#why must the writers torture the fans

[creatingmoments]

Any words of wisdom for starting to write fanfic? If I am not getting Garvez on the screen then I want to make my own world.

[absolutebl]

Pit Babe - it's time for a Trash Watch!

I had to. Well, no I didn't, but COME ON. It's like Thailand is negging me. Let's burn rubber, shall we? Burn rubbers...?

The things I had been told going in about this show:

it's about car racing (this bores me)

it stars Pavel (my BL ult bias, he is my icon for a reason)

it started as an omegaverse y-novel but the A/B/O aspects would be stripped from the BL series

it's high heat

(There some chatter about whether point 3 was a mistranslation of something the author said, but don't bother me with trifles.)

Here's a definition of omegaverse:

Omegaverse, also known as A/B/O (alpha/beta/omega), is a subgenre of speculative erotic fiction, and originally a subgenre of erotic slash fan fiction. Its premise is that a dominance hierarchy exists in humans, which are divided into dominant "alphas", neutral "betas", and submissive "omegas".[1] This hierarchy determines how people interact with one another in romantic, erotic and sexual contexts.[2] (Wikipedia)

In my experience and opinion, omegaverse archetypes and tropes are often used to strip out female characters (and The Feminine) and as a tool to excuse extreme hyper-masculine behaviors without a critical feminist lens (leading to lazy characterization). Just as heat is an excuse to get nkd quickly, A/O/B is often an excuse for taboo and dubious consent actions and behaviors. Do I get why writers/readers enjoy it? Yes I do. Do I personally like it? Not particularly. (Although there are always exceptions.)

Putting all that aside, the above represents my foundational knowledge before Pit Babe started.

Oh and that the familiar BL faces appearing in this show were follows:

Pavel Naret (aka Pavel Phoom) from 2 Moons 2 & Coffee Melody - Pavel is a fluent English speaker, a bit of a drama monger, and a motorcycle rider/car-dude, this role suits him

Nut Supanut from Oxygen & Something in My Room - has an amazing voice, his somewhat wooden acting has improved steadily since Oxygen

Pon Thanapon - one of Star Hunter's stable first seen in the Gen Y series (where he stole the appeal of an intended pair), also v good in Make a Wish, I wish he'd get a lead role as he has a likable screen presence

Pop Pataraphol from La Cuisine - he's playing the Alpha rival and I'm not convinced he's suited to this role

Michael Kiettisak from Love Sick, Oxygen, Call it What You Want, Till the World Ends - playing the comic relief this time rather than his usual tortured stoic... huh

All the rest are either fresh faces or older experienced actors. Interesting mix. They must have some money behind this.

And now, get out your marshmallows! The dumpster is on fire! Let's start the roast.

Episode 1 - Platypus, Pickles, Pavel, & other Smoking Hot Problems

This first segment told with a 4 day retrospect, because I decided to do a trash watch only after @aliceisathome said I should.

My initial reaction:

the sheer audacity of Thailand being like "PitBabe is not omegaverse" and then serving "Alpha" to us on a platter in the first sex scene is

how dare

but also

what the actual fuck is going on? what world are we living in where a/b/o is LIVE ACTION ON OUR SCREENS?

we getting heat, knotting & mpreg next?

apparently this is my reality now

I'm not sure what weird quantum time stream I've jumped into but someone was all,

yes the whole world is hella screwed, but also...

Thailand has decided live action mm fanfic is gonna win it the culture wars

and I'm beginning to think they may be right

BL is now the platypus of the film industry

4 days later:

Considering how much chatter this caused there's a part of me that wondered if it was all intentional and a marketing ploy (to say it wasn't omegaverse when obviously it is). In which case... brilliant Machiavellian tactics, production.

But Thai studios are rarely this calculated in their promo. So I think it's all accidental. But it certainly caused a raucous few days on Tumblr.

On a completely different note, Babe's house looks like it started life as a particularly inventive Olive Garden. Or is that just me?

More random thoughts:

Pavel has had work done, why honey? You were the definition of perfect.

The smell thing is great, I love stuff to do with scent and necks. If omegaverse brings this to the table, fine. But...

Being all Alpha perfect butch manly man = I do not like Babe at all, I kinda want him to be brought down a peg. (Woo... pegging!) I never like narratives that glorify the captain of the football team (side eyes Cdrama CEO romances and Love O2O), Babe better have depth and damage (forget the pegging) of some kind or his behavior will get old FAST, faster than he drives (also, forget the pegging idea)

Nut is ideal in the Beta role. I mean, that's Way's character right? We all can see that. If it's not intentional, it's a miscast. I love how soft he is as as screen presence. He's great in this part.

None of the other characters are sticking out to me yet, but I'm prepared to love the side dishes in this, please make them swoon worthy!

I'm glad they didn't hold the Charlie = trickster reveal off, I like knowing he is a double agent up front.

Finally, with respect to an adequate trash watch, I'm in a pickle.

How am I going to drink for this show when there is so much else airing on Frigay? I can't keep track, if I'm drunk.

I need a strategy for this trash fire if the puns and snark are to spout forth! (HA Fourth!)

Controlled burn?

Anygay, see you all next week.

Episode 2 - Side Dish Addiction + Second Lead Syndrome are both infecting me at once

[FYI I gotta have my backup computer to watch this so that's why Imma sometimes be delayed getting the trash out to the curb.]

3 minutes! 3 minutes in and I needed to pause and wax snarkful. (Ouch, bet that hurts. Is waxing snark similar to a Brazilian but for BL? Is that why they all so hairless in The Sign?... I digress, where was I?)

Okay so the subber said Daddy but I don't think that word means what they think it means. Because Way said simply nong paa.

Usually they'll use the English word Daddy (pronounced Dah-deee) for, ya know, Actual Daddies (tm).

Wait wait:

Calling Daddy Actual

(My dumb sci-fi loving arse will see myself out the back before I start drawing Battlestar Galactica = Pit Babe connections. TOO FAR ABL. Too far.)

Look, I like the tension in this show. It's good to set up an unlikeable Alpha dog and then immediately turn him into an underdog, makes him a bit more likable. I still don't like Babe, but now at least I'm on his side.

Charlie = cute but v sus. Fortunately for him, Babe = cute but v thick.

Everyone calls Charlie Babe's dek. Yes sounds a bit like what you think but also means kid/child and SHOULD be translated as boy in this show. Why doesn't the subber get that? They a sub...ber after all. (I'll see myself out.)

Honestly, the script writers might know what they are doing with abo but our eng sub translator sadly does NOT. I'm so glad this is coming now in my BL watching life. When my ear and knowledge of Thai is so much better than it once was. Others much be SO CONFUSED.

Snicker. They just fucking with us, but it's fun to watch the mpeg speculation abound.

File this one under: Thailand's trouble with ESL plurals and also "you should have Pavel helping with these subs" sweethearts.

Production knows entirely what it's doing with this show and its omegaverse shizz (even if the subber doesn't) and I am very much enjoying the online carnage that results.

This dumpster fire continues off screen into the blogosphere and I continue to roast things over it.

Meanwhile, hi Pon! You so adorable! When you gonna lead out a BL for us?

Is Idol Factory stealing all of Star Hunter's talent? Are they the Red Racers of the BL world? These are the questions I ask myself as I watch this.

Is that AGE GAP I smell before me?

Is the 20 yr old college kid meant for the pit boss? Cause you all know I am a slut for age gaps.

Moment of a/b/o: Jeff's fear of touch/heightened personal space would be a plot marker for "baby doesn't want Alphas close cause he smells like an omega" but of course this show it not omegaverse. Not omegaverse at all.

nuh-uh

Linguistic corner!

Lung (sounds a bit like loo) is uncle(ish) it means basically a male relation older than phi. So Alan is the oldest in the crew.

Alan calls Jeff nu (which the subber translated as boy I would have gone with cutie or little one). Nu is a diminutive affectionate term that's technically gender neutral but is most often used by/on cute girls/women. Jeff did NOT like it. Then Alan sort of dodges through pronouns/particles settling on phi for I, ger for you, and ja for a particle. This is interesting because ger & ja kinda lower his age and status into a casual sphere. Not more intimate more equal to jeff... fascinating.

I love the new "Korean" red racer, he drinks my brand of soy milk. He is now my baby snake in the grass.

Get it? Snake.

He and Babe should end up together.

The fight wasn't bad, do both actors have kickbox training in their backgrounds?

Who am I kidding, I care only about Uncle Alan and Nu Jeff now. All others are irrelevant to me.

Also...

WHERE IS A BOY FOR WAY?!!! Or a Daddy. I do not care. (Methinks nether does he.)

I am now captain of the Way Appreciation Society. Let's all find a way... to get him some dick.

Also the BTS stingers are tons of fun. Looks like the set was a blast.

Finally, and I mean this kindly. Why isn't Noh Phouluang in this? He should have been cast as Winner. Bah. I'm biased.

But one should be with Noh.

Episode 3 - Side Dishes Delux

Gayest bridge n Thailand has made its obligatory appearance.

How much do I love uncle & nu? They are SO damn cute. Also nu flustered is the best kind of nu.

I could not care less about Babe and Charlie. Except I do love the smell thing.

Way will break my heart by getting his broken. He is right tho.

Tra la la. I feel like this is a bit like KP 2.0.

Charlie is a such a princess (and ace manipulator). Good thing Babe clearly likes being buttered up.

Babe's backstory was more interesting than I expected, I didn't think we would go so far into the paranormal side of a/b/o. I like it and I hope they lean into it quite a bit more. Make it part of the plot.

Unlike the kissing thing which seems to have been gotten over rather quickly.

I gotta say I'm enjoying the corporate sponsorship jockeying and tension more than I thought I would. I'm curious as to who Jef and Charlie are working for and what their motivation is. The plot itself is keeping me intrigued and that is rare for me with BL.

So no trash talk this ep, I was largely absorbed and entertained. I didn't event need booze. Shocking behavior on my part.

#giveWayaboy2023

Episode 4 - I (who never ship) am shipping the impossible

Here’s the thing. I just want this to be a better story than it is. Right now it’s kind of like a soap opera. I don’t hate lakorn, I really don't. To Sir With Love is a glorious chewing of the diamanté scenery (completed with death glitter). But...

If this is gonna be a soap opera it needs to lean into the messy side more than the tailored high concept side. Support characters and evil needs more screen time.

Instead, right now, I don’t know where I am with this show because it doesn't know where it wants to be. I’m kind of dangling in the middle of a dirty situation. It’s uncomfortable for me, and the show feels uncomfortable for the performers. 

Also... I have questions.

Yes, of course I want to know what Charlie & Jeff are up to. Why can Jeff see the future?

But more importantly I NEED to know why Babe has a flying saucer bed?

That kind of lighting makes nobody look good, especially not at that angle. It’s very traumatic and I’m not wild about the shag rug either. I have concerns about Babe's taste. I guess is what I am saying. 

On a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT note:

There’s absolutely no chemistry to justify this, but I have decided that I am going to personally advocate for, and ship, Way and the interloping not-really-Korean. They are both sort of own-moral-code types. I have tiny crush on Kim, and Nut is the prettiest, and Way is Best Boy so there it is, I would like them to hook up, please & thank you.

#giveWay2Kim2023

Arrow guy is cute, too. Will we get to see him bone?

Is he going to be another one of the adopted alpha super-kid pets?

What the hell, throw Arrow Boy a bone! All hot boys in BLs deserve bones.

Plot thickens.

Hah.

Thickens.

(I am an immature idiot.)

Episode 5 - wait wait way-t, can arrow boy have Way?

Look, BLabies, I didn’t get any screen caps this episode because frankly there wasn’t anything worth capturing.

I guess Charlie really does love Babe? Very dramatic if idiotic saving from the burning car. But Babe has gone to the broken Alpha place of extremely unlikeablability (frankly he was almost there at the start). If I were Charles B Spectacled I would be OUT by now. 

Is that?

NO.

Don't get the plastic bowl.

No white towel sponge bath. Please kill this trope.  

I mean, it's not as bad as singing, but that's because NOTHING is as bad as singing in a Thai BL.

AND the main boys are back together.

