#doom at your service is too good to be true

[lunarw0rks]

humbly requesting ghost x reader where he thinks he’s too old and damaged for reader. i headcannon ghost to be anywhere between 35-38 and the reader would be early twenties. he’s all emo and “oh they’re too innocent, i’d hurt and ruin them” and reader is just like “i would die for this man.”

Too Old For You // Part One

Summary: You've been crushing on him for a while now, even going as far as taking a stab for him. But it isn't enough for him to notice you; you're too young, too nice for someone like him.

Warning(s): medic!reader, fem!reader, age gap [reader is early twenties, ghost is mid/late thirties], mild injury/blood, hurt/no comfort

Word Count: 817

A/N: I enjoy hurting my own feelings :)

꒦꒷ MAIN MASTERLIST ꒷꒦ GHOST MASTERLIST // have a request? ˗ˏˋ ASK BOX | AO3 VER | PART TWO .ˎˊ˗

“You’re an idiot, you know that?”

You did know that, by this point, at least. He had only told you about a hundred times.

“I can do this myself. It’s my job,” you let out a hiss as the Lieutenant purposefully wrapped the gauze tighter than necessary. You weren’t even supposed to be involved — you were supposed to keep hidden until the situation was handled.

He ripped off the end of it, fastening the small clip to keep the wrap in place. “Keep quiet,” he wanted to be irate. But you meant well, and that’s what bothered Simon the most. He, of all people, didn’t deserve to be the one you sacrificed yourself for. You were lucky it was a knife through the hand and not through the heart—where the intruder had been aiming the blade intended for him.

The gash in your palm would be a life-long reminder, doomed to leave a nasty scar.

Nothing says I’m in love with you like taking a stab in the hand for him, but it was abundantly clear he was too headstrong to let you be with him. Or was intentionally dismissing your signals entirely, you weren’t sure which one was more disheartening.

Ghost sets your injured hand back down, letting you admire his sloppy patchwork. It got the job done, it didn’t need to be an aesthetically-pleasing bandage. He used an alcohol wipe to cleanse the bloodstains on your forearm, now an unnecessary service. Perhaps it was his way of apologizing for you being injured on his behalf because he surely wasn’t expressing it through words.

You reached over with your unharmed hand and placed it over his, stopping his meticulous wiping, “I got this.”

The stubborn Lieutenant only flicked his gaze upwards from your hand on his, a brief scoff escaping his lips. Whatever the hell that meant. “Least I can do is get the damn blood off you, kid. Jumped in front of a bloody knife for me.”

Kid. It was like nails on a chalkboard to you.

He continued muttering and shaking his head in disapproval, running the alcohol wipe along your flesh until there was no trace of crimson.

It wasn’t a motive of stupidity, nor was it to prove yourself. You weren’t even a soldier, there would be no use trying to be tough in front of him. Your true motive was admiration for him, and even now, with a stab wound, he’s too mule-headed to let you in. Any longer, and you might just lose your mind entirely.

“Thought you would be relieved, I guess.” You shrugged, speaking with a small bit of defeat. “Knife was supposed to go right there.” A finger pointed at his heart but didn’t dare make contact. You knew better than that,.. Sort of.

Before you could finish outstretching your hand, his unoccupied one clamped over it, breaths a little heavier. Followed by a look that could only be described as intense contemplation; should I break this hand or continue to gently hold it?

“You don’t have the slightest clue what you’re doing, do you?” Simon questions, thumb instinctually caressing your knuckle to balance out the iron grip he maintained. “You’re confused.”

You were too young, too nice in his eyes. It was your job to be a healer, a good one, too. And his job? A trained killer. To him, it was too ironic, too striking of a contrast. An arrangement like that would never work—Simon was too mature, too damaged, downright unworthy of your kindness. At least that’s what he had himself convinced of, even after the knife incident.

You replied hastily, a slight tinge of frustration showing. “I’m not confused, Ghost. I know what I want—I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.” You would’ve done it again if it meant another chance at restarting this conversation. A conversation that now was nose-diving into a point of no return.

“You shouldn’t have done it at all,” he sighed, amber eyes flooded with internal conflict. His grip released with one swift movement, and now his palm rested on either side of you, but it wasn’t intimidation he was after. “I’m not the bloke you want to jump in front of a bullet for, trust me.”

“Simon—” You blurted amidst his attempts at swaying you, cradling your bandaged hand. What more would it take?

“—Ghost.” He interjected, taking several steps back from his looming position. If he didn’t walk away now, he wouldn��t be able to stop himself from poisoning you.

It wasn’t right. You deserve someone better than him. “It’s Ghost. We’re not doin’ this, Kid. I’m not doing it.” His words were like a punch to the gut, more painful than a stab to the hand, that’s for sure.

The door to the infirmary slammed shut, only seconds before his footsteps faded into silence, stranding you with the solitude of rejection.

#mw2 #mw2 fanfic #call of duty #task force 141 #task force 141 x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley #ghost mw2 #simon riley headcanons #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 x reader #ghost x you #ghost x reader #cod x reader #cod headcanons #cod x female reader #cod x gn!reader #cod x you #cod x y/n #141 task force #tf 141

[cleoluvrr]

high school sweethearts (rafe cameron x reader) II

these are the requirements, if you think you can be my one true love

WARNINGS: mature content; dark!rafe, dub!con, choking, domestic violence, substance abuse & addiction, controlling behavior, coercion, manipulative behavior, stalking, toxic relationship, attempted suicide ,kook!reader

masterlist

series masterlist

“i’m sorry…” you whispered in a broken voice. tears streamed down your face uncontrollably as you avoided your boyfriend’s piercing gaze. 

he ignores you, jaw clenching as he buckles you into the seat of his truck. you could feel your heart palpitate when he slams the door shut and walks around the front to enter the driver’s side. the impending doom of what you were to face later was making you sick to your stomach.

the house in the background fades away as rafe pulls off; kiara and sierra–your younger sister–left standing in the driveway dumbfounded. 

your parents instructed you to escort your sister to kiara’s house earlier that day. not that she wasn’t old enough to go alone, but she was to be under strict supervision after running off with her friends a couple of weeks ago. they didn’t even want to let her go, but you promised that you would make sure she stayed out of trouble like the good older sibling you are.

what you didn’t know before you agreed to this was that you’d end up at john b’s, or that you’d be there for hours. you left during the daylight, and by the time you noticed how much time had passed it was already too late. 

the service in the cut was shotty; you could barely receive a call or a text, let alone make one. so when you finally got back to your side of the island, you were shocked to find dozens of missed calls and texts from rafe. you told him that you were going to be at kie’s house for a while to watch your sister, and that you’d be unavailable. 

what you also didn’t know was that he would come by to make sure you were actually there.

when you finally arrived back at her residence, her parents were there on the porch making conversation with a pleasant looking rafe. they smiled at you politely and let you know that they’d take your sister home so that you and rafe wouldn’t be late to your dinner reservation.

you didn’t have a dinner reservation.

your fate was sealed the moment you were forced to get in the car with rafe alone. you held your tears in until kiara’s parents returned inside, but they fought their way out the moment the man crossed the yard to meet you at the end of the driveway. kiera tried to pull you away from him, but you waved her off to keep her out of his path. it was best that they didn’t get involved in whatever you had coming.

“do you know how many times i called you?” rafe broke the silence between you. his voice was very calm, which only instilled fear deeper within you. you didn’t want to pull out your phone to check, but you were worried about what he’d do if you got the answer wrong.

your head shook side to side as a response.

“i called you twenty–three times, y/n. twenty-three fucking times that you didn’t pick up the phone.” he received a gulp from you, the excessive number causing your eyes to widen just the smallest amount. “do you know how worried i was? don’t you know to answer the phone when i call you?”

“i didn’t have any service…”

his blue eyes sliced you in half at the sound of the defensive reply. your own eyes lowered submissively as you cowered closer to the car door.

“maybe you would’ve had service if you weren’t in the cut.” he snapped. “you don’t have any business being over there.”

you looked over at him in confusion. how did he know you were in the cut?

it wasn’t like you let him know you were going to hang out over there–you weren’t that stupid. nobody knew you were there except for three of you and john b, and none of them would ever tell rafe where you were. you had terrible service so you know he couldn’t track you; so how did he find out?

“what are you talking about?” you didn’t deny it, there was no reason to, but you were genuinely curious.

“don’t play fucking dumb with me, y/n.” rafe snarled at you from the driver’s seat, the harsh tone causing you to flinch. “you think i don’t have people keeping eyes on you?”

“you have people watching me?” the confession was not surprising to you, but it was n less off-putting to hear him fully admit to it. “are you fucking–”

insane? that's the question you were going to ask.

you cut yourself off before it could tumble out of your mouth. rafe hated it when you called him crazy, and you were already in enough trouble. rafe’s eyes pulled away from the dark road to deliver an accusatory glare in your direction. the silent exchange was enough to have you sewing your lips shut with the imaginary needle you kept in your back pocket for moments like this.

“am i fucking what?”

“you don’t…why do you have people watching me, rafe?” you avoided the questions; it’s not like  he would like the answer anyway. “i’m an adult! i don’t need you following me around town like i don’t know what i’m doing!”

one of his hands lifts off the wheel before slamming back down, the contact creating a sound that fills the air of the car. his knuckles were white from the steely grip he had on, so tight that you worried his fingers would leave indents in the expensive material.

“i wouldn’t have to if you just–just stop doing stupid shit, y/n!” his voice rose even louder than yours as he scolded you. “i tell you to stay away from there because it’s not safe, and you know that. your sister may think she’s a pogue, but you aren’t–you have no reason to be out there this late.”

“i told you i had to watch sierra! i didn’t know we were gonna be over there that long.”

“you shouldn’t be over there at all! that’s what i’m trying to fucking tell you!” the car veered to the right sharply before straightening back out. rafe took a deep breath to reign himself in from the frustration that had long begun to boil over into anger. “if i have to tell you again…”

you tried to keep your eyes on the road purposely averting your eyes from the steely blue of your boyfriends. 

the car slowly pulled over to the left side of the road again, this time with intention as it came t a full stop. your head was jerked to the side when a strong set of fingers dug into the flesh of your warm cheeks. rafe’s rough hands forced you to give him your full attention, every one of your senses overwhelmed by his bone-chilling presence. 

“don’t make me have to tell you again.” the authority and finality in his voice left no room for arguments. “do you understand me?”

with his fingertips pressing into the hardness of your teeth, you nodded the best you could. your wide eyes stared into his hardened ones; like a prey trembling out of fear of being trapped in the jowls of a stalking predator.

“yes…” the words sound strange coming out of your squished mouth, but he understood. 

