#they wouldn't allow me to criticise it if I didn't watch it so I did and it was PAIN

[victorian-nymph]

Women be like "I'm fighting demons" and the demons are bad adaptations of jane austen's novels.

#jane austen #persuasion #persuasion netflix #I watched this with my parents! I hated every second #they wouldn't allow me to criticise it if I didn't watch it so I did and it was PAIN #penelope rambles #oh cool this is now my top post

[fandoms-in-law]

Ted Wheeler Knows Parenting

Summary: When Ted and Holly run into Steve and his father in Melvalds Ted has a few things to say about the other's parenting style. It ends up with Steve becoming a Wheeler and a lot of changes in that household.

Authors Notes: I've been working on this for a while, but between my days of recovery fic last month and some bad news I got this morning, I just want to post it, leave it where it is and focus on other stories that interest me. I'm going to make it a small series as while most of what I've written is post season 2 there's some bits for season 3 and 4 written too which I'm adding as oneshots.

I'm only posting this first bit here. If you want to read the rest of the series it'll be on AO3 here

/\/\

According to Nancy, nobody's dad's asked as much as he did about school, so Ted accepted that she wanted him to stop.

Mike asserted it was weird that his dad spoke about his hobbies with so much pride so he reduced that amount within his kids hearing.

Then there was Holly just wanting someone to play dolls with and thrilled he'd keep playing when her friends were around because she said he kept the games fun.

He wasn't and wouldn't claim to be the perfect father but hearing Mike's friends claim he was absent in all but body was hurtful. This was how his eldest and middle child asked him to be, and he would be there for his kids friends too, as much as they let him or realised given their own father situations.

Then there was Steve Harrington. Ted didn't know how to react so acted how Karen's dad had, tried to look after Nancy. Even he was able to see Steve would be lost when he was faced with Karen mothering him, as if it was a foreign concept to him.

That reaction made a lot more sense considering the scene Ted and Holly were witnessing now, just outside the supermarket.

"Think about the mud you're putting our name through, Steven. Your mother has been asked multiple times if she should be looking after you at home and can't argue her cases without allusions being made. I thought you knew better than to cause this trouble." Richard was lecturing, gesturing over Steve's body as if to highlight flaws he wasn't stating.

Whatever Mr Harrington was continuing to say Ted ignored, leaning down to Holly who had also noticed Steve and was already looking for permission to go and say hi. For a while she never thought about it but after a few outings with Karen when others weren't so happy to be interrupted he'd made sure to explain to her to check with them if her friends looked busy. Steve however looked like Holly would be a welcome escape from his father so Ted gestured over, encouraging.

"Steve!" She called, excited and hurrying over.

Ted watched as his face lit up and his focus was set on Holly now, as well as the anger that darkened his father's face.

"Holly Jolly, Mr Wheeler, How are you? You been having an adventure?" Steve asked, focusing on the kid as Ted had known he would. Every time he was around it was the easiest way to get him away from Nancy for a bit to suggest Holly asks to play. That'd been how he'd given the 'don't hurt my daughter' talk months back.

"Dad's getting me sweets but sssshhhhh, Mum said I can't have them so we have to hide them when we're home." Holly explained, ignoring Richard clearing his throat since he was a stranger. "Are you getting sweets too?"

"My father says I can't. You're so lucky with yours, Holly Jolly. I've got to get bread and cheese and that's all I'm allowed." Steve's words were joking for Holly but there was something genuine under them that had Ted wondering just what restrictions the boy was facing aside from being criticised and yelled at in public.

He stepped forward, also ignoring Richard for the moment. "I'm sure we can share ours. It's been a while since you came over and I'm sure Karen would love to have you for dinner."

"That'd be-"

"Unacceptable." Richard Harrington interrupts. "Who are you to undermine my sons life?"

Ted looked at the man in judgement. He'd lived in Hawkins for all his life and everyone knew the Harrington's by name and school memories. This was one of the first times he'd encountered the man since school however and what he saw was lacking, both in appearance and impression from Steve's reactions. "Theodore Wheeler. Unlike you I actually know that inviting someone to dinner doesn't undermine them at all. You standing criticising him in front of Melvalds does however, undermines whatever good reputation the Harrington's have thanks entirely to Steve. I see he raised himself rather than you doing any actual work parenting."

Richard scoffed at that, "Good reputation? You call getting into fights good for our name?"

"My son was one of the kids he was protecting as you would know if you were ever home or paid any attention to the newspapers of Hawkins." Ted countered immediately. "Something I can see you'd never do. How about we go and greet Mrs Byers, ask if there are any remaining papers that include that report as well as the invitations for the esteemed Harrington's to make a comment. I doubt the reporters meant yelling in front of a supermarket about their son failing to what? Avoid getting bruises?"

"You have no right to judge me when you're leaving your child in irresponsible hands." Richard snarled, never noticing Steve's step away and attempting to distract Holly.

"Looks pretty responsible to me even if Steve hasn't more than proven himself to me and multiple families including the Chief of Police if I'm not mistaken." Ted replied coolly, turning to lead the way into the store, subtly gesturing for Steve to head down the candy aisle. This wasn't the argument for kids to have or listen to no matter how grown Steve acted.

Almost twenty minutes later, and after the discovery Joyce Byers wasn't working that shift, Ted went to find his kids, ears ringing with some of the words Richard used about his son and reeling with the knowledge that legally or not, for the moment, he had 4 kids.

Steve was watching the end of the aisle with anxious eyes, but had Holly happily holding a couple of toys and talking about a game she was playing. "Sorry for whatever my father said, Mr Wheeler. I hope he's not hurt you." he immediately began, giving the impression that if he wasn't still looking after Holly he'd have already been hurrying off.

"Don't apologise and since you're living with us now you can just call me Ted." He waved the apologies off, bending to his daughter. "Would you like that, Hols? Like Steve to be your big brother as well as Mike?"

"Living with-" Steve cut himself off from asking with a shake of his head. "Can you explain that to me more later?"

Ted nodded, "On the way home I will. Let's get the rest of this list and head off."

#stranger things #steve harrington #Ted Wheeler #steve harrington's parents #Steve harrington has bad parents #Steve gets adopted by the Wheelers

[ajokeformur-ray]

Something else I'm wondering; when Arthur finds Penny's case file, it seems like he's seeing all the stuff about the abuse for the first time, like he didn't remember any of it. Is it really possible to forget events like that, or that much of one's childhood? (I'm not in medicine so I wouldn't know). Also, why would they give Arthur back to Penny after it was proven she did next to nothing to protect him from her boyfriend's abuse (granted, I know she was abused too, but still)? That just seems like, logically, it'd be a really bad idea.

It is absolutely possible to forget entire events; the brain is incredibly clever and it can basically hide memories from itself as a protection. I'd recommend looking up selective amnesia as a good starting place if you wanted to look into this some more, and maybe C-PTSD too!

I have no doubt that Arthur, on some level, knows he was abused as a child; he displays many signs of this. For example, his body language during the infamous Retail Smile scene (when Hoyt is telling him he needs to return the sign to Kenny's Music), is submissive. Hands in front of him to protect his stomach suggesting he feels threatened by Hoyt but is trying to seem non-confrontational, the way he smiles when he's being criticised and doesn't argue against it... These are all signs of someone abused as a child. It's not definitive, mind you, this is an incredibly nuanced topic, and there's more to it than what I'm going into here, but I do think he's aware of it. Especially because he says in the hospital just before he kills Penny, "you used to tell me that my laugh was a condition", and on his card in the bus scene, it states something like "neurological disorder caused by brain injury".

It's mentioned that Arthur was found, as a child, malnourished, tied to a radiator, with severe trauma to his head, which is another possibility behind why he reacts so viscerally to finding out he was abused as a child and Penny (potentially) facilitated it. Arthur's brain wanted to protect itself from a terrible truth but the memory loss could have come from the physical trauma of the head injuries, as well as the psychological trauma.

That's what I love the most about this film: nothing is canonical and everything is down to personal interpretation. It's all ambiguous and two people who watch it together in the same room at the same time will watch two different films. It's wonderful.

I think Arthur knows. Seeing his Arkham folder totally ripped the ground from underneath his feet and was the final catalyst behind everything happening.

As for Penny being given Arthur back, I really don't know much of anything about American history or proceedings, but as I said before in another ask, it was the 1950s so I suppose Arthur got to stay with Penny because she's his mum, even with the abuse and the way she allowed it to happen. I don't think any thought would have extended beyond the child staying with his mum. I'm sure her boyfriend abused the both of them; there are many signs to suggest Arthur and Penny were both victims ("repeatedly abused your adopted son, and battered you").

Overall, it's a very complicated situation and this answer isn't exhaustive but I hope there's food for thought in here!

#arthur fleck #joker 2019 #tw; child abuse #tw; domestic abuse

[writer-akihiko]

[NSFT] Let Her Command Us - Red Army X Reader

Another accompanying IkeRev piece! It's the Red Army's turn in @xxsycamore's Kinktober event, with special surprises for their Alice. @delicateikemenmemes and @nafeary get your menn-

If you are under 18, do not read. This work contains sex and other sexual themes. Please also consider blocking the [#not family friendly] tag on my blog because I still will be posting that kind of content.

