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byers-bowlcut · 1 year

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Mike’s love for El being platonic, and not romantic, and realizing it over the course of season 3 reconciles nearly every contradiction with his behaviour.

He stands like a gay scarecrow as she kisses him in front of Will’s closet. That's him realizing that when he blurted out "I love her and I can't lose her again!" he meant it platonically. But her saying "ily too” WAS CLEARLY NOT PLATONIC, so now he’s left very confused (If he was simply shocked by the fact that she overheard him, he would’ve been surprised initially, and then kissed her back, and been all emotional and happy. But he wasnt.)

In fact he probably realized his heart fluttered when Will said “not possible” to him in the scene literally 1 minute prior, but NOT when his gf was attempting to make out with him? That’s clearly a problem! lol

This leads flawlessly into season 4.

Mike has apparently been refusing to even write the word 'love’ in his letters for 6 whole months. Why? Cause he didn't want them to look like love letters.

Meanwhile, he’s jealous of Will painting something for a girl. So he argues with Will about growing apart.

El argues with him about not saying ily. In the fight, he deflects romantic connotations with words like “care” and superhero idolization that he seems suuuper into this season.

He NODS when Will says “What if they don’t like the truth?”. That’s him thinking “Yeah, El won’t like the truth that I don't return her romantic feelings.”

In the van, he says their meeting was dumb luck and anyone could've been there for her that night. That’s hinting that he was just being a decent human. Not that it was a fated love at first sight meeting.

Then Will says, “You’re afraid of losing her”. And THAT is the true issue here.

This whole concept of ‘losing El’ (be it in relationship/daily life, or in death), is scary to Mike, because of what he went through seasons 1-2. At 12 years old, he saw another kid that he developed a bond with, die right in front of his freaking eyes. But they didn’t have a body or anything. So Mike kept getting signs and intuitive feelings that she was still alive. So he questioned his own sanity. For a WHOLE YEAR. Can you imagine how traumatic that is? And then for a kid that age?? That’s exactly why he develops an unhealthy codependency with her in Season 3. And we see it have a negative impact on the unity of the party, and on Will.

But a traumatic response doesn’t change the fact that Season 3 transitions us through the party’s puberty and growth into teenage hood.

And because of said puberty, Mike starts to realize what actual attraction towards someone is, or in this case… isnt.

Like if we think about the first two seasons, for a 12-13 year old living in that type of society, era, and a picture perfect white suburban American family, it would’ve been really really hard to figure it out back then! Like simply becoming very close friends with the opposite gender caused everyone (cough Nancy cough Lucas) to tell him that “ooooh you must like her”. So yeah, he thinks “I really must like her”. Because he does! He just can’t separate it from actual romantic attraction at that point due to age, and strong heteronormative standards, and no role models like Jonathan telling him “it’s okay to stray from the norm bro”. So of course he acts on it? That’s the NORM. He’s like, “You’re supposed to take a girl you like to the ball”, “We're supposed like girls now”, “This is what growing up means”, “This what old people do”. Like HELLO? Mike says stuff similar to that constantly. Dustin and Lucas do not. So yeah, it can be easily be read as heteronormativity. Not romantic attraction!

And so despite wanting to spend every day in the summer with El because of copious amounts of trauma from S1-2, he can’t continue believing its romantic attraction when his hormones say otherwise.

Like just look at their kissing scenes S3-4:

Seasons 3 starts with him pulling her hands OFF of him when kissing. He’s voluntarily kissing her instead of spending time with his friends, cause he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to do as he’s “not a kid anymore!”, yet he’s evidently not even enjoying it if he’s taking her hands off lol. Then by the end of the season he doesn’t even kiss back, and has his eyes wide open. Then six months later, when he’s way more self aware of his own feelings, this dude wears SUNGLASSES to the airport. We (and all the characters there) can’t even see his true expression when kissing her. And what’s more, he puts the bouquet of flowers between their bodies, to SEPARATE FASTER. When he could’ve very easily put that hand/arm around her, not between them (that's what he does with his other hand holding the bags).

And all of this: all this repression, the contradictions, the unsaid things... it all culminates to the monologue. Will told Mike in the van that El really needed him. And then Will reminds him of this again when El is in the piggyback, cause Will is annoying! (jokes lol). So of course, all rationality, all of Mike's realizations or progression, goes out the window. After all, he is THE HEART. He is needed by her. He can’t go through what he went through in season 1-2 again! It doesn’t matter if it’s not totally true. He needs to tell her what she wants to hear so she won’t DIE. The stakes are extremely high. So he delivers. He even takes all his knowledge of mediocre romance stories, and blurts out that it was love at first sight. It's silly to us the audience, cause if you actually go back and watch season 1 you can see that it's not even fucking true.

So why would he lie? Well because he doesn’t KNOW when he fell in love with El. Because he never fell in love with her. So yeah. It’s PLATONIC with a capital P.

(And to add a cherry on top, he gives his sister’s ring to her jfc)

#mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #bi mike wheeler #btw im not trying to say 'mike isn't attracted to women period'#i'm just saying he sees EL platonically #my post can be interpreted as gay mike ofc #but i'm not trying to discount bi mike either #sexuality is a spectrum #bi kids can also confuse feelings due to heteronormativity #byler #will byers #elmike

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iamacolor · 2 years

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HeyI have a question for my fave kdramatual 🥰 Have you ever watched a drama and noy enjoyed it? I always see you write beautiful things in the tags but I don't know if you've already had a not so fond memory about a drama.

hello anon, very happy to be called that 💜

I'm glad you're enjoying what I'm saying about the shows I love but yes that has definitely happened haha (and I'm taking this ask as an opportunity to do some complaining) Tbh there are many dramas I've watched and not talked about a lot on here because I'm often in-between watching airing dramas and watching ones that are already over and for those I don't really reblog/talk that much so if don't like them I'm more likely to just move on and not think about them again lol. And if I don't like a drama or get too bored even when I skip a lot I usually just drop it (ex: I dropped "our beloved summer" quite early on it just wasn't doing anything for me at all; I really liked the beginning of "do you liked brahms" but it felt too slow for me towards the end so I gave up (it clearly was meant to be slow and that's not a bad thing I just couldn't do it); I loved the beginning of "something in the rain", I was captivated but then it was so dark with how controlling the mother was despite the fact that the main character was grown up and all the obstacles to their relationship I just stopped and later on watched the last episode to see if they got back together lol).

But there have been a few dramas where I've really liked one or a few things about it and then disliked the rest so I've been torn because I kept watching for just one thing and skippking a lot of the rest. For example in "strong woman do bong soon" - which is the first drama I've watched - the main romance/two main characters were cute but the rest was way too much and over the top and unnecessary (what even was that mafia plot) and often offensive (her mother was hitting her father but it was turned as a joke, one of her colleague was such an awful gay caricature) so I would not recommend it; "imitation" was just weird because the main conflict of the show that really set off the characters on their present path - a trainee being brought to suicide and as a result her secret boyfriend leaving his very famous group and her trainee group's debut being delayed and how that impacted many other people and the pressures put on idols - wasn't actually the main plot which was about one of the guy from the famous group a few years later and a trainee from another company dealing with her debut and their romance so I was left with many questions and a lot of frustration; in "so I married an antifan" the main relationship was quite fun and kept surprising me positively despite the situation that the main character was in which was quite hopeless but they had one of the most annoying vilain ever I just ended up skipping his scenes he made me sooo angry and he kept getting worse - he beat up the main guy and manipulated his girlfriend as her boss and then slapped her ! - and they resolved it by him getting hit by a car as he tried to protect his girlfriend and then ending up in a wheelchair with his girlfriend taking care of him which made me so angry omg

Also amongst the shows I've giffed I really liked "dali and the cocky prince" for the two leads and their relationship and like two supporting characters and the comedy but omg did this show hate the main character she was given so much tragedy and pain and no break - and as a result not as much personality as the male lead tbh - and the vilain made me want to just turn my computer off everytime he came on screen and the male lead's family was just annoying annoying annoying and no change to be redeemed and way too much screentime ugh, "forecasting love and weather" started off sooo great omg the romance was so hot and it kept highlighting how marriage impacted women's lives and careers and independence etc but it just never lived up to its beginning and gave way too much importance to the annoying secondary characters who had cheated on the main characters and who clearly were not mature or in love enough to get married (and even less to have a baby omg and they didn't even let her go through with an abortion despite her wanting one and instead we were supposed to be happy about her working until the day she gives birth so she doesn't lose her job??) while the main couple could barely spend time together or actually communicate and they kept so much distance and kept dragging things and ugh that was a real let down I would not recommend it

I had a fun time remembering things to complain about (and there are some more) lol what about your own bad experiences with dramas?

#also I'm guessing even if we're mutuals you're too shy to come off anon but please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and everything 💜#anonymous #kdrama #I've got mail

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gravegroves · 3 years

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"steve kills neil" hell yeah, now we're talking

Lol, you wanna read it? Here ya go:

The newspaper article never mentions why Steve Harrington drove to Old Cherry Lane one early December morning and caved Neil Hargrove’s skull in with a nail studded bat. Though there are... rumours.

It doesn’t mention Neil's son -- well, it does, but it doesn't mention how the day before, Billy had limped and later crawled his way to Loch Nora, half frozen, barely conscious and almost unrecognisable to his boyfriend when he answered the scrambled knocking on the door.

(It doesn't mention how unsteady Billy was on his feet for weeks after, how the hearing in his right ear was almost completely gone and never really improved much in the years since or the seven -- seven -- broken ribs, the dislocated shoulder or the fractured collarbone.)

It doesn't mention how Steve had held Billy until he passed out from pain and exhaustion, barely able to breathe, but still able to make Steve swear not to take him to a hospital.

It doesn't mention Steve panicking for two hours. Listening to Billy's rasping breaths and not knowing what to do. Or Steve picking Billy up and, in a feat of pure desperation, carried him to his car. How he drove like a bat out of hell to a clinic two towns over and hoping to Christ that they'd be able to help.

It doesn't mention the one nurse who takes one look at Steve clutching Billy's limp hand and understands. Who calls her brother doing his residency at the local hospital and tells him to sneak out an IV bag and to come check out a patient. Or the other nurse who keeps the clinic open and stays with them all night, checking on Billy's concussion every few hours and squeezes Steve's shoulder whenever he looks seconds from breaking apart.

It doesn't mention Steve driving Billy home in the early hours of the morning -- taking him up to his room and laying him on the bed where Billy had laid many times before. How Steve had tried to touch Billy, to comfort him, but there isn't a patch of skin left unmarked or uninjured for him to run his fingers over. How he runs from the room to scream into his fist.

It doesn't mention Steve sprinting to his car, driving in silence -- so carefully. Wanting to get to his destination unfollowed and unbothered.

It doesn't mention Max answering the door, how she watches him standing on the porch with the nail bat clutched in his hand, or how she silently lets Steve move past her into the house and gently push her outside before he closes the door. Or how she walks down to sit on the curb beside their driveway. Refusing to cry.

---

It does mention the screams that startle a neighbour.

It does mention Susan Hargrove being shoved and locked into Billy's room after the first swing incapacitates her husband.

It does mention that Neil Hargrove's head had resembled more of a pulpy soup by the time Steve hits hard enough to embed the nails into the floor and leaves it there, poking up from the mess like a tombstone.

It does mention Steve walking calmly out onto the lawn, covered in blood and bits of brain to tell Max to go to the Sinclair's and to stay there.

It does mention Steve going home to change before turning up at the bank, draining his account and as much from his parents' as he can manage before he and Billy disappear.

It does mention the last place they were rumoured to have been seen: five states away, sitting in a diner and holding hands across the table.

It does mention the fact that the boys have yet to be found, some four years later.

---

It doesn't mention the people they left behind.

It doesn't mention that Nancy Wheeler chooses to abandon her dreams of becoming a journalist. That publishers are only ever interested in her stories if she's willing to talk about Steve Harrington. Her ex boyfriend. The Killer King of Hawkins High.

It doesn't mention how Steve's parents sell the house and leave Hawkins for good. How his father loses his job and his mother her bankroll. How they get divorced and never speak again and it's like their little charade of a family had never existed at all.

It doesn't mention that Tommy and Carol never regain any significant social standing at Hawkins High or that they leave the town not long after graduation. They are the couple that hung out with a killer and his suspected accomplice, possible gay lover, and in Hawkins, that's all they'll ever be.

It doesn't mention how Jim Hopper spends sleepless nights talking himself out of tampering with evidence. How one day, in desperation, he asks El to find either of the boys, but only gets a shake of her head in response and a firm: "Better like this."

It doesn't mention how Susan Hargrove, soon to be Mayfield once again, moves herself and her daughter to a different house. How she tries to repair the relationship with her daughter as best as she can, but the damage is mostly done.

It doesn't mention that Claudia Henderson cries herself to sleep for many nights after, thinking of all the times she let that boy near her precious Dusty.

It doesn't mention how Dustin still talks into his walkie talkie at night, tuned to a private frequency that never answers him back. How he buys a bottle of Farrah Fawcett hair spray and uses it religiously despite varied results. How sometimes, when the party meets up, he and Max will lock eyes and share a private moment of pain that neither of them can talk about out loud.

It doesn't mention the envelope Max receives two days before her graduation and three weeks before she moves out for good. It contains a photograph of two young men kissing in front of a huge ornate building, holding up their hands with matching rings.

It doesn't mention how Max smiles at the writing on the back, tucks it away for safekeeping and wonders if she can save enough to go to Europe before her first summer break at college. How Max already knows Dustin will join her.

---

It doesn't mention that Billy and Steve live happily ever after.

But they do.