“i hope so.” his tongue pokes out of the side of his cheek.

before releasing your jaw, a kiss was placed upon your lips by the man keeping you in place. it was over faster than you could fully process what was happening, the skin tingling as rafe pulled away. his hand traveled up your face to the top of your head to stroke your hair affectionately before retreating to its position on the steering wheel.

you swallowed thickly as he steered the car back onto the dark, empty road. 

it was nearly impossible to put up a fight with rafe about anything that actually mattered, you told him not to put tracker on your phone–he did it anyway. you told him that he couldn’t make you quit your job at the mall–you put in your two weeks notice a week after that. you refused to wear the sterling silver necklace he bought you, the one with his name engraved on it. it made you feel like a pet, like you were wearing a collar to show everyone who you belonged to. 

the jewelry weighs a thousand pounds as it rests between your collarbones. you hadn’t taken it off since rafe put it there the day he threatened your life.

he simply scared you too much to go against him. it's easy to just call them intimidation tactics, or to tell yourself that he’s just bluffing. believing that was much harder, however. rafe wouldn’t let you defy him without consequences, and you knew that for a fact.

unconsciously, your own fingers raised to run along the two week-old fading bruises rafe left around your neck. the ring was distantly hand-shaped and covered by the thinnest layer of makeup you could use without it being obvious that there was any in the first place. it was a reminder of the control rafe had over the smallest parts of you–how there wasn’t a single thing that he wasn’t able to hold over your head.

including the air you breathe.

it made you feel sick. not the power he had over you, but the fact that you still loved him. you wanted to tell yourself that it was stockholm syndrome; that there’s no way you truly loved him, you’ve just been together so long that your brain has tricked you into believing that. there had to be a logical reason behind you staying with him for so long before you broke things off. something in your brain’s chemistry had to have been altered to not immediately call the police after he broke into your home and plainly told you he’d kill you, when he pressed down on your trachea with intentions of stalling your access to air.

you could search for the rest of your life to find the logic behind staying captive in the relationship you had, leaving nothing from the deepest points of the ocean to the unexplored darkness of space untouched–and still find nothing.

there was no denying the butterflies you felt when he looked at you, or the way your heart fluttered when he showed you the bright whites of his teeth in a show-stopping smile. you couldn’t explain away the pain you felt when he showed up at your window in the night time, crying and covered in the marks left behind by his father. when he kissed you, nothing else in the world mattered besides the feeling of his lips on yours. his touch made you feel weightless and gave you tingles that traveled bone-deep.

the same hands that brought you pain have brought you the most genuine feelings of happiness that you couldn’t put into words. the man that has been the reason behind your darkest days has also been the cause of your brightest ones–nothing about that was logical.

you were in love with him, and that was the gut-wrenching reality of it all.

#dark!rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x pogue!reader #rafe cameron #outer banks #rafe cameron x oc #rafe cameron x kook!reader #obx2 #obx1 #obx3 #obx fanfiction #drew starkey #cleoluvrr fics #rafe cameron smut

[starry-inks-skies]

Lonely (Lucifer x Hellborn! GN Reader)

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Just some fluff with sad boi Lucifer for fun. Tell me what you think and what I can improve on!

Edit: You can read the fanfic on Ao3

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Succubuses and incubuses are known for their sexual activities. You, however, choose a distinct career path. Instead, you use your skills to comfort people. Give them a little massage, or a talk too. Many people are surprised to find lots of sinners have parent issues. On rare occasions, customers just want to pretend that their partner is still with them. Your coworker walked up to you with a smug smile. She stops at your desk and says “Guess who just asked for your services, (y/n)” you till your head, surely must be someone important if she’s bothering you. “Who?” you ask softly. The coworker smiles wide and answers; “the king of hell, himself!” Shocked at what your coworker says, you stood up and said “Lucifer Morningstar? Do you know what he wants? Oh, dear Satan, I gotta look good for him!” Your coworker grabs your shoulders and holds you still. “(y/n) chill, he just wants someone to talk to. Just wear something comfy, your appointment is at 3 tomorrow, ok?” You nod your head. That’s enough time to calm your nerves, hopefully.

You walk up to the doors of Lucifer’s manor, quietly you knock on the door. A small old imp opens the door for you. He bows his head and tells you to follow him to Lucifer’s room. As the two of you walked, you looked at all the portraits of Lucifer’s family. Most of them were of the missing queen and their daughter, Charlie Morningstar. The butler stops right in front of Lucifer’s room. You stop right next to the imp as he knocks on Lucifer’s door. “Sire, your guest is here.” You heard a response but could barely make any words out. The butler opens the door for you, and you slowly walked in. The room is positively a mess, rubber ducks everywhere as far as you can see. You walked over to the king’s bed and gave a small bow to him. Looking at the fallen angel’s face, he like his room looks like a mess. Small tears fall down the king’s face, looks like he’s been crying for days. You sat next to the king, being mindful of your wings and tail. Lightly, you place a hand on the king’s check and softly rub it. With caution, you spoke to the king; “Your highness, is there anything specific you need?” the crying angel answers back “call me Lucifer please. And no, I just- I just need someone to hold me like Lilith once did.”

Well, that’s a bit awkward. How long has the queen been gone for again? Seven years, who knew the king of all of hell was just a lonely guy? Hey, you’re not going to judge you’re the one who took this job. You laid down next to the king and pulled him closer to you. Lucifer’s head laid right on your chest as you wrap your wings around the king. The king cried into your chest. Good thing this is a gender non-specific fanfic. “I miss my wife; I miss her a lot. Why? Why did she have to leave me? Was I not good enough?” he sobs, making the situation more awkward for you. You ran a hand through his blonde hair with a smile before you whispered. “I think you’re good enough, Lucifer. Maybe you should stop thinking about the past and think about your future.” Lucifer looks up at you with hopeful eyes quietly he ask, “Like my daughter?” You nod your head yes, but Lucifer just looks away from you. “If only it was that easy. All I can think about is the past. I’m the one of the doom of all of humanity. I’m the one who convinces Eve to eat that fruit.” You cup Lucifer’s face and make him look at you again. “While that is true, you also help make hell, and without hell there wouldn’t be imps, hellhounds, succubuses and incubuses. And those loan sharks that have those weird Italian accents yet don’t know a single word from that language.” Lucifer listens to your talk, feeling a little better. The king nuzzles into your chest once again, finding your body heat comforting. You snuggle closer to the king; this is something you’re going to brag about to your coworker. “I guess you’re right, in a way. Thank you for doing this for me. I’ll double your tip when this is over.” Lucifer softy spoke, now feeling a little sleepy. You nod your head and lightly pet Lucifer’s hair.

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#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic fluff #hazbin #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel fluff #hazbin hotel lucifer #lucifer morningstar #hazbin lucifer #lucifer x reader #lucifer fanfiction #lucifer magne #lucifer fluff #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel x reader #x reader #hellverse

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

My Demon: Inspiration or Plagiarism?

Guardian Goblin...Guardian Mountain God...Guardian Demon

In the latest drama, "My Demon," we're introduced to a guardian demon. However, as I delved into the series, a sense of déjà vu crept in. Was this guardian demon truly distinct, or did he bear striking similarities to others we've seen before?

Questions about plagiarism first emerged when Gu Won's death scene in "My Demon" closely resembled that of Kim Shin's death scene in "Goblin". Many dismissed the notion that the writer had plagiarized the scene, citing the cinematographer had worked on both "Goblin" and "My Demon".

However, I believe the issue of plagiarism extended beyond cinematography; from the characterization of the male lead to the overall concepts, "My Demon" seemed almost identical to well-known fantasy kdramas, echoing themes, lines, and scenes from its predecessors. The writer, Choi Ah Il, appeared to borrow extensively from existing works, crossing the line between inspiration and outright plagiarism.

Gu Won, the guardian demon, was a mishmash of characters from various supernatural dramas. His personality, appearance, and even punishment seemed like something taken right out of "Goblin", "Tale of the Nine-Tailed", and "Doom at Your Service." Beyond his Thanos-like finger snap and cross tattoo, there was very little that made him unique.

For a writer who criticized goblins, nail-tailed foxes, grim reapers, and vampires, Choi Ah Il failed to differentiate her demon. Gu Won could've been a distinctive supernatural character with his own unique backstory or even a different style, but instead, he felt like a Frankenstein creation of well-established supernatural creatures. Ultimately, I was left to wonder if the writer or even Gu Won himself knew who he really was.

In my field, we constantly aim to create innovative and original ideas. Therefore, I understand the fear that can come with breaking new ground. For Choi Ah Il's first fantasy drama, the fear of her original ideas not being good enough might have led her to heavily rely on existing works.

My advice to Choi Ah Il is to have more confidence in both herself and her ideas. When we put our entire heart and soul into our work, our sincerity and passion will shine through, making them more likely to be appreciated by others. We should embrace all of our "crazy" ideas instead of plagiarizing others' work. Even if our idea doesn't work out, at least we know we gave it our all. And this, to me, is infinitely more fulfilling than imitating others.

So in conclusion, "My Demon" had the potential to be a great fantasy drama, but it seemed to copy too much from others' works. Whether it's an issue of inspiration or outright plagiarism, the drama left me wondering what ideas truly belonged to Choi Ah Il. As viewers, we deserve to experience a writer's unique voice, not a patchwork of borrowed elements hastily stitched together. Going forward, I'll probably give this writer one more chance to improve her scriptwriting. I must add that if it weren't for the great cast and their impeccable acting and adlibs, this drama would've been doomed due to its messy plot and lack of true originality.

Below are some scenes and concepts from other shows and movies that are nearly identical to the ones in "My Demon". I'll let you decide for yourself if you think the writer of "My Demon" was inspired by other's works or simply plagiarized them.

(Note: I might add more later, but it's a lot of work to go through each show and screenshot everything and then compile them in a collage)

p.s. I'll post my review, thoughts, and analysis for Eps 15-16 in a few days!

Goblin The Great and Lonely God

Hooded supernatural

2. Objects that represent the end of a human's journey...clocks instead of tea cups

3. The mother has complications with her daughter's birth and is saved by a supernatural being

4. In the past, the FL dies, ML kills a bunch of people, and ML ends his life. ML has memories of his past sins erased. As punishment, ML is turned into a grim reaper character.

Others:

The quote Madam Ju said in Ep 3 about plants and seeds was similar to the one said by Ji Tak in "Goblin": Humans have four lives. A life of planting seeds, a life of watering seeds, a life of harvesting, and a life of using the harvests.

The ML's had blamed God for all the obstacles in their lives and when they finally got a chance to talk to God, God told them they didn't have all the anwers to their questions and that they didn't know everything similar to God in MD.

The FL dies at the peak of her happiness similar to how in MD, the FL's parents died at the peak of her happiness.

The FL in "Goblin" was the key to ending the ML's life as an immortal just like how in MD, the FL was the key to making the ML human.

Tale of the Nine Tailed

Supernatural ML has an obsession with desserts

2. FL died in the past to save the ML

3. FL's parents is involved in a car accident on FL's birthday (9th birthday in TOTNT and 10th birthday in MD)

4. Wishes Granted By The Devils

5. Wishes and Exploiting Other's Misfortunes to Survive

6. FL wears object and remembers tragic past life

7. Personal Hell is being in a world without the FL

8. Working for the Divine as Their Best Performer

9. Mother-like Figure is a Goddess

10. Wearing Two Wedding Rings

Others:

In "Tale of the Nine Tailed," The Almighty granted Nine-Tailed Foxes or Gumihos various powers, but they were bound by one rule: they must fulfill their end of the deal/contract with humans or face death. This rule aimed to prevent Gumihos from murdering humankind. Similarly, in "My Demon," Gu Won faced a similar fate. If he didn't make deals with humans, he would die. Additionally, if Gu Won murdered humans, he would also face death. In both cases, rules and contracts were established to prevent supernatural beings endowed with god-like powers from killing humans.

The concept of wanting to live or die together in TOTNT was also present in MD

In TOTNT, the FL tried to protect the ML, but ended up dying. In the present, the ML made it a mission to protect the FL to prevent the same tragic fate from happening. ML ended up saving the FL in present but died in the process...and then ML came back to life just like in MD.

ML in TOTNT came back to life/was reincarnated as a mortal human with Gumiho powers similar to how after Gu Won came back to life, he was a human with demon powers.

