#tbh when will Damon ever learn

[redemptiionss]

Feels like every single episode of Vampire Diaries has the characters making horrible decisions lol

And I really enjoyed Katherine’s character but at this point I want her gone lol. The minute she jumped into Elena’s body, I was done 🙃

[max--phillips]

1999!! That’s why he fucking looks like that LMAO

EVILDOER

Man they really gotta gouge his eyes out again?????????

Unrelated good to see Philadelphia hasn’t changed

Boy learn to take no as an answer

THE COP HAT GKRNFJDBFJDJ

LMAO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE THIS IS SO EXTREMELY LESBIAN IM LOVING IT

It’s supposed to be 1999 but those bags of peas look modern

“Can’t she move?” What a mood

ITS YOUR DILDO SUSANNE

NOT REALLY FJFNDNFJDBFJDNDJS

“What’s a dyke bar? That’s not nature?” skfjenfkdjfnsks

LMAO

“It’s like talking to a bucket of wet cement”

“You fuck people who work for Ralph Nader” dkvjdnckdjdjs

Poor Marian 😭

Ah, the ill-fated case

BOUNCY

BLACK BELTS IN CUNNILINGUS

“Like someone draggin’ day-old spaghetti across my tits”

Shit happens when you eat at uncle Gino’s dkfjdndndnskak

Fascinated by these acid trip scene transitions

CJDJFNDJFJD IDEAL LESBIAN BASEMENT PARTY LMAO

“We’re just friends” said every lesbian ever

“You shouldn’t do that”

Once again . Poor Marian

ACAB

Impeccable soundtrack

Marian is having the WORST time

Man what is in that damn case lmao

MILEY CYRUS?

Caveman shit cjcbdjdja

A VERY HOPEFUL SIGN FOR YOU FJGDHFBD

MATT DAMON?????

Uh oh. They’re gonna find it. At least they’re lesbians and know how to change a spare

Staghorn sumac spotted in the background

Yeah that’s his head LMAO

LMAO

We’re not Chelsea Clinton ekfbejgjdbsjsk

Do you have ice fjdbfjdbfjdbdjs

“Have you read any books?”

PUSSY PROMISE

THEORETICALLY

LMAO THIS WAITER

YOURE LESBIANS OF COURSE ITS A GOOD IDEA

DIANA KRALL COME ON THE SOUNDTRACK

a circular sander………… interesting. I’ve heard of drill attachments and sawsall attachments but not that

Extremely funny they’re having lesbian sex whilst Pedro Pascal’s disembodied head lies frozen in the room’s safe

A man of taste lmao

The cowboy boots really make it tbh. Yeah no fuckin wonder she likes Jamie

LMAO NOT THE DICKS

They make kits for that now . It’s not plaster anymore thankfully

I have actually done a version of that (except worse) to a housekeeper on accident

What in the world just happened here

Art store. How dykes

THE DICK

SHE MADE ANOTHER ONE DIDNT SHE LMAO

Oh cmon you’re lesbians you have to know shower sex is overrated as hell

And they say romance is dead

THE SHE SHED

LMAO MATT DAMON

DEMOCRATS FKFJDNFJDKS

Heh. Titillate

You absolutely go to that basement party but, understood

MATT DAMON LMAO

THE HEAD

The SUAVE GUYS HEAD

HERS AND HERS

TO EACH OTHER

INNOVATION FJGJEJFJSJSJA

OH NO THE DICKS

HENRY JAMES’ DRIVE AWAY DYKES

obviously this isn’t a movie you watch for Pedro’s 30 seconds of involvement but as a lesbian I am DELIGHTED he gave his face to get this movie traction because it is EXCELLENT dykery

LMAO AT THE VERY END OF THE CREDITS

“DEDICATED TO

CYNTHIA PLASTER CASTER

1947-2022

WE REMEMBER!”

[crossedsabers10s]

Hi, I wanted to let you know that I am a huge fan of all your stories and when I saw this Tumblr account I was really interested in all those short stories that you wrote but the one that I completely fell in love with was how the Damon from Strikes Thrice travels to the canon world and I was wondering if you ever thought of expanding on that a bit more. I have fallen in love with the idea AU and Canon collaborating and how the original  Canon characters react to their alternative selves and their lives and the relationships that they’re in. but I never see authors writing that way and when I saw your story My heart skipped a beat I was so excited and it is such a good story overall.

First off, thank you!!!

Tbh I really love the canon meets AU stuff too, it’s one of my favorite things to read. Or the ones where canon reads the books or reads a fic.

It’s also one of my favorite things to daydream; it helps me with characterization sometimes, trying to figure out how x event changed this reaction and so on and so forth.

Like one of the things I’ve been thinking about recently is how hilarious it would be if Ursa Major’s Damon, Katherine, and 5yo alter!Hope met the canon cast. Mostly I’m picturing everyone’s faces when this tiny strawberry blonde child starts babbling in some absolute mishmash of languages—New Orleans’ French, Italian, American English, British English, with a scattering of Old Norse in two different dialects—about her Uncle Damon and Aunt Kitty.

And Damon basically being a responsible adult figure in her life makes everyone collectively twitch. But he is. And the kid mentions Enzo at one point, in relation to him being her mother’s friend/person.

Or her meeting teenage canon Hope—I still need to watch more of Legacies tbh so I don’t know too much about it—and it going like:

“New sister!”

“…half-sister. Technically. Even allowing for dimension travel.”

“Sister.”

“Half-sister.”

Slow blink. “Sister.”

Onto ur main question—Strikes Thrice is still somewhat fluid, so the set up changes every time I picture it.

But one of the base things that remains the same is that Damon is part of his own—… okay so I’ve been thinking about it like political blocks? He and Enzo and Dagur are a group. Mess with one, mess with the others. And, collectively, they have leverage. Not just because Dagur’s super strong—though that too—but also because they have teamwork and their combined deviousness is stupid high. So he’s a lot cockier than canon Damon. Hard to do, lmao, but he manages. And he’s also more—hyper? almost. More likely to joke around and maybe less defensive on the whole. Hence the mention of glittery nail polish. He likes shiny things, has no shame, and his friends started it. So why not? It was kind of a way to differentiate between them, that doppel!Damon is a bit more upbeat. Sometimes Jenna’s alive and therefore she and Damon bicker. A lot. Like all the time. So you have casually mentioning her and how she’s an annoying baby vampire. Because Jenna and Dagur have—had? Depending on the day they’ve ether had a fling and broke up because Jenna realized that Dagur is like. Actually crazy. And then gets with Alaric a la canon which spawns a vampire hunter dating a vampire subplot. Or they’re together and Jenna learns to just roll with stuff. Which puts Elena and Jeremy under Dagur’s protection independent of Damon. For the record, Jenna and Dagur having a thing prompt conversations like:

“Huh.” Enzo tips his head to the side, watching Jenna blush. “Well. No one tell Damon.”

Damon walks in. “Tell me what?”

Dagur points at him. “No killing this one!”

“Wha—what does that—…. W a i t”

Because Damon has absolutely killed one of her girlfriends before and he maintains it’s not because he was jealous that she was paying him less attention but the running joke is that is was absolutely that.

Oh! And he’s also just like the tiniest bit physically stronger than canon Damon. Because he’s shared blood with Dagur and it’s left a mark. It also makes his temper worse is it’s a recent thing. Which they figure out because doppel!Damon is used to people who can and will throw down and laugh it off a second later. So he does something a bit too vampiric making Canon Damon take offense and they grapple. Except other Damon is more used to fighting and is just that tiniest bit stronger so when they clash he plows other Damon over and then starts making jokes about it.

Anyways, hope this isn’t too rambling lol

Thanks for the ask!!!!

[bigmeandragonlady]

Even more emoji prompts for my traveler Katiya! (the original post wasn't actually cut in half so ive fixed that. i've added a few extra ones tho) ah ha I skipped anything I couldn't think of an answer to or anything that asked when she wants in life. (Beyond the plot, she doesn't have anything beyond wanting to be happy and free and loved.) cut for length again

💐 BOUQUET - create a bouqet for them! what do those flowers mean? are any of the flowers their particular favourite?

Fragrant flowers are her favorite: lilies, gardinas, jasmine, honeysuckle, plumeiras, lilacs, roses ect. Lilies in particular.

A bouquet with lilies as the centerpeice with nice, chunky greenery and depending on season some sunflowers/roses/peonies or a variety of lilies

plant symbolism varies so much depending on source and color im not going to go into it

📚 BOOKS - how were they at school? what is their best subject? what is their worst subject? do they have a favourite subject?

A bit of a trouble-maker tbh. She and Arlo were a menace to have in the same class together as children (they were only taught together b/c they were the same age)

Best subject was the Arts in general, liked geography. Bad at maths and would try to skip those lessons

Music theory could be difficult but she found it rewarding and likes to write her own music

Found herself enjoying sciences as well but wasn't great at it.

👖 JEANS - what is their go-to outfit?

Generally, she'll pick a cute sundress that tapers in at her waist and is cut low at the front. Length from cocktail to tea. Maybe a cute cardigan

Grew up in a borderline tropical climate so doesn't know how to dress for cold: does not have a cold outfit

Has never had a lot of choice in what her closet holds. while she can give a bit of input but it's not like she went shopping for her own clothes so there will be a bit of an adjustment period now that she can shop for herself

It's difficult for her to admit to much more then a preference for dresses and skirts but likes to show off what she considers to be assets and prefers high quality fabrics (this one is very very hard to get out of her and she likely wont admit it b/c she feels greedy)

🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

Even if Vexx hadn't done what he did she wouldn't trust easily

Growing up in the family and culture she did it just wasn't an option

Was often 'backstabbed,' there are a few instances where her siblings (mostly celest and arlo) would pretend to make friends with her just to get something or fuck with her or as a fun game

Guards and servants would often report her when she would wander off somewhere she shouldn't be or doing something she wasn't supposed to do

So trust is in short supply

However, she is learning that she's fiercely loyal to the people she cares about and a little selfish: if she had to chose between a person she loved dearly and the world she would chose the person with little hesitation.

❇️ SPARKLE - what is their most prized possession? what do they value?

The music box Nerissa gave her has been her most prized possession since she received it. Katiya usually hates getting gifts but this was a kind reminder that even if her sister wasn't there, she was: a comfort

She would get little things and hide them in her room as momentous as well, a habit we see being carried on now. She doesn't have to hide them in a box under a tile under the bed now though

The knife we receive from Damon just before Teraninum is important to her as well: no one had ever given her the means to even try to defend herself before. Although it was a pragmatic decision on Damon's part, it means something to her and that knife is never something he's getting back.

🚲 BICYCLE - can they ride a bike? what do they remember from learning to ride a bicycle?

No :) she can't drive anything either.

It would be a cute idea to have Vexx teach her while they were in the city but I think the risk of injury would have dissuaded them

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact (or three).

Is petty. Is usually good at hiding it but when she lost her memory she didn't have that filter. It came out in pointedly ignoring Cal at times and picking Damon to run errands with her when he made snide comments

Would hide in the large fountains at the palace at times. I hc them as salt water and having plantlife/corals/fish in them so with her green hair she fit right in

(NSFW) Katiya is very open to experimentation in regards to sex, including threesomes/group sex. Down the line she, damon, alisa, and zane hook up (assuming everyone survives). She ends up being the focus there b/c everyone wants a taste of the princess-it's a lot for her and it's the only time she's had to use a safeword.

🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?

Slow boil, 100%

It'll either fizzle out or explode one day. is petty in the meantime

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

I chose the kit option and havent looked back. space mermaids??! of course i chose that one

I like... seaweed mermaids

Green, curly hair was the first thing I decided on. I waffled for a little cause I wasn't sure about natural hair colors for kit, asking on the server did not help, and eventually I just said fuck it after finding an old piece of lore about aya's hair originally being purple. It's a good thing i was right b/c at that point i wasn't going to redesign her

[purplesurveys]

1858

Do you know anyone who has divorced and remarried the same person? What do you/would you think of someone who does that? I don't think so. In theory I wouldn't care, but tbh I don't encounter divorce all that much. It's not legal here so I can't say I understand the complexities of it all that much.

Do you say goodnight to anybody before you go to bed? If so, does it feel weird if you go to bed without saying it to them? No one, unless we count the dogs. Yes, I need to say goodnight to them otherwise I'd feel bad. I also have this whole routine with them where I pinch their cheeks and tell them how handsome they've been today, before I head up myself to turn in haha.

Do you have a favourite role of Johnny Depp's? If you don't like him, what is your favourite role of an actor you like? I do not have a favorite Johnny Depp movie. But to answer the other question, I loved Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. Okay, him and Robin Williams because he was also terrific as the therapist.

Why did you/your parents choose to live where you do now? Would you move right now if you were able to? Why/why not? If so, where would you like to go? It's a quiet village, and it remains conveniently close to my grandma – meaning while we have a place of our own, it still allows us to reach her quickly for any emergencies. We also wanted to get out because of all the alcohol problems going on the duplex; and because, simply put, living as 12 people in a home designed for 5 was just too suffocating.

I can't move out now if we're talking about my dream location (BGC) because it's too expensive and I want to save up quite a bit more if I want to be able to afford that lifestyle. If any other place than BGC though I think I could already start managing.

If someone broke into your house and robbed you, what could they take that would piss you off or upset you the most? To what lengths would you go to get it back? Has something like this already happened to you before? The dogs, including Kimi's urn. Also my phone tbh, since all my memories are there.

The phone will probably be easy enough to give up, but I won't stop fighting for the dogs, I imagine.

Was there something you were afraid of as a child that just seems silly to you now? Alcohol. I thought it was poison based from how horribly my elders managed their drinks. When I tried it out for the first time and learned to enjoy it, that's when I discovered that it really just depends on the person.

Do you like coffee? I love coffee, which is proving to be torture for me right now because I went through a recent health scare that requires me to skip coffee :(

When did you last make up a baby’s bottle? Never.

Do you eat your dinner at a dining table, coffee table or just off your lap? Either at the dining table or living room couch. Much infrequently, my room.

Did you go to high school with your current best friend? Yes. I even went to college with her, albeit for different degrees.

Do you take part in paying the bills for your household? Technically, no, because my parents refuse my help; but I send them a cut from my pay every two weeks nonetheless.

How many cars can fit in your driveway? Around 3.

Have you ever slapped someone in the face? Yes.

Last person you took a nap with? I guess the overnight with my workmates last month counts as a nap? We had an event with a 2 AM calltime so we went ahead and booked a hotel nearby, but we didn't start turning in til 12 AM.

Does seeing your mother cry automatically make you feel sad as well? Sure.

Have you ever given up on someone, but then went back to them later? Kind of, yeah.

Is your last ex currently in a relationship? I neither know nor care. I haven't for a while now.

Do you think the last person you kissed has feelings for you? No, they don't.

Have you ever been punched in the face? Nope.

Are you the type of person who seeks out revenge? The most I do is visualize it in my head for that brief feeling of satisfaction, but I have never acted any form of revenge out.

Have you ever been asked out by someone you didn’t want to be with? Yes.

Who is the last person to call you gorgeous? I can't remember.

Do you think a lot before you fall asleep? Nah, I just go through IG reels for some funny memes lmao. I never want to be back in that phase where thinking keeps me up at night.

Would you rather have your parents catch you having sex or smoking weed? Sex, I guess. They'd have a much more violent reaction with anything related to drugs.

Do you like it when people call you babe? No.

Would you ever get your nipples pierced? Never.

Does it bother you to get shots in the mouth? Does it hurt? Well so far, no. I've gotten shots in the teeth twice for wisdom tooth extractions, and they both felt like nothing. I guess it's a matter of the dentist and if they'd be heavy-handed or not.

Ever ride in a limo? When did you last do so? Never been in a limo.

Do you have a lot of self-discipline? I'd say for the most part I have it in check, but I'm awful in a few contexts lol like how I always get food delivery even WHEN I DO NOT HAVE MONEY

Have you ever been to another country’s capital city? I have been to two – Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. I'm not counting Singapore, lol.

What’s something that has upset you lately? Hearing of instances of pet neglect/abuse.

What’s something you don’t think people take seriously enough? Education. I could very well go on and on about this. It's very frustrating.

Have you ever dated someone who had a child from a previous relationship? Nope.

What’s your favorite kind of soup? I love a good creamy mushroom soup, or miso soup.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? Once with my family, on our trip to Ilocos over a decade ago.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? Probably :)

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? [trigger warning: suicide] It's important to me, but April 7 is the day I discovered BTS; I've also associated it as the day I was pretty much saved from killing myself, because I already had had plans to do so that month.

What will be the next concert you attend? Not a concert but I am thinking about going to Kim Soo Hyun's fanmeet next month.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Yeah, I see what you mean.

When was the last time you had a hangover? May last year.

Do you own many pairs of shorts? I wouldn't call it many. It's like, 5 pairs.

Who was the last person you texted? Hans.

When was the last time you felt like letting it all out and having a cry? I cried every day, January to February of this year. I thought it was never going to end. I'm very happy I managed to get myself out of that rut.

When was the last time someone made you feel like an idiot? Ooh that was like last week when I was asking a question sincerely and my mom answered me like I was the dumbest. I haaaaaaated it and wasn't able to hold back either – I remember asking her to please don't talk to me like I'm stupid.

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? Sure.

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? Circles.

Would you rather read a book, or listen to the audiobook? Read.

What is your favorite book? I haven't found it yet.

What is something you're insecure about? Mmm, maybe the bumps on my forehead. They're not a lot, but it still bothers me because it used to be clear.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment? Moving on from my breakup allowed me to heal and soar in a way I've never done before. Hans and Angela always remark on it.

Who knows you the best? I don't know. I want to say Andi.

Will anyone be visiting your house any time soon? I don't think so.

Scroll through your camera roll quickly without looking, then stop it with your finger. What's the first picture your eye lands on? Jungkook.

Have you ever been chased by a dog? Only in a playful context.

What's your favourite kind of soda? Ooh, I don't like soda.

Do you have a drink with you right now? What is it? Just water.

What was the last app you opened on your phone? Photos, because you asked me to check my camera roll.

Is your voice high, low, or somewhere in the middle? It's ever so slightly on the low side.

Are you wearing any rings right now? Nope.

How many beds are in your home?F Four.

What is the last thing you ate? Paella.

Who is your favorite person to spend time with? Angela and Hans.

Are you considered a "clingy girlfriend"? When I was in a relationship, I used to be.

Are you good at multitasking? Yes, especially at work.

When's the last time you went to a nightclub? Around three weeks ago, but it was for work because it was an event that was held in a nightclub.

[castle-dominion]

bonus features

martha's master class

lmao I love the way this is made martha my beloved he IS astute! & the son of an actress! "presence & enthusiasm as they undress each other. Oh! There goes the hat!" of course you did, with the hat as a character bomb went off, shoving her lover under the bed to save his life believe you me MARTHA ah yes the timing. I think he was a personal trainer! I'd be proud of him too! Listening & thinking than line count I like Martha is great. *whispers* very hitchcock she is just talking them thru lol. But they totally look like they are filming it from the loft. Maybe during his physio appointments. why wipe it off? I was right! They DID need to be watching him to make sure he was awake & watching! They did this for him... they were up in the middle of the night doing this to give castle the best birthday gift ever for a mystery writer. Tho an escape room would have been fun too. just walking on the phone as people do "should he decide to break in" why didn't he shred it tho? the soda from the cabinet <3 coordinating it with the beckett fridge hint was sooo good they had rehearsals on the day-of!? She has lied before, she IS a good actress sometimes! I want to look in your fridge! I feel like I am being attacked! Oh no! I have a particular talent for telling people what to do & how to do it! I love her sm & am so glad they made that

your home is your castle

desirable real estate? really? it is a thousand dollars biweekly for a closet in someone's bathroom & you only get to sleep there nights because your roommate sleeps there during the day. at least it is not as bad as toronto They are getting an interiot designer to tour the loft. love it.

Alfred. I like this fellow. & vern ofc. get the script first, determine what we will build & what we will not. tracing paper 3d model digitally thankfully materials Building a set is honestly great robbing peter to pay paul, renting vs building vs buying oOH WE GET TO SEE THE MILL

HEY I RECOGNIZE THAT, THEY ARE BUILDING THE SPACESHIP I THINK Damon my man Ah, time constraints. My dad is a carpenter, he has done work for museums & churches, I wonder what it would be like if he made commissions for film. Like that one person in the murdoch mysteries fandom (I think @ha-bloody-ha is the one?) who does some kind of fiber art commissions for the costume department. "build me a sign" in the middle of shooting like bro you just... didn't have that already? ok lol wet paint still on camera lol

Experts in tribeca lol two sisters & a mom in the heart of tribeca near beckett's loft & their cute umbrellas & their very new york accents privacy, eateries, family, celebrity, sounds perfect for kate.

Lol I love their fake skyline Oooh a full tour of her apartment dustjackets fan wiki does not have a map for beckett's apartment so I'll grab a clip I like her art & stuff Alfred understands characters so well MY FATHER & I WOULD TAG TEAM THIS GUY & GIVE HIM A LICKING BECAUSE AS A CHEF & A KITCHEN DESIGNER WE ARE SO MAD. fancy plastic from home depot lol I like her stairs & the books on them Ooh a rooftop garden! She canonically likes to read I like how stana & alfred sat down & chatted. oh, johanna pic... open it up physically ooh so good! the lighting is indeed nice. Ah yes, set ceilings are able to be removed. Nice. She has a dining room? Wow lol. Ah her bedroom is a swing set. They take it down & store it & then if they need it they set it back up. Audio sounds a bit like the portal radio that is her bedroom? No I don't think so I think this is the workshop where they are setting up her bedroom...