#gravegroves writes #anon ask #tw: murder

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jostenneil · 3 years

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idk why but whenever you mention misery romance I always laugh because I’m like that. Whenever I read a romance shojo manga I always look forward to the conflict and the different ways lovers hurt each other. as much as I like wholesome couples, I like things to be shaken up a bit. Do you have any favorite miserable romance pairs?

just going to do short summaries with these since i have quite a few

tesadora and perri / the lumatere chronicles / when they were kids he tried to drown her and she carved a permanent scar into his forehead bc their peoples were severely at odds with each other and there’s just. so much misery it’s so good “we’d do cruel things to each other” and every time i evaporate

eugenides and irene / the queen’s thief / enjoyment of this series rests entirely upon going into it unspoiled but here’s a banger quote “i have been living with your grief and your rage and your pain ever since. i don’t think - i don’t think i had felt anything for a long time before that, but those emotions at least were familiar to me”

narnie and jude / jellicoe road / what happens when your parents die in a car crash and then all that’s left is your brother and the three friends you make except over the years everyone leaves or dies and what’s left is just you and a boy who can’t forgive each other for surviving

marco and connie / gangsta. / sometimes love is leaving the mercenary life behind bc seeing a girl cry after you kill her parents rattles you to your core and you spend every waking day after resolving to do better and she’s got anger and hope enough to hold you to that standard, to “a terrible curse to carry”

sasuke and sakura / naruto / we’ve already been over this but i think het hero worship is sexy! love it when girls are hopelessly in love with traumatized boys who make them cry and they have to suck it up and keep moving forward all the while their heart is breaking

bruce and talia / dc / extension of the above! sometimes romance is you and the dashing, brooding hero who swoops in to save you on occasion but is too emotionally unreliable to follow through all the way, so you save yourself and shelter yourself within the walls of your own heart despite the yearning and aching and knowledge that he loves you eternally

arata and taichi / chihayafuru / when the new kid in town is poor and you make fun of his pants and push him into a puddle but then somehow get roped into this weird freaking card game he’s insanely good at and now all you want to do for the next six years is be good enough for him to look at you as an equal. “a boy who showed me his cowardly side” haunts me

kou and aoba / cross game / ah, the inevitable crash and fall into love with a boy whom your sister loved first, before she drowned in a river over the summer at the age of ten, and you said to yourself, i’m going to hate this boy forever, i’m going to hate him for taking away my time with my sister. and then you don’t. you don’t hate him even a little bit

nate and elena / uncharted / i know tlou is the more famous nd game but frankly idgaf bc no one can give me on-again-off-again trauma drama like these two do. the way she almost died so they got married and then he LEFT? and then they got married again and he decided to go on another suicidal treasure hunt that also nearly broke their marriage like this is coney island by taylor swift ft. the national but as a video game saga

kakashi and obito / naruto / sorry to bring another naruto ship into this list but i simply feel like people die so often on the hill of narusasu when they don’t even come close to these two. like obito gave kakashi his freaking eye as he was dying and then kakashi killed the love of his life, and obito still had enough grace to go for the kill with minato first instead

the mcs’ polycule / wolf’s rain / there’s just a perfect element of misery romance in being a wolf who honors your friends by snapping their necks when they’re on the verge of death and want to go out of the world without suffering for long. a tragic tenderness if you will

suou and munakata / k project / i will be honest i hardly even remember the plot of this anymore it’s been like a decade since i watched it but you know when you’re constantly fighting each other to the death and one of you dies in the other’s arms, that’s always great misery romance. also spoilers ig lol now you gotta figure out which one dies :)

tsumugu and chisaki / a lull in the sea / when all of your friends and family are frozen underwater bc of the whims of a sea god! and you are the only one left on the surface! and a boy and his family take you in and you fall for him all the while but your heart resists and resists bc there’s a boy whom you love still left under the sea, not growing up while you do! and the boy on the surface loves you and waits for you anyway! GOD

kurogane and fai / clamp / every other clamp series has tragic gays but imo they are the best like there’s just so many blood pacts made between these two. it’s always a unique brand of misery romance when you give away parts of yourself to ensure another person’s survival and all they can do for a while is loathe you for it, bc they don’t believe themselves worthy of surviving

my head kinda hurts now but this is like a starter pack ig. maybe one day i can come up with more gjfkldhlgf

#mine:recs #asks

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criesinauthor · 4 years

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AQUAMARINE AU: THIS TIME I WATCHED IT

If this tastes familiar, I posted a bullshit version on my main ❤️ but here is the REAL DEAL Avatar the Last Airbender: Aquamairne AU

⁃ Azula and Zuko are spending their last summer on Ember Island

⁃ Azula is being begrudgingly clingy because it's their last summer together before Zuko starts working for their father's company and "leaves her just like their mother did >:("

⁃ Speaking of, in this verse their mother left on a ship during the last time they took a family vacation

⁃ A horrible storm happened and she was assumed lost at sea

⁃ Azula hates the ocean, Zuko hates thunder

⁃ Iroh runs a little beach shop with boba on Ember Island and he's living it up, we stan a king who minds his business and doesn't exploit the citizens he pillaged!

⁃ One night, a horrible storm happens while Azula is forcing Zuko to watch Jaws

⁃ She rags on him for being anxious and calls him a hypocrite

⁃ Even though she wishes for him to stay...

⁃ But the next day Azula falls into the pool and is CONVINCED she saw a fucking person

⁃ Then Jet the hot, piece of shit lifeguard (who broke her brothers heart 2 years ago but he is still morbidly fixated on) saves her ❤️

⁃ That night they return and there wasn't a person...there were two!!! and they're Mermaids

⁃ And they're fighting really loudly for two mythical creatures in the middle of a beach town

⁃ It's Sokka and Katara!

⁃ Sokka is in Love with Yue. He knows this because he is constantly people watching and has figured it out

⁃ and Katara has heard every last detail of it over the course of Her Entire Life

⁃ And honestly? She would like that for herself, please. No arranged marriage just because she's a "Princess" and love "isn't real."

⁃ She hates that shit!!!! She wants JUSTICE for aquatic women!

⁃ So she decided to go on land and prove it's real herself an impulsive Three Days before Yue's wedding

⁃ Sokka came with her because he is Annoying! And also fascinated with Humans. And also really wants her and Yue to be happy :)

⁃ which will not happen if his little sister fucks up because she hasn't put any research in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

⁃ So long story short, a storm swept them into this pool and they're arguing because Katara claims she's in love with "the seaweed mouth boy" and Sokka is like "katara love is more complicated than that" and she's like "but I can FEEL IT"

⁃ They stop dead in their fucking tracks when they realize Azula and Zuko have watched them the whole time

⁃ "Hello....Zuko here" Extends Gummy Worm

⁃ Azula is convinced they're crazy people and tosses it out of his hand which is fine and well because Katara Waterbends It The Fuck Back From Across the Pool

⁃ Which is enough proof for her they these are Real Mermaids From The Ocean SWIMMING in their uncle's POOL

⁃ But then the weird janitor boy who never talks and has Definitely killed a man (Longshot) comes out and they decide to book it

⁃ Next day they come back and uncle Drained the Fucking Pool which gives Zuko a minor heart attack and cracks Azula the fuck up despite her also being kind of worried.

⁃ But they hear muffled arguing from their uncle's boba shop and find Sokka and Katara wrapped in towels, totally fine, and Walking On Two Legs

⁃ Azula takes this as confirmation that they are, in fact, Fucking Imposters, until Katara waterbends gutter water onto her and she believes it again

⁃ She forces zuko to sacrifice his shirt and pants for them because he's wearing a wet suit even though he HATES walking around in just a wet suit like an asshole

⁃ He does so anyways and hates every minute

⁃ Despite all three of them protesting, Katara walks Right The Fuck UP to Jet and asks if he loves her

⁃ He does the whole "Ha. lol no. ur hot though ;) see you later ;)"

⁃ She is slightly demoralized but Soldiers On because her new friend Azula INSISTS she can make him fall in love with her

⁃ Azula has read every teen magazine so many times that she "has perfected a formula to make any man on earth fall in love in a matter of hours" she simply Chooses not to use it

⁃ Zuko and Sokka comment from the peanut gallery about how nonsensical that is

⁃ Until Azula implements operation damsel

⁃ AKA, we ride our bikes in front of Jet's house until he notices, then she throws Katara off of her handle bars to bait him into saving her

⁃ This Works but she did not tell anyone doing that on purpose was part of the plan

⁃ Cue Date!!!!

⁃ It's good but Zuko is sus and so is Sokka

⁃ Azula very pointedly (read: homophobicly) says Katara is Different and their relationship failed because he Lacks the Feminine Wiles girls like her and katara are Naturally Imbued with

⁃ That pisses him off but luckily Sokka reminds them the Fucking Sun Is Going Down and they'll turn into FISH AGAIN if they don't hurry

⁃ They bring them to the water tower and see them in Ambient Sunset Lighting as Mermaids for the First Time

⁃ Zuko & Azula: sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me

⁃ (It does)

⁃ Jet, king that he is, eventually gets suspicious and starts pressuring Katara, assumes that there's something up because of "those two boys she's always running off with" and katara rightfully gets Pissed the Fuck Off at him, and runs away tearbending

⁃ Zuko goes after her and tries to comfort her

⁃ Cue the "why am I leaking? why does love hurt? why would someone love if it hurts this much" "because love is the closest thing humans have to magic :")" scene

⁃ Azula and Sokka are like "emotions are kinda weird, right?" "so right" on the bike ride to water tower, sweet water tower

⁃ Unfortunately Jet Follows Them and is Even More Suspicious

⁃ The next day Azula and Katara are nursing their respectively broken hearts over this with Jennifer's Body and Ice Cream

⁃ But Jet keeps hounding Zuko (and by extension Sokka, who wants to learn about more human stuff) at the boba stand

⁃ Where he figures out clearly these two gentlemen are Gay and hang out with her as a means for Zuko to prove he's Rebounded

⁃ Which isn't ideal but, he is interested in Katara again and they both want her to succeed so they take him there, hijinks ensue, Katara is invited to the Last Splash

⁃ (And Zuko does kind of want to prove he's over it so Sokka offers to take him and they all go to the mall together and get makeovers)

⁃ (Golden Opportunity for a crocverse crossover because you look me in the face and tell me mermaids wouldn't wear CROCS!)

⁃ Success! Everyone said, not knowing Jet would follow her home after the date, and climb the water tower, and see her and Sokka are mermaids, and break the ladder, and figure he can expose them on the news for being mermaids, because that makes so much sense

⁃ Luckily Longshot and Iroh recognized the betrothal necklace and whale tooth necklace in the bottom of the pool as Mermaid Fodder, something they often discuss at their monthly pai sho game, and went to save them before Jet had the chance to fuck shit up

⁃ Unfortunately!!!!!!!!!!! This means Katara and Sokka don't know about this by the next day and Zuko and Azula have to go save them from getting exposed NOW!!!!

⁃ Katara asks him if he loves her Now, and he says "heh. I'm allergic to shellfish" then pushes her in the water

⁃ Sokka dives in after her

⁃ Zuko punches Jet square in the Face then dives in

⁃ Then Azula, in a moment of love fueled bravery, jumps in as well

⁃ The sky is thundering, a whirlpool is pulling them out to sea and There it Comes

⁃ "You can have our wish, wish you can stay here" "What? Why would you do that" "We love you, Katara!" "I didn't know you leak when you're happy too!"

⁃ The Storm Hath Ended

⁃ Jet gets fucking fired

⁃ but Katara and Azula swim together and are best fucking friends while Zuko and Sokka have the worst most awkward love confession in the history of the world

⁃ They kiss and Sokka's finger scales turn blush pink for the next week

⁃ The end!!!! Love wins, people!!! And ozai got eaten by a shark off screen, roll credits! La la land!

#niche au #zukka #zuko #sokka #azula #katara #atla au #atla #mermaid au #honorable mention to azula katara and sokka talking about the merits of kindness #as zuko just swims all the way to the faresr goddamn buoy so katara can have earrings

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goofatron · 3 years

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OC Personality Sheet

Tagged by: @skullharvester and @coraptedata Tagging: Anyone really lol

Trelane Powers

Alias: Trey, Lanny, Powergirl,

Gender: Female

Race: Black-White Biracial

Nationality: American

Age: 19 (in AU); 46 (in 2021)

DOB: May 12th 1975

Species: Human

Zodiac: Taurus; Rabbit (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents: Speaks like a million languages, can jerry rig even the most hopeless machines into working again, in tune with nature (speaks for the trees and all that), excellent marksmanship with her rifle (gift from her late father)

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: A free spirit (doesn't actually follow any religious code)

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English, Spanish (mainly Mexican variant), French, Japanese, German, Chinese Mandarin, Italian, and Korean.

Family: Robert (Bob, Bobby) Powers (father; deceased); Olivia Jones (mother; left at birth); Louie and Joyce Mitchell (foster family after father was murdered)

Friends: Erick Rothstein; Donovan Ross

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other (cursed with heterochromia)

Skin: pale / fair (but tanned) / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 5'5" / ~167cm

Weight: 120lbs. / ~54kg

Scars: One giant scar going down her back from left shoulder blade to right hip - a single swipe from a large grizzly bear she and her dad ran into on their property in Alaska. She still has the paw from the bear who nearly killed her and loves to brag about it.

Facial Features: Oval face, freckles all over, soft-Nubian nose, average-thick brows, big lips = big smiles :)

Tattoos: none (though Erick keeps pestering her about it)

Dogs or Cats? Dogs for all eternity. She has 2: a golden retriever named, Emily; a german shepard named, Vengeance. They’re the same age but she rescued them at different times.

Birds or Nugs? birds cus she doesnt know wtf a nug even is???

Snakes or Spiders? snakes though she doesnt mind spiders as long as they stay in their spaces.

Coffee or Tea? bean water

Ice Cream or Cake? ice cream. she likes to bite through it to freak out her friends.

Fruits or Vegetables? vegetables, as she grew up learning how to farm. Fruits can be too sugary for her if they’re from a Super Market.

Sandwich or Soup? Soups, as they’re hearty and good for the soul <3

Magic or Melee? Why is ranged not a choice?? >:I

Sword or Bow? oh there it is! Bow if she had to choose, but if it ever were an option: Gun. Always Gun. Gunbow perhaps?

Summer or Winter? Evolved with the capabilities to survive Alaskan winters in shorts and a tank top in a cabin with no internal heating system.

Spring or Autumn? Spring brings out new life and that means new meat to hunt!

The Past or The Future? Preferably the future. She doesn't like to look back because for her, it’s more bad memories than good.

Erick Rothstein

Alias: just Erick. don't call him ‘Rick’.

