#the beauty of this series though is that you can spoil the entire plot and either 1- it'll still be a crazy ride or 2- they wont believe u

[greg-montgomery]

Ivy - Part 5

gif by: @hotch-girl <3

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader (Sean Hotchner x Fem!Reader)

Series summary: Your relationship with your boyfriend, Sean, is going great. Well, that is until you meet his older brother, Aaron.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Chapter summary: angst <3 i know…very specific - but i don't wanna spoil!

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

 His scent was still all around you. You were certain that you could smell him on your hair, your skin, your clothes…

Your breathing hadn’t slowed down yet and the tears were still drying on your cheeks. What had you just done?

You had let your boyfriend’s brother touch you.

But it was Aaron. Aaron: the man who had managed to steal your heart faster than anyone ever had before. Your friend, the first person you wanted to share good news with and the only one you wanted to sit in silence with you when you were sad.

Your heart was aching, your brain was screaming at you about your mistake, your eyes were teary, but the rest of your body wasn’t cooperating. Because your legs were still shaking; your thighs were still wet from your arousal; and your body was asking for him.

You could still feel the sweet numbness between your legs. It might had been wrong, but it was the most heavenly thing you’d ever felt. God, he was the best you’d ever had and you hadn’t even seen his dick yet.

A short chuckle escaped your lips; laughing at your misery was all you had left.

--

After wiping your eyes clean, you walked out of your room again. Aaron was still there. Your guess was that he didn’t want to look suspicious by leaving so suddenly.

You scanned the living room for Sean, and once you spotted him, you approached him and took his hand, resting your head on his shoulder. It would seem weird if you spent the entire evening away from him. You hated yourself for thinking that way-for plotting how not to seem guilty. Even though you were. And that’s exactly how it felt.

“All good?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Sean invited Aaron to join the group of friends that was around you with a signal of his arm. So Aaron did.

He had a glass of whiskey in his hand. The second one for tonight, you noted in your head.

You kept staring at him, knowing that no one would notice, since no one was paying attention to you. You hadn’t spoken a word for the last twenty minutes. You just sat there, observing the conversation. That’s what you wanted: not to attract any extra attention tonight. What you didn’t want though was Aaron ignoring you.

It made sense. He was being careful. But it felt like he was slipping away from you already. And when you saw him filling another glass of whiskey you confirmed that the situation wasn’t easy for him either.

“Sean,” you whispered to your boyfriend towards the end of the night, “Please call Aaron a taxi. Don’t let him drive. He’s had a few.”

He nodded his head and kissed your forehead. “Okay.”

--

“Come here, you,” Sean said and grabbed your arm as you walked around, trying to clean up the space a little before bed.

“Sean, I have to clean,” you complained.

“Tomorrow. The sun will be up in a bit anyway. Just come here.”

You gave in and let him sit you on his lap.

“There’s my birthday girl,” he grinned. His fingers got lost between your hair as he looked at you. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look tonight?’

“Thanks,” you laughed.

Sean kept staring at you.

His grin faded. It got you worried.

“Today made me think,” he said.

“About what?” you asked carefully.

“About how lucky I am that a woman like you was born and is now in my life.”

“Oh…”

“Sorry, I know, I’m getting all sappy and awkward,” he chuckled.  “But I just…I’m grateful for you. I know I can get difficult to love sometimes.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.” His hand rubbed your thigh in a comforting motion. “But, you never let me feel that way. If you had told me a few years ago, my life would be like this, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you’d told me that I would have an amazing girlfriend, a beautiful home, that I’d be clean and following my dreams, I swear I’d laugh in your face.”

“Sean…” you started, but he cut you off.

“All I’m trying to say is that today is your birthday and it seemed like a fitting day to let you know how much I appreciate you and everything that you do for me.”

“I appreciate you too. And I’m so proud of you, Sean,” you said, and hugged him as closely as you could.

“Thank you, baby.”

--

“Are these new?” Sean questioned.

He was laying on his back, an arm under his neck and another resting across his stomach. Sean always loved staring at you taking off your clothes and makeup to get in bed.

“Oh, the earrings?” you acted naive, placing them in a different box from the original.

“Yeah, I can see them sparkling from across the room. Are those real diamonds?”

“Of course not,” you giggled.

“They look like they are.”

“Well, that’s why I bought them,” you lied.

After securing your earrings away, you left the bedroom and walked into the guest room. That’s where you had left all your presents. Aaron’s present was in there too. Well, the present that was for the world to see anyway.

You missed him. You just wanted to smell the flowers he got you for a moment, feel close to him again.

Sean was in the mood earlier, but you told him you were tired. Still, you made out for a few minutes and his hands were all over you. The hands of the man whose touch you used to crave, now made you miss another man.

A smile took over your face when you spotted the flowers. He was the only one who had gotten you your favorites.

You brought the bouquet close to your face so you could smell them. That’s how you noticed there was a little card inside.

You are a light to everyone around you and most of all to me. Happy birthday, sweetheart.

The card was soon attacked by your kisses.

--

Not talking to Aaron was one of the most difficult things you ever had to do.

He hadn’t messaged you or called you in weeks now. You missed him like crazy, but you didn’t dare to make the first move.

What if he regretted it? What if he realized this was a mistake and didn’t want to see you again? Even if those thoughts broke your heart, you had no choice but to accept things as they were.

You couldn’t even count the times you had reached out for your phone, to message him something, knowing it would make him laugh, only to remember that he wasn’t your friend anymore.

Like that Saturday morning, when you were making pancakes. You had tried to make heart-shaped pancakes with chocolate chips. It was an absolute failure.

After taking a few pictures, laughing at yourself, you were dying to send them to Aaron.

If it was any other time, you would have already. The caption would be “Wanna come over for breakfast?”

He’d say “I’ll pass. I’d rather spend my weekend without food poisoning.”

God, you missed him.

His flowers had dried up but you kept one of them and hid it between the pages of your favorite book.

--

The bell of your front door rang. That was weird…Sean never forgot his keys.

Opening the door you were met with a surprise.

“Aaron? Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Y/N!” you heard a little voice and soon your waist had two tiny arms wrapped around it.

You looked down only to find Jack staring at you with a huge grin.

“My sweet angel, how are you?”

“I’m good. We went to the grocery store today,” he said.

“Really?”

“Yes! And we met uncle Sean there and he told us to come here so we can all eat together,” he jumped, excited by telling you the story.

Well that explained why the man you were madly in love with and who you hadn’t talked to since your birthday was standing on your door.

“Where’s Sean?” you asked Aaron, while Jack was settled by your side, completely attached to you.

“He’s getting your groceries from the car,” he said. He looked good. He somehow looked even better than the last time you had seen him. Or maybe you just missed him.

Jack begged you to let him sit in your lap while eating, and of course you did, even though his dad was being a pain in the ass like always and insisted that it was impractical.

Sean was sitting on the chair next to you and Aaron was sitting across from you.

You were quite literally surrounded by Hotchners.

It was a blessing that Jack kept distracting you with questions and random facts about his life, because otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to take your eyes off Aaron. Off his hands…his mouth…parts of him that had touched your skin; your skin that was now burning under his gaze.

You couldn’t resist stealing glances at him. He was doing the same. The feeling of looking into his eyes was one of your favorite feelings in the world and you finally had the chance to experience it again. How could you stop?

Aaron kept the conversation casual, mostly asking you questions about work. Asking you things he already very well knew. But Sean would be surprised if he found out he did, and that was something both of you didn’t want. It was already a close call that when earlier, somehow, Oprah was brought up in the conversation, the two of you burst out laughing, remembering that this was your nickname for him when he got all wise about emotions and life.

You both covered your mouths with your hands as if it would hide the fact that you were giggling like little kids.

“Why are they laughing?” Sean asked Jack.

The kid just shrugged his shoulders, directing all his attention to the cheesecake in front of him.

It could have been a sign that you and Aaron were closer than you cared to show Sean, but it made you happy; laughing with him again. Maybe you were still friends.

When dinner was over, Jack fell asleep on your couch and that left you and the two brothers at the table alone.

“So…Aaron,” Sean said, bringing a glass of wine to his lips. “We keep talking and talking, but you haven’t told us. Is there anyone special in your life this period?”

You froze. Because if he were to say yes, you were already planning your exit to the bathroom so you could cry in peace.

You were feeling possessive over a man who wasn't yours.

“Come on, don’t be shy. We’re a family,” Sean urged him to talk when he stayed silent.

Aaron looked at you for half a second. If you had blinked you would have missed it. But you didn’t.

“There is one,” he said quietly.

You felt tightness in your chest.

“Or was,” he added. “We don’t talk anymore.”

Oh.

“Why?” Sean asked.

“It’s complicated,” Aaron simply stated.

“Come on, give us something,” he said. If only you knew, babe, you thought.

“It’s a long story. I don’t really wanna talk about it.” There was sadness in his voice. He missed you too.

“Well if the story’s over, time to move on to the new one right?” Sean said, and took a sip of his wine.

Aaron looked down, letting out a bitter laugh.

Sean read his reaction, so he changed his tone to a serious one. “She must be really special to you, huh?”

“She is. She was the light of my life.”

If you could just pull him by his collar and drown him in kisses, you would.

Later, Sean let you walk Aaron – with a sleeping Jack in his arms – to the door, as he cleaned up the table.

The door was a good way to hide yourself from the rest of the house and finally look at Aaron the way you had been dying to all night. He was smiling at you. He was smiling.

“I miss you,” you mouthed at him.

His smile turned into a sexy smirk. “I miss you more,” he mouthed back.

Securing Jack is his arms even tighter he leaned in and, after letting you check for any signs of Sean around you, he kissed you. It was a quick kiss - him taking your bottom lip in his mouth for a few seconds - but it was enough for your stomach to fill with butterflies.

“I’ll text you,” he whispered against your lips and walked with his son back to his car.

--

“What’s wrong?” Sean asked you, clearly having noticed that you had been checking your phone every five minutes.

“Just waiting for an email from work.” You dropped your phone on the cushions of your couch.

That wasn’t the truth. You were waiting for a text from Aaron. You were supposed to meet that evening, but you hadn’t heard from him all day. That was so unlike him.

This was the first time you would meet alone after everything that had happened. He wouldn’t ghost you like that.

The nightmare you had the night before with him in it, had you carrying a bad feeling inside you all day. You tried your best to ignore it.

--

The ground beneath Aaron’s feet felt cold. He wasn’t wearing any shoes when he got out of that yellow, vintage car.

As he walked into the theater in front of him, his hospital gown changed into a sharp suit and a white bowtie, without him realizing.

Suddenly a red balloon appeared in front of him, which he followed with no hesitation.

And that was when he saw her.

“Hi, honey. I saved you a seat,” she beamed at him.

--

“Yes. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes, we’re already in the car,” Sean said to the person he was talking on the phone with.

“Aaron suddenly collapsed at work. They took him to the hospital.”

You hadn’t been able to breathe since you heard that sentence. The window of Sean’s car was supporting your head as you stared outside.

Your headache was getting worse by holding back the tears and the road to the hospital seemed to have no end.

--

Aaron couldn’t help the tears from falling down his cheeks as he took Haley’s hand in his and called her beautiful.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she responded with a smile.

“I miss you,” he whispered to her.

“I know.” The sound of a film playing distracted her. “Oh, it’s starting!”

Suddenly Jack’s sweet face was on a big screen in front of them; cheering up his dad on his marathon, holding his homemade sign as high as he could.

“Look how happy he is,” Haley sighed, with the selfless love of a mother. “He’s gotten so big.” And she wasn’t there to see it.

“You’re really good with him,” she commented, watching Aaron reading to Jack a bedtime story.

“I’m not you. I’m not good enough.”

“Stop beating yourself up. You’re a great dad. You always have been.” She looked so honest. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could believe her.

“It gets hard. And I’m alone,” Aaron’s voice broke.

“No, you’re not.”

How real it felt that she was there…wiping his tears away with her hands, comforting him with her words; telling him he should talk to Jack more…he knew he should.

“Goal!” she cheered for her son. You should have been there, he wanted to tell her.

She should have been there. Life was so unfair.

--

Walking into the hospital made everything suddenly very real. You had your feelings under control so far, but arriving there broke you.

“Where is he?” Sean asked a blonde woman he apparently already knew. She must be Penelope, you thought.

“He’s in surgery. We have no news.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” you asked her, desperate, as if she had all the answers.

“We hope,” she smiled, but she was clearly emotional. Her presence somehow brought you a certain type of comfort you couldn’t explain, even though she was a stranger to you.

“He will be,” Sean added, and placed his hand on your shoulder.

You couldn’t help yourself. You tried to keep your sobs silent by covering half of your face with your hand.

Sean pulled you into his arms and you let yourself cry against his chest.

“Shh…” he moved his palm up and down your back. “He’ll be okay.”

You knew how bad it looked; sobbing in your boyfriend’s arms for his brother. But you didn’t care. All that mattered to you was getting your Aaron back.

--

Aaron blinked slowly when your face appeared on the screen.

“Who’s that?” Haley asked him, and he felt as if he was back in high school and a friend was teasing him about a crush.

“That’s Y/N,” he said, softly.

“She’s beautiful.”

You were. God, you were more beautiful than his heart could take.

“Jack loves her!” Haley spoke again, when she saw you with the little boy in your lap.

“He does. She makes him happy,” Aaron said.

“It looks like she makes you happy too. It’s good that you have her in your life.”

“She’s not mine,” he said with regret.

“To me it looks like she is,” she smirked.

Their conversation was interrupted by a man, trying to find his own seat in the theater. “Excuse me. Ah…Sorry. Pardon me,” he said, sitting right next to Haley. “I hope I didn’t miss anything.”

