#(if he were able to. and he SHOULD be able to gdi)

[valeriianz]

had thoughts about Dream being able to sleep, how soft and human he would look. for your consideration:

Hob announced his arrival from work with a long sigh, heavy with exhaustion, and leaned into the door as he opened it and stepped into his flat. He dropped his keys in the little bowl and toed off his shoes. He had just shrugged off his messenger bag when he noticed a pair of large black boots in the living room, stark against his off-white rug. They were about a meter apart, like they’d been kicked off or tossed aside without a second thought.

With one brow raised, eyes scrupulous, Hob deposited his bag on the couch and bent down to pick up first one boot, then the other, tucking them together and neatly placing them on the wooden floor next to a bookshelf.

“Dream?” Hob called out, straightening up and casting his gaze upon the room. It wasn’t like Dream, when he paid surprise visits, to not immediately be within eyesight of the door, let alone leave his shoes haphazardly on the carpet.

Hob’s eyes landed on the entryway of the hall, spotting Dream’s thick, long coat in a heap on the center of the floor. Worry began to creep in as Hob slowly stepped up to Dream’s mystical coat, his pulse thrumming under his skin. He stooped down, grabbing it by the collar and brushing it off with his other hand. The material felt luxurious in Hob’s hands, soft like cashmere or shahtoosh, but also durable– something akin to wool or even canvas. Hob’s fingers caressed the fabric, feeling the lip of the tall collar between his thumb and fingers. 

Gently folding the coat over one arm, Hob continued down the hall, stepping softly, carefully. 

Hob’s bedroom door was open, the rays of the setting sun streamed in through the window and lit up the entryway, revealing more dark clothes in a jumble leading into the room.

Swallowing, lips parting, Hob bent down once more to collect Dream’s t-shirt, his pants and, following the line of mayhem, his socks, taking them all into his arms. Hob wasn’t sure what he expected to see when he finally straightened up and turned, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Hob almost dropped all the clothes he had spent carefully collecting, his mouth going dry. 

There was a considerable, person-sized lump in Hob’s bed, buried under his thick gray comforter. The only indication that it was indeed Dream laying in Hob’s bed, was the mane of wild dark hair poking out from the mass of linens.

Hob took a step forward, then another, crushing the pile of clothes to his chest as he walked around the bed, his gaze transfixed to the top of Dream’s head– a smattering of black ink spilled on his white pillow. He held his breath as he finally came to face Dream, the only part of him sticking out was his nose and eyes, Dream’s impossibly long lashes draped down, threatening to brush the tops of his cheeks.

Hob felt his jaw drop, lips parting in wonder at this ethereal creature in his bed.

Dream was sleeping.

Or… it looked like he was sleeping. The shape of him steadily rose and fell, imitating breath that Hob knew Dream didn’t need. Hob didn’t think Dream needed sleep, either… or was even capable of it. Was Dream sick? Had he been injured?

Hob quietly deposited the bundle of clothes into a wicker chair in the corner of his room, turning back to Dream and leaning over him, slowly pressing one hand into the mattress next to him, and bringing the other up to lay it against Dream’s forehead.

Hob immediately felt foolish, of course Dream didn’t get sick, he’d nearly beaten it into Hob by now, how Endless never fall ill (not in the way humans do, apparently), but Dream did actually feel quite warm. Hob moved his hand from underneath Dream’s soft fringe, grazing his fingers down the side of his head, brushing the shell of his ear, cheekbone, and across his pointed nose, unable to get any further with the blanket folded up tight around half his face.

With his heart lighter than it’d felt in a long time, Hob couldn’t resist carefully hooking his fingers around the edge of the comforter, leaning in close as he pulled it down to expose Dream’s lips and chin. He looked softer, like this– human and vulnerable. There’s a trust here, Hob knows, his chest tightening, as his knuckles caress down the line of Dream’s jaw, free of blemishes and marble smooth. Hob swallowed again, his eyes flicking down in unrestricted interest at the line of Dream’s concealed body, cocooned in creamy grays. He looked back up, focusing on plush lips that are too red for Dream’s alabaster skin, like they’d been bitten.

Hob’s own teeth pull on his bottom lip, moving his hand to press a thumb against that mouth, barely touching, like a paint brush, dragging it from corner to corner.

“What are you doing?”

Hob huffed a surprised laugh, but didn’t remove his hand. Dream’s voice was lower than usual, thick, and rumbly, pulled from a deep slumber.

“Checking your temperature,” Hob answered in a whisper. His breath caught in his throat as Dream’s eyelids fluttered open, crystal blue eyes focusing right on him.

Christ almighty, he was gorgeous. Hob still couldn’t believe it sometimes, that he was allowed to see this, to be regarded by such beauty, such a divine entity. That he could call Dream his, and be confident in the knowledge that he was Dream’s, too. Hob felt himself begin to shake, his thumb was still at Dream’s lips, which had parted slightly when he’d spoken, his hot breath hitting Hob and causing something both carnal and pure to race through his blood, something devotional.

“You’re quite warm,” Hob tried again. Dream hadn’t spoken, only watched him, like he was waiting for something.

“Yes,” Dream’s voice ran over Hob in that velvety way of his; a warm tide crashing over him and lifting Hob up.

“I was seeking warmth. You weren’t home, and I know how pleasant you are after a long rest.”

“Pleasant?” Hob’s lips curled in a smile, distractedly pressing his thumb a little harder against Dream’s bottom lip.

“Tepid.” Dreams amended, parting his lips and allowing Hob’s thumb access.

Hob gasped softly as Dream bit down, his eyes blazing now, the black of his iris growing so there was no more blue. Hob hummed, his fingers curled around Dream’s chin, tilting it up.

There’s a tongue that swipes the tip of his thumb and Hob knows he’s lost, feigning nonchalance was never his strong suit when it came to this entity in his bed. His heart crashes against his ribs and Hob’s sure Dream can hear it, can hear the desire there.

A bare arm slips out from the pile of gray and latches onto Hob’s bicep, pulling him down. Hob goes along with a smile, getting one knee up on the bed, then the other, dislodging his fingers from Dream’s face to steady himself.

They lift the comforter together, allowing Hob to crawl in next to Dream. The shock of the sudden temperature hike against Dream’s bare skin makes Hob’s breath catch, desperately wishing he’d taken his clothes off first.

“Christ, Dream it’s like a furnace under here.” He’s never felt Dream radiate so much heat before. He truly was learning something new about this man– Endless, every day.

Dream’s long arm pulls the blanket back down, going around Hob’s middle and tucking it under him, coaxing Hob to be flush against his sinew body, usually firm with restrained strength, now soft from sleep. Dream’s chin tilts down, lips brushing Hob’s forehead.

“Could be hotter,” he murmurs, lips traveling down, his sharp nose nudging against Hob’s face, encouraging him to meet him evenly.

Hob is already panting, he’s sure he’s already sweating too, but he meets Dream’s mouth eagerly, pressing hard, getting his hand back on his face to cup Dream’s jaw.

“Well,” Hob pants as Dream wetly breaks the kiss, pressing his lips instead up Hob’s face and into his hairline. “I certainly wasn’t expecting this today.”

Dream hums, the sound reverberating down his body and tickling Hob’s senses. 

“I’m pleased I can still surprise you.”

#dreamling #hob gadling #dream x hob #dream of the endless #my writing #inspired by this back and forth with mae on the dreamling discord server #which was just us calmly going over how soft and snuggly and heavy Dream would sleep #(if he were able to. and he SHOULD be able to gdi) #i was gonna write some spice but chickened out #something about Dream seeking out warmth #and automatically going to Hob's bed #he chases Hob's natural heat #pressing his body into the sheets and the mattress #heavy like a ton of bricks #the bed the linens... everything smells like Hob and it surrounds Dream #and when he gets Hob under the covers with him Dream just goes feral. pressing his hand under Hob's shirt. rucking it up #feeling the warmth of Hob's skin and positively getting drunk on it #'i want to be smothered' Dream says as his hand travels up to Hob's chest. 'i want to be engulfed. i want it to burn #so it leaves a mark. when you touch me its like a branding iron.' feeling Hob's heat becomes an addition that Dream chases #but i thought that was too spicy for the soft and sleepy mood i was creating lol #anyway! #hope this all fits in the tags

[beingfacetious]

please give us the correct negative Ted lasso review

Oh my God. This feels like a trap but I can't help it

update from the other side, this is no joke 2k words long and it's not uh happy lmao so dead dove do not eat

TL;DR:

Bill Lawrence's involvement lessened every season and it fuckin' shows

There were arcs and plot points established over the first two seasons that the writers very obviously just changed their minds about for this season

Takes about this season being dark/ending sad on purpose are MUCH too generous. like giving WAY too much credit.

It turns out most of my feelings boil down to "it's not aggressively bad it's just nonsensical"

How tf was every episode twice as long as in previous seasons but everything important happened offscreen

FIRST OF ALL, since MONTHS before the season started airing, I've nursed a conspiracy theory that Bill Lawrence left the show because of creative differences with Jason Sudeikis and that therefore this season would be significantly less good than previous seasons. This started when I saw Bill tweet that he was going home, basically, and I figured we'd get "season 3 is in post" news shortly thereafter but instead there was that weird stuff about things being delayed because of rewrites...? Anyway, that is mostly to say that I was ready to think this season was worse because I love Bill Lawrence's storytelling and have forever and you should give Cougar Town a shot if you haven't yet it's no Scrubs but it's sweet

There were interviews early in the show in which I swear Jason/Brendan/whoever said they pitched the show to Bill because he's fuckin' good at TV and he basically said "this is a great idea but you're writing to the wrong ending, it should be this," and they were like "wow you're right that is a better ending." I can't find that now but I did find this from a more recent Bill interview:

I ran that show the first year because Jason was still shooting movies while we were doing the writers room. Then, at the end of that year, much like Gary with me, I was like, “Ah, I’ll spend a couple of months teaching him how to edit.” But after like a day or two, he’s like, “Yeah, I got it.” (Laughs.) So, the second year, we ran it together, and I’m only able to do other things now because that guy ran the show himself the third year, as it should be. It’s his voice and his world this season.

Now look, Bill Lawrence is obviously not trying to throw shade here because he's lovely and also this is a Hollywood Reporter article and how immature would that be, but I can throw shade for him and I will: Jason Sudeikis is a talented comedic actor and seems like a very nice man and he had a good idea for a show, and his instincts to involve an extremely experienced showrunner with an insane talent for feelsy found family sitcoms were good and he should have stuck to them!! Telling Bill Lawrence you're good after two days of editing instruction or whatever is stupid!! Insisting on your voice and your world when BILL LAWRENCE'S VOICE IS AVAILABLE TO YOU and also you CO-CREATED THE WORLD whatever gdi

OK fine I'll do Ted/Rebecca next. Obviously I was in for Ted/Rebecca. I wanted them to put their faces together. But look, I'm not a shipper over all else; over all else I want a good storyteller to tell me the story they want to tell. If I expect things or see them coming, that's not bad! That's good! If I'm surprised by things, that's good too as long as it holds together! "Subverting expectations" shouldn't look like spiting the audience, a lie is not a twist, etc. SO. If Ted and Rebecca were meant to be platonic soulmates, that's fine!!! I don't NEED them to kiss!!! But I do not believe these people are even friends in season 3, after season 1 and tbh most of my favorite parts of season 2 were about how much they impact each other's lives. That's a dropped ball and there's NO REASON to have not made time for them to interact meaningfully because every episode was so fucking long. Instead I guess we had to know how super sad Rebecca was about not being able to have children but not need to talk to anyone about it and immediately be fully over it. Also see a lot of lingering shots of Rebecca...looking at a matchbook...

sfjbkfgs early in the season they very obviously established that Rebecca's arc was going to be realizing she actually loves the team and wants to support them and see them succeed because of her own heart and not to spite Rupert, and I guess that happened but why didn't it happen gradually in ways I could see, why did it happen in an episode in which I'm supposed to have known all along that this has to do with her childhood self ?? and in which Rupert has a FULL personality change to facilitate her sudden realization. In what fucking world would he invite her to that meeting, because she's smart or because she brings ~diversity or because maybe he wants to sleep with her again? None of it tracks at all lmao but it was also the episode in which I really enjoyed Tony Head so whatever

speaking of not tracking, Nate.........I've never been invested in Nate especially but he was SO cartoonishly evil at the start and then kind of never again. I was braced for a redemption arc I wouldn't care about but that didn't even really happen?? he got a girlfriend and realized Rupert was a bad role model? it turns out his dad thinks he was a prodigy and always just wanted him to be happy, which, lmao WHAT where????? and what am I supposed to believe about Jade changing her mind about him btw because she's seen people be terrible to him at that very table before AND she has to know he loves the place and the food because he's there all the time, so what was the revelation that turned her from relatable-via-Nate-ambivalence to suddenly heart-eyes just fdslelugatw so much of my feeling about this season isn't even like it's bad it's just it's nonsense

One of my big complaints about the season is just Keeley's whole deal. Separating her from the team/rest of the cast was a wild choice. Barbara is fine but I also would have been perfectly fine without her and none of the other new characters for the PR side story added anything to the show. Especially if at the end Rebecca is just going to write Keeley a check for the chump change she needs to run the agency. Why didn't we just do that to begin with??? I guess this season I'm supposed to think Keeley ~learned to be independent in various ways but, again, I don't ?? And her needing to not be with Roy I guess as part of that and then get back together offscreen but then not really be together maybe but then also possibly having throuple vibes later that never get acknowledged feels, whatever, like something Bill Lawrence didn't write sdfjlsefaj,lwte I know this is my unsupportable argument that post I RBed was making fun of but idc

also Jamie wanting to be with Keeley at the end of the show feels extremely Harry Potter epilogue to me lmao Jamie you don't have to marry someone you went to high school with there are so many people

Roy was fine this season. He didn't have much to do but that's probably for the best lol. Him taking Ted's job is probably the only main character ending I feel like makes sense for this season and the overall show. Him training and begrudgingly becoming friends with Jamie was always funny.