Prompt: Face sitting + Deepthroating; "Oh you think I wouldn't? Watch me."

It was uncommon for them to share. You were the main focus of the Red Army, but it wasn't as if their work was focused on you. You were meant to be shared with the five of them, with the mercy of the King of Hearts.

They loved you equally, even if they tried to outdo one another. There were rules in place when it came to you, since they were such territorial men. They were so different, yet similar in the way they touched you…

You didn't have long to ponder on the nuances, not with the five men half dressed at the edge of your bed. You were in nothing but your nightgown, on your knees as their eyes raked over the sheer material of your dress. If they concentrated hard enough, they could just see your pebbled nipples from their intense stares.

The first one to move was the King, as he deserved. He kept your body imprisoned in the position they adored, particularly your thighs on the King's lap with his arms around your waist, in control of your hips as the slight image of your slick was revealed.

Lancelot was deliberately grinding his hips against your ass, as his hands ran up your thighs, unravelling your dress. The cream, lace panties that were Jonah's favourite were drenched, the darker stain causing the others to groan in such a way.

"Already drenched Alice? How impatient… Makes me wonder if you touched yourself, thinking about us," The King whispered the dirty thought into your ear, as his hands wandered to your breasts, pulling the cloth that covered it down, your mounds bouncing as he did so.

"Allow your humble subordinates to discipline her first, Lancelot," Edgar bowed, along with Jonah. Lancelot huffed, moving you off his lap for your cute ass to land on the soft sheets. Jonah and Edgar finally crawled onto the bed, preying on you as if you were their personal hunt.

Edgar's deft fingers found their way to the hem of your underwear, tugging the drenched cloth with your slick away, raising your thighs to your ankles at his shoulders before fisting the panties, quietly stuffing them away in his pocket.

Jonah meanwhile pressed his back onto the bed, his eyes raking over your nearly naked body. Once the panties were removed by the skillful Edgar, Jonah made a 'come hither' gesture with his fingers as an invitation to sit on his face.

Due to your embarrassment, you balanced yourself, supporting your hands on the bed but Jonah tsked, already criticising at you. His arms brought your hips down to his upper half, as he strictly chastised you. "Sit on me like I'm your fucking throne YN."

Having no way to overrule the Queen, you did as you were told, pressing all your weight on to Jonah as you heard his sinful moan, from feeling your thighs crushing him and the scent of your sweet pussy.

His fingers parted your hot folds for a moment as he mouth hungrily latched onto your clit, his tongue pressing into your core, dragging the lick along your folds before brutally attacking the nub. His actions sent delicious shivers of pleasure up your spine, as you threw your head back, yelling Jonah's full name.

Before you could scream for Jonah once more, Edgar's jealousy took over, forcing your lips onto his, all yells for Jonah muffled with his own tongue. Compared to Jonah's fast, heatful kisses to your lower half, Edgar was passionate and desperate, the sounds of his belt unbuckling in harmony with the sounds of you getting eaten out by Jonah.

Edgar broke the kiss, leaving a trail of saliva between you and him. For as much as he wanted to pin you against the wall and kiss the shit out of you, he had other ideas for your mouth.

He lined his crotch, yet to be unleashed to your mouth. You knew what you had to do. Your fingers continued to unzip the fly of his slacks, the boxer already clinging tightly to Edgar's cock. You allowed your hands to drag down Edgar's abs and V-line, teasing him just before your hands wringed his cock out of his pants.

The heated skin of Edgar's hips enticed you, as your hands ran over his twitching erection. Your hands groped the base of his shaft, erupting a groan out of Edgar that you've never heard before. You gave an experimental lick to the head of Edgar's cock, before swallowing the head, your tongue wrapping around the bulbous tip.

Jonah wasn't about to be outdone by Edgar making you swallowing his cock. His tongue continued to lick up your slick, as the tip of his tongue penetrated your core. It was easy to make you scream, as you were still taking half of Edgar's cock down your throat. The vibrations sent waves of ecstasy along Edgar's shaft, the room filled with the moans of you three.

With Edgar down your throat and Jonah latched to your pussy, it was quick for you to reach your high. A wave of bliss washed over your as you rode your high and Jonah's face, the muscles of your throat convulsing against Edgar's shaft, his seed shooting straight down your throat.

A sigh of pleasure left Edgar's lips as he removed his cock from your throat with a satisfying pop. He carried you by the waist, allowing Jonah to slip out from underneath you. To everyone's surprise, the youngest of them all, Zero, was prepared to have you with Zero tugging on your waist away from his teacher, almost growling when Edgar wouldn't let go.

"Edgar, remove yourself from her. She will pleasure me now."

Lancelot's husky, deep voice commanded his soldier, who immediately did so upon the order. Lancelot's cock was straining against his pants, almost bursting to get out, but he wanted you to undo him.

He settled to the headboard of the bed, his finger curling at you once more. As the obedient girl you were, your body moved to Lancelot, as if attracted to him. His large palm cupped your face, his thumb brushing over those bruised lips from taking Edgar earlier.

"Those lips of yours can still pleasure your King's cock right?"

With a shy nod, you got on your knees, your hands on his pants. Edgar scoffed at Zero, who didn't make a single move when you bent down and had your ass in the air. He was clearly distracted, and it was a chance for Edgar to tease him.

"If you won't smother yourself in her, I might take you up on that, Zero."

Zero scowled at his teacher, huffing. "Oh you think I wouldn't? Watch me."

Zero palmed the flesh of your ass that was up in air, pressing his crotch against you. You stopped your kissing of Lancelot's cock, the shivers up your spine overtaking again. Zero's arms caged you, as his soft ruts against your hips urged you to take on Lancelot's cock.

With the harsh stare of Lancelot, Zero retracted himself, settling to bury his nose in your pussy instead. Zero's fingers tickled your clit, while his tongue wandered to your folds. Zero was sloppier than Jonah's precise, perfect tongue but something about his messy eating made you gush with slick.

It almost hurts taking Lancelot down your throat. He was girthy, and the fact that Edgar made your throat sore didn't help. Lancelot stroked your jaw, as if to ease you. His cock weighed heavy on your tongue, as you licked the underside of his shaft. Your mouth was well slobbered by Lancelot's abundant pre-cum, but you were too cock drunk to care.

"That's it, YN… I know you can take me. Suck me good, YN…"

Zero flattened his tongue in between your folds, spreading you as far as he could with the muscle of his tongue. His cheeks and face were drenched, a scent he wished he could wear as his cologne. He flicked the nub, kissing it. His teeth occasionally grazed against your clit, your screams pleasuring Lancelot's shaft.

You were barely taking half of Lancelot, and yet you felt as if Zero was about to bring you to multiple highs. It had only been minutes with Lancelot and Zero, but Zero's thick tongue in in your folds made you quiver, your body spasming as you came undone, your nectar gushing onto Zero's tongue. He greedily licked you up, not wasting a single drop of you.

"So delicious YN… I could eat you forever if I could…"

Kyle at this point was an impatient man. He too wanted to taste you, but Zero was in his way. The doctor slapped Zero's shoulders, but the soldier didn't stop licking you. You were taking a short break from sucking Lancelot's shaft. Kyle's eyes were almost pleading to you, to let him have a chance in eating you up with the greedy Zero.

"Zero… it's Kyle's turn," You tapped Zero's head, and the Ace's face was an absolute mess. It made you blush the way Zero wiped off the slick on his face, only to shove those fingers back in mouth.

Kyle huffed, leaning over your body, his messy red hair tickling your stomach as he kissed it, his teeth grazing over your skin, hesitant if he wanted to leave a mark. There was a limited time window to do so, as Lancelot was getting impatient.

"Put that ass on me, YN."

You followed Kyle's instructions, Kyle's tongue sweeping up the parts that Zero never touched. The position allowed you to lean over, to try once again to pleasure the King's cock.

You kissed Lancelot's tip, your lips surrounding his tip as you sucked on the tip of his rod, moaning from Kyle's kitten licks to your pussy. The enticing vibrations had Lancelot palm your head, pushing you further down his cock as his shaft slid further within your mouth, finally hitting the back of your throat.

Lustful groans were let out by both men, as you bobbed your head up and down on Lancelot's cock, and grinding your hips onto Kyle's face. You didn't last long under Kyle's curling tongue, overstimulated from Zero's actions. The tip of his tongue barely poked your core, but it sent you shivers, clear liquid gushing from you more than ever before.

It shocked the doctor that you squirted on him, but he wasn't done with you just yet, even if it meant getting drowned by you. He pushed past your orgasm, shoving his long tongue into your core as he inhaled your scent.

The continuous licking on the underside of Lancelot's shaft made the King go wild. There was no signs of him coming to his high, but he locked his cock deep in your throat, as he concentrated on keeping himself together, his balls heavy and ready to cum. "Fuck… YN… The things you do to your King…"

His thrusting didn't slow as you felt the thick shot of his cum in your throat. He chased his high, his high intensifying as he felt the head of his cock pass that band of muscle in your throat. With his cock forming your throat, you crudely swallowed, snaking out his half-hard cock from your lips, kissing the lower half of Lancelot's abs.