Aaron felt his blood turn cold. “What’s he doing here?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I invited him,” Haley reassured him. He felt confused.

“She is hot,” Foyet said when he noticed you.

“Mmm…Isn’t she?” Haley agreed.

“I would tear that up,” Foyet laughed cruelly. “Hey, I bet she's a real tiger in the sack, huh?”

Aaron wanted to beat him to death like he did the first time. He couldn’t let his poison reach you too. Not you.

A gunshot was heard, and he knew he couldn’t stop it, but he tried to anyway.

He had to relive Haley’s death all over again.

--

Sean had left the waiting room to bring you - and the woman you now knew for sure was Penelope - some food and coffee.

“You’re his favorite you know,” you whispered to her ear even though it was just the two of you there.

“Who, Sean’s? she asked confused.

“No,” you laughed. “Aaron’s.”

“Really?” she said, excited.

“Mhm…he talks about you guys all the time. And I can tell he has a soft spot for you,” you admitted. “He says the team would be lost without you.”

“Well, that’s true,” Penelope said. “But sweet…We all love him. He’s like our dad,” she joked making you laugh.

But by laughing, tears were formed in your eyes again. You tried to wipe them away, but she saw them.

“Hey…he’s gonna be alright. Our big boss-man doesn’t give up that easily,” she attempted to comfort you.

“I know,” your voice broke. “I know. I just…I really need to look into his eyes right now and know that he’s okay.”

“You will.” She held your hand and gave you a sweet smile.

--

“Well this was fun,” Haley said, walking away from him.

“I don’t want you to go. Stay, just a little while longer,” he asked her, desperate to get more time with her.

But she wouldn’t stay.

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted to her. She wasn’t Haley, his wife, anymore. She was Haley, his oldest friend; the person who used to know him better than anyone; the person he could ask for advice. So that’s what he was doing.

“Happiness is a choice,” she told him. “So choose.”

“How can I choose what makes me happy if it’s wrong?”

“Get out of your head. The heart is the one that knows, so follow it.”

“But don’t you think I’m a horrible person?” Aaron asked.

“No,” she smiled at him. “I think you’re just unlucky. You fell in love with someone you shouldn’t.”

Aaron stayed silent. Foyet was the one who said goodbye first. Then it was Haley’s turn. “Goodbye, Aaron. And, yes, I still love you too,” she said and disappeared.

Part 6

ivy tag list: @preciousbabypeter @buckysmainhxe @galaxyofmyown @ssamorganhotchner @romanogersendgame @elhotchner @louderfortheback @northschild @iammirrorball @rousethemouse @kishie8 @save-the-sky @ssacharcoalgrey @realdirectionx @itsmytimetoodream @art-and-thoughts @red-red-rogue @dellalyra @feetgypsy @stella95827 @katieslotherford

[shonenkun309]

ᴛʜɪɴɢs ɪ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴋᴏɢᴀ's sᴇǫᴜᴇʟ 'ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ʟᴏsᴛ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ, ᴍʏ sᴀɴɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴍʏ ᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴄᴇ :

WARNING : *It may contain some spoilers from the first ten chapters of the sequel, and ALL, I repeat ALL of it gonna be angsty. I warned you, I'm not responsible!* @randomf2p

Koga might lose everything, his home, his job, people's love for him..It was mentioned throughout the beginning of the sequel how much people loved and respected him, even giving him a different title than "San, Kun, or even Sama." And as far as I know, mentioning these matters at the beginning, may be negatively affected during the plot.

I have a feeling that Koga will give up everything and join the Senketai to "AVENGE" his father. As it turns out, Koga's dad "Ouga" was the first founder of the Senketai group but he abandoned them, joined the imperial army, became a soldier, and died, or in other words, was killed because he once opposed them for something...I have a feeling that Koga might bring out his vengeful personality and join the Senketai, claiming revenge, even though it is not his style.

I feel like Koga will become a cold character like Akiyasu for a while...I can never bear the thought of that smile disappearing from his beautiful face throughout the sequel. I will never bear it!😭💔

break up scene. There has to be a breakup. In any love story, The two heroes face difficulties during their love journey, and one of the two heroes makes a decision that the other will not like, which leads to their disagreement or breaking up...we can't call a couple "a couple" if this didn't happen...Don't mind me, recently I started rewatching old love series that I used to watch when I was a kid and I'm starting to understand their plot now...hehe...hmmm

Carnage form makes a comeback. How can we forget the best form of Koga in the entire game? This is 10,000% predictable, I mean...Koga is still taking the medicine from Yura, which means that the return of the carnage form is guaranteed. But if we take the matter further, he may appear with this transformation in public, or he may hurt Futaba again and realize this and run away, or he may speak through it, anything is possible, dear potatoes!

I might even imagine that Koga is about to die or that he died and Futaba's love for him brought him back to life or something... Oh my god! I hate my brain at 12 midnight! SOMEBODY SNACH THE PHONE FROM ME!

Koga's past self will show up, speaking with Koga like a school basketball player talking to his teammate...or scolding him for doing something to Futaba, Oh IMAGINE THEM ACTUALLY MEETING EACH OTHER AND THREW HANDS AT EACH OTHER!! I SHALL BRING POPCORN WITH ME WHILE READING THIS SCENE IN CASE IT HAPPENS!

They might use Koga for the Youjin experiments. The Youjin experiments got revealed in Koga's sequel apparently, because they appeared in the main story, but their identities were unknown and mysterious, and he and Yakumo might meet for the first time, as I always wished for, and who knows? Either they cooperate and stop the experiments or not.

Just noticed I didn't talk about Kiryu and Kagari until now, I think Kagari is the final boss and not the eye-patched Kiryu. Why? I don't know, I don't trust people with glasses in visual novels. Therefore, I expect that Kagari will turn against Kiryu and kill him, making it clear to us that Kagari is the final boss in the end.

If that situation that always goes through my head occurs in the sequel, I will sue the staff, writers, authors, artists, and game makers.

** Phew...I should stop or else I might spoil the sequel before it comes out hahaha 😂😂😂😂 **

But really... if any of this happens, I swear I will cry, but I don't know, either from joy because what I expected was true, or from sadness because Koga will be the one who will suffer from what I expected...I will leave the opinion to you.

[frostiifae]

So, I dunno, thoughts about Witch from Mercury (including spoilers under readmore, so, y'know), because it seems like it's a cool thing to do, i guess. Maybe made more or less interesting because this is the first Gundam series I've actually paid full attention to.

In short, it's good! It's very good. But, I dunno, can't give it top marks as an alltime favorite. There are lots of superficial problems that probably mattered much more to me than they would to the average viewer, and like, you could argue that they just aren't even problems, I guess.

The biggest thing I can criticize without spoiling much of anything is that it dangles a lot over your head and then waits a long time to resolve almost any of it. It's tough for people who get anxiety, like me : ). No, that's not why I'm writing this post. This isn't a coping mechanism. Fuck off.

To reiterate, though, on the whole: good. Good show. Good stuff. Don't click "keep reading" unless you want to read a fucking novel, OK?

I have to say I think the strongest character of the show bar none is Prospera, but at the same time, she showcases the recurring problems I have with the show: firstly, that they spend way too long making Prospera sound sinister without you understanding at all why, and secondly, that it's a real shame we didn't get to learn more about her feelings and why (and how?) she'd gone to all of this trouble. I understand her goal in the abstract is to "create a world where Eri can exist", but it's not clear how exactly she intends to do that, and maybe it's just me, but those practical details can be really important in selling me on an idea.

Even so, I adore her. I adore the way she possesses so much influence over the plot despite having very little economic or political power herself - she just understands people, she understands what's at stake, and she understands how to manipulate things to get what she wants. I was so delighted to learn about her true motivation, imagine a girl kicking her feet and squealing as Prospera taunts Miorine about hearing the voices of her past that are urging her to seek vengeance. I wish she could have done more. I also wish she looked better. That helmet fucking sucked, dudes. C'mon.

I really want to say kind things about Suletta and Miorine, too - they had lovely character arcs in both seasons, Miorine in particular was a joy to have on screen at all times - but, ultimately, I also found them both very frustrating. The most engaging members of the cast by and large were side characters, my personal favorites being Chuchu, Nika, and Norea. (I guess Guel turned out pretty okay too.) It was a joy watching Norea go off the fucking deep end, even if her portrayal was a little shallow until it was a smidge too late; her final fight was beautiful and touching, especially the part where she went on a massive rampage and killed a lot of innocent people. I love me a hot girl who's a violent mass murderer.

Jokes aside; I found both of the main characters frustrating, but for different reasons. Suletta was the less frustrating of the two. Throughout season 1 I kept cringing at her total powerlessness within the narrative, which I know is kind of the point, but that doesn't mean I have to like it; at least in season 2 she develops a thin veneer of agency, and more to the point, the writers demonstrate that her lack of actual agency is in fact horrifying and not some kind of endearing country-bumpkin quirk, but it feels like it takes a long time before she can finally actually engage in the world she lives in.

To be clear, I don't just mean "she can decide for herself what she wants to do", that's her final arc, I know, I get it; more what I mean is, it feels like Suletta exists in a totally different show, an entirely different setting, for 75% of the show's runtime. She's not just clueless about all of the business politics and Earth vs Space racism; she's immune to it, it simply doesn't affect her, even when it badly hurts people she cares about, because she's unable to comprehend it, and can abstract away any threat behind Aerial's cockpit and duel herself to safety without ever understanding what was even at stake.

It's like Ender's Game but Ender himself never actually participates in any of the school politics, he just kinda is a prodigy in his own corner while the real story happens around him. If you're going to create a character who is powerless in the narrative, don't then shield her in the cockpit of a Gundam for the entire show, you know? If you're going to threaten me with her inability to understand what is going on, make good on that threat!! It just felt wasteful. She spent 16 episodes being a joke that we keep hoping will make Miorine smile, 2 episodes being depressed, and then the last 6 episodes being an actual character, and the tragedy is that I really liked that character and wish she'd been around for longer.

Miorine was much more fun, but also, much more frustrating. I wasn't especially into her character early in season 1, but she was at least a bitch in a fun (and highly sympathetic) way, and unlike Suletta she grew into a real character very fast, and got to spend the whole show actually having a meaningful impact on events around her. It was great! I have a few very small gripes about things she does - like the way she chooses to cut Suletta loose. I understand she's doing it for Suletta's safety, and I understand she's doing it because she believes Suletta won't be able to comprehend that reasoning - after all, their whole arc in season 1 was about depending on each other, and Miorine is being pressured into going back on her promise.

On the one hand, though, I feel like it was weird of her not even to try. At least try to explain to Suletta, listen, things are getting worse, you are going to get hurt, I don't want that, I need you to stop being Holder for your sake. You could even twist the knife further by having Suletta react with heartbreak but willingly agree when Prospera doubles down and tells her to do as Miorine says - imagine how betrayed and disgusted with herself Miorine would feel! For them to leave her completely in the dark, for her to fully betray Suletta with no warning and no attempted justification at all - and especially for Suletta to not question that - it just felt weird.

On the other hand, though, I'm really shocked and disappointed that Miorine didn't express more guilt over that decision. Given that her arc in season 1 revolves around recognizing that relying on Suletta is what makes Suletta happy, and she cares enough about Suletta to give her that kind of trust, you can't tell me that - even if she really believes it's necessary - she can just turn around and betray Suletta like she does and feel no remorse over it.

Overall this is a larger problem I have with Miorine; we don't get enough time with her feelings, so when everything finally collapses and she has a meltdown, it doesn't sell very well. I wanna be clear: I'll open the door myself is one of my favorite moments in the whole show, and that's why I'm sad. It could have been so much more, if we had had more time to see Miorine's heartache over what she did to her best friend, not to mention how tense and uncertain she must have been handing her full trust to Prospera, or leading a negotiation to Earth with the weight of Gundam's history resting squarely on her shoulders. I love cool, calm, reserved characters who can handle tense interpersonal conflict with a stern decisiveness. Miorine should be a slam dunk for me. But the best part about those characters is seeing behind the mask, even if only for little bits at a time, and there's just not enough.

Honestly, though, it's hard for me to hold anything against season 2 especially, because I think most of what frustrates me comes down to there not being enough time, and holy fuck, does that season go hard. I'm very ready to believe that there was all kinds of stuff cut from S2 because the sheer volume of things happening was so much. It's a shame to think that it's let down by its own density, that there was just too much happening to fit all of it into 12 episodes without a few things being left behind. There wasn't time for Miorine to introspect, there wasn't time for Miorine and Suletta to develop their relationship, there wasn't time for Prospera to get even more unhinged and weird, there wasn't time to examine how we could actually improve the world and its troubles, we just had too much to do. It's an unenviable position to be in, and I think it's fair to say the show does a great job with what it has.

Umm. Is there anything else? I could talk about the dudes. I could gush about Norea and Sophie, I guess, but I doubt I have anything particularly interesting to add there, I'm sure the takes "Norea is hot" and "I wish they could have been more toxic yuri on screen" are lukewarm at best. I could talk about Eri, I suppose, but I don't feel really strongly about her - I think she's weird, her presence as a character is very strange, the fact that she was a protagonist is weird, and just like with everything else, I think it comes down to a lack of time to be able to really get into understanding her. I can't say it's a mistake, really, so that'll just stay a mystery, and it's one I don't especially care to solve anyway. She can stay a weirdo for all I care.

Uh, I think that's kinda all? Oh, what, robot designs? Uh, Aerial over Calibarn, don't @ me. They're both sick tho.

[laylainalaska]

I watched Foundation S1-2 this week and really enjoyed it, for certain values of enjoyed, copying over my write-up from DW, now with corrected character names since I've looked them up rather than spelling them from vague osmosis from the show.