Soho new york these pretty ladies! artists, writers, Bachelor & playboy & walking distance to restaurants really pretty tbh. Old fashioned. walking distance 5-10m from where kate lives according to the new york fellows faster on foot than in a taxi, obviously

Love the skylight NF: What I learned about richard castle when I walked in here was that he is incredibly wealthy. Old spectacles, swords, typewriters, weird alphabet golfballs they just hide their lines around the sets lmao open shelves are great for me as an adhder with a lack of object permanence, out of sight out of mind. But that is One Heavy Door considering the shelves are acting as the wall between the office & rest of the house. The kitchen certainly is interesting. Too clean imo just have a cambro under there lol NF: "we've all lived like that" smells like dust lol sfx, perry! My man! Ah, fire issues. Wourder. Jersey lol. it IS a nice staircase! Vern: Is there anything actually up there? Me: well they joked about seamus dever sleeping in castle's bed & jon huertas putting a cot up there to nap between takes... The stairs: *nothing* I too would love to see martha's room! His office is bigger than I thought... is that a door to a balcony? Yeah that picture really messed me up at first, I thought maybe it was a mirror... of course all the walls need to be able to be removed Ooh hoo hoo his bedroom! Oh his fave is the photograph of the subway on the landing Want a hug? Aw so cute!

NF: Idk AM: Well there are several bedrooms... MQ: 15 million SK: Millions for sure. SS: Location location location AM: 3.5, 4 mil? NF: My apartment in new york was smaller than these two rooms combined & I was paying a little over 2k a month in rent... at least 6 million to buy SK: A detective from a family of academics would be able to afford a place like this so whatever those people make MQ: Gosh & I've never lived in new york I'm totally just acting like I know what I'm talking about NF: Becktt's apartment would be... AM: Maybe a million? a little more than that SS: a million three nine five ($1 395 000?) NF: 4.2 million SK: 200k Vern: Interesting guesses

3bed 3bath 5k sq feet in soho for 6mil with all that outdoorspace I'd buy one for myself & for each of my daughters 12mil 200k would get you a storage bin, maybe two, for your coats 2bed home office 1.8k sq feet fabulous details open kitchen exposed brick in the heart of tribeca, closer to 4mil. If there is outdoor space closer to 5mil.

Make your home your castle uwu *steals a book*

Lot Cops Oh no this one. Jon Huertas & Seamus Dever going for "tactical training" but I've seen this one & idk how much of it was scripted but it is insane they are insane I am insane I went insane over this not to mention how insanely funny it is. A recert for tactical effectiveness they say. I am trying SO HARD not to tell the entirety of tumblr how silly & stupid this is like How Much of this was scripted, how much did they say "just play around" how much did they tell the training team? how much were they acting? this feels like an unus annus episode r for restraint that's the only one I'm saying in this liveblog.

Deleted scene singular Are we dating? A couple weeks? Isn't that like,, all the vacation north americans get? Dating, being with, semi-cohabitating, I'll tell you what we're not doing: sleeping she TRIED to have that talk, twice even!

Someone posted these bloopers right? I love all the gibberish but "nine-- ten blocks away" could have stayed too much sex shut thup NO for a sec I thought he was speaking cree lmao "we never swear on this show" *shows a bunch of swearing* Who'd make a movie after a failed scifi series? That guy's gotta but fckn nuts! *serenity* Ok I'll clip the uh, the thing. Not the entire thing even tho it is very funny, just the, you know, the things I always grab from the bloopers.

[bakerolivias-archived]

yeah klaus and damon are sometimes really nasty and do really shitty things but the difference between asshole white boy #1 and asshole white boy #2 is the accountability from the narrative and other characters alike, and that’s what it all amounts to for me tbh. damon’s an ass by nature and no one’s given the freedom and agency to be angry at him for the shit he’s done, which all gets swept under the rug, because it’s totally okay to have been a confederate and a slave owner and r/ape your girlfriend’s best friend and try to snap her brother’s neck by tvd’s narrative logic. meanwhile, klaus is a fucked up person, and unlike d*mon his actions don’t have to be glorified, but rather the writers, when they’re not being bad at their jobs and making klaus worse than he actually is for the sake of making him “edgy”, choose to explore the complicated reasoning behind it and all the trauma and abuse that led to him becoming a selfish person. the ppl who love him (i.e, his siblings, cami, hayley, marcel, stefan and caroline sometimes) stand by him because they know the good he’s capable of and klaus genuinely returns this affection, but they always make a point to call him out on his bullshit and they don’t have to rewrite history or sweep his past actions under the rug to forgive him or love him. they’re granted the agency to be able to (rightfully) criticize klaus’s behavior, unlike damon’s loved ones, and klaus respects and loves them for this. klaus gradually learns from his mistakes and grows on screen, demonstrating an incredible capacity for good, for love and compassion and kindness because the influence of ppl who loved him made him better and motivated him to become better, unlike d*mon who saw ppl standing by him as an excuse to continue to do terrible things and a justification of lashing out and harming innocents when he’s lost someone important to him, even justifying harming his loved ones, especially elena, his supposed soulmate or whatever.

it’s not selective viewing, it’s not favoritism. i’d take a 1000 year old sociopath over a slave owner any day lol and honestly it’s not my fault i have a capability of critical thinking skills which y’all are lacking in. i don’t have to justify the garbage things my asshole fave does to love him (and neither do the characters that love him!!!), and i know that klaus is by far better than damon will ever be - which, really, is an awful standard for d*mon to not meet lmao.

[fruitless-nonsense]

Hello again! A bit of a delay I know, had some personal life stuff, but I’m back babey!

Firstly, I want to say Happy Pride Month! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 I myself have only recently come out, but to all my peeps in the lgbtq+ community I wish you a month of celebration.

For the topic, I chose one that has been circling in my brain since some asks last week gave me a revelation: I will be discussing kolvina, and more specifically the direction the writers chose for a one Davina Claire.

This ship has always been an anomaly to me, like when it was happening on my screen I was in denial that it was happening at all, and the perceptions on this site have only fueled that feeling. I’ve been watching these communities for a few years now, and the general consensus is people both love and hate this ship, and both sides seem to be equal in numbers. So what is my opinion on kolvina? Well after much deliberation I have decided that.... I don’t like it, and here’s why!

First thing’s first, I want to say I understand this ship better than any other ship in both shows, honestly if the characters acted differently it would’ve been a lot better. The dynamic is there (and I know how important that is to people), not just a trope, but between both characters it works! Let me explain, starting with Kol. Season two goes into depth on his insecurities with his family and how lonely it made him feel over the years. I mean, the show always potrayed the big three: Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah with the strongest bonds and while Finn chooses to exclude himself (for valid reasons tbh) Kol even in the vampire diaries wanted to be a part of that. The problem is (for some reason that is never explained) his siblings don’t care about him. The easiest example is how they reacted to his death, Rebekah was upset for a minute and Elijah didn’t even seem affected at all, the closest I can say is Klaus was angered and didn’t forget for a while, but as soon as the originals started nothing. Then we have his second death where Klaus takes the only opportunity to bring him back off the table and the only one who seeks to try is Rebekah, meanwhile Elijah is nowhere to be found in this department. This finally brings us to Davina. As much of an issue as this is (and we’ll talk about it later), Davina seems to be the first person to ever put Kol first. When he dies a second time, Davina’s number one priority is his resurrection and goes to incredible lengths to do so. I know people say it’s unrealistic for Kol to take interest in a mortal, but it makes sense to me, she’s a witch. From what we learn, Kol has a soft spot for witches cause he yearns for the power that was taken from him by his mother, which doesn’t even go into Davina herself being a rebel like him who paved her own way. Onto Davina’s feelings towards him, Kol’s the only person in her life that is there unconditionally. I know Marcel loves her, but his loyalty to his family clearly comes into conflict with his loyalty to his other family, including her. Klaus either ruins her life or demands things from her. Cami was there for her, but they scrapped that relationship after season one. When Kol is by her side, it’s not cause he needs things from her, nor is he there as some kind of protection. In season two, Davina had a plan and Kol’s response was “okay, I can assist you with that.” Side note, I really liked their friendship in season two before they of course made it something more. Regardless of the past, all of this material would’ve made for a pretty great relationship, but it fell flat, why did that happen?

I have two reasons for why I could never get on board with them. The first is the most obvious: it’s the age difference for me. I know we had Damon and Elena and Klaus and Caroline, but for kolvina the vibe was weirder. Perhaps because Davina acts more childish than them in season one, or because our image of her was young and sweet. It might also have to do with Kol referring to being Kaleb as the body of a teenager making him seem way older than he probably is. I know by season three Davina is 18, but that feeling never goes away for me. This was my hesitance in season two, but as a friendship those two were pretty fun together (might be an unpopular opinion). The problems start in season three.

The second reason is something that the community has kind of dipped into, but not enough. I don’t know if I’m not looking hard enough, but every complaint for kolvina in season three talk only about how insufferable Kol was, which yeah definitely, but honeys he’s only half the problem. Not even halfway through season two Davina stopped being a character. Remember her in season one? A bright spitfire who wasn’t afraid to speak up at the injustice of the Mikaelson’s even if it put her at risk? The girl who showed up Klaus on multiple occasions? Who stood for Josh, Marcel, Cami, and anyone else being pushed around by Klaus? The girl who was powerful, yet kind? A powerhouse set up on a warpath against the Mikaelson’s for season two? I remember her! She was one of my favorite characters because of how badass she was while still keeping her agency. I don’t blame you if you forgot she’s never talked about, and that’s because of what follows. Season two starts off well, with Davina standing her ground against the wolves and keeping Mikael under control showed she wasn’t completely in over her head. Her plan is to find a way to de-sire Klaus’ sireline so she doesn’t kill Marcel and Josh which shows she’s smart and thinking ahead. Then she meets Kaleb, and it goes downhill from there. I get that Davina is supposed to be a naive teenage girl, but that doesn’t excuse after she finds out Kaleb is really Kol. After her Mikael plan fell through her backup plan is to just sit around until Kol shows her the room and tells her about the dagger. With what she’s trying to accomplish it’s a smart plan, but that doesn’t mean her sudden trust in Kol is any less stupid. Her first thought when he’s gone with the stake is to assume he took it and left, so if she thought he was capable of that, why did she drop her guard in the first place? Gets me frustrated. When Kol dies Davina also completes the dagger and for the rest of the season does nothing with it, she does nothing period but whine about Kol with everyone she interacts with which is annoying considering how much she was a part of in season one. That was bad, but the worst is yet to come. Season three gives her a storyline as a ruler of the witches before immediately ending it, and when you look at what they threw away it’s even worse. So Davina gets Hayley to kill one of her detesters and it ends in a bloodbath and the son vows justice for his mom (which is completely valid), and Marcel hints at her turning into Klaus. This is promising, in this scenario Davina is Klaus holding power over the powerless, and Van Nguyen is Davina taking a stand. Very interesting, until she gets shunned in the seventh episode. What was the point? The next time we see her she is distraught at her current predicament, but not because she’s cut off from her people and her ancestors because now she doesn’t have the power to bring Kol back (of course it’s for no other reason). I just don’t understand why Davina was relegated to a side character in the later seasons after all she did in season one. They couldn’t have cut anything else from 3a (Tristan and Aurora perhaps, they were so boring)? Finally, we have her characterization after she resurrected Kol, nothing. She does nothing but wait in the wings for Kol to finish helping his family, a family she hated and had every right to. She either does nothing, or is only around to help with Kol’s sudden curse, and yet Kol is supposed to be worse. I know, I know, the big bad Kol Mikaelson became a lost puppy chasing after Davina, but so was she. They were just as bad as each other, two puppies chasing the tail of the other. Then she died, to push forward the plot around her. If you think that’s treating her like a plot device, let’s fast forward to season four. Davina Claire, harvest girl, rebellious teen, former queen regent of New Orlean witches, is a piece of leverage to control Kol. I’m done. There’s not much to say about season five, she only shows up to spout information and that’s about it.