I don’t find their relationship or Babe’s lack of senses a particularly interesting aspect of the plot.

Unless, of course, Babe is pregnant and that's why he lost his Alpha sniffer.

BUT I do love the sides.

Jeff = the introvert precog who can’t/wont do people and Alan = the extrovert people person who WANTS but doesn’t understand him. 

Were Jeff and Charlie ALSO raised by Evil Daddy MacEvilPants? 

I liked the way Arrow CEO & Way looked at each other. Way, hon, give up on Babe (he sucks) and get thyself a billionaire bf with great aim and BDE.

On a completely different note, the best thing about this show is the blooper reel. That thing with the green smoothie going down his pants was hilarious!

In conclusion, this was a green smoothie down the pants episode. I was entertained, and it’s probably gonna be good for the plot in retrospect, but it was kind of squishy and unpleasant at the time.

Episode 6 - Are they actually listening to us now? Is Tumblr bugged?

This was a fun ep full of like actual racing and shizz.

Whatever.

Charlie is on the team now. All the teams, apparently.

Can we talk about Jeff and Alan?

The apology scene! Did you hear that Alan dropped to chan/ger? Eeeee!!! So cute. (He equalized their relationship in a soft way.)

Get it with that language play hottie. Next up: lengua play.

Please & thank you. 

Meanwhile, as all of the Internet knows, they went fully in for omegaverse - no bars.

I have to say, one of the greatest typos (or whatever) in existence is enigma instead of omega.

That's where I personally would rank in the omegaverse.

Hello, my gender is... enigma.

 Apparently it's a/b/o and sometimes e!  Also sometimes switch-ee 

Oh I'm very proud of myself with that one.

Funfunfun

Charlie. Babes. When a man asks to be thrown up against the wall. You throw him against that wall.

OMG is that arrow boy looking at Way in the bar?

3 seconds later.

Noooo.

Wait come back.

Noooooo.

That’s what I actually want to watch! 

OMG. Who said nu was the first step to teelak?

I flipping love Alan. 

Ah the boyfriend ep. Thank you, but I still don't trust Charlie.

Poor Way.

But nice crying jag, and I don’t say that often in Thai BL.

Now let him go, Way.

A boy with his arrows is waiting. 

(source)

Note for the future: tumblr has a bug that stops allowing edits after a certain time/number, thus my full trash often occur in 2 segments as a result. Click on the "abl trash watches bl" tag for the full thing if you're reading this and later episodes are missing.

[moon-huny]

Stole the Moon - Chapter One

CW: My content is not for anyone under 18. Mostly suggestive flirting and mentions of kidnapping and imprisonment. Reader character has sustained head injury. Oh, you also get choked. Buggy is an a-hole, but that's why we all love him.

Word Count: 2K

Summary: You've been kidnapped and can't remember a thing. Good news! Ole Captain Buggy is here to make you feel more like yourself.

A/N: Alright this is my first ever fan fiction to grace the website we all know and love. I originally wanted to be a fic writer when I joined tumblr, and now, my time has finally come. This Buggy is very much based off of OPLA, since I never actually got into the anime until recently. Tying to keep him in character, but the plot is very much of my own design.

Being new to this, I would love any feedback you might have. Likes, comments and reblogs are welcome, and would make my little heart sing. Okay, that's all, enjoy.

masterlist ✧˖°

• next

“Hey, sleeping beauty, wake up.” 

You woke to his voice. Your eyes slowly opening – or attempted to open – before becoming conscious of a stabbing aching pain racking your skull. You rolled over on your side, cradling your head in your hands and shutting your eyes tight. The soft candle light in the dark of your room eased the pain, but whatever relief you found was immediately wiped out by the shrill sound of him speaking.

“Ya know, I thought they killed you.” You could hear his heavy steps pacing the room, the sound too loud, his voice too harsh. He spoke with such levity, a certain air of nonchalance in his tone. He thought this was funny.

“I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy getting you aboard my ship,” he paused, grabbing a chair and dragging it across the floor. A high pitched sound emitting from wood scraping wood – a sound he made on purpose just to cause more pain. You winced.

“But I didn’t think my crew hurt you this badly.” A tone of mock concern fell from his lips. “You must have put up a real knock out fight.”

He sat across from you. Spreading his legs and leaning over to get closer. Your body was curled up on a poorly made and uncomfortable plank of wood some might dare to call a bed. The “blankets” around you were nothing more than used burlap and tattered bits of sail.

He got quiet, you heard the ocean and people stomping and shouting above you. Then, so quietly, just above a whisper, “I don’t usually keep damaged goods, but you’re much better off lying here than wreaking havoc on my ship.”

It took all your strength to peel open your eyes and pull your hands away from your head. Breathing heavily, you pushed yourself upright. The clench in your jaw both from the pain you were in and the anger you felt.

Through your blurry vision, you could just barely make out a red nose. His eyes were piercing green, like the ocean after a storm. The clown makeup, the bright blue hair, you’d seen his wanted poster before.

Buggy the Clown – wanted for 15,000,000 Berry.

“I’ll burn this whole ship down,” you said. “I’ll sink it to the bottom of the East Blue.” 

Your threat came out much weaker than you intended. You were fighting nausea and an intense dizziness you were struggling to keep under control. It seems the clown caught on. He gently pushed his palm into your forehead with a flourish causing you to fall back down onto the bed gripping either side of your head in your hands.

“Aw see,” he said, standing to lean over your body. “That’s why you’re gonna stay right here,” he said, punctuating the last two words.

He made his way to the exit and grabbed the barred door. He pulled it shut with a loud clatter. You felt the metal sound resonate in your skull causing you to push your palms into your eyes.

“Night night, doll! We’ll chat some more tomorrow.” A loud cackling laugh resounded down the hallway. It made you want to scream.

///

And so, he came back to torture you everyday. Never brought you food or water, instead opting to send random crew members each visit. He didn’t want you making any friends. The only constant was one meal at night and a prompt visit from him following. He never said much, and if he did, you could hardly recall what you spoke about.

You started feeling better. You were able to get up, start walking around your prison. You clocked that you’d been at sea only four days. One porthole you could see out of – if you climbed some precarious boxes – told you you were in the middle of nowhere. Far away from any visible land.

The sun was setting, the sky turning a gorgeous orange color and the ocean turning pink in return. His boots thumped down the stairs, you could hear him shouting up towards the deck, “Hey, shit for brains, if I didn’t make myself clear earlier, I want to be docked in that harbor YESTERDAY! GET. A. MOVE ON!” 

Wherever this circus boat was headed, it was moving fast, but clearly not fast enough. What was the hurry? What was the clown’s goal? And with so little in the cargo hold … It wasn’t like he had a huge haul. Were we being followed by another ship? You didn’t ever see anyone from your tiny window, and the conversations above were so muffled that gathering any kind of intelligence was near impossible.

“HONEY, I’M HOME!”

You ran from your porthole back onto the bed, pulling the blankets up around you. You did your best to slow your breathing and pretend you were asleep.

“Oh sweets,” he sighed, draping himself through the bars. “I know you’re awake.”

The smile you knew he had on, the sickeningly sweet way he spoke to you, it made you angry. You heard the door unlock and slowly swing open. 

You were feeling stronger. Though the ship was in the middle of nowhere, if you could just surprise him, lock him up long enough to get to a lifeboat. You could get away.

“Doll, enough games, okay? It's only fun when I want to play, and I really don’t feel like playing with my toys right now.”

He got closer, close enough you decided. You sprang from the bed making a move to pull any number of the knives from his belt. As you grabbed for his waist, you felt a gloved hand wrap itself around your throat and push you against the wall.

“Oh ho ho, you have GOT to be KIDDING.” He laughed hysterically. “I mean wow, honey, I knew you were bold but I didn’t take you for an idiot,” he spat the last insult inches from your face tightening his grip. Your hands flew up to his wrist attempting to loosen the strangling grip he had on you.

His body pressed to yours, his knee slotting itself in the space between your legs. You were fully pinned, unable to move with the full weight of the pirate against you.

That’s when you heard the long knife unsheathe itself from his belt. The sharp metal pushing into your side. Your eyes, once full of defiance, widened to reflect the fear you felt. Your eyebrows pressing together in a pleading look as your lungs burned, the need for air growing stronger.

“Mhmm, I knew I’d like that face on you,” he whispered. “You gonna be a good girl if I let you go?” You nodded slowly, then felt the knife push impossibly further to the flesh of your hip. The nod quickened, your eyes clamping shut, preparing for the worst.

Then, he let you drop. Your hands flying to your throat, bruising surely setting in, as you gasped for air.

“I told you, doll, not in the mood to play,” he said, sheathing the weapon. “I have something I need from you.”

He nodded in the direction of the small table and stools. You hesitantly pulled yourself upright, sharpened gaze never once leaving his larger figure. You were like a mouse in a cage with a snake – look away and you might be his next meal.

You sat across one another as he pulled a map from his coat. His large gloved hands smoothed the cotton-soft paper out in front of you. The candlelight flickered over the page, the night finally setting in, the air growing colder. 

The thin slip-like dress you wore did barely enough to retain your modesty. You pulled your arms across your chest, staving off the cold and attempting to cover your chest. Sitting there with him eyeing you across the table, you became more aware of your body and the night air prickling your skin. If he was attracted to your shape, he didn’t show it.

“You know what this is?” he asked.

“A map,” you replied flatly.

He laughed. “Funny, sweetheart. Yeah, your captain knows it’s – .”

“YOU are NOT my captain,” you spat back before he could even finish his sentence.

The smile spread further across his face, “If you aren’t joining my crew then you'll stay my prisoner.”

“Is that what this is about, you want me to join your band of seafaring freaks?” You were picking a fight you knew you couldn’t win. He knew it too.

“I think I made myself very clear but, if you need a little extra explaining, I don’t mind. You did hit that pretty head very hard a few weeks ago.”

“Weeks?” You did your best to keep your voice even as panic began to settle in your chest. 

“Your…” it took a moment for him to find the right words, “temperament was difficult to say the least. If I thought getting you on board was hard, oh boy! Talk about keeping you quiet! But, it wasn’t anything a little sleeping powder couldn’t fix.” 

He’s cocky, he knew springing this information on you would leave you feeling confused and uncertain. Was every move he made this calculated? 

“We all got used to how quiet you were, so much … easier to watch.” His eyes traced up and down your frame. You got your answer, that remark was calculated and so was his decision to finally regard your attire.

He was stronger, he had more weapons at his disposal. The clown capitan knew he could say whatever he wanted, and there was hardly anything you could do about it. But that didn’t stop you from opening your mouth.

“What do you want with me and why the hell am I on your ship?”

All he could do was smile and chuckle in return, “That’s so funny, beautiful, truly. You are so much more entertaining when you're conscious. But, I’m going to need you to stop playing dumb, okay? It’s really starting to piss me off.”

His eyes were getting darker, his words sharpening. You were really starting to wish you knew what he was talking about but, god help you, you had no clue. You couldn’t remember how you got here, and now that you started racking your brain for answers, you realized you couldn’t remember anything about yourself. 

Your name? Yes. You knew that. Family? Nothing. Village? A small seaside town, but the details were fuzzy. Who were you before this? You didn’t even know how long you were at sea and now you can’t even remember the basics.

The confusion in your mind began to make itself plain on your face.

“Oh no,” his tone began to change, the grin dropping from his face. “No no no no no -- you really don’t know do you?”

You looked up and saw his expression contorted between realization and anger. “SHIT! No! Gah! This was not supposed to happen this way! God fucking DAMN IT!”

He pushed himself up from the table with a fury, and something you’d never seen him carry before, frustration. Up until now, the blue haired man had acted with such a confident air, but now, it seemed like everything was falling apart. You made no move to speak, just watched as he paced the room spitting various curses into the empty space.

Then he finally turned to you, slowly on his heels. “No, you know what, this is fine.” He smiled, collecting himself. “All of this is just fine.” He began to stalk toward you.

“You’re here, on my ship, and that is alllllll that matters right now.” He placed both hands down on the table in front of you, leaning over the map and getting dangerously close to your face.