Gender: Male

Race: White

Nationality: German-American immigrant

Age: 18 in AU; 45 in 2021

DOB: September 11th 1975

Species: Human

Zodiac: Virgo; Rabbit (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents: Beautiful singing voice; voice actor; bendable; double-jointed

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: Agnostic if anything

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English, German, Spanish (as far as high school Spanish goes)

Family: Conrad Rothstein (Father; Incarcerated); Fernanda Brandt (Mother; Incarcerated); Alvaro/Louie Rothstein Mitchell(Paternal Uncle; Disowned runaway); Joyce Mitchell (Aunt by marriage); Kimberly Mitchell (Cousin); Chad Mitchell (Cousin)

Friends: Trelane Powers; Donovan Ross

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other (ginger)

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other

Skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 5'10" / ~155cm

Weight: 155lbs. / ~70kg

Scars: Do mental scars count? He does have scars on his back and legs all from a leather strap used by his parents. A few scars where his left kidney used to be when he got stabbed in the 90s after exiting a gay bar.

Facial Features: Oval and firm face, still got baby fat in some areas even in his 30s (lol), traditional Germanic pointed nose™

Tattoos: none (but he does want to get matching ones w/ Trey)

Dogs or Cats? Cats 100% as he is deathly afraid of dogs as they were used to torment him as a child. He does make an exception for both of Trey’s dogs, Emily and Vengeance however.

Birds or Nugs? tf is a nug?? Birds, he guesses.

Snakes or Spiders? Neither (same reason as dogs)

Coffee or Tea? coffee 80% of the time. He’ll save tea for when he’s sick and on really chilly nights.

Ice Cream or Cake? Cake. His teeth are far too sensitive for ice cream unless it’s in the form of ice cream bars.

Fruits or Vegetables? he’ll consume fruit for days. hates green vegetables, only likes the colorful ones.

Sandwich or Soup? both. likes small sandwiches to dip into hot soup. gooood shit.

Magic or Melee? if he can use magic to fashion himself a guitar out of existance, he’s sure to win the battle through sonnets.

Sword or Bow? Why the violence? :c Why cant we all sing together? (he’s a bard at heart if it wasn't clear enough)

Summer or Winter? Summer is nice and warm; winter is numb and cold :c

Spring or Autumn? Spring! Though he does love the color changes that Autumn brings. Not so much the beginning of chilled air though.

The Past or The Future? Past? what past? there is not passst hahaha only the future with friends and new family :’)

Donovan Ross

Alias: Donny, Don, D-man, Ross (school faculty)

Gender: Male

Race: Black

Nationality: American

Age: 21 in AU; 47 in 2021

DOB: August 1st 1973

Species: Human

Zodiac: Leo; Ox (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents:

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: Christianity

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English

Family: James Ross (Father); Roberta Wilson (Mother); Trixie Ross (Sister)

Friends: Trelane Powers; Donovan Ross; Elaina Heckathorne (Girlfriend)

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other

Skin: pale / fair (but tanned) / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 6'2" / ~188cm

Weight: 164lbs. / ~74kg

Scars:

Facial Features: baby fat all through childhood, then chiseled features with a square jaw in adult hood. Wide and slightly bulbous nose.

Tattoos: None

Dogs or Cats? Dogs, but only small or medium sized.

Birds or Nugs? uh, birds? the heck are nugs?

Snakes or Spiders? Neither!

Coffee or Tea? gotta be decafe, but either works

Ice Cream or Cake? why isnt pie an option? :c

Fruits or Vegetables? Veggies. He has to be careful w/ fruits cus he’s allergic to most citrus fruits and bananas.

Sandwich or Soup? A nice, big, fat sandwich to fill ‘er up B)

Magic or Melee? Magic. As big and athletic he seems, he’s more into using his brains than brawn.

Sword or Bow? Short sword if nothing else, maybe even a dagger as he can just pull it out quickly for some fast jabbing action.

Summer or Winter? despite being born in the dead of summer, he’s a wintery boy

Spring or Autumn? Autumn for the same reason as a lot of people. Loves the changes in both color and the air.

The Past or The Future? He always looks forward to a brighter future, but is fond of looking back on his past. He’s made some really good memories with the people he’s met. :)

#oc meme #trelane powers #erick rothstein #donovan ross #my ocs

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samclownchester · 3 years

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Supernatural Rewatch 04x16

On the Head of a Pin

(Next Episode | Masterlist | Previous Episode)

Hello all, it’s been a couple months but I am picking my rewatch up where I left off! I had half of this typed back in September lol but anyway. Time to finish up season 4

Ok, to start we’re gonna sum up Sam and Dean’s stories in this episode, firstly:

DEAN I'm tired of burying friends, Sam. … I'm just—I'm just getting tired. SAM Well, get angry.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

IT’S AN OPPOSITE PARALLEL TO THAT ONE SAM QUOTE THAT I SEE ALL THE TIME BUT I NEVER SEE THIS ONE

(from 7x17)

DEAN Quit being Dalai frickin' Yoda about this, okay? Get pissed!

SAM I'm too tired.

I just wanted to point that out. …. that Dean was the tired one and Sam was the angry one and then they switched in Season 7 and then never switched back … it’s just interesting.

Now, on to the episode:

For Dean this episode is largely focused on his failures. He failed as a son, he failed to withstand the torture in Hell, he failed to not break the first seal, and now … now that he’s giving in to his darker impulses and throwing aside the moral qualms, giving his all into torturing his torturer – he fails again. And he gets beaten horribly just to prove how much of a failure he is.

DEAN I can't do it, Cas. It's too big. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not—I'm not strong enough. Well, I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be. Find someone else. It's not me.

And once again we see the idea that Dean isn’t strong enough, (And this concept came up again in the finale I’m not crying you’re crying shut up) which he mentioned in season 3 but has continued to be a running idea throughout this season, voiced earlier this episode by Sam

SAM He can't do it. RUBY Look, I get it. You don't want him going all torture master again. SAM No. I mean, he can't do it. He can't get the job done. Something happened to him downstairs, Ruby. He's not what he used to be. He's not strong enough. RUBY And you are? SAM I will be.

This episode we do start to see Sam acting … more drastically out of character than ever before this season. The only times he has voiced his feelings about Dean “not being strong enough” have usually been when he is under the influence of something magical. (and now he is long term under the influence of demon blood so it seems like he’s “normal” but he’s actually jacked up)

There is so much happening behind the scenes with Sam right now and I hate it. I think this season is the point where Dean irreversibly became the main character, because the audience gets to see everything he’s doing, but we mostly only know stuff about Sam that Dean knows, with a few exceptions that we get to see only a little before Dean finds out, like in this episode we see him drinking demon blood, but it’s a dramatic reveal of something he’s been doing for a long time. We don’t get to see when he first did it, because the version of the summer we saw was just the stuff Dean was learning. So in this episode, although we do get to learn some stuff that Dean doesn’t know, the big thing we learn is that he’s now strong enough to Kill Demons, not just exorcise them, including demons as powerful as Alastair, which we only learn as Dean learns it.

We also have this interesting parallel between the brothers: The Angels are bringing out Dean’s dark side and the Demons are brining out Sam’s dark side. Despite being on opposite sides they are having the same effect on each brother, driving them further into their anger and violence.

Alright that wasn’t as short as I wanted it to be but now we’re moving on to Cas because Is this … could it be … a Cas centric episode?

Ok, I know all us religious queers project on to Sam but … seriously Cas’s struggle with faith and recognizing the corruption in the system he has dedicated himself to? Like, man, I am having feelings about it. Take this whole scene between him and Anna?

CASTIEL I'm considering disobedience. ANNA Good. CASTIEL No, it isn't. For the first time, I feel... ANNA It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action is confusing, terrifying.

…

CASTIEL I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do. ANNA Like the old days? No. I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself.

Like … ok not to trivialize this situation but I’ve literally had this conversation with people, on both sides, but the questioning and the one being sought out. You go to someone that you know who has “left the fold” and you voice your concerns … but you’re still scared by the concept of casting aside everything you’ve ever known.

I also want to touch on Anna referencing “the old days” there is seriously such untapped potential in exploring her relationship with Cas. She used to be his “boss”

But, finding out that Uriel is corrupt and fighting and killing him with Anna is not enough to make Castiel ready to totally rebel against heaven.

ANNA The father you love. You think he wants this? You think he'd ask this of you? You think this is righteous? What you're feeling? It's called doubt. …. These orders are wrong and you know it. But you can do the right thing. You're afraid, Cas. I was too. But together, we can still— CASTIEL Together? I am nothing like you. You fell. Go.

This is a very interesting episode for Cas, and I’m kind of glad I waited this long to write about it because now I can officially say that this is where he really started to develop (gay) feelings for Dean. There is a clear parallel between him and Ruby, who all season has been manipulating Sam while also seeing him as her savior. After Dean feels like he failed in every way this episode Cas says to him

CASTIEL I don't know. .. Dean, they don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you.

He’s learned that a lot of the information he was following and relying on came from a corrupt source, yet he still sees himself as superior to Anna, still believes he must be serving some righteous cause. And although everything else has been called into question, he still believes that Dean is the one who will save them from the apocalypse.

#supernatural rewatch #on the head of a pin #04x16 #castiel #sam winchester #dean winchester #4x16

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palmett-hoes · 4 years

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since the first step in achieving your goals is to state them aloud, here's a list of aftg fics/ au s that i'd like to write some day

- pre-canon fic from aaron's perspective spanning the twins' first meeting till they're drafted by the foxes and graduate high school. i'm increasingly enamored with aaron as a character as well as with an outside perspective of andrew's actions and i think it would be very interesting to look at the foundation on which their fraught relationship is built and first developed

- even more pre-canon fic. andrew's early life in foster care. yes, we all know about the most... gruesome things that were done to him, but i believe that there is plenty more that has affected and shaped him, especially in relation to my interpretation of andrew as an autistic poc. this would not be a happy fic.

- anastasia au. neil as anya, andrew as dimitri. possibly a plot amalgamation from both the animated movie and the stage show, with changes as i see fit. (no, neil is not the prince of russia). what i find most compelling about this au is the story of neil and andrew as childhood friends and then the angst of having andrew, as an adult, teaching an amnesiac neil how to act like a noble while being convinced that neil is an imposter. good shit

- art school/dance club au. the foxes attend the palmetto school of art at prestigious edgar allen university. they're considered the school's charity cases, and they are NOT friends. andrew is a studio arts major with a concentration in sculpture who works in the campus coffee shop in the mornings and frequents night clubs that employ pretty boys in the evenings. neil is attending college completely on his father's dime, PROVIDED he study what his father wants, despite his desire to study dance and music. going crazy without an outlet, neil takes a secret job as a go-go dancer. look. this may slightly possibly be a result of me having planned to party hardy this summer, then having my plans ruined by the virus :c

- 1950s High School au. the 1950s aesthetics fucking rock even though the 1950s fucking sucked. kinda wanna tackle both. plus, andrew already has that james dean bad boy fast car appeal

- an exploration of mary and nathan's relationship and history. i get that neil's parents are both super taboo and both really really awful people, but i have questions and i want to answer them

- neil never returns from baltimore. in order to keep his deals, permanently, andrew kills riko and tetsugi, and gets over 20 years in prison. when he gets out, he just wants to be alone, but it seems there's a ghost haunting him. this was conceived for MAXIMUM angst, no getting around it. i got the idea from a badacts fic and it has haunted me ever since

- post-canon sexuality exploration fic. i have a real passion for quality sex education and healthy experimentation, and neil very clearly didn't get the chance for either. yet at the end of the books he finds himself in a very intense sexual relationship. i just really want to give him the opportunity to find out how desire works for him and what he likes, on his own terms. i read a lot of fics where neil's desires seem to be completely dependent on andrew's initiaton, and while i do believe that andrew is the only person neil is attracted to and will ever be attracted to, i also want to explore how his sexuality manifests on its own. the vibe i'm going for is, uh, HornySweet (tm), but also with a lot of genuine eductional material. i want this is to be something that offers real information to its readers that may have been inaccessible for a lot of people, on topics like like sexual hygiene, maturbation, and sex toys in a non-fetishy way. this will be very very E rated, but like,, in a very earnest and goofy way because sex and sexuality is neat and cool but it's also not all serious perfect fucking. it's just,, a topic that deserves to be DISCUSSED

- mobster au. andrew, having never met aaron, takes a job for the moriyamas to track down a runaway asset. Neil. upon completion, they make andrew the butcher's apprentice, and pull neil back into the fold as a commodity rather than a person. lots of violence, lots of shady underground dealings, lots of plotting, lots of secrets.

i'm gonna put some more under the cut, ones that i don't feel as strong a drive towards right now or that i haven't thought as much about. if you (yes, YOU) like any of these, or are interested in any of these, or wanna hear more about any of these, or are even inspired to write something yourself by any of these please, PLEASE, say something in the notes, or send me a message, or an ask or anything. ANYTHING. i am stuck inside, all the time, and i am so, so lonely. i answer from hoob-gooblin

- princess bride au. come ON. princess bride is one of the most romantic AND most snarky movies of all time, and andreil literally invented love and devotion sooooooo it's a perfect match. "yes or no" vs "as you wish" kings of consent and communication and unconventional love declarations. also,, he may not be how I imagine andrew, but a young cary elwes in dramatic black pirate getup is DEFINITELY a valid andrew

- hozier au. sometimes,, i listen to an album, and imagine a fic that encompases the whole thing. nothing speaks louder to me than hozier's discography. (also, yes, i am gay). maybe a little bit inside llewyn davis. neil wanders through a small town and takes up some small jobs, but sings his heart out through twisted metaphors once a week in a hole in the wall bar staffed by a very short, dead eyed veteran

- prince and the pauper au. on a stealth recon mission in enemy territory, andrew encounters a local lord who happens to have his face. in a moment of desperation to save himself from arrest, andrew knocks the lord out and assumes his identity. he returns to the castle just in time for prince moriyama to arrive with a shifty-eyed, red-headed handservant in tow. lord aaron of columbia, meanwhile, wakes up on a ship manned by crown traitor and fugitive kevin day, calling him by a name he's never heard before, and then he's in the hands of the guerilla rebel forces that have been attacking the kingdom. i watched barbie princess and the pauper as a child and that movie fucking slaps

- little mermaid/beauty and the beast/bride of the rose beast/ladyhawke au. in a last ditch attempt to escape his father, neil trades his voice and his tail for legs and washes ashore on a small kingdom with horrible secrets. because he cannot speak, read or write, prince aaron employs neil to serve the monster in the catacombs, the prince's twin brother. the twins are under a curse that turns them into terrifying monsters, andrew by day and aaron by night. aaron's affliction is a secret, as is andrew's humanity. this is such a hodgepodge idea lol. did neil also have to be a mermaid for this to work? no. is he? hell yeah

- new york private school/twin swap au. aaron wins a scholarship to a prestigious school that will guarantee him a future, but then he relapses. convinced he just needs a little more time to get clean, he makes a deal with his volatile new brother, andrew, to stand in for him at the school just until he can his shit together. neil and ichirou moriyama have been raised together their entire lives, always under the knowledge that ichirou will inherit the family empire with nathaniel as his right hand. they hate the idea, but they have no way to escape, and now neil is being harassed by ichirou's bitchass estranged brother at their stupid, fancy private school. LISTEN, we as a fandom do NOT take enough advantage of the twin swap possibilities presented to us. pathetic

- post-canon fic where ichirou, realizing that the life of a mob boss is a lonely one, decides that he needs... a friend. however, because of the nature of his work, he can't just make friends with anyone, so he decides to make friends with neil. without consulting neil first. cue a lot of very weird, very awkward coffee dates where neil is convinced he's about to be disposed of, and ichirou just wants to know about his cats. the thing i like about ichirou is he’s a complete blank slate. i can make him a good guy, a bad guy, an ally, the Big Bad

- Kill Bill au. mary survives a bullet to the head and wakes up from a coma over a year later. with nothing left to lose, she sets out to single-handedly dismantle the wesninski circle. good thing she used to be its top assassin

- single dad andrew au. except look, look, stay with me here, okay, aaron is his son, and he's adopted nicky and kevin. LISTEN. STAY WITH ME. JUST THINK ABOUT IT. tbh the idea comes from my interpretation of the andrew/neil/kevin dynamic as distincly parental, then extending that interpretation to andrew's protection over the rest of his family.

