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clairegregoryau · 6 months

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Through the Looking Glass

From fairytale in Season 1 to stark reality in Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death- meta ported across from this Twitter thread by popular demand!

This thread contains spoilers for the entirety of OFMD Season 2

First OFMD S1 rewatch since S2, and holy shit, if you haven't done that yet... do that. A thing that it made instantly clear: they told us *all along* where this was going, but there was a reason we didn't see it. Because we were living in Stede's world then. Now it's Ed's.

I know that a lot of us have felt that the tone shift at the end of S2 was... jarring, compared to what's come before. This felt like a show that wouldn't go there. One where being run through was a temporary hiccup. We've travelled all the way from this to this.

But we haven't jumped there without a journey in between. And from the minute we started hearing about Blackbeard, the show never tried to hide what Ed's world and his specific life was like. Not once. In fact they told us over and over and over.

But Season 1 told us a lot of those things through song and story and fuckery. It blended reality with fiction.

Stede met the Blackbeard he knew through books and tall tales, and the real man was even more wonderful than he'd imagined.

We, along with Stede, were comfortable thinking that all those other tales were exaggerations and misrepresentations, and a lot of them very likely were.

The Ed Stede got to know was a person who was capable of whimsy and silliness and loved soft things and doing something weird. Yep, he was also capable of violence and rage, but when he was with Stede, he didn't feel it so much.

This was a vacation from that life.

To Stede he was absolutely lovely... oh, and also a bloodthirsty killer. And Stede loved (and loves) everything about him, and both of those things can be true. This is a perfect example of a spot where (in watching Season 1 without the benefit of hindsight) I assumed that everyone else in that pub was wrong, and Stede was simply trying to protect Ed's fearsome reputation by agreeing on the bloodthirsty bits. And I think from Stede's perspective that was largely true. I think that's how they wanted us to see Ed, through his eyes. Now, after watching both seasons, I think it wasn't the whole picture.

They told us, we heard it, we saw glimpses of it. But we (and Ed) were in Stede's run-away-to-sea fairytale the whole time. It wasn't until Stede left that we saw the reality- the Ed we knew had been, to a degree, a fictional character all along. I always saw this scene as Ed putting a bit of distance between himself and reality; it always felt like the Blackbeard of Stede's storybooks was the fictional one. But now it feels like the softer Ed that Stede knew was much the same- neither of them the whole story of who Ed was and is.

The one person who refused to live in Stede's fairytale was Izzy. I've seen people say it before, but he always gave off that vibe of the only human in the Muppets movie, or the guy who was in Black Sails while everyone else was in Pirates of the Caribbean. He saw the real risks clearly.

And in that light, the end of S1 has shifted an inch to the left for me, and I'm seeing it at a slightly different angle.

Izzy ripped away the healing Ed was doing, but in some respects he did it by tearing away the fairytale we'd all been living in, shoving Ed back into the Blackbeard story.

And that's where we pick up again in Season 2.

The fairytale reference came back in S2 in two notable places, those being Jim carrying that legacy forward in the darkest times, and in Izzy invoking the wooden boy against Ricky's efforts. Stede's made himself into a real boy. Ricky, nope.

Now that I've watched both seasons together, the tone shift doesn't feel so jarring at all, actually.

It feels like sliding through the looking glass, out of Stede's world, and into Ed's- a world that existed all along; we were just seeing it, la vie en rose, through Stede's eyes.

At the beginning of S2, Stede's gone, and we're seeing it unfiltered through Ed's reality.

But Stede wasn't lying when he said he loved everything about Ed. He made a promise to come back and find him- he went down into Ed's darkest place and reminded him that no matter how bad things got, there WAS someone waiting for him, ready to love him.

The contrast between S1's fantasy and S2's reality (excluding mermaids and actual bird guys and cursed coats) is stark, but it really is that.

We have the same settings, the same people, and very different ideas and outcomes at different times.

But it was always there.

Things do come back to a state of (precarious) balance once they're all together. Apologies are made, whether they're spoken out loud or through actions. Things go right, things go wrong. Healing happens. Izzy continues to have the steadiest, most real through-line in the story as he tracks toward redemption, finds acceptance, and to an extent finds himself.

Once again, I hate that they went here with the ending and I wish they hadn't. But it got a fraction easier for me looking at it not as a continuation of Stede's fairytale, but of the grounded-in-pirate-reality arc Izzy was always on, even while we lived in Stede's world.

Where does that leave us? We're not going back to the fairytale, but we're not going to be living in Black Sails for S3, either. We've hit a fusion point where S1 ended with each of them going to separate, miserable homes, but S2 ended with them in the same place, ready and willing to make a go of it.

Season 3 is going to give us their world, together.

I LOVED the moments in this season where the deep emotions were in balance with the silliness I've always adored about this show. Eps4-6 were wonderful like that. Clearly we're not done with drama, either, but like Ed and Stede, I think we'll find a middle ground.

Anyway in conclusion, a rewatch of S1 after S2 somehow made me love the first season even more, which felt impossible? It's now gained /even more/ layers of depth than it had before. No matter how you feel about S2 I think it's worth that rewatch.

Adding one more bit of clarity for myself: I think we got a bit (intentionally) seduced in S1 by the idea that the Ed of the storybooks, the Vampire Viking Clown with the nine guns, was a version of him that others saw, when Stede saw the REAL person who 'worked' for Blackbeard.

In hindsight I think it's clear the Ed Stede go to know was also not the complete version of himself- the reality is, there's a whole spectrum between the two, and they've landed in the middle of it now. Ed intentionally leaned into the unlovable Kraken image to protect himself.

It very much didn't work, just like being just... Edward hadn't worked to protect himself, either. This season has been very much about pulling those two extremes together and finding all the parts that make up Ed overall (another thread on that here on Twitter, which I'll also shift across to Tumblr soon!)

And I think one of my favourite things in S2 has been seeing the way Stede SEES that- he knows what Ed's done, everyone's told him, but he still loves Ed. sees his trauma and how it affects him, and believes he's a good man regardless. He IS lovable; he's not forever broken.

And together, they can heal.

#ofmd #our flag means death #gay pirates #ofmd meta #unreliable narrators #fantasy vs reality #ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers

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imliterallyellie · 3 months

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Writers block is the literal worst I'm sorry love buttt maybe a little something about gamer Ellie, it's quite literally my absolute fav !! ☺🤍 could be fluffy or not fluffy 👀 completely upto you on where you go off. Hope you're having a beautiful day/night ! :)

is this thing on? 🎤

you buy ellie a new game, but that comes with it's consequences

a/n thank you for the request! gamer!ellie is very canon and i like it very much because i am also very much gamer xo short as always, i'm not good at writing long stuff but i hope you enjoy this! situated in a no outbreak au, joel is alive, but ellie and him do still have the same awkward-ish jackson dynamic :)

one thing you loved about your relationship with ellie was how you were able to be in each other's presence, doing separate things. as much as you both liked being around one another and doing things together, you're both very independent people who like to do their own things every now and then.

ellie would be strumming on her guitar, humming whatever new lyric she had come up with, drawing in her sketchbook or playing a game on her console. on the other side of the room you would be reading a new book, giving your favorite movie another rewatch or looking up recipes for deserts you think ellie would like. your girlfriend got a sweet tooth, and you loved using it to your advantage whenever you wanted something or whenever you had had a little disagreement.

your co-independence was very beneficial to your relationship as a whole, but it also helped you out on one of your weakest points; gift giving. while ellie was great at remembering things you told her that you'd like, writing everything down in her notebook and never failing at picking out the perfect present for you, you weren't blessed with the skill of being a good gift-giver. so to know what ellie liked doing in her own time, was a blessing on it's own.

a drawing pencil engraved with your initial, a guitar pick in her favorite color or a new polaroid camera all belonged up there with some of her favorite gifts she had received from you.

so now ellie’s birthday was coming up, and unlike other years, you weren’t stressed about what you were going to get her. she had been chewing your ears off about this new game that had come out, something about space and spaceships and flying and… whatever else. she'll like it. you're sure she will.

