thebetterluthor

[thebetterluthor]

#I liked Charles more than Henry #but neither of them could come even close to what Mary had with Matthew so what was the point #I hate the storyline of Mary's suitors with a passion #one of the many reasons why I never watch the show past the hospital scene at the end of season 3 #downton abbey #lady mary crawley

[thebetterluthor]

THEY KISSED!!!!💞

happy (belated) 2 years of she leaned in

#perfection #supercorp fanart

[thebetterluthor]

part 3 of the 2023 version of this post: adult books!

part 1: middle grade books | part 2: young adult books

this is a very incomplete list, as these are only books I've read and enjoyed. not all books are going to be for all readers, so I'd recommend looking up synopses and content warnings. feel free to message me with any questions about specific representation!

list of books under the cut ⬇️

yerba buena by nina lacour

if we were villains by m.l. rio

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily r. austin

i want to be a wall by honami shirono

portrait of a thief by grace d. li

the thirty names of night by zeyn joukhadar

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

love & other disasters by anita kelly

take a hint, dani brown by talia hibbert

boyfriend material by alexis hall

almost like being in love by steve kluger

the charm offensive by alison cochrun

something wild & wonderful by anita kelly

red, white & royal blue by casey mcquiston

something to talk about by meryl wilsner

honey girl by morgan rogers

one last stop by casey mcquiston

once ghosted, twice shy by alyssa cole

kiss her once for me by alison cochrun

a spindle splintered by alix e. harrow

finna by nino cipri

every heart a dooryway by seanan mcguire

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

under the whispering door by tj klune

space opera by catherynne m. valente

light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki

dead collections by isaac fellman

the city we became by n.k. jemisin

light carries on by ray nadine

an absolutely remarkable thing by hank green

feed them silence by lee mandelo

summer sons by lee mandelo

upright women wanted by sarah gailey

lavender house by lev a.c. rosen

fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe by fannie flagg

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid

a master of djinn by p. djeli clark

witchmark by c.l. polk

a marvellous light by freya marske

a restless truth by freya marske

when women were dragons by kelly barnhill

plain bad heroines by emily m. danforth

a lady for a duke by alexis hall

infamous by lex croucher

passing strange by ellen klages

even though i knew the end by c.l. polk

the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo

whiskey when we're dry by john larison

wake of vultures by lila bowen

silver in the wood by emily tesh

the once and future witches by alix e. harrow

the kingdoms by natasha pulley

a tip for the hangman by allison epstein

she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan

the song of achilles by madeline miller

spear by nicola griffith

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir

some desperate glory by emily tesh

all systems red by martha wells

a psalm for the wild built by becky chambers

the mimicking of known successes by malka older

winter's orbit by everina maxwell

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard

empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo

legends and lattes by travis baldree

the house in the cerulean sea by tj klune

other ever afters by melanie gillman

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

a day of fallen night by samantha shannon

a strange and stubborn endurance by foz meadows

the unbroken by c.l. clark

real queer america by samantha allen

fun home by alison bechdel

in the dream house by carmen maria machado

better living through birding by christian cooper

why fish don't exist by lulu miller

#books

[thebetterluthor]

I mean…

[thebetterluthor]

[thebetterluthor]

people are literally so boring a male character will kill 10000 people and steal candy from babies and theyll be like omg thats my king! but a female character is rude once and theyre like i hope she dies violently

#Yes #All of my favourite women #Can or have killed

[thebetterluthor]

[thebetterluthor]

I think she would have married him anyway. In the end she married him anyway when her father lost their entire fortune. I don't imagine she'd have done it differently back when she still thought there was a scandal waiting to happen and end her entire life as she knew it.

#downton abbey #downton rewatch #this site's hate of Mary is unnecessary #let a woman be a bitch in peace

[thebetterluthor]

REGINA MILLS Once Upon a Time (2011–2018)

#this is probably illegal #nobody should look this good #how does she get things done #does she go to shops and stuff #do people just stare as she walks past #smh #Regina Mills #OUAT gifs

[thebetterluthor]

Bit behind on my Christmas Downton Abbey rewatch, yet still hating on Edith with a passion.

