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demonioenelespacio · 5 months

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Lately I've been thinking a lot about Crowley, Aziraphale, their feelings and the way season 2 has recontextualised some very popular headcanons from the previous one.

Starting with the first scene of both seasons: Eden and Before.

I think everyone agreed that Crowley fell in love with Aziraphale in Eden. We all know the exact moment, don't we? And I read countless fanfics around the idea that it was love at first sight for Crowley, while it took Aziraphale millennia to fall in love with him.

But then S2...

His little smile all the time, when he tries to introduce himself… His reaction to "Look at you, you're gorgeous". My man, did you have a crush before they invented them? And my only question is, is this instant interest in the Angel who will be Crowley? Or is he acting like this because he knows who they are, has admired them from afar and finally has an excuse to talk to them?

Regardless of that, the headcanon falls apart. If there's a winner in the oldest crush competition, it's Aziraphale.

And the truth is that all this changes the way I see the Eden scene. We don't know how much Crowley remembers of Before, but, inside, he knows Aziraphale isn't going to attack him right away, the angel is somewhat familiar. Aziraphale gets nervous, but otherwise doesn't react. A demon wants to speak, and, oh, no, it's him. That Angel doesn't exist anymore, what's your name now? This creature is evil, a demon. But he repays him with the same kindness he offered him before.

Even if I still read Crowley's expression as an absolute fascination with Aziraphale, at this point I don't think we're talking about a love story for either of them. By the time of A Companion to Owls, the two are at a loss as to what to expect from each other and they spend the episode poking at each other's edges.

As far as we know, the last time they met was with Noah. Crowley knows that Aziraphale is not a typical angel, but (in theory) he does nothing against God's order to drown all those humans. Is he really going to do something for Job's children? Why? What is his limit? Aziraphale is aware that Crowley is a demon, but is he really going to do this? Can he trust him not to harm the kids? Crowley was an angel Before; even if the Angel doesn't exist anymore, Crowley's core is the same. He is the same kind being.

And then you have the Oh moments.

The moment in the church… I know for many people this was the moment when Aziraphale fell in love. For me it was always more complex than that, but with season 2… Now we know Aziraphale was interested Before, and we have two new scenes to give more context: a story before the fight and what happens after the church.

While I'm at it, I'll take this opportunity to say: the fight is because they are idiots. It's not even about holy water! Well, partly yes, but the argument starts with the fraternizing thing.

Aziraphale has been denying for millennia that they know each other, not because they don't, but to cover their backs. "I'm no nice, don't say I'm nice" insists Crowley every chance he gets to cover his kind acts, unable to overlook "fraternizing."

In case Aziraphale was really covering their friendship with that word, saying "I've got lots of other people to fraternize with" is telling him that they are not so special, that Crowley has more friends.

They fight. But the fight is not that big of a deal. Honestly, to me it has the same energy as the fight when they're saying what to do about Jim. One of them leaves upset, thinks about it, apologizes, and they work together to resolve it in the end. It's a discussion like the one they had about working together to stop the apocalypse. In the book they have conversations that continue after years of not seeing each other; they could have kept talking about this, Crowley making his case, Aziraphale better explaining his objections.

But they don't. The discussion that starts with whether they are friends or not (as if Aziraphale refusing to give him a way to destroy himself if necessary isn't born from not wanting anything to happen to Crowley) is serious enough for both of them to refuse to talk.

In the end Aziraphale gets into trouble and Crowley comes to save him. That's no different from all the other times, it's what they have agreed upon. The Arrangement. But Crowley rescues the books too. And the last time they saw each other before the fight, Crowley was dragged to Hell to be interrogated and, possibly, tortured. His sin? Being slightly kind to a human. At the church, Crowley spends a demonic miracle to save some books. What excuse is he going to give for that? Aziraphale realizes that, whatever happens between them, Crowley is willing to risk punishment for a kind act towards him. Maybe Crowley does feel something for him, cares a little bit about him.

Because I don't think Aziraphale knows how Crowley feels until then. This Oh moment is not Aziraphale realizing his feelings. He's an angel, he feels love, and now we know he was infatuated from the beginning. Almost every time we see him meet Crowley, he's always amazed.

Is he really not going to be aware of his own feelings? No, I've always bet it's the other way around. Crowley is a mystery to him; I suspect that, just as angels and demons cannot detect each other (except Crowley, as I proposed here), Aziraphale doesn't know if Crowley feels love, of whatever kind, for him.

But he cares. And Aziraphale spends the night trying to say they are friends whenever he can, tentatively, seeing their reaction to the word. And they return to that state of blind trust in each other.

On the other hand, Crowley's Oh moment…. I don't think it's when he realises he's in love either, sorry. And it's because, to me, they know. They know by then their feelings and each other's. But they've been thinking for so long that it's all too complicated that even when they're on their own side they don't know how to make it simpler.

In the "You go too fast for me, Crowley" scene I always get caught up in what he says before. "Perhaps one day we could go for a picnic. Dine at the Ritz." Options that sound suspiciously like dates, even though he's turning him down again, covering their backs. They eat at the Ritz in the first episode; in the last episode (S1) they go to the park for ice cream as if it's an usual thing for them, just another monday. Even if they're not together-together, they already go on dates do these things.

To be honest, after S1 I always imagined that they weren't going to do anything different. Well, maybe hold hands in public, but everything else? They already act like a married couple (that's why it's possible for them to divorce hahahelp). So seeing them as they were in S2, I don't think they thought they had to change anything. But between Nina talking to Crowley and Aziraphale's enthusiasm in experiencing his own love story with the Ball, they both thought about changing their relationship at the same point.

But as Crowley once wisely said: it's too late. They are idiots, and in the end both Heaven and Hell stopped them.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens s2 #good omens analysis #good omens meta #aziraphle #crowley #ineffable husbands #ineffable partners #aziracrow #my stuff

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theredengineapologist · 4 months

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[Jameward Headcanon] I can pinpoint the exact moment these two fell in love

In my opinion, I would definitely say that this was a case of "fell first" vs "fell harder" (though both of them absolutely adore each other)

Let's start with Edward first, shall we?

Edward always thought James was attractive. Something about that engine's confidence just naturally drew Edward to him.

But that day Edward saw James in his red paint for the first time...

It was like something clicked. Like Edward KNEW, "This guy, this one right here. This one's the love of my life."

Seriously, watch that scene again and look at Edward's expressions! The way his jaw DROPPED, followed by the wide eyes and big smile. Old Iron was SWOONING. He's got HEART EYES.

But of course, Edward didn't want to say anything right away. He knew that HE was in love, but he didn't think James would feel the same way. Surely, someone like James would want an engine who was younger or bigger or stronger than he was. So Edward continued to love him silently, and supported James through his first days as he would have any other friend.

Now on James's end, he always appreciated Edward being there for him. I like to think he was probably more comfortable around Edward than any other engine at this time. Even in later years, I think James still finds Edward the most comfortable to be around, but we'll get to that another time.

The point is, James and Edward were pretty close, but James still didn't think of Edward as anyone other than "Old, Reliable Edward" yet. He was a close friend, and like any other friend, sometimes James gets annoyed with him.

"Edward is impossible! He clanks about like a lot of old iron! And he's so slow, he makes us wait!"

Little did James know he would be eating those words later that day.

Fast forward some time. James has become a runaway again. He has no driver. He's all alone and he's terrified. And who comes speeding down the line to come save him?

Why, it's Edward of course!

And as they're puffing along the line together, side by side, James realizes things all at once. It's not just that Edward is the most comfortable to be around, he feels safe with him! Secure with him! Edward's got him!

Before he even thinks about it, he just says how he feels in that moment.

"You were splendid Edward."

