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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

Note

Hi! First of all thanks for running this blog, it's a goldmine. So I've been running Spire and spy fiction is obviously a major touchstone for it but I'd like to know if there are more games that scratch that itch, regardless of setting.

I have a preference for the less "spectacular" kind of spy (more intelligence-gathering and political intrigue than stealthy gadgets and action scenes) but any suggestion is welcomed :)

THEME: Spies & Intrigue

Thank you very much for your sentiments! I feel very good about the options I’ve managed to rustle up for you today.

Uneasy Lies the Head, by Adam Bell.

A cracked throne, an imploded sun, revolution at the gates: disaster looms over the realm as self-serving nobles plot and scheme to shape the world to their liking. When those visions clash, turmoil erupts and the court is thrown into chaos.

Uneasy Lies the Head is a GM-less tabletop RPG where everyone plays a member of a tumultuous royal court. Each player chooses a playbook to define their character, and weaves a web of alliance and animosity with the other players.

This isn’t necessarily a spy game, but it will give you the intrigue you’re looking for, and there are mechanics built-in for a betrayal of some kind. Each player has their own playbook with special moves associated with their role. Using resources such as tokens and dice, players will attempt to fulfill their agendas by bartering resources, making alliances, and forging deals. The game is also setting-flexible, so you could play as a space oligarchy, a feudal monarchy, or a high school lunch table! If you want social intrigue, I recommend Uneasy Lies the Head.

Shot Through The Heart, By Roll for Romance.

Go undercover and get under the covers as you take on a top-secret mission filled with danger, desire, and deception!

Drawing inspiration from sexy spy tropes, Shot Through the Heart is a Caltrop Core game where players are secret agents on a mission and looking for love. With 4 classic agent types, over-the-top code names, and messy interparty romantic entanglements, each agent plays a unique role in the mission. Will you play as a seductive Fatale who charms their way past danger or perhaps a Tech Specialist who has yet to see a code they can't crack?

Secret Objectives add intrigue and player vs. player dynamics that will leave players wondering if a fellow agent is a mole working to sabotage the mission or just flustered because they're secretly attracted to them.

This game is about literal spies and therefore will expect dramatic heists and stealthy conflict, but it adds a layer of personal entanglements, which will provide obstacles as they attempt to complete their dangerous heists and super-secret missions. The social aspect is highly personal, and threatened the party just as much as enemy agents. You definitely need player buy-in when it comes to the romantic entanglements, but if the players don’t mind wrestling with secret heartaches and heartbreaks, this might be the game for you!

Shadow Protocol, by Club Xero.

An ultra-lite ruleset for running espionage thrillers, Shadow Protocol is designed to fit any setting or era. Character creation is meant to be fast, stateless, and freeform.

The biggest risk in spy games is getting caught, and you’ll be fighting against that throughout an entire game of Shadow Protocol. You’ll have to do your best to avoid suspicion, manage your stress, and stop yourself to do something that brings unwanted trouble or personal harm. How much of the obstacles presented to the party are physical or social depends on both the characters all of the players decide to play, as well as the objectives set out by the GM. If you want to battle the pressure of keeping an operation under wraps, I heavily recommend this game.

The Service, by Rocket Surgeon Games.

It’s the height of the Cold War, and the world is divided into two competing superpowers. On the frontlines of this ideological conflict we find the spies and intelli- gence officers that use information, disinformation and coercion to any sordid ends their masters command.

The United Kingdom, having lost much of its for- mer influence on the world stage, still actively uses its intelligence agencies to further its national interests, even if the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) can’t compete with the KGB or the CIA in terms of budget or power.

In The Service, players take on the roles of intelligence officers working for a the UK Secret Intelligence Service. It is meant to emulate the kind of unglamorous, bureaucratic and morally grey spy fiction of Le Carré, Len Deighton or The Sandbaggers.

Your characters in this game are not high-powered, fantastic individuals, but rather special officers doing the best they can in an extremely high-stakes scenario. This game is set in a very specific time period, and uses the Powered by the Apocalypse System to purposefully emulate WWII fiction.

What I really like about this game is that the playbooks are designed to look like British passports, which immediately helps players understand what kind of game they’re playing, and also helps them immerse themselves in their characters. This game may only be in playtest, but there’s already a lot to love about it.