ᖭི༏ᖫྀ

saying she would like it was... quite the understatement. she had barely even unwrapped it and within a blink of the eye she was already halfway the story of the game. you liked it, you really did, when she was doing her own thing playing her game and you got some time to yourself, but it had been a bit much lately. you knew that gifting her that game would have your time together a bit compromised. knowing ellie she would get completely lost in it for a couple days, and usually you were fine with that, but you'd been feeling needy for her attention a little these past couple days, but your girlfriend hadn't been feeding into it.

it was sunday afternoon and you were laying on her bed, feet dangling off the edge watching ellie who was playing her game. she was looking good, you couldn't deny that. it was a hot summer day, ellie resorting to only a white tank top and a pair of shorts. your attention was shamelessly caught by her hands, how she gripped the controller and how her thumbs were expertly toying with the joysticks. she kept cursing under her breath, getting worked up after failing to beat a level for the umpteenth time. it was pathetic really, but it got you going. the heat, paired with how hot your girlfriend was looking and the lack of attention you'd been experiencing lately took it's toll on you.

you climbed off your shared bed and came up to ellie, wrapping your arms around her torso from behind. you rested your chin on the top of her head and stayed like that for a little moment, your eyes following ellie's character on the screen of her tv. she'd gotten it from joel as a moving out gift, when she left jackson to come live with you. it could definitely use some fixing up, probably even replacing, but ellie would not budge whenever you said she should get a new one. she didn't like talking about joel, but this was her silent way of having him around, just a little. so you let it be.

she didn't react to the newfound presence behind her so you sighed, quite excessively. no reaction. you sighed again, but you were once again met by nothing more than ellie's whispered curses. you decided to change your action plan, your actions growing a little bolder. you started pressing soft kisses against the side of her head, moving closer towards her ear, where you gently bite her earlobe, to which she hissed softly. so that's what got a reaction out of her.

"els, i miss you", you sweetly whispered in her ear. "hmmpf- babygirl, i'm still playing. can you just have a little more patience f’me?". on any other day, you probably would. you would muster up that last drop of patience you had left inside of you, but today was different. you lowered your head towards her lightly freckled shoulders and playfully bit the exposed skin. you scratched the back of her neck with your freshly manicured left hand, knowing damn well she loved the sensations of your nails gently scraping down her sensitive skin. you were trying to get her to give in to you, to finally give you that special attention of hers you were so desperately craving.

when you noticed that her game character stood still and her controller was long forgotten about, you knew you had her where you wanted. you pressed a couple more kisses on the crook of her neck before turning her chair around and throwing your leg over hers, getting comfortable in your girlfriend’s lap. “please, baby? i’ve missed you so much and i need you”, you delicately whispered while looking into ellie’s eyes, your hands now playing with the hair at the back of her neck. she had recently been for a haircut, so it was just the right length to comb your fingers through.

you noticed a look in ellie’s eyes that you knew so well, and you couldn’t help a small smile forming creeping up your face. her hands on your waist started roaming up and down your sides, as she dipped her dead down to press a bruising kiss against your lips. you let out a little whimper, what made ellie involuntarily buck her hips up against yours. she bit her lip and let go if it with a plop before grabbing the back of your thighs, lifting you up and walking over to your shared bed.

“let’s make up for lost time, sweetheart”

photo: psieikoo/pinterest (we are respectful in this house and we credit creators)

#not proofread as usual #is this thing on?#torlex speaking 🌿#ellie williams x reader #the last of us #the last of us 2 #tlou #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #ellie williams #ellie williams smut #ellie williams fluff

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auyuyu006 · 3 months

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Johnshi HCs

I'm sorry most of these aren't explicitly romantic I just have so many HCs about the two of them it's driving me crazy.

Johnny holds Kenshi by the waist, Kenshi holds Johnny by the shoulder or the bicep. After some time Kenshi starts to go for his hand instead.

Johnny is on his phone all of the time. Kenshi will either avoid the internet for a week or plays chess on the computer at the kitchen table for a day straight without talking to anyone (secretly uses Sento for this).

Kenshi has good spirits (literally) when it comes to his blindness, but can get very defensive when others pity him for it. Johnny is the only other person he will let touch his blindfold, take it off, or wash it.

Kenshi doesn't love the name "Johnny Cage" and thinks that "John Carlton" suits him. Johnny thinks that it sounds like an "old man's name"

Kenshi would visit Johnny on set sometimes but not say or do anything but sit in the background and watch him in silence until he was done.

Speaking of that- Kenshi had a good time filming in Outworld for Johnny's movie (made him feel like an action hero), but absolutely refused to watch the parts he was in.

Kenshi thought Johnny's movies were mostly cheesy before and after meeting him. However, he ended up rewatching all of them and got excited when there was news he got cast for a new one (before they started to officially date).

Johnny was a pretty good student growing up who made A's and B's as per expectations of his parents but hated school because he got picked on. He got into a decent university where he ended up falling in love with physics. He accidentally became famous around the time he was 20 (maybe he got street casted and went viral?) and had to balance acting with school to get his pHD. He is that school's most famous alumni.

Kenshi was mostly homeschooled by his parents and did not show much attention in academics in his youth due to his intense upbringing in the yakuza. This is something that he regrets but accepts that it wasn't really his choice to begin with. However he is quite knowledgable, knows broadly about history and literature, and can speak multiple languages (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, English, Spanish). He also learns braille relatively fast after losing eyesight.

Kenshi thinks it's so hot that Johnny has a pHD but also thinks its so strange he doesn't do anything with it. (It's a backup plan so he can write textbooks if his career tanks)

Johnny is great at drawing due to it being a hobby growing up stemming from him being a major comic book fan. Kenshi isn't very artistic however used to be able to do mediocre calligraphy (a skill he learned from his parents) before he became blind.

Kenshi breaking into Cage Mansion the second Cris left was admittedly pretty awkward for him (but he was too distracted by Sento to rly care).

Kenshi tries to not let it get to him, but he is saddened by the fact he cannot read properly anymore. Johnny tries to support him by buying him every audiobook in every language he understands. Kenshi will sometimes ask Johnny to read to him mostly because he loves the sound of his voice.

At first, Kenshi tried to get Sento to help him with daily tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc.), but after talking to Kuai Liang he tries not to rely on Sento on anything non-kombat related.

Kenshi has a slight lisp (I'm sorryyyy this isn't rly a hc but you can hear it in his intro dialogues he still sounds like a badass tho i think it's super cute thank god for Vic Chao)

Johnny makes their home a "smart home" a.k.a 30 Alexas in every room of their place, and a Samsung fridge he can live tweet from while making green juice.

Kenshi sometimes used to drive with Sento in the back seat and got arrested for it one time. Now he gets told off by Johnny for it every time he tries it again.

Kenshi will only drink milky coffee (lattes, cappuccinos, etc.) and prefers tea. Johnny hates coffee and tea and pounds red bull in the morning.

Kenshi used to care a lot about his personal style and mostly only wore suits and dress attire. After losing his eyesight, he didn't care as much anymore and just focused on wearing things that were comfortable (sweatpants, sweaters)

Johnny buys Kenshi soft fluffy things to wear all the time. Kenshi always says it's unnecessary but ends up wearing it anyway.

In MK1 Johnny is 32, and Kenshi is 39 (I like the idea of Kenshi being old it just makes sense to me). It both amuses and horrifies Kenshi that he's dating a white man 7 yrs his junior.

Johnny calls him "old man Takahashi" and Kenshi just goes along with it and says "get off my lawn you punk" or something LOL

I think Kenshi was more of the brawny "tough guy" of the yakuza than the suave, seductive type. He has more of an awkward and stony personality. And the fact that he was desperate to get out makes me think he wouldn't entertain the "flirty" role of the job. (a.k.a Kenshi is BAD at flirting unlike a certain someone)

Johnny sometimes helps Kenshis clunky azz samurai gear on before he engages in kombat. Johnny is also the reason Kenshi sometimes gives up and just wears a suit.

Kenshi shops like an old Asian dad. LOVES Costco, will eat all of the samples. Will buy everything on sale even if he doesn't need it. Will not take Johnny with him because his megastardom ruins the peace of being unrecognized. Has taken Raiden with him though. Will use Johnny's credit card. Johnny is dismayed that he hasn't taken a liking to Erewhon and Whole Foods

When Johnny isn't there with him at night Kenshi will play his movies and fall asleep to the sound of his voice

Kenshi will have sex with the blindfold on. He will fall asleep next to Johnny with it off.

Kenshi doesn't like sleeping with the blindfold on, but was worried it would scare or disgust Johnny in some way. It doesn't and it never did. In fact, Johnny appreciates the intimacy that it creates.

#Johnshi #Johnshi hcs #Johnny cage #kenshi takahashi #johnny x kenshi #mk1 #maybe i'll write more of these #johnshi isn't even my fave mk ship lol #these are so kenshi centric #now you know what character i have projected onto #mk brainrot

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tsukinoakume · 6 months

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RW&RB MovieAlex vrs BookAlex: A Rant

I'm late to the party on Red, White, and Royal Blue for a dumb reason and now I'm obsessed with it. OMG I WAS SO WRONG.

I love the book. I love the movie. I also love the difference between them that I find myself obsessing over: the lack of June.

I love June. I'm also not mad that they removed her from the movie, because I honestly don't think they had the time to do her justice. The important thing is that when they removed her, they split her personality and scenes between Nora and Alex. And the result is fascinating.

Combining June with Alex gives us a calmer, more emotionally mature, competent version of Alex. He is definitely not the hot mess that BookAlex is. (Don't get me wrong here: BookAlex is my favorite character.) But now it's implied that MovieAlex is better at keeping his temper, handles his shit without being micromanaged, advocates for himself more, and I'm pretty sure the speech he gives is his own. Probably with help, but still. Also not having divorced parents means MovieAlex doesn't have BookAlex's abandonment issues. It's never said that his parents' relationship is perfect, but it's implied that he's had a stable family background. MovieAlex still has flaws and he's not Nora Levels of Competency, but he's definitely a lot more balanced. And this actually changes his relationship with Henry, just a little.