- fashion au. andrew is a fashion designer and photographer who frequently works with allison reynolds. one day she brings around a short, twitchy assistant who looks like she just plucked him out of an alley. somehow, he becomes andrew's muse. i watch a lot of fashion competition shows

- ghibli. either howl's moving castle (andrew as sophie, neil as howl) or spirited away (?). maybe both idk

- legally blonde au. legally blonde is so good guys

#aftg #fic #fic ideas #aftg fic #the foxes #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil

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specsnsarcasm · 4 years

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My Review of... the Sanditon finale

(Warning: SPOILERS!)

With much left unresolved, the series finale of Sanditon left me wanting. It’s certainly the bleakest of the Austen stories (though I suspect this would not have been the case, had Austen completed it herself). I don’t expect every character or story to have a happy ending. I can get behind a good tragedy *if* it’s done correctly, but I don’t think Sanditon managed this.

The series started off with lots of potential. It was grand, beautiful and ambitious, with a lot of themes to tackle -- some complex (e.g. class warfare, social transformation, regency-era racism, and even female sexuality), and some simple, like misunderstandings, romantic rivalries, and love. But with much to deliver, it buckles under the weight of its own promise.

Structure:

It looks like a quintessential Austen story, but it doesn’t feel like one. Even though it's unfinished, we know how it should go: after some troubles, good things happen to good people, bad people get their comeuppance, and at the end of the day there's hope for a better life. It’s what we know and love about Austen. I was disappointed by this ending because after setting us up for a good outcome, a lot of the characters end up exactly where they started (or worse!), without any lesson or point. Not sure what hope I can take from that.

Characters & Their fates:

From the beginning, I didn’t feel a connection btw Sidney and Charlotte. I thought their age difference was too great, the chemistry wasn’t there, and Sidney is too prickly, so despite their obvious collision course, I never warmed to him. Charlotte should have ended up with Young Stringer. I’m beyond tired of the narrative that the ‘best’ man is the most difficult. Anyway, it makes no difference because a ridiculous thing happens and she ends up with precisely NO ONE! Which- sure. Whatever. Thanks for wasting my time?¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Speaking of which... I’m disappointed by how they wasted the Miss Lambe character. As a black girl who LOVES period dramas, I rarely get to see myself in them, let alone in a main role, so I was excited to see what they would do with her. The fact that the character was actually written by Jane Austen was very progressive for the time, so no doubt she had high hopes for her as well. Instead, the show turns Miss Lambe into a miserable, mopey, petulant brat, who exhibits no growth. She might as well have been any generic heiress. They do away with the feisty, defiant woman we saw during the pineapple reception, and they abandon her friendship with Charlotte too, so after her ‘Mr. Molyneux’ arc, she’s relegated to the background. We don't even know what will become of her, and the show simply does not care. They toy with a relationship btw her and Arthur Parker, but the ramshackle pairing falls apart anyway when they allude to Arthur being gay/ace. (I'm not sure if it's in the book or just the show).

If done differently though, I could also see Miss Lambe marrying Arthur. He’s defended her from the beginning, finds her initial outspokenness refreshing and doesn't seem too concerned about what people think. He laughs at the ridiculous pineapple incident, springs her from her house confinement, and attempts to cheer her up. He’s the light, carefree counterpart to Sidney’s dark, oppressive guardianship. Plus, he's wealthy in his own right, so we know he’s not after her money. Also, if she married Arthur and Charlotte married Sidney, the two would have been sisters-in-law, which is the kind of tidy symmetry that Austen would have loved.

The real MVP is Lord Babington. He’s patient, noble, and a gentleman. He's persistent, but not creepy or pushy. His story with Esther is actually the most romantic and well-formed of the lot. I hated the way that Edward charges into the ball, drunk, professing his love for her. I found it unnecessary and redundant. We already had closure with his character in the previous episode when Lady Denham disinherits him, Esther finally frees herself from his hold, and Babington comes to learn the true nature of their relationship. Him coming back adds nothing to the story.

After a huge row, Young Stringer’s poor, overworked, recently-injured father dies of a heart attack(!) and is burned in a fire(!!). AND THEN, with nothing keeping him in Sanditon (except for guilt and honour), Stringer gives up on the dream he’s been talking about for the entire series, he DOESN'T get the girl, will likely remain in his station forever, live with regret, and become his father anyway!?!?!?! Ducking bleak! Not sure what the take-home from this should be. Don't try? Lol.

And after everything, Tom doesn’t have insurance??!?!?!!!!?! Oh, f^ck this guy! His family and everybody are constantly bailing him out, sacrificing their money and happiness to do so, and he still doesn’t learn! Ugh.

To sum up their fates:

Charlotte - unrequited <3, wasted summer, a little worldlier, unhappy.

Sidney Parker - married to s/o he doesn’t love, deadbeat bro, unhappy.

Young Stringer - unmet potential, grieving, guilt, alone, broke, unhappy.

Old Stringer - DEAD.

Tom Parker - SO ducking broke, a wanker, lucky, unhappy.

Mary Parker - married to a f^ckwad, lawfully-wedded broke, unhappy.

Miss Lambe - far from home, friendless, unrequited <3, racism, unhappy.

Mr. Molyneux - alone, ashamed, racism, unhappy.

Sir Edward Denham - broke, alone, banished, disgraced, unhappy.

Miss Brereton - disgraced, broke, unhappy (*but will land on her feet).

Arthur Parker - regency-era queer = alone, but good-natured. Happyish?

Diana Parker - hypochondriac. unhappy.

Mrs. Campion (soon to be Mrs. S. Parker) - A bitch. Got the ring. happy.

Lady Denham - lateral move, maybe unhappy? (no more companion).

Lord & Lady Babington (Esther) - happily ever after. <3

[Note: As always, these are just my opinions, you don’t have to agree. I just like watching stuff and writing stuff about it!]

#sanditon #charlotte heywood #sidney parker #sanditon finale #sanditon spoilers #sanditon series finale #my tv review of

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redhoodieone · 5 years

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It’s Cold in Here Part 2

A/N: And here is part 2! Wow, this chapter is pretty angsty because I believe everyone would react differently to their significant other’s private sexual orientation. It’s pretty clear that Dick Grayson is finally letting himself be free (he’s clearly bisexual, if that wasn’t clear) even if it’s cheating on Y/N. But Jason Todd is straight in this story, despite the running gay jokes in this story. The reason why is Y/N (you lol) is clearly upset when she finds out her perfect boyfriend is bisexual, and she wants to take out her anger on Jason, when he’s clearly in her league. But of course, during this story, some people in this story are not going to be okay with Dick’s secret sexual orientation, so I’ll post more warnings as this goes along. Let me know if you want to be tagged for this series. Otherwise, enjoy the story!

@melaninkpops @randomdcfangirl

Warnings: Language and talks of sex.

It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from. I’ve become almost like a zombie; I’m holding my knees to my chest while I sit up against the wall in my living room because I’ve lost the ability to move or say anything. Tonight’s truth just keeps replaying in my head.

My boyfriend Dick Grayson…having sex with another guy…even though he’s supposed to be my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is supposed to be attracted to me.

My boyfriend is supposed to be in love with me.

MY BOYFRIEND SHOULD ONLY WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH ME!

Just the thought of Dick bending over for another guy for anal sex just makes me feel so disgusted. Because what if he has had anal sex with Wally or some other guy?

What if Dick has sucked cock before and let another guy suck his cock?

The images of Dick topping Wally only makes me wonder what else they have done. Would I even want to know? Should I have to know?

The questions become poison to my mind. I can feel my stomach hurt more with every passing doubt and fear. I tremble from just thinking of my boyfriend and what he’s doing now.

Cuddling? Kissing? Is he telling Wally West he loves him again?

Dick is supposed to be my prince charming. I’ve always (and secretly) imagined him riding a white horse to my apartment. As cheesy as that sounds, Dick has been the only guy who can pull off being so alluring and kind. He’s the guy who can make me smile during a thunderstorm. The way he pushes his dark hair back and grins like an underwear supermodel and the way he holds me all the time because he’s just a big cuddly guy at heart.

But then Dick changed…or maybe this is who he really is even though our relationship was just a...

Show.

But wasn’t I enough?

Was I just not beautiful enough for Dick?

Was I…just a girl who he realized he doesn’t want right now?

Oh shit…

What if he’s…gay?

No, no he can’t be totally gay. I mean, Dick has had several of girlfriends throughout his entire life.

Barbara Gordon.

Starfire.

Zatanna.

Dove.

He even flirted with Raven!

Bruce always joked around with us that Dick was a mini-me to him. Bruce and Dick were ladies’ men for fucks sake.

Which could explain why Tim would follow after Bruce and Dick’s every move and has had his fair share of relationships with Stephanie Brown and Cassie Sandsmark. Hell, even Damian has admitted he and Raven had a fling last summer.

If anyone is gay or bisexual, it must be Jason fucking Todd. The man who looks like he’d fuck any living thing. Which could explain why everyone jokes that Jason, Roy, and Kori had a threesome relationship.

It’s a fucking running gag that no one has seemed to stop, despite Roy and Kori becoming more serious and committed to one another over the years.

Why couldn’t Jason be gay or bisexual?

Why does my Dick Grayson have to be?

My fucking tears piss me off when I realize I’m crying like a fucking baby. I bite my bottom lip, and I pull my hair as tight as I could.

I haven’t been cheated on before but for some reason, I feel like being cheated on isn’t the problem.

The problem is clearly Dick, who felt the need to hide his true self. He obviously didn’t trust me enough, even though we knew each other for such a long fucking time. If he had told me he was bisexual, then maybe I would have been okay with it. Maybe I could have trusted him and be with him.

A knock on the door startles me. I wipe away my tears and stand up to get it. Slowly answering the door, I see Jason standing there. Wearing his dark pants and red hoodie, I set aside to allow him to come in.

“Are you okay, Y/N? What the fuck happened?” Jason asks worriedly. He follows me to the couch where I throw myself down.

Should I tell Jason? Should I tell him everything? What if he already knows? But what if he doesn’t know?

Jason’s ocean blue eyes stare down at me; filled with concern and worry. I’ve actually never seen him look so…serious about me. The way he gazes at me and how his strong jawline really is shows me I’ve never really looked at him before.

He’s attractive, and he clearly knows that. It’s as if one of Jason’s powers is self-confidence. He proudly shows off his handsome features, the ‘J’ scar, and his body that’s built like a sex God. I force myself to shake my head and ignore my inner thoughts because whether I like it or not, I still have a boyfriend.

Who has a secret boyfriend of his own.

“My life…is ruined,” I start off. I sigh, because even I don’t believe myself. “Everything I thought I knew…ended up being…a lie, I guess.”

“Which is…what?” Jason motions me to continue.

I begin to crack under pressure. It’s not like I have my parents or any siblings alive to tell, or my good friend Artemis Crock (who is supposedly on a vacation with Zatanna and M’gann in the Bahamas but should be back this weekend), so who the hell am I supposed to tell?

The more I keep it in is when I’ll blow up. I have a feeling I’ll take Jason’s guns and go shoot Dick and Wally’s kneecaps.

I turn to face Jason, and I realize he’s scooted closer to me. He slowly moves a hand to my knee and rubs it reassuringly. The tears fall again, but this time Jason wipes them with his thumb.

“He’s...Dick’s…sleeping with Wally,” I whisper. Just saying it out loud feels strange and as if it’s not real at all. “I-I went to his apartment and I saw them.”

Jason’s eyes widen. He quickly removes his hand off my knee and stands up. Within seconds, he’s pacing around my living room. Jason’s hands clench into fists and he scoffs. “So, he’s fucking gay, and he’s dating you? What a fucking idiot?! If he wanted to go around and fuck guys’ assholes, then why not tell you the truth and break up with you? Who the fuck does he think he is? The second any of us has a secret, Bruce fucking loses his shit and makes us tell him! But what, Dick’s the golden child and can keep a fucking secret about his gayness? That’s not fucking cool. I fucking despise that. I despise how he’s been stringing you along and isn’t even attracted to a fucking beautiful girl like you,” Jason growls under his breath.

“I-I think he’s still attracted to me. I mean, we’ve done things before…just not lately,” I defend Dick. I suppose Jason didn’t know about Dick either.