#asks #game recommendations #tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #spies #espionage #intrigue

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attonitos-gloria · 1 year

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Thoughts on Larys Strong?

Ahhhh, friend. I adore him, and I feel very conflicted about it. Thank you for asking me that. I needed to vent about this.

I have to talk about Tyrion to explain why lol sorry I throw Tyrion in every conversation too. Also sorry to be HORRIBLY prolix, this is so long. (And spoilers for the books for those who care.)

I'm a simple girl, really. I see a cunning, clever, quiet, morally gray man moving the strings of the game, chances are that I'll like him a lot, and it's even better if he is a little sad; I think Tyrion being my favorite character is a reflection of that.

But Tyrion is a deconstruction of a certain trope - that is, the evil disabled advisor, who can not be trusted because they're ill-intentioned from go, they will inevitably betray and turn against the master they served, because they only serve their own interests... No. This is Tywin, and Otto, two very able-bodied men. But Tyrion is loyal to a fault to the Lannisters, even though they are horrible to him (he never bets against his family! Until the day he does!!) He is actually an excellent asset to them and works very, very hard for them. When he turns again them, he does it out of grief and not as a consummation of a long planned betrayal. It's sudden; it's utterly emotional. And it's not exactly a secret: it's loud, as most things Tyrion does. It's not behind the curtains! The betrayal of House Lannister against him was obvious, and his response to that was just as obvious. He killed Tywin and fled. That's the message. He has turned against the system and he wants it to ruin.

This is one of the reasons why I don't like the idea that Tyrion will (unexpectedly) betray Dany in the books; like, why bother to give this character so much nuance only to make him go down the same path of so many of the Disabled men occupying the role of Advisors before him? Everyone expects Tyrion to betray people, both in-universe and in fandom, even though he is, all things considered and relatively to other characters, a rather loyal man (as long as people are loyal to him). He is many horrible things! But unloyal is not one of them! I trust George; I think ADWD built things in a way that even if he does, indeed, end up betraying Dany, he was given enough nuance that we cannot put him in that category. It would make me very, very sad, I'm not going to lie to you. But I think characters, unlike real people, should be allowed to be evil, and Tyrion has so many reasons to be the worst person ever that whatever he does... We will get it. We are going to read it and be like, "oh, so this is one of the possible outcomes of years being abused and neglected by your family and the entire world! This is a thing a human being could do if they're deprived of love." That's the thing: Tyrion is a whole, entire, layered character. If he turns out to be, ultimately, a villain, we'll follow the thread, all the way from Joanna's womb, and indeed before her, to Tytos, to all the Lannisters before them that made his life and story what it is.

BUT LARYS. You asked me about Larys. Larys is such a perfect crystallization of this trope that it almost makes me cringe inside. Even in the books he is, like, this huge mystery. Why does Larys do the things he does? What is his game? No one knows, Larys is inscrutable. He's not morally gray; as far as we know he's straight up evil, but almost no one (but Alicent) seems to suspect it because he looks innocent, he looks harmless, keeping the company of women because he cannot hunt. He is deceitful: that's pretty much the core of his character. Intentionally misleading, and even more, using his disability to employ that falsehood. Behind that mask of being a loyal servant, he has manipulated basically everyone he's interacted so far, including Otto. He employs cruel methods, he is completely unscrupulous. He is ridiculously creepy and the show goes to great lengths to make that clear. He killed his family, and he showed no signs to hate them before, quite the contrary; he simply did it because... Love is a downfall! It's almost like the show is telling you that betrayal is in his nature [ableism red flag]. So obviously [spoiileeersss] he is going to betray Alicent after years in her service.

Oh, and also, people call him Larys Clubfoot, and he has a foot fetish....... like. Really? Why, WHY make him disabled, I ask?

And it's hard, because for one side, the mystery is part of the reason why he is such a fun character. Sometimes people are simply evil! Not every bad person has a traumatic family history; some people are just perverse. Larys seems to be one of those people; and why not? For the other side, when we deprive him of nuance and a history that could enlighten us as to how he became this horrible man....... He becomes a trope, and not the nicest one!!! Hence my conflict.

But at the end of the day, even though the way he is presented to us strings a problematic chord to me, I am obsessed with the portrayal Needham gave him. Obsessed. I read the terms and conditions, and I wish to proceed, I am so so sorry. I just support all his war crimes.