New detail I hadn't noticed before: After she displaces the child she gave birth to for the second time, she tells the farmer she burdens with an extra mouth to feed (even though he is a poor man and already has children of his own) that she'll give him some money for the first month, ALTHOUGH HE SHOULDN'T NEED MUCH BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE ALL THEY NEED FROM HIS PREVIOUS BABIES.

This cheap ass idiot hands over the baby she gave birth to to these people, to care for and raise as one of their own, but doesn't want to even give them some extra money to buy baby things.

I'll be hating Edith Crawley forever. She's a selfish, worthless idiot and I cannot believe she survived the entire show.

#downton abbey #edith crawley #one of my most hated characters on tv not gonna lie #whiny selfish stupid and not at all entertaining #I should stop watching season 5 altogether the whole Marigold thing pisses me off so much #worst storyline on the show #even worse than the 90746534th time the Bates' went to prison

[thebetterluthor]

Taken 2 AU

I wasn't sure I'd want to have Lena and Kara with a kid in the Taken 2 au. It could be just as feasible for Lena to be in Istanbul for business, and for Kara to be there to protect whoever Lena is meeting with, and they decide to spend a day together seeing the city, when Kara soon realizes they're being followed.

But I realized it might be fun for Lena to have taken Ruby with her on the trip, and have Ruby be the one to a) insist they spend the day together, and b) kick ass helping Kara take on the bad guys when they eventually abscond with Lena.

Of course, I don't know how that would work if Sam is just a phone call away, and would obvs be the first person Ruby reaches out to. Maybe something happens to Sam years ago and Lena adopts her? Which would make losing Lena even more horrifying an idea to Ruby than it would otherwise be, because she can't lost another mom. She just can't.

And of course this would mean Lena and Kara are exes. I'm thinking they maybe marry young, before Lena takes over the company. For years she weathers Kara's sporadic absences and constant secrecy, until Kara misses a few to many commitments she's promised to be there for.

In the end, it's Ruby that makes Lena finally pull the plug. "It's one thing when it's me you lie to, Kara. I'm used to it. But Ruby... you can't promise to be there for her and then bail without notice. Do you know how excited she was for you to see her onstage?"

"Lena, I'm sorry--"

"No you're not. If you were sorry you would change, but you won't. You never have and you never will." Lena takes a deep breath. "It's not just my heart I have to protect now, Kara. I have to guard Ruby's too. And that girl has suffered enough grief already."

"Lena, please..."

"Just go, Kara," Lena says with a shake of her head. Her expression isn't mournful, but resigned. Tired. "Don't come back."

And so Kara leaves, and throws herself into her work. Though it's mostly protection these days, it keeps her engaged enough to keep her mind off Lena for years, until one day their paths cross in Istanbul. When their eyes meet, Kara's heart trips in her chest, just as it had the first time they'd met.

"Hello, Kara."

[thebetterluthor]

Supercorp: But it’s where Lena messes up a spell, and it causes her to just act fun, goofy, and carefree. She’s still Lena, but without any worries or guilt. She’s unabashedly herself no longer concerned with public image, work, in anyway what people think of her no matter how embarrassing some things she does might be. And Kara walks in, talking to this really bubbly and carefree Lena, and is like: “…What’s going on?”

What if, instead of it being a broken spell, Lena casts a spell deliberately to lift the burden and darkness for a bit? And instead of questioning it, Kara just smiles to herself, cherishing the few moments she gets to see this lightened version of Lena? Lena in her truest form...

[thebetterluthor]

[thebetterluthor]

in ep 1 of this season, lena told lillian there were "good times", "even with lex" i really would love to get a flashback on lena's good memories of lillian

“Even with Lex” sounds like Lex might have actually been an antagonist in Lena and Lillians connection, and now that we know he knew the truth about Lena, it is entirely possible he subtly manipulated them to keep Lillian’s affection and loyalty for himself, and to keep Lena dependent on him for praise.

