#the reunion more than delivered 🔥

[whateverisbeautiful]

TOWL Ep 2

Beautiful beyond words. 😭 I think this show is deliberately trying to send me to the afterlife. And they’re succeeding with every ep. That stunning Richonne reunion. That mesmerizing alone time between the vehicles. EVERYTHING. 🙌🏽🥹 I’ll be obsessing over every detail of this for years to come.

Also, Rick and Michonne are about to have to try and do the impossible and it’s not escaping the CRM - no, escaping will be light work compared to Richonne having to try and tone down all that piping hot passion between them so no one realizes they’re married. As well as try to pretend Michonne isn’t the baddest chick in the game. 😅Send them prayers for strength, y’all (or I guess prayers to hide the strength lol) #IBelieveInRichonne👑 #IAlsoBelieveTheirLoveIsStillGonnaBeRealLoud

[rebelrebelwrites]

Fic Friday! ❤️ Rebel’s Weekly Fic Recs

~ Haladriel Week Edition (Part 2) ~

A day late, but it's a long weekend and I needed a relaxation night last night so here we are. I'm still working my way through all of the @haladrielweek goodness, so you'll definitely see more HW fics in the weekly recs, though I think this post will be the last HW-specific recs post.

That's it! Let's get rolling. As always, this week's recs are...

As always, please mind the tags on any recommended story for your own personal preferences.

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The Classic You’ve Heard Of But Somehow Haven’t Read Yet: Civil Twilight by eye_of_a_cat

What you need to know going in:

Written for HW's Day 5, "Family," this fic is yet another canonverse masterpiece from Cat, seeing Galadriel reuniting with Celeborn after S1—and a desperate, angst-filled, steamy reunion with Sauron first. 👀 When Gal finds Celeborn again, he’s changed so much since they last saw each other… and, of course, so has she—most notably, being with Sauron’s child. What’s remarkable about this story is the characterization of Gal, Sauron AND Celeborn; I can honestly say that despite being ten thousand percent IN on Sauron and Gal (and trust me, this fic delivers everything about them in spades), I cheered so hard for Celeborn in this. The dynamic between him and Gal was just as spectacular as the undeniable spark between Gal and Sauron. Instant classic, indeed.

Complete, Mature

Read the story.

Follow the author on Twitter and AO3.

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The AU You Need to Immerse Yourself In Because, Well, Wow: Widowmaker by @mzladybird

What you need to know going in:

Still shaking myself after reading this fic. 🔥 This AU sees a young Galadriel in a very rural Maine in the 1870s, helping her family run a general store. It’s there that she first meets (and catches the eye of) Halbrand, a rough, quiet logger. After their first meeting, he returns annually… and the mounting, roiling tension between the two of them is absolutely exquisite; it builds like the clawing cold of winter in your chest, that first bite of bitter chill that burns. In this case, in an excellent way. I don’t want to say too much more, so just trust me and read it! 👌

Explicit, Complete

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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The Complete But Never Forgotten Masterpiece: now dark, now glittering by @mortaltempless

What you need to know going in:

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of @mortaltempless’ work; I’ve highlighted their work many times here, but this HW fic really hit me; it soothes. In it, Sauron struggles to understand Galadriel as she struggles with waxing and waning depression throughout the Ages they spend ruling together—but tries, genuinely, to help her. This fic works like a balm to the soul for it’s simple beauty and stalwart love in the face of sadness; of longing. It feels very Tolkien in that way, and for it’s emphasis on the healing power of nature. 😍 Be ready to bookmark, because this is one you’ll want to regularly return to for the sheer romance.

Complete, Teen

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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The WIP That Will Wreck You (In the Best Way): one thing i can’t get enough of ~and~ on begged and borrowed time by @bad-surprise

What you need to know going in:

Am I cheating by mentioning two of @bad-surprise's WIPs? No, because these are my recs and I do what I want. 😆 Keeping it 💯, I honestly couldn’t choose; they’re just both that good! The first, one thing i can’t get enough of, is the Dirty Dancing AU, featuring a mean-ish Halbrand in the role of Johnny and, of course, Gal as Baby. Do I need to say much more aside from these two and the words dirty dancing? 🔥🔥🔥 Better than the movie and it’s not even complete. ☺️ Fic 2, on begged and borrowed time, is another massively compelling AU; in this, we see Galadriel as a gifted tarot reader with a desperate desire to bring her husband, Celeborn, back from the dead… desperate enough to strike a bargain with the Necromancer and her former lover, Halbrand. 👀 Like I said—impossible to pick between these two, because they’re both terrific as hell, and they’re just getting started.