It’s a sad end that Davina doesn’t even get an epilogue in the finale (I mean I have many problems with the finale regardless but I digress). Our only conclusion is that she lives happily ever after with her immortal boyfriend. Oh yeah! They never explain that caveat. She’s a mortal witch who will eventually die of old age, and he’s an original. I’m either supposed to assume Davina becomes a vampire (which would be the most out of character thing for her to do considering she hates vampires and loves her magic), which would mean women making personal sacrifices while the man doesn’t have to give up a thing (such a wonderful lesson we keep telling young women), or Kol became mortal by maybe also taking the cure with Rebekah (which makes a bit more sense since we know Kol misses doing magic). The point is, we don’t know, cause they don’t explain anything.

Look Davina wasn’t the perfect character, but she deserved so much better than what she became, and the worst part is this is barely talked about. Like I said, when people hate on kolvina, they approach it from “they ruined Kol!” And not really mentioning Davina. You’ll notice I mention Kol’s characterization, but I’m not going in depth. That’s cause you can easily find a more articulated response on how they did Kol dirty without having to look too hard, but Davina? She needs all the shoutouts she can get. Cami is overhated, and Davina is ignored. That’s two female regulars in the cast being treated terribly by the community and I will not stand for it! I wanna see Davina Claire deserves better cause she did.

To wrap up a very long post, we need to talk about Davina more, when I said season three was better than tvd I wasn’t referring to 3a, justice for the women of the originals, happy pride month, I’ll try to post more frequently.

[founderscouncil]

this is much less thought through compared to my list for hope and tbh, i’m lowkey considering doing a full rewatch of tvd/to to help get some more ideas, so these are even more generic 

bonnie

for the love of all that is the tiniest bit holy, give bonnie one of those ships. you know which ones i’m talking about!! i genuinely don’t think i have a notp for her and my interpretation is very morally gray (so lowwwwwkey give her someone who appeals to that darkness a bit maybe?), idk mostly just give her some happiness??

jeremy

jeremy’s bisexual awakening (you think i’m joking but we all know it was tyler lockwood)

grumpy hunter jeremy who randomly shows up at salvatore once a month to drag alaric out and makes sure he showers and gets away from the school before dumping him at damon and elena’s for the day

uncle jeremy with his favorite pseudo-nieces, josie and lizzie

coda

either hayley or even keelin taking coda under their wing after they learn of the aftermath of the hollow’s rampage. could be one of the many reasons hayley really takes a leadership role after the mikaelsons split up after TO S4

if you don’t acknowledge the hollow storyline, coda’s backstory could be changed up so that she was orphaned when kingmaker development hunted down the pack while they were cursed by dahlia. either way, the idea is that her story touches on themes of community and generosity, while she also plays a foil to hope, as someone who lost everything due to the mikaelsons’ story but she still has to find a way to move on anyways

coda at salvatore and interacting with the squad bc that would be fun. maybe she gets sent with henry and hope when they’re seven, maybe she shows up after hope is revealed to be a mikaelson, but interesting to see how the squad reacts to someone who has known hope in a completely different context

coda just annoying hope. the end.

elijah

series of letters over the years between elijah and hope, hayley, rebekah, freya, klaus, anyone after the events of to s4. please do not make this man suffer alone with his thoughts. he will go through so many home improvement projects that the south of france will look like a completely rebuilt area by the time he’s done.

post-series threads where elijah lurks like a maddeningly well-dressed english professor near whitmore and spoils his niece (but also bc it’s me, he’s probably doing research on how to eliminate all threats ever and also how to stick hope in a magical bubble without her knowledge)

freya

idk to even call this an au or a divergent verse or what but imagining a ship (prob a vampire?) where it’s a slow burn of finding each other every century, dodging dahlia, the angst of only having one year together at a time, etc etc etc. she lived through so much but also not really? so it’d be half period au in the way we can jump all over the timeline (basically anything post her baby dying), half canon-compliant? like eventually we could sync up with canon and introduce the rest of the mikaelsons and see what spins up from there? does this make sense to anyone other than my brain lmao? 

vampire freya - either she turned so klaus could stay with hayley and hope after to s4 or one of the family’s enemies catches up to her and forces a turn to remove their magical help, or some other way, she’s undead now. it’s bittersweet because she sorely misses her magic but at the same time, she doesn’t have to grow old without her siblings either. she doesn’t know what to think about it, but she has to figure it out eventually. 

alternatively, she got turned into a vampire sometime before the series starts and she was able to live life freely away from dahlia for the first time in her life, and she doesn’t have to worry about having a child anymore, which makes her effectively useless to her aunt now, but once hope is born, freya has to actually meet her family and try to convince them that she is who she says she is, idk that’s all i’ve got rn

hayley

verses where hayley never died, verses where hayley is resurrected, verses where hayley is the best mom for hope, anything that lets her have the life with hope that she deserves. 

hayley / caroline / klaus co-parenting shenanigans. make it poly if so inclined.

keelin

slow burn freelin. a version where keelin is actually around in the years during the hollow because as wanderlust-y as she is, she’s not going to just abandon freya like please

keelin talking to hayley (or any other werewolf) about their differences in opinions about the wolf. keelin remembers her entire family being hunted down by lucien castle and how being a wolf never brought her anything but pain, yet at the same time, she does feel a disconnect to a huge part of who she is. someone to help her bridge that gap and her fear and showing her that her wolf side isn’t something to be feared or shunned

vincent

things with freya and/or keelin. nik could exist or not, i just enjoy that relationship a lot

the city holding vincent responsible for the hollow’s initial bid for power, and maybe he can’t be removed as regent but exploring a broken trust (especially in the years between s4 and s5) and how he has to overcome that to win back people’s backing

[austennerdita2533]

Hey!

I love Penelope Douglas for sure check her out! She writes some of the best smut tbh. I’m working my way through her devils night series right now-I’m on book 2. It’s good so far, definitely dark though. I’m interested to see how she goes about a redemption arc for the character Damon right now I don’t think he deserves one but I hear such good things about his book, Killswitch, but that’s book 3 so I will see how it goes. I definitely recommend Birthday Girl from her though I loved it and the couple from it are my favorite age gap could I’ve ever read. I find myself still re reading some of their best moments.

I am slightly embarrassed by Credence though so I hope it doesn’t bother you too much if you read it. Just so you know before going into it, it is about her and her step uncle/cousins. To be fair they are not blood related and very distance to the point she didn’t even know about them. But she does call him Uncle Jake during a sex scene, and the two others call her cousin during one too. There’s also a MMF scene with her two cousins. But on top of that there is a sexual assault scene (it does get stopped but the intent is there)-personally I wasn’t a fan of how she inwardly dealt with that scenario it felt like she was blaming herself for it instead of holding the other character accountable. Uncle Jake also does kiss her when she is still 17. So if any of that makes you uncomfortable don’t read it.

I’m so happy you liked the atlas six as much as I did. I can’t believe we have to wait until next year for the sequel to see what happens. It’s too long!! I also liked Callum the least, I still appreciated his character though and what he brings to the story I just wasn’t a fan of his, probably because of his problems with Libby/Parisa. Plus his powers terrify me-as someone who likes to have full control of my emotions the fact that someone could just change everything scares me. I also loved Nico he is my typical character that I love the whole I’m an asshole but soft and caring for the people I love gets me every time. Parisa is my queen though I’m obsessed with her. Like I’m literally in love with her, I wish she was real so she could be with me instead. Not that she would because I’m broke have 0 magic or power to give to her, but still. But I have a thing for power hungry women so I was gone the second I met her. But anyway if she was real she could destroy me or do anything she wanted to me and I would say thank you. Reina I also love and agree she could destroy the whole planet and one day probably will. I just love how she is there and wants all that knowledge but also doesn’t give a fuck about anyone else. Tristan also grew on me I’m still not completely sure how much I like or don’t like him yet he gets annoying sometimes because he is constantly in his mind about his alliances but I also love how loyal and caring he is. Libby is my girl!! I also relate to her as well since I was an outcast and battled inadequacy and all that (you and I must have some stuff in common!) Out of all the characters I relate to her the most and am rooting for her so hard-also because the author made her from Pittsburgh and I’m also from the area so I felt personally attached. But Olivie just did an interview and said Libby is getting a corruption arc and I am so excited about it!!

Okay ships- so I will be honest and I think it’s an unpopular opinion but oh well-I am a nicolibby stan. They have every single dynamic that I love in a ship and they could potentially be my favorite book couple of all time if that is the road they are being taken. Honestly I was obsessed with them from their first interaction so i have it bad for them. Obviously I know they were not romantic in this book but the potential (at least for me) was there especially in some of their quotes in the end. I fully believe they are soulmates though-even the author said they were born on the same day and feel like their other half is missing in an interview once-whether that will be platonic soulmates or romantic soulmates I have no idea and I could see either happening. My heart will break if it is platonic but it’s okay I can just live in my own little head about their potential.

But I get the idea and also like both libbytristan and NicoGideon and could see those happening instead of nicolibby too. I wouldn’t say I would be mad about it either-I do like both just to me the potential of nicolibby works more for me! My only thing about libbytristan though is I’m not sure how much of their tension/feelings are real (like did any of it exist before Parisa put the idea of the other person in their thoughts to lead to all the feelings.)

Weirdly enough since they probably my least favorite characters I also adore Tristan and Callum together. Their dynamic just works for me.

And I love Parisa and Dalton too and I’m so interested in how that relationship pans out because they have some stuff to figure out. But they work well together and honestly they are just so sexy together so I’m down for it. Although I do ship myself with Parisa more than her and Dalton but I’m biased.

Honestly though all the ships are wide open though so I’m curious to see what ends up being endgame. But omg yes the twist I was not expecting it-I’m so excited for the rest of this trilogy!!!

In other news though I finished up the ravenhood series. I know you said you either read it or it was on your tbr. But god I loved it. That series broke me and then put back all the pieces. If you haven’t read it and want to feel both heartbreak and happiness I highly recommend it!

Oh and don’t apologize for babbling as you can tell I also babble!!

-ACOTAR anon

Hiiiii sweets!

I've been sifting through a bunch of summaries of Penelope Doulgas' work on Goodreads and there's a bunch of stuff there I think I'd enjoy. I'm all about good smut. I didn't realize she had that many books. I'm excited! Thanks so much for the rec! I love dark romances/erotica every now and again so I'm also going to have to dive into the Devil's Night series at some point.

Oh, and idk if you know about it/read it but a couple of my friends told me about the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day a while back. It's BDSM, like Fifty Shades, but supposedly loads better. I don't know if you're into that but I figured I'd just throw it out there anyway. The smut is supposed to be steamy. I haven't read it yet but I do have the first four novels on my Kindle (where they've been sitting, unread, for about 2 years now)...so that's something haha.

