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overthinkinglotr · 1 year

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People keep insulting the Amazon Lord of the Rings show by comparing it to fanfiction when really it's the EXACT opposite of fanfiction! It's so interesting/awful because it's like the ultimate ANTI-fanfiction! I was talking to someone the other day and wasn't aware that lots of people don't know about the insane complicated rights issues happening behind the scenes of the Amazon Show but it's wild. To give a quick summary of the Battle of the Five Rights Issues, as I currently understand it: 1. Amazon only has the rights to make a show about the pre-LOTR era as described in the Lord of the Rings books-- primarily in the appendices of Return the King, where a handful of pages give a brief timeline of some events that happened before the stories. In practice this means they are unable to use nearly all of the characters, places, and events people are familiar with when they think about Middle Earth. They have to make up everything out of whole cloth-- from characters to events to settings. This is either because of timeline reasons or for legal reasons or for both. Whenever they do manage to scrounge up the rights to something you might even vaguely remember (like Mithril) they announce it with enormous fanfare like they're a marvel movie introducing an avenger.

(Parenthetical: Another weird thing I noticed is that the series features practically zero quotes from Tolkien. I only counted about like 4 lines that were edited versions of lines from the books? While this is just a wild tinfoil hat theory, It does feel to me like there might've been some kind of limitation on the amount of Tolkien's words they were allowed to use, as well as the obvious limitations on characters and plot points and etc. The show has the rights to so few things and always REALLY wants you to know when it has the rights to something. It's desperate to remind you of the original books. You would think that, when it's unable to rely on familiar characters or places or events or plot points or music or etc, they would rely instead on Tolkien's really recognizable prose/poetry/language to form an emotional connection to the original stories. After all, language is the heart of Middle Earth, the author's love of language is the reason the world was created, and the unique prose of the story is kinda the soul of why it's memorable. And again, they theoretically have the rights to everything mentioned in the original trilogy right? Theoretically? So it's really odd that they don't use almost any of the language, unlike basically every other adaptation. It might just be a weird writing decision, but it's so strange that it really makes me feel like they were limited or at least dissuaded from including lines from the books.)

2. Amazon is legally Not Allowed to feature things that were mentioned in the Unfinished Tales or the Silmarillion, despite the fact that those are the books that contain most of the stuff about the era they're theoretically adapting. This leads to a bunch of really weird stuff where they introduce things you'd only care about if you read the Silmarillion, but can't include any of the things that would actually make you care about it. Like people who Aren't deep into the lore have literally zero emotional investment in Celebrimbor, but people who ARE deep into the lore know that you can't reference any of the reasons they care about it. 3. Amazon's series is NOT part of the same canon as the Peter Jackson/New Line Cinema films. They're not. However they obviously want to trick people into thinking they are because those movies are popular and a prequel to them would make money even if it sucked (see the Hobbit films.) But again, New Line Cinema still wants to make its own LOTR content based on the slivers of rights they've managed to grab onto, and don't want Amazon to step on their toes. So IIRC Amazon actually made a deal with New Line Cinema that they were allowed to imitate their movie franchise's aesthetic (to keep the brand popular and in the public eye)........ BUT if New Line Cinema ever felt like Amazon was infringing too much on their territory, they could step in and stop it. So the show just sorta looks and sounds like a bland knockoff of the New Line films, because that's all they're legally allowed to be XD. Like they're supposed to look/sound just enough like them to trick you, but they're not legally allowed to include the specific things from the PJ films that would actually make you feel nostalgic for them (like the famous musical leitmotifs.) 4. Part of the deal was that the Tolkien Estate could step in and change anything in the show if they felt it wasn't true to the lore-- which is ridiculous because again, Amazon basically doesn't own the rights to any of the lore so they're just making stuff up anyway. From what I can tell it seems like this basically means the Tolkien Estate can arbitrarily veto any creative decisions based on whatever they've decided “Tolkien would've wanted,” which obviously limits what Amazon is able to do (and likely prevents them from actually criticizing the awful problematic elements of Tolkien's worldbuilding)

5. Ok I don't have a fifth one. SO BASICALLY: Yes, the Amazon series is about a bunch of original characters in almost completely original settings featuring original events and original plot points that (for the most part) doesn't even include any of Tolkien's actual words, and also isn't affiliated with and doesn't include the recognizable things like musical motifs from the New Line Cinema films. But that doesn't make it fanfic. Because fanfiction is when you take another's person's characters and stories and write your own weird personal take on them, even if you don't legally own it. Who legally owns the copyright is irrelevant in fanfiction. Fanfic it's about writing a story with the characters and world you love, about transforming a story you're passionate about even if you don't legally own the rights. Amazon Rings of Power is what happens when an entire show is completely written around what you legally own the rights to. Every aspect of it only exists as an elaborate tap dance around copyright infringement. Again, I think the Amazon series is more interesting as "a study of how corporations/megafranchises can do massive harm and also weaken our ability to create good art" than it is as a tv show, alskdjfsdlf.

If fanfiction is "writing something you love regardless of whether you own the rights" then Rings of Power is "writing whatever fits within the extremely narrow box of the rights you happen to own." And that makes it....a very strange thing to exist! It’s kinda a shining example of how giant media monopolies and copyright laws designed to benefit them end up hamstringing everyone’s ability to create meaningful art, even the corporations themselves.

#anti rop #amazon #lotr #the was written under incoherent cold brain don’t @ me

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disasterarea-podcast · 5 months

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Okay, I know I probably don’t need to explain this to all of you, but also I want to talk to *somebody* about how I wish I had the sort of pull that would let me see “Society of the Snow” before it ends up on @netflix on January 4th.

“Alive” came out when I was in high school. I was a sophomore, I think? I just know I watched it a bunch for historical reasons (disaster! Survival! Struggle!) and superficial reasons (I was sixteen and Ethan Hawke was in danger!). It was on HBO a lot back then. Or it felt that way, because I watched it every time it came on.

As per usual, I watched the movie, so I went and got the book. (I have an Audible credit, so I’m preordering the audiobook of “Society of the Snow” for work. It comes out in a couple of days, FYI.) The movie is … sanitized, to say the least. They can’t avoid the eating of the dead, or showing it on occasion. But in real life, the situation was more blatant, because … well, who are you going to hide it from? They ate everything else, or at least tried to, before resorting to the dead. And then when they did resort to the dead, they ate it ALL.

The thing is, Uruguayan culture was heavy on beef. “Alive” (the book) describes it the way the Irish depended on potatoes. Eating the dead was difficult, but as Catholics they were able to talk it out and tie it into the rosary and taking the body and blood of Christ into their own. I’m not even a Catholic anymore, but I think even my latent Catholic training might kick in just a tad to help reassure me in a situation like that if I had doubts. (Note: I have been doing this podcast for WAY too long. Survival cannibalism wouldn’t even make me bat an eye at this point.)

My point is that in the real situation, the survivors used everything. And I mean everything. There were only three or four parts of the body they couldn’t eat - I think the genitals were on that list, but don’t quote me on it - but the rest? They picked the bodies clean. They needed to. There’s a photo of the survivors sitting outside the plane, hanging out, smiling for the camera. It’s usually edited. Everything else is kept, but what is usually clipped or blurred is a very clear shot of a human spine, not a spot of meat left on it, just … lying there. It might as well be an airplane seat, or a discarded jacket, or any of the other items scattered about.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for every single one of the people who went through that ordeal. The details are traumatizing enough without having lived through it. Every time somebody makes a “rugby players eat their dead” joke, I cringe.

So here I am sitting watching “Alive” again, because fuck it. The thing is, I have a fondness for this movie based a lot on high school and watching it lots and it introducing me to a survival story I’d never heard of. But I would always be the first to point out I’d love a redo. It’s not as accurate as it could be, it’s in English, it misses out on things like Carlitos Paez’s father searching for him and the others the whole damn time and the reception after they came back.