“We will just have to work through this little hiccup together. Huh? What do you say?”

“You can go to hell. I don’t know anything about this map, or what you need from me. Any information you're looking for is gone because your moronic sideshow and its excessive force scrambled any memories I had,” you spat.

“Okay gorgeous,” his emerald eyes not breaking contact with your (e/c). “Suit yourself.” 

His tactics weren’t working, he knew it. It was time to change the game. Play from a different angle. You didn’t remember who you were, what you were, he’d help you remember, and maybe add a few memories into the mix. The mind was a fragile place, its chemistry could be changed so easily. Enough of the fear and frustration, it’s always easier to attract flies with honey than with vinegar.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Meaningless Suffering ≠ Consequences: An SPOP Rant Analysis

so one huge argument i've seen from SPOP fans, when it comes to Catra's redemption is that “she got tortured and mind controlled by Horde Prime. she almost died at his hands. therefore, she faced the consequences of her actions.”

now.. could this be considered a consequence of her actions? the important question here is: why did Catra get punished by Prime? for going against his rules and freeing Glimmer. she got punished for doing one good thing. this was the consequence of her doing something right. if anything, she would be more discouraged to do good in the future, because the first time she does something good, she almost gets murdered for it.

but i digress. i've seen this trope be used with quite a few characters in media. the other example of this i want to talk about is Marcy from Amphibia. (spoilers for Amphibia below)

in the s2 finale, Marcy is revealed to have stranded her friends Anne and Sasha on Amphibia on purpose, because she didn't want to be alone. while this wasn't as bad as any of the shit that Catra pulled, it was still a fucked up thing to do. Marcy deliberately took Anne and Sasha away from their home and their parents, for her own selfish reasons.

like Catra, Marcy also has abandonment issues. her parents had informed her that they had to move and Marcy was terrified at the idea of having to leave Anne and Sasha behind. but that was still not an excuse for what she did.

not long after her secret was exposed, Marcy gets stabbed by King Andrias while trying to escape Amphibia. she doesn't die, of course, it's still a kid's show.

but to make things worse, she gets possessed by the Core later on, which is shown to be an extremely painful and traumatizing process (which they barely touch upon later). and then they show in a flashback that Anne and Sasha used to ignore Marcy and make her feel lonely, when this was not touched upon earlier in the series. in fact, Anne was shown to be very caring and attentive to Marcy up until this episode.

at this point, it's clear that the writers are trying to make the viewers feel sorry for Marcy. if they keep adding reasons why she's so miserable and traumatized, maybe the viewers would forget what she did to Anne and Sasha. right?

there is a small scene in s3 where Sasha questions why she should forgive Marcy, but it is quickly fixed by Anne telling Sasha that she should forgive Marcy. there's also a moment of realization for Marcy but even that is done in such a cliché and lighthearted manner, where the severity of her actions aren't addressed. and that's it. Marcy is rescued, she apologizes, and is immediately forgiven.

but then again, like SPOP, the last season of Amphibia was trashfire. i refuse to believe that people genuinely liked that season, it was so badly written and ruined everything that was set up prior to it.

anyway, let's come back to SPOP. it's clear that the writers of SPOP were also trying to do the same thing. put poor catgirl through the wringer, have her almost die and come back to life and voila! she is absolved of all her crimes.

for those of you who are still not convinced, let me try to make a real world comparison. let's just say i'm someone who bullies or abuses people. one day while getting home from school/work, i get hit by a car. i get grievously injured and go through a lot of pain. heck, maybe it even leaves some kind of permanent disability or injury.

is that a punishment for my actions? you can call it karma, but let's be real, karma doesn't exist. it's just a coincidence. and you bet i'm not going to wake up in the hospital thinking “this must be my punishment for abusing people”. if i really am an abuser who has no remorse for my actions, a random accident isn't going to change my mind.

and that's what happened with Catra too. she didn't consider Horde Prime's torture as a consequence of her actions. if anything, she used that as an excuse to mistreat Adora and the others even more. it's clear that she pitied herself for what happened. and everyone else pitied her, including the audience.

imagine if the good redemption arcs were written this way. imagine if, instead of working through his issues and facing actual consequences of his actions, Zuko was just tortured and traumatized even more by Ozai, and the Gaang just forgave him because they felt bad for him. yeah, people wouldn't be praising his arc anymore. or they would, who knows. i know i wouldn't be praising his arc.

because this is not the way to redeem a villain. the only way to redeem a villain is to have them face consequences of their actions and work for forgiveness. to show them consistently trying to make up for what they did and trying to be a better person, not because they want to be forgiven or accepted by the heroes, but because it's the right thing to do.

[outerspace-castaway]

I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT

but swifties childish behavior towards her exes needs to fucking stop.

we know NOTHING about why they broke up and when her album drops we will only know her side not his.

i swear swifties must love it when taylor haters say she only writes songs trashing her exes so her fans will attack said exes. yall must love giving them reasons to hate taylor because if you didnt you'd shut your mouths and stop trashing her exes.

taylor is a songwriter, she writers about heartbreak like every other songwriter throughout history but in the end the only reason she is villainized for it is because of swifties behavior.

leave joe alwyn the fuck alone and get a life.

also you guys are putting travis on the same pedestal you once put joe on but if they break up yall will bully, harass, and attack him too. you do it every time. travis will be next on swifties hitlist.

get a damn life a stop with this parasocial psychotic behavior.

you're an embarrassment to yourselves and taylor.

joe did not force taylor to keep their relationship private. its clearly something they agreed on in the beginning. taylor changing her mind doesnt mean he had to change his.

stop bitching about that ONE time when they ran from the paps, they've been papped together many times in their relationship.

stop acting like he forced her to hid away when you know she choose to do that after the kimye incident.

stop acting like she was never happy with him because of "you're losing me" and "the tortured poets department"

stop creating false narratives in your heads because you need him to be the big bad wolf.

GROW UP. GET A LIFE. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND MOVE THE FUCK ON.

~ taylor antis DNI ~

[lexosaurus]

Ok I'm making this its own post because I don't want it to clog up the intended lighthearted post I made yesterday.

But as my friends in the phandom and I have now entered our mid/late 20's and early 30's, and are now entering serious, long term relationships, the conversation of "do we tell our partners we like Danny Phantom/make content for Danny Phantom?" are turning into rather serious and interesting discussions. And from talking to people, it's interesting to see the mix of responses.

Some people I've talked to, especially people who date other creatives, have seemingly no problem opening up about their DP hobby with their partner. Others, myself included, are much more protective of their hobby.

But one trend I've found really interesting, and again this is ENTIRELY anecdotal, is that of the people I've talked to, it seems to be that the writers of the phandom, especially those who have written angst/dissection fics, are especially hesitant to tell their partners that they 1. like Danny Phantom and are into phandom stuff, and 2. that they write fanfiction. On the other hand—again, this is anecdotal—the artists of the phandom that I've spoken to tend to lean more on the side of "yeah my partner knows I draw DP fan art idgaf."

THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION, but as a writer who is in a serious adult relationship who also has written some horrific angst and is dating a Straight Dude™️ who when I jokingly said "there was only one bed" looked at me like I had grown two heads, I think that the hesitancy comes from really a place of fear that if your partner ever found your fanfiction, they would think you are deeply mentally disturbed and need therapy.

Because, especially for those who do not write or read, a lot of people don't really associate grimdark or angst or whump or whatever the fuck terminology it is, with purely creative entertainment. They can watch a show like Game of Thrones and see people get tortured, raped, and gutted on screen and not think the writers or directors of that show are weird because it's a TV show, it's just entertainment for the public. But when someone does the same thing but posts it online for free under fanfiction—aka is not making money off of it and is showcasing their personal hobby—then people tend to worry about that writer's mental health because why else would they want to write this dark shit if they weren't mentally ill? It couldn't POSSIBLY be for the same reason I like watching GOT, there MUST be something wrong with them.

So when a dp writer has to explain why they personally enjoy Danny Phantom, it can be really hard to admit because those fears sort of swirl around your brain. Whereas for visual media, admitting you like drawing glowy ghost art for an old cartoon appears to be a bit easier.

Again, this is just my personal anecdotal observation there will always be exceptions to this I am NOT speaking on behalf of everyone thank you 🙏

Also I'm really curious from both writers and artists in the phandom to hear your experiences with this and whether or not you've told partners that you do fan art/write fanfiction for DP.

[soupthatistohot]

hello soup!! i was wondering if you had any thoughts about kafka asagiri - i’ve heard that that’s a pen name he chose based on franz kafka, an absurdist/modernist writer. do you have any thoughts about why he chose that writer in particular or possibly elements of bsd influenced by franz kafka’s work?

Hi there!! This is a topic I've actually given a lot of thought to because I studied some of Kafka's work for school last semester, so thank you for giving me an excuse to infodump about it!

Franz Kafka is a very prominent absurdist author, and as I've discussed a lot recently, Asagiri seems to incorporate a lot of absurdist themes into BSD, so Kafka must have been an influence of his.

Something important to note about Kafka as a person is that he was a very peculiar man for his time and culture. He was a sickly vegetarian in a culture that ate meat and potatoes, he was a sensitive writer who had to write by night because he worked an office dayjob he hated, he had a contentious relationship with his father, he was socially awkward and notoriously romantically troubled -- basically, I would be shocked if he wasn't neurodivergent.

His works often emphasized the absurdity of reality by bending it in entirely unrealistic ways. His most famous work is "The Metamorphosis," in which a man turns into a giant bug, and his story "The Trial" tells the story of a man framed for a crime he doesn't know about and did not commit, who is sentenced to death basically without trial. Similarly, in "In the Penal Colony," a man in sentenced to be brutally tortured without having trial for his crime, which was petty and small. These three stories especially emphasize the theme of being unjustly punished for no conceivable reason, perhaps an externalization of Kafka's own feelings about his existence in our reality, which he certainly considered to be absurd.

Kafka's works often focused on the absurdity of bureaucracy, but there was also always an emphasis on the loneliness of the main character. In multiple of his stories he simply names the protagonist "K," essentially a self-insert character for himself. He definitely had a tendency to project onto his characters, such as the protagonist of "The Hunger Artist," a man who performs starvation for years until a crowd gets bored with him (Kafka wrote this at a time where he was incredibly ill and could not eat).

All of this to say that there are absolutely themes of Kafka's work and of absurdity in general in BSD. One of the main things, I'd say, is the fact that almost all of the characters are outcasts and weirdos in one way or another. While this aspect of BSD is practical in that the characters' quirkiness makes them compelling and often likable, I think it's also inspired by the alienation one often feels in an absurdist reality. The absurdist protagonist often does not fit into or understand the world around them (which is impetus for them to try to rebel against it), and in the same way that Kafka's characters fought against the system (and often failed), so too do many BSD characters. There's a way in which Kafka didn't "fit" into the world around him that I feel many BSD characters could relate to: Dazai and his struggle with humanity, Atsushi and his struggle for purpose, etc.

Asagiri also doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of bureaucratic institutions. The entire Hunting Dogs arc is centered around the corruption of the government and military, which definitely falls in lines with Kafka's apparent frustrations with the powers that be. Asagiri also plays into that theme of unjust punishment by making his characters endure so much hardship in their struggle with the absurd. Yosano's backstory comes to mind, as does Chuuya's experiences with N in "Stormbringer."

I think where Asagiri and Kafka differ the most is that Kafka often depicts his protagonists failing in one way or another (typically death), whereas Asagiri allows his characters to succeed. To Kafka, the rebellion against an absurd reality, though a noble cause, typically resulted in one's demise, leaving little room for actual hope. Asagiri allows his readers some hope through his characters persisting time and time against in seemingly hopeless situations. So while he might have been inspired by Kafka's absurdist storytelling, how the two authors conclude their works and the tone that they take differ due to their worldview.

I'm not exactly an expert on Kafka, so there's almost definitely stuff I missed, especially because I'm only familiar with certain works of his. I also don't know if Asagiri has talked about Kafka as an inspiration at any point, something an english-speaking audience might miss if interviews are old or untranslated.