Namely in reference to my two favorite scenes:

1) Storming the Castle.

BookAlex is a ball of rage in this scene, and it's GLORIOUS. Yelling at the windows, aggressively dripping everywhere trying to ruin the rugs, making rude comments about Henry's ancestors. He is defiant. He yells, Henry yells back. It ends in tears, but there's a lot of anger.

MovieAlex by contrast is quieter, more hurt. He hardly yells at all. (I rewatched this scene like 20 times for Repeat to be sure.) He's determined, and he doesn't back down, but you get to see that split second of fear in his eyes that Henry is asking him to leave. There's a lot more emotion and tears in this version. It's ... sweeter isn't the right word. Bittersweet, maybe.

Downside: The lack of transition in the morning from the book. I miss Alex expecting to be dumped, and Henry realizing he doesn't want Phillip's life before deliberately making the choice to be with Alex. Also the comment on Alex's hair, which made me giggle.

2) The Museum Scene

I know a lot of people are disappointed with this scene, and I feel the need to argue about why it's brilliant the way it is.

In the book, they go to the museum because Henry has made his choice, and now he's showing one of his favorite places to Alex. He's the one who brings up the music. He chooses to fulfill his fantasy with Alex there, and he chooses to play a song that embodies the romanticism of their situation, about being in love and not being able to let anyone else know. Your Song.

In the movie, they go to the museum when Henry's still trying to decide if this is something he can have, and he's sharing a part of himself with Alex when he talks about his fantasy. Alex is the one who chooses to fufill it, so of course he chooses a different song. For him, it's a song about how easy it is to love Henry. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You.

I also love that they changed Henry giving the ring to Alex to Alex giving Henry his key in return. I love the symbolism of Alex keeping Henry's ring safe for him, of their two homes side by side. But I also love the idea of exchanging parts of themselves. I love that they have those pieces of each other when they're separated and the emails are exposed.

The book tells the story better overall because it has the time to, and the bickering and friendship between the boys is everything. The movie makes me melt over the flirting and affection between them. I can't pick one over the other because both versions of this story are wonderful.

But emotionally mature MovieAlex and how soft he is with Henry, making sure Henry's taken care of? I am WEAK for that.

#Doing this here instead of my author's notes #I have a lot of feelings about red white and royal blue okay?#movie versus book #both both is good #emotionally competent Alex FTW #red white and royal blue

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37-drc89 · 4 months

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should be the last night we’re apart; kim seungmin

trope: exes to lovers.

genre: angst with good ending.

warnings: self-hatred.

word count: 1,4k.

note: i will appreciate every reblog, comment, feedback, as always! thank you so much for reading! x

masterlist

Slight lantern light shined through the glass, painting the room's walls weak orange. Other than that, only darkness wrapped your body tightly, so tightly it could almost suffocate you. Cold wind blew through opened window, sending unpleasant shivers down your spine, but there’s no strength in you to close it. There’s no strength to look in the mirror in front of you. No strength to look at yourself.

How many days passed? Eight? Nine? Nineteen?

How many days passed since Seungmin left?

Counting was useless, it always successfully blurred into nothing. Or maybe it was just you who never tried recalling that day, as it sent physical pain into your crashed, aching heart. However, it seemed to be the only thing your mind could ever go back to.

You promised each other to be infinite, until death and further. But the problem about every good book is that it always has its end, and that's all you've learned since the day you were born. Maybe Seungmin didn't enjoy your book. Maybe he got bored of the plot, maybe the characters were a mismatch for him, maybe there were typos on your side that made him go. You could be searching for any explanation all day and night, but the proper words were taken away from you, along with your promised eternal love, with Seungmin.

Your head rests on your knees, eyes focused out somewhere on the floor, looking for any other emotion that could fill you, other than pure guilt. You need to go on. You might be hurt, but life doesn't end here. At least that's what movies say, so why does it feel otherwise?

Obviously, your friends did reach out to you. They sat there, held your hand, patted your back, wiped your tears. They rewatched your favourite shows over and over again, joked around, and you smiled, you laughed even, only for the grin to go long forgotten when doors closed behind them. Additional guilt creeping on your back for being nothing but a burden, weight even your closest friends couldn't lift for you.

And Seungmin was nowhere to be found. Everytime someone walked around the stairway, useless hope grew in your chest, only to brutally be dragged back down when it happened to be your neighbour. Every notification your phone popped made your breath stop, but his name never appeared on the screen. Your fingers always hovered above that send button, unsure about the millionth message you've been preparing the whole day, always ending up deleting it anyway. You stopped trying and your phone remained untouched since. No point of waiting if there's nothing to be waiting for.

It felt as if every good thing was taken away from you. Your every first time, every good joke, every tooth-rotting sweet message, every pleasant morning and evening when you got to lay down next to the love of your life. Was it all really something you have to say goodbye to... for good?

Even the time when your first kiss happened, on that one regular sleepovers of yours? When air thickened during a simple conversation you always had, right before going to bed, his hand slipped over yours, but eyes never left the wall in front of him. Silence grew between the two of you as you quietly blinked at him. "Can I kiss you?" he murmured with dead serious face and you nodded before you could even think. Situation got to you only when his lips connected with yours, staying there for what felt like eternity. Back then you could swear you've never seen Seungmin so passionate about something, so whipped. Your lips felt like they were meant to be kissing each other, and it felt right. Something finally felt right. When your lungs started yearning for breath and he pulled away, first genuine smile appeared on his lips that night, eyes softer than they have ever been, and your heart told you right there that you indeed love the boy in front of you. And as much as your heart fooled you sometimes, you trusted it - do you now have to let it down and forget?

Or about the night he found you in your bathroom, face soaked in burning tears, body completely nude, all but painful whimpers coming out of you, the night you felt especially unattractive, ugly, hideous. When he caged you inside his comforting embrace, not letting you speak as Seungmin knew nothing but self-hatred will come out of you. When his lips carefully kissed every part of your body, slowly, mumbling sugar sweet words into your skin, as if he wanted them to linger underneath it. He kissed every scar, every mole, every beauty mark, your every insecurity. In the end he kissed away your tears, not bothering the salty taste, whispering his admiration and love. The night you felt gentler about yourself for the first time in your life.

Now you despise what you see once again. There is nothing to love.

1 am struck on the clock, reminding you about how long you've been rotting into your bed, another four hours flew by your head before you could catch them. Few messages from your friends already cold on your phone, you should check them, you should at least let them know that you are alive, but are you really? Can you consider your current state as living?

Krrrth.

Your ears fail to catch that familiar sound of key being inserted into the keyhole, lock sliding open right after. You only notice stairway light sliding into your apartment along with doors opening quietly, but it disappears seconds after. Faint steps growing louder as a figure stands in the doorframe, in complete dark. But the silhouette is so well known to you you could recognize it half-blinded.

He locked his gaze at your poor, small figure, finding your eyes in the dark immediately. Soft pants leave his lips, a sign that he most likely ran. To you.

Kim Seungmin.

The last person you need. The only one you want to see.

"y/n,"

Your name on his lips feel like a curse and like a blessing, and you can't tell if the knot inside your stomach is tightening or loosening. You want to punch him, you want to scream, you want to kick him out and tell him not to come see you ever again. But more than that, you want to hold him and never let him go again. To kiss him all over, to cry into his chest, to confess your love for him over and over again.

Your mind quiets as Seungmin makes his way to you, kneeling in front of you. Moonlight perfectly reflects dried tear stains on his face, you hear his breath shake. His hand lifts up, reaching out for yours, but he doesn't dare to touch you, to scare you, waiting for your permission. Only when your cold, trembling hand leans in into his, Seungmin carefully holds it. His other hand sneaks itself around your back, scooping you into his embrace. You could protest. But this moment feels like a dream come true. Like something you've been searching for for your whole life. He holds you so gently like you're the most fragile, porcelain masterpiece ever created, just like you remember. Your hands roll into weak fists, ready to punish him for leaving, but all you're capable of is clutching them on his hoodie as strongly as you can. Tears that seemed dried out for the past days start flowing, and they run, run, run down your face one by one, creating a steady stream.

Time passes. Minutes or hours, you're not sure. Seungmin pulls away gently, hands coming up to hold both of your wet cheeks. His heart trembles at the poor sight, another set of tears threatening to fall from his own eyes. He knows he hurt you. He knows he's the one responsible for what he sees. And he is ready for you to punch his face, aware that this is the only thing he deserves from you.

But instead, you lean in, laying your swollen, red lips on top of his. And he can't help but hold you closer, like he's getting the greatest award for being the worst dick existing.