(Blacklist the Foundation tag if you don't want to be spoiled from gifs, as I plan to promptly go seek out the least hinged gifs from this entirely unhinged show and bombard everyone with them.)

This show is a bonkers SF soap opera with gorgeous production values, Lee Pace hamming it up in crop tops, and a series of increasingly off the rails holographic versions of a dead chessmaster mathematician deploying his 9999-step plan to save the galaxy. I've literally seen nothing about this at all in my social circles, to the extent that I didn't even really know about it until the spouse started watching it. I was kind of halfway glancing at the screen now and then, if I happened to be in the room, for the first half of season one (and have only the vaguest idea what happened in the first few episodes, based on later events), then got invested and eventually completely hooked in season two, which also picks up after a 100-year timeskip so the cast has changed a lot anyway. Although between stasis pods, cloning, and holograms, it's mostly the same actors. (We have a running joke that by season 3 the cast will be at least 50% Cleons and Hari Seldons by volume.)

Anyway, so it is good? Hard to say! It's sort of like if Expanse and Game of Thrones had a (somewhat more optimistic) baby, in which the budgets are huge, the planets are beautiful, the spaceships are shiny, and lots of Big Feelings happen. The Evil Empire is run by an endless series of clone emperors played by Lee Pace in Romanesque armor and capes with massive amounts of scenery-chewing and an immortal robot bodyguard he occasionally has sex with. They have All The Clones in storage, so if he gets killed, they'll just transfer his memories and activate another one! Meanwhile the rebellion is being orchestrated as a 4000-step multi-century Xanatos gambit by a guy who started by having himself killed and activating a digital copy. Interestingly though, there is so much going on, and it's taking so much time for his plan to come to fruition, that it never really feels like the two of them directly pitted against each other (at least not that much), it's more like all of the stuff that happens along the way, the planets and the pretty spaceships and the people we meet who struggle and fight and save each other along the way.

I have to say that while I'm occasionally reminded by certain plot points and tropes that this is a series based on books from the 1970s, they did a good enough job with racebending, presumable genderbending, and so forth that it rarely feels like it. (Also, though I only know the books from general osmosis, I'm fairly confident the plot has gone way off-book anyway.) In season two there are no less than four young female characters of color in major plot-defining roles, there's a central gay couple whose loyalty to each other in the face of the Empire is a major plot point, and in general it's just a pretty, pretty show full of pretty people and pretty planets (and occasionally some really dazzling space-operatic SF stuff). It is definitely the most OTT and operatic thing I've watched since probably the MCU, and I'm really enjoying it.

Under the cut, out-of-order and largely out-of-context comments on various things I had a reaction to (mostly season 2 since that's where I got invested).

This show is an emotional roller coaster of the highest order. How many different instances of presumed dead and identity-switching can we pack into a single episode?

CONSTANT MY BELOVED. Season 2 in general gives great female characters, I already loved Salvo (;__;) and I also really enjoyed the ladies from the Cloud Dominion, but Constant!! She's just so funny and fun and so absolutely deadpan about everything from conning randos on some backwater alien planet to kidnapping a guy. I was so glad she lived through all of the half-dozen times she almost certainly should have died.

I was surprisingly upset about formerly-trapped-in-the-Radiant half-crazy Hari's death, "surprisingly" because, well, Hari being Hari, and also, it wasn't like this leaves us entirely without Hari Seldons, there's still Creepy Monolith Hari and who knows how many other copies out there. But that one had been through enough with Gaal and Salvor that he really felt like a different person. He's still a manipulative sack of dicks but I liked him! I was sad, but at least hoping he was backed up somewhere! And then two episodes later the most excellent reveal that he and Gaal faked the whole thing! I thoroughly loved all of that. Gaal hugging him! <333

"Don't trust the planet of the creepy utopian space psychics!" Orion and I were chanting at the screen, while they proceeded to not listen to us and it was, predictably, a bad idea. Seriously, when in all of sci-fi was trusting the creepy psychic utopia a good idea?

I had guessed/hoped that the guy with the whispership (can't remember his name) was going to warp into the plaza and save Constant from execution, but I really wasn't sure, and even with an inkling it was going to happen, that was an AMAZING entrance, A+++, no notes. Especially after Constant gave her speech and everything seemed to be setting her up to be a martyr to the Foundation, I was less and less hopeful she was going to get out of it alive somehow. Excellent rescue, very pleased.

I really enjoyed the entire subplot with the Evil Empire Honorable Space Admiral (can't remember anyone's names here either) and the scene in which he justifies his continued loyalty to the Empire is really a good scene. I mean, it's awful. But you can see his reasoning. He can't overthrow the Empire, if he refuses orders it won't change anything, he and everyone he loves will die, and someone else will be put in his place and follow the orders anyway. But then the whole thing with Constant's rescue points out that it may not be possible to change the entire Evil Empire, but you can make a lot of difference for just one person.

But I still wanted him to make better or at least different choices on the blowing up the planet sequence! I guess it all worked out according to Hari's 9999-step plan (my death is only the beginning! the death of my planet is only the beginning!) but that hurted.

Between Honorable Space Admiral and his fighter pilot husband, I was absolutely *not* expecting the husband to be the one of the two of them that survived. However, Honorable Space Admiral and whispership guy got a dynamite final episode (the fistfight with Cleon! never has a man deserved so much punching! the airlock switch!) and they both got to go out in an excellent death scene.

The entire thing with Terminus getting blown up! And then Deus Ex Monolith! And Constant's dads and Space Admiral's Space Husband are alive after the whole exploding planet fell on them! (I was SO happy Constant's family got reunited, I was so afraid she and Space Dads were going to go down each thinking the other one had died.) I think this episode gave me emotional whiplash.

SALVOR NO. WHAT WAS THAT EVEN. She just randomly died at the end there?? Come onnnnn. We already got like 12 death fake-outs in the last couple of episodes! Why'd that one have to be real?!

If time passes differently in the monolith, does that mean the entire rescued Terminus population are still going to be around after the second 150-year timeskip? I have questions!

Speaking of time passing differently in the monolith, best dialogue: Whispership guy: Whoa, it's dark. How long was I in there, anyway? Constant: Three years. Paulie: More like three hours. Constant: We agreed we weren't going to tell him! I love them. <3333

That sure was A Lot with the Cleons. And now I guess there's an entire Cleon/Cloud Dominion dynasty out there somewhere just waiting to cause trouble.

So yeah, I'm really enjoying my bombastic sci-fi soap opera! Season 3 when pls.

[cursedvibes]

Phos for the ask game :) (btw I haven't read the last two chapters yet... so anxious...I don't want it to end)

yay, Phos! I'm really excited for the last chapter actually, can't wait to read it. The last chapters have been so good, that I'm really curious how it will all tie up. Not to mention that I'm sure it will look absolutely beautiful. Reading the last couple of chapters until the end in one go sounds like the best strategy though. Then you see it all come together. :) I'm definitely gonna reread the entire series when all chapters are out.

Sexuality Headcanon:

Well, I would say Phos is ace like most gems seem to be. I think they do experience romantic attraction though, even if they might not be entirely aware of it. Like I think they have several relationships that might dip to a degree into that territory. Gems also have no gender and see other species as essentially genderless as well like the Lunarians for example, so they don't have any preference there either. Essentially panromantic you could say.

Gender Headcanon:

Genderless like most gems, but they go more into a masculine territory I would say in terms of how they prefer to dress and cut their hair. Or more like, to us, from the point of view of our gender norms it looks masculine.

A ship I have with said character:

Mainly with Kongo. Their relationship is what really draws me to this series and what drives the plot for most of it. It's just really tragic how destructive the love is they have for each other and how they deep down only want the best for each other and see how the other suffers, but only ever end up hurting each other. I'd really like to see some form of reunion between them, even though it is unlikely. Now that both have been relieved of their duty and can engage as equals with less baggage between each other. I won't spoil it for you, but even just that little mention in ch 107 really tug at my heartstrings. Also just the entire part of the story where Kongo meticulously gathers Phos' shards and secretly pieces them back together only for them to attack him again and desperately try to get him to pray...ugh and then Phos realizes that Kongo still loves them. I'm getting sick just thinking of it. Their love isn't necessarily romantic, more somewhere between that and platonic and parental and really hard to describe. They just make me insane just how they make each other insane.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Probably Antarc? They seem to be the most genuine friendship Phos had and what first really made them spiral. The mix of understanding, comradery and later Phos all-consuming grief is what makes it so interesting for me. If we come down to it, they only spend a relatively short time together, but they both started to blossom when spending time together because both were along and isolated before. And that short time together had an immense impact on Phos. The first thing that really mentally broke them but through that allowed them to gain respect from the other gems, which in turn put more pressure and responsibility on them. Of course not great for their mental health.

Besides that, also special shout-out to Brother. He works especially well with post-enlightenment Phos and I think if he met young Phos (the way he is now and not trapped in the ice) they would get along really well together and plan all sorts of mischief. Much to the pain of everyone around them.

A NOTP I have with said character:

I don't think I have any? At least I can't think of any ship that I really dislike.

A random headcanon:

Not really a headcanon, but I like to think about how Phos probably watched Kongo and the other gems sleep during the winter (not always in case of Kongo of course, he would be the one to urge them to sleep more often and in turn watch over them). They think it's kind of comforting, but it's also becoming compulsive because they are worried they might otherwise die in their sleep or any time they go out something would attack the base.

General Opinion over said character:

Love them. I think they might genuinely be my favourite main character, definitely for anime and manga.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)

Believe it or not, Cinderella II: Dreams Comes True ranks among the better straight-to-video Disney sequels. It does not belong in the same category as the original. Not even close. The animation is good - for a movie never meant to go to theaters. The voice actors sound enough like the cast of the 1950 movie to fool young viewers. No adult has any business sitting down and seriously watching this but if your kids LOVE Cinderella and they want a little bit more, for the low-low price of $0 - which is essentially what you pay for a movie on Disney+… - yeah, I’d recommend it.

Following her wedding to Prince Charming (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes), Cinderella (voiced by Jennifer Hale) has moved inside the palace. There, her mice friends decide to put together a storybook of their favourite post-scullery maid adventures.

Though the film doesn’t appear to be an attempt to recoup losses following a cancelled television series, it's essentially split into three episodes with a wraparound story. The first chronicles Cinderella’s first official job as a princess: planning the annual banquet. Anyone who’s seen their fair share of children’s television will know the entire plot as soon as the story begins but it makes good use of the character. Cinderella isn’t like Ariel or even Snow White. She grew up knowing NOTHING of palace life. If anything, fancy gowns make her uncomfortable. She’s much more at ease in simple clothes cooking, cleaning and relating to common-folk rather than snooty royals. The fact that the film knows this and maintains it is refreshing.

The second segment is by far the weakest. In it, Jaq (voiced by Rob Paulsen) realizes he’s now of little use to Cinderella and gets her Fairy Godmother (voiced by Russi Taylor) to turn him into a human. Once again, you can foresee every development far ahead. What somewhat redeems this story is the amusing reversal. Before, the mice kinda-sorta took care of Cinderella. Now, they’re like little kids who want to impress mom and often get in the way. Though the status quo is inevitably re-established and this might make you think that the story has a message that counters the “Cinderella” story as a whole, it isn’t meant to. The moral is instead that even if you’re small, there are certain things you can contribute, certain things only you can do. Children will appreciate this lesson.

The final tale is easily the best. Actually, it’s the only reason to recommend the film. In it, Cinderella’s stepsister Anastasia (Tress MacNeille) falls for the town baker. Despite her mother’s objection, she allows Cinderella to help her pursue her heart’s desire.

What makes this story good is how much you can expand from it, even with how little we’re shown. If this were a traditional Grimm’s Fairy Tale, Cinderella would resent her stepsisters and stepmother. She would never dream of helping them out. This is a different Cinderella. She’s over what happened in the past - obviously, she came out on top in the end - and decides to do what she always does: respond to others with kindness. In her interactions with Anastasia, we get a lot to unpack. The sister complains that Cinderella always had it easy because she’s beautiful. Could it be that all of the mistreatment Cinderella faced before was caused by jealousy and insecurity? Is this the beginning of a redemption arc for a villain? In the scenes where Lady Tremaine (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) scolds her daughter for pining after a commoner, we get hints of what life at the manor is now like. With her favourite target gone, Lady Tremaine takes her anger on her daughters and they’re too spoiled to ever make it into the real world. The upbringing she’s given them has had the opposite effect of what she wanted. Again, a lot of this is the viewer extrapolating what’s on-screen, but the beginning of those trails are there.

If someone took Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and really worked hard at it, they could make a great film. This is a true sequel, not simply a rehash or an uninspired rip-off of a story we’ve seen a million times. While there are dumb moments only the kids will like, this movie is for them. Actually, the audience isn't even that broad. It’s made for kids who specifically love Cinderella. For that demographic, it’s got enough sweet and funny moments to make it worth checking out once the grown-ups have finally gotten sick of seeing the same movie 30 times. (May 7, 2021)

[dollycas]

Cozy Wednesday featuring The Diva Delivers on a Promise: A Deliciously Plotted Foodie Cozy Mystery (A Domestic Diva Mystery) by Krista Davis #Review / #Giveaway @KensingtonBooks @KristaDavis

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday! It is a pleasure to share my thoughts with you today about The Diva Delivers on a Promise by Krista Davis today!