“Dick’s eaten you out before?”

“Yes.”

“You mean to tell me he’s eaten that beautiful, delicious pussy of yours?” Jason asks seriously.

“I-how would you know about my pussy, Jason? We’ve never slept together and you sure as hell have never seen me naked!” I cry out in pure anger.

Jason smirks. He sits back down and makes me face him. “So, Dick has pleasured you before and you really feel like he is still attracted to you? Okay, then he’s clearly bisexual. The question is: he’s barely acting on his sexual feelings or whatever fucking shit he’s doing. The thing is Y/N, he cheated on you. I don’t care that he’s bi, but he shouldn’t have fucking cheated on you. That’s low…even for the golden boy. Now, what are you going to do about it?” Jason asks me.

“I don’t know. I just…don’t want to think about it right now. What can I do? I can’t change him. I can’t make him straight and want…me. It just fucking hurts so much,” I confess. Jason sits back and pulls me over so he’s holding me tightly. “Jay…what are you doing?”

“Holding you…duh.”

“Y-you never hold me. You’ve never held me,” I point out.

“I’m comforting you, doll. Is that such a crime?” Jason asks curiously.

“Well, honestly I didn’t think you liked me. I always thought that you thought I was annoying and didn’t want me around the manor or even in the Batfamily,” I admit softly. I turn my face, so my face is in his sweater. He smells like Old Spice and some kind of expensive cologne.

“Well, I didn’t think you liked me either so…that’s why I’ve been nothing but an asshole to you,” Jason reveals before chuckling. “I like you. You…don’t piss me off as much as other people.”

“You don’t piss me off that much either. So, I obviously like you too,” I say, even when my voice is muffled.

Jason gently pulls me away so he can look at me. “You know, if you ever need someone…I’m around,” he tells me.

“I’m around too.”

My cell phone dings with new notifications. I quickly jump up from the couch and get it off the kitchen counter where I left it. Dick texted me.

Hey sweetheart! I just got back from patrol with my brothers. I’m soooo tired so I think I’ll sleep over here, and I’ll see you in the morning. Is that okay?

I scoff softly. He claims to be tired from patrolling, but I know it’s from fucking his secret boyfriend all night long. But obviously, he doesn’t know that I know so I have to play along.

Hi babe. That’s good! I’m glad you got home safely. Yeah, I’m already falling asleep, so I’ll see you in the morning too.

Okay, I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast. Oh, and don’t forget! The Wayne Family Barbecue is tomorrow, and everyone is coming back from their vacations and missions to go! It’s going to be so much fun! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, sweetheart. I love you Y/N.

See you in the morning. I love you too. Goodnight. I text back. I fight the urge to out him on the phone just so he knows that I know.

I could just imagine Dick panicking and flipping the fuck out if I threaten to tell his family. But a voice inside me tells me not to.

It’s my fucking heart. I hate it so much right now.

I slam my phone down. Who the fuck does Dick think he is? Does he honestly sleep well at night knowing that he’s cheating on me with his best friend? Does he honestly not give a fuck about me?

“Why am I not enough? What...is wrong with me? Why can’t I be with Dick wants?” I barely whisper. My throat tightens from crying.

“No, Y/N. You’re more than enough. Nothing is wrong with you. You just...you need someone who sees you as their world and beyond. You’ll find him, I know it.”

Jason sneaks up behind me and rubs my back. I feel the sickness returning to my stomach, and I turn around into Jason’s arms, where he holds me and doesn’t judge me.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N. If I-I had known, I would have told you. You don’t deserve this,” Jason whispers in my ear. He keeps rubbing my back. “I would never hurt you.”

“Are you telling me you wouldn’t hurt me in general, or that if you were gay or bi that you wouldn’t hurt me?” I ask.

“Well, I sure as hell am not gay or bi. I love women, doll. But I guess if I had a secret like that, I would tell you. I just…thought Dick would have been different, I guess.”

I pull away and look up at him. Jason’s taller than Dick, so I feel like a little ant compared to Jason, who is clearly a fucking tree. “Wait, Dick said the Wayne Family Barbecue is tomorrow? Everyone’s going?”

“Oh shit, really? I must have forgotten about that. Well, I guess everyone is going, yeah,” Jason answers, before his eyes widen. “Wally’s going to be there, too.”

I cover my face. “What the fuck am I going to do, Jason?” I scream.

“Look doll, I’ll be there too, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you get through it, okay? We just can’t tell anyone else about this, all right? Because honestly, I don’t know what Bruce would do if he found out about Dick and Wally. He might fucking kill him or something,” Jason says.

“Bruce is against gays? B-but there are gay, lesbians, and other LGBTQ people in the league. He can’t be homophobic!” I panic.

“I’m not saying he is, but Bruce is…a little more old-fashioned than what some people might think. Dick is like his first son, and Dick has always been the perfect fucking Robin, and Bruce might think Dick’s sexual orientation would change his public image and superhero image. I just think it would be best if no one found out about it right now, okay? Let’s just keep this between us, until we figure something out. Dick is my brother, and as much as I love fucking ruining his and my other brothers’ lives, this is pretty serious,” Jason advises seriously.

I nod my head in agreement. If Jason thinks this is the right thing to do, then it must be; since I have no other plans to handle this.

“Okay, I won’t tell anyone. But Jason? Just between us, I can’t be with Dick anymore. Not after he…cheated on me,” I confess.

It hurt a lot. Just confessing how I can’t be with Dick anymore fills me with nothing but endless pain.

“I know,” Jason says softly. He takes my hands in his until I look up into his eyes. “But just know this: I know for a fact that…Dick loved you. He really cared about you, Y/N. But whatever he’s going through, maybe it’s been eating at him for a long fucking time, not that doesn’t excuse cheating on you.”

I bite my bottom lip. I know Jason means well, but I honestly don’t know if I could believe any men ever again. All they seem to do is break hearts, lie, keep secrets, and use you just because they’re ashamed or hiding their own sexuality.

But deep down inside, I know Dick loved me before; just like deep down, I’ll always love him.

But I can’t deal with love anymore.

Fuck love.

“Yeah, but you know what, Jason? I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to date. I don’t want to be close to anyone. I don’t want to fall in love ever again. Love fucking hurts, and if this is how it’s going to be every time I fall for a guy, then…it’s just not worth it. It’s not worth the troubles. It’s not worth the happiness. It’s not worth the excruciating pain. Once Dick decides to stop using me and our relationship to hide his love for Wally,” I say, before I sob at the end. “I want nothing to do with the Batfamily ever again. I want out of it. I honestly never want to see him or any of you again. Because…being a part of the Batfamily was the best thing in my life…”

Jason’s crystal blue eyes tear up. “Y/N…you don’t mean that. Y-you can’t mean that…” he chokes out.

“I do. I mean every word of it,” I stand my ground.

“Doll, please…let me help you fix this. I-I don’t want you to leave our family. I mean, you can’t just abandon me,” Jason’s voice breaks down. He looks as if he’s in pain as well, except I don’t know why. “Give me one chance. Give me just one chance to show you no every fucking guy is going to hurt you. Please Y/N…”

I can’t hear it anymore. If I have to surrender for the night, then so be it. “Fine, but I’m tired and I need to go to sleep. I need to…try to forget about tonight.”

Jason nods his head and heads to the door with me behind him. He steps out and glances back at me.

“If you need me…” Jason whispers.

“You’re around,” I finish for him.

Jason opens his mouth to speak but closes it. He ends up leaving without another word. I shut the door and lock up for the night. My body is weak. My mind is fried. I find myself stumbling to the couch and I end up falling to sleep there for the night. The second my eyes close to fall into the darkness of the night, my cell phone dings again.

I reach over to the coffee table and get it; only to see the notification is from that same Unknown number. I slowly open to see the new text message.

It’s killing you, isn’t it? I can just imagine you lying down, feeling sorry for yourself, despising everyone else who may or may not have known, and how you feel as if your world is over. You must have decided to protect Dick Grayson, isn’t that right?

I feel as if I’m stepping into a pit of fire. This is becoming dangerous territory right now.

Whatever I do now doesn’t concern you. Thanks for telling me the truth, but I don’t need anymore help from you. Good-bye.

If you stop fucking responding to me, I’ll make sure Bruce Wayne finds out first, you little bitch!

I gasp at the screen. What the hell is going on?

Now that I got your depressive attention, maybe now you’ll see I’m not just going to disappear when you say so. Now listen to me, Y/N. I’m not someone who you can just delete from your phone. I’m not someone who you can block from other electronic devices. I’m not someone you can just wish away on a bright star, because I know you more than you know yourself. Now are you ready to listen to me?

What do you want from me? I text back anxiously.

What I want isn’t something you can just tell me over a text message, Y/N. Now, I need you to be prepared to go along as if nothing happened. You need to pretend you didn’t discover about Dick’s sexuality and infidelity. I need you to continue to be the loving and caring girlfriend, especially at the Wayne Family Barbecue. No one can know about tonight, and if you perform like a convincing Oscar award winning actress, then I’ll spare your life.

Why? Why are you doing this? What are you even planning?

That is not important information at this moment because it’s going to take a while before your knowledge of this plan is requested. I just need you to prove to Dick and his family that you love him with all your heart. Kiss him. Embrace him. Tell him you love him every three minutes. Why don’t you show everyone how you originally believed your relationship was in the beginning, Y/N?

I frown. My chest tightens. It’s as if this person knew everything that was going on in my head.

You clearly have a choice, Y/N: you either do as I say and nobody dies, or I’ll out him in my own way that will surely destroy Dick and the Batfamily’s lives. And let’s just say that the latter would be very public, and Dick would surely never be the same since he’s a…well you know…a perfectionist. He has a reputation he must keep up, and just imagine how everyone would react if any recorded evidence got out, including the one man who he calls Dad.

Okay, I’ll do it your way. I quickly text back. I hate myself even more now.

Even after you discovered he’s not who he says he is, how he rather be with a man than with you, and how he cheated on you, you’re honestly going to continue to stand by his side and protect him. That’s almost romantic, but he doesn’t love you anymore, Y/N.

I don’t care about me. Just please…don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt anyone. I respond desperately.

Oh, believe me, Y/N. My fun had just begun. Now, you need to put on a convincing show, because I’ll be watching.

Whoever this person is, they’re clearly obsessed with putting an end to Dick’s life and reputation. I try to think of another way out of this, but I’m in too deep.

Just remember Y/N, if you plan on getting out of this, your new family will be gone before you know it. You’ll be all alone just like you fear, only when you are all alone, you’ll be dying on all their corpses. And I’ll personally make sure Dick’s skull is right beside your head.

And just like that, I’m thrown back into the Batfamily again.

#dc comics #batfamily #dick grayson #jason todd #jason todd x reader #dick grayson x reader

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aelinbitch-archive · 5 years

Note

You've probably said this before but what's your favorite aspect of the TOG series? I've only read like ten pages of the first book lol

aaaaa thank u for asking!! this sort of leads into something i’ve been meaning to talk about for a while so i hope you’re prepared for An Essay No One Wanted By Me. anyway this is a two-part answer, read below:

1. Aelin. Celaena. The main bitch, whatever you wanna call her lol. Without her I probably wouldn’t have cared about the series at all and wouldn’t currently be trapped in ToG tumblr hell reluctantly stanning a racist and homophobic series, but unfortunately when I was like twelve years old or whatever and read the first book I literally imprinted on Celaena like a baby duckling. To the extent that she became, like, the default avatar for all my maladaptive daydreaming and If I Don’t Project On Her At All Times I Will Die. It’s not like she’s the only thing I like about the series (I loooove a lot of the other characters, especially the gals, and the writing can be really great and engaging and cinematic) but Aelin has always been the supermassive black hole at the center of it all for me. I wouldn’t know how to even begin untangling her character from my psyche at this point. It’s honestly a little disturbing. Anyway.

2. Part two is a quality of the series that I feel was unprecedented in its strength in the first five books of the series (ToG-QoS plus the prequel novellas) and really really disappointingly weak in the last two books (EoS-KoA). Like I said above, Aelin has always been my main interest in tog so I read and enjoyed the last two anyway, but I definitely felt the loss of this - “this” being the detail and attention paid to all different types of relationships between characters, and how rich and unpredictable those relationships were as a result.

That sounds like kind of a broad, vague thing, but what I mean is that (in my opinion) rarely are romances and friendships and rivalries explored with such nuance, complexity, drama, and realism in most YA as they are in ToG. I remember reading Cassandra Clare’s books (lmao.) as a pre teen and loving those as well, but totally being able to predict who was going to end up with who, and finding the character dynamics to be pretty cut and dry.

In ToG that’s not the case at all. Like, you’ve got Celaena and Sam, a really complex example of enemies to lovers to….. Tragically Dead Boyfriend Whose Demise Fuels My Guilt and Self-Hatred For Seven More Books, Lysandra and Aelin, two girls pitted against each other by their abuser who team up a year later to unlearn their internalized misogyny and kill him, and Aelin and Chaol, who… how do I even describe the ups and downs (and downs. and more downs) of their relationship.

And that’s just three pairs! Pull the names of two characters out of a hat and I can almost guarantee essays worth of material could be written about them. Arobynn and Aelin? Aelin and Nehemia? Chaol and Dorian, as much as I hate both of them and feel that their relationship as been widely mischaracterized? All fascinating!!! No two people in those first few books are just friends, or just lovers, or just enemies. It’s always more complex, there’s always a history or tension or competing agendas or viewpoints that Fuck Shit Up.

And benefit of that is twofold: one, everything that happens between the characters just…. lands so well. The betrayals and triumphs and losses and victories of The Assassin’s Blade and Crown of Midnight and Queen of Shadows (especially TAB) are fucking heart-stopping. It’s great character-driven entertainment!! Gripping and engaging and vivid to the point of being painful.

And two, there’s no way to predict where a relationship is going to go. Aelin and Lysandra teaming up in QoS instead of returning to their rivalry? Who would have thought! Ansel and Celaena’s summer fling (they were in love. fight me.) ending like That? Holy fuck. Nesryn and Chaol breaking up in ToD? Oh shit! I fell for it again! Rowan and Aelin ending up together after everyone swore they were brotp in HoF? Hell yeah! Chaolaena seeming like endgame and then ending forever, with Chaol and Aelin realizing that the rift between them that began in CoM was something that would never sufficiently heal? Unprecedented. Fucking badass for a YA book to curve everyone like that. Tween me was shook out of her mind.