Splendid. That's a word James usually reserves for himself. But Edward can have it today. And tomorrow if he wanted. Edward deserved it.

Oh, and let's not leave this part out from the books.

James missed Edward more than his own driver!

I don't know about you fellas, but that sounds gay to me.

From "Old Iron" onwards, James knew he was in love with Edward. But that didn't mean he said anything about it. In fact, he was pretty in denial about it for some time. But by the time we reach "James the Second Best", I think that's when James finally accepts that he has feelings for Edward. And once we get to "All in Vain", James and Edward have already started dating.

Or alternatively, they've both reached a point where they both just acknowledge that their feelings for each other are mutual. Sometimes I like to think that steam engine courtship is less formalized than it is for us humans. A simple "we both love each other", and then being extra sweet whenever they happen to be in the same vicinity. It's hard to go on dates when you've got jobs to do everyday.

But the point is, by the time we reach the events of "All in Vain", James and Edward are basically already together. And everyone knows it. 💙❤

#ttte #thomas and friends #jameward #ttte 2x5 #2x5 #ttte james #ttte edward #ttte headcanons #i just have A LOT of feelings about them okay #they are the train gays ever #redengineposts #randys headcanons #james the red engine #edward the blue engine

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beanghostprincess · 3 months

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Sanji loves romantic novels. And romantic plays. He keeps buying books about fairytale romances and scripts every time they happen to find a bookstore. He loves the poetry of it all. The dramatic and intensified feelings of pure, devoted love that goes against all odds and always has a happy, magical ending. Because that's what he has always wanted. He knows he shouldn't find comfort in books about royalty falling in love, but it's never really about the princesses and more about them running away to find love and fight for it. And they might be cliché and sappy but he likes them. They bring him happiness whenever he's feeling down. Besides, his mom used to read those to him quite a lot, so that's another reason.

But he never tells anybody because he's a bit embarrassed of being a 21 y/o man that reads these things. Not that it's bad,, And he knows the crew wouldn't laugh that much at him about it (except maybe mosshead). But still, he doesn't have good memories about situations like that. He doesn't even tell Usopp when they start dating. It's a secret, guilty pleasure he has. Even if the stories are dumb and predictable and idiotically hopeful and romantic... He loves them. But he doesn't want Usopp (even if he knows he wouldn't) to think less of him for that. An irrational fear, he supposes. Maybe he's just not ready to share his passion with him yet.

So he keeps hiding to read and some days he even disappears for hours to do so. Nobody knows where he is. Sometimes he says he's busy cooking and bans everybody (even his boyfriend) from coming in because he needs to focus, when he's actually just reading. And Usopp notices. Of course he does.

But Sanji doesn't find out about that until one day, Usopp appears with a ton of flowers (that are definitely not roses and definitely not pacific but they're tame now and they look sort of cute) on the deck, looking up at Sanji who's leaning on the railing of the second floor. Sanji does not know what's going on. He's astonished. Speechless. Everybody is around them witnessing what's going on. And that's when Usopp starts acting all dramatically, reciting by heart one of his favorite scenes of that one book he always keeps rereading.

And it's dumb and mosshead is rolling his eyes and Luffy won't stop yelling in the background and Franky is crying but-- But Brook is also playing one of his songs and Robin is staring at them with the softest of smiles and Sanji just can't seem to be able to look away from Usopp. It's cliché and dramatic and it's absolutely perfect.

So when it's his turn, he responds to Usopp, maybe not with the same intensity, but with the exact words he wants to hear. They haven't said 'I love you' yet, but Sanji says it anyway. Not because it's in the script or because that's how the book goes, but because it's how their story goes.

Usopp might not be a knight in shining armor. Or a prince. Or a superhero. But he's Sanji's overly dramatic sniper who would make a bouquet of lethal flowers and memorize a whole fairytale romantic confession for him. And you know what? Sanji is starting to think that the only reason why his books will start to feel ridiculous now is because they'll never be as magical as his reality with his true love.

#i think i posted something like this already a while back but idc #i'm just a theatre kid with a lot of emotions okay #we did romeo and juliet last year and i keep thinking about it yes #i think sanji would love romantic books #and usopp would love to turn them into silly little plays to confess his love #everyone is so done with them bc they keep doing this now all the time #one piece #black leg sanji #usopp #sanuso

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eilidh-eternal · 3 months

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HOW DO PEOPLE WRITE SMUT??

I've been trying to write a chapter in a fiction book I'm writing and idk how to do it properly 😭😭

I've read copious amount of smut, and yet I'm stuck, help 😰

-🌈💋anon

Hi love! I'm not sure how much help I can really offer, but here's some advice from a reader-turned-writer.

I wanna start with this: It's always going to feel a little cringe when you're learning, and that is Completely Normal!

It could be the most tame, vanilla, soft sex, or the kinkiest, hardcore smut you can't even believe you dreamt up. It's going to feel really weird writing it because you have to think about it. You're plotting and planning and deciding how these two, or more, people are gonna get down and dirty, and that really isn't something that happens when you actually do it.

Sure you daydream, fantasize, imagine what certain positions might feel like, what your partner will look like—but you're not really planning anything.

Sex is, largely, a spontaneous act. Our brains receive and perceive external stimuli and translate it into desire, desires that take shape in many different ways from person to person. We act on what we feel in those moments of desire, let instinct take over, so It's the thinking that makes the process feel, at least for me and in this particular context, awkward and stilted. Thinking about what's happening too much can pull me, as a reader, writer and participant, out of the moment and ruin the experience. Hence why the thinking part of writing it makes it feel so... meh. Embrace the spontaneity of the act when you're writing and focus your thoughts instead on the most important part, in my opinion—how what's currently happening feels for your characters.

The second part of this is going to be personal because sex is just that—a highly personal experience that we all have boundaries and personal preferences for which dictate how we experience it. Those boundaries, preferences, or a lack of experience with a certain kink, lifestyle or even position can also contribute to that awkward feeling.

Don't shy away from drawing on your own experiences for inspiration or guidance either, even if you haven't done the exact things you're writing! Fall back on the emotion you experienced, let your characters feel the same things you felt, and build off of that. If something feels good you probably don't want it to stop, right? What did you do to chase that particular feeling? What stimuli did you respond to in that moment that made you feel that way and how did you get more of it? These are the main factors that lead to changes in or the maintaining of position, pace, power dynamics, toys, etc..

It will take some practice, as all writing does, to learn how to let these scenes flow out of you naturally instead of trying to map out every single thing your characters do in detail. In the meantime, focusing on feelings rather than mechanics will help you avoid a lack of emotion and prevent you from neglecting the inner monologue or omniscient narration of what's going through a characters mind when they're in the moment. leaving out this context makes the scene feel more robotic, less organic, when the only thing being described is what's happening mechanically and nothing is said about how a character feels emotionally or physically; i.e., “going through the motions.”

This last bit is a very nit-picky subject, but the wording you use to describe anatomy can make your writing feel too clinical or immature depending on what you choose. For me, things like "cunny", "goey", "gummy" and "spongey" used in reference to the female anatomy feels more immature, lacks the finer details that could more vividly describe the experience. Using proper anatomical terms that you wouldn't normally use in the bedroom, like penis, labia, vagina, vulva, etc., will make it feel too clinical, though this isn't an absolute. Phrases like "silken walls", "velvety warmth", "slick heat" and "glistening folds" tells me soooo much more about what's being seen/felt and has more vivid imagery.