We still don't know why he did what he did to Alicent in the books, and I'm very curious to see how the show is going to explain or justify that. I think there's still time to be invested in Larys' character. I thought at some point in the first season that maybe they will go the Criston route? He is going to be disappointed because Alicent will reject him in some manner that will displease him, but he will do it in the delusional, creepy way, and not the incel-Cole way. Or maybe they'll just follow along and give him no reason whatsoever, because he is Larys? I don't know!!!

In the books, Larys asks to be buried without his twisted foot. When combined with the scene in the garden and the hunt, I think this throws an interesting light on his character. He's never found peace with his disability, he doesn't want to be tied to it for eternity beyond the grave; but he's found something useful - being invisible, looking harmless, observing people without being observed - and he turns this against the world. I like this villain origin story very much! I would like to see this being further explored.

I think they really grounded his character in Alicent, so far. His relationship with Alicent fascinates me, because it is so abusive. It's coded as courtly romance but it's ANYTHING but. This man is gaslighting her! He actually groomed her (politically if nothing else) when she was rather young and lonely! And she is using him! It's all horrible, and they remind me a lot of Petyr and Sansa in that regard, and I always hated the romanticization of Petyr/Sansa so I feel validated lol I mean. Let creepy ships be creepy.

Speaking of which, that's one of the reasons why I didn't hate the scene where they exchange information for sexual services. I liked it, because it was so horrible! Like, Alicent looks so uncomfortable that it was bordering on the non-consensual. You cannot romanticize that shit, lol (I mean, you can, but the romance is not there, that's my point). But the fact he has a foot fetish (and she takes her shoes off on her first dinner with him) reminded me of Shae calling Tyrion my giant and the court proceeding to ridicule him for it at his trial. I wish they hadn't done that to Larys. Nothing against kink. Nothing against finding sexual pleasure in what one perceives as a lack in one's life, be it a father or a mother, or a limb, or privacy; whatever! Kink is fine, and everyone does that. It can be empowering. But one of those days I would like to see disabled people in TV having different kinks? Or maybe... none? That would be nice, too, and I don't know what it is with making such a fuss about what disabled people like, or don't like, in the bedroom. Or maybe I do.

TL;DR: I think his characterization is problematic and I wish he were more nuanced. I still hope they will develop him further. But I cannot help but love him. Like. Top 3 favorite characters of HOTD for real.

I would really love to hear your thoughts on him.

#larycent #otp: love is a downfall #cw noncon #cw ableism #larys strong brain rot #king of my heart.#sorry to make everything about tyrion btw #i can't help it #hotd supremacy #f&b spoilers #who knows? maybe he will kill aegon accidentally #the way theyre doing things in this show #oh the poison was for that other guy!!! aegon is just a drunkard and drinks from everyone's cups #larys strong

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glitterarygetsit · 6 months

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I've said most of this on Twitter already, but here is my Obligatory OFMD Finale Feels post.

In short: I'm disappointed on a plot and character level and people are right to say it's ableist, but I mainly think the writers fucked up while trying to do something positive. A lot of this is conjecture, and it doesn't absolve the creators for making the mistakes they did or continuing to preach kindness and happy endings in interviews, but I think it makes sense and frames OFMD as an effort to make a show that is far more progressive than most other shows, but still really, really fucked up without meaning to.

Looking at the timeline, the show got renewed in June 2022, and was filming by September. The fandom has had a full year to explore Izzy's character and get more attached to him than the writers, who got about 3 months to gauge audience reaction and potentially rewrite his whole arc, could have expected.

I think the fact that the writers seem to have tried to give a fan favourite an arc in which he achieves happiness and self-actualisation is laudable. The problem is that in doing so, they made him even more of an avatar of queer and disabled survival while failing to change the endpoint they had planned for him. As a result, when he died, he wasn't just a complex deuteragonist with an arc that served the main story who saw the error of his ways, but a protagonist who had come to represent the themes of survival and acceptance that the show has embodied from the start.

The fact that s2 explicitly gave Izzy an arc about becoming disabled and coming to terms with it is what invokes the "bury your cripples" trope, and the idea that being disabled makes life not worth living despite earlier episodes (and other characters!) in the series explicitly demonstrating the contrary. If we look at his death as something the writers viewed as a fixed canon event, it's clear that they badly fumbled the ending, thinking they'd given him peace at the end when what they'd actually done was rip the prospect of more peace and happiness from him.