OK one of the wrong reviews was basically like if you don't appreciate this season you don't appreciate classic tragic structure. Fuck off with that. First of all this was a sitcom about soccer so even if they were going for a classic tragedy in season 3 that's stupid and they shouldn't have been. But I also just don't think that's what was happening ??? I think I'm supposed to believe everyone gets a happy ending and I just don't. Like the whole oh it's sad that Ted ends up where he started and it's about how persistent optimism and kindness can burn you out or whatever, that's...if that's what they were going for, again, why tf, and also could we have seen that like. at all. Ted barely Teds for anyone this season (frex the previously mentioned never talking to Rebecca). ROY Teds more than Ted in season 3. If we got to see Ted trying to Ted even, like, twice, and either not being able to dig down and find the positivity or I guess noticing that he needs someone to be that for him, OK, fine. A Ted/Keeley scene would have been a PERFECT vehicle for this. Didn't happen. idk if we're supposed to think he's getting back together with Michelle but that would be so...so bad ??? like what about Tan Lines??? why even have Tan Lines??? even if not, we just left completely unaddressed her starting a relationship with their marriage counselor, which is also BAD lmao. God why did I have to see so much of Michelle this season. Michelle video calls every other episode and two lines for Dr. Sharon. Nonsense. lol one of my friends summarized Ted's ending as "yeah going back to the unfulfilling life that didn't work before the show started is a victory for our protagonist"

Even the soccer of it all re that whole thing was silly. Oh marriage counselor boyfriend is a bad guy because he doesn't care about the soccer game. Oh Ted is happy now because he's coaching Henry's rec league soccer team. like it's fine that EVERYONE is still together in Richmond but he's "home" now and still around soccer which is good because we definitely saw him learn to love soccer during the course of the show. sure Jan

(to be fair I am not the audience for "it's about the kid" plots so even if I felt like it worked from the start of the show for Ted to choose moving back to where Henry is, which I don't, I wouldn't care for it, so maybe those criticisms aren't especially valid) (I didn't care about JD's kid either)

speaking of the soccer though every single scene that revolved around the actual soccer team was essentially perfect. Great use of so many of those boys. Very few notes. Sam in particular had a few nice things this season and of course Colin. Another incorrect review by a critic I actually like very much was complaining about Colin's story this season and it being tired and overdone and not caring about Trent's or Isaac's parts of it, but I actually really disagree! It was well done and it was nice to see in the context of professional sports where, sorry, coming out and being received well is not a cliche thing that happens a lot! Also, hot take! Zava was a good part of this season! Nice contained little story that impacted some characters I actually care about plus he was legit funny! Sometimes things in a comedy should be funny! I'd honestly watch three more seasons of Richmond-focused half-hour episodes with idk probably Brett Goldstein in charge

I haven't mentioned Beard because I just never understood what I was supposed to think about him lmao. By far the funniest character overall but I never felt settled on whether he was meant to be a manic pixie comic relief BFF or if he was like...a real person?? It strikes me as potentially bad that he was so worried about Ted's mental state all the time and never really mentioned his own and that was sort of a thing in the weird s2 episode but then not again? I felt so much ire about so much else I didn't have any for him marrying Jane lmao but I do understand the people who are upset about that because that sure seemed pretty toxic, but wasn't it supposed to be played for laughs? Does that fit in a show that's supposed to mainly be about people treating each other well because we're all we've got? idk, RIP Beard, sorry your best friend in the world wasn't at your wedding because it would have been narratively underwhelming to see him leave and then see him back at a future major event or whatever

idk idk, season 1 Rebecca was one of my favorite characters ever and I was so angry in the middleish of the season about how much I felt like she was being wasted, but by the end I was just like...I mean, what's to be mad at. She's not even her anymore. Ted wasn't Ted anymore. Nate I guess literally reverted back to season 1 Nate which also is that...okay...him ending up lower than he started out feels not great

Good for Mae and the bar boys though, used just the right amount this and every season and always a damn delight

OK this is ridiculous I'm going to be done now. I do want to say I enjoyed several episodes this season a lot! A couple top 10 potentials! I really enjoyed the Amsterdam one actually because it reminded me of like a Nancy Meyers movie, very nice and warm, but it feels worth noting that that is not a feeling I would describe as being struck by fucking lightning :))))))

in conclusion maybe we as a nation can move on now from giving SNL alumni we find charming huge budgets and ethereally talented casts and collaborators and letting them get us emotionally invested in their midlife crises sandbox playing

#be warned that this is truly absurdly long and very very little of it is positive #so if you don't want to read 2k negative words about the soccer show that is perfectly fine #thank u anon for this opportunity to be a buzzkill on my own blog something i am weirdly hesitant to do unprompted #maybe this will be the final exorcism of these feelings and i can ~move on lol #life of catey #i didn't like the uh back half ish of barry either but i don't feel this strongly about it lmao

[starswallowingsea]

and with high card season 2 over, i think... if they wanted to just end the series here i think that would be fine. i'm sure they could put together a season 3+ but its kinda like with high seas (the telenovela on netflix) where i watched the first two seasons, was satisfied with how it ended, and refused to watch the stuff that came after when it released.

in terms of character growth, i did feel like we got to see more of the high card dynamic this season which would be about the only thing i'd like to see expanded upon in the future since season 1 was so incredibly lacking. i really appreciated wendy's episode in particular with chloe and chelsea (and they're little cameo at the end there!) just giving them and us some time away from the main plot to have a road trip that. well it ends with fighting the 8 of clubs but semantics etc. definitely was a highlight of this season.

STILL NO VIJAY EPISODE THOUGH BOOOOOO he really needs one and all the little bits we saw of him were so. he's so poorly developed compared to the other high card members including wendy and leo. i loved that he made the flower sprout for the little girls in the final episode to calm them down (and the little comment about him being an "old man" as if he isnt like 27) and the little things throughout the season with leo. give him more screentime gdi!

and finally, finn and chris' relationship. i like that what was established in season 1 was more fully realized, especially with the reveal of finn's brother (why is his name flann. girl. that's not a real name) and how chris being finn's "new" older brother (i dont like to use that but like. found family? he's very much a mentor and protective over finn much like a brother is) and how that caused conflict with flann towards the end, wanting to kill chris to make finn love him again, when finn never stopped loving him to begin with...

they definitely had moments that were like. why are we doing this in this way but it was still at least an enjoyable watch. would recommend if you dont care toooooo much about semantics of things and just want to have a fun time because that's really what it is.

oh while i'm thinking about it, the idea that high card is on the side of justice is the other thing i'd want to explore in a third season. i'm very much on the side of maybe the cards shouldn't be controlled by one person but also making them mysterious things that the public doesnt know about is kinda bad. the superhero guy with the queen of diamonds (i think?) who was using his card to help people had the right idea i think and could have just been left alone. i want the high card members to wrestle more with that idea that cards shouldnt be used for personal gain because they're kind of at a "rules for thee but not for me" stage if that makes sense? they've broken that rule before but are still upholding it but maybe it shouldn't be a rule at all and all 52 players (or 51 if they want to lock san galgano up because uh. that one is at least understandable to not be allowed to roam free again) should be able to use their cards how they want (within the like. don't hurt anyone clause).

#shay speaks #high card #high card spoilers #high card season 2 #dni if you're going to talk about finn/chris romantically at me btw. i'll block you #anyway. no conclusion i'm just kinda rambling my thoughts here...

[mischiefashale]

Okay simmering down. Back to the movie.

Yes let's wait until the werewolf hunter is running amok to call the werewolf in BH.

Never trust a shape shifter Ally

We already had a god damn Divine move

These people need CB radios or Morse code

For really as much shit as this town I have seen you would think that they would always be on the defensive.

I'm DYING at Jackson, "pretty sure a lot of people have been killed here." Pretty sure he killed a few of them😅 and "wait are we gonna be killed here?"

Ah Derek back in the boys locker room. His natural habitat lol

OMG poor Derek. Getting shit again by an Argent. He probably really thought he was past this phase in his life.

This is why we communicate. No way he should have been left unwarned.

I'm so glad it was Liam and alt!Kira who saved him.

I would have maybe puked if it was Scoot.

Of course Derek has contingency plans.

Gdi don't leave the Sheriff alone

Bahaha "I knew I should have retired" 😂😂😂

You would know that Scoot if you were more involved.

I hate this whole narrative. It's really not a good look for Scott. Honestly.

A few wall place sentences to make Scott seem like he even has a finger on the heartbeat of beacon hills would have done wonders to change my opinion of this movie.

Currently it looks like he was the alpha in charge of beacon House who then decided that moving to Los Angeles would be a better use of his time and has not kept up with any of the members of his so-called pack.

I don't really know what Tyler Posey and Jeff Davis were thinking here.

Derek could have been bleeding out on Scott's lap and still knowing that they needed to look for Eli just as easily as the drama of Scott not knowing anything about him.

Honestly adds to the drama if Scoot would have been worried about his pseudo nephew not being able to shift and adding that extra pressure.

Honestly every step in this movie is just telling me that Scott doesn't deserve to be a True Alpha.

I could write an essay. Like WTF.

#anti scott mccall #teen wolf #anti teen wolf the movie #derek hale #eli hale #liam dunbar

[lettalady]

Wine & Punishment - Part 2

[To refresh on the original/ Part One click here... cause this has sat in the drafts for.... gdi years]

The city is an unavoidable, and much needed, change of pace. As executor of the will you have to be present. Last thing to take care of to get the extended family to let you well enough alone. How can you properly grieve with them breathing down your neck? Probably would take her house and land right out from under you if they could. 

Fuck the lot of them. They just want their piece of the pie – whatever your mother may have bequeathed them. And while you’re at it, fuck the city for continuing on as though nothing has changed. Fuck the world for forever moving forward without one Kathleen Marie Faye claiming her place in it. 

Her place. Her place -- interred alongside your grandparents. 

At least she’s no longer suffering, and with family. Even if it leaves you alone to deal with the rest… the insufferable, greedy, unwilling to even come and sit with her to keep her company after learning of her diagnosis but more than happy to hold out a hand when it might mean a payout, asshole lot of them… 

The anger is a distraction from the loss that allows you a half dozen more steps of forward progress before the pang of loss hits you anew. You edge closer to the buildings as it brings you up short again. Rather than clog the sidewalk you can cling to brick and mortar until the immobility passes and you can continue on your way. While you wait you continue your mental railing against those surrounding you. 

Fuck the people that continue walking past, able to remain in the ebb and flow as dictated by the crosswalks. And - you inhale sharply, sucking down a lung full of crisp, fuel emission tainted air when you note one man in particular walking down the sidewalk in your direction - fuck Thomas William Hiddleston, especially.

Alright, true, he didn’t press charges after the incident at your mother’s wake - a spectacular scene carried out while you were supposed to be honoring her memory. That doesn’t mean that you care to interact with him now. Don’t even really want to walk past him, or have him walk past you, since that appears to be the more likely thing when you consider your temporary immobility. Undoubtedly he would feel the need to pause and try to chat and given your wild swings in temperament you just might bait him into another argument. 

Should you turn your back to the street and hope he doesn’t spot you? Better not to risk it. Walking back the way you came will just make you late... Cross the street. Cross now before he has the chance to cast a leisurely glance at his surroundings and spy you, before complications arise. Then he can continue on his merry way, none the wiser, and you can keep trying to tread water as you desperately seek the shore. 

Why hadn’t you crossed at the last intersection? Because there had been no need, then. Heaving a sigh you shove yourself away from the security of the brickwork at your back. Your desire to keep from having a confrontation on a busy sidewalk at least gets you moving. 

Lady Luck finally smiles on you, creating a pause in the traffic so you don’t get run down while avoiding something as simple as an exchange of words with a man you’d once considered a friend and neighbor. Considering how frequently, and how thoroughly, you’ve been cursing anything you believed in before your mother passed - Lady Luck included - it’s a small miracle to have this one little thing go your way. At the corner you pause with the crowd and take a breath, muttering a quiet thank you before going back to mutually assured indifference. 

“Hey! Carrie! I thought that was you!” 

You shut your eyes and give your head a quick shake. The thanks was spoken two seconds too soon. 

Tom. Tom followed you across the street and is breathless as he closes the distance. “Good to see you out, in the city... er... are you...” 

The light changes and you move along with the crowd, ignoring Tom’s half-spoken sentence. Maybe he’ll get the hint and leave you be.

Or not.

“You here job hunting? I could always put in a word with... someone. Reference wise. If you... if you’d stop for a minute.” 

Even considering your poor behavior the last time you saw him he’s willing to provide references to help you in the job market? Kathleen Marie Faye would be mortified for the way her daughter is acting. You swallow and slow your steps, seeking somewhere out of the way to come to a complete halt. You end up standing between a streetlamp and a trash can, not that Tom seems to notice. 

“You know if I didn’t know better I’d think you were avoiding me, the way you dashed across the street like that.” Tom inclines his head towards the motorway as he speaks. 

You mumble the first half of your reply, “And still you followed.” Again, the thought occurs that your mother would be indignant at your behavior. First you cause a scene at her wake and now this. Even if he deserved that slap... You force your voice to be level as you shake your head, hoping that civility might bring a quick end to this moment in time. “No. Not here job hunting, Tom.” 

He draws his eyebrows together into a thoughtful frown. “No? Oh. I just thought since it’s been a few weeks...” 

Three emotions roll from within you, visible in your expression as warning for what comes out of your mouth in response. Shock. Surprise. Anger. “A few weeks and I should be out seeking adventure, that it?” You take a step towards him, internally a little triumphant that he takes a hedging step back. “I’m here to settle my mother’s estate!” You jackass - being the unspoken ending to the sentence. 

#imagine tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fanfiction #wine and punishment #writing addiction

[madmothmadame]

Just finished CYB and holy shit I am going buckwild for these character arcs and OCs and intricate political machinations. I would die for Yano who is So Nara It Hurts and Hikaku being the only one with common sense in any given room and the lil hardworking Hatake pup and gdi Kagami is so adorable. Don’t even get me started on Izuna oh my god. How do you even conceptualize a relationship like that? And post fic it must be hilarious oddly balanced, w/T being able to read I’s emotional state /1

From across the room as well as know most of his medical history, but utterly fails at recognizing his voice or all these new opinions and beliefs he’s unknowingly bestowed onto Izuna. And then Izuna being able to clock fatigue or happiness or any emotion whatsoever in Tobirama’s voice after listening to him for over a year and knowing the man’s thoughts and habits inside and out from sheer exposure via idle ramblings. Just, Izuna with Hiraishin and the Mangekyou bc of Tobirama? 2/2 Yeah, Madara should be scared. 