You can, however, go overboard with this. I'm sure we've all seen those tiktoks talking about the wild ways some authors have described anatomy; e.g., "love tool" and "pleasure canal." In this case, just call it what it is. Pussy and cock. Cunt and dick. Manhood/member and nether folds/lips if the style of writing or the time the story is set in is more conservative and you want to adhere to that. I know we have been societally conditioned to view these words as lewd and unacceptable due to some negative connotations, but I would much rather have a partner tell me they want to fuck my pussy raw than "take a ride on my pleasure canal." I cannot stress enough how much of this is a matter of personal preference and that this all my very biased opinion on anatomical descriptors.

I am by no means an expert, but I do hope some part of this helps you feel more confident about your writing! Remember that what works for some authors won't work for others, so if the advice I've given doesn't help it is not an indication of your writing abilities. The more you write the more comfortable you’ll feel, and you’ll start to get a sense of what does and doesn’t work for you!

#eilidh's asks #eilidh tries to give advice #not an expert #writing is subjective and should be for your enjoyment #what works for me might not work for you

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slytherhys · 1 year

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Elriel,

T: there’s only one bed 😈

AU: November prompt turned Christmas prompt. 🎅 This will be a 3 part story (the 3rd chapter will mostly be fluff and probably small but the holiday spirit remains). I hope you don't mind the christmas twist but I just had to write this...

TW: Explicit Sexual Content (in part II) & strong language

Chapter II

One Night Only I - an Elriel Christmas Story

Elain gulped – loudly, if the look Nesta sent her way was any indication – as she stared at Feyre with something akin to horror plastered on her face. She couldn’t possibly be hearing her correctly – there was simply no way. Maybe Feyre had developed a twisted sense of humour that only resurfaced during the Holidays for some reason; maybe their father hadn’t given her enough love and care as a child or maybe this was her pregnancy brain refusing to leave even though Nyx was already three years old, babbling words Rhys swore he didn’t learn from him (he absolutely did).

The living room, on all accounts, looked like the picture-perfect holiday card. White Christmas played softly in the background, snow falling just outside the window of the tastefully decorated room. Nesta was sitting by the fireplace, leaning against Cassian with a book resting on her lap as they both eyed the scene in front of them with joyful curiosity. Nyx was on the floor, his little mouth covered in chocolate as he played with his toys, completely oblivious to the tension that threatened to choke the air out of Elain’s lungs. Feyre and Rhys had greeted her with matching Christmas pyjamas, a hot cocoa mug and tired yet satisfied smiles on their faces. Elain ought to feel happy, relaxed… if only Azriel Rosehall hadn’t arrived at the exact same time as her, trailing after her with the excitement of a kid going to the dentist.

She really shouldn’t be bothered by how unaffected he seemed by her, but Elain couldn’t get over it. How he barely looked at her, how he avoided uttering a single word in her direction and how much he seemed to avoid her presence in general. She usually managed to ignore it, but some days were harder than others. And today was definitely harder – specially when Feyre announced with a slight wince that she didn’t have enough beds for everyone.

Elain was still in her winter coat despite the fire crackling in the pit, but she couldn’t be sure if the sweat coating her skin wasn’t purely due to the panic that coursed through her veins as she stared at her sister. She could feel a presence behind her, as if the winter cold had been bundled up into a single man, his presence a dark shadow that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.

Elain laughed, and it might have sounded a bit hysterical – even if everyone in the room politely pretended not to notice. “What do you mean?” She chuckled nervously, feeling her face heat under the pitying look Rhys was sending her way and the smirk Cassian’s stupid face refused to drop – even if Nesta kept punching him in the arm.

“I’m sorry, El.” Her sister said, and, in Feyre’s defence, she did look remorseful. “We just weren’t expecting…” Feyre looked pale, her eyes frantically looking around the living room as if searching for the right words to use. “everyone to come.” She chuckled nervously, and Elain pretended not to notice how Rhys stood closer to Feyre, ready to defend his wife if anyone dared get mad at her (how he managed to look threatening in Christmas pyjamas was truly an enigma).

Elain felt a twang of regret hit her right in the chest. She bit her tongue at the news: so what if Feyre hadn’t warned her in time for her to stay home instead – it was her fault, truly. Thanks to the growing demand her bakery had faced in the past few months she had only managed to give Feyre a definite response a few days ago, once she knew Nuala and Cerridwen could handle all their Christmas orders.

It's not like she’d ever miss spending Christmas with her family – mainly considering it was the first time Feyre and Rhys were hosting since Nyx had been born – but she couldn’t exactly fault them for not counting on her. Ever since Elain had opened her bakery in downtown Velaris spending time with her family had, regretfully, become less and less frequent. Not by choice though; Never by choice.

She glanced at the dark shadow that stood behind her, hands hidden in the pockets of his suit (even if it was Christmas Eve and it was snowing) as he listened to their conversation with passing interest. Mother forbid Azriel Rosehall ever show anything close to emotion other than a stupidly annoying smirk. Elain didn’t know why he looked so pleased with himself – she knew for a fact Feyre and Rhys were also surprised by his presence. If Elain’s visits were rare, Azriel’s were basically non-existent. Elain hadn’t forgotten the amount of times Feyre had called her to see if she knew anything about Azriel’s whereabouts.

Why they thought Elain could possibly know anything about him was beyond her, but she refrained from asking.

“So should I…go home?” Elain frowned, ignoring the white-hot panic that seemed to flare through her body. It was doable. She only lived two hours away and she could be back tomorrow morning. Sure, the idea of driving at night when it was snowing made her want to drop to her knees and beg them to let her sleep out in the garden instead, but she refused to ruin Christmas. This was important to Feyre and she would rather spend the night driving than cause her sister any more stress.

“Well, no. We actually have a, erm, solution.” Feyre tried, eyeing Rhys with reluctancy. Rhys smirked slightly, bending down to pick up Nyx from the floor, using his son as a shield. Coward. Feyre rolled her eyes before turning to her again, a blinding smile on her pretty face. Elain raised an eyebrow, immediately suspicious.

“Sure you do.” Cassian sneakered, earning a glare from Feyre and another punch from Nesta. The male flinched, mumbling something about the Archerons before he stepped closer to Rhys and Nyx. Not for the first time, Elain felt like the odd one out. Did they know something she didn’t? She looked at Azriel, but he only eyed Feyre with mild suspicion.

“Every hotel in the area will be booked, Feyre.” His midnight voiced sounded through the room, and if a shiver went up Elain’s spine it was definitely because of the wind howling outside. Elain actively ignored Nesta’s knowing gaze, choosing to stare at Feyre instead. “It’s Christmas Eve.” He added, as if the reminder was needed.

Elain turned slightly, ignoring the heat that flooded her cheeks as he turned his gaze to her. “Do you have any suggestions or are you just going to be a-”

“We have a bed!” Feyre interrupted loudly; cheeks flushed as she stared at them both. “I mean, a room.”

“Nice save.” Cassian muttered, and promptly looked away from Rhys’s glare.

“A bed?” Elain squeaked, clearing her throat before speaking again. “Then where is he sleeping?”

“Concerned, are we?” Azriel teased, and the taunt in his voice sent lighting up her veins. Mother, he was annoying.

Feyre sighed, sitting next to Rhys as if finally giving up on them both. Elain couldn’t blame her. “He’s sleeping in the bed, El.” She explained calmly. Elain frowned.

“Oh.” She felt her shoulders drop. Right.

Elain bit her tongue at that: so what if Feyre hadn’t warned her in time for her to stay home instead of making two unnecessary trips on Christmas Eve – it was all her fault, truly. And she wouldn’t ruin Christmas. Absolutely not.

Sure, it stung that Feyre was giving the only available room to Azriel, but could Elain blame her? They were both absent from their lives, but Elain still lived closed by. Azriel never stopped for long in the same place, so having him home for the first time in months was a blessing neither Feyre nor Rhys wanted to miss on. Certainly not Nyx, Elain thought as she watched her nephew run on wobbly legs to his uncle, childish glee clear in his laughter. Azriel picked him with ease, a smile on his face that had absolutely no business making Elain shiver.

