#so it does feel a bit like they're at the center of everything else

[leaving-fragments]

only friends is clearly an ensemble cast series, but i find it quite interesting how sandray are the only couple written to be wholeheartedly rooted for. like, for all the other couples it's questionable whether they're actually good for each other. but with sandray it's like, they make each other better... and the actions of the other main characters actually strengthen the case of them belonging together

[halemerry]

Okay so I wanna take a moment to talk about gravity. Now I know what this sounds like, but bare with me here I promise I'm not looking to do a physics lecture. But I've been rotating this around in my head for a couple days now and I think there's something really critical in the way the show presents it to us.

For example: it's one of the few things actually listed in our introduction to this show individually while our protagonists build the universe, right between matter and everything else.

The show draws our attention to it here fairly bluntly by naming it but there are other incidents that, while I would not call them subtle, are not quite as on the nose.

There are at least three times Crowley chucks something he's holding in his hands across the room. They're played for comedic bits but they all feel very weird and pointed to me - especially both times he does this to books that he seems to have no purpose for holding other than to chuck them later. It caught my attention mostly because everything in me recoiled at the idea of him doing that, but the more I thought about the way they're so visible and pointed was important. They almost feel like weird hiccups in the scene they're in.

We also get gravity as an implied threat with Gabriel climbing out the window and, of course, with every mention of a Fall. But there's also more mundane uses of gravity in the season that while not odd in isolation, the fact we get it popping up so notably is interesting to me. There's also the scene with Nina and Maggie under the awning where rainwater's weight gets pulled down by gravity, the scene in 1941 where Aziraphale drops the picture of them onto the floor before they have their gray area talk, Gabriel dropping the matchbox, and I'm sure there's more. The point is the show is littered with reminders that gravity exists.

Now I know what this sounds like. I know it seems like yeah. Duh. They're on earth. Which has gravity. Of course gravity is a factor in nearly every physical action they do. Why are you even talking about this at all?

Well, it's because of a scene that is one of my absolute favorites in the whole season: the Gravity Lesson.

The scene opens with Jim throwing a book (My Best Games of Chess, an interesting title that feels pointed) repetitively at a desk. He's testing gravity himself, looking confused.

Crowley then descends from the upper level, carrying a stack of books. He pauses his descent on the spiral staircase and notes what Jim is doing.

Then we get this shot. Notice the light here. Jim is in the light from the windows but relatively in the middle of the shot. He's an angel still, though not nearly as in the Light as he was as Gabriel. And he's notably at ground level, on earth. Meanwhile Crowley blends into the shadows of the shop itself. He continues down the staircase, sauntering vaguely downward, until he finally hits earth level to be even with Jim. There's symbolism here, in the lighting, in the way they move through these frames, in the way the staircase spirals like an orbit.

Crowley continues this same sweeping circular pattern to come around the bookshop and place him in front of Jim. Unable to resist a question, even one that wasn't asked out loud, Crowley tells him about gravity. He moves center toward Jim here. A meeting in the middle. This is the first scene we see Crowley interact with Jim in a way anything near amicable. He explains how gravity works. "It's, um... A thing that happens when objects are pulled together. In this case, they're all pulled downwards because Earth is the largest thing around."

As he speaks, Crowley moves away from Jim, toward the back of the bookshop. But he stops very rapidly because Jim goes and asks him why. Crowley frowns to himself. He says he can't remember. He says it seemed like a good idea when they were all talking about it.

He walks back to Jim, giving this question some real thought, and settles on, "So things would stay where you put them, not just drift off." And Jim, backlit by the windows still, kind of frowns and drops the book again and points out. "But it doesn't stay where I put them. It goes down."

When the book hits the table it also visibly does not land precisely over where Jim dropped it either. It settles out of place, bouncing slightly from the force of it. This is what drew my attention to this scene more than anything else.

Because it's interesting isn't it? They're both right in their assessment here. And so much of this story is about people not fitting quite where they're dropped. Aziraphale and Crowley are both caught in Earth's gravity, jostled out of their respective places. The very first shot in the intro sequence emphasizes this idea. Crowley and Aziraphale meet in the middle on earth (where Crowley then says let there be light and lights a flame to guide them going forward).

Gabriel and Beez too fall out of line as soon as they get caught in Earth's gravity. Memories are deleted, but can't entirely escape the gravity of their old home. Memories are added, but you can't predict exactly the way they'll form. Miracles backfire and don't land quite as they're expected. We obey Heaven or Hell as far as we can, but not necessarily exactly as they'd like. These shifts eventually become predictable and eventually we learn we can calculate the odds of how gravity can impact something, but as Jim shows us here a little bit of the drift still happens. In the end it's all just firing bullets at ears and pretend to catch them in our teeth.

And there's viewing this line of thinking from the perspective of God. God who functionally dropped the universe into the gravity of Fate and Choice just to see where it would land.

And then there's the Fly.

As Jim points out here, some things actively resist gravity, at least temporarily. Flies go up. This is very fun, given Beelzebub's arc this season, but I think it's getting at more than just that. Crowley and Jim both pause to watch the fly rise upward, drifting away from Jim and toward the dark half of the shop. Crowley says Jim makes a good point and then shifts into "Right, the plan, Operation: Lovebird."

Given the plot of season 1, I find the use of the word plan here pretty interesting. Especially given that the event that follows this is Crowley trying and failing to get Nina and Maggie to recreate his own meet cute. Like the idea of these two being drawn together will fix everything.

And that got me thinking about Crowley's line at the end of season 1. About what if God planned it that way. What if they're God's own Operation Lovebird. We know that together they can do very powerful things. This whole season starts with them, while trying to keep their power under control and contained, do a miracle so big it could've brought someone back from the dead nearly 25 times. Last season ends with Heaven and Hell thinking they've become something impossible. The Metatron here goes out of his way to separate the two of them like he's afraid of what they're capable of together. And he seems to have successfully managed to do this.

But a Fly can't stay in the air forever. The Fly is always drawn back to Jim. Because not all gravity is about Earth itself. The same way Gabriel's memories are drawn back to him. The same way Beelzebub and Gabriel are drawn to each other in the first place. The same way Aziraphale and Crowley have been described time and time again as drawn in by each other. They're Alpha Centauri. Twin stars orbiting each other. They're constantly going in circles around each other. It's a dance. With the hands touching in the middle. Because that is a gravity too. They complete each other the same way the Fly completes Jim.

So what about choice? Think about the Ball episode. Think about how everyone in the shop is being influenced by some sort of miracle. Their clothes and behavior shift and change and Nina in particular shows us that this is Noticeable. Forcing something in a gravity it doesn't like or want makes it have a hard time settling. It doesn't go quite where you drop it.

And then there's the chat Nina and Maggie have with Crowley. "We're not a game. We're real people," says Maggie. And Crowley tries to argue this saying that they both needed help and they both push back that it is still not his right to meddle with. A game. Like the title My Best Games of Chess. Like the thing we know God has been using as a framing device since season 1. A thing the narrative always has pushed as a bad thing.

Maggie and Nina are choosing to not let beings above them influence their choices. They actively resist being compelled by Aziraphale in the bookshop together because they know what's right. His gravity is not enough to overwhelm their choices. And at the end maybe they're not together but they're working on it. And, maybe, if they do come back together (when they do, according to Maggie) it will be when they are ready and when they are choosing each their free of the constraints of the game or higher power. And that gives me hope that's where we're headed for the Ineffables as well.

[saturnniidae]

Hi since it's aro-spec week I'd like to just highlight one of my absolute favorite things about httyd, from the viewpoint of an aromantic:

The importance it puts on platonic relationships.

The whole franchise is of course, centered around Hiccup and Toothless' bond. They're friendship is from the beginning built on unconditional trust. They care for each other so much. They are best friends, hey mean everything to each other and have a bond nothing else (even romantic relationships) could ever rival.

(I could say so much more about them honestly but it's all probably been said before by someone better at articulating their thoughts so whatever)

Another aspect I love is while there are romantic relationships and plots, they're not shoved in the audience's faces. Other than certain episodes dedicated to Hiccstrid's development, it's mostly just, there. Neither the story nor the characters' lives revolve around it and it's honestly a bit refreshing.

Hiccup and Astrid very clearly value they're friendship. In the episode they got together, what Hiccup said to her very clearly implied how important to him she is, and he'd be fine even if they weren't romantic partners, as long as they can still be with each other.

And that's so special to me.

Like, it is not something you often see in media. And even when they do start dating, they primarily put their friendship first—and not just with each other, like there's a whole rtte episode basically dedicated to why they need to value their friendships just as much as they value each other.

And of course, the friendship between the dragon riders as a whole. As much as they fight, and despite their actions towards Hiccup in the past, they all clearly care for each other immensely and unconditionally. It's so unfortunate that they're just side characters in the movies, I really wish they're friendships got more of a spotlight but at least we have Rob and Rtte.

(Imo it does a very good job making these characters relatable whether you feel romantic attraction or not.)

[suzukiblu]

Day seven of fic NaNoWriMo, obligatory sugar daddy Tim/sugar baby Kon AU.

Kon zips up to Tim, puts the little clay goat in his hands with a quick "hold this," because he is clearly not aware of how the oils on people's hands can damage this kind of thing or concerned about how magic or cursed it may or may not be, and deals with the panicked thieves. Tim shakes the sleeves of his jacket down over his hands to hold the goat more carefully and watches attentively as Kon tosses them all into a pile and then ties them up with a combination of TTK and velvet divider ropes. Tim would not typically use velvet divider ropes as restraints, but imagines that choice probably works better with telekinetic reinforcement behind it.

Actually, it definitely does, because Kon just whapped Lisa upside the back of the head with a loose end of the heavy velvet divider rope when she started trying to squirm free. 

"Ow!" she yells indignantly. 