Unfortunately, we’re not going to get much of their post awakening relationship dynamic. Like, where it will naturally become comfortable and funny for the rest of us to observe? I think it would definitely get there in time, but I just don’t have the plot structure for the rest of it to fully develop beyond this. Because of the arching narrative’s natural conclusion point, their relationship is sort of where it will be by the end at this moment. If that makes sense? Like, I could write sixteen chapters of them annoying the hell out of each other (Madara, Izuna, Tobirama, etc.) but it sadly doesn’t fit the tight narrative that I’ve woven for this fic. You’re imagination, though, endless. And know that you are correct. Imagine how terrifying they all would be now that they’re *getting along*. (Now that they’ve worn their get-along shirt for the six month coma...)

Any-who, Izuna and Tobirama probably have about four (five?) more scenes together as we wrap things up. I hope you enjoy what I’ve got in store. 

If anyone were to want to write those epilogue scenarios, I’d love to read them. ;)

Thank you for the asks. <3

#moth answers #Count Your Blessings

[bakerolivias-archived]

the vampire diaries, legacies <3

TVD

my all time ultimate favorite character: caroline forbes, rebekah mikaelson, klaus mikaelson

a character i didn't used to like but now do: damon salvatore tbh?? like my loathing and intense hatred for him was deep but s5 made me really like him, and idk partially because he exhibited some of the traits that made me adore klaus on TO. also tyler lockwood because he grew so much and i love him and he's so underappreciated

a character i used to like but now don't: idk man i really do find the salvatore brothers charming and sweet and genuinely likeable characters nowadays but s3-4 stefan truly got on my nerves.

a character i'm indifferent about: jeremy gilbert, alaric saltzman, matt donovan. they're cute boys (jeremy and matt not al*ric) and overhated but i don't care about them anymore...

a character who deserved better: elena gilbert, caroline forbes, TYLER LOCKWOOD, rebekah mikaelson, anna zhu, BONNIE BENNETT, april young, cute island guy and connor (i am an unapologetic hunter stan because they're cute boys who have tattoos and kill ppl hehe), carol lockwood, my murderous princess nadia petrova, katherine pierce

a ship i've never been able to get into: bonkai :p, also pre s5 delena, elena/liam, maroline, dalaric

a ship i've never been able to get over: forwood (ugh they deserved so much better), klaroline (i'm so attached to them even if they went like really downhill), steroline (let them have a happy ending gdi!!!), jeremy/anna, the lost potential of beklena and elejah and fuckingh DENZO

a cute, low-key ship: uhm klaulena hides in the trash can, elejah, early seasons stelena, carolena, bonlena, barolena, vicki/jeremy, anna/jeremy, bonnie/jeremy, tyler/jeremy, rebekah/matt, nadia/matt, klayley

an unpopular ship but i still enjoyed it: i guess elejah is unpopular? also beremy and jeremy/vicki (idc what ppl say jer and vicki were hot and jer truly cared for vicki also she was awesome y'all are just cowards)

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: d*roline for.... reasons we won't go into lol. matt's mom and tyler (?????????? why tho?) also i would have said DE but after s5 i'm kinda chill about them now and definitely don't hate them as much as i used to.

my favorite storyline/moment: i liked the s2 storyline about the moonstone and elena being hunted by klaus for a ritual or whatever. also caroline's transition was *chef's kiss* and the bamon prison world arc. klaus and his hybrids, caroline's mother's cancer, dark!steroline, s2-3 forwood as they were bonding and growing into better characters because of each other and their relationship without it becoming their entire identity. also the whole Hunter thing in s4 (mostly because i liked cute island guy and connor). s3 klaroline, katherine's potential arc in s5 that was completely wasted on st*ferine.... also stefan/rebekah/klaus interactions in early s3 and klaus and stefan running off to kill ppl together that one summer, beklena hunting for the cure, STEFAN GETTING THROWN INTO THE QUARRY TO DROWN IN A SAFE

a story that never should have been written: listen the tyler!klaus storyline would have been interesting and entertaining (and a fun way for trevino to show off his acting skills the way nina dobrev had the chance to with katherine/elena) if the writers hadn't... done that. also the sirebond arc for DE was annoying as hell to me, as is katherine's gold mine of potential being wasted in s5. and enzo's arc in s6 (aka the writers had nothing to do with him so they just had him harass and kill woc) was a tragedy for a character i really liked.

my first thoughts on the show: lmao i literally had no intention of watching it ever because i thought it would be absolute garbage like twighlight

my thoughts now: idk what's happening and idc because look at all the pretty people

LEGACIES

my all time favorite character: lizzie saltzman, hope mikaelson, landon kirby

a character i didn't used to like but now do: jed, josie, the necromancer

a character i used to like but now don't: clarke

a character i'm indifferent about: al*ric, ryan clarke

a character who deserved better: RAFAEL, i mean what kind of bullshit was his ending?? also alyssa :/ also i heard something about landon being in limbo or whatever which... no just let him rest gdi

a ship i've never been able to get into: hosie, rafael/josie, holarke, sebastian/lizzie, also h*laric is awful like pls just don't lol. also i don't like raf/lizzie romantically but i wish they'd interact more. and i would definitely be more interested and invested in mizzie (i mean they're kinda steroline tbh) if lizzie didn't just constantly turn to him because he was romantically available in times when she was not in a good place... although i like how they do acknowledge this potentially problematic cycle and attempt to break it, and how m.g has always known lizzie as a loyal friend and admires/respects her/refuses to believe in the unwarranted criticisms of a well meaning girl who always tries to do better and never excuses her bad behavior... and how their relationship kinda parallels steroline but in reverse where m.g is the initially rejected party

a ship i've never been able to get over: HIZZIE, HANDON, klarohizzie if that counts lmao, the wasted potential of hafael

a cute, low-key ship: uhm hafael, hope/roman, lizzie/landon (lmao), jed/alyssa, kaleb/alyssa, jed/kaleb, lizzie/alyssa, hosie and posie i guess? hope/maya, hope/ethan, lizzie/ethan, josie/finch, cleo/kaleb, josie/jade, jed/ben (i haven't seen s4 but i know from gifsets that they'll be my otp soon :'))

an unpopular ship i enjoyed: handon, lizzie/landon, rafael/lizzie

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: sebastian/lizzie i guess? also i don't particularly care because weirder things have happened in tvdu but jade hooked up with josie's uncle... and then josie lmao. but like that made me laugh and not uncomfortable so idc

my favorite storyline/moment: legacies 1x14, the mystic falls pageant ep, and the hizzie 80's ep

a story that never should have happened: rafael being trapped in a prison world and being forced to accept it as a "happy" ending

my first thoughts on the show: awww a teen drama about gay gen-z supernatural teens at hogwarts with a good music playlist

my thoughts now: when will alaric d*e. plsplspls

#addys-beth #annabelle's messages

[idonghyuck]

:/

#i am disappointed. really #at him for being such a person but also at me for supporting someone that made others suffer so much #I'm glad the victims were brave enough to speak out and i hope they can heal and stay safe #but yeah. :/ i don't think I'll be able to support him anymore #shame really. the people who worked with him weren't at fault #same thing happened with jh tho his felt worse #sigh. #i hope more ppl speak out and that they're not silenced if it's the truth #🌙moon #actor jisoo #gosh this is really repulsive #a handwritten letter won't heal the ppl you hurt #omg i just read the s a allegations this is just. damn #he should have gone to jail for that #mfg are teacher's that useless???? #gdi #the worse thing is that i know they are useless bc i have 2 friends who suffered a lot #and no authority did anything to stop the bullies #this is so fucked up

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE BLOOD Vol.2: Mukami Kou [Track 7+8]

Original title: 堕落した証 & いらいらする

Source: Diabolik Lovers More, Blood Vol. 2: Mukami Kou [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Kimura Ryouhei

Translator’s note: Oh boy oh boy. I should have kept my mouth shut during the last few tracks because these two tracks had me wriggle around in my seat as my stomach turned upside down. > < Those of you who have been around since last year might recall how I struggled with Shuu’s D-S Kyuuketsu CD because of the ‘bodily gore’ noises when he cuts the MC with a knife and then stirs his fingers around in the open wounds. KOU DOES THE EXACT SAME THING GDI. I had to pause several times because I got nauseous. :’’) Please no more of this Rejet. 

Track 1+2 ll Track 3+4 ll Track 5+6 ll Track 7+8 ll Track 9+10

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 7: Proof of Corruption

“Well then, where should I bite you next...~? Both your neck and arm are already dyed a bright crimson from your blood. Fufu~ While I’m at it, I guess I should make you even more red...Perhaps that’ll improve your looks a little.”

*Rustle*

[00:25] “Hmー Such slender wrists...Fufu, I could probably twist them with ease. If I were to plunge my fangs in, they might just pierce right through, don’t you think? Come on, show me your hand.”

*Rustle*

“Hm...These marks are still fresh. Hmー They weren’t left behind by me, which means they belong to one of those guys? Heeeh...Now what a lovely decoration you have here. You really are a maso-kitty, aren’t you? I sort of get now that you’re not doing all of this on purpose. Which means...is someone controlling you behind the scenes?”

*Rustle rustle*

[01:18] “Take flowers, for example. They don’t particularly wish to bloom beautifully, do they? However, some larger force in nature is ordering them to do so to lure in birds and insects. So perhaps you were put together by someone with the specific goal to seduce us Vampires? If not, a plain girl such as yourself couldn’t even dream of having someone like me suck you, not even out of pity. Fufufu...~”

*Rustle rustle*

He digs his finger inside your skin.

[01:59] “Ah-aaah...Since the wound hadn’t fully healed yet, my finger sank in the moment I pressed down. Does it hurt? Fufu~ I’m digging my nail into the open wound after all~ I bet it hurts...Then suffer more...Scream...! Nobody will hear you here. This place has been equipped to ensure that they won’t find you.”

*Rustle*

“But...Well...If they did know you were here, I wonder if they would come and get you? These guys who seem to be oh-so obsessed with you, I mean~”

Kou continues to stir up the wound with his nails.

“Are you writhing in pain? Ah-aaah...Your ugly face only became even more hideous. Should I say it has a certain charm to it? I’m incapable of loving you while you look like that though. However...”

*Rustle*

[02:57] “In regards to these wounds, I feel a strange sense of attachment. I wonder why? Perhaps it’s just fun to compete with other Vampires over a prey such as yourself? Hahaha...But in that case, I have to leave behind my own marks as well or it’s no fun, right? ...I’ll leave my mark on top of these wounds, as if to overwrite them. It’ll be perfect proof of how thoroughly corrupted you’ve become.”

*Rustle*

Kou bites you.

*Gulp*

“Mmh...*

*Gulp gulp*

“ーーHah!”

*Gulp*

[03:50] “Mmh...Haah...I can smell them from here...It pisses me off...Hahn...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Hah, haah...It makes me want to just rip up your whole arm with my fangs...”

*Gulp*

“Fufu...This must be the taste of hatred...~ Exactly...I can’t forgive them...Never! That’s whyーー”

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah...Haah...”

*Rustle*

[04:38] “I won’t return you to them. You’re basically mine now. Offer both your body and soul to me...And go mad. Fufu...Damn~ What’s wrong with me? Am I being spurred on by you? Uwaah...This is a first for me. Fufu~ I truly got my hands on a nifty toy. I was just going to have a little taste before handing you over to Ruki...but I might not want to let you go again.”

*Rustle*

[05:22] “Haah...Let me suck more...Your blood is messing with my head...as I find myself wishing you would offer more of that delicious blood pumping through your veins to me and me only.”

*Rustle*

“Oi. I bet you have other marks left behind by them as well, don’t you? Tell me. I’ll make you go through those painful memories again. Come on, hurry up and fess up.”

*Rustle*

[06:00] “Hey? Are you listening? If you space out like that, I’ll do something much, much more painful and rough?”

You muster a response.

“Hm? Your belly? Eeeh~? Now where could they be...~?”

*Rustle rustle*

“Ah, you must be talking about these. Marks spotted~ They really don’t hold back when devouring you, do they?”

He licks the marks.

“Oh, this one smells different. So, tell me. Did you have them bite you from head to toe? Hah! What a slut you are.”

You protest.

[06:46] “Hm? You didn’t wish for any of this to happen? ...Che. Why are you giving me that defiant look? Do I have to repeat myself a million times before your idiotic brain gets it? I was reminded once more the moment I sucked your blood. You’ve been tampered with in some way to lure in Vampires. I wonder who could be behind it...~? Fufu...Somehow that piques my interest...”

*Rustle*

“But for now, I’ll cover you with my marks. So I’ll thrust my fangs inside these wounds as well...”

Kou digs his nails into your skin once more as you flinch.

[07:31] “Aren’t you happy? I’m the one saying these things after all. ..Aaah-aah, such filthy marks. I’ll erase them right away.”

He bites you again.

“Hahn...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Hah...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah...Haah...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Haah...This stench is persistent...It won’t disappear...Ugh, it pisses me off. If I can’t get rid of it with my fangs...It just makes me want to mess you up as a whole...”

*Rustle*

“Haah...Guess I’ll just have to sink them in deeper and deeper...Like thisーー!”

*Gulp gulp*

“Hah...Nnh...”

You cry out.

[08:41] “Ah...It hurts? Look at you gushing blood all over the place. You really have no shame, do you? But you shouldn’t be able to feel the pain, you know? My fangs have already made it so you perceive everything as pleasure. Fufufu...”

*Rustle*

“I can tell you want me, so try and voice it out loud? Beg for me with a cute tone. Come on, hurry...Ask me to make you feel ever better~”

You whimper.

[09:24] “Hmm~~? I can’t hear you...~ You’re going to have to speak a little louder. Also, don’t forget to sound cute, okay?”

You repeat it.

“Fufu...~ Exactly, like that. Just be honest with yourself...Perhaps then I’ll be able to feel a little affection for someone as ugly as yourself.”

You beg again. 

“Mm~ Good. You managed to beg for it cutely, so I’ll love on you in return. ...With these fangs of mine, that is.”

Kou bites you again.

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“Hahn...Mmh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

[10:14] “...Hah...! ...Hm? ...’More’? ...You can crave it more. I kind of like it when people yearn for me. ...I’ll plunge them inside even deeper than before...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Haah, haah...Ugh...Haah...I guess the smell is starting to fade a little?”

You moan.

“Fufu...Seems like you’re feeling rather good as well. Your body has completely given in to the pleasure, it feels as if your blood has become sweeter as well.”