Regardless, thank you for asking about this! It was super fun to write about, so I'm happy to share what I do know :)

[ac-liveblogs]

Greetings! Can I share my woes with you, fellow stranger? I... honestly cannot believe that a game like genshin could possibly exist. I'm almost done with the Fountain AQ and lemme just say that... This dumbfuck journey through the nations made me fear for my own sanity. There is almost NEVER any logical progression between the stages of the quests and literally only 2,5 people in the whole fandom ever talk about this! Half the time you cannot tell why the characters are doing what they are doing and even when you can see the logic behind their actions the actions themselves are usually stupid af. And then there are world quests that are written as if they exist in some entirely different worlds! Like how the Meropide from the AQ and from the Unfinished Comedy are two completely different prisons, because NO WAY are they run by the same Duke guy. So, I've been very troubled by this. Have I lost my last braincells and this is why I can't comprehend the very good writing of the very good hoyo? Is everyone else just playing a different genshin that ACTUALLY makes sense?? Am I insane or is it the world around me that has gone mad???

Salutations, kind stranger, please take a seat!

To risk sounding very unkind, my general impression behind a lot of the discussion surrounding Genshin's story and character writing boils roughly down to this post;

Because I do get the general sense that what sticks with most people are the big dramatic moments and the general SHAPE of what you expect this all to mean or look like, not what it actually is or says. Which is FINE, praise fanon because god knows this game needs it, but my eye will start aggressively twitching when I see people praising Scaramouche's deep emotionally charged writing (HYV avoided writing as much of his story as possible though) or how meaningful a character Neuvillette is (confusing role in the narrative at best, actively detrimental to the world-building at worst).

And maybe if you're willing to accept lore dumps, explanations that character arcs happened off-screen, character bios, flashback sequences, telling not showing and animated trailers as substitutes for actual writing... then maybe it does seem like a lot is accomplished, even if you do have to bridge the gap with fanon. Like, there's so much lore! And they wrote so many words! It must be smart!!

I did chat to a colleague at work (anime fan; writing a book) who played Genshin and dropped it very early on. I asked "so what did you think of the writing" and without missing a beat he said "embarrassingly bad". So I'm going to say that most of the people that recognise it just dropped it immediately and the majority of the remainders are people that are willing to accept this. And suckers like us who sit open mouthed watching the trainwreck unfold.

Or, there's a secret version of this game I failed to download twice, and you clearly didn't get it, in which case I think we need to find the correct person to complain to about it.

Though speaking of the Fortress of Meropide, I was really amused when 'this is a DARK PRISON' collided with 'this is a GREAT prison and Wrio's so cool' in Wriothesely's quest, where the writers struggled with giving him a dramatic storyline tied to his own location so much they made him accidentally endorse a torture cult without realising how much that clashed with Wrio's previous characterisation of 'I know everything in the Fortress, including that you three are Fatui agents, to the point that I can quiz the Traveller on weird conspiracy theories about this place'.

Or like, "oh I'm really observant, I did notice this weird and suspicious/worrying thing, I just haven't done anything about it" x2 because he can't look ignorant, he's gotta know what's up, but like, think about that a second more and that's worse. Wrio. That's worse, you have to investigate those things. There is a torture cult in the basement and the entire prison almost flooded with people dissolving water, Wrio, we could have avoided these problems!

My current conspiracy theory is this place sucks like the AQ implies, but everyone just lies to Wrio and pretends everything is great and he's doing such a good job running the joint and he just believes them. The bubble almost pops in his character quest, but not quite.

Although, I hate the Fortress in it's entirety and all, but the thing that's sticking with me despite everything that Fontaine did is still.... "these people used to be oceanids but just forgot". Who forgot? Hoyoverse, apparently. Furina's quest sure didn't engage with 90% of the writing surrounding both that and her trial, huh. What a stupid meaningless twist that meant nothing and had no impact whatsoever. Why even do it.

this game is punishment for something and i'm not sure what

[opinated-user]

I think part of why Lily dislikes Across The Spider-Verse is because Miguel O'Hara is everything Aliana could have been in the hands of a decent writer. Hypercompetent, stronger than everyone else, smarter than everyone else, haughty, respected, admired, accomplished, aggressive, hurt by things in his past, different from the other heroes, an extremist, and still sympathetic because the sheer scale of what he lost is so awful that you understand why he's snapped and become as messed up as he is. It doesn't excuse it but you can't deny that the trauma was bad enough to leave him with these control-freak tendencies and paranoia as coping mechanisms. We only have one movie with him but you feel for this man because he's clearly human and hurting despite how powerful and successful he is.

The difference is that Across The Spider-Verse is willing to write a conflict where both sides have a point. While we are later shown Miguel's theories about how the multiverse are incorrect, most of the evidence initially points to his theories being right, in which case he is a man trying to prevent massive loss of life. That he's willing to let someone the hero loves die to achieve that is horrifying, but it makes sense. Aliana's various murders always made me roll my eyes because they meant nothing and were often motivated by very little. This movie makes one possible murder feel incredibly high stakes by having even Miguel, who is resigned to letting it happen, not be enthused about it. "It has to be done, but I don't enjoy this" is a lot more compelling than "eh, why not?" as an attitude towards murder. We root for Miles but we also know that Miguel is motivated by the greater good, which is terrifying because a properly motivated Spider-Man is more or less undefeatable in most canons.

Aliana only sometimes escapes fair criticism by virtue of being a queer POC. Miguel O'Hara gets fair criticism but also a very substantial number of fans because he's well-written. Being Latino is a nice bonus, but unlike Aliana, he has more to him than just murder, power and looking cool. He's got attachments, he grieves, he reacts to trauma, he makes mistakes, and Aliana... well, she kills people, fucks Rey and kills some more until all the problems are gone.

Miguel is what a morally grey character should be: complicated, human, someone whose flaws make sense when you consider their backstory, powerful but not invincible, clearly motivated and in possession of virtues as well as flaws.

Aliana kills, tortures, assaults, is inserted into scenes more than Steven is into Steven Universe episodes, has no flaws or virtues, and has a backstory that does not impact her most of the time.

It must really suck to see someone write the same basic concept - overpowered morally grey POC with a tragic backstory who has risen to a position of power - and see them do it so well that people can't stop talking about him. Meanwhile, no one I know even finished Lily's fic because it's just so boring that it wasn't able to hold their attention and it was impossible to get attached to the characters.

i think it's also the fact that Miguel O'Hara actually lives the consequences of his own actions. that's the last thing LO ever wants for alina, because alina is meant to be her wish fulfillment fantasy and she doesn't want to suffer consequences. she just want a subservient obedient wife who will never disagree with her and let her win at pokemon.

[rhaenella]

You & Me - Rhys Montrose x Reader - Part 15

Part 14 | Part 16

Summary: What happens when reader assassin is tasked with killing the possible future mayor of London; Rhys Montrose. Politician by day, Eat the Rich Killer by night. But he isn’t the only person wearing different masks. 

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Violence, murder, immoral sociopathic behaviour, mentions of alcoholism, drug abuse and neglect, smut

Word count: 6.1k

A/N: I’m usually not a fan of spoiling my own work for readers, but I would like to quietly point out that from now on ALL warnings apply to the story. Happy reading ;)

Song: In the Air Tonight – Natalie Taylor

The air was thick around you. Professor Jonathan Moore quietly sat before you with an unreadable expression. You ferociously fought the urge to be the first to break the silence. You were familiar with all of the common tactics to get a person to talk and say perhaps more than they would’ve liked to share. So, you waited. Noting the soft ticking sounds of the antique carriage clock in the corner of the room. 

“Zoe,” Jonathan nodded. “She’s a very talented, young writer. I believe she’s got great potential.”

You took a moment to answer, eyes raking over the planes of his face. Jonathan had set the pace, opting to dance around it a little longer. Fine, you would dance with him. Let’s see how well he could manage before he gave away his true motives. 

“She is,” you agreed. “Although, I must admit she won’t let me read a lot of it. I think she’s a perfectionist in that way. Wanting to get it right before showing her work to anyone.”

Jonathan hummed contemplatively, stroking his beard. “And is that something you share? Being a perfectionist?”

Was he blatantly psychoanalysing you now? The hubris. 

“Oh, I’m not sure,” you chuckled. “That’s probably for my shrink to decide.”

“You seem to share your sister’s intelligence, at the very least.”

To the outside observer that would be a sweet, innocent compliment. Maybe even lingering on flirtation. But you regarded Jonathan with a similar unreadable expression as he shot you a small smile meant to disarm you. If he was under the impression that you would let your guard down around him, he’d have another thought coming. 

“Why, thank you,” you smiled. “But, one wonders, did you have anything specific you wanted to discuss about Zoe? Besides her academic progress, which as you mentioned is exceptional, all things considered,” you said, steering the conversation away from yourself.

Jonathan blinked. “Yeah, yes. I was simply wondering how she’s recovering. I’m not exactly worried about her being behind. I know she’s more than capable of keeping up.”

The fact that this killer had been able to keep such a keen eye on your sister enraged you. There was no way you could keep your sister safely locked away in a cage somewhere, you knew that. But when dangerous men were lurking around her like this, you were almost tempted to. Yet, Zoe’s happiness was the most important thing to you. And you would never in a million years do that to her. Or anyone, really. It was unnecessarily cruel. 

A little torture, a little bit of fun before ending your victims’ lives. Sure. But nothing long-term. Which is why the man sitting in front of you gave you goosebumps. Rhys had told you a fair share of what Jonathan had been up to in his previous life as Joe. And it wasn’t pretty, to say the least.

“I can honestly tell you, she’s doing remarkably well,” you answered with a genuine smile this time. “She was in the hospital for a couple of days before being released. I’ve mainly been taking care of her and her sister since then.”

“That is wonderful to hear,” Jonathan returned your smile. 

He was quiet again, gathering his thoughts. Or, he really just wasn’t much of a talker.

“Do you think she’ll be able to come back to class soon?”

“I think so, we’ve been gathering quite the collection of books that she needs to catch up on.”

“I’m sure Zoe will get through them in no time. It will be good for her to return back to normal,” Jonathan pointed out.

“Yes, definitely,” you agreed. Again, suppressing a massive surge of discomfort at his cordial words.

It felt like a natural conclusion to your conversation so you decided to stand up, Jonathan following your lead. Really, you just wanted to get out of here. The psycho gave you the creeps. 

You draped the strap of your purse over your shoulder, turning your back on Jonathan to let out an inaudible sigh as you quietly made your way to the door.

“Oh, one final thing,” Jonathan called.

You halted, schooling your expression once more before turning around to face him with a questioning frown. “Yes?”

You noticed an indiscernible look pass over him, his posture more rigid now than before. It gave you all the forewarning you needed for Jonathan’s parting blow. The main reason he asked to speak to you in private.

“Do you know Rhys Montrose by any chance?”

“I do,” you instantly replied, sincerely and light. You were certain Jonathan had seen you with Rhys, so the best option was to pretend to be the innocent woman here. 

And you were right, Jonathan didn’t look surprised at all, indeed already aware that you two were acquainted. Fucking tabloids. You briefly contemplated silently killing off their editors. You internally scoffed. Was that Rhys’ influence talking to you? Or was that just you, finally allowing yourself to take matters into your own hands. You shook off the thought for now.

“Are you a fan of his book?” You quipped, deciding that taking the lead in this conversation was the best course of action. 

Jonathan inclined his head, stepping around his desk. “Yes. His memoir was… Well, honestly, one of the best ones I’ve ever read,” he admitted, slightly scornful.

You let a small, amused smirk tug at your lips.

“You know, being a literature professor, that’s high praise. I’ll be sure to let him know,” you jabbed, trying to get a reaction out of him. 

It worked. Jonathan’s eyebrows shooting up as he quickly clenched and unclenched his fists.

“You’re friends, then?”

“We are.”

Silence.

“And you know him well?”

“I suppose I do, yes.”

You opted to answer his short questions with short, truthful answers. You didn’t want to disclose too much information but also didn’t want to seem uncharacteristically closed off. Though, Jonathan was American. Perhaps that would be his take on British culture in general. Nevertheless, you were definitely not telling him about how you and your sisters had been staying with Rhys.