I’m hoping “Society of the Snow” has all of the things the first movie lacked. I want to see the reception when they came back. I can’t wait to see Carlitos playing his dad, and I hope we get that moment where he reads the list of survivors over the radio and his voice breaks when he gets to his son’s name. I hope we get the reality of survival cannibalism — that it’s not murder, that it’s not pretty, that you might get a little blinded to the horror of the reality.

The trailers for “Society of the Snow” gives me hope it does the story the justice it deserves. There are so many disaster stories that, while they may have gotten TV movies, I would love to see done for the big screen. Hillsborough. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. The Galveston Hurricane. The Johnstown flood. But honestly, the trailers for “Society of the Snow” look gorgeous and respectful. Let’s do more movies like this for more disasters.

#tw cannibalism #tw survival cannibalism #society of the snow #if Netflix needs someone to come up with ideas for movies about real-life disasters I am THERE

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nicole-timey-wimey-stuff · 16 days

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Southern & Slow

Joel Miller x Reader

Shorter Drabble based on Luke Bryan’s song Southern and Slow

Warnings - reader described as female, soft smut, piv, sex, talk of sex, mentions of pregnancy and having a baby, age gap, reader late twenties 28 Joel around 48, feelings, talk of love, no outbreak au, quoting of The Notebook, my terrible writing. No use of y/n in this one.

Word count 1.6K

This song just reminded me soo much of older Joel with his loyal sweet girl.

When you love me slow and southern like a Sunday

Like muddy water rollin' by a riverbank

Like some sleepy little town, down with the moon

Livin' like honey drippin' off a spoon

Like the sun that takes an hour to get behind the water tower

'Bout the speed of watchin' wildflowers grow

Ain't but two ways this old boy's gonna go

Slow and southern, southern and slow, southern and slow

Waking up in the warm Texas sun with your gorgeous cowboy pressed up against you ………. that will never grow old. You're both still naked from last nights activities, and the feeling of his skin against yours is heavenly. You roll over so you can see his face, smiling at the sight, his hair is stuck up in every direction and curls sticking to his forehead in the sweaty Texan heat. His face looks so relaxed, frown lines almost invisible, the weight of the world off his shoulders for a little while. You loved Sunday mornings, they were always lazy, slow and intimate. They usually lead to slow, calm and lazy days, walks by the river, soft kisses, slow dancing in the kitchen, and watching the sunsets from the porch while Joel plays his guitar.

The small town you’d moved too was sleepy on Sundays, no one ever had anywhere to rush too. After you both were married Joel built you both a home, one you’d both spend the rest of your days in. You’d designed it together, you’d said you ‘want a white house with blue shutters and a room overlooking the river so I can paint’ quoting your favourite story. But Joel bless him he took it very seriously, so that’s what you got a beautiful little White House, with gorgeous pale blue shutters and a small room facing the river, where you had space to paint, draw and write.

Life was good, Joel had taken a extra day a week off work, giving more of the reigns to Tommy. Therefore giving himself a longer weekend to rest and spend time with you. You worked for a writing and editing company so you mainly worked from home, only having to go to Austen sometimes. You are also working on writing your own book, slowly but surely.

Looking at your sleeping cowboy once more you gently move a curl from his forehead, stroking down his cheek, watching as his face twitches and his eyebrows furrow. My goodness you loved him, sometimes you worry you love him a little too much, but he loves you equally so you guess it’s ok. How could you not love a man like Joel, a man who loves you so completely, who protects you, makes you laugh, sings songs for you and builds a home for you both.

When you’d first told your parents about Joel, they weren’t too sure, there was an obvious age gap and they felt you had a whole life to live. But the second they met him that all changed, they got it, understood wholeheartedly why you loved this man. Now he’s part of the family, as you are his, Sarah warmed to the idea instantly, surprising you both as you feared she would be the one to object, you were only eight years older than her. But it was Tommy and Maria who took a bit longer to warm up to you, but seeing how happy you made Joel everyone eventually accepted your relationship, five years in now and you both couldn’t be happier.

Joel stirs awake mumbling “Good mornin’ darlin’” nuzzling his face into your neck, “Morning baby” you hum. Bringing your hand to run through his curls, slowly scratching his scalp. He lets out a contented groan, causing you to smirk to yourself. Joel begins tentatively kissing your neck, finding your sweet spot and gently sucking. You moan arching into him, the sheet barely covering you both slipping down around your thighs now, Joel took that as enough of a reason to slowly slide on top of you, his hands stroking and grabbing at any skin he could find.

“I can never get over how soft you feel under me sweetheart” Joel begins, his hand now sliding between your thighs “soo soft and smooth and wet for me huh” he continues bringing his mouth back up to yours, licking slowly into your mouth, his tongue caressing yours. His fingers glide through your slick, bringing it up to rub slow circles around your clit, causing you to gasp into his mouth.

No matter how much time goes by, every time with Joel is like the first, every time makes you erupt with butterflies and quiver under his expert touch. You arch even closer to him, moulding your body to his as you begin rocking your hips into his hand. “Needy this mornin’ aren’t we darlin’ don’t worry I’ve got you” he hums, inserting two fingers into your heat, and using his palm against your clit. He finds your toe curing spot instantly and precisely, using the come hither motion while simultaneously rubbing your bud “Joel fuck! I’m gonna cum” you moan, “That’s it baby let go for me” Joel instructs, and you do you cum hard around his fingers, gasping into his ears.

You’re still coming down when you feel the blunt end of his cock pushing into your core, as he slowly nestles his way home. Grabbing your hand he laces his fingers with yours, kissing your palm before rolling his hips into yours. Your spare arm grabs his back for purchase, fingers running through the hair at the nape of his neck. “God Joel you feel so good” you pant, “Yeah?” He asks “You’re made for me sweetheart, made for me and no one else, this pussy is mine! Only my cock can make you feel this good right baby?” He trails off while punctuating everything with deep hard thrusts. “Yes Joel all yours, I am all yours!” You mumble back then like a mantra you repeat ‘Joel Joel Joel’.

There’s no rush on these lazy mornings, he never speeds up his thrusts, just keeps the steady rhythm as he makes love to you deep and slow. “Fuck Joel I’m close, come with me” you moan, now meeting his movements with your own. “Ok baby girl shit! Almost there hang on a bit longer for me” he rasps. He kisses you passionately, his kiss matching his thrusts slow and steady, as he pulls you impossibly closer.

“Now baby! Let go for me” he pleads, hand moving between your legs once more to roll over your sensitive pearl, “Joel!!!” You whine as you come undone, pussy clamping down on his cock, Joel reaching his end simultaneously and emptying himself inside you with a low moan.

You run your hands up and down his back, while placing sweet kisses to his shoulder, pulling his head up he looks at you with such a soft and loving expression, “I love you darlin’” “I love you too” giving you a quick peck he pulls out, walking on wobbly legs to the bathroom where he turns on the shower, “Come on sweetheart, let’s clean up” he insists, pulling you up with him and carrying you to the shower.

The morning carried on lazily, your shower was spent carefully washing each other with dopey smiles, all while having long snuggles under the steaming water. You made coffee together and enjoyed drinking it on your porch, watching the river flow, and the wildflowers blow in the breeze. Before an impromptu call to Tommy, inviting him, Maria and their beautiful baby girl, over for lunch.

You stood leaning on the doorframe lovingly watching Tommy and Joel play with the baby, while Maria sat close by engaging in casual conversation with the men. You couldn’t remember when you’d last felt so content, and watching Joel play with the baby did something to you. A new sensation of butterflies coursing through your stomach. Joel looks up at you then, smiling to himself as he stands and makes his way over to you.

Wrapping his arms around you he pulls you in close, stroking a hand down your cheek. Warm pools of chocolate searching your eyes, “What do you think darlin’?” Joel hinted, nudging you and looking over at the new parents, “Huh?” You reply confused. “Should we have one? Been thinking about it a lot recently, you all round carrying my baby” Joel smirks as you gasp “Really” you stutter, shocked he’s really suggesting it. “Yeah really, I think you’d make a wonderful mother, and I’m getting on now. So if we were going to have one it would need to be now, well at least soon” he replies, obviously being completely honest.