"How's that whole 'the idol will protect us!' thing going for you now?" Kon asks curiously. 

"You don't know the shape of its blessing!" Mark snarls, attempting to kick him. The effort is futile and pathetic and also pretty stupid, since if he actually managed to hit Kon he'd probably just break his foot on him, but whatever, not Tim's problem. 

"The shape of its blessing is a cute goat and a jail cell," Kon says. 

"We should probably find a staff member to take this, on that note," Tim says, glancing around for one. There's got to be somebody. The guards are an option, he guesses, once Kon gets around to untying them. But he definitely should not still be holding this goat, even with his sleeves tucked over his hands and him being as careful as he reasonably can about it. 

Seriously. Somewhere a museum curator is crying and doesn't even know why. 

"Oh, sure," Kon says. The guards' restraints all simultaneously fall off. Unfortunately, none of them happen to be wearing gloves or have sleeves as long as Tim's, so that's going to be an issue. 

"Thanks," Tim says anyway.

"Eh, it was nothing," Kon replies with a shrug. "Literally, this whole situation was nothing. Like, this situation was the opposite of a situation. Nothing even happened." 

And then Tim just . . . has an idea, almost. Or at least the nucleus of one. 

"You did save my life, actually," he points out, making his tone politely appreciative but also carefully casual. 

"No offense, but I save a lot of people's lives, that doesn't really stick out in my day-to-day activities," Kon says. 

"I don't know, it stuck out a bit for me," Tim says, and Kon laughs. 

"Okay, fair," he says, flashing him a grin. "You're not actually hurt or anything, right? Eardrum didn't rupture when the gun went off?" 

"Doubt it," Tim says. Frankly he's unspeakably lucky that it didn't, but Kon's TTK probably did block at least some of the sound. 

He really didn't know Kon could use it like this, to be honest. Kon cracks out his TTK every chance he gets and brags the whole time he does, obviously, but Tim's never seen him manipulate it quite this way. 

It occurs to him to wonder if that means it's a new trick, or if Kon just always wraps up hostages or threatened civilians in his aura like that and just never mentions it. It seems likelier it'd be a new trick, considering literally everything he knows about Kon and his desperate and unsubtle need for validation and attention, but Kon was so unshakeably confident in the move–and not in a brash or blustering way, but in an obvious, matter-of-fact certainty. Like he'd done it a thousand times and it hadn't failed him yet. 

Tim should definitely figure out a way to follow up on that later. 

"Cool," Kon says, then looks around the gallery again. Tim feels oddly bereft without his immediate focus. 

Stupid, stupid inadvisable crush. Ugh. Bats don't want to be the center of anyone's attention unless they're deliberately drawing fire away from someone else. Tim definitely doesn't want to be the center of anyone's attention. 

Except, apparently, for Kon's. 

This incident report is going to be nothing but lies. Filthy, shameless lies.

[praisethesuuun]

I hope I haven't lost my touch! Thanks for the requests anon and @44ryder 🌻

Heracles NSFW Alphabet!

A: aftercare <what they're like after sex>

Nothing to say, he's so sweet, like a big puppy! Heracles holds you tightly to him and gives you all the affection he can, wrapping his big arms around you. He treats you like a devotee does a deity, you are at the center of everything and he loves his partner madly.

B: body part <their favourite body part on them and you>

I think his favorite part of you are the hands: while you make love, Heracles will intertwine his fingers with yours to make you feel his closeness, it's a way of cuddling you that he finds adorable. While on him, obviously the arms. With their strength he can lift you up, hug you tightly, plus he's a bit of a show off around you.

C: cum <anything to do with it, really>

Let's say Heracles doesn't have any real preferences, it depends on what you want. Whatever you want, he will do and obey. He is afraid of offending you in some way or disappointing you, so he will leave it up to you to decide.

D: dirty secret <a dirty secret of theirs>

In reality, Heracles is not the dominant one at all, but he would like you to believe that because of his need to feel virile in front of you. He wants to be the perfect man, the valiant one, without scruples and strong like no one else before him. But he just wants to be dominated properly...please, ride him! Hercules wants to feel your hands all over him, BUT be gentle. He's still a puppy boy.

E: experience <how experienced are they>

Actually not so much, the demigod is one of those people who wants to wait to do it with the right person, the true soul mate. He wants to give himself completely to you and feels uncomfortable if he is the one who is touched first.

F: favourite position <self-explanatory>

I think reverse cowgirl is perfect for him. First of all, the one on top is you and, secondly, he can enjoy the show. Your thighs around his waist are perfect for him, soft and juicy, while you bounce. But you know what would be even more perfect? If you had your man by the collar! Yes...now it's just the top.

G: goofy <would they use humor in the moment?>

Sweet guy, but not funny in bed. Heracles wants to make love to you and there's no room for being cute in his head, he probably won't even want to tease you. No, no and no! He just doesn't like it and finds no satisfaction in doing it.

H: hair <how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the courtains?>

The carpet is way lighter than the curtains, plus he's not really groomed. The demigod doesn't pay too much attention to it, he never even thought about it before you came into his life!

I: intimacy <are they romantic in the moment or they do not care?>

Absolutely romantic: everything revolves around your pleasure and how good you feel; even if he feels passive sometimes, he still tries to make you enjoy yourself as much as possible. He is a sweet and sensitive soul, you will always come before him.

J: jack off <...self-explanatory part 2>

It's a big NO. He doesn't have enough sexual drive to feel aroused without you already being around, plus Hercules has great self-control, he knows how to handle a situation like that. His solution is always the same: wait until your next meeting.

K: kinks <their kinks>

So, here the matter needs to be investigated, because he will discover them as he stays with you. But there is one thing that revs him up, a bit of roleplay. When you put a pair of wolf ears, a collar and a tail on the redhead, he will wag his tail for you all night; Heracles is like that, he wants to be in your hands, treated like your beautiful puppy who wants a reward.

L: location <where they usually do the do>

The bedroom, all the time. No exceptions.

M: motivation <what turns them on>

When you let him protect you, in any situation. That moment when he stands in front of you to shield you, or defends you in the face of the most banal offenses. He feels he has fulfilled his role as a good boyfriend and there is nothing that could win him over more.

N: no <things they refuse to do>

Probably hurt you, it's trivial but it's true. He just can't, you're too important for Heracles. Not to mention the fear he has of his own strength, he still can't control it well, what if it hurts you too much? No and no, better not to risk it.

O: oral <do they like giving or receiving?>

He likes to give more than receive, because he is aware of his size and is afraid that you will get hurt. It's a stupid fear, he knows it too, but he wants to treat you like you're made of porcelain.

P: pace <are they slow and sensual or fast and rough>

Heracle is not yet fully accustomed to having sexual intercourse since it is his first time, which is why he will tend to follow his instinct. It would go slowly at first to get you used to it, but then...there's a chance it could go faster without you realizing it. If it's too much for you just say so! He will stop and start going slowly again, apologizing profusely.

Q: quickie <would they fuck you for five minutes or wait until you wait home?>

No quickies at all, only wonderful and perfect sex at home.

R: risk <...DUH>

The only slightly risky thing that the demigod is willing to do is to get his tail with the anal attack, he wouldn't mind that.

S: stamina <how long can they last?>

Have you seen this man? He has more stamina than a god, especially if it's one of those days where he wants to go slow.

T: toys <do they own any? do they use them?>

I don't even know if this precious boy knows what they are. Have a little patience with him, he's all new to this and has never thought too much about sex. He is a fighter who lives by hard work and sees the beauty in combat. You can try to convince him to use some though!

U: unfair <how much they like to tease>

Nah, Heracles is just...not the type. He sees no point in doing that if it makes you wait and irritate a bit, this man doesn't want to risk.

V: volume <are they asking for a noise complaint, or are they quiet?>

Surprising yes. He really can't contain himself and can go from deep growls to quite loud moans. Sometimes, he enjoys raising his voice in bed because he knows you will silence him with one of your deep kisses. The demigod wants nothing more than your love, and if he knows he can get it that way, then he will continue to do so.

W: wild card <a random headcanon☆>

Praising is fundamental for him. He needs to continuously understand how good he is and how much he is making you enjoy it, if while you ride him it's better than when you take it with him as dominant. Please, Heracles needs it like water on an hot sunny day.

X: x-ray <what to they look like under there?>

Big. Like, big. His size is no secret to anyone, Hercules has the blood of Zeus running through his veins and it shows. It is perfectly straight and is wider than long, plus the tip is #f2baac.

Y: yearning <are they in the mood to fuck or are they tame?>

He's pretty chill, he will mainly follow your lead, so yeah.

Z: zzz <how quickly they fall asleep afterwards>

He only falls asleep after you fall asleep. He keeps you lying on his chest because he doesn't want to risk crushing you while you sleep. Serious problems from demigods that are definitely too big.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

no ok @funonion001 you've made me So fucking unwell over this it needs its own post

bc i also used to be like "ah, the neighborhood's a panopticon and Home is the 'warden'" but recent updates & general things ive read changed my outlook entirely. cause like... if Home (the town) was a panopticon, then Home (the house) should be at the 'head' of it all, where they can view everything. but Home can't view everything directly - half the buildings are behind it.

however. i don't think the panopticon thing is entirely wrong, either. there's some truth in it? i'm pretty sure that the neighborhood is Home. it's like Home is the brain/eyes/heart, and everything else are nerve endings. there's this one piece of livestream trivia that i think of, in relation to Housewarming: "...everyone believes their houses are alive in their own special way". what if this is kind of literal? all of the buildings are extensions of Home, or Home is just the core of it all. one big living, breathing neighborhood. Home might not be able to see it all, but he might be able to feel it

and then yeah from the more abstract side of things - your phrasing of "all the other houses circle home" made me put my head in my hands. because there Are a lot of conclusions/interpretations of all of that. also that sentence makes me picture a pack of wolves circling in on a kill, which is. hng.