Tired, you slumped to the sheets as Kyle at the last parts of you up. The doctor removed himself from you, massaging your tired hips. Lancelot settled near you, cuddling your head to his chest as Jonah came and sandwiched you from the other side. Edgar and his oh so loyal student had a thigh to each of them, kissing the flesh from your knees to your hips as Kyle settled in between your legs. You'd be sore tomorrow but the five of them would ease you back up again for you to command how they should continue this nightly endeavour.

#ikemen revolution #VISIONSOFTEMPTATION2021 #visionsoftemptation2021 #ikemen kakumei #ikemen revolution red army #lancelot kingsley #lancelot x reader #ikerev zero #ikerev smut #ikerev fanfic #ikerev jonah #jonah clemence #ikerev edgar #ikerev edgar bright #ikerev kyle ash #kyle ash #ikerev #ikerev lancelot #not family friendly

[minim236]

The Duke and I

AU - Matthew and Diana:

To prevent a scandal, Matthew Clairmont marries Diana. The problem comes when she asks why they cannot have children.

Matthew didn't know many women who could punch but watching Diana Bishop punch Peter Knox was the best thing he had seen in the social season of 1813.

"Come on," Matthew grabbed her hand and dragged her away before anyone else could see. She did so, for once not protesting his presence.

"I will have to marry him!" Diana cried. She could already see the scandal - alone, with two men she wasn't related to?

"Not necessarily," Matthew replied, and she looked at him. What did he mean not 'necessarily'?

"It is fine for you!" Diana hissed, "You can do as you please. I cannot. My mother is a widow!" Her mind was racing with how her mother, her aunt would be judged.

"Diana. Let me help you." Matthew asked. He knew the Bishop women were self-sufficient, stubborn. But he enjoyed spending time with her and he wanted to help.

Diana sighed and swallowed, looking at this man who had become a friend.

.....

Dearest Reader,

This is a shocking development indeed! Duke of Hastings, Matthew de Clermont has announced his engagement to Diana Bishop, daughter of Rebecca Bishop, the widow.

We all assumed Peter Knox would be the one to sweep her off her feet. It is a shame that he has a few children that his wife did not bear.

The Bishops are unorthodox, to say the least - Stephen Proctor allowed his wife to keep her maiden name and inherit his title and Dukedom.

Ever since the death of his wife and son, we did not believe the duke would marry again, but the young diamond has captured his heart. I do wonder how marriage to such a stubborn and strange woman.

.....

"Why is it called 'Sept-Tours'? You do not have seven towers." Diana pointed out as they strolled through the library.

Matthew smirked, "A few days in our home and my duchess is already criticising

"Well, you like me honest." Diana said, "Do you think we can get more books on alchemy? I read that in Oxford, there are new manuscripts?"

"Of course, we can," Matthew said, "I adore your love of learning." Most husbands didn't like their wives' intelligence. Matthew encouraged it. It was better not to fight a tidal wave or wildfire.

He pushed her against the bookshelf, "I also adore you wanting me."

"The maids," Diana gasped as his hand made its way under her gown. Ever since their marriage had started, Matthew had made it his duty to pleasure her in every manner and she couldn't get enough.

Neither could he. Matthew had forgotten how good it was to make love to someone he loved.

"Are paid very well and are discreet," Matthew assured, with a chaste kiss to her neck as he inserted a finger inside of her.

Diana's eyes closed as he worked her, having quickly learned how she liked to be touched. He thanked her mother for her more liberating upbringing of Diana, in that she wasn't ashamed of her urges or body.

Diana came, shaking around him as he slowed his pace to help her down. Mindlessly, her hand wandered down his front touching his hardened length under his trousers but his other hand stopped her.

"No," Matthew said, sharper than intended. Diana looked at him confused, but he quickly fixed his face into a smirk, "I want to be inside you."

He wouldn't let her touch his arousal. She didn't exactly know why, but Diana hated when she didn't know something.

.....

Shooting wasn't Diana's favourite activity, but Miriam insisted and she wasn't with Matthew or Bertrand.

Miriam looked at Diana with interest.

"Is there something the matter?" Diana asked, seeing the older woman looking at her. More importantly, her stomach.

"You are not yet with child?" Miriam asked bluntly.

"No," Diana whispered, "Miriam? May I ask you something, about the marriage bed?"

"About sex? Yes, always." She smirked.

"How long did it take you to get with child?"

"Jason was born seven months after Bertrand and I married," Miriam smirked, and Diana raised her eyebrows, "Are you asking how frequently you should be

"Well, Matthew and I have been together multiple times. Sometimes multiple times a day." Diana explained as they strolled, "And yet... I am afraid."

"Does he not release his spend inside of you?" Miriam asked, "Or does he clean up afterwards."

"What inside of me?" Diana replied, "And yes."

Miriam sighed and placed her gun down and looked at Diana, "Matthew is a fool. I love him dearly, but he is a fool. He is purposefully stopping himself from impregnating you."

Diana stuttered, "He would not do that." Matthew wouldn't do that? Would he?

"He would. Because he is a scared man and likes to push everyone away. I hoped marriage would change that." Miriam cocked her gun and pointed it to the sky, "Clearly not. Cover your ears." She shot a bird with perfect precision.

Diana related to the bird that had fallen suddenly. Flying high and enjoying life before a harsh truth pulled her to earth.

.....

So, Diana decided to be direct. In a way. After they made love one evening, she watched him carefully.

He pulled out of her with a groan, rolling on his back as Diana caught her breath. Matthew looked at Diana, who had closed her eyes. He believed her to be. He left the bed to get a cloth to finish his release.

Diana watched him do this, hearing his quiet, long groan as he did. Then he placed the cloth in a separate basket before coming back to bed and drawing her in his arms.

"Matthew?" Diana murmured into his chest. Her heart thumped widely.

"Yes?" He looked down at her, gently brushing a tendril of hair out of her face. Her eyes were shy as she sat up and looked at him. Now or never.

"I saw you... using a cloth after we made love." Diana asked, "Miriam told me that men do that to avoid having children."

Matthew hesitated, so Diana continued, "Why do not want children?"

"Diana, I-"

"Would having another child be so awful?"

"No..."

Diana's face grew upset, "Having a child with me?" He didn't respond immediately. She pulled away and grabbed her dressing gown.

"Diana..."

"I am tired. Good night, your grace." Diana said coldly.

They slept apart for the first time that night.

.....

Bertrand knew there was something wrong with Matthew when they met for fencing. He was more aggressive than usual.

"Your wife is interfering in my marriage," Matthew growled as they sparred.

"And why did she need to do this?" Bertrand retorted, sighing when Matthew jabbed the blunt end of his sabre to his chest, "Is it because you are lying to your wife?"

"Glad to know I am part of your pillow talk."

"Not usually. But when you deceive your wife..." Bertrand jibed, stopping.

"Matthew, Blanca and Lucas would want you to be happy in your marriage. That includes having children," Bertrand argued. He remembered how loving and kind Blanca was, how Matthew lit up around her.

And how he retreated into himself when they died.

Matthew sighed as Bertrand disarmed him with a smirk, "I cannot fail another... I cannot fail Diana."

"You love her."

"I do. Which is why giving her a child...." Matthew shook his head.

Bertrand nodded, "What makes you think you will fail? Lucas and Blanca were sick. That isn't your fault. But what will be your fault is this failed marriage as you don't speak to her. Diana is made of tough stuff and frankly

"She doesn't deserve me. She's too good for me."

"You deserve good things, Matt," Bertrand said gently.

Matthew looked down. He hated it when his friend was right.

.....

Matthew approached Diana in her chambers a few evenings later. She was sitting in her nightgown on a chaise, reading a book on the sciences.

"May we speak?" Matthew asked.

"Depends. Will you lie to me?" Diana asked, not taking her eyes off her page. Matthew sat at the edge of the bed, close to her. He waited until she read a few more pages before placing her bookmark on a page and placing it on the side table.

"We do this together." Diana urged, "I want to understand you. But I can't do that unless you actually speak to me!"

Matthew nodded and he sat down, "I am sorry. For not being the man that you would like me to be."

Diana sat next to him on her bed as he took a deep breath, "I am afraid that I will be a... failure as a father. Again. But in turn, I have failed in being a husband to you."

Diana gently stroked his cheek, "You are not alone. I am here and I love you. And our children will love you."

Matthew kissed her hand thankfully, "I do not deserve you. I have deceived you. I am sorry."

Diana nodded, "No more lies. And we do this together."

"Together."

#adow fic #adow x bridgerton #all souls trilogy #bridgerton #diana bishop #matthew clairmont #adows3 #fluff #angst

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 4 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Glamour

You can call it however you want: kid's show logic, superhero disguise logic, magical girl show logic, cartoon laws, suspension of disbelief, etc. But the fact that nobody recognises Marinette, Adrien and others when they are suited up IS NOT BAD WRITING. It's one of the main laws of this genre. That's not because characters are stupid, okay? So, being frustrated that everyone in the show acts stupid about this "wearing a mask that covers only eyes" trope is strange. This criticism is not valid or fair.