Track 8: Irritation

Kou inspects your body.

*Rustle*

“Where else have they bitten you...? ー Ah, don’t tell me. I’ll try finding it myself this time...~ After the stomach, it has to be...The legs, right~?”

*Rustle*

[00:18] “Yes, I got it right! ...They sure love going for the risqué spots, don’t they? Hah! Right near your crotch (1) ...How lewd. On top of that, you can tell they’ve sucked from here repeatedly...Very dirty! I wonder what kind of expression you made as they sucked from here? Perhaps you didn’t realize it yourself, but they pretty much got a full view of aaaall your embarrassing places.”

You squeak.

“How embarrassing, gosh! ...But I’m sure you love that sorta stuff, don’t you? After all, I can see a glint of anticipation in your eyes. Or am I just imagining things? Is it because I’m the one doing this to you? ...Well, I guess I’ll figure out the answer to my own question once I bite you. Well then...”

*Rustle*

“Where should I leave my mark? ...Right here. I’ve settled on this spot.”

He bites you again.

*Gulp*

[01:28] “Mmh...Hah...Haha! What a lovely view...Fufu...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Seems like it’s making you weak as well...Look at you twist and turn your body like that...What a dirty girl you are.”

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“ ーーHah! We’re still nowhere near done...Let me suck more and more...Hahn...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Hah...Hah...”

*Gulp*

[02:11] “Haah...Fuck...Could this be a trap of some sorts...? Fufu...I feel as if your blood is leading me straight to my own demise...Well, I guess that’s fine. As long as it feels good...whether it’s a trap or whatever, I’m not scared. Perhaps the person who set you up this way predicted this all along? ...Say.”

*Rustle*

[02:44] “I bet they knew that we would try and snatch you away like that. Guess we’re being mocked, huh? That pisses me off. ...You seem to be feigning ignorance but you’re part of the whole scheme, aren’t you? ...If you think this will all pass as long as you just obediently spread your legs, you’re gravely mistaken. I’ll give you something much, much, much more painful, you’d find yourself wishing you’d be dead instead...!”

*Thud*

Your eyes widen in horror.

“Hehe...”

*Gulp gulp*

[03:26] “...Heh. Does it feel good? Lucky you! I think you might be the first human who has gotten the honor to receive this much pleasure from me. Well, under normal circumstances, one bite is plenty to make any human ascend to Heaven, but in your case, the more I have, the more delicious your blood becomes and on top of that...You dare oppose me. It pisses me off. ...Mmh...”

*Gulp*

“...Hm? There’s marks on your thighs as well!”

*Rustle rustle*

[04:06] “I have to engrave my own mark here as well. ...Geez, I wonder what they find so appealing about these stick legs? I can’t relate, but I don’t like the idea of there being marks from someone other than me. ...Mmh..”

*Gulp*

“Nnh...”

*Gulp gulp*

[04:37] “...Hah...Ah...Haah...~ I feel sluggish for some reason...Have I been numbed? In that case, your blood is to blame. ...This is bad...Fufufu~ I just don’t understand how I want to keep an ugly girl such as yourself all to myself...Makes no sense, does it? I feel irritated by it myself but...I also just can’t help it. This strong desire for you keeps on welling up inside of me...What is happening to me? Geez...Honestly, it pisses me off! I’ve never felt this strongly attached to anything or anyone before!?”

*Rustle*

“Hahn...”

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“...ー Hah!”

*Gulp gulp gulp*

“Mmh...Haah, haah...I can’t get enough...Do you want me more? ...So do I.”

*Gulp gulp*

[05:57] “Hah...Yearn for me more and more...You just need to keep your eyes on me. ...You belong to me now. Happy? Of course you are. If you continue to writhe around like that, I’ll give you never-ending pleasure.”

*Rustle*

“Mmh...Haahn...”

*Gulp gulp*

“Mmh...Nnh...”

*Gulp*

“Haah, haah...!”

*Gulp*

[06:37] “Haah...! I can’t...I still haven’t had enough...Hm. I still refuse to give you up. I’ll make you forget about those other guys in no time. I’m obsessing over you, so it only makes sense. ...Unlike those guys, I won’t call you prey either. You’re mine after all. ...Doesn’t that make you happy? I’m a gentleman after all~ I know how to make a girl happy. I’m sure you didn’t like being degraded by having them call you ‘prey’ either, right? Fufu...~”

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー 

Translation notes

(1) 足の付け根 or ‘ashi no tsukene’ is the root/base of the leg where it connects to the hips. 

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kou mukami #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers more blood #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[imreallyloveleee]

I MISS STEADIER FOOTING GDI. ahem. anyway, curious what’s in the doc for stillscape

oooh you have chosen a long one. so the backstory is that years ago @stillscape sent me the best romcom-esque fic prompt ever, and i was like yes i will write this, and i wrote about 3k words of it (!) but could never get any further with it for some reason. without getting into a ton of detail - it's a very fun Cyrano de Bergerac-type concept.

3k words is uhhh a lot but you know what? here it is! all of it!

“Hey, do you guys think Ms. Lovett got a boob job over the summer?”

Jughead raises his eyebrows at Betty as he chews slowly on a mouthful of cafeteria hamburger. “What?”

“In homeroom this morning. She looked kind of,” Betty gestures around her own chest, pushing it out in exaggeration, “y’know, busty.”

Jughead swallows, forcing his line of sight back up to her face, hoping the sudden heat warming his ears isn’t actually visible. “I didn’t notice.”

Betty looks skeptical. “Archie, you must have noticed.”

As the one person at the table who could generally be relied upon to have an opinion about a pair of breasts, Archie has been atypically quiet throughout the entire exchange. Jughead elbows him lightly in the arm. “What say you, Archibald?”

“Hm?” Archie glances at Jughead before taking a swig of his orange juice. “Um, yeah. Definitely.”

Jughead exchanges a look with Betty across the table, and then follows Archie’s gaze towards whatever it is his best friend has been staring at for the last fifteen minutes. Or – more accurately – whomever. Because it’s a girl (of course).

The new girl. Veronica Lodge.

Archie hasn’t been able to shut up about her for going on three days now – ever since she’d breezed through Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe while he and his dad were eating dinner there on Friday night.

“She wears a cape, Jug,” he’d said the next day while they played video games in his bedroom. His brown eyes were so wide and earnest that Jughead hadn’t had the heart to tell him that it was actually pretty weird to wear a cape to a diner, in the summer, in Riverdale.

Seasonally inappropriate capes aside, Jughead didn’t get what was so special about Veronica. She was slim and pretty, with big eyes and shiny hair, but so were half the girls in the senior class (including the one seated at their own table right now, the one whom Archie had soundly rejected last year at the back-to-school dance).

She might be smart – that morning she had revealed herself to be the only student in their English lit class, other than Jughead himself, who had read anything by Faulkner – but Archie had never seemed to place particular importance on intelligence when there were so many other, more…tangible things to appreciate about a girl.

“You should just go talk to her, man.” He takes another bite of his burger.

“Who?” Betty cranes her neck around to see who they’re looking at. “Are you talking about Veronica?”

Archie doesn’t answer, leaving Jughead to do it for him: “Yes.”

An odd look crosses Betty’s face, a forced, half-smile, one that Jughead knows to be the face she makes whenever the subject of Archie’s latest love interest comes up. It’s a face that makes his chest hurt every time he sees it. “Oh. She’s my bio partner. She seems nice.”

Archie whips his gaze back to Betty. “You’re her bio partner?”

“That’s what I just said,” she says slowly.

“Can you introduce me?” Archie leans forward in his seat, a desperate edge to his voice. “Please, Betty?”

“Right now?” She looks back again, her face falling slightly. “I don’t know. She’s sitting with Cheryl and all them.”

“After school, then.”

“I don’t really knowher, Arch. We just got paired up in bio.”

“We’ve got Blue and Gold stuff after class,” Jughead adds. The new English teacher, Mr. Phillips, was taking over as their faculty advisor, and Betty had wasted no time in arranging a meeting with him to discuss their plans for the year.

Jughead already knows his plans for the year, and they don’t require much preparation: write some articles – at least a few about topics meatier than the school basketball team’s rivalry with Centerville, or the drama department’s latest production of Grease– and soak up as much time as possible with one of his two best friends before she inevitably takes off for college somewhere halfway across the country.

But if mapping out a year of news before it even happens makes Betty happy, then he’s happy to play along.

Archie sighs. “Maybe she’s in one of my afternoon classes.”

Jughead glances at Betty again, but her eyes are downturned to her tray. “Hope springs eternal, Archie.”

Mr. Phillips is young, enthusiastic, and eager to prove himself – none of which are qualities Jughead especially appreciates in an advisor for a school activity he had largely chosen for the free rein it afforded him to do whatever he wanted.

“There goes the independent press,” Jughead sighs as the door shuts, leaving him and Betty alone in the Blue and Gold office.

Betty smiles, giving him a gentle kick in the shin from where she sits atop one of the desks. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s nice to have someone who actually cares looking out for us.”

She’s not entirely wrong. When budget cuts had threatened the Blue and Gold’s very existence at the start of eleventh grade, Betty and Jughead had been left to their own devices to petition the school board for funds. Even getting the newspaper up and running at all, a year prior, had required gargantuan effort on Betty’s part. Barely a week into their sophomore year he’d found her in the school library at lunchtime, close to tears, and when she’d told him that Principal Weatherbee would only let her run the paper if she could recruit at least one other student to do it with her, he hadn’t been able to say no.

Having an advisor meant having an advocate. It meant the Blue and Gold might actually endure beyond their graduation day in June.

But at this particular moment, Jughead doesn’t care about all that. What he cares about is the fact that now there’s someone looking over their shoulders to make sure they cover all of the athletic department’s activity, all of the drama club’s productions, and allof the Key Club’s good deeds. Someone who wants them to start up an advice column.

“An advice column, Betty?” he says, unable to hold back the whine.

Betty laughs. “I don’t know, I actually think that might be kind of fun.”

“That makes one of us, Miss Lonelyhearts.”

“I have been thinking – he’s right that we’re going to need a bigger staff this year.”

Jughead frowns. “We can manage if Ethel keeps helping out with the sports section.”

Betty shakes her head. “It’s the first day of school and I’m already slammed with homework. Aren’t you? We’re in practically all the same classes.”

An anxious lump rises in Jughead’s throat. Truth be told, he hadn’t yet allowed himself to take a step back and evaluate the mountain of schoolwork that he’d accumulated throughout the day, for this exact reason. What had seemed like a brilliant plan back at the beginning of summer – to take as many AP courses as possible, so that he could rack up enough credits to fulfill a semester’s worth of classes at Greendale Community College for very little cost – now seemed monumentally stupid.

Because as it turned out, there was a good reason the school guidance counselor had recommended taking no more than four of them at a time: they were a ton of work.

And Jughead had enrolled in six.

Judging by their near-identical class schedules, Betty had also thrown any hint of senioritis out the window and taken the overachiever route. The difference was that Betty actually was an overachiever. She earned straight A’s, co-wrote and co-produced the biweekly school paper, planned every school dance, and always did her homework.

Jughead managed two of those things on a mostly regular basis, and one of them once in a blue moon. (He didn’t even attend school dances, let alone plan them.)

“I guess,” he admits, beginning to pace across the room in an attempt to dispel the nervous energy now buzzing through his limbs.

“We should do a table at the activities fair next week.”

“But then anyone could join.”

“Yes, that’s kind of the point,” she replies, sounding amused. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go, I told my mom I’d make dinner tonight. You want a ride?”

Jughead shakes his head. “I’m gonna hang around here a bit. I’m supposed to pick up Jellybean from her first day of middle school.”

“Wow. JB’s in seventh grade this year?” Betty slings her light blue backpack over her shoulder as she slips off the desk and moves towards the door. “Tell her I said hi.”

Jughead suppresses a smile. Jellybean won’t be impressed to find her older brother waiting for her at the bottom of Riverdale Middle School’s steps after the last bell rings. But she’ll be delighted to know that Betty respects her insistence on going by a silly abbreviation of her already-silly-nickname (because Betty is, in Jellybean’s words, “so cool”).

“Will do.”

As expected, Jellybean appears less than thrilled when she spots him loitering at the end of the bus line.

“Why are you even here,” she grumbles, flipping her long, dark braid over her shoulder as he falls into step beside her.

“Because Mom asked me to.”

“I’m twelve. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I agree, which is why I’m going to tell her you ignored every single stranger with candy and consistently looked both ways before crossing the street.”

“Ha, ha.”

It’s only a ten minute walk to the apartment building where they’ve been living for the last year and a half. While their father had downsized to a rickety trailer on the south side after the divorce, Gladys Jones had sold their modest, three-bedroom house and moved them into an even more modest, two-bedroom apartment just a stone’s throw north of the train tracks that bisected the town.

Jughead liked to think it was because she was determined to see her children get a better education than the one she’d cut short on the south side in her own youth. At least, that was the story he kept up for his sister, and Archie and Betty, and anyone else who cared to ask. But in his less generous moments, he suspected his mother’s decision had very little to do with himself and Jellybean, and a whole lot to do with proving something to his dad.

“How was your first day?” he asks after they’ve walked a few blocks in silence.

“Fine.”

He waits for more details, and rolls his eyes when she offers none. “Betty says hi,” he says casually.

Jellybean glances at him. “That’s cool. Did you tell her you’re in love with her yet?”

Jughead scowls, for once grateful for his sister’s extremely preteen refusal to look anyone in the eye for more than half a second. “I’m not in love with Betty.”

“You should just ask her to be your girlfriend.”

“Even if I wanted to – which I don’t – you can’t just…ask someone to be your girlfriend.”

Jellybean scoffs. “Damien Doiley literally just asked Lucy Muggs to be his girlfriend at lunch today.”

“Yeah, well, the Doileys are weird. Also he’s twelve.”

“You’re just scared she’d say no.” Jellybean looks at him again, a shrewd gleam in her eye. “Which she probably would, since she’s way cooler than you.”

“Wow. I really lucked out in the sibling lottery,” Jughead mutters, shoving her backpack lightly. Jellybean laughs.

“I know, right?”

They keep up their verbal sparring for the rest of the walk home, and while his sister lands some jabs that genuinely sting, Jughead finds it infinitely preferable to mulish silence. He’s almost a little sad when she heads straight for her bedroom upon arriving home, shutting the door behind her, until he remembers exactly how much homework lays ahead of him.