Home is caged in. Home is surrounded. Home is always being watched. Home is never not alone. everything leads back Home. Home is holding it all together.

and like... it reminds me of Clown once mentioning (loosely, im going off of memory here whose reliability is tenuous on a good day) that part of WH's story relates to the autistic experience / when does a home become a house / will your neighbors treat you differently once they see the authentic you. and that, at least to me and one of my experiences, relates to a feeling of being watched/judged every time i leave my house. or even when i'm by an open window - everywhere i can be Seen, it feels like everyone is keeping one eye on me. existing in public spaces feels like a performance. i'm hyper aware of every single movement i make and it makes me feel so inauthentic and fake and alien and its So So stressful/uncomfortable.

so that pov + Home (and by extension, Wally since they're kinda one in the same) = well! all of the above! can Wally ever relax outside of Home's four walls? they're all looking at him. the entire neighborhood surrounds him - he can't go anywhere without running into them (the buildings and the neighbors). there's no escaping their watch and/or judgement. it's as if Wally and Home are under constant surveillance, or at least it feels like it - which is half the problem. or it's the entire problem? the fear of possibility, not reality.

and then for a different (but also connected for obvi reasons) interpretation - Home and Wally are alone. they are Singular in the neighborhood. everyone else is next to each other, even the stores are paired. but Home stands alone in the middle of it all. which directly relates to Wally and Home being aware - and also together in whatever state the neighborhood is in at the time of the whrp's creation. in a town of neighbors, Home & Wally have none. and that can connect them being at the center of it all, holding their world together - or breaking it apart

also: on the neighborhood map, the path only ends at Home. it's a loop except for the bit leading up to Home's doorstep. where Howdy's Place & Eddie's Post Office are the path widens into one huge circle with no end. Walk the circuit, end up at Home. walk the entire perimeter, and you go nowhere. there isn't a path out, the path doesn't end at any of the buildings except Home. there's something in that, i think.

there's more in my brain but i can't quite reach it...

[sxs-kav]

I saw Frozen Empire, so obviously I have to talk about it. Spoilers ahead.

Also disclaimer that these are my personal feelings, so if we disagree that's okay too!

So, overall I would rate the movie as good. Not my all time favorite in the franchise, I think that will always go to the original, but I enjoyed it. The story could have used a little work in some parts, but hey, nothing is perfect.

Favorite part of this whole movie: one Dr. Raymond Stantz, hands down. He is so cute as an old man-child whose enthusiasm hasn't waned the least bit over the years. Honestly, in Afterlife he seemed like he'd become cynical, but here his true nature really rang through. And I adore him being a mentor for Phoebe and the other younger characters, while also getting into mischief with them. That little sparkle in his eye when Phoebe asks "Aren't you retired?" No, Ray is never retired, he will always be ready to suit up.

I also loved in the police station when Phoebe was standing up to Dickless Peck, Ray had this face like he was so proud, like he could see Egon in her, memories of him saying "YOUR MOTHER!" 😆

The other thing I liked about the movie was the expansion of the Ghostbusters as a business, with the research lab. First off, I love that Winston, the one who didn't even believe in ghosts when he was hired, is now almost like the CEO of the company. But also, it opens up more possibilities for this new era and allows for more playing with the world building. Though I feel like it was a wasted opportunity to put in some easter eggs for TRGB. Unless the ghosts featured were in the (*shudder*) Q5 episodes, I didn't recognize any of them from the show. Then again, I guess they're newer ghosts so that wouldn't make sense, but maybe they could have been similar kinds of ghosts. Just as a small reference.

Other favorite parts include:

-The near-lesbian romance between Phoebe and Melody

-Ray smuggling the Mini Pufts from Oklahoma (because of course he would)

-Also just the Mini Pufts in general (why are they so violent?)

-The way Ray's face lit up when Peter came to the firehouse

-Peter being proud that Ray quit smoking

-Peter's unwavering faith that Ray's idea is good and will work, and saying they all trust him

-The library ghost (did they never go back to get her???)

-Gary saying the words to the theme song

-Janine in uniform!

-Slimer eating the pizza with the posesser ghost in it

Now, onto the areas that I felt were not as strong. First of all, I found it wild that Phoebe was being ousted by everyone without any kind of fight. She's the one that started the whole thing up again, she's got the passion, she's got the brains, she's got the glasses and the curls! Her mom says a grand total of NOTHING to defend her in Peck's office, and they all just accept that she can't be a Ghostbuster anymore. Yeah, they don't want to get sued, but it's just weird to me that they don't even seem like they feel that terrible that she got benched. Callie and Trevor are very callous about the whole thing. Only Gary seems like he gives a shit, and he's not even her dad. The way Phoebe's benching ended wasn't all that satisfying either. It would have been nice for the other three to maybe struggle a little without her, realize they need her to balance the team, and try to find a way to get her back. Winston was really the one that got Peck off their backs in the end, no thanks to anyone else (also, I'm pretty sure in that scene, someone in the crowd yells 'dickless' 😆).

Side note, I really don't like Callie's character that much. I think she's self-centered and doesn't seem to care about the kids' feelings unless the situation becomes dire. Maybe she does deep down, but mostly her attitude about everything stinks. Idk, I wouldn't care if she wasn't in the movie at all.

Anyway, back to the plot. I liked the idea of Phoebe's plotline. I wish they'd gone all the way and had her and Melody kiss, I really thought that was coming when she separated from her body. But I have an issue about that particular moment. The decision to suddenly put herself in the chamber like that seemed to come out of nowhere, at least I thought so. They made it like Melody was supposed to be the one tricking her into doing it, but she really never said anything to convince her. Phoebe just decided on her own to try it. I know she mentioned a couple of times wondering what it would feel like to be a ghost, but it wasn't a strong enough buildup to such a risky move. Honestly, when she asked Ray about him wanting to be a ghost, coupled with Winston saying Ray was going to get himself killed, I thought they were foreshadowing killing Ray (and thank God they didn't!).

They also hint at Phoebe specifically being the one that needs to be used but why? Anyone could have been tricked into the chamber and been controlled by Garaka for the chanting.

But moving on from that, the other issue I have is with the firemaster. He was a little too good at controling the fire after what, a couple of hours of practice? I think the character could still work, he could still be a quirky weird guy, but I think I would have made him more of a reluctant inheritor of his grandma's powers. Maybe he struggles with it at first and he figures he can sell the artifacts to Ray to get rid of the responsibility. Then later he can finally accept his fate to help beat Garaka when he starts believing in himself.

Those are the only major parts that I felt could have been tweaked. Besides that, I would have loved to see Slimer and Ray get a moment, just as a nod to their friendship in the show, but I guess they want to stick to one continuity. Of all the things they could have referenced from the show, though, it had to be the Junior GB 😆 It was just a throwaway line, but still, I don't want to remember they were a thing.

Tl;dr, the movie was good and there were a lot of parts I really enjoyed. For the parts that were weak, I'm confident there will be another in the future, so hopefully they'll keep improving.

Also, who the hell voted for Peck to be mayor? I bet he rigged the election.

[blond-jerk-tourney]

Champagne Bracket: Round 3, Poll 1

Propaganda from submitters Under Cut

Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu

He’s a bitch and a hate (love) him. I will now quote him below: "Sigh... I don't do the whole sweating thing, Neku." "Very impressive, Neku. Show those fifth graders who's boss." "Who needs other people's values? It's easier to just live by your own rules." "Oh! I can't say I'm particularly interested, but... I'll go ahead and ask, for the sake of convenience. Do you have a name?"

Smug asshole. Always playing mind games with the player character. Has many secrets but never shares them. Also did a bunch of spoilery shit.

Byakuya Togami

Very elitist, constantly calls others "commoners", talks about how he is gonna kill someone and get out of the killing game, hangs up a corpse and writes a message with their blood on the wall because he already knows the murderer but wants to see who is smart, complains the other students left him out even though he made sure to tell them every time that he wants nothing to do with them, pretty sure he screams in the 4 chapter " How can you know something I don't know?!", the only reason he doesn't qualify as a villain is cus he doesnt kill someone and in the end works with the rest of the survivors. He also constantly wants the protagonist to tell the rest what he knows

he's mean and self-centered and sees himself as above everyone else.

such a cunt 😭 doesnt eat breakfast w everyone and spends all his time in the library. (also he tampered with a crime scene but spoilers)

His title is literally, get this, "ultimate affluent progeny" Fucking look at him /hj Treats everyone as inferior in every way, even when they're trying to solve a murder he goes "how did YOUUU figure this out before MEEE???? >:0" Constantly has an "Me vs. Them" mentality about everything so he feels the need to prove himself to be superior - Messes with crime scenes because it would "make them more interesting" (purposefully incriminating someone else, who he didn't like) Actual quotes by him: "I'm only here to get breakfast. I have neither need nor desire to talk to you. Now withdraw." "You're like a child lost in the woods, you know that? A total waste of space." "You know, I still just can't believe it... That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long." "You have only yourself to blame—you came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale."

This rich mf… He spends the entire game being a snobby, condescending, uncaring asshole. He becomes relatively nicer by the end but never stops being a dick. He also desecrated a corpse once for funsies. He’s also stupid but he doesn’t know that. I both like and hate him. It’s complicated.

He's an heir to a wealthy family corporation and he sure does act the part. He acts like he's better than everyone else and thinks they're not worth his time. He's just a huge asshole. (SPOILERS) He tampers with a murder scene just for fun and outs another student's secret alter, knowing full well it was irrelevant to the case. He also has a small breakdown about being wrong in another trial. By the end, he becomes a bit more likeable and kinda a tsundere that pretends like he doesn't care about the other survivors (but he totally does). Still very much an asshole though. He's a fucked up lil guy and something about him draws me to him. I would kick his rich bastard shins IRL given the chance, however.