Maybe she had a cold.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she reached for the handle of her suitcase, plastering a smile on her face as she looked back at her Feyre. “Absolutely!” She said with entirely too much glee. Nesta shook her head slightly, hiding the smile behind the book she was now using to cover her face. Elain cleared her throat and tried again. “That’s perfectly fine.” She smiled again, her face muscles straining against the herculean effort. “I’m also pretty sure I forgot to leave my doorman his gift so this is actually perfect for me-“

Feyre frowned. “What?” She mumbled as Rhys raised an eyebrow at Elain’s rambling.

“-I don’t know when I’m seeing him again and I truly wanted to give him something. I bought him a sweater, you see, and a doll for his girls. The new one from-“

“Settle down, Santa.” Azriel interrupted her just as she was reaching for the door handle, a stupid smirk on his stupid face as he stepped closer, Nyx babbling nonsense and playing with his cobalt tie. Elain envied him for his obliviousness. “I don’t think you’re quite understanding what’s going on here.”

Elain frowned but refrained from talking – considering she was clearly set on making an absolute fool of herself every time she opened her mouth. Then Elain scowled because what did he mean she didn’t quite understand what was happening? And why did he seem so pleased at her confusion? There was only one bed; one where Azriel would be sleeping tonight. And if she recalled correctly (and she was pretty sure she did) Feyre hadn’t exactly denied her suggestion of going home for tonight. The living room couch, Elain knew, would be where both Mor and Emerie would be staying once. So what exactly was the…

Elain’s eyes widened just as Azriel’s smirk deepened. Oh fuck no.

“What?” She squealed, the word like sandpaper in her throat.

“It appears we’re sleeping together tonight, Elain.” He bent slightly, his lips grazing her ear. “Merry Christmas.”

#One Night Only #Elriel fic #elriel #pro elriel #christmas writing #christmas #pro feysand #pro nessian

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collectionofsinglefathers · 2 years

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OKAY. THAT SCENE. I haven’t started a full rewatch of the episode but I have put on this scene in the background so I can just go through it beat for beat, cuz I have A LOT of thoughts. And a fair warning right now: this is gonna be a REAL LONG POST.

Now, we can’t take every single thing that Asmodeus said at face value. Like he says, he’s the father of lies. But the thing that’s always said about good liars is that not every single thing they say is a lie. And because there’s no way for us to know right now what is true and what isn’t true in what he said, I’m just gonna discuss most of the stuff in the case where it is true, because it’ll just make things easier for me.

The dream being something that actually happened that Zerxus got pulled into somehow changes SO MUCH for me with that intro. I had been operating off the thought that it was as Patia said and Zerxus was seeing a fight from the Schism.

Zerxus casting Cure Wounds on Asmodeus, even though he’s an evil Betrayer God, in my opinion, is extremely indicative of just how incredibly kind he is. Even when he is told that there’s a Betrayer God in front of him, he heals him because he’s still a being in extreme pain, and he knows how it feels to have pain that seems like it’ll never end. He’s still living with his. And I think, as this conversation goes on, he also sees that in Asmodeus.

I do believe that Asmodeus isn’t fully aware of how he got to where he is. My guess at the moment is that, he knows that Vespin did a ritual that broke him and the other Betrayers out of where they were being kept, but he doesn’t know why.

I also believe that he’s telling the truth when he says he takes on the likeness of whoever the person who is seeing him would view as the most beautiful person in the world. I don’t know shit about the wider d&d lore, or about the Lord of the Hells, even in deeper Exandrian lore, I’ve only read the original Tal’Dorei campaign book and it’s been a MINUTE since I’ve read the passage about Asmodeus. But I don’t know, it just feels like it makes sense, because it’s a great way to manipulate people, especially mortals, to do what you want them to do.

Now, I know some people have some Opinions™️ about the fact that there wasn’t even an insight check attempted against Asmodeus, but I’m not gonna get into that until the end of the post. Depending on how long this gets, I may just make it it’s own post. But I will say. He never actually says to Zerxus either way if this is a trick. He doesn’t say that he is, but he doesn’t say that he isn’t. He just says that he knows people are always going to assume that he is. And I will say, I don’t think this is a trick. That’s not the word I’d use for it. This is a lure. That’s how I’d describe this. This is Asmodeus metaphorically putting a carrot on a stick in front of Zerxus, and I think it’s gonna all boil down to what actually happened to Evandrin, who knows about it, who actively kept it from him and, possibly, who could’ve helped him but didn’t.

I fully believe that Asmodeus is using Zerxus’s innate kindness against him, and it’s very clear that Zerxus seeing his husband’s face, even when he knows why Asmodeus looks like Evandrin, it’s very much having an extreme emotional effect on him.

I fucking love the story that Asmodeus tells from his perspective, and however truthful it is or isn’t when it comes to the details, I absolutely believe that his emotions behind the words are genuine.

I’m also never going to be over that Zerxus has gone from yelling at a god, to healing a Betrayer, and then attempting to change that Betrayer’s alignment. Absolutely wild choice and I am so fucking here for it.

I clocked the look that Travis made at this last night because it was the exact same face I made. Asmodeus gave his word that he wouldn’t forget Zerxus. And that’s it. Someone like him, he is going to choose his words carefully, and follow that promise to the letter. He promised he wouldn’t forget Zerxus, but he didn’t promise not to use him, or to take his pain out on mortals. And just because he says he isn’t currently using Zerxus doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. He does say someone else is, and I guess one could argue that could be all of Avalir, but the wording he uses is very specific. He says Zerxus’s fault is that he’s too trusting, and who in the city would he trust more than the Ring of Brass?

It makes so much sense that Zerxus, as a Paladin who is attached to no god, would be able to have these visions like the oracles who are clerics with no god. Both are divine casters in that way.

It is VERY interesting that, despite having been locked away for so long, he knows that Avalir is a flying city. Maybe he was told, maybe the knowledge has been leaking through this portal to him in this in between place that he’s in for the two weeks he’s been there. At least, I assume it’s been two weeks, that seems to be the general time period.

I can’t find the post that I saw saying this at the moment, but there was someone who posited a theory that Evandrin isn’t actually dead, just incorporeal and trapped on another plane, maybe like the ethereal plane, where he can see what’s happening but can’t interact and he’s just lost all physical form and the thing that Asmodeus says about Evandrin’s spirit being nearby during the original vision Zerxus had makes me think about that, and thinking about that makes me VERY SAD.

I’m no expert in the limitations of arcane magic in d&d, so I can’t say for sure whether or not Zerxus is correct when he says that they had to have known a way to bring Evandrin back and chose not to. But I don’t think that would even matter because he very adamantly believes it to be true, and clearly has believed it for years. I think that, along with the full truth of what happened to Evandrin being revealed to him and him finding out that at least one of his very trusted friends kept that of all things from him is going to, at the very least, lead Zerxus down a very dark path.

Zerxus said it last episode to Purvan, and he’s saying it again to Asmodeus. He told Purvan that Avalir wasn’t his home and that they were approaching his home. But I don’t think he meant Cathmoira, not really. This is just speculative, but I like the thought of his home being Elias. And when his home was at its fullest, it was him and Elis and Evandrin all together. Now, it’s a bit broken. To me, that’s a much sadder prospect than just the city on the ground being his home.

Last night, I didn’t have subtitles. I have them on now, and I thought last night that when Asmodeus said the thing about how he understands that mortals will always have a part of them that recoils from him because of the gifts he gave them, I thought Zerxus said “then you may be wrong.” But according to the captions, he says “Then you made me wrong.” And honestly, I kind of love that a lot more.