You grin so wide your mouth ached, you’d love to have a baby with this man, but with Sarah being all grown up you didn’t think it would be in the cards for Joel, and you had accepted that, Joel would always be enough. “Your sure? Because I mean we don’t have too if you don’t really want an….” Joel cuts you off with a soft kiss “I’m sure darlin’ in fact nothing would make me happier” you grin again “Ok, yeah let’s have one” you reply, “Yeah?” He asks once more, “Yeah I’d love to have your baby Joel” you affirm. He smiles and pulls you in close again, arm over your shoulder, while watching his brother and niece.

Yeah, you loved these slow southern Sundays with your cowboy.

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller age gap #joel miller x you #joel x reader #the last of us #joel x female reader

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stellisketches · 2 months

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why? please explain the soldier, port, king in excruciating detail PLEASE

EDIT: ITS FINALLY DONE i'm so sorry this took me like six months I got really busy with school work and I wanted to make sure I wasn't half-assing this anyway thank you for asking please enjoy

For reference I will be quoting the “Poet Soldier King” test on uQuiz as I feel they summarize each role most succinctly.

"You wonder, sometimes, if anger is the only thing you can feel. Remember: love is passion too. You made your own rules and will follow them to death. You try and forget that there is only one rule, and that it is "FIGHT". You are tired of fighting. You try to forget that, too, and keep going. You dream of quiet. Your love is where you heal." -Soldier

It's a subtle element but Vylad’s entire character/existence is about enduring conflict. It's an easy thing to forget due to his calm demeanor, but Vylad has been fighting since the moment he was born (hell, even before). Fighting the ill-contrived gossip of being a bastard son, fighting to prove himself a genuine Ro’Meave, and fighting against Garte and Zane’s abuse over his childhood. It’s a subtler form of conflict, but it’s very interesting to imagine how he was able to put up with all of it (I’ve planned so many prequel fics about the Ro’Meaves you guys). Then there’s the whole shadowknight topic that really is indicative of itself. Vylad's whole arc was based upon leaving behind the violence of his past as a literal soldier within the Shadow Lord's army. Again it’s really easy to forget but this is someone who was revived to burn the world to the ground and slaughter any and every man, woman, and child that got in the way of it. He told Aphmau himself in season 2: “One good deed does not fix a thousand wrongs done. I'm not a good person, let's just leave it at that. Please.” We may not have seen it on screen, but who knows how long Vylad was traveling with Sasha and Gene. I doubt Phoenix Drop was the first village they targeted, and I doubt Gene or Sasha or even Zenix were ever like “oh yeah you can wait outside while we commit atrocities on this Lord and his family and burn the whole village to the ground.” Vylad has a very practical mindset (another trait indicative of a good soldier), and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was purposefully good at his job so it would land him more opportunities to get out of the nether now and again. He enacted violence well enough that he was trusted to be sent outside the nether to go fuck up the overworld. Vylad is a man thoroughly haunted by war and the violence he’s committed against others in a way his brothers just… aren't. Sure, Garroth knows fighting and violence as a means of protection and ensuring the safety of others, but he doesn’t know war. He’s never had someone he cared about die in his arms. He’s never seen a whole village burn to the ground and see innocent people slaughtered left and right. He’s never seen a child screaming at their dead mother to get up. He may use violence, but he was never a violent person. Zane, on the other hand, most definitely was, however, but he hardly ever enacted any of the violence himself. 90% of the time it was jurors or guards he’d given orders to. And while he was more than happy to get his hands dirty every once in a while, he never felt genuine consequence from it.

Continuing on Vylad’s inner psyche, we see after he still keeps a very practical, soldier-like mindset out of the nether in company with Aph and Co: He gets annoyed at Aphmau when she puts off telling everyone about the Tuu’la invasion. He surveys Laurance from a distance and does not interfere even in danger because he’s aware of the long term effect of distrust it would cause him. Upon the chaos in Narhaka, he immediately goes to burn books that have important locations the enemy could use against them. This is actually one of my favorite scenes because of how subtly status-quo breaking it is. Tell me right now of any scene involving book burnings done by a guy the audience is supposed to root for. Vylad’s view of the world makes him incredibly pragmatic and able to calculate the win-loss ratio of his actions and let that decide whether or not he will go through with it.

Vylad may not have the typical surface-level look of the characters often put into the category, but if you really dive into his past, his mindset, and the way he views the world, he easily fits into the role of soldier; with the final line “Your love is where you heal” setting him on the path of redemption we see throughout the whole series.

"Loneliness. Strength. Joy. You are powerful, but struggle believing it. You think you're not enough. Here's the truth : you are. You sing songs and hope they carry faith, because you have run out of it, and yet you still throw your heart out to the world and hope it makes it through. You convince yourself that pain is art because at least then, you will always have something to create. You are tired of stumbling through life. You dream of a ground you can stand on. One day, you will dance. Your love is where you feel - without fear." -Poet

Now I admit for Zane it does require a more particular perspective to place him as poet, but I’ll start simple and slowly transition to red string and corkboard. Firstly, from the original song lyrics, “He will slay you with his tongue” applies in at least two different ways. The first being obvious: Zane is incredibly charismatic- you don’t just make it to High Priest without a certain degree of people skills included but not limited to negotiating, preaching, and being able to reason your way through any theological question a questioning sinner could ask you. It’s a shame we don’t see it put into use very often throughout the series, but I think his position gives enough testament to his people skills. The second way this line applied is a bit more literal and a bit more dark, which would be the sheer amount of people who were murdered not by his hands directly, but on mere orders. He can quite literally have people slain in just a few words to the right people. Moving to the more esoteric; the line “You are powerful, but struggle believing it. You think you're not enough.” seems like it be a hitch to his characterization, as it first invokes the idea of someone who lacks self-confidence, which is FAR from what we see Zane characterized as in the story. However I see this from the lense of artists becoming blind to the depth of their own skill. Zane is powerful, but it’s not enough for him. He’s become so accustomed to the level of influence he holds he’s become desensitized to it, like how you stop feeling the cold of the water once you stay in it long enough.The power he’s been swimming in his entire life no longer brings that vitalic shudder of control he craves. Thus he seeks power that goes beyond mortal influence to raw, unchanneled divinity, as that’s the only thing that he has ever been told is above him. He hungers the same as any artist— to be something greater than they already are.

“You convince yourself that pain is art because at least then, you will always have something to create.” The idea of creation draws back to Zane’s relationship with control and divinity. I think it's highly debatable as to whether or not Zane has actual “faith” in the divine (i.e, seeing them as gods he wishes to emulate or simply as extremely powerful beings minus the religious element), but in either case it again leads back to desire for more. (sidenote: Zane’s fatal flaw being lust is such a delicious piece of irony and I could make an essay of its own on it). Anyway, back to the point I was originally trying to make: Zane sows pain and destruction as a means of asserting his power/importance both to others and himself. The “pain” spoken of would normally belong to the poet themself— but this is no ordinary poet, and there is no specific indication where said pain emerges from.

"Duty. Strength. Resignation. You were told to do things and you did them. The world is something that was put into your hands and that you must deal with - so you will. You have a rigid back and steady hands, either metaphorically or physically. Is it nature or nurture ? You don't know. You are tired of being steady. You dream of feeling alive. Not that you aren't, but, sometimes, it's hard to remember that there is a heart between your ribs. Your love is where you breathe." -King

God where do I start. “Duty. Strength. Resignation” It’s like someone just said ‘describe Garroth in three words’. Duty has been his entire life, wanted or not, which leads directly into resignation. “You were told to do things and you did them.The world is something that was put into your hands and that you must deal with - so you will.” He learned his history. He learned the politics. He followed the dogma. He believed in Irene and his father and the glory of O’Khasis and his divine duty to lord over its people. His people. He said it himself in episode 68 he wanted to be exactly like his father, and that he thought to be lord was an honor and a privilege. To him, the weight of the world has rested upon his shoulders for so long that he becomes accustomed to each additional hardship quickly and quietly, never kicking up a fuss about his growing stress and dissatisfaction, like a frog in a pool of water that is steadily increasing in temperature. He locks his festering disdain for glorification of leadership away from his father, his family, and the rest of the world because he cannot show that he is anything but the Atlas of duty he was born to be.