The Diva Delivers on a Promise: A Deliciously Plotted Foodie Cozy Mystery (A Domestic Diva Mystery) Kensington Cozies (May 23, 2023) Cozy Mystery 16th in Series Setting - Virginia Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496732790 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496732798 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BFC4R9Z8

Sophie is busy handling the first-ever convention of the Association of Ghost Kitchens—restaurants that do delivery only—but she’s taking a little time out for a lunch meeting organized by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedicated to providing meals for children in need, and as a bonus, it’ll give Sophie the perfect opportunity to ogle the lavish Old Town home of socialite Geraldine Stansfield. Gerrie’s dining room is impeccably furnished, the table laden with gleaming crystal and prized china. If it weren’t for the dead man lying on the floor, everything would be perfect . . . No one knows the victim—or at least, no one claims to. But a little snooping by Sophie reveals links to many local notables. In fact, not only was he a client of Geraldine’s late husband, an attorney—every member of the Stansfield clan knew the deceased. But only one knows what he was doing in Gerrie’s house. Gerrie’s elegant abode looks spotless, but there’s plenty of dirty linen in those family closets. Now Sophie will have to get the killer to come clean before he spoils another appetite—for good . . . Includes delicious recipes and fabulous decorating tips! Dollycas's Thoughts  Sophie is always busy and in this story, she has taken on the Association of Ghost Kitchens convention, their first, as ghost kitchens are a new thing. She is also working with A Healthy Meal, a group organized to provide children in need with healthy meals. The lunch meeting is being hosted by socialite Geraldine Stansfield in her beautiful home. The committee arrives ready to work out their plans but before they can even get started the luncheon comes to a screeching halt, thanks to the dead man on the floor next to the table with a knife in his chest. Sophie tries to take control by calling 911 and keeping the other women away from the body. The dead man looks familiar but she can't place him but it seems Geraldine Stansfield and her entire family knew him and they are not talking. No one claims to know what he was doing in the house or why he would have been killed there. Assuming the only ghosts around are the kitchens, Sophie knows to get The Healthy Meal and the people of Old Town back on track she is going to have to track down the killer, probably with Nina by her side. I love this series! The characters created by Ms. Davis are always engaging and doing interesting things. Sophie is down-to-earth and practical. Natasha is so crazy with her ideas and recipes and still hoping to win back Mars even though he seems pretty happy right now. Nina is the best friend ever, always up for a stake-out complete with snacks. Bernie too is always game to help Sophie especially when his business is involved. The author even gets the pets right. Daisy is such a good dog and I love that Mars and Sophie share custody. Mochie, Sophie's ocicat has such a personality and clearly makes his wishes and demands known. We are introduced to several new characters and all are unique, relevant to the story, and are allowed to evolve over the course of the story. The mysteries contained in this story are so well written and plotted. Twists and turns, suspense and humor, clues and motives, all come together to keep the reader's attention and on our toes. The author weaves together the main plots and subplots with such ease. The story flows perfectly. I really enjoyed tagging along with Sophie as she juggled everything she was involved in. When that final clue fell into place and Sophie stepped in I gave a little cheer. She is a strong woman and I loved the way she took control and empowered another character too. The theme of ghost kitchens was so timely. Due to COVID, they’ve become a legitimate and even preferred alternative to starting up a full-fledged restaurant. These kitchens make food for delivery only. I loved learning about them and realized they are everywhere. As always, the advice questions and answers that start each chapter are always a treat. Natasha's advice probably should never be taken while Sophie's responses are spot-on and helpful. Ms. Davis has written another fabulous mystery. Her descriptive style makes it so easy to escape into the story. The characters are genuine and I have truly become invested in their lives. I hate when each book in this series ends because I always want more and never seem to be ready to leave Old Town. Krista Davis never fails to deliver. The Diva Delivers on a Promise was truly a Perfect Escape. It's an excellent addition to this series and I can't for Book 17 next year to see what Sophie and her friends get into next!

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

Krista Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries, the Paws & Claws Mysteries, and the Pen & Ink Mysteries. Several of her books have been nominated for the Agatha Award. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two cats and a brood of dogs. Her friends and family complain about being guinea pigs for her recipes, but she notices they keep coming back for more. Author Links: Website   Facebook   Pinterest Mystery Lovers Kitchen   Twitter  Kensington Cozies

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[nekomaster69]

Taylor, you have the best taste in anime in school. So what's the best anime?

I, in respect for you coming to me, have been thinking long and hard about this question and how to answer it. it seems near impossible however.

The best anime is entirely subjective. My personal favorite is different from many others. It also depends on the genre you prefer. If you wanna talk about the sheer impact of certain anime, you can look to Lucky Star, Fruits Basket, and Haruhi Suzumiya for some amazing slice of life esque highschool anime.. I also think School Live! is underrated- though not by any means a perfect anime. Sailor moon also had a huge impact on magical girl anime, alongside Tokyo Mew Mew- we could also talk about the shonen that many first were introduced to anime with. One Piece is fantastic and STILL GOING.

Is the best anime something that fits the perfect bill of what an anime should be? is it the most beginner friendly? is it my favorite? All of these questions have to be asked when settling on the best anime. We should also keep in account waifu and husbando potential. Re:Zero, for example, has probably one of the most famous waifus of anime history with Rem. There is also a fair amount of anime I don't think are inherently good- but I love watching for sheer enjoyment factor. Sankarea is a pretty C-B tier anime with some weird stuff, but I ended up falling in love with it and, while not being great- the nostalgia factor has kept me coming back to it. I don't really recommend it, but it's the reason my favorite flowers are hydrangeas and it formed an appreciation for zombies in me.

Should art style be accounted for as well? The soundtrack? I think My Dress Up Darling has one of the best scores and art styles in anime. Spy x Family is one of the cutest though- which, alongside If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord, are some of the best family anime out there for me. They're heartwarming- and while the plot is somewhat contained, that doesn't stop it from being great. Naruto and Dragon Ball Z had huge impacts, the isekai trope has thousands upon thousands of series to review- can one even judge the best anime when they could not possibly watch them all...? There are also niche underrated anime I believe deserve more recognition... but, after analyzing this question, I had to come to a conclusion. And to a conclusion I have reached.

Neon Genesis Evangelion.

I know, basic choice. But I genuinely believe this. There is no song that gets me as excited and hyped as A Cruel Angels Thesis- and this anime has done so much for the artform as a whole that leaving it out would be insane. It still holds up after all these years- and even thrives in our current day. This anime not only has one of the best tsundere tropes and generally just likeable characters with intense and interesting stories- but with emotional and subversive writing, it tilts what you may think makes a perfect anime on its head. The story stems from the depression of the creator. to quote: "It is a production where my only thought was to burn my feelings into film". He succeeded- those feelings radiate from every episode. The characters feel realistic, the art is BEAUTIFUL, and psychologically it can really fuck you up if you aren't in the place for it. I find myself relating to it a lot recently. It's incredibly consistent, beautiful, and has an ending that, if you haven't been spoiled to already- I refuse to be the one to spoil for you. It's had an incredible impact on all anime since- and there has yet to be any that live up to the standard it set. Plus the soundtrack is killer, and there are giant mechs. What isn't there to love?

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Millie’s Massive Fic Rec Post

To celebrate 700 followers I’m showing all the love, people. What you’ll find here are fics that were sent to me who I agree deserve a bit more love as well as fics I’ve read and adored. They’re split into characters so all you need to do is scroll to find your fave and bask in its glory. There is some swearing but it’s only because it’s the only way I know how to express my feelings. This is also my thank you to each of the authors involved for taking the time out of their day to write these fics for free. There are also some authors I know I’ve forgotten and I am so so sorry if I have, I promise you it wasn't intentional, I love you all very much.

As always, I love and appreciate you all. Let’s get started on this ridiculously long post!!

Harry Potter:

Don’t Walk Away - @kalimagik - THE ANGST. I was on the edge of my seat through it all; I knew what was coming but did I look away? No. I was completely sucked it and that ending... oh my god, I was broken. If you’re looking for an incredibly written piece of angst that has you in tears, then this is the fic.

Dandelions - @lupins-sweater - The first post of A Very Harry Potter Summer and it was kicked off so brilliantly!! This fic had me wishing for my very own Harry to take morning walks with. It’s so wonderful; it has you wanting a summery morning and dandelions to make wishes on.

Always You - @bl597 - inspired by Louis Tomlinson’s song Always You, so I was already sold on that front. It’s an angst piece - Harry pining from afar, regretting his decisions but with a happy ending. I love that it's written from his perspective, that he realises what he’s done. I really do love this fic, and I aim to work my way through her masterlist!

The Truth Behind The Kiss - @justauthoring​ - the anticipation from the first sentence, I was on the edge of my seat. I loved every single word of this fic, it’s written so well. I just, I need you all to read this fic bc it is SO GOOD. Harry, Triwizard tournament, feelings, fluff - it has it all. 

For how long? - @siriusly-addicted-to-writing​ - It seems for Harry fics I am drawn to angst even though I write nothing but fluff for him. This fic is no different. Dani, this fic is wonderful, I love it. You capture the angst brilliantly! Go read this everyone!

Ron Weasley:

“can we pretend I never said that?” - @hello-everyfandom - I love this so much! Ron calling himself ‘the snog master’ had me snorting out loud - it’s great. And then the dialogue continues to be brilliant. I really enjoyed this fic! Ron needs more attention people!!  

Crossing Lines - @kalimagik - ADORABLE. CUTE. WONDERFUL. Oh, Ron. Everything about this fic is marvellous. The relationship between Ron and the reader, the realisation, the meddling. It was perfect, so so perfect.

birthday - @lupinsdarling - FLUFFY AND CHAOTIC AND I LOVE IT. Why oh why doesn't Ron get more love? Why doesn't this fic have more attention? It’s so fluffy and Ron is so bloody cute that my heart physically hurt while reading this. It hurt because it was so PURE.

Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley:

Girls in one room - @eleven-times-lively - Hermione x Reader - oh my god I snorted at Ron, I love it. And the fluff? There’s so much fluff, I can't deal with the fluff. If you’re going to read a Hermione fic, read this one!

just as lovely - @vanillann - this is so pure! it’s so wonderful, and the relationship between Hermione and the reader is so cute! 

Hug ur friends drabble - @firewhisky-kisses - Ginny x Reader - it’s the cutest thing I’ve read, oh my god, is it cute! I love everything about this, Steph is so talented! But I go into that further down.

Neville Longbottom:

Never the Bride - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Dee’s fic reads as a rom com, it’s so brilliantly done. By the time you're at the end, you feel as if you’ve just watched a two hour rom com and need to squeal into your pillow because of the feels. I love this fic.

Moonlight Swim - @kalimagik - Neville. Oh, Neville. This fic stole my heart and it won't give me it back. The idea of a moonlight swim with Neville? Here for it. And the confession? *chefs kiss* incredible. 

Healing - @firewhisky-kisses - I cannot put into words how much I loved this fic,. Steph is just so incredibly talented and writes Neville so wonderfully. Healing is the first fic of two and that second part had me in happy tears because Neville deserves the world. I go back and reread this a lot when I need to boost my emotions, so thank you for this Steph.

Good News - @peachesandpinks - Let me explain something here, Ron repeatedly and without fail hypes up fic writers to the point where she makes me cry happy tears at her comments. Her writing (and I'm going to swear now) is fucking brilliant. I love it, I adore it. Ren has a way with words that I only hope to master. This fic? Marvellous, magnificent, wonderful - pick a synonym and go wild. It’s so sweet and wholesome - what more could you possibly want other than to be on her taglist?

Tally Marks - @obsessedwithrandomthings NEVILLE WITH TATTOOS PEOPLE! NEVILLE! WITH! TATTOOS! Do I need to say anymore? Yes? Okay. Dee is a fantastic writer but she writes Neville perfectly. We have had many conversations about her love for Neville and her love for him shines through in this fic. She writes with such care and I love reading everything.

Draco Malfoy: 

The Purist - @mxl-foy - This series is so good. Like, so good, that if it was a physical book, it would be sat on my shelves. I would religiously check her account every time I came onto Tumblr to see if a new chapter was posted, and if there was, you best believe there was a happy dance. It’s so incredibly thought out and plotted. And there’s going to be a part two! It’s so great!

Notes - @malfoys-demigod - This is so sweet! I live for fluffy Draco as you all know if you read my Draco fics, but I adore reading fluffy Draco as well. This fic is so adorable, I love it! 

Always so Cold - @teheharrypotter - Five times Draco gave you his sweater and the one time you accepted. I love these sort of fics, they’re my indulgence fics. Jealous!Draco is one of my favourite things to read as well. and he’s so dramatic. I couldn't ask for more in a fic, definitely one of my favourites. 

the distance between us - @sdicapriox - This is a genius idea. I love this idea, and I love how it was executed. Almost 10k words of brilliance. I love the reader and her first letter to Draco and her entire personality - fish funeral? genius. I really like how you portray Draco and the effort you put into his internal monologue, it really is something excellent. The ending as well, I won't spoil, I just urge people to read this. 

Heartbreak - @slytherinprincess03 - you have to have a little bit of angst in a Draco fic rec right? This fic has it but the ending is perfect and fluffy, gah! I love it!. Not to mention, Draco is such a gentlemen in it. I can't wait to see what else you write, lovely!!

Hardly A Date - @fanficflaneuse - I love this fic. I love it so much. I tend not to read sibling!reader but I adored this. The relationship between Harry and the reader, and then Draco and the reader. It’s amazing. I could rant for hours and hours about how much I love her work - her series are out of this world and she captures Draco’s character perfectly. 

George Weasley:

Red with Rage - @kalimagik - AGH ANOTHER OF MAGGIE’S FICS. The prank? Genius, and that end line - incredible. Her characterisation of the twins is so good, I love reading her fics. She deserves more than 300 followers! So if you don’t already follow her, go now!

When Everything Changes - @strawberriesonsummer - Based on the song Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. This is so pure, it’s so fluffy. George is adorable in this! I can't wait to read what else you write for George!