&

Betty sets the oven timer to twenty minutes, then slumps into her chair at the kitchen table and flips open her history textbook.

Fifty pages of reading had sounded like a lot for one night, but skimming through the pages now, it doesn’t seem as bad. There are a lot of maps and portraits of old, dead white men taking up space. She’s nearly two-thirds of the way through when the timer beeps, and she stands up from her chair, grabbing a long wooden spoon from the counter to push around the root vegetables on their tray in the oven before they roast for another ten minutes.

Vegetables successfully stirred, she checks the rice simmering on the stove – nearly done – and then stretches her arms over her head, yawning. Her phone buzzes in her pocket. It’s her mom.

Another mistake by idiots @ the printer. I’ll be home around 10. Don’t touch the raspberries in the fridge.

Betty hadn’t even noticed the raspberries in the fridge, but now she has an unbearable urge to eat them all out of spite.

Ok, she texts back. Good luck!!

There had been a time, not so long ago, when Betty had wished desperately for a break.

A break from her parents’ constant fighting. A break from her sister’s pouting and yelling and crying. A break from her mother’s watchful eye at the dinner table, her sharp words when Betty dared to take a second helping of pasta, or spread butter on her single slice of bread.

And then the break had come. After more than twenty years together – through high school, university, the births of their daughters, the deaths of their own parents – Alice and Hal had finally separated. Her father had packed up and moved to Florida, where his brother lived with his wife and son. At the end of August, Polly had left for college in Chicago, a twelve hour drive away. And with half of their family suddenly gone, her mother had thrown herself into running the Riverdale Register, writing, reporting, and editing with the help of a part-time employee and some unpaid interns from the community college.

The Coopers had broken up and drifted away like pieces of an ice shelf while Betty watched, helpless, from the rapidly thinning shore.

Hal called on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Polly texted her most days, and Alice still lived at home (though some days that felt more theoretical than actually true). But the physical presence of Betty’s family had shifted from overbearing to almost nonexistent in the blink of an eye, and while Betty wanted to appreciate her newfound freedom – and did, in some ways – it also left her achingly lonely.

Which was why, instead of finishing her history reading and doing her calculus problem sets and cleaning up after dinner, she finds herself knocking on the Andrews’ front door at 8 p.m. on the first day of her last year of high school.

Mr. Andrews answers the door, his face settling into a warm smile when he sees who’s on his front porch. “Hey, Betty, how was your first day back?”

“It was good, thanks.” Betty smiles. “Is Archie around?”

“Yeah, he’s messing around in the garage. He told me not to interrupt him but I’m sure that doesn’t apply to you.”

She finds Archie hunched over his guitar, tongue poking out just slightly from the corner of his mouth as he plucks at a few of the strings in deep concentration. His hair is damp, she notes, probably from the shower he’d taken after football practice. She clears her throat three times before he notices she’s there. “Earth to Archie.”

Archie blinks up at her in surprise. “Hey, Betty. What’s up?”

Betty shrugs, letting her gaze drift around the room as she takes in their surroundings. It’s been a few months since she was in the garage-turned-practice room, and Archie’s made some changes in the interim: tie-dyed sheets draped over the shelves that line the walls, posters of his favorite bands taped over them, a battered loveseat with a single throw pillow in the corner. It’s all very teenage boy, she thinks, and very Archie.

“Not much. I got bored of doing homework.”

Archie pulls the strap of his guitar up over his head and places the instrument carefully on the ground. “How’d your newspaper thing go?”

She’s pleasantly surprised that he’d even heard Jughead’s tossed off mention of their after-school plans, let alone remembered it. She settles onto the loveseat, pulling the pillow into her lap. “It was good. Mr. Phillips seems really into it. He had a lot of ideas.” She smiles slightly. “Jughead hates ninety percent of them, of course.”

Archie grins. “What kind of ideas?”

“Like an advice column. And having people other than me and Jug actually work on the paper.”

He laughs. “He just wants you all to himself.”

She knows he doesn’t mean anything by it – it is Jughead they’re talking about, after all – but Archie’s words pluck oddly at something in her chest. Betty presses the throw pillow between her palms. “We’re going to have a sign-up table at the activities fair next week,” she says, adding coyly, “maybe Veronica will be interested.”

Archie’s neck flushes red at the mention of the new girl’s name, and Betty smiles despite herself.

“That reminds me,” Archie says, rubbing his hands over the thighs of his sweatpants. “I wanted to say I’m sorry, for everything at lunch earlier. I know Cheryl’s been a dick to you. I shouldn’t have asked you to introduce us when Veronica was hanging out with her.”

Betty shrugs. “It’s okay.”

“It’s just…I reallylike this girl,” Archie continues. He runs his hands through his hair, making the damp strands stand up almost straight, accentuating the bewildered expression taking shape on his face. “I don’t know. There’s something about her.”

“She’s not like all the other girls?” Betty teases.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Betty struggles not to roll her eyes. “Archie, have you actually talked to Veronica yet? Like, have you even met her?”

“No,” he admits, a mournful note to his voice. “We don’t have a single class together. But Reggie heard from Moose that Midge says she’s trying out for the River Vixens next week.”

That makes sense: Cheryl is finally cheer captain this year, a position she’s been angling for since the day she’d first stepped her well-heeled foot into Riverdale High three years ago. If Veronica intends to run with Cheryl’s crowd, she’ll be a shoo-in for the cheerleading squad.

The thought hits her with an unexpected pang. The new girl really did seem nice, like someone Betty could envision being friends with. But ever since Polly had dated Cheryl’s older brother, Jason, and broken his heart, anyone in Riverdale with the last name Cooper was persona non grata as far as Cheryl was concerned.

· they invite her over for a study session and betty and jughead keep finding reasons to leave archie & veronica alone

o but veronica gets upset and leaves early because she thought betty had invited her over so they could be friends

· then they try to use the advice column to hint that archie is into her

o but they overthink it and the details of the column are too vague

#my fic #fic ask #heartunsettledsoul #bughead #varchie

[calpicowater]

Week 6.5/52: February 7th - February 13th 2022 | Betty & Wing Housewarming 🏡

Reunited with these gay kids 蜡笔小新 squad after a month. Also, I haven’t gone out in a month. First time putting makeup on in sooooo long omg. Forgot that I can look like this... Went to visit BT/WS new house for the first time (it’s so pretty omg........ their interior design is chef’s kiss). We ate so much hot pot today. Had four different soup bases (mala spicy, tomato, mushroom, and clear broth) with so much meat, oil sticks, vegetables, cow stomach, potato clear noodles, bean curd puffs and etc etc etc....... Actually I almost died because I have a bad habit of drinking spicy hot pot broth but this one today had SO much oil I legit wasn’t able to breathe for a solid 2 minutes. I barely drank any wtf....... I couldn’t talk or breathe because the oil completely blocked my airways. I thought I was going to die at my friends’ home....... 😭😭😭 legit so scary but I’m alive (thank goodness). Don’t think I’ve come so close to death before minus the time in grade 3 when I choked on sour candy (gdi I need to stop eating lol). Anyways I ate so much LMAO. Betty kept feeding us so much 9 lol that rose plum one is so yum??? She also made a DIY 米酒 and it tasted like ice cream fr. After eating, they taught me how to play Mahjong LOL I’ve finally learned....... and then we went to eat hot pot round two... and then we played Mahjong again 😭😭😭 and then slapjack LOL. Just chaotic kids.

Went back to work on the Sunday and got hella hostility from a student’s dad who started disrespecting and belittling me and overall talking shit about me in front of me for a solid 10+ minutes. He kept arguing with me over a company policy that I had absolute no control over and continued to throw tantrums until I couldn’t handle it anymore lol. I have been going through too much shit ngl I legit just ran out of my room mid-convo to get my supervisor and when I was trying to tell him what the fuck was happening I just started crying..... Bruh. It was so embarrassing for me.............. The student’s mom was being nice the entire time and ended up apologizing to me personally after everything. Which I don’t think she needed to do that at all. I just feel bad that she married... that. She’s so nice but why the fuck is he so mean. She even said herself that he was being a dick lmao exact words. Entitled people are everywhere and most of the time I can deal with worse shit (and I have many times!!!!). But I really was not having it this day. Fuck. Even when I left the dad kept talking shit about me to my supervisor, saying that he doesn’t like my vibes etc. lol. You assholes just hate my vibes because I don’t kiss up to you because you’re an asshole and you should d word???? ha. The worst part is that I did not tell anyone about what happened but the word got out so fast (headache) that the entire department knew in a matter of hours (I got so many DMs right after my shift asking me if I am ok/what happened fml it’s quite embarrassing). I can’t........ I know that I am a sad little child in my personal life but I really do not have to be sad photographer at work too. I try so hard to just be chill and calm... and I am at most times. Personal life is just interfering with other aspects of life. Need control. But I am just trying to make money... why are people so mean.... I’m so done. How to erase my existence... Aiya. Rest of work day was honestly good... students were all nice and my coworkers were helping me a lot. My supervisor even split a Japanese cheesecake with me during break to cheer me up from hostile man lol. Life is life but I keep thinking back at the whole situation and I wish I could have reacted better/controlled my emotions better. I don’t want to cry again. I don’t need people like this to get to me again. 

Please tell me life will get better. I fuck up a lot but I’m an okay person...

#365 #52 #hot pot #mahjong #蜡笔小新 #my outfit matching with the soju bottle lmaoooo #project 365 #project 52 #365 project #no outfit photo today IM..... so sad #it's always nice to see my friends but i think i'm just going thru too much in life rn i wasn't able to enjoy it as much as i normally do #i still appreciate them though lol when wing ran across kitchen to get me water when i was choking on hot pot oil lmfaooooo #hope we can hang again soonzies! <3 #i'm always their 5th wheel they just like 'wyd' and i'm just like 干饭啊 #meanwhile they just fascinated over something lke 9 but i'm like . just eating.... LOL #i legit laughed so hard today during games DHJFS i dont even rmbr why but my tummy hurt #im prob not making sense . my brain has been so blurry all night ffs #just happy to have plans once in awhile..... hope life can be more eventful soon :-( #we were playing slapjack and then one of them said 'i hope everyone cut their nails i dont think it should be a problem for ppl like us' #uDJKHDJKSHFKJSFHFS #i can'T #i kept losing during slackjack & spoons and then kept getting flicked on the forehead #ACTUALLY PAINFUL #uncalled for!!!!! #taylor rly went 👌💣 #IT WAS SO PAINFUL EVERY SINGLE TIME CRIES #there's just so much drama involved in my work life rn........... i'm scared fr #i rly hope this doesn't reflect badly on me lol...... this grown ass man with a 23 year old kid was legit BULLYING ME in front of everyone #in front of his kids and his wife and also the fucking high school student helper volunteer kid #it was so fucking humiliating why the fuck does he think that doing shit like that is ok.. why are ppl so ENTITLED im angry!!!!!

[starcookiechu]

ROTT Review

SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. You have been warned.

FYI: I just finished the movie. So my opinions may change a bit but here I am writing a full review.

Before I talk about the movie, I have to say this movie has fantastic animation. The music is as good as usual.

Ok now the story. Let’s start with the our Trollhunters.

Fair Lady Claire. My girlie Claire really brought her all into this. I’m really proud of the young woman she has grown up into. However for the sake of the plot and story they make her run out of magic juice quite a bit. But my girl is still the best and gives it her all.

Wingman Domzalski. I will be perfectly honest. Toby is kind of the annoying best friend at times and bothers me as a plus size person. (They really push the over eating thing to the point that it’s his biggest factor.) Toby is a very eager kid who is ready to get in the action. Never being negative to his friend but the best emotional support who will always be at his side. Sure Toby was used a bit as comedic relief in the movie but when push comes to shove, Toby will always be there to do the right thing.

Blinky is amazing as always. One of the best father figures out there.

Aarrrgh was there. Was great for the scenes he was in, but all together didn’t do much that altered the story.

Our Trollhunter, Jim Lake Jr. Someone I admire and basically see as my little brother/child. Kiddo really did it. I know everyone is upset that Jim’s arc was redone when we had the “Unbecoming” episode. If I could come to a peaceful middle ground, I saw we all need to blame Merlin. He really rocked Jim’s world and self worth. When the creator of the object you need to save the world with tells you “You’re not enough”, it really can be a great setback. But once we past that, Jim really pulled through. Amulet or not, he is our Trollhunter.

Mommy Dr. Lake was there. Barbara was mostly there for our emotions.

Dilf Strickler. I felt that he was changed a bit since we last saw him, but he had a new purpose. He was more cautious and happy because he had a chance at a happy life with Barbara. Which makes what happens to him more upsetting. 

Nomura my sweet. This movie did not deserve you. At least she was with Draal.

And Not-Enrique (seriously why didn’t they ever give him an actual name) just wasn’t in the movie.

How about some CreepSlayers?

BABY ELI PEPPERJACK CAME BACK LOOKING SO CUTE. So proud.

Bumbling knight oaf Steve the Palchuckian was great as usual.

I will say though. The whole pregnancy plot was just a way to get Eli and Steve out of the way. I could feel that the writers maybe didn’t like Steve so much since Wizards. But Steve was once again someone to laugh at. Pregnant and out of the way.

How about some Akiridions?

Aja my darling girl, oh how you’ve grown. I understand some think she has changed. However I must say that her preparing a plan B on the side was smart. She isn’t just a princess on earth anymore. She is a queen on a distant planet. So if she thought evacuation was best, it would ensure that everyone would live. And avoid losing more valuable people from her life. So no, I can’t blame her.

DJ Kleb was there. He was kinda doin his own thing and messing with Steve. Brother-in-law stuff.

It was good to see Varvatos Vex.

Stu was the man in the background working on the busy important things like working on the amulet. Personally I feel like the series REALLY underutilizes Stu A LOT so I was so happy to see him being a part of something huge.

And finally some Wizards.

Douxie my love, you were amazing as usual. His powers have grown greatly and have contributed to the adventure. But god the writers really do love to take everything away from him don’t they. It’s unfair.

Archie was kinda just there and just... I understand leaving Douxie but that doesn’t mean I like it.

Nari the sweetest. I can only imagine the guilt she felt to end Nomura. Her self sacrifice was probably the one in the movie most called for.

Alright now I’ll talk about the movie.

I can whole heartedly say this movie was rushed. To be honest I feel like the original writers weren’t completely in this. At least it felt kind of not so much Trollhunters or 3Below vibes but more Wizards, if that makes sense whatsoever. Something is off.