Twilight

Supernatural leaves human because they hates their monstrous nature

2. Supernatural watches their human sleep

3. Human is kidnapped to draw out supernatural ML

4. Human gets a leg injury during kidnapping

Others:

Gu Won played "Clair de lune" just like Edward did in Twilight

Doom At Your Service

Listening to others' wishes and meeting a wisher that would change their fate

2. Beginning of a new journey filled with hand-holding, bubbles, and water

3. Necessaity of holding hands/wrist to recharge

4. Creating a dream of the FL's deepest desire

5. Celebrating a supernatural's birthday

Others:

One of the major themes in DAYS was choices just like in MD

Hotel Del Luna

Fireflies by the lake

Others:

FL's name was Man Wol (means "Full Moon") in HDL and FL's name in MD was Wol Sim (means "Moon Heart")

#my demon #do dohee #gu won #kim yoojung #song kang #jeong gu won #tale of the nine tailed #goblin the lonely and great god #doom at your service #twilight #eclipse #new moon #breaking dawn #grim reaper #lee yeon #kim shin #myul mang #there are probably grammatical mistakes

[fictionadventurer]

First Letter from Julia I. Sand to Chester A. Arthur

[1881 Aug 27]

To the Hon Chester A. Arthur.

The hours of Garfield's life are numbered--before this meets your eye, you may be President. The people are bowed in grief; but--do you realize it?--not so much because he is dying, as because you are his successor. What President ever entered office under circumstances so sad! The day he was shot, the thought rose in a thousand minds that you might be the instigator of the foul act. Is not that a humiliation which cuts deeper than any bullet can pierce? Your best friends said: "Arthur must resign--he cannot accept office, with such a suspicion resting upon him." And now your kindest opponents say: "Arthur will try to do right"--adding gloomily--"He won't succeed, though--making a man President cannot change him."

But making a man President can change him! At a time like this, if anything can, that can. Great emergencies awaken generous traits which have lain dormant half a life. If there is a spark of true nobility in you, now is the occasion to let it shine. Faith in your better nature forces me to write to you--but not to beg you to resign. Do what is more difficult and more brave. Reform! It is not the proof of highest goodness never to have done wrong--but it is a proof of it, sometime in one's career, to pause and ponder, to recognize the evil, to turn resolutely against it and devote the remainder of ones life to that only which is pure and exalted. Such revolutions of the soul are not common. No step towards them is easy. In the humdrum drift of daily life, they are impossible. But once in a while there comes a crisis which renders miracles feasible. The great tidal wave of sorrow which has rolled over the country, has swept you loose from your old moorings and set you on a mountain-top, alone. As President of the United States--made such by no election, but by a national calamity--you have no old associations, no personal friends, no political ties, you have only your duty to the people at large. You are free--free to be as able and as honorable as any man who ever filled the presidential chair.

Your past--you know best what it has been. You have lived for worldly things. Fairly or unfairly, you have won them. You are rich, powerful--tomorrow, perhaps, you will be President. And what is it all worth? Are you peaceful--are you happy? What if a few days hence the hand of the next unsatisfied ruffian should lay you low, and you should drag through months of weary suffering, in the White House, knowing that all over the land not a prayer was uttered in your behalf, not a tear shed, that the great American people was glad to be rid of you--would not worldly honors seem rather empty then?

Make such things impossible. Rise to the emergency. Disappoint our fears. Force the nation to have faith in you. Show from the first that you have none but the purest aims. It may be difficult at once to inspire confidence, but persevere. In time--when you have given reason for it--the country will love and trust you. If any man says, "With Arthur for President, Civil Service Reform is doomed," prove that Arthur can be its firmest champion. Do not thrust on the people politicians who have forfeited their respect--no matter how near they may be to you as personal friends. Do not remove any man from office unnecessarily. Appoint those only of marked ability and of sterling character. Such may not be abundant, but you will find them, if you seek them. You are far too clever to be easily deceived. In all your policy, have none but the highest motives. With the lamp of patriotism in your hand, your feet will not be likely to stumble.

Do you care for applause? Of course, you have had it, after a fashion. Perhaps from the dregs of the populace, inspired by the lowest of politicians. Possibly it pleased you at the time--it may have served some purpose that you solved then. But in the depths of your soul, do you not despise it? Would not one heart-felt "God bless you!" from the honest and true among your countrymen, be worth ten thousand times more? You can win such blessing, if you will.

Your name now is on the annals of history. You cannot slink back into obscurity, if you would. A hundred years hence, school boys will recite your name in the list of Presidents and tell of your administration. And what shall posterity say? It is for you to choose whether your record shall be written in black or in gold. For the sake of your country, for your own sake and for the sakes of all who have ever loved you, let it be pure and bright.

As one of the people over whom you are to be President, I make you this appeal. Perhaps you have received many similar. If not, still believe that this expresses the thoughts in many hearts, today--and do not give those who have had faith in you, cause for regret.

Yours Respectfully,

Julia I. Sand.

46 E. 74th st. New York.

Aug 27th 1881.

#history is awesome #presidential talk #last week if you'd known me in real life there's a 50% chance i'd have tackled you and forced you to read this #isn't this letter just astounding? #imagine sending this to a soon-to-be president! #and him *saving* it! #there are such lovely turns of phrase #even while she is *so* brutal and unflinching #my favorite line might be 'you are far too clever to be easily deceived' #just appealing straight to his vanity #brilliant! #i haven't loved a letter this much since 84 charing cross road #the moral of the story is that the best letters are written by slightly cracked politically-minded literary spinsters

[ivesambrose]

Pick a picture ♔ 𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔩𝔢𝔤𝔞𝔠𝔶

1. 2. 3.

The definition of “Legacy” is something that is passed on. But Legacy can take many forms. A Legacy may be of one's faith, ethics and core values… A Legacy may be monetary or your assets… A Legacy may come from one's character, reputation and the life you lead – setting an example for others and to guide their futures.

To book a personal and in depth reading with on this topic or any other query you have with me DM or email me at [email protected] with your name and query

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Picture 1

You'll be known for the bonds you've built and cultivated.

For some this can manifest as a love story or relationship that sets an example or standard for others. That despite distance or inherent differences or your past how you showed up for each other and how you treated one another whether it lasted or not.

You'll leave behind a community that feels like a safe haven to a lot of people.

Some of you may have a legacy of a healthy loving family with strong values and morals. You've chosen not to pass down the pain or trauma you've endured or been projected upon and decided to break the cycle instead.

You may also make a shelter or donate to them or start a business or community that grows bigger with time that encourages people to freely express themselves or experiment with things that haven't been done before.

You're a humanitarian at heart even if there are days you don't see the humanity in people.

You will inspire others to break cycles that are detrimental to them.

Your energy is very encouraging and kind yet creative and prone to discovering new things, always seeking to find the silver lining in the worst situations. You do have excellent foresight and try not to get swayed by the doom and gloom surrounding the world. You seek to bring at least one, however small hopeful and beautiful thing into this world and you will succeed in the same.

Picture 2

Wealth and power. Lot of it.

I believe this is my saturn in aquarius group or saturn and/or jupiter dominant group.

You have endured a lot in your life so far, it may feel like you're centuries old inside a tiny body sometimes.

You'll be known for something no one or very few have done. I believe you'll pave the way for others.

Your mind and your subconscious is the most powerful asset you have. Use it well.

You'll have success in foreign lands.

Your wealth and sucess will be accumulated over time. So you might be a late bloomer but this will be to your advantage.

You'll be known for your wisdom, discipline, eccentricity, experimental, optimistic and diverse nature.

Quite a lot of people will look up to you even though you'll prefer to live a life of privacy.

Picture 3

You'll be known for your words and the way you've healed people through your gifts.

Perhaps you're mercury or water dominant?

Your art, your idealism, your vision, the way you romanticise your life and seek out your dreams.

You also know how to express pain, grief and disappointment in ways that gives others a chance to relate and heal.

I see you perfecting something overtime or getting stronger with what you already possess.

You'll likely have a victory you'll feel guilty over but soon learn to forgive yourself for and realize that you deserve good things too without harshly judging yourself for it.

Some of you may be singers, actors, cinematographers, visual artists, painters, psychics, healers, physicians, therapists etc

You'll be a muse and mystery to others like they haven't comprehended your true essence or your heart but will always remember your beauty, compassion and the way your words or your presence has impacted them.

I feel a lot of people might see you as illusive and unattainable or a complete mystic and some will see you rather motherly regardless of gender, intuitive and extremely intelligent. Someone ahead of their time.

#Pick a card #PAC #Pick a picture #Pick a card your legacy #Your legacy #tarot community #free readings #divination community #Spirituality #tarot readers #tarot readers of tumblr #Pick a card reading

[k-nonsense]

(Old ranking - go to my blog for updated rankings)

My rankings/reviews of all the k dramas I have seen so far (up to 26 now). My top 5 has been cracked by 2 shows! Netflix k-dramas are just killing it. I would recommend any show I gave a C grade or higher. I bolded the 5 new dramas I’ve added.

*= reserving the right to change ranking after season 2.

1) Hometown Cha Cha Cha: An absolute masterpiece. It’s a heartwarming fish out of water story about a big city girl who finds herself in the quirkiest little seaside town. I wanted to stay in Gongjin forever. Grade: A+(Netflix)

2)*Extraordinary Attorney Woo (S1): The most delightful show ever. Never have I ever rooted for a lead harder. She is the most endearing lead you will ever find. And the male lead is THE standard by which all men will forever be judged. Grade: A+(Netflix)

3)Business Proposal: Bumped this up again cause it’s the show I have the urge to rewatch the most. I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s got every trope you can think of and it does them all to perfection. Plus it’s hilarious. Grade: A (Netflix)

4)*Alchemy of Souls (S1): Episodes 1-19 were the perfect blend of fantasy, adventure, mystery, comedy, and romance. With so many characters who are so lovable. Episode 20 will destroy you. Counting the seconds till season 2. Grade: A (Netflix)

5)Her Private Life: Super funny and charming. The romantic leads have incredible chemistry. The premise is so good! Might be the one of the most rewatchable kdramas. Grade: A (Netflix)

6)Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung: Great strong female lead. Very good messages. Couldn’t stop watching. The most adorable prince I’ve ever seen 💜Cha Eunwoo💜 Grade: A (Netflix)

7)Sh**ting Stars: Probable the biggest turnaround of any show I’ve seen (The “Africa” part was so problematic). However it turned out to be one of the funniest and swooniest KDramas out there. There are 5 couples and you will cheer for all of them. Grade: A- (Viki)

8)Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: The main couple is absolutely everything! Just fast forward through pretty much every side plot (they are not important) and you’ll love it. Grade: A- (Viki)

9)So I Married the Anti-Fan: It’s campy, fluffy, goodness, with a fierce female lead and a K-pop star enemy/love interest. Fastest binge of my life. Grade: A- (Viki)

10)Start-Up: Exceptional acting, compelling storylines, intriguing plot twists, great cinematography, intense love triangle. It’s just all around high quality. Grade: B+ (Netflix)

11)Run On: Cute, fun, silly and pretty light. I especially loved the supporting cast. Strange storyline but it was a fun easy ride. Grade: B+ (Netflix)

12)Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo: A bad-ass yet vulnerable female lead. The main couple just had a lot of fun together. Refreshing. Grade: B+ (Viki)

13)I Am Not A Robot: I was surprised I really liked this one. This goes in the zany premise category but it was surprisingly pretty grounded for how crazy the set up was. It’s funny, emotional, good story telling. Great character development. Grade: B+ (Viki)

14)Shopping King Louie: Adorable! Luis is too cute. I love it how he bops along like a penguin and his cute little screams at bugs. And Bok Sil is the warmest character, you just have to root for her. So many light fluffy feels for this show but it does drag a bit in the second half. Grade B (Viki)

15)Fight For My Way: Such lovable leads. Love the fierce female lead and adorable himbo male lead. It’s like a coming of age story but for 30 year olds. Storyline was ok. Second couple was skippable. Grade: B (Viki)