Come back to you - @dreamer821 - JJ, JJ, JJ. Ugh, this fic is a work of art and George is so bloody caring. I mention this a lot but the relationship between George and the reader is so important to get right and JJ does it flawlessly. My heart hurts for this fic and that last line, LOVE IT. I live for how JJ writes George, I could read her work all day. GO READ HER STUFF, YOU WON’T REGRET IT.

Fred Weasley:

The Right Bird - @dreamer821 - I’m not only just involving this because it was used in my writing challenge but oh my days, it is so wonderful. The relationship between Fred and the reader is just *chefs kiss* perfect. JJ has such a way with words and I just love how she depicts Fred.

Lost, are we? - @prongsies - I think I’m going to make my way through your masterlist because I loved this so much. The teasing was so cute, and Fred helping her at the beginning? Ahhhhh brilliant. 

Watermelon Sugar - @prongsies - COMPLETING THE FINEST SERVICE TO THE HP FANDOM AND WRITING FICS INSPIRED BY FINE LINE - I SALUTE YOU. This is so good, so so good. The references to the song are used so well and that little bit of fluff at the end? Amazing. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put the song on repeat now...

Percy Weasley: 

Nothing We Can’t Forgive -  @firewhisky-kisses - This series really does showcase Steph’s talent. She’s an incredible writer and this fic deserves all the attention it can possibly get. It’s the first Percy fic I’ve ever read and I’m already planning a reread. Steph captures Percy’s character flawlessly whilst also depicting his healing in a manner that is so relatable. I’ve linked the masterlist because once you start reading, you won't want to stop. 

Sight is Relative - @hufflefluff-writer - This fic has a blind reader which I think makes it all the more beautiful. Amelia’s characterisation of Percy really is wonder, she captures him brilliantly. The fic after they eat is quite literally breathtaking. The description of colours, the dialogue - it’s fantastic.

Hufflepuff!Reader Headcanons - @soft-nerdy-wolf - I loved this from the beginning where the reader was already helping Percy out of his comfort zone by disregarding curfew. Then the further, I read, I loved more and more because of how fluffy it is! And the confession? So so sweet! This needs more attention!

Bill Weasley: 

Estrellita - @fanficflaneuse and @hufflefluff-writer - It is a fic inspired by the Sound of Music, what more could you possibly want? It’s so delicate and incredibly written by two extremely talented writers. The relationship between Bill and the reader = adorable. The whole series is so fantastic, I’ve linked part one and you’ll find the rest on Amelia’s masterlist, which you’ll need because you’ll be reading the entire thing in one sitting, I swear.

Charlie Weasley:

As Family the First Time - @kalimagik - you’ll have noticed that Maggie features a lot here but that’s because she is so damned talented that I adore most of her fics. The first Charlie Weasley fic I read and I fell in love. It’s just so fluffy and humorous with features from the whole Weasley family. Basically, by the end of it I was ready to raise dragons in Romania with a certain Weasley.

Meeting the Weasleys - @soft-nerdy-wolf - This made smile all sorts of stupid. From the beginning, I wanted to own Hepaestus (the perfect name for a dragon in my opinion - Zeus’ own forger, amazing.) And the fluff with Charlie straight after? I love, love, love it as well as the fun relationship they have. And the pranks with Fred and George? Ah! I just love.

Dragons blurb - @hufflefluff-writer - I know it’s only a blurb but oh my god, I loved it, I love it. Jealous!Charlie and a buttload of fluff - the best to boost your mood.

Cedric Diggory:

A Ghost Story - @wondernimbus - So beautifully haunting. Ysa has a way with words that make you feel as if you're physically there, living the fic alongside the characters. There aren't really any words to describe how talented Ysa is - all I can do is urge to read her masterlist and discover for yourself. 

My Boys - @potterverseimagine - Cedric and dogs - I am in love. This fic is so sweet and pure and playful. Playful Cedric is so great omg and this fic is full to the brim with it. I just... ah I love this so much. AND HE’S ALIVE. I LOVE FICS WHERE HE’S ALIVE. Thank you for this!!

It’s a Date - @angelinathebook​ - Lena, this is so good. You need to write more Cedric! Ah, I hate those boys so much but I love Cedric!! This is so good! Cedric needs more love 100% - if you haven't read this already, you need to read it now!!

Sirius Black: 

Lost Time - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Reader standing up for who she loves against Bellatrix? Yes, we love that. Slow burn romance with Sirius? I love that even more. Dee never fails to astound me when she writes Sirius, and I know she won’t fail to astound you too. Seriously (lol), go through Dee’s masterlist, read her works, you won't regret it. She’s the loveliest.

Our Godson - @nebulablakemurphy - Christina is so talented. The letters!!! Are so good!!! AND WHEN THEY FINALLY MEET? My heart! Christina, it's as if you broke it and then rebuilt it again all in the span of 2.8k words especially with that ending. I love this fic, and you will love this fic. 

Curiosity - @siriusly-the-best-gryffindor​ - I don’t know what else to say that I haven't already said in my reblog but I love this fic. I am heavily pierced and heavily tattooed and I love seeing a reader as the same. I love all of this fic, it 100% needs more love!

The Jimmy Jab Games - @im-a-writer-right​ - A Sirius fic inspired by Brooklyn-99. I loved every single chapter, it made me so happy. And that final chapter, I was smiling like a fool throughout. Sirius is a dream through this, and that bet? I love! I’ve linked the masterlist because you won’t want to move as you read.  

Secrets and fears - @firewhisky-kisses​ - Steph does it again with the masterpieces. Honestly, I squeal a little whenever I see her in my notifications with a new fic because everything she writes is stellar, and this is no exception. If you’re going to read anything tonight, let it be her masterlist. If you haven't read her latest Sirius piece as well, you are sorely missing out. 

Remus Lupin:

Protect - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Oh man, this one hurt. There are so many feels to this fic, so many layers. The enemies to lovers? Amazing. That ending as well - so fucking good. Like everything Dee writes, so fucking good.

Sleeping Beauty - @poppin-potter - This is adorable. There’s no other words for it. The relationship between the reader and Remus is so cute, I was smiling all the way through it. Not to mention the relationship between the reader and the Marauders, so bloody good. And that ending? It was so peaceful, like I was reading and I was like yeah, I would’t mind a piece of that.

Pain of reality - @heloisedaphnebrightmore - I had to involve some Remus angst, and oh my word. You smashed my heart into pieces in the beginning and had put it back together by the end. Heloise is an incredible writer, so so talented. This is a Remus fic you cannot miss out on!

Bruise and Scars - @peachesandpinks - Soulmate AU and Marauders Era Remus. What more could you possibly want? It’s poetic. If you look to my Neville section, you’ll see why I love Ren’s writing so much but let me tell you, I am a SUCKER for Remus. Always have been, always will be. You will not regret reading this fic or any of Ren’s fics.

Nights like These - @teheharrypotter - another fic in A Very Harry Potter Summer and the description in this fic is so good! The way the summer night described has you feeling every moment of it. And the conversation between Remus and the reader is so beautiful, where they touch upon their grief. It’s a wonderfully written piece of work.

James Potter:

Numb Love - @heloisedaphnebrightmore - Unrequited love is like my guilty pleasure because I love the angst of it, and this fic. Oh this fic, it destroyed me and I loved every single minute of it. How this fic doesn't have more notes, I have no clue. It’s a masterpiece of emotions. 

Reading between the lines - @approved-by-dentists - ohhh this fic is great, I love the flirtation between the reader and James in the beginning all the way to end. It was one of the first James fics I read (I’m late to the party, I’m well aware) and omg I love it. Just go read the fic!

Book-thief - @wondernimbus - I’m going to repeat my words from earlier, there are no words to describe Ysa’s talent. James Potter and a bookshop and I was sold. She captures his character so brilliantly. Just... go binge her work.

Summer revelations - @pregnant-piggy - I keep saying this about all the fics I put on here but I love this fic! I love it! First, I love James. Second, I need those muffins - seriously, where can I get these muffins? And their realisations and confessions! It’s such a pure fic, I’m absolutely in love with your portrayal of James.

Newt Scamander:

Cheeky Niffler - @eleven-times-lively - reader is an archaeologist - from that moment, I was sold. I loved reading this, I loved the idea and I love Niffler as it is! I always need more Newt in my life and this is perfect.

Online Love - @strawberriesonsummer​ - Modern AU! I really loved this idea, I love the idea of Newt with a phone and ringing the wrong number. It’s such a wonderful fic, I haven't read Newt in so long so this was such a lovely one to read! I can’t wait to read what other Newt fics are posted!

desire - @blisfvll​ - I am a huge fan of their works; their Draco fics are incredible and their Newt fics are just the same. This had me feeling all sorts of emotions, and I loved every second of it.  

You stared Newt right in the eyes. - @fantasticnewtimagines​ - I didn't know what the title to this was so I just type out the first sentence, I hope you don't mind! This is a delicious piece of angst with a lovely, happy ending. I adore this piece so much because it conveys so much. I love it!!

MARVEL:

I want to take a moment to appeal to the followers of mine who also enjoy reading marvel. @shaynawrites23​ has started to write some marvel fics and even entered my writing challenge and her fics definitely deserve some attention! She’s a wonderful writer and her fics are so cute! If you’re a fan of Bucky, you’ll love these fics!

Catty

Soulmate

Rosy Proposal

[sucker-for-six-of-crows]

Hi! I’m interested in joining the general shadow and bone/six of crows fandom but i dont know where to start. I have some questions if you have the time. what’s the relationship between shadow & bone and six of crows (prequel/sequel series or companions, etc?). Im thinking of watching the show first, would this spoil any 6 of crows things for me?

Thank you so much (i’d google but im scared of spoilers)

No problem, and welcome to the fandom!!! We’re to glad to have you!

The Grishaverse: Where Should I start?

The Grishaverse is a book/TV universe by the wonderfully talented Leigh Bardugo that includes many different series, a show, and a few companion books as well (Kind of like the Percy Jackson series in the sense that the universe is interconnected but not always related!)

The Main Book Series Include:

The Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising)

The Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom)

The King of Scars Duology (King of Scars and Rule of Wolves)

The Companion Books/Short Stories Include:

The Language of Thorns

The Lives of Saints

The Demon in the Wood

The Tailor

The TV show:

Shadow and Bone on Netflix (Directed by Lee Toland Kriegar)

Because there’s so much content to pick and choose from, it can be difficult to figure out where the hell you gotta start, but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!

First Up: The Grisha Trilogy + Demon in the Wood + The Tailor

The Grisha Trilogy is Bardugo’s original book series that began this whole thing. The first book, Shadow and Bone, was published in 2012 and the final book, Ruin and Rising, was published in 2014.

The Grisha Trilogy centers around Alina Starkov, a mapmaker-turned-Sun Summoner who can control light. Through trials of love and loss, Alina must do whatever it takes to close the Fold, a gigantic shadowy divide that’s ripped her country in two and is populated by horrifying monsters. 

Bardugo has also written two short stories related to The Grisha Trilogy, including “Demon in the Wood,” which centers around The Darkling’s backstory, and “The Tailor,” which centers around the character Genya Safin.

This series and its plot is the primary reference for the first season of the Shadow and Bone Netflix show.

Second: The Six of Crows Duology

The Six of Crows Duology was published in 2015 and 2016 and takes place after the events of the Grisha Trilogy, although it doesn’t require prior reading of the Grisha Trilogy to understand; despite being in the same universe, the Six of Crows Duology takes place in an entirely different setting with an entirely different cast of characters. 

The narrative centers around members of a gang called The Dregs: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, and Wylan Van Eck. With their combined skills and power, they attempt an earth-shattering heist into the most secure fortress in the world.

The characters of the Six of Crows Duology do appear in the first season of the Shadow and Bone Netflix show, but the plot of the duology is not touched upon/has been manipulated to run consecutively with the Grisha Trilogy. You could technically watch the show first, but I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Third: The Shadow and Bone Netflix Show

The Shadow and Bone Netflix Show just had its first season released in 2021.

Although it bears the name of the first book in The Grisha Trilogy, it’s almost like a fanfiction in the sense that it combines the Six of Crows Duology and the Grisha Trilogy together into one show, despite how Six of Crows takes place AFTER the Grisha Trilogy. Obviously, such an enormous change involves some major alterations to fit things together smoothly, primarily in regards to the plot of Six of Crows.

Rather than an even combination of the two series, it’s more like putting the characters of Six of Crows into the Grisha Trilogy, and forsakes a lot of the plot of Six of Crows as a result, though I do believe they’ll delve more into that once season two comes out.

Fourth: The King of Scars Duology

The King of Scars Duology was published in 2019 and 2021 and centers around two characters in particular from The Grisha Triology, Nikolai Lantsov and Zoya Nazyalensky.

It requires prior reading of the Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology, though I can’t reveal too much about the plot without spoiling. 

Whenever You Want: The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints

The Lives of Saints and The Language of Thorns are lore books associated with the Grishaverse. 

Both of them are preferable to read in physical form, as they include beautiful works of art and are essentially art in and of themselves.

The Lives of Saints revolves around the stories of Ravka’s various saints that they worship, while The Language of Thorns revolves around the fairy tales of various countries around Bardugo’s universe.

Good luck, and once again, welcome to the fandom!