I just want to blame Merlin for everything. To hell with that guy.

The beginning sequence was great. A car chase to a moving train. Which ends up with Toby of course screwing up and breaking the brakes. Of course. The train falling off the tracks which ultimately ends up with Nari gone. Oh yeah, and video recordings of Magic, trolls and being taken in by the police. Great.

WHY TF WAS TOBY TELLING THEIR STORY TO THE POLICE. YOU DON’T MIX THE POLICE IN STORIES UNLESS YOU KNOW THE COP PERSONALLY. CUZ IT’S A MESS AND THE POLICE GET IN THE WAY. GDI TOBY.

Our heroes go back to base on the new and improved Camelot. Where we discover that Barbara and Strickler are now engaged. Happy news and would secure that Jim has another Father figure in his life and his mother’s happiness. Which explains Strickler’s “stay behind” advice. Now he has a family to watch over. He must be careful and warns that Jim’s actions could cost so much that he might not be able to afford.

Enters our Majesty Aja and the new stud on the block, Eli. Dang I wish puberty hit me like that.Truck-kun strikes again. And also enters... the pregnancy thing. I will say, I didn’t mind it too much... at first. But there are complications. Steve is too young to be a father and dang 7 kisses?? I can’t help but feel like Aja should have mentioned that or it was a last minute plan to write out Steve and Eli. (Which it was.) It was funny sure cuz omegaverse and ALIENS but all together it’s really iffy.

They really had Douxie preform a body-swap spell only so it would be undone. And undoing the spell only hurt them both?? C’mon. C’mon.

And they mention the Krohnisfere. We’ll get back to it. Jim gets a brand new amulet infused with Akaridion tech. However theres an issue. It was created by Merlin right? Who is a wizard right? Who uses MAGIC. Shame Douxie wasn’t there to help make it. Ya know. 1/2 of the original creator of the AMULET. So it’s missing a huge part and for the sake of the plot, Jim doesn’t test the Amulet which is out of character personally.

Toby makes a silly big deal over a penny. I was actually hoping they would make it a silly Chekhov's gun later on. But no, it’s just Toby being loud and comedic relief.

The titans are released and we visit a very pregnant Steve. Ok so it’s a rushed kind of thing. ok.

Aja suggests evacuation. You can say it’s out of character but we need context. When Aja helped in the Doomsday Battle, she was ensured a way out but if she let the people of Arcadia perish. She decided to stay and help. But now the Trollhunter himself can’t help. So to ensure the survival of everyone, evacuation. A best chance for everyone to survive. Plus she is now a Queen. She rules over a whole planet which must change her thinking.

Now our characters are split into 3 teams:

Blinky, Archie, Archie’s dad and Claire for the Krohnisfere.

Jim, Aja, Toby, Strickler and Barbara for the Glacial Titan.

Nomura, Douxie and Aarrgh for the Earth Titan.

Now here is where I have problems. WHY. DID. THEY. SEND. TROLLS. TO. BRAZIL. IN. THE. DAY. Nomura dying was just so out of pocket. Unnecessary. I couldn’t even grieve properly I didn’t have a chance to process. The best thought I could think was “At least she’s with Draal now.” 10 seconds later, Strickler makes the choice to sacrifice himself. Because of Jim’s heroic’s, Strickler decided to try to save the most important people in his life. The person who was always dishonest finally had a chance to live a happy life with his family. The one who played it safe now had to make the final impulsive move. And unfortunately, his death was in vain. These deaths were just so forced. It wasn’t in any way good. And Strickler being one of the best written characters just going in such a way was just off. He died for nothing. He could have turned back and fought another battle but... no.

(BTW Barbara was just there... for Strickler’s death.)

We move to Babara and Jim having a heart to heart. I’m glad she didn’t blame Jim but a small moment of anger. Something a little more real for me but no I guess. Barbara will always just be Jim’s mom. She mention’s Jim’s father and it passed so quickly I missed it on my initial viewing. I’m happy that Jim’s father is never revealed or made a bigger part in his story. This is good representation for those of us who did have our fathers walk out on us. That we can grow despite our parents failing us.

And finally team Krohnisfere. Archie just leaves. He’s gone. Poor Douxie. A mentor and now his closest companion.

Our heroes meet up to go against the Volcanic Titan. In comes Varvatos Vex on a Gun Robot. Nice to see some good ol Gundam with a character mentioned throughout the entire trilogy. However it doesn’t last. BTW for the sake of survival, Aja leaves Jim and Toby. Iffy.

Douxie pulls a “Jason stop. This isn’t you.” thing with Nari and is reunited with his friend.(+ points for the shippers. It’s kinda winning me over?) Also, Claire now has the power to teleport a Titan. I know she’s much stronger than she was for the Trollhunters Sn 2 finale, but cmon. You can’t just say she’s out of magic juice and then pull this. C’mon.

(btw did the titan make a War of the Worlds tripod sound? No? Just me?)

Nari sacrifices herself and takes the other god with her. Which takes away Douxie’s other companion. Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good. Why does this movie hate Douxie so much. (I am so sorry shippers. Angst.)

BLINKY DIDN’T SEE A PAGE? ADDRESSING IT IN THE SHOW DOESN’T GIVE YOU A PASS. I forgot the word but this irony isn’t greatttt.

Jim now has to pull out the legendary sword Excalibur. But he can’t cuz he hasn’t harnessed the power of friendship.

And Steve is giving birth. At the worst time. What is this a zombie movie??? C’mon.

Jim says “Magic is friendship” And Stu is finally being used for one grand act. Seriously Stu is just so unappreciated. So he fixes the amulet with magic.

Basically everyone who went on top of the Volcanic titan falls off at some point. Except Jim cuz of course some 1v1. 

ONCE AGAIN Claire is out of magic juice. Because... reasons.

Toby makes the choice to race to Jim’s side with the technology to cancel out magic. (Wait how does science stop magic again)

BTW, For the Good of all doesn’t hit as well BUT it’s not mentioning any glory towards stinky Merlin so I am happy with the change.

JIM HAS A NEW TRANSFORMATION. MY BOY. MY SON. I’M SO PROUD.

Toby races to Jim and his helmet falls off the taco truck. That honestly should have been a huge warning sign. I was worried he didn’t have armor but we know how this goes.

Jim defeats the final titan and everyone is happy. The fight is finally over.

STEVE HAS 7 KIDS. OUCH. 

Seeing Jim run to Toby was heartbreaking. Now this is the one scene where the movie really let out actually process a character’s death. How on earth can you process your best friend, your most faithful companion dying. Jim goes through too much I swear to god.

Now let’s discuss the time travel plot. I honestly feel like they pulled some kind of Attack on Titan ending. The main character burdened with knowing the future and what could have been. And if everything is meant to be how it will be, destiny will reconnect them again. (Jlaire reincarnation AU???)

I’m actually ok with this ending. I understand people would want the time stone to return only a few minutes. But even then, the kiddos still have police records, so many people dead at the titan’s hands (or feet) and now the world knows about the existence of trolls thanks to the internet. In New York no less. And people are still dead.

We return the the beginning of everything, reflecting the “Unbecoming” episode.

(NGL I’m bothered that they didn’t do anything to stop Steve from bullying Eli, but Jim can’t do it. He’s saving it for Toby.)

And now finally, let’s discuss Toby becoming the Trollhunter. From the beginning, Toby never considered himself good enough to be the main star. Always the wingman, the 2nd best. Support. Now it was Toby’s turn to climb the ranks and be the Hero he’s always wanted to be. It’s Jim’s turn to live an easier high school life. I don’t doubt that he won’t follow Toby. But now he knows what to avoid and how to make the story process more smoothly.

I understand some are unsatisfied with this ending, which is kinda trademarked with Dreamwork’s shows. I get it. But honestly as of right now, I think I like the ending.

The amulet didn’t choose Jim because this Jim is not the same Jim as in Sn 1 Ep 1. He is a new man. And I think we all can agree that it’s his turn to be happy.

---

I still love this series so much. It is my favorite cartoon. Of course it has it’s flaws, but this ending is at least satisfactory and not heartbreaking. Now it’s up to us to either continue the story or contribute our ideas in fanfiction. I look forward to everyone’s creations.

Don’t think. Become.

#rise of the titans #rott spoilers #trollhunters rott #wizards rott #3below rott #Trollhunters #3below #wizards #tales of arcadia #toa trollhunters #toa 3below #toa wizards #toa

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Ep 23

Seriously, how useless are these two right now? The puppets all dropped dead around them, yet none of them run up to help Wei Wuxian. I think we saw Lan Wangji running, but he just had dramatic close-up shots for the first few minutes as well. Like, stop looking dumbfounded and stop just providing facial reactions to things, and get up there! Act like you're in a war, gdi! They're reacting to seeing Wen Ruohan stabbed, which I chose not to cap for obvious reasons.

So even though I knew the story from the book, I still think this moment is pretty cool when they reveal that it's Jin Guangyao who has stabbed Wen Ruohan literally and figuratively in the back. The last time we saw him, poor Nie Mingjue was getting the crap beat out of him by Jin Guangyao, so seeing this here--like, ooh! Double-double-cross! Triple-cross!! It's fun to see a twist that doesn't make you groan! Because, of course, you want to root for Jin Guangyao because he's a bastard and has always been looked down on everyone. Now you see that he was not a villain at all, and he was actually helping the good guys by double-crossing Wen Ruohan! Of course, we know he really is a villain and all, but most of that really doesn't come until later in the story haha.

I do enjoy the light parallels here between Lan Xichen and his brother. We see both of them willing to give their best friends the benefit of the doubt and protect them from those who are less willing, let's say. And both of them are even willing to stand up to other people they know and trust. Nie Mingjue is one of Lan Xichen's closest friends, and we see Lan Wangji stand up to his own uncle. If you're looking at CQL without the romance angle (which, why would you?), this parallel is a bit more striking. You basically have two sets of bosom friends. Obviously one set crumbles at the end, but there are definitely a lot of parallels and comparisons to make. And sorry, for a show that couldn't have any gay characters, they sure made it seem like Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao had a thing for each other (even though neither of them is gay in the book, mind you). A weird sort of change--I don't even ship them, but their early scenes seemed very shippy. Maybe it's my American lens, I don't know.

But speaking of weird changes, allow me to go on a tangent. Wen Qing's role expansion doesn't bother me, not really. I kind of say it does, but it's not really the expansion that gets to me. It's the fact that she was going to be a love interest for Wei Wuxian that bothers me. Wei Wuxian is gay. He's gay. Lan Wangji is also gay--if not gayer. Her being a love interest for either one of them means they are no longer gay. Bi, maybe, but what that would have done was erase their canon sexuality. It would have also turned their relationship into that horribly tropey brothers-in-arms or whatever name you want to give it--basically JUST FRIENDS who want to defend each other's honor. You can certainly read CQL that way, but if you are, I don't think you're paying attention to Wang Yibo's performance at all. And if you're not paying attention to the second lead, then why are you watching this show at all? So, changing their sexuality changes the whole show (which already is so tropey, from what I understand) into something so derivative, I wouldn't even want to bother watching it. One of the things I think you take away from CQL is Lan Wangji's, frankly, undying love for Wei Wuxian. If he goes and has a fling with Wen Qing at any point, that cheapens his character dramatically in my opinion. Lots of people can say this better than me, and probably have, but I'm very grateful to those passionate fans (and to Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo) for helping to change the script from the original drafts, which were frankly no better than a junky harlequin romance, having Wen Qing passed around like a piece of meat, which is so far from her character in the novel, and definitely a disservice to her.

Not gonna lie, it's adorable to think that Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji have been talking over the past few days, maybe having tea together, while Wei Wuxian is in a coma. I feel Lan Wangji was a very calming presence for Jiang Yanli, because she was probably very worried and fretful over Wei Wuxian. I like the idea of him playing the guqin for Wei Wuxian, and then having tea and a quiet chat with Jiang Yanli before leaving. Also very cute that Wei Wuxian is half-heartedly trying to badmouth Lan Wangji, by calling him boring and uninteresting, but he can't even get through the sentence without smiling to himself. Obviously he's loving the idea that Lan Wangji has been at his side every day, worrying over him and slowly doing his part to nurse him back to health.

I love his expression here: shock and relief and joy, all mixed together upon seeing that Wei Wuxian has woken up. Obviously he knew he'd wake up eventually, but he didn't expect it so soon and I don't think he expected his heart to be in his throat and to be so indescribably happy to see Wei Wuxian awake.

Wei Wuxian, of course, can't really meet his eyes, and Jiang Yanli makes a swift exit (she knows what's up--these boys need to talk). And Lan Wangji just has love in his eyes: Heart-guang Jun. I mean, imagine how he must be feeling right now. He had just gotten Wei Wuxian back from what seemed like certain death, finally reconciled, and then Wei Wuxian is in a coma! He must have been terrified of losing him again. It's probably all he can do right now to not hug Wei Wuxian.

I seriously love everything about this scene. I love the colors, the cinematography, the longing glances Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji, the way Lan Wangji quietly scolds him while still playing the guqin because he's a professional. But really, I just find this scene very pretty and moving and emotional. I enjoy seeing Lan Wangji getting to take care of him and even more that Wei Wuxian lets him and puts up with it. I think most of us are quick to retort a good old, "I'm fine" when asked how we are, but in this case, Wei Wuxian is not fine, and he has no ground to stand on if he's trying to prove that. It's hard for Wei Wuxian at this point, though, to really lean on anyone, even Lan Wangji who is his best friend. He certainly can't lean on Jiang Cheng for reasons I don't think I need to go into again. He kind of leans on Yanli, but at the same time, he can't (and doesn't wish to) burdon her either. Lan Wangji is really the one person he should be able to lean on and seek comfort from, but he feels awkward and uncomfortable, because of the dark spiritual energy and giving up the sword, and Lan Wangji's crusade to help him.

"Who is good and who is evil?" Wei Wuxian is struggling with a moral dilemma: is it right to round up the Wens and kill them/hold them captive? The Wens did horrible things, after all, and this is the reality of war. Of course, we've just seen Lan Xichen struggling with it as well. Why capture the women and children and elderly, who have nothing to do with the war? He's only met with the fact that it's not just the male cultivators who are dangerous. Still, his mind is only placated by the lie that the people will just be interrogated and sent to a labor camp--then cut to the blood on the floor. So Wei Wuxian is not only struggling with what the Jin Clan and other clans are doing, but he's also thinking about his own deeds--how many people did he kill? How many did he brutally murder in the name of revenge? Because of the things he's done, is he good or evil? Is good and evil so black and white? Does it just depend on whose lens you're viewing it through?