The fact that he specifically points out that the Protection from Good and Evil protects him from Fey is very much him pointing Zerxus in Loquatius’s direction and saying “you can’t trust him”. But with the way the episode ended, who knows when he’ll even get the chance to act on that thought.

Now, when it comes to the choice to not make an insight check against Asmodeus. First of all, mechanically, I don’t think it would’ve mattered. Asmodeus is a fucking god, and I think any insight check Luis could’ve rolled would have just resulted in, at best, the Brennan Lee Mulligan equivalent of Matt saying “he’s hard to read”. I mean, yes, he could’ve rolled a nat 20, but honestly I think that might have been why he didn’t.

And that’s why I LOVED it. Because it felt real and genuine. @thedragonagelesbian said something very similar earlier today, and I wanna give them credit because it was their post that spurred this specific line of thought for me today (and it’s also the post that informed me that people were even having Opinions™️ about this in the first place).

This isn’t a story where there’s a sliver of possibility that our heroes we’re following here may win. They already lost. It already happened. It’s the history of the world of Exandria. There’s no stopping what’s coming. And it became very clear as soon as this installment of EXU was going to be about the Calamity that this was going to be a tragedy. Making an insight check there doesn’t feel true to the story they’re telling.

It also doesn’t feel true or genuine of Zerxus in that moment. Like Asmodeus says, he’s too trusting. But even more than that, he’s in a very fragile emotional and mental state at the moment. I reblogged that post from @helltothenaw earlier for a reason. Here’s the post.

Now, I’m not an expert on anything really, but especially not on cults. But what I am is an avid listener to the Cult Podcast, and there’s something they say on that podcast that, to me, feels appropriate. There’s a cult out there for everyone, because what cults do is provide for you whatever you may need at the time, whether that need be physical, financial, or emotional.

Zerxus is a man who doesn’t believe in gods at all, and doesn’t worship them. But he’s also a man who is going through A LOT right now. He lost the love of his life, he’s been separated from his son for seven years, and their relationship at the moment is very strained, probably for a litany of reasons. He’s in a position of power that he doesn’t feel that he deserves, and possibly one that he doesn’t even want. Evandrin was supposed to be the First Knight. Zerxus doesn’t even like this city, in fact he even said that he hates it there. He is most definitely the unhappiest of the Ring of Brass. He feels lost. That to me sounds like a perfect opportunity for a being known for manipulation to take advantage of.

#spoilers #critical role #exandria unlimited calamity #exu calamity #cr #exandria unlimited #exu #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #exandria unlimited spoilers #exandria unlimited calamity spoilers #exu spoilers #exu calamity spoilers #zerxus ilerez

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yeetlegay · 2 years

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Hey! Any wlw recs? Fics movies shows anything

ANON WHERE TO BEGIN

Some personal favorites off the top of my head:

Movies:

Carol (2015) - Cate Blanchett, period (1950s), absolutely stunning and iconic lesbian cinema

The Handmaiden (2016) - reimagining of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, set in Japanese-occupied Korea during the 1930s, brilliant and imaginative and lush

Imagine Me and You (2005) - Lena Headey (Cersei from GoT) being a hot florist, love at first sight, cheesy romcom deliciousness, big warning for cheating tho it’s handled very well imo

Rafiki (2018) - coming of age love story, beautiful and ends on a good note but there’s a LOT of homophobia and some violence so be careful, was the first Kenyan film screened at Cannes which is amazing

Vita and Virginia (2018) - based on the real life romance between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, the 1920s fashion + delicious sexual tension 🤌🏻🤌🏻 cw for depiction of depression and suicidal ideation

Tv shows:

First Kill (2022) - SUPPORT THIS SHOW, vampire and vampire hunter fall in love, set in one of my fave cities (Savannah), very camp Romeo & Juliet high school romance just with more blood and fangs

Fingersmith (2005) - British miniseries based on the same novel as The Handmaiden but much closer to the source material, Victorian lesbians ft the most magnificently crafted plot and sexual tension galore, holy shit watch it

Killing Eve - okay this one is a little controversial bc of the ending (which I pretend doesn’t exist) but holy fuck if you like VegasPete, Villanelle and Eve are their even more murderous and batshit crazy cousins. Cat and mouse games between a psychopath assassin and a British intelligence officer (altho she’s actually American but whatever) that I was sure would be queerbaiting, but nope they’re in love. Consider looking up how it ends tho if you need HEAs in your stories

Gap the Series - not out yet but when it is, WATCH IT. Currently in production I think, probably out later this year. It’s Thai and will be available on YouTube with subtitles. Office romance, so many lesbians I’ve lost count and like one (1) man total in the cast.

Gentleman Jack - just dropped season 2 unffff. Period British show based on the life of lesbian Anne Lister, who is one half of the first known gay marriage in England. She’s so fucking hot and butch if you’re not in love with her the second she jumps off that carriage in episode 1…and her love story with shy, repressed wallflower Ann Walker is tender and sexy and complex. Cw for depiction of anxiety and suicide attempt in season 1 (lmk if you’d like the exact ep and time stamp)

Portrait of a Marriage (1990) - a little hard to find but worth the hunt. Based on the romance between novelist Vita Sackville-West (yes, who also had an affair with Virginia Woolf) and her socialite lover Violet. I cannot believe more people don’t talk about this miniseries bc holy shit. Vita and Violet are so fucking in love and their chemistry and love scenes had me gripping the edge of my seat despite the abysmal quality of the version I watched on Dailymotion. Cw for a shitload of cheating, some toxic vibes, and an ending that while mostly historically accurate was still a bummer.

Fics:

Obv I will shamelessly plug my Kinnporsche f/f smut bc I love her and also am desperate for more f/f fic in the ao3 tag so I’m not over here by myself anymore lol

I don’t know what fandoms you’re in but if you’ve watched Word of Honor or read 2ha, holy shit is there some good f/f fic in those tags. Sort by kudos and godspeed friend

Books:

You didn’t ask about books lol but here are some faves of mine anyway

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake - hot tatted bi protagonist, very gender, falls in love with cute single mom in her hometown when she comes back for her stepsister’s wedding

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - Kate and Leopold but gay and good, butch lesbian from the 1970s gets stuck in time on the subway, grumpy bisexual falls in love with her, makes me reconsider my stance on subway sex bc holy shit.

Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson - okay this one is sapphic but in a polyamorous context so if you want, like, zero men then skip this rec. Inspired by the lore around Dracula’s brides, very gothic and queer, Constanta (narrator) is the first bride who’s in love with Dracula but also her fellow brides Magdalena and Alexei. Cw for depictions of emotional abuse and gaslighting, Dracula is a manipulative piece of shit (who would’ve guessed lol)

Hope this helps anon!

#I’m not tagging all that lol but #wlw recs #lesbian recs #book recs #movie recs #tv recs #why don’t queue stay

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phoebeprufrock · 1 year

Text

Ok so Some Thoughts™️ in random order, under the tag for spoilers

The flash forwards

I find it kinda funny that a lot of people have been clamoring about how Midge is a terrible mother only to now complain about her kids not liking her lol personally I don’t think Midge is a bad mother as much as she’s a mother of her time, but then again… there’s plenty of gen Xers who have the same exact relationship to their mothers, so to me that’s fairly realistic — although realism is not why I watch this show, so it feels very tonally different so far.

The kids

I LOVE that Esther has so much of her mother’s mannerisms but all of Abe and Noah’s professional/academic inclinations - and conversely, how Ethan has Noah’s calm personality but completely different inclinations (I wonder if it comes from Joel’s side of the family and his closeness to his paternal grandparents? The Weissmans are not as devout as the Maisels — or maybe Ethan spent a lot of time with Noah and Astrid?)