But, this trope has to make sense in-universe as a worldbuilding and narrative element.

Miraculous doesn't give us much direct information on how glamour works. And in this case, I think we need both SHOW and TELL. Because if you don't establish the glamour rules clearly, you are going to run into problems and create unfortunate implications with your storytelling choices.

Appearance

Miraculous obviously gives our heroes magical glamour. In "Lady WiFi" we find out that masks can't be taken off. It's magic. No other explanation is needed.

Miraculous can slightly change the appearance of users (eyes, face shape, height and hairstyles). People can identify and notice the hairstyles of heroes (numerous Ladybug wigs, statue in Copycat). Jagged Stone points out the change of hair when he mistakes Chloe for Ladybug ("Antibug"). But it's just a costume. There is no magic that prevents Jagged from understanding that Chloe isn't Ladybug. So, how does it work? But it's forgivable because it's cartoon logic. Suspension of disbelief works here, I suppose. I won't judge this too harshly.

Glamour also obviously prevents people from making a connection that Marinette and Ladybug have identical hairstyles. So people know that Ladybug wears her hair in pigtails, but magic does not allow them to notice similarities.

Another important question. Does glamour work on Kwamis? Can they see who is behind the mask?

New York Special makes it clear that magic does not affect robots and they can see through glamour. Does that mean that Markov, AI built by Max, knows the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir? And it's never addressed.

Plagg in "Frightningale" says that holders can subconsciously choose their superhero appearance. This is actually pretty interesting and I like this idea a lot. Except the show is not consistent with this. The transformation of Master Fu looks identical to Nathalie's. And we have seen how different from each other Ladybug and Black Cat holders looked in the past. At the same time, Master Fu and Nino have different takes on Turtle superhero suit.

Age Glamour

Does age glamour exist? Do people see Ladybug, Chat Noir and other heroes as adults even when they look like teenagers to the audience (their height and build are smaller even when they are transformed)? Is that why no one ever questions the fact that children nearly die on a daily basis?

I mentioned unfortunate implications earlier. Well, this is where they come into play. Let's talk about "Copycat". A lot of people discussed it before me, so I won't bore you with details.

When I watched "Copycat" for the first time Theo's crush on Ladybug didn't bother me, because I thought that he sees Ladybug as his peer, a girl who is about 20-23 years old. Theo is an artist, his character design is that of an adult. He has his own studio, its appearance indicates that he did serious commissions in the past. The guy has no idea that Ladybug is like 13.

But then we get "Heroes' Day" and "Ladybug". And Hawkmoth calls them "kids", which means that there is no age glamour. Others see Ladybug and Chat Noir as teenagers. Perhaps, other Miraculous users aren't affected by age glamour. Therefore regular people see all heroes as adults but other heroes are able to guess their age more or less correctly. But you must spell this thing out because the audience can interpret "Copycat" differently. If there is no age glamour, then Theo is crushing on a teenage girl and he is fully aware of this fact. And this doesn't look good for your show.

The "No Age Glamour" theory is further confirmed in "Sapotis" where Alya just straight up analyses voice recordings and says that Ladybug is a girl their age. If glamour exists then it should also cover technology. Kwami can't be photographed. Face and voice recognition software shouldn't be able to analyse transformed superheroes and detect their identities in any way.

Besides, after "Sapotis" Alya should definitely be sure that Ladybug is not 5000 years old (also not an adult), especially after she wore Miraculous herself and was one door away from detransformed Ladybug.

SEASON 4 UPDATE! There's no age glamour after all.

In "Furious Fu" Su Han calls Chat Noir a child without knowing his identity. It means that everyone knows their superheroes are teenagers. "Copycat" can't be saved from that, uh, subtext anymore. No one questions the danger of their job or the balance of their lives outside of the mask. No one doubts their competence after "Origins" ever again. No one becomes annoyed after being bossed around by two teenagers in spandex. You had many opportunities to drop these details into the narrative. Someone could have been akumatized over this (I will not be ordered around by some magical kids!).

I don't know why writers decided not to use at least this idea and slightly adjust "Copycat" if they got rid of the age glamour completely. It can be explained as kid's show logic, but unfortunately, I'm reluctant to do it. If many characters sympathise with akuma victims on-screen, why not with the teenage superheroes who must fight them?

New York Special had this weird focus on collateral damage out of nowhere (the damage done by sentimonster Robostus) and yet it has 0 effect on the main story. No one in Paris is pissed that their 2 teenage protectors weren't there.

Ironically, "Furious Fu" and that one remark made by Su Han also created unfortunate implications for other moments in the show. Just hear me out. Apparently, Jagged Stone wrote a "thank you" song for Ladybug knowing that she is 13-15 year old child back in "Pixelator". Fandom is more than happy to roast Lila for lying about saving Jagged Stone's cat and him writing her a "thank you" song. Fandom claims that Lila's tale could harm Jagged's reputation, when he wrote a song for teenage Ladybug several weeks prior. Meanwhile, in-universe this lie is 100% believable.

If we put on "realism glasses", then both this whole song situation and Theo's crush in "Copycat" have uncomfortable implications. However, the show's canon can't be viewed and criticised through "realism glasses". I admit that bits and pieces of my criticisms are affected by these "glasses", but, ultimately, I'm trying to be fair and concentrate only on things that can't be justified by "cartoon logic and worldbuilding".

Could the existence of age glamour solve this problem of unfortunate implications and other concerns mentioned above? YES. Is it better for the narrative? YES. Is essential for the story? NOT QUITE. Could the absence of age glamour be called an irredeemable storytelling flaw? NO.

Disclaimer: On a side note, only older audience can notice these implications. Children, the target audience, most likely won't understand this subtext simply because they don't have enough experience. So, perhaps, this criticism is unfair, because these moments only look weird to me as an adult. It's like an adult joke in a cartoon that you don't get until you reach a certain age.

There's nothing technically wrong with adult writing a "thank you" song for a teenager. It's just an expression of gratitude. However, unfortunately, we live in a world, where adults normally wouldn't write songs for teens to express gratitude only. In real life similar actions would imply pedophilia and would be actively scorned by the public. No one would risk their reputation like that even if their intentions were genuinely pure and sincere. But this show can't be viewed through "realism glasses", because it's a cartoon and in certain cases we as the audience must use suspension of disbelief and pretend that certain things are possible for plot to happen.

Su Han also wants to give Ladybug and Black Cat to adults. Why didn't Master Fu do this then? Writers don't give us any explanation. Throughout the show we never question this up until the moment it's revealed that adults don't have time-limited powers. Then comes "Furious Fu". Story suddenly becomes self-aware here. Because apparently nothing prevented Fu from giving the most powerful Miraculous to adults who won't have time limit and will be more effective against Hawkmoth (see part 3 for more details).

I have a very good example of Age Glamour done right. It works in the story. There is no confusion or unfortunate implications. There is like one plothole connected to the glamour (it's been years and I still can't forgive them for Cornelia and Caleb) but otherwise, it's a pretty solid example of both show and tell. Clearly, writers wanted to avoid uncomfortable implications which are present in "Copycat". I am talking about W.I.T.C.H. comic books and animated series.

If you are not familiar with it, I'll give you a brief explanation. The story follows 5 girls, the Guardians of Kandrakar who are chosen to protect their world and parallel ones from evil. They receive magical powers from the amulet known as the Heart of Kandrakar. Their powers are based on elements: fire, water, earth, air and energy. Our main characters are about 13-15 years old. In the animated series they are younger and they attend middle school, making them 12-14 years old. But the transformation makes them look 18-20. They look like young women to each other and to other people. At the same time, people can recognise them, their looks and voice don't change. Most people don't know that they are really teenagers when they are not transformed and these people don't know that magic can make them look older. That's why everyone treats Guardians like adults when they are transformed. Comics establish this fact in the very beginning. In first issues characters state that they look older, we are also shown this multiple times.

In fact, one of the first side plots revolves around the fact that Irma uses her powers to sneak into the disco club to meet up with her crush. Irma is 13 at the beginning of the series, she is a high school freshman. Her crush, Andrew Hornby is a senior guy 17-18 years old. Irma has liked him for a long time and wants to impress him, so she decides to be clever about this. She transforms into her Guardian form of the 18-year-old girl, hides her wings, sneaks out to the club after her parents are asleep without any problem, and meets Andrew, who obviously doesn't recognise Irma in this girl who looks about his age. Smitten Andrew offers her a ride and 13-year-old Irma doesn't understand the implication of that offer, so she accepts. And, obviously, he decides that she is interested in more than just a ride home, since she agreed, and the comic implies that he fully intended for them to have sex in the backseat of his car. But Irma understands the implication only when Andrew tries to kiss her. She panics and turns him into a frog. And she actually pulls this "I need to look mature" trick more than once over the course of the series.

