmysoul​‘s recent post about who she’d kiss under the mistletoe. Obviously, I’m choosing Arthur Fleck as well! Be sure to listen along to the Christmas album hyperlinked in the story, too. Hope you enjoy ❤️❤️

“This is a disaster!” you wailed. “Why did I think anyone would ever come to my party?”

Your tear-filled eyes finally overflowed and you buried your face in your hands.

You realized what a sight you must be: young woman in a sparkly pink party dress and white heels, sitting in her own empty apartment, crying unconsolably...and on Christmas Eve, no less. 

Throwing this party was an idea you’d discussed with your therapist a couple weeks prior. You hadn’t thrown a party since childhood, but the idea had sparked your imagination. Deciding you were going to be more outgoing and invite people over for the first time since you moved to Gotham six months ago had gotten your creative juices flowing. 

You'd invited everyone on the eighth floor, including some of the neighbors downstairs you'd chatted with a couple of times. Now you laughed ruefully at yourself for having gotten so excited about decorating the apartment, planning a menu, music and games....only to be stood up by everyone at your own party.

This gathering was supposed to make you feel less alone. But now you felt more lonely than ever. 

You glanced around your festive living room and kitchen. You’d decorated the walls with Christmas garland. A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra was playing on the record player. A full bowl of punch sat in a large, untouched crystal bowl on the coffee table, along with cookies, cake, chips and finger sandwiches. 

And mistletoe. You’d bought mistletoe and placed it over the front door. You’d also gotten dressed up and put makeup on (which wasn’t the easiest thing to do when dealing with depression). But the party had been set to start at seven and it was now a quarter past eight. The writing was on the wall: no one was coming. 

You stood up from the sofa, figuring it was time to start cleaning up. Dejectedly, you made your way over to the record player and turned it off, knowing the joyful, nostalgic tunes would only depress you further. 

A small knock at the door made you jump out of your skin. You froze. Had you actually heard that, or was it your imagination? Afraid of what might be on the other side, you tiptoed to the door and peered through the peephole. 

Was that....Arthur Fleck? From 8J down the hall?

You'd run into him a couple of times in the elevator, but only spoken once, during the garbage strike earlier that year. He was shy and sweet. And beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that you’d gotten completely tongue tied around him...had found yourself blathering some incoherent nonsense about how pretending that the streets smelled like pine needles - your favorite scent - was the only thing keeping you sane through the strike. 

Deep in the back of your mind you'd hoped he would show up tonight. You wiped the tears from your eyes - not wanting him to see you see you upset - and opened the door.

The sight of him now almost made your heart leap into your throat, and you had to remind yourself to breathe. Arthur was wearing a crisp blue cardigan, and his beautiful brown hair was combed back in loose curls. He’d dressed up for the party and looked even more handsome than you’d remembered. 

“Hi, Arthur,” you squeaked.

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.” Arthur held up a small wrapped gift with a bow on it. “Sorry I’m late. I had a gig that ended at seven and raced back over here to change first.”

“Don’t be sorry,” you replied, letting him inside. “You’re...actually the only one who showed up.” 

Arthur stepped into your living room and spun around, surprised. “I’m the only one here?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, trying not to break into tears again. “So if you don’t wanna stick around, I understand.”

“But everything looks so beautiful.” Arthur pointed at the garland on the walls. “And you look...especially nice tonight.” He stepped over to the record player. “I love this album. Do you mind if I put it on?”

You sniffed. “Wait...you mean...you wanna stay?”

“Only if you don’t mind having me.”

You shook your head. You were still reeling with disappointment - this wasn’t at all the party you’d imagined - but you were grateful that at least one person had showed up. Even more grateful that that person was Arthur. 

“Please stay,” you responded, a small smile spreading over your face. “I’d love it if you stayed.” 

Arthur beamed and turned the record player back on.

“Can I get you some punch?” you offered, moving towards the coffee table. 

“Sure!” His eyes lit up, almost glittering. “Except, if it has alcohol in it I really shouldn't mix that with my medications...”

“Nope, alcohol-free,” you smiled as you poured him a glass. “And feel free to help yourself to any of the snacks.” 

Arthur took the glass from you and sat next to you on the sofa. “What made you want to throw a Christmas party?”

“Well,” you mulled the question over. “I've been feeling kinda down...kinda lonely. I have some...problems with depression.”

“I know what that feels like,” Arthur said. “To feel lonely, I mean. And sad.” 

“I can get extra sad around the holidays,” you continued. “And I couldn’t fly home to see my family this year. So I thought...maybe I could invite people over. Maybe I’m not the only one who has a hard time at Christmas.” 

"Well I’m glad you threw the party. And I'm really glad you invited me,” Arthur smiled, shyly placing his hand over yours. "When I got your invitation, I knew there was no way I'd miss it.”

“Well, I’m sorry it’s not much of a party,” you lamented. “I guess it's official: all my neighbors hate me. Except you.”

“They don't hate you,” Arthur countered. “They probably just had other plans.”

You paused, taking a thoughtful sip of punch. “You're right,” you nodded. “That's black and white thinking. My therapist tells me I tend to do that. Just because they didn't show up tonight doesn't mean they hate me.”