(Important to note, though, that the downside of this style was that SJM couldn’t tell where ~unpredictable relationships and characters~ ended and fridging began, and as a result, not one but two woc were killed off to make white characters sad and it sucked beyond belief).

Aaaaaand then QoS, the peak of literature, turned into EoS, and SJM just… gave up on all of that. I remember the first time Dorian and Manon met, and I was like oh, okay. So they’re going to end up together. And I was right. I remember that on this site, before EoS came out, before Lorcan and Elide ever fucking MET, people predicted the existence of Elorcan!! And they were right!! Like how fucking boring? Everyone is just paired off into completely predictable heterosexual ships and those are now the only relationships we get to read about (with a few exceptions, like Aelin/Aedion, Aelin/Fenrys, etc.).

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: my least favorite thing about Manorian is not that I find the relationship to be shitty (although I do, I really do). It’s that Dorian is suddenly the only character Manon gets to interact with in any meaningful way.

Like, are you kidding?! I want to read about Manon and Elide, Manon and Asterin, Rowan and Lorcan, Aelin and Lysandra, Aelin and Nesyrn, even if it’s not romantically (although some of them, like Manon and Elide, absolutely should have been, and the fact that not only was that ship very thoroughly sunk, but also they didn’t even get to TALK after QoS, felt like a real slap in the face to gay fans, but I digress), because those pairings previously had hella complexity and drama. But we don’t get to.

And this trend that’s so painfully present in the last two books Sucks for two reasons: one, every relationship that isn’t romantic (which were previously some of the most interesting ones) is abandoned so that more time can be made for The Hets™ and two, the relationships that are romantic, now the only ones left, are totally fucking boring and predictable!! If two characters are interacting at any point (if one is male and the other is female, of course) then you know for a fact that they’re not only love interests, but endgame.

And that makes me not care even when there is drama between them. Elide giving Lorcan the cold-shoulder for three hundred pages, and Manon and Dorian arguing, and Aedion being cruel to Lysandra weren’t compelling narratives to me like they should have been, because the whole time I was just thinking “but it doesn’t matter. I know it’s still endgame. There are no stakes here whatsoever; it’s a done deal.” Whereas Chaol and Celaena’s devestating breakup in CoM felt like (and was) suuuuper Real. An all-in bet on the wrong person. Crazy shit.

And not that I think two characters should never have a happy ending together (I really like rowaelin and nestaq and I would have loved malide!) but imagine how much cooler and subversive and entertaining it would have been if Elorcan, which seemed soooo totally cute and endgamey and borderline like fanfiction throughout all of EoS just ended forever right there and then on the beach, with Elide turning to Lorcan and saying “I hope you spend the rest of your miserable, immortal life suffering. I hope you spend it alone. I hope you live with regret and guilt in your heart and never find a way to endure it” - and BAM. She never speaks to him again. He’s dead to her.

I mean, talk about shock value! (See, Sarah, you can have shock value without killing of a person of color to make a white character sad 🙃). And I totally get that relational twists like that alienate fans more than just going the expected route and having them kiss and make-up does (I mean, the ending of Chaolaena in QoS certainly did, Jesus Christ) but I, Bella aelinbitch, personally live for that shit, and isn’t it only fair that all media cater directly and specifically to me? Lmao. But seriously, I do think it’s objectively more interesting, and that it keeps readers on their toes (I was on my ASS in EoS and KoA. Like. I was flat on my back sinking into the Earth).

And there are still sort of… glimmers of the old way she wrote in the first few books, but it just feels like a tease rather than something that’s really explored and indulged in the way it was before, and it just ends up being more frustrating (like what was the point of Manon and Dorian not getting married at the end of KoA if I would bet my life savings that in World of Tog it’ll be confirmed that they’re either married or still together) and sometimes downright problematic? Like to return to a previous example, I think all the drama between Aedion + Lysandra was a result of Sarah’s previous (good) instincts to shake stuff up and complicate the character dynamics, but it backfires because when they end up together, it’s not ever… worked out? Or addressed? If you create really intense drama between two people, then that needs to show up in their relationship, no matter how happy they end up together. It doesn’t just disappear.

And despite the fact that her understanding of that concept (that shit between two people doesn’t just disappear like magic) is one of my absolute favorite things about the first few books, Sarah even went as far as to use the last two books to retcon some of the original complexity away, which makes me want to rip out my hair!! Like Aelin at the end of KoA just going “Love you Chaol and Love you Dorian xoxoxoxoxox best friends forever!!!” instead of having, like, any type of mixed feelings about the way these boys treated her? I mean, come on! 100 pages earlier Chaol was openly saying she should die instead of Dorian! Why is everything just peachy-keen instead of fraught with tension!! (I know why. I know. It’s because she introduced way too many characters/POVs/storylines as the series went on and didn’t know what to do with them all besides sideline the nonromantic ones and pair off everyone else boy-girl boy-girl down the line). Or if it has to be peachy-keen, why is the peachy-keeness never critically examined as, perhaps, a repressive mechanism for Aelin to avoid dealing with painful truths from her past? Now that would be interesting.

(My ideal World of ToG would be just a transcript of the characters’ therapy sessions where Aelin realizes that her insistence that “Chaol and Dorian Are Her Friends!” is actually a way to keep herself safe emotionally and that she has plenty of reasons to hate them, and Lysandra realizes she should divorce Aedion lmao).

Anyway tldr: The variety, complexity, depth, and unpredictability of the relationships in Throne of Glass was simultaneously the most realistic (sometimes relationships of all kinds fall apart or veer off in unexpected directions and love is temporary and the boy you met in the first chapter isn’t actually your soulmate and it doesn’t mean he’s a villain) and the most gripping and dramatic (I would have been totally chill if maeve and erawan weren’t a thing and tog was just like a medieval soap opera, that’s how entertaining the character dynamics were) thing about the series, and to lose that in the last two books because of Heterosexuality (and introducing too many POVs and not knowing what to do with them all)…. kinda devastating.

This ended up being waaaaaay more complaining than it was talking about what I loved, but the only reason it bothers me so much is because it used to be so good!!! So just imagine the inverse of all the frustration I just vomited into this ask and you’ll have a good idea of how much I loved the series when things weren’t this way.

#im SO sorry for how shittily worded/ranty/emotional/long this is but *antoni from queer eye voice* a shitty YA series is actually something #that can be so personal...#greatest hits: hot takes

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keyboard-smashed · 5 years

Text

The Storm That's Brewing

Pairings: Prinxiety, Logicality (probs more I haven't planned yet lol)

Warnings: None? Tell me if there are some I didn't think of

Note: This is a fic I've already posted to ao3 (keyboardsmashed33) but I've decided to post it here because ?? I have a new side-blog about the story (my-keyboard-did-it-not-me)

Superpower! Roommate! au regards

Chapter summary: Virgil and Patton Summers move into a new apartment with Logan Barry and Roman King.

-----

Chapter 1- Settling In

"Have you got everything?" Virgil's aunt asked, unpacking the last box from the car.

"Yep, think so!" Patton said cheerfully. Virgil wasn’t so sure.

Patton picked up the first few boxes, Virgil following his example, and started moving towards the apartment building before Virgil exclaimed, "Wait!"

He quickly scanned the boxes again, "What was it Lerman asked us to bring?"

"Logan," Patton corrected, "Asked us to bring the-" He quickly checked his text messages from his new roommate, "-kitchen supplies."

Virgil quietly cursed.

"We forgot the only thing our new roommate asked us to bring. He leased the apartment we're going to be staying in and we forgot the only things he asked us to bring. God, we have to live with him for how long? He's gonna think we're lazy or-"

“Virgil! Sweetie," His aunt interrupted, "Look what you're carrying."

Virgil did as his aunt suggested and found, surely enough, he was carrying a big container labelled "cookery stuff" in his own rushed handwriting.

"Oh."

His aunt chuckled, "Alright now that that's sorted, you boys had best start taking these boxes up and meet your new roommates. I'll wait here and join you with the last few boxes in a minute."

Virgil and Patton agreed and each carried a few boxes to the elevator in their apartment building. Despite their apartment being on the fifth floor, and Virgil having no athletic ability, Virgil decided it was safest if he took the stairs. Who knew what could go wrong in an elevator. He left his boxes with Patton, who was practically buzzing with excitement to meet his new roommate whom he had been texting for the past two weeks, and went back to the car to fetch a few more boxes, where he found his aunt chatting with an unquizzically attractive guy.

The guy towered above Virgil’s aunt, which in all fairness, wasn’t difficult since she stood at a mere 5ft. But the guy was still tall- Virgil estimated he was roughly 6ft tall, making him a whole 6 inches taller than himself. He was well built too, darn him, with the body of a jock.

He simply wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and skinny black jeans (that, unlike Virgil’s, had no tears in them), and finally a red scarf to tie the outfit together. Despite the scarf, Virgil thought the guy’s outfit was completely innapropriate for the chilly October weather that had Virgil shivering in his thick black hoodie. The air grew warm around Virgil as he approached.

When Virgil’s aunt saw him coming, she waved, causing the other man to turn around. Virgil’s jaw dropped. He looked like a sculpture- with prominent yet warm and soft features that had to be a result of make-up, because nobody could be that naturally beautiful in Virgil’s opinion.

His auburn hair was styled back neatly, except from one stray hair that stubbornly stuck up which Virgil found rather endearing. The man’s eyes were a beautiful and rich chocolate colour (and Virgil sure had a sweet-tooth).

Virgil found his mouth agape and quickly closed it. He was suddenly very grateful that he’d remembered to put on foundation that morning, otherwise his blush would be painfully obvious. Get a grip, he told himself.

Virgil’s aunt smiled knowingly. “Virgil! This lovely gentleman is Roman. He saw me with all these boxes and offered to help, it turns out he’s your other roommate!”

Virgil’s eyes widened in shock. This handsome stranger that Virgil totally was not crushing on, was his new roommate. Oh, he knew he was screwed right then.

Roman extended his hand to Virgil, “Roman King. Nice to meet you.” He smiled.

Virgil gulped and shook his hand, “I’m Virgil- uh- Virgil Summers. Nice to meet you too.” He stammered. Great, you’ve been here one minute and already made a fool of yourself, he scolded himself.

Roman let go of his hand, much to Virgil’s dismay. He noted, “You’re hot.” His smile fell as he tried to correct himself, “I mean warm. Your hand is really hot.”

Virgil was pleased to see that Roman’s face was as red as his hair. He laughed, “Thanks I guess, but you’re probably just freezing because you’re wearing only a shirt in the middle of fall.”

Roman brought his hands to his face in mock annoyance, “It’s fashionable. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

Virgil raised his eyebrow. “Oh yeah, Prince?”

“King.” He corrected.

Virgil’s aunt, who’d been silently watching this back and forth, cleared her throat. The two gentlemen stopped arguing and faced her.

“Oh no, don’t let me stop you two.” She said. The two looked at each other briefly but remained silent. “Oh alright then, why don’t you two take some boxes up then? You can continue while you walk.”

The pair agreed and walked to the elevator together, exchanging awkward smiles, and small talk, when they ran right into Patton.

“Oh Virgil! Who’s this?” Patton asked, trying to get a good look at Roman whose face was hidden behind the three boxes he was carrying (like a show off, Virgil thought).

“Pat, this is Roman Queen. Roman, this is my brother Patton.” Virgil gestured at them with his head, since his hands were full.

“It’s Roman King, but I actually am a queen so you didn’t offend me.” Roman quipped.

“It’s great to meet you! Are you our new roommate or just a kind stranger?” Patton asked.

“I am indeed your roommate, I would shake your hand but...”

“Oh of course! I can take those up in the lift and you two can go get the rest of the boxes?” Patton offered. Virgil agreed.

The elevator was already waiting when they got there.

“Are you sure you can take all these by yourself?” Roman asked when the elevator was stocked with boxes, Patton standing in the centre.

“Well, I am a little boxed in, aren’t I?” Patton joked.

Roman laughed And Virgil groaned that he shouldn't encourage him.

“But anyway, I’ll be fine, Logan said he was happy to assist me. He’s unpacking in the apartment.” He continued.

“Kay, well there are only a few more boxes anyway so we can take them up ourselves.”

Patton nodded. “Tell Aunt Maria I’ll call her tonight.”

“’Course.”

Roman and Virgil made their way back to the car where they discovered that what they’d thought was only few boxes, turned out to be another seven, of which Roman took four. He sat on the curb while Virgil and his aunt said their goodbyes.

“Message me whenever and be careful- especially because of, you know...” Maria trailed off.

“Yeah, yeah, I will.” Virgil promised, picking up the remaining two boxes. Roman stood from the curb.

“Roman, you’ve got my number in case this one doesn’t check in, you can free to message any time for a chat too.” Maria said. Virgil shot a strange look at Roman who simply smiled in response.

“Bye! Té amo!” She called out as they walked away.

“You too!” Virgil shouted back, a little quieter.

“¿Hablas Español?” Roman asked.

“Huh? Oh right, yeah no. Not really. Maria does. I just know a few phrases.” Virgil replied. He opened the door for Roman, who he doubted could even see with all the boxes he was carrying. A hypothesis that was proven correct when Roman walked straight into the elevator door. “Well done.” Virgil sneered.

Roman put down what he was carrying and glared at Virgil, pressing the button, and not breaking eye contact until the elevator arrived. When it arrived, Roman moved his boxes inside and took Virgil’s too, stepping into the elevator. He moved to make space for Virgil who looked nervously inside.

“I know it’s a bit cramped but I don’t bite, Dr Gloom. Well, not usually.” He laughed. Virgil remained motionless.

“You go on up, I don’t trust elevators.” Virgil shrugged. Roman nodded and picked up a box; “What are you doing?” Virgil asked.

Roman passed him a box. “You don’t like elevators so we’ll walk up the stairs, unless you can teleport?”

“I can walk up some stairs by myself.” Virgil said pointedly, handing the box back to Roman.