He is emotionally detached from his classmates…

why you should vote byakuya "tell em naegi" thanks for watching like and subscribe

[whiskeyswifty]

What’s your favorite thing about folklore?

oh my god what a question. I'm just gonna riff off the dome here because if i try to go at this in any kind of organized way, i'll write a deranged thesis paper. (this is about the album proper, sorry to the lakes. too bad she never released it and we'll never know what it sounded like)

Gut reaction to this question is just how complete it is. It's an idea and concept, a writing prompt if you will, compiled neatly and cohesively in a way that's the perfect digestible length for it's form (music/an album) and also all killer, no filler. All the vignettes are not a "story" (save for the love triangle which i largely ignore because it's shoehorned) but come off like an anthology; that is to say that they're a series of emotional vignettes across a range of life experiences, but explored through the motifs and styles of one writer. I cannot jump around with folklore, i must press play on the 1, which has never happened before with a taylor album. It has no skips, every single one flowing smoothly but efficiently with the ebb and flow pacing of a babbling brook. (i do skip mad woman occasionally cuz its not what i wanna hear at the moment or epiphany cuz it's too heavy and too soon to go back to that mental place, but they're both excellent and fit perfectly within the album when i'm casually listening)

The sound is also just so perfectly aligned with my tastes. I contain multitudes, but unfortunately one of those is being a sad indie white girl lol. I love soft rubber bridge guitars, and whining violins and piano and minimal but expertly layered textures. atmospheric ones that carry the mood and the fill the space like fog but let you feel close to the artist, as i've said once before, as if she were sitting next to you and talking directly to you. There's a lushness to live instruments played softly and as pieces of a whole, and it makes any additions from a moog softened and supplementary. It just, for me anyway, really helps to hear the tactile nature of the instruments and mistakes and the breaths and the pedals on the piano and all the rest. it's the perfect mix of what i love musically from that genre, akin to Sujfan or Lucy/Phoebe or imogen heap or the xx or lana at times. even as way back and like dashboard, which shows my age a bit. you know the vibes. And i love how jack leaned into his more orchestral side, which he doesn't often do with taylor, still to this day. august in particular is just outstanding and he's great at stuff like that and i wish they would do more like that together!

I think its the PERFECT use of her voice. it's not blasphemous to say of all her artistic talents, she does not have a voice that can stack up against her peers vocally. But, as i've also said a million times before so sorry to bring it up again, she has a very emotive voice when it comes to the tiniest and most nuanced of emotions. maybe because she's less focused on vocal runs or hitting notes, but this album has her voice really shine. it's textured and rough and soft and smooth at the same time, fully bringing you whatever raw emotion is on the page. its the voice of a scribbled journal entry if that makes sense, off the cuff, unpracticed (even though i'm sure it is), and so intimate. you can hear her smile and hear when her throat is thick, it's just a showcase of her voice like nothing else. the pared down sound really lets all those tiny moments rise to the surface.

visually, i mean what can i say. her second best album cover ever. Fully removing herself from the center of it, diminishing herself with the trees for scale. Trees that have existed before her and will outlive her, as if to say this, the act of making art and ultimately the art itself, is so much bigger than me. my life and my problems. but everything is bigger than me, and it's important to not lose sight of that. which, if you were an adult at that time, particularly of a similar age to her at least, you commiserate with that sentiment. the black and white isn't actually black, but more of a warm gray, which i also love. i also know it was mainly out of necessity, but embracing how dressed down and simple her styling was. wrinkled dresses and limp, unruly hair. really suited the look of someone who's going to spin you a tale. NO TEXT TOO LIKE YEAHHHHHHHH god it's perfect and so well designed.

rapid fire now, lets see. i love that peace was done in one take, and you can tell, in a good way! and it's her HEARTBEAT???? i'm a sucker for that, no matter how played out that trick is, and imo it's justified because they disguise it with a dissonant tone of sorts. i love the PERFECT knee jerk answer opening of "i'm doing good" and then proceeding to delve into some of her darkest emotions she'd explored thus far (and in some ways since). i love that illicit affairs is missing it's final chorus, a song that is structurally unfinished and just peters out, the way doomed affairs always do. the way she never mentions the location or even the event, but the soundscape and the lyrics of my tears ricochet paint a perfectly clear church and funeral in your mind!! i love the word ricochet and i love how easy it is to spew it with vitriol. as corny as it is in the context of the rest of this more subtle album lyrically, i love the swiftian turn in the bridge of tlgad like.... damnit it's always so delicious. that harmonica in betty is just like a glass of sweet tea on a muggy summer night, it's SO bright and fun and puts a smile on my face every time!

But all that to say I think my favorite thing is seven. seven is a perfect song. her best song. the best version of a taylor swift song. a song so emotionally poignant and transcendent it wins over, however begrudgingly, even the biggest haters of her and indie music as it pokes at that one spot that will always be soft, and it's blank space's spiritual successor and therefore foil in that way. incredible feat to use the motif of your childhood self and not come off trite, like most other attempts by other artists can be. the most opaque she's ever been lyrically, which is a huge risk to take. small in scale but massive in it's implications and intentions. a song where the meaning and gravity exist in your reaction to it and not the song itself. perfect art. an opus of a song on an opus of an album.

[pjohoo-reclists]

Good Luke Castellan Fic Recs

Request: Are there any good stories where Luke is either to protagonist or another good character? Like working for the Titan Lord but not being loyal to him, or if Annabeth helped him and he got out before BotL, or he survives etc. Or just anything else that puts him in a positive light but not his service to Kronos.

This was a pretty specific request. I found a few fics where Luke is a good person to Percy or other demigods while he's still a senior camper, a few where he works with Kronos but his loyalty/goals are to make life better for demigods, and a few time travel fix it fics. Enjoy!

We're all family here by loosingletters

G | 1.1k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan

Luke is tired and trying, Genderfluid Percy Jackson, They're Greek of course they're all at least a little gay

“Okay, good. So first things first: what are your pronouns?” Percy's first day at camp is quite awful but a talk with cabin eleven's counselor improves it at least a bit.

brothership bracelets (don't take it off) by Nightingale231

T | 1.9k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Sally Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson

AU - Brothers, Powerful Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan Needs a Hug

There's a new kid at camp, Luke hears. With green eyes like the ocean, depths crystal-clear like the ever deep river that runs through camp, and black hair like coal and hidden darkness.

oh I run to you love by Ghxst_Bird

T | 2.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan

Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Luke Castellan Redemption, Percy is Luke's emotional support demigod, Angst with a Happy Ending

There are strict rules in place for Luke, and Luke has not broken one of them to date, has even gone out of his way to put more in place to make the other campers feel safer around him.   But Luke is also a Hermes kid, even if the mere thought of it burns and sloshes around in his head like acid.  --- aka. Luke thinks Percy got hurt and overreacts

can't gamble the future. by LovelyVerisimilitude

T | 3.0k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Annabeth Chase/Connor Stoll

AU - Canon Divergence, Camp Half Blood, Fluff and Humor

“Wait,” Beckendorf says, confused. “What does Connor have over Percy?” Luke sinks back into his chair. “Well, where do I begin―” “Five drachmas he mentions that one time Annabeth hugged Connor,” Thalia mutters to Silena, tossing a few gilded coins onto the center of the table. “He never shuts up about it.” (CANON DIVERGENCE ― The senior counselors don’t bet on trivial matters like childish, puppy love romances. No. Not at all. Of course not.)

Now They Whisper It by Darkmagyk

G | 3.6k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase/Luke Castellan, Luke Castellan & Hermes

Overthrowing the gods, Good Luke Castellan in that he is on Annabeth and Percy's side, Post-Canon

Luke steals Zeus master bolt again. Last time he did it out of hate. But this time, he does it out of love.

Time has passed us by (and going back is heaven and hell) by IzzyMRDB

T | 17k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase & Thalia Grace, Percy Jackson & Nico di Angelo

Time Travel Fix It, Father - Son Relationships, Hurt/Comfort

When a group of heroes wake up and realise they have a chance to fix everything - they grab that miracle with both hands, and will fight for it til they're bloody. Prophecy's are self-fulfilling and cursed, Free-Will breaks Fate everyday.

Broken Loyalty by punknerdmusings

T | 30k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan & Kronos

AU - Canon Divergence, Dark Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan was Right

Luke Castellan has been at Camp Half-Blood for five years. New demigods arriving is old news at this point. He’s one of the most senior campers, after all. But this year’s arrival, Percy Jackson, is different. This year, the new camper promises to shake things to their very core. It doesn’t help that the gods are on the brink of war after Zeus’s master bolt was stolen by Luke himself, on a mission from Kronos to destabilize Olympus. But when Percy asks him to go on the quest, Luke finds himself both more and less dedicated to his goals than ever before. Part 1 of Son of Hermes

close to the breathing wave by poisedwalrus

G | 32k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan

Time Travel Fix it, Luke is either your murderer or your mom he hasn't decided yet

“Why are you looking at skateboards?” asks Luke. “Maybe Kronos wants us to get a skateboard.” Luke presses a hand on the top of Percy’s head and physically turns him away from the window display. “Does Kronos want us to get a skateboard,” he says. “…No.” Luke wants to know what the hell Percy thinks he’s doing. Percy wants Luke to trip and fall over the side of the yacht. They are, as always, at an impasse.