[rachellovesharry]

Okay. So I bet you're searching for some fics right now because you're bored, then you're at the right place. So this is a list of my favorite Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers fics. I've read so many fics but I'm going to list the fics which I remember and I recently read. You're probably wondering why I'm doing this it's because FIC WRITERS DON'T GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE. YES YOU HEARD ME. They spend so much of their time on this blog to give us such good stories/ contents, they have their personal life but still they write for us. And it is our time to be grateful for them so please if you ever read a fic, please like, reblog and comment. I've been on tumblr for less then a year and I've seen so many fic writers leave this blog. It genuinely hurts me because their loosing their inspiration because not many people recognize their talents. SO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LIKE, REBLOG AND COMMENT ON THE FICS YOU READ AND LOVE. I know many of you read and don't reblog but please do cause as fan-fic readers it's the least we can do. So on this though I'm going to be listing the fics I've read. I'll see if this gets good response then I'll maybe do more. I'm in no way doing this for myself, it's for all the fic writers to tell them how grateful I am. So if you're reading this please like or reblog this so I'll know people are seeing this. Okay so I've spoken enough let's go:

🅾 This is in a random order🅾

@all1e23 So Allie's fics are the first bucky x reader fics I've ever read on tumblr. Her writing is really good and I would recommend you to read all of her fics. The swallows, astrophile, between the stars are all my favorites. But my most favorite will be heart and soul that's just *NO WORDS*.You can literally binge her entire masterlist.

@invisibleanonymousmonsters I LOVE LOVE LOVE heart of steel. It was so good I had to call my cousin up and tell her this story. Like I'm not going to spoil it for y'all it's just *chef's kiss*. It's a knight!bucky x princess!reader. I'm telling you y'all won't be disappointed. And all of her other fics are good too. Y'all can check out her masterlist, it's definitely my favorite.

@simsadventures JUST READ PANOPTICON. it's an alpha! Steve Rogers x reader. It's sooooo good and she also writes Bucky x reader. She also wrote an alpha!bucky is I'm not wrong. Check out her masterlist too guys.

@hispeculiartreasure I've read only one fic of her's it's called All we've got is time. My god!! I loved that fic so much. It's a 40s Bucky fic. I was so addicted to it. I think it's one of the first 40s au I've read. Y'all should read it.

@allandoflimbo Take it back -pls read this. Don't even get me started. I'm never one to read cheating fics, but let me tell you it's not what I expected TBH. It's a Bucky x reader. That's all I'm going to tell you. I'm already getting chills talking about this fic. She's also writing on wattpad and ao3. She's got another new fic written it's called Ashens( I think). But I'm telling y'all will not regret it.

@speechlessxx I'm obsessed with her fics. I remember a long time back I read cherry chapstick, it's a Chris evans x reader. It was so good and I didn't know who wrote it. it was super good. And then her fics Bring me light. Wowowwo. It's a king! Steve Rogers fic. God I use to literally wait for her to post it. She also has a new fic. You can check out her masterlist, I tell you.

@kayteewritessteve JUST CHECK OUT HER ENTIRE MASTERLIST OKAY. THERE'S NOTHING MUCH TO SAY. IF I START TALKING ABOUT HER FICS I WON'T STOP. Anyways I still will. She mostly writes only Steve Rogers fics. I love literally every story she writes. It's just wowowoow. She has Mob! Steve, King! Steve, Cop! Steve. Just read it okay. No excuses

@whistlingwillows I've just read two of her fics but let me tell you, I was not able to come out of it. I myself have to check her masterlist cause she has SO MANY GOOD FICS. Buried in you're bones and foxglove just made me cry. Like seriously they're that good.

@jaamesbbarnes I love Disney au's so much and god y'all have to read Sirens song. It was so simple yet beautiful. It's a CEO! Bucky fic. And lets just say it was so freaking cute.

@redgillan READ HER ENTIRE MASTERLIST. Like she has so many good fics I get confused sometimes. Right now I'm obsessed with Under pastel skies. It's a Bucky Barnes fic. And it's a sugar daddy au. And it's not what you think 😳😏it's so freaking romantic. Just read it. And check her masterlist too. If I'm not wrong she has so many Steve Rogers fic too.

@papi-chulo-bucky AHAHAHA. I LOVE HERR FICS like TBH it's amazing. That's it. And I love her fic called Haunting ME. It's one of my favorites coz its a POC! reader fic. Like wowowowo. And the plot is so good. Check her out guys.

@floatingpetals Read the Shifter series. It's so cute and the reader is clingy(like me). And I just love it when the readers animal self interacts with Bucky. It's such a good series honestly give it a read.

@brooklyn-boy one word MASTERLIST. Like you can find both Steve and Bucky fics. I think there also a stucky one. I love all of they're stories and you guys it's so good. My favorite one will be a Sea of Strangers

@romanticromanogers Eternal fever is such a good fic. It's a biker gang! Bucky and the reader works as a dancer in a bar. It's so good I can't wait for the next chapter. Please give this fic a try you'll live it I'm sure.

@xetoilerouge LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. yes you read it right it's based on the movie with the same title but it's so much different and even more cuter. It's a Bucky fic. Y'all will not regret it.

@wkemeup I STOPPED THINKING FOR A MINUTE CAUSE I HAD FLASH BACKS OF HER FICS. Like her fics have you going in a rollercoaster and it's like you cannot even expect the plot twist. And her plot is good and her writing is amazing. By any other name and guiding light are my all time favorites. Both had me wandering around my house at night.

@cxptain Last night only I finished reading one of her fics. And honestly it's really good I can't wait to read the rest of her fics in her masterlist. She wrote a mob! Steve fic and god it's freaking cute. And I have to say this it has the ultimate Sam, Bucky and Peter interaction it's so funny. Honestly I died laughing. AND SHE ALSO HAS A DESI FIC!!??! CAN I SEE MY DESI READERS!!! it's a Bucky x desi reader and honestly I read the prolonge and I was so excited. Y'all can definitely read her fics too.

@justreadingfics WAIT I HAVE TO TAKE A MINUTE. *inhales and exhales* OK just read it's a deal. It's a Bucky fic and it's still wip. And not to mention it's soooo HOTTT. And if you ever want to cry your freaking heart and brains out Read looking for a heart beat honestly I cried like a freaking baby and let me tell you I wasn't looking cute. But just I regretted not reading it early. PLSSSS FREAKING READ IT YALL ARE MISSING OUT SO MUCH.

@wintersoldierissucharide LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY CAUSE THERES NOTHING I CAN SAY OTHER THAN FREAKING READ HER STORIES . THE ANGSTTT. I CAN'T EVEN. Her fic The Silence has me silent. And the past always catches up. If you haven't read it..... *pikachu face* just go read it.

🅾 This is not the only fics I've read. I've read so many fics but these are the only fics I remember and I've be reading recently. If this gets a good response I'll maybe do another part🅾

So I'm doing this so that fic writers get all the recognition and love they deserve. I'm not doing this for my own selfish reasons. I'm doing this as a way to thank all the fanfic writers. And Pls DO NOT BE A SILENT READER. LIKE. REBLOG. COMMENT. DO YOU'RE PART. AND ALSO BLACK LIVES MATTER. BLACK LIVES ARE LOVED. BLACK LIVES ARE CHERISHED.

And if you're reading this Pls reblog this too so i will know someone is seeing and reading this. And to ALL THE FANFIC WRITER YOU GUYS ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB. I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU. THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. YOU GUYS ARE SO TALENTED AND YOU GUYS HAVE MADE TUMBLR A SAFE PLACE FOR ME.

And how can I forget @searchingforbucky She is one of the reasons I got to find so many amazing fanfics. Pls follow her you will not regret it. Her blog is amazing and you'll find so many new fics.

[monkey-network]

Why Klaus IS Christmas Kino

Klaus isn’t flawless, let’s get this out the way. My love for this film won’t deny that it bears a couple nits that can distract the experience. Jesper and Alva’s relationship felt like an eye-rolling inevitability, notable cliches here & there, a notable song felt both fitting and out of place, and while enjoyable, I’m not as big a fan of the climax as I thought. But in spite of it all, I love this film and it is one of the best modern animated Christmas films, period? Follow me here. I could go on about its wonderful animation cuz yeah, it’s unlike any other film. But a philosophy of mine is that the best animation enhances the writing and I can say Klaus is that surprisingly well written and has become an all time Christmas fave

*deep breath in* So let’s do this...

I mention that Klaus has its cliches, but you gotta know that it’s smarter than expected. Believe me when I say if the writers didn’t care, this could’ve actually been so much worse. Jesper could’ve been more manipulative towards everyone for his goals, Klaus would’ve given up entirely after knowing the truth about Jesper, we could’ve had an argument between Jesper and his dad about upholding business, the townsfolk could’ve reverted back to their old ways, plenty writing moments where this could’ve been Emoji Movie levels of insulting to your intellect. BUT, they don’t. The film never really turns back on itself, it keeps moving where, as the notable quote goes, an act of good will sparks another as it starts with Jesper’s father.

Even if nepotism was responsible for Jesper getting the job in the first place, he clearly sees his son be more spoiled than he’s worth so is like, “Ma boi, I will send you to the ends of the earth or leave you to the streets if you don’t do something with yourself.” He never cared about his son representing the postal company, or ruining his top class image, he was only tired of Jesper taking advantage of his fortune while not having any ambition of his own. Can’t help but say Jesper’s dad is a very respectable character because the sole reason the whole plot happened in the first place was because he just wanted his son to do better. It’s that act of genuine consideration that pushes Jesper to his wake up call as he reaches Smeerensburg.

People have compared this movie to Emperor’s New Groove through Jesper’s character and I say yes, but this film takes that next step and put Jesper in the pit of pits way early. Reminds me more of Ratatouille’s beginning where Remy’s lowest point is around the same time as Jesper’s. The harsh atmosphere of the island is treated very blunt in how this is our mailman’s nightmare come true. With his situation, our guy is truly at his lowest. Gives up now, he’ll be cut off his inheritance and probably will have worse. Everyone hates him and each other, his post office itself is in shambles, symbolic of how communication is practically thin outside conflict, and the teacher turned fish seller Alva is that path Jesper could notably be if he didn’t try. Everything is literally grey for this guy, but like Ratatouille, when you’re at your lowest there’s no where else to go but up. That’s where Klaus comes in...

This is genuinely the most clever interpretation of Santa I know, hands down. A well established woodsman, a crafter both of living, for him and the birds that reside in his woods, and recreation with the toys he made himself not just for kids, but specifically the kids he and his wife wanted but couldn’t have. Klaus feels like a real person, not just another take on the mythical man. You’re with him and Jesper as he, after familiar winds provide him a letter, a small spark to do something good, soon opens up and gets reminded of what’s kept him going all these years. It is no wonder he sees his wife in Jesper, it’s thanks to him that he could refurbish his dashed dream into a new one. He didn’t just want to do it for the children of the island, but for himself. That is another thing about this film: communication. I mention before how it’s practically thin at first due to a long going feud that isn’t even aware of why it’s still going. The joy in hate is only for hatred’s sake, and they make it very clear how miserable it all feels. That is where Jesper comes in. They don’t take shortcuts with how he gets the ball rolling, both accidentally and purposefully, he boots up to get things done, pushes himself to go to Klaus to make things happen. This is all in part by the youth, what really ties the plot together...

As I mentioned before (again), life in Smeerensburg is noticeably miserable but thanks to Klaus, by extension Jesper, the kids are enticed to do what it takes to get some genuine joy in their lives through the toys they’re able to get. They’ll make them letters, and if they can’t write, they’ll go to Alva for teachings, and if they act naughty, they’ll try to do good which in turn pushes the adults to do good for the sake of their kids. It really would’ve been one thing to sure enough make the kids spoiled because of the toy giving, focusing more on the extrinsic value of Klaus’s kindness but no. The children are very grateful for these gifts enough to feel compelled to do good, and it makes them feel good as much as it soon makes the adults more convinced to stop fighting. It helps that this all takes place in older times cuz I believe this would’ve been far different, possibly worse, if this took place in modern times. That or just kinda rip off Arthur Christmas, it’s my guess. As such, it gradually becomes an amazing Christmas film because it isn’t just the presents, the Santa Claus myth, the festive style of it all that makes this holiday special to me. It’s the warmth... of togetherness.

My favorite detail about Klaus is how it transitions from cold to warm with its atmosphere. We start out with the emptiest, harshest environment, enough fog to choke your eyes, and then we get to this moment with a brighter, clearer sight of the more united town as the Christmas spirit builds in the film, even when it isn’t even that day yet in-universe, so too does the warmhearted feeling that can come from celebrating it appear more and more. This film fleshes out more of what the Grinch taught me, what A Charlie Brown Christmas taught me, what I’ve come to appreciate about Christmas as I grew up in this materialistic world. I can say everyday can have the Holiday spirit, but Christmas is the time where I feel compelled to be grateful of what I’ve made and got and give back when honestly, I don’t care about getting the most expensive stuff anymore like I used to when I was way younger. This film is so sincere in what it wants to say, and you know this is indeed the same guy that made Minions. Yeah, not kidding and I’ll let you sit with that if you’re reading this as I continue because we have to talk about that moment...

Yeah, I don’t like being the Nostalgia Critic, but I too don’t take kindly to the ‘liar reveal’ trope myself and this could’ve been a point where the film lost me a little. Though you know what? It still works. See, with that trope, what sucks is that it can tend to unravel the plot to where you know as soon as they break apart, they’ll get back together regardless of the deed done. This is why I don’t like A Bug’s Life, don’t @ me. But I’m not saying it can’t done right, like in Over the Hedge. The breakup between Jesper and the others is painful, but it is necessary to give us a couple great character moments. One is with Jesper and his dad, who came back personally to see that Jesper has indeed built something for himself. We get no dialogue between them but it’s clear that even when Jesper’s unintentionally successful thanks to Yzma and Bubba, he can tell his son wasn’t happy leaving everything behind, so he lets him stay since that was what he truly wanted this whole time. Again, give that man some credit for amazing dad. Another moment comes before the big reveal where not only do we see Jesper come to understand his own guilt surrounding his original intentions, but in the end they never hated him for coming back, especially due to him inadvertently stopping the enemy feud all together. Lastly, without that moment, we probably wouldn’t have got this smile. When Margu, purest character ever that I could make a whole segment about but I don’t wanna keep you too long, started to tear up after calling for Jesper thinking he left for good but she then sees our guy never really left and we get this teary smile:

I felt that. Almost more than anything else in this film.