Until, one day, he has enough. He saw what happens to his dear little brother, likely the only person he felt he could truly bond with, and despite everything he still dealt with it, for the sake of the people around him, but when his father commands him to marry a girl he has never met (likely while he is still processing his grief) in the name of ‘duty’, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back. He sees that everything he has worked towards is meaningless as he will never reach a point where his father will be satisfied with him. That his father will continue to take and take from him until there is nothing left but a soulless puppet that will continue to speak his words even after his reign has ended. Every burden he has carried, every grievance he has hidden, every struggle he’s overcome and the hard work he’s put into building himself a true heir of O’Khasis— it all amounts to nothing.

So he leaves.

Now, let me ask you: what would you do if you were a runaway prince escaping the crushing weight of expectation? Take a bunch of money from your no-good dad? Buy a boat ticket and live a new life in luxury on the other side of the world? Never work a day again and dive head first into careless relaxation? Surely, you wouldn’t look twice at a dilapidated little village on the coast. Wouldn’t bother to stop by and lift a finger to help it. You're free, you have a whole life of sweet exemption to look forward to. You wouldn’t give it the time of day.

“You have a rigid back and steady hands, either metaphorically or physically. Is it nature or nurture?”

Garroth finds himself in Phoenix Drop— a rickety dead-end little town as far away from home as possible. He stays, and he helps. He keeps the village running, he helps the Lord wherever he can. He takes in the broken, starved boy he finds in the woods. He does whatever he can to improve the lives of the people around him. Why? He owes them nothing, he’s spent a lifetime crushed under the weight of people's expectations and he turns around just to find himself carrying the weight of more lives on his shoulders. He is doing everything he was taught and everything he ran away from.

But this time it’s different. This time, he sees how he’s helping. There’s no more grating voice telling him none of the effort matters. He has a rigid back and steady hands, metaphorically and physically. For the first time in his life, he can see with his own two eyes that his effort is worth it. There isn’t doubt and lies and corruption floating in and out of his mind. Just the warm, honest smiles of the people he helps. He feels it and it is real. The question “Is it nature or nurture?” is genuine: Is Garroth helping these people out of the kindness of his heart or because it was what he was always told to do, and now that he is without the purpose he was assigned he’s leaning on something familiar? Personally, I think that’s for the audience to decide. I myself would say a mixture of both, leaning more so towards nature. But I digress.

It’s better then, when he helps and can see that he is doing good, but of course, that peace is not to last him. With the Lord’s death and impending turmoil of Phoenix Drop, Garroth’s role in the village shifts drastically to closer resembling the role he ran away from. People are treating him with near as much kindness anymore, no. The most forgiving are losing faith and the least are blaming him. Blaming him for failing to meet their expectations. Now, as things are deteriorating, he has more than enough reason to leave. He gave it the good ol’ college try, and he failed. With the sentiments of the village becoming scarily familiar to that of his father, he should just say “fuck it” and head on off to that faraway land where no one will know his name.

But still, he doesn’t. We see him in Rebirth and how desperate he is to fix the village, to make it work. Even when everyone else is telling him to give up, he refuses. Even sinking, a captain stays on his ship. (Side note: it’s scenes like this that cause me to start tearing up people’s lawns whenever I see takes that label Garroth as having a “fear of responsibility”). And he is completely ready to either make things work or die trying, regardless of what stands in his way.

‘You are tired of being steady. You dream of feeling alive. Not that you aren't, but, sometimes, it's hard to remember that there is a heart between your ribs.’

Aphmau wasn’t the first person he saved. Zenix had likely been around for at least a year beforehand. However Zenix was a hothead teenager in need of guidance, which simply made him become another responsibility Garroth set upon himself. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely cares for him, but their relationship is far different than the one he has with Aphmau.

With Aphmau, he finally has someone who shares the burden. Not only that, but sharing it willingly and with a smile on her face. He’s not used to having a person who presents themselves as an equal sharer of responsibility. Much less, someone who is willing and wanting for him to put his burdens on her (At least, that’s how he sees it). He can’t remember the last time he truly allowed himself to be vulnerable with someone. All the desires he’s pushed down start to bubble back up again, and he starts to imagine things he’d long tried to do away with. He sees Aphmau as a strong leader, one whose idealism is a strength and not a weakness, and how she accomplishes things he never quite got around to doing. An admiration grows for her, yes, but that’s not what makes her different. The difference, he sees, is her vulnerability. How she allows herself to be vulnerable around him. How despite the brave face she puts on, she has just as much fear that she isn’t enough. And she tells him this, directly, because she trusts him. And all of a sudden he realizes that if she can be strong to the rest of the world, and yet still let him see her weakness, her softness, then maybe, just maybe

“Your love is where you breathe.”

He can take his armor off, too.

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ninadove · 8 months

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fav french media? (films, books, shows, games etc)

OH I LOVE THIS QUESTION THANK YOU SO MUCH 💖

I’m sure I’ll forget a lot of things and smack my own forehead in shame afterwards, but this is what comes to mind right away:

Literature:

Anything ever written by Victor Hugo is a masterpiece. This dude was a terrible human being, but he sure knew how to write, and he contributed to major changes in the social conscience of his contemporaries on many important topics (including but not limited to the death penalty and child labour). To give you a taste, here is my favourite poem ever, which he wrote, because of course he did.

My favourite piece of literature across all categories, though, is and forever will be Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand — the story of a man who convinced himself his unusually long nose makes him monstruous. The concept sounds so silly, I know, but this play is a masterpiece and a wonderful love letter to the French language.

Which brings me to my favourite comic series: De Cape et de Crocs by Alain Ayroles and Jean-Luc Masbou! Basically a twelve-volume-long fix-it fic, disguised as a tribute to French literature. Also, a beautiful bromance.

Visual arts:

Basically everyone in France can quote at least one line from Kaamelott, a comedic (?) series derived from the Arthurian legend. It is so well researched and hilarious — until it isn’t.

I’m sure there’s like, a very obvious movie choice that will come back to me in a minute, but I was raised on Disney and Scooby-Doo, so these are clogging my brain at the moment. Just give it time.

When I was very young, I would watch TV at my grandparents’ and enjoy Les Hydronautes, an animated series about an extraterrestrial explorer documenting the Earth’s marine wildlife in an effort to learn how to better protect her own planet (Aka There Are Many Benefits To Being A Marine Biologist: The Series), as well as C’est pas sorcier, a series of very fun documentaries on a plethora of subjects, from lavender farming to volcanic eruptions.

Obviously, Miraculous gets a place on the list too! 🐞🐈‍⬛

EDIT BECAUSE I FORGOT: Fantomette the animated series! This show is single-handedly responsible for my taste for smart women with amazing hair who ride motorbikes and kick ass. It even had Egytpology as a key part of the plot.

Music:

For me Formidable by Charles Aznavour is a classic, a very cute song, and a great place to start if you want to learn French!

A few other favourites include Fanny Ardant et moi by Vincent Delerm, Le Dîner by Bénabar (extremely funny to listen to while thinking about the Diamonds’ Dance) and J’ai cherché by Amir (This one is… Borderline when it comes to grammar, but cute enough that I grin and bear it. Also, it got us an honourable ranking at the Eurovision a while back, which is rare enough to be celebrated).

ALSO. I complain too much about bad translations and poor writing (see previous bullet point) not to show you kids how it’s done with Je vole from Aladdin (a genius play on words which delves into the two significations of the verb “voler”: to fly or to steal).

Video games:

Long ago, before I discovered the wonderful world of Nintendo, I would wait patiently every month for the new issue of Toboclic. This game had everything: cute animal mascots, stories, mini-games, arts-and-crafts suggestions, catchy songs, interactive documentaries… I’m sure my parents still have the CDs somewhere, but they probably don’t run anymore, which is a shame. I miss my friends.

Thank you so much for the ask, this was so fun to write!