Haunted Past by punknerdmusings

T | 33k | Complete

Luke Castellan/Lee Fletcher, Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase

AU - Canon Divergence, Luke Castellan Needs a Hug, Good Luke Castellan

The war Kronos wants draws closer, and Luke is being kept out of the loop more and more. Sure, it’s clear that the Titan has something in mind for him, but Luke’s apparently being kept on a need-to-know basis. And Kronos has determined that Luke needs to know very little. Plus, a new sword fighting teacher has arrived at camp, and Luke doesn’t trust him. There’s just something about the way the man acts that unsettles him. It’s probably the way Quintus is far too willing to let the campers get hurt in the name of training... Whatever. He has bigger fish to fry. Like going through the Labyrinth to save the only home he’s ever known from invasion. Part 1 of The Son of Hermes

Echoed Agony by punknerdmusings

M | 34k | Complete

Luke Castellan/Lee Fletcher, Luke Castellan & Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan & Percy Jackson

AU - Canon Divergence, Luke Castellan Centric, PTSD, Luke Castellan Needs a Hug

Luke’s best friend is no longer a tree. He’s finally convinced his problem child to stay at camp year-round, at least once. He even has someone closer to his own age to commiserate with in the form of one Lee Fletcher. But when Kronos orders him to fake being kidnapped and act as bait, he starts to wonder if his true loyalties are clearer than they might seem. He would have loved going the rest of his life without seeing that garden again, thanks. Part 3 of The Son of Hermes

Deceptive Empathy by punknerdmusings

T | 36k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan & Thalia Grace

AU - Canon Divergence, Luke Castellan Needs a Hug, Good Luke Castellan

Typically, the summer at Camp Half-Blood was just naturally more hectic, but if you asked Luke, this year was a bit much. Monsters being able to cross the border, a tight deadline to save his friend’s memorial tree, and he’s forced to walk the knife edge of trying to double-cross a Titan on top of it all. Part 2 of The Son of Hermes

Trading Tomorrow by Darkmagyk, loosingletters

T | 44k | Complete

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase

Time Travel Fix-It, Luke Castellan Redemption, Childhood Trauma

Percy Jackson arrives at Camp Half-Blood bruised and bleeding, with the knowledge that he's the son of a god and his mother is dead. His little display with the Minotaur has caught the attention of the camp. But he’s not sure it is good attention, yet. Only the Hermes Cabin's not-quite Co-counselor Theseus, ‘call me Theo,’ doesn't treat him like a fascinating zoo exhibit. Which would be a relief, except he looks exactly like Percy: same green eyes, same trouble making smile, same black hair. The only differences are the fact that Theo is six years older, covered in battle scars, and the black tattoo on his arm. A trident and the letters SPQR. Theo is eighteen, powerful, and unclaimed. And his resemblance to Percy could set a dangerous precedent.

Will of Our Own by Sand_wolf579

G | 50k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Canon Rewrite, Manipulation, Enemies to Friends, Developing Friendships

Percy understood why the master bolt needed to be retrieved, but if he was going to do it he was going to do it on his own terms. Percy was tired of everybody taking advantage of and using him, so when Annabeth volunteered to go with him on his quest just so she could prove herself, Percy said no.

Even The Thorns Have Roses by robindrake93

M | 172k | Ongoing as of 20/10/22

Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson/Michael Yew

Time Travel Fix it, Slow Burn, AU - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Percy Jackson thought he was done with quests when an old player to the game offers Percy the chance of a lifetime; to go back in time and save one demigod. Even though all Percy wants is to live at the bottom of the lake and be left alone, he can't pass up this golden opportunity to make things right. But this time things are going to be way different and Percy is going to save all of the demigods. No matter what it takes. The rewrite of an older work with the same title.

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

January Drama Wrap Up

January was a month of ups and downs (and some very big let downs) but over all I enjoyed what I watched. I tried out a new country's dramas and discovered some classics at the same time and I've built myself a pretty solid Currently Watching List to take me into February.

📊 The Stats

Total Dramas: 12

Currently Watching: 3

Completed: 4

Dropped: 2

On Hold: 3

My To Watch List: 60

🎭 The Dramas

🤼💰 Like Flowers in the Sand - Currently Watching

Like Flowers in the Sand is going to be another one of those k-dramas I am never going to be able to explain to my non k-drama watching friends without sounding like I've lost the plot a little.

"It's a small town drama about a minor league ssireum team and a wrestler who's been in a years long slump. There's also an investigation into a murder linked to match-fixing but that's kind of a side plot and it's linked to the wrestler's childhood friend who's reappeared incognito after disappearing mysteriously many years ago ... I promise it's good!"

It's probably not the drama for everyone but as someone who has historically loved sports centered k-dramas and who loved When Camilla Blooms this drama ticks so many of my boxes. I'm very excited to watch the complex relationships and politics of small town life be put under a microscope and dissected and I can already tell I'm going to love how morally grey all the characters are.

It also doesn't hurt that the ML is the biggest himbo to ever ever himbo and I love him and his empty brain to bits.

Prediction: I become a ssireum fan.

🕹️💌 Love For Love's Sake - Currently Watching

I've been staying away from K-BL these past few months because I've been struggling with their short run time but Love for Love' Sake lured me back in like a moth to the flame and I have no regrets.

Is Love For Love's Sake Perfect? No, there are definitely some pacing issues that are leaving me feeling very temporally confused about how quickly or slowly events are unfolding and the lower than average k-drama budget does show at certain points but, do you what?

I don't care.

I wholeheartedly love this drama and it's going to have to mess up its last 2 episodes Last Twilight style to change that.

The relationship between the main couple? Adorable. The openly gay leader of the school delinquents? We stan. The oddball friendship group forming because they're all slightly crushing on the ML? Sign me up! The addition of a glitch in the game that's starting to mess everything up? Horrifying and I love it.

Prediction: A new favourite K-BL is born and it's all thanks to this mf

🩺😭 Doctor Slump - Currently Watching

I'm watching this because it's on my Plan To Watch list and Netflix started playing the trailer after I'd finished watching an episode of The Way of the Househusband.

I won't lie, this is definitely the drama, out of all the dramas I'm currently watching, that I'm least certain I'll finish but, at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised by the first two episodes. Yes, it does do that typical comedy k-drama thing of mixing ridiculous over the top laughs with some incredibly difficult topics (because who doesn't want to be laughing hysterically one minute and then doing some deep self-reflection the next?) but so far the balance and the boundaries between the two moods has been relatively well struck and only time will tell if it manages to stay that way.

I appreciate tackling the topic of burn out and depression in a country that still champions overwork and mental fortitude above all else and I'm interested to see where it goes with that part of its arc. The "being framed for murder" I am a little less certain about, but it has definitely added a layer of intrigue to a story that would otherwise be relatively mundane and by the books.

As I said, time will tell if I continue to enjoy Doctor Slump but I'd say my only quibble with the drama so far is that I'm not sure "accused of (and potentially framed for) murder" and "suffering from depression due to burn out and work place abuse" quite fit what is normally meant by the word slump.

Prediction: Maybe I won't drop this half way through like I thought I would.

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🎥 BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita - Completed

My first Japanese BL ever and it was a good one. Yes, it was 3 episodes long, but it used its runtime perfectly. All of the main characters felt properly fleshed out (and the side characters were caricature enough that you only really needed one scene to know who they were and what they stood for), the pacing was great (it couldn't afford to drag but it didn't speed through scenes either), and it found the right balance between BL shenanigans and forrays into deeper messages. This was exactly what I needed at the time and, for someone who doesn't normally like mini-dramas that much, I enjoyed myself immensely.

Verdict: 8/10, I also want a life-size cardboard cutout of Aoyanagi to cuddle and hide behind when I open the door.

✒️💕 Cherry Magic, Japan - Completed

I'm planning to buy the manga.

I plan to watch the film next month (I never watch films).

I may have even checked out the fanfic scene in a bout of withdrawal.

Anyway, what I mean to say is that I get the hype, I really really do. This drama is fantastic.

Cherry Magic is one of those classics that you watch as a newbie and go "oh yeah I get why everyone is obsessed with this". The premise is novel and well executed, the characters are oh so easy to love, the main romance is so incredibly shippable, and the friendships are just as endearing.

I personally love the role Adachi's mind reading plays in shaping his relationship with Kurosawa and how the way it's handled means the audience feels what Adachi is feeling right alongside him. How can you not be charmed by the inner monologue of someone so sweetly and respectfully head over heels for you? But at the same time just because you're charmed, does that mean you like them back or is it just because you can see them at their most vulnerable? And what about once you're in the relationship? Do you give up the thing you know made it possible? Or do you pull back so you can't mess up once the crutch you rely on is gone?

There was so much quiet nuance to Adachi's and Kurosawa's relationship to each other and those around them and, when I one day sit down for a rewatch, I'm looking forward to unpicking them all.

Verdict: 8.5/10, Adachi and Kurosawa are going to be one of those couples that's impossible to leave behind. This is going to stick with me for a while, and once it's unstuck I'll just watch it again.

📸🌦️ Welcome to Samdal-Ri - Completed

I know some people thought the premise of Welcome to Sandal-Ri was unrealistic but, personally, I found it hard not to draw parallels between what happened to Cho Sam Dal in the drama and what happened to Kim Seon Ho in real life. Yes, the situations may differ somewhat (Sam Dal faces false accusations of work-place bullying by an employee while Seon Ho was accused of coercing his girlfriend into getting an abortion) but there were enough similarities (the media frenzy and the sheer intensity of the backlash, the scandals happening just as their careers peaked, the gradual revelation of what actually transpired) that I would be very surprised if there was no link at all.

For that alone, Welcome To Samdal-Ri had my attention from the get go. If this story were from a Western perspective, I would certainly have been much more wary of a story tackling false accusations (looking at you Euphoria) but from a Korean perspective, where celebrity culture is far more intense and volatile and in which false accusations have happened before and cancel culture can indeed end a career for even minor infractions (like dating), I wanted to see how it would be handled.

Ultimately I was satisfied, not wowed, not disappointed, satisfied. The show didn't dig that deep into the subject (personally I would have appreciated Sam Dal's case juxtaposed against another case in which the accusations turned out to be true) but it handled it deftly enough and felt "case-by-case" enough that I didn't feel as though it inadvertently gave off the message of "not believe anyone bringing accusations against celebrities".