The way Izzy's death and funeral were handled--the in-universe inconsistency of having his fatal wound be on the left side, the cruelty of the British noticing his golden leg, the implication of something beyond the grave by having possibly-seagull-Buttons landing on his grave and denying us the closure of knowing that's the end, as well as separating him from his community and from his prosthetic were repeated slaps in the face that I see as the result of internalised ableism and trying to force a character that had grown beyond his original narrative purpose back into a predetermined fate. To me djenks' garbled rewriting of Izzy's relationship with Ed in interviews confirms that the character broke the bounds of its intended purpose and left the writers unsure what to do with him.

Ultimately, I don't think djenks and the writers intended to be cruel. I think they're the products of an ableist, racist, homophobic society with a lot of internalised prejudice who should have hired a disability consultant for their silly pirate show that unexpectedly punches far above its weight in terms of representation. Still, I can absolutely understand why viewers might feel that the failure to account for their internalised ableism is enough of a betrayal to stop watching. I do hope those viewers can still find joy and representation in the fandom going forward; if they move on to another show, our fandom will be poorer for it, and I think other fans need to recognise the hurt they're going through and use this experience as an impetus to create better-informed fanworks themselves.

I'm not especially interested in litigating whether OFMD signposted this from the start or is breaking or sticking to genre conventions or three-act-structures or whether it broke in-universe rules (it did, though. bite me.) Izzy's death was neither an inevitable beat in a well-told story nor evidence of an intentional shift towards Game-of-Thrones-style cruel and pointless deaths. They just fucked up, badly, and I hope they'll do better in future.

#ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta

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scarlet--wiccan · 1 year

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The new avengers lineup directly corresponding to the “twilight court” is interesting, I’m sure those new characters(?) probably followed this lineup. I wonder if Mordred (not the mutant guy) and Wanda are connected in any other ways. Also can’t help but think about Teddy’s whole space King Arthur vibe but I think that’s just a coincidence. Marvel has too many Arthurian cycles going on

The premise of the comic involving betrayal by a friend and Wanda’s corresponding character being named after king Arthur’s traitorous son doesn’t give me a great feeling, though. Carol corresponds to Lancelot, also something of a traitor, but as team leader and face of the brand I can’t see her being a bad guy…

Yeah, so, just to give some context for anyone reading this, Marvel published a one-shot comic in December called Timeless, which served as a prologue to MacKay's upcoming Avengers series. Kang the Conqueror is searching for something he calls "the missing moment," which is the first step in a quest for some cosmic holy grail. The missing moment can only be unlocked through a series of Tribulation Events which must be undertaken by heroes. Kang's rival in this quest is a mysterious strangers calling themselves Myrddin who has created a group of genetically-engineered heroes called the Twilight Court to undertake the trials on his behalf. Each of these heroes is named after an Arthurian character, and they are each designated as a specific archetype-- the Star, the Icon, the Witch, the King, the God, the Engineer and the Construct. Kang resolves to assemble his own team of heroes, and we can see in the solicits for Avengers that he's following the same list of archetypes.

Wanda is obviously the Witch. Mordred, the Witch of the Twilight Court, describes herself as a chaos agent, and claims that she's willing to betray her comrades if it will serve the greater good. I get the impression that MacKay is pulling from modern fantasy tropes wherein witch characters are neither good nor bad-- they're just right. Mordred's role is to follow her own judgement and go against the chain of command if necessary.

If that's Wanda's role on the new Avengers lineup, then I actually think that would be a refreshing take on the character. Wanda's been through a lot, and I appreciate when writers allow her to show the wisdom and resolve that she's gained from those experiences. She has a unique perspective on things like magic, the multiverse, and reality alteration. That'll probably come in handy as the situation with Kang unfolds, but I don't expect people like Tony or Carol to understand right away.

Of course, I could be wrong! MacKay could be planning to totally tank the character. I don't know, but I also don't think it will be helpful for me to sit here and be pessimistic about it for the next four months.

#avengers #jed mackay

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firstname-tournaments · 8 months

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On your left, Merlin and Arthur, from BBC Merlin

But who are they?