@dragongutsixofficial please do this too so we can compare notes! 👀💖

#How do I even tag this #I think I’ll just stick to #random ramblings #frenchblr #tumblr asks

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literary-illuminati · 9 months

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Book Review 40 – Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Okay, 40th book of the year! And yes I’m going to be smug about that, no matter how pathetically it pales in comparison to some of the rest of you. To commemorate the occasion I decided to acquire some actual Culture of the kind I can talk about reading to older relatives and have them nod approvingly. I’d say I wish this had been assigned in some English class I took, but honestly I’d have just ended up skimming and using sparknotes and generally ruined it for myself.

Baldwin, as it turns out, really does live up to the hype. This book was absolutely sublime. I feel like it’s going to be impossible to be fair to whatever I read next.

The book follows David, an American expat in late ‘50s Paris. Specifically, a queer man with truly apocalyptic levels of internalized homophobia and lack of self-awareness spending his late 20s valiantly pretending not to be gay while contriving every possible excuse not to go back to his father and the rest of his life in America. The book takes place while his girlfriend is taking an extended vacation in Spain deciding whether she wants to marry him, and he meets Giovanni, a gorgeous Italian man who’d left his village and ended up in Paris under unclear circumstance, while he’s working at a gay bar David views with visceral contempt even as he visits it. They have a passionate romance, and unsurprisingly it all falls apart in a mess of a tragedy that ruins just about everyone involved (Giovanni most of all).

This was the most beautiful thing I’ve read all year. I’m not even sure it’s particularly close. Every single page had a line or two of incidental narration or dialogue that struck me enough to want to save it – I’d given up trying to note them all by the end of the first chapter. The narration has the sort of elevated, literary quality where everyone is two or three times more eloquent and articulate than they really should be, but when the things they say are so lovely it’s hard to mind that minor offence against verisimilitude – the constant peppering of French into everyone’s dialogue is honestly much more of an annoyance, if only because it keeps making me wonder what language all the other dialogue among these French Parisians is supposed to be in. The exact details of their speech (and tendency to monologue about the details of their psychology) aside, just about every character felt really, achingly real, all broken by the world in one way or another and dealing with it with whatever self-destructive coping mechanisms they have to call their own. Insert your favourite Richard Silken quote here.

Tangentially to the actual content of the book; I of course know Baldwin was one of the canonical Great Authors of the 20th century (I knew this before I knew literally any other fact about him), but my god does the edition I have of the book lay it on thick. There’s a 17-page forward that seemed to be an incredibly dryly written English essay talking about his influences and the role of Paris in American literature and etc (I skimmed the first few pages and skipped the rest, as is my habit with forwards by people who had nothing to do with actually creating the book and whose name I don’t recognize), followed by several more pages of a timeline of the authors life. I swear it’s like they’re trying to make reading this seem as much like homework as possible.

Even more tangentially; I was aware that Baldwin was gay, before reading this, and more vaguely aware that some of his work explored this. But I was expecting more, like, Great Gatsby-plus levels of subtext, not just explicit and unsanitized portrayals being the focus of the entire book. That came out in ‘59! Not exactly an obscure or reviled one either. I feel like I could go back and retroactively give myself permission to sneer and roll my eyes at a lot of ‘grounbreaking queer representation’ now. (This is a sign I have spent altogether too much of my life reading discourse on tumblr and tiwtter).

Trying to talk about the themes of Giovanni’s Room is probably just wasted effort – spend five minutes and I’m sure you can find an extensively researched essay by someone whose devoted years of their life to the subject. But it did really strike me how, like, fundamentally inegalitarian the book’s vision of romance is? Aside from David and Giovanni themselves I mean (and even then, David’s internalized homophobia expressed itself in large part through a terror and resentment of being made the woman (domestic homemaker) to Giovanni’s man (breadwinner)). David and Hella’s relationship is just drowning in ‘50s patriarchy, of course, with the future they sketch out for themselves both baldly hierarchical and just incredibly bleak, and David’s parents and upbringing aren’t exactly inspirational reading either. But Paris’ gay underground isn’t exactly portrayed as a liberated and welcoming space – it’s disgusting older men blatantly exploiting and being exploited by desperate younger ones, everyone involved pretending they don’t know what they’re doing and hating themselves and each other for it. All just incredibly unsentimental and anti-romantic.

David as a character and as a narrator really was fascinating, too. In that he’s such a fucking mess with zero awareness of his emotions who keeps making everything worse and seems to almost cause as much heartache for everyone around him as he possibly could. If he wasn’t the protagonist he’d be the most loathsome character in the book, or at least close to it. Was great.

Though one thing that really does drive home how historical the setting is is just how coincidental so many social meetings are. The cast is largely a bunch of bohemians and vagabonds and expatriates without real fixed addresses, and so much of their interaction revolves around just happening to run into each other as they frequent some of the same locales. Which, like, yes, that is just how socializing worked for most people until a historical ten minutes ago, but still very alien to me, someone with an electronic correspondence planning and scheduling ~90% of social things I’ve done since I left school.

Anyway yes, this isn’t an easy read – most emotional and heartwrenching thing I’ve read all year by far, and the only thing last year I can really think of that might beat it is the final chapters of The Making of the Atomic Bomb – but it really is a beautiful one. Five stars.

#book review #literature #james baldwin #giovanni's room

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haecien · 6 months

Note

literature obssessed reader × author minghao

Come see the screening.... 🎥📷

THIS IS SUCH A CUTE IDEA??? Hello oh my god

Reader would definitely be a big fan of Minghao's works, they've collected almost every series that Minghao has published. Including special limited edition books other collectors would KILL for.

I have a feeling minghao would hide his face, sure he'd attend a few interviews but the interviewer would only be able to hear his voice, this was intentional ofcourse. Minghao wanted to go out in peace, he never wants interviewers and paparazzi to swarm him whenever he stepped out of his house. It's annoying to him. He only revealed his face to trusted individuals like his publisher. Other than that almost no one has seen his face, But there are times where he has almost gotten caught due to his distinctive voice, but he just argued that he has a similar voice and swear he isn't him.

Reader and Minghao would definitely run into each other by accident, of course reader doesn't know shit and thinks is just some random person they bumped into well... " What's the rush? " Minghao asks.

" Oh! Haha there is this book sale and they're featuring one of my favorite authors LIMITED edition book! It's the last one I need and I would do anything to complete my collection... Plus I really adore the author! He's such a good writer, his poetry books are also so good. "

Minghao's raised an eyebrow, he seems intrigued. " So, What's this authors name? " he leaned down and grabbed your bag which you've dropped. " OH! His name is Xu Minghao! But, now checking the time I don't think I can make it in time... My best bets is that the book has already been grabbed.... Awh man "

Minghao was a bit shocked to hear his name mentioned, he feels a bit bad so he proposed an offer " Oh Xu Minghao? I have some extras of his limited edition collection, Which one are you missing I could lend it to you. "

You were shocked since literally people would pay THOUSANDS for this, and hes giving this for free? Jesus christ is he your lord and savior or something. You tried to refuse but minghao didn't budge, eventually you gave up. " Im the reason why you're late, this is my apology. " You were touched how he was this considerate for a stranger you just so happend to bump into. " You never told me your name by the way? Hehe but my names y/n. " Minghao stood there thinking if he should tell you... " Oh uh, my name? Its Seo myungho. "

" Seo myungho? I see, nice to meet you Myungho! " you would not suspect a thing.

You both spent a lot of time after that, half of your conversations were about Minghao... on the inside minghao is giggling whenever you mentioned him, like. His cheeks got a bit red but you didnt notice it. You were too busy rambling about minghao, but if your conversations weren't about minghao you'd genuinely enjoy talking with "myungho " it was always the highlight of your day

I mean you did find out eventually! Haha in the most embarrassing way ever tho... you and "myungho" were talking and suddenly the topic of minghao was mentioned again and he said " Oh yeah I... " I? Haha ur fucked now minghao. Your eyes widened when he said this, you just connected the dots... Bye this is so embarrassing all this time you've been ranting about minghao to minghao

Minghao eventually came clean and he did confess it but, he made it very sure that you wouldn't tell ANYONE about it, well maybe also minghao had a tiny bit of feelings for you but thats beside the point... he trusted you enough to keep this a secret and you swore you'd take this secret to the grave.