"My love. I will explain to you, everything," stream of tears go down his cheek, bottom lip trembling. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry. For everything you've been through, because of me."

"This better be the last night we were apart." You squeak weakly, running your thumb over his lips, effectively shushing him. Right now that doesn't matter, because Kim Seungmin is by your side once again.

You can tell if something is right when most things in this world are plain wrong.

And you know this is right.

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restinslices · 1 month

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Ngl now I wanna read MK1 LKBS reacting to Twilight in headcanon bullet point format 😭

Pretend I put a joke here

Bi-Han

Bi-Han probably hates a lot of things

Twilight is quickly added to his list

You know how you can hate a movie, show, book, whatever but have a favorite character? That doesn't happen with Bi-Han

Fuck Bella, fuck Edward, fuck Jacob, fuck EVERYBODY

The fact that he managed to finish the first movie is a miracle. He for damn sure ain't watching the rest and/or reading the books. You gon have to stab him

“I'll divorce you if you don't” “I'll get the paperwork for you”

I don't think he'd like any parts of it. There's not a single redeemable thing in that movie

The type to get mad at Bella and pause the movie to do a lap so he won't destroy the TV

His main question is “why are y'all doing all this for a girl you hardly know?”

I legit don't think he'd enjoy any parts of it. MAYBE the soundtrack, and that's a big MAYBE

So many things would bother him. Why is stalking romantic? Why are you risking your family's life for a girl you hardly know? Why is Edward not considered a pedo? How has he not met someone yet? Why is Jacob stuck on her?

There is nothing redeemable about Twilight to him. I think every minute for him is agony

I don't think any of them like Twilight but I feel like he hates it the most

In turmoil

Kuai Liang

He doesn't like it either but he tries to be nice and hide it

He hides it poorly

A very pained smile whenever you look over at him

“You like it?” “Yes… 🙂” “Great! Let's watch New Moon!” “There's more?😧”

Does he watch the others? Possibly

Will he read the books? No

I don't think he'd be fond of any of the main characters either

He’s not a fan of love triangles and he also just doesn’t like the characters

Favorite character? Maybe Angela

She gets hardly any screentime so she can't do any wrong

That soundtrack is nice tho-

I don't think he's in as much agony as Bi-Han, but I don't see him liking Twilight

I'm not even sure he's even into romantic movies

Do I think he's against romantic movies? No. Do I think it's his favorite genre? No. It could be like, top 5 or something

This isn't me jumping on the Twilight hate train because I like Twilight in a sense, but I just don't see any of them genuinely enjoying it and being apart of the Team Jacob vs Team Edward debate

He for sure ain't rewatching the movies

His niceness is only going so far. At some point he gotta deliver the news to you

Bella's lullaby is his shit now tho

Tomas

Supermassive Black Hole is a nice song

So… he doesn't entirely hate it

Like it though? Um… he likes that you like it

Unlike the other two, he'll read the books but he's only reading them because he's like “these movies gotta be popular for a reason. Maybe the books are better”

Does he finish? Probably not

The love triangle ain't even balanced fr, so he's not really intrigued by that part

I can see him being into the supernatural stuff but I mean, it's not like it's super expounded on

Is he Team Edward or Team Jacob? Neither

Bi-Han hates everyone, Kuai Liang doesn't like love triangles, Tomas doesn't like Bella

Playing both sides when it's convenient for you is something he's not fond of. Pick one and stay on that one

Who’s his favorite character? He jumps from side characters

The main characters are probably never his favorite. They're always doing something that makes him raise a brow

I can possibly see this becoming a series he hates so much, he feels the need to rewatch it

He spots plot holes and now he can no longer unsee them

He really does try to pick a team if you want him to but it's like “I know who she ends up with so what's the point?”

The point is to be part of the community Tomas

“I thought you didn't like Twilight” “I need background noise” “...” “I need to feel something” “I get it”

Love hate relationship

He just like me fr

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son1c · 5 months

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something about me is i got into sonic in 2020 because my BJF (best job friend) at the time wanted to go see the first movie together. we did, and then we saw it three more times in theaters (before they all shut down because of the pandemic). it was this whole thing, we brought our other friends along for the rewatches and always had a lot of fun.

now, in 2023, i surround myself with people who unironically love it.

i know my experience isn't universal, but overall i've had a very positive experience with sonic. and whenever i see stuff that implies sonic as an interest is "cringe" or whatever, i'm always like "huh?" cuz it's so divorced from the reality i live in.

it makes me sad to think that some people feel ashamed about liking sonic. like, what's there to feel bad about? it's a fun series with tons and tons of content, and i think it's great that it can bring people of all ages together. there's a little something for everyone, even if you don't like EVERYTHING about it.

games, comics, music, books, movies and tv shows, coloring pages and sticker sheets... not to mention all the stuff you can make for yourself, since sonic is a very big open world full of endless possibilities irt fanart and fanfic.

idk what this post is about really. i just think it's pretty cool that when i was at the store earlier today, a kid saw my sonic socks and smiled real wide. cuz that's what sonic is to me. something to share and smile about

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honeeslust · 6 months

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Your BF Bakugo

🖤 a little fluffier than I intended but here goes…

Im thinking about pro hero Bakugo who’s 6”4” and would stand there looking down at you as you yelled at him for something he did. He would hear what you said but would hit you with that crooked smile why the fuck are you so little he would say showing off how he can easily look straight over your head.

(* My personal imagine because I’m terribly uncoordinated and have accepted that I may actually never get in tune with my equilibrium…)

I’m thinking about pro hero Bakugo who’s reflexes always come in handy because of your poor balance and knack for falling over literally nothing. Nonetheless, as long as you’ve been together, it would still give you butterflies feeling the strength of his hands on you whenever he’d catch your fall. He 100 percent sets you back on your feet and teases you with a confused look in his eye asking you how.

I’m thinking about pro hero Bakugo who brings you lunch at work when ever he can. One reason would be that he knows you would work straight through the day without even realizing you never stopped to eat so he’d make you take your lunch with him. The other reason would be that me knows how flustered you get seeing him in full uniform.

( *another personal fave cause my anemic ass is constantly cold and I’ve been obsessed with body heat since the twilight days 😊 iykyk‼️)

I’m thinking of pro hero Bakugo who doesn’t flinch when your cold fingers and toes graze his skin as you cuddle up to him. I don’t think you can get any closer babe. He would groan as you literally wrapped yourself up in him to soak of up all of his warmth. You would settle in his lap, content with taking up all of his personal space. my own personal furnace you’d say grinning ear to ear.

I’m thinking of pro hero Bakugo whose never been the romantic. (Hear me out) it’s not flowers and candies and cards and I love you baby this and that…It’s your favorite books and movies just to see you smile. when you’re stressed and restless, it’s him making you a late night snack and putting on your favorite rewatch because he knows how much you love to get lost in their world. It’s him noticing your anxiety becoming more crippling as you gnaw at your inside of your jaw and your furiously bouncing leg shakes the couch. It’s him bringing you close but not saying a word. It’s him squeezing you tighter than you could stand because he knows how soothing and freeing it would feel for you. It’s him letting you fall asleep in his arms and not moving an inch no matter how uncomfortable he would be. It’s him always being so in tune with you that you always feel seen. Yea, that’s my Bakugo 😌

I stan a man whose actions speak louder thanks his words ever could.

From the honey pot 🍯

#Mha fluff #mha drabbles #mha headcanons #katsuki bakugo x reader #smutxanime honeeslust #bakugou katsuki #yourbf

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spencerdaze · 8 months

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'Labyrinth' and how trauma makes us search for escapism

Welcome to 'Mikaela please log off' where i talk and overanalyze movies because i'm unemployed. In today's hell of a post, i'm going to talk about probably my favourite movie and one that has shaped me for my entire life: 1986 'Labyrinth', with musical numbers written and performed by none other than Miss David Bowie himself! SPOILERS AHEAD.

Now i've seen this movie more times than i've seen my own face in the mirror. It's a movie i enjoyed in my childhood and certainly one that has shaped me, with how the puppets have a certain uncanny feel to them almost and how crazy and whimsical the whole movie is. It trully is an amazing movie that can be enjoyed by children, but also by adults as well, with many of the movie's themes and meanings being hidden or something you find with experience or relate to later in life. Because the movie is a very clear reference to fairytales like Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, is no surprise to know there are many, many different readings that can be done to it. The firts reading i made of the movie when i rewatched it as an adult was that the movie was a very clear allegory for growing up and maturing, having to leave behind your childhood but also keeping in mind your inner child so that you don't lose yourself in the labyrinth that is life.

While the allegory reading is correct, and i think it's one of the meanings behind the movie and certainly the most obvious theme, it's definetly not the only one. One thing kept me wondering after watching the movie this time: Why is the phrase 'You have no power over me' so important? It's used in the beginning of the film, with Sarah forgetting this line in her book, and by the end, when she's facing Jareth, Sarah remembers the phrase by herself, clearly showing us as viewers the inner power Sarah has over her life. It's obvious this line is meant to represent Sarah's ambition and power, but why is it this phrase? Whi is it You have no power over me and not something else like 'My power lies within me' which could tie to the end of the film, with Bowie's Within you playing? Well, after rewatching it recently, i figured it out: Sarah isn't just talking to Jareth, she's talking to her stepmother.