Other than my own personal interest in the premise, Welcome to Sandal-Ri did a good job of holding my interest. In terms of overall vibe, it felt like a mix between (perhaps unsurprisingly) Hometown Cha Cha Cha (the idyllic small-town community filled with friends and loveable elders) and Our Beloved Summer (childhood lovers unfairly broken up but still pining for each other after years apart). The pacing was good, the characters loveable (I am now in love with Cho Hae In), and each episode felt like sinking into a warm bath for an hour.

Verdict: 8/10, it tackled an interesting topic while providing its audience with plenty of comfort and heart. It could have done without the love triangle though, just saying.

📃👩‍❤️‍👩 Out of Breath - Completed

I don't have too much to say about Out of Breath given it was 3 episodes long and less than an hour run time in total but I'm glad I watched it. Firstly, because it was nice to watch a (rare) Korean GL and secondly, because it managed to fit a lot into its short run time. Two break ups, a love triangle/unrequited love, cute dates, commentary on living queer in Korea, commentary on being out in Korea.... This show really had it all.

It was short, it was sweet, and it had a lot to say. I can't say I'd watch it again in a hurry, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic portrayal of queer (and specifically) lesbian life in Korea.

Verdict: 7.5/10, it unpacked a lot in a short amount of time, the couple was extra cute too.

🫂💕 Cherry Magic Thailand - On Hold

I realised very early on into watching Cherry Magic Thailand that I'd probably get a lot more out of it if I watched the original first. I'm not normally someone who says watching the OG is necessary to watch the adaptation (in fact I normally rebel against that idea with a whole lot of passion) but in this case it became very clear that without watching Cherry Magic Japan first, I was missing important reference points and comparisons that were pretty key to understanding and appreciating that plot fully.

Anyway, I've now watched and loved Cherry Magic Japan so Cherry Magic Thailand is back on the menu, I just want to give myself enough time away that when I go back to it, it's with completely new eyes (and I'm excited for when that moment comes).

Verdict: On Hold until I can give it a proper fresh start.

🩺🍲 Cooking Crush - On Hold

I watched this at completely the wrong time. I struggle with rom-com dramas at the best of times but by now I should know that I absolutely should not try to watch one when I am going through a period of high stress.

I am not kind to rom-coms when I am stressed, even the ones I might otherwise enjoyed.

As it is, I initially dropped Cooking Crush because I was struggling to stay focussed enough to finish an episode and the characters were grating on me. Looking back, part of me thinks that my lack of focus and general irritability may have had less to do with the drama itself and much more to do with the fact I could barely focus on anything during that time period and that I had barely any spoons left to give people in my actual life, let alone fictional ones.

So...

Anyway, Cooking Crush has continued to come across my dash in gif, meme, and analysis form and I've realised that I actually really like what I'm seeing, enough so that I've moved it out of the "dropped" pile and into my "on hold" list so as to give it a second shot in the not so distant future (something that doesn't normally happen).

I genuinely think I might like this drama, I just need to make sure I'm in the right mindset for it first to give it a fair shot 💪

Verdict: On Hold until my next holiday.

🐍🦅 The Sign - On Hold

On paper The Sign sounds like it's right up my street, after all what's not to love about star-crossed lovers doomed by the threads of fate and history to lose each other?

But that's the thing, "on paper". In real life The Sign is well, messy and a bit too cop-heavy for my liking. Sure there are some great moments, Billy and Babe's chemistry is on fire, and it may have one of the best and most artistic sex scenes ever to grace the BL screens of the world but sexy times does not a good show make and I've found myself torn about whether or not I should keep going or just give up at this point.

To help me decide I've taken the "on paper" part of The Sign very literally and bought the book to read. If I like the book (the translation is a bit choppy but I can overlook that if the story is good) then I'll finish the show, if I don't then into the land of the dropped it goes.

Verdict: On Hold until I've actually experienced it on paper.

🌄🖕 Last Twilight - Dropped (episode 10)

I won't lie, this is the second time (the first time being Only Friends) that I've ended up being grateful my busy schedule got in the way of my drama watching because wow this show really took a tumble at the last hurdle. There was so much Last Twilight could have done, so many societal boundaries it could have crossed and reshaped and re-imagined but instead it went with... well a literal "fix it fic" ending that fixed nothing but instead broke all it had built up beyond repair.

I'm not going to go into detail about how Last Twilight let nearly every single one of its principal characters down, about how Mhok was never allowed screen time to process his own emotional trauma, about how the show briefly touched upon and then completely glossed over the very different social and financial circumstances of the both couples and the effects this would have on their experience of the world, of how there was so much ableist messaging around both the treatment of Dad's character which was always lurking under the surface but which only really came to light alongside the ending..... All I'm going to say is that, up until episode 9, Last Twilight had a choice about what messages it wanted it's audiences to come away with at the end, and it picked the wrong fucking ones.

It could have been a challenge to the ableist and classist mainstream norm so often portrayed in the media, instead it perpetuated harmful and hurtful rhetoric and stereotypes against the very people it claimed to champion.

Maybe one day I'll watch it again, but only because I want to properly break down what went so wrong.

Recommended reads by people who expressed it better than me:

This Discussion under "Last Twilight, episode 12: final reflections" by @waitmyturtles

"Last Twilight: Ep 12" by @wen-kexing-apologist

"Last Twilight Episode 12" by @lurkingshan

This post by @simplemindedmockingjay

Verdict: Dropped for betraying it's audience and those it claimed to champion.

👨‍⚕️⏳ Triage - Dropped (episode 10)

This one hurts me.

This one well and truly hurts me.

Because, the thing is, I loved so much about this show. It does so much right and up until episode 10 I was preparing to rank it among my favourite BLs of all time; the plot was fast moving and carried you from episode to episode in a whirlwind of anticipation, the romance (although minor compared to most other BLs) was highly shippable, the characters had depth and flaws and strengths that made you root for them, and the time loop plot device was doing things that were genuinely new and innovative.

I was hooked.

And then everything I loved just disappeared.

I don't know what possessed the creators of this show to completely change the universe of the drama for the last 2 episodes, maybe they thought the old one was getting stale (it wasn't).

All I can say is I absolutely hated the new turn of events.

Familiar characters with entirely new personalities and character arcs who I was apparently expected to root for (I don't know who they are anymore), time travel rules thrown out of the window because the plot demanded it be so (I'm sorry but the notebook time travels now? And a kiss will bring back memories?), the entire premise of the show just dropped and never even properly answered (why did Tin need to save Tol????? What about his heart murmur????)....

No.

Just no.

I'm out.

Verdict: Dropped for becoming a completely different drama in the last 2 episodes

⭐ The Awards

I fell in love with a lot of people and things this month so let's talk about them

☺️ Smile That Could Launch A Thousand Ships

Yuuichi Kurosawa (and his actor Keita Machida) is, quite frankly, a ridiculously gorgeous man in the most normal of circumstances but his smile takes it to a whole new level.

Truly a sight that could light up a room (and the whole building the room was in), this smile is filled with such genuine happiness and love that it's hard not to smile right back just as brightly, whether you be a hapless audience member beaming at your computer screen or a flustered Adachi trying desperately to hold on to your heart.

What I also love about this smile is that it only comes out when Kurosawa is properly, over the moon happy. He's got other smiles for other occasions and they're all very pretty but this one? This one sits above them all and makes them pale in comparison.

🩷 Biggest Crush

I have a type and that type is Cho Mina (and quite possibly Kang Mi Na, I clearly need to work through her filmography for... science). But seriously, this woman is STUNNING and is made all the more so by her dedication to her daughter and her refusal to let society pressure her into being ashamed of being a young single mum. She's strong, she's kind, she's independent, she's beautiful both inside and out. I don't care if she got the least screen time out of all the sisters, she stole the whole show for me and I am smitten.

📃 Line That Hit Me Like A Freight Train

"I'm used to pretending to be normal"

"pretending to be normal"

I'm going to be forever grateful to Cherry Magic for giving me positive and thoughtful Ace rep in Fujisaki, for showing her happy and confident and unbothered by society's expectations that she should one day couple up and settle down, for giving voice to the Ace experience of "pretending to be normal" in simple line that holds so much meaning and so many layers.

I know it's not canon, but in my head Fujisaki does tell Adachi out loud one day, and she gets her response of "is that so".

🛌 Plot Device That Made Me Sit Up and Go "Yes"

I may have ended up dropping Triage but credit where credit is due, it did do a lot of things right and one of those things was its ideas around time loops/ time travel. The idea that where you fall asleep at the end of the time loop directly affects how far back you travel back in time for the start of the loop?

Genius.

Why haven't I seen this done before??? It's such a clever way to provide the loop-character with the agency they need to actually make changes without breaking the established rules of the time loop and it allows for each iteration of the loop to be significantly different depending on how early or how late the changes to the timeline are made.

It literally solves almost all of my usual issues with time loop narratives.

It was genuinely intriguing watching Tin try to work out where he needed to fall asleep in order to go back as far as he needed and it was such a shame that, as the show neared its end, that aspect of the time loop experience just sort of fell away.

I want more time loop ideas like this and I want them now.

🌄 Scene That Took My Breath Away

Last Twilight may have ended by taking this scene and its significance and flushing it down the toilet but you know what, the author is dead and I killed him. I'm taking this scene back.

Day wanting his last experience with his quickly disappearing sight to be a homage to the book that helped him come to terms with his disability and see the world anew, his description of the sunset he could see in his mind's eye that is far more brilliant and beautiful than reality could ever dream to be, his clear moment of realisation that yes, he could live without his sight and not only could he live without it, he could well and truly thrive, the last thing he sees being Mhok's face as the ultimate declaration of love....