At the start of the show, Merlin saves Arthur’s life. He does that again and again for the rest of the show but this is basically the only time he is recognized for it. What does he get in reward? A job! As Prince Arthur’s manservant. Despite Merlin’s status as an underling, Arthur constantly puts his heart first and prioritizes Merlin above his other princely/kingly responsibilities. Merlin on the other hand, knows his destiny is tied to Arthur’s and does everything to save his life and preserve their shared future and the future of their kingdom. At the end of the series, Merlin reveals his magic - his deepest secret that he protected out of fear of betrayal - to Arthur as he dies. They are enemies to master/servant to besties who are also pretty much lovers. They are canonically referred to as “two sides of the same coin.”

They're the worst and I love them. Arthur starts out as the worst kind of conceited asshole, Merlin saves his life before fully considering the consequences which leads to him being made Arthur's servant, and they both absolutely hate each other. I wouldn't call it enemies to lovers because they're never really enemies and they're never really lovers but it's close enough that enjoyers of the trope would probably like the show anyways

On your right, Edgar and Adelaide Bonfamille, from the Aristocats

But who are they?

The most ICONIC disney master-servant couple. He's served her his whole life. She respects him a lot but not enough to give him any money after her death, she's going to make her cats her universal heirs (mood honestly). He takes the completely rational decision tokidnap the cats to avoid the hassle. Thinks of himself as an evil mastermind but left half his clothes on the crime scene. Her best friend is a hundred years old and runs up the stairs before pantsing Edgar. The only sane people in that movie are the cats.

So...

#tournament poll #the aristocats #bbc merlin

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visd3stele · 3 years

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Masterlist

📖 - unfinished

📚 - finished

👀 - finished, but might continue if requested

🎈 - soon to arrive

be careful at the 💥triger warnings💥 (they're at the beginning of each fic where needed) please, stay safe! 💛

also, further explenations can be given in the longer A/N's, so don't skip on those

let me know if you wanna be tagged

Marauders era:

- young and tangled - Sirius blurb 📚

*One afternoon at Hogwarts, reader braids Sirius' hair for Quidditch - fluff*

- the white ship of the House of Black vs the poisoned snake - Sirius x fem!reader (x Regulus !platonic!) 📚

*Life after Hogwarts is not easy. The war puts everyone's nerves to test. When y/n and Sirius break up and her purebloods parents want her to marry Regulus, the Gryffindor Black must take action*

- flirt and a shirt - Sirius blurb *short*📚 (plus size!reader)

- Remus dating slytherin reader 📚 (link for part 1)

*forced marriage trope but happy ending* (2 parts) link for part 2

- Regulus and muggle born reader: all great couples pull a great con 📚 (link for part 1)

*they're clever and madly in love, what can possibly go wrong with two water snakes in the cobras' nest?* (2 parts) link for part 2

- save me (Reggie x you) 📚

*you heal Regulus, not just his body, but soul and mind as well*

- Operation prison break (Sirius x spouse!reader, Regulus x platonic!reader) 📚

*An unexpected visit to the disowned Black household brings out secrets and a powerful alliance*

- the life of the Black brother's 📖 (act I)

*a tragedy in 5 parts about Reggie and Sirius* act II, act III, act IV, act V

- don't love me like that: Sirius/reader/mean girl📚

*dark magic is not love and y/n plus our favorites from the wizarding world help Sirius deal with it*

- my true north (Sirius x potter!reader) 📚

*James' little sister is a brave wizarding self proclaimed pirate, but there is a good reason for it*

- Peter Pettigrew: a spy with no choice📚

*wormtail's betrayal from his POV*

- Unrequited until proven per contra 📚

*Regulus doesn't know how to cope with his feelings dor y/n. But thankfully, winter serves as a muse as he tries to mend what he broke.*

- wolfstar angst, pre Azkaban and post Azkaban: the beauty and his beast📚

*how does Sirius and Remus reconcile after years apart, with old and new scars painfully visible despite them not being physical*

- self care for Sirius - gn!reader 📚

*y/n helps Sirius relax with face masks, make up and nail art*

- I loved and I loved and I lost you 📚

*when Regulus uncovers his fiancèe secrets he makes decisions he comes to deeply regret. Unable to fix them, he shall join his beloved in both war sides and death.*

- modern au + text au + blurb + jily📚

*just some fluff with James and Lily because we all need more of it*

- Sweet spices (Reggie smut) 📚

*a soft, sweet and intimate marriage scene after a fight*

- the ABC of magic folks for marriage 📚

*arranged marriage trope gone right with Sirius Black*

- the wars of the past are the wars of the future 👀

*blackinnon has a child and they remember the past a bit too well. !!ANGST!!*

- Sirius & Regulus angst with happy ending 📚

Shadow and bone:

- Who? 📚

*a Darkling angst one shot about his identity*

Folk of the air:

- jurdan power couple moment: Her majesty 📚

*Cardan is full of the folk disrespecting Jude and Jude is learning how to love fully*

- Oak and the throne 📚

*Oak is old enough to take over the throne, except he doesn't want it.*

- Magic and kids 📚

*Oak wants a magic friend in the mortal world. Taryn's child would be perfect for it.*

- Bow down, your highness! 📚 (part 2)

*Jurdan smut: Jude shouldn't have go on a date*

- 'Til death do you apart 📚

*Jurdan angst: Jude is about to marry a mortal, Cardan has an issue with that*

- Old love, young love, fae love 📚

*After TWK Jude's grandparents try to set her up with someone – enter a certain fae king, set on stopping it from happening*

- Shockingly familial/r 📚

*How does Jude's fanily react to the new High King and High Queen*

- How the cruel prince and the wicked king came to let go of the queen of nothing 📚

*A long-ish blurb on what would have been if Jude found another after her exile (focused on Cardan's thoughts and, mostly, feelings)*

- Turn back the tides 📚

*When Jude dies in the mortal land, Cardan travels back in time, before the exile to stop if from happening."

- Mine! No, mine! 📚

*a cute endeavour of Oak and Cardan fighting over their favorite girl*

- some blurbs: jurdan smut and jurdan angst (the letters are a paid actor in this one)

- What if...? 📚

*Locke survived...*

Riordanverse

- Tease? (Solangelo fluff) 📚

*our fav boys hanging out together with a spicy (but not too spicy) game of Mythomagic*

- Frank Zhang, The fall on the other side 📚

*From hero to villain real quick*

Billy Russo

- Scarred, scarry, spectacular 📚

*Y/n sees his scars and still loves him*

- Recovery 📚

*reader and Billy help each other accept their scars*

- Go, go, darling agents part 1; part 2; part 3📚

*being the leader of a vigilante team means you know what a hard choice feels like, but never was it as complicated as it is now. ANGST and explicit themes. CHECK THE TW AT THE BEGGINING OF EACH CHAPTER*

Caraval

- Oh, brother mine! 📚

*four episodes in the lives of Julian and Dante Santos*

The invisible life of Addie Larue

- She shines in his darkness 📚

*Luc doubts himself. Addie helps him with a bit of sexual tension.*

Westworld

- Silence sounds the best on you. Logan Delos x fem!reader📚

*Logan wants to spice things up in the bedroom with a game. SMUT*

House of the dragon

- Queenmaker 📚

*Ser Criston Cole has a bit of a different role in the Dance of Dragons*

- King's favorite 📚

*you and Criston hit some rocks in the path of your love, but all is good in the end*

- Sleepless nights 📚

*Rhaenyra's younger sister, you, learn something a princess shouldn't know before her wedding night from the dashing Ser Criston Cole*

- Knightly fly 📚

*a continuation of the fic above, if you will, but fluffy, not smutty. a date night on the back of a dragon*

- Take my heart with you where you go 📚

*could be seen as a continuation of the two fics above, but also a stand alone. targaryen princess reader has to marry her uncle, Daemon, saying goodbye to Criston forever.* //// alternative happy ending ////

- One. Two. Three. 📚

*a day in the life of reader and her husband, knight Criston Cole with their two kids; a newborn on the way*

- Love the way you hurt me 📚

*a targaryen born with magic, a knight with unbending views of life, a lost child and a surprisingly happy ending*

- Soothing stars 📚

*after Criston is rejected by Rhaenyra, his best friend is there to pick up the pieces*

- NSFW headcanon

- Not so strong 📚

*reader is married to Harwin, but loves Criston. However, when you find out your husband and sister have children together, it's still a lot to take in. And you cannot go through it alone*

The King (2019)

- Galloping circus 📚

*magical!au* *king Hal is thrown into a cursed circus from where you help each other accomodate*

Grishaverse

- The child of moon and stars 📖

*there is only one Darkling. No family of his own, no connection. The girl bending shadows in Ketterdam must certainly be a scam coined by the notorious Dirtyhands. But the plots thickens.*