Minghaos "little crush" never left tho! He waited awhile before confessing, like maybe 5 months... you were a bit oblivious to his feelings but eventually you started to catch feelings too... the confession was so sweet tho, he took quotes from your favorite book of his. And made a little love letter, you cried on the spot and hugged him so tightly.

(This ws suppose to be a drabble but its so long LMAOAO)

#ciens100event.mov #gloss!🍊#seventeen #seventeen fluff #seventeen imagines #seventeen x reader #svt imagines #seventeen imagine #svt fanfic #minghao

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weirdly-specific-but-ok · 2 months

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a lil good omens brainrotted update from your mascot

Hello my maggots it's nearly midnight here's how the brainrot's going (spoiler alert, there are no, uh, ripe braincells anymore).

I just spent a rather significant amount of time drawing leaves into my bullet journal (because it's Crowley themed this month).

That whole time I listened to first Crowley's apartment ambience and then to a bunch of Good Omens edits and got extremely emotional about it but in the best way. God I love this show.

Every day (it'S a-GEtTinG clOSeR) I have a stare-off with the Good Omens book that keeps me company on my desk.

It laughs in my face, daring me to read it.

I recall the last time I opened it (to summarise, I read a line about Crowley and burst into tears like the macho guy I am). I refuse.

We are locked in a battle of wills. Who will win, the book or I? I'm torn between wanting to read it so bad and the fear that I will never be emotionally stable again if I do.

Speaking of books, just for vibesies an update on the one I'm writing, I've written 7,200 words in the past six days (when I pulled the WIP out of its musty folder because of that post Neil made).

The page I made in the bullet journal was actually a writing tracker here lemme show y'all because I'm proud of the progress I made:

[Yes, that is the Good Omens book lurking in the top left, it's never far away. The battle is perpetual.]

Crowley quotesssss all the Crowley quotes I love them so much it's insane.

Also, I'm gonna go get yarn to I can continue my endeavour to learn crocheting to make a Crowley-beanie. @singalongpoppet is my guru and leader in this journey. Not sure if I'll manage it, but a guy can dream. Channeling my non-existent cottagecore era.

I am also considering getting a Plant.

Weirdly enough, this is not entirely brainrot, I was supposed to grow a plant back in January because my word thing of the year was Grow (the burden of prophecy is real).

However, I am dreadful at taking care of them, even succulents. I managed to kill a wild cactus that I brought home from a roadside. It survived several months but in the end being around me was too much for it, poor thing.

I assume there is a bit more to plant-parenting than misting them and screaming at them to GROW BETTER, so any advice, please?

End of update, I have no idea how to write conclusions so have a snapshot of the dynamic of Rian and Avi, the characters in the book I'm writing [spoiler alert: their dynamic is dumpster fire].

Love you my maggots have a wonderful brainrotted day xxx

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simplyclary · 3 months

Text

Alex and Henry in Another Universe

(Edit by yours truly)

*Alexa, play Jump Then Fall and I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift*

This is more of a rave review for a story that I literally just finished hours ago and I could not get it out of my brain and it might take me weeks to recover from the insane story I just read.

The fic is an AU with the title 'I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In" and it was written by the lovely writer @doeyedgirlyevil (send this writer some love over on Ao3 or on Twitter/X). This is an AU where Alex is Henry's equerry.

Let me now rave about this gem of a story....

OH MY HEAVENS, is it possible to rate a fic infinity stars out of 5 because if it possible, I would rate this fic like that. Like everything about it was utter perfection. This is one of the best RWRB AUs that I have ever read. I swooned, I cried, I gasped, I laughed, I got frustrated, you basically made me feel every emotion possible.

I wanna say that by my standards (which are not very high to begin with), you can already publish like an actual book because the way you wrote this fic is just amazing and the storyline is top-notch! I adore your writing so much!

The storyline, OH MY GOSH, it was just amazing. If this were an actual book, I would buy it. I love the storyline so much. Reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books "Twisted Games" by Ana Huang. It's a romance story between a princess and her bodyguard and this fic reminded me of that but will an Alex and Henry spin to it which is lovely all the same.

Equerry Alex was emanating so much alpha male energy and I normally do not like alpha male characters but in this universe, dang, I was living for it. I'M ON MY KNEES FOR EQUERRY ALEX! Like reading Alex's dialogue with Taylor's voice in my mind and him sounding commanding and possessive just made me transcend into another world. Like I'M DOWN BAD!!

Another thing, the teasing, the pining, the smut, PERFECTION!! I love everything about the way the teasing and the smut scenes were written. I was screaming, crying, kicking my feet every time Alex would tease Henry when they make out.

For me, you are in the same level as Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR series) and Ana Huang (Twisted Series) when it comes to smut because the words in the spicy scenes in your story, I have only read them in the ACOTAR and Twisted series. The dialogues like "Make that noise again, sweetheart?" or "How are you going to kill me, beautiful? Looks to me you're the one dying for it." had my insides turning and butterflies fluttering.

To add, the pet names!! I'm so down for the pet names. Every "Baby", "Princess", "Sweetheart", "Love" made me tingle inside. Like I was swooning so hard.

Also, you may have unlocked a new fetish (is that what it's called, I don't know) from me because every time Alex nips on Henry's ear or kisses his neck, I have a visceral reaction as if a vampire was biting me in the neck and I'm loving it. Never in my life have I experienced having such a reaction so this is new to me.

I also loved how you incorporate some lines from the original book to your story. I jumped and smiled every time I saw a line from the book in your story.

Clearly, I had an amazing time reading your fic and I might go back to it and download it in order to highlight and annotate some of my favorite quotes to revisit in the future because how can I not revisit such amazing dialogue and lines and scenes.

I could rave about you and your writing all day long if I can. I just wanna say a big thank you for writing this amazing story. I'm willing to read any of your upcoming RWRB related works.

Sending you a big hug and lots of love from my heart to yours.

P.S: you just made me imagine Taylor as a vampire or a commanding alpha male character and I'm all here for it! I WANT IT!

To those who haven't read this gem of a fic and you're in the RWRB fandom, here's the link to the infamous equerry fic.

#taylor zakhar perez #red white and royal blue #rwrb #alex claremont diaz #nicholas galitzine #prince henry rwrb #firstprince #ao3 fanfic

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i-got-the-feels · 4 months

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Every Month of 2023

I adore this because it's a great way to see your journey as an artist you had throughout the year.

Thank you @smileytharn for the tag

I tag @smittenskitten @moonlightsdream @moonkhao @celestial-sapphicss @snimeat @alienwlw @alexshenry @jimmysea @laurenkmyers @forcebook @forursmiles @dingyuxi @dengswei @tinnchan @sparklyeyedhimbo @spicyvampire @raypakorn @pranink @pranpats @natahjikio @seawherethesunsets and whoever wants to do this :)

JANUARY

cinematography shots set of episode 7 of never let me go- here. Not even surprised that was a beautifully shot show

FEBRUARY

For gays, it's a never let me go set of episode Titles and for the lesbians it's a set with poem I wrote for Sam's love for Mon

Gays Lesbians

MARCH

I am whipped for her. No susprises this edit of this show is here.

Glory Part 2

APRIL

Charlotte and Engfa's rainbow photoshoot

Among shows, I am so glad both the midnight museum sets I cried making over were well liked. 1) the set of midnight museum with stories of artifacts in it 2) tarot cards set

MAY

This good bad mother set gif set

For graphics, this boss and babe one. I am so happy because the damn quote and scene had melted my heart

JUNE

I cannot choose between these two

First most interacted with set is the pisaeng one

Second most interacted with set is this bad buddy one

JULY

I am so fucking proud of this set. Really glad this connected with people- it is a set of kawi realising his love for pisaeng

AUGUST

Bad Buddy x RWRB set no body is surprised

Gonna include 2 more sets I adore

This beautiful conclusion to kawi and pisaeng's journey

Another Bad Buddy x RWRB set that had absolutely no business flopping like this

SEPTEMBER

I am going to have 2 categories for september. 1 being english speaking gays, the other being thai speaking gays

for english speaking gays its season 1 and season 2 episode titles from hannibal

for thai speaking gays, both sets are from only friends. one being ray's heartbreak over mew and this personal favorite set of mine - only friends couple dynamics as book covers it is my baby WITH only friends couples as taylor swift songs - this was a bitch Yo edit okay? . I am proud of these sets

OCTOBER

She can always get it.