It's not the only situation where this age difference is handled well and makes sense. People who know the main characters in everyday life remark on their older appearance during transformation. Sometimes people flirt with Guardians when they are transformed. In one of the side-novels centred around Cornelia, she is worried that the prince of the realm they helped to save from famine would try to marry her. That never happens, but Cornelia actually brainstorms with her friends about how to tell the prince that she is really 15.

There are many other plot points where this happens, but I think that you got the idea. I really like how "Age Glamour" was handled in W.I.T.C.H.

How do we fix this? Create the situations where people offhandedly mention "Age Glamour" in the presence of Marinette or Adrien, use Kwami for this.

"Don't worry, dear. Chat Noir and Ladybug are adults, who know what they are doing. I am sure that they will handle this. "

Theo could say: "Oh, I wonder which university Ladybug goes to?"

"So, does that mean that other people see us as grown-ups, Tikki?"

A few words and boom, problem solved. Then allow the "show don't tell" rule do the rest.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #miraculous analysis #miraculous meta #ml meta #ml analysis #miraculous transformations #miraculous critical #miraculous ladybug critical #miraculous glamour #superhero glamour #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Their Doll 6

Righteous and Condescending

B.Barnes x Reader, S.Rogers x Stark!Reader

series synopsis:  y/n Stark, all records of her non existent, and yet Hydra still find her. When she is kidnapped by a certain super-soldier and no one believes her, she finds herself searching for unexpected familiarity in her not-so-distant past.

Series Warnings: smut, violence, torture, swearing

Chapter Summary: Tony and Steve are dicks

Warnings: angst (I think), swearing

A/n: The timeline in this has been altered, as there I things I wanted to include but I also wanted this fic to follow the storyline/timeline of Winter Soldier and Civil war.So for purposes of this fanfic, Peter Parker was discovered by Tony at a much younger age - when he was bitten - and has been an intern with him since, almost like a protégée.(For the purposes of this story Peter was bitten much younger too - more like when he was 9 or ten rather than 14/15)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

"You're kidding, right?" Tony drawled, chewing obnoxiously on another blueberry. When Bruce didn't respond, Tony frowned slightly, turning to Steve. "He is kidding, right? I mean, she doesn't even look like Lily!" Tony said harshly, but Steve wonky sighed heavily before closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them he passed Tony the sheet of paper that held all of his answers.

Tony snatched the piece of paper from Steve's hand, eyes running over the black ink cynically over and over until he finally looked back up at the table of avengers. Bruce and Steve had hard expressions, whilst Thor and Clint looked genuinely amused with the situation, and y/n had a resentful glint in her eye.

Now that she met him again, seen him up close, she couldn't help her bitter tone as she snapped.

"How's Peter?" Her eyes were cold - colder than ice as she glared at Tony, hand balling into fists in her lap. Tony gulped, eyes darting around the room and avoiding her's.

"At school," he said slowly, "and living with his aunt May." Y/n scoffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"I'm surprised you even let that kid out of your sight. I mean come on, Dad, we're to too busy pampering your little protege to even spare a week to come and find me? Do I mean that little to you?" Y/n asked, a glint of tears now in her eyes. Tony made a face, as if he'd been wrongly accused, and held his hands out in defence.

"Come on, kiddo, that's hardly fair - he was only young, and struggling at that." Y/n gasped at her father.

"And I wasn't? After years of loving me you just decided he needed more than me? It hurt, dad, and I tried to tell you that but you didn't listen!" Y/n's voice broke on the last word, a tart finally slipping from her welling eyes.

"Maybe you should take this to another room?" Bruce asked weakly but his comment was lost the second Tony began talking.

"You think that kid didn't need my love too? His parents died, y/n! It's not like I just picked him up from the streets and discover he had superpowers!" Tony almost shouted, his raise in voice making y/n flinch. Her eyes blew wide at his statement and the man seemed to realise what he'd said the second her reaction was seen.

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"Mean to what, dad? Didn't mean to abandon me? Didn't mean to let HYDRA torture me, force me to kill for them?" Y/n interrupted, completely ignoring the bulging eyes glued on her and Tony as they bickered.

"Y/n, I-"

"You what? Are you sorry, dad? Do you feel bad?" She snapped, pushing harshly from her chair and standing inches in front of him. "Well fuck you, because you were so wrapped up with your little Spider-man project that you forgot me. And I deserve better than that." Y/n stormed away, fists clenched at her side as she tried not to punch her dad or anyone else in her fit of rage.

"Y/n!" Steve called after her, but the girl was already gone. Steve was out of his seat a second later, charging after the girl who he considered completely out of line. "Y/n!" Steve snapped, wrapping his nimble yet thick fingers around her bicep and spinning the girl to face him when he caught up to y/n.

"What the do you want, Rogers?" Y/n seethed, face burning with anger.

"You're completely out of line, cut it out." Steve grit through his teeth, grip on her arm only tightening as he pulled y/n closer to him. It was like they were sharing the same air, with how close he was now standing to her.

"So you're telling me that if you saw the man who left you to die - or worse - for the first time in years, you wouldn't be angry too?" Y/n demanded.

"Yeah, but unlike you, I wouldn't react so brashly." Steve countered. Y/n raised her brows.

"Oh, really?" She challenged.

"Really." Steve confirmed, jaw clenching and unclenching. "If you want to remain here, without rotting in a cell, I suggest you straighten out your attitude."

"Oh yeah? And what're you gonna do about it? I hardly doubt Natasha would approve, and Thor seemed very fond of me." Y/n smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. Steve's jaw clenched again and he quickly pushed her backwards.

Y/n made a 'hmph' noise as her back collided with the wall, air rushing from her lungs rather unpleasantly.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, little one." Steve was now the one seething, whilst y/n had become rather amused at his little 'lecture'. "I'm the one pulling the strings around here, so you better watch it." He continued, before pushing away from her and turning to walk down the hall. Before he was out of range, he called over his shoulder, "I want you down in the gym and ready to train in ten. Don't be late."

...

"Harder." He demanded, arms crossed as he watched y/n punch the bag. "I said harder, y/n, not faster." Steve scolded, frowning as the girl seemed to think speed was much better than technique.

Y/n's knuckles were sore from punching the bag repeatedly, the wraps that once acted as a thin barrier between her skin and the bag long gone as they'd unraveled after the relentless punching. Steve had scolded her about that, of course, remarking scornfully about how if she'd wrapped them better it wouldn't be an issue. He had done nothing but criticise her - from the way y/n wrapped her fists down the the damn way that her fist hit the bag.

She could do nothing right, in his eyes, and it was infuriating. They had been at it for three hours, and Steve had only allowed two drinks breaks over the whole course of that time. They started on hand-to-hand combat, and when Steve decided she couldn't even punch him right, he had taken it upon himself to teach her. And now here they were, two hours in and Steve was still making the same criticisms. It was hard to tell whether y/n just wasn't listening to him or if Steve just didn't like her.

It was most probably both.

"That's enough." Steve finally said and y/n came to a halt, breathing so heavily it was as if she'd been exercising for hours with no break-

Oh wait. She had.

"Let's take a look at your aim." Steve decided, already walking towards the target practice.    Y/n finally caught her breath, striding over to join the super Soldier and picking up a belt from the rack on the nearby wall - one filled with an array of throwing knives that she'd been itching to use once she'd gotten in there.

Despite wanting to use them, y/n couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness - tinged with nostalgia - when she eyes the knives, the silver, glimmering blades only reminding her of The Soldier, and how he'd been left behind. Not that she figured he minded, after all, he never seemed to mind being HYDRA's assassin as long as he got fed.

"C'mon, Stark, let's hope your aim is much better than your punch. For your sake." Y/n clenched her teeth. Did he not remember she was a trained killer and assassin by HYDRA? Or was he just that self-righteous and condescending? The question was swiftly answered, and in the following moments y/n chose the latter option.

Y/n set herself up, pulling her shoulders back she made sure her stance was correct - just like the soldier taught her - and her wrist was loose - just like the soldier taught her - and threw. The knife pierced just to the right of the minuscule centre point, y/n's breathing steady and yet still heavy.

"Almost. Fix your stance."

#smut #captain america fanfiction #captain america #winter soldier #winter solider fanfiction #bucky barnes #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barns x reader #bucky barns imagine #bucky Barnes smut #bucky fanfic #bucky x you #steve rogers image #steve rogers x reader #steve x bucky #steve roger fanfic #steve rogers #steve rogers smut #seb stan #sebastian stan #Sebastian Stan smut #chris evans #chris evans smut #marvel fanfic #marvel smut #marvel

[ectora]

REVIEW 313

took me some time to actually get into that review lmao But i really loved the episode. I know some people will probably have complains about it, but as someone who absolutely loves Abigael, I really liked it. And honestly the fact that abigael was finally included in the main story is not even the reason why. I loved the pacing, it actually felt like Charmed. The stakes, the construction, the format, it was all on point. It was genuinely their best episode alongside 307 (two episodes related to the tomb lmao) and one of their best in the show imo.