I don’t know whether we had a spoiler for it and I forgot about it or whether it was in a fic and I also forgot about it, but it made sense somehow to see Ethan in Israel studying to become a rabbi; I can’t explain it but I watched and thought, “ah, of course”. I liked it.

It’s really sad to see them this kind of relationship with Midge honestly, I hope the flash forwards do advance the future plot as well and we get some kind of resolution between them.

What We Got Right

@alixinwwonderland !!!! I positively SQUEALED out loud when I saw the scene about the clothes auction, you absolute genius called a focus on Midge’s clothes MONTHS ago and it filled me with so much joy to see it onscreen. It brought up very fond memories of your fic, it was amazing 🥹

Also I absolutely loved how similar the show’s storyline about Midge getting hypothermia reminded me of @wonderlandleighleigh ‘s Midge getting injured in Fashionable People. It serves a purpose as a reckoning moment for Midge to reassess her life and take in Lenny’s words, and I very much liked it both in the fic and in the show.

I also personally felt vindicated in seeing Rose getting Susie/her goons to help her with the matchmakers mafia, it was hilarious and I am absolutely loving how enmeshed Susie is getting with the Weissmans (also her knowing about Zelda’s boyfriend was just absolutely chef’s kiss).

Also, I think we all pretty much saw it coming that Mei wouldn’t keep the baby and she would go on to become a doctor - idc if they meant for the storyline to go there or if it’s just because of Stephanie Hsu being ridiculously booked, but I am so happy they wrote it in and she’s happy and becoming a doctor (more on this later).

Oh yeah and I almost forgot, Gordon Ford is a dick and we’ve been saying it. Nice

Midge And Susie

This is……. Painful.

I almost cried when Midge apologized to Susie, and also later when she talked to Alfie about how great Susie is. For them to reconnect and make peace is the main thing I wanted out of this season, and their dynamic in the present is so nice and it’s amazing to see, I had missed seeing them being friends and I am so heartwarmed to see it happening.

But…………….. I honestly don’t even WANT to acknowledge the flash forward and that they are not friends, let alone client and manager, anymore. It’s just too painful, the story has been about Midge and Susie as much as it’s been about Midge and comedy, and I’m really, really sad. Again, I just hope the future timeline continues on and we get a resolution between them as well.

Midge

Midge in the present: amazing beautiful I am giving her a hug and cheering for her

Midge in the future: I am holding my judgment until I find out exactly what is going on. I don’t think they would butcher her character like that without a valid reason, I am hoping it all will make sense in a sort of poetic justice way. (Although I will say that her outfits are still bomb, good for her)

The Families

If there is one thing I will never get tired of, it’s Moishe and Shirley’s antics. The thanksgiving meal was a delight (Abe, I love you) and the two of them at the Button Club were everything I didn’t know I needed. And their reconciliation was so sweet to see.

Speaking of sweet… I just about melted when Abe and Rose went out to dinner and she opened up to him (also they were wearing matching outfits and I just. CANT TAKE IT 😭). I really hope nothing happens to them as a couple because they are just too precious.

Also NOAH AND ASTRID my beloved 💕💕💕💕 I was so happy to see them again and if they’re in every upcoming episode they will not be onscreen enough.

Midge and Lenny

Yeah I kept this for last because I just cannot handle the absolute hurt of that scene. I am in shambles still.

Just - the absolute vulnerability between them, the soft fucking way they spoke to each other, the mutual acknowledgement… it was heartbreaking to see them go their separate ways (temporarily, I hope), and yet there was just SO MUCH LOVE between them, so much tenderness despite it all. And Midge’s callback to him being a man with a lease was so good because there was no flirting anymore, just fondness and so much emotion. That “what is grief if not love persevering” quote was made for that moment, their scene together was just so beautiful and sad at the same time. I needed it to last at least twenty minutes longer.

Final conclusions and other thoughts

Yeah, this season so far has a very different tone from the previous - I think we got a hint of how sad the writers could go with Moishe’s medical emergency last season, and I think we can expect more of that intensity going forward. I appreciate the shit to a more dry, cutting type of humor and more serious topics from a writing perspective, and I think they’re doing it well, but I’m not sure how much I’m enjoying it in the context of the show and of what I wanted to see. I didn’t think they would go the abortion route with Mei’s baby, and I especially didn’t think they would write it off so quickly; it makes me worry about what else they will write off quickly.

Also, I need Imogene. Why do we have no Imogene. A disgrace I tell you.

These were my thoughts for now but there will most likely be more coming, and I cannot wait for the next episode

#tmmm #tmmm spoilers #tmmm s5 #the marvelous mrs maisel spoilers #the marvelous mrs. maisel #you guys I’m so happy to be back #the season can suck and I won’t even care because I’ve just missed being on here and talking about it so much #(no but for real I don’t think this season is bad as much as it’s just different and I’m enjoying it so far)

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fox-pauses · 4 months

Text

this has for sure already been said, but…

as much as i would love to read more from suzanne about the hunger games universe, i truly think that making it into a real franchise would defeat the purpose of it entirely.

yes, they’re YA novels about a dystopian universe. but they’re also so clearly political commentary. i could go on for hours about the similarities between the capital and our government.

did anyone notice just how long the games portion of the movie went on? it’s dragged out more in the film than in the book. most of the tributes were dead prior to the games ever starting in the book. Suzanne absolutely knew that most people would be seeing just the movie and not reading the book. by changing that scene, by prolonging it, she forced us to watch the tributes die, and forced us to care about them more. lucy gray crying in the the privacy of the air vent watching dill die. wovey asking if it’s finally over. coral’s final words.

we are being begged to have some humanity, to realize that these are just children. the stark contrast of that footage sandwiched between shots of lucky cracking jokes or students cheering when a tribute dies? it should have been a reminder to the audience how fucked up it is to be treating all of this like it’s fun.

i just think most people walked away not grasping that in any way.

i hear a lot of “part two was the most boring part of the movie” and “i hope she writes a book about (character)‘s games”.

did we not watch the same movies? read the same books?

you have to understand that you are no better than the people she warns us about in her writing. you are asking for murder to be more exciting. you are asking for more games. the exact same thing capital citizens did after the 10th games.

this is mostly an issue on sites like tiktok and less of a problem here, but i still get so frustrated by it. i don’t think you’re a bad person for wanting more from the author of your favorite books/movies. i just think maybe you should really think about what you’re asking for

besides, what is it that lucy gray said?

“i only sing when i have something to say”?

#this is long but still a very condensed version of my thoughts on this #what happened to media literacy #like it’s okay if you don’t want to take them seriously #but PLEASE understand that the author definitely does #tbosas

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creative-jackalope · 7 months

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4, 24, 40!

[Writing ask game]

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Oh there are a lot, I like words,,, but the moment I read this all of them flew out of my head because of course they did JGKFDGD.

I can say that I tend to like words that are very visceral ("visceral" is kind of one of them actually, on that note). I want words that I can taste, words that sound like they feel.

...

Alright I sat on this question a bit and 30 minutes later finally remembered something. The word "despite" is one that I just. Adore. I have to fight not to overuse it. It is so versatile and it can swing from being incredibly tragic to overwhelmingly hopeful; the constant is that it always implies a similar sense of struggle in my mind. I have a lot of emotions about this word. More emotions than I thought I did, actually.

Related: I love swear words. There's a certain oomph that can be carried by a well-placed "fuck".