Kareena Kapoor in Masaba

November

This scene was so comforting, I can't even. I am so glad this set was liked by yall.

Ray and sand getting together

December

Going to categorize this into korean and thai, because my demon and last twilight took over my brain this month

For Last Twilight, this one with Day and his journey and how Mork has supported him. Their first meeting . And how they see each other

For, My Demon, this set I made half asleep when episode 6 aired. Followed by the one I worked on the longest because the dialogue of this scene of what would she do if the world were ending and finally the role they play in each others life

Also special shout to my edit on namjoohyuk as the unhinged vigilate - baby you are beautiful, its just that 4 people on here watched the show

#tag game #No way I can tag all shows so gonna do the ones I remember #last twilight #my demon #only friends the series #never let me go

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roseamonglilies · 2 years

Text

Selfish - pt. I

Summary: Billy decides to stop by your house blackout drunk, and confesses a little too much

Word Count: 1,377

Warnings: Billy is mean (in a more cute way, but still), this is a bit short, illiteracy, ig mild sexual tension (?)

Part 2 | Part 3

There was something wonderful about his eyes. An unspoken storm that raged within each iris, like lightning striking the sea. Every instinct in your body screamed of danger, yet you couldn't help but feel drawn to its undifferentiated beauty.

Mid-lecture, amid the worst parts of in-class reading, you caught the flashes of baby blue from three seats across. And while you had yet to face the tempest, you never ceased to feel its intensity with every moment it faced you.

Mrs. Hudson, Hawkins High's finest new addition, droned on excitedly, a well-worn edition of Madame Bovary creased between her hands. She was among the younger crowd of staff within the school, bright, and more ambitious than she likely should be for an English teacher. Yet, she taught with a love for written language that was often times too enthusiastic for her less enthused students.

"Now, who would like to read the next passage?" The less socially inept students shied away from her sweeping gaze. Along with hers, you felt his. "Billy? We haven't heard you read yet, I don't think."

Finally, then did you feel the heat of his eyes leave, if only to find his place among the pages. Mrs. Hudson lingered, whispering quietly which specific paragraph she had left off on, and after a quiet sigh of resignation, he finally spoke.

"'Love, she thought, must come suddenly, with great outbursts and lightnings,'" Hearing such a rugged individual speak words of such rhetoric was certainly a sight. Albeit the air of boredom laced with arrogance left no word untouched. Only then did you finally peek from the text to look at him. Billy sat, slightly slouched in his seat. His legs were sprawled out, spread well past the legs of his desk and onto the aisle between desks. He seemed entirely uninterested by the words he spoke, hardly leaving much space for any sort of form or whims in his speech.

"'A hurricane of the skies, which falls upon life, revolutionizes it,--'" The mistake evaded Billy, though you caught it as soon as the word slipped past his lips. He'd said "revitalize" instead of "revolutionize" as the quote actually read. He didn't seem to notice, or at least, didn't seem to care as he continued his emotionless drawl of words. His voice was low, and you'd realized the unwarranted attention it naturally received from certain classmates. Upon the last line, his eyes suddenly lifted towards you with intent, eradiating a calm sort of intensity that could only be compared to a beast in a cage. "'--Roots up the will like a leaf, and sweeps the whole heart into the abyss.'”

"Wonderful job Mr. Hargrove! Now, who's next?"

Of all the women he could choose in the world, you had to be the one.

♡♡♡♡

"I don't get why you still get rides from that priss, Wheeler." Billy caged you against the hood of his Camaro. He was doing what he always did when you weren't tied down at school: demand attention. However, this time, he had managed to get you right where he wanted you. And while Nancy awaited your arrival, you had to fend off the beast for a while longer. "Are you tryna tell me you like riding with a stiff like that more than me?"

"Because, Billy," Your words held disdain, but he only smiled cruelly at the sound of his name. "Despite your best efforts, I still have friends. And besides, we live next door to each other. It doesn't make sense for you to drive me to the other end of town."

You decided not to mention Billy's driving habits. You'd rather not leave a trail of dead animals along the road whenever you were with him.

"I don't think you're getting the point, Princess," His voice dipped lowly, and you found yourself tightening the hold around your books when he leaned down. Those precious books held tightly to your chest were the only barrier you had to keep Billy from having the true freedom to do what he wanted. His nose grazed the tip of yours, and he refused to break his burning gaze. "Half the people in this town are washed up losers, but they really take the cake."

"You’re unbelievable," You replied to his rude comments with playful mockery. He matched the energy, scoffing in agitated disbelief. You couldn't help but pinch your bottom lip between your teeth to keep from smiling too hard. Billy always had such a knack for insulting everyone and everything, and to some degree, the only way to avoid offense was to deflect and deny. “They aren’t that bad.”

"Will I be seeing you tonight?" His hands lifted from the hood of his car, placing one on your hips. The other looped around the belt fastening your pants, and pulled with just enough force to leave you flush against his waist. You found yourself drawn into the question perhaps a bit in part to the physical contact.

"Tonight?" You hadn't a clue as to what he meant. As far as you were concerned, tonight would be uneventful aside from the dedicated time you always gave to your studies. He clicked his tongue, and while waiting for him answer, you studied the way his rugged bangs framed his face. How a small wavy strand fell just perfectly over his eyes.

"Party," Ah, that was what he meant. "At Carol Perkins’ joint."

"You gonna get drunk again?" You were surprised he'd bother asking again. Parties, not your scene, not that the name Carol Perkins gave you any added enthusiasm. But, still, Billy always asked. And you always gave him the same answer.

"Well if you came with me, I'd have less reason to get drunk," Billy, always the one to shift his excuses, flashed a snide smile. Regardless of whether or not you came, you new well that you would end up driving home with him reeled over in the backseat.

"Find a host I like first, then maybe I'll join you for once." His eyes lost their playful glimmer for a moment, as though you had actually said something more hurtful than the daily insults he threw your way. You wondered for a moment if he was truly self-aware of how many cuts he could make in a single conversation. Billy was often a reckless and angry man, and only more so when influenced by alcohol. And while you sometimes dallied in raves and parties, he was truly something else to witness. "I'm not your dedicated driver, Billy, and I don't like being around you when you're that far gone."

His face deviated, clearly irked that you would say you don't like his company. A little vexed smile graced his lips. It seemed that he had more to say, perhaps another offer, but you had no desire to reconsider, not today. You moved your hand, flat, square on his chest, and lightly pushed. He moved freely out of your way, watching your form begin to turn away. But as you were about to say goodbye, he caught your hand, demanding that you face him for a moment more.

"Gonna be up for visiting hours, then?" There was something odd about his voice. God forbid, but you dared say it was hope. You stared, mulling over the weight of responsibility with your schoolwork and the risk of being caught by your parents.

"If you show up shit-faced I wont be opening anything, got me?" Although you tried your best to sound serious, there was an inevitability that Billy would break his word. And no matter how much you wanted to, you knew that there would be no way you could turn him away. His eyes brightened again, and you understood that the night wouldn’t be nearly as relaxing as you’d hoped it would be.

Before either of you could say another word, the loud honk of Nancy's horn blared from across the parking lot. You quickly waved to the station wagon to indicate that you would be joining her shortly, and then turned to your lover.

"Don't do anything stupid," You quickly leaned in, gave a peck on his lips, and finally began to walk away.

"Don't be so concerned, sweetheart," He slipped a fresh cigarette in his mouth, and leaned in the open window of his Chevy to pull out a silver chrome lighter. With every step towards Nancy, you felt his eyes following. And only after entering the vehicle did you see him pull away.