I've put it in "hidden" cause it ended up being so long I did not expect that im sorry 😭

SCREEN TIME

Maggie: 29m20s

Macy: 27m36s

Mel: 25m39s

Abigael: 20m17s

Jordan: 10m32s

Harry: 47s

Not gonna lie, I did not miss Harry this episode. Maybe it's just cause I don't like the way they have been writing both him and Macy this season, way too focused on the relationship, but his story does not really interest me. And I enjoy watching Macy interact with other characters a lot more. I think we could have had a little bit more of Jordan as well.

What I liked

where do i even start. I genuinely enjoyed so many things in this episode.

As said earlier, I really enjoyed the structure of the episode, to me it finally really felt like charmed. The way the episode was done was beautiful and I LOVED the trial in a general manner. They're terrible lawyers, but still loved it lmao

Ok hear me out, the fact they had abigael and macy say what the fan had been saying but reversing the roles was actually sent me lmao

I really enjoyed that they balanced the rights and wrongs of abigael. I'm part of the people who think that overall, most of what she did was not that deep tbh, but the episode allowed to have nuances and hold her accountable for things she did while also recognising that she did good things.

Abigael finally interacting with the sisters. To me, that's the sign of good characters tbh, how they can interact with different other leads/mains and such relationships being interesting. Abimel, i'll talk about it a bit later cause i have lots to say. But AbiMacy ? I absolutely always love their scenes, one of the reasons being that I genuinely think they're the two best actresses in the show and you can really feel it when they're on screen. They have easy chemistry and whatever they are doing, they just work. They also had one of the best potential of the show in terms of dynamic and I will never forgive the writers for ruining this, especially because it's in part because of a man. Anyway, their scenes were amazing to watch and I need more. I was especially happy because let's be honest, if Macy has valid reasons to dislike Abigael, they often miss-portrayed that in the show and it often came across as being mostly based on the whole love triangle between Macy Abi and Harry. But this time it really was not and Macy was quite fair, even reaching the conclusion Abi doesn't belong in there - she does not- and I liked that they actually were fair on Macy's dislike and distrust. Then there was AbiMaggie. Honestly, it's not a relationship i expected to enjoy that much but oh god i love them. I loved them in episode 207 and I still do. They just have such a funny dynamic, I can't even explain it correctly but it just work. They're throwing remarks at each other sure but it's almost in a sweet funny way. Abigael calling Maggie 'Legally Brunette" was so funny and cute at the same time.

Talking about Maggie, I really liked her this episode. I love how she reacts in situations where they need a cold head. She takes the lead, she does what needs to be done and she reaches the goal. I really enjoy seeing her taking that role a little bit more. Especially because to me Maggie was always the one with the most nuanced view on the world which I really appreciate. I loved her speech at the end and she grew so much since season 1, she's really so great. The more we advance in the show, the more she shines.

I really liked what happened at the end with the sisters recognising that they are themselves not perfect and are even chaotic. I have a point about being chaotic for later but anyway. Yes the sisters are not perfect. Honestly, they have done questionable things in the past themselves and often are the cataclysm of new things happening. I think it just makes them more interesting and better characters. Black and white can only get so long. Nuanced, imperfect, that's where the complexity lies and what is more interesting imo.

The perfecti really are good characters. I mean their logic was completely f*cked, but they are so entertaining to watch, it's actually great. I like also that they continued that idea that logic without emotion is dangerous. But in some ways tbh, the Perfecti are not even logical. They want to think they are, but their own logic is flawed and like Macy said, completely lacks context.

Finally the power of three and FINALLY, the plot goes forward. Maybe that's another reason I really enjoyed the episode, the fact that it actually had a good flow, it felt like one constructed episode and it actually advanced the story which cannot be said about a lot of the episodes. So I'm happy that happened.

And finally Abimel. I mean, no one can be surprised Abigael has feelings for Mel tbh, girl has not been subtle about it lmao But that declaration was actually cute and their scene at the bar ?? paralleling the one in season 2, it was so sweet. I just love them tbh, and I really think they could have been the ship a lot of us were waiting for in the sapphic community especially.

Abigael's past. Like I loved learning more about her past and her mom. Obviously her traumatic past does not exempt her from her own actions but I do believe it give strong grounds for redemption. it also gives us a lot of insights in her character. Her mom was an absolute monster and what she did to her was terrible. There is no surprise in Abigael's absolute lack of self worth and her unhealthy coping mechanism. Like her mom basically spent her life telling her she was deficient and then punished her for something she had no control on whatsoever. She punished Abigael for her own action and her own liaison with a demon. She probably projected her anger about that relationship on the child that came out of it and it's absolutely horrifying. Like no wonder Abigael is not fond of witches and went into the demon side tbh. Like that's not surprising at all. It also explains why she was so against the idea of witch = good that the sisters keep perpetuating because that's simply not what she experienced. Again, it does not excuse everything she did but I do believe it helps understand the character better and that ultimately, it gives space for a redemption. And again, kuddo to both poppy and the actress who played her mom. First that was great casting and it was really well played.

Remarks

To be honest, I don't really have things I genuinely disliked so I'm more gonna do like a section where i could criticise some of the aspect which to me did not necessarily made sense but were often still funny, and who knows maybe done on purpose. It's gonna be a mix of a little bit of everything.

One of the first thing I was kinda confused on was their use of the term chaos. Because, well, chaos doesn't equate evil. But that's the angle they started taking at the beginning which to me was confusing. It didn't make the episode bad, but the more I think about it, the more I'm like the defence they were going with had nothing to do with the charges 😭 Like, the sisters tried to prove that basically Abigael was a good person. But the charges were that she was chaotic. and by the end of the episode we did reach that kind of point where they said everyone was chaotic and everything - which i liked - but also didn't really match the angle they took the entire episode. Because, I personally never saw Abi as evil. But she is 100% chaotic like that girl is the definition of chaotic and I love her for it. But her doing good or bad is not necessarily what makes her chaotic. Good deeds can be as chaotic as bad ones. For example, Abi binding her own power could be considered as good by some people (it's not really but you see what I mean) but by doing so, she would lose the title of overlord and therefore end the treaty. In that case the war would start and that would definitely be chaotic. If she was to stay overlord however, and control the demon world, which can be seen as bad i guess, she is keeping the war from happening and stopping attacks toward witches and innocents, which is the contrary of chaotic. So yeah, the angle they took did not actually make that much sense cause the two are not the same.

Not gonna lie, bringing Godrik up was so weird to me cause like he tried to kill her first and they all know it, yet she was the one said to try to murder him and I was like ? did we all forgot what happened ? 😭

Some of the things brought by the perfecti - such as her killing those humans or demons - seemed weird because like, the sisters did the same in the past 😭 But also that's part of the whole lack of context aspect I guess.

No they really used Francesca as a witness out of all the people in the world like the woman is a whole child abuser who asked help to the elders, which have been established as like, not good people lmao I know it was part of the whole the perfecti are very selective on the information they actually take into account and they use the information as well as twist them to fir their own narrative but still it came across as weird because that woman was the definition of evil. But that's also what ticked the sisters so well.

Why did they not call Harry to testify was also kinda like ... weird. I mean at the same time I can't really complain but still, it was a bit odd. Also the fact they never thought about showing what was abigael actually doing with Jordan lmao I mean it wouldn't go along with the plot but still.

Ok, that take is subject to controversy and I know it but anyway : to me, Abi stealing Macy's power was ... not that deep. Don't get me wrong, the story was bad. The execution was even worse. In the show itself tho, objectively, as an act, it was not that bad. It actually made a lot of sense for Abigael to take it for herself. Macy wanted to get rid of her demon powers, no one was forcing her. And Abigael actually asked her multiples times if she was sure. Macy definitely had her reasons to do so. But at the end of the day, Abi picking them up when they were gonna disappear in thin air is really not that bad. It's logical. Don't get me wrong I'm glad Macy is getting them back, but I also think there has been a lot of mix up between the actual act of stealing the powers and the way it was done/optics ( I still don't understand how anyone wrote that scene and was like, yeah kneeling is a good idea ??? Like what's wrong with you 😭). But like ultimately, the act itself is not bad. questionable ? sure. Evil ? really not. Like let's be honest here. Abigael never hid who she was (past ep3 obviously). She did not pretend to be an angel, nor that she was a good samaritan. At the end of day, the sisters knew who she was and how she worked. They came to her knowing this. At some point, there is a need to acknowledge that, she was no angel, but they knew that and still went to her. She said it herself, she is used to fight for herself, and she'll sting to protect herself first - which i personally don't really hold again a character. If you go in bed with a scorpion, you can't ignore the fact there is a chance you're gonna get stung. Plus, when Abigael "stung" she also actually still gave them what they wanted/needed. I personally never saw self interest negating a good action. I don't really care if she gets something out of helping. Like at the end of the day, why wouldn't she take them ? In some ways however I do understand why Macy would be mad, she asked for help and she didn't realise Abigael stole them and she doesn't like abigael in the first place so why would she be ok with Abi taking them. That's valid too. But objectively, it was more a she was offended and mad that Abi herself had them more than a it's a terrible thing to do kinda feeling. So like it's a bit of a weird situation because Macy being annoyed and mad is valid but at the same time, it's really not that bad in itself. But overall that story should have never existed in the first place. And certainly not happen like this.