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

I tend to get very bogged down in making sure I know exactly what is going on and what I want to do. This usually take the form of very scattered notes of plot points I need to hit or events that need to happen, or at least mapping out in my mind what will happen and when. I don't always know how things will end exactly but because I work very sequentially with my plots, lots of A happened which lead to B which created C, I usually want to make that very solid foundation first.

... However. I will often find that I end up with exactly how I want a scene to go before I've worked out any of the connecting elements, and then desperately want to go write that right now out of fear I will either forget or lose the fire. And then suddenly there is a massive amount of text in front of me that was entirely unplanned and I am not fully certain of how it even got there.

So! I suppose overall it's kind of situational whether I say "if I don't pre-plan exactly how many hairs are in this background character's beard then I'll die" or "hold my flower I'm going to black out for three hours while I slam out 4k words of action off the dome". But it does tend to be either all or nothing when it happens lmao. Most of the things I do are like that to be quite honest.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

Here and Away by Neil Hilborn [discusses mental health and self-isolation]

I like a lot of poetry, but I especially have a soft spot for spoken word and slam poetry. Neil Hilborn is one of my favorite poets in that area and I own exactly one physical poetry book and it is Our Numbered Days, which I purchased several years ago while travelling to attend my uncle's funeral.

Oh boy, was it a time to get that book in particular!

Many of the poems have a focus on Neil grappling with grief and the inevitability of death, as well as general mental health struggles. But this one in particular, Here and Away, hit me like a freight train because I related to it immensely.

Some lines I would very much like to highlight in particular:

"It takes so much less energy to not exist than it does to exist and get burned. I've been burned so much I'm not me anymore."

"Whatever you are feeling right now, there is a mathematical certainty that someone is feeling that exact same thing. This is not to say you aren't special. This is to say thank god you aren't special."

"Build a house, even if every wall leans to the left. [...] Love how you hate yourself sometimes, because goddamn, at least there's still something to hate."

"But I hear the world is ending soon. When we go, and we're all going to go, I will be part of it."

#wheeled-jack #asks #hunter posts #writing #poetry #mental health #death mention cw

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agent-of-sam · 8 months

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So, I was super annoyed with Wheel of Time show after the first three episodes and considered dropping it.

However, I really enjoyed ep 4. So for the moment I'm still in.

I tried to articulate my thoughts and ended up writing a mini-essay. Less because I'm trying to convert anyone for or against and more because I'm the kind of person who likes to waste a lot of time thinking about why I like or dislike things.

Overall, I think my feelings have shifted to positive despite the essay below. I'm going to try and restrain myself from excessive complaining in the future. I retain the right to poke fun though.

(readmore for moderate griping below)

My problems with the show are mostly tonal. I have what might be referred to as a relatively low "drama threshold" and the show kind of blasts right through it.

I know that's a subjective thing. Some people love to sit down for an hour of television and get absolutely clobbered with the Big Feelings stick.

For me I reach a certain limit and then just stop caring. A lot of the show changes annoy me less because they are changes and more because they feel designed specifically to bring things to the point of Maximum Drama as fast as possible and that kind of storytelling has the exact opposite effect for me.

I like my world-building to be clear and consistent and I like for there to be at least a little bit left unspoken in terms of character's feelings, motivations, and relationships.

The show does the opposite where the lore and word-building feels kind of hand-waved and then many, many, minutes of screentime are invested telling you exactly what the characters think and feel at any given moment in laborious detail. Each individual scene might work on it's own but piled up back-to-back they quickly become tiresome.

Episode 4 felt reinvigorating. After 4/8 episodes it felt like the ball was finally starting to roll. The characters are starting to Go Places and Do Things which I think is an important component in what is ultimately a Fantasy Adventure story.

Supposedly the Aiel and the Whitecloaks will be entering the story soon and I'm looking forward to that. I would really like our characters to start encountering some challenges. I feel like the show so far hasn't been challenging the characters, it has been Subjecting Them to Trauma which is different.

Cathartic? Yes, sometimes. But not the be-all-end-all of storytelling.

Note that challenge doesn't necessarily mean action either. One of my absolute favorite scenes from Season 1 was watching Moiraine lie-but-not-lie her way out of a confrontation with the Whitecloaks, and the scene that followed where Egwene confronts her about the seeming contradictions between what she's been told of Aes Sedai and what she's seen after watching Moiraine.

You can learn a lot about characters just by giving them a problem and watching how they solve it. Despite initial resistance to the big jumps in Rand's storyline compared to the books he has been my favorite character to follow so far because, in contrast to S1, it felt like he was one of the few characters with a goal that he was actively pursuing. He wants information from Logain who sends him on a sidequest for a Ghealdan Red. This brings him to a fancy noble party, an environment and group of people Rand has no experience with. His reaction to them gives us a lot of information about Rand, his values, and how he deals with stuff that will probably be important later on.

And, to the shows credit, I think there are shades of solid, individual characterization in a lot of the stories we're seeing. However, the mandatory Backstory Angst upgrades from S1 keep getting in the way. I don't think they ruin the characters. You end up in the same place, generally speaking. It just adds a superficial layer of screaming and crying that you have to push past to understand what's actually happening in the characters head.

Other people clearly feel it adds depth. I find it all a little obnoxious and think the show is better when it dials the volume down a bit.

#wot on prime #wot s2 #wot show critical

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noxsoulmate · 2 years

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3, 4, 14, 18, 19 for the Weird Questions for Writer ask

Hey, my friend 😊

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

🤔 I don't think I have a writing ritual tbh... I'm a chaotic writer and no two fics are created the exact same way... maybe I'm cursed, lol

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

mhhh... not really a word, but in recent years, I've noticed that the phrase "you/he will be the death of me" is kinda overused 😅 I'm not even excluding myself from that, I'm sure I've used it at one point - but nowadays, if I read that phrase, I have to close my eyes and take a deep breath and then continue my reading, lol. I don't even know what it is, it's just... it kinda gets a bit much...

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

-> answered here <-

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

Okay, I have so many I could choose from tbh, so I'll opt for the spicy addition 😏 send me another ask and list a scene (or multiple) you would like to know more about.

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

Oh, dear... I started in second grade actually, even before that! I remember staying up one night to tell a story to my plushies... I still know this story to this day! And come to think of it, it was actually a fanfic! Because it was a story that plays in the universe of The Animals of Farthing Wood, which I adored (and still love tbh). As a teenager, I even began writing that story down but I never finished it (my first WIP, lol).

But yeah, the first attempt at writing happened in second grade - I asked my mom so many times how to write this or that word, she came up to my room and ask how much homework I had to do that day, lol. I told her I was working on a story. Yes, that story still exists - I even thought about reworking it at one point because might make a sweet children's book...

After that, I guess I went through the typical stages: after children's books came the YA novels as a teenager, then the fantasy books at the age of twenty - and, guess what, they're all still WIPs 😂

And then, finally, in 2011/12, I discovered the wonderful world of fanfiction! Harry Potter was my gateway drug, then came Supernatural, now my world also includes 911 Lone Star and TOG and some other fandoms. The first fanfic I started to write never made it to light (maybe, one day...), but finally, in 2015, I started posting to ao3...

Where am I now? mhhh... I would say, I'm still learning, in a way. Almost exactly a year ago, I finally finished a long-time WIP that I had started in 2017 - and the difference in my writing in just those four years was astounding. So, I guess, we never stop learning - and I, for one, don't want to stop learning 😊

Send me weird questions from the Weird Questions List 😊

#let’s play!#noxy loves to play silly games #send me asks #weird questions game #ask game #firstprince-history-huh

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wine4thewin · 2 years

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Any writing tips for a n00b?