The last twilight in episode 9 could have been a truly special moment and, taken in isolation, it still is. It's just such a shame that such a beautiful depiction of growth and healing and self-love and self-acceptance was ultimately papered over with an ending that didn't fit it at all, one that erased the positive and affirming messages this scene held.

[mama-qwerty]

So, I'm thinking about Dread. (Shocker, right?) Anyway, I was thinking about the first time we meet Dread. How he seems all jovial and happy and just living life. Throwing party after party, and seemingly turning coward when his old crew shows up.

Party Pirate Dread is happy(ish) and friendly(ish), doesn't want to talk about the Devil's Lighthouse, and seems really unwilling to even entertain the idea of trying for it again. He legit does not want to even think about it. I hesitate to say he feels regret for what happened, but that may be a bit of what's going on.

It's possible that this Dread is dealing with a very bruised ego and pride, because his lust for the Devil's Lighthouse cost him EVERYTHING. It's possible he recognized that going for the Lighthouse was foolish in the first place, and he feels ashamed for doing so and losing not only his first crew, but his entire ship and his reputation, as well. And it's possible that he turns coward when his first crew attacks, because he feels so ashamed of himself for putting them in harms away that he can't face them. They're the personification of his failure, so he would rather hide from it than face it head on.

Then we have the change after Rusty Rose attacks and the ship is sinking. He abandons ship, leaving his crew to presumably die. And this doesn't even come as a surprise to the crew, especially Batten, who very casually hooks a thumb in his direction when Sonic asks where he went. This kind of selfish behavior is known to the crew, and yet they still follow him.

So Sonic does his little "You'll be the legendary Knuckles the Dread!" speech and Dread gets that batshit glint in his eye. He only comes back because his chance at getting the Devil's Lighthouse is higher now with Sonic's help.

This Dread is possessive, selfish, aggressive, and would sacrifice anyone to keep his Beauty safe and in his hands. He actively engages in battles, all to keep the treasure he so obsesses over.

So let's back up. Dread tries for the Devil's Lighthouse with his old crew. He seems pretty determined and everything else be damned. He wrecks his ship, his crew abandons him, and . . . what? Does he realize his dream of obtaining that gem was a folly and best left at the bottom of the ocean, like his old ship? Does he realize that his obsessive pursuit for the Devil's Lighthouse ultimately took everything from him and how he wants to simply (and quite literally) be dead in the water rather than move forward?

Dread's behavior is very much like an addict. He tried to quit, go 'cold turkey' so to speak, but when temptation came, he couldn't resist. He's back to his old ways, his every thought and action focused on getting that Shard. He'll sacrifice everything--his crew, his ship, his own world--as he follows it through to New Yoke, and would have fallen to his death had Sonic not caught him.

Which brings me to another aspect. He helps Sonic because of the 'debt' he owes the hedgehog for saving his life. This doesn't jive with the Shard Addict Dread's behavior. Helping Sonic with Chaos Sonic doesn't get him closer to his Beauty. It's not advantageous to Dread's end goal. So why help at all?

Then he turns on Sonic the second his Beauty is in reach again. It's very much like Gollum and the Ring, or Captain Ahab and the white whale. He's obsessed with this one singular thing and it's driven him mad in its pursuit.

I wonder what he was like before the Devil's Lighthouse took hold of his senses. Did he care about his crew then? Was he always a self-centered asshole? Or did his lust for this gem, this fame, break him?

[lifeiskentastic]

hey could you write something for Richard Haywood? perhaps a best friends to lovers trope? It would be interesting to see how that would work with a character like Richard

sorry, I thought I wouldn't be too sick but as you can see…

Richard Haywood and gn!Reader as friends to lovers story

Gif by @nikolajwaldau

A/N: Richard is one of my favs actually, but I feel like I got his character a little wrong (tbh I do it with most of my fics) so I just wanted to ask you to point out my mistakes in that regard, because I I don't want to go too far into OOC :")

Summary: At some point, your dear friend Richard became… too tactile?;

Word count: 942 words;

I hope this is what you asked for!

So you had one close friend. A very strange close friend. Although, after so many years together, you have become absolutely accustomed to all the nuances and contradictions of his exotic character.

But lately, there has been something in his behavior that even your trained, hardened mind could not comprehend. Richard has become more tactile.

Well, he used to be able to grab your shoulder out of the blue, hold your hands, and even run his hand through your hair. But at some turning point, he became extremely tactile. That is, now he grabbed your shoulder more firmly, held your hands longer, and even ran his hand through your hair in a less friendly way.

And this could not but confuse you. On top of that, his eyes were becoming more and more cunning with every walk after school. And you, as his friend, knew perfectly well that this would definitely not end well.

So, it was absolutely logical that you decided to do something about this tense situation.

'You became a bit too tactile.'

The only thing that was not absolutely logical in this tense situation was why you asked such a direct question! But the words were already out of your mouth, and there was nothing you could do about it. Fortunately or unfortunately.

'What?'

The angry look of Richard, who had just been interrupted from a very important game machine in the gaming center, turned sharply to you.

You had to swallow hard before starting again:

'Well, you started... touching me more, you know?'

You were sure he would understand. As long as it was in the right way.

'And?' Richard looked at you intently (though more like stared) and began one of his favorite things: gesturing and contorting you. 'Does this give you some new hope?'

His last words were cut short by his amused giggle.

You lowered your head, only not to see your "best friend's" raised eyebrows in derision.

'No! No... You don't understand. I just wanted to say that you are a very tactile person, Richard. That's all.'

'Pfft. "Tactility" and "non-tactility" were invented by losers who are too scared to go up and touch another person.'

'Uh-huh. I see.'

After all these years of friendship, you've long since given up arguing with Richard, so you didn't try this time. But still...

'So you can go up to any person and just touch them?'

'Well, yes.'

'But you still don't touch them as much as you touch me.'

You honestly don't know why you're saying all this. You're just happy to stop, but your mouth refused to shut!

It seems that this statement was so powerful that you even managed to surprise Richard! At least, you hoped that his wry sneer and wide-eyed amusement would indicate that.

'I don't touch them too much, because they're not my friends.' You felt as if Richard's mouth had been cut open with a butter knife. Oh, no, he's just smiling. 'Or did you want to hear something else?'

This time there was no laughter. And that was a bad sign, really. A very, very bad sign.

'No, thank you, I heard everything I wanted to hear.' You hurriedly turned around and pretended to be completely devoted to some nearby game machine. After all, it seems that your "close friend" has begun to get closer and closer. In the physical sense of the word.

'Come on, I'm telling the truth,' Richard moved closer to you, whispering in his sly, quirky voice right into your ear.

You cautiously turned to him, just to look him in the eye, but instead you saw his open lips reaching out to you, and his closed eyelids fluttering slightly. You froze there, half-turned to your friend, your gaze blurred, your limbs numb, and eagerly awaiting what would happen next...

'Ha-ha-ha!'

All you could do at that moment was to gape in confusion. And you couldn't be blamed for that, because when Richard pushed away from you as if you were a wall he had almost run into by accident and started giggling, clutching his stomach... Well, the human body is not capable of any other reaction than "gape in confusion".

'Did you really think I was going to kiss you?' Richard didn't stop laughing for a moment, having already begun to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes. 'Oh, no, no, no, wait, ha-ha-ha... I-I, ha-ha, have to, uh, catch my breath... Ha-ha-ha-ha!'

Finally, your shocked brain has processed all the information that came along with Richard's hoarse laughter. And it did not like this information at all. So now you were blushing. You were blushing with pure anger.

'What, you're not tactile enough for a kiss anymore? "Too scared"?'

Richard, still breathing heavily after his hilarious stunt, held his head high. Slowly, even hints of his former mirth began to disappear from his face. And you didn't know whether this was the reaction you were trying to get with your words or the opposite.

'"Too scared"? You're so sure about that, huh?' It sounds like he was really angry. Well, at least you assumed so when he grabbed you painfully by the jaw, pulling you closer to his angry face, with his teeth clenched tightly and crooked lips. The last thing you remember clearly is the pressure of someone else's lips on yours. And the last conscious thought was just the realization that nothing would be the same. Fortunately or unfortunately. And the last conscious thought was just the realization that nothing would be the same. Fortunately or unfortunately.

***

'So... What do we do now?'

'Actually, we can test your tactility, too.'

[yanderes-galore]

I actually found your blog when I was looking through Yandere tmnt and I’m so glad I did , your writing is amazing , your really talented 💕 would it be alright to request what type of Yandere would Ino be from naruto can be platonic or romance or both 🤔

Sure! I'm happy you think my writing is good and you like my blog! I apologize for this taking months and also if she's out of character. I'm still new to Naruto so I hope I did things right! There was no time period mentioned so I kept it all general :)

Yandere! Ino Yamanaka Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Jealousy, Dubious relationship, Stalking, Manipulation, Threats, Mind tricks/Mind manipulation, Slight possessive behavior, Brief violence mention.

Ino could work as a platonic or romantic yandere.

Although I feel she's strongest as a romantic yandere as she's always been one for romance.

Ino is also a yandere who comes off strong and intense at times.

She's relentless when pursuing a darling and does everything she can to impress them or help them in any way.

There's two ways Ino could pursue a darling.

She could become your friend with no romantic attraction involved, then as she gets to know you she could potentially develop more intense feelings.

That or Ino could pursue you at first with romantic intentions in mind.

Then that could branch from there, she could even simmer down to just a platonic yandere in the second scenario too.

Despite Ino coming off as strong and a bit intense to be around at times, she's great with her darling.

Ino is caring yet teasing with her darling when around them.

She also does a ton of research on what flowers would be the best to give you.

An example would be her picking a flower with a platonic or romantic message to give to you.

Ino is a big one for giving gifts to her darling.