“You see a therapist?” Arthur cocked his head to one side. “So do I. But all she ever asks me is if I’ve been having any negative thoughts.”

“All I have are negative thoughts!” you joked. Arthur laughed.

“Do you want to open your gift?” he asked. “You don’t have to,” he added quickly. “I read in an etiquette book I got from the library that you're not supposed to open gifts in front of other guests at a party.”

“Well, seeing as how there are no other guests!” you quipped before pausing to raise a sly eyebrow at him. “You checked an etiquette book out from the library?”

“Yeah,” Arthur smoothed back his hair self-consciously. “Well...a party etiquette book. The truth is, I've never been invited to a Christmas party before. Or any parties, really. I wanted to make sure I didn't mess anything up.” 

Giddy at the thought of him sweetly taking the time to research how to behave at your party, you pulled his small gift off the coffee table and held it in both hands. The wrapping was a candy cane pattern and the bow was a simple green shiny ribbon. In that moment you felt that you'd never seen anything so beautiful in your life.

“You wrapped this yourself?”

“Yeah,” he replied sheepishly. “I’m not that good at wrapping, but...I hope you like it.” 

“I love it!” you blurted.

“You don’t even know what it is yet!” Arthur laughed.

Carefully, you peeled away the scotch tape on the side and tore back the wrapping to reveal a small, green candle. Snow-Covered Pines, the label read. 

“I remembered that one time you and I talked in the elevator. You said you liked the scent. Anyway, I saw it at the drugstore and...I thought of you.”

“You remembered that?” Your heart fluttered, feeling embarrassed by the memory all over again, but also touched. “Thank you, Arthur. I love it so much.” 

Arthur was an extremely easy person to talk to. Conversation with others wasn’t something that always came naturally to you, but with him it felt effortless. The next time you glanced back up at the clock, you were shocked to see it was almost ten. 

“Should I put on another record?” Arthur offered as the last song on the Frank Sinatra album spun to an end.

“Sure!” 

Arthur stood up. “You have all the greats here,” he hummed as he mused over your record collection. He selected Nat King Cole’s Christmas album, carefully placing the record onto the turntable before sliding Frank's back into its sleeve. 

“This is my favorite Christmas song!” you clasped your hand to your chest as the familiar notes of the first song poured over your ears. 

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

“Mine too,” Arthur paused, looking shy. 

“We have a lot in common, Arthur,” you beamed. 

“Did you...did you want to dance?” he asked in a soft voice. “With me?”

You felt your heart start to pound again. “Yes...” you answered. “Except I’m really bad at it. I might step on your feet.” 

“Well,” Arthur said. “There’s no one here to see you be bad at it. Except me.” 

He extended his hand and helped you up off the sofa, pulling you in close as you moved around your living room together. 

“Wow, Arthur,” you murmured after a moment, surprised at the grace in his movements. “You’re a really good dancer.” 

“I know,” he said with mock overconfidence. You laughed and swatted his shoulder. He dipped you. The song ended, but he didn’t let you go. You never wanted him to, wishing this night - the same evening you’d been so eager to forget just a couple hours earlier - would never come to an end. 

“Hey,” Arthur hummed softly after you’d danced a few more songs. “I'm having a great time...but I should really get back to my mother. I’ve gotta help her get ready for bed.”

You paused, disappointed to see him go, but more than happy that things had turned out exactly as they had tonight.

“I had a really wonderful evening, Y/N. I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you.”

“Me too,” you replied. “If everyone else had shown up, I don't know if you and I would have gotten to talk as much as we did.”

You walked Arthur to the front door. He stopped and turned to face you once more. You paused before moving to open the door for him.

“Hey, Arthur,” you said in a small voice. “It looks like we're standing under the mistletoe.”

Arthur blinked and looked up. "Oh," he swallowed, a blush spreading across his face.

“Did your book say what people are supposed to do when they’re under the mistletoe together?” 

Arthur nodded, throwing his eyes to the floor. “Yeah," he said, “they’re supposed to kiss each other.”

“Are you gonna kiss me, Arthur?”

“I'd like to...” he hummed. “But only...only if you want me to.”

“I want you to."

He was shy at first, trembling slightly as he brought his lips to yours. But once you were united in the embrace, the both of you seemed to relax. His arms wrapped around you, his hand moving to delicately cup the side of your face. Arthur’s lips were even softer than you had fantasized. His skin was warm, his cologne flooded your senses. 

“Merry Christmas, Arthur,” you blushed as the two of you came apart. Your mind was spinning and you felt weak in the knees. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.” His eyes were closed, slowly fluttering open as he took your hands into his.

"Maybe....maybe after your mom goes to bed, you could come back and...we could watch The Murray Franklin Show on TV together."

Arthur stared back at you. “You watch the Murray Franklin show?” he asked, eyes wide and incredulous. “I’ve been watching him for years.” 

“So have I. It's his Christmas special tonight, you know.”

“I’d love to watch the holiday special with you.” Arthur’s eyes sparkled. "I'll come back after I finish up at home and we can watch it together.” 

You opened the door for him, lingering in the doorway as he stepped into the hall.

"Oh, and...Arthur?"

"Yes?" he paused, turning to face you.

“Thank you.”

Arthur smiled. "What for?"

"For making my Christmas so special."