Cliched as it can appear, the execution excels in those more memorable emotions for this film. It’s been a year since I watched this again and I remember so much about these characters. And my god, I haven’t even gotten to the animation which... my god.

Klaus is indeed the most beautiful upon beautiful films I’ve seen, and what makes it better is that it all enhances the story. I mention before of its transitional visual from cold to warm sights, but goddamn, the character designs, the environments, the expressiveness, the textures all amount to style perfect for this alone. I think it would’ve as well received if it had a more flat look, but they seriously went higher for a traditional appealing story that compliments the unique children’s storybook look of it all. This honestly is better than most of modern Disney films that I’ve seen, ironic since it feels like if you took Tangled the Series and made it 3D with more fluid character animation. And if I’m comparing something to the continuous mindblower that’s Tangled the Series, you’ve most certainly got on my best side.

Sergio Pablos and his team really pulled no punches in making this a great movie. A great Christmas movie, one worth seeing if not at least once but every Holiday season for tradition’s sake. Klaus gave me a good time, made me cry, and above all showed me to never stop having a good heart because doing good can indeed go far, thankless as it can be. Heck, my heart felt more rejuvenated than before in making this critique, that’s a testament to how much good this film means to me personally. What else is there to say?

It's The Best

[elliotapricot]

My Anime 9/10′s

With probably no spoilers cuz I don’t wanna talk too long about them zzz.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist

YALL ALREADY KNOW THIS A 9/10. The only real reason this show is not a 10/10 is because it’s just a story that I’d never rewatch. There’s like 70 episodes, which is way too long for my short attention span, especially since I’ve seen it already. But yeah, by all accounts, this story is a masterpiece and is one of the only “shounen” anime’s that I genuinely enjoyed. No random sexualization. No dumb filler. All the characters have an actual purpose and role in the plot and everyone has their own morals and ideals that interact to make the story interesting. I couldn’t bring myself to really hate anyone, even the villains, because everyone was pretty well written. Also super satisfying ending that ties up everything properly without leaving me confused or upset. If you only watch a few anime in your life, Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty much a MUST WATCH to see a beautiful example of a modern classic anime as an artform. Also I should say that I really don’t like Hunter x Hunter (AN EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL OPINION BTW) but I love Fullmetal Alchemist so take from that what you will.

2. Parasyte: The Maxim

Same kinda shit where you already know this a 9/10 for me. It’s just a very satisfying anime that doesn’t have random sexualization or random filler or anything like that. Ending is also very good and ties up the story in a way that doesn’t leave more questions but also allows the characters to have a “life” outside of the scope of the story. I think Parasyte, because of its more horror and psychological-esque vibes, counts as a seinen and not a shounen, so for more mature audiences. I also really liked how the story was successfully adapted to modern times since the manga is from the 80′s. I have actually rewatched this anime, but what stops me from giving it a 10/10 is a few things that I found kinda “stereotypical” that I don’t wanna discuss further too much cuz it’s spoilers. I still obviously really like this anime and highly recommend it.

3. Zankyou no Terror

TBH, this anime is pretty hard for me to properly describe in a lot of words as to why I like it. The art was really pretty as well as the music, which was just straight up amazing. The cinematography of this anime is excellent as well, and a lot of scenes have that sense of being acted out by real people, as opposed to feeling completely drawn/animated. I was a teenager when this anime came out and I think a lot of the themes presented in the show really related to me. The show does kinda have some leftover questions when it ends that prevents me from rating it a 10/10, but I have such a soft spot for this anime. It’s from the same creator as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, and although those two animes are also very good, they did not impact me as much as this anime did. Recommended for people looking for idk something that gives off Inception vibes?? In the sense that it’s much more about its themes and its message more so than the believability of the events that occur.

4. Magic Kaito 1412

THIS IS JUST A PERSONAL PREFERENCE BTW LOLOL I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY WHO’D PUT THIS AS A 9/10 ANIME. I JUST REALLY LIKED IT OKAY. It’s made by the same person who does Detective Conan but I like this a lot more because it’s a much shorter series and slightly more mature (more for teens than just straight up kids). I really liked the main guy, I think he’s funny and charismatic. He’s a pervert at times but Imma forgive that cuz of the 90′s. Idk it’s just a really fun anime that I don’t have to take seriously and can just watch and enjoy.

5. Mob Psycho 100 (season 1 AND 2)

Imma put season two as slightly better than season one. So season one would be like a 9 and season two is like a 9.25 for me. Super super funny anime and I like it SO much more than One Punch Man. I liked that there was a good balance of serious moments, but you can definitely still count this anime as a comedy. I’m typically not the type to watch “comedy” but this anime genuinely had me laughing out loud, while also crying and freaking out right alongside the main character. The main guy is super great because he’s just this shy and sweet middle schooler, and it’s really interesting watching him balance trynna have a normal life while also using his powers for good and such. Apparently the anime was decently faithful to the manga and there’s apparently enough material for a third season so I’d be pretty stoked for a season 3, but season 2 ended on a pretty good spot and was satisfying. TBH, if I had the time, I’d probably rewatch both seasons and bump it up to a 10/10.

6. Vinland Saga

This anime is just the first season of what I hopes to be a whole series that will be stay beautifully and faithfully adapted from the manga. As someone who read very far into the manga (but quit like years ago simply because I hate slow updates lol), I actually didn’t enjoy watching the anime at first. I was impatient and kept waiting for when like the “major” events would happen. So I watched like three episodes and quit. But when I had some free time, I decided to get stuck in and commit to watching the whole series and I was so pleasantly surprised with just how good it was. I was impatient but I needed to realize that there is no “filler” or like “wasted time” in the entire anime. I hadn’t read the manga in years, so so many things were only vaguely familiar but I think this helped me stay surprised and excited throughout the anime. I’m looking forward to the rest of the manga being adapted because it’s just a good Viking saga lolol. Major themes of stuff like growing up, violence vs. peace, what it means to be a good person, etc. Lots of blood and LOTS of violence like a LOT they are VIKINGS CMON but tbh not really any gore which I liked cuz gore makes me ughhhh. A very good watch and only a taste of an excellent story.

7. Demon Slayer

It’s just Demon Slayer duhhh. Of course this a 9/10 for me. I don’t wanna write much just cuz the show is so popular. Just read a REAL review of this anime somewhere else lmaoooo. Also yes I did watch the movie in theaters and yes I liked it a lot as well mmkay. I’m mad hype for season two. My S/O doesn’t like Demon Slayer as much as me, but also has Hunter x Hunter as their all time favorite anime. Do with that information what you will lolol.

8. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Same shit as Demon Slayer. Just go read someone else’s review about why it’s so good lol. Also, unlike Mob Psycho 100, I can’t include all of the seasons in this, because I have very various opinions about how good/bad the other seasons were. But this season 3 part 2, was just plain and simply amazing. While I might not like each season equally, as a whole Attack on Titan is also a modern masterpiece of storytelling. Read the manga if you can.

9. Great Pretender

I love this anime so much. Such a good and fun wild ride. The whole show is ridiculous but in a fun way. I’m a HUGE fan of heist films, so of course I absolutely enjoyed a heist anime. I’ve watched this show in sub AND dub, due to the fact that everyone is “technically” speaking English the entire time. If you’re a purist, just watch in sub OR dub cuz I did get confused here and there, especially when I would go back to compare language discrepancies.  Because basically I did this super high maintenance thing where I switched back to Japanese whenever the main character had flashbacks, since he’s ya know, Japanese. The dub also has this confusing thing where the first five minutes or so are still in Japanese, but switches to English when a little cue card on the screen goes “For the Viewers sake, everything from now on will be translated to Japanese.” It’s cuz in the sub, the inverse obviously happens where the characters are initially speaking broken English to each other, but for convenience sake, everything from that point on will be in Japanese. It’s confusing at first but I liked it cuz it just proved the whole international vibe of the show. It’s funny either sub or dub when they joke about how bad the main guy speaks English, cuz in the dub he’s speaking perfect English, while the sub has him not speaking English at all. But anyway, great anime that WOULD have gotten a 10/10 if not for the last episode. Like without spoiling ... WTF WAS THAT LMAOOOO. The anime as a whole is super wacky and zany but at least I could try to think it’s real life, but that last episode was just so unbelievable and bizarre and pulled my suspension of disbelief into the STRATOSPHERE that I just had to convince myself that this show takes place in some improbable alternate reality where something like what happened in the last episode is at least 5 percent possible CUZ HOW DID ANY OF THAT WORK LMAOOO??? Once again, great show, one of my absolute favorites, BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH WTF.

10. BNA

Good super underrated anime that I don’t hear people talk about at all. If Beastars is anime Zootopia, then BNA is Disney Beastars lmaooo does that make sense? It’s a lot more fun and zany than Beastars and I liked it way more. Made by the same people who made Kill la Kill. I really like that more classic, animated “cheap” art style that the anime has, and I also really liked the plot of the story. Not a 10/10 cuz the show does leave a few unanswered questions at the end of it, but this show was such a fun and interesting ride. When I finished the last episode, I was left with a big smile on my face because I just genuinely enjoyed this anime. Recommended if you wanna watch something a little unique and more on the silly and wack side. Talks about some serious stuff, but luckily the show never takes itself TOO seriously, and remains overall lighthearted for a fun action/sci-fi show.

[heyovivi]

ACOTAR 6? (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ACOSF)

Okay! I just finished A Court of Silver Flames and absolutely love Nesta’s journey and this is coming from a person who didn’t really like Nesta from the beginning. Her journey of healing and finding herself was beautiful and her journey with Cassian was heart-wrenching and sexy and I just loved it all! But anyways, more on that later, I have some predictions for the next book. 

So I usually don’t go into anything without spoiling myself so before I even picked up ACOSF from a bookshelf at Target (don’t worry I was able to read both bonus chapters; meaning Azriel’s and the Feyre and Rhys’ chapters) I knew a little about ACOSF already. Now, ACOSF wasn’t deeply plotted and there wasn’t any world building like there was when we read the first three book--although it didn’t really matter to me I still enjoyed the book. ACOSF was all about Nesta and her journey and an insight to her thoughts and why she is the way she is and although I felt that at some points I hated Nesta I could still understand her frustrations and I could understand that she was deeply flawed as a character--which is fine. 

Now, even if ACOSF didn’t have a huge plot there were some key elements that will probably be very important in the next book such as Koschei, the remaining Mortal Queens, the Band of Exiles, Azriel’s journey, and Elain’s journey. But one key thing I noticed was Eris. Now he didn’t appear that much in the book and if he did it was during moments where his presence was essential to the plot (such as being kidnapped by Queen Brialynn and Koschei), but in that last chapter he appeared in it seemed like there was more to the story, to his story specifically. I think that maybe we might be getting a book on Eris. 

A lot of people say that ACOSF is reminiscent of Tower of Dawn from the Throne of Glass series, where instead of following Aelin in her quest to free her kingdom and stop Maeve, we instead venture into a Chaol-centered book where we kind of try to understand his point of view and character growth. So maybe, and this is just a theory or prediction, maybe we’ll get a similar thing with Eris. 

From that one little conversation we get with Cassian and Eris, it appears that Eris is kind’ve jealous of the Night Court and it’s relationships with the other courts in Prythian. A lot of people have already pointed how much Eris could be a lot like Rhys in the manner that Eris wants the Autumn Court to be seen not as the fiery court of rage and misery, but instead wants to be a beacon for those who dwell there. And you do see some parallels between Rhys and Eris and their upbringing with their fathers being very strict figures in their lives but with Eris there was an emphasize of abuse somewhere along the line. 

Now I’m not saying that Eris is getting a book or that his book even next, but I think that we have not heard the full story of what happened between both him and Mor, and I really want to know the entire story of what had happened in Eris’ life to make him seem like such a conniving person. But if I’m being honest I would much rather read a book about Eris’ efforts to lift the Autumn Court than a book about Mor--just my preference you don’t have to agree with me. 

Now here are my runner ups for who could be the possible voice of ACOTAR 6. 

Azriel

Elain

No, not Azriel and Elain, but Azriel or Elain. Now there were a lot of people saying that the book is either about Elain and Azriel, or Azriel and Gwyn, or Elain and Lucien--and I’m not going to shut down anyone’s theories but I’m going to share my own. Again, if you feel peeved about what sides or ships I support then stop reading when you get pissed because I can live with the fact that not everyone is going to agree with my theories.

First off, Azriel. 

I’m going to be honest, from what I read on Tumblr mainly I thought Azriel’s role in ACOSF was going to be way bigger, but I still enjoyed his dry humor and presence when he was there. Though when it comes to Miss Sarah J Mass we have to pay attention to every little detail in her books and if you caught onto his distance from Mor during the Solstice party or his reluctance to hold baby Nyx because of his scarred hands then I think it’s pretty telling that the next book could be about Azriel and his journey with coming face to face with his trauma, his past, and maybe his unsteady relationship with the Illyrians; not to mention his five century one-sided love with Mor. 

If you know me, or looked at any of my content, you should know that I am a hardcore Gwynriel shipper. I love Gwyn and fell in love with the ship almost immediately so much so that I’m embarrassed that I entertained the idea of shipping Azriel with Emerie or Clotho. I think that she might play a pivotal role in his journey to healing and that he might also play a large role in hers as well. Through his bonus chapter we can kind of see the sparks of something starting between them, I’m guessing it’s tied to theories that they are mates or to the theory that Gwyn could be a possibly lightsinger. All I know for sure right now is that Gwyn’s story is definitely not over with and I except see more of her in the future along with the other Valkyries as well. 

Finally, Elain. 