Abimel. I loved it but I also have issues with it. Mostly based on the fact we learned Poppy was leaving the show. And not gonna lie, I cant stop myself from feeling like it was almost a bit .. baity if I dare say. They had basically admitting having feelings for Mel and low key hoping it could lead somewhere when honestly, if she's leaving, they did not need to make it romantic. Because honestly, watching this episode not knowing she would leave ? You'd definitely could think it's happening, especially with all the other hints in the past. They could have made it like more about how Mel was the one giving her a real benefit of the doubt and they had a connexion and she wanted to be worthy of that. It would not be romantic. Especially cause she admitted caring about all sisters so it would have worked. Again, don't get me wrong, I want the most Abimel i can get lmao but also it feels a little weird. It's complicated. 😭

Jordan is definitely coming back, I just wonder what are going to be the circumstances. I completely understand why my boy needed a break. Like their time in the tomb was long. We don't exactly know how time works there but remember, in episode 7 when the sisters were stuck, the normal time was like what ? hours ? while in the tomb it was days for Maggie. So there it was days in normal time so in the tomb ? could potentially feel like weeks, months even. So yeah, give him a break and some time to breath. I know they're dragging this whole Joggie thing but because of Covid i also understand and will let it go. I really like them tho.

Abi has some alcohol problems I feel like should maybe be talked about. Like she uses it as an escape, as a way to numb her feelings. There is a reason it was used to symbolise her submitting herself to the tomb. And her first reaction after leaving the tomb was drinking. When she feels unhinged or vulnerable ? She drinks ? When she lost the title of overlord ? She drank. Alcohol is her escape which is a bit worrying.

Not about the episode but I think it needs to be brought up. I've seen people trying to say they brought up the abuse storyline for abigael out of nowhere and like. Listen I completely understand not trying to give more thoughts to a character you dislike, that's fair enough. But saying that storyline is out of nowhere is just a lie. The only new elements we had here were the details of the abuse she went through. They showed the clip again in the episode, where Abigael talks to Mel about her mom. She rejected her, she made her felt, deficient, wrong. All that is emotional abuse. She said her mom tried to fix her which can easily be thought about physical abuse. Like none of these things were new. To be honest, not a single thing they clarified/established for abigael this episode does not follow up with what was in the show in the past. Her feelings for Mel were honestly rather obvious at this point. Her not wanting TCO to get hurt ? There is literally a scene where Godrik tells her it's her head or the sisters and she never really even thought about throwing the sisters under the bus. She even asked who knew and it's easy to think it's because if no one knew she could put it under the rug. Again, it's fair enough for people to dislike her to not try to put more thoughts into her motivations or scenes in a general manner, but then you can't really say things are out of the blue.

And most importantly, I'm sorry, I don't care if you dislike the character, but if you dismiss the abuse just because of the dislike, that's a problem. What a character goes through in her past does not, in any way, have to change your opinion about them. Whatsoever. However when it comes to issues like child abuse, the bare minimum would be to be respectful of the subject and not say "she deserved it", "should have done more" or just say you don't care cause that changes nothing. Again, it doesn't have to change anyone's opinion at all and it does not excuse behaviours, but man, minimal respect is not that hard.

Highlights

This episode genuinely had such funny moments, i loved it.

« Is this a hard time to admit I failed debate in high school ? » and « could the defendant keep her commentary to herself » competing with each other for the funniest part of the episode. The delivery was perfect on both part. And Abi and Macy interactions are always so good and them bantering more or less seriously all the time is sending me. Macy was just so annoyed with her, i loved it.

« Need something legally brunettes » I said it already but I loved that little scene between AbiMaggie and that line particularly.

Abigael went from saying "I could care less about any of you" to "because I deeply care about her" followed by a whole ass declaration AND admitting she does actually care about all of them. My girl got absolutely played and it was genuinely so funny. Like Abigael was so freaking smug about testifying against herself and she got played so hard, she was SO annoyed it was actually hilarious.

"Every battle I fought, I fought alone" like excuse me while I'll go cry in a corner. Again, Poppy has been absolutely killing her role this season.

"Your arguments are illogical" the perfecti have such audacity like girl have you heard yourself ? 😭 no one is being less logical than you right now.

Lmao when Macy said Abigael belonged into the tomb, Mel was not agreeing 😭 And Maggie was having none of the drama either she just wanted out.

The sisters realising they had to be Abi's character witnesses lmao it was hilarious pleas idc.

Theories

With Poppy Drayton leaving, there are two theories I kinda have. Obviously Abigael is either gonna die or leave. Ngl, I can feel the dying one coming more but well, that brings the two theories.

Abigael would sacrifice herself. Which I don't like but honestly let's be honest, there are 95% chances of that happening. I could see her sacrifice herself for Mel or for the sisters in general. But that's where my abimel issues are coming. I love abimel. I want the most abimel i can have until the end. But Abigael admitting have feelings for Mel just in the purpose of having her sacrifice herself for her and to be 'worth it' ? that's not only a byg trope, it's also lazy.

If she just leave, which wouldn't really make sense to be honest cause why would she just leave, would she give up the title of overlord (why even) or would they bound her powers (i would hate that) ? but anyway, if that's the case, I could actually see her learn Waverly is not actually the one rejecting her. Waverly could very possibly not be the one who communicated with Jordan and the sisters. No one ever saw her, the letters are only signed by her name. It's a bit sus tbh, so nothing stops it from being Francesca actually impersonating her daughter to keep her away from Abigael.

I want to know more about the perfecti. We know they killed charmed ones before, and it doesn't seem like charmed ones existed when they were created ? Maybe the charmed ones were created after they went into the tomb ? I still am not sure about them going into the tomb by themselves tbh. But also they don't seem to be evil in the sense they want power or whatever, more in the fact like they consider themselves perfect and that if someone stands in their way, they'll just get rid of them.

#charmed #charmed cw #charmed reboot #charmed 2018 #macy vaughn #mel vera #maggie vera #abigael caine #abigael jameson caine #jordan chase #harry greenwood #abimel #mel x abigael #mel x abby #charmed analysis #charmed review #charmed 313

[jadelotusflower]

June 2021 Roundup

It's been a month of highs and lows. Every year my city holds a cabaret festival, and I've seen some truly amazing acts over the years - including Lea Salonga, Kristin Chenoweth, and Indina Menzel. This year's Artistic Director was the great Alan Cumming, and although due to covid he didn't quite get to curate the program he wanted to, the opening night Gala was still a highlight, as was Alan's DJ set at the pop-up Club Cumming afterwards, where there was much singing at the top of my lungs and dancing to pop anthems and theatre tunes. At one point Alan, dressed in a onesie and perched on the shoulders of a man wearing only sparkly short shorts, was carried around the dance floor while Circle of Life blared. Reader, I was delighted.

I was also able to see his solo show Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, which was hilarious and damn, he can sing!

As for the low, I was meant to fly to Sydney for the weekend to see Hamilton, a trip I have been looking forward to for almost a year, but had to be cancelled because of a covid outbreak and border closures. The tickets have been rescheduled, but I'm still kind of bummed about it (while completely appreciating the need for covid safety, especially when our vaccine rollout has been completely botched by our incompetent, corrupt federal government)

Anyway.

Reading

The Hundred and One Dalmations (Dodie Smith) - With all the bewilderment over Disney's Cruella, I decided to revisit the original novel which I first read as a kid. It's funny, I had very vivid memories of this book, or rather thought I did, particularly the scene where Roger and Anita have dinner at Cruella's house that fixed in my young mind as utterly disturbing with all this devil imagery and the implication Cruella was literally some kind of demon, which must have been either a) my overactive imagination or b) an illustration, because it's not as clear as I thought it was. The strangeness is there (food with too much pepper, Cruella's inability to keep warm, the walls painted blood red) but not the explicit demon imagery I had remembered. There is a part later in the book recounting the history of Hell Hall and the rumors of Cruella's ancestor streaking out of the place conjuring blue lightening, but clearly child me was reading far more into the book than was on the page.

But I still wish they'd gone with this version of Cruella's backstory, because to me an aristocratic, ink-drinking, heat-obsessed, possibly-demon spawn, high camp villain is more interesting and rings far more true than plucky punk against the establishment.

Smith clearly had Facts About Dalmations to share, and she does really craft a wonderful animal-based story that the Disney animated film is largely faithful to. Key differences include: Roger's occupation (he doesn't have to pay tax because he wiped out government debt somehow?!?), Pongo's mate and the puppy's mother is called Missis, Perdita is another dalmation who acts as a kind of doggie wet nurse, Roger and Anita both have Nannies who come to live with them (Nanny Butler and Nanny Cook), Cruella is married to a furrier (who changed his last name to de Vil). Also odd, on her first description Cruella is described as having "dark skin" but later in the novel her "white face" is mentioned, so I'm chalking it up to 50's descriptors not having the same meanings they do today.