16)What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim: More PSJ is always a good thing. This drama did all the tropes in ways that didn’t always feel fresh, but it was very romantic and hilarious. A true classic. Grade: B (Viki)

17)Touch Your Heart: If you can just stick it out through the first few very shaky episodes, you will enjoy this adorable, fluffy, series. Grade: B- (Netflix)

18)Doom at Your Service: It was sometimes real sad yet ultimately a heart warming mystical story. Grade: B- (Viki)

19)True Beauty: Fun, cute, teen drama however, it’s a little too “antsy teen” for me. Cha Eunwoo though💜 Grade: C+ (Viki)

20)Suspicious Partner: Great story, great characters, attractive actors, beautiful romance, interesting plot, sometimes funny, sometimes suspenseful, but with 40 episodes, the plot was dragged so far out that it became hard to get through. Grade C+ (Viki)

21)Crash Landing On You: The first half is GREAT but the second half is way too melodramatic for my taste. It’s a very interesting storyline, the main couple has insane chemistry, and there are very lovable side characters. Grade: C+ (Netflix)

22)My Love From the Star: The main relationship is incredibly intense. I just wanted to find out what happened to them so I ended up fast forwarding through everything else. The age difference in the flashbacks creeped me out. Grade D+ (Viki)

23)My Secret Romance: The story of a total screw up female lead falling for a manipulative, gaslighting, hottie. It was problematic yet fun? So 🤷‍♀️ Grade: D+ (Netflix)

24)Our Beloved Summer: I LOVED V’s “Christmas Tree” OST however I struggled to keep watching. Boring storyline but great acting. Grade: D+ (Netflix)

25)Goblin: The age gap is too disturbing for me, like call the police disturbing. However, the Grim Reaper who is one of the most adorable characters I’ve ever seen. Grade: D- (Viki)

26)Extra-Ordinary You: I have never felt so betrayed by a second half of a series as I did in this one. All of the character development that it seemed to be leading to was replaced by a pretty sickening codependent relationship. Grade: D- (Viki).

Currently Watching: Today’s Webtoon (kinda blah), She Would Never Know (idk yet), Romance is a Bonus Book (loving it), 100 Days My Prince (so far so good).

Looking Forward To: Love In Contract, Alchemy season 2!

What are your thoughts on these shows? Do you agree or disagree with my rankings? Any k-romcom recommendations that are not on the list yet?

#Elle watches kdramas

[schafpudel]

Epidemiology of the Raven's Blood

Part 0: Prologue

Realistically, the blood does things because it's convenient to the plot of the anime, and no deeper thought needs to be put in than that. However, while it does explain inconsistencies in its writing, it's boring and not fun to my pattern-seeking brain. I like to piece together coherent internal logic to stuff in fiction, even if I know the authors themselves didn't think that hard about it. It's fun to me!

At the same time, Princess Tutu's meta-fictional conceit does give us some wiggle room to borrow the Doylist understanding and smuggle it back into a Watsonian explanation. So...

In-universe, I think, the purpose of the Raven’s Blood can be understood as a plot device to easily convert a separate “character” and their body into a narrative extension of the Raven; that this is why Drosselmeyer would write it into the logic of his story. Bored of a character you introduced previously and want to heighten the stakes? They're a toadie of the Raven now. And when we go a level down in fictionality...

To the Raven, other living things exist to be exploited. The only use you can have, beyond being a meal, is being a pawn who can get it what it wants – and what it wants is to consume. Like some ancient castle-bound vampire or wicked dragon, its power and intelligence are ultimately in service of a simple predatory desire. If you are neither edible nor manipulable, you are simply a nuisance.

Diseases and parasites will manipulate pain and pleasure, fear and love, the body and the brain. But while a real disease or parasite’s goal in psychological and physiological manipulation is to reproduce, to turn the infected into a means by which to spread itself to new hosts... the Raven's curse is uninterested in this. What matters, to the Raven, is that the cursed becomes a minion and a pawn, who can bring its prey closer to its own mouth.

Part 1: Lay All Your Love On Me

Part 2: Serving Your Heart On A Platter

I’m sure you’ve heard of a sickness that feeds predators their prey. Toxoplasmosis, for example makes male rats as horny and lovesick over the smell of cat urine as they are at the scent of female rats, switching the pathways of fear and desire, to lure them into being devoured. The pathways between the two run parallel, you see. For the infected, every cat becomes a succubus, a siren, a beautiful creature calling its prey to their willing doom. And, if the parasite gets what it wants, this is how the rat dies.

       Why am I talking about this? Because Mytho starts talking about feeding himself to birds literally the day that his symptoms start presenting, in episode 14.

It’s true he’s saying this while antagonizing Fakir, so one could also brush it off as him just Saying Shit to make his roommate as uncomfortable as possible. But also – we know what the Raven wants, in the end.

For most of season 2, however, Raven!Mytho doesn’t continue to talk about feeding himself to crows. He’s mostly focused on seducing sacrifices, manipulating public opinion, having meltdowns about not being loved enough, and being petty to Fakir and Kraehe. His sense of self-preservation (in as much as Mytho has ever had one, cough) seems genuinely intact for episodes 15 through 21. If Mytho is feeling weirdly giggly about getting eaten during that timespan, he’s doing an awfully good job of hiding it.

And then Mytho starts molting into a crow monster at the end of episode 21, and the rat toxoplasmosis symptoms kicks back in.

(We're not told what he's smiling about here in episode 22, but the next episode, episode 23, makes it obvious:)

This does seem likely to be a Mytho-specific symptom; Rue shows no sign of this. The Raven has been particularly invested in eating Mytho’s heart for a long time, after all; Mytho’s job as the Raven’s doordash delivery guy was always going to be temporary even if he hadn’t beeninterrupted every time. It’s entirely possible that other people could end up with this “symptom” too, but we never see it.

The fact that Raven!Mytho proceeds to acts so strangely cuddly after telling Kraehe she’s an ugly fuck (but also that he needs her love) feels somehow related to this enthusiasm for getting eaten by crows. His voice delivery in the Japanese audio for the heart/lips/blood line sounds…  …I hate to say this.

It sounds like he thinks a crow girl ripping out his heart and touching it onto her mouth is really hot.

(Yea, of course she's shaped like an uggo human (and he's in the process of moulting into a majestic raven and he's sosososo excited for that) - but hey, she's technically a crow as far as he knows, and she has black feathers....)

(And while regular!Mytho seems negative to neutral about that in season 1, Raven!Mytho only ever complimented Kraehe for having crow-like qualities.)

Anyways! In Mytho's final state under the Raven's Blood, he immediately obeys the Raven's orders to be devoured, completely ignoring Rue and Tutu's pleas.

...You know, until the Fairytale Confession of Love, because this is a magical curse and it is a fairytale.

Part 3 and Part 4 are not ready yet but are in the works. See you soon.

#princess tutu

[survivalistghost]

2023 kdrama list

list of the kdramas i watched and loved in 2023

obviously this is quite late but to those who want to start a kdrama, this is it.

#10 - soundtrack #2

there is such a comfort in the soundtrack series. even soundtrack #1 was so good, but this new instalment, truly works on the og kdrama tropes. lovers to exes to accidental 'fate' encounter to forced proximity to lovers again. puppy dog male lead, angsty female lead, jealousy, wholesome second lead, it's got it all. and ofc, music.

#9 - king the land

many people did not like this drama. honestly, if you're watching a kdrama that is romance and comedy then why would be angry that it had romance and comedy. again, a true example of a classic kdrama, rich ceo guy with hardworking girl, mix in some trauma and employee-employer drama, and this is the perfect clichéd drama.

#8 - see you in my 19th life

honestly i just like watching ahn bo hyun. he is such a pretty man. storyline-wise, i feel like they did a lot of stuff, but the ending honestly disappointed me. shin hye sun, as usual, love the woman, what an actor, the second leads also did not disappoint, loved them all.

#7 - crash course in romance

such a heartwarming drama. choi chiyeol with the temperament of a wet cat, the stress of studies in all asian countries, not just korea. all the romances were so cute (barring the best friend and brother). one thing they could have done better was cast a younger actress for the female lead. even this love triangle was so cute and fun.

#6 - my demon

song kang and kim yoo jung really killed it with the chemistry. i mean, forget everything else, i'll just take 16 episodes of them hanging out. even behind the scenes reels will work. the plot was pretty solid, felt like a remake of doom at your service. song kang does a wonderful job at being both goofy and serious, and kim yoo jung did so good at the angsty ceo.

#5 - the good bad mother

am i surprised this ended up higher than my demon? yes. this was such a good show, the past and present layered together so beautifully. the villains seemed like actual villains, but you weren't sure who to hate until the last episode. really shows some aspects of motherhood through both the eyes of the kids and mothers. had a cute little romance as well.

#4 - the worst of evil

ji chang wook and wi ha jun. need i say more? i have said it once, and i'll say it again - so few do action like koreans do. i mean, vincenzo, my name, midnight runners, and now this, such action masterpieces.

#3 - daily dose of sunshine

park bo young wa sso cute in this one. i miss small kdramas with intense plots. mental illnesses were dealt with very well in this one. the romance was so cute, and chang ryul, my baby, i missed him so much.

#2 - alchemy of souls s2

i just. love. this series. so much. like, the characters are so well built, the storyline, the romance, the destiny, oh my god. please watch this.

#1 - welcome to samdal-ri

this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. what a feel-good drama to end 2023. it was the perfect remix of hometown cha cha cha that we all needed. ji chang wook, my absolute gem of a man, and shin hye sun, queen of no shit given but too many shits given roles. adore the friendships, romance, calm setting, the love between everyone. please watch it.

#kdrama #korean drama #kdrama review #review #tvn netflix #kdrama text post #kdrama recommendations #shin hye sun #welcome to samdalri #ji chang wook #alchemy of souls #lee jae wook #daily dose of sunshine #the worst of evil #wi ha jun #park bo young #the good bad mother #my demon #song kang #kim yoo jung #crash course in romance kdrama #crash course in romance #see you in my 19th life #king the land #lee junho #im yoona #ahn bo hyun #soundtrack 2

[space-mermaid-writing]

The witchling and the god [Loki x Witch!Reader] Chapter 25

Summary: The Avengers were looking for someone to help Loki fit in with the team. To become socially acceptable, so to speak. He had been given the choice of sitting in a cell in Asgard or serving some sort of community service probation on Midgard. The Avengers and Shield both felt that as long as Loki was on Earth, he should be under supervision. This is now your job. Why? Because you’re a witch. You’re not sure why this qualifies you, but here you are, giving it a shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Witch!Reader, Magic, Witches, slow burn, everybody lives in the tower, character development, Loki‘s redemption, Stephen Strange is a friend, Loki and Stephen are frenemies, Tony Stark is a good bro, kids love Loki, Tony has stupid nicknames for everybody, eventual smut

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Previous | Next

Chapter’s Note: New week, new fun. Loki and the Witchling being domestic (or something like that). Beta by @zaria-04

Chapter 25: A common weakness

You are nervous. For a few days now you’ve felt a restlessness inside you that you don't really understand. You have the constant feeling that you have to move, that you can't sit still for more than a few minutes. This is unusual for you. Also, you can't even concentrate on the book you're trying to read.

You've been in this state - if you think about it - ever since you returned from the Josiah’s. Since the attack on Gabriel. No, actually, ever since you laid the cards and Death sneered in your face. You were nervous then, waiting for the impending doom, seeing it lurking around every corner. And when it came, you were absolutely not prepared.

But now it is over.