Lan Wangji looks at Wei Wuxian with all of this knowledge and doesn't know what to think. He's afraid of what Wei Wuxian has become, afraid he'll end up like Wen Ruohan--he's afraid of losing him entirely. But the situation is not black and white, and good and evil is not so easily defined. You can only know once you know that person's heart, and Wei Wuxian isn't really letting Lan Wangji in anymore. He's trying to convince him with his words, but that is simply not good enough.

I think if Lan Wangji hadn't stopped him here, Wei Wuxian would have played that flute and tried to end all of the Jin "hunting party" (sorry, that was a little dark). His emotions were already high after the conversation with Lan Wangji on the cliff, and we've already seen him feeling disturbed by how the Wens are being chased and rounded up. I, for one, wouldn't have complained if Jin Zixuan's cousin bit the dust earlier. I think his name is Jin Zixun. Is that it? See, even I don't remember him.

I love how even though they are far apart, this scene still feels very intimate. It's very moving, and the music and the cinematography help to cultivate that feeling. I like how Wei Wuxian perks up when he hears Lan Wangji pluck the first few notes, and Lan Wangji does the same when he hears the sound of Wei Wuxian's flute. I feel like they are spiritually connected here as they play this haunting duet. And I think it's a connection they haven't felt for a long time. There has been so much tension between them for so long, and this scene feels like a big sigh from both of them. While I still feel like there is tension present, there is a bit of a release here--at least, that's how I feel as a viewer.

Ah, yes, the awkward period where Jiang Cheng has become leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, wants to control Wei Wuxian, but doesn't know how. He's new at this, so I can't blame him for being a bit awkward as he figures out what he's supposed to be doing. As a young man, he basically nagged Wei Wuxian for doing inappropriate things, but now when Wei Wuxian misbehaves, Jiang Cheng is in part responsible for that behavior. At some point or another, the two of them grew up. Wei Wuxian's misbehavior isn't precocious anymore--it's serious and it has consequences, and just as in Gusu, Jiang Cheng sees that those actions are a reflection of the Jiang Clan. Only now, they aren't just a reflection of the clan, they're also a reflection of Jiang Cheng, himself, and his leadership (or lack thereof).

And speaking of awkward...Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have some...unresolved...stuff to deal with. But God forbid they actually talk right now. How can they? They're at this stuffy banquet that neither one of them want to be at. I feel for them both. Wei Wuxian is hurt because he thinks Lan Wangji doesn't trust him. Lan Wangji feels terrible because he wants to help Wei Wuxian, but the latter won't really let him in and allow him to do so. I feel myself just on pins and needles during these scenes with all these glances, but at the same time, I love it because DRAMA and ANGST! And they're just so in love lolol.

Nie Mingjue has to be that guy that always wants a certain table. The waiter leads him over and says, "Is this table okay?" expecting the answer to be yes, but nope--not Nie Mingjue. He'll request a different table. XD

I love this little conversation--it's like they're both measuring each other up. I think they each have a healthy distrust of the other. Although Wei Wuxian has always been kind to Jin Guangyao, I don't think that discounts the whole demonic cultivation thing in his mind. He knows Wei Wuxian is smart and clever and, most importantly, capable. And as for Wei Wuxian, I don't think the ease in which Jin Guangyao manipulated Wen Ruohan is lost on him.Essentially the downfall of this great cultivator and enemy of all the other clans was due to one man: Jin Guangyao. I think Wei Wuxian is thinking the same thing I am: he's extremely clever, devious, and potentially dangerous if you get on his bad side. His rise to power within the Jin Clan is kind of amazing. His estranged father admits to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen that Jin Guangyao is his son, his station has improved drastically in a short amount of time. He sure as hell is dangerous.

Jiang Yanli can hardly contain her excitement when Jin Guangshan brings up her former engagement to his son. Just kidding, of course. I'm kind of horrified for her that he's bringing this up now in front of all these people. It feels very much like he's pressuring not only her, but also his son to get engaged again. First of all, Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan agreed at the time to let the children decide whether they wanted to get married or not. Second, if you're going to talk about this, at least do it in private! Third, this is not letting the kids decide. God, this would be humiliating! And I also totally expected Jiang Cheng to speak for his sister here, so I'm glad he didn't do that. It's really none of his business either.

Lol! The weird cutoff here! Who's speaking??? I don't know!!! I mean, obviously, it's Wei Wuxian, but it's like they don't expect us to recognize his voice hahahahaha.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

#wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #theuntameddaily #cql #the untamed #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #wen qing #jin guangyao #lan xichen #ep 23 #cql rewatch

[klance-fics]

Hmm got any recs for wrong number/texting fics?? 👀

i loooove those yes i have a bunch actually

i usually only post completed fics its like my rule but "this is so sad paladins form voltron" was discontinued. however klance happened in the fic before it got discontinued and its actually my fav so im adding it anyway

you never stood a chance

lance to hunk ♡

>i’m gonna fukin die hunk oh mygod i sent

>keith a work out selfie that i wan supposed to fcukin send to you and you know what it said

>”BET YOU WANNA LICK THESE NIPS”

>HUNK I WILL NEVE BE ABLE TO FCE HIM AGAIN I WANT TO DI E

(Or, Keith is beautiful, Lance has a crush, and there's lots of shirtless selfies)

teamwork makes the meme work

Allura creates a groupchat for the newfound members of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance club at Voltron University. Everything goes downhill from there.

Keith

Why was I never considered

Shiro

You know why.

Keith

For fuck’s sake

You shank a guy once and suddenly you’re “violent” and have “anger issues”

Pidge

keith you;re gonna make me piss my pantsnhdjkljdhjh

build a paper plane (to float to you)

“Would it make you feel better if I introduced myself to Shiro’s neighbours?”

“It would make me feel better if you had told me that you were going to be alone this winter break.” Lance grumbles lowly.

“I’m telling you now.”

Lance rubs his hand over his face, tries not to sound frustrated. “Why are you telling me now?”

Keith falters, thinks over his words. Lance bets he doesn’t know why he’s telling him now either. “Because I thought you should know.” He finally settles on. Because you can’t do anything about it.

--

In which Lance travels across 1,681 kilometers, sees the sky and the water meet for the first time, and falls in more ways than one.

voltron is a meme

Group Message to: Lance and [phone]

Lance: shut the fuck up

[phone]: i haven’t even said anything yet!

[phone]: rude

Lance: PIDGE CAN’T MAKE PHONES

Lance: THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE OKAY

Pidge: say that to my face

Lance: if you can make HUNK a PHONE then you can make ME a PROPER FACE LOTION

Pidge: gdi lance lotion isn’t the same as technology

Lance: i fucking hate u

Lance: you CAN’T tell me you can build a phone out of nothing and not even make me a lotion

Pidge: i don’t even know what goes IN lotion

Pidge: i haven’t moisturized a day in my life

Lance: you Take That Back

In which Team Voltron canonically gets a group chat, Lance hates change, memes are sacred, and Keith and Lance's crushes are obvious to everyone except them.

This is So Sad Paladins Form Voltron

Princess: What is this Mario Kart?

gos: it’s a video game where you race one another in little cars

Dunce Dunce Revolution: excuSE ME

gos: not again

Dunce Dunce Revolution: did you just call mario kart a /video game/

Dunce Dunce Revolution: a mere /video game/?

Pidgeon: blocked and reported

Kogayne: never speak to me or my husband ever again

Kogayne removed gos from the chat

OR: a post season-7 chat fic because I couldn't find any

FEATURING: pining, of the klance, romellura, and adashatt varieties; wholesome family bonding; the MFes as well as our alien friends, and an unholy amount of memes.

it's actually mostly memes.

ladies and gentlemen we are rocking in space

LANCE

do u like the taste of spam, van kieu

because thats what ull get

1 glorious terabyte of def-not-garrison-approved viewing matl

every hour on d hour

KEITH

And now you’re blackmailing me. Wonderful.

Look, I’ll tell you, alright?

Not because your threat scares me, but because I’d like to cut this conversation as short as humanly possible.

LANCE

glad ur being so cooperative ;) ;)

--

Lance gets a new flight simulation partner. Lance makes a bunch of mixtapes. Lance falls in love?

Galaxy Garrison + texting au. For the Klance Zine!

Instructions Not Included

Keith glanced back toward the front door of his apartment, half hoping the cat’s owner or someone would suddenly bang on the door and give him an explanation. But the door remained silent, and Keith sighed, turning back to the cat. She was now licking her paws, seemingly completely unconcerned with her new environment.

“Don’t suppose you could explain what’s going on.”

The cat looked up at him, her gold eyes studying his, then she dipped her head and coughed up a hairball at Keith’s feet.

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Guess not.”

—

Keith ends up with an unexpected guest over the holidays.

you walked in, and i couldn't look away

Lance has a staring problem. Keith hates it and confronts him about it. Lance falls for him, literally, and then... they become sort-of friends.

Funky Lesbian changed group name “Voltrons bitches” to “Voltron is just furry propaganda”

The paladins of Voltron are on their way home. PIdge installed a texting / messaging system into their lions and now they can communicate on the way home.

Pidge did not think this through and now Lance keeps messaging about his crush on Keith.

Inspired by this tumblr post : I’m proud to identify as morosexual. I’m attracted to dumbasses and dumbasses exclusively. A guy asked me what the Spanish word for tortilla was once and now I dream of kissing him under the moonlight

hello neighbor

[8:08 PM]: you’re at work at 8 at night? where do you work?

[8:08 PM]: why would i tell you that

and don’t say because we’re number neighbors

[8:09 PM]: UGHHH

i thought we were having a moment

[8:09 PM]: over what?? i know nothing about you

[8:09 PM]: well let’s change that shall we

the name’s lance

DID YOU REALLY JUST LEAVE ME ON READ

#klance #klance fic rec #vld lance #vld keith #lance mcclain #keith kogane #texting #texting au #messages au #humor #au: college/university #canon compliant

[ramuoto]

TOP 10 MANHWAs

if anything good came out of 2020, it’s my discovery of manhwas. 

well, it’s not like i’ve never read a single manhwa in the past 15+ years but tbh, the ratio of manhwa:manga i consume on a weekly basis has jumped exponentially this year. previously it was like 1:99 and now it’s like 90:10 LMAO. 

so, just to remind myself that the world is still full of good things, i had to make this list. which i will probably edit in the future, if i can be bothered to. :) 

anyhow, this list was not made in any particular order, just whichever came into mind. it’s loooong so be prepared! (I’ve read way more titles than mentioned but just included the ones worth checking out)

for whoever stumbles across this list, i hope some of these resonate with you and i hope they make you as happy as they made me. 

pic credits: https://geekculture.co/geeks-guide-to-transmigration-novels-avoid-death-at-all-costs/

1. Ebony

https://mangadex.org/title/41838/ebony

Bahahah omg he looks evil there! But our dearest archduke is hardly that aww. Soz, I just ripped off the covers of the manhwa cos I can’t find a panel I liked more than another. I mean, this manhwa is a GEM. I can’t even begin to describe this because everything about it blew me away. This is not something you read when you are craving for fluff, or just wanna have something brainless after a hard day at work or if you just wanna have some eye candy lol. This is something you pick up on a weekend, when you have time, because you need those hours to digest, appreciate, clutch your chest, tear a little because you find yourself falling in love with these characters. It doesn’t have any of that cliche isekai, romance, revenge themes going on. It has a solid plot, backed by incredible characters, beautifully woven by the authors and artist with incredible pacing that keeps you on your toes and keeps you looking forward to the next chapter. Maybe I would have been happier if I found it after it was completed lol. HAVE I CONVINCED YOU ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WANNA READ IT?! like, idk, just go. JUST GO READ IT GDI. 

p.s. it says there romance but naaaaaaah, dont go in with that expectation. :) this story is so much more than that. 

2. Bring the love

https://mangadex.org/title/44472/bring-the-love

This...this!!! THIS MANHWA NEEDS MORE LOVE. If you need a lot of fluff, a little, ok maybe quite a bit of sadness and tragedy, sweet sweet romance, cutie pies, please, look no further!!! Again, pacing, character development are so important to me and this manhwa aces it. I love the 2 MCs very much. And the side characters too. :)

3.  A Stepmother's Märchen

https://mangadex.org/title/39474/a-stepmother-s-m-rchen

When I first read this, i fucking cried. like please don’t ask me why. it’s not like its an absolute tragedy but I was just rooting for the MC so much and I really want for everything to go her way. That’s how much I adore this MC!!! I LOVE HER. I LOVE HER MORE THAN YOU DO NORA! HAHAHHA. okay soz. I need to keep this spoiler-free.

Anyhoo, there is nothing typical about this time travel plot. Sure, she goes back to try to undo the stuff that went wrong but phew, she certainly changed things so much everything that comes her way have made it so her previous experiences can hardly help aaaaaaand that’s what makes it fun! I sometimes wish the pacing could be a little more consistent, and there could be more characters I could love a little more wholeheartedly (so i wont have to be in so much despair when i read this sometimes lol) but omg the art, isn’t it pretty?! I’ve re-read this soooooo many times but the art blows me away all the time. And have I already mentioned how much I love her?! I LOVE YOU SHULI! AND I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY!

4.  Lady Baby

https://mangadex.org/title/34691/lady-baby

I literally LOL-ed when I saw this cover. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY. WHAT LADY BABY?! ehehehe. okay anyway, uhm, this is already incredibly popular. im not sure if i need to elaborate but yes, it’s adorbs!!! i dont think i like the MC as much as i love her family lol. and everyone else who adores her. im looking forward to when they get older. :) actually not really. please stay cute for as long as yall can! but yeah, i do wish the plot can move a lil faster. i want to see more character development in the other kids too COME ON! 