“I see.”

You canted your head. “Why do you seem so interested in him?” You asked innocently, a curious lilt to your voice.

Another beat of deafening silence.

“No reason,” he cleared his throat. “Like you said, fan of his work.”

“Right. You can join the club with the rest of us,” you laughed kindly.

The defeat in Jonathan’s voice had given you the impression that he believed your pretence. More specifically, believed that you thought you knew Rhys, but had in fact not a clue as to his true nature. Which was what you needed. Zoe and Sadie would be safe as long as Jonathan didn’t know you were in on it.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be on my way. Zoe may be feeling much better but she still needs to take it easy.”

“Of course, of course,” Jonathan said, absentmindedly. He strode past you to chivalrously open his office door for you. You thanked him as you said your goodbyes, happily walking out of the stifling room.

You shot him one last glance over your shoulder before he closed the door behind you. His shoulders were sagged and a persistent scowl was carving its way onto his face. It confirmed your hunch that you had indeed successfully passed his test. For now.

––

The sky was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun by the time you and Zoe made it to your sisters’ new flat. 

You had prepared a light dinner, a chicken salad. You’d all dug in, and of course you still helped Sadie with cutting up her food. She complained she felt like an absolute baby and Zoe had snickered, saying she was. 

You’d laughed with them, but your mind was somewhere else. You were still going over the conversation you had had with Jonathan, analysing every tiny detail. Trying to imagine how the conversation could’ve progressed if you’d said the one thing instead of the other.

Your sisters even called you out on it, and you had to admit it was kind of ridiculous. You should go with your gut and trust that your instincts were correct. Jonathan was none the wiser. 

After dinner, when your sisters had gone off to their rooms to do god knows what, you’d sat down on the couch, gazing out into the evening sky. It had been such a beautiful day with clear skies that you could make out a couple of stars. You were quite sure it was Venus staring straight back at you. 

This was how you used to cope with your problems. Otherwise sitting on your windowsill, looking up at the stars to try to find the hidden answers to your struggles between them. You sighed, shaking your head. You no longer had to keep all your thoughts bottled up inside of you. There was someone in your life now who was willing to listen. It was still new to you, but you felt a persistent need to tell Rhys. And if you were brutally honest with yourself — you missed him. So, you reached for your phone.

<<< Are you home?

His reply was almost instant.

>>> I am.

<<< Can I come over? There’s something I need to talk to you about

>>> Of course. I’m just finishing up in my office upstairs.

Ah, yes. Tomorrow was the big day. Finally, Rhys Montrose would officially announce his mayoral candidacy. 

<<< Okay, I’m on my way

And with that, you stood up. You knocked on both of your sisters’ doors, opening Sadie’s first. You told her you’d be going out, not knowing what time you’d be back.

“Where are you going?” Sadie asked, taking off her headphones.

“To see Rhys,” you replied apprehensively.

“Oh, then I know full well when you’ll be back,” Zoe shouted from behind her closed door before opening it with a swing. 

She stood in the opening, regarding you with a knowing smirk. “Early morning hours. Perhaps she’ll even stay for breakfast.”

The way she spoke the word ‘breakfast’ insinuated all kinds of things except for a regular cup of tea and some cereal. 

“Okay,” you cut in abruptly. “I’m leaving. Bye, now.”

The echoing laughter of your sisters stayed with you as you descended the stairs and walked off into the night. You hadn’t thought of putting on a jacket, the air still warm enough. 

You took the tube to Primrose Hill, walking the short distance from the station to Rhys’ home. The lights downstairs were out, which told you Rhys was likely still upstairs working. You took out the spare key he had given you and opened the door, slipping into the darkness. Faint music came from up the stairs, so you followed it all the way up to his home office. The door was partially opened and you peeked through. Rhys was sitting behind his desk, typing away on his laptop, probably working on his speech for tomorrow.

You pushed the door open, the ensuing creaking noise announcing your presence. Rhys looked up from his work, the creases in his forehead disappearing when you fully entered the room. The makeshift bed on which you’d slept when you stayed here had already been stashed. Any remnant of you using this space as your bedroom was gone. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Rhys asked, turning off the soft rock music he’d been listening to. He stood up with a sigh, stretching out his back as he walked around his desk to meet you. 

Rhys sweetly kissed your cheek, and you faintly smiled at his gesture. He stepped back, looking at you expectantly. But before you were able to utter a single word, Rhys’ face already hardened. Apparently, he could read the worry on your face as clearly as day.

“What is it?” 

You sighed, looking over his shoulder for a moment before refocusing your attention to him. “I met Jonathan earlier today.”

Rhys was silent, a little surprised at that.

“I went to Darcy College with Zoe to pick up some of her books and we sort of ran into him. He asked if we could speak in private, and I agreed,” you began. 

You recounted what happened nearly word for word, noticing Rhys’ frown deepening and his jaw clench bitterly. His anger was slowly but surely boiling away underneath the surface with every new piece of information you presented to him.

“I don’t think he suspects me. So, we’re good for now,” you concluded.

Rhys huffed. “We’re not good, Y/N. He clearly doesn’t bloody understand what it means to back the fuck off.”

“Like I said, he doesn’t know who I am. How could he, in all actuality, know that I’m ‘off limits’?” You shot back, trying to temper his growing anger.

“That doesn’t fucking matter. He recognised you. Has seen you with me. Figured you could possibly be important to me. And then had the nerve to approach and interrogate you,” Rhys seethed.

You chewed your lip. You had nothing to say to that. Rhys was pissed off, there was no doubt about it. And, to be fair, he did make a good point that wasn’t completely unfounded. 

“You know what? I think someone needs to show him what the consequences are of daring to come near you,” he grumbled. 

Rhys turned to march back to his desk, closing his laptop with force before walking back in your direction.

“What are you gonna do?”

He didn’t answer. 

“Rhys,” you warned. 

He still proceeded to ignore you, walking past you, out into the hallway. You groaned in annoyance, following after him and firmly grabbing his wrist to pull him back to face you. 

He looked down at you with a blank stare, his eyes cold and dark. You quickly recanted your earlier observation. He wasn’t just angry. No, he was fucking livid. A part of you reeled at the sheer projection of dominance and will to protect you, no matter the cost. But this was going to end in a disaster if you didn’t intervene right this second.

“Rhys, listen to me,” you spoke softly, your other hand landing on his tense shoulder. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? He doesn’t know. Let’s keep it that way, yeah?”

“He won’t know a goddamn thing ever again when I cut off his balls and put them right down his gullet,” he said icily, the vein in his neck pulsing menacingly.

“Bloody hell, Rhys. You were the one who convinced me Jonathan would be the perfect pawn in our larger plan,” you accused, starting to lose your own temper. 

“Yes. Until he wouldn’t. Until he would start running his mouth, or in this case threaten you.”

“He didn’t threaten—,” you paused mid-sentence, exasperated with him. His rage was obviously running away with him. 

You let go of Rhys, crossing your arms in defiance. “What about our last warning? Huh, what about that? You can apprise him of the bribe money and the off-shore account being set up in his name. That will make him back off.”

Rhys’ eyes flickered. Somewhere, beneath all the animosity, he knew you were right. He knew that the plan you’d come up with was still the best play. 

“He doesn’t deserve to live after—”

“No, he doesn’t. I’ve frankly never understood why you wanted him to live at all. But now he’s become an integral part to our plan. Or, our back-up plan, really. Nevertheless, we need to be sensible about this,” you implored.

His eyes shifted between yours and you only noticed then how close you were. You’d involuntarily moved into his space when you’d tried to persuade him of some rhyme or reason. But it also accomplished something else, the heat of the moment evidently heightening the slumbering sexual tension between you.

“Rhys,” you stressed, cupping his cheeks, willing him to listen. “You have to trust me. We do this together, remember?”

You felt his jaw slacken beneath your palms and he momentarily closed his eyes in defeat. You knew Rhys was begrudgingly coming to his senses, acknowledging that you were right. The mention of trust and together ultimately convincing Rhys to let the savage urge to skin Jonathan alive rest for now. 

“Okay?” You prompted.

Rhys nodded almost imperceptibly. At last, surrendering to agree with you. You’d successfully been able calm him down with your touch, just like he’d done to you many times before. The realisation made a warmth and fondness spread through you. 

It was then that Rhys seemed to clock how little space actually remained between you. He couldn’t help but longingly glance down at your lips. His anger slowly starting to become overshadowed by another powerful emotion, one which was filled with a deep yearning.

The elastic band of your stirring desires was about to snap, there was no denying it. Your pulse quickened and you brushed your thumb over his cheek to make him look up at you. You needed the verbal confirmation.

“You and me, right?”

The look Rhys gave you made an overwhelming wave of pure need for him crash through you. His eyes darkened once more. Not out of malice this time, but because of an aching want for you. 

“You and me,” he repeated, his own hands moving to cradle your face. 

You sighed softly, leaning into Rhys’ touch. You knew it then and there. You wanted him. All of him. There was nothing holding you back anymore. And frankly, you weren’t willing to let anyone or anything hold you back from getting what you wanted ever again. That time was over. 

You briefly closed your eyes and when you reopened them, you lustfully stared up at him. Rhys was powerless to resist you and without hesitating, he crashed his lips to yours.

Your entire focus zeroed in on him and you forgot about everything else — the outside world and all of its many issues and problems you faced, faded away. His soft lips moved entirely in-sync with yours in a heated tangle, devouring each other as if you’d been waiting for the other for a lifetime. And in a way, you felt like you had. 

The feeling of Rhys’ body rubbing against yours made you moan into the kiss. He groaned in response and started moving you backwards until your back hit the wall behind you. Rhys anchored you in place, deepening the kiss as his hands wandered down your body. You tangled your hands into his hair and tugged slightly, making him groan again. 

Rhys licked your lower lip and you parted your lips without objection, letting his tongue slide into your mouth to beautifully battle with yours. 

It was a possessive kind of kiss. Full of pent-up emotions and untamed desire, fuelled by whatever anger and fear Jonathan had been able to ignite within Rhys at the prospect of you being alone with that man. Even if he hadn’t hurt you. 

Rhys’ hips surged forward and you made a wanton noise at the feeling of his stirring erection pressed securely against your hip. Heat spiralled through you like a heavy, pulsing thing. You arched your back when you felt his hand slide underneath the hem of your dress and start exploring. Fuck, you couldn’t take this any longer, your patience severely lacking. 

“I think it’s time you showed me your bedroom,” you panted into his mouth.

“Mind reader.”

And before you knew it, you were stumbling into Rhys’ bedroom. You weren’t able to take in much of your surroundings, Rhys invading all of your senses. His hands were everywhere, mapping out your curves. 

Rhys bunched up the ends of your dress in his palms, roughly lifting the thin material over your head. You swore you heard the faintest rip of fabric but Rhys didn’t spare you another minute to think about it as his lips were already back on yours, claiming your full attention.

You vaguely registered him unclasping your bra with one hand. Rhys slipped the straps down your arms and tossed the undergarment to the side. His right hand cupped your breast, thumb brushing over your pebbled nipple. You canted your head to the side to give Rhys more access as his full lips descended onto your neck.

You moaned, your hands moving underneath his sweater to explore the chiselled lines of his body. You made a negative sound when Rhys leaned back, taking his delicious warmth with him. A hint of a smirk played on his lips as Rhys held your gaze, slowly dropping to his knees in front of you. The sight alone enough to make you groan.

The air around you was still buzzing with an insatiable want and hunger for the other, but everything seemingly slowed down then. It felt like the world had stopped turning for a moment. Rhys’ fingers delicately traced down your calves to your ankles, fidgeting with the clasp of your sandals. When he managed to unclasp them, he urged you to carefully step out of them and you did. 

Rhys paused, looking up at you with blown pupils. “Are you sure?” 

“I swear to god, if you stop now, I will kill you.”

Rhys grinned. “The big man surely knows you’re more than capable.”

You were about to sassily retort but you bit your tongue when you felt Rhys’ warm hands encircling your upper thighs, slowly trailing towards your hipbone. He hooked his fingers under your panties, pulling them down in one smooth motion.