And please don't be embarrassed about Credence. Seriously, the most wonderful thing about reading is you can go wherever tf you want in your imagination. No one can stop you. There are no rules. No restrictions. You can be whomever or whatever you want to be for a while, morality notwithstanding. One of my favorite things about books is that I can experience the most bonkers, outlandish out-of-this-world stuff that I'd never dream of wanting/liking in real life. It's liberating!

Thank you for the trigger warnings, though. I appreciate that. None of them sound off-putting enough to keep me from reading it. (Tbh, I want to read it more now.) I've read loads of books where characters marry or have sex with their cousins or siblings *waves at ASOIAF, the Secret History* so it doesn't bother me. I've also read most of Lolita and all of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Russell, which both romanticize pedophilia in disturbing degrees, so it takes a lot to put me off. If curiosity could kill then I'd be long dead by now. Hell, sometimes I will purposely read things I know will upset me to my core. What can I say? I'm a weirdo. 🙃

I DON'T WANT TO WAIT A YEAR FOR BOOK 2 OF THE ATLAS SERIES, EITHER. AHHHHH. How am I going to make it that long? It seems so far away!

Callum is the most terrifying of them all right now, imo. I think that's why I disliked him the most. Like you, it shook me to my core to imagine someone like him being able to toy with my emotions. I have a tendency to detach, to keep my emotions pressed close to my chest so that I can't be manipulated or hurt, and the idea that someone could have power over them, over me in that way is...no freaking thank you! I would put as much space between him and me as possible. Most of the Atlas crew had the right idea there. He does bring a lot to the story, though, like you said. I have a feeling he's going to be one of those characters I "love to hate" as the series progress. I might even grow to "hate to love" him, idk. He's just such a shady bastard! And so judgmental/mean to the girls.

I'm with you on Parisa, by the way. She's the kind of conniving, ambitious siren of a woman I can get behind. She has a similar vibe as Katherine Pierce on TVD. I mean, there's nothing in her arsenal she won't use and I love how she weaponizes her beauty. It's delicius. She's unpredictable. Definitely the type of character who inspires "scared and aroused" energy any time she walks into a room. Like, she could choke you and instead of crying you'd just ask her to do it again...harder lol.

Reina has the same kind of "no fucks given" attitude I have because I genuinely don't care what people think of me, either. I'm just here to do my thing. Be nerdy. Learn. Whatever. And Nico is my fave for the same reason as you--the asshole who only has soft edges for those who matter to him. *heart eyes*

Omg, Libby is going to have a corrupted arc? AHHHHH. That's going to be amazing, I cannot stinking wait! I was sort of hoping she'd go dark so now that it's confirmed I'm even more pumped. Also, I think you and I have more in common than either of us realized. I'm from the Pittsburgh area, too! How wild is that? Maybe there's something in the water here and that's why, like Libby, we've both felt inadequate and like outcasts at different points in our lives? Olivie might be onto something here...🤔

The thing that's been so cool for me about this series so far is that there are a bunch of potential pairings I could get behind. And I kind of like that it's not clear cut right now. Most series I know who I want together or who will be together like halfway through book 1. I like that I don't know have firm preferences and am still open. That's novel. Not to mention fun!

I don't blame you for shipping Nicolibby so hard, though. They're definitely one of my top contenders for a romantic pairing. They have that enemies-to-lovers element with witty banter that I always gravitate toward. And you're right about Libby/Tristan. I don't know how much of their connection was manufactured because Parisa intervened, either. That'll be fun to puzzle out moving forward. And Callum/Tristan should NOT be a ship I like but they have a palpable something that I can't put my finger on. I've got my eye on them, for sure.

The Ravenhood series is still on my tbr. I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, though! It's rare to read something that just ticks all your boxes. The next time I'm the mood to binge a series I'm gonna have to pick that one up. :-D

I've been trying to clear out my backlog of ARCs lately. (Not possible because I'm getting more on the regular - as in constantly haha - but I'm trying.) I just finished Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, which has a Sliding Doors premise that is set during the pandemic where the main character has a parallel life experience (one, where she's in the Galapagos Islands on vacation when the shutdown hits so she's stuck there with strangers, alone, not speaking the language; the other, where she's in Manhattan with her surgeon boyfriend and recovering from COVID). It's intense but so, SO good! Picoult is such a good writer. Anything I've read by her has been moving, with rounded and real characters. I haven't been disappointed yet. I so recommend her.

Oh, and if you're into nonfiction/biographies at all I finished The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson not long ago, which is about Winston Churchill as well as those around him, and it was fantastic! Read more like fiction. I loved it. I am no longer surprised it was on all the BEST lists for 2020.

[useragarfield]

author interview

tagged by: @redbelles (meg, my beloved)

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

55 on ao3 and we don’t talk about the stuff haunting me on ff.net that i refuse to take down and yet never acknowledge

2. what’s your total AO3 word count?

337, 942 jfc

3. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a soul whose intentions are good / darklina

it’s my right to be hellish / darklina

to rise with stardust in my eyes / darklina

sweet (a little selfish) / darklina

a million people in a crowded room / darklina

they’re all in the same series, so i mean lol

4. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

comments give me the will to LIVE and to write, i eventually get to all of them but i tend to sit down and do it in bulk

5. what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

formal apologies to every fan of the caskett!college au because currently they’re on the outs and i have to fix them lol. worst part is i’ve known the ending for like half a year and still haven’t written it...my bad, besties.

6. what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

god idk this is hard. when i get the wedding finale of the suits!au written...probably that one. special note to when you’re ready, you know where to find me because this tyrandy college au is just such a sweet work of mine, i think. best friends to lovers excellence, just like they.

7. do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

technically my tasm fics are all crossovers because i just plopped them in the mcu and said deuces. though to be fair, i wrote all of them before we got tom holland...whatever, so those. other than that, nada.

8. have you ever received hate on a fic?

creepy comments on a couple fics that i’ve deleted (why are they in the cloak & dagger fandom i’ll never know) and one really judgemental law school fact checker, like bro, i know i don’t know shit...but other than that, i’ve been pretty lucky.

9. do you write smut? if so what kind?

oh, bestie. 90% of my shit is smut, i’m sorry to say. i write all kinds, i think. referential, gentle, hard. fraught is my favorite kind tho, and i want them to all feel as hot and heavy but idk , pretty? as in my head. i am incapable of smut without emotions though i have written without plot before.

10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

11. have you ever had a fic translated?

not to my knowledge

12. have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! idk if i could, tbh - i’ve rped with people for years, but i see that more as original story creation with og characters than fanfic. i’m very protective about what i put out under my username.

13. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

i couldn’t have an answer here if i tried. my 2 or 3 of my top five tend to rotate, but if we’re doing ships via fanfic, peter/gwen, alina/aleksander, castle/beckett, nathan/haley, tandy/tyrone, zoe/wade.

14. what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

all too well, my tasm2 fix it fic where gwen turns into spider-woman. one of the first fics i’ve ever been proud of but i just don’t know where it was supposed to go anymore :(.

15. what are your writing strengths?

oh lord, i don’t know. i like to use big words sometimes. and i think i do a pretty bang up job at characterization because if there is one thing i cannot stand its ooc characters. pretty difficult for me because i either do entirely in canon or complete au’s, but i try my best.

16. what are your writing weaknesses?

how long a fic will be, and forcing myself from conceptualization to writing. i plot fanfic in my head through like storyboarding? with particular phrases, and it can be very difficult for me to get from scene to scene sometimes.

17. what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i always preface it with i can barely speak english and google translate is my best friend. especially with the russian (if you can call it that) in sab fic...i try, but like. 

18. what was the first fandom you wrote for?

technically speaking i learned how to type in 6th grade to write cardcaptor sakura fanfiction that will never ever see the light of day. published wise speaking, kickin’ it fanfiction. a disney xd show barely anyone remembers. no we will not speak of it.

19. what’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

charlie/gadi from the little drummer girl and damon/elena fron tvd. in the case of charlie/gadi, the dynamics in their show are just so nuanced and in depth i shy away from it because i wouldn’t even know where to START. also not one soul cares or wants to read but like, me. and for delena...i’ve been working my way through the tvd side of ao3 and have been shockingly disappointed with its offerings, and in that case i usually have to write what i want to see. cept i don’t know what i want to see yet. so hands kinda tied.

20. what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

right now i am so dumbly proud of the to get attention from a grown up series it’s incredible. writing for it helped me get through the depression of losing my last job. but other than that, stand out fics for me personally are:

let me breathe you in til gravity bends / cloak & dagger

something that’ll haunt me when you’re not around / one tree hill

this godforsaken mess that you’ve made me / shadow and bone

the wound’s still hot, so new, it’s still numb / hart of dixie

reset, restart, and then replay / castle

i know this guy, who knows this girl / hart of dixie

more to lose than to try and make it better / one tree hill

[denerims-archive]

29 - 39 + athena ✨

How did OC meet their significant other? If OC does not have a SO, do they want one? Damon was rude as per usual and Athena yelled at him for not having manners so they were destined from the start. Damon said I AM going to annoy this woman for the rest of my life and Athena said Who the hell is this douchebag?

How does OC get along with their parents? Athena very rarely ever saw her father - usually on holidays or at important events that required her to be there. He usually asked her how her studies were, if she was being taken care of properly, etc but that’s about as far as their relationship went. Seeing what he did to the people under his rule? She...really does not like him now. Her mother...was around a little more than her father especially when she was younger but that didn’t mean they particularly got on well. Athena had the distinct feeling of being a doll for her mother to dress up and play with. Once Athena started becoming her own person, her mother lost interest.

Does OC have siblings? Do they get along if they do? Do they wish they had some if they don’t? Yes, she had ten older siblings. Nerissa was the only one she was ever close to. Due to their age difference and lack of a mother figure, the older sister-younger sister relationship was more of a mother-daughter relationship tbh. Nerissa encouraged Athena in pursuing her passions and is probably responsible for Athena not turning out to be a selfish POS. She encouraged Athena to be worldly, well-read and well-intentioned. 

Her older siblings Auberon and Ecko as well as Celeste and Arlo enjoyed tormenting Athena and they didn’t get along at ALL. Celeste and Arlo were more childish while Auberon and Ecko just treated Athena like dirt and rarely spoke directly to her. Ven’dela and Athena might have gotten along if Ven’s mother and brother weren’t so adamant against the other kids. They’re both smart and I like to think maybe on rare occasions they played chess together. Noa and Sorenn were always polite to Athena but they weren’t close like Nerissa was.

Does OC have or want kids? She does and is very eager to be a better mother than her own. I don’t think she would have considered it if she was still involved with her family/on Goldis. The first time she thought about kids were in her fantasies where her and Vexx moved to some remote place on Orion and raised a family there. At the moment? It’s not really on her mind much since the future is up in the air.

Is OC/Would OC be a good parent? I think so! She’d spoil and love those kids to bits. Stay up teaching them about the stars, telling stories of her travels on the Andromeda, reading them bedtime stories. She’d be fiercely, almost terrifying in protecting them. Athena would want to make each of her kids feel special and would include herself in all of their hobbies.

What is something unusual OC has bonded with someone over? The entire Andromeda Six crew + having a shitty childhood lmaooo

What is the most important relationship in OC’s life? It used to be Nerissa and Vexx. Vexx is still important to her just in a different way? Things shifted...after everything and she’s still a little confused about how she feels about him. In general, the Andromeda crew has become the most important people to Athena. She feels like she finally found a family and in some of her darkest hours too. It’s sappy and she would never tell anyone besides like...Ryona and Aya but she feels like it was destiny they found her.