Lady Bird

- summertime love

*y/n fell for the notorius Kyle Scheible, but what happens whne they're alone, horseback camping in the middle of the wild woods?*

ACOTAR

- Feysand first time sexy time (Rhys POV)📚

- Man of Honor Rhysand (blurb)📚

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 1: Exile📚

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 2: Style📚

- Lucienweek 2023 prompt 3: Mask📚

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 4:

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 5:

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 6:

- Lucienweek2023 prompt 7:

- A court of waves and flames 📖

- Elucien angst (with sort of a happy ending)📚

Hunger Games

- Fish out of water 📚

*when y/n enters the Games she expected pain, but hoped it'll end once she is crowned Victor. However, the District Four girl is about to be thrown into a far crueler world than she expected. And all of that under the sorrowful mentorship of Finnick Odair.*

Dune

- Between waves and dunes, there's us📚

*Paul takes Chani to see the sea (canon NON-compliant, slighty ooc)*

REQUESTS ARE OPEN / CLOSSED

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everypauldanofilmranked · 2 years

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The Girl Next Door (2004)

The Girl Next Door is a tonally confused romantic comedy, starring Paul Dano as an awkward teenager named Klitz. It combines vaguely misogynistic humour with poorly-aged romcom beats and the tenderness of late high school friendship to make something strange and far-fetched. Good luck tearing your eyes away from it, though.

On paper, The Girl Next Door tells the story of everyman Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch), who falls in love with the girl next door, Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), who turns out to be a porn actress. In practise it is a story about graduation, senior prom, sexual autonomy, friendship, manipulation, and betrayal, against a backdrop of early-2000s pop rock. So much of this film revolves around pornography that it feels right to call it a "sex comedy", except it bizarrely handles the concepts of sex and pornography more maturely than most "sex comedies" out there (but not infallibly, which we'll get into later).

The Good

The Girl Next Door finds its unlikely gem in Timothy Olyphant, who absolutely kills it as pornography producer Kelly. He offers a much-needed sophistication with his delivery on lines like "this is breaking and entering / this is politics". He has great chemistry with Hirsch and watching him on screen is delightful.

Both Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano) are convincing as Matthew's loser friends. Despite delivering some tired and poorly-aged jokes on identity, Eli serves as the main source of comic relief and does it well ("if you don't fuck her, I'll kill myself" comes to mind).

Costume designer Marilyn Vance clearly had a vision for Danielle's wardrobe, and it pays off. The suede jackets and crystal necklaces emphasise the powerful yet approachable sides of her. Set designer John Berger has his moment at the Las Vegas adult film convention, which is suitably slick and glitzy.

There are several interesting creative choices with camerawork in the film, and it's a shame they're few and far between. The montage of Las Vegas and the confrontation between Matthew and Kelly at school both use exciting sequences and camerawork, however briefly.

While the plot starts off contrived and predictable, the $30 grand subplot and a genuinely enjoyable third act save the film from blending into the background as yet another early-00s sex flick. It takes a while to find its feet, but when it does, you can't look away.

The Bad

The Girl Next Door takes a while to decide what kind of film it wants to be, and for that reason, the myriad of plot developments can initially seem convoluted. During the first act, only Danielle is fleshed out enough to be likeable, Eli's personality remains entrenched in the sex-obsessed teenage boy trope, and Klitz barely says anything memorable. I wouldn't be surprised if it transpired that the first third of the film was dragged out of a rubbish bin for boring teen comedy ideas and lopped onto the start of a separate, more interesting script.

Matthew comes off as unlikeable in a few scenes, not least the one where he follows Danielle to the adult film convention in Vegas and embarrassingly attempts to reconcile while she's on stage doing her job. His persistence is presented as romantic, and not the least bit creepy. Unlike his earlier behaviour of watching Danielle get undressed in front of her window, Matthew never gets his comeuppance for this and is in fact rewarded with Danielle's affections.

The suspension of disbelief occasionally crosses into parody. During the opening, Matthew laments that he isn't one of the popular kids, who always skip school to go to the beach. I had to rewatch to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting that part as a commentary on how unbelievable teen comedies make their lives seem. But it's played completely straight. As is the scene where Kelly, a grown man, somehow enters the school and storms into class to shout at Matthew, and the one where the principle discovers a consent form for pornography lying around school and decides not to think about it further after Matthew unconvincingly denies any knowledge of it.