Notes: Wishing you a safe & happy holiday season. Thanks so much for reading ❤️❤️ 

[slymewizard]

Ok on the subject of Hynden Walch being amazing can we talk about AT’s voice cast? I feel like it doesnt get talked about nearly as much as it should.

Jeremy Shada is amazing for how he can escalate his voice for wacky moments or deescalate his voice for quieter, more thoughtful moments. Finn would not be the same character if it werent for Shada’s perfect vocal balance.

John Dimaggio, like what really needs to be said here? He’s BENDER! Of course he was amazing as Jake!

Hynden Walch was never really a voice I considered when thinking about how amazing AT’s voice cast was up until now, I really just remembered her because “hey thats Starfire!” But after hearing her performance as the Candy Queen I FEEL SO STUPID.

Olivia Olson…I wish I had something more constructive to say about Olsen’s voicework but I think everyone’s already well aware about how AMAZING she is as Marceline. Her voice is just so perfect for the character, being both good at delivering quips and devastating tearjerkers. And thats not even mentioning her having the single best singing voice to ever grace a western animated cartoon (yeah fuck you Alvin). Just like Jeremy Shada with Finn, I could not imagine Marceline without Olivia Olson.

Tom Kenny seems like he would be another Joe Dimaggio situation where hes one of the most amazing voice actors of the generation and thats all there is to say. But I think what makes Tom Kenny’s performance as Ice King AND ESPECIALLY SIMON so especially amazing is that…ITS TOM KENNY. THIS IS THE GUY WHO VOICES SPONGEBOB, AND HE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VOUCE OF ONE OF THE MOST HEARTBREAKINGLY TRAGIC CHARACTERS IN ALL OF FICTION, AND HE DOES IT PERFECTLY. THE REVEAL IN HOLLY JOLLY SECRETS, THE CHEERS SCENE FROM SIMON AND MARCY, THE ENDING OF I REMEMBER YOU, ALL DONE BY THE SAME GUY WHO THOUGHT OF SOMETHING FUNNIER THAN 24*! THIS MAN IS A TREASURE.

Niki Yang, look, I know I already said that no one could play Marceline or Finn as well as Olson and Shada…BUT NO ONE, AND I MEAN, NO, ONE, COULD PLAY BMO AS WELL AS NIKI YANG. She brings a perfect tone of childlike wonder, curiosity and innocence into every word spoken by the little robot. She brings such a fun and vibrant energy to the little guy in episodes like “5 short graybles” or “BMO noire,” that just makes it hit all the harder when moments of existentialism pop up in episodes like “The More you Moe” or…well…”BMO.” BMO has one of the most interesting growing up stories in a series where every pretty much every character’s stories are about growing up, and a lot of that is owed to how perfectly delivered his lines are by Yang.

But theres one voice that gets overlooked more than most others, and who deserves way more credit than they get for how important they are to the show. Someone who’s been around since the very first episode and has been continually providing voices for the series even now in Fionna and Cake. A voice actress whos so commited to the show that its easier to count the episodes she ISNT in than the ones she is in. MARIA. BAMFORD. Margaret, Hot Dog Princess, Slime Princess, Ghost Princess, Melissa, Raggedy Princess, Manfried, Wildberry Princess, Undead Princess, The Butterfly with a Gun AND AN ABSOLUTELY GINORMOUS AMOUNT OF EXTRA VOICES. She puts so much of her signature hilarious vocal range into every one of the dozens if not HUNDREDS of characters that she plays throughout the series. Also a lot of you probably don’t know this but she does standup comedy and she’s hilarious and you should all listen to her albums because she also does funny voices in that and you can even sometimes identify a voice she used for a character in the show…but also trigger warning for mental illness and suicide she talks about those kind of a lot. But anyway my point is, Maria Bamford is a huge reason as to why Adventure Time is as wonderful as it is. Her wacky voices contribute so much to the weird and wonderful vibe of the show, and even if she doesn’t play any primary characters, she is one of the most important and under appreciated voices in the entire series.

*25

[rancidpancakebatter]

It's so weird to hear people talk about euphoria when they themselves have not been directly harmed by addiction. My father was an alcoholic for most of my life (he's six years sober btw and I am so proud of him) and I also struggle with addiction (nicotine has me in a fuckin chokehold rn but there were many other substances before that).

When I watch euphoria it's almost healing for me. They show addiction in such a raw and ACCURATE way. They don't glorify or demonize it. They show how the same substance can be used casually and for fun for others but also how it can completely rule over others. (Think of the way Maddie and Cassie take molly at the fair verses every time Rue gets high).

Rue is deeply flawed. She is truly damaged.

But not irredeemable.

They show how "fun" drugs are for Rue but also the great trial of detoxing. That scene where she's practically drooling and weak and shaking so intensely that she can't even open a jolly rancher. That is so real. I cannot even fully articulate how very real that is.

They show her battle with mental illness and self-medicating. They show the complicated dynamic of loving someone while they are going through this.

I love the writing for her family so much. Her mother is objectively great but doesn't always respond "correctly". She's not always sweet and kind towards Rue and her addition. She tells Rue that she doesn't care if she wants to "kill [herself] doing drugs, go ahead" and that "If I have to choose between losing one daughter or two, I'm gonna fight to save [Gia]" and that's not a very kind, motherly thing to say. But it is so justified and a very genuine and truly exhausting thing you would (and I have) say to some. Even one you love so deeply.