“I’m sure you can, even with those short legs,” He looked down at Virgil, who was only 5’6” (a perfectly reasonable height, Virgil thought, Roman was just unusually tall), “But you need not.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “God, you really are just a Disney prince in training, aren’t you? Fine, I’ll text Pat to get the boxes.” He said, texting while he spoke. “Or you could, you know, just text my aunt since you got her number for some reason.”

Patton replied almost immediately, ‘Sure thing!’.

Virgil clicked floor seven on the elevator and moved out before the doors closed him in.

Roman raised his arms in defence, “Hey, she gave my her number, not the other way round. She just wants to check on you.”

Virgil slid his phone into his pocket. He walked next to Roman, on the inside of the wall, so that Roman would have to walk further. “You could’ve only spoken to her for like two minutes before I came out!”

“Ah, coming out, how difficult. Anyway, I’m very charming.” First he called himself a queen, then a coming out joke? This guy was surely gay, Virgil reckoned (or hoped).

He waved the coming out joke away, “Right, Prince Charming, I forgot.”

Roman looked delighted, “Why thank you!” He beamed.

They walked in an (awkward? Virgil wasn’t sure) silence for a few seconds. Anxious to fill the silence, Virgil coughed, then asked “So, uh, what’s Logan like?”

Roman put his hands up in the universal ‘I don’t know’, “Dunno, haven’t met him yet. I got here just after you. My stuff’s coming in a few hours, I just wanted t get here early and meet the new roomies.” He explained.

“Weird, but sure.” Virgil panted, “Why are there so may stairs?”

“What, your short legs tired, Fall Short Boy?” Roman teased.

“Bad insult, good reference, challenge accepted.” Virgil sprinted up the stairs. He heard Roman exclaim something along the lines of ‘Unfair!’ and race after him.

Virgil was easily outmatched. Roman reached their apartment while Virgil was still in the fourth floor hall, moaning about his loss and unfair advantages Roman had despite the fact that nobody could hear him. He’d given up on running as soon as Roman passed him, walking the rest of the way and enjoying the brief silence which he felt was going to be a rare occurrence with both Patton and Roman around, and who knew what Logan was like?

When he finally made it to the apartment, he found the door ajar. So much for Roman’s princely manners then, shouldn’t he be escorting Virgil in? Not like Virgil minded, of course.

Inside the apartment were the sounds of gentle conversation and movement- then suddenly the sound of something smashing. Virgil rushed inside.

“What happened?” Virgil asked at the same time as Patton said, “It’s okay!”

A man, whom Virgil assumed was Logan, turned to face him. He wore jeans, a black button up t-shirt, a dark blue tie and glasses almost identical to Patton’s.

Logan smoothed his pristinely slicked back medium-brown hair into place and pushed his glasses further up on his nose,

“Hello, I am Logan Barry, your new roommate. The noise you just heard was a plate smashing which would be the result of Patton and Roman's inefficient unpacking method."

Virgil looked at Logan cautiously, he seemed nice enough- a little direct, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Virgil Summers.” He replied.

Roman glanced at Virgil, nodding slightly, but addressed Logan, "It would actually be very efficient if I was working with someone that could catch- no offence Patton."

Patton swept his hand through the air like he was literally brushing off the comment.

"Oh, no worries, it's true." He agreed.

"For safety reasons, I think it would be wise if somebody swept up the plate shards.” Logan reasoned.

"I'll do it!" Patton volunteered, searching through the cleaning boxes for a dustpan and brush. It didn't take long, since there was only one but he still didn't find it, "Oh dear, I think we've forgotten the dustpan and brush."

"Let me check." Roman said, rooting through the boxes. "Uh, what colour is it?" He asked.

"Ooh, it's a lovely dark blue." Patton replied.

Roman pulled out a blue dustpan and brush, "Aha! A new set of eyes always helps." He knelt and swept up the plate fragments, Logan occasionally pointed at a piece he missed and Virgil tried to suppress his snickering as Roman imitated Logan when he turned his back.

By 8pm, most of the apartment was ready, due to Logan's incessant nagging that it would be optimal if they completely unpacked that same day. Boxes were unpacked and stacked in a corner in the family room which was otherwise empty until Roman's things were to arrive.

The only messy parts of the apartment were the rooms, as everyone, other than Logan, had decided to leave theirs (mostly) alone until they could paint them- only putting duvets on the beds that had been left by the old owners, or supplied by the landlord, Virgil wasn't sure.

The rooms were quickly claimed: Logan, who had arrived first and already picked the room, chose the room with the best view for stargazing; Roman picking the largest room which he measured with a measuring tape he found in one of Logan's boxes; Virgil opting for room closest to the kitchen, which unfortunately shared a wall with Roman who had blasted Disney songs on his phone while unpacking and Patton subsequently moving into the second smallest room that, to his delight, was the easiest to access the main room (or family room as he liked to call it).

Virgil's room was one of the messiest due to Logan's insanely fast organisation skills and the fact that Roman didn't have anything to put in his room yet. Virgil's bed, which was a simple black wooden bed, took up a good portion of the room. It was a snug fit with a wardrobe and inbuilt desk, as well as Virgil's few packed up belongings, but Virgil didn't care.

Virgil sat on his bed, tired from the excessive amounts of exercise and socialization he'd done in the last few hours. He’d managed to avoid too much, ducking into his room as soon as he felt like he’d done enough not to feel guilty about not helping.

All Virgil really wanted to do after a long day was rest. However, fate is a cruel thing. And fate decided he wasn't allowed to rest. As soon as he thought his job unpacking was done, he heard a car horn and then a knock on his door.

Begrudgingly, he got out of bed. He manoeuvred the boxes in his room and opened the door to find Patton, looking as bubbly and energised as ever. Virgil had no idea how he did it.

"What?" Virgil yawned.

"Roman's stuff's here!" Patton said. He was rolling on the balls of his feet, ready to run and help Roman as soon as possible. Virgil however, was missing the warm spot on his bed.

"So?" He leaned against the doorframe, hoping Patton would just drop the subject and leave him be but if previous experience meant anything, he’d have no such luck.

"Oh, don't be a couch potato, come help us get the couch, please?” He asked hopefully, dragging out the please and launching into his signature irresistible puppy-dog eyes.

"I can't be a couch potato if there's no couch?" Virgil had meant it as a criticism to Patton’s- was it even a pun?- but his heart wasn’t in it.

"Exactly!" Patton exclaimed, "Plus Roman said he'd buy us all dinner if we helped."

“You had me at free dinner.” Virgil’s stomach rumbled in agreement.

-----

Taglist: ~nobody~ xoxo

(also does anyone wanna tell me how to link chapters or do anything at all?????????? pls)

Chapter 2:

#the storm that's brewing #fanfic #already a few chapters on a03 #prinxiety #logicality #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #sanders sides #original story

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darriness · 5 years

Text

Fic - Like You Wanna Be Loved 2/16

Author: darriness

Word Count: 1780

Summary: Learning more about the new kid

Author’s Note: I forgot I had to do chapter summaries...the summaries may not be stellar lol Thank you to my beta @darrenismydarcy!

AO3 Link

Blaine adjusts the strap over his shoulder as he stares at the signup sheet in front of him. He’s had a lot of ‘new experiences’ today and he’s not sure he wants to add one more to the list but...glee club.

It’s like a pull in his chest. He feels the ache of having to leave the Warblers every day and while he knows joining the New Directions won’t necessarily fill that void, it’s a pull he can’t ignore.

He writes his name in his neat script before he loses his nerve, looking around the crowded hallway as if expecting someone to jump out and scream ‘Ha! That signup is for everyone BUT you’. That doesn’t happen of course, the general populous of the school passing him by like he’s furniture.

He’s actually okay with that. He prefers to be part of the furniture (well ON the furniture if you ask his Dalton friends, but that was a different story… a different time) and would rather no one look at him. Which is why this morning in homeroom had been so unnerving.

He’s the new kid, he’d expected a fair amount of eyes on him the first day (hell the first week at least) but he hadn’t expected THOSE eyes on him.

They were blue but that didn’t even begin to describe them. ‘Blue’ felt like a wholly inadequate adjective but Blaine’s brain failed to supply any other options. His brain did provide two other thoughts though. One being that he wanted those eyes on him again. The other being he couldn’t afford to have those, or any other eyes, on him for too long.

With a sigh, Blaine backs away from the signup sheet, staring at it like he may at any moment scratch his name off, before shaking his head sharply and walking briskly away. He can have this one thing. He’s going to allow himself this one thing.

-- -- --

Kurt settles in his usual chair in the choir room, smiling and waving at Tina who he hasn’t seen for the last month - she had been in Florida with her family for the second half of the summer.

“Good summer, Kurt?” She asks.

Kurt nods, “It was, despite the scenery.” He gestures with his hand as if to encompass the whole of Lima, Ohio.

Tina giggles as Mike comes and sits next to her and more glee club members file into the room, “Well this time next year you’ll leave this town in the dust behind you.”

“One way or another.” Kurt nods with a smile as Mr. Schuester enters the room with a clap to get everyone’s attention.

“Welcome back, guys!” He exclaims, spreading his arms out to his sides with a smile, “I’m so excited to get this year started! First up…”

Rachel raises her hand swiftly from the front row, causing their teacher’s words to die on his lips as she interrupts, “Mr. Schue, I just wanted to say that as a senior, I am more than ready to take on a leadership role this year including, but not limited to solos, mentoring, and vocal training for our less gifted members.”

“Berry, if you weren’t here to be an annoying fly in the front row I’d think I was in the wrong choir room.” Santana snarks from the back row.

Rachel turns with an indignant huff and Kurt can see Mr. Schuester’s eyes roll ever so slightly. While Kurt doesn’t always agree with their fearless (okay usually scared shitless) leader, he can’t help but want to echo his annoyance, “Thank you, Rachel, for your enthusiasm. As always.” Mr. Schue smiles and Rachel smiles back before their teacher readdresses the group, “But as I was saying - first up are auditions for new members! We have…” He looks quickly at the sheet and Kurt notices his face fall at what he sees, “...just one auditionee. A Blaine Anderson.”

He says it to the group, as if to call up the boy, but it’s clear to everyone in the room that there is no new person amongst them. Everyone in the room is familiar and Kurt can even see Brittany pointing softly at each person in the room and then at herself with a vaguely confused expression.

Kurt’s not surprised by the lack of interest, he’s sure none of them are, despite Mr. Shue’s reaction. He’s not even all that surprised by the no-show candidate. The boy is probably a freshman who signed up out of overeagerness before learning throughout the day about how totally uncool it is to actually be in glee club.

Mr. Schue coughs awkwardly, and lays the clipboard on the piano before turning to the group with a tight smile, “Well I guess we can start working on…”

“I’m so sorry! Am I too late?” Mr. Shue is once again interrupted by a voice and Kurt turns in its direction to find the boy from this morning making his way into the room.

He’s out of breath and his cheeks are pink and Kurt immediately feels his senses sharpen. He sits a little straighter, crosses his legs a little more primly, and tucks his hands between his thighs. He licks his lips and then bites them together to keep what he knows would be a goofy smile off his face. My god, he doesn’t even know this boy’s name.

Well he does now. It’s Blaine Anderson apparently. But that’s all he knows. How is it possible to feel what he’s feeling when he literally knows nothing else of any significance about the boy?

“Of course not!” Mr. Shue enthuses, overly brightly, “Welcome! We’re glad to have you. Are you prepared to audition now or do you need a few minutes?”

Blaine puts his bag down and fidgets with his outfit before shaking his head, “I’m good to go now.” He says with a smile and Mr. Shue gestures for him to take the ‘stage’ before moving to sit in the front row beside Finn.

Objectively, Kurt has to admit that Blaine is an amazing singer. As he belts out a perfect version of End of the Road by Boyz II Men, Kurt is captivated by the tone and emotion, and he’s sure if he were able to look around the room and not just stare at Blaine, his classmates would be having similar reactions.

Blaine ends the song with a shy smile and shrug as the room erupts in applause around him. Mr. Schue gets up and moves next to Blaine, clapping the boy on the shoulder and addressing the room, “Well, it looks like we have a new member guys!” He says with a smile, “Feel free to grab a seat, Blaine, and we can get started.”

There are many empty seats available in the room, as there always are, and Blaine chooses one in the middle row in front of Kurt, just to his left. Kurt won’t admit to being a little upset that Blaine hadn’t taken the empty seat next to him but he tries to tell himself he’s being silly. Social etiquette dictates that Blaine would take the seat with as much space between himself and the people around him who are virtual strangers to him.

Kurt keeps an eye on the boy as rehearsal continues. He tries to do it slyly and without letting on that he’s watching him, but if the looks Mercedes keeps sending him are anything to go by, he’s not doing a very good job. Blaine comes across as charismatic and friendly, if a little reserved. He has no problem following instructions when asked to sing a part of a song or do choreography, but he doesn’t immediately volunteer and stays in the background until called upon.

This behaviour isn’t strange of course, just like the seat picking, but Kurt finds himself wanting to catalogue all things ‘Blaine’.

As rehearsal ends, the group goes to the risers to grab their bags and Kurt has an internal debate with himself on whether he should talk to Blaine or not. Maybe he could ask him to come to the Lima Bean after rehearsal. Not in a date sort of way! But in a ‘I really want to get to know you and hopefully you’re gay and maybe you’ll end up liking me back but this isn’t a date’ kind of way. He’s sure he can get Mercedes and Tina to come along and probably Finn and Rachel too if they aren’t busy trying to figure out the status of their ridiculous relationship.

He’s just decided he’s courageous enough to ask when he turns to find Rachel talking to Blaine. He moves down the risers and catches their conversation as he gets closer.

“...would be beneficial for us to get to know each other better.” Rachel is saying and Kurt rolls his eyes to himself. Of course Rachel is trying to become buddy buddy with Blaine - might as well scope out the competition early on.

Blaine smiles, “That sounds great, Rachel.” He says politely, adjusting his bag higher on his shoulder.

“Are you free now? We could go to the Lima Bean for coffee? Finn and I were going to head over.” Rachel says.

“We were?” Finn asks, confused.

Bitch is stealing my invitation! Kurt thinks bitterly, glaring at his best friend. Though, he figures he could probably score an invite to the Lima Bean too, so in the end Rachel’s probably doing him a favour...but still.