Danielle's job choice as a porn actress is not explicitly presented as degrading or morally wrong, but the film pushes the idea that it was "the wrong job for her". This is despite any confirmation from Danielle about her thoughts and feelings around pornography (this is never discussed). The heavy themes of sex work are underdeveloped and ambiguous.

Also underdeveloped is the sense of friendship between Matthew, Eli, and Klitz. Only until the third act do we feel as though they're a convincing friend group - and it's definitely not because of the "we're a tripod" thing they try to introduce at the end. I can't remember the full phrase, which should give you an idea on how weak it was.

The Rating

The Girl Next Door was, despite its flaws, an enjoyable watch. You get a cool mix of "so bad it's good" and "oh shit this is kind of good" for 1hr40mins. Just don't think about it for too long, I beg of you, or else it falls apart. Why do they allow 17-18 year olds to become so intertwined with pornography production? Why would teachers distribute a sex education film to the school that they know contains footage of another student's penis? Just turn it off!

I give The Girl Next Door (2004) a 5/10.

#paul dano #the girl next door #review #rating #ranking #film review #film critique #critique #luke greenfield #emile hirsch #elisa cuthbert #timothy olyphant #james remar #chris marquette #early 2000s #y2k #2000s films #comedy

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blogenana · 2 years

Text

IPKKND headcanons because I've been rewatching the show and I have Thoughts.

On the night of the Tragedy, when Arnav's parents commit suicide, Garima has found out that Arnavs dad is married and that he has a daughter Anjali who is getting married.

She decides to see for herself and confront him at his daughters wedding

Also I believe that Garima used to be a manic pixie dream girl like Khushi which is why Arnavs dad was attracted to her, and he embodied Grumpy Man trope similar to Arnav.

They did say that Arnav used to be grumpy when he was a kid, maybe he inherited that from his father.

Remember Arnav almost kissed Khushi whilst dating Lavanya but stopped because he didn't want to be a cheater like his father

But Arnavs dad didn't have that example to warn him away and so he started an affair because he's a dirty cheat.

Also, I hc that Garima stopped drawing attention to herself and lost her bubbly outgoing personality after the incident which is why she's so shy and reserved in the show

(This is what Khushi inherited from her)

She made herself blend into the background due to the guilt and shame

But anyways, back to my main point

Garima finds out the truth and decided to go Anjalis wedding. She takes Khushi with her because she's babysitting.

I don't know enough of the timeline to decide if Khushis parents have died at this point or not but im ignoring that whole spiderweb.

So she takes her and Khushi and Arnav meet for the first time!

I really wish this was Canon

But in my personal Canon they meet at the wedding. Garima has left Khushi in the wedding hall and Arnav is sat by himself at a table whilst dinner is being served or there's a break in the wedding

Khushi, a hyper energetic kid decided to join the sulky kid in the Corner

He's upset that his sister is leaving him

She makes a dumb joke

and instantly they hate each other and they start arguing

According to Canon Arnav would be 14 and Khushi around 9/10 I think I'm not 100% sure

Instant Hate for each other and they don't even know each others names

But then she makes him laugh because of something stupid she said. This is one of the last times he ever truly laughs for a long long time.

Garima goes to confront Arnavs dad, Arnavs mum sees them, and out of shock and grief she takes her own life

Garima runs from there and grabs Khushi in a haste taking her away from Arnav

They look at each other as she's being taken away. They don't even know each others names or if they're ever gonna see each other again.

Sometime in the future they put two and two together and remember and its a whole Rabbe Ve "we are fated" moment and "we were always meant to be"

Their lives have always been intertwined.

The incident plays out in anjalis wedding as garima runs away.

Either after this, Khushis parents die, but Garima is distraught after everything and bumps into her childhood friend Shashi who used to be in love with her

She didn't love him because he was the typical Nice Guy and she fell for the dangerous man

Shashis wife has just died and he's heartbroken

They become each others support

She never tells him what happens and he never asks

He needs a mother to Payal and someone to heal his heart and she needs a father to Khushi and someone to support her after her heartbreak and betrayal

I do believe she falls in love with his kindness and warmth and he makes her believe in love again and with him, she heals from her heartbreak.

She's never the same though.

Arnavs dad took that part with him when he took his own life.

#ipkknd #iss pyaar ko kya naam doon #my own fantasies about the show

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