You were standing in front of him, gloriously naked. Rhys sat back on his heels, savouring the moment as he looked up at you like you were a gift sent from heaven. You confidently gazed down at him as you moved your hand to cup his jaw, brushing your thumb over his lower lip. He obediently opened his mouth, sucking lightly on your thumb. You felt more of that delicious heat rush through you at the sight before you, getting wetter by the second. 

You were certainly losing your sanity and Rhys clocked it, smirking again as he released your finger. He moved forward to lick a wet trail from your stomach to your ribs, all the way between your breasts up to your neck as he straightened back up to his full height. Rhys caressed your cheek with his left hand, his right landing heavily on your waist to pull you even closer.

He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. “Spread your legs for me, darling.”

And you gladly did as you were told, widening your stance a little. His right hand wandered from your waist, lower and lower towards the place you were aching to be touched. You looked desperately into his eyes, whimpering as you felt his fingers gently part your folds.

Rhys hummed approvingly at the slickness already present between your thighs, shooting you a pleased little smile. His exploratory fingers made you grab onto the back of his neck, forcing his mouth back on yours. Rhys kissed you languorously, his index finger slowly circling your entrance. You moaned into his mouth when his thumb brushed your sensitive clit. 

He took that as an invitation to move his tongue willingly against yours whilst easily sliding a single finger inside of you. Your lips parted on an exhale at the sensation. It’d been too bloody long. You also briefly contemplated if you’d ever been this turned on in your life before. Rhys understood and spoke to your deepest and darkest desires, and it seemed that the sexual ones wouldn’t be neglected. 

The tension between you had been building for the past couple of days. Well, if you were honest with yourself that tension had been there from the start. But it started to crescendo the moment you returned from killing Lockwood. It might be twisted and other people would likely never get it, but you both did. A silent understanding between the two of you. Your bond filling itself with a yearning and desire for the other that ultimately led you to be so fucking wet right now.

Rhys leaned back to watch you when he unapologetically added another finger. His intense gaze solely focused on you as he analysed your every reaction to figure out what you liked — what would ultimately make you see stars. Insistently repeating those touches and angles that made you want to jump two feet into the air if it wasn’t for Rhys’ strong arm wound tightly around your waist to keep you as close to him as possible. 

You gasped at the delightful pressure, eagerly moving your hips to meet the thrusts of his hand. You were already so close to the edge, it was almost humiliating. But you honestly couldn’t give a damn. Not when Rhys was hovering over you, looking at you like that, hand buried deep inside of you. His thumb had been lazily grazing your clit, slowly stoking the heat building within you.

Rhys pressed his cheek to yours. “Are you going to come for me like a good girl?” He rasped in your ear.

You moaned loudly into his neck when he didn’t wait for an answer, instead proceeding to circle your bundle of nerves in earnest. He gradually picked up the speed and you clawed at his back, his fingers pumping inside of you at an unrelenting pace. Apparently, Rhys knew exactly how to make your body sing, giving you what you so desperately needed. It made you shiver when you realised this was only his hand, already starting to anticipate what would come after. 

The combination of his warm breath on your skin, the sureness of his skilled fingers and the sultry tone of his voice as he kept whispering encouraging words into your ear, ultimately teetered you over the edge. 

“That’s it, Y/N. That’s it,” Rhys panted. Your pleasure nearly making him come undone himself.

You bit the juncture of where his neck met his shoulder to keep from crying out, clenching down on Rhys’ fingers that were steadily guiding you through your orgasm. Rhys groaned and he pressed his lips to your neck, leaving behind a wet trail of open-mouthed kisses. The pulsing waves of pleasure just went on and on, seeming like a never-ending bliss you wanted to drown in.

His fingers slowed when you at last started making slight protesting sounds. It was all too much. He was too much. Rhys had arguably just given you one of the best orgasms of your life. 

You felt a little hazy, grateful for his arm around you and him supporting most of your weight. It took you a moment to fully come back to your senses, Rhys using that time to place kisses along the side of your mouth. Your eyes fluttered, feeling his hands wander freely over your body.

You were still drunk on that euphoric feeling when you moved your hands from where they were gripping Rhys’ still-covered shoulders to pull on the ends of his sweater. He was wearing too many goddamn clothes.

Rhys chuckled as he let you ungraciously yank the sweater over his head. “Was that not satisfying enough for you?”

Your hands landed on his now naked chest and you leaned in to brush your lips against his. 

“On the contrary,” you said, softly biting his lower lip. “But I need you inside me. Right now.”

Rhys’ eyes filled with lust, his full lips curling upwards, conveying all of the dirty things he wanted to do to you. Without warning, Rhys effortlessly picked you up and you instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist. You whined when your sensitive and still throbbing core made contact with the rough cloth of his trousers.

“As you wish,” Rhys murmured before refastening his lips to yours as he walked you both over to his bed. He simply couldn’t stop himself from kissing you. You were fucking irresistible.

Rhys lowered you to his bed, quickly straightening again to discard of the remaining clothes he still wore. You let your eyes roam his physique unabashedly, taking in his naked form. You knew he kept himself in impeccable shape, and it showed. Rhys smirked when he crawled over you. 

“Like what you see?”

Rhys pressed his body to yours, making space for himself in between your thighs. You playfully smacked his chest and he pretended to be hurt, which made you softly laugh. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at you, leaning down to claim your mouth again. 

You felt his firm erection pressed to your lower abdomen. You’d already taken notice of the magnificent size of him when he’d self-assuredly undressed himself in front of you, but the feeling of him against your naked body was something else. You rolled your hips suggestively, the friction making Rhys moan into your kiss. He was just as desperate for it as you.

You hooked your leg around his waist and grabbed onto his shoulders before levering the both of you over, rolling Rhys until he was on his back. Rhys breathed out sharply, staring up at you.

Perched on top of his thighs, your hand found his hard and wanting cock. You gently squeezed, eliciting another delightful moan. Rhys regarded you with half lidded eyes when you moved over him, lifting your hips to line him up. You sighed appreciatively when you felt Rhys’ hands gripping your thighs to help stabilise you.

Your hips teasingly circled his cock, dragging him between your folds a couple of times to spread your wetness over his length before you slowly sank down on him. You took him inch by inch, marvelling at the stretch, holding his gaze until he completely filled you to the hilt. Rhys groaned, fingers now digging roughly into your hips. You whimpered at the feeling of being so full, throwing your head back in ecstasy. 

“Fuck, Y/N,” Rhys grunted when you involuntarily clenched your inner walls around him.

“Yeah,” you agreed, planting your hands firmly on his chest. 

You lifted yourself up and then dropped back down onto him, repeating the movements slowly and steadily, allowing your body to adjust to him and his blessed size. After a minute or two, you started to set up a fast and fierce rhythm, shoving yourself down on him with sheer abandon.

Rhys looked up at you in awe, lips parted as he let out soft grunts of pleasure. Your nails raked over his chest, leaving behind faint red lines. He didn’t seem to mind though, instead focusing on lifting his hips in time to meet your thrusts. “Christ, you’re a vision,” Rhys said, his voice rough.

You could only moan in answer to that, continuously shifting your hips to find the one angle that made you want to crawl out of your own skin. Rhys knew exactly when you did. Your nails digging into his chest as you called out his name. 

Rhys unceremoniously sat up, his abs flexing as he wrapped his arms around you, making you sink down on him a little further. “Oh, god,” you mewled, holding onto his shoulders for support. 

“I know, my darling,” Rhys rumbled into your ear. “You feel so fucking good around me.”

Rhys tangled his left hand into your hair and tugged — forcing you to bare your neck for him. His lips descended on your pulse point and you moaned when he sucked a mark on your skin.

You felt him start to tremble beneath you and Rhys’ other hand moved between your sweaty bodies, fingers finding your clit once more. The delicate circles completely at odds with the brutal pace you’d set. It was the combination of those opposing sensory overloads that did it. You came hard for a second time that night, moaning uncontrollably. The rolling waves of bliss stealing your breath.

Rhys followed close behind you, groaning into your hair as his own orgasm ripped through him. He came in long pulses, his body shuddering against yours. 

When you both started to come down from your highs, you leaned back, slowing down your movements. You noted his messy hair and the look of pure bliss on his face. Rhys shot you a lazy smile, untangling his hand from your hair to smooth it back a little. It was probably just as wild and untamed as his. Perhaps worse. 

He started to soften inside you, so you levered yourself off of him with a sigh, collapsing next to him on the bed. Rhys laid back as well and turned onto his side, immediately reaching out to pull your body close to his.

You leaned in to kiss him and he returned it, softly moving his lips over yours. There was a striking gentleness there, wholly different from the utter desperation you’d felt before. Nevertheless, it was no less meaningful. 

“You are something else, Y/N,” Rhys murmured, reverent, propping up his arm to support his head with his hand. You mirrored him, delighted at his words. You traced his chest with your finger. 

“So are you,” you whispered softly. 

His dazzling smile caused an unfamiliar, warm feeling to blossom inside your chest. You acutely realised you truly and deeply cared for him. And that feeling ran much deeper than you’d previously thought.

Rhys shifted his weight then, clearing his throat. You frowned at his sudden change in attitude, running your hand through your unruly hair. The action made him glance up at you, a sheepish look passing over his face. 

Oh, this will be good, you inwardly smirked.

“So,” he pursed his lips. “Do you agree to inform Jonathan on his kind act of sponsoring Lockwood’s latest trip to the Mediterranean, next thing tomorrow morning?” 

He already knew you would. It’s what you demanded from him before. To take a breath, see the bigger picture, and most importantly — stick to the bloody plan. Even so, this was Rhys’ way of giving in, acknowledging he’d been a little overzealous with wanting to choke the professor to death. 

It’s okay, it happens to the best of us, you thought. As long as you were there for each other, to balance each other out, all would be well.

“Yeah, I agree,” you answered with a gentle smile. “And do you agree not to do anything rash?”

“As long as I can keep you here in this bed with me — then, yes.”

You snorted. “Right. I suppose that settles it.”

“Very well,” Rhys said, low.

He reached out to touch you again, running teasing fingertips over your side. You instantly jerked back, smacking his hand away. Rhys’ hand warily strayed back to his side as he narrowed his eyes at you. 

“You’re ticklish?” Rhys smirked, devilish.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Yes. Yes, I am,” you sighed, already knowing that this insight would become the death of you at some point. The teasing and wicked nature of the man telling enough.

“Well, well, isn’t that interesting,” he said, storing away the valuable information for later.

You groaned in annoyance, making him laugh. He really was insufferable. You promptly promised yourself you would find a way to get back at him. At some point. 

Rhys moved over you then, making you look up at him with suspicion. He briefly caressed your cheek before sliding his hands down your body, the simple touch causing want to flare bright and hot inside you once more.

“What? Did you think I was done with you?” Rhys asked playfully when he noted your quizzical expression, his hands pushing your thighs wider as he settled comfortably between them. 

He pressed a lingering kiss to your sternum, fingers cheekily squeezing your nipple. You keened as his mouth slowly trailed down your body, carefully avoiding the area where you needed him most. You felt that pulsing need for him return in ten-fold and without thinking, you callously threaded your fingers through his hair before taking a fistful into your hand. 

“Stop fucking teasing, then,” you demanded, already breathless, trying to steer his head down.

“Patience, my dearest, patience. Good things come to those who wait. And more importantly — behave.”

You scoffed. “I didn’t see you exercising patience when you so much as ripped my clothes off earlier.”

Rhys chuckled, his warm breath fanning over your core as he just hovered there. You stared at him with unfocused eyes, his hands hungrily rubbing your inner thighs, keeping them spread apart. 

“I promise you this, Y/N. One day I will make you beg for it,” he vowed, blue eyes sparkling with sinful desire as he finally bent his head, never breaking eye contact.

–––– 

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the inordinate amount of smut but it’s been a long time coming.

[creatingmoments]

I have been trying to figure out what episode Penelope watches hours of film that luke came to her office to ask for. She says something on the lines of "Oh we don't have time for my insensitivities" 😪

I want to work on a fic that continues that scene!

What episode is this scene from?