The disaster happened and was averted at the last second. You should relax, breathe a sigh of relief. Unless it wasn't about Gabriel at all. Maybe something else is coming, something worse.

You don't want to consult your cards again, afraid of what they might show you. That is the disadvantage of insights into the future. You get knowledge, good or bad. And sometimes you are as smart afterwards as you were before.

You're so antsy that Loki catches on too, but he says nothing about it, blaming it on the fact that your brother almost died under your hands. And you’re sure that's part of the reason.

You decided that you want to broaden your knowledge. It's been a long time since you've actually actively expanded your magical repertoire. Most of it you learned from your mother. So did Elizabeth before you and Gabriel after you. You've specialized in different areas just over time.

You live in modern times - at least that's what people claim. To be fair, they claim that at all times. But it somehow always seems true. You live in times of technology. It's developing faster and faster. But you feel that the more technology develops, the more difficult it is to get magical knowledge. As if they are two different worlds.

That's why you're on the phone with Stephen Strange right now. His order has the largest collection of magical knowledge that you know of.

Normally you would talk to him in person about it, you would have visited him in the Sanctum, which is not far from the compound, and you are in the elevator on your way to the city anyway. But the Sorcerer Supreme is very busy investigating an increase in paranormal incidents in the city. Apparently there are an unusually high number of people meddling with stuff that is above their ken: ouija boards, pissing off ghosts. Mainly poltergeists, who are a pain in the ass in general. He mentioned something about the people being mind controlled and losing their memory doing the stuff, as soon as Stephen or one of the other sorcerers free their minds.

It seems like a disturbance in the force, which is why he keeps the phone call with you relatively short. You are glad that you reached him at all. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any good news for your request.

"Sorry, you know the rules," he says as a matter of fact. "The library is just for masters or students of the Mystic Arts."

You've been figured something like this. There are few exceptions to the rule, like the book on Seidr he had lent you. Presumably he had only done that at the time because it had helped with Loki. An Asgardian under control means less work for the Sorcerer Supreme. He’s pragmatic like that.

This time it's a personal matter. You sigh silently as you leave the compound and step out onto the streets of New York.

"Yeah, I understand."

It still sucks. You've already approached Loki on the subject, but the Asgardian has no access to his father's library and writings - because of obvious reasons. So he can't help you either.

Unfortunately, there are no public archives about magic, freely accessible to all. This knowledge is mostly secluded - for good reason. Knowledge is power. And potentially dangerous knowledge is not shared with everyone. It's a primal survival instinct.

"So, mind control?" You ask, changing the subject. "Any relation to 2012?" You don't mention Loki's name, but it's implied.

"I don't think so. I haven't found the source yet, but it's different. People mess with forces they can't possibly know."

"Sounds fun. I can tell you that Central Park is safe. No weird activities here."

You hear a chuckle from Stephen. "You have a weird definition of fun. Stay safe."

"You too."

You pocket your phone and stop at a red pedestrian light. Considering that you spend most of your time in New York, you're rarely downtown. Somehow, you still don’t like it. It's too noisy and too crowded for you. The city may have its beautiful corners, but in your opinion Manhattan is not one of them - and the Avengers Tower stands right in its center.

Natasha recommended a bakery to you the other day that's supposed to be really good. In fact, you met her and Clint in the lounge the other day, where the two of them were eating the most delicious looking pastries. And since they assured you that it tasted just as good as it looked, you decided to pay this insider tip a visit. You have to expand your horizons, after all.

The bakery is near Central Park, so it wasn't so much an insider tip as a local favorite.

It's a sunny but windy day and you've got a thin jacket on. Luckily, the bakery isn't too crowded. You must have caught a good time between morning rush and midday break. While the patron orders in front of you, you look at the display.

From the hem of your sleeve peaks a snake head. He wanted to see the selection – Loki always has an opinion on sweets, no matter what kind they are – but hadn't been willing to walk 'that far' across the city for it. You don't know if he just doesn’t want to be seen by people or his royal butt feels too spoiled to walk today.

In turn, you've refused to take a car downtown because of traffic. You have found a compromise in his shapeshifting because you don't mind carrying him with you in this shape and so he can still see everything. You hold your arm so he has a good view of the display.

The only difficult part is communicating - you just decide to pick the one that his gaze is fixed on, even if that's sometimes hard to tell when he’s a reptile. On the other hand, if he doesn't like the selection, that's his problem.

"Hello, welcome to Kowalski's. What can I-... uh, get for you?"

You have to hand it to the young woman standing behind the counter, about to take your order, that she hesitates only briefly in irritation when she spots the animal in your sleeve. Her customer service smile is back on her lips a second later and she keeps her eyes level with your face.

"Hi, yeah, can I get two of the strawberry-cheesecake-cupcakes and two triple chocolate sins?"

Loki tongues and moves a bit away from your arm toward the counter.

"Anything else?" the cashier asks.

You follow Loki's movement. "That one?" You point to a stack of filled doughnuts. "What's that, with the frosting?"

"These are our Sugarbombs, filled with vanilla cream."

You make a face. Sometimes Loki's sweet tooth is really disgusting. He would be eating that one alone. "One of those, too, please." You pay and shove the snake back under your jacket as you reach for the bag.

That's the great thing about modern times, and especially about New York. You can walk the streets with a reptile on your arm and no one thinks it's strange. In earlier times, that would have been unthinkable. Snakes have always been considered magical animals. You would have been accused of being a witch – which is ironically not wrong – and possibly put on a stake – and that’s a very wrong thing to do.

You take a little detour on your way home through the park to enjoy the sunshine. The city also has its beautiful sides and the gentle pressure around your chest comforts you. Loki is a great pet. He is also a great lover. You still can't grasp the idea that you striked the attention of the Asgardian god.

You feel more content than you have in a long time. Living on your own in your cottage had its perks. You liked the lifestyle, the peace, the quiet. It was a good life. But you withdrew a bit from other people. Maybe you needed that for the time being.

Since you took the job with the Avengers, you feel like you've been thrown back into the middle of life. There's always something going on, it's loud and exciting. But it's not exhausting. You feel like you've arrived in the right place.

Back in the suite of the princes you meet Thor. "Good morning, Lady Witch," he greets you cheerfully.

"Hello Thor." You set the bag down on the kitchen counter and take off your jacket.

"Are you meeting with-… oh, is that a snake?" The god hunches down to be eye level with the reptile peering over your shoulder.

"Yeah, that's-..." you continue, but he interrupts you.

"Can I hold it? I love snakes!"

Perplexed, you blink at him. He doesn't seem to recognize his brother. You turn your head questioningly to Loki, for it is not up to you to make the decision. Loki is already moving toward the Asgardian, and Thor takes the reptile in his hands. With a gentle grip, he strokes the scaly surface.

"Beautiful," he murmurs, before looking back up at you. "Ah, before I forget: I wanted to ask my brother if he wants to spare but if you two have a date…"

"Oh, no, it's fine. We hadn't planned anything for today," you assure him as you watch the snake move around Thor's shoulder.

"Great, I-..." the Asgardian continues, but at that moment Loki transforms back and knocks his brother over with the sudden shift in weight and momentum. Thor lands on the floor with an 'oof' and Loki kneels triumphantly on his chest.

"I accept your challenge," he announces with a grin.

"Loki! I should have known!"

"You always fall for the same tricks." Loki stands up, and Thor rises again as well. You watched the scene with amusement and can't help but chuckle.

Thor turns to you. "I guess I'll have to watch out for you in the future, too, if you're aligning yourself with my brother’s shenanigans."

"I tried to tell you, but you were distracted by the presence of a snake," you shrug.

"A very common weakness," Thor defends himself, but doesn't seem to hold it against either of you. He's never been the vindictive type anyway. "Maybe your lady wants to accompany us." He winks at Loki, smirking. "Watching your royal butt fall on the mat."

With feigned seriousness, Loki turns to you and indicates a bow. "My lady, do you want to accompany us and watch my glorious, royal butt?"

You chuckle. It's always funny when the two of them speak in a mix of Shakespearean and modern slang. "I always love watching your butt." You lean a little closer to him. "I'd love it even more if it was you who got Thor's butt on the mat."

It's suggestive, challenging. Loki grins. He loves a challenge. "I shall try and please my lady then."

The gyms are on the lower levels. There is something for everyone and no expense or effort has been spared in the equipment. The Asgardian princes opt for a larger room, most of which is covered with mats. In one corner there is some training equipment, otherwise it is empty. Perfect for hand to hand combat. Thor didn't bring Mjolnir, because the walls would probably not withstand the full force, despite their strength. In return Loki renounces his magic.

Thor is strong, powerful, but also sometimes a little slow. He is not the oaf Loki likes to call him. Loki, on the other hand, is faster, more refined in his attacks, but no less powerful. Next to his broad built brother it sometimes doesn't give the impression, but he's still an Asgardian - at least half of him - and thus he also possesses their physiology.

Both wear sleeveless workout clothes. Thor had already worn them in the suite, Loki conjured his magically on their way down

You stay seated against the wall, water bottles beside you, and watch the two. The good girlfriend you are, you cheer whenever Loki lands a good attack or brings Thor down.

Girlfriend still is funny on your tongue, yet you can't think of a better term. Loki and you have yet to talk about it. You both are exclusive. At least you assume so, because you spend most of your free time together and you don't have the impression that he is hiding anything from you. But neither of you has been brave enough to mention feelings. The closest thing you came to was your talk at the moon convergence. At that time, you agreed to be more than friends.

Now you are so much more than that. You're falling hard for the Asgardian. Yet you are reluctant to tell him. Maybe you're too stubborn, but you want him to say something first. He's called silvertongue for a reason, he should use it.

You know that insecurity speaks from you. Fear of rejection, that he is less serious than you. As long as nothing is said, you can give in to the illusion that everything is just as you want it to be.

You realize that your mind is drifting and you concentrate on the sparring brothers. They're beautiful to watch. Both are great warriors. They make it look effortless, but you feel the power behind it. They are no mere humans.

It's an even fight, neither has a clear upper hand. Both end up on the mat floor or in an awkward grip about the same number of times. They have known each other's tactics for too long. Centuries of training and wars have formed them into a well-rehearsed team. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they don't hold back. Because they know what the other can endure and take.

You are glad to be just a spectator, because some of the kicks and punches look very painful.

Loki looks over at you and you wave back. The prince grins and takes off his shirt. He wipes his face with it before tossing it carelessly aside and continuing to fight without it. Thor is visibly amused by this. He's done this enough times himself to impress ladies, and shakes his head at it. You don't notice, because you only have eyes for Loki. His body is by no means foreign to you, not by a long shot, yet you can't look away and follow his every move with fascination.

In the end, Loki manages to throw his brother against the wall, very close to where you are sitting. You're sure there's a little bit of magic involved.

Thor lets it slide, but decides to end their training session. He grabs one of the water bottles and with a quick goodbye to you, he goes to the showers.

Loki sits down with you and you hand him a water bottle as well.

"You cheated."

"Can you prove your outrageous accusation?" He asks in a mocking shocked voice that makes you laugh.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing to do."

"Then let me collect my prize." With these words Loki pulls you onto his lap and steals a kiss from your lips.

You grant him one before climbing off him. "You're sweaty."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Well, for once not mine."

"We should change that."

"Maybe after you showered." You reach out a hand and help him to his feet. It's more of a courtesy, because if he wanted to, it would be a breeze for him to pull you back down.

"What a waste of water," he complains, not really meaning it. "You should join me to make it ‘economical’."

You pretend to think about it as you turn toward the exit. "I would, but I'm not sure if you can keep up with me after your exhausting training."

Suddenly two arms wrap around you, and you yelp in surprise as Loki throws you over his shoulder. You want to complain and ask what this is all about, but one look at his face silences you. His eyes are dark and like a predator.