Her sister looks up to Rue. She loves her sister and is her greatest enabler. She is constantly manipulated by Rue and by the end you see her truly distraught by her sister's relapse. But unlike her mother, she doesn't allow herself to be truly angry. Gia still tries to defend her sister, even to herself. Rue's mentor tries to get her to admit that she's angry, hurt, and she can't.

in Rue's ending monologue she says that she stayed sober for the rest of the school year and "I wish I could say that was a decision I made...I don't know if this feeling will last forever, but I am trying." And that's something that I felt in my bones. It's embedded within me. As is the way she describes getting into drugs. She is a very round character and not just a caricature of the classic "drugged-up cool teen."

It's odd to me when people say they love this "over-the-top drama" (which it definitely is at times I'm not even gonna lie) and then use scenes of Rue being an addict as evidence. It's crazy to me that to most people Rue's addiction is outlandish and wild when it's very...true-to-life. just not to their life.

I love Rue. I love that Zendaya loves Rue. I love that people love Rue. Because I see so much of myself in her. For better or for worse. It means so much to me that she is and can be loved. And I think it's vital when we live in a time where the "woke" majority will say that addiction is an illness but then make jokes at the expense of addicts, that we have a character that is an addict. But also a young girl, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a person.

[bougainvillea-and-saltwater]

Hellloooo there! 💖💖💖 I come bearing questions for both Jia and Miraak, my beloveds!

3. weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

7. favorite animal? why?

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

11. what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

17. how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

19. are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

24. do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

🧡ask game🧡

OUAARGH SO MANY QUESTIONS FOR THE BLORBOS...😭🥺 Thank you so so so much, my friend, both Jia and Miraak kiss you and love you! 🥰

3. That's actually a very interesting question and something I look forward to writing in TPATD! First off, Jia is a spellsword, so she mostly uses a conjured sword, bow, or dagger—she likes being light on her feet, so she doesn't carry too much weight on her. Miraak, on the other hand, is a battlemage so he also relies on his magic as well as blunt and blade weapons. BUT! At some point in their story, two specific weapons will be their absolute signature weapons... For Miraak that will be the Staff of Magnus and for Jia Auriel's Shield; they'll both have SUCH badass moments while utilizing their powers... Let's say that these weapons kind of chose their owners! 👀

7. Oh, that's a difficult one because they're both so in love with nature it's challenging to pick just one! I'd say for Jia every kind of bird—swallows, sparrows, ravens, owls, falcons, hummingbirds, skylarks, starlings, wrens, you name it! If it's feathered and winged, she loves it! For Miraak, I believe he would eventually end up choosing sea mammals. After all, growing up in Jylkurfyk and having the Sea of Ghost's cetacean awe before his very eyes, it's only natural!

9. Picky eaters??? Dietary restrictions??? Hell no, these two dragons can eat literally everything. Jia has a huge sweet tooth, so anything that has sugar in it, she'll devour it—her favorites are either snowberry crostata or lavender dumplings! And Miraak—while he likes sweets like her, he's more inclined to the savory food. He favors salty and spicy meals, so put every herb inside his broth and he'll purr like a content cat.

11. Hmm... I'd said before that Jia is my self-insert in many things. I believe that her anxiety, her dangerous balance between confidence and insecurity, and her avoidance are some of our shared negatives. Her loyalty, her selflessness, her need to nurture and protect her loved ones, and her love for the world, are our shared positives. I'm not as courageous and resourceful as her, and she's not as jolly and humorous as I am, so I only hope we take more traits from one another! As for Miraak... He's written as both my idealized man as well as the male version of myself—again, his love for nature and arts, aka his inclination to music and poetry, his general awkwardness, and his cringey social attitude are definitely my vibes. I'd get along very well with both of them, really. I don't know if they'd like me though. I'd invade their personal space with frequent hugs.

17. I want you to make the mental pictures: imagine a little Jia escaping the Companions' training sessions, and either carrying a pile of books taller than her, sitting in Jorrvaskr's garden and trying to read under the sun (even though she couldn't yet, those books were her father's and were written in Old Cyrodilic), or plucking every single alchemy ingredient she could find around, shoving it into her mouth and having Skjor and Kodlak scold her. And then, in some parallel universe, imagine a little Miraak with his bare feet and dirty, threadbare clothes escaping his father's exhausting chores, and either singing around Jylkurfyk, helping his mother heal the ill, or getting taught magic by her, when she had free time...🥰

19. I think I've described this before, but yes, Jia is very quick to anger and she has no patience whatsoever. Her anger ignites like wildfire, and it's a very difficult feat to calm herself from her wrath. That's one of her greatest weaknesses as she becomes uncontrollable and lethal, nearly losing her sanity... Miraak, on the other hand, keeps his cool in his anger. In contrast with Jia's, his is like ice spears—precise, but no less deadly than her firestorm. It's this juxtaposition I have set on them, of ice and fire, both different but destructive in their own way.