[brian-in-finance]

Getty

Note: Brian formatted all text in Italics

Outlander star Caitriona Balfe's husband's link with iconic Scottish band resurfaces

Tony McGill manages the Fratellis, the iconic Scottish band best known for their worldwide hit Chelsea Dagger, and is also good friends with broadcaster Gordon Smart.

Outlander star Caitriona Balfe's is so in love with Scotland due to her role in the smash-hit series that she is happily married to a Scotsman as well.

Tony McGill has been married to the Irish actress since August 2019 and recently welcomed a baby boy, whom the Claire Fraser actress was carrying while filming season six of Outlander.

But the Scots music producer's career has been kept under wraps due to the pair's very private life. He is known to be a musician and also owns a bar in London.

And another aspect of his social life was thrust to prominence late last week thanks to a radio interview involving Outlander star Lauren Lyle and broadcaster Gordon Smart.

He was covering for Irish comedian Patrick Kielty on his Saturday morning BBC Radio 5 Live show when they discussed the Scottish Six Degrees of Separation to link both the actress and Mr Smart.

Stazplay

It was discovered that the former Scottish Sun editor is actually very good friends with Mr McGill and mentioned that he manages iconic rock band The Fratellis.

The band is best known for their tune Chelsea Dagger which has been adopted by fans of the Scotland National Football Team and is often belted out at Hampden.

He was chatting to Ms Lyle about both Outlander and her new show, Karen Pirie, which is based on detective novels written by Val McDermid.

And the actress was describing how delighted she was that the drama had been given a second season by STV and that she was now being recognised in the street for two of her characters, with Marsali being the other one.

She said: "It's been received so well and even when the first episode came out I went into ITV and the receptionist went 'oh I love the show by the way' and it was suddenly such a weird thing that I was starting to get recognised for it straight away.

The Fratellis (PR pic as per Scottish Daily Express)

"I'm always recognised for Outlander, especially when I'm in Scotland. If American fans are over and they see Marsali walking down the streets of Edinburgh, they absolutely fall apart, are beside themselves.

"It must be amazing to have this show you are so passionate about and then see one of the characters, it's been really brilliant to get to do it again."

This prompted Mr Smart to put forward an "amazing bit of music trivia" as he labelled it a "ridiculous six degrees of separation." He said: "People might not know but Caitriona Balfe from Outlander is married to an amazing fella called Tony McGill who is a very good pal of mine.

"Now, Tony McGill — for anyone thinking why's he mentioning this, it's Scottish nonsense — Tony McGill manages a band you will know called the Fratellis. So that's what links Outlander to great music, Lauren Lyle to me today, and of course the much beloved Martin Compston who in Vigil for about 7 seconds."

Mr McGill and Ms Balfe first went public in 2015 on social media and were later photographed attending the 2016 ceremony for Jodie Foster's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Scottish Daily Express

The Italics: 1. He’s a manager, not a producer. 2. If Tony is a musician or currently owns a bar in London, it’s news to me. 3. Not sure what the writer means by “public in 2015 on social media.” Brian’s blog includes a video and three photos all posted on Instagram in 2014.

IMDb

Remember… I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. The President of the United States, a gondolier in Venice, just fill in the names. I find it extremely comforting that we're so close. I also find it like Chinese water torture, that we're so close because you have to find the right six people to make the right connection... I am bound, you are bound, to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people. — Ouisa Kittredge (character played by Stockard Channing in John Guare’s 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation)

[zmediaoutlet]

what is your stance on the "amelia or at least sams life with her was only a hallucination his already damaged psyche conjured up after suffering a psychotic break"-theory?

umm not a fan. Like... not for me, at all. But the way I'm not a fan has evolved a little over the years, haha, so to expand --

I get why people are into it. I mean, the filming choices are so batshit weird (why that gross golden vaseline filter? why drop in flashbacks every time Jared looked constipated in the main timeline?) that it's easy to go It Was All A Dream, no matter how cheesy that is.

Goof-ass cinematography aside, though, I know the reason a lot of people want to reject it out of hand is that "Sam would have looked for Dean." I get it; it's tough that he didn't. But there's a difference between Sam should have looked and Sam necessarily must have, and the fact that he didn't is so OOC we have to invent a full on AU for him. I mean, for one thing, the actual canon information as presented doesn't contravene the idea that Sam did actually try but failed, and gave up* after failing. He was alone with a busted car, zero help (Bobby dead, angels not listening, demons not answering the phone, etc), and had no idea if Dean was dead or just winked from existence (because why would he assume that he went to Purgatory?). With zero leads and dead ends at every turn, it's very easy to insert like a month of him failing and then he hits a dog -- and then, because he feels intensely guilty, telling Dean that he didn't really try, because his efforts were so paltry that he can't even count them as trying.

...but even that isn't really that much of an argument. One thing that I find happens a lot with the Winchesters in fandom discussions, but especially with Sam, is like... not allowing them the dignity of their choices. Which -- like, duh, they're fictional characters, they're written a certain way. But there's a real tendency to leap to OOC claims or "the writers don't know what they're doing!!" whenever it's something we wish the character wouldn't have done because we don't like it. But like... that's not how characters work. Characters do shit I don't like all the time; it doesn't mean they didn't do it, and that I shouldn't try to fold even that disliked thing into my conception of who the character is. (Important caveat: there's a great post by astolat that talks about the venn diagrams of audience belief and canonicity in texts with multiple writers that makes this more complicated. Still, I think that variability comes in small details as she mentions in that post, or indeed dumb little moments of Jensen improv in spn canon, rather than whole-ass plot arc decisions.)

Sam stopped looking for/didn't look for Dean when he disappeared. That's interesting. Kinda sucks, and the show and Sam himself point out multiple times that it kinda sucks, but that doesn't make it uninteresting or OOC, especially given the Sam we have who is nigh indomitable. The fact that it was his choice speaks to a Sam who's really just... beaten down. And why wouldn't he be? Slings and arrows from birth all the way to age 27 when he threw himself into the worse torture imaginable -- then he got saved, hallegoddamnlujah, and he thought maybe he'd be there with Dean, living a life he could choose for once instead of one he'd been forced into by destiny -- and then it was just another apocalypse, and enemies on all sides, and every friend and ally and hope just torn away, one by one. It's a miracle he got to keep the car. I can see that Sam, in that last torn circumstance, just -- going into hiding. He hits a dog and then inertia keeps him in one place, spinning his wheels. He meets a girl and she kinda sucks but she's prickly and rude and not-samey enough to prod him back up into life, and at that point it's been months and Dean's gone and he thinks, if this is life I guess I can live it. He can't go back to the shell of a life he loved with Dean and it's just... too much. He's always been very, very good at putting one foot in front of the other. (It's why he manages to live after the finale.)

Now, does Sam regret that choice, such as it was? Sure. (Not that I think he could've changed anything about it.) Doesn't mean he didn't make it. It also beautifully informs the arc of that year, moving from one choice to another -- from abdicating responsibility to taking on the ultimate responsibility. And it's really really REALLY interesting to me in the long-form story spn tells about Sam and the Most Interesting Long-form Character Development Ever. He's a startling advocate for his own agency and holds it in tight reins; I'm not interested in pretending he isn't, either for Martyr!Sam headcanons or any strong weird wincest-only stanning. Plus, Amelia-the-mistress as parallel for Benny-the-mistress is just too good to give up.

s8's awesome. It doesn't need weird St. Elsewhere headcanons to make it somehow excusable.

[i-bring-crack]

What if not one, not two but actually ALL(we know of) readers transmigated and better yet they where the mix fans and haters and fanatic writers of PIDW.

17 people transmigated...

Damn.

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky: Shang Qinghua since the was born.

Read Ten Years Polish One Sword: Original Poster who decided to finally voice out his anger over this damn book, thinking he would one day retract his words if it ever got better but just like the other long time reader Peerless Cucumber, he was right, this was a pile of trash, dumpsterfire. It became more dumbsterfire as he found himself in the body of a kid starving out in the streets with this little boy... Xiao Jiu? Why he does sound familiar but he can't get to click it.

【Welcome to the system. During the opening of the「you can you up」system currently in its development phase, we wish to provide you with the best experience. It is our sincere hope that during the process, you will achieve what you have stated: to transform a piece of stupid writing in accordance to your wishes into a high-end, expansive, and classic work. We wish you happiness. 】

【System activation successful! Binding your role: Cang Qiong Mountain sect leader, Qiong Ding Peak Lord, ‘Yue Qingyuan.’ Weapons, none. Points: 50】

...

"Qi-ge? What are you spacing out for?"

"Xiao Jiu... I'm fucked."

"???"

[Warning! Warning! OOC! OOC! OOC!]

OOC MY ASS IM A CHILD RIGHT NOW WTF WTF WTF!!

____________________

Infatuation Scholar: Second commenter.

While he did have more patience while reading the book, he was still disappointed and kept himself waiting until the very very end until he could give it the most detail, knife cutting, deep roasting, critism he could ever give, but his patience was lost with a comment that finally wasn't a praise or a foolish hater telling the author to k*ll themselves.

But now... now he was here, in the middle of a meeting asking how to retrieve Shen Qingqiu from Luo Binghe's grasp...

What?

Why?

Who?

All of it was strange around him, he grew wary of everyone's different personalities and most importantly of how they where all planning to save Shen Qingqiu. Save?! A scum like him?

He got out of the meeting, he didn't understand what was happening but he definitely knew this had taken place in the novel so he would rather not go with this suicide plan.

What a mistake he made because the moment he went back to his room to process...well everything. A huge and already mature Luo Binghe awaited him.

The next thing he knew, he was in Huan Hua Palace.

"You will help me bring back my Shizun."

【Welcome to the system. During the opening of the「you can you up」system currently in its development phase, we wish to provide you with the best experience. It is our sincere hope that during the process, you will achieve what you have stated: to transform a piece of stupid writing in accordance to your wishes into a high-end, expansive, and classic work. We wish you happiness. 】

What?

【System activation successful! Binding your role: Cang Qiong Mountain sect, Qian Cao Peak Lord, ‘Mu Qingfang ’ Weapons, Tai Chi. Points: 100】

What?

[Currently all tools are needed for the "Happy Ending" To be achieved so right now.—]

WHAT THE HECK?! He didn't have time for this, granted he didn't have time for anything.

"Luo Daozhan, I beg your pardon but don't you think that a man you tortured for so long is better off dead?"

[Warning ! Warning! Warning! Protagonist's Luo Binghe's anger is Rising!!]

_____________________________

The Swordsman Must Speak: 3rd commenter.

And someone who is quite fine with all of this sudden isekai to another world UNTIL a system pops up out of nowhere in the day of the Immortal Alliance.

Dammit! He hardly read the whole thing and left it halfway through the Dream Demon training arc so how was he supposed to know that Huan Hua palace existed ok?!? And even worse how was he supposed to know about Gonyi Xiao too! Which, he was BUT FUCK OFF SYSTEM WHY DO YOU APPEAR NOW!!

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK IM GOING TO DIEEE——

_____________

You, Sinful Beyond Forgiveness: the 1st defender of PIDW on that one post.

And what a good thing to do really! Because now she has been isekai as one of Binghe's wives. Ning Yingying! Why that automatically makes her live past the whole entire story and even possibly taste the heavenly pillar~~ plus! She can truly defend Luo Binghe through all the bully in Qing Jing Peak.

Come at me you baddies! I studied under great martial arts trainer ever since I was 10! You all want to try and ruin white Lotus Binghe then get through me!!

Ah, but then I'll also have to deal with Shen Qingqiu no? Hmmmmmm how do I deal with that manslut before Binghe comes here.

Once binghe has come to the peak, she raises him up in a heartbeat and then not a day later.

Ning Yingying: Oh fuck he's gay.

Heh...

Uehehehehehehe—

____________________

Dazzled And Confused:

Confused as to where she is certainly, at first that is, but honestly now as Qi Qingqi she will gracefully just keep watching that lovely brotherly bond between every martial brother of his.

"Yue Shixiong I'm sure it would be better for you and Shen Shixiong if you told each other your true feelings instead of bottling it all up."