How has OC been affected by their friendships? WELL. Kinda negatively thanks a lot VEXX. He was a positive force in her life originally though and the Andromeda Six crew has also become important in her evolution. She’s less naive and more thoughtful and aware of how others grew up and what situations affected them. Her worldview has been widened by all of them and it’s great for her.

How has OC been affected by their family relationships? Oh ya know. Just made her cling to every kind person who gave her the time of day in her life. Made her prone to loneliness that she both loathes and feels comfort in. Made her feel like she was never important or good enough. The usual.

How has OC been affected by their romantic relationship(s) or lack thereof? Athena is touch-starved and needs affection ALWAYS. She’s also super insecure in relationships because she’s only had...one in her life and he keeps saying he never cared for her so. Thanks again, Vexx. She WILL wake Damon up in the middle of the night to ask if he likes her ksjldgg. Honestly, her attraction to Damon who is so aloof and not forthcoming with his feelings is her absolutely going after the least available person because she thinks she’s not worthy of love anyway. There’s obviously other things she likes about Damon eventually but that first initial attraction was her going “Cool! Let’s hurt myself again!”

Who does OC consider they have learned their most important life lesson from? Nerissa! She always told Athena to take the high road/focus on the things that matter when it came to her siblings. It gave her a focus and drove her in her studies and made sure that she became a kind person despite her tunnel-vision/lack of worldview/experience. She really does mean well and that’s thanks to Nerissa’s influence.

[hellreads]

Hi! Can you suggest some good immersive fics that will make me feel all the feels? Even better if they're series! Thank you I love your blog!!

hi there sweetie, thank you for loving this blog, lemme love you too!💕💖✨ hmm this is tricky, to ask me of all people for immersive fic recommendations because I always immerse (to me reading something I enjoy and immersing in it makes me feel like I’m an actress playing the part so whatever genre it is watch me get into it 100%) but I’ll try and make a list of fics one per member, where I immersed myself through and through (shit this is harder than I thought, btw WII stands for why I immersed lol ~ list under the cut) 😅 | 🍒

➴ Kim Namjoon❥ Let the Villain Win by @lemonjoonah​➴ Author/Yandere!AU | Author!Namjoon x Agent!Reader | One-Shot➴ Kim Namjoon, famous author and your childhood friend has been keeping a secret from you. His new book treads on such dark themes that he’s finding it difficult to write. Excited by the prospect of a sinister plot you offer him a piece of advice, “Let the villain win…”➴ WII: I love Misery by Stephen King plus its movie adaption and LTVW gave me reverse Misery vibes, I know most people wouldn’t want to put themselves or immerse into stories like this but the adrenaline rush of being in MC’s shoes? delicious, I felt like as soon as Namjoon’s plan came to fruition my body astral projected to see him in all his yandere glory.

➴ Kim Seokjin❥ In the Bleak Midwinter by @pcyheartgirlx​➴ Idol/Prostitution!AU | Idol!Seokjin x CEO!Reader x Idol!Chanyeol | Series➴ We’re all whores, we just sell different parts of ourselves.You own a multi-billion dollar company, servicing the biggest names in kpop, in more ways than one. Under the name “Starlight Catering”, you, your best friends, Damon and Maya, and your hundreds of workers provide stress relief for idols.You have partially retired, not because you didn’t want to, but because Chanyeol was your muse. He was all that you had time for and all you needed. Until Jin came along.So what happens when you mix fire and ice?You get smoke and all the lines are blurred.➴ WII: tbh starting this fic I never really knew what I was getting into, all I saw was Kim Seokjin and I was sold, I was never a Park Chanyeol stan before reading this but I ended up being one, there’s a lot going on in this series but to immerse and be in a love triangle between the two men and feel the push and pull plus intense passionate emotions they’re willing to shower you with will tear you apart, but don’t worry there are two doors at the end of the story you get to choose between Jin or Chanyeol. 

➴ Min Yoongi❥ Dead Leaves by wrienne➴ Detective/Infidelity!AU | Detective Inspector!Yoongi x Homicide Detective!Reader x Teacher!Jimin | Series➴ In which you (reader) are a homicide detective about to face the biggest hurdle both of your career and life.Married to probably the kindest but most boring man you’ve ever met and living in a town where nothing ever seems to happen means life for you is dull. Dull enough to drive you crazy with boredom and dissatisfaction. However, life changes abruptly when your old boss retires and a new man takes his place - a man you used to love (and sleep very regularly with) more than a decade ago. Especially when your husband comes home smelling of perfume, you’re unable to resist your more carnal urges and dead women start showing up across the city with unnerving frequency.➴ WII: I have always had a thing for working in forensics, profiling people, investigating crime scenes, and basically any investigator/detective/analyst work and this story right here helped me get that feel because there are actual cases they work on here with vivid descriptions to help that wild imagination of yours *wink* + the whole infidelity affair is a mystery you’ll have to use your deduction skills.

➴ Jung Hoseok❥ Bad Guy by @sweetbunnykook​➴ Mob/Infidelity!AU | Mob Boss!Jin x Wife!Reader x Mob!Yoongi x Mob!Hoseok | Series➴ After a brutal attack in Hong Kong, your marriage with Kim Seokjin cracks as secrets begin to surface and a series of betrayals find their way into the veins of the Hidden Tigers. Although Jin’s devotion endures, in his own definition, the reality of being a mob wife may be too much for you to bear.➴ WII: this will put you in a rollercoaster ride of emotions there are actually three members here that will make things quite hard for you, but I have to say BG Hoseok is definitely one of my favorite characterizations of him, though there will be a push and pull of emotions once you get further into the story.. also, you’ll have to go through so much because immersing in this one will hurt a lot to the point where your heart is almost numbed.

➴ Park Jimin❥ Neighbors by @jkeuphoriadreamland​➴ Neighbor/Stalker!AU | Stalker!Jimin x Neighbor!Reader | Series➴ Finally achieving your successes in life you never expected the distraction that came with your new hot neighbor. He, however, had been trying to get your attention for a much different reason.➴ WII: hey it’s ya girl danger lover (my tag line lol), seriously immersing in this one will kinda make you wonder about MC and her choices as if Jimin cast a spell on her, there is this psychological manipulation he uses on her and it will drive you to madness because you will still bend to him and find him irresistible + the kinks here = wildt.

➴ Kim Taehyung❥ Clandestine by @ditzymax​➴ Assassin!AU | Assassin!Taehyung x Assassin!Kinsoo x BF!Jungkook | Series➴ As a professional assassin, Kim Kinsoo has many shrouded secrets in her life. Some of them she shares openly with her loving boyfriend, but there are other things he must never know➴ WII: now I know you’re probably wondering if it’s possible to immerse in fics with named OC? as I said I’m an actress who plays the part when reading and to immerse into the enigma that is Kinsoo is a wonderful experience, this belongs to the list of the intense fics I immersed into and if you’re the type to go all out when immersing no matter what genre or theme (taboo) the story contains you’ll enjoy the intensity of this one because you get everyone’s POV as you go through making you understand each character better and there is actual assassin work here if you enjoy the stealth way, you’ll appreciate Taehyung and Kinsoo’s work and the people that work for them.

➴ Jeon Jungkook (I’ll list five why not? I have read way too many JJK fics lol)❥ Right of Way by fringesofsanity➴ Infidelity!AU | Cheater!Jungkook x Cheater/GF!Reader x BF!Jimin | Series➴ In theory, things were simple: your best friend was Jungkook’s girlfriend while your boyfriend, Jimin, was Jungkook’s best friend. In reality, things weren’t always that simple. And mutually exclusive.➴ WII: if there’s one story I will never shut up about? it’s this one, I always recommend this to friends, this is the perfect depiction of having a taste of your own medicine in fic form, immersing in this one will make you fall for Jungkook and hope for your own ending, but this won’t sugarcoat anything for you and that’s what I love about this story, but tbh I still think of my own ending every single night. sighhhhh.

❥ When You Least Expect It by @johobi​➴ F2L!AU | BFF!Taehyung x BFF/GF!Reader x BF!Jungkook | Series➴ You’re in love with your childhood friend, Taehyung. The problem is, you treasure your friendship with him far too much to ever risk losing it. Oh, and he’s quite the Casanova. At your wits’ end with feelings you can no longer hide as diligently as you once did, you ask him to set you up with someone, anyone, in a last ditch attempt to avoid a heartbreaking conversation.➴ WII: okay, me putting this under the list for Jungkook must expose which side I’m on but that’s not the reason why this is under his name, it’s here because I love his WYLEI characterization so much and if you’ve been reading this series too, you’re probably head over heels in love with the boy too? and immersing in this, feeling all the ways he changed MC’s life and the way he loves her? stop it i’m crying right now. T_T

❥ Only You by @sweetbunnykook​➴ Stalker/Lovers!AU | Stalker/BF!Jungkook x Noona/GF!Reader x Ex-Fiance!Namjoon x BFF!Seokjin | Series➴ Jeon Jungkook, your wedding photographer, helps you escape on your big day upon learning about a secret your groom-to-be kept hidden. You soon fall for this young, passionate photographer. However, you underestimated just how much he was willing to reciprocate that love. Maybe, you think, he’s loving you just a little too much.➴ WII: ahhhh to be Jungkook’s Noona, I love immersing in this because there’s so much intense passion here, and if you allow yourself to fall into the role you will understand the statement that Love is Blind that people will overlook anything their lover is involved in because so what if they did this or that? they only have hearts in their eyes, the manipulation here might get to you irl, like wow, seriously this was so brilliantly written, how can you not love Jungkook and give him everything right?  

❥ DNA by @btssavedmylifeblr​➴ Dystopian/Breeding!AU | Stud!Jungkook x Cow!Reader | Series➴ Jungkook’s career is in jeopardy when he begins falling for a woman he’s supposed to impregnate.➴ WII: the futuristic feels? amazing description and details? unique universe? if you’re up for those things this is one amazing read you should be immersing yourself into, I’m so in love with the way this was written, Bee and her galaxy mind will challenge you into painting all of her words in your head and you’ll have an advanced futuristic universe where babies are manufactured and modified to your liking but if you mix feelings into the process and what do you get? ugh, this is just brilliant!

❥ The Fitting by @noona-la-la-la​➴ Idol!AU | Idol!Jungkook x Stylist/Noona!Reader | Series➴ The younger Jungkook has a workplace crush on you, but you let the flattery get to you and make a proposition you can’t take back.➴ WII: who can ever say no to idol!jungkook? prepare to immerse into this tension-filled romance with Jungkook, laced with complications of keeping a secret “relationship“, so this is what happens when fire meets ice at work, and this being an idol!au will give you a glimpse of how they probably keep their affairs hidden from everyone and it can be stressful, full of jealousy, and fights.