24. Jia is certainly less artistic than Miraak but... is gardening considered a creative hobby? 🤔 If yes, she can spend many many hours in her garden, tending her plants and vegetables, planting, watering, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting to promote the growth and health of her cultivations. If baking, alchemy experimenting, studying, and making little diaries of useful bits of information and facts are considered creative hobbies I'm also adding those. Miraak is a bit more creative, art-wise. He sings and psalms a lot when no one's listening (except Jia), he writes poems to her like the sappy man he is, and he sews with Alteration Magic so his magic needles are always enchanted and his clothes always shimmer with magicka. 🥰

[silent-dragon]

TWST Student OC Profile ~ Alec Galanis

Personal Info

Name - Alec Galanis

Age - 18

Birthday - 7/23

Zodiac - Leo

Gender - Male

Species - Human

Height - 200cm/6ft'5in

Orientation - Bisexual

Hair Color - Ruby Red

Eye Color - Royal Blue

Chronic Illness - Heart Disease

Family - Aloysius Galanis - Father

Homeland - Queendom of Roses(Outskirts)

Twist of Roy from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

College Info

School - Hourglass Station Academy

Dorm - Tetravania(Transferred from Falciette)

Year - 2nd

Best Subject - Weapon Class

Club - Fencing Club

Occupation - Nobleman,Sword Collector,Trainee Blacksmith

Other Info

Favorite Food - Orange Slices

Likes - Swords,Adventure Books/Movies,Horses,His Father,Jolly People,Action Figures,Lions

Dislikes - Dragons(Some),Monsters(Some),Loud Noises,Broken Swords,Disappointing his Father or a friend,His UM(when upset)

Unique Magic - "Steel Blaze" - He can cause anything made of steel to catch fire without any spell casting. Usually happens when he is scared or angry.

Personality - He is a kind young man with numerous issues that he tends to hide on the surface mainly his heart issues. He strives to be friendly to all and does have a confidence streak often but after a scary incident he has some mental issues that have affected the way he socializes so now is more selective with interacting with others. Can seem hostile when panicked and cause his UM to happen without warning.

Bio - Young nobleman from a small land outside the Queendom of Roses. Has struggled since childhood with studies and talking to others so is behind those his age often. Has been homeschooled most of his life due to health reasons. Very skilled with swords and is learning how to make his own as it's a comfort to him. When he was 17 he seemingly vanished for 3 months without a word then suddenly returned to his father with the head of a dragon seeking praise for slaying it. Has since been going to therapy and working on his social skills so that he is not paranoid around others of creature species.

[djemsostylist]

What went wrong...continued

bc apparently tumblr has a character limit

4. The characters--The problem with the characters is, well, everything. The issue is that the show itself operates like most terribly written things--it makes no sense, and their entire "be kind" mantra falls apart when it only seems to apply to the people they like. Regina/The Evil Queen is a terrible person. Not in a regular "ug she's mean" sort of way, but in a "she committed mass murders over a series of years, tortured people, stole 28 years of life, and continued to murder and destroy" and yet she is worthy of redemption. The Wicked Witch literally murdered a women and r*ped her husband, but she deserves redemption. Rumple has been emotionally abusing Belle for the entirety of their relationship and murdered his ex wife for leaving him, but he deserves redemption. But those people get to be redeemed and forgiven over and over again, where characters like Cruella or Hades or even the Snow Queen have to die. It's an interesting sort of morality that seems to be entirely predicated on family or love--Hook is fine because Emma loves him, Cruella is not because no one loves her. The Wicked Witch is fine because Regina is her sister, Hades is not because he is not of any relation. Look I grew up with Luke Skywalker trying to redeem Darth Vader, I'm hardly averse to the idea of heroes trying to redeem their loved ones. I also grew up in a world where Darth Vader died, because you can't always have both. Regina being redeemed is a stretch, but I think there's a world where you make it work--but there is a morality there that you have to then be super aware of with every villain, or it makes our heroes look...well, not so heroic. It makes it confusing, too, especially when you have Snow kill Cora (an arguably horrible person and abuser) and everyone is worried about it blackening her heart, but then Emma kills Cruella (who is a murderer yes, but also arguably deeply mentally ill) and everyone is just like, "well Emma you did what you had to do". Even Hook--he's a murderer by necessity of storyline, but a murderer none the less, and his redemption is a foregone conclusion the moment he and Emma make-out, but for others it's a toss up. Ursula gets a pass bc Hook and Triton were mean to her (although it's unclear what her villainous deeds were), and Maleficent sort of gets forgotten. The Snow Queen just erased some memories and trapped people, but she has to kill herself for the heroes. The issue is that nothing is consistent, which makes it hard to root for our heroes when all you have to be is family to be forgiven. Additionally, they never deal with the fall out of the redemptions--sure the Charmings forgive the Evil Queen, but we've got an entire country/community whos lives she ruined. Robin Hood lost his wife because of her, but he's like "well I guess you're different now". Where is the angst that comes from actually having to confront the impact your cruelty had on others? This show talks about happy endings, but it does nothing to make them work other than saying "oops, my bad, I did it because I thought it was right." Hell, Regina's mother gets accepted into OUAT Heaven bc she was like "my bad" despite all her evil cruelty, murdering, and abuse, but then poor Jekyll gets eternally damned for a single fuck up and the heroes are like "shrug".