Both WIP, Both Explicit

Read the stories — here and here.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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The Can't Stop Consuming No Matter What Time It Is Fic: once, i belonged to you (but twice i was free) by @nocaptainonthisship

What you need to know going in:

The dove is very dead in this fic, so fair warning, but it was absolutely one I could not stop consuming (and yes, it’s complete). A dark, delightfully twisted take on a fairytale, Galadriel is a princess locked in a tower with only a brush of memories from a former life, and three regular visitors, each of which have their own… appetites: Halbrand, her captor; Sauron, her besotted beast; and Mairon, her supposed savior. 🥺 Grim and gripping and utterly bewitching, this story is nothing short of striking in its intensity.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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🤩🤩🤩

Me at all these fics:

Don’t see your story on this list yet? Keyword: yet. Please don’t fret! I can only recommend so many each week, but I am always looking for more stuff to read, share, and generally shower with love, so please feel free to reply with your own fics or your pershaladronal faves. I have plenty more to recommend… ❤️

Until next week!

[kismetconstellations]

🔥 + anything Zac Efron related, please & thank you :)

(You can ignore the first one. I should really read instructions all the way through before sending in asks)

No worries. You are totally fine. ^//^

Let's hope this doesn't get too inflammatory.

I'm not a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a variety of reasons, and would prefer Zac never be a part of it.

I think Zac's indie dramas are infinitely more fascinating than his mainstream comedies (they also come with the added bonus of not humiliating and disrespecting him while also objectifying him at every turn), and hope that he continues to do more of them.

Honestly, anything that keeps him out of Hollywood and away from the toxicity of the industry is all right with me.

Seeing his malnourished Baywatch physique continually held up as some sort of "ideal" upsets me to my core. All the more so, knowing just how negatively the whole experience affected him, contributing to his depression and insomnia and causing him to tear up on-camera when he was finally able to eat carbs, again.

This will come as absolutely no shock to anyone who has been following me since 2016, when the world was treated to, as I like to call them, High School Musical Shitstorm: Parts Un and Deux, but I strongly feel that Zac doesn't owe the collective High School Musical fandom any reprisals of his role as the heart and soul of the franchise. Especially when so many people who consider themselves a part of that fanbase are all too keen to minimize or outright ignore Zac and Troy's significance to the original trilogy's success, mock and deride both of them as "boring" or worse, and leave nasty comments like this--

-- on social media posts of members of the cast reuniting. (Please do not seek out or bother any of the people in the above screenshot, by the way. I don't believe that you or any of my other followers would, but it's still a necessary precaution, just in case. Please be kind, everyone. Even when others are not.) I know it's immature and petty on my end, but I don't see why people who behave this way and treat Zac's professional attempts to distance himself from this franchise with scorn and further mockery, even though his past reputation as a "tween heartthrob" still colors directors' perceptions of him, resulting in him needing to prove himself worthy nearly twenty years on, should be rewarded. I feel for the fans who crave a High School Musical reunion because it would take them back to a simpler, happier time in their lives, but the films are right there and always will be there to be revisited at any time. The past is the past for a reason, and Zac, just like anyone else, should be allowed to move on.

Zac was perfectly cast as Phillip Carlyle. There is no one else who could have brought Phillip to life as immaculately, and no actor more deserving of the career revitalization The Greatest Showman delivered tenfold. My sympathies go out to Jeremy Jordan if he legitimately did have to sing live demos of "all of Hugh's songs", as well as Phillip's, before the studio executives while recovering from a nasty bout of laryngitis. That does not, however, make him entitled to a role he never so much as considered auditioning for.

Zac, on the other hand, had already been involved with the production for four years, alluding to a potential upcoming role in a movie musical as early as 2015, and contacting studios on director Michael Gracey's behalf to assist him, Hugh, and the rest of the crew in getting the green light.

Thus, you can imagine how thoroughly it rankles me to see fans of Mr. Jordan insinuating that Zac, a legitimate triple threat, was an inferior choice made to secure the support of Zac's larger fanbase, or- even more deluded- to placate the "ego" of show business veteran Hugh Jackman, who was supposedly "threatened" by Mr. Jordan's vocal prowess.

The Greatest Showman Cast is superior to the High School Musical Cast; in terms of talent, camaraderie, and maturity. You don't see any of them making backhanded comments years later about Zac being their "worst on-screen kiss", or their "favorite scene" with Zac being one where his character was "so dumb". (Even though Troy was very obviously emotionally manipulated into believing that something was going on with Ryan and Gabriella, by Gabriella. That's such a low, douchebaggy thing to say, and my already minimal respect for Lucas Grabeel has dropped to near non-existent because of it.)

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And, I think that's about it. Thank you so very much for asking, and I sincerely apologize a million times over for it taking me so long to post this response! I've been quite busy babysitting my niece and tending to personal affairs, and haven't had the energy to properly run this blog. But, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things, and put more lovely things onto my followers' dashboards.