➴ OT7 ❥ Void by @btssavedmylifeblr​➴ Space!AU | Space Crew!OT7 x Space Crew!Reader | Series➴ You are the only female crew member on a 12-year space mission with seven handsome men. The sexual tension is real, y’all.➴ WII: BEST.OT7.FIC.EVER. so why not immerse yourself and be the only girl in their universe right? this has so much sexual tension since they only have you sis, but it’s fun to get all the attention tho there will be stressful and trying times, the boys will compensate *wink*wink* 

❥ A Hundred Percent Human by wrienne➴ Hybrid/Host-Club!AU | Hybrid!OT7 x Human/Owner!Reader | Series➴ In which you (reader) are forced to take care of seven hybrids in a twist of fate.After your estranged mother passes away, you’re left with an unwanted will and the heavy burden of responsibility. Although you’re desperate not to stray from the familiar path you thought was laid out in front of you with a fully human boyfriend who loves you more than anything, your life is thrown upside down once more after another unfortunate incident (that may or may not have to do with said boyfriend) occurs.Drunk and down on life, you finally decide to deal with the house and the unsavory business your mother left behind. However, to your shock, you find that seven very different hybrids are included with both the house - and the business. Seven hybrids you never even met before - even less agreed to take care of.Set in the not too distant future where infertility has become mankind’s greatest issue. Will contain sexual content.➴ WII: what’s an ot7 fic without tension? majority of the boys are dog hybrids with certain classes and MC has no fucking clue how to deal with hybrids let alone seven of them with two of them being special classes/cases, this will be a little slow-paced as the story starts more on their background/history as hybrids and they’re still getting comfy with one another, which I think is a great way to pull readers in and grow attached to the hybrids.

❥ Moth to Flame by @bang-to-the-tan➴ Vampire!AU | Vampire!OT7 x Human!Reader | Series➴ Robbed of your memories and intended as a birthday present for a deadly creature of the night, you unwittingly become the center of a territorial dispute between two covens of vampires. Tensions are rising and the brothers are getting hungry.➴ WII: how can we pass up on vampire!ot7? this is a brilliant story that will have the same haze effect on you as the reader, I immersed hardcore on this one and I’m like who am I? it’s weird when you get affected and get all the phantom feels from reading alone you know? and this will affect you so much I swear to god it’s you literally transported and astral projected into this universe and it’s so pleasing but also frightening to be in the middle of two covens.

❥ Physcom by @teawithkpop➴ Dystopian/Sex Worker!AU | Idol!OT7 x Physical Companion!Reader | Series➴ AU where live-in Physical Companions are provided to k-pop groups so the members can relieve their sexual related stress and tension - around their busy schedules, of course. You are one such “PhysCom”. However, complications arise when the BTS members start harboring romantic feelings for you. Feelings you’re not sure you can reject with any believable amount of conviction. Such a scandal could result in getting both you and them fired and exposed, ruining any future career options for all parties involved… it turns out the “com” in PhysCom might as well stand for complications.➴ WII: this has an interesting take on being Bangtan’s “companion” and to immerse into this one and watching everyone catch feelings and defy the rules for a chance at romance will overwhelm you, you a mere “companion” now the object of their affection and they’re willing to do anything and everything for you even if it means risking it all. 

p.s. I suggest you go through my FICSHELF to view all of the stories I ever read so you get to choose the exact story you want to read, the shelf contains story links (Tumblr and ao3 if any) with summary, warnings, and more info about the fic (character role, genre, au, word count). 

[francesderwent]

are there are songs from reputation that you think work really well for delena?

A WONDERFUL question, anon!!!  I went slightly overboard.  In my defense, the intersection of Taylor and TVD is one of my great loves.

Firstly: reputation as an album has its own, overall story arc, which fits Delena pretty neatly!  Just as reputation begins with the very rock bottom, and has to work its way upwards to the happily-ever-after which is truly earned because it’s found where there seems to be no hope – so, too, Damon and Elena meet each other in each of their darkest moments.  Damon has lost and been betrayed by Katherine, Elena is still devastated by her parents’ death.  Damon is distanced from his humanity; Elena is far from her true magnetically charismatic self.   But they see and recognize each other, even through their pain.  And they love each other.  They find peace together, in the midst of all the darkness and craziness and people insisting it can never work.  

That said, there are some individual songs that really scream “DELENA”

“…ready for it?” is the “it is right, just not right now” of songs.  As such, it is more from Damon’s perspective than Elena’s – as soon as Elena figures out “I know I’m gonna be with you” she does not “take her time,” she makes the jump straight from 0 to 100.  Also, the line “in the middle of the night in my dreams, you should see the things we do, baby”, paired with the restraint of the next line insisting on taking time, is a little reminiscent of Friday Night Bites, wherein Damon says he’s going to sneak into the Gilbert house in the middle of the night and do with little cheerleader Elena whatever he wants…and then he breaks in and just tenderly watches her sleep.    

“End Game” has three perspectives, so if you squint I think it can be about the love triangle: Damon proclaims, “I got a bad boy persona, that’s what they like / you love it, I love it too cause you my type / you hold me down and I protect you with my life”.  Stefan’s verse is both a little gentler and a little more cautious: “For all your beautiful traits and the way you do it with ease / for all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities / I made mistakes and made some choices that’s hard to deny…I’ve passed days without fun, this endgame is the one”.  (Bonus points for “it’s easier to ignore it, believe me, ” because Stefan is King of Denial.)  And finally, we find Elena’s perspective in the bridge: “I don’t wanna be just another ex-love you don’t wanna see / I don’t wanna miss you like the other girls do.” She doesn’t want to lose either of them – but it’s the one who “calls my bluff on all my usual tricks” that she eventually chooses.

“I Did Something Bad” is not a Delena song. I’d posit that the first verse is Katherine and the second verse is Rebekah.

“Don’t Blame Me” is more of a Damon/Katherine song, but there’s something kind of charming about imagining a Damon in-love-with-Elena saying “don’t blame me, love made me crazy” when he’s accused of doing something nice or self-sacrificial.

“Delicate” reminds me a lot of pre-relationship s4 Delena, when Elena has just turned and is most self-conscious about who she is and how she’s perceived by her friends and family.  Damon looks at her and sees not a problem to be fixed, but the woman he loves, the most alive he’s ever seen her.  Also “sometimes when I look in your eyes, I pretend you’re mine, all the damn time” is a big time Delena mood.

“Look What You Made Me Do” is sort of the universal humanity-switch song.

“So It Goes” is one of Taylor’s saddest songs, tbh, because the phrase “so it goes” expresses a kind of determined inevitability. And in the past – in “Style” and in “You Are In Love” – she’s used the phrase to describe the way that relationships progress, how things fall into place despite difficulties.  Even though he’s been out and about with other girls, they fall back together because they can’t stop thinking about each other.  Relationships that start with one look in a dark room progress inevitably to pictures kept in an office downtown.  In 1989 particularly, Taylor insists stubbornly that as long as you have the courage to stay, things can work out.  As long as nobody leaves, things move along a set pathway: so it goes.  But with “So It Goes”, the track, what happens inevitably isn’t staying together, it’s not the relationship growing closer and more real.  It’s falling together and falling apart, and “doing a number” on each other.  What’s fated is the whole progression of believing that you’ve found something to keep, and then finding it’s just another thing to lose.  Destiny becomes fatalism.  And this, long story short, is pretty s5 delena.  For a moment, it looks like the love that pushed them both to be better versions of themselves is just going to twist and fall apart, like everything else that’s disappointed them in the past.  The magnetism and chemistry is still there - “'cause we break down a little, but when I get you alone, it’s so simple” – but now it looks like it could be leading them to their doom.  

“Gorgeous” fits pretty neatly into s3 Delena, particularly that one time when Damon is distracting Rebekah and Elena is distracting Stefan and they’re both mad about it.  Also, “you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room” is CLEARLY the hand-holding in the motel-room-of-sexual-tension, and the consequence is making out on the ice machine and embarrassing Jeremy.

“Getaway Car” is not a Delena song, as it is pretty clearly a Katherine song: “us traitors never win…that was the last time you ever saw me”.  But it does kind of describe the season 3 finale moment when Elena says she picks Stefan, “but maybe if we had met first…”  She was the first to leave, because she was thinking of the place where they first met – but she was wrong about where they first met, and that changed the whole arc of the story.

“King of My Heart” is a nice counter-point to “…ready for it?”, encapsulating how as soon as Elena realizes she loves Damon, she is “all at once” totally confident, totally committed, all-in.  “Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep” is very Delena, as is “is this the end of all the endings? my broken bones are mending”.  “Baby, all at once, this is enough.”

“Dancing With Our Hands Tied” is another s4-5 early relationship fate-fighting bop.  “I’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down, I’d hold you as the water rushes in if I could dance with you again” particularly reminds me of “I wanted to dance with you today”.

“Dress” is THE Delena song, because everyone thinks it’s just about sex - but it’s about someone seeing who you are, and about belonging to someone so deeply that it’s written all over you.  It’s about all the things which define you suddenly having a new meaning because of how truly you know you are loved.  “Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing” = “What do they know about us?”.  “Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me” = “I like you now, just the way that you are.”  She doesn’t?? want him like a best friend????

“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is a pretty great anthem for Damon “the fun brother” Salvatore and Elena “just as crazy as me” Gilbert.  Y’all know I love forgiveness and believe it is the truest kind of strength, but Elena and Damon both have petty sides, for sure.  This song is the moment where Elena walks in on Damon and the boys playing a drinking game to celebrate Katherine’s demise, and she says if anyone’s going to drink to it, she is.

“Call It What You Want” feels like a mid-s6 song to me, before Elena’s gotten her memories back, but when she’s beginning to realize just how lucky she is to have Damon back.  She doesn’t fully understand it yet – “call it what you want” – but she knows somehow that despite everything, this is where she belongs: “And I know I make the same mistakes, every time / bridges burn I never learn / at least I did one thing right.”  “You don’t need to save me, but would you run away with me” marks the decision to become human together.

“New Year’s Day” is sort of the perfect song for all the bookends of Damon and Elena’s story.  First, “there’s glitter on the floor after the party…you and me from the night before”: her eighteenth birthday party, the first time she realized she loved him.  “I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away”: no matter what, they always survive. “I want your midnights”: the epic moments, the night of Miss Mystic Falls, the night at the motel, the night of the meteor shower thunderstorm – “but I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day”: the everyday moments, cooking and sitting together on the sofa and going to parent-teacher conferences.  But midnight and new years day also symbolize the wild, powerful, heightened life of immortality and their peaceful, homey life with their family.  The song ends on “there’s glitter on the floor after the party…you and me forevermore”: Alaric and Jo’s wedding, when they decided they’re going to get married and be human together.

[thehollowprince]

The Mikaelson family 😒. Spoiled Anglo Saxons who have committed countless atrocities but nobody dare hold a grudge or face their self righteous wrath. They literally owned a plantation and treat Marcel (black characters in general) horribly but I'm supposed to? They slaughter and pillage, exploit and manipulate but only their enemies are wrong for the same thing. The Originals aren't even compelling enough to warrant a spinoff, they were unkillable so where's the suspense?

Mikaelson family really was some borderline incestuous, extremely toxic shit. The way Klaus meddled in Rebekah's love life and was especially controlling of her. Throw the whole family away, tbh. They never learn or grow. They act like spoiled brats. Were the Mikaelsons black or brown, they'd have perished much much earlier. Davina was right calling Elijah no better than his siblings. Freya? She was the same. Being shitty runs in the family, I suppose.