5. The Plot--OUAT, like most network shows that are not serialized, runs in the issue of not knowing what the fuck to do once they finish the first season long arc. And, like most other terribly written network shows, they solve the problem by just doing the same thing over and over and over, in increasingly annoying ways. By the time the show closes, we have seen the same scenes about 1000 times. Snow running away in the Enchanted Forest and Regina being mean to villagers. Hook on the Jolly Roger saying pirate things and also meeting everyone somehow despite never having met anyone. Emma saying "I don't think I can do this." Henry saying "You gotta believe." Regina saying "Oh right, I'm the Evil Queen." There's a revolving door of side characters we are forced to spend endless of embarrassing moments with until they are written off or simply dropped and forgotten. There's entire seasons worth of boring storylines we endure that go literally no where. Lily is Malificent's daughter, and then she like shows up, and we have to endure endless flashbacks of them as kids, only for her present adult self to have literally 0 impact on the storyline. And every time we get a new Disney character introduced, somehow we have to have a flashback to one of our mains knowing them somehow. It's exhausting. And the McGuffins are endless. ENDLESS. This season has a wand, a crystal, a goblet, a coin, a rock, a heart, a phial...you name it, we've dealt with it. It's a neverending series of "time to defeat x evil with y mcguffin while we relieve the same character arcs from 3 seasons ago." Emma is Closed Off and Unsure, Hook is Wanting Revenge but also Wanting Love, Henry is a Believer, Snow Never Gives Up, Charming Will Always Find His Family, Rumple Is a Dark Man Who Likes Darkness, Regina Is An Evil Queen Who Can Never Find Happiness--the plots NEVER change. By the time season 6 rolled around, I'd seen the same arcs play out 100 times. Henry at 14 (lol that they expected us to believe that) still playing "Operation ______" is ridiculous. He's not 10 anymore. The story doesn't let the characters breathe and grow, it doesn't explore who they are as people. They change if the plot needs them too--sometimes Hook is a pirate who stole gold, sometimes he's a random highway robber who murders people. Sometime Snow and Charming always believe in Good, sometimes they steal a baby to be filled with Darkness. You just never know.

So. i decided on 5 instead because this getting long and I could go on forever. My point is that OUAT was BAD. Awful, terrible, no good. BUT it could have been good. It had potential, if only they had thought, just a little bit. Which leads me to...

The Changes, Part 1

[pixel1678]

Welp, I had an idea and it came out a lot different than I thought but it kept the same premise. However, warning now that this character is all about medicine, specifically in the form of pills, and addiction to said medicine (and will mention stuff like death and physical wounds, as well as mental health and mild religious talk, although none of the religious figures that are mentioned actually exist) so if you don't wanna here about it, I'd advise not to continue reading.

So, now to introduce...

Sarah! (a friend thought of a name)

Born with hormonal imbalances, she relied on medicine for most, if not all of her life. At some point of it, however, they were approached by someone who said they could give her the power to create life-saving medication out of thin air, if she was to help them out with something. She would've declined immediately, however the favor was actually pretty nice: donating to a charity to help trans people get gender affirming care. She had some spare change, as she recently got her paycheck, so she agreed, although confident they were just bluffing so she donated.

However, the next morning, a note was in her mailbox, which had some scribbled words that told her to recite some sort of phrase in the largest room in her house, which was the living room. Upon reading the barely legible text out loud, a large demon emerged from the ground, with a weird sigil as its portal. The demon referred to Sarah as their "client" and called themselves the Dealmaker. The Dealmaker mentioned that they already knew of her good deeds, and of what she was promised. So, a contract formed out of mid-air (no fire though, it just kinda appeared) and the Dealmaker asked Sarah to sign it, expecting her to be skeptical of the contract and read it all the way through. However, one of her medicines caused her to be a bit hasty to do things, so she blindly signed it.

Unfortunately, it specifically mentioned on the contract that there was a good chance a deity saw it and got mad. Which immediately happened. Due to this, she was cursed with immortality, but very bare-bones immortality; she would still age and feel pain.

For the next few years, the curse wouldn't mean anything, as she was still rather young at the time. During these times, she would go around, very jolly, and give her medicine to those in need: even just one pill could cure any wound! However, there were some limits to this power.

First, if a person didn't have what the medicine would fix, it would instead give the person the thing rather than cure it. It would also last however long it would naturally last, which could be forever depending on what they get.

Second, some things were incurable, mostly mental things like severe depression. However, these medicines would still help, as long as they were taken regularly.

And lastly, these medicines were a less effective on Sarah herself. This wasn't too bad for most things, as wounds would still heal rather quickly. The issue was that she needed to constantly take the medicine to help with more long-term or severe issues, most notably being, once again, mental illnesses and similar things. This is what caused her addiction to medicine, as she believed that if she took enough medicine, eventually she'll be normal again; she won't have her mental issues, physical issues, and she could finally regulate her emotions correctly.

...which brings us to now. A decade passed since that original contract was signed, yet she wasn't improving. Sarah was still stuck with the medicine, still hoping it would be alright again. Once a jolly person who used her medicine to make sure her mood didn't change suddenly, she now takes that same medicine to have an ounce of happiness at all. Without her medicine acting as painkillers, she would be in constant pain. Without her medicine acting as anti-depressents, she would be an undying husk yearning for the past. Without her medicine, nothing would be okay. But it's the medicines she creates that caused all of this. But what's just one more pill to try to fix it all?