Bet you thought I was dead. What’s it been, like 4 months since the last post? Well, no, i just have a new fixation >:)

Part 2 | Part 3

#billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargove imagine #stranger things billy #billy stranger things #stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine

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khutsydoh · 7 days

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Realm of the elderlings ask meme thing

This seems fun!

Favourite Rote book: Fool's fate

Why: I loved the series even before this, of course, but it was after this that I knew in my heart that this series was going to be an all time favourite that nothing else could topple. It took me through every emotion imaginable, from laughter to gut wrenching despair, from anger to triumph. It has it all. Fitz's character arc goes to many interesting places. Fitzloved is at it's peak. The plot has many threads that come together wonderfully. The way fitz comes so close to accepting his love for the fool only to be left behind and going back to his heteronormative fantasy has done irreparable damage to me. The way it feels like we are slowly moving towards tragedy by the end and yet fitz fights the narrative itself to bring his beloved fool back. But it still ends badly. Peak "it mattered that the love was there" type of life changing soul altering shit I love. I still do have problems with the way fitz gets back with molly but my love for this book outweighs them<3

Top three favourite characters: Beloved, Fitz, Bee

Top three least favourite characters: Hest, Tats, Lant

Favourite ship of the floating kind: Paragon

Top 3 ships of the people kind: Fitzloved, Patience x Lacey, Amber x Althea (honourable mention to my headcanon that bee will find a female catalyst so that her, perseverance and the catalyst can be the chivalry/burrich/patience trio gone well. Gotta continue the farseer legacy afterall. Except she does not have the internalised homophobia and she has to make the cycles better as the white prophet. Edit: also Princess Caution x Felicity)

Would you rather be witted or skilled: Witted for sure

If you were witted, what animal would you bond with: My dog<3

Would you rather live in the Outislands, the Mountain Kingdom, the Six duchies, Bingtown, the Rain wilds, Kelsingra, Jamailia, the Pirate isles or Mercenia/Fool's homeland?: the Mountain Kingdom! I love the architecture there and I will be close to nature. I could live a quiet life in a cabin with a witted animal without completely leaving society. Plus I could go exploring the skill road to the elderlings marketplace and the place with the stone dragons if i want.

How were you introduced to the books: i went looking to a lot of top 10 fantasy type of lists and YouTube videos when I first wanted to get into adult fantasy. The Farseer trilogy was on most of them and the premise of a bastard prince who could bond with animals spoke to me.

Share a quote you love:

It was a long journey, in the cold and the dark. Somewhere I could hear a whimpering, and I despised myself for that, too. But as I scraped myself along, it grew, as a spark in the distance becomes a fire as one approaches. It refused to be ignored. It grew louder in my mind, a whining against my fate, a tiny voice of resistance that forbade that I should die, that denied my failure. It was warmth and light, too, and it grew stronger and stronger as I tried to find its source. I stopped. I lay still.

It was inside me. The more I sought it, the stronger it grew. It loved me. Loved me even if I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t love myself. Loved me even if I hated it. It set its tiny teeth in my soul and braced and held so that I couldn’t crawl any farther. And when I tried, a howl of despair burst from it, searing me, forbidding me to break so sacred a trust.

It was Smithy.

He cried with my pains, physical and mental. And when I stopped struggling toward the wall, he went into a paroxysm of joy, a celebration of triumph for us. And all I could do to reward him was to lie still and no longer attempt to destroy myself. And he assured me it was enough, it was a plenitude, it was a joy. I closed my eyes

- Assassin's apprentice

Why would I need therapy if I have these paragraphs from ms robin hobb.

Tagging: @apamates @lordgolden @annot8 @treezenith @kaijuerotica anyone else whose in the rote fandom. No pressure:)

#tag game #rote spoilers #rote

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autistic-fandom-trash · 6 months

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jongerry incorrect quotes

*Jon and Gerry skipping stones on a lake* Jon: It’s such a beautiful evening. Gerry, whispering: Take that you fucking lake. --- Jon: Where are you going? Gerry: To get ice cream or commit a felony, I’ll decide on the way there. --- Gerry: Man, I only ever see you awake, do you ever shut down or stop running? Jon: Oh, I’m always running. The question is from what. --- Gerry: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives. Jon: I wake up at 4:30 AM. Gerry:...I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives. --- Jon: Gerry and I have the kind of easy chemistry where we finish each other's- Gerry: Sentences. Jon: Don't interrupt me. --- Gerry: You love me, right, Jon? Jon: Normally, I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere and I don’t like it. --- Jon: Heads up if you try to make a candle with food coloring, the food coloring will just sink to the bottom of the glass, and when the flame eventually reaches the bottom all the food coloring will catch fire and become one giant tall flame that you cannot possibly blow out and the glass will start to crack and then you'll throw your tea on it in a panic and then the extremely hot food coloring will boil and sizzle horribly and then the glass will shatter. Please take my word on this. Gerry: What did you do, Jon? Jon: A MISTAKE. --- Jon: *Kicks the door down looking panicked* Gerry: What did you do? Jon: Nobody died. Gerry: WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT?! --- Jon: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE? Gerry: Anything, honestly, but nerds especially. Jon, desperately, as Gerry bleeds out: YOUR BLOOD TYPE! Gerry: Oh! B positive. Jon: DONT TRY TO CHEER ME UP JUST TELL ME YOUR BLOOD TYPE! --- Gerry: Here's some advice. Jon: I didn't ask for any. Gerry: Too bad. I'm stuck here with my thoughts and you're the only one who talks to me. --- Gerry: You fuckers don’t know about my knife stick. It’s a knife taped to a stick and it’s the ultimate weapon. Jon, not looking up from their book: Spear. Gerry: BLOCKED. --- Jon, about Elias: I prevented a murder today. Gerry: Really? How’d you do that? Jon: Self control. --- Gerry, tending to Jon's wounds: How would you rate your pain? Jon: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend. --- Gerry: Jon, stop! This isn't you, you've gone mad with power! Jon: Well of course I have. Have you ever tried going mad without power? It's boring. --- Gerry: How petty can you get? Jon: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about. --- Gerry: Whaddya call a fish with no eyes? Jon, not looking up: Myxine Circifrons. Gerry:...fsh. --- Gerry, in a beach shirt: So sue me, it's October and I'd like to be on Island Time for a day! Jon: I have Spotify open right now on my computer, do you want me to blast you? Do you want me to put you on blast? Cuz I've got your history right here on the sidebar: Take it Back by Jimmy Buffet, Nautical Wheelers by Jimmy Buffet, Jolly Mon Sing by Jimmy Buffet, Steamer by Jimmy Buffet, trEAT HER LIKE A LADY BY JIMMY BUFFET, MAÑANA BY JIMMY BUFFET, WHEN SALOME PLAYS THE DRUMS BY JAMES BUFFET, HAVANA DAYDREAMIN BY JIMMY BUFFET- What the FUCK happened to you?! Gerry, laughing: I HAD A CASE OF THE MONDAYS! Jon: ARE YOU HAUNTED?! ARE YOU FUCKING POSSESSED?! YOU USED TO BE MY FRIEND! Gerry, cry-laughing: ᴵ ᴴᴬᴰ ᴬ ᶜᴬˢᴱ ᴼᶠ ᵀᴴᴱ ᴹᴼᴺᴰᴬʸˢ --- Jon: This is a mistake. Gerry, enthusiastically: A mistake we're going to laugh about one day! Jon: But not today. Gerry, still enthusiastic: Oh, no. Today's going to be a mess. --- Gerry: If there's going to be a big dramatic scene, wait until I get back. Jon: Of course. I can't flip this table by myself. --- Jon: You often use humor to deflect trauma. Gerry: Thank you. Jon: I didn't say that was a good thing. Gerry: What I'm hearing is, you think I'm funny. --- Jon: Name a more iconic duo than my crippling fear of abandonment and my anxiety. I'll wait. Gerry: You and me. Jon, tearing up: Okay. --- Gerry: So what’s for dinner? Jon, staring at the food they just burnt: Regret.

#my posts #tma #jongerry

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