At the beginning of the film Sarah seems to be, on the surface, a spoiled 15 year old girl who doesn't want to do her chores and just wants to play around, not even wanting to date, something her stepmom wants her to do. Her stepmother wants her to mature and grow, to find love, etc. And Sarah and her obviously do not get along a lot. Two important details appear when Sarah goes back to her room at the beginning after fighting with her stepmother over having to take care of her little brother: her stepmother talks to her dad, telling him 'She treats me like the wicked stepmother of a fairytale', and when Sarah goes to talk to her to her room, he doesn't even bother to open the door or make sure she's okay after the fight. To some people these details seem just normal parent behaviour, but it was very clear to me after the film that Sarah is being emotionally neglected by her father, and possibly made by her stepmother to grow up to fast. Sarah is fifteen and an older sister, and unfortunately is common for older sisters to act as parents for their siblings while also not being taken care of themselves. We see Sarah clinging to her childhood as an escapism from the fact she feels completely neglected, since her dad won't even open the door to talk to her.

When Sarah tells Toby her fairytale, it's a clear depiction of how she feels like: There once was a princess who was basically a slave to her stepmother and she was forced to take her of her baby brother. Sarah takes her rage out on her brother and sends him away with the goblins, and inmediatly regrets it. She's repeating patterns of abuse. She's realizing sending her brother away is the submitting him to the same neglectful behaviour she has struggled with. So she makes a deal with Jareth to get him back.

Jareth poses an interesting character in Sarah's healing journey from her trauma. He's in love with her, in very possessive, clingy way that makes him do anything she asks him too to try to manipulate her to love him, which doesn't work on her, because she's probably used to it. The fact Sarah has a lot of toys and costumes, which makes us feel like she's spoiled, while being simultaneously emotionally neglected, is a very common way a manipulator convinces the victim there's no reason to feel that way. So seeing as she's used to being gifted things, being given 'her dreams', instead of actual emotional support and availability, Sarah is basically inmune to Jareth's advances. This could be read as Sarah's first experience with love outside of her family life, which is also a common thing in the experiences of older sisters: they date men who aren't good for them, repeating the patterns they're used to and being once again emotionally hurt. By the end of the movie, after meeting new friends Sarah loves deeply and grows to appreciate, and by being shown there are people who do care about her and who do love her and respect her, Sarah is able to fight Jareth alone, because she might be phisically alone, but she knows her friends have her back always. The found family trope is used here even until the end when we think Sarah has grown and the people she met in the Labyrinth are gone, and Sarah tells Jareth he has no power over her because she finally has healed, and she knows she deserves better.

By the end, Sarah has matured and learned, not just about herself, but about love and relationships of all kinds. She gives Toby her plushie as a way of showing she doesn't need to desperately cling to her childhood anymore, because she now has people in her life who care about her for real, and also she tucks him in as a way to show she's going to break the cycle, and show him finally the emotional support she didn't get from her parents. She keeps many things in her room, but puts others away, and when her friends from the Labyrinth appear to tell her they'll be there if she needs them, they don't simply say this and go away, but she makes them stay. 'I need you', she tells them, because even if she's healed, her life might still be filled with the remnants of her trauma, and an escapism might be needed. But most importantly, 'I need you', because they're her friends, her found family, the people who have shown her what she deserves in her life.

The movie definetly shows us the many highs and lows in life, particularely in adolescence, and how the journey to being mature can be difficult. But these subtle themes of emotional neglect, trauma, and the struggles of a young girl forced to grow up a little too soon trully give the movie another layer of depth that maybe not everyone might see, but some of us, specially those of us who relate to these struggles, do see and aknowledge, reminding us that we're not alone and that we deserve better, for our trauma has no power over us.

#labyrinth #the labyrinth #jareth the goblin king #labyrinth 1986 #sarah williams #jareth #film #cinephile #movies #cinema #movie review #essay #in this essay i will #literacy #childhood trauma #maybe the labyrinth was childhood trauma all along

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bookishdaze · 3 months

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Anyways, I wish to ramble about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and the new trailer because these next 3 months are gonna be excruciating. Here we goooo.

Okay when I first saw this shot, the first thought crossing my mind was "Wow. Those eyes." These movies will once again have apes with prettier eyes than me, lol. They're blown so wide open here. It's so detailed and I love that the apes' expressions are more human-like. And I wonder why Noa is looking more visibly upset than his friends.

The way he rubs the little chimp's head is so cute! I love this. Sweet older brother vibes.

I just know Noa is thinking "this guy's not right in the head." This is the face I make when I want to crawl away from a conversation with someone making me feel really uncomfortable.

He's shouting "PULL!" here. Later in the trailer we see apes pulling at chains at the same time. Are they trying to build a ship? (Noah's ark, anyone?) Open a bunker door to access tech? What are they doinggggg?

Took me way too long to realize the mural is depicting an astronaut.

People are saying this is her Statue of Liberty moment. I personally don't even think she is an astronaut tbh. I notice she is crying while looking through the telescope. I don't think it's because she is learning she is stuck hundreds of years into the future. I think she could be sad about humanity's downfall. Or she just thinks the stars are pretty and is overwhelmed. Or she's got dust in her eye, lol. I think in this scene Noa and Mae will share some fascination with the cosmos or something.

This scene is so sweet! He's shyly giving her a blue sweater here. I cannot wait to see their dynamic play out.

Anyways, I'm putting on my tinfoil hat and calling it now, I think there is a SLIM possibility we'll get weird romantic undertones. But like. That's it. I'm not saying anything explicit. But likeeeeeeeee this idea has been toyed with since the 60s in the novel between Ulysse and Zira. I recently read the book and rewatched all 9 movies and I'm surprised at the unusual amount of romance. So there's a precedent. That's all I'm saying. Alrighty carrying on, lol.

I think the ape elder Noa speaks with (Koro, I think?) dies here while Noa is falling off one of those phone towers his clan lives in. Rip.

We are FINALLY getting more female apes. Two at the forefront, and I think I see a few in the background. Which was my one nitpick in the Caesar trilogy. I expected the lack of girls in the originals, but in the more modern ones? Cmon.

Now I'm just waiting on a female orangutan and gorilla, please 🙏

Also, remember the blue sweater he gives Mae? I think I see it on the ground. What happened here? I notice Noa is caught in a net trying to reach his spear. I think Mae fell in the water because of the concept art we've been shown. Can apes swim? I sure hope so.

And there's so much more I wanna talk about, but I'll let my thoughts rest and go to bed. It's getting late.

#planet of the apes #pota #kotpota #kingdomoftheplanetoftheapes #kingdom of the planet of the apes #planetoftheapes #mae #noa #proximus caesar #soona #wes ball

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thewormformerlyknownasletojrjr · 1 year

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Sometimes self care is rewatching Dune (2021) and going on and on about ‘the symbolism of this or that’ or how ‘something here is a nod to the sequels’ or ‘look how the casting characterizes the house atreides’ or ‘the music here is phenomenal, it foreshadows gurney’s fate later on’ or ‘I think the difference in the vocalizing in the soundtrack here is deliberate’ until whoever you’re watching it with is ready to commit murder to shut you up.

But it’s just so phenomenal that you can watch it and catch new things each time, the visual and auditory storytelling in the background gives you so much! All these little things that go unnoticed until you see and want to jump out of your seat at them, let’s talk about that.

Let’s talk about how Jessica is always hooded when her scenes are associated with her Bene Gesserit powers and upbringing, how you can literally watch her out her hood down or up mid scene as she transitions from mother and concubine to an obedient disciple, how it foreshadows her struggle in the books all the way through Children of Dune.

Let’s talk about how well done the foreshadowing of the jihad is, how even this early on we can see the start of what is integral to Paul’s conflict in Messiah, how that feeling of helplessness about a destiny he doesn’t want will keep him frozen and unable to stop what’s in motion, how Messiah is such an incredible book because it ties into the dystopian trope wherein revolutionaries become like those they once revolted against, but how it’s so much more fascinating than some of the ways we see it in modern dystopias, because it’s the main characters who are following the pattern, not just watching in horror as those they fought with change for the worse, but actually experiencing it, horrified at what they’ve done and what they will continue to do, frozen and so unable or unwilling to do what needs to be done to stop it, how the movie is still in the stage where they are noble and valiant, but it makes sure to show the dread of what it coming, how it does such a good job of showing the burden of foresight that is so integral to Dune, the way that even as they see the future and can attempt to change it, they know that no matter their decisions, horrible things will come, how it shows Paul as scared hating the power he was given and blaming his mother and her aspirations, how the atreides family never wanted to be great, they wanted to be good, how Paul is coming to see that great and good cannot always coexist, how you look at this boy and you can genuinely see how he will become the man saying ‘Believers, all of them’ how Dune is such a hard story to get right because you watch someone devolve and stand by why horrible things are done without seeing him as a terrible person from the start, without the boy and the man seeming irreconcilable from one another, how the movie actually is on the right track even though the end result is unpalatable to the majority of society, how they are showing the white savior trope in a way that is thus far complaint with how it is deconstructed later on, how they have the epic notes of the beginning without going in a direction that makes the ending impossible.