[goldenguillotines]

OK.. I HAVE MORE THOUGHTS IN MY BRAIN... ABT ... WHAT EVERYONE IS DOIN... but these are my ideas for these guys

Masayo is bringing Vaniee on the biggest most lavish fucking whole day long date. Spoiling the shit out of her the entire time. Nothing is too expensive. Absolute menace about finding a nie restaurant and renting it out for the both of them.. Also I do think to make up for his absence.. doesplan to do the safe with jollie the following day. Sends her one of THOSE GIANT ass bears. Sorry

Wicata is holding a lil thing at her tattoo parlor. Offers those "blind" tattoos gatchas with a bunch pre designed inside. Gives flowers out the whole time.. goes home for some snuggle times with Vel and Katz later hehe.. Keeps everything lowkey..

Nakaou and Lyz hangin out [: Making stuff together. Friendly times.. Both getting to chat.. snuggles.. Tons of /p snuggles to be had.. Overly happy cat. Probably ends the day by going out and giving some stuff he made to his quads.. and """"secretly"""" leaves something for his crush.. His friends all receive stuff he's been working on for them. Patches of their symbol he's made! Hand painted and everything

Riaske is stealing Zev away for the whole day. Incredibly lowkey day. Except he seems extra clingy for some reason. Surprises her with something homemade and flowers he went out and picked from his old home. Shares a bubble bath together <3

Mickey probably is also running a lowkey day. Probably drops something off for Cretel that's actually pretty sentimental but a huge glitter bomb to be a dickhead.. Sends Daisou a care package full of sweets and goodies.. and Takes Heilda out on a fuckin fancy ass date. I mean like the rich snobbish type ones. You would cringe.

Katz spends most of the early day snooping up on Jejune.. Just to fuck with him in all honesty. Probably gives him like a fuckin cheap ass bag of hot chips as a "Ur insufferable and annoying but w/e don't want you to feel left out" thing

Ketana is actually being pretty normal I think. He perhaps probably ordered things for his quads and left them somewhere for them to find. Actually pretty sentimental things too.. Takes tricky to a Cafe and actually looks relaxed for a little

Nobayo sends his students gifts.. he doesn't have a ton of them.. but he can't help but splurge on a particular pupil of his.. throws in some treat he purchased with a note for Alfadi..

Vanmit.. I think he probably just is super mentally ill that day /LH. Very elusive. I do like the idea he tried to make his quads/friends something small. A few cookies that are a little crisp.. but <3 he tried

Threadweaver is outdoing everything Masa/Mickey did by x1000. Motherfucker is arranging the most sappy fuckin day. Flowers. Pays for anything Cupid wants.. Let's her go on a Dan shopping spree.. Tons of gifts and sugar coated words the entire day.. and just because he's occupied doesn't mean he's gonna pass up his other quads.. Sends them ample gifts of different varieties.

Jae doesn't like quads day lmao. Thinks it's childish but won't rain on anyone's parade. Makes something small but nice for his quads... probably makes Daph breakfast if she really is feeling the day.. might make them something nicer too and share a bottle of wine together [:

[bean-galleria]

For every mentally ill person on Thanksgiving: here’s a tip for dealing with anxiety that I learned in therapy.

TTIPP

T- temperature: a sudden change in temperature shocks and resets your nervous system. This includes dipping your face/hands in ice water, eating ice, holding ice, taking a hot/cold shower, holding an ice pack.

T- taste: extreme (or sometimes just taste in general) can be good for grounding. Carry around warheads, fireball candies, jolly ranchers, sour patch kids, etc.

I- intense exercise: get the endorphins flowing. Get some happy chemicals in your system and relax your body. You can also outrun your adrenaline so you’re not so close to that fight or flight. And in the wise words of Elle Woods: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t kill their husbands.”

P- patterned breathing (I think): Breathing exercises can slow down your heart rate. That can also brung your body out of your fight or flight because it tells your hormones to stop being wack.

P- progressive muscle relaxation: sometimes when you have anxiety, your muscles will tense. If you really squeeze your muscles as tight as you can for a few seconds and then relax, it’ll teach your muscles how to relax eventually. It’ll calm your body down. Start with the top of your body, like your jaw, tense it really tight, and then release. Then work your way down to your feet. Do it a couple times until you feel noodly.

[beingatoaster]

just woke up from a dream that, in the dream, purported to be a whole book with plot, though upon waking (a second time, I turned off my alarm and rolled over because I wanted to finish it) it's only the vaguest of frameworks for one. XD But in any case, it did have a teenage girl whose younger brother was scooped up by a petty warlord for his magical talents who wanted to get him back, the jolly old hedge-witch she went to for help, and a crabby middle-aged woman who was the hedge-witch's apprentice and had her own goal that I can't remember now, just that her arc was a secondary one. My dreaming brain insists they all got what they wanted, with some sacrifice required, but I have no idea how except the mental image of the girl and her brother rushing through an old house filled with fungus on every surface with the middle-aged woman and the hedge-witch's dog right behind, and the vague emotional sense of a satisfactory resolution. Which, okay brain, if you couldn't actually write a plot while asleep I'm glad you at least flipped that switch so I don't feel as frustrated.