____________________________________________________

When I first heard back in the day that they were going to do a spinoff show just about the Originals, I remember asking myself, "How?"

By that point in time, the family was whittled down to three remaining memebers. Mikael and Esther were both dead, as was Henrik, Finn and then most recently, Kol. Of course, by that time as well, the eighth sibling that "died of the plague" was assumed dead as well, long before we knew about Freya. A family of nine was now just three and we're supposed to base an entire show around that, especially when those three can't even stand one another?

Of course, then I watched the backdoor pilot and was even more confused. We were really going with the "Twilight" plot of Klaus' one-night-stand getting pregnant with a magical, miracle baby? And to have that baby mama be Hayley after what she had done to Tyler? But I stuck around because I was intrigued by this character Marcel and the politics of the witches in New Orleans. By that point in time we hadn't seen any semblance of a witch community so it was an interesting concept.

But then as the show kept going on and on, retconning everything we learned about them on TVD, I was getting more and more aggravated.

Stefan and Damon hadn't even heard of the Originals but somehow they very publically "founded" and ran New Orleans for over two hundred years?

And Michael never heard of them until the 20th century?

Elijah talks about Klaus burying his family at sea, only to be revealed to be the one who most often helped dagger his siblings?

Plus, how do you maintain a show with three potentially unkillable leads? Aside from the White Oak Stake, which was out of play for over half the season, there is no way to kill these characters, meaning there are no real stakes involved. I was much more invested in Marcel and Davina and the witch community, and the werewolves when they came along.

That was probably the biggest missed opportunity of the show. Plec and Narducci went on and on about how the theme of this show was Family, but what they meant to say was "blood family". If you weren't related to the Mikaelsons by blood, you were worthless. I mean, take Marcel. Here's a guy who came from nothing, was rescued and raised by Klaus (insert white savoir trope here) and became the leader of the entire vampire community of the city. Less than a century after Klaus and his family were run out of town, he managed to rebuild and lead his community, only for Klaus to stomp back in like an overgrown child and demand that Marcel give back the toys he threw away? Klaus ran, tail tucked between his legs, from New Orleans and never looked back but then has the audacity to be pissed off that Marcel did what he couldn't?

And that's not even getting into Elijah's two-faced hypocrisy, acting the nobleman while being more savage than any of his siblings. Remember when he mocked Lucien and Tristan and Aurora for the pain that he put them through? When he killed Marcel on the off chance he might become a threat, thus leading to the actual threat? When he murdered four teenage girls to restart the Harvest because it was beneficial to his family at that time? Good times, right?

And let's just, for a second, rewind to the issue of Marcel. Here was a character that was supposedly "part of the family", which we know was bullshit from the beginning because he wasn't called Marcel Mikaelson, no, he was Marcel Gerard. They treated him more like a pet than a member of their family and I shouldn't have to go into how gross that is, given the racial issues, especially in the South. And then we had the whole prophecy of the Beast. The moment that Elijah thought he might be a potential threat to this "family" that is more often at each other's throats than getting along, he murdered someone who was supposed to be "like a son" to Klaus. Who he, himself, purportedly loved as family. Like I said, if you weren't a blood relative, you were nothing. Even Hayley was only tolerated because she was the oven in which their Bun cooked.

Side Note: as much as I hated what Elijah did to Marcel, that whole scene leading up to it was my favorite in the entire history of the show. Since season three of TVD, so for five years, across two shows, I was waiting for someone to call the Mikaelsons out on their bullshif and I was so glad that it was Marcel. After everything that family put him through, he deserved to yell at them, to call out their "Always and Forever" crap for the all-purpose excuse they used it as.

But it wasn't just Marcel, Hayley was treated horribly, despite the fact that she was the mother to "their salvation". The fandom in particular treated her horribly, which in turn led the narrative to treat her horribly to appease the fandom, and on and on the cycle went. I had my issues with Hayley, no doubt, but her and Jackson worked really well together, and they both cared about the werewolves so it was a nice storyline. But then Klaus had them all cursed because how dare they try to take away his (not their, HIS) daughter from him to keep her safe from Dahlia. How dare she!

The problem with this show was that we had more than just the Mikaelson Family. We had an excellent found family in Marcel and Davina, and then Josh and Cami and even Vincent. It was right there, but never acknowledged and that is infuriating.

Speaking of Davina, let's get into their treatment of her. The Mikaelsons were notorious for how they treated Davina, as a tool to be used and then tossed aside when no longer useful. The number of times that Klaus attacked this poor girl is outrageous. And for her to die the way she did, sacrificed so that the Mikaelsons could use her to stop an enemy that they created was just disgusting. Especially come the next season when they continued to act like what they had done was totally okay but never actually apologized for it. The words "I'm sorry" never left Elijah's or Freya'a lips.

That was the most astounding thing to me, that they Mikaelsons continuously treated people like literal trash and then were the pikachu meme whenever they turned against them. They constantly played the victim card to their own victims and that is increasingly disturbing, especially given how many people ate that shit up.

And we had, as you said, Klaus' continuous interference into Rebekah's love life, which came off way more as jealousy than brotherly concern (combined with his weird abandonment issues). But that's okay, he got to live out that incestuous fantasy with Aurora, who was so thinly veiled to be another version of Rebekah that it's not even funny.

At the end of the day, I think that's why I loved the Trinity so much. Lucien, Aurora and Tristan were the versions of Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah that I never got. They were the versions of those three that got to be unapologetically villains without the sib story.

I gotta say, though, it was THE ORIGINALS, that finally got me to swear off of The CW. None of the shows I've ever watched on that network were good, especially looking back on them and realizing how fucked up they really were.

[purplesurveys]

949

Something different! Tiny break from all the random ones I’ve taken recently.

Name a movie starring... Survey by aussielozzie

Gary Sinise: I’ve honestly never heard of him before. The name is a *little* familiar, but I know nothing else about him.

Tom Hanks: Toy Story 1-4! The first one will always be my favorite animated movie of all time. So good.

Melanie Griffiths: I’m not familiar with her work but I do know she’s Dakota Johnson’s mom, so at least I have that going for me.

Angelina Jolie: Salt. I remember watching it with my mom at the cinema when it premiered like 10 years ago. It wouldn’t normally be my type of movie, but I was really into Angelina then so we watched it together.

Lindsay Lohan: Herbie, omg this was one of my favorites as a kid. I used to be really excited whenever it was the movie Disney was airing in the evening because they showed it so rarely.

Rachel McAdams: The Vow, The Notebook, Spotlight, Mean Girls... I love her, so I’ve seen a bunch of her films. My guilty pleasure favorite would be The Vow, but the best movie of hers that I’ve watched is Spotlight.

Brad Pitt: World War Z, I think? I barely remember that movie; I slept through it.

Cameron Diaz: Uhh the Shrek movies, but I’ve only seen the second one. Never knew she voiced Fiona until years later.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Shakespeare in Love, though I only largely know of her role because she won an Oscar for it and yet the wildly popular opinion is that she didn’y deserve to win Best Actress.

Hugh Grant: LOVE ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVS. I honestly really liked the storyline he was part of even though a lot of people didn’t haha, I thought he was great at playing the dorky Prime Minister.

Juliette Lewis: I know of Julia Louis-Dreyfus but not her haha, sorry. Close enough.

Johnny Depp: Edward Scissorhands. Can’t say I’m a fan of his movies, but I’m aware of a number of them just because they’ve always been popular.

Liv Tyler: Ooooh I’ve always thought she’s sooooo beautiful but I don’t think I can name one of her movies without having to look it up :(

Halle Berry: Catwoman.

Queen Latifah: Not sure if I can cite a movie of hers, I know who she is but not really familiar with anything else about her.

Sharon Stone: I’m pretty sure she’s in that movie with the famous scene of her in white with her legs crossed. I’m just not sure what the name is.

Keira Knightley: Again, Love Actually. That movie was such a hodgepodge of big Hollywood names. I’m all over it.

Tom Cruise: Eyes Wide Shut. Can’t let this survey go without a hint of Kubrick :)

Ben Affleck: Gone Girl!!!!!!!!! Intense movie that I honestly associate more with Rosamund Pike, but you asked for Ben Affleck so there ya go. He was in Good Will Hunting too, but I also associate this movie more with Matt Damon and Minnie Driver. I don’t really care for Ben, I guess lol.

Jennifer Garner: 13 Going On 30. <3 Also one of my favorites.

Demi Moore: “She’s the act-RESS that was in Disclosure, Indecent Proposal, Ghost.” Those who watch Friends will know, heheh.

Ashton Kutcher: No Strings Attached. Nothing much to share about it as I haven’t seen it.

Sandra Bullock: The Proposal – easily the best romcom ever. Would be very happy and willing to die on such a hill.

Jim Carrey: The Mask. I have a lot of fond memories laughing over this with my sister and cousins when I was much younger. But also...Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Such an important film to me.

Renee Zellweger: Bridget Jones’s Diary, but I’ve never seen it.

Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Shut, and the film I can’t watch more than once, The Hours. She was also in The Killing of A Sacred Deer if I remember correctly.

Eddie Murphy: Dreamgirls. I specifically remember this because I watched this movie at an age where I was supposed to be nowhere near it (only watched it for Beyoncé lol) and Eddie Murphy played a really vulgar character. He said a lot of innuendos that went over my head as a kid that I was terrified to learn about as an adult.

Mike Myers: Cat in the Hat...lol

Adam Sandler: 50 First Dates! Such a bittersweet story but still makes me feel warm and fuzzy in all the right places. :)

Ben Stiller: Night at the Museum, I think.

Keanu Reeves: John Wick, which I know nearly everyone loves but I have not seen it. Doesn’t seem like my type of movie though so I don’t know if I’ll ever plan on watching.

Hillary Swank: Million Dollar Baby. I have wanted to watch this for the longest time, idk why I never got around to it.

Kirsten Dunst: The Virgin Suicides. I’ve also been eyeing this for a while, but I’m scared off by the title tbh. I feel like it would be too triggering for me.

River Phoenix: Stand By Me.

Owen Wilson: I know he’s a Wes Anderson favorite. The Darjeeling Limited, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, etc.

Sean Penn: Into the Wild, but I mostly watched that movie because of Kristen Stewart ha.

Rob Schneider: Not sure if I know of any.

Will Ferrell: Same here.

Jack Black: Nacho Libre. This movie will always be embedded in my mind because I remember when I used to hang out with/babysit one of my baby cousins, my aunt (his mom) used to tell me that I’m free to pick out any movie from their movie shelf except Nacho Libre. That has stuck with me since and to this day I’m kind of scared to watch it hahahaha

John Travolta: Grease.

Toni Collette: Knives Out, Hereditary, and of course, the ever-depressing I’m Thinking of Ending Things...

Reese Witherspoon: Legally Blonde.

Uma Thurman: Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction.

Kate Winslet: Been waiting for you to drop her name ;) The Reader, Titanic, Steve Jobs, Revolutionary Road, Sense and Sensibility, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Contagion, Heavenly Creatures, the Divergent movies...and now Ammonite. I looooooooove Kate Winslet.

Kate Hudson: How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, that I couldn’t finish because it was too corny for me.