Let’s talk about how they cast the Atreides family as beautiful people, but not soft, not tamed to modern standards, aristocratic in their looks in such a way that you believe they have been nobility for centuries, maybe millennia, slightly untouchable, dangerous, like those in power during the Italian Renaissance, how Paul looks young but also ethereal and formal, the balance between boy and duke and messiah in his appearance, how Leto’s hair and beard make him not only regal but worn by politics, cold and formal yet fatherly all at once, how Jessica’s ghostly pale complexion nods to her Harkonnen ancestry in the books and how she is beautiful in a way that seems not entirely human, how the other members of the Atreides house are each unique and full of character, not designed to fit a palette or aesthetic, whereas the Harkonnens have an eerie similarity that shows how little they value free will, how the Harkonnens are not dramatized to emphasize their characterization but rather understated, devoid of emotion save for rare explosive moments, how they echoed this in their design, making them blank slates, taking away rather than adding, leaving them almost human, but not quite, enough to trigger that ancient animal instinct in a person that says ‘something is wrong here, something is dangerous’ rather than making them fit in with the conventions of a time period or trend as to how to look evil.

Let’s talk about the soundtrack, how the epic music playing when House Atreides lands on Arrakis is echoed as Gurney and his men charge at the Harkonnens who so greatly outnumber them, how this not only ties you emotionally to the battle, hearing this dying cry of the Atreides, more so than the music continuing to be dark and foreboding through it all, but also how it foreshadows the survival of Gurney and the small group of men with him, living to reunite with Paul later on.

Let’s talk about how throughout the soundtrack we have women vocalizing, the emphasis on the power of the Bene Gesserit and how in Leto’s death scene we diverge from this trend, how he was so powerless against all these grand plans but he still took a stand, still ended things on his own terms.

Let’s talk about how Jessica doesn’t answer when Leto asks her to protect Paul as a Bene Gesserit. Let’s talk about the bull and the matador, the symbolism there. Let’s talk about the emphasis on medieval and renaissance headdresses on the Bene Gesserit, the significance of choosing attire from a time when the Catholic Church was in the peak of its power. Let’s talk about the nods to Gurney’s music. Just, look at all this stuff in the movie that you barely even notice, the first time. All the planning that went into it, how to fit in all these little nods, how to stay true to who the characters are in the present while also beginning to show who they will become. Let’s talk about it.

Though maybe not to the people I was watching the movie with. I don’t actually have a death wish.

#dune #dune frank herbert #paul atreides #children of dune #dune messiah #lady jessica #leto atreides #dune 2021 #visual storytelling #soundtracks #movie appreciation #wow this got long #that part in messiah when he says ‘believers’ hits me like a punch in the gut

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defectivefanboy · 10 months

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Howl J. Pendragon x Gn!Reader

this is pure self indulgence. No I am not apologizing. No I am not sorry and yes I am a glutton for punishment.

Overall Notes: Stories written on this blog are GN until specified. While this story uses they/them pronouns, and I don't mind female readers on my blog, I do not write for y'all, and if you are a fetishizer fuck off????????????????? ew.

C/W: Angst no comfort. Howl being a low-key asshole, and a man whore. Self deprecation.

Notes: I have been rewatching this movie like a psychopath

Steps to loving a fool...

People will tell you all the ways they fell for a fool and how they loved a fool.

How they whisked them away off their feet with such carefree nature.

But they also recall how it hurt to let them go at the end.

They always say a bird does not belong in a cage

Because there are many steps to loving a fool, but there are only a few key steps you need to keep in mind.

While the enjoyment and wonder of it is exciting at first a person can only take so much before they finally collapse in on themselves like a star.

Step 1: A fool is as free as the wind.

For as long as you could remember he's always moved as if he was the wind himself.

Maybe it was because he could fly and walk? on air

Being with him was like you were floating

God, to be above the clouds with him once again

To feel as free as he does every day of his life

But you've never seen him settle down, even within his own home.

Always adding a new room, or waking up in a new place with new doors.

That amazement you feel when you hear the click of the door and then the new location or sight before you

Oh is that a new book? What does that trinket do?

The fascinated look on his face always captured your attention more then the trinket did most days

His magic never failed to excite you, only brought you more wonder in what he was capable off

Every time he came through the door he always brought something new

Always something new, something that brought change within the castle

Something was always changing.

Step 2: A fool changes like the seasons

Never get too comfortable and never get used to anything.

As cozy as the house was, he was changing it to how he liked at that moment.

It would become a maze of new rooms and halls.

All the more room for him to make a mess.

Sometimes even a new explosion, opening a new window in the castle.

Yet, you can never develop a habit. Can never maintain a routine

Never able to get a schedule down

Never able to understand what he was doing

Never able to even assume what he's doing

Never able to assume you know what he's thinking.

It's only a matter of time before he changes his interest.

Last month it was simple Science

Today? making a plant into a horse

Tomorrow? Only he knows.

Markl, while a good kid, was on the back burner of the wizards mind sometimes

maybe even a lot of the times, but he always made it up to him with long lessons and studies with the boy.

Guess you weren't even on his mind now a days

You can't blame him though

it's not like you had an altitude for magic or anything.

You didn't have any knowledge from a great beyond

You honestly should've known

The first few months were bliss was him

then it became every few days, every few weeks... every few months... every few y-

Step 3: A fool is never shackled down

When was the last time you made a proper friend?

Calcifer and Markl were both a lovely chat.

But, you could only talk about so much within an ever moving home.

Sure, you've made a few acquaintanceships, but never more than that.

You didn't have enough time to make friends anyways

Didn't stay long ever to keep them either

You would leave town as fast as you came in.

Appearing one night then disappearing the next.

And the excitement of it disappeared just as quick.

Realization only hit quicker.

Watching fling after fling after fling after fling after-

What was it that made them different?

Maybe thats why he's always running away

Being around too long would make too much of an attachment

That means commitment

It means it's no longer just him

A fool carries their own burdens, they don't need the burdens of other as well

He already has his own worries

what made you think he would care for yours?

At first he was attentive, the soft grazing touches he gave felt as if he was treating you as fragile glass

Any force and you would shatter

When did you shatter?

Do you remember when you did?

Did he even realize that you did?

Step 4: A fool won't listen to anyone, but themselves

The house was a mess

Covered in waste from failed potions and experiments.

Molded food and trash everywhere, no matter how much it got cleaned

You had told him that witch wasn't good news

You said she was hiding something from him. From everyone.

Everyone could see he was gonna end up hurt

Yet, you were the wrong one

He's was in love couldn't you see

You wanted this to happen, didn't you?

For him to settle down?

You always said to slow down

Why was it an issue now?

If you don't like it why do you care about it?

You shouldn't be here anymore then

"Why do you always incise on being a nuisance?!"

You have over stayed your welcome.

Silence lingered in the room

The ever so witty fire demon was at a lost for words even

All he could do was watch as you turned away from him and walked to your room.

He watched the ground as you walked away and slammed the door.

He was about to let out a sigh before a second slam followed again.

This time a few steps away

"porthaven door..."

He watched the door in surprise, the dial clicking into place.

sighing finally he turned to the stairs

"Calcifer, warm up a bath"

Step 5: A fool only learns after they have lost themselves

He was sure you would be back the next morning

You always came back, even when he was clearly in the wrong

Even when he would spew hateful words at you for the littlest of thing

You always came back

But when morning came, the castle was as still as it was left the night before.

He realized it’s gone too far

The soft cracks in the glass finally broke

that prideful wizard finally began to break

ode to the boy who shallowed a star in exchange for his heart…

who had lost the only thing that filled the space…

#foolish writing #howls moving castle #howl jenkins pendragon #howl pendragon #howl x reader #howl x male reader #howl x gn reader #howl jenkins x reader #howell jenkins

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gffa · 8 months

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The latest ending of Ahsoka really made me realize one of the big problems with Felony's writing and why so much of the Masndo-verse and Felony's modern writing falls flat compared to OWK and Andor. Shock value. A BIG twist cliffhanger that leaves us all mouth open and HYPING up the next episode in hope and filling the forums with discussions in anticipation. Understandably, he can't write what we wrote in our heads for 7 days and top that. 1.