.

"Oh? Shen Shixiong I didn't expect for you to be so loveable with your disciple. Not that I don't mind about it really though...hmm, how interesting~"

.

"Liu Shixiong you've been fighting Shen Shixiong for so long~ Are you sure you aren't just wrestling with him just so you can touch him and look at him more?"

.

"Aiya all my Shixiongs are so gay. Airplane didn't I tell you? You are more capable as a Yaoi writting. Even your heterosexual papapa scenes sound much better if they where between men."

"..."

"Like seriously who could be fooled by the many sentences you use to describe Mobei Jun, how every waking moment Luo Binghe had at least one chapter dedicated to be with him, how Ethereal you made the fight scene between Mobei jun and Luo Binghe seem. Two men clashing against each other through the cold desert and despite the long and suffering years in the abyss Luo Binghe felt refreshing upon fighting someone as his equal, how they soon became friends and he spent more time with Mobei Jun than he did with any of his wives. But also how that loyal man stacked to his side like glue and appeared like the air everytime he was called. Oh so ethereal. Oh so obviously a self indulgent for you Airplane Shooting towards the Sky."

______________________________

Sha Hualing's Bells:

Why the hell did he get reincarnated into A GIRL!?! and that annoying little palace mistress no less UGH...

Well there is only one upside to this. He could get to see Sha Hualing~~ AH! But for that she must become a harem member of Luo Binghe no? UGH WHY!NO! I DON'T WANT A FREAKING HEAVENLY PILLAR UP MY ASS!

__________

Cang Qiong Mountain Steps Cleaning Crew Captain: The Himbo sect peak #1 fangirl

"Ayo system who the FUCK is Tianlang-Jun? And why am I him?"

.

"Zhuzhi-lang, who do you think is more dilf? Me or Yue Qingyuan?"

"....Master, why?"

"Well to know know who bottoms duh."

"?!?!?!"

____________

Warrior's Hammer: For comparing PIDW to Immoral XX Battle, he got isekaid as Immortal XX Battle's lamest but scum villain.

________________

Refuses To Dig Holes: absolutely saw through Cucumber's fanboyish side.

"Shen Shixiong I must say, your ability to hide your emotions is quite good, but as much anger as you fan out towards the Sect Leader and Liu Shixiong, I can't help but still see how much you care about them. This sect at least, this place you can't call home." He is almost like those haters which read everything but publish hate comments left and right.

"Xia Qingxi has a nack for minding other people's business."

"I also habe talent in seeing past your anger! Admire your 10th Shidi a little more."

"A useless trait, no wonder you are the 12th peak lord."

Aiya, that's the mean yet surprisingly complicated Shen qingqiu for you.

____________________________

Little Cang Qiong Mountain Gate Defense Squad:

Wei Qingwei, the master peak lord of swords will have QiJiu in his heart no matter what.

"Ehhh!?!??! Your aren't the OG Shen Qingqiu!?!? Digging holes bro and Dazzled sis! We MUST find that sun and moon dew seed! QiJiu shall be CANON!!"

__________________

Qingge's Big Brother:

Well he isn't exactly Liu Qingge's Shixiong, but he will surely become the Shidi for him! He shall save his Shixiong from any scumslut threat!

11th peak lord is now always seen close to Liu Qingge and Oh my God he has to get rid of Qi Qingqi shijie who keeps calling him Y/N.

_____________________

Occasionally Fills Holes: Weirded out by fans and not into any of the relationships from PIDW.

Of course he is jus going to nutoriously stay away from all of it! All of that! And how does he get away? By not being Qiu Haitang at!!!

[Ooc Ooc Ooc! Player must achieve the goals of the original character!]

Alright so he does!... or so he thought... until that day when curiosity gets him and suddenly the tragic backstory as well as other plot holes are revealed upon him.

_______________________

Magnificent Servant:

Before transmigation: "Cucumber-bro definitely loves it, but his flames here aren’t nearly as strong as in the book’s comments section. Not malicious enough, minus points."

After Transmigation[as a useless Qing jing peak disciple]: "Shizun definitely loves Binghe, but his flames here aren’t nearly as strong as in the book. Not malicious enough, minus points."

System: [...]

System to Sqq/SY: [ooc ooc ooc]

_______________________

Planting Rice But Where’s My Midday:

Well after so many peak lord transmigations, and by many its all of then except Liu Qingge (pft) you think they would have left one more peak lord out right?

sorry to find out that the most hardworking peak lord, the 10th, and the one constantly decided to harrass Shang Qinghua since they both noticed the other's transmigation ever since they entered!!

Due yo that hate relationship its obvious as to where Shang Qinghua healed after leaving his Mobei Jun behind. So obvious, so stupid that this author is, and yet he gets the ultra sexy hot demon please give the planting rice master a BREAK!

____________________________________

Searching For Friends In The Dusty Desert: Oh the Bingge /Master scum doujin writer~

Well my my my~ how weird it is that she got isekaid directly to PIDW. And i really mean PIDW as Liu Mingyang, soon to be head consort of the harem but right now looking at the scene of Qing Jing Peaks's sword being battered down by Qiu Haitang... worst of all is she cants find anyone being the same as her, no one here is a transmigator except for her.

Oh...

Oh dear...

___________________________

Peerless Cucumber: Philosopher

He doesn't remember this... He doesn't remember Yue Shixiong being very stern about how he shouldn't punish his disciples harshly.

He doesn't remember Ning Yingying throwing fists and insults in the original part where Binghe lost his amulet.

He doesn't remember Mu Qingfan suddenly beind able to know about the flower.

He doesn't remember Gonyi Xiao not visiting the annual Immortal Alliance conference.

He doesnt remember the peak lords being so... lively? Since when was Xi Qingxi a friend of the scum villain? Qiao Qingyue stuck like glue to Liu Qingge—and glaring at him so much— and An Ding peak lord being berated by Zui Xian Peak lord 90% of the time. I though the man would always be too drunk to speak?!

What is up with Qi Qingqi and Wei Qingwei being the first to protect the scum villain?

Qiu Haitang doesnt seem angry? Little palace mistress hass too much of a thing for Sha Hualing! And even for Mingyang?!

"WTF is up with everyone!?!?! Even the ex demon king IS WHIPPED FOR YUE QINGYUAN?!?!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

His one of many disciples comes by to tell him: " Oh so Shizun is Peerless Cucumber! I doubt the system would have not taken into account this man!"

"How the hell did you know?!"

" :3 "

[lemonhemlock]

Hey i love all your deep dives particularly the cersei vs rhaenyra ones.

I must say i don't like how show!alicent is being portrayed. I mean it feels like alicent seems to care more for rhaenyra than her own children. And I'm not a fan of the show writers so i feel like they may even go in that direction. Which is unbelievable to me ....i mean she definitely has deep seated trauma from being forced to carry these children which i totally get but why should she feel indebted or still have feeling to rhaenyra or chose her when she:

1. Ignored her (and didn't have the same level of anger towards her own father for forcing her best friend) during her early marriage years ( which ok she was a teenager too so let's forgive that) but

2. Especially after driftmark where she asked for her son to be further tortured and wanted her father to even punish alicent by cutting her tongue out.

I mean rhaenyra never really cared for alicent yet alicent keeps going through all hoops to defend and validate rhaenyra saying she is a "good queen" which even without aemond situation she literally signed off on daemon to murder vaemond who was only seeking justice .

It seems the books seems to be better in that they didn't have alicent being a child bride i mean can't they have done that ...i would still have rooted for her since she seems to care for the small folk.

Sorry for rambling and feel free to ignore all of this, but it really annoys me when alicent always keeps foolishly going back to rhaenyra instead of actually being on her children side without flip flopping (since she still wants to usurp rhaenyra and aegon really doesn't want it). Or why can't she just talk to rhaenyra to spare her kids or tell her not marry daemon if she thinks rhaenyra is a good queen and she would listen to her?

Hello! 💕I did a couple of posts on the subject of Alicent's compassion and religious beliefs, if you're into that. Overall, I do agree that Alicent has been a better friend to Rhaenyra than she has been to Alicent, but that has been shown to kind of be in character for Rhaenyra - she is not very good at putting herself in others' shoes and is generally self-absorbed.

The decision to have Rhaenyra and Alicent childhood companions added a lot to the conversation, so I personally wouldn't change that. I prefer it to an overworked evil stepmother trope. In regards to Alicent being a childbride, in the books, she is still placed in a shade relationship with Old King Jaehaerys that some interpret as a honey trap.

This is not a dig at you, but I wish we'd stop saying Alicent or the greens are trying to usurp Rhaenyra. Usurpation implies seizing a position without legal right. "Legal right" is defined very differently within feudalism than it is within a modern democracy functioning on the basis of a constitution and the separation of powers. That would change the discourse around Alicent's intentions, too.

I think that, deep-down, Alicent knows that her children would not be spared, no matter how much she begged; if Rhaenyra could be lenient, Daemon most certainly wouldn't. Or if Rhaenyra were lenient in this moment, who is to say how her mind would change years down the line?

Thank you for your kind comments and for dropping by!

[sketching-shark]

People get mad at me whenever I point out how kinda suckish Wukong is as a person. Saying that I don't understand his trauma or his pain and that he's trying. But like, I understand Wukong might be going through some shit, but his pain doesn't excuse him causing pain to others.

And it's not like those who criticize Wukong are pulling stuff from their ass. It's repeatedly illustrated in the show by the writers that everyone in Wukong's past who is still alive hates him because of the pain he caused them. Because of his mistakes. His decisions. His recklessness. They touch on this A LOT. They have Mei outright say it in S3.

"Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?!" Story of Wukong's life, apparently. Macaque, the Brotherhood, MK, Mei. All suffered through extreme trauma because of Wukong. Azure Lion and Macaque get literal PTSD just from seeing MK act/look like Wukong.

Not to say Wukong is a bad person morally, but he's like a ticking time bomb. You can chuck it at the enemy, but it can just as easily blow up in your face as well.

Monkie Kid spoilers + me grumbling and being mean to a monkey on main below

SSSSSSIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHH yea anon you've definitely hit the nail on their being frankly enormous amounts of whiplash in Monkie Kid canon and fanon at this point in terms of the plot going out of its way to repeatedly write Sun Wukong as a reckless idiot who ruins the lives of everyone around him & literally everyone who knew him from his past hates his guts because of dumb destructive stuff he did AND YET the hope is routinely dangled that maybe they'll be some good explanation for why he acts the way he acts and maybe they'll all get to be best friends at some point. But given this unrelenting insistence on more angst & more trauma, which frequently is written as partially or completely the consequence of what Sun Wukong did or what he failed to do, my doubt that they'll be able to write that in a satisfying way given everything that happened beforehand grows stronger. Because if we're being honest at this point the Monkey King has been portrayed as so careless, so destructive, so incapable of making a genuinely good decision that there isn't a single person who's life was made better from their interactions with Sun Wukong, and many whose lives were made much worse. So we're left in this weird state where on one hand lots of people recognize that and thus either hate the Monkey King wholesale and/or frequently depict SWK getting yelled at and rejected by everyone in their fan creations, while simultaneously depicting him in other ways as a beloved member of team good guy & having a strong relationship with Macaque, never mind that the shadow monkey's generally see as the main victim of SWK's badness. In addition, even the audience has barely gotten a glimpse at what the root of SWK's trauma may be, but I worry that at this point any painful past he might be given will be too little and too late to explain his actions. And I HATE that trope of "sad past=automatic redemption" so I really hope that's not what they're aiming for.

Either way & as I've said before, at this point it's kind of baffling why any of the other characters--who it must be remembered have no knowledge about the headband torture times--would even consider legoshow Sun Wukong getting trapped in ink hell world a bad thing. As far as they know he's done nothing but hurt and betray literally everyone for 0 reason except being stupid and selfish. And him getting trapped in the memory scroll means he'll be punished forever for his monkey crimes as he apparently so richly deserves all while the ticking time bomb that is Sun Wukong won't ever get the chance to hurt anyone ever again. So, win-win!

Truly, this was the best way to introduce the Monkey King & Journey to the West to the west & Chinese kids, huh.