But ANYWAY, what I do remember and wanted to write down before I forgot were the character details of the hedge-witch, who while jolly was not completely morally good. She was an old, small, rotund woman who loved cooking, baking, and visitors, but always demanded a steep fee from those who came to her for help, and a lot of her apprentice's crabbiness came from how oblique she was as a teacher just because it amused her to make the training difficult. She'd had two husbands (concurrently, they were a threesome), and one had died of a woodcutting accident and the other of illness shortly after and she hadn't been able to save either, and she was still hurting over that failure. Her dog, and I remember this line distinctly, was made of "bone and fat and leather tied over top, with the soul of one husband inside it," and she was keeping the other husband's soul in a jar on her mantelpiece until she found something to do with it.

[gas-stxtion]

@rejectshumanity said: 🐶🍭👣

(ask the mun! - open)

//wow you sent this a hot fucking minute ago huh- ANYWAY!!

🐶- Favorite animal?

i love cats!!! probably because i read warrior cats at a young age and it did irreparable damage to my personality for the rest of my life. unfortunately, though, i'm actually allergic to cats! big big L on my part. except i don't care and will gladly snuggle with them regardless <3 if i die i die.

🍭- Favorite candy?

i love me some good sour shit, and lately i'm super into sour green apple as a flavor. in terms of like... favorite candy.... i mean. i really like jolly ranchers lately. that's my enrichment food, my meat pumpkin (if you don't know what that means i'm so sorry).

👣- What do you like to do in your spare time?

stare blankly at the wall- no i'm kidding SADFJKL;. i do really enjoy writing and drawing, but it's hard to get myself to focus and do either lately. call that Mental Illness. aside from that, though, i am trying to make more of a concerted effort to indulge in hobbies lately! i'm reading more, i'm playing games more, i'm doing some art that isn't digital... yeehaw.

i'm also trying to go on more walks! i'm such a guy who loves to wander aimlessly in an area.

[armandjolras]

random opinions on queen charlotte: a bridgerton story (long)

I thought it was ok! I loved the characters and relationships, but not so much the writing and pacing and some storylines.

what I liked:

The younger actors were amazing, they captured the mannerisms and characterisations of the older versions really well

The costumes were beautiful, I think the show’s costume style works much better for 18th century clothes than early 19th century, because they have more structure which makes the modern fabrics look less cheap

probably because I’m not a romance girlie I much preferred the relationships and characters in this to the main show. i don’t love the romance formula and this show didn’t follow it

I loved Brimsley/Reynolds, so great to see gay rep and I especially love the trope of dutiful gay valets. Each of them had such a nice relationship with their royal despite having to maintain distance

really sensitive portrayal of mental illness was lovely to see

what I didn’t like:

The dialogue had this annoying style where the characters kept repeating what the other person just said (I assume this is a Shonda quirk but I haven’t seen anything else she wrote).

The episode 4 flashback was way too repetitive which bogged down the emotions. Also the start and end of the flashback made it unclear whether Reynolds was just remembering or whether he was telling Charlotte things that happened

the 1817 plotline was honestly so bad lol it felt incredibly contrived. No way the queen would ask violet for advice marrying her children off when arranged marriage is the default for royals. I assume Penelope was in the country with her family so how is she reporting on every specific thing the queen does. Violet’s ONLY arc was being horny which is admittedly very funny. And Lady Danbury was just hovering around. And then the conflict about Lord Ledger…

… which i disliked as a plotline. Showing a middle aged white man, who is married to a racist white woman and disagrees but never calls out her racism, sneak off to have sex on the side with a young Black woman feels icky to me. Like some sort of racist cheating fetish

Instead of Agatha/ledger, they should have developed Agatha’s relationship with Charlotte. They’re good friends in 1817 so I would like to see how that happened, maybe Charlotte telling her about George’s illness and Agatha supporting her. It felt like they didn’t know what to do with Agatha in the second half. At the very least, develop her relationship with Charlotte’s brother so it feels higher stakes when she chooses singledom over marriage

the scene where Agatha cries to Augusta was so weird that i thought maybe she was fake crying for manipulation. And then the racist white lady teaches her how to be strong? Ooookay

i have such issues with young violet’s character. She’s supposed to be nearly out, but she acts like she’s about ten, and her existence messes up the timeline — Violet would have been a baby when this show took place. I assume her only purpose was to show she’s not racist and for her to notice her father’s relationship with Agatha. Why not make her a five year old? It fits the way she acts, and then she would have a hazy memory of meeting Agatha as a child and put the pieces together

I can’t believe there’s a whole plot of these two girl best friends talking about how horny they are and yet they don’t help each other out with that 🙄 /j

This may be controversial but I was kind of uncomfortable with the portrayal of Lord Danbury 💀 The styling (old-age makeup that was so matte it looked painted on, and unkempt appearance) and characterisation (pompous and jolly and stupid) reminded me a lot of racist caricatures. I don’t know what the intention here was but it was a miss imo (I found two other people saying this on Reddit so it’s not just me)