Oh, that’s a loaded question! 😙

I’ve been writing for the better part of roughly 20 years, on and off. Writing takes time and practice and I can say that what I write this year is different from what I wrote the year before or even the year before that. Writing evolves the more you do it and no one wants to hear that LOL

Writing advice is tough, because many writers are different in their methods. Not all methods work for everyone. Fifteen years ago, I would start at page one without a single clue as to the ending…and guess what? In those cases, I never reached the end, even if I had a great starting chapter 😆 I have drawers full of things I wrote when I was young and never finished.

Some people are able to write in perfect order. Some people make an outline with 500 words for each chapter just to get started. My own preference is to envision a beginning, a crucial turning point in the middle, and where I expect the characters to end. Who the characters are and what quirks make them stand out. How will they change? What changes them, for better or worse? I write scenes out of order, scenes I’m absolutely excited about or passionate about. Eventually, the more I write, the more I ‘see’ happening. I started connecting the scenes. I generally create an actual chapter outline once I’m 5,000-10,000 words deep into a story 😅 the outline always moves…it is never set in stone. Ever.

Generic tips with my obnoxious long-winded additions below the cut:

*Don’t get hung up on word count. It’s unnecessary stress. Words should be organic, not forced.

*Don’t write a chapter without a point. Something MUST happen in each chapter. There must be something to push the story forward.

*Write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about order, cut and paste exists for a reason! I never write in order.

*Write down ideas as they come to you! Anytime, anywhere. Use your phone notepad app. Revisit them later when you have time.

*Think about what you like about your favorite author’s style. This is helpful for new writers as they find their “voice”.

*This is more advanced, but think about how your characters sound! Don’t have two characters say things the exact same way. Like, maybe there’s a character who loves to say ‘bingo’ when they’re excited or a character who never says much at all. Maybe one character swears often, but another never does. You want people to hear characters and know the difference between them. I’ve read traditionally published books that I tossed because I couldn’t tell a single difference between any of the characters aside from their names. In fact, I don’t read as much as I used to, because I became such a fucking stooge when editing my own original fiction & fanfics. While typos and grammar don’t bother me, it’s hard for me to leave plot editor mode 🤣

*If you want to be aggressive, give yourself deadlines. Make yourself write every day, even if it’s just 200 words.

*If you don’t love something anymore, put it away. Don’t force yourself. Inspiration may come back. It might not. Move on and use new inspiration on a new project! I have so many original stories that are chilling for a rainy day when I want to pick them back up again.

*Most importantly, write what YOU want to read, not what you think others want. I once was penpals with a writer I respected and she confided she would not be writing anymore for the series that caught my attention, because, as she said “it wasn’t mainstream enough to catch traditional publishers & traditional readers eyes”. I found that to be saddening, because I knew she loved the dark fantasy world she created, but felt writing solely for other people would earn her better money which is true, but would she love writing as much? Sometimes, the answer is no.

Good luck in your journey writing! Just sit down and write! You might not get anywhere at first, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Obviously, different things may work for you than for me. Everyone is creative in different ways! 🥰

#asks #writing #writing tips #evilpeaches ao3 random writing tips

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yuniemaki · 5 months

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hihi! i just wanted to say i absolutely adore your fics so much 😭 i've read through most of your fics, and the way you characterize both beidou and ningguang is so * chef's kiss " 👌

i also wanted to ask - do you have any writing tips? i've been writing for a little over a year and i'm looking for ways i could possibly improve my writing (apart from the generic 'work on your vocab' and 'read a lot')

thank you!

Hello anon! First off thank you it always warms my heart to know there are people out there who love the meals i cook for myself!!! THANK YOU!!

As for tips - honestly, my main tip is: study others. Read with purpose. The process of writing is, in some ways, similar to drawing. Writing is about storytelling. You can perfect the "art" of writing and your sentences could paint the most beautiful images in the mind's eye, but if your story falls flat, you'll go nowhere.

Read a movie script. Read scriptwriting tips. Read speech writing tips. Read game development bibles. Play games and read the lore. Read (or watch) about how the narratives were developed. Read stories that break conventions. Read short stories, read poems, read long form narratives, read comics.

Study how, with movie scripts, they paint a full picture and story with so few words. How they tell a story through nothing but key visuals and dialogue.

Study how the best games do this in similar ways, yet distinctly differently from movies.

Study how comics tell their story. How you feel when you read a great comic. How you're sucked into the scene, how they give you just enough information to get invested but do not stifle your imagination.

Study the creator's styles. Observe how movie scripts differ from one another in the same genre. In books, read beyond the story. See how Jeffery Deaver writes suspense - not with fluffy words, but with the cadence of his sentences. See how Melissa Marr moves the plot and evokes emotion with nothing but character reactions and dialogue, and like two sentences on description. Even in fanfictions, see how different writers setup the same theme.

I binge-read or binge-watch or binge-game by theme a lot, and in doing so I study the differences on how writers approach the exact same message. Not the story, mind you, but their style - do they do it in a poetic, artsy kinda way? A dialogue-heavy way? Expository? Through other characters? What about the execution resonates with me?

And then I bookmark them, go away, and write on the same theme, drawing on the 10 stories I've read on the same theme. Sometimes, I keep them open in tabs, the way artists use references. I follow their sentence structures and styles. Of course these aren't published, but they have a very clear influence on when I do start working on something I want to share.

All stories have a simple, resonant message at its core; there's no such thing as an original story. The key is to study how its core themes were delivered - studying the style of the story, and picking out the methods of execution that resonate with you.

And that's how you develop a distinct writer's voice.

Umm I hope that helps! I'm not on tumblr very often these days but feel free to drop more asks!

#ily anon #yunieinbox #writing advice

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luckybyler · 2 years

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How do you think Will would react when he finds out that Mike loves him?

How do you think Mike would react when he finds out that Will loves him?

What’s your least favourite byler scene?

How and when do you think Will found out that he loves Mike and how did he react to his own feelings?

What future do you think Will likes to envision for himself and Mike? (If Mike loved/loves him back)

Hi!

I think he'll be absolutely overwhelmed and incredulous at first. He'll have to be convinced with actions (let's say, a kiss), and then he'll be over the moon.

I'm pretty sure he'll be like "oh shit. Oh shit. OH SHIT." For some reason, I feel that when he finds out Will loves him will also be the exact moment he puts 2 and 2 together and finds out consciously that he loves Will. I say consciously because let's be real, Mike's 15 and has a girlfriend. His subconscious must have betrayed him at least a couple of times.

I don't know about "least favorite" but definitely the saddest to me is the scene leading to the rain fight in season 3 where Mike and Lucas don't take the DnD game seriously and blow Will off. That must have been Will's first heartbreak, and the subsequent fight must've been the first time Mike felt a break in the status quo, a rift in his reality.

I think he was aware, at least on some level, before the show started. I think he accepted those feelings per se, but he definitely suffered (and suffers) because of the world's homophobia against him. As painful as it has been for him, unlike Mike, Will has had the "privilege" (for lack of a better word) of having been labeled early and being clear, although sad, about who he is and what his feelings are.

The future Will likes to envision for himself and Mike is probably the same that, deep down, Mike envisions for himself and Will, and the one that will probably end up happening: two dudes playing DnD and videogames together for the rest of their lives. Sharing a from first, then an apartment, maybe a house afterwards, working together on comic books, books or videogames, having a brotastic place full of toys where they welcome their friends for board games and do nerdy stuff. In the 80's they probably wouldn't dare to dream of getting married, let alone having a family with children and stuff (we know of course that they'll be able to in 2015), but I can see them see themselves as the gang's designated Cool Uncles.

It's worth noting that the answers to 1 and 2 are heavily context-dependent. For example, if one finds out by reading the other's suicide note, anguish, panic or a sense of emergency will probably take over their natural reaction.

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #byler asks

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