"Oh, you'll see how I keep up with you," he growls as if you've just awakened a tiger. "And unlike just now magic won't be off limits."

He walks in long, purposeful strides to your room.

___________________________

I’m a weak woman. I see two Adonis build men wrestling and I drool

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If you wanna be added/removed dm me, comment or send a raven

#loki x y/n #Loki x reader #loki layfeyson x you #loki laufesyon x reader #Loki x you #imagine loki #the witchling and the god #imagine marvel #mcu prompt #loki odison x reader #marvel x reader #mcu x reader #loki fanfction #slow burn #loki odinson #loki laufeyson

[estrellami-1]

@every-aj-needs-an-angel made “favorite lines from each chapter” posts and I’ve decided to do the same. Let me know if you don’t want to be tagged, lovely! ❤️

Chapter 1

“Ooh, and they’re saying you got your asshole bleached.”

“That one is true,” Alex says through a mouthful of chocolate with sprinkles.

“Thought so,” June says without looking up.

Just. Their sibling relationship is SO perfect. I’m in love.

Given the choice, he’d rather read one of the hundreds of glowing pieces of fan fiction about him on the internet, the up-to-eleven version of himself with devastating charm and unbelievable physical stamina, but June flat out refuses to read those aloud to him, no matter how much he tries to bribe her.

Once again, PEAK sibling behavior. I’m obsessed.

They were seventeen and eighteen and doomed from the start, both convinced they were the smartest person in any room. Alex has since conceded Nora is 100 percent smarter than him and definitely too smart to have ever dated him.

I need a Nora ASAP please. She’s fantastic. The second line has lived in my brain rent-free since I first read it.

“‘Arch nemesis’ implies he’s actually a rival to me on any level and not, you know, a stuck- up product of inbreeding who probably jerks off to photos of himself.”

“Woof.”

“I’m just saying.”

Oh, Alex. You have no idea.

“Ew, you have Garden State on your watch list? Wow, how’s film school in 2005 going?”

“I hate you.”

“Hmm, I know.”

Actual footage of me and my youngest brother istg

Amy, his mother’s favorite Secret Service agent, a former Navy SEAL who is rumored around DC to have killed several men, sits across the aisle. She’s got a bulletproof titanium case of crafting supplies open on the couch next to her and is serenely embroidering flowers onto a napkin. Alex has seen her stab someone in the kneecap with a very similar embroidery needle.

I’m in love with all of this. Amy is who I aspire to be.

“Risk assessment: FSOTUS failing to check himself before he wrecks himself will result in greater than five hundred civilian casualties. Ninety-eight percent probability of Prince Henry looking like a total dreamboat. Seventy- eight percent probability of Alex getting himself banned from the United Kingdom forever.”

“Those are better odds than I expected,” June observes.

Alex laughs, and the plane soars on.

Once again where do I get a Nora. I love her.

“Do either of y’all know what a viscount is?” June is saying, halfway through a cucumber sandwich. “I’ve met like, five of them, and I keep smiling politely as if I know what it means when they say it. Alex, you took comparative international governmental relational things. Whatever. What are they?”

“I think it’s that thing when a vampire creates an army of crazed sex waifs and starts his own ruling body,” he says.

“That sounds right,” Nora says…

“I wish I were a viscount,” June says. “I could have my sex waifs deal with my emails.”

“Are sex waifs good with professional correspondence?” Alex asks.

Nora’s napkin has begun to resemble a bird. “I think it could be an interesting approach. Their emails would be all tragic and wanton.” She tries on a breathless, husky voice. “‘Oh, please, I beg you, take me—take me to lunch to discuss fabric samples, you beast!’”

“Could be weirdly effective,” Alex notes.

“Something is wrong with both of you,” June says gently.

I’m somehow all three of them. I love this exchange SO much.

His face is still infuriatingly symmetrical.

Alex. Buddy. You oblivious fuck.

“Aw, little buddy,” Nora says. She reaches over and pats his hand. “It’s cute how you think everything is about you.”

“It should be, honestly.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Once again I’m in love with Nora.

For a second, all he can think as he stares up at the ceiling while covered in frosting and champagne is that at least Henry’s dance with June won’t be the biggest story to come out of the royal wedding.

His next thought is that his mother is going to murder him in cold blood.

Alex worrying about the important things first.

#red white and royal blue #favorite lines #this is purely self indulgent

[arc-misadventures]

good night, so I'm falling asleep right now, so I'll just leave this: "Dreams are the torment of the torn soul, not because of the hope of a better tomorrow, but because of the regret of a cozy past"

You’ve got too many asks in my Inbox. Gotta fix that!

You’ll probably dump a few more after I get ride of a few however…

Again…

Regrets Of A Past No More

“All hail the Hero of Remnant: Jaune Arc!”

They cheered, and hollered in joy as I simply walk towards the King, and his family upon their thrones high above all upon a pedestal of their own design. One that clearly states, ‘That all of you, are beneath me the king.’

Typical…

As I neared the steps of the throne, I kneeled before the man who called himself a king. A simple man by the name of, Jacques Schnee, King of Atlas, and Mantle. A king in name only; a king not by blood, nor sacrifice, but by money, and marriage. None of the makings of a good king.

So long as he lived, this kingdom was doomed to die with him. Such is the way of weak kings.

“Lords, and Ladies of the Atlasian Empire, I present to you the Hero of Remnant! A man who has saved us all from the emergence of the Grimm Queen!”

Now they will cheer, they always cheered at such simple words. It was no doubt that the king made a deliberate pause there because he knew how to gain control of the crowd. Then again, everyone found these shows powerful, awe inspiring, and enthralling to witness. Bar the one who had seen it time, and time again that was…

Vacuo, Minstral, Vale, Menagerie, and now Atlas; five kings with different faces, different voice’s, and same speeches every single time… Every damn time…

“Now, in thanks of his service to our great nation, we will be bestowing him a reward fitting of his efforts to save us, nay the world! For that is the only right thing to do for such a noble action. Is it not?!”

Now the nobles would cheer their cries of agreement, for what else were they to do? What else can they do?

“Don’t you agree so, Noble Hero?”

Silence was my only choice here, if I were to raise my voice in response I would be caught in some sort of trap his majesty was preparing for me. There was always a trap hidden in their words, and the trinkets they gave out; Land, wealth, sacred artifacts of the kingdom, there was a price to their generosity. What kind of price would I be forced to pay was the question.

“Ah-ha. Such respect the Hero has; Seeking permission before he speaks. How noble of you. Please, arise Sir Arc, and speak your mind.”

I stood to face him. His voice betraying the slight annoyance he had with me. I stared at the visage of an old man, nothing about him screamed royalty. A greedy man, yes, but a king? No, no not at all.

“If you believe it so your grace.”

A simple retort, no questions, no inclinations of desire, just simply stating a matter of fact as it were. One that annoyed him nonetheless, if the small twitch of his eyebrow displayed any sign of hidden emotions. The king was not a master in the art of hiding ones emotions before a crowd. Her majesty the Queen, Willow Schnee, one of true noble blood face was like a statue at all times, if it were not for the fact he stood so close to them, he would have never seen that subtle curve of her lips at my small jest at her husband. Perhaps things were not as well among the royal house as one was lead to believe.

Then again, are arranged marriages ever that well when all that is truly being married was power between two families?

“Well, for your heroic acts upon the battlefields that you have displayed in the defence of our great nation, and the countless lives you have saved in the process, I have found that there is only one gift worthy of such an act; The hand of my daughter, the Crown Princess, Weiss Schnee, in holy matrimony.”

My eyes widened for the briefest of moments, shock clearly displayed upon them as I looked to the king, and his joyful smile. My eyes wandered to the crown princess, Weiss Schnee to gaze upon her. She looked to her father with a shocked, and bewilderment expression. No doubt holding this a secret from her as to ensure that she would be forced to accept such an arrangement in front of the whole kingdom. However, the shocked expression across her face soon turned to one of joy, and dare say hope.

Despite how she may look, the Princess was a fighter, a warrior, and not some damsel in need of rescue. The Hero, and The Snow Angel, as they had called us, we spent much time fighting alongside one another on my journeys. So a bound of friendship, and trust was made. But, evidently to me, there was more than just a desire of friendship in her eyes.

“So, noble Hero, will you accept my daughters hand in marriage?”

He was offering more than his daughter, he was offering me the kingdom as well. The entire Kingdom of Atlas. For if I married, Weiss Schnee, I would become a king, a king none would dare face. A hero who would be king!

I gazed upon the Princess once more, before my head turned to stare through a window at the majestic snow capped lands of, Atlas. I stared at the land before me, drinking in its beauty, and the wealth of the people, and land before me. And, I made my decision then, and there.

“Your majesty, King Jacques Schnee, I humbly… refuse… I-I refuse.”

Cries of shock, and alarm echoed around me. The king’s expression broke, and a wild perplexed expression crossed across his face. Anger seemed to briefly flair before his face. He was no doubt a man used to getting his way, for a man to reject the world offered to him on a silver platter so easily, well, I doubt he expected, nor liked such an outcome.

But, he wanted me to marry into his family for the power I would bring to him. Not as a reward for my service to his kingdom. No, I was to be a pawn in whatever game he wished to play with me in. A sword to weld against his foes. A bargaining chip, and nothing more than that. So that was the price he wanted me to pay.

“W-Why do you say such things, Noble Hero? Isn’t my daughter not the right one for a being such as yourself?”

Was, May Zedong, Princess of Vacuo, the right one for him?

Was, Blake Belladonna, Princess of Menagerie, the right one for him?

Was, Ruby Rose, Princess of Vale, the right one for him?

Was, Pyrrha Nikos, Princess of Mistral, the right one for him?

Was, Weiss Schnee, Princess of Atlas, the right one for him?

Five Kingdoms, five princess, five choices, and no difference between them; Which one was right for him?

Atlas is a beautiful land, a land of good, and noble people. But, I never dreamed of a land of ice, and snow. I dreamed of a land, not a kingdom of lush, and fertile land, ripe for the harvest. I did not a dream of a castle, its walls high, and carved from stone, and surrounded by iron. I dreamt of a small manor, a plot of farm land besides it. The simple life I once had before I was declared a Hero.

And, as for Weiss… I stared upon her heart broken face as she fought to reign in the tears in her eyes. Her eyes blue as ice, and hair as white as snow. Skin as pale as white fur, and with the grace of a swan. She was a beautiful woman unlike any other I had seen, I could not dare deny it. But, as a wife? I could not see it, I could only see her.

i dream of a love that will not be. Of a love I had long since long lost. A dream of a past long since dead. But, one I desired above all else…

One that I will never again live…

“I have met each, and every, King, and Queen of the world your grace. Each of offered me, wealth, money, and their daughters as rewards for my efforts. And, I have denied them all. The right one for me your grace is…”

The words died in my throat, I couldn’t say them, and I wouldn’t say them to him, much less anyone for that matter. My head just hung low as dark thoughts swirled in my mind.

“Jaune…?”

A single voice broke me from my thoughts, one filled with despair, and a question upon her lips, and upon heart. One I could only smile weakly at.

“Find someone better than me, Weiss… Some one whole who can make you as happy as you deserve. Someone better…”

The king cried out to me as I turned to walk away. He would offer me something else, but I had no desire for anything he had to offer. Even if offered the crown open his head this instant I would throw it to the wayside, abandoning it to the passage of time.