Now I don’t think the next book is about Elain but I do feel that out of all of the other characters her story is in the making? I’ve been told numerous times that Elain will be getting a book of her own, but we don’t know when and we don’t know what it is going to be about. Now, I’m not the hugest fan of Elain and it all goes back to her and Nesta just sitting around when Feyre was in the woods fighting for her life and there's as well. I know that she apologized and felt guilty afterwards but her excuse was “we gave up and she didn’t” just did not do it for me. 

It was in this passage from A Court of Thorns and Roses, where my distaste for Elain blossomed: 

The mercenary transferred the coins to my waiting palm, and I tucked them into my pocket, their weight as heavy as milestone. There was no possible chance that my sisters hadn’t spotted the money--no chance they weren’t already wondering how they might persuade me to give them some. 

...I felt my sisters sweep closer, like vultures circling a carcass. 

Like at least we knew Nesta was the “wolf” as she described herself. We knew she had a sharp-tongue and we knew she could be a bitch with her words. But Elain, she was described as innocent and nice, and yes when you paint her in a garden with flowers and frilly dresses she does just seem like some Cinderella-like character but after five books, especially after ACOSF my hate for Elain has just grown. Like after ACOWAR, I just thought she was boring--yes, she had a hand in killing the king of Hybern but that hype was kind’ve stolen away when Nesta ripped his head from his body. 

Since then, we haven’t really, really got a full look through with Elain and a large part of that is because we haven’t gotten her point of view, like not even in A Court of Frost and Starlight. From what we know about her, canonically, no theories or anything, she likes to garden, she likes to cook, her friends are Cerridwen and Nuala, she doesn’t want to confront that bond she has with Lucien, and she has an attraction to Azriel. But beyond that we don’t know anything--there were things that I kept out even though they were mentioned in ACOSF but there is also a lot of mystery around the things she said and claimed to do--even Cassian questioned them but didn’t approach her about the topic. 

I don’t think we have enough of a story to build up on Elain. For the most part I feel like her presence in ACOSF was mostly there to just piss Nesta off. Literally, in every scene she has with Nesta, she is pissing her off, setting her off, making her yell or scream, or making the silver flames ignite. And this is extremely out of character for Elain. Yes, we don’t get enough of her, but from what we can gather, Elain usually is not one to push buttons but I wonder why she did with Nesta. 

Here are a few passages that I just found beguiling while reading Nesta’s interactions with Elain: 

Elain stepped closer, brown eyes wide. Undoubtedly wholly convinced of her own innocence, her innate goodness. “It’s the truth. We did this because we love you, and we worry for you, and if Father were here--”

“Don’t ever mention him.” Nesta bared her teeth, but kept her voice low. “Never fucking mention him again.” 

Mentioning their father? A very taboo subject for Nesta. And Elain stans like to argue that Elain is quiet and docile because she is an observer. She takes things in and she tucks them away in her memory, but if she’d paid so much attention then why would she mention their father to Nesta? Feyre noted Nesta’s relationship with their father in book one, so there is no way that Elain herself didn’t know about it. 

Here is  another line from their conversation I thought were very weird to read about and I’ll explain why: 

Elain crossed her arms and said calmly, sadly, “Feyre warned me this might happen.” 

Bullseye. Nesta doesn’t like to be talked about, to be judged. We learned that in ACOSF and again if Elain was this person who sees and pays attention she should’ve known this or caught on. 

I think in this scene, Elain was purposely trying to set off Nesta. 

Nesta cleared her throat. “Cassian said it might be good if I came.”

Elain’s eyes flickered. “Did Feyre pay you, like last year?” 

“No,” shame washed over her. 

Elain sighed, glancing over Nesta’s shoulder to the open doorway across the entry. The party within, only for their small inner circle. “Please don’t upset Feyre. It’s her birthday, first of all. And in her state--”

“Oh, fuck you,” Nesta snapped, and then choked. 

Nesta was actually trying to get better at this point. She even risked going to a party despite not feeling welcomed just because Cassian told her it might be good for her to be surrounded by her family and for her not be alone on the holiday. You could even tell how by the way Nesta is keeping herself away she is still uncomfortable but the thing is she still showed up which is a sure sign she is improving. 

I don’t know why Elain started talking about the year before or about upsetting Feyre--literally wanted to slap the bitch in this scene. Like I just want to know why Elain pressed so hard. Then afterwards she waved it off as if she hadn’t just said what she said and acted normally. I can not tell you how mad I was at this--like especially for a sensitive character like Nesta who is ALWAYS In her thoughts and always takes things to a deep level. Like what Elain said could’ve just broken a vital part of Nesta and caused her to relapse. 

Anyways, I think Elain’s behavior in ACOSF could hint at the Evil Elain theory. Although I don’t think it’s going to come in the next book--it might build in the next book but at most I think Elain’s story will come to fruition in ACOTAR 7 or 8 and isn’t going to be about her journey or soul searching but maybe we’ll be getting the point of view of a villain. Like there were many mysterious hints dropped in ACOSF and the way I interpreted them is that Elain is planning something and if her behavior matches her actions, it’s something that could possibly affect her sisters. 

Plus, you have to wonder how Brialynn and Koschei knew everything. They knew all the IC’s moves and all of Nesta’s moves...but how? A lot of the time when Nesta was given a mission by Rhys it was in the River House and we also know that Elain has been getting better at sneaking around without being detected so it’s not too farfetched that Elain could be the spy. You don’t have to agree with me but I think it’s a pretty solid theory as far as they go. 

But do tell me your thoughts I would love to hear them. I’m sorry if I offended anyone in the end but we all have to just respect everyone’s opinion so no fights or slander, especially in my comment section. 

[384302]

I just saw Everything Everywhere All At Once

This is one of the best films I have ever seen.

I will not spoil anything about the plot or content because everyone deserves to see it as unspoiled as I did, but I will vaguely gesture at themes and premise to try to briefly say what's so great about this film. My brain is buzzing with what I just watched and I have to get something down.

I've never seen a film switch genres this well and this frequently. It's an action movie with expertly inventive martial arts sequences. It's a compelling sci-fi story and family drama. It's briefly an effective horror movie. It's perhaps most frequently a comedy, partly because the core message is about dealing with an existential absurdity, and so a lot of what's on screen is deliberately absurd, but I lost track of the amount of times my screen audience was lost in full-throated laughter. And not the laughter of "witty banter" or "occasional punchlines" or even "tension relief". The uncontrolled and unrestrained laughter of a crowd completely lost in how funny what they're watching is. And yet that same crowd, after spending what feels like half the movie laughing their head off, was in tears for much of the final act. The emotion, the beauty, the sadness and empathy of the overall message and the resolution... I can't remember the last time a movie made me feel like that.

It's so well put together. I never truly felt that I knew where the movie was going to go next (even though, in at least one vague way, the movie tells you the journey it's going to take you on right from the end of the prologue) and yet I got to the final credits with the full sense of a satisfactory and perfectly crafted story. It uses the full spectrum of filmic language to convey meaning and theme: there are visual tricks that could have come straight out of an Edgar Wright movie; there are tricks with framerate and aspect ratio that a small part of my brain consciously noticed while the rest of my filmwatching brain drank it all in; there's several sequences which actually justify and do something original with the 'series of extremely quick cuts' style of filming that permeates action scenes; there's one perfectly timed pan with a line of dialogue that had me (and others) screaming with laughter. In an early scene there is a mirror shot which is technically 'wrong' and which mirrors the other side of Michelle Yeoh's face and which I know will get a fucking Cinema Sins *ding* and yet anyone who is actually watching the movie will immediately get what the scene is telling them and it's brilliant.

Every performance in this is incredible: this movie feels like an actor's dream in which almost every actor gets to show off their range and play at least two different characters, sometimes with a costume change, sometimes with nothing more than a look. If the world was just and Ke Huy Quan got the opportunity to play Superman, it would immediately put an end to 90% of complaints about Clark Kent's disguise being unconvincing. Michelle Yeoh tears up in a GQ interview talking about reading the script and understanding what this film would allow her to do, and you can see why when you watch the movie and she knocks it out of the park with every line and every scene. Stephanie Hsu deserves to become a god damn superstar, the gulf between the roles she has to perform in this film is perhaps the greatest and yet she pulls it off while still making it clear in both performances that she is playing the same person, which is absolutely critical to the point of the movie. And the supporting cast - especially Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong - absolutely shine as well.

This movie should destroy the bullshit suggestion that we cannot appreciate the stories of different people in cinema. The central setup of this movie is the life experiences and relationships of a middle-aged Chinese-American woman and it made a white millennial British man tear up for a good thirty minutes.

This movie manages to be entirely original in a cinema landscape defined by adaptations and remakes, but also uses the multiverse concept to weave in both subtle and blatant references to other movies, both for comedy and to point to the theme.

This movie's budget was an eighth of the budget for the other multiverse superhero movie in cinemas at the moment, and it deserves to make eight time as much money and win all the awards.

This movie is something I will be thinking about for a very long time and everyone should see it.

[yjyt85r98r]

Rainbow Live character analysis bc why not

Naru: She’s probably a relatable character for the kids, I guess...?

Rinne: Rinne isn’t a character so much as a plot device. I appreciate her to some degree, but she doesn’t give us much to work with. Her taste in food sucks.

Ann: The staff themselves have pointed out that even though Naru is the official protagonist, Ann is the most 'protagonist-like' character. I don't particularly like her, since she seems too normal and successful for me to relate to in any way, but there’s also nothing in particular about her that’s worth disliking. I wouldn’t go as far as calling her 'bland', but she’s definitely one of the less interesting characters, in my opinion.

Ito: She’s rude and a jerk, but I can’t hate her because 1) I love her style and 2) I used to be like her. Around her age, I was also the type who would say whatever I wanted even if it hurt people, would straight-up leave in the middle of class, and was very easily annoyed and didn’t see the point in taking anything seriously. But then I got older and became more like Otoha. Anyway, while I’m glad that Ito became less of a jerk as the series progressed, I wish it was done in a less feminizing way. She got into a relationship, was okay with being called by her real name, and, in the cursed spinoff, grew her hair long. Becoming a better person does not mean you have to become more feminine... although that is exactly what I did when I stopped being like Ito...

Otoha: Probably my favourite character in the series. A lot of people find her annoying or say that she was poorly written, but I love her anyway. There were definitely some things that were cartoonishly overdone - I remember her voice actress saying that she didn’t really want to go overboard on the ‘hawawa’ thing, but that’s what she was told to do. And some people may think that her constant apologizing was also overdone, but I, a (presumably) real person, apologize just as much as her, so I actually find it extremely relatable.

Wakana: A few years ago, I don’t think I would’ve liked Wakana at all - in fact, I probably would’ve hated her. But I’ve changed in some ways and I’m at a point in life where I can understand her a lot better (that may not be a good thing). It’s interesting how Wakana and her mom have both changed from spending a lot of time around toxic people, but the ways they changed were complete opposites. Wakana went from a shy, meek girl to a rude and obnoxious person, while her mom went from a delinquent to a quiet, obedient wife. I understand both of these change, I think, as I’ve also changed in similar ways. There is a certain point where when everyone around you is suffering and nothing seems to last, you become apathetic, but you try to turn that apathy into a fun thing, which I think is what Wakana was doing. But beneath that, you can see glimpses of her fears of attachment and failure. She gives off the appearance of doing whatever she wants, but she actually holds back a lot. I also delight in her passive aggressive commentary toward Bell... she’s one of the few people who can say those kinds of things to Bell’s face and get away with it.

Bell: You really don’t go into a series expecting to love the rude, rich, spoiled brat, and yet here we are. Already from the beginning, she wasn’t just some mean girl trope, since she appeared kind at first and only became mean once she felt threatened and/or disappointed. I can’t always understand how her mind works, but that only helps to make her an intriguing character. She’s very well-written, and it’s great how she unlearns toxic behaviour and becomes a kinder person without losing any strength of character.

Hiro: What a disaster; I love it! Like Wakana, he is one of those characters who I would’ve hated if I’d watched the show when I was younger. I mean, in real life, I would hate him, but he’s not real, so I don’t.

Kazuki: Easily the best written brown/black character in the franchise, although it’s not like there’s much competition there. I suppose his street dancing hobby could be seen as stereotypical, but I don’t think it’s bad since it’s shown as a real and valid hobby, not portrayed in a racist way and there’s much more to his personality than just that. Anyway, while he is a great character with a kind personality and a strong philosophy, I feel like they could’ve given him more, like... problems? All the other characters had personal problems they had to work out - even the more 'stable' characters such as Ann. But Kazuki's just kind of there as a supporting role. I guess there was that thing with the Edel Rose students trying to claim the park, but that wasn't really his own problem, just an issue that he got involved with because it mattered to him. They try to give him and Kouji the 'problem' of not performing on a wide scale, but that’s really not a problem... just a plot device to get them to form Over The Rainbow.

June: Out of all the characters, I think I understand her the least. She seems to be characterized almost entirely by her feelings for Hijiri, and I really don’t like characters who are defined by romance. It's a shame, since her design is so cool and unique and her performance is beautiful.

Kouji: Something about him that I don’t like, but I’m probably being too harsh.

Hijiri: I don’t really get why some people think he’s 'cruel' or 'insensitive' for not telepathically picking up on June’s feelings. If she never confessed to him, then why should he be obliged to confess to her? Especially since he’s probably (physically) way older than her; like maybe he just didn’t want to creep her out.

Momo: I know she’s annoying but her gluttony is just so relatable. She’s still creepy tho.

DJ Coo: I don’t know what purpose he serves in relation to the plot, but at least they bothered to give him a backstory. He is the first in a long line of characters whose skin tone randomly changed....

Jin: What a jerk! But he's so funny.

I would love to hear other people's thoughts, if they want to share