5.  Death Is the Only Ending for the Villainess

https://mangadex.org/title/47754/death-is-the-only-ending-for-the-villainess

am i allowed to reveal how shallow i am rn? like the previous choices were all like ‘wow-deep-plot’, ‘wow-character-development’ and this one i just included cos of AESTHETICS ALONE?! the novel covers are breathtaking!!! the manhwa art is amazing as well. and the harem is great! LOL. as for plot... uhm... it’s alright. it’s pretty engaging and i quite like the MC, she’s smart and independent and i love how she views them all antagonistically at all times HAHAHHA. her past is kinda... weird though and i do wish they’d stop referencing it. cos... girl why do you wanna go back to reality!!! stay here! it’s way more exciting! 

i love the whole isekai/reincarnate/transmigration theme and this is honestly one of the better, not-so-cliche or cheesy ones HA.

6.  Beware of the Villainess!

https://mangadex.org/title/47286/beware-of-the-villainess

do you already see the whole villainess theme?! am i suppose to start feeling embarrassed about my choices?! NO! cos this one is AWESOME!

again, another wildly popular title. for good reasons. it’s hilarious, our MC is as real and candid as it gets and LOOK AT THAT BLUE HAIRED BEAUTY. DO YOU SEE HIM?! IMPLANT HIM INTO YOUR MEMORY NOW!

it’s highly entertaining and breaks all isekai-reincarnation-villainess plot stereotypes. definitely one of the titles i look forward to every week.

7.  Who Made Me a Princess

https://mangadex.org/title/32506/who-made-me-a-princess

what? why did i choose this?

BECAUSE OF CLAUDE OF COURSE. ahahaha. okay aside from the amaaaaaaazing art and the beautiful people, the plot is not too bad. a little extreme at times but it’s interesting enough to keep me going. it’s currently on hiatus though and i was highly annoyed by how the first season ended. (YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED? NOTHING.)

i hope the plot can move faster in the next season! and that our dearest MC athanasia can you know, finally be a little more useful... like omg just tell lucas already!!! and tbh girl, no matter which guy you choose, i approve. :D 

8.  The Flower That Was Bloomed by a Cloud

https://mangadex.org/title/37648/the-flower-that-was-bloomed-by-a-cloud

i featured this before, mostly out of frustration HAHAHA. do you see why i chose this cover?! yeah, i support this (unpopular) pairing okay! the other one is doomed!!! no matter what the author is trying to do now!! I DONT SUPPORT IT!!! lol.

anyway, i had to feature this cos the art is unique! and the story is great. :) and i looooooove listening to the ost while i read it. it starts out kinda slow but as the pace picks up, you won’t be able to stop. and you find yourself conflicted at various points. it did win an award for a reason. 

no matter what, i still think dowun is best for her okay. it’s dowun or nothing. he’s devoted to her, we all know that! he just needs to ditch that annoying female guard!!! ok yknw what, maybe nothing is better. :/ *cries*

9.  Solo Leveling

https://mangadex.org/title/31477/solo-leveling

why do i even bother? this manhwa is popular enough. 

the art is great. the MC is great. i use him and his gang as my wallpaper. 

im just not sure i like how this season’s plot is progressing. :/ but i guess it brings us nearer to solving the mystery in the first leg of the manhwa. i just enjoyed the whole part of him leveling up and now that he isn’t really leveling up anymore... idk. am i hoping for more plot shit like bleach (oh wow now u quincy?)... idk man. anywho, no regrets starting on this series and marathon-ing it to death. 

cross fingers the plot picks up and doesnt get too complicated for its own good.

10.  The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

https://mangadex.org/title/31606/the-reason-why-raeliana-ended-up-at-the-duke-s-mansion

okay, tbh, by the time i reached 10, i still have like 15 other series i was considering LMAO. i even considered lengthening this top 10 to top 15. but that would just be more of me and my nonsense. so... why did i choose this?

COS I LOVE THE 2 MCs!!! they’re adorable. the plot is again, kinda far-fetched at times (i literally laugh my head off at some parts) but it’s isekai-reincarnation okay! anything is possible in whatever magical crap country you end up in! lol. and i like how straightforward it is... in the sense there’s no 2nd lead. like okay i mean they are there but we all know they have no chance. oops. sorry!

and cos i can’t give up on the other titles i have, imma just list them down, without pictures... cos im tired. HA. 

11. Doctor Elise 

https://mangadex.org/title/29474/doctor-elise 

Kudos to the huge improvement in art style lmao. The good... lovable MCs, engaging plot. The bad... sometimes lengthy, incredulous medical moments (i work in the medical field so i... idk. sometimes this borders on iryu LMAO and i need to remind myself this is romance) otherwise, this is a highly highly entertaining read.

12.  Seduce the Villain's Father

https://mangadex.org/title/46775/seduce-the-villain-s-father

This is another of my ‘father-love’ whims. MC is adorable and ML is handsome. enough said.

13.  The Villainess Lives Twice

https://mangadex.org/title/49644/the-villainess-lives-twice

This is like a lesser version of Ebony and Bring the Love combined HAHAHA. The plot and premise is great and it’s awesome to marathon! I don’t find myself loving the MC as much as I should but the ML is a darling! I just find her a little toooooooo gloomy. Like come on girl, be more spunky! 

14.  The Stereotypical Life of a Reincarnated Lady

https://mangadex.org/title/46790/the-stereotypical-life-of-a-reincarnated-lady

I dont know why I like this so much HAHAHAHA. It hardly has a plot. I just find the MC and ML amusing i guess lol. 

15.  I'm Stanning the Prince

https://mangadex.org/title/45586/i-m-stanning-the-prince

Sometimes I wonder if I should be ranking this higher but I kinda feel this manhwa is trying to achieve too much with an underpowered MC. I love her... but I just don’t like how she’s just a pawn of everyone else and I dont know how she can change this situation of hers. It’s cute though. the MC and ML.  and the ML reminds me so much of american/jap Mackenyu. 

16.  The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

I HAD TO. the art is so pretty! but girl, dont use the hour glass so much! you look a little too old! i would appreciate it if MC stops basing too much of her moves on the “past” tho like idk you are gonna sound unoriginal soooooon like develop your own thoughts soon okay? <3

17. Inso's Law

ANOTHER ONE. omg. im a lil on the fence regarding this but i like MC too much. and her harem LOL. i dont see where the plot is going either but i just hope for a happy end... ):

18.  Why Are You Doing This, Duke?

HAHAHA. this is sooooo sooooooo cute, i would have ranked it top 15 if it wasnt licensed by tapas tho cos they are a joke. WHY NOT TAPPY GDI. 

19.  Miss Not-So Sidekick

Uh-oh. Is this a top-20 list now? anyway, the MC for this series is GOLD. im not liking where it’s currently heading tho thus the lower ranking.

20.  IRIS - Lady with a Smartphone

omg IVE NEGLECTED THIS FOR TOO LONG. lemme go buy more chapters hahahaha. it’s a tad too lengthy... otherwise i like the MC and yummy ML!

still not enough?

Special Mentions - Okay, these will be unranked cos I don’t think these are that good but probably still worth a read.

I've Become the Villainous Empress of a Novel - this is new, im looking forward to how it progresses wheeeee.

Lady to Queen - It’s a ruthless manhwa. There was a point i started reading all sorts of sadistic content (i was running out of content i swear) and this was one of the better ones. I appreciate the MC very much. the plot now is a little weird and im a bit wary of the MC’s sister... hopefully the ML can be more useful. he’s pitiful though. but dude come on, dont rely on the wrong gal.

Goodbye, In-law - I’m not sure if i like the current progress buuuuuuut MC and ML are cute so who cares.

The Duchess' 50 Tea Recipes - plot is still engaging. MC and ML are cute. i dont know where the plot is heading towards though. 

A Falling Cohabitation - this is interesting and fun but a lil lengthy.

Light and Shadow - the sequel is out!!! i highly enjoyed this entire series!!! i would have probably ranked it a lil higher if i did this post earlier but too many series have overtaken this in my heart lol.

This Girl Is a Little Wild - is the hiatus ending yet? i would add it back to top 20 if it came back LOL. it’s highly entertaining tho. ML is adorable.

The Duchess With an Empty Soul  - pretty nice. MC and ML are a little boring. i think it can end soon. LMAO.

A Capable Maid - it’s amusing how she gets her powers for all sorts of situations lol. the prince is creepy tbh. and im secretly rooting for the other king hehe.

Beware of the Brothers! - it’s cute and heart-wrenching at the same time! not too sure im digging the latest plot development but okay... i’ll take it. they’re all cuties.

Living as the Tyrant's Older Sister - hehehe. it’s cute. duke is kinda silly but the latest chapter made me squeal!!!

The Evil Lady's Hero  - idk where the plot is going but MC and ML are adorable!!!

The Dragon Next Door - HAHAHA. it’s hilarious.

The Youngest Princess - she’s growing uppppp noooooooooooo

Virtues of the Villainess - ginger is hilarious. i dont see where the plot is going tho... and cant say i like the ML yet. i dont even get to see him much, hello?!

The Justice of Villainous Woman - pretty wholesome... i like the MC! (the ML is fine. no one else to contend with so...) can u end already?! lol.

Amina of the Lamp - hey, what happened to this? it’s pretty inconsistent but i do like the MC and ML... and the art...

The Villain's Savior - this is some sadistic shit. i reserve it for when i feel sadistic. i pretty much wanna see MC happy but idk if she’s making the right choices. :/

I Don't Want to Be Empress! - HAHAHAHA uhm it’s getting interesting. i just want ML to step up more... 

La dolce vita di Adelaide - I FINISHED THIS! and it’s wholesome, feel-good and cute. some parts felt a lil extra but ah whatever.

The Black Haired Princess - plot. move. faster!!! otherwise the MC and ML are pretty cute.

The Abandoned Empress - im a lil on the fence but i know how popular this series is. it started out HORRIBLE. i hated the ML so much. and then i found the green hair boy creepy. like MC, you need better taste in boys. it’s certainly getting more interesting now though. so please, continue to make my money’s worth!!!

Lucia - i. am. not. guilty. of. anything. *smut warning* anyway go read the novel. it’s better. hehehe.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim - i do not need to elaborate any further. 

Past loves 

I created this section just to remind myself, that what i could like one day, i could hate the next LOL.

The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess - I know this is wildly popular. but i lost interest in it once she grew up. i dont think she’s particularly lovable. soz.

Survive as the Hero's Wife - another popular choice. I find the plot kinda boring now. MC and ML are cute though. 

Sincerely: I Became a Duke's Maid - another popular one. again, boring plot. like cant it end yet? oh you mean we need to wait for the real female lead to show up? dont need luh.

I Am a Child of This House - wow. the plot is shit now. and i do not support the MC and her guard. soz. she’s OVERPOWERED tbh. 

This Is an Obvious Fraudulent Marriage - idk what happened but my enthusiasm for this died.

Charlotte and Her 5 Disciples - i don’t get it. i dont get their obsession for her. 

#manhwa #fav manhwa #ebony #bring the love #a stepmother's marchen #lady baby #death is the only ending for the villainess #beware of the villainess #who made me a princess #the flower that was bloomed by a cloud #solo leveling #the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion

[bleachbleachbleach]

Re Hitsugaya and Kira's shikai powers, it's pretty unlikely Hitsugaya knew, I think. I'm no lore expert but I do love to over analyze things! Rangiku points out before their fight that Kira doesn't tell people what he can do. He specifically mentions that Renji and Momo know, so it's theoretically possible Momo could have told Hitsugaya, but she doesn’t have much reason to. It seems likely that people who fight together often, like officers in a squad, would know each other's shikais (unless they're hiding them...Yumichika...), but since Kira and Hitsugaya haven't ever been in that position, my guess is he didn't know. We see Kira (and most of the Soul Reapers really) show off and explain his shikai in detail a few times, but I assume that's because we as the audience are just seeing them fight a lot and having it explained for our benefit. With a couple exceptions (some of the zanpakutos seem to be famous?), my guess is people who aren't close and/or in the same squad actually seeing each other fight probably don't know each other's abilities super well.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts because I love to think about small details like that!

Yes, I totally agree!!! I come back to these scene all the time because I just think LOL what a way to find out. Hitsugaya's in the middle of stopping a fight and arresting some people and suddenly his sword is twice as heavy as he was expecting it to be and it's just like, gdi Kira u motherfucker. But gotta play it cool on account of, you know, arresting people. XDDD RIP wrist.

I think it's so fascinating how radically different things become in SS pre- and post-ryoka invasion/Aizen defection. It just all happens so fast! Suddenly people are carrying their zanpakutou around all over the place and releasing shikai and even bankai willy nilly.

Colorful Bleach suggests that knowing the Captains' and VCs' shikai/bankai is now on the Academy entrance exam, but given that this information does not seem incredibly widespread within the current officers it kinda makes it seem like that's a... new, post-Aizen addition. XD Afterwards I feel like it was like, Man, maybe we should do some icebreakers or something and get to know each other?? Because I agree--prior to the start of Bleach, I don't get the impression the divisions saw all that much of each other all that often, unless people made specific individual effort to do so.

Part of me is like LOL someone help them--how hard is it to keep track of the like, handful of people who have shikai to begin with (or even just Captains/VCs--it's not like there's that many of them). Especially given that a lot of this stuff is super flashy and distinctive. But the serious part of me is like, no yeah that tracks. Flashy or not, anything related to your zanpakutou seems fairly personal; it's probably not social convention to discuss it outside of particular situations or audiences, or in the context of assessment (e.g. Captains/VCs exams). My workplace has fewer employees than the Gotei 13 has and I definitely could not tell you what the heck most of these people do all day, much less the specifics of their individual research. Even within my specific department (approximate in size to, say, the number of Captains) I still couldn't tell you. XD So I imagine it's like that. Everyone knew (or thought they knew) Aizen's because he did so much teaching/demo-ing, but that whole arc really showed SS's ass in terms of how poorly their atomized leadership was able to rise to the occasion. People are probably fairly aware of Senbonzakura, because if they know Sode no Shirayuki well enough to grant her an epithet, I assume Kuchiki trivia is just part of SS's social fabric. Knowing Ryuujin Jakka is probably like knowing the names of the U.S. Presidents' dogs. On the other hand, like, when Kira is surprised by Hitsugaya's shikai when he's fighting Ichimaru, I imagine that'd be like me thinking of one of my co-workers, "Ah, see I knew you were a physicist but uhhhhh would not have guessed you work on the... physical structure of bacteriophages??? whut"

I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT THESE THINGS and have demonstrated in this reply my inability to coherently organize them, but anyway YESSSS I am always here for all of this. Thank you so much for sharing your take! I LOVE IT. <3333

#soul society #gotei 13 #office management #bleach