I appreciate your patience, and I hope that these answers prove to be worth the wait. ❤

[sitp-recs]

Hidden Gems by cupiscent

I’ve been a bit quiet lately but I’m finally back with more treats! Cupiscent is a brilliant author who doesn’t get enough credit for the amazing fics she’s written in the 00s. It’s easy to see how genius she is by this profile statement alone: “Young enough to not care that I'm old enough to know better.” Her writing is sharp with tension, poignant, lush, intriguing with a very adult feel to it and such beautiful prose it makes me go back and reread multiple quotes so I can bask in the feels once again. If you ask me for authors who are able to create specific and memorable atmospheres solely through perfectly chosen and placed words, Cupiscent would definitely be among my top 5.

She only has a couple of - fantastic - Drarry fics but I strongly encourage you to explore those other ships, and even her G stuff, because they all deliver a top notch reading experience. I’ve revisited my personal fave, the breathtaking Unfinished Business, more times that I could count, and its quiet and bittersweet longing still hits me right in the feels every time, it’s both beautiful and haunting. Here’s a short selection of perfect gems, now excuse me cause I’m off to read her LoTR RPF collection 👀

Drarry

Paper Dolls (2006, M, 5k) - fabulous war AU with conflicted spy!Draco and the intense urgency of getting together as hell breaks loose. This is raw and sharp and atmospheric with a perfect open ending.

In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price. (Non-canon war treatment.)

Unfinished Business (2003, E, 20k) - my all-time favorite reunion fic with a SUPERB morally grey Draco, a kind and fascinating Harry, a badass Ginny and delicious UST! I’ve read this fic more times than I care to admit and the edgy atmosphere + world building packed in here never fails to amaze me. If you have to choose only one fic to read today, go with this one.

Ten years after the War ends, Harry and Draco still haven't got their act together. But maybe it's not too late. Read my rec here.

Rare pairs

Diversion Therapy (2007, E, 1k) - the hottest Draco/Blaise I’ve ever read, this fic immediately pulled me into this ship and I’m completely obsessed with sex god! Blaise, jfc 🔥

There's really only one reason Draco sleeps with Blaise.

Reprehensible (2005, M, 4.5k) - sexy Cedric/Pansy with Cedric/Cho background, unusual ship but I found the writing very compelling! Cw: underage, infidelity

Being a Champion is stressful; Cedric just wants a girl who puts out. It's totally that simple.

Bare Naked (2005, E, 7.6k) - never thought I’d read a Draco/Ginny but it’s impossible to resist the pull of two fascinating characters when written so well. Delicious atmosphere, captivating dialogue, stripper!Ginny!

Aurors-in-training get paid shit and Ginny wants her independence. Which wouldn't be a problem for Draco if Blaise didn't have a fetish for naked Muggles.

[fjalarspark]

[ Tinted Glasses ] - Oversized glasses with dark lenses and colorful frames. A little silly-looking.

"Azelle! Color me surprised, it's just reunion after reunion in this place."

Relieved to see his redheaded brother-in-arms, Lewyn delivers a friendly pat to Azelle's shoulder. He's normally quite dodgy around ghosts of his past, but knows that stuff won't fly at a ball. Better to put on a smile and pretend nothing happened at Belhalla. "Wanna get caught up over somethin' to drink? I'll get that card of yours stamped, of course."

"Oh, but first, why not a quick photo? We could try some of these, y'know, for the heat." Joking around, Lewyn lifts a pair of shades onto his face. It looks a little out of place with how his hair swoops down to cover an eye, but that's the whole point of the accessory, right?

🔥⊰⊰⊰ ――

No, that wasn't right, ghosts couldn't be seen. Dead people couldn't be seen, but lo and behold, there stood before him only the snarkiest man of Silesse Azelle had ever met...not that he'd met many men from Silesse. Wit and brevity danced upon the familiar man's tongue so casually that it almost brought a smile to Azelle's face, almost took him back to times before the Belhalla atrocities, when more people than not were alive and well.

"Lewyn," He greets steadily, a small, small upturn of his lips resting atop his face, though he senses there is something...more, something magical to the man now. After all, how did a burnt corpse become so strangely flooded with life? "Yes, stamps and whatnot aside for later, I'll gladly delight in a snap of the photo-artifex."

He slips on the tinted glasses, blue and green, and manages as best he can to not let his uncertainty of the entire ordeal betray the forced smile on his face. He was talking to a ghost. He was at a festivity. In a foreign land. Talking to a ghost. Perhaps it wasn't so strange, now, to have heard Lady Deirdre speak of Lord Sigurd...another should-be ghost.

"And I'll take that drink, yes." He'll need it.