So here have some nice moments where Lex isn’t involved at all:

- Lillian and baby Lena going shopping in the city, and when Lena stares through a broad window at people having tea and brunch at the Ritz, Lillian softens and leads her new daughter inside.

She sticks with earl gray, but Lena gets a pot of her very own hot cocoa, and an array of fancy sandwiches. Lena’s on cloud nine, back straight as can be, pretending to be princess entertaining her court.

Lillian tsks.

“Why be a princess, when you can be queen?”

- Lillian being the only one to show up at Lena’s chess tournament finals, despite Lionel’s promises that he and Lex would both be there in time. She watches as Lena progresses to the final match, and sees her final opponent mutter words into Lena’s ear.

She recognizes the teenaged brat as a nephew one of Lionel’s associates– a wretch if ever there was one. Lena’s features darken at the blatant antagonism, but Lillian is pleased when she says nothing in return. Not until the match is over in record time, and Lena rises to greet her applause with pleased smirk.

Lillian claps along with the others, but her attention is on the way Lena leans in during the requisite handshake with the boy, who sits shellshocked and dumbfounded on the other side of the board. Her words are as silent as the boy’s had been, but when Lena turns her features have spread into a full satisfied smirk.

For the first time, Lillian sees a bit of herself in the girl who bounces to her side.

“Congratulations, sweetheart,” she says with a rare hug. “Let’s get some ice cream.”

- The day of Lionel’s funeral, Lillian goes looking for Lena during the wake. They are all expected to put in face time with the mourners, and while Lex has been playing his role with aplomb, presenting a calm and prepared front for the transition to come, his sister has been absent since they returned from the cemetery.

She has better things to do than manage her daughter. She needs the wake to progress and finally end, so that she may finally retire to her grief in the privacy of her own home. She loved her husband, despite their difficulties, and the idea of facing her days alone open a hole in her chest that threatens to swallow her whole.

She shouldn’t be chasing her daughter at her own fathers wake. That girl– the one Lillian never wanted, the one Lionel *insisted* they take. The girl her husband loved more than anything.

The girl he left in the dark, and whose secret he took to his grave.

The girl Lillian finds in Lionel’s study, staring out the window with a picture book of flowers clutched to her chest. Lillian scowls in recognition– how many times had she gone hunting for her husband during a party, only to find him here, looking through that book with Lena smiling in his lap.

“There you are,” Lillian snaps, “I’ve been looking everywhere–”

Her words lodge in her throat when Lena turns, revealing the tears pouring down her cheeks. Lena has been dry-eyed since that night at the hospital when the doctors came out with a time of death. She has been calm and silent and eerily detached from the preparations for the funeral. But now her her breath hiccups in a sob, and her arms tighten around that stupid book as her grief finally catches up with her.

The only grief that mirrors Lillian’s own.

Lillian’s arms wrap around Lena without thought. Lena melts into her embrace, her thin control crumbling into a cascade of heavy sobs. Lillian strokes Lena’s long hair until she loses steam. When they part, Lillian’s hands cup Lena’s wet cheeks, but doesn’t dry them. She lets Lena have her tears.

“Take your time,” is all she says.

Then Lillian returns to the wake, to where Lex is entertaining partners and investors with booming laughs and broad smiles, not affected in the slightest.

And Lillian gets back to work.

[thebetterluthor]

OUAT Week Day 7: Free Choice

I remember everything you taught me.

[thebetterluthor]

[thebetterluthor]

the whole fam alignment chart part 49/?

#Accurate #Headcanon: Regina took Henry to see another therapist #Because the cricket is obviously inadequate #And when Henry was done the therapist was sneaky like Hey can I talk to you won't take long #And then Regina had an hour long therapy session #That she would never admit to because she was just talking to Henry's doctor #OUAT headcanon