2. But once that shock is gone when the story has moved onto the next big thing, or you watch it again when you know what it pays off in, or watch the whole series or season again, it just doesn't hold up. It's empty. Vapid. Because it's all about the shock. The twist. The discussion. The hype fodder. It's not saying anything or adding anything. OWK and Andor was a lot better at that, without the use of the nostalgia baiting that Felony relies on. 3. It becomes an endless circle of low lows and high highs, while OWK and Andor both slowly built up to the crescendo of discussions and speculations and both have stayed in the fandom consciousness alot longer thanks to that. And because they have something to say, both to the world and to the viewer. While with the Felony and the Fraudrou verses, it's just a constant barrage of oh wow, moving on, what's next? ehh, it's over, let's move on.

I feel like one day I'm going to do a longer analysis on why exactly Filoni's writing feels weak to me (where I try to be more fair than I'm usually feeling about his writing), because I don't think he's without a lot of talent and there's certain things he really does get about Star Wars, but I think so much comes back to that he's a writer who is caught in a difficult position--playing in someone else's sandbox but has to now establish his own new corners of that sandbox and I'm not sure he's strong enough to be a big picture kind of guy when he works better in smaller focus. His work on TCW and Rebels is content that we do come back to again and again for analysis, during my rewatches of both those series, those shows hold up! But I think they're ones where he had stronger guardrails up, and he was forced to stick to things in one place. I think live action has been bad for Filoni's writing because of the way so much is structured, that there are multiple series going on and I feel like his writing doesn't have the patience to actually tell a story in a single space, that's why we get Grogu's story being split between The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, that's why we get Mandalore's story being splintered across Rebels, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and now Ahsoka. We still haven't even seen half of the events that happen in the Mandalore bigger story! And you're right that he and Favreau both lean too hard on the cameos and echoes/rhymes for nostalgia's sake. And those reference points are often extremely fun in the moment! And I'll grant that the Luke episodes are ones I go back to fairly often, because I think there's some really good content in there about what attachment actually means. But I don't think it's that surprising, looking back, how quickly the Favroni shows fell apart for us and how it doesn't feel like they're establishing anything that can support a bunch of books and comics. I suspect that Disney's not allowed to have books/comics/etc. based on Favroni's shows because they want creative control over those characters while they're still actively writing for them, but also I look at the OT and the PT and look how much was built off those movies+TCW as a foundation, I look at how much you're able to still watch those and find new things to analyze, and I just don't feel that with Filoni's writing anymore, not since Rebels, not to that level, anyway. (I'll grant that I've been a lot more excited about the Ahsoka series and what we can say about it/find in analyzing it than I expected, I expected nothing but shitposts like we did with Mandalorian s3, but I've had fun with serious meta in Ahsoka! I was genuinely excited to come on-line after episode 4 and talk about themes and structure and how well Filoni did with that there!) Ultimately, I think Filoni (and Favreau) both have a lot of talent, but I think they're being pushed too hard to make too much too quickly and that it shows that they're making this up as they go along, rather than that they had a vision they've been crafting for years and any kind of idea of where they want the end goal to be. Like, yeah, Lucas wrote some stuff on the fly, he changed his mind about things along the way, but he had an end point in mind for his story, so the echoes/rhymes felt more resonant for me. Favroni don't feel like they have any idea where they're going and so much winds up feeling like shock value and self-reference for nostalgia bad for me instead of something that's Going Somewhere.

#lumi.txt #star wars #dave filoni #sw negativity

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stories4thepack · 4 months

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Evil or Broken?

Spider Gwen x Villian Reader

Warnings: swearing, violence, blood, death (Jolly stuff right?)

(This might become a two partner or even a series depending on the popularity/ comments)

“Villains. Stories depict them as emotionless, and movies display them as hateful. The newspapers create blood thirsty monsters, but the internet declares that they lack humanity. Whoever you ask, villains will always be the bad guys, never has anyone paused to actually discover what happened to them.

Hero’s are the good guys, the ones celebrated and praised, the ones holidays are named in honor of. They are the ones allowed to tell their tales and they are the only ones who own the tragic origin stories.”

What about your story?

Gwen Stacy was your best friend. You had known her since she was 4, but when you grew up, you realized that you saw her as more. Her deep eyes never failed to put you in a trance and her gentle, humorous tone brought a warmth to your chest. You always felt nervous around her, terrified you would say or do anything to make her aware of your growing feelings. You loved Gwen Stacy.

Then the worst happened, a serum twisted a man into a monster, who the news called ‘The Lizard’. You were told to stay inside for your own safety, but your brother, Peter Parker, was out there somewhere. Something had told you that he was in danger. So, you ran to find him.

Spider-woman was fighting the Lizard when you happened across them, she was throwing punch after punch and web after web. But the creatures clawed hands grasped her by the waist, throwing her against a nearby wall. She slumped against it, groaning in pain. You had little time to think before you threw yourself in front of the girl

You would never forget the feeling of the creatures' claws tearing through your stomach and every night, you rewatched as your blood flew across the alleyway and how Ghost-spiders covered hands grasped your body as you collapsed.

“Tell Gwen I’m sorry.”

You had told Ghost-Spider as she held you in her arms. Your vision was dark, but you watched as she tore her mask from her head, revealing her perfect face from beneath it. Blood covered her suit, but she couldn’t care. She held your body as you muttered you last words.

“I love you.”

Your hand fell limp in hers, a tear frozen on your emotionless face. The Lizard stood silent and still, perhaps fighting his instincts, perhaps aware of what he had just done, perhaps your brother looked on in horror behind his slit eyes. You would never know. The fight ended with both parkers lying dead in the dark alleyway and you never knowing about your brother’s crimes.

Later, when you awoke to a burning sensation spreading through your body and the reeking smell of death from the darkness you lay in. You knew you shouldn’t be there, not just in the morgue you discovered you lay in but also in existence. You knew that you should not be alive.

You had managed to wriggle into a jacket and clambered out of the Morgue, too weak to walk and managed to discover your invulnerability when attacked by a pack of stray, rabid dogs lurking nearby. The other abilities followed suit, your increased strength and speed allowing you to throw the mutts aside, the claws sharp enough to dig into brick that pulled you up the alley wall, the instincts and endurance of a creature far beyond your own, allowing you to throw yourself from the top of the 7ft high building to the busy street below. It was as if you were injected with a serum that gave you the same abilities as The Lizard, but without the hideous, blood thirsty monster.

Your first thought was to find Gwen and driven by desperation to pull her into your arms, you followed her scent. You watched her leave school, head held down, books clasped to her chest. The left side of her head had been shaved and the stench of depression filled your nose. You crouched on the edge of the balcony, claws digging into the stone, a growl rippling past your lips at the sad sight. Gwen's head snapped upward, meeting the unfamiliar gaze of the figure lurking on the roof, a white doctor's coat thrown over their shoulders and bloody bandages covering every inch of their body. She sees the figure stiffen, head tilting in curiosity. They turn quickly, leaving the girl to dart home, struggle into her suit before allowing her Spidey senses to guide her to the being.

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“How did we get here Gwen?”

You ask from beneath the metal mask. The memories that were made over a year ago fading away, allowing you to return to the dark cell you kept your prisoner in. Her wrists cuffed in heavy chains. You wear a black shirt with matching trousers, above that were silver armor plates covering your chest, shoulder and knees. A dagger hangs off the left side of your belt and a pistol on the other. The news had depicted you as a Villain. As an emotionless, hateful, blood thirsty monster lacking all sense of humanity. They called you “The Shadow”, catchy right?

“I keep telling you, I don’t know who Gwen is!”

Ghost-spider calls from behind you, her mask still on even though you desire to rip it from her face. You can hear her heart pounding beneath her suit, she was scared, perhaps terrified of you.

“I have done nothing wrong Gwen; you are here because I do not want to hurt you.”

She snorts, making your head snap towards her, your eyes growing into a burning green, one that Gwen recognized and fears immediately; Peter Parkers eyes went the exact same color before he turned into The Lizard. Before she killed him. The news depicted her as a murderer, that she was responsible for the fate of two “innocent” siblings, and in some sickening sense, she was.

“You murdered Peter Parker.”

You state, turning slowly towards her, she stutters unable to make words, too shocked that her captor brought that up and too terrified to act.

“Why-why? Are you doing this? For him? To Finish his work?”

You grab her throat.

“He did nothing wrong!”

Your anger drives your actions as you finally rip her mask from her head. Revealing her terrified face from beneath the fabric. The sight makes you release your grip, your eyes fading to a color Gwen recognizes, the eyes now filled with the life she saw leave you but lacking the deep gentleness she’d fallen in love with.

“Y-Y/n?”

She asks, watching as you turn the other way. She can see a tear roll down your cheek, vanishing underneath your metal mask, she fights the instinct to pull you into her arms, not even sure if it is you. Your hand reached up to your mask, pressing on a button on the side which clips it open, it falls away in your hand, revealing the long scars trailing up the side of your face, disappearing into the hair hidden under your black hood. Gwen sobs, her hand reaching up to your head, you freeze, allowing her to lightly trail the marks in your skin. The Lizards claws replaced by Gwens feather light touch.