All I wanted was to go home, and live out what remained of that broken dream of a simpler, better life…

#rwby #jaune arc #blake belladonna #pyrrha nikos #weiss schnee #ruby rose #may zedong #jacques schnee #willow schnee

[tobeflyhaikyuu]

The K-Dramas I've watched

Playful Kiss

Possibly the first kdramas i've ever watched, it was either this one or The Miracle. I enjoyed it at first but i found it was an adaptation of Itazura na Kiss and went to watch the other adaptations and hated the story as a whole. Also when I found the Thai version it was game over cus that version is so much better than the source material.

Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

It was cute!! And very funny, I don't have much to say about it tho.

Goblin

Ignoring the fact he is idk how many years old and she was 18-19 when they properly meet... it's kinda cute. And heartbreaking. The Goblin and Reaper duo is also just iconically hilarious.

Doom At Your Service

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE EVER!! The writing is so good and the story is so beautiful and I mean, Park Bo-Young is one of my favorite actresses for a reason. I just cannot properly put into words how much i adore this show, honestly.

While You Were Sleeping

How I meet both Suzy and Lee Jong-Suk and i loved them and their characters both so much. The story was very engaging too.

Strong Woman Bong-Soon

Park Bo-Young and Park Hyung-sik <3 Do Bong-Soon and Ahn Min-Hyuk <3 They were too good in this man, I'd love to see them in another drama together. One thing that felt uncessary to me was the gangsters and their whole screentime, it just wasnt entertaining or important to the story afjsahfkdagj

True Beauty

Very funny, very entertaining. Also how I feel in love with Cha Eun-woo. Also yes I loved Seo-jun but it made a lot more sense for Joo-kyung to be with Su-ho, me thinks.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Entertaining but the depiction of mental disabilities is really just... atrocious. It's a little hard to rewatch tbh.

Business Proposal

Kim Se-jeong is a treasure. And this show was very funny and cute.

Alchemy Of Souls

Amazing, showstopping, spectacular, no wonder it was so popular.

My Only Love Song

Also one of the first ones i've watched, hilarious too. But i dont remember thinking much about the romance tbh. At least it's on the shorter end so if you dont feel like committing to 16+ 1-hour long episodes, this is a good one

W: Two Worlds

I. LOVE. THE. CONCEPT. OF. COMIC CHARACTERS. BEING SELF AWARE!!!! It's so interesting and I think W explored it so well, I'd love more kdramas like it.

The Miracle

I remember very little about this one lol but i do remember the over fatphobia, like yes its what the show criticizes but i remember feeling so uncomfortable watching it. it's been like 7 years tho so i cant properly talk about it

Extraordinary You

comic book characters being self aware <3 also think this was did a fantastic job with that concept. it also made me cry so badly, my heart still aches for Haru and Dan-Oh

Pinocchio

This is the one last one I finished, and I binged it. Was not expecting to be so enthralled by a drama that's essencially about news reporting but I was.

Why Her

Reccommend to me by a close friend who adores pain... I was also not expecting to be so engaged with this one but I was and it was so painful, omg but so so good!

+ unfinished ones

Hotel Del Luna

Mr. Queen

Rookie Historian Goo Rae-Hyeong

Destined with You

Magic of the Abyss

Uncanny Counter

King: The Eternal Monarch

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Run On

Crash Landing on You

Hospital Playlist

Celebrity

Crash Course In Romance

Romance Is A Bonus Book

A Love So Beautiful

King The Land

See You in My 19th Life

The King's Affection

Judge vs Judge

Happiness

Tale of The Nine Tailed

Law School

Dr. Romantic

++ dropped

Shooting Stars

The Glory

Love Alarm

My ID is a Gangnam Beauty

Legend of the Blue Sea

Boys Over Flowers

The Heirs

#alwyn rambles a lot #kdramas #korean dramas #doom at your service #goblin the lonely and great god #extraordinary you #business proposal #alchemy of souls #true beauty #while you were sleeping #strong woman bong soon #w: two world

[timptoe]

When Genocide Is the Best Option

I played the Mass Effect trilogy for the first time during the summer of 2022, and it broke my brain. So I played it again over the last six months, trying to figure out why it did what it did to me, and after finishing it again last week, I’ve had the same reaction of intense grief I did the first time. I know I’m a newbie and a decade late to this game, but I’ve tried to piece together what it is about the ending that’s so brilliant and so terrible. And in true English major form, I’ve written 3000 words to try and exorcise it from my head.

It starts with the ending of Stranger Than Fiction.

In Stranger Than Fiction, a boring accountant named Harold Crick (played by Will Ferrell in the best performance of his career) one day starts hearing a voice in his head (Emma Thompson, my love), narrating his life. It’s annoying, but bearable, up until the day he adjusts the time on his wristwatch and the Author says, “Little did he know this simple, seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death.”

Understandably perturbed, Harold seeks to prevent this, ultimately by seeking the Author out and trying to convince her not to finish typing out the book and, presumably, his death. (The unexplained magical realism in this movie is absurdity on par with Samuel Beckett, I can’t tell you how much I love it.) She handwrites the ending for him to see, and Harold shows it to a Professor friend (Dustin Hoffman!) who tells him, “Even if you avoid this death, another will find you and I guarantee that it won't be nearly as poetic or meaningful as what she's written.” And Harold agrees once he reads it too, because in it, he saves a little boy. Isn’t that what we all want, for the end of our stories to have meaning?

But the Author ends up changing the ending. When the Professor reads the finished story with the new, happier ending where both the boy and Harold live, he’s clearly disappointed. They have this exchange:

Professor: It's okay. It's not bad. It's not the most amazing piece of English literature in several years. But it's okay. Author: I think I’m fine with okay. Professor: Why did you change the book? Author: Lots of reasons. I realized I just couldn't do it. Professor: Because he's real? Author: Because it's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die and then dies. But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway, dies willingly, knowing he could stop it, then...I mean, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?

Shepard is the type of person you want to keep alive.

The series does a good job of getting us attached to Shepard, so it’s natural that we want a happy ending for them. We want The Good Ending. And we’ve been trained by the last century-or-so of western fiction heroes’ journies to expect The Good Ending, too. We expect Frodo and Sam to be rescued from Mount Doom by the eagles. We expect Cloud to beat Sephiroth and come out the other side, whole. And even when the protagonist does die—think the Hero of Fereldan choosing not to sleep with Morrigan, or the wipeout of the team in Rogue One, or the dad dying in Life Is Beautiful—it’s usually a sacrifice ultimately in service of The Good Ending. The world is left better because of the hero’s death—a choice that isn’t really a choice, because we expect The Good Ending. 

But instead, at the very last moment, Mass Effect throws us into the cruelest version of the Trolley Problem imaginable.

On track one, if you choose to keep the trolley on its original path, you Destroy all AI. Which means you kill a valued member of your crew and an entire race of sentient synthetics in cold blood. Sure, Shepard (probably) lives at the very end, but this is definitionally Not The Good Ending. The hero can’t commit genocide and still be the hero. And the idea that Shepard could live with themselves after making that choice isn’t consistent with Paragon morality. Maybe if your Shepard is a Renegade, they become an antihero in this moment, but it’s still not The Good Ending as we understand it.

So jump to track two, and choose to Control the trolley and drive it away from death toward new purpose. Which is fine, except that a) the whole arc of the third game shows that Control isn’t possible and is actually evil, embodied in the mission of Cerberus and the person of the Illusive Man; and b) Shepard is then no longer Shepard at the end of the story—they’ve lost the humanity they’ve been fighting so desperately to preserve, stripped away to become the closest thing the galaxy has to a god. Maybe they’re a good god for a hundred years, or even a thousand, but maybe the Leviathans’ Intelligence was, too. Can we expect Shepard-without-humanity not to eventually turn into the Catalyst? To say that the only way to save humanity is to “preserve” it? Renegade Shepard even says in the epilogue, “I will destroy those who threaten the future of the many”; Paragon Shepard’s version, “I will act as guardian for the many,” isn’t much better. Who decides who’s the many? Autocracy can’t be The Good Ending.

Track three’s gotta be The Good Ending then, right? The game certainly presents it as such: Synthesis, the ultimate bridge of understanding between organics and synthetics. The only way to truly achieve peace, argues the Catalyst. It’s the central option in that final chamber, it’s the shortest path to walk to, it’s literally colored lifestream!green. And it’s a completely violation of the bodily autonomy of every living creature in the entire galaxy. The body horror’s real on this one, y’all. I actually picked Synthesis on my first playthrough because of how clearly it was presented as The Good Ending, but watching the epilogue…I mean, it’s great for EDI. Probably great for Joker too. But then I saw the little green circuitry flash across James’s face during Shepard’s memorial and I thought, This guy? The body-as-a-temple guy? No way he’s okay with any of this. Imposing your will on an entire galaxy full of sentient beings feels inconsistent with The Good Ending.

Those are our choices in the final moments of the game. And honestly, the most nearly moral choice is probably track one. Control, at best, pauses the cycle until AI Shepard decides to start the cycle of reaping again. Synthesis takes away the freedom of all sentient creatures—even those who aren’t spacefaring yet, which: imagine if we today suddenly got Synthesized, the chaos that that would bring—to be themselves. So we’re left with Destroy. Think about that. From a certain point of view, genocide is the most nearly moral decision. Which means there is no moral decision.

There is no Good Ending.

In trying to come to terms with the ending, I’ve read a lot of takes about how the writing is bad. I just don’t think that’s the case. I rather think it’s some of the most brilliant writing in Bioware’s canon, precisely because it’s so uncomfortable. Maybe the Choice comes a little bit out of nowhere, though it’s vaguely hinted at in certain descriptions of the Crucible War Assets, like how the Crucible “tunes into the mass relays' command switches” for “the safe discharge of tremendous amounts of energy”, producing “some kind of energetic pulse that might pass through the magnetosphere of a planet unimpeded.” But even if the Choice is a swerve, the choices aren’t. Destroy has been Shepard’s mission from day one. Control is set up as an alternate option starting at Mars. And Synthesis is hinted at as The Good Ending by EDI, the Leviathan, and Legion.

And let’s talk about Legion for a minute, and why the Geth/Quarian peace doesn’t affect the conversation with the Catalyst. My first playthrough, I was aghast that silver-tongued Shepard wasn’t able to argue with the Catalyst that none of the options were necessary, that the Geth/Quarian peace proves all three choices are unnecessary, that everything’ll be alright with a little grit and empathy. Shepard’s able to argue (and convince) damn near everyone else in the series of almost anything; it feels like bad writing not to let them do that with the Catalyst, too.

Except for two things. First, Shepard is actively bleeding out. They’re barely conscious when the platform takes them up into the Crucible, not exactly up for a rigorous Lincoln-Douglass debate. But second, and more importantly, the Catalyst is an unreliable actor. The Leviathians’ Intelligence that becomes the Catalyst has one—and only one—purpose: to stop the chaos of organic/synthetic antagonism. The cycle of reaping works for millenia until, finally, a creature actually makes it through the Citadel and onto the precipice of firing the Crucible. That’s never happened before. And more to the point, the Catalyst can’t stop the creature; it has no corporeal form. So the Catalyst has to come up with a new plan: rather than allow the creature to Destroy its solution or, worse, supplant it as the new source of Control, the Catalyst needs to convince the creature to go through with Synthesis. I’m willing to bet the Catalyst would rather just kill Shepard and continue the cycle of reaping, but it knows that that’s no longer possible, so Synthesis is its best remaining option. It has every reason to lie to Shepard, to cajole Shepard into making that choice. It is utterly consistent in its motivations.

In other words, it’s good writing, even if it’s terribly inconsistent with The Good Ending we’ve come to expect.