The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) - After being just whelmed by the tv series, I wasn't really planning on reading the books, but I saw this on the top picks shelf at the library and damn, the top picks shelf is irresistible. This is very much Daphne's book (and I had known each in the series dealt with the different sibling) so many of the characters and much of the plot of the show is absent, as are some of the more baffling elements of the show like the Diamond of the First Water nonsense, which I always thought was a strange character choice in that it stacks the deck for Daphne when her character arc is better served as somewhat of an underdog (in her third season, the kind of girl who is liked but not adored), and the Prince subplot which was always far too OTT even for soapy regency romance.

It's a breezy, fun read (that scene excepted), even if the misunderstandings are contrived and I'm never going to take "I'll never have kids because I hate my dad" as a credible romantic obstacle deserving of so much angst.

Faeries (Brian Froud and Alan Lee) - A lovingly detailed and illustrated compendium of Faerie and its inhabitants, drawing from a range of European (but primarily Celtic) folklore and mythology. Froud was a conceptual designer on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the link is clear in the art as well as the focus on faeries as mysterious but oftimes sinister beings, where human encounters with them rarely end well. Lee has illustrated several publications of Tolkien's novels, and was a lead concept artists for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and there is a touch of Middle Earth here as well, or rather the common inspiration of the old world. A useful resource for my novel!

Watching

The Handmaid's Tale (season 4, episodes 4-8) SPOILERS - So when I last wrote about this show in the Roundup, I was complaining it wasn't going anywhere. Well, I'm happy to be wrong because they finally changed things up with June finally escaping to Canada. That part of the plot following the survivors and their trauma has always been far more compelling than Gilead, and so it was a welcome development even if I side-eye some of the choices (none of these characters is seeing an actual licensed therapist why?).

This show has always been difficult to watch given the subject matter, and that has not changed after the shift in power dynamics. I will give the show credit for showing a broad range of trauma responses, from Moira wanting to move on and not let it consume her, to June, a ball of rage and revenge on a downward spiral, to Emily, trying to follow Moira's path but being drawn to June's, to Luke, trying his best but utterly unequipped to deal with what is happening.

But it is very hard to watch June go down this path - raping her husband (I concede the show perhaps didn't intend for it to be rape, but that's what is on screen and framing it as just "taking away Luke's agency" doesn't change that), wishing death on Serena's unborn child, and orchestrating Fred's brutal murder by particulation, then holding her own daughter still covered in his blood and it getting smeared on Nicole's face (an unsubtle metaphor in a series full of unsubtle metaphors).

There are interesting questions being asked of the viewer, and the show (perhaps rightly) not giving any answers. I can certainly appreciate the catharsis of Fred getting what he deserves even if I personally find the manner of it horrifying, but where is the line between justice and revenge, is revenge the only option when justice is denied, when does a trauma release become cyclical violence/abuse - the show is, for now, letting the viewer decide.

Soul (dir. Pete Docter and Kemp Powers) - In a world full of remakes/reboots/sequels, Pixar is perhaps the lone segment under the Disney umbrella committed to original content. However, there does seem to be a Pixar formula at work directed to precision tugging the heart strings, and some of the film feels like well-trod ground. On the other hand, it's hard to criticise the risk of centering a kids film around the existential crisis of a middle aged man, even with the requisite cutesy elements (and of course, the uncomfortable pattern of yet another film where the black lead character spends a great deal of the runtime in non-human form - herein, an amorphous blob or a cat). But the animation is stunning, it successfully did tug my heart strings, and the design of the Great Before and the Jerrys is original and fun.

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under - Drag Race is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, since I generally don't watch reality shows, and this is something I really enjoy even if I'm not invested in the fandom (which like many fandoms can be very yikes). This year it was time for the Australian/New Zealand (Aotearoa) queens to show their stuff, although it's been met with mixed reactions. Covid restrictions didn't allow for guest judges, relegating them to mere cameos via video calls, and its clear that Ru and Michelle really don't quite get all the cultural nuances - Aussie judge Rhys Nicholson was however always delightful. But it wouldn't be Australia without a racism scandal, with the great disappointment of the two queens of colour eliminated first, and one queen having done blackface in the recent past yet making it all the way to the top four.

In the end, the only viable and deserving winner was last Kiwi standing Kita Mean, and it was pure joy to see her get crowned. I do hope they fix the bugs and indeed do another season to better showcase AU/NZ talent.

Writing

A far more productive month - to try and get out of my writing funk I had a goal to try and write every day, even if it was only 100 words. While I didn't quite achieve a consecutive month, I did get a pretty good average, at least got something posted and two others nearly there.

The Lady of the Lake - 2441 words, Chapter 4 posted.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2745 words

Turn Your Face to the Sun - 1752 words.

Here I Go Again - 1144 words

Total words this month: 8082

Total words this year: 35,551

#personal #long post #roundup #june roundup #reading watching writing #here's to the second half of the year #I really want to get to at least 100k written #so we'll see

[pinklynx]

My (current) thoughts on the Banana Fish ending

SPOILERS!! (...duh)

I think I should start with mentioning that I neither hate nor love the ending. I know people like to get their pitchforks out over it, but I'm not that kind of person. I can relate to the viewpoints of people who hate the ending, and I can relate to the viewpoints of people who agree with the ending. And I don't think that there's a 'right' opinion about it.

When I watched the final episode on the night it aired (besides the initial denial, shock and tears) I actually thought the ending fitted the show. Banana Fish is not an optimistic show; it delves into topics that most anime are terrified of touching with a ten-foot pole. I read it as bittersweet ending, if you will - a juxtaposition between freedom and hopelessness, and peace and death. For a show that is not particularly light-handed with Death's scythe, it made sense just a little that things wouldn't all work out for the best in the end...

But I couldn't stop thinking of the 'what if's, so I got to thinking about what the best alternative ending would have been.

Would the best ending have been Ash going to the airport and flying to Japan with Eiji? To me, this seems logically unlikely. Stabbed or not, there is no way that Ash is making it through airport security without a passport (try it, trust me, it won't work). After that, how would he be able to get a visa to live in Japan? As Ash Lynx, he is a ruthless gang leader, and as Aslan Callenreese, he is a convicted murderer (the prison mugshot at the end of episode 2 shows his real name). Not exactly a stellar record on the surface. Saying that, I don't think it would have been impossible for Ash to go to Japan, it just couldn't have happened in the way that the anime framed it. It would have required planning, possible forging a whole new identity. It certainly couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment decision upon seeing the plane tickets in Eiji's letter. In a sense, Ash was quite naive to run to the airport after seeing the plane tickets. It wouldn't have worked out.

It would, however, be plausible for him to go to hospital to at the very least NOT DIE. Now, I don't know much about cities given that I am a bit of a country bumpkin myself, but something (it might be common sense) tells me that a gunshot near a large public building would not go unnoticed. And there is no way in hell Ash could have realistically managed to make his way through the library without at least one person noticing the injury, blood or hunched walk. It is here that I think an alternative ending is plausible - albeit not the ideal and romanticised one. Ash could have received medical help and at least lived to appreciate how much he still has to live for.

It's upon realising this that I started to have some doubts about how much I agreed with the ending where Ash dies. The anime also leaves the story more open ended, allowing room for people to form their own opinions on how Ash's story goes. One theory I quite like - based off the second opening - is that Ash got up again to seek medical help. In the opening, he is shown walking through the streets at night clutching his stomach - an interesting choice of scene given that he was stabbed during the day and lost consciousness at dusk in the library. I don't know if I truly believe this theory or not, but it's a nice thought (gotta say though, it gives me flashbacks to No.6 where I overanalysed the ED...).

On a separate topic, I know that the ending is criticised to two parts: for sending out a negative message to victims like Ash, and for falling into the 'bury your gays' trope. In all honesty, these points didn't occur to me when I watched the ending for the first time, as that wasn't the vibe I personally got, but seeing people bring these up since has made me question my perception of the ending. I don't have a definitive viewpoint on this, but I do wonder what influenced Yoshida to end the series this way in hindsight. I haven't seen the interviews she has done - has she mentioned anything about why she chose to kill Ash? And did the portrayal of homosexuality in American media at the time have an effect?

So maybe over time my opinion has swayed away from liking the ending from a storytelling perspective to sort of agreeing with it, but recognising its flaws and alternative solutions. I still lean more towards the 'canon' ending, but maybe less so than I used to. I know this is a kinda boring conclusion to draw because I'm basically saying I'm on the fence. But there is one word that has stuck with me since I first watched the final episode... and I think it sums up the ending pretty well, regardless of how you feel about it...

Haunting.

The ending haunts you - you don't simply finish the final episode and never think about the show again. Instead, you cannot resist replaying it again and again in your mind, contemplating why and how and what if. The characters and story are unforgettable and make sure to leave their imprint on you even after the story concludes.

And that, to me, is a testimony to how powerful this show is.

(Note: There is so much more I could talk about with the ending to Banana Fish, and this certainly won't be my only post about it. If anyone would like to offer their thoughts I would love to chat about your opinions on the ending too!)

#banana fish #spoilers #banana fish spoilers #my thoughts #ash lynx #aslan callenreese #banana fish ending #i would love to hear other people's thoughts