“You-your alive.”

She cries, her words mixing with the sobs crawling up her throat. The sound breaks the heart you thought you had lost, bringing that familiar, welcome warmth back to your chest, pushing out the cold.

“How?”

she finally asks, to which your shrug, sadly shaking your head. A question you are yet to answer yourself. Gwen leans into you, placing her forehead against your shoulder.

“NO!”

You roar, tearing away from her, the voice does not belong to you, its hisses and burns in your throat. You claw at your head, hood falling away to reveal your hair, cut lazily short and covered in mud. You bark, black veins crawling up your throat as your eyes darken to an evil emerald.

“Shut up!”

You beg, falling against the wall beside Gwen. You thrash, bark, cry, the mask falls from your hand and crashes loudly on the stone floor. You lurch onto the ground, claws digging into the stone as your back arches and teeth grind against each other.

“No, I will not hurt her!”

You scream, fighting whatever creature you have inside you. Gwen begins to fight her chains, attempting to tear them from her wrists as you pound on the floor, bloodying your fist as you break into the stone. She screams your name, begging you to stop and stares at the blood flowing down your hand.

“Gwen is Spider woman”

You suddenly sigh, head turning eerily towards her as if you had become possessed. A snarl pushed past your lips as you carelessly crawled onto your feet. Gwen sobs petrified of whatever you were fighting.

“And Spider woman killed your brother.”

You stalk towards her, the voice muttering from your mouth was not a welcome or comforting sound. It croaked and hissed with every violent spasm causing your body to shake and twitch.

“Y/n-”

“And she didn’t even kill The Lizard, did she? He is still out there, somewhere!”

“NO, NO I killed him. He is dead!”

“SHUT UP!”

The creature screams. Gwen can see the way your jaw tightens, as if attempting to silence the creature. You had been corrupted by whatever serum you had been injected with, no doubt by your brother. Gwen tugs at the chains, stumbling forward as they fall partly from the wall.

“She killed your brother because she hates you.”

The creature continues to mutter through your mouth, taking another menacing step closer. Gwen tears at the metal around her wrists, her fingers finally digging under them.

“A life for a life.”

You mutter, throwing yourself at the hero. She tears her hand through the metal quickly enough to be able to web herself away from the claws aimed at her head. You bark, eyes snapping up to where she is stuck on the ceiling, amazed that she has broken free.

“Coward.”

You scream, leaping at the brick wall before stalking your way up, never breaking eye contact. Gwen lifts her hand up, attempting to show that she is not armed, but your approach does not cease.

“Your brother was The Lizard, Y/n, and I can almost guarantee that he-”

“Shut up.”

You scream, but there is something behind the words, mixed with animalistic growls. Pain. She knew she was getting through to you, knew that you were listening to her.

“I can almost guarantee that whatever he injected himself with, he injected into you! It just hasn’t had the same effect.”

You freeze, muttering under your breath before screaming again. The sound makes Gwen flinch, but she continues, watching the way your eyes flicker from green to their normal color and back again.

“I did kill him Y/n, when I fought him. You died, you died in my fucking arms, and I could do nothing. I saw the creature and-”

She swallows back the lump in her throat, you haven't moved, head tilted and watching her. The emerald glare had reduced to a lighter, broken gaze which made more tears flow down her hot cheeks.

“I was angry, I had lost you. It hurt and I just- I just wanted revenge. I had no idea he was, that he had turned into that creature. I am sorry. For everything.”

You growl, approaching slowly, almost appearing cautious during the action. Gwen keeps her hand raised in case you aren’t truly back.

“You're lying.”

You suddenly shout and pounce at her, Gwen shoots a web at you before pulling it and you onto the floor below. You hit the ground hard, groaning as you attempt to get up. Your hand goes to your head, blood dripping down the side of it. Gwen lands elegantly on the floor, raising her hands again to show she will not hurt you, that you know now to be a lie. Your blood covers the tips of your finger when you take your hand away from the wound, a smile spreads across your face at the sight of it. Your skin immediately begins to knit itself back together and there is quickly no wound in sight. Gwen takes a step back as you begin to cackle

“You can hurt me as much as you like, but you will have to kill me to win!”

You leap once more at the startled hero, able to force your claws into her shoulder and pin her against the wall. Your talons press against the skin of her throat, she looks into your eyes, praying for some sign of you beyond your feral stare.

“Tell me why I should not avenge my brother right now?”

“He was the Lizard.”

She responds quickly, hoping that the fact he became a creature that wreaked havoc on the city would get through to you. You force her head against the wall, making her cry out.

“Would you kill me then? Am I no longer a friend to you because I am the villain.”

Gwen freezes, hearing the slight familiarity in your voice and how the reptilian hisses of your words attempt to smother your own, human voice. Gwen’s hand goes to the side of your face, the action makes you flinch before digging your claws deeper into her skin, she hisses in pain, a tear welling up in her eye. Gwen feels her heart pounding with fear and perhaps something else as she mutters

“You’re so much more than a friend to me.”

She hears a breath catch in your throat and notices the way your gaze darts to her lips for a brief second before you shake your head. You growl again, but the hero hears the whine hiding behind the sound.

“Please, don’t kill me yet.”

She begs as your claws dig deeper into her throat, the first drops of blood dripping onto your talons. You shake your head again, desperate to both break free and remain captive. Your eyes meet hers again, your emerald gaze filled with apologetic tears as your dig your claws deeper into her skin

“Just- give me a final moment to do this”

Before you have time to respond, she presses her lips to yours, grasping your shoulders as you attempt to break free. She presses her body against yours, keeping her lips firmly in place as her eyes close. She feels you growl against her, before your hand falls away and she is pushed firmly against the wall, your lips pressing desperately into her own. You purr slightly as her hand trails up your neck and into your hair, melting in her hold. When she finally breaks away, your head goes to her shoulder, face disappearing into the crook of her neck as you wrap your arms around her.

“Y/n”

She mutters, wrapping her arms tightly around you, desperate not to let you go again. If only she knew what was to happen….

(I will do more parts if wanted, also, I was thinking of doing another Wednesday x vampire reader or even another character x vampire reader form the series. Let me know what you think)

#Gwen Stacy #hailee steinfield x reader #jenna ortega #requests #fanfic #hailee steinfeld #Superhero x villian #villian reader #Avengers #Avengers x reader #spider woman x reader #spider woman #ghost spider #ghost spider x reader #vampire #ghost spider fanart #spider gwen #miles morales #spiderverse

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gurindeen · 5 months

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Rant time!

I have just finished watching Catching Fire after rereading the Catching Fire book and???? WHERE IS PEETA. Where is Peeta the whole time in this movie? He just kind of sits there with quizzical looks on his face. I get it, it’s a long story to condense into 2h26min, but. Peeta is such a central character in this book. I’m upset.

I may be overfangirling this but if I didn’t know the story I guess I’d be really confused as to why Katniss wanted Peeta to be the one who lives so badly. I just feel like he wasn’t given much depth in the CF movie. Which is weird considering I think the movies did a pretty good job with that in THG. Peeta is so brilliant, kind and present this entire book.

On top of that, Katniss and Peeta don’t really seem to share what is going on, or even support each other that much. Aside from the scene where Peeta’s heart stops, which is very good, they feel distant. When they talk on the beach, it feels off. Why do you even need him, movie!Katniss? You look like coworkers or something. Weird. Where is everlark understanding and leaning on each other so much that Katniss wouldn’t risk Peeta removing his goddamn makeup in his own room because they might lock him away from her for the night? You know what I mean?

And what’s with Katniss kissing Gale before the reaping, while he’s fully awake and well? That is substantially different from kissing him when he was passed out and wishing him to not remember it the day after. (not me whining because evethorne got this and we didn't get the picnic scene)

What irks me the most about all of this is: why? I’m pretty sure it was of knowledge when the movie was made that Peeta mattered quite a lot to the story and to Katniss - because if he didn’t, if he was just some cute teammate with a crush on her, who she gives only one and a half fuck about - none of it would have happened. No berries, no defiance, no Snow using Peeta to hurt the Mockingjay and deeply as he could. No reason to have hope, no dandelion. No revolution!

With Peeta, I feel like this movie stripped him down to ill assorted bit of the love triangle. Which is not only annoying, but downright Capitol level of treating love as marketing. And stupid, because, as I hinted above, the books where already fully out, right? Before rewatching CF, I was just talking to a friend who hasn't read the books and she said - oh, I didn't think Katniss actually liked Peeta, thought it was just the shared trauma. Yes. That's what it looked like in this movie. And not because they were trying to not focus on love, because they've amped the love triangle thing up. So I don't get it. Why do you always have to take a nice character and treat them like less just because they’re nice? (Ron Weasley I'm talking about you) Tell me, am I exaggerating? Do I just love Peeta too much?

#peeta mellark #catching fire #catching fire movie #everlark #rant

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