(As an aside, I know from bad writing: I’m a refugee from Final Fantasy. FFVI was my first—and still my favorite—RPG; FFVII and its followups are brilliant, FFVIII has some of my favorite characters, FFX is a theological treatise better than anything I read in seminary. But FFXIII and especially FFXV are complete and utter garbage. Hollow characters. Unearned conflicts. Absurd twists with no basis in the narrative. A storytelling mode that’s so rigid as to be unbearable. And FFXV’s ending! No pathos, no resolution, the barest connection to anything else in the story, just a huge timejump and then “kill the bad guy.” Uuuuuugh.)

In teasing out the deep grief I felt after beating Mass Effect the first time, I was surprised at the type of grief it is. It’s not the sharp grief of the loss of love, like I felt when my mother-in-law died or when my wife miscarried twice. It’s not the dull grief of the loss of innocence, like when I left home for the last time or when I watched the towers fall on TV. It took a while to process, but I think it’s the grief of the loss of purpose, the same lingering malaise I felt when I finally realized my career of twenty years was actively bad and I had to leave it behind. Mass Effect’s ending is so hard because we want Shepard either to live, or at least to have a “poetic and meaningful” death, and they don’t. They live, they become a mass murderer; they die, they become everything they’ve fought against. That single choice has the effect of making everything before the Crucible feel purposeless. 

And yet.

There’s a quote I like from Beckett that goes:

You must go on.

I can’t go on.

I’ll go on.

Art is not always meant to comfort us. Sometimes, it’s meant to break us and then, a la Hemingway, help us become “stronger in the broken places.” Beckett and the absurdists and the existentialists get that on a deep level: there’s always An Ending, rarely is it a Good Ending, and sometimes what you do before and after the ending matters more than the ending itself. And I think that’s where I finally get to with Mass Effect: yeah, the ending is absurd and purposeless. And that’s the point.

I want desperately for Shepard to get The Good Ending because Shepard is the type of person you want to keep alive. I want Mass Effect 3 to end like Mass Effect 1, with Shepard’s companions wondering where they are, and then they run up a piece of debris like a conquering hero for all to see. I want to see my Shepard reunite with Kaidan, to run across the scorched battlefield of London into a fierce embrace and say, “I would never leave you behind, not really, not forever. Not again. Never again.” And he doesn’t. And that sucks.

And there is a deep beauty in fighting until you can’t anymore, in making the only choice you can because it’s still your choice, in finding new purpose after The Good Ending, or The Not-So-Good Ending, because if Mass Effect is about anything it’s about endurance. We will endure this war because we have to. I will endure this pain because I have no choice. Life keeps going because life keeps going with no reason or rhyme so it’s our job to make a reason, to invent purpose where none exists, because that’s what we do.

Existence is absurd. Doubly so in a universe like Mass Effect’s, filled with aliens who wield feckless power and technology that is indecipherable and an enemy who is fundamentally Other. For Beckett, the response to that absurdity is a happy, mighty “fuck you.” Maybe you can get The Good Ending if you try hard enough. Maybe there’s never any such thing as The Good Ending. None of that’s the point anyway because, again, existence is absurd—so fuck you, my life has meaning because I say it does. My choices have meaning because I say they do. We have purpose because we say we do. 

As Shepard says, “However insignificant we may be, we will fight. We will sacrifice. And we will find a way. That’s what humans do.”

I’m left conflicted about the next game. A huge part of me—the part that loves the twist in Stranger Than Fiction, the part that’s all about redemption and grace and simplicity—wants the game to be “The Search for Shep.” And I think if it is, it’ll negate the purposelessness and terrible beauty of the ending to Mass Effect 3, which would be an absolute shame. The ending of the Mass Effect trilogy is so powerful because it forces you to find meaning in the journey, not in the ending itself. It turned the whole series on its head for me at least because, honestly, I didn’t really like it during my first playthrough. I mean, it was…fine? Some good characters, some good lines, but kind of a mundane military FPS. Halo with space wizards. But it’s that ending, that existentially absurd ending, that lifts the rest of the series into high literature. (Not that I’m down on fix-it fics, mind you. There’s no work of literature that isn’t elevated by fanfiction. Hell, I’m writing my own fix-it fic from Joker’s POV! I’m just…conflicted about what to do with canon, which is another thing that makes me think it’s good writing after all.)

So that’s where I am. Never thought Mass Effect would jump into my top five favorite games ever, but here we are. It helped me come to terms with some pretty deep feelings I didn’t know were still in me, in the way good literature does. I’ll be chewing on this one for a long, long time. And lucky for me, the state of the fandom ten years after the trilogy ended is so robust that I’m in good company. Got a lot more thoughts, but I’ll stop there. Thanks, friends.

Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.  - Kay Eiffel, The Author, Stranger Than Fiction

#mass effect #mass effect 3 #my writing #are you really an English major if you don't substitute writing an essay for therapy #i have so many more thoughts but they'll keep #also reading so much of the fic and essays the ME fandom's done on here helped me piece my brain together #so thanks for that #stranger than fiction

[thequeervampiric]

ideally Eliot will calm down having now merged with Beverly... and since she's keeping her within, she 'll have to keep up with a better behavior not to fuck it up. IDK how feasible it is in a real world, but their universe felt very otherworldly to me at times so who knows. I do expect Genevieve to realize it at some point? Since it was established they couldn't live without the other, I do think this swap was a sacrifice too. Of course it was needed because otherwise Eliot would have gone to jail and it was Beverly's idea to find peace, but I did view it also as a final act of servitude after a life where Elliot did anything Beverly asked. Because at first I was a bit confused at how quickly Elliot was on board with the murder-pact. But then I remembered Elliot was likely tipsy/high and filled with longing when it happened, touch-starved and so happy to be reunited with her "baby sister" after who knows how long, so she would have agreed to anything. She was literally living in her lab? I went back and forth, again, between realism and this fucked-up dynamic they had going on. Beverly seemed to truly think Elliot was the "better me" and used her to navigate through her struggles in life, but Elliot thought Beverly was the "deliciously perfect" one. Rachel Weisz said she doesn't know how good Elliot would feel without Beverly, but I like to think she could learn to be happy embodying Beverly in her everyday life, plus it's been implied she will go to those grief sessions too, to find a way to talk about Beverly. I guess it was like a doomed romance

a doomed romance without a doubt.

not to mention the twin babies! will Elliot project a fucked up, codependent relationship onto them like she had with Beverly? or will she see them as a "second chance?"

it's interesting to ponder about whether how much Elliot "absorbed" Beverly was real, and how much of it is a placebo effect Elliot needed to stay sane. also, as you said, to Elliot it was like a final act of service, so that would probably help her feel better as well.

the thing is...Elliot isn't Beverly. and Beverly, intertwined with Elliot's soul or not (I'm willing to accept some supernatural elements to it, thinking about the original movie having a tagline about the twins sharing a soul), is no longer there. but hey, if it's true that they share a soul, perhaps being together will calm Elliot down. although I can't imagine them without disagreements, even if they're all internal, lol.

loving your asks, btw!!

#dead ringers 2023

[k-nonsense]

(Old ranking - go to my blog for updated rankings)

My rankings/reviews of all the k dramas I have seen so far (up to 18 now).

I’ve got 3 new kdramas, one I loved, one that bored me but had a killer OST, and one that was pretty cringe. I bolded the new dramas. I also changed the order of some of my old rankings as I remember some dramas more fondly than others as time goes by. I would recommend any drama I gave a C grade or higher.

1) Hometown Cha Cha Cha: It’s an absolute masterpiece and delight. I want to live in that fictional community forever. Grade: A+(Netflix)

2) Her Private Life: Super funny and charming. The romantic leads have incredible chemistry. The premise is so good! Might be the most rewatchable of all the k dramas I’ve seen so far. Grade: A (Netflix)

3) Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung: Great strong female lead. Very good messages. Couldn’t stop watching. The most adorable prince I’ve ever seen 💜Cha Eunwoo💜 Grade: A (Netflix)

4)Business Proposal: I bumped this up cause it’s been a minute but I can’t stop thinking about this drama. It’s got every trope you can think of and it does them all to perfection. It’s so good and will make you feel all the good feels. Can someone please give me another rec that’s like this drama? I need those good feels in my life again. Grade: A (Netflix)

5)Sh**ting Stars: Probable the biggest turnaround of any show I’ve seen (The “Africa” part was so bad - who thought that was ok?). Thankfully the show did a total 180 and quickly became one of my all time favorites. If you at all are interested in the world of celebrities and want to laugh, then swoon, then cry, then swoon again, I think you’ll really like it. I loved every single supporting character. All of their storylines were incredibly interesting. Plus it really makes you examine yourself as a fan and how you view/treat celebrities. One of the funniest and swooniest KDramas out there. Grade: A- (Viki)

6)Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: The main couple is absolutely everything! Just fast forward through pretty much every side plot (they are not important) and you’ll love it. Grade: A- (Viki)

7)So I Married the Anti-Fan: It’s campy, fluffy, goodness, with a fierce female lead and a K-pop star enemy/love interest. Fastest binge of my life. Grade: A- (Viki)

8)Start-Up: Exceptional acting, compelling storylines, intriguing plot twists, great cinematography, intense love triangle. It’s just all around high quality. Grade: B+ (Netflix)

9)Run On: Cute, fun, silly and pretty light. I especially loved the supporting cast. Strange storyline but it was a fun easy ride. Grade: B+ (Netflix)

10)Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo: A bad-ass yet vulnerable female lead. The main couple just had a lot of fun together. Refreshing. Grade: B+ (Viki)

11)Touch Your Heart: If you can just stick it out through the first few very shaky episodes, you will enjoy this adorable series. Grade: B (Netflix)

12)Doom at Your Service: It was sometimes real sad yet ultimately a heart warming mystical story. Grade: B (Viki)

13)What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim: it felt a bit formulaic at times but the main couple has great chemistry and the supporting cast are hilarious. Grade: B- (Viki)

14)True Beauty: I recently bumped this drama up because its actually aged well in my memory. However, it’s a little too much of an antsy teen drama for my taste. Cha Eunwoo though💜 Grade: C (Viki)

15)Crash Landing On You: The first half is GREAT but the second half is way too melodramatic for my taste. It’s a very interesting storyline, the main couple has insane chemistry, and there are very lovable side characters. Grade: C (Netflix)

16)My Secret Romance: I just kept thinking, “He’s awful. This is abuse of power! The mind games! Such in inappropriate boss behavior. Everything he says is gaslighting. Run the other way girl! So many red flags. Was this filmed on an iPhone 6?” But I also kept thinking, “Why can’t I stop watching this? He’s so pretty. They have great chemistry. This is problematic yet fun?” So 🤷‍♀️ Grade: D+ (Netflix)

17)Our Beloved Summer: V’s “Christmas Tree” OST was my favorite part of this drama. It always set the mood perfectly and made me momentary forget how bored I was with this drama. I realize that this is a very good critically acclaimed drama but to me it felt like it was basically about two people who were in love but inexplicably broke up and follows their lives as they start to call each other but then decide not to, over and over and over again. If you like more “deep” dramas you’ll probably like it but I’m simple minded I guess. Grade: D+ (Netflix)

18)Goblin: The age gap is too disturbing for me, like call the police disturbing. The only redeeming part for me was the Grim Reaper who is one of the most adorable characters I’ve ever seen. He saved it from totally failing for me. Grade: D- (Viki)

Currently Watching: Fight For My Way (and loving it)

What are your thoughts on these shows? Do you agree or disagree with my rankings? I’m kinda at a loss about what I should watch next. Thoughts? Is there a Business Proposal/ Sh**ting Stars type show out there that I haven’t watched yet? I have a list of shows to watch but I just want a high quality, light, campy, funny, swoony, easy to watch, show.

#Elle watches kdramas