They're primarily flowers but she'd give you other gifts, it all depends on what you like.

Ino daydreams about you often if she felt romantic feelings towards you.

Ino would follow you around at times but she tries not to make it obvious.

Although it's easy to get suspicious when she knows something about you she shouldn't.

Ino is a yandere who easily gets jealous.

She has a temper and appears irritated when someone else is trying to win over her darling.

Ino is competitive in obtaining her darling's attention but sometimes she just wants to hurt others when they're around you too long.

I can't forget to mention her Mind Body Switch technique.

Ino is capable of some serious manipulation.

Although I feel she'd try to avoid such methods until she's desperate.

Ino seems like she'd manipulate others away from you to guarantee your attention.

She may threaten or blackmail those around you to stay away... if that doesn't work then she'll use her technique.

Ino may use minor violence to keep others away although nothing lethal.

She tries to reserve lethal force for enemies, she's no criminal.

Ino also refuses to use her technique on her darling unless she feels she has to.

Maybe she'll read your mind a bit but she tries to refuse forcing you into anything with her technique.

That just feels dirty to her.

Ino is capable of being an oppressive and intense yandere but she has a strong moral center.

She wants to give you the freedom you deserve, yet she also wants to guarantee you and her will be together somehow in the end.

Be it keeping your friendship alive and thriving or making it something more, Ino tries to keep things natural.

She wants things to happen in a way they aren't entirely fabricated.

There's no doubt Ino gushes about you to others like Shikamaru or Choji.

Be it praising you for being such a great friend or going on and on about a crush on you... she just adores talking about you.

Ino tries to make many opportunities to bond with you.

You are swamped with activities between you and her along with her intense affection.

Speaking of which, Ino would be a physically affectionate yandere.

Verbally she comes off a teasing yet caring, perhaps even flirtatious.

Physically she also acts very loving with tight hugs or many kisses if she has romantic interest in you.

Ino gets flustered easily if she likes you romantically.

Pay her attention and she has a constant blush on her face, giggling like a little girl when hanging out with you.

Ino is protective but she's actually more possessive.

She is willing to fight over your attention as she did when she liked Sasuke.

She wants others to know you're hers one way or another, be it friends or lovers.

She'd fight for and over you, making her a very intense yandere with her obsession.

Ino would change her appearance for you.

Everything from diets to a new change of clothes, Ino wants to look the best for you.

It's unhealthy, yes, but she just adores you.

Ino would also suggest things you'd look good in, too.

You both gotta look good, right?

If Ino did fight someone over you, she's scary.

She feels she has to defend you and her feelings which can make her brutal at times.

She's much better at manipulation, however.

Overall, despite me thinking she's a strong romantic yandere, Ino would be a very controlling friend and lover.

Ino makes it seem like you have freedom and she wants you to feel that way...

But if she ever felt like her grip on you was slipping... she'll reel you back in with a few mind tricks.

[iamthecomet]

In Case you still take requests:

Could I get a little bit of Dew/Cirrus?

Pegging maybe? Dew is a brat to all of the boys, but not to her? When with Cirrus, he‘s a good boy. Follows orders, is pliant even? And she’s aware of it. Has seen him with Swiss or Aether or Rain or Mountain, or multiple of them at once. So she showers him in praise, let‘s him know how good he is being. Tells him how proud of him she is that he can let all of what a bitch to deal with he usually is slip away when with her. That he lets himself be vulnerable around her.

(I know it‘s well talked-through and this kind of thing has a LOT of fics centering around it, but it just won‘t leave my mind)

~owlish anon

No one else gets to see Dew like this. Cirrus doesn't take it for granted. She knows she's lucky, knows she is the only one who sees Dew drop to his knees without a fight. The only one who he nuzzles up against and asks, gently, if she has time for him. She knows he'll get here with the others. Fucked into submission. But she doesn't have to do anything to get him here for her. All she has to do is tell him what she wants him to do, and he does it. Without a word. Easy. Obedient. Pretty. Good. He goes so pink, flushed down his neck, sweat beading on his forehead. Eyes screwed up tight, his fingers clenching against his thighs. Usually, when she pegs one of the boys, she takes them face down, ass up. She is in control. They haven't earned the privilege to look at her while she uses them. But Dew? She always takes Dew on his back. One of his boney legs thrown over her hip. The other splayed open against the comforter. She looks down and watches as the blue silicone slides in and out of him. He mewls with each snap of her hips. "You're always so good for me," She says to him, smoothing one hand over his belly, up to thumb at a nipple ring until he digs his fangs into his lip and whines. He's a vision. Warm gray skin, tinged pink on full display. Sweat collecting in the hollow of his throat, his tail curled around her thigh for nothing more than contact. When he opens his eyes--a rarity at this point in the night--they're molten copper. His hair is spun gold in the fading fire light. He's pretty. Cirrus tells him so. He doesn't snap back at her the way he does with the boys. He just cracks his eyes open, he looks at her like he doesn't believe her. "You are," she insists. "and so good. You take me so well, Dewy, always. So easy." He whines. She changes the angle a little, a subtle shift until Dew is bowing off the bed and keening. Then she hones in on it, picking up the pace until his eyes roll back into his head. His neglected cock leaks precum into the hollow of his hip. She touches him, finally, and he almost sobs in relief. She could have made him beg. That's her usual move, but denial feels like a punishment he doesn't deserve. He has taken everything she's given him tonight with grace, with gratitude. When she shoved her fingers in his mouth so deep he gagged, he thanked her for it. "I know how hard it is for you," she coos, reaching up to brush some of the hair stuck to his forehead away. She tucks some behind a pink-tipped ear. "I'm so proud of you."

Dew blinks up at her, eyes glassy. "I like being good for you." "You do such a good job, sweet boy." She twists her hand up over the head of his cock, she watches the tears prick at the corner of his eyes. "I'll let you cum, but you have to make me a promise." Dew nods, he holds her gaze, forces himself to even though she can see the way he wants to snap his eyes closed, it's too much. His hips twitch up into her hand. "Words, Dewy." "Anything, whatever you want." He sounds so genuine, so reverent. He stares at her like she's hung the moon and the stars. His devotion sends a swoop of arousal through her stomach. "When you're done, you're going to go down on me. And you aren't coming back up until I say." He stares up at her, nodding sharply, eyes wide and desperate. "Please," he pants, "smother me." She grins, all teeth, "that's my good boy."

[msfcatlover]

Moonbeam Cass (Reverse Robins)

As Duke's successor, Cass will of course be iterating on his design. Normally, this would've taken a lot longer to put together (as you've probably noticed, they tend to be multi-day designing marathons.) However, I had a stroke of inspiration last night that I absolutely love, and everything else came together very quickly after that, so let's start the ball rolling with Moonbeam's new helmet...

...a gold-mesh saber mask! Cass wraps the top in cream-colored fabric, so that it's an off-white helmet with a gold mesh bubble in front of her face. She also wears a white neck gaiter under it to further conceal her identity, even when the light does hit the mesh just right for someone to see through it.

I feel like Cass would go back to the demi-cuirass, but she'd change it up; now it's a cream-colored leather piece worn over the brassy/golden chainmail tunic, which obviously goes very well with the new mesh mask.

(This, but in off-white & without the tie. Its job is a little extra protection and displaying Moonbeam's symbol. On a meta level, it also helps visually break things up & keep them interesting.)

The Moonbeam symbol is still an iridescent white circle, but Cass's version is definitely ringed in gold.

The chainmail tunic hangs just past her knees, but splits into multiple panels (3-6, though I'm sure some people would draw it as individual strands, which while not practical, is a hell of a look that I absolutely support!) at the tops of her thighs.

Cass actually wears 2 utility belts, in that complete-fantasy way where they hang at a diagonal to form an X at hip-height. You know, the kind that would just fall off if anyone really tried to wear them that way, but looks so cool in character design?

(I'm so annoyed that I can't find a reference image for this, so here's a super-quick mockup thrown together in GIMP. Thanks to the base maker for saving me here.)

The undersuit Cass wears is white, but is only really visible on her legs; the chainmail is full-sleeve (fitted, rather than hanging loose.) It looks like she's wearing lightly padded white leggings, though they are, of course, made of the most flexible stab- & tear-resistant fabric Bruce could get his hands on.

Continuing down, Cass wears sturdy brown motorcycle boots, probably with a little pocket or two, under the same greaves she briefly wore in Red Robin (2009), but the greaves are the same golden as her mask.

(These boots but maybe a little taller, an example of pockets, and the awesome costume she wore for all of one single issue and then we never saw it again.)

Bouncing back up real quick, I'd give Cass her Orphan pauldrons, specifically this iteration of them where it looks like they have a little gold moon on them, but with a cream background instead of black.

(I want to say she has tiny matching elbow pads worn over the chainmail sleeves, though that's another detail I feel would disappear fast if anyone actually had to draw this costume for a comic. Possibly for good reason, I worry they might be just a little bit too much.)

Finally, Cass's costume is topped off with a pair of gauntlets; the metal is once again that creamy-white (this time with gold edging) and the leather base matches her boots perfectly.

(Source 1, Source 2. You'd be surprised how long I looked to find a style I actually liked for this costume.)

The Moonbeam circle that Duke wore on the back of his hand is now inlaid at the center of Cass's palm, and is rigged to actually work as a flash-weapon if she needs it to. This helps her pretend that Moonbeam still has Duke's powers, acts as a last-resort surprise in a pinch, and I'd like you to imagine her holding out her hand to help someone with a shimmering, inviting glow lighting up her palm.

(I also want you to imagine her standing next to Shadow!Steph, since they're basically a matched set. I was not actively working to have their costumes compliment eachother, since that wasn't the in-universe plan when Cass took up the mantle, but I think they'd compliment eachother nicely.)

That's all for this one. Thank you for your time.