Blaine grimaces slightly, “I wish I could but I have to go pick up my little sister.” He says.

Has a sister. Kurt mentally adds to his ‘Blaine’ list, followed immediately by, Cares enough about his sister to pick her up.

Rachel pouts, not used to not getting her way, “Well maybe tomorrow!” She enthuses.

Blaine coughs, awkwardly, and shifts on his feet slightly, “Yeah. Maybe.” He says and Rachel seems appeased but Kurt can’t help but feel like it’s a brush off. He cocks his head to the side and observes Blaine for a moment as he waves at Rachel and Finn and begins to leave the classroom.

He gets not really wanting to deal with Rachel’s over exuberance, but to shut down a gesture of friendship as the new kid? That seems odd.

Kurt is shaken from his musings when Finn calls his name, “Hey Kurt, apparently we’re going to the Lima Bean.” He calls from across the room.

Rachel huffs, “We weren’t actually going to the Lima Bean!” She huffs and stalks away as Finn’s brow furrows.

“Well then why did you say we were?” He calls after her.

Kurt chuckles and shakes his head. This should be an interesting year.

#klaine #klaine fanfiction #klaine fanfic #my loves #my stuff #like you wanna be loved #chapter two

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dykexion · 5 years

Text

tagged by @minatodilf ty Ash 👌👌

What was your last

Drink: just plain water

Last phone call: my dad (I'm not big on phone calls so only my parents really call me normally)

Last text: telling @vulturousculturalist to go to sleep because it was 1am and I'm the responsible friend uwu. if discord messages don't count then I was texting one of my friends calling Zero from megaman a himbo at like 5am

Last song you listened to: Kansas by Gorillaz

Last time you cried: a few days ago I think

Have you ever dated someone: nope! being a small town dyke that goes to a catholic school unfortunately doesn't give me many dating prospects 😅

Been cheated on: nah

Kissed someone and regretted it: I don't think so actually, I once kissed a friend and it was,,,,a lil weird and we're not actually friends anymore (unrelated) and I don't like her but,,,,it was just something that happened I guess

Lost someone special: not really

Been drunk and thrown up: never been drunk! I never drink enough to make me more than just a lil tipsy

List three fave colors: black green and purple

In the last year have you…

Made a new friend: yeah!

Fallen out of love: nope

Laughed until you cried: many times, I laugh at things really easily

Met someone that changed you: I have no sense of self so maybe lmao

Found out who your true friends are: haha yeah. it was fun having an "intervention" staged about me being "unnecessarily rude to everyone and unable to make friends" when I reported a kid for harassing my other friend and making sexist and racist comments. needless to say the person who did that's not my fuckin friend anymore

Found out someone was talking about you: hahaha.

Kissed someone on your FB friends list: don't have facebook

General

How many people on your FB friends list do you know irl: don't have facebook

Do you have any pets: unfortunately no though I adore all kinds of animals. I do lay somewhat of a claim to my friend's cat because she actually apparently likes me better than the people who live with her lmao (take that Lorna!)

Do you want to change your name: hmmm i don't think so tbh, I was thinking of going by a shortening of my middle name (Louise -> Lou) occasionally but idk lmao

What did you do for your last birthday: I don't think I've actually done anything for my birthday since I was like 10. I was gonna meet up with a few friends last year but coincidentally there was a school trip the same day and we got stuck in traffic on the way back so I couldn't do that :/

What time did you wake up today: about 4am. I went to sleep just after midnight and woke up four hours later unable to go back to sleep. I'm out of school for the summer but I've still been instinctively waking up at around the time I'd get up for school anyway but today just took the biscuit and woke me two hours before that

What were you doing at midnight last night: watching the snapcube Sonic 06 fandub

Name something you CANNOT wait for: uhhhhhhhh idk tbh. something will probably come to me immediately after I post this though

Last time you saw your mother: saw her like an hour ago

What is one thing you wish you could change about life: not to be stereotypical but money probably. my family's kinda in deep shit atm because we're paying out our arses to keep my grandma in the care home she's at bc we can't take care of her but that costs a serious amount of money so we don't have too much left for other stuff and it's just a tad Worrying

What are you listening to right now: I've got Gorillaz on shuffle on spotify and I can also kinda hear the rain outside

Have you ever talked to a person with the name Tom: unfortunately yes.

What’s getting on your nerves: thinking about my exam results that I'm not gonna get back until the end of August that decide my academic path for at least the next two years

Most visited website: YouTube and Tumblr

Nickname: not too many people call me nicknames anymore but cookie and amy-lou are what people used to call me (still do occasionally)

Relationship status: single

Zodiac sign: libra (+ aquarius moon and rising)

Pronouns: she/her or they/them + I also go by he/him in my head sometimes.....indecisive

Fave tv shows: I don't watch too much TV but uhhh recently I watched good omens and lucifer they were alright

Hair color: brown but I used to be super blonde when I was little. I'm also hopefully dyeing it soon, probably purple

Long or short: I prefer having my hair short and I've gone through cycles of long hair to short hair through my life lmao. the current short hair has stayed for three years so far though so thats A New Record

Height: 5'3

Do you have a crush on someone: idk tbh

What do you like about yourself: uh. despite being a major dumbass I'm actually quite clever and I like that I can help people with that. when I'm not hiding them behind my glasses or fringe I get complimented on my eyes occasionally so that's a nice physical thing. oh and also being gay as hell yeehaw

Tattoos: I don't have any but I'd kinda maybe want a simple one in the future

Righty or Lefty: righty

First surgery: never had one. I've never even fractured a bone somehow

First piercing: not actually got any piercings yet....my mum always said no piercings until I was 18 but I'm working on getting my ears pierced this summer

First best friend: this (only) girl I was friends with in like year 1 and 2. she left school after that and I never saw her again, Elizabeth if you're out there....

First sport you joined: ballet! I've been doing it for over a decade now lmao I'm almost at the point where I could become a qualified teacher if I wanted to (cue identity crisis over what I want out of life)

First pair of trainers: why??

Right now

Eating: toast

Drinking: woter

Listening to: this question has been asked three times now lmao, Gorillaz on Spotify

Want kids: probably not

Career: I want to be a translator or smth like that

Which is better:

Lips or eyes: eyes

Hugs or kissed: hugs

Shorter or taller: don't mind

Romantic or spontaneous: romantic

Nice stomach or nice arms: Arms For Hugging

Sensitive or loud: sensitive probably

Hook up or relationship: relationship definitely

Troublemaker or hesitant: hmmmm idk

Have you ever:

Kissed a stranger: nope

Drank hard liquor: nope

Lost glasses/contacts: fuckin constantly

Sex on a first date: nope

Broke someone’s heart: uh maybe? there was this one kid that seemed to have been really into me for a while that I turned down when we were like 14 (sorry Jamie lmao but you were instrumental in me figuring out I didn't like dudes so thanks mate)

Had your own heart broken: nah

Been arrested: never

Turned someone down: yea

Cried when someone died: yea

Fallen for a friend: unfortunately lol potentially multiple times but I'm still a disaster who can't differentiate between strong romantic and platonic feelings wassup

Do you believe in:

Yourself: eh they're alright occasionally

Miracles: nope

Love at first sight: not really

Santa Claus: nope. not sure if my parents ever bothered that much keeping it secret that he wasn't real

Kiss on the first date: sure why not

Angels: nah

i tag: (only if you wanna do it since this is super long) @vulturousculturalist @jothriku @comicsansisasin + anyone who wants to do it. I'm not tagging too many people since this is A Lot and it seems like other people are already doing this stuff atm, have a fun tuesday

#thanks for tagging me ash #tag games

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secretlyatargaryen · 5 years

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July 2019 Reviews

Games

Walden, a game - A delightful experience for those who love games and literature and the idea of them together. The best parts of the game are the quotes from Thoreau's book that appear on the screen when you examine something closely, like a fox or a maple tree, complete with great voice acting. The ecological detail put into the game is impressive. The worst part is that the game mechanics for completing tasks are clunky and there is very little time each day before the game forces you to go to sleep and begin the next day, and your hunger, fuel, and shelter meter always seems to be low, causing you to spend the majority of your daylight hours picking berries and collecting firewood. I get that this is supposed to mirror the experience of "living simply," but 1) it is boringly repetitive and if anything calls to mind the irony of “being one with nature” in a computer game and 2) there are a lot of other interesting things to do in the game which you do not have enough time to do, such as helping escaped slaves on their way to the underground railroad. I learned playing this game that Henry David Thoreau was basically every guy I met in college who hated the government and whose solution to its atrocities was to fuck off into the woods and smoke pot instead of actually doing anything about it. This analogy is completed by the fact that you are able to go into town and get food and clean laundry from your parents' house if you get too low on those things.

Black Mirror (2017) - No, not the Netflix series. This is a re-imagining of the Black Mirror series of adventure games developed in the early 2000s. The original game is considered a classic of point and click adventures but suffers from an unoriginal plot (obligatory part where I once again complain about horror games and their obsession with "Surprise! You're crazy! Dead women!") and the unfortunateness of early 3D polygon graphics. The second and third game took the series in a completely new and original direction and were quite good, so while I had never heard of the remake before I came across it during the steam summer sale, I was cautiously hopeful. Even if it was trash, it's just the kind of gothic-mystery-exploring-a-haunted-castle trash that I like to throw my money at. The gameplay is pretty fun (minus some quick time events where you can get killed by ghosts mostly by failing to operate the somewhat clunky controls - the game was originally ported for PS4) and the story is original but also expands upon the series mythos. An enjoyable trashy gothic yarn, although the story also felt incomplete, even to someone who has played the original games, and was both wrapped up too quickly and left weirdly unresolved.

Books

Greenglass House, Kate Milford - I started this book a while ago and it’s been on my radar for a while, and I restarted it again when I heard it was going to be on this year’s BOB list. A fun young adult adventure story which utilizes one of my favorite mystery tropes, the closed circle. The story is that preteen Milo lives in the eponymous house, which his family runs as an inn. The house used to be a meeting place for smugglers back in the day, which means there’s buried treasure somewhere in the house, and when the story starts a slew of guests arrive at the house and are stranded by a snowstorm, when things start getting mysterious. Someone in the house is a thief! I really like this book and the way that the story’s original folklore is woven into the plot. There are also several dungeons and dragons elements that play a role in the plot - to solve the mystery, Milo and his friend Meddy pretend to be characters in a role-playing game, and I love the way the story makes connections between games, stories, and language, since that happens to align with my interests.

Serafina and the Black Cloak, Robert Beatty - Another BOB book, this one also has been on my radar for a while because the series is very popular among my students, and when I went to Beatty’s website recently I saw that Disney had already put their name on it, lol. What I didn’t know was that the series takes place in my state. The setting is the Biltmore Estate in the late 1800s, and the story is a historical fantasy that utilizes some of the local folklore in some really interesting ways, although it’s more fantasy than historical. An enjoyable read with an interesting female protagonist.

Movies

Ready Player One - I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I had heard going into it that it was not a great adaptation from friends who loved the book, which I haven’t read. That might be why I did enjoyed it so much. I don’t think it’s anything that memorable, but it is enjoyable. I can see why the book became so popular, although I’ve read books with similar storylines. I guess a book like this is more relevant nowadays with the popularity of VR in the modern gaming market, but the story relied on some tired cliches nonetheless. I also was a bit annoyed when the story acknowledged the issue with the main character falling for Artemis’ idealistically beautiful avatar without really knowing her...and then had her turn out to be stunningly gorgeous in real life. Okay, she had a wine-stain disfigurement on her face, but she was still traditionally beautiful, and the main character gets to be with her in the end while meanwhile, his actual best friend, who turns out to be an unfeminine black girl in real life and who obviously has a crush on him, is left behind.

Picnic At Hanging Rock - I come across this movie on gothic film recommendation lists every so often and have wanted to watch it for years, and I happened to find it on youtube, which surprised me. The original movie is from 1975 and is a cult classic for a reason. Stunning visuals and a story that leaves you confused in the just the right way. After watching it, I was itching to learn more and came across last year’s amazon prime series with Natalie Dormer and watched all six episodes, and although the series was enjoyable and a good extension for anyone who enjoys the original movie, it does not have the charm or brilliance of the original. The series expands on the story, but part of the beauty of the original movie is the way the story is told in what isn’t said, and in carefully choreographed scenes where nobody on screen says a word. I can see why the movie is called “gothic” as it has some of the trappings of the genre. It takes place in 1900 at a remote and mysterious boarding school in Australia. Three girls vanish during a school field trip, seemingly without a trace. What happened to them may have been supernatural. Or they may have been murdered, kidnapped, or run off on their own. Also, I’m pretty sure everyone is gay.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - I’m a huge fan of the Shirley Jackson novel which this movie is an adaptation of, and unlike Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, this movie is actually a fairly straight adaptation of the novel. The movie captures the gothic feel of the book as well as the anxiety about gender and class from which it gets its themes, and there are solid performances all around, but the movie does seem a bit devoid of a life of its own. Despite, and possibly because of, the voice-over narration, Merricat never really comes alive as a character the way she does in the book. This is, I think, a problem with a lot of book to movie adaptations that rely on voice-overs to tell the story. I can see the appeal of this, especially with a book like this which is both heavily steeped in POV and characterized by an unreliable narrator, but I found myself really wishing the movie would just let itself tell the story rather than the narrator.

Shows

American Gods - I watched all of season two on the starz website except for the finale, which I was told that I needed to upgrade by account to watch, so if you are watching on the website or the app be aware of that. I enjoyed season two, although it lacked some of the urgency of the first season. I do enjoy some of the adaptational choices made that update the novel a bit, such as having Technology be outsourced by New Media. Also, season two saw the arrival of my daughter, Sam Black Crow. I’m also looking forward to the Lakeside subplot next season (I assume) as it’s my favorite part of the novel.

Stranger Things - I watched the first four episodes of season one when it came out, and then for some reason never finished it. I know, I know. It didn’t take me very long to watch all three seasons, which I sort of interpreted as one as a result, although I do think there’s a drop in quality somewhere in the second/third season, but overall it’s a fun show that definitely kept me interested and invested in the characters. Also, every scene relating to the upside down motivated me to clean my bathroom.

#jenny reviews

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